My dear supporters,

I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to send you a personal update! Please forgive my tardiness and I will try to be more punctual from now on.

First off, I want to thank each of you who were praying for me while I was gone and I also want to thank those who supported me through finances. What a great blessing both of these things were to me! Thank you all!

Now, what I have learn…is a lot! There is so much to tell with so little time!
I will give you the basics:
I have learned how to teach a whole class of children (usually consisting of 21 children in a school room) on my own. I teach them a word, its definition; give them examples, stories, object lessons, skits, or activities to help engrain it into their head.
Each school and each class are different. Some classes like storied better, some like object lessons better, and others want personal examples from you, and basically all kids love skits and activities!
I went to a different school everyday…except on Saturdays and Sundays of course. My favorite days of school were Wednesdays and Fridays…because those were my two favorite schools, but SSSSSHHHHH! I’m not suppose to have favorites…I just can’t help it though. ;P

In Bible Club I learned how to use links and how to tie in the gospel when I tell a story. I also learned about the different visuals I can use for a story; whether it be actors, flannel graph, flash cards or puppets. I learned how to open the story in an attention grabbing way and end it with a salvation invitation.
I did get to tell a Bible story by the way! It was very exciting! I told the story of the conversion of Saul/Paul…very exciting. And it went very well. I used actors…and my attention grabber to start the story was two girls running across stage screaming like they were scared…it worked effectively.
Anyway, I also learned how to turn basically any conversation toward the gospel and get a person (child or adult) into the gospel and lead them to the Lord in an effective way.
I also know how to start my own Bible club in my own hometown now…or anywhere for that matter! I was incredibly excited! I still am!

Besides all that I also learned how to just tell any story and make it exciting and life like! I learned how to praise a child, instead of correcting them all the time, and I learned how important it is to praise a child for his character, and what a life impact that can make on him.

I also had much spiritual growth during this time. I learned about selfishness and how even just a little bit of it can impact your life and the lives of others around you in a bad way.
I also learned about joyfulness! It is not important to be happy…happiness is not what matters. It is joy that matters and can change your life and the lives of people around you in a good way.
Joy is having a good attitude and looking at things from God’s perspective, and praising Him even when things are hard and life seems miserable.
Life is only miserable when you let it be. There are going to be times when life is un-enjoyable and hard, but we are the ones that make it miserable if we have no joy.
My new quote is: “why do I need to be happy when I’ve got joy?!”

I also learned that we serve a HOLY God…we don’t serve a sissy God who tolerates what we want and what we like. NO SIR! We serve a HOLY God who makes us look like spit and who will not tolerate our selfishness.
In Isaiah when he sees the vision of God clothed in light and thunder and the seraphim and other weird angels are singing “Holy, Holy, Holy…” Isaiah puts his face flat to the ground and says “WOE IS ME!....” Isaiah saw how unholy he was, even though he was a ‘good man’.
I was challenged, in light of knowing that I serve a Holy God, to look at everything in my life through God’s eyes. Everything I want, look at it through His eyes. Everything I like, look at it through His eyes. Everything I get irritated with, look at it through HIS eyes. My music, my clothes, my attitude, my friends, the people I don’t like, my food, my eating habits, my time with Him….EVERYTHING…
That intimidates most people in case you did not know that…and then they don’t want to do it. It intimidated me, but I have been trying to do it in everything in my life. I cringe sometimes when I think of something and then my mind automatically wanders to “How does my Holy, Just, righteous, God look at this? What does he think of it?”

It is not likely that I will forget any of this. Everything I have learned is burned into my mind. Everything that I was taught, I used. There wasn’t a thing that I was taught, as far as school and Bible club, that I did not put into practice right away! That goes with most of the spiritual growth as well. I have already used much of what I have learned here at home! Talk about learning and sticking to it!

Thank you again for your prayers and support! I will be going back to Character First for more training March 26th and I will be there until May 14th. Then I will be home for the summer.
If you have any questions concerning what I learned, please feel free to ask!
God bless you all!
Shieldmaiden

To the people this may concern (and should and probably does concern):

Let me get some things straight here…I feel that I have been terribly misleading to several of you on matters and I am very sorry about that. I never meant to be misleading and I thought that I was clear on how I felt, but obviously not. I am so sorry for this horrible misunderstanding.
I could have stopped this all a lot sooner if I had just been more discerning and had taken initiative, but I thought (and hoped) it would all just go away. I tend to live in my own world-in an alternate reality and I try to pretend that the real world is not there for me. I try to pretend that the world does not notice me. I prefer to be in my own world where everything is simple and it never changes.
Please forgive me for getting you all hurt and mixed up in this. I never meant for this all to happen. I never wanted this to happen. I am so sorry.

FIRST OFF: I am NOT in love with anyone and I have no romantic feelings for anyone at this time. I have not met anyone that fulfills my qualifications that God has laid on my heart to look for in a man. I have not met anyone who measures up to my ‘yard stick’ and I will not even consider someone until they measure up to that. Point blank.

NEXT: God has told me to follow my parents lead not matter what. I am going to do that, even if it doesn’t make since. That is my calling. I am going to trust my parents that they know what they are doing in this matter. And above all, I am going to trust God that He has got them on the right course and that He has got this under control. I am going to trust Him to heal the hurts of others as well. Sorry if that offends you, but that is what I am doing. I cannot go any other way but God’s way. I feel that this is all people’s #1 calling from God to begin with. Not just honoring their parents, but staying under their GOD GIVEN authority and obeying their parent’s wishes, trusting God that He has it under control. If people seriously did this more often there would be a lot less pain and heartache in the world today…

FURTHERMORE: I would greatly appreciate it if people would not poke, prod, push, or ‘suggest’, (in other words) TEASE about a young man and me again. It may be fun for both parties for a while, but it is not later. If you would like to approach me about it respectfully and maturely or if I ask for a suggestion from someone, then please give me your honest opinion and some Scripture, but otherwise, please, don’t be like “Oh did you see so-and-so did this for you?” and “Oooooooh! I think so-and-so likes you!!!” and so on. I am just as guilty as anybody else for this, and I have and am beating myself up for it…I am sorry that I encouraged you in any way on any of this and I purpose to never act as such again. I myself will try to present such a matter mature like from now on.

ANOTHER THING: Life is not about making ME happy…that goes for everybody. It is not just “oh, but I feel…” “But I want…” “Oh I need…” “Well I think…” NO! That is not what we were put on earth for. I feel that all of us have been a little inconsiderate of the other people around us who are ‘not involved’ in this, because they ARE affected by it. Our siblings and our friends are important factors. They may not seem affected by what is happening in OUR lives, but they are. My sister has been very, VERY hurt by all this that is happening and has happened, and I know for a fact that there are other siblings being affected by this. We need to stop and think about someone other than ourselves and the person we ‘love’…because there are others in this life that deserves attention. Not just us and OUR ‘lovely dear one’….

FINALLY: I am going to be completely open with my parents about everything from now on. If you wish to tell me something confidential in a conversation, I can tell my parents that it is ‘classified’ and they will understand, but everything else I am going to be open about. No secrets, no ‘my conversation’, and no “don’t tell your mom about this…”. I am sorry if some of you think this is ‘sacrileges’ but I’m doing it anyway. I don’t like my parents being left in the dark on things, and they don’t like it either. They can’t fulfill their GOD GIVEN responsibility of protecting me if I leave them in the dark all the time, and God can’t work through them or through me if we have this wall between us and this darkness in our lives. This seriously should go for everybody.

I am sorry that all this mess happened and I am sorry about the hearts that were hurt in all this. I suggest that we all start focusing on what we should be focusing on: God and the family He gave us before our lover…He gave us our families for a reason…find out what that reason is! If we had all done that in the beginning, a lot of this mess wouldn’t even be!

God bless you all and may you only grow closer to Him through this.
I love each and every one of you,
Kathryn

Mail order wife...

Needed:

A strong, able, good, pretty, wife for a man in need. Will take any girl who offers. Not picky.

I am a strong, courageous, good looking fella who really wants a gal...who really NEEDS a gal.

I have a big house, lots of land, plenty of food, and receive many social calls, even while living in the country. I can afford the BEST for any gal and she will have my utmost devotion...or at least my person's devotion...

Here is my picture:

And another picture:

As you can see: good muscles (I work out everyday), plenty of plumage, and just totally, irresistibly hot...

Like I said...will take any gal available...cause their ain't many to get around here!

(My person said that she would put this on the World Wide Web! *gasp* Fascinating!)

Signed,

Mr. Piper Pigeon

P.S. This offer won't last long! I'm sure gals will be swarming in by the dozens soon! Apply while you can!

My Sponser Letter

Dear To-Whom-This-May-Concern

God has opened for me this winter a very exciting and wonderful opportunity to minister to children in Oklahoma City. I have been accepted by Character First! Education (CF!E) to intern in their elementary school Character Coach ministry. I will be trained how to communicate the truth in public schools and also how to evangelize and disciple children in after- school Bible clubs.

I will receive six days of training starting January 8th plus on going weekly training. I will be working with other Character Coaches, teaching character to children in public elementary school and in after- school Bible clubs across Oklahoma City.

Teaching in school consists of visiting six to eight classrooms each day and doing a thirty minute character lesson for the children. There are also opportunities throughout the day to interact with the children on the playground, cafeteria, gym, and in the halls. I will be going to five schools weekly during my ten week stay in Oklahoma City. Tuesday to Thursday I will be teaching in three after school Bible clubs that are sponsored by a local Christian ministry.

I have been praying, and I am considering, upon my return from this ministry, to start a similar mission project in my hometown and other surrounding areas using what I will have learned from this great experience.

This winter, as a short term missionary, I need to raise $750 to help cover my training, materials, transportation, food, and housing while I am in Oklahoma City.

I will also be in need of your prayers. Will you be my prayer partner this winter as I minister to the children, receive training and raise funds for this ministry opportunity? Please pray that God would prepare my heart so that His love and life would flow through me abundantly, and that I would be pure salt and light and completely effective for His glory. Please also pray for the children to be receptive of the gospel and that they would come to know the Lord in a more personal way. Also pray that I will be able to use these principals to reach out to the children in my community.

If you would like to invest financially, please send your gift to:
Character First! Education 520 W. Main Street Oklahoma City, OK 73102
(A response card and envelope are provided for your convenience).

CF!E of Oklahoma City desires you to know that any extra funds left over will be used to help cover the rest of my expenses and help other short term missionaries who will be serving with me.

I am looking forward to serving the Lord this winter with this ministry! Thank you for considering being a prayer and financial partner with me as I serve with CF!E of Oklahoma City this winter!

Sincerely,
Shieldmaiden

New Year's Resolution

How many times do we make New Year’s resolutions only to break them within a short time? Countless. It sometimes seems almost impossible to keep a certain New Year’s resolution.
However, as I was contemplating this fact just a little while ago, I realized that we are making these resolutions with ourselves, and that is a very important fact to consider.
We try to keep ourselves accountable and we rely on our own strength to do what we have consented with ourselves to do.
Me, myself and I are not very good at keep promises and keeping accountable, and they are not good at giving anyone strength and energy to carry out tasks. We have all seen it happen time and again. Me, myself and I are irresponsible, selfish, unreliable persons. However, God is not. If we make our New Year’s resolution to God, He will keep us accountable and give us the strength to carry out our resolutions. And let’s just face it: Me, myself and I will probably work a little harder to keep accountable if they have a proper fear of God and know that He is watching them every moment of the day. It also helps to know that you made a promise to someone and not just yourself, and another fact we must face is that we keep promises to other people better than we do to ourselves, and making a promise with God is a much bigger thing:
“When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for He hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” Ecclesiastes 5:4-5
Obviously God does not like it when we make a promise to Him and then break it.
Does it send chills up and down your spine? It does mine!
However, we as humans cannot keep our promises: we have not the strength to do so. We may try our best, but we fail, that is not the best at all when we make the promise to God. Instead, we must learn to rely on His strength to help us keep our promises. His strength is the very best and will help us do the very best. His strength can see us all the way through it no matter what it is!
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth…and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:18b & 20b
Even though Jesus was talking about teaching the nations of the earth in Matthew, that power that he spoke of can dwell in us and strengthen us in all that we do. It can even help us keep the promises and New Year’s resolutions that we make.
So while you make your New Year’s resolution this coming year, why not resolve to rely on your Creator and His son to help you through all that you do, and why not make your resolutions to Him, instead of yourself, so that you can use His strength to help you along as He keeps you accountable? That is what I am definitely going to do!

God Bless you all this coming year!

The novel is finished...

Yes! I have finally finished my novel! I finally typed "the end" on it...but the story is still not over. NO SIR! I have a SECOND BOOK to do now! Mwhahahahaha!....after I et back from my internship in March....
I don't know if I will be able to work on it much while I am away, but I am certainly going to try while I am there.
There is only one little problem with that....I had almost a whole first chapter done of the second book and then... POW! My computer's hard drive dies unexpectantly....sigh...so what do I do?
Anyway. Now I have to edit all 426 pages which consists of 37 chapters in this finished book, send the query letters out to publishing companys, and I have to pack for my internship which I leave for in *looks at calander* OMGOSH! I leave for it in 2 WEEKS!!!!! GAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!....*passes out*
*wakes up*
Oh boy...things happen way too fast sometimes...
So anyway...yeah...It seems like I was gonna say something else, but I forgot.
Well anyway, Everybody have a great new year and I will have my mom put posts on here for me while I am gone.
I will be gone Jan. 8th- March 13th just so that you know. :D
Love you all!
Shieldmaiden