Birthday pictures

Here are some pictures from Aunt Jerry's birthday celebration:The three sisters and their mom

Josh and Jordan, our 2nd cousin? (Daughter of Josh's cousin)

The sun was really bright...can you tell?
Josh was very popular with the kids. They wrestled him until all three were two worn out to carry on. It was pretty entertaining to watch.

Whew!

I realize it has been a while since I've updated. Well, things have been busy. Here's a little run-down:

I've still been counseling at a church and at the women's shelter. That keeps me busy enough. I've learned a lot and I'm really enjoying it. I'm also still working at the church and just trying to keep up.

We are going on another trip! We are preparing to head to North Africa and it's a whirlwind of stuff to get ready. Fortunately we already had all of our immunizations. However, I'm having to make a few wardrobe modifications and since we are going to be there for 2 weeks, I need to find more things to wear! We have great shoes, though!

Josh's family came in town this past weekend. We were celebrating Josh's aunt's 60th birthday! The party was supposed to be a 60's theme - but Josh, his brother Michael, and I were the only ones who dressed up! Haha! We had fun with our outfits, though.
Here's a picture taken with my phone. Pretty good looking group, huh?

And, I got an iPhone! Yay! It's pretty fun to play with. It is my early graduation present from Josh's parents. Thanks Jack and Jo Ann! =)

That's the quick run-down. I'm sure there will be more to come!

Baking

I am friends with a Chinese student at UTA named Song. She and I get together periodically and hang out and talk. I help her understand American phrases and customs and she tells me about things in China. I have really enjoyed getting to know her.

She told me early on when I met her that she wants to learn how to bake a cake. She said she had tried but it didn't turn out. Well, I usually just use a boxed cake mix. So I had a decision to make: teach her the easy American way (and probably disappoint her) or look up how to make a cake from scratch and give it a try. I wouldn't want to disappoint my friend. I found a recipe online for a basic yellow cake and for chocolate butter frosting. Song came over and we got baking.

Song took pictures of every step so that she would know how to do it again. I won't put all of those pictures up. Here are a few:
mixing...
Pouring...
Looking good...
Song with her piece!
The result? Success! A delicious cake and two satisfied girls!

then end of an era

Last weekend was Josh's and my last Sunday to teach in kid's church. We have been teaching there for 2 years now. While we love the kids and love the other volunteers, we decided that it was time to move on and make room for others, especially since we would not be able to finish the school year with the kids.
Here I am with my girls. I taught 5th and 6th grade girls. I gave them all paper fans on the last day with a note "I'm one of your biggest fans."
Most of them are at least as tall as me and several are taller. Crazy! They are a lot of fun. And I will miss them.

Book Corner

This is a long time over due. I just keep forgetting to write about the book.

This summer I finally read Through Gates of Splendor by Elizabeth Elliot. I have wanted to read it for a while and when I saw it at half price books I bought it and read it immediately. It's the story of the 5 young missionaries who went into inner Ecuador to take the Gospel to an unreached people group. They were brutally killed by those they were trying to reach. The movie "End of the Spear" is about these men. Elizabeth Elliot, the wife of Jim Elliot, wrote the book using her husband's journal, letters, and journals and letters from the other 4 men.

It's an amazing story. I know that many look at the story of these men, killed in their early twenties, leaving behind wives and small children, and think "what a waste!" I know it seems like a reckless and ridiculous thing to try to do and ultimately a failure of a mission. Yet to me, this story is very challenging.

I don't know if God has in His plans for me to go to an unreached people group to take the Gospel to those without it. But I am encouraged and challenged by young men who valued the salvation of that tribe and felt the burden of sharing the truth they had with others, that they would do whatever it takes to share that truth. I know that I am not like that and would like to be.

It's a weighty thing to recognize that what the world values and calls "success" often is so far from what God values and calls "well done." Though sometimes I think I want a predictable life, with a hint of adventure every now and then, deep down my heart cries out that I want whatever God has for me. I really mean that. I want every part of my life to bring Him glory and to make Him famous in the whole world, or at least my corner of it. And sometimes the lifestyle choices Josh and I have made and are making seem binding and silly. Yet when I think about the possibilities of what God may have for us, nothing else matters.

Okay, so I guess that wasn't just a book corner post. If you were looking for something light, I'm guessing you didn't find it here! Thanks for listening to my heart.

Surprise Visit

On Wednesday my mom called me to see if I had plans on Friday. Since I didn't have anything set up for sure yet, she said she might be able to come up for the day to spend time with me. We had been trying to coordinate schedules for a while to drive down to spend a weekend with my parents and it's just been tough lately. Every other weekend I have supervision at SafeHaven on Saturdays, which basically takes that weekend out for traveling. One weekend we had proposed my parents already had plans to be traveling. With our upcoming trip to the Middle East, it was looking like I wasn't going to get to see my parents (whom I haven't seen since May) until late September.

So Mom worked her schedule to come Thursday night and spend Friday with me! We had a great time! We went shopping and looking at decorating things. We took Josh to lunch and showed Mom his new office at the ballpark. We spent lots of time laughing. The day went by quickly of course, but it was a wonderful day!

Thanks for coming, Mom! It was a treat to have you here!

Anniversary Celebration

This past weekend Joshua and I spent a night at a bed-n-breakfast in Granbury. We had a wonderful time! Here is the little old house we stayed in:


Here is our little bathroom and bedroom. It was so cozy!


The house had this great old jukebox. So cool.Where we went to dinner there was this sign that said Welcome to Granbury. You can kind of read it.
Anyways, we spent time strolling around the town square, looking in antique shops, just spending time together. We found cute decorating things for our house and little gifts for others. We really enjoyed relaxing. Plus, we had a 4 course gourmet breakfast Saturday morning. The food was incredible! I was so stuffed but kept eating because the food was so delicious!

So I definitely recommend Granbury Gardens bed-n-breakfast for a relaxing getaway.

Presenting: my brother

This is my brother, Matt Golley. He is someone that I am quite proud of. He has worked with Young Life for several years now, mostly in the Austin area. He loves getting to work with high school kids, impacting their lives, and showing them what living for Christ looks like. He is loud and crazy and loves God will his whole life. Here is how he describes what he does:
Young Life is a relational ministry that seeks to give teenagers positive mentors who through building relationships can eventually introduce them to the person of Jesus Christ

Soon he will start a new adventure. Matt is going to start a Young Life club in Puerto Rico with inner city youth. It's a very exciting opportunity. Right now Matt is working odd jobs to save money and is fundraising for Young Life PR. Young Life is a non-profit, so they raise 100% of their support. Usually that support is raised in the local community, but because this is a new start, Matt is raising support here in the States first. He plans to move in January if he can get all his fundraising done.

I'd like to encourage anyone reading this post to consider giving either a one-time gift or a monthly amount to benefit what God will do in Puerto Rico through Matt's efforts and this club. Gifts are tax-deductible and you can give online. Here's how:

You can make a donation right now at:

https://giving.younglife.org/starthere.aspx

Select either one time gift or recurring gift...

In the Gift Designation area, check the circle for donating to "A Young Life Area Ministry"...click the search, and in the blank for city type: Puerto Rico.
This will bring up Matt's area which is:
International - X3103 International Volunteer W/O Club
select that...and continue on.

Don't feel any pressure from me to do this. I just want to give the opportunity for others to know what is going on and have the chance to be a part of it. If you are on facebook you can join his group "Young Life Puerto Rico."