Bonjour Belgique!

Russell and I are headed to Belgium in 2 weeks! Yeah! I am so excited and am having a hard time concentrating on anything else...however, I did find some time to blog about my excitement :)

We are leading a trip sponsored by our church to assist Belgium missionaries, Brent & Daisy Boatwright with some renovations to an old church building.

You can check out their website at, http://boatwrightsinbelgium.blogspot.com/

Russell and I are traveling with another couple to Brussels and then on to Huy (pronounced "we") where the Boatwrights live. We will spend most of the time renovating and some of the time touring, meeting the locals, and eating great food I'm sure!

We will of course take A LOT of pictures and some video and I will share it all on this blog...it is an exciting trip because it is the pioneering trip to Europe that our church is sponsoring. Most trips are sent to Africa, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic and this is the first to Europe...hopefully it will be the first of MANY :)

Europe is such an important mission field. Unlike other nations where poverty, economic downfall and opressive governments rule over the people; Europe is a very prosperous, wealthy, and educated nation where the need for God is not completely recognized. The vast majority of Europeans are either Catholic or Muslim and therefore have a difficult time understanding the gospel of grace that Jesus advocates. It is difficult for missionaries to make an impact on Europeans because they seem to have everything - why would they need God's grace?

Pray for us and be ready for an update in 3 weeks!!

Salut!

It’s Not Easy Being Green…

Beginning this month, I have made a clear and concerted effort to live more green-ly :) No, I did not watch 'An Inconvenient Truth' and become magically inspired by Al Gore's monotone voice! Instead, I feel that I have awakened to the realization that we are God’s stewards of this planet and there are a lot of simple changes we can make to preserve the planet and it’s dwindling resources.

So, here are some of the things that I have already done or would like to begin doing:

1. Eco-friendly light bulbs – they make emit a funny shade of light, but they save energy and money!


2. ANY type of paper products that I buy is made from recycled paper.


3. I will no longer use paper napkins for everyday meals…instead I have converted to cloth napkins – they create no waste and look nicer J It’s a bit of a pain to wash them and iron them after every use but a small sacrifice.


4. I am making a huge effort to keep more lights in the condo turned off and more appliances unplugged when not in use.


5. One interesting thing I discovered a couple of weeks ago was bamboo plates…they can be used in place of paper plates and when discarded they only take 3 months to biodegrade…paper plates take years apparently…WHO KNEW??!!!


6. I have completely STOPPED using bottled water and disposable coffee cups…instead I only use my SIGG bottle at work and the gym and my Starbucks coffee carafe at work for coffee, tea and cocoa J


7. Buying local and organic groceries is easy now that I shop at Trader Joe’s (from here on referred to as TJ’s)…everything we need I buy there and I make sure it is organic if possible and definitely from the USA. Organic food does not contain harmful pesticides or harsh methods of production, and buying from the USA does not impact the planet with more carbon fuel emissions. So it’s a good thing all around!


8. And finally, the newest and most difficult change I will try to make is to join the Locavore movement! I know you are asking yourself, “What in the world is a locavore??” Well, not only was it the Oxford Dictionary’s 2007 Word of the Year, but it is also the movement to eat only locally grown food. Local meaning within 100 miles of your home! Now, I am not trying to be a complete locavore because I am not sure that is even possible, but I will make an effort to buy our fruits, veggies, cheese and some meat only from Farmer’s Markets in Charlotte.
   
   
   Wish me LUCK!!

That's Some Good Readin'...

So, instead of posting book reviews here on my blog (which never really worked out the way I imagined it would!) I will now be posting them on the website, Good Reads :) My sister-in-law turned me on to this great website that allows you to share your reviews of books you have read, as well as share what you are currently reading and what you hope to read someday!
Here is the website...check it out and start reading!
www.goodreads.com