Winter is HERE!

Well it's COLD and SNOWY here!
On Friday we reached -15F and for a good part of the day it was below 0F! Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 1F! It's also been snowing a ton here. We had about a foot to start off with and it snowed about 1-2 inches at night and then another 2-3 inches today and it's still going :D I wonder if we'll have school tomorrow?
However, God definitely plans things perfectly! Yesterday the weather was "warm" (20F) and it didn't snow which was perfect for the race I did. The race was the Yankee Springs Winter Challenge 10km, 25km, 50km, or 50 mi)- I did the 25km and it was THE HARDEST RACE/THING I HAVE EVER DONE!!!!

The race was a major test of my endurance- mentally and physically. The course was brutal and traversed over hills and valleys in about a foot of snow. We ran on a single track of packed snow but it was fluffy snow so you slipped every step or you stepped into the big banks on either side. I finished in 2:50:00 and was pretty much dead at the end. But it was an awesome race in terms of seeing what you're made of. It definitely made me a lot tougher! A lot of us from the BPRC (Beautiful People Running Club) said "you suck!" to each other because we all made each other sign up for the race and run it. But without this awesome running club who supports and challenges each other we, especially I would not be running and enjoying God's creation and the talent He as given us and the runners we were made to be!

Snow in Ionia, just outside my window.

Here's a little snapshot of what we've been doing in school. We get to paint our fuselage next so we're masking off the designs/ numbers we want.

Masking off an N Number and designs (ps that's Liesl smiling in the background and Jason walking past).

This year I started something different in an effort to read my Bible more and just dive into the Bible to know God more. I'm going to attempt to share every week on this blog the parts of the Heidelberg Catechism and I encourage you to follow along and join me as we study what God's purpose is for us. You can download the Heidelberg Catechism and follow along as well. The numbers behind the text correspond to verses that are given at the end- definitely look them up as you read.

So here we go!

LORD’S DAY 1:
1 Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

A. That I am not my own,1
but belong—
body and soul,
in life and in death—2
to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.3

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,4
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.5
He also watches over me in such a way6
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven;7
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.8

Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life9
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.10

1 1 Cor. 6:19-20
2 Rom. 14:7-9
3 1 Cor. 3:23; Titus 2:14
4 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:2
5 John 8:34-36; Heb. 2:14-15; 1 John 3:1-11
6 John 6:39-40; 10:27-30; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:5
7 Matt. 10:29-31; Luke 21:16-18
8 Rom. 8:28
9 Rom. 8:15-16; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14
10 Rom. 8:1-17


2 Q. What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?A. Three things:
first, how great my sin and misery are;1
second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery;2
third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.3

1 Rom. 3:9-10; 1 John 1:10
2 John 17:3; Acts 4:12; 10:43
3 Matt. 5:16; Rom. 6:13; Eph. 5:8-10; 2 Tim. 2:15; 1 Pet. 2:9-10

We belong wholly to Christ through hearing the word and believing we are saved and we become God's children whom He protects fully. And our job is then to live for Him shining our light on the top of the hill and sharing this gospel! Praise God for his blessing to us!

Fly with Christ,
Helen