Oregon and California in pictures!

I was so blessed to be able to take a week and spend it with the Lord! I realize that most people don't have the opportunity to just drive off into the distance and spend a solid week with the Lord alone. Of course, I came into contact with people and also spent a day with some new friends in Oregon, but for the most part it was just me and my Savior. Such a sweet time! And very timely too!

I have really been struggling with coming to peace with my large class size for this next year. Frankly, I'm worried. And what makes it worse is that I know that my worries have no firm ground to stand upon.

I worry that I won't be able to teach them everything they need to know in order to go onto third grade next year.

I worry that my classroom will be only barely controlled chaos.

I worry that the parents will be upset with me for not giving their child enough attention.

But most of all, I worry that I will be so busy that I will miss those precious moments where hearts are most tender and sensitive to the gospel. I'm afraid that I will miss opportunity to share the gospel with my students! I'm so afraid that I will not be able to learn and understand each of my little darlings and that they will be shorted this year because I'm too busy. I don't want that to happen.

And so God was gracious to give me this week to spend with Him alone. I read and meditated on a lot of scripture throughout the week, but II Corinthians 9:6-15 was the passage that stood out and grabbed my heart this time. It reads as follows...  (ESV)

"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart,not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!" 

You see, this passage is not just talking about monetary gifts to the church. It's talking about acts of service. Some points that were driven home to my heart during this week:

--- What have I, Nettie, decided to give this year? I must know what I am giving and then give it cheerfully! Without whining or complaining. Without fear and without doubt. If I have decided to give my teaching, give my love, and give the gospel at every opportunity then I must be ready to do so and cheerfully! Why? Well...

---Because if I sow my lessons and my love and sow the gospel seeds fearfully and minimally then I can expect a small harvest. But if I sow these things bountifully and with expectations for good things, then I can expect a good harvest!

---But this good harvest is not of my own efforts and strength. Verse 8 reminds me that it is GOD who give grace. He give that wonderful grace that is so rich and so free so that I may abound in every good work, but more importantly so that glory and honor and praise may be brought to His name. HE will give the grace. HE will make sure that it is sufficient for every good work.

---Verse 11 was especially poignant. God has promised to enrich me in every way so that I can be generous in every way. I cannot fail in this mission that God has given me for this year because it is HE who is supplying the grace and strength for it. My success will be in no way because of my own abilities. It will be because of His enriching and supplying me for the good. And this ties into the end of verse 11 through verse 13. It is all for His praise and glory. My goal and wish is for others to see the good work being done and be filled with thanksgiving and praise for the God who has enabled me.

---Finally, I realized that when people see a good work being done for God's glory, they are moved to pray for those involved in the work. Verse 14 can be translated "and in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you." I'm not in this alone. God has given and will continue to give grace for the task at hand. Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, is always interceding for me to the Father. And my brothers and sisters in Christ also pray for me. In the end all of these prayers will be answered and great thanksgiving and praise and honor and glory will be given to God who has answered them. What a humbling privilege to be given a task that will bring glory to God. This is not a source of pride, but of wonder at how such a great and holy God can use such a lowly worm as I to bring glory to His great name. 

What jobs has God given to you? 

How can you see God's grace in your life, enabling you to do those tasks?

Can you see praise and thanksgiving flow to the Father through you?

And so that is the fruit of my week with the Lord. What a blessing it was to me! But I did not spend all my time reading and meditating. A good deal of time I spent driving and wondering at God's greatness and creativity in creation. Enjoy the following pictures of the drive!

Looking over the Columbia River from the Washington side to the Oregon side.

The very long bridge that I crossed to get from Washington to Astoria, Oregon. You actually can't see the whole bridge from this picture.

The next few are all taken in Oregon...

How vast is the ocean... and how might is our God who holds all the waters of the world in his hand like a few droplets.

Raspberries and blackberries seem to grow just about everywhere in the northwest.

A pretty little river... I can't remember the name of it. It was so green!!!

The next several are of the Redwoods and of the northern California coast.

Oh ya know... we could fit a couple full size vans into this tree trunk side by side.

This little one is as wide as my car.

They grow so tall! But their root system typically only reaches 8-10 feet around. 

The root systems of trees intertwine, giving the strength and stability that these tall trees need. Strong winds might rock one tree, but when all the trees are "holding hands" with their roots, they are able to withstand the wind.

As this little kid runs past he tells me, "You've GOT to climb up and see!" This is the roots of one tree.

Same tree (you can see the roots at the other end). This is about the middle of the tree. They had to cut it to let the path through.

Same tree but on the other side of the path. That's one tall tree!

This is called a nurse log. The nutrient rich environment is perfect for plants that are trying to grow. In the below pictures I will try to show you just how wide this tree is.

Okay, note the 'L' that is just about level with my head.

Can you find it on the tree? (It's about half-way up)

A better idea for you perhaps...

When I stood next to this one I was about as tall as the little hollow at the bottom.

Another nurse log.

This just looks like a really cool place for a secret fort or a treehouse, don't you think?

Such rich color!

Apparently northern California is typically foggy at the coast.

It didn't get un-foggy the two days I was there.

Still kinda pretty though.

First the CRASH of the strong waves....

...then the softer sizzle of the salty foam running up the shore.

The waves coming in would move the sand, of course. The sand at this beach was almost black, so the water coming in looked really dirty. Kind of like dirty dishwater running up the shore.

Oh yeah! Did I tell you I saw Paul Bunyan and Babe? Yup, they were there. This is a tourist spot call the "Trees of Mystery". You can get on a ski lift and see the Redwoods from up above. I skipped it this time. I don't like doing these sorts of things without someone to go with me. :) 

More fog! Time to head north to find sunshine in Oregon!

Back in Oregon!

These foamy lines stayed in one spot, even when the waves came crashing through them. Any ideas on why they just stay there?

These sand dunes remind me of Sarah, Plain and Tall. :)

Pictures don't do justice, but the color change of this little river flowing out to the ocean was just beautiful! There were different shades of green, blue, and gray washing together to form a beautiful picture for the eye! I'm sorry I couldn't capture it for you! :(

I love the patterns the wind makes on sand! And that the water makes on sand!

These little forts and teepees are a common sight on beaches. I need someone to come visit me so that we can go to the beach and have a beach bonfire!

Can you see the little guy walking down at the base of the rock?

One of my favorite shots from the trip...

And another favorite.

Pictures really can't do justice to how big these waves are, nor how loud their crashes are.

I discovered that the salty ocean water affects sand differently than freshwater does. Freshwater will get the sand wet and leave patterns and then dry out and it becomes like it was before except with a new pattern. Salt water washes up, gets the sand wet and leaves new patterns, and then when the sand dries it is crunchy! It kind of feels like you are walking on snow that has become a little bit icy and crispy on the top.

I know the picture is crooked, but you can almost see the curve of the earth on the horizon here.

Can you see the salty white deposits on the rocks?

It almost looks as if someone has tossed a fluffy green blanket over this hill.

These flowers remind me of my childhood. They were all over the place in the "pit" behind our house. We used to pick them and pretend that they were cauliflower as we played house.

Another favorite.

I marvel at the power of the rushing water to carve out holes in these enormous rocks... and then I cannot help but stop and marvel at the Power who spoke both water and rock into existence. 

Hmmmm... did this one already appear? Ah well, it just shows how much I like this one! ;-)

The sun is quickly burning off the fog.

I've never been a big seafood person, but I decided that it would be good to try some here. I stopped at a little place on the water that buys it's seafood fresh from the fisherman that day. I had salmon... and I didn't even use the garlic sauce the provided. I think I could like seafood as long as it is fresh, fresh, fresh! And as long as it is cooked well.

I got to catch many sunsets this week. Most of them were golden sunsets, as I've come to expect here in the northwest. Beautiful in their own way, but somehow in my book they don't compare to the colorful splendor of my Indiana and Michigan sunsets. 

The jetty in Bandon, OR.

What a neat little fort!

A fisherman caught a crab on his line and was kind enough to let a couple of us have a little photo op before he let him go.

I finally got to witness a crab's funny little walk!

Another beautiful sunset, this one actually with more color than I've seen before, here in the northwest!

I stopped at the sea lion caves but only saw three sea lions. This one on the rocks...

none here...

and none in their cave.

none out here either!

Apparently, when they're not in their cave they are usually on the rocks outside. They must all be on vacation. :(

I did see a pretty lighthouse though! After I snapped the picture I turned around to read the little sign talking about the lighthouse. I discovered in my reading that this is one of the most photographed lighthouses!

Ah-ha! I found two more sea lions playing  in the water! The Sea Lion Caves people gave rain checks out to everyone that day. Anyone want to come visit in the next year? I'll take you to the Sea Lion Caves with me! :)

The Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, OR
This little hotel is right on the water. It has 39 different rooms (I think!), each one being styled after a different author. It's my kind of hotel! :) I'll definitely be going back to visit.

I got the Dr. Seuss room. It was a lot of fun!

Horton was in the shower with the speck. :) 

I've always wanted to see one of these in person. Let me tell you what, it was embarrassingly entertaining to flush the toilet!

View from my window...

And again.

Ned's feet actually did stick out of bed! HAHA!

On the third floor there was a little reading room with extremely comfy couches and chairs. The windows open to the ocean.

It was so peaceful to sit here reading in a comfy chair listening to the waves crash.

Another little reading nook that peeks out onto the reading room.

A little falls... Munson Falls I think it was called.

The little creek that flows from the falls.

I kept seeing these signs EVERYWHERE as I drove. Usually as I approached a little tiny town, but not always. There might be a slight slow down, but certainly nothing that I would call congestion! Haha ;-)

In Tillamook a cloud comes floating in off the water. It hangs low and, oh! is it chilly!

Well, that's it folks! I hope you enjoyed coming along with me to see a few of the sights. If you come and visit, I'll probably be dragging you down the coast. It has quickly become one of my favorite drives!

Check back soon for pictures of my new classroom!