Sweet Dreams

Sweet dreams...

For most people my age, when you have a dream people pat you and say, "Well that is a nice dream honey" but that is not what happened in my family. I had this amazing dream for my future, our future and they were excited about it. We prayed about it and the family embraced it and now we prayerfully seek and wait on the Lord to make this dream, His dream  come true.

 We wait and search for Shiloh.  God put it in my heart to have a place where those hurting could find restoration and the love of God and his fellow man and that horses that have also been abused could come and find a new life, love and restoration.  He gave me the name Shiloh for this place of love and healing.  Shiloh means peace and also can mean abundance in the bible it is a word that is a picture of the coming Messiah and can mean he who is to be sent or the seed.

 It is a place of rest.  How fitting is that?  Where this place is I am not sure, but I know that there is a place that God has prepared for his hurting ones and that one day he will lead us there.  Will you pray for us?  Pray that we will find this place and that we will be ready and that the people we need to help with this big job will be sent and that we will be able to do all that he has set out for us to do.

I know that the world seems so dark right now.  I know that at times it seems hopeless, but I believe in my heart that this is the time for Shiloh and the need for it is so great.  Not only is the need great, but the dream is great.  It is a huge dream a dream that is way bigger than little me, but I believe that if God wants this done, it will be done.  I have faith that He will bring this thing about.

"The seed" reminds me of the story in the bible of the mustard seed?  Do you remember that story?  Jesus is speaking and he talks of the people's lack of faith.  Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."  

We would love your prayers.  This is a big dream and we can't do it without our prayer warriors praying with us.

We love you guys.

The Rosevine Cottage Girls

In the Orchard

  It was a crazy, hectic day today.  We were supposed to have our birthday party tomorrow, but because of the car disaster, we girls decided that we didn't need a party and that we would cancel.  Mr. Cottage took the day off anyway and we got work done around here.

I did some decorating (will reveal later here on the blog) made some crafty decor and cleaned the house.

I know I shouldn't be, but I have been sad.  I am trying really hard not to lose my hope in people and I really miss my friends in Africa so much.

The day after my twin sister and I celebrated our birthday was on of my friend's birthdays and it was so hard to have it pass without her here again for the second time.  I know she is doing the Lord's work, but I miss her so much.  I miss her funny laugh and the way that she loved being at our house.  I miss the funny faces that she made and how she loved my mom.

It is hard to be away from those that you love.  I wonder if I will ever see her again...   Here is a link to their family and the amazing things they are doing. West Side Ropiecki Blog

We then went out to the orchard and picked the apples and pears.  Not many pears this year as a squirrel has taken up residence in Mrs. Cottage's favorite pear tree and has eaten every one of them.  I am not kidding and the pear tree is taller than our house.  One hungry beast I tell you!  There are a lot of apples, though.

I was trying to be very diligent with the organic spray this year.  They are not beautiful apples but they taste good.  We have many full grown trees and then a bunch  that are the second year producing.  There are still many to pick.  I wish they were more beautiful.

We don't have much of a garden this year and we usually take a bunch of produce to the Ronald McDonald house locally for the families that stay there.  When my sister and I were preemies we had to stay in the NICU.  My parents were able to stay at a Ronald McDonald house and a sweet lady brought oranges and grapefruits and stuff from her tree.  My mother promised one day she would do the same.  It is far from our house here but we try to bring a basket of our organic harvest there for them to enjoy.
                                            
            
 While moving my now empty chicken coup I discovered a nest of baby mice.  They were so tiny and didn't have their eyes open.  Can I say they were cute, so teeny tiny?  I had mercy and left them there and covered them with something to protect them.  I know when they grow up I will sure be sorry, but I can't kill a baby.

    I moved my last turkey in one of my chicken tractors and have them up with the remainder of my chicken flock so they can get to know one another again.   I sure miss all of my girls. It was so hard to get rid of them.

    I stopped on my way up to the house and picked a huge amount of basil, so we have some to share and so it does not go to seed. I lost my poor cilantro that way.  I have the hardest time with cilantro here. I am not sure why.  It smells so good in here, though.

   My heirloom tomatoes are finally green and a decent size.  These are our first tomatoes this year and usually, I have them out my ears.  A local bunny ate most of my plants so they were struggling to survive.  This has been such a strange growing year.  We had a  strange winter too!  I think the soil had too much nitrogen from the chickens.  Made pretty tomato plants but not so much flowing with fruit.  Live and learn, right?

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Then this evening my sister and I walked to get the mail.  We were so excited to see that our photography greeting cards were in the mail.  We spent the evening separating them into sets and getting ready to offer them for sale.   :)  So excited!

But for now... I am so sleepy.   We are so thankful for you.  Lord bless you, and good night.

Does God Give Us More Than We Can Handle?

We have probably all heard the saying that is meant to comfort, "God will never give you more than you can handle," My first problem with it is I don't believe it. I mean what would life be if we were never challenged. Never allowed to fail. Never stretched to be more than what we are at this moment. My second problem with it is it's not in the Bible. Nope, sorry people it is found nowhere in the Bible.

God uses a trial to stretch us. To mold us, to burn off the bad parts. To better us. With God, we can do all things.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV

 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead 2 Corinthians 1:8,9 KJV

In the last few years, God has given me more than I can handle. Not just once but over and over again. I'm worn out. I'm tired of this fight. Yet I can not quit because it is a fight that draws my heart closer to him. If peace and rest mean surrender then I choose to be tired but still fighting. Still learning. Still being stretched, refined, challenged, being made more.

If there are not burdens that are too big for us to handle then we have no need for God. He tells us in his Word that we were never made to carry these burdens but called to cast ALL our burdens on him.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.1 Peter 5:6-7 KJV

Our own pride and arrogance make us want to pick up those burdens and carry them on our own shoulders like Santa's pack of toys. We need to humble ourselves and cast off that twisted pack of worries and stress and give it to the Father.  The only one strong enough to lift that burden.  The one made to carry our burdens.