Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Hello Everyone!! As we all wrap up the year of 2012 tonight I just want to wish you all a happy New year! What was one of your favorite things about this past year? Now my next question what was one thing you didn't like about this past year? Let me tell you all something. Every year has its ups and downs and sometimes when were in those down moments we sometimes ask the question "why" well as many of you know I recently had a change in my life I moved from my old town up to Ankeny and I was questioning why we had to move but later during the change I realized that God had a plan and I love where God has brought me! I am home schooled and i love it not just because I get to stay home but because its not just the learning I like its the fact that I get to see my family more and I get to be closer to them! So what I am saying is that this past year maybe has had its downs but there is one man who has walked this earth many years ago and came to give us a new life so that we may have no more sorrow or pain or hurt but have joyous life and EVERLASTING LIFE with a God who gave you life through your savior Jesus Christ! I want to share 2 verses with you.
My first verse comes from Ecclesiastes 3:

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

   a time to be born and a time to die,

    a time to plant and a time to uproot,

    a time to kill and a time to heal,

    a time to tear down and a time to build,

 

    a time to weep and a time to laugh,

    a time to mourn and a time to dance,

 

    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

 

    a time to search and a time to give up,

    a time to keep and a time to throw away,

 

    a time to tear and a time to mend,

    a time to be silent and a time to speak,

 

    a time to love and a time to hate,

    a time for war and a time for peace.

So whatever happened in 2012 wiether it was a joyous event or a sorrowful event it happened for a reason. Every season has its reasons.

My next verse comes from Isaiah 43:16

“This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” 

What this verse to me is saying is that the past has happened and He is making all things new.

Which brings me to show you one of my favorite songs that talks about just that how He is making all things new.

So heres the song its called "All things new" by Elevation Worship

I hope this song touches your heart the way it has mine

All things new Elevation worship

So to wrap up here I want to end with another verse from 2 Corinthians 5:17

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

May you all be blessed and have a great night celebrating not only a new year but a new life through your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Blessings to all 

Short Stuff 

P.S If you haven't checked out my facebook page I encourage you to do so and follow me through the facebook world too!

Heres the link to her page: Short Stuffs facebook page

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Hello everyone!!
First off I want to say...MERRY CHRISTmas!!! The last three letters are small for a reason it wasn't a typo. Today is the day our Savior was born! May I say...CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES COME ON!! What did you guys get for Christmas this year?  I got great presents! We didn't do stockings this year only the niece and nephews did them! I was all for idea. My dad told me his story of when He stopped doing the filling of the stockings at Christmas time he told me his reaction wasn't a very good one. I love the way Christmas went this year! Dinner around the table with family is a great way to spend it! Then sitting around relaxing what a blessing God gives us! I did the devotions and I read a part of the birth of Jesus and I had my nephews help me out! I also talked about what a blessing my family is to me! I just love seeing everyone together! The best present I got and I think we will all agree that what I am about to say is the ultimate Christmas present.....Our Savior Jesus Christ! He came to save us to come to our rescue to love sinners like us enough to go through the most horrible death so that we NEVER HAVE TOO. That's the Christmas present I love getting every year! I hope you all had a blessed day with family!
Have a great rest of your week and enjoy it!
Blessings to all
Short Stuff
And MERRY CHRISTmas
Tis the reason for the season!

Tis the season or tis the reason?

Hello everyone! I hope you all are ready for Christmas and different events! As Christmas is two days away I want to give you a little food for thought. When you think of Christmas what is the first thing that comes to mind? Presents? Food? Family? Events? Church service? Santa?  Or Jesus? You fill in the blank. For me the first thing that comes to mind is Jesus's birth! I mean I find it very amazing that our Savior comes to this earth in the form of a baby! I mean I sometimes wonders why He didnt come all ready grown? But there's a reason. There's a reason for the season! Get it? Well this time of year it can get busy! With the Christmas presents and the making of food and the planning and the traveling! I think we can all agree sometime we have gotten to the point where we ask ourselves "when can I sit down?" It's sometimes hard in the midst of the chaos but we find time! So I really had no plan for this update and what I was going to write so if I am babbling I am sorry! I will cut straight to the point! This season make Jesus shine! I mean we all of nativity scenes sitting on mantles! I it just a nativity scene or is it more then that?
Now onto my next thing! Presents or presence?
I have thought hard about this one!
On Christmas Day we give presents to friends and family? But God gave us a present that is going to give us eternal life and save us from our many sins! And that is through Jesus Christ who was born on Christmas day! When I heard this it blew my mind away because I never thought of it in that way and I find it very cool! So every year I find myself thinking do I want presents or do I want presence?  Just something to think about this holiday season!
Well that's all I have for now! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and of course a Happy New year!!!!!
Blessed to be a blessing
Short Stuff
Again feel free to leave a comment! Please also feel free to ask questions!

Tragedy in Connecticut elementary school

Hello everyone
This week was pretty good school is going great! I really enjoy it! Today was a sad day for many families in Connecticut! There was a shooting in an elementary school! I don't know if I should feel something for them but what I do know is that they need our prayers and they need a peace that surpasses all understanding! Many people lost loved ones and many of the victims of this shooting were children! So in this blog I want to share some bible verses that I hope will shine some light in this dark time for many families!
My first verse comes from psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber;  indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you-- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
My next verse is Psalm 9:9

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

This is a verse I want to close with psalm 34:18 

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit

So I hope these verses give Hope and shine a light tonight! There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning!

May you all be blessed tonight and have a great weekend with family and friends 

Blessings 

Short Stuff 

Again feel free to comment!

Christmas chaos!

Hello everyone I hope you have had a great couple weeks so far! I apologize for not updating as often its been a crazy week! But I hope everyone is doing well! As the Christmas season draws near and as we go into the craziness I find myself wondering why am I so wrapped up in buying presents and the food and the different events? I sometimes need to remind myself that this is a holiday of remembering our Saviors birth! The one thing I really enjoy about the Christmas holiday is the Christmas story! I find it very cool that the most powerful king is coming to earth in the form of little baby in a manager that was born in a barn! Now if you have never heard of the Christmas Story I am going to post the bible verse that tells the birth of our Savior! So here it is:

Luke 2:1-20

New International Version (NIV)

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to himand was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
So that is the Christmas Story! So during this busy holiday season may you be reminded our savior is born! Hallelujah! Praise to the king who is coming to reign!
May you be blessed!
Short stuff
If you would like to comment feel free to do so!

Who's ready for the next holiday?

Hello everyone!
First off I hope everyone has had a great Thanksgiving spending it with family and friends! Did anyone go shopping on black friday? Well I am not a fan of shopping at all and I went shopping on thursday night the night before black friday! I think its fair for me to say NEVER AGAIN! People get very crazy when it comes to shopping sales! It even leads people to stand outside in the cold for hours just waiting for the store to open! But anyways so i did just that I stood in line at a store outside in the cold! We finally got in and my mom and I saw this lady that was flipping out at one of the managers because she couldn't get way she wanted. My mom though being the loving and amazing women she is tapped that lady on the shoulder and told her to lighten up. The lady turned and looked at my mom with these evil eyes. She told my mom to shut up. I about smack that lady across the face. Oh also forgot to say the lady had a cane as well but man I wanted to say to her to never talk to my mom like that ever again! So then we continued our shopping didn't get home till at least 10:30 Don't get me wrong it was fun but waiting sure makes your patience run low. But it was a great way to spend some quality time with my mom. :) So that is what I did and over this thanksgiving holiday I get to write over 100 things I am thankful for the challenge from my teachers is to get over a thousand! How many think I can beat the challenge? So my next question is who's ready for the Christmas holiday? I tried to get all my christmas shopping done before black friday, that didn't happen though! Today my mom and I are decorating the christmas tree! Tell me how you will be sending your christmas holiday. I got to go help my mom decorate the tree now but I hope you all have a fun-filled safe week! Keep Christ first!
Blessings to all
Short Stuff

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Hello Everyone I hope everyone had a great week of work or school! This week has been full of fun! This tuesday I had school and then I got to go to church to help my brother with production stuff. Wednesday I had another great day of learning! That night I headed to youth group and I got to hear FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) from Iowa State talk to us about prayer and just how they got into that program at Iowa State and how God is working through them. So that was pretty cool!
Thursday I had another day of school and then I had a BLAST staying up till midnight waiting for the last saga of TWILIGHT BREAKING DAWN PART 2! It was an awesome movie and then Friday had school and then came home and now getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday! What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving! I am thankful for my family because they make my life a fun filled adventure! I am also thankful for my church family Hope Ankeny! They are such a blessing to me! I am so glad to call them my church! So Overall things are going well for me!
I would like to ask my followers if you know or have any advice on how I can improve my blog please don't hesitate to leave feedback!
So last but not least I hope everyone has a fun filled Thanksgiving holiday!
Blessings to all,
Short Stuff

Short Stuff has a new church family

Good morning everyone!
I usually don't update my blog in the morning but I felt like it so I am writing a new blog update.
Well as a shared before I recently moved to Ankeny and I now attend a different church and I am homeschooled! Well today I want to share with you a little story. It's my story!
So I was born in Guatemala and I was adopted at eighteen months by the most amazing people ever! My parents. So they did all the paperwork and then after that process I went to my new home in Iowa. My other sister who was also adopted from Guatemala got adopted before me so I came later. But anyways I lived in Newton for a while and then we moved to Pella. I went to a public school for one year I loved it. Then my parents wanted me to have a Christian education. So I went to Pella Christian grade school. I graduated from there after eighth grade. Well then I moved up to high school and boy that was a change. So I went thru my freshman year and sophomore year at Pella Christian high school! Then my junior year changed. I did do part of my junior year at Pella Christian but then after Christmas break I didn't go back and I will tell you why. One day my oldest sister asked me if I wanted to be homeschooled. I didn't have an answer for her at the time and I thought about it and I later came to the conclusion that this would be a good thing for me. So after Christmas break I started going up to her place and being homeschooled. I have really enjoyed it and the thing I LOVE about it is its set at a pace that I can grasp the learning and actually get the lessons. It's great! Pella Christian was a school that I didn't really connect to. It was hard for me academically and socially. But I am going to leave it at that because if I share those stories you will be read at least a three page blog :). But anyways so then later into my homeschooling my parents start looking at houses and when I found that out I was thinking "hey I love homeschooling but I also love Pella don't make me leave my town of Pella" but we ended up leaving. We packed everything up and we sold our house and we moved to Ankeny. First couple of weeks I can honestly say we're hard. Because I wanted Pella back. I wanted things to be the way they used to be. I had a system going in Pella I would get up go to school come home and drive my golf cart for a while and then do homework and have a little family time and go to bed. That was my system. I liked that system. Actually I loved that system. But there came some unhealthy things to that system as well. When I was still going to Pella Christian high every Friday night my peers would be doing something. But I did not do anything on Friday nights so instead of being with my so called friends at the time I spent most of my Friday nights driving my golfcart all night long. I loved every minute but I look back now and it just wasn't healthy. I mean kids that age are usually hanging with friends but I was hanging out with my golfcart. To me that golfcart was not just a golfcart...it was my friend. That might sound weird but that's how I look at it. So when we moved tons of questions were going through my mind and here are the questions I asked myself.
Is driving in ankeny going to be hard?
What church would I attend?
Is friends going to be hard to find or make?
And what youth group would I go to?
Those are the questions I asked myself and here is what God answered
Is driving in Ankeny going to be hard? Yes, but you will learn in time.
What Church would I attend? Help out with Vaction bible school and volunteer at Lutheran church of Hope ankeny. If you like it then become a member.
Are friends going to be hard to find or make? I am your forever friend! talk to people at Hope and you will be blessed.
What youth group would I attend? Ignition at Hope ankeny!
So those answers I did not just make up I believe that God said that to me! So I did just that. And I learned how to drive in ankeny and friends were right there at Hope I didn't have to look far! Finally with tons of praying and hard thinking I have came to the conclusion that Hope Ankeny will be my new Church family! I attend there youth group every Wednesday night! It's a lot of fun! Last night I went to the new membership class for Hope and I am now an official member of Hope Ankeny! God is good all the time! That is something I say to myself all the time! Even though at the beginning I was stubborn and didnt want to move to Ankeny God knew that it had to happen! So overall I am very excited to be a new member of Hope and I can't wait to see what God has in store for me!
I hope you enjoy reading my story! Feel free to leave a comment! I love feedback!
May you be blessed throughout this week!
Blessings to all
Short Stuff

Update from Short Stuff!

Hello everyone! I hope you have had a great week!
 I have been having a great couple of weeks. I am a senior and I have school Tuesday till Friday and for me I just learn different things. This past week I finished reading a book called Diary of a young girl it was written by Anne Frank it in this book she talks about how life is for her when she is in hiding. This book was written during the time of the holocaust. So I read that book and now these past couple weeks I also learned a lot about presidential elections. (something I don't really care to learn about) but it was interesting to see what Romney and Obama believe in. I also am learning about budgeting and how to give 10% of my money and save 70% and spend 20%. That is something I enjoy learning. I also have a tech class which is my all time favorite! I am right now learning about HTML and how to build web pages.
So thats school for me. I also work part time in the nursery and the production team which is fun. So overall the weeks are sometimes busy but can sometimes go slow. My favorite saying is YOLO which stands for you only live once. So its just fun to live everyday and see what comes of it. So thats what has been going on with me. So that is my blog update for you this weekend.
I hope you enjoy reading my blog and I would love to hear back from my followers so feel free to leave a comment :) Thanks so much and have a blessed weekend
Sincerely yours,
Short Stuff
P.S I am unable to get those pictures from my UNI trip up. Sorry for the inconvenience!

problem with uploading pictures

Hello again followers
I just found out that my pictures did not upload from my post! I am trying to figure out what is going on. Sorry for the inconvenience! Please be patient with me as I try and figure out the problem. In the meantime be blessed.
sincerely
Short Stuff

Short Stuff visits UNI

Hello followers of Short Stuff!
First off it has been another crazy week for me! I had the opportunity last week to learn more, but to also visit a place I have always wanted to visit which is...UNI!!! Now some of you don't know this but I am a HUGE panther fan! Last Thursday I got the chance to go see some of the buildings and places to eat on campus with my sister and brother in law. It was a lot of fun! We just looked around and just got a feel for what it would be like if I was a college student going to UNI! Let me tell you I was in heaven! We went to the University book and supply store which is the college store, they sell clothing apparel and different things to help you show your panther spirit. I can honestly say when we got in there I felt like I was at home! I loved every minute there. It was also homecoming week! Which was very cool to see! They were doing an activity for homecoming week when we left which was cool to see. So overall it was a fantastic trip and I can't wait to go back again someday just to visit. So I hope you have enjoyed reading about my trip to UNI! I had a lot of fun! Pictures will be posted as soon as possible.
I want to wish everyone who reads this blog to have a great and blessed week!
Sincerely
Short Stuff

Gods love never fails!

Hello Everyone!
I hope everyone has had a great Sunday spent with family and friends. Well I usually don't blog till the end of the week but Short Stuff wants to blog so I am going to blog today instead of at the end of the week. So in this blog I am going to talk a little bit about Gods love and how it NEVER fails! For Short Stuff that just makes her heart smile! She gets pumped every time she hears the song "Your love never fails!" Short Stuff wants you to know that in life we are going to mess up and we are going to make mistakes. The good thing is God will forgive you! His love for you will NEVER fail! I have a couple of bible verses that talk about love. Here they are:

^{1 Corinthians 13:13}

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:4

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Those are great verses! Short Stuff hopes you enjoyed reading this post! May you be blessed!
Short Stuff also wants to end her blog post with two songs that have to do with Gods love for you! Here is the link to the videos
Song 1 One thing remains!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_KXsMCJgBQ&feature=related

Song 2 Your love never fails!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hShc-4NzObg

Have a great week!
Blessings Short Stuff!

Another busy week for Short Stuff!

Greetings! Well Short Stuff has had another fun filled busy week of schooling and church activities and more!
So this week Short Stuff had school on Tuesday and learned about Anne Frank. Short Stuff also continues to read The Story and learn more about God and digging more into the Word! Short Stuff wants to encourage her followers to check out The Story! Go to www.thestory.com to learn more information! Also Short Stuff has been learning about budgeting and how to give and to save and also to spend! Thats still a learning process. So overall school for Short Stuff is going very well. Short Stuff enjoys it a lot!
Also Short Stuff has been keeping busy with Church activities. Short Stuff helps at Lutheran Church of Hope Ankeny in many areas. She helps with the Cupboard which is where we help people who can't normally afford groceries. We give them a bag filled with food and we try and help them out. So Short Stuff helps with that. Short Stuff also works part time in the nursery watching the kids and playing with them and having a good time. Short Stuff likes to give the kids high fives and welcome them into the nursery! Short Stuff occasionally helps out on the production team. Short Stuff enjoys that as well. But weeks are busy but fun as she goes about learning and keeping busy. So thats what Short Stuff has been busy with. Short Stuff likes to have things to do! Short Stuff loves meeting new people in the Ankeny area. Short Stuff loves being able to share the gospel of Jesus Christ in anyway possible. And in almost all of Short Stuff's blog updates she wants to encourage you and share the gospel with you. So Short Stuff is glad many people are reading her blog! She feels very glad to share Gods love in her blog! Feel free to comment and ask questions. Short Stuff would love to hear from you!
So for now blessings to all! Have a fun filled safe weekend!
Blessings Short Stuff
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Short Stuff is keeping busy!

Hello followers of Short Stuff!

First off Short Stuff has been quite busy this week and is going to be honest isn't posting very much. Short Stuff tries to keep her readers updated as much as possible. So your probably wondering "what has Short Stuff been up too?" Well you will find out! 

Short Stuff LOVES school! She loves being able to expand her knowledge to the best of her ability. Along with that Short Stuff loves being able to be a part of her church at Hope Ankeny. She works part time in the nursery and Short Stuff also volunteers on the production team. One thing Short Stuff loves doing is when she goes to church she sees little kids and occasionally Short Stuff will stop and give them a high five or even a hug! Short Stuff LOVES kids! Anyways this weekend Short Stuff got the opportunity to go to the Phillips, Craig and Dean concert with her mom! She had a lot of fun!

Short Stuff also got to go to a pumpkin patch yesterday with her brother and sister and niece and nephew! We all had a great time and we each got to pick a pumpkin! Short Stuff got to play with her nephew on the inflatable bouncy house and go down a BIG slide too. Sorry Short Stuff does not have pictures of that event! So overall it was a great week! 

Here are some pictures from the event Short Stuff attended this week! This is the Phillip, Craig and Dean concert at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moine!

The Phillip, Craig and Dean Concert

Quite a turn out at Lutheran Church of Hope!

Phillip, Craig and Dean Concert

Your are God alone
And right now
In the good times and bad
You are on Your throne 

Well I hope everyone enjoyed reading this blog about what Short Stuff has been up to. Again Short Stuff apologizes for not updating very often. Short Stuff also hopes that everyone has a blessed day!

Blessings

Short Stuff

What is The Story?

THE STORY!!!!!

Hello followers of Short Stuff, 
I hope everyone has had a great week so far! My week is going good. I want to share with you a little bit about what The Story is. Now this past week Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moine, Johnston-Grimes, downtown Des Moine and Ankeny have started a series on The Story.

The Story is the Holy Bible. It is ONLY portions of the Holy Bible though.  Some of you may want to know more. Well thats why I am writing this blog so I can share my knowledge of what I know about The Story. So first off, why should we read The Story? I believe that this is a tool that helps me understand the Word more in depth and helps me get connected to God in a new way. It really is a good book. I am only in the second chapter, but I am enjoying it so far. 

For me its a lot easier to understand. I encourage anyone who is willing to read this book to purchase the book. The Story is portions of the Bible made into a complete book. It is exact words from the NIV bible. The Story offers churches an amazing church wide experience. They have The Story in adult version and youth version which means for teens and children version so you can read it to your little children as well. 

What I like about The Story is its not just a book for adults its a book that EVERYONE can read. This is a really good book and I encourage you to read The Story and dive into the Holy Word of God! Check The Story out! If you would like to purchase The Story go to www.thestory.com

The Story for Little Ones!

The Story for Children

The Story for teens!

The Story for Adults

What has Short Stuff been up too?

Hello everyone! First off I want to apologize because I thought this posted when I wrote it the first time! I guess not :( Never fear Short Stuff is here! Anyways this past week has been good last Tuesday I had school! Which was a lot of fun!
 On Tuesday I learned about the twin towers and the tradgic event that took place on that day. If you don't know we had two planes crash into the world trade center and both towers didn't make it. Tons of people died that day. I also did current events and I wrote in my thankful journal on what I was thankful for that day.
I also had tech class that week. I learned about technology and the difference between hardware and software. On Friday I again wrote in my thankful journal. I guess I should tell you I do that at the beginning of every school day.
I also did a current event for that day. I also got to read The Story. Now this is something I am excited to tell you about. At my church which is Lutheran Church of Hope Ankeny we are starting a new series which is based on The Story. Now your probable wondering just what is The Story? It's a book that is just a portion of the bible made into a book. They have kid versions of The Story and teen versions and adult versions. It's a good book and I don't know if you can get them at a bookstore but check it out maybe you can. Don't quote Short Stuff on that though. But if your ever in Ankeny I encourage you to come to Hope either in Ankeny or West Des Moine and purchase it. Dive into The Story!
On Friday Short Stuff also got to travel down to Pella to cheer on the PC Eagles and Des moine Christian! Eagles beat! On Saturday I drove back to Ankeny and hung around at the house did some homework :) so overall thats what's going on with Short Stuff! Again sorry I thought this posted when I first wrote it. :( Short Stuff hopes you have a blessed week! Remember God loves you!!
Blessings
Short Stuff!!!

Whats been happening this week with Short Stuff?

Hello everyone!
Short Stuff is going to share with you a little bit whats been happening this week.
First of all Short Stuff has been pretty busy. Short Stuffs mom had surgery on Tuesday. She had a thumb surgery and Short Stuff was honored to be with her that day of the surgery. Her mom is now at home recuperating from surgery. She is doing pretty good. Right now Short Stuff is playing the role of a nurse. Being her moms right hand and helping her mom out is what Short Stuff loves to do. As her mom is unable to do somethings. Along with being at school in a different part of town Short Stuff checks in every once in a while just to see how her mom is doing.
 Along with that Wednesday Short Stuff left for school that morning and then went back home to be with her mom as her mom was in a lot of pain. Short Stuff made her mom feel comfortable and gave her everything she needed. I guess you could say Short Stuff also is a personal body guard to her mom. To just make sure no one messes with her or bumps her arm on accident.
 But then Short Stuff stayed home that night and also attended her youth groups kickoff. Which was a lot of fun. Short Stuff is so excited to see what God is going to do this year in her youth group. Along with that Short Stuff is very excited to be doing the Interlude at some of her youth group events.
Today Short Stuff had school and took a trip to West Des Moine with her sister.Short Stuff came home and got right down to work with school.
Friday Short Stuff will be going to school and then is going to head down to Pella for the night. Then Saturday she will be hanging out at home and then working in her churches nursery. Short Stuff welcomes you to attending Saturday Services at Hope Ankeny at the station which starts at 5:00 pm. The address for that is 1924 SW 3rd Street Ankeny.  We also have Sunday services that are held at Prairie Ridge Middle School in Ankeny. The address is 1010 NW Prairie Ridge Drive, Ankeny. The Sunday Service times are 9:15 and 11:00. So if your in Ankeny stop by this weekend and join us for worship. Hope Ankeny would love to have you!
So that ends this week of Short Stuffs blog!
Hope you enjoyed reading it
Blessings to all reading!
Short Stuff

Short Stuffs first two weeks of Senior year

Hello followers of Short Stuff!
I first off want to Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I hope you enjoy reading it and following Short Stuff on her fun and exciting adventures that her Savior Jesus Christ takes her on.
As you have probably read I am now a Senior! ( I know its crazy how fast time flies) I will be talking about the classes I am attending and saying a little about what I am learning.
In my schooling I am taking a life class. In this class I learn about good hygiene and a what it means to have a good clean environment. Its a good life skill learning class. If I am going to live on my own I am going to have to know those skills. Those skills include laundry and keeping the house clean and learning more about appearance and appropiate clothing etc. So thats what I am learning in that class. 
The next class I am studying is History. In this class I am learning about the Holocaust. I am learning how many of the Jews got killed because there leader Adolf Hitler didnt like the Jews or anyone who didn't meet his expectations. He also sent people to Concentration Camps which was a painful place to be. It was pretty much a place of death because lots of people died in the Concentration camps.Thats what Short Stuff is learning in History.I also am reading a book called "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry. Check it out sometime its a great book. 
Another class I am taking is Math. This class is learning about money and how to use it and save it. Also during school I make a meal for my family and I learn also about meal planning and how to spend my money by only using $10.00  to buy the ingredients for that meal. So thats my math class.
 I am also taking a technology class. In this class I learn about what a computer is and how it works and the history of the computer. I am also learning who invented the first computer and people who built computers. Its a fun class its also very interesting. 
I am also doing activities such as This Day in History. For this class I go to this certain website and on this website it has the date and what happened on that day a long time ago. Its cool! Right now in this class I am learning about Pompeii and the devastating volcano that erupted on August 24, 79 A.D The most interesting thing I learned about this was that ono the last stage of the Volcano it went down the volcano at 300 mph and the temperature reached as high as 400 degrees. (Thats HOT!!) It was a devastating time for the people in Pompeii because mostly everyone was killed by the debris and the ash. Some were even burned alive.
 I am also doing a thankful Journal. Everyday I write something I am thankful for and why I am thankful for it. So thats pretty much what I did my first two weeks of Senior year. I am really excited to see what my teachers have in store for me in the weeks and months ahead. 
Even though I am in school I also get to spend time with my niece and nephew and I get to watch them grow and I get to know them better personally. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post. If you are in school I hope God blesses you this year as ou go about learning and having another fun filled year. I am very thankful to have people read my blog. Heres a verse I want to share with you its about giving thanks to our Lord for all He has done for us.
Ephesians 5:20
Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
Blessings to everyone reading this blog!
May God bless you and keep you!
Short Stuff

Short stuff is now a SENIOR!!!!!!!!

Short Stuff's first day of Senior year!

It's that time of year again school starts back up! Short stuff had her first day of being a senior! It went great! Learned what the expectations were for me as a student! Got to learn about the Holocaust which I will learn more throughout the course of the year. Got to count some money today for math. Explored a website called Brainpop which I think is a great learning tool. You can find it at www.brainpop.com. So after school went shopping for a couple hours. Then came home had dinner and now just chilling. Then tomorrow begins day 2 of being a senior. I will try and update as much as possible just to keep you all up to date how Short stuff is doing in school. Hope you all had a great summer!
Blessings to all
Short Stuff

Short Stuff Dancing

Check out Short Stuff dancing to one of her favorite songs from VBS "Love has Come"

One thing Short Stuff loves doing more then anything is spreading the love of Jesus Christ to everyone!

GAME ON WITH JESUS VBS 2012

Hello Friends and followers of Short stuff
This past week Short Stuff got the opportunity to help out with Vacation Bible School at Lutheran Church of Hope Ankeny. Short Stuff had a lot of fun busting moves with the kids and learning about Trust, Patience, Courage, Hope, Joy. Short Stuff helped run the Production booth along with one of her family members Jared. This years Vacation Bible School theme was Game on with Jesus. Over 400 kids attended the event. We had 150 volunteers help make this event possible. We learned songs that were amazing. Heres the list of the songs that we sang.
Game on with Jesus Songs
1. God Rock Anthem
2. God loves me and I know it
3. Love has come
4. Marching Around Jericho
5. God Feeling
6. Jesus Shuffle
7. Je-sus
8. Go
9. We are Family
10. 911
So overall this week was a blast for Short Stuff! We also had great skits by some great actors. Since this years theme was Game on with Jesus we did a Mario theme. Short Stuffs pastor which is Scott Rains dressed up and his name was Retrogamer Dude he is good at the old games such as pac-man etc. and the worship leader at Lutheran Church of Hope which is Dustin Antoine he dressed up and played as Newbie someone who is really good at the video games today. There were other Mario characters at the event they included Toadstool which was played by Brent Rauch. Wario who was played but someone I don't know who. And Mario was played by Andrew. Jesus was the best at the event because he showed up in so many ways. He taught the kids so much. So to end GOD ROCKS and GOD LOVES ME AND I KNOW IT.

Retro Gamer Dude (Scott Rains) and Newbie (Dustin Antoine)

Brent Rauch as "Toadstool"

Short Stuff busting a move to the song "God Feeling"

Jared running the lights

An Awesome Production Coordinator

Retro Gamer Dude (Scott Rains)

Britni teaching the kids about Jesus

One of the music leaders 

Just a few pictures from this past week of Vacation Bible School. We will continue to Game it on with Jesus! So my final words on this blog post is God loves me and I know it!! God also ROCKS SHORT STUFFS WORLD! Hope you enjoyed reading about how short stuff gamed it on with Jesus with her church family.

big stuff happens when you go to BIGSTUF in Panama City,Florida

This past week I had the opportunity to head to Florida for a whole week. I went with my youth group from Lutheran Church of Hope. I left on June 10 at 5:30 in the morning. We took two buses down to Florida. The buses were very nice it had 5 T.V's inside. So on the way down we watched a couple of movies. We arrived at a church in Tennessee and we stayed for one night only. The next morning we ate breakfast and we continued to our next destination which of course is Panama City Beach in Florida.

We got to Florida safely and we unloaded the buses and headed to our rooms to get settled. Then we went down to the ballroom where we would have our first session. We started out the session with a video of what Bigstuf was going to be like. It felt like I was in an I-Max theater. It was very loud in that room. The band started playing and two of my favorite guys came on stage. They are known as the Skit guys. There names are Tommy Woodard and Eddy James. They do different skits that Christian based. They turn your ha-ha's into ah ha's. In the beginning of each session they would throw out Bigstuf frisbees.


 I never got one. I tried standing on a chair to get one, but I never did. Anyways, after that we would have a speaker come in and talk with us. They did such a great job and one of the speakers said something that really amazed me. This is a quote I wrote down: "You are far more worse then you can imagine, but you are far more loved then you can ever hope for" I thought that was an awesome quote. 


So every day we had a morning session and a night session. After every night session we would go on the beach for small group time. At that time it would be dark and we would have to bring flashlights. Well I had the brightest one of all in my group. So I placed mine in the middle of the circle and my group was glad I brought it. So in the afternoon after the morning session we would have lunch and then we would hangout on the beach from 1:00 till 5:00 which was amazing! I fell asleep which was so relaxing. 
Then after we had dinner we had quiet time. We usually just sit or walk on the beach reading and reflecting. Our first night we did that there was this most beautiful sunset. Then one night my group saw a crab laying in the sand it was white. But it was cool. 


The ocean was not cold it was warm. For the first couple days we couldn't swim in the ocean because the waves were to rough. Finally Wednesday one of the skit guys said we could go in the ocean. We were all so excited. Then after the session they made an announcement saying we couldn't go in. We were not happy. But finally we were allowed to go in. 
Then one day at the beach we had a sand building contest and we had volleyball tournaments. Some girls and guys from hope played volleyball and I cheered on the sidelines. Then Brent asked me if I could lead them in the Interlude dance. I said "yes" in a heart beat! So we did the Interlude twice on the beach. I had a blast. Its hard to do that dance in the sand though. 


On Thursday we went to Peer Park its a town that has many stores. Its like a strip mall. Anyways we hung around there for a while. I got a Twilight shirt and some of my friends got cool dresses. Then at six we had to load the bus to go back to the resort. Brent made an announcement that 6 kids were going to get baptized that night. Isn't our God amazing or what? Well it started raining so we had to wait till after our night session. Well it was dark out at the time but we were going to do it anyway. People with cellphone flashlights had to stand in the front so people could watch. So after the baptisms we went to our rooms and we talked for a while. 


My group wanted to stay up all night and then we were going to go down to the beach at 4:30 in the morning. Well we fell asleep and we sent four alarms to wake us up and none of them went off. We woke up at 6 AM. One of our friends Brennan waited for us at the beach for 45 minutes. That morning we were tired and we had to go to one more session and then afterwards we loaded the bus to head home. 


On the bus ride home we had a dance off on the bus. Which was cool. Even the leaders danced. Then we ate dinner and then we fell asleep on the bus. We slept on the bus. The next morning we woke up at 7:30 and we were an hour and a half away from Hope in West Des Moine. Our time in Florida was over :( But we have all learned so much and I could see God at work in so many students including myself. I got to know my youth group girls a little better  and I met some new people on the trip as well. Overall this trip was amazing. I am going back next year no doubt about it. I hope you enjoy reading about my trip to Florida. If you want to know more just send me an email and I will be glad to tell you more
Love
Short Stuff