The Pinterest Craze

So is anyone else as obsessed with Pinterest as I am? Every time I log-in, I cannot stop clicking.  I always find something I like…but mostly I find A LOT that I like.  It is so addicting.  I have just started making my own pinboards..  I like having all the “stuff” that I like in one place, all nice and organized. 

A friend of mine {thanks Mary!} told me about Pinterest a while ago, but I kind of forgot about it.  Now, I cannot dream of such a thing!  I am just loving it.  I have found a lot of inspiration for my own classroom, but there is so much more to it…home decorating, photography, fashion, travel, and anything else fun.

There are a lot of great pinboards that have really neat classroom stuff…

Check out what Lisa Bobisa has pinned...

Or even Noel's..

These are just 2 of over 2600 boards that have  classroom ideas!

If you want to join me on my pinning ventures, just search for me on Pinterest…hannahls87.

If for some reason you are not in on the Pinterest craze, get ready to join us!

A Noteworthy Blog

I would love to introduce you to one of the sweetest, most heartfelt blogs around.  It is a blog about a young woman pursuing the heart of the Lord, serving His children {specifically the lost and the neglected},& allowing her heart to be molded and changed by what she sees. 

My roommate Amanda has been serving in South East Asia for several years {during the summer}.  This summer she had the opportunity to venture to Cambodia. The things that she experienced there have changed her {and those who read her blog}.  While reading her blog, I found myself crying; my own heart breaking for the people in Cambodia.  Amanda is very honest and raw in what she shares on her blog.  It is something I really appreciate and value.

Click the picture to check out Amanda’s blog & tune-in to what the Lord is up to in SE Asia…

"Will you be the one to take His light into a darkened world? Tell me, will you be the one?

Will you be the one? . . . I will be the one."

Love this blog!

I love finding inspirational 3^rd grade blogs!  One blog that I regularly stalk is One Extra Degree.  The blog {and all the creative gems} are by Amanda Nickerson.  I LOVE seeing everything Amanda creates!  If you all have not stopped by her blog yet, then you are missing out! 

I have been working on my own classroom jobs and got some inspiration from Amanda’s classroom jobs freebie…it is GREAT!  Take a look:

How We Get Home

I made these little signs to help me remember how all my students get home every day.  I need all the help I can get with all these little details! J Of course I will laminate them before I display them. Does anybody else have a better way to display the ways their students get home?

Click the picture to download the 4 pages for free.  I hope that it helps someone!

Thoughts on Romania

Last week, I was in Romania serving alongside missionaries working in the field there.  As I come home from a trip {especially a mission trip}, my least favorite question EVER is “How was your trip?”  It is impossible to describe a trip in a quick conversation.  How do I paint a picture of the faces…faces with eyes that show brokenness and desperation and hunger?  How do I describe the pain of my heart breaking for children who are starving?  For the mothers who want you to take their babies and rescue them from a life of darkness and hopelessness?  I do not really know how to describe what I have experienced in Romania.  I have seen a lot…city life in Oradea; village life; country life; life as a gypsy, a widow, an orphan.  All have touched my heart.

     Going to Romania, I really did not know what to expect.  Sure, I have been to Europe many times, but never to Romania.  My trip was surprising and touching…those might be the 2 best words to describe how I feel as I process through all I have seen and heard.

     When I think of Europe, I think of the architecture and the history…not the darkness and the poverty, but I experienced both of those things in a very REAL way.  I do not know what the Lord’s plan is for Oradea and its surrounding villages, but I know that I serve a God who is so much bigger than {what seems to be} an impossible, hopeless situation.  He is bigger that the prejudices the gypsy people face daily.  He is bigger than the abusive parents.  He is bigger than a non-functioning, backwards government.  He is bigger than pimps who take innocent girls into prostitution.  He is bigger than poverty and hunger.  I know He is.  I know He is sovereign.  I do not get it; I cannot comprehend it, but I know He has a plan.  A plan to bring Him glory.

     My mind is filled with thoughts and prayers from my trip to Romania.  I have a lot to process.  I have a lot to consider.

To learn more about ministry in Romania, visit Belief in Motion’s website:

http://beliefinmotion.org/default.aspx