Christmas Cookies!

We take a break from our regularly scheduled programing (i.e. heart wrenching stories of crazy experiences in Oklahoma City) to bring you... my new favorite cookie recipe! These are amazing! Just the right amount of chocolate, soft, quick, and easy! So far, the only complaint is that I didn't make them big enough! While mixing them up, I should have let the dough cool a bit more from the melted butter before adding the chocolate chips, (I used white instead of milk chocolate) as they started melting as I folded them into the dough. A few of the cookies have white chocolate swirls instead of white chocolate chips! The recipe recommends baking for 12-15 minutes, but I found the perfect baking time to be 10-11 minutes, as I prefer a softer cookie. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 12 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

Beat melted butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Cool slightly and beat in egg and egg yolk. Beat in vanilla.

Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. Slowly beat into the butter and sugar mixture until well blended. Fold in chocolate chips.

Chill the dough for at least 1 hour, or until firm.

Heat oven to 350°.

Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop mounds of dough onto a silicone-lined or greased baking sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 to 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until set.

Cool on baking sheet on a rack, then remove cookies to rack to cool completely. Makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Oklahoma Part 2: State Fair!

Most who know me, know I love the Fair! So I was naturally excited when, the first week back in Oklahoma City, we went to the Oklahoma State fair. Ok, so we were volunteering at the CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) booth, to tell the wordless book, but we had time to look around and have fun too! Praise the Lord for the work he did in the hearts of those who listened, and in mine! I've never been very bold in sharing my faith, and God has a way of pushing us out of our comfort zones! I had stationed my self out side the tent where my job was to get people's attention as they walked by and invite them to hear the story of the wordless book. (my comfort zone) As I was standing there, a man stopped and looked at the walking sticks with the wordless book colors on them, that we give to people after they have heard the story, and asked how he could get one. (This man was obviously drunk... still thinking straight, but drunk all the same) I told him all he had to do was listen to the story and we would give him a stick. So he positioned himself smack dab in front of me and said he was waiting for me to tell him the story so he could get his stick... long story short, he practically told me the wordless book, then proudly walked off with his stick after giving me a smelly hug! (The Lord gives grace!) I'm glad he knew the story, but pray he takes it to heart! My favorite moment of the night came an hour or two later. Camille and I were standing out side the tent inviting people in, when Camille challenged me to tell the story with the next people that came by. (out of my comfort zone!) I finally agreed, and a few minutes later, two young men (about 17 or 18 years old) came in. (Way out of my comfort zone!) I gulped a prayer, sat down across from them and started. By the time I got to the dark page, they both seriously realized their need for God, one started tearing up. By the grace of God, both young men received Christ! Please pray for Kenny and Delven, that they would connect into a church and truly serve the one who gives perfect peace!

Oklahoma Part 1: Perfect Peace

In The Gap (ITG) Training -- I don't think I remember a week flying by so quickly! It was spent in the lodge at Eagle Springs, a beautiful place west of Tulsa in the country -- really, the country! I would sit on the porch for morning devotions and listen to the cows mooing in the field across the road, then go for a walk at night and watch glow bugs and listen to the coyotes howl at the moon! Yes, I loved it! But don't worry, I paid attention to the training sessions too! Everything from school relations, lesson planning and research, object lessons, song leading, student praise and correction, and many others.

The class that stands out was story telling. Our assignment was to tell a story without using words, only gestures, sounds, and body movement. Everyone else had to guess what the story was. There was lots of laughter, and yes, we got them on tape! In the midst of training, having fun with the other interns and home work, we always started the day with an extended amount of time alone with the Lord. I appreciated that time to recharge spiritually and put my focus where it needed to be. During one of those morning meditations I was reading Isa. 26:3 'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." I asked, "Lord, what is perfect peace?" He gave me a picture. A still lake, crystal clear, no wind, not a ripple on its surface. But a storm brewed in the distance. As the menacing clouds rolled in, the trees on the shore of the lake began to bend and sway in the wind, leaves skipped across the shoreline, pushed by the wind, littering the beautiful scene, but the lake stayed as still as ever. It was still crystal clear, the water never trembled, or marred the image it reflected. It never took notice of the tumult around it because it was stayed on one thing, and that one thing never moves. "That," Said the Lord, "Is perfect peace!"

Home Again

Out for lunch with a friend, a denim skirt before 5 o'clock, a right side out hoodie, music playing in the background, and a peppermint hot chocolate from Panera. Life is good. I'm home! So much has happened since I left for Oklahoma City! There are so many stories I want to share with you all. God revealed Himself in amazing ways, children's lives changed, my life changed. Stories of God's grace and goodness, His sustaining power, and the peace only He can give in the midst of a storm. But some of you might not know why I disappeared out west in the first place. I took part in a 10 week 'short term mission trip' with a ministry called 'In The Gap.' We spent the first week in Eagle Springs. Training, getting to know each other, playing ultimate Frisbee, practicing teaching skills, and reviewing the wordless book, then it was back to the city to put what we had learned into practice. We worked with CEF, witnessing at their booth during the Oklahoma state fair, taught character classes to over 2,800 children in the Oklahoma City public elementary schools, conducted 3 after school Bible clubs a week, and taught Bible time at a tutoring program in the city. It was crazy, stressful, challenging, heart breaking and amazing, often, all at the same time. Check back often. I'll be posting stories of what God did in Oklahoma City!

Farewell, for a time

A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps

Proverbs 16:9

I've been devising a way, but the Lord is directing my steps to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. For the next 10 weeks I have the opportunity to take part in a 'short term missions program', called In The Gap (Some of you may know it as Character First) Where I will be teaching character classes in public schools, and Bible clubs after school hours. It is an intense schedule with little free time and lots of learning. Please hold me up in prayer as we take the character of Christ into the schools and bless the children there with the knowledge of Christ.

I don't think I will be able to update my blog while I'm gone, but I will have email access. I'll try to send word that I am still alive every once in a while :)

God's blessings on you, my readers,

~Mary~

Zucchini Crecent Pie

I don't even like zucchini... well, usually. We didn't plant any zucchini this year, however a neighbor and a couple friends had bumper crops, leaving Mom and I to stare at the huge pile of zucchinis on our kitchen counter wondering what to do with them all. Mom is on a gluten free diet, so zucchini bread (however yummy it may be) was out of the question. Then I found this recipe from taste of home. I wasn't looking forward to trying it, because, as I've already stated, I'm not a huge fan of zucchini, but it tasted wonderful! We used a gluten free pie crust recipe instead of the crescent roll dough, and used bacon instead of ham. The tomatoes on top added the perfect mix of flavors! If you are tired of zucchini bread, try Zucchini Crescent Pie! (and no, I didn't take the picture, its from Taste of Home!)

Ingredients

• 1 package (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise and quartered
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup cubed fully cooked ham
• 1 medium Roma tomato, thinly sliced

Directions

• Separate crescent dough into eight triangles; place in a greased 9-in. pie plate with points toward the center. Press onto the bottom and up the sides to form a crust; seal seams and perforations. Bake at 375° for 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute zucchini and onion in butter until tender; stir in seasonings. Spoon into crust. Combine the eggs, cheese and ham; pour over zucchini mixture. Top with tomato slices.
• Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Yield: 6 servings.

The Regional

An update at last! As some of you know, mom and I took the past few weeks to get away and relax! Well, as relaxing as helping the the ATI regional can be ;) Visiting old friends and old memories at ITC is always an enjoyable experience! The weekend before the conference started, Sara and Aleita planned an amazing vintage picnic complete with classy decorations, soda in glass bottles, pinwheels, burgers and hot dogs on the grill, home made popsicles, and lots of yummy pie! 15 different pies, I think, was the final count for the pie baking contest. I believe all of us girls had more fun baking, than eating them all! My contribution ~ Lemon Meringue! Before dinner we had a blast laughing away pre-conference stress with a scavenger hunt, bubble blowing contest, 3 and 4 legged races, water balloon toss, and water balloon volleyball! The picnic was a huge success; a great way to get to know new staff, and have fun with old friends!

Abby and Savannah

Three legged races

Four legged races

Water balloon volley ball!

Then came the conference. (cue the scary background music...) O.K. so it wasn't that bad, even though a crazy buckeye put me in charge of conference line running ;) Grant it, there were a few memories I would prefer not to re-live, but then there are memories such as: sitting at the birthday table for Jessica's birthday, pre-conference house keeping with Ruthie, praying with all the line running girls before a stressful meal and seeing God work things out perfectly, making and delivering coffee for special people (though I think Becky and I determined that we needed to perfect our coffee making skills), jump starting the "Encouragement Office," helping to make a card for the kitchen crew and dishpit, (excuse me, I mean "Dish Palace"), playing volley ball and ultimate Frisbee with staff after chores, walking the canal, smoothies and Jone Soda's at the Chocolate Cafe, sitting in the circle talking with Sara... The list could go on.

Most of all, I thank the Lord for the amazing friends He has blessed me with!

Nary a day went by that I went to bed without being challenged in my walk with the Lord or encouraged to seek Him in a matter.

Thank you all for letting your lights shine so brightly!

Thanks to Chad Paine and Skyler Nelson for the pictures!