The Pennsylvania Review

   

About a month ago I was in Pennsylvania on vacation. My friend and I went through three different parts of Pennsylvania, and I thought I would share my experience.

 The first place that we stopped was Gettysburg, PA. Gettysburg is a place for a person who loves history, and I'm a person who loves history. I enjoyed going through the Gettysburg National Military Park. It was a self-guided tour in a car. We had a map from the welcome center, and while we drove around, we had markers on the trail and were able to read about what the monument or place was on the map. The scenery and the houses were beautiful too. Two colleges that are there is the Lutheran Theological Seminary and Gettysburg College. Finally,  great place to eat when in Gettysburg is called Lincoln Diner. The food is cheap and excellent. We went to eat there on a Wednesday around seven at night. The address to this diner is 32 Carlisle St, Gettysburg, PA 17325. It's worth checking out if you are in Gettysburg, PA.

 Now, the next place that we visited in Pennsylvania was Lancaster, PA. We stayed at the Economy Inn. The room was clean and comfortable. There was no elevator, so if you have a lot of luggage get ready to lug it up some stairs. The people that work at the Economy Inn are sweet and kind people. We had a conversation with one of the men who works there about God and how amazing He is. That was pretty cool! 

While we were in Lancaster, we went to eat with an Amish family for $16.00. I am not going to give out the families personal information out of respect for the household. But the family was very sweet and hospitable. The food was fantastic and at the end of our time together everyone in the room sang "Amazing Grace" together and I could feel the Holy Spirit in that room. That was one of the best parts of the trip in Pennsylvania! The only thing that was tough was that there was no air condition, and it was sweltering!

The last thing we did in Lancaster was paying $12.00 for a thirty minute Amish Buggy ride around Lancaster. The man who drove the buggy was friendly and kind. He gave plenty of information on Lancaster and the Amish people, and the buggy ride was fun.

 The last stop in Pennsylvania was in Hershey, PA at the Hershey's Chocolate World. Now, the Chocolate World is free to experience, and that is what we chose to do. The decorations were neat and fun to look at. It was neat to see my favorite chocolates as cartoon characters. The next thing that I liked was that Hershey's Chocolate World has a little ride that a person can ride on and learn how the chocolate that people enjoy is made. The ride is somewhat kiddish and would probably keep kids attention very well, but it's fun for adults also. I will warn that the candy in the store is pretty expensive, along with anything else in the gift store. We didn't check out Hershey Park because it was too expensive for us with everything else that we wanted to do.

This post my Pennsylvania Review and I hope that it's helpful if you ever plan a trip to Pennsylvania. God Bless!

Resolved: Freedom and Independence

      "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof:" ~Leviticus 25:10
   Fireworks, picnics, a long weekend, red, white, and blue pride. 
   These are a few things that the people in the United States have come to see the 4th of July as. I am one of those people. To me, 4th of July was about getting to see fireworks and spending the weekend in different states with my best friend. In 2014 I watched the fireworks in Washington D.C. and 2015 I watched them at a concert in Tennessee. This year I was going to watch fireworks in Flordia, but now it's Tennessee.
   Watching fireworks is not the most important thing to me this year, though. The phrase "Let freedom ring" has been in my head for a couple of days, so I started doing some research. 

   Documents, ideas, team work, and a bell all play a part in the reason America gets to celebrate the 4th of July today.

   In 1776 there was a meeting in the Pennsylvania State House to discuss the thirteen colonies freedom from England. A man from Virginia named Richard Henry Lee came up with a resalution and said: "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown,an that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved," (The History of the 4th of July). 

   Richard Henry Lee's words resulted in John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson to write and sign the Decloration of Independence. It took time to write the Decloration of Independence, and to proof read it. Therefore, the Decoration of Independence was not finished until July 4th, 1776. 

   It is said that the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was used to gather the people for the very first public reading of the Decleration of Independence on July 8, 1776. However some historians doubt that the Liberty Bell actually rang when the Decloration of Independence was read because the steeple of the bell was in really bad condition by 1776. It's possible that the Liberty Bell is associated with the reading of the Decleration of Independence because a man named George Lippard wrote a fictional story that told of a man waiting to hear that congress had declared independence so he could ring the bell. This story was published in The Saturday Currier in 1847, (The Liberty Bell).

   Freedom was hard to achieve for the men (and women) who sat out to have religous and other freedoms. Freedom is still hard today because there is always someone who disagrees about how things are being run. So, on this 4th of July take a moment to appreciate all that our forefathers had to go through to get us where we are today, and about all the men and women who are away from home keeping us safe and free. Be thankful for your freedom, don't just enjoy "the show." Thank you to our soldiers! And happy 4th of July everyone!

   "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof:" ~Leviticus 25:10

Chapter Two: Stay

      "I'm hanging on to a hope I don't remember. I'm 21 and life still hasn't come together. Stay, stay with me. Don't leave me all alone picking up the pieces. My heart can't bear you leaving. Just another night of feeling so alone. There's nothing for me without you. Where was I before I knew you? I AM YOURS!" ~"Stay" by Lexi Elisha.

                                    

Well, the first chapter to this story is Chapter One: My feet are bruised but they'll follow where You lead. This is the second chapter of my story. Over the summer I have forgotten about the dream God has placed in my heart to help others. I haven't done my volunteer work like I normally do. And though I have traveled many places this summer, I haven't had the courage to tell others about God on my trips.

To be completely honest, I've gone what some would call "lukewarm" in my Christian walk. The Bible says "So, because you are lukewarm- neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth." ~Revelation 3:16. I don't want to be this kind of Christian and I don't want to be a disappointment to God. I had to get to a low point in my life to realize I needed that fire in me to be blazing again.

The Bible says "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans." ~Psalm 118:8 and "Do not put your trust on princes, in human beings, who cannot save." ~Psalm 146:3. Yesterday, on the way home from Tennessee, I realized I had been putting my faith in people close to me instead of God. Needless to say, these people let me down one by one until I felt completely alone. I don't think these people meant to let me down, but I think it was all a part of God's plan to get me attention. The Bible does say that God will take away what we worship instead o Him. Sometimes a relationship can turn into what we are worshiping instead of God.

I'm getting back into my routine of spending time with God, my heart is slowly being mended back together and the fire in my soul is starting to blaze again.

I haven't set out and conquered the world yet. But I am still a work in progress and, Thank God, He is still working on me. More "chapters" of my life story will be shared with you as they are revealed to me. God's timing is PERFECT!!

Other Women of the Bible- part 6

                                              

(picture is from the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC)

Today I finish writing about the women of the Old Testament in the Bible. There are thirteen here I had missed, who I think are important to talk about. Some of these women have long stories in the Bible and others only have a verse or two. But each one can teach us something and were important to God.

• Milkah: Wife of Nahor. She would have been Abraham's sister-in-law. She must have been a woman of Godly character because the Bible always listed her when listing Rebekah's family lineage. (Genesis 24:28-61).
• Judith: She was a Hittite and the first wife of Esau. She is mentioned in an interesting place in the book of Genesis. She is mentioned while Esau and Jacob are fighting. Rebekah mentions how miserable she is with her daughter-in-law. I think she is mentioned here to show that when you marry someone you marry their family too.
• Basemath: She was a Hittite and the second wife of Esau. She is mentioned in an interesting place in the book of Genesis. She is mentioned while Esau and Jacob are fighting. Rebekah mentions how miserable she is with her daughter-in-law. I think she is mentioned here to show that when you marry someone you marry their family too.
• Mahalath: She was Ishmael's daughter. She was the granddaughter of Abraham. She isn't mentioned much in the Bible, but she is mentioned during a time when Esau had heard that his parents were not happy with his Hittite (Canaanite) wives. Esau went to Ishmael and asked to marry Mahalath. I think her small story is a way for God to show us that when we marry a person we marry their family and we need to be on the same page. (Genesis 28:6-9).
• Asenath: She was an Egyptian and her father was the priest of On (Heliopolis), the chief centre of Ra the sun god. I always wondered about her faith. She grew up worshiping these gods and goddesses that could not help her and her father was a priest. Yet she marries a man, Joseph, who fears and worships the One True God. Her husband is a living testimony of how God works in His childrens' lives and that He is real. I wonder if she accepted the True God because of her husband and that's why they raised their children knowing God. (Genesis 41:45, 50-52).
• Elisheba: The daughter of Amminadab, which puts her in the family tree with Ruth (Ruth 4:20). She married Aaron and I wonder if she helped in the "ministry" of the "church" with Aaron. (Exodus 6:23).
• Shelomit: Her son blasphemed God and he was brought to Moses. Shelomit did the right thing by bringing her son to Moses, but I wonder if her son blasphemed God because he had heard her do so or she didn't teach him that it was wrong. I think we can learn that it is tough being a parent by knowing her story. (Leviticus 24:11).
• Cozbi: She was a woman of corruption. The Israelites were suffering form a plague and one of the men bring her into the camp in front of everyone. While he is sleeping with her, one of Aaron's sons kills both the man and Cozbi. The plague stops. I don't know why Cozbi had to die. But I do know she was showing great disrespect to God by coming into the camp at all, but especially being there while the people were grieving. She was a woman who did not fear the Lord. (Numbers 25:6-9)
• Abishag: She comes into the story during a horrible family feud. King David is an old man who is about to die. His son Adonijah is disrespecting him by deciding that he is going to be king next and he starts acting like a king before David is dead. David planned on making Solomon king though. David is also in a fragile state where he can not keep warm. So his attendants pretty much find a nurse for him. That nurse is Abishag and she apparently did her job, of keeping the king comfortable during his last days, very well. David did not have a sexual relationship with her. She was just his nurse and I think that speaks highly of her character. (1 Kings 1:1-4).
• Zeruiah and Abigail: These two women are the sisters of King David. Zeruiah's sons fought in David's army and Abigail's son was part Ishmaelite. They are mentioned in the family line of Judah. (1 Chronicles 2:16-17).
• Sheerah: This woman is mentioned in one verse in the Bible. But it is the placement of where she is mentioned at that gets my attention. She is from the tribe of Ephraim and her father was ether Ephraim himself or Beriah. She is mentioned in the family line as being the person who built three towns, Lower and Upper Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah. She was a working woman and important to Israel's growth. (1 Chronicles 7:24).
• Zeresh: She was Haman's wife. She advised him to make a pole to hang Mordecai on and supported him on his plan to wipe out the Jews. She was obviously a wicked woman and I think we can learn about what a heart that doesn't have God, but hate in it looks like. (Esther 5:14; 6:13-14).
• Lo-Ruhamah: She was the daughter of the prophet Hosea and his wife, who was a prostitute, Gomer. God told Hosea what to name her and her name meant "not loved". God chose this name not because He didn't love Lo-Ruhamah, He did love her, but because her name was proof that God meant what He said to the Israelites as a whole about not showing love to them anymore and forgiving them. God used her to show that names have a special meaning behind them. I don't know who she grew up to be, a woman like her mother or a woman who followed God like her father showed her. I can't imagine what it was like for her knowing what her mother did for a living. But I do know God loved her and gave her the perfect name. (Hosea 1:6-8).

The next time I write about women in the Bible it will be about the women of the New Testament. I can't wait to dive in and learn the lessons these women can teach us! A Cinderella post will be up next Saturday!

See you soon Cinderella (Chapter One)

 "She is clothed with strength and dignity;
   she can laugh at the days to come."
        ~Proverbs 31:25 

                                  

Cinderella is one of the most popular Disney Princesses there has been. The story of Cinderella was taken from Charles Perrault and his story Cendrillon (1697). But, Cinderella has been around longer than that. The first written record of Cinderella was in 7 BC! Cinderella has also been in Pentamerone (1634), Grimms' Fairy Tales (1812), and many others. Cinderella is also known in many different countries. She may have a different name in these countries, but her story is the same.
The first Disney movie of Cinderella came out on March 4th, 1950. After Cinderella two more movies followed. Cinderella II: Dreams Come True came out on February 26th, 2002 and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time came out on February 14th, 2008. These are not the only Cinderella movies however. thirty-seven movies have been released with the Cinderella theme, but there are countless movies that might not follow a girl loosing her shoe, but does follow a girl who patiently waits for her freedom to come. The most recent Cinderella movie is Disney's new live-action movie Cinderella (2015).
Plus, let's not forget the Broadway show of Cinderella. Then there are hundreds of books based on Cinderella and her story! I'm reading The Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson right now and it is a great book. Then there is the dating book that has started all of my Cinderella research, The Cinderella Rule: A Young Woman's Guide To Happily Ever After by Bethany Jett.
So why am I bringing all of this up again? Because I have realized that my Cinderella posts are going to take longer than I thought. Why have I named this post "See you soon Cinderella"? Because I am going to be writing about a handful of the Cinderella themed movies, The Disney Cinderella movies themselves, and the two books I have listed in this post. All of this started out as a simple idea to share about a Christian dating book and one of the most loving Disney Princesses. But it has turned into a series based on Cinderella and each post is like a chapter in a book that has the best ending. In the ending we will finally get to meet Cinderella.
So before I end this post, here are some fun facts about Cinderella and Disney amusement parks. Cinderella's castle is the main castle at Magic Kingdom and opened on October 1st, 1971 (just 21 years after the movie). Cinderella's castle is the main castle at Tokyo Disneyland and opened on April 15th, 1983 (just 33 years after the movie). Disneyland Paris has a restaurant based off of Cinderella and it is called L'Auberge de Cendrillon. It opened on April 12th, 1992 (42 years after the movie). Magic Kingdom opened a ride on October 1st, 1971 that is Cinderella and Prince Charming's Carrousel. Tokyo Disneyland opened the same ride on April 15h, 1983. Finally, Hon Kong Disneyland opened the same ride on September 12th, 2005.

Freedom

     

I hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend! Mine was good. Mom and I watched a movie on Friday and I packed for a trip. Saturday I went to my best friend's house and we left for Greeneville, Tennessee. We went to a concert that had a couple of live bands who played country music. The fireworks were great and we just talked and had a good time. Sunday we went sight-seeing and went to Andrew Johnson's house and museum. We even visited his cemetery in the rain! We did a little shopping after that and drove around for awhile. Then we came home and went to church. After church we rented movies and watched Gone Girl while eating pizza and ice cream. It was a great 4th of July weekend!

I was very thankful, and more aware, for the firefighters and police who worked on July 4th just to make sure people were safe celebrating our freedom and the men and women who are fighting to keep us free. I'm also appreciative of the men and women who worked in restaurants on July 4th to make sure people had food.

Also, July kicks off Hope for Justice's 31 Days of Freedom campaign. If you go to the website you will see ways to help spread the word about Human Trafficking and other ways to help! Sevenly is another website that has a different charity each week. So be on the look out for the Human Trafficking charity or just any charity that you want to help. Some other resources for bringing awareness about Human Trafficking are The A21 Campaign and Polaris. We get to celebrate freedom everyday. Let's work together and make it possible for others to celebrate it too!

Things to come, (Proverbs 31, dating, Cinderella, & more)

          

Okay a new month is getting ready to start and I'm very excited about the two months of writing plans I have come up with!

First, I am going to be focusing on Disney's Cinderella. I have a book called The Cinderella Rule: A Young Woman's Guide to Happily Ever After by Bethany Jett. I have been reading this book and I want to share with you what I have learned from reading it. The post about what I have read will be up on June 13th and June 27th.

I will be writing about the Disney Cinderella movies, just like I have done with Frozen and Sleeping Beauty. I also suggest reading Courage & Kindness (The New Cinderella Movie). The first Cinderella movie post will be up on July 18th.

Secondly, I will be continuing my Proverbs 31 Women of the Bible and Other Women of the Bible posts. Three of these posts will be up on June 6th, July 11th, and July 25th.

Finally, on June 20th I will be posting a personal post about my life. Then on July 4th I will have a 4th of July post up. I hope you all enjoy these eight posts that I will be working on and bringing to you! Be sure to check out my Facebook page for updates on the Proverbs 31 women and just everyday life things. And remember, God is so good and He loves you! See all of you next Saturday!

Vocie for the Vocieless- Part Three

 "a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak," ~ Ecclesiastes 3:7

Abolition International

The Hope Soap Project

The A21 Campaign

The links above are all organizations that are working to put a stop to Human Trafficking. I would like to share a story from the Abolition International Bible reading plan:

"One 8-year-old girl from California decided to use her lemonade stand to raise money to stop child slavery. She asked her customers to simply give whatever was in their heart. she raised over $100,000. Her small lemonade idea has since evolved into a corporation. Make a Stand Lemon-Aid sells fair-trade, organic lemonade at 137 stores. She is expected to gross $2 million this year alone, all for the sake of freedom. God can use small, simple things to do great and mighty things! Whatever your contribution, your gifts are invaluable to the body of Christ."

I know I needed to read that, because I was wondering if I was helping at all by writing about Human Trafficking. But, now I know God has given me what I need to do what He wants me to do for this cause!

Now, here are some stories from The A21 Campaign of rescues. Three weeks ago they wrote this on their Instagram page: "We are excited to announce a new survivor in Bulgaria! She is a young mother and was trafficked for sexual exploitation. One of the many interesting things about her case, is that she was recuited via Facebook. She is now in our care and FREE."

Two weeks ago they wrote: "BREAKING NEWS: We are thrilled to announce that we have just welcomed a new survivor into our Greece shelter who came to us through our national hotline! She was trafficked through a modeling agency for the past 10 years. We are so thankful that shi is in our care and finally FREE."

One week ago: "BREAKING NEWS: We've just welcomed a new survivor into our Greece shelter. Recruited by a boyfriend at the age of 12, she was repeatedly sold and abused. We're now happy to say that she is safe in our care. And to top it off, both traffickers pleaded guilty when arrested. Today is a good day at A21!"

Two days ago: "We're happy to announce a new survivor in Ukraine! Lured by a false job opportunity in Russia, this young university student was trafficked across boarders for exploitation. We're now helping her get back on her feet and build her education so that she can achieve her dreams for her future!"

One day ago: "BREAKING NEWS: We welcomed yet another young woman into our Greece shelter! After years of abuse and hurt, she is finally free. This makes four lives rescued and given hope in two weeks! Thanks to all our supporters who make our fight of freedom possible."

I share these stories to give hope to all of you. No matter what you are doing to help, letting people know, praying, donating money, whatever, it IS making a difference and we need to keep it up! Keep fighting the good fight and God bless all of you!

Voice for the Voiceless- Part 2

 

"The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern." ~Proverbs29:7

Last week I watched a documentary about prostitution called Whores' Glory. This documentary held nothing back as it explored the world of prostitution in three different countries. The first place had the girls put on buttons with numbers on them and sat around until someone bought their number. These people had no respect for the women and saw them as something to rent for the night, like booking a hotel room. These women were in this "business" because they wanted to be. The next place was a brothel and the girls looked as young as eleven or twelve! Some of these girls were bought by other women and brought into this "business". The last country showed "Hookers" waiting outside of rooms to pick up a man. Listening to how these so called men would talk about these women was too much for me and I could not finish the last fifteen minutes of the documentary!

Here is how the dictionary defines the word Prostitute: a woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money; whore; harlot. a man who engages in sexual acts for money. a person who willingly uses his or her talent or ability in a base and unworthy way, usually for money.

And the word Prostitution: the act or practice of engaging in sexual intercourse for money. base or unworthy use, as of talent or ability.

Let's be honest and call this what it really is, HUMAN TRAFFICKING! Some pimps, owners, whatever you want to call them, goes as far as to BRAND their "workers". Here is a clip from the movie Branded. I have not seen this movie, but the video was enough to make me want to cry.   

Finally, here are some facts about Child Sex Tourism:

 

Please pray for human trafficking to come to an end. Look up organizations that help put a stop to it. Together this horrible thing can be stopped!

Voice for the Voiceless- part one

Wh at is Human Trafficking? The dictionary says: 

the illegal practice of procuring or trading in human for the purpose of prostitution, forced labor, or other forms of exploitation.

Some popular ways this is done is child labor, most children fall into this by not being wanted, so when they go mkssing nobody says anything. Human trafficking happens all over the world, even in the United States.

This month is when Abolition International is working this month for "31 Days of Freedom" for more information go to www.abolitioninternational.org 

I'm in Washington D.C. right now celebrating the Fourth of July and I am so blessed! My best friend and I have been making care bags for the homless people here in the hopes that this will help them and protect them. Please join in this movement and let's put an end to Human Trafficking!