Take Me Into the Beautiful

I can't get enough of this song. Each time I hear it, I long to hear it again and again...I have only just heard of the group, Cloverton, and I love the rich melody. The lead singer's voice reminds me of ThirdDay's Mac Powell, and the emotion expressed through his voice is wonderful. So now I'm sharing my find with all of you readers. Tell me what you think! Enjoy the music:

April Showers

It is that time of year again, when the earth is shaking off the effects of winter's chill and spreading greenery and blooms across it's face. Spring always seemed like a time of renewal to me. So fresh, so beautiful. Out of the crevices of tree stumps pop tiny, delicate flowers with upturned faces basking in the sunlight. I enjoy finding these beauties in my camera lens, and decided to post a few of my favorites here for your viewing pleasure {the upload quality is not very good, so I apologize...}

Flower Girl

Close My Eyes

Love this song. Absolutely. Such talent and passion flowing from the voices making the melody. Simply had to share this with all of you.

Glorious Pages

I have embarked into another tale. The Thirteenth Tale, to be precise. And it is pulling me in, hook, line, and sinker. The words are washing over me, and I am giving them ample time to settle into my mind. The thoughts inside these pages are profound. Take, for example, this exerpt:

"I shall start at the beginning. Though of course the beginning is never where you think it is. Our lives are so important to us that we tend to think the story of them begins with our birth. First there was nothing, then I was born....Yet that is not so. Human lives are not pieces of string that can be separated out from a knot of others and laid out straight. Families are webs. Impossible to touch one part of it without setting the rest vibrating. Impossible to understand one part without having a sense of the whole."

Magnificent. So deep, and so true. Who we are is intertwined and entangled with the lives of those in our family. Their decisions affect us, sometimes directly, other times indirectly. Almost as though our lives are woven together.

I am enjoying this book, so much so that I am attempting to read it slowly that I may savour the words and the story. It is so wonderful to be able to love what one reads...

Heart Cries Out

blue | grey | green

How do I feel about going to the Philippines? I have been trying to sort it all out, and I have had time to reflect on it a bit. I feel blue, and grey, and green.

Blue, because blue seems to me to be a hopeful color. It stretches on and on and on like the sea, and upwards like the sky. Though some say blue is sad, I beg to differ, for sad is...

Grey. When I feel saddish, I feel grey, not blue. Leaving for the Philippines is bittersweet for me, because of all the people that I am leaving behind. I love them so dearly that I hate to think of spending a year without them. However, it is hard to be too glum because I feel ...

Green, bursting with life and color. To me, green represents my excitement. I have always longed to travel, and this is the perfect chance for me and John to go abroad. See new faces, explore new places, and make new friendships.

A mix of emotions. Blue, and grey, and green, the colors of the sea. And I can't wait to see what lies in store for us. Christ is leading, and we are following, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Our Blog

We have it at last! Our very own domain name ... johnandkelsey.com . Please peruse the pages! It is still a work in progress, but our Philippines updates will be posted there. Much love to all!!!

{ Great Adventure }

For those of you who have not yet been informed of the impending changes, my husband and I are going to pack up and head out on a great adventure. We are leaving the States and will be making our residence in Olongapo, Philippines. After much prayer and consideration, we felt Christ leading us to help an organization [ Mercy In Action ]. This adventure has been in the works for some time. When I married John, I knew I would travel the world with him. It was merely a matter of time and opportunity.

Then opportunity knocked on our door. Mercy In Action purchased property in Olongapo, and they are now in the process of setting up a maternity clinic. John and I are going to help construct their clinic and a bunkhouse, as well as plant a garden and minister to the Filipino people.

Christ has taken our journey a step further. He planted this desire to help in many hearts, and our little team of two has grown into a team of ten. Besides John and myself, eight other people have volunteered to accompany us to Olongapo. We are very excited at the prospects. It has been amazing to see Christ at work in bringing our group together.

We would greatly appreciate your prayers in this time of preparation. Just yesterday, we purchased our tickets. Our official date of departure is June 2nd, 2011, and it is fast approaching. Our fellow team members are Miriam, Elizabeth, John, Levi, Jake, Jared, Orissa, and Miji. Please keep us all in your prayers! We are going to be launching a website, johnandkelsey.com, in the near future with more information if you want to follow our progress. I'm sure I will post more on here from time to time as well...

As it is a maternity clinic, we will each be taking along an extra piece of luggage filled with supplies. If you would like to donate, Mercy In Action would greatly appreciate the following items:

• Baby hats & receiveing blankets {knitted, crocheted, or storebought, these help to keep newborn babies warm during cold nights}
• Prenatal & Multi-vitamins {to give to expecting mothers}
• Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
• Gloves {sterile & non-sterile}
• Guaze Pads
• Shepherd's Purse
• Cord clamps
• IV Tubing & Needles
• 1cc & 3cc Syringes
• Sutures
• K-Y Jelly
• Chux Underpads
• Goldenseal capsules
• Iron Pills
• Alfalfa Tablets

Feel free to contact me with any questions, as I would love to answer them! I will try to keep you up-to-date with the developments as they transpire.

You Can't Take it With You...

I have been to Goodwills more than once, but tonight was the first time I have ever set foot in a Goodwill Outlet. Bins stretched across the length of the building, filled with stuff that people had cast off, articles that even Goodwill didn't want. And people loaded their carts with it, and took it home. Where it will be put to use, but in most cases, will probably sit around until someone purges it from the house.

I had a grand time with my husband, friends, and family, as we set forth with a list of items in hand. We embarked on a scavenger hunt, marking off our checklist as we rummaged through the plastic basins. When our time was up, it was interesting to see what people found, and in what shape the words we were searching for took shape in the items we had scavenged.

As we prepared to leave, I scanned the empty warehouse. So much stuff. And what doesn't sell will wind up in a dumpster, eventually filling some forsaken trash heap out in the middle of nowhere in particular. Stuff is not really made to last. And in the end, you can't take it with you. All that people strive to accumulate, wealthy or poor, it all comes down to the same thing in the end. We came into this world with nothing, and that is exactly how we leave it. No stuff.

I suppose it was just a vivid picture for me, as I surveyed all of the cast of mounds of things. Value the people and relationships in your life, and leave a legacy behind. That is so much more lasting. It is worth the time and effort.