This week was really great. Just lots of work, and went camping this weekend.
Cody challenged me this weekend to find out that James 3:12 means it says "can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water" Growing up I never really learned how to study the Bible, and how to really find out what stuff like this means. I was pretty much just taught to take it as it is, and to take it as faith. Cody showed me how to find out the meaning of it, and he told me to have an answer for him by Sunday (this was Thursday that he told me this) so that night I left for camping, and studied like crazy. He told me how to figure the answer out, but it still took me a long time to figure it out. Something I found out is that I dont know the Bible as well as I should.
I learned that this verse is talking about how you cant be both a follower of christ and be putting people down. The passage talks about taming the tongue. But it also says earlier in verse 8 it says that no man can tame the tongue. So the question then is how can any of us be followers of christ? In chapter 4 of James its talking about how if you yearn for it God will have Grace on you and you can be a follower of Christ.

Today was a really good day at the shelter. Yesterday a 19 year old girl came in with two guys who were in their 40s or 50s. Karen didnt have a good feeling about them all being together so she put the girl up in the Hostel for two nights, last night and tonight. Today I got to talk to her for a couple of hours. She told me her story. She's addicted to alcohol, and these guys know her dad. One of them took advantage of her a few years back, and she forgave him. Now they're traveling together. Her mom is an alcoholic too, but they were able to rely on each other and overcome it. But whenever they fell they fell hard. She really wants to go back home. She told us when she talked to her mom she sounded a lot better but what she really needed was her. She said that she wasnt sure what her mom would say if she went home. I told her that she should ask. She told us that she would and let us know what her mom says. If her mom says that she does want her to come home, we're going to work on getting her a bus ticket home. She's such a sweet girl. She said she likes to sing and play guitar. So I think her and I will get along great. I just hope she does decide to go home and so her and her mom can get sober together. She's definitely trying to overcome her addiction, she did slip up last night though. From what she told me it sounds like she is a christian, just has something she struggles with daily.
I'm really excited to get to know more about her. She seems really uncomfortable there with people older than her and it being mostly guys. So I'm glad I'm there right now so I can help her feel more comfortable and so she can sit and talk with me too when I dont have anything else to do.
Please be praying for her. Her name is Lizz and she really needs it.

I'm really excited about the rest of this week and next week. Next week I'll be going to Leadville to help with a Vacation Bible School. I'm excited to work with kids again. This is my last week at the shelter, and even tho I'm excited to start working with Lee I'm sad that I'm leaving. Had to say bye to two people today there that were going out of town for a while, and i hated it. They were a super great couple.

Anyways, everything has been really great. Please continue praying for Mike. His cancer has spread, and it's so sad to see all he has to go through. He told me today he has to take 58 pills a day now. He had probably 6 or 7 different bags with pills on them with it saying when it take them and how many on the bags. I hate seeing Mike go through this.

Love and miss you all.

In Christ,
Hannah