The last blog entry I sent out was so long ago and so much has happened since.

First, I'm a grandmother! For those who have been faithful friends you know that I have many pets here and I treat them like my children. One being a pet chicken named ChickyChick. Well, ChickChick had her eggs a few weeks ago and now is the proud mother hen of six chicks! They are so adorable that when people heard that the snakes we hungry, almost everyone made sure that they were not to be "snake food". That is, everyone but the person who needs to feed the snakes.

Also, I have two and a half roommates! Ashley is part of Patmos and has signed on for the year. Katie is a student of Patmos while also on staff doing filming of Patmos. The half roommate is Mia. She is totally my roommate but has been away on another mission trip for two weeks of her three weeks here. Its also a prayer request that she'd be able to stay in Nassau. Her apartment in Florida was to be rented out for her to afford to be here as a volunteer but it fell through just after she arrived.

Lis's visit was a breath of fresh air! The Lord knew that I needed her to be here and I think she also needed to be here. Its awesome how the Lord orchestrates what we need when we need it. He is good all the time!

Though I just got back from Florida, I'm already making plans to return in March. Turns out that my nephew, Jacob, and his foster family will be in Florida on vacation. I haven't seen him since his mother's funeral so this is a special trip for me. Its hard to see him when I'm on break since he lives in Pennsylvania and I'm usually in upstate NY.

The first weekend back, my Youth Group had its Winter Retreat. Chara and I were in a cabin together along with 10 teens and young college students. Pastor Chet spoke on purity. The Lord gave him the wisdom to put it in a way that did not turn them off of it but really hit them at where they needed to hear it most. At one point, he had Jenn and Michelo Lully act out the Song of Solomon! The part where they are in the forest but then realize that its wrong so he jumps up and runs. It was very funny to watch but a great way to show that waiting until marriage is because of real love. Due to answered prayer, Pastor Chet will take these same lessons of purity into a couple of high schools this winter. This nation's teens really needs to hear about purity!

The Patmos program is well underway. They have all survived week one and are willing to continue with the rest of their time. I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you what they've been doing so I won't. Just know that they have been stretched beyond all they thought they would and they have grown closer to the Lord through it.

God has been good to me also. I've been blessed with so much and see how I take it for granted but His mercies endure forever. That has been hitting me lately: how gross I am with all I do wrong even after being a Christian yet His love and faithfulness does not end or even lessen for me.

One passage that has been impacting me lately is 2 Corinthians 5. All of it is great but the last verse has hit me most of all. Verse 21 "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." How awesome is the love of God that He would let sin (that gross stuff that hurts us and those we love) be on Himself.

I've been watching Patmos students go through many challenges with this same lesson. They are doing physical labor challenges that take the burden off one person and put in on another. One person learns the meaning of carrying another's burden, as Christ did for us. While the other person learns what it really means to be carried by another; humility just to be helped, dependence, compassion, love, respect, and suffering with the person because you caused suffering in that person.

What Jesus did for us, we will never fully know but what little we know is enough to give all our life to Him.