Year In Review To Move Forward (+ DIY Sketchbook Journal Cover)

It is New Year’s Eve!!! WOW… can you believe that we are on the last day of 2014?

I am thankful for 2014.

Looking back for what we’ve been through this year, I am thankful. As family we learned so many things together. The big girl started her Kindergarten this year. The little girl can say her ABC and counting 1-20, although she always says, “1, 3, 2, 4, 5,…” LOL!!! Both girls love dancing, singing and crafting, too. I am one happy Mama who can craft with her girls 🙂

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As parents, Dave and I grow in learning to be parents, keep asking God to give us wisdom to teach them the truth and walk in love. We went through tough days but He was there to help us.

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it (Proverbs 22:6, NLT).

We love love love camping out in the Spring, Summer & Fall! That the best thing we found out our daughters LOVE being out in the nature because both my husband and I love outdoor activities.

As husband and wife, we celebrated our 6th Anniversary and this year was our 7th Christmas together. Each day we grow to love each other more and more… I am thankful for my amazing, loving and supporting husband. Dave is an answer to my prayer!

There was a bit change in our ministry. In January we resigned from Wycliffe Bible Translators. We were so discouraged and kept seeking God for answers. Dave and I felt in our hearts that God still want us to go to SEA* as missionaries. So, we went to a mission conference focusing on that particular country. There we learned so much important updates, talked to some people and meeting with some friends we knew before from the country. We were looking for an new opportunity to serve. Then couple days after we came back home, we got a call from the area director of Wycliffe Associates (it is a partner organization with WBT) and a director of a mission agency in the country offering both of us opportunities that we never thought of before. These new opportunities are perfectly fit for each of us. We were surprised by God and how He worked again and again! So we started our journey in September and right now we are raising support to go to SEA* serving with Wycliffe Associates as supported volunteers in 2015! We have some works to do remotely from home and cannot wait to work with the mother tongue translators & local churches directly soon to help them bringing the Good News to the 450+ Unreached & Bibleless People Groups!

If you would like to know more details, we would love to share with you more 🙂 You can sign up for our ministry newsletter & prayer update HERE. Please pray for us daily in our preparation to go and also please be prayerfully to consider to support us to go here. Your prayers & partnership end the Bible poverty in SEA*, because of your partnership those people can have God’s word in languages they can understand best in their hearts so that they may come to worship the one true living God through Jesus Christ through the works we will be doing there with the team.

We are thankful for our families, friends, church, and all new partners God has brought into our lives in 2014. THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!

This year has been amazing for me personally. I learn a lot. Through personal quite time with the Lord, He help me to keep my eyes on Him and have faith in Him. Also, through group devotional time with our small church prayer meeting group & HelloMornings group, I learned so much of God, His love & truly He listened to our prayers.

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In August, again, I was able to attend an amazing women blogging conference, Declare Conference, in Texas. I reconnected with blogging & online friends, met new “internet” friends I met in real life & even God led me to new connections with some friends. This was my second conference and He has blessed me tremendously! I am praying and hoping to go next year if we’re still here 🙂 You should check this conference and pray about going! They have limited seats for 2015!

In October, a scrapbooking friend introduced me to a group on Facebook, Journaling Bible Community, where I find lots of inspirations how to illustrate our faith and love for God in creative ways.

In that group, a lot by a lot of crafty friends inspire to learn more of this illustrating God’s word in creative ways. When we went out buying Christmas gifts, I found a big sketch book at Barnes & Noble for only $8.99! So I grabbed it and plan to use this sketch book for my 2015 Bible Study creatively 🙂

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I decorated the book cover with some paper doilies, washi tapes (CTMH), gold sequins assortment (CTMH) and mini stapler (CTMH)

For the big year title, I cut the 2015 with my Silhouette Cameo using DCWV glitter cardstock and the triangle border I cut the glitter cardstock using the Triangles Cutting plate from Taylored Expressions.

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The white polkadots is very easy to do. I trace the numbers, and then start stamping the dots using the eraser of my daugther’s pencil. I used CTMH White Archival Ink. I heat set it for a quick dry. Then I glued the numbers and triangle border.

Today I am sharing my project at Stuck On U Sketches Die Cut new challenge, Anything New Year. Check it out here!

Hope you can play along with us this week 🙂 Click here to link up your project(s).

I wanna take this day to THANK YOU ALL for all your love, prayers & supports in 2014 for me and my family! Thank you for inspiring me!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and your family.
God bless you abundantly in 2015!

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Link up this post at:
Inspire Me Monday – Week 156

The Pretty Pintastic Party #35

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5 thoughts on “Year In Review To Move Forward (+ DIY Sketchbook Journal Cover)

  1. Happy New Year to you Helen! Thank you for your beautiful Christmas card. I shared it with everyone on Instagram! 🙂 (My computer died right before Christmas so online time has been a tad of a challenge!)

    I love the concept of your sketch book! Congrats – you are one of our featured guests for the 1st Inspire Me Monday party of the year (#157!)

    Your daughters look gorgeous.

    God is doing amazing things in your life and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for you and your family. Just signed up for your ministry newsletter.

    Blessings!

    • Hi Ramona, thank you so much for your sharing the card. I am so blessed to know you through this blogging and crafting world! THANK YOU for the feature and signing up for our newsletter! GOD BLESS YOU!