Sisslefritz

I had the best time yesterday walking with my little girl, Sydney.  Sis.  Sydnerella.  Sisslefritz.  Sisserpants.

If time slows when I walk with friends, time stops when I walk with her! That girl just fills my heart with joy. I remember when I was pregnant with her, and my mom asked if I had wanted a boy or a girl. Honestly, I had two boys already. I was comfortable with boys - and girls? They scared me. My mom kept saying - oh, you definitely want a girl. You have two boys! You need a girl.

Nope. I was hoping for a boy.

Once again, God showed His superior knowledge in using His “veto vote” regarding what I thought I wanted. This little girl has been the source of so much joy in my life. Not just as my daughter, but also as the Godly woman I can see growing in her as time progresses. The beginnings of our lifetime friendship is unfolding before me as our talks become increasingly transformed into conversations between sisters in Christ.

We talked and laughed the entire time, but the basis of the conversation was basically a good portion of my testimony. It didn’t start off that way. It started off talking about the beautiful landscape surrounding us, which reminded me of a story… (and with me - you know how the rest goes! hahaha)

It was so precious. I have a feeling I will remember that day all my life. No distractions, no real time limit, nobody else to focus on except each other, just time where my daughter and I connected. I got to share about many lessons that God had used in my life and how He has brought me to the point where I am now. She got to hear not just about the major moves in our family, but where my heart was as a believer, a wife, and a mother throughout those times.

Neither one of us wanted our time to end. She kept saying “noooo let’s not go home yet! I can walk for 100 more hours!!”

However, it was time to end the walk. We made plans to take another walk like that soon - but I told her our conversation could continue at home. We both ran baths in our separate bathrooms (we needed a nice, hot soak, it was a looooong walk) and then we talked to each other over the distance by using the intercom on our cordless phones. Don’t worry! She had it on speaker and far away from the bathwater!

It was just another extraordinary time spent walking and talking, and seeing God’s goodness over it all!
Oh - before I end, she would want me to share this part. It had been a gorgeous day. The combination of sun and breeze was perfect weather for our walk. However, there was fog in the distance, threatening to bring cooler weather at any moment. We had both chosen to leave our jackets at home so we didn’t have to deal with any extra bulk on our walk. On the way back home, the fog became aggressive. About 100 yards in front of us, it became clear that we were going to be surrounded by misty, cold fog in about a minute. So we prayed!

The entire time home, there was a bubble of sunshine that encircled us.(maybe He re-used the same bubble of sunshine from my Seattle trip?? hehe) It was wild. It would seem so inevitable that we were about to be encased in fog in just a few more steps, and then all of the sudden - the wind would just blow and it would dissipate. But Sydney kept looking behind us, and cracking herself up. About 100 yards behind us, you could see the fog rushing over the road and closing back over where we had been. Above us - blue skies. It was fun to watch her be just as amazed as I am with His handiwork. I told her it wouldn’t surprise me if He was completely enjoying making us laugh, and if he was also up in heaven giggling with us.

God, laughing. Isn’t that a vision you can’t wait to see with your own eyes?

Oh friends - He is so good, and He loves to see us recognize His goodness displayed in every day scenes. I love getting to share this with you all.

I know that I haven’t had the number of miles ready for those of you who have asked, so I checked my calendar today and after today’s miles, I will be at 345!   1/3 of the way there!

Thanks for your love!!!   Leah

The time? Well, you see, this watch happens to be made in...

Lately, I’ve been feeling like I can’t keep up! God has been allowing me to be involved in a few different projects and though I’m loving it - the blog has been the first thing to slow down.

Its not because I’m not learning. Its because I’m learning too much and sometimes its hard to share these little nuggets that God shares with me. I think it’s the reason why I tell long stories. I don’t mean to talk forever, but once I get started - I just see so much meaning in every little detail and before you know it - I’m off on a 40 minute dissertation! hahaha

All my life, my Dad has said , “Ask Leah what time it is, and she’ll tell you how the watch was made.”

Think about that for a second. From my point of view… how the watch was made IS important! Hahaha I mean - if it’s a junky watch, the time might be off or it might break after 5 months. Does it run fast or slow? How reliable is it? It does make a difference, but sometimes people just want to know the general time, not the exact hour, minute, and ever-changing second. I guess I have a hard time not living in the details.

Enter this blog.

There are days when I see deep into the smallest details. I just see His hand and hear His voice in them, and, it blows my mind. Its like what Pastor John was talking about on Sunday. Doesn’t it just blow your mind that the Creator of the universe doesn’t just listen to you - but has a very active conversation with you??

Sometimes, I’m just extremely aware and sensitive to the running conversation between the Lord and myself. It feels like at any point, I can almost turn around and see Him smiling at me, like… “yep, I just did that for you”.

To which I respond… “Yeah You did!!  but why??? I so do not deserve it.” (I just can’t seem to get it some days.)

“Because I love you.”

“yeah, I know you do but -”

“No, Leah, I really love you. I really. Love. you.”

Overwhelmed.

How to put this into a blog becomes a very difficult thing for me. I want to share my joy - but not just my joy - the reason why that joy is so cool! God is so amazing - but I don’t just want to say that - I want to tell you how and why and what He just did and how its connected to even the next amazing part of my day - how the fact that we’re talking about it is all Him and His Spirit in our lives, and its just easy to digress and boom… I’m talking about the watch again.  No - not the watch. The Watchmaker.

So - whew. Its very hard for me to summarize. I try. I do try!

These probably won’t mean much to you - but these are the things that gave me joy this week. They were neat things - by themselves - but they were made even more special because God spoke to me - directly - through them.

• Walking with my friends, the conversations were completely inspired by God. Speaking of watches, mine MUST be wrong. Because my watch seems to stop when I walk by myself. But with you, the minute hand flies. How is that? You are such a gift to God to me. I love each and every one of you so dearly.
• Talking with my children. I can’t even begin. If I do, this blog will never end.
• Asking for a quick prayer over a text to my family. Each one praying right then and there and immediately texting me back. I know - it’s a text. But I turned around and I think I did catch a glimpse of Him smiling. He knows my heart - He gets it.
• During a night of worship, Tony sharing with us his passionate love for the Word of God. Does it get any better?
• An email conversation with a brand new friend. I cant wait to get to know you better Sally (and Pete!!), even though I feel like we already know one another! Crazy, right?
• Laughter…. Oh my goodness - lately I have been laughing so hard that I wheeze. (Margi calls it my Muttley laugh and I think she hit the nail on the head.) Most of you can get me going easily, but none so easily as my sister who is coming up today to walk with me. I missed her.
• Of course, the well. It is on my mind the way a baby is on your mind throughout the pregnancy. Always there. In some form, it is always there. It’s a part of me now, and I am loving all that God is bringing with it.
• My hubby supports me and shows it. Love.

Maybe some of these resonate with you, maybe they don’t. I’m trying to tell you the time - not about the inner workings of the watch. But please understand - none of it matters without the Watchmaker. Praying that you get to know Him intimately.

Love you!



Love this pic!



All over creation and back!
hahahaha Laurel



Here is the path to creation and back



It doth go by this name.



Sis relaxing with a mountain lion and her cub,.
The girl is always finding photo opportunities hehe



Four reasons why I laugh



These kids are troopers.  Man!  I was tired!
They just kept moving!!
Break for a tadpole check here....



About to cross the creek!
and they did it all by themselves :)



$300 is missing from my well account!!

April Fool's :)

Did you see that one coming? I had to do it!!! Hehehe

It is officially 11:53 as I'm sending this - so I still have time to do one today!!  Even though most of you are reading this on April 2.... oh well :)

This week was great! Again!!!!! Not that I didn't have my ups and downs, but I am just getting so excited about sending the well that it overshadows all the other stuff! I know I know - i'm only just going into April and I still have many more miles to go - but the excitement is just building over sending this thing!!!  Definitely keeping my motivation high!!!

Walked all over town this week - almost died after my 7-miler yesterday on the top of Palomar... Not really because of the distance, more the speed and elevation. Oy! But I can tell a big difference from my endurance NOW and my endurance BEFORE. (plus my wii doesn't yell at me nearly as much anymore. How is it that I allow my computer game to insult me daily and yet I still come back for more???)

On the financial side, I have been receiving so many donations from so many places!! It just keeps blowing me away- how people give and are so willing to share their love!

On Monday, when we walked with our school teacher, Maria, she mentioned that perhaps the school could partner up with me and maybe do some fund-raising! That would be so much fun- but even if it doesn't work out - I know our God will provide!  But if you'd like to pray for that... I won't stop ya!

Monday night, I got to bring home the bucket of change that the AWANA kids were raising for the well. I won't tell you how much they raised... But I will tell you I spent hours counting pennies, dimes, and nickels... And I had help!!!! :)

I got to send out all the gifts from the party this week too- and wow- you know what? You want to feel filled with joy? Go to http://www.gfa.org/ and buy a VBS scholarship for a child. It's only $5!  Wow. I know we only "awarded" one at the party, but I had to send more!!!  I just kept thinking about the children getting to spend the whole week at VBS hearing the Gospel because of those gifts and I just was smiling the whole time I added them into the "shopping cart". (plus we also sent out the Bibles, blankets, chickens, mosquito nets, and BioSand water filters!)  Anyone who thinks the bigger blessing comes in the "getting" has really not spent enough time "giving"!

Though I will say this... Every time my email alerts me to another donation- especially one I'm not expecting... Whew! That feels pretty amazing too!!

I guess there are enough blessings all around when your heart is in service mode!  I'm loving this journey! Have I said that enough yet?? :)

Well, its late, and its time to go to bed!  But I just wanted to jump on here and give you all a little update!  God is good!

I love you!

250 has come and gone...

 and what a great day it was!!! (I just can't believe I forgot to get a picture of the whole group of us at once!!!)

I started typing this blog this morning as I was looking out my window at the snow blanketing the ground - and I couldn't help thinking back to yesterday's party and praise God all over again for holding back the rain for us!  Every time the wind would blow, I would say "oh no - its getting chilly!!" and be quickly reminded by Joyce - that it might be chilly, but it was also dry!!!!  (Thanks for that reminder Joyce!!!)  The party-goers showed up at Lake Discovery ready for our 3 circuits, balloons in hand, and Mile 250 stickers on their backs!  As each family showed up, my smile just got bigger and bigger!  All the sweet little kids were just troopers - from the littlest little Simeon, all the way up!  

Great walk, yummy food, fun location, hilarious games (my mom and Justin were definitely the most fun to watch during gametime!!!), awesome worship, sweet fellowship, prayers sent up before our Lord for this whole journey, a quick bite of cake and on our way home before God sent the rain!

One of my favorite highlights of the day was getting to see the game winners pick their gifts - which were not gifts for them to take home, but to send to Gospel for Asia.  My mom and dad donated all the funds for the gifts to be sent in the game winner's names!  We are sending out a VBS scholarship and a Bible in Andrew's name, a mosquito net and a Bible in Cindy's name, a pair of chickens and a Bible out in Emilia's name, a blanket and a Bible in Wesley's name, and a BioSand water filter and a Bible out in James' name.  Smiley thought the idea of a BioSand water filter sounded so cool, that he came up to me and donated money to purchase another one - so another BioSand water filter is on its way thanks to Smiley!  God is so good!

Thanks to my family for helping to pull that day off - hubby, you are a workhorse, thank you for never quitting!  Momma and Daddy-do, thank you for hosting, decorating, and breaking down!  Sister, ohhhhh sister :)  thanks for all your help with the food and that cake was the BOMB!! Joey and kiddles - you are the best, and thank you for jumping in there with your great attitudes and lots of laughter! Paul, thank you for leading worship, singing with you is a little slice of heaven for me, as always :) 

I felt absolutely, 100%, without a doubt love love LOVED yesterday!  Thank you for everyone's support - even those who couldn't be there - your sweet emails hugged my heart!

Friends, we have 250 miles down - but I tell you - the three miles spent with you yesterday were the best so far!  Looking forward to June's Mile 500 party!!  Start praying for sun against the June gloom, and reserve JUNE 12!!!  

Thank you for all of your prayers for the rain to stay away - now we can all send up just as many prayers thanking the Lord for His kindness!

My dad took more pictures than I will post here (with faces showing!!) - but if anyone wants the link to his snapfish album with all the pictures - just send me an email and I'll forward the link off to you!  All of the pictures that I'm posting are OF COURSE from behind :)

Love you all!

JoyFULL Le :)

Getting ready! Getting balloons and sticking stickers!

walkers - runners - scooters - sure!

taking pictures for posterity :)

Some of us go to the left!

and some of us go to the right!

and then we meet in the middle!

Eating yummies :)

Playing funnnnn games!

The brothers keep choosing each other to be in their lifeboat!  too cute!!!

I love my cake, sister!!!  Over the 250 hill!! :)

Time to go... but we'll see you at 500!  :)

Excited for Party 250!

For the party, I was really trying to hold off, hold off, hold offffff with postponing it..... to see if the rain would hold off!!

and wouldn't you know it - weather.com says the rain is due tomorrow, and not for Sunday anymore!

woo hoooooooo :)

Seriously - if you were doubting that I was the Sunshine Kid - please stop your doubting.  You're embarrassing yourself.

hehehe just kiddin.  God is gracious - and that's all there is to it.

I had the privilege of speaking twice this past week.  Margaret asked me if I would take the VCCC ladies on a walk and then give a little talk about what "Well Worth the Walk" is all about!  Sooooo fun!  And it was so cool!  Because another walk to celebrate the Heritage Trail (it was called Footsteps for Faith i believe) was scheduled that morning as well - and so someone woke up early and posted Scripture all along the way!  So my ladies were blessed even though I didn't even think to do something like that!  If you haven't seen God's hands all over this walk - you must be blind.  But don't worry - He's been known to heal the blind!  :)

So the Women's cafe walk went so well - it was just a great time of walking, talking, and ministering (both ways of course...)  At one point, I started sharing statistics with them.  I apologized because though I do have a love for numbers and sudoku  (new readers, go read my previous sudoku blog LOL)  sometimes, statistics just seem hmmmm overwhelming?  I mean - the numbers are sometimes just numbers. and they're usually so large... its like the people tend to get lost in there somewhere.  There are no faces, and tends to have a lack of emotion behind it.  So I tend to stay away from statistical numbers.  But in this case, I thought it was important.

I told the ladies how many children are dying each year just from drinking dirty water.  I broke it down into hours, and then seconds - but it just felt strange.  It felt like I was trying to use shock and awe to make an emotional impact on them.  I wrapped up that part and continued on with my talk. (overall, it was an awesome time, there was just that one little awkward part, in my opinion)

Why do I share that... well, the Lord used little children to rock my statistics-hating heart. lol

I got to speak at AWANA on Monday night.  I was part of the Missions month missionaries asked to speak.  Can I just tell you???  I've gotten to do a LOT of really cool things in my life.  That night was probably a highlight I will remember for a very long time.

You could hear a pin drop.  They were so attentive and engaged.  Their faces were completely focused on my own, and it looked like every word was making an impact on their little hearts.  (When God uses me as a vessel - it never ceases to amaze me)  As I was preparing for the talk, I thought about a way to make it clear to them just how many children were dying because of drinking, playing in, bathing in... dirty water.

As I shared the statistics with them, wow.  I don't think I'll forget soon the looks on their faces.  God just broke my heart.  It does shock.  It has an impact.  but its the truth, and it needs to rock us.

3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease, guess how many of them are children 5 and under???  1.8 million.  That is more than half.

1.8 million!

I don't know why it took their faces to get that number to ricochet inside my brain.  But it did

And now the cool news is - There will be a community that will have clean water by the end of this year :)

Bad news like that doesn't have to stay bad - it should motivate us to do something about it.  Gospel for Asia has provided one way, and we get to be used in all of it!

We will all be His vessels through support, prayer, and sharing - and we get to sit back and be amazed!

So I hope to see you at Party 250 and if you can't be there - you can pray!!!  (and look forward to Party 500!)

love you all!

(and now.... a whole BUNCH of pictures from the past week or so)

Getting my miles in, walking in the airport!

Walking down by Pike Place, Seattle - so pretty! (no rain!!!)

Getting 3 miles in walking around a beautiful lake (no rain!)

Walking in the woods with my Puppy at the Conference

Soft grass and pretty flowers -made possible by the rain.... but no rain today :)

Love those rays!!!

Walking while the sun... yes, the sun!  sets :)

Walking in woods by Mt. St. Helens - look at those trees!

Coldwater Lake and an unwelcome visitor - Quick! Let's get back to the car!!

Really cool ! Taken on our walk for the Women's Cafe

Scripture posted on our walk!  Me & my VCCC ladies :)

The Duke & our littles

Love from Canby, OR

Just another quick one while I'm on vaca... Went on a walk after we arrived at the conference. It was a beautiful walk through the woods- a mini-adventure for sure!  

God has been so gracious to us this whole trip so far and I'm just reminded over and over about how much he loves me. I know- the song yesterday, the jokes about the sunshine...but really. Oh how He loves us.

I hope you can think about that today as you are wherever you are. In San Diego, in Seattle, in Pennsylvania, in Asia waiting for a well, in the rain, in the sun. 

As His child, we are blessed with the best gift- Him!!! The true Lover of our soul. Meditate on all that means in your life today. Spend time in worship and adoration. Love Him right now :)

Missing my family and friends... Invitations to sponsors and walkers should be mailed out today! (but from Portland!)  But anyone who reads this blog is invited and welcomed to the Mile 250 party!  All you have to do is email me, facebook me, or even comment on here to let me know you're coming! It will be in San Marcos on March 20th, after church.  Those who want to walk the 250th mile with me can show up at Discovery Lake in San Marcos at 1:30.  Those just wanting to hang out and celebrate... Show up at 2:30 at my mom's - I will give directions out when you RSVP :). Wear plain t-shirts (any color) so that I can give you well worth the walk logos to wear! You can take the logos off at the end of the party so it won't ruin your shirts! :)   Food will be provided so please do let me know so that I can prepare :)

Ohhh and the only cost is a handful of pennies for the well! I like pennies! They add up fast :)

Pray for good fellowship,  lots of laughter and beautiful weather - even if you can't come!

Love you all!

Jesus loves me

Jesus loves me
This I know
Prayed for sun
His love did show

Even when the
Clouds came out
Rays did shine
To cease my doubt

Yes! Jesus loves me!
Seattle was rain free!
Yes! Jesus loves me!
His Son-shine tells me so!

Sent from my iPhone