Extreme Prisoner...

China: Al Ling

"You are saying it wrong," the exasperated guard instructed the elderly Chinese believer. "You are supposed to say 'Prison is good,' not 'Jesus is good,'"

Al Ling smiled. "But prison is not good. That's the point. Am I supposed to lie?"

"Then give me fifty push-ups!" the frustrated Communist guard commanded. "Just like yesterday."

Seventy-year-old Al Ling did her push-ups and returned to her camp. Ling's husband had been arrested for spreading the gospel, and he had passed away. Now she was in prison for telling her fellow Chinese people about the love of Christ.

"Food is good, prison is good!" the prisoners were forced to shout as instructed after a hard day's labor in the field. "Jesus is better!" Her strong voice stuck out from the crowd.

"Al Ling, do you want to do more push-ups today?" the guard asked.

"I want you to know how much Jesus loves you," she smiled in response. She was thrilled at the opportunity to tell the Communist guards and other prisoners how good Jesus was, even if it meant doing daily push-ups. Upon her release, the guards decided to interrogate her one last time. "Where does your husband work?" the young guard asked.

"Oh, he is doing underground work," she answered. The interested guard took out a notepad. Al Ling smiled, "He passed away years ago." -The Voice of the Martyrs, Extreme Devotion.

I read this story in my devotional the other day and I couldn't help but chuckle at the responses Al Ling gave to the guards. After all she had been through, she still had a positive attitude about her situation and she wasn't going to let the guards change that. I just wanted to share this story with you all because it reminds me to try to have a positive attitude no matter what we may be going through. I can bring glory to God regardless of my situation, I just need to make sure I have the right attitude in order to do that. Hope this encourages you all as it has encouraged me! May God bless you!

10 Months Old!

I can't believe Emma is 10 months old already and in 2 more months she will be 1! Time sure does go by fast! Emma is growing so much. She "talks" a lot! It sounds like she says, "dadda" and "momma" but I can't tell what else she says. She has 8 teeth now and loves to eat pretty much anything! She waves and claps her hands. She stands more, but still needs assistance.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

Emma is playing with her friends Brenna and Rebekah. Brenna is 4 days older than Emma and Rebekah just turned 1. They had a fun time playing together!

Waterloo Battlefield

We went to the Waterloo Battlefield this past weekend. It is in Belgium and it is about an hour or so away from us. Here are some interesting facts about Waterloo:

-This was where Napoleon had his last stand.

-The battle of Waterloo is regarded today as one of the greatest battles in European history.

-The battle took place in 1815.

-9,500 men died.

-The Lion Mound was erected between 1824-1826 and was dedicated to the soldiers who lost thier lives.

-The lion at the top of the mound weighs 28 tons.

-226 steps lead up to the top of the mound.

Aachen, Germany

Cologne, Germany

Last Saturday we went to Cologne, Germany for the day, but unfortunately we didn't get to stay the whole day due to the rain. We waited out the big down pour and we were going to stay once it let up, but we were damp and so was Emma, so we decided to head back so she wouldn't get sick. Cologne is not too far from us, so we are going to go back again when the weather is nicer and explore the city more. I really liked this city from what we were able to see, so I am really looking forward to coming back. The pictures that are posted are of the Cologne Cathedral (Kolner Dom) and a neat little fountain we saw. The pictures of the cathedral do not due it justice, this place was massive! I seriously could not take my eyes off of it when we were near it. It seems unreal when you are next it to. There is so much detail in the architecture...it really is a work of art! Construction of the cathedral began in 1248 and took, with interruptions, until 1880 to complete! It is one of the world's largest churches and is believed to have the remains of the Three Wise Men in shrine.

Play Time!

Here are some pictures of Emma and her little buddy C.J. playing on a playground. We had to watch C.J. for 4 days because both of his parents had to go TDY to Germany. It was totally different taking care of two kiddos than one. Emma and C.J. are only 14 months apart, so we had our hands full, but we managed fine. :)