2 new things...

It's spring in Buffalo. And this makes me indescribably happy. The trees have exploded with blossoms and leaves, and the ground has pushed out countless varieties of flowers and plants with brilliant pallets of colors and smells.

I'm going to England in the fall. grins To study Rural Development at the University of East Anglia. For a year. Meic Pearse (one of my Houghton profs) has already started looking into churches he can hook me up with there. hehehehe I can't believe this!!! I've been awarded a scholarship for international students, and the school is now considering me for a full tuition scholarship. Please please pray with me...

Did you know...?

...that estrogen comes from the Latin word oestrus, which means "frenzy" in English?

hahahahahahaha

florida

with mom and laura

lunch in st. augustine's at o.c. white's


old spanish church at st. augustine


beach babies at amelia island


cocktail night with laura and her friend brooke to raise money for the vet clinic they work in




looking at a huge dead fish ;)


me and mom, our last morning in florida

Sakura and LASP friends in DC

We also happened to bump into the Kite Festival...

Kyla surprised me. :) Yuri (taking the photo), exclaimed over and over "Come on, Patti!!" so excitedly that I began to be suspicious of who was actually standing behind me... grins

Stacy, Patti, Kyle, and me (and Yuri taking the photo). It was the first time I'd seen Stacy and Kyla in 4 years!!

Admiring Abe (me and Tegan).

Last weekend, my parents' farm, this weekend... :)

Isaiah 26:3-4, 12

You will keep in perfect peace her whose mind is steadfast, because she trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.

LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

a new gang in Buffalo...

So apparently, a new gang is moving into Buffalo, the West Side. MS-13, which stands for Mara Salvatruchas (13 was a number chosen to pay homage to the Mexican Mafia), originated in LA (from my understanding of them, while studying in Central America, they're serious). El Salvadorian immigrants striking back after being terrorized by other gangs of LA. But a new gang moving in means turf wars with the gangs already present, and in this case, mostly with the Bloods, who inhabit most of the northern West Side (2 of the guys that I work closely with in our store our bloods, one inactive, the other active). I (and my housemates) live somewhere in the middle. One of the guys that I work with at the store told Kim, our manager, that things were going to explode and to be careful in the streets. Yesterday, 2 teens were stabbed mid-afternoon a few blocks from the store I work at (with inner-city youth), on the corner where the post office is that I send all my mail through. Gang-related, probably drug-related (though not necessarily having to do with MS-13). It hits close to home though (it's a good thing my parents don't read my blog!!). Yesterday as well, a warning went out from the Buffalo Police for all motorists to be careful of an MS-13 initiation right having to do with bumping into and mugging people in their cars. Susannah and I took a looong walk yesterday evening (and I again this morning), completely unaware of all that had been taking place. Praise God that his hand of protection was over us.

Pray for Buffalo... Satan wouldn't be working so hard if good things weren't happening here. And good things ARE happening!