Easter Blessings

        Easter has recently become one of my favorite holidays. (I know I say that about every holiday, but this year Easter has been especially meaningful for me.) Yesterday we celebrated the Easter EGGstravaganza at the church with almost 100 kids! A very fun day of pancakes, egg hunting, crafts, bounce house, games, and a puppet show. This year I had the opportunity to host the puppet show and it was great. Working with our puppets is always fun, especially when they start ad-libing. I definitely had to keep from laughing a few times! The main message was based off m&ms.... Miracle of Mercy, Worthy of Worship, Eternal Life for Everyone, and 3 days in the tomb (or God is 3 in one). If you keep turning a package of m&ms they'll become w's, e's, and 3's. The kids were a little mesmerized by that idea, but I think the parents thought it was clever. It was such a joy to watch the children's faces as they enjoyed the puppet show and hopefully learned something about Jesus!

        Easter is a holiday that I haven't been home for in over 5 years. It was always right after spring break so it didn't make sense to travel back to California for such a short weekend. I have spent this holiday in many ways, with various family members and friends, but one thing that has been consistent is my opportunity to worship at First Free Methodist Church on this special morning. I have been reflecting lately on how blessed I am to be surrounded by a community that loves and cares for me as one of their own. Whether it is through a hug or a kind word, I know that there are many people who care for me (and whom I care for as well). I may not have friends who are my age or who are in a similar life situation, but the beauty of community is that it can be made out of any group of people who are intentional about loving each other and living life together. Better yet, living life together with the common purpose of loving Jesus and following him daily.

Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Cuddles and Easter time

Monday nap times are the best because the kiddos are all worn out from the weekend and from not taking naps for their parents at home. We're required to provide a two hour rest period, but there is usually at least one or two children who don't ever fall asleep. My co-teachers and I try and use nap time to prepare lessons, clean toys, and get things done around the classroom. But today was a little different. All the kiddos were sleeping so we definitely could have gotten things done, but I felt like we were in a good place for the week. As I sat and watched the children sleep I felt like a proud parent filled with love. Some of the kids were rolling around a lot like they were having trouble, a few were coughing, and one little boy kept making frustrated faces like he was having a crazy dream. It was all that I could do to not pick them up and just hold them while they slept! One little girl did wake up and came crawling into my lap for a few cuddles and ended up going back to sleep. Probably one of my favorite moments of today. Post-nap cuddles are the best.

I really do love my kids at work like they were my own. After all, I spend 30 or more hours a week with them! Today we had chapel and afterwards one my boys kept telling me, "Jesus rode on a donkey. Jesus rode on a donkey because it is Easter time and Jesus is here!" It was so sweet. We did a stained glass window (tissue paper) art project and I decorated the classroom windows with flowers and eggs. Tomorrow we're doing a sensory table with Easter grass, eggs, bugs, animals, and whatever else we can find to throw in there. Easter has definitely arrived in the Orange Giraffe class! 

He is Risen!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope we are all able to celebrate with family and friends and good food and take time out of our busy lives to remember what this day actually means for each of us. This morning at church the pastor spoke about how we are to live as Easter Christians in a Good Friday world. So many people continue to look for the risen Christ, or something to put their hope in, but we have found him! We know how the story ends. When Jesus' followers watched him crucified on Friday they didn't know exactly how the whole story would play out. We have it written for us. We can read the play by play in the Bible; we know that every year certain songs will be sung at church; we know what it means that Jesus has risen; we know that Easter lilies will be purchased; we know that certain people will be coming for lunch or dinner. As Christians, we know that Good Friday is just a stopping point on the way to hope and victory- not the end of the story! We are called to live as Easter Sunday Christians; as Christians who have hope and victory not just once a year, but every day all year long.

This year I was blessed to spend Easter with my Seattle church family and my SPU family. It started yesterday with the EGGstravaganza- an event for the kids that consisted of games, bounce houses, a puppet show, crafts, and an Easter egg hunt (out in the SUN!) I was heading up crafts so I got to see every age group come through and it was so fun helping them with different things. I don't know how many kids were actually there (probably close to 100) and we had exactly 2,000 eggs to be hidden and found! (I would know because I counted them....twice!) Then this morning I was able to serve in the nursery for the first service and spend some time with the littlest members of the church, all decked out for Easter :) Church was after that and it was such a blessing. We sang "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" and they used the organ setting on the keyboard (second service isn't in the sanctuary and they use a praise band instead of the real organ), and anytime I hear music from the organ I tear up thinking of my grandma and grandpa. Last week I was in the traditional first service and I couldn't help from crying when we were singing about the angels and saints coming together to worship God. I miss my grandparents more than I thought I would. They always lived across the country so we didn't see them all the time, but now that they're gone I miss them a lot. Two Easters ago I didn't want to call because it was always difficult to talk to them, but my parents made me. This is how our conversation went:

Me: Hi Grandma and Grandpa! It's Emily.
Grandma: Who??
Grandpa: Elsa its Emily! Your granddaughter!
Grandma: Ohh Hi Emily!
Me: Happy Easter Grandma!
Grandma: Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
Me: No, Happy EASTER, Grandma!
Grandma: Thanksgiving? No its not Thanksgiving. Ben, what day is today?
Grandpa: Elsa, its EASTER!
Grandma: (laughing) Ohh that's right, its Easter! Hello? Who are we talking to?

At the time (and even now) this just makes me laugh, because I know she wasn't doing this on purpose. Bless her heart she was doing the best should could. It gives me such peace knowing they are both in a better place. Together and out of all pain, but I still miss them. Something about being in church always makes me feel closer to them again.

After church I went to a friend's for brunch and she made the most delicious French toast bread pudding casserole type thing! I am still in a bit of a sugar coma from it...haha. It was so nice to be able to go to someone's home (as temporary a home as it may be) and spend time with good friends and roommates and celebrate the resurrection together. I hope you had as blessed an Easter as I have.

Savior, worthy of honor and glory, worthy of all our praise.

You overcame.

Jesus, awesome in power forever, awesome and great is your name.

You overcame.

We will overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.

Everyone overcome.