On the Horizon

Happy Thanksgiving! Here's another story for you.

On the Horizon

It was decided. Truth and Patience were both going to the new world. I was worried and I could tell that Mother was too. We all felt a little bit better about Patience leaving, since she would be wed to John and they would go together. Truth seemed so young, he was only seventeen. Mother kept asking him if he was sure and he kept saying he was.

“Mother,” he would say calmly, “ I feel like this is the right thing to do. It's what God is calling me to do.”

And she couldn't argue with that. In the weeks leading up to Patience's wedding and their departure, our little Dutch home was a flurry of activity. I sometimes helped Mother as she made of lovely dress for Patience.

One day, as I was doing my chores when the realization hit me. In two weeks, my older brother and sister would leave and I would never see them again. Trying to ignore the thoughts, the pain, I rushed through the rest of my chores. Then I ran into my room and began to sob.

“Why God?!!!” I screamed, “why do you want to take them away?”

A few minutes later, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. “Purity,” my sister said softly. “Why do you have to go?”I mumbled.

“ Oh, Purity,” she sighed, “I'm going because John and I decided it was what God wanted us to do. To get away from the hustle and bustle of the world and create a community devoted to Him.”

“Yeah,” I sniffed, “But why does God want to take you away from us?”

“Take us away?” Questioned a deeper voice. It was Truth standing in my doorway. “He's not taking us away from you. The Lord is only moving where our bodies are. We'll always truly be together.”

“But I'll miss you!” I cried, and we all fell into each other's arms.

Patience looked extra beautiful as she stood with John in her dress on her wedding day. After the ceremony, people gathered in our home for a meal celebrating the couple. The two of them looked radiant together, but they had a faraway look in their eyes. Truth had it too. They were ready to go.

And the next day, they did. Everything they needed to start a new colony was already in the boats. As people filed onto the Mayflower, Mother embraced them all at least four times. Then it was time for them to board.

“ Grace and peace be with you,” Quoted Patience.

“ From God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” Truth finished, smiling.

And with that, they were lost in the crowd. Mother fell into Father's arms, weeping uncontrollably.

“Let's go home.” He said to her.

“I'll meet you there in a little bit,” I called after them.

Father nodded.

I sat down on the grassy slope as the boats cast off. I didn't leave as they sailed further and further away. But just as they were about to sail beyond my view, I thought I saw someone waving.

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora

Pictures

Here's a Thanksgiving Stoy for you. Enjoy!


Pictures
By Elora


Snip! Snip! Snip! Chrissy cut ferociously away at the small pile of photographs in her hand until they were in at least four or five pieces. Then, she scattered the glossy clippings all over the floor of the room. Not her room, just a room. Her room was back in her house which was in Kansas.
The girl stared glumly at the Oregon rain coming down outside her window. Chrissy missed the rolling golden fields of home. What good were pictures if she couldn’t have the real thing?
Scooping the remnants of her memories into a pile, she stood and stretched out her legs. As soon as she left the room they said was hers, a smell wafted to her nose. It made her sick. This couldn’t be Thanksgiving Day. Not here, it wasn’t right! That was only for the small, light green house in Kansas. Stomping back up the stairs, Chrissy retreated to the room to lose herself in a book.
It worked! She almost forgot that she wasn’t in Kansas. Halfway through her favorite Thanksgiving tale, she heard her mom call.
“Chrissy, come down for the Thanksgiving picture.”
Chrissy cringed. Here? Now? Where will we take it? Who will take it?
The questions flashed through her mind. There was no use in arguing, though, so she sullenly marched down the stairs. The Campbell family gathered around the small fireplace of their new home.
Chrissy sighed and admitted her feelings, “I don’t really want to do the picture this year.”
“But Chrissy,” her dad replied, shocked, “you’ve always wanted to be a part of it. Besides, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it.”
Indignation welled up within her, “Yeah!” She exclaimed, “Well it’s not Thanksgiving without the old fireplace either! Or without Aunt Riana and Uncle Luke! And especially when we’re not in Kansas!”
With that, she stormed upstairs and flopped onto her mattress. Sobs shook her body. Nothing was right. She started to reach for the past pictures, but then she remembered and looked down at the last thirteen Thanksgivings in pieces on the floor. She wished she hadn’t done it, but she had.
A few minutes later her mom walked in and sat on the bed next to her.
“It’s all so different, Mom!” Chrissy moaned, “how can we celebrate Thanksgiving like this?”
“Is it really that different, Chrissy?” Her mom asked gently, “We’re still taking our picture, and we’re still making all the same foods. Most importantly, we’re still together as a family to give thanks to God.”
“But Aunt Riana and Uncle Luke won’t be here,” Chrissy argued.
“Not physically, no, but they’re with us in spirit. God’s followers are never truly apart.”
Then she looked down, “Oh, Chrissy!” She gasped, “Why did you do it?”
“I’m sorry, Ma,” she cried, “I was just so mad and I wasn’t thinking straight! I really wish I hadn’t!”
“It’s okay,” her mother said calmly, “we can try to tape them back together. But for now, let’s go back downstairs and make some new memories!”
So, they went back down to the fireplace and gathered around it. A neighbor, Mr. Henlier came and took four pictures with their old, black camera. One each for Chrissy and her brother, Jake, one for their parents and one to mail to Aunt Riana and Uncle Luke back in Kansas.
At dinner that night, they laughed and talked about their goofy memories. Like when Uncle Luke had tried to carve the turkey and ended up cutting the table. Or when Dad had been spinning Jake around and accidentally launched him out the open door and into Aunt Riana.
The night turned out to be one of Chrissy’s favorites.
Two weeks later, when the pictures were ready, she and her mom went to the corner store and bought a small picture book. In it, Chrissy put the thirteen taped-together Thanksgivings and the new one they had shared in their new home.

Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Tonight

Tonight:
-I helped my friend Mikayla with her homework.
-I finished writing a story called, "Back to Light".
-I went to Taekwondo and started learning my Black Belt form.....
That's right, my BLACK BELT FORM!!!!!
Indeed, I made it through 51/2 of testing on Saturday. Master Lee tied my black belt at about 5:30. I almost cried. It was an awesome day!

Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Not that I'm counting down the hours or anything....

I'm still nervous, but I'm finding that the closer the test gets, the more excited I'm getting. It's an odd phenomenon indeed, but a good one. By the way, there's thirty-eight hours left:)!
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Here it Comes!!!!

Nov. 13th is this Saturday. If you didn't already know, my Black Belt Test is on Nov. 13. Here it comes!
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

The Bee

Yes, it was two months ago tomorrow. Sorry. But this is how the Bible Bee went.
First, my age group went into the nursery of the church we were in and took our written test. It mostly had questions about the book of Colossians. That was fun and not to stressful.
After that was the oral round. We each had to wait until our number was called. Then we went down and recited verses that the judges gave us. I was so nervous while waiting that I started telling my mom really bad jokes in a Swedish accent.
Everything went fine, but I didn't expect to get into the final round. The top five scores from each group made it to that round.
Before that happened, however, there was a lunch break.
My mom and I got back to the church and the Primary final round started. It seemed painstakingly long to all of us Juniors who were waiting to find out who made it in our round.
At first they called three of the names I expected to hear, but then they called me!!
Lets sum up what happens next with that I got fourth place and there was a double tie for first, second and third.
That was a lovely day, but the fascinating story is not over yet.
The next week we had a party to celebrate the Bee and find out if anyone made it to the nationals. Now as much as I didn't expect to make it to the final round, I expected to make it to the nationals even less.
Hannah and I were late to the said party, and they were already calling names when we arrived.
We walked into the room and for some reason, everyone was clapping. You can probably guess what happened next.
Anyway, the nationals are on Nov 13 and so is my black belt test.
To conclude, I really enjoyed the Bible Bee despite anything I might have said to imply otherwise. I can't wait for next year and I encourage you to sign up too.
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Prayer Group

Yes, I'm back. I promise to post more on other things later. For now, here is an update on prayer group.
Prayer group is starting back up again on Sunday, October 3rd at 6:00. Instead of just the China prayer group, it is now the prayer group for the persecuted church. We will also be doing a lot of Bible study (you don't have any extra reading during the week). For the first six weeks, we will focus on Paul's prayer requests in his letters. If you are planning on coming, please bring a Bible and some sort of folder. Hope to see you there!
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

500

On Wednesday night, I finished memorizing my verses for the Bible Bee!
It was about eleven at night, when I laid down on the bed and declared, "I memorized 500 verses this Summer!!" Then, with a little less glee, I got up and reminded myself, "now I have to review them all." I can't believe the Bible Bee is next Saturday! Aaaaaaaggghhhh!!!!!
Yep, welcome to my summer...
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Weeks, Not days!

Our local Christian radio station is putting on a concert with a bunch of Christian artists on August 28th. They've been advertising it all summer, but now, I think they're a little too excited.
Just the other day I heard a commercial that said FishFest, (The concert), was only a few days away. In reality, it is still a few weeks away.
It freaked me out for a second, though, not because I am going to the concert, but because the Bible Bee is on that same day.
It can't be in a few days, I still have verses to finish!
Weeks, The Fish. Weeks, not days.
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

New Blog!

I've started a new blog called "Reflections on the Kingdom". Don't worry, I'm still continuing this blog. The new one is about my thoughts on God and His Kingdom. I hope you enjoy it!

Check out my new blog at: http://reflectionsonthekingdom.blogspot.com/
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Back From Camp!

Hey Everyone,
I just got back from our church High school camp at Riverview Bible Camp. The theme was Epic and the week was just that! It was an amazing week full of goofy games, meaningful worship and messages and fellowship with other High-schoolers. I'm sure I'll post more about it later. I hope your summer is going well too!
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Almost Distressing....

I finished the library summer reading program today! My grand total of minutes read....(drum roll please)..... 2280 minutes! Yeah, I know what you're thinking, "Did you do anything else this summer??!!" Don't worry, I did. I memorized Bible verses.
It was only 38 hours of my summer that I read for:)
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

What I Did Yesterday

I went to the post office and stuck an envelope in the drop box.
If that doesn't sound very hard to you, let me explain more about the envelope. In it, I had two of my stories called "Pictures" and "Our Victories". I sent them off to a magazine called Stone Soup hoping that they would use them for their publication. That was kind of nerve-racking, even though all I did was put an envelope in a mailbox.
I'm so exited! I'm so nervous! But, then again, I am Elora.
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Can You Believe it?

Stores always put up seasonal stuff too early. Just the other day, I was in Target and they have school supplies already. It's not time for summer to end! I haven't even been to camp yet!
At least they haven't put up the Christmas stuff yet.....
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Bible Bee

This summer, one of my main goals is to study for the 2010 Shelbey Kenedy Foundation local Bible Bee. It's kind of like a spelling bee, except, instead of spelling words, we recite Bible verses and answer questions about the Bible. These cards are just a few of the verses we need to memorize. By August, I need to know five hundred verses, which is a hundred and fifty of these cards. It's quite a bit, but I'm really excited and I know more of God's word because of it!
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Short Short Stories

That is, as opposed to long short stories, which I usually write. Not right now, though.
I am so exited! From April 27th to May 27th, I wrote 9 short stories. Thay take up no more than both sides of two sheets of notebook paper. Trust me, for me that is short. I'll type some up and get them on here as soon as I can.
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

p.s. I'll probablly put up the Christmas one in the middle of summer. ;)

I'm Done!!!!!

Yes, finally. I thought I was done with the school year at the beginning of this month, when I finished my regular schoolwork, but then I had to finish stuff for AWANA and homeschool co-op. I also had Rosetta Stone and a geography class. Finally, I did a speech about Chinese language at a culture symposium. I just finished that tonight, and now I'm DONE with 8th grade!!!!!

oh wait, that means I'm in High school........

Anyway, hopefully I'll be able to blog and work on my book more this summer.

Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Meritorious Award

I just got this award tonight in AWANA! It is for finishing the two Jr. High AWANA books. I was surprized that it is so big! Next year I will start doing the High School books.
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Holy Week

Hebrews 2:18
For since He Himself has now been through suffering and temptation, He knows what it is like when we suffer and are tempted, and He is wonderfully able to help us.

Remember to thank God as you celebrate what He has done for us this week.
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Here is the Red Belt!!!

Red Belt!!!

I just took my red belt test tonight! To break my board I did a jumping back kick. I also broke my record of how many push ups I can do in one minute. In June, I'm taking my Sr. Red belt test. Then, in November, I'll take my BLACK BELT TEST!!!!!!!
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

My Valentine's Day Poem

Here's a poem I wrote for Valentine's Day. It took a little while, but I finally got it the way I wanted.


Sometimes I wonder what love really is.
It's just so mysterious I can't understand it all

but there are a few things I know for sure from what I've seen and heard:

Love is caring for somebody no matter what choices they make
but Love is also telling them the hard things because you care so much
Love is hoping for someone when they can't find hope of their own
and Love is waiting for them even if it takes a long time coming
Love is the center, the key, the heart, not of this world, but of another
and Love happened when that heart was broken.
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Now you see them... Now you don't!!!!

Yes! My braces finally came off! It was actually on January 26th; sorry it took so long to get the pictures.

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora

2010!!!!!!

It's 2010! Isn't that crazy? I hope you have a blessed new year full of great memories and great adventures.
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora