Howdy... and some ramblings

No, I'm not American. Howdy is a normal part of our family's vocabulary. It is not unusual for one of my brothers to say 'Howdy' with a perfectly serious look on his face, speaking to someone outside of our family. People may give them an odd look, but they see nothing strange about using the word. :)

The last time I posted was January 30. Since then I have: taken part in a play, started working as a cook/waitress in a small town restaurant, finished grade 12, graduated, participated in my last trip with our homeschool group :(, gone camping, and perhaps most importantly, confessed my faith before the church.

I am excited to be done school. I am hoping to be able to work full time for a while, and after that I plan to attend New Life Midwifery School. (I'm not sure if their website is working right now as I can't seem to get on to it, but hopefully it will be soon?) This school is in the Philippines! It is run by a mission centre. The funds to run the clinic come from the students' tuition. All the information is on the website. I just found the blog of a woman who went to school there and now works in Sudan, and another blog of a woman who just moved to the Philippines to attend this school. The exciting thing about the second blog is that the woman who writes it will likely be there when I start!! Now I must clarify that these plans are what I believe the Lord is leading me to right now. They may change. Having this goal has given me peace and motivation. It sure helps on a day when I don't want to go work in a busy, hot, steamy kitchen to know that it has a purpose: saving for school. However, I know God has a plan for how I can best serve Him. I hope it includes going to this school, but His will be done.

Now for a picture. Two very good things late at night: The Lord of the Rings trilogy and chocolate. ♥

Hello

About time for a post, eh?

It is busy here. Let's see - a bulldozer and backhoe working all day, dumptrucks in and out, the septic pumping truck coming twice, the outhouse company coming to drop off the port-a-potty, the inspector and the builder coming...

My mind is busy, too. I have been studying worldviews using the book, The Universe Next Door by James W. Sire. Thus my mind is full of words like nihilism, theistic existenialism, Eastern pantheistic monism. After a bit I thought, "Why do people keep coming up with impossible ideas? Why would anyone believe in nothing? How can Eastern gurus and such meditate without meditating on something, or contemplate with nothing to contemplate?" So then I went outside for a walk to clear my head. :)

Dad in the hole for the foundation. It is about eight feet deep. Notice the water sitting in the bottom. That will have to be gotten out somehow.

Gavin and the dumptruck.

Have a good day!

Justine

Books....and other musings

On Monday Allison and I started The Great Ideas courses from Tree of Life. Here are my books...

Since we revised the courses a bit in order to finish the courses by the end of this school year, we are not doing all the books. I have Macbeth in the picture, but I'm not planning to study it. I chose to do Hamlet but since the copy we have is included in a large volume of The Complete Works of Shakespeare, I didn't take a picture of that. So replace Macbeth with Hamlet and you'll see the books I have to read. :) Some of the books are just to study part of: How to Read a Book, Calvin's Institutes, and the Bible.

And here is another picture of books:

Leah was using them and I decided to take a picture.

I've been thinking about What To Do After Highschool. I am sure any of you who are in highschool, recently graduated, or even are approaching highschool, have heard the question, "So, do you know what you want to do after highschool?" A good question. But I never know what to say.

"Umm, I don't know."

"Maybe I'll be a nurse."

"I'd kinda like to be a midwife."

"Well, I'd like to get married and have kids."
None of them are definite answers. They weren't supposed to be. It is partly a cover up for the fact that I don't really want to go to school for anything. I really want to have a family and own a farm. Right now I would like to get a job when I am done highschool, work and save up money to buy a farm. Then I'd like to get married and have a large family. Though, at the same time, I'd like to learn more about healthy living and natural healing. I'd like to help children and especially young people from troubled families, by giving them a safe and loving home. I've also thought about going to South America to spread the gospel to tribes that have had little or no contact with the outside world. I have no idea where the Lord will lead me or what I will do in my life time. I've dreamed of an adventurous life in a different part of the world. But if I could choose, I'd settle down nearby and live to a ripe old age surrounded by children and grandchildren, in a peaceful, happy, and not very eventful life. I know, though, that our world is changing. In only a few years there will be new problems and realities to face, and likely I will end up with a different kind of life than I have imagined. But I don't need to worry, knowing it is all in God's hands.

What are some of your ambitions, if you don't mind sharing?

Anyway, since someone else is waiting for the computer, I'll stop.

Justine