I am thankful days 17-19

I am thankful for..
I am thankful that my mom is getting so much better. She gets to come home today. I am so excited. I have been waiting for this day for a while. I am so happy that I don't have to go and sit up a hospital any more..

I am thankful for teachers. My mom works at the elementary school that I went to and some of that staff is coming to visit my mom today before she is discharged. It is going to be a blessing to see them and just know how much they have been praying for my mom has been a blessing.

I am thankful for the power of PRAYER! I can't now thank everyone in person that has been praying for my mom because there are just so  many people praying for her. it is truly a blessing to know that everyone is praying and cares about her.

I will update later.

I am thankful for days 14-16

Sorry I have missed a couple of days, I have had a couple of family issues go on just these past couple days. Any way I will tell you some more things that I am thankful for....

I am thankful for doctors and nurses that can help people. My mom just got sick not that long ago and is in the hospital and I am so happy that she is here and getting taken care of. She has a blood infection and it is blessing to know that she is here in the hospital comfortable and not in pain. It is such a blessing to know that she is not home and in pain.

I am thankful for Friends, I know I said this before but my friends have been such a blessing and have helped me and are still helping me get through this hard time while my mom is sick. THey have really showed God's love to me when I told them that my mom was sick. This is the second time that my mom has been sick so one of my friends went through the same thing with me last time it happened and the day that my mom went in to the hospital my friend ask if I was okay, it I needed anything and that she would be praying. It means every thing to me. I am so happy to call them my friend and I am so glad God blessed me with friends that care about me so much.

I am thankful for the leaders of this country. I am  so happy that my parents adopted me and I can live free in this country, I am truly blessed by so many things.

I am thankful for days 11-13

I know I missed to days but though I skills still update.... 

Starting with Monday 

I am thankful for.... The veterans that have served for this country. My school had a Veterans Day chapel and it was so school to see how many people that have suffered their lives for our country's freedom, 

I am also thankful for sunsets... I got to see an amazing sunset tonight. It was beautiful...... 

I am thankful for jobs because I babysit and I am so thankful for that. It is awesome that I get to hangout with kids and get paid 

Here is the picture from the sunset tonight. I love see God's amazing and beautiful creation 

I am thankful for days 3-10

I know I have missed quite a fews days but Today I am going to put down 7 things that I am thankful for. So lets get started:

I am thankful for my house. We have had some really cold weather. We have had a lot of rain and even snow/sleet. It is always nice to come home after a long day at school and go into a nice warm house. It is truly a blessing. I love that I am am able to live in a house with my amazing family and sit around the table and eat a really good dinner. 

I am thankful for good food because I think about people that don't have food or only get 3 meals a day. Not to brag or anything but if I am hungry, I can just go into our kitchen and get food. It really is a blessing to have food  basically right at my hands. 

I am thankful for church! I am really thankful that I can go to a church and be apart of the body of Jesus Christ. The church that I go to, has been the church that I have gone to my entire life. I am  thankful that I am involved with in the library at my church.

I am thankful for electronics not just because they are fun and everything. I have family that lives in Chicago and really the only way that we connect is over email. Our lives now today are basically revolved around electronics

I am thankful for my dog, yes I said my dog. I love my dog. I don’t usually think of being thankful of my dog but I really I am thankful for. her. 

I am thankful for cars. I am thankful that we don’t have to walk every like people did in the old days. We just talked about this in one of my class and we talked about how blessed we are. 

I am thankful for music, it is nice to just take a break and listen to music. I love listening to music. It is always nice to sing music in chapel and in church and anywhere I am. 

So yeah That is just 7 more things that I am thankful I will try to update more regular again. 

Today I am thankful for....

I am so thankful for school. Most of the time people don't say that they are thankful for school, well I am because I go to a Christian school. so I am blessed with an amazing group of teachers and an amazing group of students. I am proud to call myself a student at a Christian school. God has blessed me with an amazing group that I can call my family in Christ.

I am Thankful for....

So last year if you were reading my blog I posted everyday with one or two things that I am thankful for and I am going to do that again this year. I know I am three days behind but today I will just post 3 things that I am thankful for.....

The first thing that I am thankful for is FAMILY!!! I have an AMAZING family!!!! I love them so much!!! They help me push on and endure when things get tough. They love me with all they have in them! My parents we blessed when they adopted me and today at my church we recognized the people that have adopted and have been adopted and I had the privilege  to stand and say that I have been adopted. I am just so thankful that my parents felt the call to adopt my sister and I.  I am thankful for every single person in my family. I am thankful for my dad because he works really hard, he is up early to wake me up and make sure I get off yo school, and then he is up late at night doing things to make sure that I am ready for the next day of school. My mom!!! All I can say is she is AMAZING!!! She has taught me so much! She taught me how to have a special place for kids with disabilities. My brother, he is the best brother I could ask for! Wouldn't trade him for ANYTHING!!!! Even though he has a disability he has taught me SO MUCH!!! He has gone through so much!! I look up to him!!! Last but certainly NOT least is my sister. Like I said that we were both adopted I am so thankful to call her my sister!!! God has truly blessed me to become closer with my sister! I look up to her in hard situations and I am so glad that she is there that I can talk to her. Riding in the car to school is my favorite time to talk with her because it is just the two of us. I feel like as we have gotten older I have become closer with her. When I say I am thankful for family it doesn't mean the 4 people that I have mentioned I am also SO thankful for my extended family on both side. My mom's side have gone through a lot together and I don't think that I would be who I am today with out any of them. We have also gone though so much with my dad's side of the family! I can't thank them enough for helping me become who I am today.

Another thing that I am thankful for is my FRIENDS!! I love them all! I might now say it but I do. God has blessed me with an AMAZING group of friends. We are very close knit friend group. I can tell them really anything and I know that if I need prayer they will pray for me and that they know that I would do the same for them. God is truly working in our hearts to be sisters in Christ. All of my friends have different personalities and talents that bring us together! We might not always get along I still love them like they are family. Those aren't my only friends though. My friends at Compassionate Heart I am so thankful for! I am truly blessed to be a apart of that family and call them all my friends. I love all of my friends so much. I couldn't even imagine my life with out them. I am truly blessed beyond words thanks to them. I love you all!!

Lastly for today, I am thankful Compassionate Heart! God have been doing AMAZING and AWESOME things with me there. I was truly blessed this summer to do the serve project though Compassionate Heart and I am so glad that I did. Having a brother that has a disability his entire life and seeing him not have that many friends breaks my heart. That is why I go to Compassionate Heart because I want to be a friend to those kids that are there. I know what they have to go through. We talked one time in our Bible class how we have to be the hands and feet of Jesus. That is what I want to do when I am at Compassionate Heart! I have this AMAZING opportunity to do that I challenge you to do the same! It doesn't have to be with kids that have disabilities. If you see someone in school that is struggling with their lunch or drop something in the hall, help them and be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ!

What are you thankful for??? November isn't just about the turkey, the potatoes and all the food even though it is really good isn't just about that. God has blessed us with so much. Just take a minute to think about it and I'll be back tomorrow to tell you another thing I am thankful for.

Build Your Kingdom Here by Rend Collective Experiment

So this is one of my all time favorite songs right now! Love it the lyrics are below and so is a link to the video. I really like this song because it talks about how we want God to build his Kingdom here on Earth and we are helping him build this kingdom. 
Come set Your rule and reignIn our hearts againIncrease in us we prayUnveil why we're madeCome set our hearts ablaze with hopeLike wildfire in our very soulsHoly Spirit come invade us nowWe are Your ChurchWe need Your powerIn us

 

We seek Your kingdom firstWe hunger and we thirstRefuse to waste our livesFor You're our joy and prizeTo see the captive hearts releasedThe hurt, the sick, the poor at peaceWe lay down our lives for heaven's causeWe are Your churchWe pray reviveThis earth

 

Build Your kingdom hereLet the darkness fearShow Your mighty handHeal our streets and landSet Your church on fireWin this nation backChange the atmosphereBuild Your kingdom hereWe pray

 

Unleash Your kingdoms powerReaching the near and farNo force of hell can stopYour beauty changing heartsYou made us for much more than thisAwake the kingdom seed in usFill us with the strength and love of ChristWe are Your churchWe are the hopeOn earth
Build Your kingdom hereLet the darkness fearShow Your mighty handHeal our streets and landSet Your church on fireWin this nation backChange the atmosphereBuild Your kingdom hereWe pray

Build Your kingdom hereLet the darkness fearShow Your mighty handHeal our streets and landSet Your church on fireWin this nation backChange the atmosphereBuild Your kingdom hereWe pray

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 

A Poem

NO, I did not write a poem but I wanted to share a poem that I read in class.  It is called "Wait" By Russell Kelfer.

Wait
by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried; 

Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied. 

I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . . 

And the Master so gently said, "Wait." 

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply. 

"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!

Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?

By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word. 

"My future and all to which I relate 

Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait? 

I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign, 

Or even a 'no' to which I can resign. 

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe, 

We need but to ask, and we shall receive. 

And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:

I'm weary of asking! I need a reply." 

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate, 

As my Master replied again, "Wait." 

So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut, 

And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?" 

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . . 

and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign. 

I could shake the heavens and darken the sun. 

I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be. 

You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me. 

You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint. 

You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;

You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.

You'd not know the joy of resting in Me

When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love

When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.

You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,

But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night,

The faith that I give when you walk without sight.

The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask

From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,

What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.

Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,

But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see

That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.

And though oft My answers seem terribly late,

My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."

Summer serve recap in WORDS

So I posted my recap about serve in pictures well now I will do a update on what we did each day. So it went from Friday through Thursday!

Friday: We all arrived at the church that we were staying at. (when I say we I mean the mentors not participants) We all set up our bed and then we went to one of the mentors parents house. We got there and ate dinner we had hamburgers and they were really good, After we ate we did a couple of get to know you activities then hung out and had bon-fire and then went back to the church! When we got back we got ready for bed and then at I believe 11:00 we went to bed.

Saturday: Saturday was when the participants arrived. I was excited, but before they arrived we ate breakfast and had mentor training. and also found out who we were with for the week. After mentor training we ate lunch and then got ready for participants to come. When the kids got there, we did a scavenger hunt with them and found like where their room was, and where the showers were and everything after the scavenger hunt we had some down town and got all the kids ready for dinner and convertible rides and motorcycle rides. So after we ate dinner we got to ride the convertibles and motorcycles I didn't go on a motorcycle but but I did go on a convertible. After the rides we went inside for worship, Worship is by all my all time favorite thing of the entire week. Anyway after worship we went to small groups and then had a snack and then at this time of the night it is time to get the kids ready for bed and then after they are in bed mentor stay to stay up and go to mentor meeting. It was a fun experience for the first night to be in there. I loved the group of mentors.

Sunday: Sunday, The Lord's day we go up and ate breakfast and then went and got ready for church. after we ate we had to go to the first church service there and they talked about what we were going to do during the week. After we were done there we went into the gym and we had an actual church service combined with the church where we staying and also my church. After church we got ready for lunch and then we after lunch then we all got ready for a talent show. The talent show was with the small groups we were in.  It was very fun. I loved it. We had a little delay in the talent show though because they lost power. After the talent show it was dinner time. After we ate dinner we got ready and had worship. After worship we went to small groups and then after small groups we had a snack and then got the kids ready for bed then we to a mentor meeting then I ran across the street and took a quick shower. After I showered I went back and got ready for bed then went to bed because I knew we would have a long day on Monday.

Monday: Monday, first day of work sites. We woke up and got ready, we ate breakfast and found out where we were going to work. After we were all ready we went to where we were suppose to stand and then leave. I went to a school a cleaned. It was SO SO SO SO SO HOT!!!! It was not fun. When were there we washed doors, tables, chairs, windows. We took a lot of breaks it was really nice. We didn't have that much work todo and we didn't want to start something and not finish so we went back to the church and we got to shower relax and take it easy before we went to go ride horses. Yes we rode horses. It was fun. I got to ride in a big charter bus with all my friends and they bugged me and wouldn't let me sleep but oh well. When we got there the place was huge and also they had a runway. The kids got to ride horses pet alpacas and ride a hayride and have snow cones and pet ducks and all different kinds of fun. After we were done riding horses we went back to the church and ate dinner and then later on had worship and then we got to go in sprinkler and cool off. After that we had a snack then got the kids ready for bed then after they were ready mentors went to the mentor meetings. and then after the mentor meeting I went down stairs and talked with the other mentors. At 11:30 I went to bed. I wanted to be ready for a long day on Tuesday.

Tuesday: Tuesday Second day of work and backwood adventures. We woke up and got ready, we ate breakfast and found out where we were going to work. After we were all ready we went to where we were suppose to stand and then leave. I went to a school a cleaned. It was SO SO SO SO SO HOT!!!! It was not fun. On this day though  we washed chairs and took a lot of breaks and got ICE CREAM and then we went back to the  church and then we got to go backwood adventures and ride quads, fish, ride gators, archery, pellet gun and eat food. It was fun just so HOT! I went a gator ride it was fun then We ate dinner. We also had worship when we were there. It was to hot to do any of the motions though. After we got back to the church we got to go in a fire truck. YES they got a fire truck and they hosed us down it fell so nice though. . After that we had a snack then got the kids ready for bed then after they were ready mentors went to the mentor meetings. and then after the mentor meeting I went down stairs and talked with the other mentors. At 11:30 I went to bed.

Wednesday: Last day of work, swimming and banquet! Last day of work sites, I was HOT, I didn't got to the school.  I actually went to a camp and raked leaves it was just a little to hot. But we took a lot of breaks and then after we were done working we got to go swimming, and cool off. After we went swimming we went back and got ready for a banquet and got dressed up and got awards(well the kids got them) then after the banquet we had a dance party then had worship then, small groups and then we got a snack and then we went and packed the kids and got them ready for bed then packed up yourselves and then put the kids to bed. Then mentors went to the mentor meetings. and then after the mentor meeting I went down stairs and talked with the other mentors. At 1:30 I went to bed.

Thursday: Last Day :(, We woke up early and we took all of our stuff and put it in the gym and then we ate breakfast and then made sure we had everything  packed up and then families started to arrive and we had worship ONE LAST TIME! I miss still to this day. anyway after we had worship we went into small groups to pray over each of the kids and then the parents prayed over the mentors. After that time we went and had some lunch and got ready to leave. There were a lot of tears. After the a lot of the kids left the mentors were able to stay good bye and give hugs and pray over the other mentors and just say our last good byes and then we all left and went out separate ways.

Yeah so there is my serve update in WORDS! sorry it was so long, but hope you enjoyed reading it. questions? leave them in the comments and I will try to answer them! Bye all

Hey

Hey, sorry, I haven't been updating this blog that much I have been busy with school, but today I found sometime today and wasn't doing any thing so I thought I would update my blog, Not mush really has been going on i have been busy I haven't gotten much time to pause and think about what I have done. which isn't the best but I am loving life. I have been volunteering at Compassionate Heart and I have been taking drivers training. So if you live in west Michigan STAY OFF THE ROADS! well I must go thanks for reading

Summer Recap

So, School starts tomorrow so it is time for a summer recap. So two things that stuck I really like this summer was that we went on vacation to Wisconsion and I did Summer Serve. So I will do the Serve recap today and the vacation some other time soon. So Serve. For those of you who don't know what Serve is Click HERE! But I will post my pictures below! They  are no particular  order

My friend Jeremy and I

My friend Josh and Hayden with the Fish that Josh caught

Josh With another fish he caught

My AWESOME  Friend Michael, So blessed to get to know him even more this week. 

Thanks for a great time!

Courtney

My Beautiful Sister

My participant Ashley. 

Annake, sister's participant 

Ashley

My good friend Jenny with Josh photobombing in the back 

Alicia 

Nathan, Tyler and Josh, all matched! Three Great guys

JONAH B! He is so kind. So happy to hang out with him during the week. 

Scott and Carl. Two Awesome boys. 

Katie. It was her first time and I was so happy to get to know her.

DREW: He is so funny. It was fun to work with him during the week.

My sister got to sit on a llama

My awesome Friend Logan. We had a talent show and he had to wear that. 

Me and Logan matched. It was so fun getting to hang out with him during the week. 

Logan and his mentor Brenden. It was so fun to get to know Brenden during the week. 

BRAD, It was so fun getting to work with him at the school and getting to know him. We are in the same grade at school.  

ETHAN! He is awesome I had so much fun hanging out with him and working at the work site with hime during the week. 

Ashley Caught a fish!

JULIA: It was her last year doing Serve I so Blessed to hang out with her. 

LUKE: He is so Awesome he lives in Iowa So I don't get to see that much so it was so fun to hang out with him during the week. 

Ryan, Such a sweet man. he might have been smiling when the picture was taken but he has the sweetest smile EVER! 

Abbie, Ethan and I on the first night. 

Ashley. So fun to hang out with

Chelsea!

Scott!

Jacob! This is guy is so AWESOME! So fun to hang out with during the week. 

Tyler! He is so sweet!

Luke and I again!

Jonah! I am so thankful to have a friendship like I do with him. He always can make me laugh! Thanks for a great week Jonah I had so much fun hanging out with you. 

CAM! This is Jonah B's mentor. It was so fun hanging out and getting to know him during the week!

Abbie and I before the talent show. 

Tyler and Dylan, Two awesome guys! I was so blessed to have meet them during the week. I am so glad that I got to know them and that I have an awesome friendship with them and I hope that they come back next year to do Serve. 

Kayleigh!

Jonah, Josh and I before they left on the last day. All wearing our ICAN shirts

Abbie caught a HUGE FISH!

Dylan again, thanks for an awesome friendship we built during the week. 

Megan

ERIC: He is so AWESOME, So blessed to have meet him as well. I am so glad that I got to know him. It was an awesome week with him. 

Josh, another one that can make me smile no matter what it was such a blessing to hang out with him during the week. 

School....

So most people start school tomorrow, it's their first day!!!! Well for me this already my second week of school! Yeah that's right I started Last week Tuesday!. It have been goo=ing good, I know I haven't updated in a while but now that I have my NEW computer I will update more. I will do a summer recap next but for now. Have a good school year all.

SUMMER SERVE STARTS AGAIN

I am so excited to share with. You guys that summer serve starts today!! I am so excited! I am going to be a mentor and I can't wait to see what God has in store for me thus week! I am a little nervous! I go later on tonight around 6 and then we have dinner at one of the mentors houses! Then come back and sleep! In the morning we have orientation and training! Then later on tomorrow afternoon the participants come! I have an AMAZING AND AWESOME feeling already the God has an awesome plan for us this coming week! When I get back I will try do what I wore at serve post! We'll see! I just ask you my fellow readers to become prayer warriors and pray for all of the mentors and participants this week that we will all stay safe, healthy, happy but most of all see God work through this week and that we will be touch by God's AMAZING LOVE! Pray for all of the people invoked! Pray that God will truly bless us this week! Pray that the mentors will get along with the participants and the other way around! But most of all like I said before pray that God will lead us and show his awesome work this week! 

School's OUT

School is officially done! I Have made it and now looking back at this entire year I feel truly blessed I LOVED freshman year and can't wait to see what God has in store for me this summer!

School out... Well almost

Yup, school is out well almost! Just have to do exams! But the schooling part is done! Some of my teachers that I had this past semester won't be coming back next year so it was really sad to say good bye to them! Theses teachers will be dearly missed by lots! I will try to blog more this summer but for now got to go study for exams bye!

Good Friday

Today is the day the Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Today just remember what Jesus did for you.

HEY

Hey, I am starting to get better at blogging. What do you think. I have a half day tomorrow then it is SPRING BREAK!!! for me I am SO excited! I am getting more and more excited as we get close to getting the half day over with. Tomorrow, expect a what I wore Wednesday blog post!
I love you  guys
Mackenzie

Holy Week: Day 2

So While I was reading one of my devotions, I came across these couple of verses:

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.14 You are my friends if you do what I command.15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.17 This is my command: Love each other.

I just love these couple because God loves us and we have to love each other, and we have to follow God's command which is love each other. 

SO on Day 2 I don't really remember that many things that happened. I just want you to remember what is coming up in the next couple days. 

FAVORITE CHRISTIAN SONGS

Here are just a couple of my favorite Christian songs I have posted the videos below. Hopefully you like them too and this is just my opinion:
Revelation Song by Philips Craig and Dean :

My Hope is in You by Aaron Shust:

Holy Spirit by Keith and Kristyn Getty

10,000 Reasons  by Matt Redmen:

Have a Great night everyone