Hi Everyone! This is just a short note to let you know that we arrived safely to Holland from Istanbul. I'll post more on Istanbul shortly, but I have to share this part of the adventure while it is still fresh. The plane delayed from the morning to the night, then it delayed another hour! So, we missed the night train to Gouda (where my aunt lives) and had to wait until 4 AM for the next trains. The first is a pic of me all wrapped up on the second train with my luggage (my mom fell asleep, so I was intently looking and listening so we wouldn't miss the stop - though my eyes were playing tricks on my and kept trying to close.When we arrived there was no one in sight. For the first time in the trip I felt a bit abandoned, ha! The Lord, the sweetie that He always is, cheered me up in a simple and special way. When we arrived up the stairs (yes, carrying up our heavy suitcase) there was some beautiful English Christmas songs ringing in the air - reminding us that He was there. We didn't find a cab and didn't know how to contact one and the last we had heard, my aunt's husband was out early with the car. So we walked for 45 minutes or so at 6 AM (the sun rises at 8:30) in weather 5 degrees below zero through the city of Gouda trying to follow the scribbled written instructions we had for getting to my aunt's house (taking turns to run to street corners to see if we have the right street before lugging the suitcases in that direction). I have never felt so cold and I imagined how Scott must have felt on his way to the south pole, ha! My nose was completely numb and for a second I thought I had frostbite. But it was fun and quite the adventure - though without the suitcases would have been best, ha! Everyone is skating and sliding around the ice out the window, and there are little kids too- it's so cool! Here is a pic of the view out the window right nowand then one of my mom and I standing on the frozen cannal by a frosty bush (don't worry, we weren't out in those clothes, we had already arrived and jumped out for a pic). And last there is another of the rose hips covered with frost.Tomorrow is the shortest day of winter, and we're going to try to go ice skating too! We're at my aunt's right now and tomorrow we will go to our other Aunt's.

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers - I'll post more soon. Lots of love.

First outing in Istanbul

Our first day in Turkey was great, we woke up late and took the day to explore the village near the house. We walked down the hill for half an hour and arrived to the village of Sariyer. Our first stop was to eat some delicious Doner, of typical sandwitch where they slice the chicken or meat off this huge pile that is close to the fire and fill a piece of turkish bread with that and salad. On the side we drank Ayran, a mixture of yogurt, water and salt. It's actually quite delicious! I'll add the pix of the man preparing it as well as us eating the final product. Ok, then we went to the Wednesday market where we got a taste of bargaining as my sister did so for any little thing we buy. It's hillarious actually, as they always give you a first price that is twice the real price and you are expected to bid and bargain it down every time - and my sis is downright good, though after every bargain the salesmen had gone through his life and my sisters in great detail in the course of the conversation at bargaining intervals that are carefully planned by the bargainers. Anyway, there were cheap panties and sports bras, and it was a fun experience. Here is a pic of the market too. Last, but not least, here is a pic of a couple guys in the home before they went out to a show. The guy in the back is Martin, but he's taken. The guy in the front is Shawn - he's quite funny, but mostly foolish - and he's single. So girls... I'll catch you all again soon. xxx

ARRIVAL TO TURKEY

Ok, I'm back. Where was I? Oh yes, my mom and I took a 4 AM flight to turkey on a rinky dinky plane (goodness, the 854 even feels safer, ha!) but we landed safe and sound on the Asian side of Istanbul. My sis was there and so was Jim, the sweetest guy in the world and quite the tour guide. We crossed the bridge to the European side (over the Bosphorous Straight that starts off at the Black Sea) and were treated to a delicious breakfast at one of their friend's cafes.

The first is a pic of Jim, mom and sis at the cafe (I took the pic) and the next is my plate. This is a typical Turkish breakfast, except that we are eating a bagel with it, while usually it would include Turkish bread or the taco style bread they eat a lot here. On the side there was real cream cheese, butter, jam and honey, as well as olives, cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes and ham. Notice also the Turkish tea, Chai (not sure if that's how you spell it, but that's how it's pronounced). They drink this all day! It is black tea made in a special way and served in these special cups - and it's pretty strong.

From there we head home. The flag of Turkey is waving everywhere because we're nearing the feast of sacrifice. We could see truckloads of cows being transported into town to be sold for the sacrifices. This is when they celebrate the occasion where Abraham almost sacrificed his son - but in their book it was Ishmael, not Isaac, that was the promised seed and was almost sacrificed. Interesting, no? Last, you'll see a picture from the car of a fisherman fishing on the Bosphorous Straight as we drive on the coastline.

Oh, I almost forgot - I had the bright idea of asking my sister how people greet each other here, since I saw Jim talking in a friendly manner with the parking guy and I was about to give him the usual two kisses and maybe a hug. Well, good thing I asked. Here the most people do is shake hands, and even then you have to wait until the guy offers his hand, as some of them can't touch women due to their religion , ha! Good thing I asked.

Days one and two - HOLLAND!!!

Hello everyone! I'm in Turkey now, enjoying the beautiful historical Istanbul. But first things first, so I'll share a bit of my trip to Holland in this post with some pix (not many, cause my batteries didn't charge well, but PTL). I don't have any pix of the arrival day, but the trip went very well, I didn't get lost or lose anything (except that I did THINK I lost my camera at one point, thankfully it was on my lap, ha!). As soon as I arrived I was escorted by my aunt to my grandma's for a delicious dutch dinner of steamed broccoli and green beans, boiled Dutch potatoes, salad, meat stew, and cherry/berry juice - a typical farmers meal, I guess. From there my mom, aunt and I headed to see my grandfather at the hospital. He was very sad because the doctors say he can't go home anymore because he is too fragile, but we were able to give him lots of love and encourage him too.

The first pic is of the second day, on our way to see my grandpa again, this time with my grandmother and mom, by cab. Check out the modern windmills by a farm. Notice that the land is completely flat.Next there is an old fashioned one - we didn't get to see it up close because both pix were taken from inside the cab.

On the third pic you'll see my grandparents and mom at the hospital and behind them is the leather ship picture I gave grandpa.

Then there is a pic of me by one of the canals that are EVERYWHERE! The weather is still pleasant (for this time of year) and there has not been any snow yet, there are even some flowers. I missed kids so much, and watching the little rosy-cheeked, bundled up dutchlings that made their way back from school made me want to squish them as only Jaden understands, ha.

Next is one of my mom and I in the little village of Zeewolden when we went to shop for my grandma. We're eating nothing other than the dutch traditional french fries with mayonnaise (don't cringe, ha).

We left for the airport to get our plane to Turkey with a friend at 11:30 PM after seeing my little cousin, uncle and his wife, in the last pic. Stay tuned for the next post - all about Turkey (you DON'T want to miss that ;) )

TRIP NEWS and PRAYER REQUEST

Dear Friends,

The Lord has awarded me one big desire of my heart! I'll be traveling in 3 days for a month of intense ... traveling, ha! Someone even joked that I'll spend the whole of the Christmas season on a plane - not far from the truth. The plan is to go to Holland, then Turkey (to see my baby sis), then Holland again (to various cities so I can see all relatives), then England (two different cities), then Iceland for some mommy time, then back to Holland and back home.

The reason I am telling you all this is because I'll need tons of prayer. The key I'm claiming is: Call on the keys of protection every step of the way for your travels--against loss, theft, delays, sickness, attacks of the enemy--and your travels will be easy, safe and inspiring.

Please pray for that and for boldness so I'll be a very faithful instant witness to the ones the Lord will put in my way. Oh, and that I get to see a white Christmas while still not freezing my ... yeah, that ;) Thank you so much for joining me in prayer. I so appreciate it!

I love you all lots! Have a great Christmas and feel free to send me your prayer requests as well. I'll have lots of 'plane' time to use for extra prayer vigils, ha!

xxx

-Maria

MERRY CHRISTMAS

More fun with friends

More pix (of a fun outing to a 'pizza rodizio' with my dear friends, Tamar and Fido)

A great answer by a great man

Someone had this on their blog - a great answer by a great man!

The university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists? A student bravely replied yes, he did!" "God created everything?" The professor asked. "Yes, sir," the student replied.

The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil." The student became quiet before such an answer.

The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question professor?" "Of course", replied the professor. The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"

"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The students snickered at the young man's question.

The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody and every object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (- 460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have too little heat.

The student continued. "Professor, does darkness exist?"

The professor responded, "Of course it does".

The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor. "Sir, does evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. "These manifestations are nothing else but evil."

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love, that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

The young mans name --- Albert Einstein

Akiane

I don't like idolizing people, but when my mom sent me a link to this girl's site, I couldn't help but feel drawn to her sweet, humble and simple spirit. She is a 12-year-old who has made a difference through her purity and through giving the Lord all the credit for her amazing gift.

She is a binary genius (in art and poetry) and there is not doubt about it when you look at her paintings and art. Her sample confounds even the most worldly personalities who seem to be magnetically drawn and captivated by her. She receives most of her poems straight through and also professes to receive the ideas for her art in dreams and visions.

Born to an atheist mother, Akiane had an experience with the Lord at 4 years of age and consequently converted her entire family. That's when she also began showing signs of a beautiful gift - certainly sent from God. Enjoy her pure and simple yet deep love for the Lord and desire to make a difference.

If you want to look at her paintings and the description of how she came up with them (especially the one of Jesus - BEAUTIFUL), here is her site: http://www.artakiane.com - I think I'll get in touch with her!

WnR breakfast

Check out the DELICIOUS waffles we had for breakfast last WnR. (Don't mind JC, we're starting a manners push just for him, lol)

My 'gata' friends

I took this pic a few days after the end of the first XD Core. Luz was here still so Fido and I just HAD to go to the beach with our crazy friend :) By the way, she was the sensation to the point where 5 guys in turn tried to start conversations with us out of nowhere and a couple other guys escorted her and Fido in treading water and back to me for pix, ha! It was such fun, though. We miss you Luz!

FYI: Gata, here in Brasil, is what you say when someone is pretty, hot, etc. Literally, it means cat, lol.

The Miracle Delay

It's hard to understand why sometimes when you ask the Lord for guidance and follow it, things still don't pan out as you hoped. What happened to me might give you the faith to trust next time that happens.

Last week I went to the dentist, I have to every two weeks to adjust my braces. Before heading there I had to hear from the Lord about something else, and He also punched through with this:

(Excerpts) The enemy walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. It is important that you double-check these things with Me and be vigilant and careful. ...fight the enemy back with all the weaponry you have. Do My will, do your part, and I will protect you ...Be proactive in spirit and in the steps you take physically. Do what you can and I’ll do what you can’t do. But also be sober and vigilant, careful about accidents and other breaches, and I’ll do the rest. I have all the power at your disposal, and if you use it the enemies attempt will be annihilated – they’ll be no match.

Since I was going by bus and wasn't sure what would work out with the ride home, I asked the Lord to confirm if I should still go. He said He would protect me if I followed His counsel and made an extra effort to ask Him before doing anything 'routine'. I walked out the gate with an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, but I called on the keys and Vigilance and was on my way.

The appointment went well with the dentist, but as I walked down the stairs from his office I remembered the Lord's counsel. I usually cross the road, call home (in case there is a ride), and then get the bus or van home at the nearby bus stop. I asked the Lord if I should do that or if He preferred that I call from a mall down the other direction. I felt clearly that that was best, so off I went.

It turned out that that entire mall had not one public phone. I walked a little further to the next mall (always in the direction opposite to the bus stop -ugh) and finally found one. I consoled myself with the fact that the Lord probably wanted me to be there so I could wait comfortably for a ride that surely would take me home.

To my dismay, upon calling home I was told that there was no one out yet and that I should probably just head home. I didn't get why I was shown to come the opposite way, but I picked up my pace and walked the 2 blocks back and then crossed the street. As soon as I arrived at the bus stop, a van pulled up and, after confirming it with the Lord, I jumped in.

This is where I usually end up. Following the check, and then not knowing why it doesn't make sense, followed by me wrapping it up in a faith bundle. This time, on the other hand, I think the Lord wanted me to clearly see why He did it. I'll continue:

I had some Word time in the van and began to dose off about 10 minutes from home, when suddenly I felt wide awake. I then heard gasps from the driver and other passengers. There, off the road and with it's nose in the tall grass, I saw another van. I heard sirens - the firemen from down the road were just arriving. I heard the driver remark-

"Man, that's what's his name, the van that passed right before this one, this must have just happened! The firemen are only arriving now!"

I don't know how bad the crash was or the state the passengers were in, but I didn't need to. I praised and thanked our Husband over and over for His care and foresight and for the gift of hearing from Him. I would have most probably taken that van if He hadn't told me to make the detour. I missed it by a few minutes.

And the story gets even better. When I got home (still praising profusely) Michele asks me how my day went and tells me that she felt the urge to pray for me. I told her she just might have kept me from being in a van that crashed. She then told me she had felt a strong urge to pray for me an hour and 20 minutes before - right about the time the Lord let me to go the other way.

I not only feel blessed, but sobered as well. I know the enemy is taking cheap shots at us, and he would love to snuff out our life and thus our service to the Lord here on Earth. Let's do our part so He can do the amazing and miraculous -- what we could never do or know about ourselves. I'm so glad I'm on His team!

Love or Infatuation?

I remember reading this when I was younger (it's actually from Raise'm Right), it's about the difference between love and infatuation. I thought us big people could enjoy it as well :) Let me know what you think about it! "Infatuation leaps into bloom. Love usually takes root & grows one day at a time. Infatuation is accompanied by a sense of uncertainty. You are stimulated & thrilled, but not really happy. You are miserable when he is absent. You can't wait until you see him again. "Love begins with a feeling of security. You are warm with a sense of his nearness, even when he is away. Miles do not separate you. You want him near, but near or far, you know he's yours & you can wait. "Infatuation says, 'We must get married right away. I can't risk losing him.' Love says, 'Don't rush into anything.' You are sure of one another. You can plan your future with confidence."

Baila Conmigo

Check out this amazing guy! His name is Sebastian. He's so cool! -One of our XD Core-ers. He taught us the dance he does here, but I thought I'd film part of it so that I can learn it better - and share it with you all too, snicker snicker. We love you and miss you Sebastian! As well as all the rest of you XDs :)

Nothing is Too Hard for Jesus

I was reading this on my rest day. Here are a few quotes that stood out to me.

You need to be much more passionate in your approach to My promises. You need to look at them as words given for you, and only you. Just as I died for you, as if you were the only one, likewise I gave My promises for you, as if you were the only one. They are for you, personally, individually, eternally!

If we think the battles are heavy now‚ we haven't seen anything yet. We're going to stare into the eyes of evil, face to face and breath to breath. That doesn't sound so inspiring, but what is inspiring is that you're going to have the faith and spiritual strength to do so then because you're making it through today's battles. The battles of today are preparing you for the future.

Know that faith is the "meanest and baddest" of your weapons and that's the starting place to great miracles.

I want to give you faith so you can know that I have the victory for you in absolutely every single situation or battle you face, and so you can embrace My promises personally, without having to work to make them good enough.

For some people, everything is a works trip, and that results in so much pressure, so much comparing, so much introspection. All that is not only a waste of time, but it creates the negative "waste" of sadness, loss of power, and a kind of spiritual impotence, because these people lack faith or they don't really understand that it's all about Me, not them.

That's why it's so important that you walk by faith, not by sight. To your eyes things may look scarier than they've ever looked before. To your carnal senses you might be more beaten and bloodied than you thought was possible for a Christian soldier with the armor of the spirit. To your doubting mind you might wonder if this time is going to be the end of you. But in your spiritual man‚ which has perfect trust and faith in Me, you will know that you are unbeatable and that I am going to save you and help you and that nothing I'm allowing you to endure is going to finish you off, because I am in you and I have promised victory.

You're already the winner and the champion, and there's nothing the Enemy can do about that. He'll try to dissuade you, try to get you to doubt and despair, but as long as you cling to My love and use the weapons I've given you, you'll always‚ always beat him.—And I say, tough for him! If he's such an idiot to think that he can get at My wife, that he can get at Me, when you and I have already won, well, that's his loss, that's his problem.

SPOOKY PIX

Something funny happened the night before last when I went with the Jett/teen girls on a campout/sleepover. We had a little fire burning and it was 2 AM already. I hadn't had my Word time yet since that day (and the ones preceding it) had been quite busy as we prepared and began round two (the first XD Core - a day after the end of the FDTP!) so I pulled out my ipod and was redeeming when I realized that the girls were by no means considering sleep at such an early hour. Well, Caryn (Jett) was taking some surprise pix, and for some reason the ones of me all came out with this funny glow, probably because of the smoke or heat/rays from the fire. The funny this is that we switched places and I took one of her in the exact same angle, but only mine came out that way. Ha! Here are a couple for fun (forgive the unflattering, messy, tired and pale look - I was EXHAUSTED!)

Here is a splash of pix from the first week of the FDTP including the 'flip the guy' game, the kiss the guy or girl game (organized by yours truly), the main door reminder poem - CLOSE THE DOOR OR THEY'LL BITE YOU MORE , an advertisement for our double shower facility (Divided only by glass! -Spicy!), face painting witnessing prep, a couple of our LIVE EARTH picketers bearing signs such as BEFORE WE DIE FOR LACK OF AIR THE WORLD WILL DIE FOR LACK OF LOVE, and a new and back-breaking meditation position. Enjoy!