You're the God of this City...

GO and be ye DOERS of the word and NOT hearers only....

You're the God of this City...

2 hours
4 girls, 2 guys
11 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
Pretzels
Bananas
Water
Cookies
God's Word

This is all it took for Wendy, Erin, Jessie, Kenton, Eric, and I to make a difference. We put feet to the Gospel. We put God's word into action. We showed love. We put our Bible study of the book of James into practice.

Tonight we traveled into DC to impact the homeless. It was Jessie's desire to see us do this. It was her listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to get us off our duffs and doing something. My love language is serving. I have been hungry for serving for a VERY LONG TIME. I was so excited for this. We didn't want to take over the city. We weren't going to feed the whole capital. We weren't trying to break a record. We were just FINALLY doing something for God. We were finally allowing us to be used by Him in ways that aren't comfortable or natural or effortless.

We were all scared. But we bathed the outing in prayer by holding hands and calling out to Him for strength, words and courage. We asked God to bring people out who needed food and who needed us. We asked Him to use us.

We found people right away in McPhearson Square, a safe park with a lot of benches. We turned a corner, looking for others. It's such a different thing--LOOKING for the homeless. So many times we find them on accident, creating panic and awkwardness, or they find us. I saw one across the way, and thought....well, we'll get him next time, we are already going this way, I won't say anything. God made me speak up and we turned around and stumbled upon at least 6 other people who needed food in that little triangle of benches. Eric and I approached a man who was sleeping. I told him---You give it to him. I'm scared. He looks at me and says, I'm scared. It was good to know he was scared too. Not scared for my life or worried, but just afraid of the unknown. As we were approaching him, this guy from across the way yelled to me, telling me that he'd take some food.

That is when we met Bob Hope and Rick James. They were pretty cool, chatting it up with us, playing along with their stories. Wendy claimed to be Brittany Spears and Kenton was thought to be named Ken, which then prompted the question..."Which one's Barbie?" Jessie waved her hand and then we laughed about Kenton and Wendy's wedding being off, etc. We talked to them for about 7 minutes. Amazing.

We walked past the sleeping guy Eric approached, and he was now up...eating the sack lunch. We actually got to see our food being a blessing to someone else. We planted a seed and it was growing. Immediately. Not the seed of salvation, but the seed of love.

Another guy asked Kenton to pray for him. That was so cool. Wendy was talking to a guy and asked him how she could pray for him. He said...pray for the weather.

The weather.

How many times do I worry about the weather because of what I'm going to WEAR or how my hair is going to react and how many times do I EVER worry about it affecting my way of life? Of it soaking all of my personal belongings? Or ruining the only picture I have of my loved one? Or causing it to be a night of no sleep?

I have a bed. I have clean sheets. I have the safety of 4 walls around me. I have the promise of a full meal tomorrow and a paycheck and love and friends and health.

This has changed our homegroup. We are going to do this every month. It costs very little. It is worth VERY much. We are going to develop relationships with Bob Hope and Rick James. We are going to shine a light. We are going to get off our duffs and DO something for Christ.

Yes. We are busy. We have so much to do. We minister to kids all day and on the weekends.

We need to do this.

YOU need to do this.

How do we teach ..............

a love and respect for God?

Today I almost cried. Right in front of all of the 8th graders, I almost lost it.

One of the boys in my class took God's name in vain so I said his name, then he corrected himself in a mockish voice--oh, sorry, goodness....goodness.... with a roll of the eyes and a shake of the head. I responded with an "ummmm...." He then said how he didn't think there was anything wrong with it and so he was going to continue to do it and he didn't care.

My blood boiled.

Out of anger I responded, Commandment number 3. You shall not take the name of the Lord GOD in vain.

This prompted a "yah, well, I don't care" and another shake of the head.

My heart broke.

I stood there, looking at my book, trying to think of what to do next. I couldn't decide if I was more angry or heartbrokened. Tears started to form in my eyes as I could just feel the hurt of his words to the ears of my Savior. Of my GOD.

How do I teach them to love? How do I teach them to fall in love? How do I teach them to care?

Back to the Blogging World....

Apparently, I'm not updating enough....So, here's a hello to Candy and here's your update :-)

Where to begin.....so much has happened. I know what you're saying in your head (well, Abby, if you would blog more often you would know where to start. It wouldn't be so hard to catch up if you weren't so far behind.) True. True. I have school work to do but if I don't write now, I'll be too tired later. (Don't tell my boss. :~)

Home Life-Isabel moved in over the weekend! YAY!! She's definitely a God-send and super sweet. I can't wait to get to know her better. Erin and I started to think and have found a sticky situation for me coming up in the end of summer. I have to move out before July 31 but I can't fully move in to my "new place" until Jessica gets married and moves out- which is August 22. It's going to be hectic trying to figure out where to put my stuff in that house until it can really be set up. I'm going to vent here, so just bare with me and don't judge. It's frustrating too because I feel like that I should get to set up my stuff because I'm the one going to be staying for a year and she's moving out. I don't want to be inconvienced. I don't want to live out of boxes. I want to set everything up when my parents are here and have their help to get settled. I don't want to have to be really moving in the same week of inservice. I don't think she is going to make it very easy either. I think it's going to be a miserable month. I just need to be flexible (which someone says I always am ;-) and unselfish, BUT I JUST WANT TO BE NORMAL!

School Life- The 4th quarter has begun! Only 9 more weeks of school! Only 6 more weeks for the 8th graders! Standardized tests are the last week of April, so that will be an AMAZING planning and organizing time for me, seeing that I don't teach anything. :-) I have a whole work WEEK. It's the best blessing of being a "specials" teacher. I love Spanish. I'm teaching them about clothing soon! I brought my doll clothes from home so I could have examples. Clothing, verb conjugation, plurals, adjectives, food, vehicles, etc.

As of right now, I'm scheduled to teach Spanish and computers again. The 3rd subject is yet to be determined. That's always dangerous. That contract that states: Abby Peffer is hereby going to be a Teacher at CRCS next year. How binding is that? So indefinite. I'm afraid that I'll be teaching a new class which is dumb because if I'm going to have to learn and prepare something new, then just let me teach History again. I don't love it, but I want to do something two years in a row. I have YET been able to do that and I'll be going on my 4th year of teaching!

Spring Break- YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, really Boooooo because it's over but YAY!!!!!!!!! because it was so amazing. Vickie and Michael came up from FL and had a job interview in MD. Pray that Mike gets this job so they will be so much closer to me! I miss them a ton and would love from them to be 45 mins away (instead of 15 hours!) I saw them in VA before I left for break. I enjoyed Camelot at Slippery Rock. Amy and Andrea were AMAZING. I loved it. I also enjoyed Seussical! presented by Westminster College. It was soo good! I went with Ty, Kari, and Mom. It was the story of Horton hears a Who with songs and dance and an elephant sitting on an egg that a floosy bird didn't want to take care of. She wanted to be free to flirt and dance and party---not take care of her egg. Hmmmm. Interesting, Dr. Seuss.

On Monday I had a date with my mommy and spent a TON of money at the Outlets and ate yummy chinese food (it's a tradition!). I don't think I've ever spent that much money at one time on CLOTHES in my life! But, I saved over half of my total spending, so that's always great to find out, totalling up the receipts and seeing what I saved. Who would ever buy things at full price??!?!?! I'm always in style....just a couple seasons behind :-) And I haven't bought clothes for over a year, so it was time. Tuesday I went and hung out with my nephew. Ahhhh. He just warms my heart. I could just stare at him for hours. Abby (my sis-in-law) was laughing at me jumping up to get him from his nap at his first whimper. He slept more than 45mins past his time to get up. Of COURSE I was anxious to get him! I can't wait to watch him this summer! I wish it was all summer-and it probably could be-but I'm doing other travels. That's another day and another blog entry.

It was just so great to be home. Home is where you can beat up your brothers and finally NOT get in trouble for it but all the while screaming for your mom to help, tease your dad about getting gray and approve his wardrobe choices, and laugh at past goofs with your mom, eat Chinese and create Easter dinner together. Home is where you can pet and sleep with your kitties. Home is where your shower schedule depends on EVERYONE else in the house-and there's a meeting about it (that vicious cycle!) Home is where you can go into your old camper and just listen. the doors. the cabinets. the cubby hole. the drawers. the lightbuld switch. Who ever knew there were so many memories in sounds. Home is where you look around your church family and name every person, and fill in the reasons why they are important in your life. Home is where I get my fill of much needed hugs. Home is where I get to love on the two greatest kids, who ask great questions, who squeal with delight when I chase them around or throw them on sack chair, and say my name in the sweetest way. (well, ONE says my name....we are still workin' on the other one!) and gives me a card with their picture in it.

I love home.


(Blog about Easter at a later date.)

Love Life- BAH! ................. tbdbG. (to be determined by God.)

Social Life- See 'school life'.



SEE!!! This blog is FOREVER LONG! I talk too much and use too much time!! I need to get to sleep. Or do schoolwork.


Ummmmmm......yep. You're right. I choose sleep. ;-)