tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73513116332157729482014-02-09T17:26:17.128-07:00Seeking Him"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-17964767674908865842014-02-09T17:26:00.000-07:002014-02-09T17:26:17.144-07:00Where is my focus?I have been struggling for several months now with getting and keeping my focus where it needs to be. After getting back from Mexico last June, it was so easy for me to spend hours praying and reading my Bible, but then I started working at a job that totally flip-flopped my schedule and my Bible reading became pretty much non-existent, and my prayer life was hugely lacking too. Ever since then I have been really struggling with getting back to that place where I enjoy and look forward to spending that much time with God. I really want to get back to that place, but I just keep finding myself distracted by so many other things. The past couple weeks have been especially challenging for me because I have found my mind preoccupied with something that it should not be preoccupied with. I kept pleading with God to take it away, and over time, He has, but this morning I was really convicted by a couple verses that our pastor shared. These verses are out of Colossians:<br /><br />Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (Colossians 3:1-2)<br /><br />While the pastor was reading these verses, I was brought to tears because I felt God speaking those words to me, reminding me that my focus has not been where it needs to be. It was then that I felt really convicted to give up something that has been taking a lot of my time. God's desire is that we be His top priority. In fact, He commands it. I long to follow God more closely; I just get so distracted with the things of the world. Our pastor's main scripture was Matthew 6:25-34. These verses tell us not to be anxious about anything. The pastor talked about how Jesus told us to consider the birds of the air. To consider means to stop and really think about something. So if we consider the birds of the air and how God takes care of them.. what conclusion do we come to? God provided everything for them that they needed. They didn't have to worry about where they were going to get their food, which is something essential to their livelihood. So why in the world should we be concerned about things that do not matter?<br />In our Sunday School class, we have been going through the book of Hebrews. Today we talked about verses 10-18 of chapter 3. We talked about unbelief and what that meant. In this context unbelief is not a weakness in faith, it is the opposition of faith. Unbelief is basically choosing not to believe, and to me, that is what worry is. What am I missing out on because I am worrying about things that are not important and am filling my time with those same things that are not important?<br /><br />Heavenly Father, thank you for your gentle reproach and for reminding me, once again, what is important. Help me to set my eyes, mind and heart on things above and not on things of this earth that are only temporary. Lord, I pray that you would continue to use me to encourage and help others. I pray, also, that I would be sensitive to your leadings and that I would gladly drop anything to do what you want me to do. Thank you for the many blessings in my life that I often take for granted. I pray that I will always have a spirit of thankfulness. Give me boldness in my actions and speech so that I will not worry about what people think or say about me. Amen.Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-91235998269031908242014-02-05T12:16:00.001-07:002014-02-05T12:16:50.744-07:00Why?It's days like today when all I can do is ask the question: Why?<br /><br />My nephew is on his way to the hospital in an ambulance because his hemoglobin levels are really low, and he has lost a lot of blood again. My grandma is in the hospital needing surgery on her heart and doesn't seem to be doing well. My family has been hit hard in the past year and a half with three deaths, this stuff and other stuff that has gone on.<br /><br />I know God has a plan in everything, and I know His ways are not our ways, but I just wish I could understand even remotely why this is happening. I've tried to remain strong. I've tried blocking out the pain, but I just can't do it.<br /><br />God promises that when we are weak, then, we are made strong in Him. He also says He will never leave us or forsake us.<br /><br />Psalm 91 says:<br /><br />1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High<br /> will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]<br />2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,<br /> my God, in whom I trust.”<br />3 Surely he will save you<br /> from the fowler’s snare<br /> and from the deadly pestilence.<br />4 He will cover you with his feathers,<br /> and under his wings you will find refuge;<br /> his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.<br />5 You will not fear the terror of night,<br /> nor the arrow that flies by day,<br />6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,<br /> nor the plague that destroys at midday.<br />7 A thousand may fall at your side,<br /> ten thousand at your right hand,<br /> but it will not come near you.<br />8 You will only observe with your eyes<br /> and see the punishment of the wicked.<br />9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”<br /> and you make the Most High your dwelling,<br />10 no harm will overtake you,<br /> no disaster will come near your tent.<br />11 For he will command his angels concerning you<br /> to guard you in all your ways;<br />12 they will lift you up in their hands,<br /> so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.<br />13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;<br /> you will trample the great lion and the serpent.<br />14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;<br /> I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.<br />15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;<br /> I will be with him in trouble,<br /> I will deliver him and honor him.<br />16 With long life I will satisfy him<br /> and show him my salvation.”<br /><br />Heavenly Father, I pray that You would make Yourself known to those that are suffering today, whether it be internal suffering, family problems, illness... whatever it may be, Lord, I pray that You would comfort those in need. Give strength to the weary and peace to those in turmoil. AmenRebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-49649011770487715072014-01-29T10:36:00.000-07:002014-01-29T10:36:50.773-07:00The Awe Factor of God<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I have to tell you that the past week has been pretty difficult for me. When I started writing more frequently in this blog again, I felt Satan starting to attack me. He started putting frustration in my head and doubts and all sorts of things that do not belong there. My flesh and my spirit have really been battling. I decided to take a day this week to just spend time one-on-one with God. At first, it was easy. Then, it got really hard, but after that, God really blessed me. After I finally let go of something that was really bothering me, God met me and.. it was amazing. I still smile when I think about it. Just feeling God's presence surrounding me is such a wonderful feeling. It's like you feel like you're glowing or something. That “high”, as we Christians like to call it, lasted for about a day. Then, Satan started attacking me again with frustration. I know that there is a reason for this struggle I am facing right now. I just don't know what it is yet. I thought about not writing about this, but I felt like it was important for me to share with you my struggles so you know you are not alone. The Christian life is going to be hard at times, but we have to remind ourselves that the end prize is absolutely worth it. There are days when I can't wait to get to Heaven because I'm struggling so much or just being impatient. There are other days, though, when I'm excited about what God is doing in my life, and I want the whole world to know. Regardless of whether I am having a good day or a bad day, I remind myself that God is still there with me, and He will never leave me. All I have to do is truly seek Him, and He's right there, waiting for me with open arms. When I think about that, it almost makes me giddy, and that is the best feeling in the world. Way better even than feeling loved by a spouse or a parent or a child. To think that the Creator of the universe is madly in love with you and will never leave you is... beyond words.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I'm going to try to post a link below that Francis Chan did. It shows how vast the universe is. When you see that and then think about just how much God loves you... your mind will be blown.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/LpChZxPfa-c/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/LpChZxPfa-c&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/LpChZxPfa-c&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div>Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-85768545566315611702014-01-24T12:54:00.003-07:002014-01-24T12:54:31.856-07:00My Epiphany (or Aha Moment)I have spent most of the past few hours just thinking and praying and reflecting on my life, and I think I have come to the realization that my relationship with God didn't really feel real until a few years ago. I grew up in a Christian home, as most of you probably know, but.. I wasn't “born again” until I was almost 13. Even then, I didn't really understand what it meant to be a Christian, and I didn't really feel God close to me. I thought I was a good, strong Christian because I went to church, read my Bible and didn't do bad things, but I was wrong. Aside from occasionally “experiencing God”, my Christian life was pretty hollow and lackluster. My motivation for doing the right thing was simply because doing it was the right thing. I didn't do it because I wanted to please God. I did those things simply because they were right, and that was what I was taught to do. I never realized just how lonely my life was. I dealt with depression for most of my life and couldn't figure out why. My marriage was miserable. I was depressed and lonely and completely unhappy with everything. The only times I felt happy were when I felt close to God which became more frequent, but.. was still lacking in my day to day life.<br /><br />I'm not really sure exactly when all this changed, but it was some time after I left Jon Paul in the summer of 2011. It was after I hit my rock bottom and had nowhere else to turn and no one else to turn to. Sure, I had people I could talk to, but.. they couldn't fulfill my deepest longings and desires. I guess it was then that I figured out that true peace and joy only comes from having an intimate relationship with God. It was only after I found myself crying out so desperately for Him that I began to be filled, and not just a temporary filling, but one that lasts. Most of my life has been filled with depression and loneliness, but I don't feel that way anymore. I find myself with peace and hope and even joy in the midst of the most difficult circumstances because I know without a doubt that God is right there holding me up. He will never leave me, nor will he ever forsake me. He will never turn His back on me, no matter what I do. Thank God that He is so merciful and loving. Oh to be so in love with God that nothing else matters! That would be so amazing. To be able to love others simply because you are overflowing with love for your Heavenly Father!<br /><br />I will tell you that I still have problems with loving others, especially ones that I feel don't deserve that love. It is hard for me to forgive somebody who just does not want to change, but God tells us to forgive. In fact, He commands us to forgive. I think at the heart of my unforgiveness lies disrespect. I found something out about myself earlier while answering some questions in a workbook I'm going through: I do not respect people, and really, I do not respect God. That is painful for me to say. Don't get me wrong, I love God, but I just don't find myself giving Him the reverence that He deserves, and that really bothers me. I have had a hard time respecting people all my life, and I think that is why I have such a hard time revering God.<br /><br />I will let you in on a little “secret”. Throughout most of my life, the main, if not only, reason I did the right thing was because I was afraid of the consequences of doing wrong. I rarely went out with my friends in high school because I was afraid I would get in trouble. I didn't obey the rules because I respected them or because I wanted to do the right thing. I did them because I was afraid of getting in trouble. Fear has been my biggest motivator for most of my life. Not love, not respect. FEAR! I hate that realization, but it is true. I'm not really afraid anymore. Well, not as much as I used to be. But I'm pretty sure my motivation is still not where it needs to be. I want to follow God's commands because I love and respect Him and simply want to do them out of that love of respect. I need a lot of help in this category though. But at least there is hope for me, right? If you think about it, please pray that my love and respect/reverence for God will continue to grow daily. It bothers me that I can love God but not revere Him. If you go through the same thing, remember that you are not alone. If you need somebody to talk to, let me know. I am far from being where I need to be, but.. maybe we can figure this thing out together.Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-11284700308560442382014-01-23T08:49:00.000-07:002014-01-23T08:49:32.599-07:00I Surrender!I ran across this song just a little bit ago, and while listening to it, I was reminded of last summer... and, well, the past couple years. In the last three years, God has demanded that I give up to Him the two most important relationships in my life: First, my marriage, then my son. I'm not saying that God ended my marriage, I'm just saying that He told me I needed to give it to Him and trust Him with the outcome. Last summer, I felt God demanding I give up my son to Him. I fought that so hard since I had worked the previous year trying SO hard to keep him to myself and hold him as tightly as possible. After struggling with God for weeks, I finally gave my son over to Him. I just kept being reminded of how God told Abraham he needed to sacrifice Isaac to Him. If God demands that of Abraham, why wouldn't He expect it from me? The best thing about surrendering everything up to God is that it is so freeing. It is extremely painful in the process, but God gives you so much peace in return. So.. if you're struggling with giving something up, just do it! The results will be so much better. :-) Getting to the point where you are willing to do anything for God, is so amazing. Your heart just becomes so full of love for Him that it just overflows. It almost makes me giddy sometimes, and I absolutely love that feeling.<br /><br />This song talks about surrendering everything to God.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/9fL-TwKzkCk/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/9fL-TwKzkCk&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/9fL-TwKzkCk&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><br />Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-78846718608002316172014-01-21T12:42:00.000-07:002014-01-21T12:42:01.182-07:00I Commit To PrayToday, I was reminded of something. Over the past couple years, I have felt a tugging in my heart for missions. Last summer, our church had a former Middle Eastern pastor speak at our church. This pastor works closely with the Voice of the Martyrs program. I signed up to receive the VOM monthly newsletter and also received a free book entitled “Tortured for Christ” written by Pastor Richard Wurmbrandt. While reading through that book, I felt God putting a passion in my heart for the persecuted church. I prayed daily for them. Then, all of a sudden, I stopped. My life got busy, and I forgot. I forgot about the Christians being persecuted around the world and the suffering they endure daily for the sake of Christ. Many of them are rejoicing in their suffering while I, on the other hand, forget. I take my relationship with Christ for granted and begin to basically ignore Him. Imagine ignoring the person that means the most to you! Why? Satan has ways of distracting us.<br /><br />Well, today, God gave me a reminder. I've been getting the monthly VOM newsletters but haven't read one in months. Today, I decided to open one of them. It happened to be the one from this month, but there was something else in the envelope with the newsletter.... A map! The map that is attached below. A few months ago, I remember hearing about the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Along with it came a request to visit the website <a href="http://www.icommittopray.com/">www.icommittopray.com</a>. I went to this website months ago, but it was still under construction so there was nothing I could do. Our church had a card in our bulletin one Sunday with information on it for iCommitToPray. They even got a map like the one in the picture below. I prayed and felt God telling me to pray for two specific countries. I circled them on the map in this picture. I am committing to pray for these countries and also the countries on my VOM Prayer Calender. Please commit to pray with me! These people desperately need our prayers. I am also going to post the video for last year's IDOP for the Persecuted Church. I request that you visit the above website and look at the prayer requests and then Commit to Pray.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/4Sy18SsUPlA/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/4Sy18SsUPlA&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/4Sy18SsUPlA&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B55Af13QmS4/Ut7Mu1_w9UI/AAAAAAAAAK4/WXW1r2-686s/s1600/DSC00800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B55Af13QmS4/Ut7Mu1_w9UI/AAAAAAAAAK4/WXW1r2-686s/s1600/DSC00800.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-70436733275311648172014-01-12T18:50:00.000-07:002014-01-12T18:58:53.701-07:00Love is All We NeedYou know, maybe the Beatles were right when they sang that “all we need is love”. I would agree that all we need is love, but I'm sure my definition of love is totally different than theirs. To me, true love comes only from God. He is the only one that will love us unconditionally. In fact, He is also the only one who can truly fulfill our longings. Think about it. You can have as many material possessions in this world that you could ever want, but would you really be happy? Would you be filled with joy and peace? I think not. How many celebrities do we hear about who have every kind of worldly possession you could ever want who commit suicide or turn to drugs? Material things do not create happiness. Having other people love you doesn't even bring true happiness. True happiness comes when we are in communion with our Heavenly Father. I've been down many roads in my past, but the only road that has ever given me purpose, fulfillment, peace and overflowing joy is being in the presence of my Heavenly Father because, really, all we need is His love. Everything else pales enormously in comparison to that. If you are struggling right now, seek the Father.<br /><br />“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)<br /><br />Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (Psalm 37: 4-7)<br /><br />Did I mention that God's longing is for us to long for Him? Something to think about.<br /><br />Check out the video below. GREAT song.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/jsP_SwSyZ-w/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/jsP_SwSyZ-w&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/jsP_SwSyZ-w&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><br />Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-19087562373925498632014-01-10T08:41:00.002-07:002014-01-10T08:41:17.252-07:00MotivesI have to tell you that I have really been questioning my motives lately. I find myself doing things, and then, I wonder, “Why did I do that?” or “Why did I just say that?”. I have been hearing a lot lately about how we should check our motives. What are our motives for doing things? Are the motives pure? Are we doing these things because they are the right thing to do or are we doing them for selfish reasons? Is what we are doing going to build somebody up or tear them down? The Bible says:<br /><br />Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)<br /><br />This verse can be very convicting at times. I find myself saying things I probably shouldn't say either to tear somebody down or try to bring attention upon myself. Neither one of those motives are right. I'm not saying I beat myself up over wrong choices, but.. I believe God convicts us sometimes of things we need to change, and I know I need to evaluate my motives before doing and saying a lot of things. Our focus should be more on what is pleasing to God and what will help others instead of how something will benefit us. That's a really hard lesson to learn and even harder to live by, but it is something that is absolutely necessary.<br /><br />If you have problems with wrong motives, know that you are not alone. I struggle with this every day. I pray that God will help us to think before speaking or doing so that everything we do and say will be for God's glory.<br /><br />So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God – even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. (1 Corinthians 10: 31-33Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-70989597147378903992014-01-08T10:25:00.002-07:002014-01-10T08:40:28.442-07:00God is madly in love with youLet me just start off by saying God is absolutely amazing. He has shown me over and over again His love and faithfulness. It blows my mind and makes me blush to think about how much He loves me, and how he will NEVER stop loving me, no matter what I do or how badly I mess up. Take a minute to think about that. God is absolutely CRAZY about you. He will love you more than any person ever could, and it has nothing to do with YOU. It's just who HE is. God is love (God=LOVE). And Love comes from God.<br /><div><br /></div><div>"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:7-8</div><div><br /></div><div>I have to tell you that this epiphany as I will call it took me a long time to come to. For most of my life I dealt with depression. When I was in grade school, I got picked on a lot. I used to come home from school almost every day and just cry because it hurt so bad. I remember thinking about suicide a few times but quickly dismissed the thought because I was too scared to even consider it. I grew up in a Christian home, but never really understood what it meant to have a relationship with God. I used to cry out to Him. I knew I needed Him, but I just didn't understand. When I was almost 13, I went to a Christian convention with one of the youth groups I went to. I remember the speaker had just gotten done giving his message and gave an invitation. At that time, I felt God really tugging at my heart. I knew at that time that it was time to finally commit my life to God. After saying the prayer, I wept. I wept because I was so relieved. It felt like tons of bricks were taken off my shoulders. I cried for quite awhile.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some people seem to think that once you become a Christian life is all peaches and cream, but it is far from that. My life since Christ has been hard. I'm sure it hasn't been as hard as some. I mean, I haven't really been persecuted for being a Christian, but Satan has still found ways of getting me down. I could go on about a bunch of stuff that happened early in my Christian walk, but.. I won't. Instead I will skip to a couple years ago where I hit my rock bottom.</div><div><br /></div><div>Three years ago, I found myself in the midst of a miserable life: miserable marriage, etc. I was depressed all the time. I was at a point where I didn't laugh; couldn't laugh, really. My relationship with my husband was pretty much non-existent unless we were arguing. I won't go into details because they really aren't important. About two and a half years ago, I left him. I did it for very good reasons... biblical reasons, even. Shortly after that, I hit my rock bottom. I was at a very dark place in my life. I was absolutely depressed and scared of absolutely everything.. and when I say everything, I mean EVERYthing... and I hated it. I went in to talk to my pastor at that time and told him what was going on and asked him if he could find a woman in the church for me to meet with. Of course, he volunteered his wife. :-) But.. she wasn't the one that really helped me out the most.</div><div><br /></div><div>God blessed me with some pretty amazing women in the church I was going to, and most of them I had known for at least half my life. Two of them had been divorced and had gone through very similar situations. These two women became a huge support to me. They would walk up to me after church and ask me how I was doing, and I would just start spilling everything out that I was going through and talking to them about how I was feeling and how frustrated I was and they would listen. After I was done talking, they would encourage me and/or give me advice.</div><div><br /></div><div>God really used this time to reach me. I'm not sure how or when it happened, but gradually I felt myself being released from the depression and stress. I found myself laughing again and gaining confidence in myself (something I had never really had before). Through various different people, books and whatever, God started revealing Himself to me more and more. I read a book called Do You Think I'm Beautiful? by Angela Thomas, and it really opened my eyes and heart to just how much God loves me. (Totally recommend this book). She basically painted this picture of how God is like our knight in shining armor... how he is absolutely, madly in love with us. I think that book may have very well changed my life. I actually started believing that I was beautiful and that I was really loved... and I will tell you, that is life-changing.</div><div><br /></div><div>The past two and a half years have been the hardest years of my life, but they have also been the BEST because God has done some amazing things in and through me. If you want your life to be drastrically changed, give God the chance to do it. It will not be pleasant. In fact, it will be very difficult, but it is totally worth it.</div>Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-40440868381161418192013-11-25T09:33:00.000-07:002013-11-25T09:33:56.342-07:00Turn the other cheek?Have you ever had a time when you felt like God was trying to tell you something? I have felt that way a lot lately, and it's not something new either.<br />I have this person in my life who I would consider my "thorn in the flesh" as Paul called it in 2 Corinthians. This "thorn" is something different for everybody. Paul said, "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (2 Corinthians 12:7-9) I guess maybe God gave me my thorn for a very similar reason. If we don't have these thorns, we'd likely become proud in our own accomplishments instead of depending on God. My thorn has been teaching me a lot of things.<br />God has been showing me that I need to really forgive this person and not take what they say to heart. This person often criticizes me and blames me for everything even when it is not really my fault. I am this person's scapegoat, and it drives me crazy.<br />Our pastor has been going through the sermon on the mount for several weeks now, and a few weeks ago, he was using Matthew 5:38-42, the "eye for an eye" passage. (Disclaimer: You'll have to forgive me because I often do not repeat things as other people say them so if I say something wrong, it is not the pastor's fault.) What I got out of this was that when people are attacking us, our first reaction is to defend ourselves and strike back. In this passage, Jesus was telling them NOT to fight back, but instead to turn the other cheek. Does it really matter what other people say to us or about us? NO! It does not. That is only one person's opinion and often it does not matter what we do or say to this person, their opinion will never change about us. (This passage is not necessarily literal in the sense that if somebody hits you, you should just take it because that's not what it's saying. IF somebody hits you, you need to protect yourself. You shouldn't hit back, but you should get away from that person.) This is a paraphrase of what our pastor said:<br /><br />We need to become numb to the need to retaliate. Be free from what other people think and say about you. This does not mean that you shouldn't protect yourself. Sacrifice your pride and honor to do what is right. Avoid evil as much as you can, but there are times when action needs to be taken. When that time comes, check your motive. If you are protecting yourself, don't retaliate. If it is protecting someone else, do it! We do not have to protect our rights.<br /><br />I was reminded, once again, of this the other day while reading through 1 Peter 3. Verse 3 talks about having a gentle and quiet spirit. I asked myself "How do I get a gentle and quiet spirit?" Then, "Give everything to God" popped into my mind. Verse 8 says, "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." This verse reminds me that I need to live in harmony with others, including my thorn. Once again, it also reminds me that I need to be humble and compassionate and sympathetic. There have been times when I have thought I've done a pretty good job at doing these things, but then... something happens and that all goes down the drain. It always reminds me how there is NO WAY I can do this on my own. My flesh is weak, but my spirit (Jesus living in me) is strong. I need to be more in tune with my spirit.<br /><br />Verse 9 says, "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." While reading this I was automatically reminded of what our pastor had said about turning the other cheek. I wrote, "If someone insults you, let it roll off and return with a blessing. Swallow your pride. If they insult God or someone else, then respond with a reprimand." This verse reminds me of so many other verses in the Bible. One being Proverb 27:2 "Let another praise you and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips." This verse hits the subject from the other side, but means about the same thing. It all seems to boil down to pride.<br />Some other verses to take into consideration:<br />Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good."<br />Matthew 5:38-42 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."<br />Matthew 5:43-48 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."<br /><br />Food for thought. What is your motive?Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-11679220087948306652013-11-18T09:47:00.000-07:002013-11-18T09:47:26.696-07:00FocusI have to admit to you that I have been very disappointed in myself lately because my focus has not been where it needs to be. I did so well this summer with reading my Bible and praying every day. I loved that time I had with God, but... as soon as I got a job that made it difficult to keep up with that, I quickly stopped. I still struggle with trying to get back into reading my Bible and spending regular times with God, and it's been over 3 months, almost 4.<br />I have found myself more preoccupied with other things that are really not that important. I won't go into details, but it's nothing "bad". I am just finding myself so frustrated right now because things are not going my way, and I can't seem to find my way back to where I was at the beginning of the summer. I just feel rather lifeless. I hate that feeling. I know God is still with me and will never leave me, but I miss that close connection with Him.<br />I really have no advice for anybody going through this because I obviously have not figured this out myself. I really want to use this blog to encourage people, but at this point, I'm not sure how.<br />My life is rather boring and uneventful right now, and I don't feel like God is really speaking to me about anything yet I really want to be an encouragement to others. SOOOOOOOO if you are reading this and need somebody to talk to, leave me a comment below, and I will get back to you. I have a strong desire to help others, and frankly, I don't feel like I'm doing a very good job of that right now.<br />I try not to judge others because I have done some pretty horrible things myself. Divorce is not really favored in the Christian community, and I have often felt ashamed of myself and my situation, but I have come to realize that God still loves me and has forgiven me and that's really all that matters.Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-19462124574277257472013-10-04T13:51:00.002-06:002013-10-04T13:51:27.228-06:00What do I have?So I was going to start off this post as a woe is me sort of thing even though I had promised I wasn't going to complain anymore, but then I asked myself, "What do I have?" The first thing that popped into my mind was my son. This little boy makes me laugh, makes me feel loved and sometimes irritates the heck out of me, but I wouldn't trade him for anything. He is the reason I do what I do. I don't know where I'd be without him, and I hope I never have to find out. Then, I asked myself, "What else do I have?" Once again, something popped into my mind. I have my family. My incredible family who drives me crazy but loves me unconditionally and has helped me SO much that I could never repay them. They have picked me up when I couldn't do it myself. They have inserted in me words of wisdom and encouragement. They help me out even when they can't really afford it themselves. A third time I asked myself, "What else do I have?" I have friends who have helped me through the most excrutiatingly painful time of my life. Who have listened to me complain and heard and seen me cry, who have given me words of wisdom and encouragement to help me make it through another day. Friends who have "been there" themselves and give me assurance that it doesn't last forever and it does get better. Friends who love me for no reason at all. But what else do I have? Well, I have a home to live in, food in my belly, a car that runs (most of the time :-)), a job, a church that I love to go to... I'm sure there are many other things, but I think you get the point. I have a lot of things to be thankful for. I'm mostly thankful that I have a God who will never leave me nor forsake me, who is always there for me when I need Him. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9:<br /><br /><span class="text 2Cor-4-7" id="en-NIV-28867"><sup class="versenum">"7 </sup>But we have this treasure in jars of clay<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28867T" title="See cross-reference T">T</a>)"></sup> to show that this all-surpassing power is from God<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28867U" title="See cross-reference U">U</a>)"></sup> and not from us.</span> <span class="text 2Cor-4-8" id="en-NIV-28868"><sup class="versenum">8 </sup>We are hard pressed on every side,<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28868V" title="See cross-reference V">V</a>)"></sup> but not crushed; perplexed,<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28868W" title="See cross-reference W">W</a>)"></sup> but not in despair;</span> <span class="text 2Cor-4-9" id="en-NIV-28869"><sup class="versenum">9 </sup>persecuted,<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28869X" title="See cross-reference X">X</a>)"></sup> but not abandoned;<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28869Y" title="See cross-reference Y">Y</a>)"></sup> struck down, but not destroyed"</span><br /><span class="text 2Cor-4-9"></span><br /><span class="text 2Cor-4-9">I have been beaten down so much that I saw no way out yet... here I am, stronger than ever. Yes, I bleed and I cry when somebody stabs me in the back and spits in my face, but that is not a sign of weakness. That is a sign that I still care. In fact, sometimes I feel like I care TOO much. I get attached to people so easily that it makes it really hard to say goodbye. It's like losing somebody all over again, but I don't let go easily either. If you make your way into my heart, you will likely be there forever. I see it as a blessing and a curse that not many people understand. To be honest with you, I don't even understand it. I probably never will.</span><br /><span class="text 2Cor-4-9"></span><br /><span class="text 2Cor-4-9">To some of you this probably sounds like crazy ramblings, but... there is a reason. I found out some news this morning that really threw me through a loop. To me, it is horrible news because I wonder how it will affect the one closest to me. At the same time, it also doesn't seem fair that one person cane be reaping benefits from completely disregarding anything good. I have tried hard to do what is right, and where does that leave me? Right where I started at the top of this page. I keep questioning why God has allowed this to happen. I still don't have my answer, and that is really hard for me, but I do know that some day I will understand. I'd better just pray that everything will be ok, and if it's not, I just hope God gives me the strength to pick up the pieces of another broken heart. </span><br /><span class="text 2Cor-4-9"></span><br /><span class="text 2Cor-4-9">Please pray for this situation if you think about it.</span><br /><span class="text 2Cor-4-9"></span><br /><span class="text 2Cor-4-9">Till next time...</span>Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-87205119413410246932013-08-15T07:44:00.000-06:002013-08-15T07:44:05.765-06:00Jabin's first day of kindergartenJabin just left on the bus a little while ago to go to his first day of kindergarten. He was ready for it. Me.... not so much. I cried when he had kindergarten round-up so I knew I would cry today... and I did. I just can't believe he's already in kindergarten. This little boy who I have been fighting so hard for over the past five years is going to kindergarten now. I'm a little nervous because I don't know how well he will do, but I have faith in the teachers and the staff at this school. They will take good care of them. I know because I worked with half of them for two years and the other half for one year. I'm excited to see his progress throughout the year, and I'm ready to have that first chat with his teacher. I think her and I may become best friends. lol just kidding :-) I knew in the spring he was ready for this; I don't need to change my mind now. It'll be good for him. He needs a new challenge, and this may be it. His vocabulary has come so far. Not so sure about his writing skills. :-/ Oh well. They will improve too. I took some pictures of him this morning with his backpack on and waiting for the bus.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qlNbdZXKXiA/UgzZD_Z2A_I/AAAAAAAAAKY/ZzIakThPnjY/s1600/DSC00742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qlNbdZXKXiA/UgzZD_Z2A_I/AAAAAAAAAKY/ZzIakThPnjY/s200/DSC00742.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-2698465877094942492013-08-08T21:06:00.004-06:002013-08-08T21:06:52.600-06:00Seeking Him with all my heartSo.. I have to tell you that I've really been struggling lately. I think I mentioned this in my last post, but... it's just been really hard for me. I think the worst thing ( even worse than feeling like a failure for not being able to support myself and my son) is not feeling close to God. I have felt SO distant from Him for quite awhile now ( a few weeks or more). I've been trying to seek Him, but it has felt like nobody's there. Notice how I said FELT. I KNOW God is right there beside me, probably carrying me through this difficult time, but for some reason, I just haven't felt it, and that is a horrible feeling. I guess sometimes (probably most of the time) God waits for us to get to our low point, to where we reach out for Him with all our being and just LONG for Him. I think I hit that point tonight. I've just been so frustrated, trying as hard <em>as </em>I can to figure things out. I've been trying to seek God, but I also haven't exactly been trusting Him. Go figure, right? So, anyway, I was listening to this song called "starts with me" (or something like that) by Tim Timmons. I can't tell you how this song has spoke to me. I FEEL the lyrics he is singing. I think listening to that song over and over again just helped me to just reach out for God with all my being, and I found Him. I felt Him whispering to my soul that everything is going to be ok. I have no idea HOW that's going to happen, but I know I just have to trust Him. For the first time in weeks, I actually felt God. I balled, still am, listening to this song. My longing is just to serve Him. I just want to do what He wants me to do. <br /><br />So, anyway... I want to tell you something. Something else I've been struggling with. So every year after getting back from missions trips our church allows the people who go on those missions trips to speak about their experiences at church. I really struggled with whether or not to speak because I have really been going through a lot of uncomfortable growing times this summer since getting back from Mexico. Our associate pastor approached me one morning before/after church about speaking. I told him I wasn't sure if I was going to speak or not because I've really been struggling. He told me that I should because people need to see that it's not always easy. I agree with him on that. Anyway, we were supposed to speak a few weeks ago, but they ran out of time so the ones who went to Mexico didn't get to speak. I had to work that Sunday so I wasn't even in church. I had kinda figured that would be my way out of having to speak. Boy was I wrong. I got home from work and my mom told me that they didn't even get to share because they ran out of time. I found that to be very odd. So anyway, we get our second chance to speak on Sunday, and I am STILL struggling with this. I have no idea what to say, and I have no idea why God wants me to speak, but PLEASE pray for me. It is going to be extremely difficult for me, and if I get through it without crying, it would be a miracle. I want to be real with people, but it is SO hard because you leave yourself open to getting seriously hurt by people. I experienced this last year when getting back from Mexico, but, thank God, those people are good friends now. :-) I know there will be some people who won't understand and will judge me. There usually are. I just don't want that to be my focus. Pray that I will keep my focus where it needs to be: God using me to speak to others. In reality, that's what I really want anyway. If God can use my pain and sufferings to help other people, I say YES. I hate to see people suffering. Anyway, thanks for reading this. I hope and pray that through my "realness" and babbling :-) people will be encouraged. I just want you to know that NO MATTER WHAT God is there right beside you waiting for you to reach out to Him with all your heart, mind and soul. God requires total surrender.That's it. It's SO hard, but TOTALLY rewarding. Have a good night.<br /><br />Oh, you HAVE to listen to that song I mentioned about. I'm serious.Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-84882992567538594692013-08-04T20:02:00.000-06:002013-08-04T20:02:20.957-06:00ReflectionsI'm sitting here on my couch with Jabin laying beside me (since he refused to sleep in his own bed), and I'm just thinking about the past two months since getting back from Mexico. God has really taken me on a journey in the past two months, and boy has it been a difficult one! While in Mexico I felt God telling me to surrender everything, especially my son. That was a hard one to work through, but I finally did it. (I realize this is not a one time thing, but I think it gets easier the more you do it.) Then, right after that I felt like God was calling me to go to this certain Bible college so I applied and did all the necessary things, and I waited and waited and waited. About the beginning of July I kinda figured it wasn't going to happen this fall since there was no way (in my mind) that I could come up with enough money in less than a month to pay for school even if I was accepted. I guess it's a good thing I had decided on that because at the end of July, I finally got a response from the school. I was not accepted. I was kinda heartbroken over that, especially because of the reasoning they gave me. It felt like a slap in my face. So, needless to say, that door was slammed shut in my face. I'm still really disappointed and a little hurt, but I'm ok with it. I just can't shake this feeling like God is telling me it's time to move on. I've been feeling it for about a year now. It's like God is telling me it's time to move away from here. It seems like so many doors are shutting here for me. I'm having an extremely hard time finding jobs that will pay my bills. I have a job right now, but I'm not making nearly enough money to pay my bills. I hate the feeling of not being able to provide for myself and my son. It kinda makes me feel like a failure. I also feel really isolated here, and that's not because I don't have people to talk to because believe ME there are some wonderful people around here who would drop just about anything to just listen and show their support for me. I'm talking about having NOBODY to hang out with. The people my age around here are either married or partiers. The people I talk to are mostly twice my age or older. It's a lonely feeling. Add to that, the fact that I am a single parent, and... well, anybody that has been there knows what that's like.<br />Before I go on let me recap for you a little of what God has taken me through in the past two months.... lol<br /><ul><li>surrendering all (especially my son)</li><li>God revealing to me how prideful I've been and being totally humbled by it</li><li>nearly getting stranded on my way back from Lincoln because my car was acting up</li><li>my car dying on me while stopped at a red light and not starting for another hour</li><li>having to rely on friends to help me about with above problem because all my family were gone</li><li>having Jabin scare the heck out of me because he was in so much pain (still don't know what caused that)</li><li>not being able to pay my bills</li><li>having my house broken into (it took me a couple weeks before I started staying at my house again. I just started spending the night here last week).</li></ul>I could probably go on, but I want to mention a few positive things too. I am so thankful for what God has revealed to me over the past couple months no matter how hard they've been. I would like to say I've grown a lot over the last two months, but (lol) I feel like my head is still reeling. In spite of all these hardships, there have been good. I mentioned this in my last post about Jabin's appointment with his neurologist. I was so thrilled to get such a good report from Jabin's doctor about his progress. I knew God was going to do amazing things in his life, but it was so nice of God to just take the time to reassure me of that. It was a much needed breath of fresh air. The break in taught me that I cannot put my security in things or other people, but that my security needs to be in God. The car problems... well... I'm not really sure. Thankfully, my dad was able to change the fuel pump so now my car runs MUCH better. He even changed my oil last night. The only major thing left on that is the manifold needing fixed. Still waiting on the mechanic to become available to work on that. My dad thinks maybe we can use some sort of stop leak to help with the leak so we're going to try that in the meantime. I'm almost wondering if all these negative things were Satan's way of trying to steer me off course. He's seen how I've been striving to get closer to God and do God's will, so he's trying as hard as he can to frustrate me and distract me, and I'll tell you, it's tempting to become distracted, but when I face these hard times, I turn to God. I may not understand why these things are happening, but I know without the shadow of a doubt that things will get better for me. God's still right there by my side even if I cannot feel Him or necessarily see Him. <br />Right now I am looking into the possibility of moving to a bigger town in Nebraska. I've been looking for jobs in a couple different areas, and I kinda feel God leading to one specific town, but I want to make sure that it's really God's leading so... I have a prayer request. Please be praying that I will have discernment as to what is from God and what is not and that I will follow God's leading and not be afraid. A lot of times I let my fear get in the way. I don't want to do that. I was told twice today by two different people only a few minutes apart that maybe I just need to get moving and God will meet me there. (Better make that three people. The pastor mentioned it in his sermon today too.) God doesn't want us to just sit still and wait. Most of the time he calls us to move and then he'll make His move. It's so hard to take that first step though when you have no idea what will happen.<br /><br />"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future. Then, you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13 These verses have been my theme verses for the past few months, especially the last verse. My desire has just been to seek God with all my heart. It has not been easy, but it is totally worth it.Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-75375413464530558602013-07-26T14:04:00.002-06:002013-07-26T14:04:25.731-06:00God's faithfulnessYesterday was an interesting day. We got exciting news and then had a terrible scare. I'll tell you about the scare we had first so I can end on a good note and elaborate more on it.<br /><br />Yesterday Jabin had a doctor appointment in Grand Island with his neurologist. About halfway home, he started crying. His crying got progressively worse and he kept saying "ow, ow" and pointing to a specific area of his body. He was in so much pain he was writhing. He couldn't stay in one spot. He was totally inconsolable. Anybody that knows Jabin knows that he is one terribly tough kid. It takes a lot to make him cry. Needless to say this had my mom and I both worried. About 15 minutes down the road after he started crying, we decided to take him to an emergency room because something was obviously wrong. He cried and cried and cried, and then all of a sudden he stopped, and he was fine. This was after he had peed that he stopped crying. I'm not sure what was wrong with him. The nurses did a urine sample to see if he had a UTI, but that came back negative. Everything in his urine seemed to be fine. We were there for about two hours waiting on the tests and the results, and they couldn't find anything. We were totally baffled. SOMETHING had to have been going on to make him in so much pain. Totally a mystery. We kept my dad updated, and he was praying. I text my dad to tell him to pray that Jabin pees so they could do the urine test. Like five minutes later I checked his diaper, and sure enough, he'd peed. lol God is awesome like that. He cares about even the smallest of our problems. Jabin is supposed to go back for a check up in like a week or two for a follow up. It kinda scares me that this happened because I have no idea what was wrong. I'm afraid it will happen again, and there is nothing I can do about it except trust God. It is heart wrenching to see your child in so much pain. I'm gonna guess God feels the same way about us when we are in so much pain.<br /><br />Anyway, now on to the GREAT news. As many of you know, Jabin was born with a myelin disorder. This has caused some fairly severe developmental delays which is why Jabin goes to see a neurologist several times a year. I am so thankful for this neurologist. He is awesome with Jabin, and he listens to me. He's a little.... um.... unconventional, but that makes me like him even more. :-) So anyway.... a little background: I knew God was going to do great things with Jabin from the time he was born, but when I found out what was "wrong" with Jabin, I knew God was going to do amazing things with his life and his story. That boy has overcome SO many obstacles, and I am so proud of him, and SO thankful to God for how He has been working in Jabin's life. I knew that eventually Jabin would be "normal", but I wasn't sure how long it would take. I have to tell you that it has been a real struggle sometimes seeing God work in the midst of this journey, but when I look back and see how far Jabin has come, it amazes me, and I thank God.<br />Jabin's neurologist put him on a medicine in March of 2012 that was supposed to help with Jabin's speech. It did. I started seeing improvements right away. In May of 2012, he decided to put Jabin on a medicine to slow down his brain so he could focus better and therefore learn better. The first one we tried was not covered by Jabin's insurance so we tried another one. The second one made Jabin very whiney and irritable. I quit him on that one as soon as I noticed the side effects. So then we tried another one, and after MANY months of trying to figure out the right dosage, we finally figured it out. Jabin has come SO far in the past year. I am amazed at how well he is doing. His speech has really taken off in the past few months too, and yesterday when we went to see the neurologist, well, we got some great news. His doctor was very happy with Jabin's progress. He was impressed at how well Jabin listened and obeyed easy commands, and he noticed how Jabin's speech had progressed. I'll tell you that was SO exciting for me to hear. This doctor is usually very serious and constantly trying to figure out what more we can do. To hear that he was pleased with Jabin's progress was HUGE news to me. He said (and this part makes me cry) that Jabin will be just fine in a year or two. He said by first or second grade Jabin will be fine. At first it kinda took me back. I kinda had to do a double take. To hear those words come out of his mouth is like a breath of fresh air for me. I have to tell you that I have felt so much like a failure with Jabin, not necessarily because of the way he is, but just because I feel so inadequate, especially raising him by myself these past two years. I have always kinds wondered "when" in the back of my mind. How much longer will it be till Jabin will really be able to do the things his peers are doing. When will he be able to really communicate with other people? When will he physically be able to do all the things his peers are doing? When this? When that? It was such a relief to hear those words come out of his doctor's mouth. IT makes me feel that maybe I AM doing something right. I am SO thankful to God for what He is doing in Jabin's life, and I have very little to do with it. God is healing my son like I knew He would, I just have to be patient and keep doing what I have to do. I don't know if Jabin will have to be on medicine for the rest of his life, but I am so excited that he will get the chance to do the exact same things his peers will be doing. THAT is so exciting to me. God has given me such a wonderful little boy, and I couldn't have asked for anything better. God knew exactly what he was doing when he gave me that little boy. :-) <3 p=""></3>Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-62733104180180578892013-07-26T13:36:00.000-06:002013-07-26T13:36:08.918-06:00The Good, the Bad and the Ugly TruthIt feels like it has been forever since I wrote a blog, but it has been less than three weeks. These past three weeks have been pretty eventful. First of all, my car completely died (as in it won't start). My dad finally figured out that it IS the fuel pump so he ordered a new one. Now, he just has to find the time to put it in. Then, hopefully I will have a car again. In the meantime I'm staying with mom and dad and borrowing their vehicles (that also seem to be falling apart lol I'm beginning to feel like a curse to cars...;-)) I got a job working at Dollar General as a Sales Associate/Cashier. I started on Saturday. It's only like 20 hours a week, but something is better than nothing. I have decided that I will not be going to school this fall because it didn't seem to work out. (Still haven't heard if I am accepted yet.) I'm figuring next fall should be good. I'm going to plan on it.<br />I had a super exciting (?) thing happen a couple weeks ago. I had been staying with mom and dad for a few days just to have some company. I went home really quickly to go get some clothes for a wedding that I was going to with mom and dad, and my house had been broken into. I went to go unlock the backdoor and noticed that the deadbolt had been locked and I NEVER lock it because sometimes it doesn't like to work right. I can always tell when somebody else has been in my house because of that. Anyway, as soon as I opened the door, I knew something wasn't right. There were lights on in the bathroom, kitchen and my bedroom. There was stuff in random places. The guy that broke in stole a bunch of my food, and then we later found out that he stole a bunch of my grandma's stuff too. There was more, but it was just really creepy. He had come in through Jabin's bedroom window. The window was still wide open and the front door was unlocked. Needless to say this freaked me out, and it has been hard for me to go back to my house since. I think I learned a lesson from this though. The lesson is this:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">If God wants me to be a missionary, I need to learn to depend entirely on Him. Even if I'm not going to be a missionary, it's very important to trust Him. Our security should not be in things or in people, but in Him. When I go overseas to be a missionary, my security is not going to be "secured" or guaranteed. God is my security. I need to stop putting my security in people and things. I never thought somebody would break into my house, but they did. I thank God we were not there. Security is never guaranteed no matter where you are. Whether you have a fancy car alarm or the most state of the art security on your house. You hear about people getting shot all the time just walking down the street. Small towns are no different. We even have murders in our small area. It's scary if we don't have the right perspective and are not putting our trust in God.</blockquote> God has been showing me SO many things this summer. He has really been growing me and stretching me and humbling me. God has shown me how I have been so very prideful. I look back at my attitude over the past year or so, and I disgust myself with how prideful I was. I know it was at least partly due to trying to protect myself, but... ewww. Makes me thing of the verse that says "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags". We try to be righteous, but even if we try as hard as we can, our best will always be disgusting in God's sight. When God revealed to me how prideful I was being, it really humbled me. I cried because I felt so bad about how I was treating a certain person. He may have deserved it, but I had no right to treat him and think about him the way I did. I'm trying really hard to do what God wants me to do. I have to keep reminding myself to forgive. In fact, I downloaded Matthew West's song "Forgiveness" just so I could have it as a ringtone for this person. Anybody who knows me very well at all will know who I'm talking about, but I'm not going to mention names.<br />I cannot tell you how thankful I am that God is working so much in my life right now. It is pretty amazing.Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-70197215447176696192013-07-06T21:12:00.000-06:002013-07-06T21:13:15.182-06:00car problems: lesson from God?Let me tell you a little story. My car has been having problems with the fuel pump for awhile now, and it has not been fixed yet due to one reason or another.<br />Yesterday I had planned to go to a city about an hour away to get my back adjusted and do some shopping at Wal-Mart. I got there early so I ran an errand before my appointment. My car was asking fine. I went to my back appointment. No problem. After I left my back appointment and started up my car, it was basically choking. I was hoping I could make it to Wal-Mart, but I made it about 2 1/2 blocks before it died while stopped at a stoplight. I tried to start it. Nothing. Tried again. Nothing. I had a pick up with a long camper parked behind me at the light. They honked at me, but I couldn't move. I was so frustrated. They finally went around me and a cop pulled up behind me. She turned her lights on and came up to me to ask me if I was having car problems. I told her my car died, and I couldn't get it started. She called another policeman who was there within a minute or so. HE blocked off the other side of the street so they could push my car down hill into a parking space. Each cop came up to me after I was parked and asked me if I was ok and if I had somebody I could call. I told them I would figure it out. There's no way I could afford a tow so I figured I would see if there was anybody who could help me.<br />Since I don't know much about cars, (Yeah, I admit it. I don't know everything. :-) ) I called my dad, who was in Canada, to ask him how hard it would be to get a fuel pump and get it fixed. He basically told me it needed to be lifted up so you could take the gas tank out, etc. I was like... ok, so that won't work. After a little while I tried starting my car again. Nothing, and by nothing I mean nothing. No sound came out of it. I realized that I must have either left the ignition on or something else. The battery was pretty much dead. There was a slight ding when I had the key in the ignition and the door open, but nothing else. This made me even more frustrated. At this point I figured it would be easier to try to find somebody to either haul or tow my car back home. I called my aunt to get their home number to call my uncle to see if he could help. No answer so I googled their home number. (Thank you, google). I called and he answered on the last ring. He basically told me he couldn't help me. I have no idea how many calls I made before I got somebody who could help. Amazingly enough, it was two of my former co-workers who helped me. I called one, and she called another one, who in turn called one of their friends who worked very close to where my car was parked. Thank God he had jumper cables and knew how to find my "hidden battery". <br />So he jumped my car and miraculously it started. I seriously did not believe it would start, but it did! He basically told me I'd better get home as soon as possible. No stops, just in case my car died again and left me stranded... again. As I was leaving the city, I got one phone call after another from the people whom I could not reach earlier. I made it home. My son and I ate lunch and then headed off to my parents house about 15 minutes away. I made it there too. My car didn't like the hill, but it made it.<br />Here's the interesting part. This happened to me when I had almost NO family around. All of my immediate family was in Canada visiting my oldest sister. My grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins on my mom's side were all in Colorado, basically. This left me no choice but to depend on non-family. This is something that is very hard for me. I don't like asking non-family members for help because I feel like I am bothering them. I know this isn't necessarily the right mindset, but it's one I've had for a long time. It was very uncomfortable for me to call all those people, but I did because I had to. My family could not help me. I really don't have any best friends.... but I have some AWESOME ex co-workers. God used them to help me. I can't help but think that this whole ordeal was a lesson to teach me something. I guess maybe God was trying to teach me how to lean on friends and other people for support instead of always running to my family. I know my family will always be there for me, but who am I to take the blessing of helping others away from my friends? One of these days I plan on being a missionary overseas. When that time comes my family alone is not going to be able to support me. I will have to depend on church family and friends to support me. I guess that means I better start eating some humble pie (lol) and getting some guts and start building relationships with more people in my church and whatnot. I'm sure there are other things that I could learn from this ordeal, but that's just what came to my mind. God is continuing to teach me so many things over the past week, and they have been difficult things to deal with sometimes. I'll have to talk more about that some other day. Who would have thought that car problems could teach you something?<br />Please continue to pray for me. I'm still looking for clarity and trying to hear God's voice instead of listening to the voices inside my head.Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-80032995289293958062013-06-30T17:12:00.001-06:002013-06-30T17:12:13.153-06:00My fatherI wanted to take a little bit of time right now to pay tribute to my dad. Here's a little background on my relationship with my dad:<br />My dad has always been a very hard worker. When I was little he was a farmer. When I got a little older he was a farmer and worked at a local car dealership. Along with this he has been involved in numerous organizations and is even an elder at the church I was raised in and still attend. Because of this he was not necessarily home all the time. I remember there being days at a time where I would not see him because he would get home after I went to bed and leave before I woke up in the morning. I never had a close relationship with my father. Maybe because he wasn't around all the time. Maybe because I was a timid child. Maybe numerous other things that don't really matter now. While I may not have been close to my dad, I knew without a doubt that he loved and still loves me very much. I may not talk to him a whole lot, but if I ever need a hug, he is the first one to squeeze me till I can't breathe :-). I thank God for the dad he gave me.<br />Over the past year I have seen a spiritual growth in my father that has been amazing to watch. I've seen God working in his life. I know it has been a challenge for him, but he has embraced that challenge, and now he inspires me more than ever in my walk with God. God has used my dad to give me words of wisdom and encouragement over the past year. I have to admit that it kinda surprised me, but I am so thankful for it. I'm excited to see how God is going to continue to use my dad. I am so thankful God has allowed my relationship with my dad to grow, also. We may not talk all the time, but I think we are very similar. (I definitely get my sense of humor from him. :-) )<br />In all that, I just want to say that I love you, Dad, and I'm very thankful that you are my dad. I wouldn't trade you for anything. :-)Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-60767169678993961752013-06-30T17:00:00.000-06:002013-06-30T17:00:36.984-06:00Surrendering all?Today has been a very difficult day for me. Very convicting day. I told you guys in my last post that I felt God was telling me to surrender my son to Him. Today I was blasted in the face once again with that feeling. It is painful. It hurts like crazy to think I may lose my son forever, but I think who am I to hold my son so closely when there are people all around the world losing everything they have to follow Christ? God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham could not understand why God called him to do that. Abraham knew that Isaac was supposed to be the son that would make him the father of many nations. Abraham figured maybe God would raise Isaac from the dead. I can relate to Abraham in a sense. I don't feel God calling me to kill my son, but I do feel like He is telling me it's time to give him up. That hurts because I have worked SO hard for at least the past two years to protect my son from... everything, basically. I have fought so hard for him. Now, God is saying "Give him up." I say "Why, God? I don't get it. I have fought so hard for him, and now you're telling me to just give him up." I understand now that over the past how many ever years I have not really sought God as to what He wanted me to do. I just went forward doing what I felt was the right thing to do, and I have to admit that I was very self-centered in what I did. I hurt a LOT of people in the process. Thankfully, some of those people have been able to forgive me but others have had a lot harder time in doing so.<br />I have always been the type of person that has been fearful of just about everything. I was afraid of being alone, afraid of water, heights, failing, etc. I have faced a lot of my fears over the past two years, and God has helped me and continues to help me overcome some of those fears (if I let Him). One of my biggest fears has been losing my son. It scares me to think that something bad might happen to him so, therefore, I have tried to control as much of his life as I possibly could. Some of you may say "well, that's your job. You're his mother." I agree that God gave me my son to protect him and help him grow, etc., but God also commands me to give everything to Him. That includes my son. Americans today don't seem to fully understand the sacrifices and costs that go along with following Jesus. I'm just now learning what those costs are. I never understood before the costs. God commanded His disciples to drop whatever they were doing, leave whoever they were with, pick up their crosses and follow Him. I used to be the type of person that kept everything, and I mean Everything. Old Sunday School papers, school papers, everything. Over the past ten years I have moved about a dozen times or so. Because I have moved so much I have learned to let go of stuff. Today, I barely have anything of my own. I'm ok with that. God has provided for me and will continue to provide for me. A harder thing for me to give up is my family. I have always been a family oriented person. My family have been the only ones to stay by me through everything, even if they don't like what I've done. I thank God for them. I also have a tendency to hold people in general to tightly. I get attached easily and it's hard for me to let them go. God has shown me over the past year how to do that though. He has shown me that it's ok to let people go. Sometimes we have to do that for God to really use us. It's not easy. It hurts, but it's worth it.<br />I have to tell you that I am a little nervous about what I have to do. Not only do I have to give up my son, but I also risk being shunned by some of the other people that I love the most. It makes me sad, but I know everything will be ok in the end.<br />I'm sorry for rambling on, but I wanted to make some things clearer. They're probably clear as mud, huh? That's what my dad would say anyway.Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-60201905190901763342013-06-29T10:58:00.003-06:002013-06-29T10:58:54.737-06:00New DirectionI have decided that I am going to switch directions on this blog. I want to use it entirely for what God is doing in my life.<br />The last two years have been extremely challenging yet rewarding years for me, and I have decided that I should stop complaining and start doing what God wants me to do. God has called me into missions. I still don't know what that looks like, but I'm looking forward to it.<br />I went on a mission trip to Mexico again this year, and, once again, it changed my life. I really felt like God was telling me to surrender everything to Him and take the next step in faith. More specifically I felt like God was telling me to surrender my son to Him. I still don't know what that looks like or what that will consist of, but I am reminded of how God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. I don't believe God is calling me to kill my son, but I risk losing him. It doesn't make sense to the world, but Christians have been "giving up" their families for thousands of years. The Sunday School class I am going to at our church is going through the Radical series by David Platt. Now, if you want to be challenged, I totally recommend this. If you want to know what following Christ should REALLY look like, read the book, take the class, read the Gospels in your Bible. Jesus was straightforward with those He called. He told them they had to give up EVERYTHING to follow Him. That meant their livelihood (jobs), families, worldly possessions, etc. Jesus told them from the beginning it would not be easy. They knew, basically, what the cost of following Him was, and they were up for the challenge. I read something the other day that said that almost all or all of Jesus' original disciples were killed for their faith. How many of us in America today can say that we are even WILLING to die for our faith? We are perfectly content to sit back and just do the bare minimum. We don't want to be challenged, and we certainly don't want to give up our stuff, our families, our great jobs, etc. Let alone being tortured or dying for our faith.<br />I recently finished reading a book called Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand. Talk about eye-opening! Christians around the world are being tortured DAILY for Christ, and they do it joyfully. That is what being a true follower of Christ should look like. To think that I would love God so much that I joyfully endure torture for His name. That hits me right between the eyes and in the heart. It broke my heart to see how those Christians were and are being treated in other countries, but.... amazing things happened because of their witness. Many of the people who tortured them ending up believing and following Jesus because of their witness. Some of them even ended up in the same cells with those whom they had tortured previously, dying beside the men who brought them to their Heavenly Father. Amazing! I was really challenged by this book. My faith has waned over the years. I found myself pretty far away from God for a few years, but Thank God He brought me back to Himself. I'm learning what it is like to love God and truly want to follow Him. It is not easy by any means, but it is completely rewarding. It can be painful, but at the same time I feel peace and joy in doing it.<br />God gave me a heart of compassion, but... because I found it embarrassing to cry in front of other people and found myself being terribly hurt by those I was the closest to, my heart started hardening. I had not realized the severity of it until I came back from Mexico. It really bothered me that I was not even able to cry. I WANTED to cry, but I just couldn't. My heart had been so hardened. I hated it. I asked some friends of mine to pray for me :-) and within a few days, God began softening my heart again. IT's still a work in progress, but I am so thankful that He is giving me another chance. I really have a heart for the hurting, especially kids. I have always loved working with kids. It breaks my heart to see pictures of kids living in orphanages who go without food, etc. I am hoping some day God will allow me to help some of these kids.<br />Anyway, I guess that is enough for now. I could probably write a sermon on what God has been teaching me over the past few weeks, but, for now, I will sign off.<br /><br />RebeccaRebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-63467896024947682432013-02-02T16:36:00.000-07:002013-02-02T16:36:33.420-07:00My crazy, upside-down lifeMy life has changed so much over the past year and a half. But before I get into that, let me give you a little background information. For those of you that don't know me, I grew up in southwest Nebraska in a little tiny of about 625 people. After graduating from high school, I went off to a Christian college in Northwest Iowa. After finishing one year there, I decided it was too expensive to go back so I looked into different colleges that were closer to home and not nearly as expensive. I decided on Chadron State College but after being there for only a week I found myself miserable so I called my parents, and they came and got me. One semester later I was starting school at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff. One year later I met a man online who turned my world upside down. In hindsight, the relationship was horrible from the beginning, but I was so young and inexperienced with men that I got sucked in. By the end of that year (2006) we were married. A little over nine months later Jabin arrived. From the beginning Jabin has been my joy and pride of life, but caring for him has also been challenging since we found out he has developmental delays. It can be very challenging for both of us sometimes, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. He can be very ornery, but he can also be very loving.<br />Anyway, after many years of some ups, but mostly downs, I decided it was time to leave my husband for good. So.. I packed up my car with my stuff and what I could fit in there, and Jabin and I moved back to Nebraska and away from Louisiana and Jon Paul's family. That was almost exactly a year and a half ago. We (Jabin and I) moved back in with my parents until I could get back on my feet. I got a job at the local grade school as a teacher's aide which I really like. I love the people I work with, but I also really like working in the same school where Jabin is going to school. Jon Paul and I were on and off for about 10 months before my mission trip to Mexico in May of last year. While I Mexico my life flipped even more upside down. I came to the conclusion that my relationship with Jon Paul was hindering both of us. I was miserable all the time and by staying with him I was giving him permission to not grow up.<br />A little over two months later, he filed for divorce since I didn't have the money at the time. About a week later, we had a huge argument that occurred after his visitation. Since then the relationship between the two of us has quickly become hostile. He would call me a dozen times a day and harass me. He sent me mean text messages. He has lied about me to the court. I have learned over the past six months how to refrain from lashing back at him. I try to remind myself that the problem is not me, but him. I do want him to be happy, but my main concern is my son's safety and well-being. He has done nothing but harass me over the past six months.<br />The amazing thing about this whole situation is that through it all I still have peace, for the most part. I am learning to really trust God with everything and leave Jabin in His hands. That is the hardest thing for me, especially since Jabin came back from his last visit with his dad with a black eye. I keep reminding myself of the verses in Philippians 4 about peace and trying to do the right thing. I know God is working in this situation because I can feel it. I am just trying to remind myself to be patient. Patience isn't something I've been very good with. In fact, my lack of patience has caused me a lot of grief over the years. Maybe God is teaching me patience, also. I guess some day I will find out.<br />So... I've been a single mom for a year and a half. It's been a crazy journey; one I never saw myself facing, but I've made it thus far and plan on making it a lot farther. My son means the world to me, and I wouldn't trade him for anything.... no matter HOW ornery he gets.Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-73883034857889398252011-05-09T12:01:00.000-06:002011-05-09T12:01:46.594-06:00Happy Mother's Day!I know this is a day late, but I really didn't get much of a chance to even get online yesterday.<br /><br />I had been thinking about what I wanted to say about my mom, and.. frankly, I think I will just let it flow.<br /><br />I won't say my mom has always been my best friend, but I will say that my mom has ALWAYS been there for me when I needed somebody to talk to. She may be biased in her opions, but she always listens to me no matter what. My mom has been the one I called when I put my car in the ditch because I was going too fast on snowy roads, or when I needed to vent about a job, or worried about something during a pregnancy, or when I was having problems in my marriage. I won't say she always gave her unbiased opinion because... she's my mom. She is going to side with me on whatever, simply because she loves me and wants what is best for me. My mom has faced a lot of hard things in her life. her health has not been very good for as long as I can remember yet she is constantly making sacrifices for those she loves. She has also blossomed over the past few years into a wonderful woman. She is more confident, more outgoing, and just seems to be happier in general. I am very happy for my mom and the triumphs she has had in the past few years.<br /><br />This Mother's day weekend was pretty hard for me. I think it is the hardest one I have faced yet since becoming a mother... But then again, it's the first one I've celebrated away from her since Jabin was born. I have to admit, I was really missing my family this weekend, but I understand that I am where I am supposed to be... no matter how difficult it is and can be. I am very thankful though that I have such great in-laws, especially my mother-in-law who seems to love me almost like her own daughter. She has taken me under her wing and cared for me and listened to me when I needed somebody to talk to. She let me stay at her house when I needed a break from home. I have been so blessed with such a wonderful woman as my mother-in-law. I know not all women are "lucky" enough to get a mother-in-law they like, let alone one they actually like to hang out with.<br /><br />Anyway... so to all you mothers out there... whether you had a child biologically, adopted a child, fostered a child or just helped raise a child.... because, as they used to say, it takes a village to raise a child.... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! I hope you had an extremely blessed day.Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-42130313039776528442011-05-09T11:49:00.000-06:002011-05-09T11:49:18.549-06:00Interesting weekendWe had an interesting weekend.<br />Saturday at around 9:30 PM or so, Jon Paul and I heard a knock on our door. Jon Paul went to open it, and some guy was at the door. He asked Jon Paul if he could buy our brown car for $800. That's more than we paid for it! The people around here really like that type of car though, and it is really a blessing in disguise for a number of reasons. (1) We would have to put a lot of work into that car in order for it to pass inspection, and we don't have the money to do that. (2) We don't have the money to license it anyway. (3) We don't need two cars right now. (4) We need the money. We didn't tell him right then that we would sell it to him though. I told Jon Paul that we should think and pray about it overnight. Yesterday afternoon we decided to go ahead and sell it so Jon Paul called the guy and told him we would sell it to him for $850. Now, I have no idea why he said that much, but the guy agreed to it. He said he would pay us next week. I am hoping it goes through because we could really use the money right now.<br /><br />After that guy left, Jon Paul and I were sitting on the couch. I was getting ready to go to bed when we heard a loud CRUNCH, and then squealing tires. The crunch sounded like somebody hit a trash can right outside our window. I looked out the window and told Jon Paul somebody had just rear-ended another car. Turns out, it was a four car "pile up". From what I gather, there were three cars sitting at the red light, in a row, when the 4th car came along (obviously not paying attention) and rear ended a little white mercedes car, which then rear-ended another car, and that one proceeded to rear-end another car. The car with the most damage was the white mercedes. They had two kids in the backseat. Their trunk was practically demolished, and their back window shattered, but miraculously nobody appeared to be hurt though apparently, the lady driving the Mercedes was VERY angry about her new car being totalled. About a minute after I walked outside, I heard sirens. Pretty soon I car a cop car come sailing through the intersection and speed on by. Then, came another cop car doing the same thing. A couple minutes later a cop finally came and stopped at the accident. By the time, the whole ordeal was over, there had been at least three cop cars, two firetrucks, an ambulance, another blazer from the fire department and two tow trucks that helped out. The firetrucks had to clean up gasoline from the mercedes before they could pry the two back vehicles apart. The EMT's had someone on a stretcher, but I am not sure if they took her to the hospital or not. After two of the cops, and the firemen left, the guys from the towing company returned and finished cleaning up the mess of glass on the street. The last one to leave was the cop who was first to the scene.<br /><br />Yesterday, Jabin and I went to church, and I was very blessed. I didn't want to go to Sunday School, but I was glad I did. The Sunday School teacher is such a nice lady. We talked for a few minutes after Sunday School, and she gave me her phone number and told me to call her whenever. Then, she introduced me to one of her best friends, and we talked for a few minutes before church. After church, I volunteered to help with the VBS as a teacher for the pre-K/Kindergarten. After church Jon Paul's mom and Grandma came over for a couple hours. After they left, Jabin and I took a nap. When I woke up, my mom called, and I talked to her for a few minutes. Then, last night we went to church to hear Elvis Presley's stepbrother preach. His name is Rick Stanley, and he is not like any preacher I've ever heard before. Seems to be a nice guy. Very down to earth. Jon Paul asked him a couple questions about Elvis before we left. Jon Paul also talked to a few people he hadn't talked to in years. It was nice.Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7351311633215772948.post-64041142565585386152011-05-07T11:54:00.000-06:002011-05-07T11:54:17.480-06:00BrowsingThis morning Jabin and I went for a nice, long walk. We walked all the way to the end of the old main street and back, checking out the businesses along the way. We found some cool, little shops. We went into a consignment store that sold really nice formal dresses and other clothing, etc. Then, we found another store across the street that was called What a Girl Wants. It was basically a store for women. They had really nice, designer (?) purses, luggage, home decor, etc. We saw a lot of beauty salon-type places too. And of course, there were a LOT of lawyer offices since the main street where we live and walked has the court house right smack dab in the middle of it, and I mean that quite literally. The street was built AROUND the courthouse. On our way back, we walked by the fire department where the firemen had their trucks out doing some sort of training or something. That made Jabin really excited. He let out his happy "squeal". Some of the firemen heard him and smiled at us. That was kind of cool. It didn't take Jabin long to get really tired on the way back so I ended up carrying him for a few blocks, but he is so heavy I can't carry him for very long. I think next time I will take the stroller with me. I really like checking out local shops. It is so much fun. Some day maybe I can actually buy something from these shops. The consignment store was selling some stuff for 75% off today. Talk about nice. Too bad I don't have the money for it.<br />Tonight Jon Paul's family is doing a Mother's day slash celebration for the end of my mother-in-law's journey of radiation and chemo. Yesterday was her last day of radiation, and before that she had to have chemo. She has been so strong throughout the whole thing. Jon Paul can't go to it because he has to go to a play for one of his online classes. He asked me if I wanted to go, and I said I didn't know if we had enough money for the gas. Gas prices are between $3.77 and $3.89 for regular unleaded which is cheaper down here because of the oil rigs. Thankfully, my car gets pretty good gas mileage, but... the oil really needs changed. Maybe next paycheck it will get changed. <br /><br />Tomorrow I think I may do a tribute to my mom on here.Rebecca LeJeunehttps://plus.google.com/105823937056785007910noreply@blogger.com0