Where in the World is Melody???

I've had a few e-mails from concerned friends... "Where are you Melody? What's up with your life? Things have been kinda silent on your blog. Is everything ok?" And I just chuckle...

Everything is more than "ok." Yes, my life continues to be full and blessed!! (Just see pics above!!) The problem is, it is sooooo full and blessed, I've not had time to write about it. To catch the highlights of where I have been or what I've been up to...you have to be a friend on FACEBOOK!

Here's an overview from the last 6 weeks - Facebook Style :-)

May 3rd - Melody wants to GROW FAITH like potatoes!!! ;-) [Note - if you haven't watched the documentary, it is great! Not the movie, the DOCUMENTARY in the special feature section of the movie.]

May 4th - with a heavy heart, is reminded this earth is NOT our home...we're just passing through!! [Friend's child drowned!]

May 8th - Melody has seen AGAIN this week....His Strength is Perfect!!!

May 10th - I just called and wished BOTH my MOTHER'S a Happy mothers Day!! I am sooo blessed!!! [Still have warm memories of their visit here in TX this spring!!]

May 12th - Melody had to call a CODE BLUE tonight!!! [It was too late...his heart recovered, but his brain never did! He transferred to ICU and family pulled life support a few days later...soooo sad! I can't ask myself "If only" - God is in control...]

May 13th - Melody is sooo proud of her sister SANDRA....graduating and about to join our ranks of "REGISTERED NURSES"!!! [Sandra completed Nursing and we all celebrated in Oklahoma for her Nurse's pinning ceremony!]

May 14th - Time to mark your calenders and plan to attend our first ARMe Bible Camp!!! It's a conference you don't want to miss! It's gonna be AWESOME!!!! http://www.armebiblecamp.com/ [This is one of the ministry projects I've been working on this spring with a team of dedicated leaders. Our speakers will be Pastor Ivor Myers, Pastor Doug Batchelor, Pastor Stephen Bohr, Evangelist Emmaneul Baek, and Taj Pacleb! We are thrilled and know it will be an awesome conference!!]

May 16th - Melody is learning new things about Medical Evangelism from Mr. Fiedler, and enjoying time with OA family! [Mr. Fiedler was one of my favorite teachers in highschool, and I still enjoy listening to him share! He's gained quite a reputation for his knowledge in SDA church history.]

May 17th - Melody is hanging out at Ouachita Hills Campus in AR, with Tim and Sunny!! It is soooooo green here!! [Went over with them to Alistair Huongs graduation!]

May 18th - Melody is thankful for His GRACE...and energized for a wonderful new week!!

May 20th - Melody is having fun training in my REPLACEMENT at work! She's gonna be great!! [They've had me doing specialized "plastic surgery patient" care, so now that I am leaving, they wanted me to train in a replacement!]

May 21st - Melody is praying about WHAT TO DO next?! It's exciting walking by faith, because you never know what Great things God has in store around the next corner, and I'm approaching another corner... ;-)

May 22nd - KOREA - here I come!!! (God has opened the doors for me to work with a mission team doing child/youth evangelism for a couple weeks this summer! I'm excited!)

May 26th - Melody is on a treadmill that keeps going FASTER!!!! Help.....stop this thing!!! ;-)

May 27th - Melody is seeing how long she can burn the candle at both ends and still LIVE! ;-) Worked til midnight, and haven't been to bed yet...leave for airport in a hour!! (You're RIGHT, I am nuts!!!)

May 30th - had a great evening with old Loma Linda friends, and thankful for Sabbath tomorrow!!! [Traveled to CA for Dave/Vanessa wedding weekend, and then to help Tim and Sunny drive to Ohio!]

May 31st - Melody is TIRED...but enjoying vacation with friends. Tomorrow is the BIG DAY for Dave and Vanessa!!!! Congratulations guys!!!!! [See slideshow and post below for more glimpse of this beautiful occasion!]

June 1st - is helping Tim and Sunny move to Ohio!!! I even get to help drive the big 26 foot truck....YEAH!!!!

June 2nd - 1:15 am - is having fun reading Tim and Deb's status updates...we are all on our computers (well 4 out of 6 of us) and we are all crashing after a long day!!! I drove the big 26 foot Penske all afternoon! Wooohoooo!!!! [Written from Flagstaff AZ]

June 1st - 8am - Grand Canyon HERE WE COME!!!! This is not my first time, but it's fun to be with everyone else when it is their FIRST!! ;-)

June 3rd - drove the big truck ALL the way from CA to OK (all but the first 4 hours - my daddy would be sooo proud of me!) Praising the Lord to get it here safely...and excited to be having Dad and Mom Holland join our travel crew for our last LONG day of driving to OH!!

June 5th - It's 1:18 AM....and we arrived safely to Sunny and Tim's new home in Ohio!! We've set up our air mattresses, and tomorrow will unload the truck! Praising the Lord for safe travels!!!! ;-) (PS: I am going to miss driving that BIG truck...it was a blast!!!)

June 5th - 6pm - Truck unloaded, food for Sabbath ready, rooms in house are in progress...still can't decide where to put mirror! (It's a looong story!!) We are all pooped!! Praise the Lord for a day of rest!!!

June 7th - Got to take a quick trip to Illinois and visit Carolyn and 3ABN!! Enjoyed touring the sets and seeing more behind the scenes!

June 8th - Melody has enjoyed the time with Tim/Sunny and family and is heading back to TX to finish her contract!! Then on to NEW ADVENTURES...

June 9th - Melody missed both flights out of Ohio today...first one was over-booked, second one had mechanical problems!!! (So....sigh....I got a free round trip ticket and get to hang out with family for 1 more day...minus all my luggage!!) [During this extra day, we toured the National Airforce Museum in Dayton. Even toured all the planes that the President - as recent as Clinton (yeah!) have ridden in!]

June 11th - I did NOT make it to my destination airport but am very glad to be ALIVE!! Wildest flight of my life! (Now I've got to figure out how to get to Killeen as I'm not ready to fly again right now!!) [This flight, obviously also had problems, due to weather! It's a long story I will write out soon, hopefully! Or maybe you can read about it in the next SetApartGirl online magazine!]

June 12th - The storms are still raging, but I am back in TX safe.....FINALLY!!! And I'm thankful for human guardian angels! [God sent someone to give me a ride from Abilene (where we had our emergency landing) all the way to Killeen! What a huge blessing!]

June 13th - Melody is listentening to: "My redeemer is faithful and true....everything He has said He will do, and every morning His mercies are new, my redeemer is faithful and true..." (I LOVE IT!!!!!)

June 15th - Melody can't go to sleep because she's reading the new SETAPARTGIRL online magazine!!! Wow...it's amazing how all our articles fit so perfectly together!!! I am sooo inspired!! http://www.setapartgirl.com/

June 17th - Melody is LOVING the life God has given her!!!!!

June 18th - Melody just finished a 60 hour work-week (5 twelve hour shifts in a row!! Wow! I am dead tired!!!)

June 19th - Melody is taking some extra time SET-APART (from FB) for her greatest LOVE, Jesus Christ!! "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the [woman] that trusteth in Him. O fear the Lord ye his saints, for there is no want to them that fear Him!" Ps 34:8-9

Yep, just acknowledging what has been obvious to everyone else...I've been on the treadmill too long, and need a break from it all. Don't get me wrong...I love FB, and I'll be back, but it can take up precious time, and since time is very limited right now as I am working soooo hard to finish up this contract and get ready for my next adventures, I decided I'd take a step back from it for a bit! Thus...my final and most recent status update...Besides, now that I'm off Facebook for a bit...I can actually take time to update my blog!! Yeah!

So...you see, it's been a full 6 weeks!!! ;-) All I can say is, through it all...God is good! All the time, God is good!!!

And they lived...Happily Ever After!!

*Thanks Wanda, for the Great photos!!

To see the professional slideshow - click here Rowena Curtis Photography

In tribute to Dave and Vanessa...

Being a true romantic at heart, it's always exciting when another one of my girlfriends get's engaged and starts planning her wedding! I'm all ears, for all the excitement and all the details!!

Last summer it was my sister Sunny's big day...this summer it was Vanessa's!!

From the very beginning I've enjoyed watching Vanessa and Dave's love blossom (it all started in the California poppy fields). And when Dave finally asked Vanessa to be his wife...well, you can just imagine the excitement for us all!! Then there were the trips to "David's Bridal" (how ironic is that), and trips to more wedding stores. What a fun time of life!!

Well, this past May 31st, they finally tied the knot...in the most beautiful and sacred way I think I have ever seen! I knew Vanessa was working like crazy trying to iron out all the details...but since I've been away in Texas this spring, I had no idea...just how many details. Once the big weekend came, it was evident...there was much thought, prayer, and planning in this wedding.

Of course, the setting was scenic, as you can see by the pictures. But more than a beautiful scene, and a lovely bride and groom, was the emphasis they put on God and His glory and honor. It was a beautiful tribute to a marvelous Creator...the author of true romance! I was inspired and impressed...and very blessed.

So Vanessa, you did good...on your man, on your day, and most importantly...on making a memory that ultimately glorified God!! May the rest of your love story be as beautiful as the beginning...and grow more beautiful through the years!!

And don't ever forget...your girlfriends will always love you!!

Our prayers...God's answer...

Isn't it interesting?? Much that perplexes us in our Christian experience is but the answer to our prayers... I can only smile thinking about it all...and the times when I've asked "Why" and God has softly replied, "But Mel, that's what you prayed for! I am only answering your prayers!"

Soak in the depth of one author's insights below. It is profound!

• We pray for patience, and our Father sends those who tax us to the utmost; for "tribulation worketh patience."
• We pray for submission, and God sends sufferings; for "we learn obediently by the things we suffer."
• We pray for unselfishness, and God gives us opportunities to sacrifice ourselves by thinking on the things of others, and by laying down our lives for the brethren.
• We pray for strength and humility, and some messenger of Satan torments us until we lie in the dust crying for its removal.
• We pray, "Lord increase our faith," and money takes wings; or the children are alarmingly ill; or a servant comes who is careless, extravagant, untidy or slow, or some hitherto unknown trial calls for an increase of faith along a line where we have not needed to exercise much faith before.
• We pray for the Lamb-like life, and are given a portion of lowly service, or we are injured and must seek no redress; for "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter...and opened not his mouth."
• We pray for gentleness, and there comes a perfect storm of temptation to harshness and irritability.
• We pray for quietness, and every nerve is strung to the utmost tension, so that looking to Him we may learn that when He giveth quietness, no one can make trouble.
• We pray for love, and God sends peculiar suffering and puts us with apparently unlovely people, and lets them say things which rasp the nerves and lacerate the heart; for love suffereth long and is kind, love is not impolite, love is not provoked. Love beareth all things, believeth, hopeth and endureth. Love never faileth.
• We pray for likeness to Jesus, and the answer is, "I have chosen thee in the furnance of affliction." "Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong."
  

The way to peace and victory is to accept every circumstance, every trial, straight from the hand of a loving Father; and to live up in the heavenly places, above the clouds, in the very presence of the throne, and to look down from the glory upon our environment as lovingly and divinely appointed.

-Author Unknown-