Bear..

So I have some catching up to do on my posts. First off—school is going great this semester. Some of the students aren’t catching on as fast as the ones did last semester, but no child is alike. Two, Ben has done a 360 in his spiritual life. He calls me energized about something new everyday. He and some teammates have been keeping each other in check. One guy called him last night after we got through eating with some friends to see how things were going with his prayer/bible readings. That guy also gives him verses to read. How awesome is that? A teammate! It brings tears to my eyes to see how God works and answers prayers. In the 4 years we have been dating, I have never seen him this happy. Only God can do this.
Please keep William Carey’s baseball team in your prayers. God really is working through Ben and the teammates. One player is trying to take in one teammate who has caused a lot of off the field problems and get him into church. It is working so far!

So Ben has me listening to all these old Christian songs from CDs I have let him have and he is wearing them out! He is real into Jeremy Camp and DC Talk’s Jesus Freak. You know that song came out a while back and he is playing it like it came out yesterday! I never knew the entire song until now! But I did find a verse in the song that really spoke to Ben and me.

“Separated, I cut myself clean
From a past that comes back in my darkest of dreams
Been apprehended by a spiritual force
And a grace that replaced all the me I’ve divorced.”

Well, some troubling news I do have to report is that Bear (see “Free!! Free!!...to a good home) got hit two days ago and broke his femur and pelvis. I know..Poor Baby! This dog definitely has 9 lives! My neighbor didn’t know what to do and thought he was going to die(I guess). So I packed him up and carried him to the vet. 1 day later, $200 of unexpected expenses—he’s back at Sandy Run Road. He isn’t the happiest camper, but you ought to have seen his tail wag when Ben & I walked in to pick him up. I keep telling myself that this was the right thing to do for God’s little creature—and it is, but it’s so hard taking care of him. It really hurts me seeing him hurt.

Anyway, the search is back on as soon as Bear gets better—Free!! Free!!...to a good home. I don’t want to see him go, but know that I cannot give him a yard to roam. He loves running around. I also cannot keep him pinned up in a doghouse either.

I don’t know the reason yet, but I will see why God led me to Sandy Run Road. Maybe for Bear—who knows. But, I do know that Bear has touched my life forever!

Yours,
Amy

A New Year!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year. Mine was exciting and most of all relaxing. Ben called me right before New Years Eve and asked if I wanted to hang out at his place to ring in the New Year then the next day go to a friend's deer camp in Louisville, MS. Well, I didn't know hanging out at his place on New Years meant watching him write a paper for half the night. UGH! But, we ended December and began the New Year shooting some fireworks. Ask me about the “Bling Bling” fireworks. 

Most girls roll their eyes when they hear the word “hunting” much less “deer camp.” I love it! Not as much as Ben, but I love spending time with him and enjoy going with him. Anyway, I was pretty pumped about going up north to hunt because I was for sure going to get a deer!

Have you ever heard the phrase “Whatever you do on New Years, you will be doing all year long?” Well, my mom would tell me that when I was a kid and I never cared about that until a few years ago. I started the day off great by waking up at a decent hour and tidying up the house—doing great so far, right? Yes. The plans were to leave after lunch and head north. We accomplished this task and ended up in the woods around 3:00. Right on schedule!

Ben and I decided to hunt together and we ended up seeing two does right after getting settled. He was pumped and tells me to come over and sit in his lap to shoot. I wasn't too excited about that because my heart was racing and I had to hold my HEAVY gun up and make a 300+ yard shot. Well...no need for excitement—I missed. Gosh! How can this happen again. I had NO PROBLEMS with the first deer I killed. I shot it from 200+ yards right in the heart. Why am I missing?!?! Very frustrating.. Anyway, I had no time to feel sorry for myself because Ben goes to shoot the idiot doe standing where the doe I missed was standing. Well, he missed!!

What a way to finish up a well-organized day! Anyone who knows anything about me knows I’m superstitious. Maybe my mother made me that way, but anyway, I’ve rubbed off on Ben. Being this way is not good for two worriers!

UPDATE: Five days after New Years, Ben and I have yet to see another deer. We are marked. I will definitely post updates over the year to let you know if this saying proves to be true. No worries—everything else went well that day!

Yours,

Amy