I can’t help but give a shout-out to my alma mater, Kansas University, for making it into the NCAA basketball championship. Here’s my Wordle for the Jayhawks, celebrating accomplishments of this week and of the past:
Tag Archives: Wordles
I’m Not Kidding
New Family Member
We have a new exchange student living with us! Barbora is from the Czech Republic and has been in the states since last summer. She’s a Rotary Exchange Student, and we’ve known her pretty well already, although she just moved in with us today. She’s an excellent musician and has been in one of the high school choirs I accompany for on piano. She took a trip to Jackson Hole with us last summer and we had a great time together.
Barbora is not our first exchange student. We’ve had several through the years and it’s been a great experience for our family. We have learned so much about different cultures, languages and customs. It’s been a wonderful experience for all of us through the years!
I thought I would show you a Wordle featuring our previous students, followed by some photos of them.
Liz -- England
Osmar -- Brazil
Hugues -- Belgium
Ida -- Sweden
Livia -- Brazil
Stas -- Russia
Quiet Rest — Wordle
This hymn was sung in two different churches the past two weeks, when I was speaking for Compassion International. The lyprics really jumped out to me because of the use of my word for the year, “Hold.” Isn’t it beautiful how it’s used in this hymn? I just had to put it into a Wordle, so here it is.
Compassion Blog Wordle
Footprint of the Compassion Blog
Using the url from the Compassion Blog, this is the Wordle that was created. What have been your favorite posts on the Compassion Blog? You know, there are several interesting aspects to the blog. You can see the country flags and mark which one is yours. You can read about the blog contributors, and see a list of all from one author, such as Amber Van Schooneveld, who made a recent trip to India. Their blogroll is divided up, nicely, between Readers, CompassionBloggers.com, Compassion Advocates, and Compassion Employees. If you find your blog in the wrong list (or not listed), make sure you notify Chris. I think this network of Compassion friends is wonderful!
Best of all, you can look to see which stories have been the most popular. I want to list some for you here, because you may have missed some of these:
- Letter Writing Ideas
- My Sisters are Sponsored. What about Me?
- Should I Visit My Sponsored Child (is that the best use of my money?)
- A Day in the Life of a Bangladeshi Cycle Van Driver
- Kamrul Receives His Cycle Van
- Why Does My Sponsored Child Look So Scared?
- Proof — That Sponsorship Makes a Difference
- The Journey of One Letter
- Dear Good Samaritans — Letter from a Muslim Care-giver of a Sponsored Child
That should keep you busy for a while, and before we go, let me show you another Wordle from the same url of the Compassion Blog. Different colors, different angle. Nice! Love that blog!
25 Random Things — Wordle
OK, for all who tagged me — Here’s the list, and a Wordle to go with it:
Once you’ve been tagged, you need to write up 25 random things about yourself. If I tagged you, it’s because you tagged me or because I want to know more about you! So here goes:
1. We have the three most wonderful kids in the world!
2. I can write upside-down and backwards, or just backwards or just upside-down.
3. My 7th-8th grade English teacher was in her 80’s, and she actually died in the classroom, while teaching (probably because I was writing my spelling papers upside-down).
4. For those reading this on Facebook — I keep a blog at https://compassionjuli.wordpress.com.
5. We bought tickets to two shuttle launches — the Challenger (which exploded in the air) and the Columbia (which exploded on its return) — very sad events for our family. The child I was pregnant with during the Challenger launch went with me to the Columbia launch, and now is majoring in Aerospace Engineering. How weird is that?
6. I like to collect mini things — pitchers, mugs, Bibles, figurines.
7. I was quite the tomboy. I loved playing tetherball and four-square as a child; in fact, I think I was the tetherball champion perhaps. I was a lousy softball player, though, much to my dismay. Great on the stilts and pogo stick, however (I think I topped 1,000 hops once!).
8. My favorite Bible verse as a child was Matthew 17:20.
9. I practically grew up on the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, and was quite the water skier — using slalom, trick skis and shoe skis, and was even asked to perform in a water ski show once when the regulars were not available.
10. When I’m distressed or overly busy, I will often go off to special places in the mountains to spend time alone with God.
11. I started piano lessons when I was 4 and quit by 7th grade because my mother couldn’t get me to practice (she said after she let me quit, she could never get me away from the piano).
12. Our Compassion child in Thailand — Siriporn — was accepted to the Leadership Development Program, which means she qualified for University studies. I admire her so much!
13. I’ve been a Child Advocate for Compassion International since 1994, and a sponsor since 1988. It is the BEST thing you can do to help a person in poverty! I love hearing from our sponsored children!
14. As a child, I always sought out the unloved, handicapped, new students.
15. I’ve experienced two instantaneous healings. I’ll write about them on my blog one of these days.
16. I perform over 300 pieces of piano music per year.
17. I have wild and detailed dreams — such as being a secret spy for the Queen of England, mini moose, 911 calls or seeing our dog leap through the tops of trees. Some of my dreams are spiritually significant, and some include friends or family members that have passed away.
18. This one goes with Gigi’s #20. In high school, I was making a leather floppy (hippy) hat and had to bore holes in it with an awl. I was doing it on the kitchen counter, and my dad said, “Don’t make holes in the counter!” I said, “I’m not that stupid…” because I did have a board under the leather. However, when I removed the board, there were all the holes I’d made, in the counter. My dad and I never talked about it again, but I knew he was mad.
19. I’ve almost reached the 500th child sponsored as a Compassion Advocate — and I have a prize for the one who sponsors #500.
20. I’ve visited Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy, Scotland, Switzerland, New Zealand, Panama, Costa Rica, Aruba, St. Thomas, St. Bart’s, St. Kitts and all states but 4.
21. Honestly, I never thought I would get to travel at all — and once buried a list of my traveling wishes in the mountains in order to give it to God and say, “It’s OK if I never get to travel.” Now look what He’s done!
22. I played the Carillon (Bell Tower) at Kansas University where I got a degree in Personnel Management — imagine that!
23. I like to study family genealogy–I’ve traced my family back to many pilgrims, Mayflower passengers, poor workhouse inmates in England, wagon makers in Germany as well as ancestors in Scotland, Wales, Switzerland and France. Some were born on ships coming to the new land, one drowned in the Rhine River on the way here in 1742, some were kidnapped and scalped by natives, some were published preachers, some signed land deeds with natives in the 1600’s and many fought in the American Revolution and in the Civil War. Fascinating! When traveling, I can just as easily be found in a cemetery as on the beach. My family thinks it’s horrid!
24. I LOVE reading the Bible because God speaks to me there daily — I’ve read several translations cover to cover — NIV, NASB, MSG, CEV, NKJV, KJV, AMP, NJB, GNB, RSV — probably others — I’m reading Holman’s now.
25. I’ve always had a horrible memory (even as a teenager) and have some memories that never occurred (such as where I recall we were when Kennedy was shot, or when Oswald was shot). At the most recent class reunion, my classmates all teased me about it and said I’ve never changed. Oh well. That’s me.
I Prevented Someone’s Death Today
I will continue to do my part as long as I live.
I will never stop sponsoring a child. Why?
Because the children need me.
Because I need them.
Because scripture commands we help the poor.
Because it’s the right thing to do.
Because I hate to see children die needlessly.
I want to do my part. Will you? Take a look at the statistics below.
Click here to learn more, and then Sponsor a Child today, please.
It’s shocking to see what’s happening, but it really takes so little to help a child in poverty.
Ask me about it today!
[click image to enlarge]
Sneetches — Wordle Wednesday
It’s time for another wordle from Dr. Seuss. Don’t you just love his story about Sneetches? There’s a lot of good theology in Dr. Seuss’ books, I think. What is your favorite Seuss book?
[Click image to enlarge]
Hold — Wordle Wednesday
Raise My Ebenezer?
Here is a “Wordle“ made up of phrases from the hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” written in 1758 by Robert Robinson (click image to enlarge). Did you ever wonder what it means to say “I raise my Ebenezer?” Our Pastor reminded us of this strange phrase in his message Sunday. “Ebenezer” means “Stone of Help.” Samuel set up a stone as a memorial to God for helping Israel battle against the Philistines. The specific thing Samuel wanted to remember was this: “Thus far has the LORD helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12). What a great truth to hang onto! I have shared some of my methods for remembering what God has done for me in the past; how do you remember His dealings in your life? What has God done for you thus far?
Sheep Droppings 
