July Magazine

his July- September 2014

Captive j Of God p. 21

Do it yourself

Gift in a Pill Box p. 44

Refreshing

Summer Coolers p. 18

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The Better Part p. 26

In this issue

29 5

•••Opening -New Word -Note from Elesa -Meet the Staff -Mission Purpose Statement

••• Live, Laugh & Style -This Princess of God {describing Me} -Readers Question -To Travel The World: Tokyo, Japan -I Luv Photography!

-Refreshing Summer Coolers

••• Forever His Princess -Captive of God - Encouragement for Everyday Struggles -The Better Part -His Princess -Waiting on His Time

39

21

-Mission Update: Haiti -God’s Jewel for You

••• Color&Design -Life Emblazon -DIY: Gift in a Pill Box

••• Closing -Closing Note -October Issue -Contact Us!

28 19

35

What if it’s hard?

What if I embarrass myself?

It will be. It’s worth it.

Do it anyways.

You will. Take a bow. Laugh. Do it again. It’s only those on the bleachers, bound by their own fears, who will mock instead of cheer. Pity them. Or hope that grace will give them the courage to get out of their seats.

What if you fall down?

They won’t. Not all of them. Do it anyways. Do it for you.

You will. Pick yourself up. Try again.

What if people don’t like it?

o Open your mind; prepare your heart o

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{New Word} Addlepated \AD-ul-pay-tud\ : Adjective 1: being mixed up : confused 2: eccentric

The patient was blabbering like an addlepated fool.

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Photo: Capturing Life Photography (Elesa Stoltzfus)

A note from

Elesa

›

And here we are, once again‌ in summer. Since this is a very busy season for us, we are a little late in sending out this issue. But all in all, I really enjoyed designing it amidst the business of life. I hope that these articles encourage you to grow in your walk with God. If you have feedback, or really enjoyed a specific article, you can send your feedback to foreverhisprincessmagazine@gmail.com . We will make sure that the writers or photographers get to see it! We love your feedback!

Good news: we are finished with our site! Check it out at http://foreverhisprincessma.wix.com/foreverhisprincess!

More good news: We have reached our one hundred reader mark!

Enjoy your next few months to the fullest extent!

-Elesa Stoltzfus

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staff Elesa Stoltzfus

Co-editor and creative designer

Meet the

Elisa Knicely

Proofreader

Destinee Stoltzfus

Editor and creative designer

Harmoni Ropp 7

Proofreader

WriIntthis erissue Judy Yoder Judy Yoder is a grandma who loves to plant, write, study, and give away what she’s learned . She also loves to pass on to other maids the joy of finding oneself in the presence of the Father. The humdrum facts of her: Her and her prince live in the mountains of Virginia, surrounded by their grown boys and their families, (and a new bride-daughter who has followed her prince to Pennsylvania) and are adding new grandpa-ish things to their acres as their tribe increases: Sheep, ponds, barns, horses, a pony, a calf, donkey, and perhaps someday, a lama.

Photographers In this issue Alycia glick Hello everyone! My name is Alycia Glick from Perry, New York.

Photography is one of my main hobbies. It doesn't take much before I find myself running for the camera. God Bless each and every one of you.

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Ruth Yoder Ruth Yoder is 17 years old. She lives nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountians in the small excentric town of Floyd, Virginia. Her family consists of five children at home (including herself), her parents, two married siblings, three nephews and one neice. She teaches 2nd - 4th grade at the small church school. In her spare time, however, she enjoys photography, graphic designing, playing banjo, and various crafts.

Andrea Stoltzfus Andrea Stoltzfus is an ordinary girl from NY with an extraordinary God. She loves photography & designing, the outdoors, friends, scrapbooking, sewing, singing, volleyball, and a whole slew of other things. Some of the random things she likes include flip flops, sunshine, laughing, cloudy skies, raindrops, and bright colors. Her challenge for each of you is to, today, choose JOY!

Kristina Smoker

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Kristina Smoker is 15 years old and her birthday falls on the last day of the year.

She lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania, pretty much in Lancaster County.

She is a member at Mine Road Church and goes to Faith Mennonite High School. She will be a sophomore next year. She loves the color yellow and photography and sports, esp. volleyball and basketball. She also loves hanging out with people and meeting new people and almost anything people :). She loves horses and hates cats with a passion. Her number one goal in life is to serve God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength. She has a passion for teen girls and wants to start a mission for them someday. One of her favorite quotes is: “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.�

••••We

Are••••

God-fearing women who stand for the Christian faith and live strongly by it, applying it to our every-day lives.

{Our Desire} Is for other girls to learn more about our awesome God we serve and to deepen their relationship with their Savior.

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Princess of God {Describing me}

By Kari Weaver

Hi! I'm Kari.

My family and I live in Fairfield, Montana.

We moved here from Suceava, Romania about 2 1/2 years ago, where we were serving under Christian Aid Ministries. We, means my dad and mom, Eldon and Deborah Weaver, and five of my brothers, Chris, Ryan, Eric, Kyle, and Karlin. My oldest brother Kendal had already been married before we left(we had previously lived in Ontario, Oregon).

If I had one word to describe this area it would be windy, but it is beautiful in its own way. There are a lot of ranches and big farms out here, and all crops have to be irrigated. The main crops are wheat and barley. Fairfield is known for being the largest malting capital of the world. It is just a little town consisting of 2 restaurants, a bank, a grocery store, a hardware store, post office, 2 gas stations, a coffee shop:) a public school/high school, and for every church there is a bar! We do most of our shopping in Great Falls, about 45 minutes away.

We have mountains all around us, so wild life is no problem! We have a lot of grizzlies, brown bears, elk, deer, antelope, mountain lions, and a few wolves and sheep.

Since I have six brothers their is little girl in me and I love hunting!! Montana is perfect

for that! My goal is to shoot a wolf and a lion.

We live about 10 miles from our church and school. The church has about 30 families, most of them with younger children. The school has about 25 students and 3 teachers.

Here we only go to 8th grade, so this was my first year out of school. I recently joined the youth group here. There are about 30 youth here so we have some decent v-ball games.

A little bit more about my family; Kendal is married to Jo and they have 2 children, Coltan and Ryleigh. He is part owner in a concrete business along with my brother Chris. Chris is married to Oksana, a Ukrainian. They met while we were in Romania. Ryan, 23, is the farmer in this family. He loves his job-spraying and spreading fertilizer, on the side he farms.

Eric, 21, has a roofing business. Kyle, 18, works for a farmer. Karlin, 13, goes off to school every day. Myself - I'm 15. I babysit a 4 year old once a week, sometimes more. I have a cleaning job once a week. Right now I'm working on getting my high-school diploma. My dad works for my brothers pumping concrete; and my mom and I keep busy cleaning, cooking, baking, and doing laundry. With four boys still at home it keeps us on our toes!

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Readers

{

When someone compliments me, when I get a good grade on a test, and when I'm reading a book.

– Jaimie Sauder

{

Friends, kittens, and little children -Lydia Swartzentruber

What 3 things make you smile?

} {

Flowers, jokes, and meaningful songs – Denise Amstutz

{

Seeing people who are happy no matter what hardships they are going through, being with friends, doing stuff with my family -Breanne Reinford

}

}

SMILE: “Have you got any kittens going cheap?” Asked a customer in a pet shop.

“No, sir,” replied the owner. “All our kittens go “Meow.”

Ten-year-old Daphne brought her report card home from school. Her marks were good...mostly A's and a couple of B's. However, her teacher had written across the bottom: "Daphne is a smart little girl, but she has one fault. She talks too much in school. I have an idea I am going to try, which I think may break her of the habit." Daphne's dad signed her report card, putting a note on the back: "Please let me know if your idea works on Sally, because I would like to try it out on her mother."

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}

To Travel the World:

Tokyo, Japan

The metropolis of Tokyo is the capital of Japan. This metropolis is one of forty-seven chief cities. Tokyo is in the Greater Tokyo Area. It also is the most populate metropolis in the entire world. This city hosts the Japanese government. It also is the home of the Imperial Palace, where the Japanese Imperial Family lives. Tokyo is considered to be in the KantĹ? region. This region is off of the southeast Honshu, the chief island of Japan. The Izu Islands and the Ogasawara islands are part of Tokyo. The metropolis of Tokyo came into being in 1943 from Tokyo city and a previous Tokyo Prefecture.

Many today picture Tokyo as a city, but it is actually an official ruling metropolis, known as a metropolitan prefecture. Tokyo is in charge of the 23 Special Wards of Tokyo. These Wards, each acting and governed as a single city, are placed where the former City of Tokyo used to be before 1943. These wards are heavily populated, over nine million people. The ruling Tokyo government also has thirty-nine municipalities in the west of its ruling area and the two chains of islands. These make up the world’s most populous metropolis with approximately thirty-five million people. Their city-born economy is also the largest of the entire world. Tokyo also contains more Fortune Global companies than any other city in the world.

Today Tokyo is an alpha+ city, rating third in the number of expatriates. It is also very expensive to live there (Economist Intelligence Unit’s cost-of-living-survey), even though it was dubbed as the third in the world to be the Most Livable Megalopolis by Monocle, a magazine.

Tokyo has also been awarded the most Michelin stars of any city in the world.

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Ingredients Original rcipe makes 6 skewers ½ cup sake ½ cup soy sauce 1 T. sugar 1 clove garlic, crushed ! (2 inch) piece fresh ginger root, grated 1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast meat, cubed 3 leeks, white part only, cut into ½ inch pieces Directions 1. In a medium dish, mix together the sake, soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger. Add chicken, and allow to marinate for 15 minutes.

2. Preheat your oven’s broiler. Grease six metal skewers, and thread alternately with 3 pieces of chicken and 2 pieces of leek. Place on a baking sheet or broiling pan, and brush with the marinade.

3. Broil for about 5 minutes, baste again, then broil for another 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Discard remaining marinade.

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I Photography Jaimie Sauder

Lydia Swartzentruber 17

Macy Sheaman

Jennifer Kreider Sharilyn Zimmerman 18

Refreshing Summer Coolers

Berry- Lime Liquado Raspberry Lemonade

Pomegranate Lemonade

Hibiscus Iced Tea Limeade

Raspberry lemonade

Berry-Lime Liquado

Ingredients

Ingredients • • • • • • •

1 1/2 cups strawberries 1 1/2 cups blueberries 1 cup ice 1 cup water 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons agave nectar or sugar Garnish: fresh mint

Preparation In a bowl, whisk 2 cups water with the lemon juice, sugar, and raspberry purée until the sugar is dissolved. Fill 4 glasses halffull with ice, and pour the lemonade over the ice to chill it. Or, chill mixture in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.

Preparation Purée strawberries and blueberries in a blender.

Place in a fine mesh sieve over a bowl, and strain juice into bowl; discard seeds and pulp. Rinse blender, pour in juice and blend with 1 cup ice, 1 cup water, lime juice, and agave nectar or sugar.

Serve over ice, and garnish with mint.

Limeade Ingredients • • • • •

Pomegranate Lemonade Ingredients • • • • •

1 cup fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon fresh or frozen raspberry purée, strained Ice cubes

• • • • •

1/2 cup water 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 tablespoon grated lime rind (about 2 limes) 1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice (about 13 limes) 7 cups ice water

Preparation

3 tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1 cup pomegranate juice (such as POM Wonderful) 2 1/2 cups water Crushed ice

Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan.

Stir in sugar and grated lime rind, stirring until sugar is dissolved; remove from heat. Stir in lime juice and ice water

Hibiscus Iced Tea

Preparation Combine sugar and lemon juice. Stir well to dissolve. Pour lemon mixture and pomegranate juice into a pitcher, and stir well. Add 2 1/2 cups water.

Pour into 4 (8-ounce) glasses. Add crushed ice as needed to each glass.

Ingredients • • • • • •

1 cup sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 cup warm water $ 8 hibiscus tea bags 1 1/2 cups sliced peaches 7 cups cold water

Preparation

*Taken from the internet

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Whisk sugar, lemon juice and 1 cup warm water in a bowl until sugar dissolves. Add tea bags, cover bowl and steep for 5 minutes.

Remove tea bags. Fill a pitcher with ice and sliced peaches. Pour in tea and 7 cups cold water. Stir well; serve cold over additional ice.

Captive

Of God

By Elesa Stoltzfus Photography: Ruth Yoder, Kristina Smoker

My hollow cries pierce the darkness.

I see my life stretch on into the dark and lonely night like a map before me. I see the paths of my life as bottlenecks and so many thorns on the path. The brush scrapes my skin raw, the trees hang over my head. The vines entangle me and the clouds are dark—almost black.

but I can be a captive. A captive of God—a captive that can rest in the arms of her lover and laugh like the sun’s rays dancing on the raindrops. But when those body shaking cries come, this time they are full of purpose, knowing that God controls even the difficult times.

This scene describes some of us, at times, in our spiritual life. There are days—days that we just don’t feel near to God. Days when we feel the darkness surrounding our lives, leaving us lost. But we long so much to be in a better place—a place where those weeds no longer snarl our body, where the paths grow broad. We want a place of JOY.

j

Will you follow God with all your being, living out every single breath on this earth to His glory?

God lures me to his great power and love. He gives me purpose for a beautiful captivity of being bound in his arms. But he wants you. The choice is laid out before you. Will you follow God with all your being, living out every single breath on this earth to his glory? To be able to rest in God’s arms and be his captive takes courage and trust—even commitment. Will you trust him enough to let him carry you through the brambles? To trust means that you will have to leave your heart to him. It means that he may mold it to any extent he wants, even if it hurts.

Will you leave that part to God?

That place is in God’s gentle, loving hands, the dwelling place where no harm or danger can be flung onto us by the devil. The place where no evil enthralls us, and our joy overflows.

It’s the place where God meets us and rejuvenates us.

We will forever be capsulated by the darkness in this earth. Those hollow cries will never leave us on this earth. No. They. Will. Not. Leave.

But we can allow them to make us grow closer to God. I want that “closer.” I want to be held in his arms. But I only can do that with his power. I cry to him. And he comes. He rescues me, captures me with his love. I no longer need to sit in the darkness with empty cries,

That is what I want: an implicit trust, knowing that God holds my

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…Through my storms, God saw the rainbow that was coming later.

j

Being captive of God’s love is knowing that God holds those nerve-racking cries that jolt this well-worn, frail body in the storms of life. It’s knowing that He takes my rough, calloused hand in his own, making it new once more. It’s knowing Him—that He sees and will calm my tempest and bring a new hope for tomorrow.

tomorrow. I want to be able to say that through my storms, God saw the rainbow that was coming later. I want to be so close to him that through every narrow path, through each thorn in my map, I can say That was GOD. I want to gaze upon him throughout each day and that my every day, hour, minute, second, and breath may unveil God’s love.

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Encouragement for Struggles In this life we often get overwhelmed with the circumstances, duties, jobs and requirements that we need to do throughout each day. Often the time we spend working, overtakes our leisure time. In result, we leave less time in our lives for God and also others, and maybe even ourselves.

Sometimes the chaos of this life overtakes the happiness and joy in our life. We forget why we are here in the first place and what we are living for. Sometimes all we are living for seems just to be to get our days’ work done. Life is so much more than work and surviving- it is about living, growing, caring and serving.

Sometimes we want something to happen so badly that we pray for it continuously to God. I have done this many times and I have to remember not to pray for things to happen that I want, but for God's will to be done.

God's way is often the harder way and quite troubling, but when we get through it we realize that everything was done the right way and looking back we wouldn’t want to change it. Sometimes I rush into things and don't have time to ask for God's guidance; later this leaves me feeling resentful and wondering if it was the best choice. I have to remember to take things slower and pray about them first.

God created each of us to be a unique impact in this world and we each have a great part in God's plan. Sometimes we forget the big impact our life has on so many people. How our life ties in with so many other people's stories. How many things we do that brighten other people's day and the encouragement we bring to others. Often people don't say how they really feel or compliment us, but know that others do care and they are impacted by your life.

So whatever you may be experiencing today- heartache, dread, stress, worry, whatever it may be- know that God has it under control. It may seem like He's more silent than ever; He can't hear you; He doesn't care what you are feeling; He doesn't understand, but know that through it all He sees your crushed heart. He knows your worries, He knows the things that cause you pain, He sees the mistreatment and takes everything into account. Nothing is going to get unnoticed by Him. Everything will be made right. Keep trusting in Him because He's got everything under control- you just have to keep trusting!

It's hard leaving things in God's hands when we want our own will to be done.

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The

Better Part

By Joanna Weaver Photography: Andrea Stoltzfus

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

My thirty-something birthday had dawned bright and busy. Tucked into a pile of bills and credit-card applications I found a card sent from my friend Janet McHenry. The message inside wished me a “hoopy birthday” and that made me smile, but the picture on the front was what really grabbed my attention. It illustrated everything I’d been feeling that dreary, getting-older day.

“That’s me,” I said to my husband, poking at the black-and-white glossy.

Taken back in the early 1950s, the photo showed a young woman in Greta Garbo shorts with eight or nine HulaHoops swinging madly around her waist.

“How does she do that?” I wanted to know.

It had been a frustrating day of too many responsibilities and not enough of me to go around. One by one, I named the Hula-Hoops I had been trying to keep in motion: wife, mother, pastor’s wife, friend, writer, piano instructor, cook, cleaning lady, and the big one—Little League mother. If we weren’t racing to baseball games, we were rushing to church; if I wasn’t folding laundry, I was stealing a few moments to write.

“That’s me!” I laughed. I made exaggerated motions with my hips, trying to keep my invisible hoops afloat. My eyes darted from the photo to my husband’s concerned face then back again. “That’s me!”

After a few cups of chamomile tea and some chocolate-chip sedatives—I mean, cookies—I calmed down and read my friend’s letter while my husband ran our kids to yet another ball game. Chatty and full of humor, Janet shared her hectic schedule and the things the Lord had been teaching her.

ooooooooooooooooo

“How does she do that?”

I wanted to know.

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“Teach me, Lord.

Show me the rhythm of life,” I found myself praying. “Be my center.”

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I finished the letter, then closed the card and looked once more at the girl on the front. There were so many hoops, but she appeared calm. Her upper body seemed to be perfectly still, her arms outstretched slightly, as the hoops raced around her waist in synchronized chaos.

Her face captured me. Looking straight into the camera, she smiled peacefully as though she hadn’t a care in the world.

Then it dawned on me—I saw her secret. “She found a rhythm,” I whispered to myself. “She established her center, then let everything move

“Teach me, Lord. Show me the rhythm of life,” I found myself praying. “Be my center.”

Hula-Hoops and Holiness Life is filled with Hula-Hoops. We all have responsibilities, important things that need our attention. If we’re not careful, however, our hearts and our minds can be consumed with the task of keeping them in the air. Rather than centering ourselves in Christ and letting the other elements of our lives take their rightful place around that center, we end up shifting our attention from one important to-do item to another, frantically trying to keep them all in motion.

It’s easy to forget that while there is a time to work, there is also a time to worship—and it’s the worship, the time we spend with God, that provides the serene center to a busy, complex life.

Mary of Bethany didn’t fall for that.

She knew the difference between work and worship. Martha didn’t. That is why she nearly missed the Better Part.

I can almost see Martha as she greeted Jesus on his way through Bethany. I don’t suppose the HulaHoops were actually visible as she came out to meet him, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a slight movement around Martha’s hips. “Come in! Come in!” she probably said. “Mi casa, su casa!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to check the soup.”

I, too, have been guilty of giving my Lord a breathless hello and a quick hug.

I’ve welcomed him into my life and

around that.” “

ooooo

She found a rhythm,” I whispered to myself. “She established her center, then let everything move around that.” ooooo That’s exactly what I wasn’t doing in my life. All the things I’d been trying to accomplish were important, but I had lost my center. Busy being busy, I’d forgotten to tend to my inner self, the spiritual me. Like a wheel without an axle, I’d careened through life, bouncing off one duty and onto another.

If there was an adequate pause, I’d spend some time with the Lord. But lately, more often than not, my busy days had slipped by without a quiet time, and my life was revealing what my spirit had missed.

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gotten him situated, but then moved on like Martha, gyrating frantically as I pursued other duties.

Mary didn’t do that. She dropped her Hula-Hoops and sat at his feet. Who has time for recess games when you’re in the presence of the wisest Teacher who ever lived?

Now it’s argued that Mary probably didn’t have any hoops (the lazy thing!) “That’s why she had time to sit at his feet,” we Marthas like to emphasize. But we have no proof of that, and I believe Scripture is vague for a purpose.

Stereotypes keep us from embracing truth. The story of Mary and Martha was never meant to be a psychological profile or a role play in which we choose the character with whom we most identify.

This is the story of two different responses to one singular occasion. In it, we should find not our personality type, but the kind of heart Christ longs for us to have.

A heart centered in him alone.

Used with permission; Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World- Joanna Weaver

A heart centered in him alone.

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I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of

being content in any and every situation, whether will fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

I can do

Everything through Him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:12-13NIV

My Princess...

I want you to be content

You were given My peace when you let Me into your life. It is possible, My princess, to enjoy your life with a peaceful mind and a content heart. You have so much to look forward to when you're settled in your heavenly home with Me. But for now, you must remember that nothing you buy or collect will calm your spirit or soothe your soul like I can. You came into this world with nothing, and that is how you will leave it. Let Me do more than give you the good gifts that this life has to offer. I will give you a place of peace, decorated with delight and filled with memories that will be more cherished than anything this world has to offer. So let Me be your treasure, and I will give you a rich life that will become more beautiful than anything money can buy.

Love, Your King and Your Contentment

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Waiting

on His Time

By Judy Yoder Photography: Alycia Glick

Once there lived a beautiful plant-shepherdess who dwelt in a garden called Intensity. Every dew-dipped morn it was her job to carry out all the potted herbs under her care and place them along the clean-swept walks under the beaming sun, to check each one for any

•••

dullness in their growth tips or brown crisp edges on their waxy leaves. These she would, with deft hand trim off, along with all that detracted from the perfect spherical shape that the King Shepherd desired.

“It seems I have worked so long and waited for years on end, and still the perfect time has not arrived.”

From time to time there were discarded plants dumped off at her arbor. Strange, lopsided plants they were, wide leaves held only to one side, yellowing tips, strange juice running through their veins that made a brick-brown crust oozing from where stems emerged from the main stalk, harboring sour smells and rotting cavities. From these, she was expected to restore as many as she could to normal healthy growth, finding a place for each in one empty corner or another.

Sometimes there were also tiny seedlings plopped down outside the ivy-covered wall and when she looked through the gate she had to watch where she set her slippers down, for these orphans bounced about on their root tips and generally made an ruckus, and she was expected to feed each of them and constrict them to jade-colored ceramic pots where they could let their roots develop undisturbed, and become established.

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•••

It was a winsome task, yet an all-consuming one, and a wearying one. Yet she had been called by the great King of Shepherds who was said to be of such beauty that those who saw Him fainted in a moment, overcome by His majesty. It was for Him that she worked, and though she had never seen Him, she received daily letters written by His hand--- letters filled with words of tenderness that raised the color in her cheek and made her want to do all she could to please Him. There was a saying that in the garden of Intensity, the Chief Shepherd gave a special reward to a selected few of his shepherdesses—a young handsome shepherd to work alongside her, doing the brisk scrubbing when she cleaned the fountain, and lifting all the heavy pots and containers holding all the plantlets under her care.

nodded her head. “And I suppose you are waiting and watching for someone special, especially in the evening hours. They say he always appears then…if there is to be one given you.”

The young shepherdess ran her fingers through her wind-blown hair, pulling it back from her face, trying to keep her voice casual. “Are there many that receive a special helper?”

The old woman smiled. “Many are.”

The younger looked up eagerly. “Are there some traits that the Shepherd King looks for when he decides who to give this special calling?”

Sometimes she found herself daydreaming of the sun-kissed evening when that tall dark-haired stranger might step out of the dusk at the ironwrought gate and come to stand by her side---- and in her anticipation, she neglected the plants at her feet, clamoring for her attention.

One day a bent wrinkled shepherdess with patched apron and gnarled fingers came to sit beside her as she sat under the apple tree eating her evening meal, and they ate their seared beef and cheese curds together, and the wise old woman leaned upon her cane and looked with faded pleasant eyes upon her young friend. “What are you waiting for?”

“The one who devotes herself to tending the plantlets right around her feet, gives off a certain radiance that makes her especially attractive at sundown, no matter how soiled her hands or her dress from the work of the day.”

“Aye, there are. Mostly to those who are so busy that they forget to watch the sun go down.”

Startled eyes followed the faded blue ones looking across the ivy-covered wall. “And what is it you mean?”

“The perfect time,” the young girl replied, blushing. “It seems I have worked so long and waited for years on end, and still the perfect time has not arrived.”

“Naught but that they feel their calling so keenly that they are giving it their highest concentration.”

“The perfect time, you say?” The old woman gazed out across the gardens squares dotted with boxwood, chives, and lavender and

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One who pours her heart into the

“Oh.” The young eyes dropped. “How can one prepare to be at one’s best when that special moment arrives except by being especially attentive as the sun trails her fingers for the last time over the hills?”

A smile crept over the wrinkled face. “The one who devotes herself to tending the plantlets right around her feet, gives off a certain radiance that makes her especially attractive at sundown, no matter how soiled her hands or her dress from the work of the day.”

Serious eyes stared silently, then lifted. “I think I see how it is. One who pours her heart into the plants at her feet will find their sap rubbing off on her hands and giving a pleasant aroma to every one she touches, and it is this sap that makes the skin glow and the eyes light.”

The old one laughed delightedly. “Yes, my young one. You have said it well.” She placed a tired arm around the slender waist beside her.

“The Shepherd King alone chooses whether to give a helper to those shepherdesses tending those around her. There are many young girls whom he reserves totally for Himself. And to these He speaks in a special, holy way in the evening hours. Theirs is a sacred calling—to hear straight from His lips those things that ones with handsome helpers do not hear.” A small sigh escaped her lips.

plants at her feet will find their sap rubbing off on her hands and giving a pleasant aroma to every one she touches, and it is this sap that makes the skin glow and the eyes light.”

The young one turned quickly and saw a flash of sadness fade and a radiance come over the old face. “And you….?”

“Yes, I am one who was never given a helper— though I waited years in anticipation. At last I focused myself alone on the Shepherd King, listening intently for his voice in the twilight, and I learned to hear the calming wafting of his presence even before he spoke” She smiled.

“And I learned that while helpers could hold the hand and succor the heart, there were none as perfect as the One whom I waited to commune with each eventide.” She pushed her bent figure to a stand. “And so I wait. I’ve waited longer than most, but,” she took a deep breath, “when I receive my groom, it will be in a time and place when I am no longer trapped in this worn body.” Her whole face glowed. “And I am gathering my gifts for that my bridegroom—my precious one! “ Her hands clasped together.

“Every day that I let his words come through my lips, I am giving from His hand to others.

Transplanting luminous into these creatures, from that far-away world where the Shepherd

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King resides!” The rapture of those last words lifted the young shepherdess to her feet and she turned to the old woman beside her.

At last she rose. She must tell those at the village of the old shepherdess’ passing.

And she? She took a deep breath. She would listen, as the old woman did, for the presence of the Shepherd King each evening, and let the luminousness of his words flow through her lips and her hands day after day, until it became the very definition of who she was…and then….and then---she swallowed hard. And then, if it was the King’s desire, she would be formed rightly for the helper He deemed to give her. And if not—then she would save herself and all that she was, as her most treasured gift to give to Him alone-a virgin soul reserved to give unreservedly for the first time—to the Perfect Helper—the Shepherd King Himself.

But the woman was already moving, her face bent, her eyes glowing, her arms outstretched.

“I must go,” she gasped softly. “I hear His presence coming….and I must not miss the first prostrating myself before Him…” her voice faded, even as her crippled gait quickened and smoothed out to something almost lilting in its movement as she hurried through the gate.

The young shepherdess stood in rapture, the sun sinking behind the distant mountains, shading her eyes to see. The brilliance of the rays made an illusion of two figures becoming one---or was it so? She stood transfixed, unable to move until the golden air had dimmed and then she ran, dew clinging to her skirts as her bare feet sped over the meadow.

Fireflies rose from the wet grass and the stars made daisy meadows across the sky. The girl’s pace quickened. She had a message to give, and then her garden awaited her return. She would wait, surrounded by them, for her own visit with her King.

The old woman lay where she had fallen, her skin not yet gone cold, but a fixed look upon her face, her faded eyes open, brilliant, though no life in them. The young girl dropped on her knees beside the other, sobs convulsing her whole figure until the last light had faded from the sky and the stars came out one by one. She clasped the wrinkled hand in hers, feeling the last warmth leave and the skin grow stiff and cold.

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Mission Update: Lydia Swartzentruber

On February 19 2014, my family and I, my grandparents and my uncle, set out for what we had been planning for 4 months. What a trip it was, one that changed my look on the world.

While in Haiti, I realized, I take so much for granted, the life they live is so much different from ours. The mission we went with was International Faith Mission or IFM. My dad had gone 25 years ago and wanted us to see where he was. IFM has a hospital about 3 miles away from the mission house, so some of us went down there a couple times to help with the pharmacy, counting pills and putting them into little paper holders didn't seem like much but they said we did in a few days what would have taken them a couple weeks:) It's amazing how a 2 hour flight can take you to such a different culture!! When we weren't at the mission or the hospital, we were helping at an orphanage, or walking to market to get some fresh fruit. While we were in Haiti we visited one of our dear friends that started an orphanage down there. We stayed at Gods children orphanage for 1 day and 2 nights. I think that's where I learned the most, just being there with Boni and seeing how she lives, how

she gave up her perfectly good life to go live in the muck and mire for those kids. It's just one of those things you can't explain what you feel. You have to be there, with the kids, eating the food, smelling the awful smells, seeing how they live!! I never want to forget how I felt when I was in Haiti. Seventy-five percent of the population is 18 and under.

Think about it, that’s impossible for every child to have two parents. I hope every one of us can go to a 3rd world country. It changes you. It hits you when you’re there how blessed and loved we really are!!! I think it's amazing what Elesa is doing. She changes lives every day because of patience and love for the people in Liberia.

My name is Lydia Swartzentruber, God has changed me and is working in me every day:) God bless...

-Lydia

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Swartzentruber

I the Lord have called you in righteousness,

and will hold your hand;

I will keep you and give you as a covenant

to the people, As a light to the Gentiles,

To open blind eyes,

To bring out prisoners from prison those who sit in darkness from the prison house.

Isaiah 42: 66-7

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Photography: Capturing Life Photography (Elesa Stoltzfus)

Life

Yellow Why were Post-it Notes originally yellow?

“We were in the labs and if you imagine, this is my lab here, and then there’s a corridor, and then there’s another lab.

They happened to have some scrap yellow paper – laughs – it’s absolutely true.”

“They had some scrap yellow paper – that’s why they were yellow; and when we went back and said ‘hey guys, you got any more scrap yellow paper?’ they said ‘you want any more go buy it yourself’, and that’s what we did, and that’s why they were yellow.”

“To me it was another one of those incredible accidents. It was not thought out; nobody said they’d better be yellow rather than white because they would blend in – it was a pure accident.”

The color yellow is associated with warmth, happiness, fun, friendship, caution and electricity. But what facts do we know about this color?

Yellow is a primary color, along with red and blue. In Japan, yellow is the color of courage. In Egypt, it is the color of mourning. In American slang, a coward can be said to be yellow or yellow-bellied.

Yellow is a color that is easily visible, this is why it is commonly used to indicate caution, for example, on a set of traffic lights, yellow divides the red light and green light, meaning drivers can go, but be cautious.

In some countries, taxis are commonly yellow. This practice began in Chicago, where taxi entrepreneur John D. Hertz painted his taxis yellow based on a University of Chicago study alleging that yellow is the color most easily seen at a distance. This idea has also been used with school buses and road warning signs.

Yellow is an appropriate color for a room used for studying because it has a stimulating effect on the mind.

There is a type of woodpecker called the Yellow-shafted Flicker (Colaptes auratus). They have yellow shafts on their wing and tail feathers. Yellowtail is the general name for loads of different species of fish that have yellow tails or a yellow body. Goldenrod is a yellow flowering plant in the Family Asteraceae. Also Goldenrod is a city in the PokĂŠmon world!

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Freedigitalphotos.net

DIY:

Gift in a Pill Box

Take a Sunday - Saturday pill box and fill it with lots of little things. This could include candy, notes, etc. The person you give it to can get something each day for a week. *You could use other kinds of pill boxes such as a 3-week pill box.

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Contributed by: Letitia Wadel

o Keep your mind open; keep your heart prepared o

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Closing Note: Thank you for taking your time to read this issue of Forever His Princess! I hope you benefited from the articles written by our various team members. Just as they encouraged me, I hope that they encouraged you too!

A big thank you to our writers, photographers, and proofreaders! You make this magazine possible by giving up your time. And to the members: your contributions also make this possible!

Again, if you know of anybody who is on the mission field that you think would enjoy sharing— let us know! We would be delighted to feature them in our future issues!

Once again, thank you for your input! May you go forth blessed!

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- The Princess of God {describing me} - Readers Question: If you could do anything you wanted for a day, what would you do?

- To travel the World: Ireland - Laugh - I Luv photography - God's Care And Protection - Encouragement for Everyday Struggles: Feeling Unpopular - Comparing Yourself - His Princess - 10 Practical ways to bless others - Mission Update: Liberia - Life Emblazon- Orange - DIY: Throw a Party!

- Quote Center

Oct o ber issue

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