Christmas break in Brazil

MERRY CHRISTMAS from the Taylor family

Me and Hannah waiting to open our Christmas gifts!

James & Christen

Daniel, Gabriel, Hannah, & Jeremiah ready to open gifts!

Sharon, David, and little Gabriel singing some songs on Christmas Eve with the family.

Waiting for Sharon's most famous pizza!

Thankfully, I was also able to see where both of my brothers live now and who their neighbors are. Two of the nights that I was there, they both had Christmas parties where they invited all of their neighbors on their street and played games, sang Christmas songs, and taught them the true message of what Christmas is about.

What a blessing it was to not only be with family but see my family doing what God has called them to do in sharing the gospel with people here in Brazil. It truly encouraged me and reminded me of the importance of reaching out to my neighbors in Memphis as well.

What are you willing to sacrifice for Him?

As I think about Christ and what He left for me, I am amazed. He left a perfect home with no sickness, trials, temptations, or people that hated him or put Him down. Knowing He would encounter each one of those things while on earth, Christ went on to completing God's will for Him. The reason I write this is because many times I ask myself what is stopping me from doing all for Him. Christ lay aside His home, pleasures, comforts to focus on what really mattered - people for ETERNITY! What am I sacrificing for eternity? As I go about my daily activities, do I put eternity at the focus of everything I do or do people and my fleshly desires blur up my thoughts and actions.
If God is calling me to something such as the mission field, I must be willing to go knowing not even Christ had a true home while on earth (Luke 9:58,59) He just wants us to follow after Him and yet how hard it is to put everything aside and just fix our eyes on Him.
We must also be willing to surrender all to Him. In my Nelson study Bible it says that "true spiritual transformation starts in our mind and heart." If we do not surrender our all to Him, then we are half and half. One part of ourself is facing Christ and the other half is facing the world. Thus, we will be tossed back and forth never fulling ready to do what He wants for us. Yet, if we face completely towards Him, we can "STAND THE TESTS OF TIME." No, it is not easy even for me. I write all this because even I am struggling with this, but know I must lean completely on Him during the hard times I am going through in my life.
In the end, I must be willing in my surrender to give Him time in His Word to know what He wants me to do each day thus revealing what He wants me to do later on with my life.
I want to end with this quote my pastor gave last Sunday - "Someone that is not willing to sacrifice will disappear from the ministry." I know I do not want to be that person so I ask you to pray for me for the following:
1. That I know what God wants with my life
2. That if He wants me on the mission field, I am willing to go no matter the circumstances
3. That I fully trust in Him during this period of waiting on Him for direction in my life
I pray this encourages you to put eternity before you and not yourself!

Romans 8:26a ~ "the Spirit also helps in our weakness. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought."

Spring Break Cruise 2008

Fourth Grade Valentine Journals - "One day I woke up and had been turned into a chocolate M & M"

I got up and went outside. I walked around. I felt like I wanted to eat myself. I went back inside and went to the mirror. I had been turned into a blue m & m. I got ready and went to the candy store. I bought all the candy they had. Than I ate it all. Every now and then a piece would be missing. I noticed a lot of people were holding pieces of m & m. Than I walked down the street, it got so hot that I melted.

~Kendrick~

One day I woke up and had been into a chocolate m & m. I was really strange. I was a green m & m. I smelled so good and I started licking myself and then I started eating my legs and then my arms. After that my mom came in and she said, "Stop eating yourself!" Then I said, "But I tasted so good." Then my mom said, "Oh, let me help you." After that, she ate me all up.

~Amanda~

One day I woke up and had been turned into a dark chocolate mini sized m & m. I was a miniature color. I was the newer kind and if I was found in a pack I could run away. Suddenly I felt an enormous hand. When I was found 1,000,000 dollars would be given to the person.

~Trey~

One day I woke up and had been turned into a m & m. I almost ate myself too. Well I did eat a little part but then it grew back. I started to eat myself but than I realized I didn't eat breakfast yet. Finally I thought, wait a minute, who cares if I hadn't eaten breakfast yet. After I got downstairs I couldn't reach my mouth. Than I realized my mom was purple, my dad was blue and my brother turned red. I was pink. When I looked down. I realized my dogs were yellow and brown. Then I went to the mall to my favorite store and bought 1 billion things.

~Hannah~

One day when I woke up I had been turned into an m & m. I thought that I was dreaming so I pinched myself. It hurt so I knew I wasn't dreaming. I screamed so loud my parents came running into my room. They were m and m's too. My dad was blue, my mom was orange, and I was yellow. My dog Sunny was green and my puppy Jojo was a mini red m and m. Jojo was cute as an m and m. So my family was stuck like that forever!

~Carly~

One day I woke up and had been turned into a peanut m and m. Then I went outside and tried to get a car to run me over. But no one did. Then I finally go an idea. I climbed up onto the counter and dropped myself off of it trying to see if my dog would eat me. But he was outside so apparently that idea didn't go so well. Finally my mom found me, I was sneezing and had red spots on me. But when she saw me she thought I was a bug so she stepped on me.

~Morgan~

Which journal entry is your favorite?

My daily devos...

One of my resolutions for the year of 2008 is to read through the Bible again and boy have I been reminded of so many things. I know I have heard the story of Joseph so many times, but never had I stopped to really think how horrible his brothers were to him; and yet, how well Joseph took it and how well God took care of Joseph. Many times when hard things happen to me, it is so much easier to just get angry or blame God for the situation. Joseph looked at the situation in his life through God's eyes and trusted Him through it all. All through Joseph's testing, he counted it joy and God greatly blessed Him for it. From this reading, I would really like to work on looking at every situation, whether good or not so good( in my eyes), as something from God or God is allowing for a purpose so I may become more like him and gain greater faith through it in the end.

First Highlight in 2007 - Surprising James & Christen before they headed off for Brazil!

Second Highlight in 2007 - Summer mission's trip to Washington D.C.

Daniel - passing out tracts & invitations to the daily night revivals.

Tim, Emily, & I - taking a tour of the World War II Memorial

All the girls - hanging out in the museum

Check out Mindy & Dawn's great deals in hats from Washington D.C.



Our entire Central Baptist group at the revival!