MISSIONS SUNDAY video

Here's the video of the kids singing the song that I was talking about in my previous post. You can't see it, but kids and teens lined every row on every isle! It was awesome!!

Missons Sunday 2011

The stage at church on Sunday. Someone else took this picture!

Every year for the past 9 years, our church has had Missions Sunday. It's something that everyone looks forward to every year! On Missions Sunday, we have a special worship time of praise and giving. Earlier in the year, our church sets a goal of money to give so that we can continue to support missions all over the world. Leading up to Missions Sunday, we pray about what God is asking us to give, and we get to see how God is using the funds all over the world!

The worship time started out with a time of celebration and learning about how God has used previous funds to help others. The lesson was about "generation to generation" and how changing a child's life by teaching them about God can eventually change a whole community. We saw videos and pictures of little kids that have been taught the gospel and have told their families and brought them to Christ. Then those families have been an example to their community.

Through out the worship time we saw videos of other ways that God has helped us spread the gospel. There are people in Africa being given corn to grow, so that they can have physical food for them and their community, but they will also be able to share Christ with others as they sell the corn. There are people in the Philippines who are given a goat that provides them with milk and so much. It not only helps their physical needs, but their spiritual needs are met too.

There are so many stories that I could share!

We took the Lord's Supper together and it is amazing to think that we share that with people around the world. No matter what language, race, or culture, we all participate in the same thing every week, remembering what Jesus did for us.

After that, the kids were dismissed to get ready for a special thing we were doing. Grades kinder garden through high school had been practicing a special song. We were given African shirts to wear since the song we sang came from there!

Here is the video they showed as we were getting ready to sing. These are churches around the world that we support.




All the kids lined each isle and there were some on stage. The older kids were paired with a younger kid to make sure they got to the right spot. We sang a song in Swahili I think! Then the church sang a song with us called A New Hallelujah.

Then we took up the special offering and all the kids in the isles helped pass the baskets. The elders then prayed over the offering. Our goal this year was $655,000.

After church there was a free lunch for everyone! We came back for the evening worship where my dad got to announce what we had raised! At the time of evening worship we had raised $649,000 and then by yesterday we had gone over our goal! Praise God!! We had a great time of praise and heard a great lesson from Bart! (who lives in Vienna)

After evening worship there was dessert before dinner and there was ice cream, coke floats, iced coffee and lots of treats! It was a great day!

I am going to also post a video of the kids singing!

Graduation Reception

The graduation reception was perfect! It was from 2-4 on Sunday and was in the bridal room at church. They just re-did the room, so it has wood floors and is beautiful! There were homemade cookies, cupcakes, and punch. There were so many people that came. I'm so blessed with so much support. 

The hosts and I!

One of my youth ministers and I

Tacy and I

Me, Tacy, and Miriam

What a weekend! (in a good way)

It was an amazing weekend. On Saturday night, we had some friends over for dinner. They live in Vienna, Austria right now, but we have known them for a long time. Landon and I were in their wedding 10 years ago, and now they have 2 kids with one on the way. 

It was so great to see them again! Their baby girl is due in September and they said they hadn't told anyone their name but that they wanted to tell us. They are naming her after me! Her name will be Victoria Hope! How beautiful is that?! I'm so excited.

Me, Landon and Izabela who is 8

Me, my mom, Tamika, and Izabela

Bart, Krystian, Landon and my dad

We had a great time with them Saturday night! 

Sunday was a great, great day!! 

Sunday morning Landon was baptized! He had been thinking about it for a while. Poor Landon woke up Sunday morning and his eye was so swollen and red. He went to the doctor Monday and found out that he has an eye infection. Of all the days it could have happened, it happened on the day he was getting baptized. 

Landon and I right before he was baptized

We had someone else take pictures of his confession and actual baptism, so when we get those I will post more! There were 3 baptisms Sunday morning and 1 Sunday night, so it was a great day! (I'm working on another post about baptism and this summer)

We went out to eat with my family at the restaurant that he picked after church. Then we headed back to church for my graduation reception. I'll post pictures and more soon. 

I'm going to the doctor tomorrow because I've been having really bad headaches that aren't going away. They're getting worse and not even strong pain medicine is getting rid of them. That's why I haven't posted as much. The headaches take a lot out of me. So hopefully we'll get it figured out at the doctor tomorrow! 

Quick information about what a wonderful day tomorrow will be!

Camp was amazing! I will post more about it tomorrow or Monday. BUT I wanted to post about tomorrow. My brother Landon who is 13 has decided to be baptized tomorrow!!!!!! So tomorrow morning at church he will put on Christ in baptism! Usually our church has 2 services on Sunday mornings, but for the month of July we are just doing one service on Sunday mornings. We're getting ready for Missions Sunday which is next week. I'll explain more about that later. So all that to say, with just one service, the auditorium is packed full and it's such an uplifting time of worship and praise. I'm so excited!!!

Tomorrow afternoon, someone is hosting a graduation reception for me at church! Everyone is invited to come so email me (victoriashari@hotmail.com) if you want more details!! It will be a big day for our family tomorrow. Landon is making the best decision of his life, and we didn't know if I would ever get a graduation celebration since we didn't know if I would be able to graduate and finish high school from home!

There will be lots of rejoicing and celebrating tomorrow!

Cry Out to Jesus

I heard this song on the radio on the way to church Sunday and wanted to share. 


"To everyone who's lost someone they love
Long before it was their time
You feel like the days you had were not enough
when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right

Chorus

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They lost all of their faith and love
They've done all they can to make it right again
Still it's not enough

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember that you're not alone in your shame
And your suffering

Chorus

When your lonely (when you're lonely)
And it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus
Cry to Jesus

To the widow who suffers from being alone
Wiping the tears from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home
Say a prayer tonight"



For me, I think the part that I can relate to the most right now is, 
"And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life". 

I don't think there has been a day in the last 4 years where I haven't thought for a second about what I could be doing if I wasn't sick. I've learned how to handle those thoughts and that God has me where He needs me, but everything around me reminds me what I could be doing if I wasn't sick.  

For example, I could have been a normal teenager going to school, but I've learned more important things from being sick. 

Things like tv and friends make you feel like you're missing out on everything since my life for so long has been doing treatments, being in the hospital, and being too sick to do anything. So yes, sometimes it feels like I'm being kept from living life. 

But I'm not. No, I haven't been to school in almost 3 years, I've never been to prom, I was in the hospital for my high school graduation, and I've spent most of my time at home or getting treatments at the hospital or across the country at my Lyme doctor. But I'm able to live. Really live. Each day is a blessing. Walking, eating, and breathing by ourselves is not a given. 


"There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus"


"I took my troubles to the Lord;
      I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer" Psalm 120:1


"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21


I hope you had fun celebrating the 4th of July yesterday! I leave for camp tomorrow and will get back Friday afternoon! Today I'm resting and getting things ready to go. Please pray that camp goes well and that I will feel good. I'm still having daily headaches and some joint/body pain. Yesterday a storm came through and my joints all ached, especially my hands and knees. It's weird how that affects our joints! 


I'm driving myself to camp (2 and a half hours) and I'm so excited!! 

Church Camp

I'm finally starting to feel better! I'm done with my antibiotics, but they stay in my body for another 7 days I think so it will continue to work. Church camp for the high schoolers starts tomorrow. I am going to go Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I don't think I could last the whole week. I'm glad that I decided to go just for a few days so I can continue to rest and get over the sinus infection. The last days at camp are always the best anyway! Camp is 2 and a half hours away, so I'll probably get there early Wednesday afternoon. I'm so excited!!