Trees Of Hope – Page 5 – Welcome! Here is a place to receive encouragement in your daily walk with God, to bond over motherhood and parenting experiences, and to share ideas for teaching your children. I pray that you are renewed, encouraged and inspired to be a tree of hope for the world to behold. ~Krystal

24Dec 2019 by Krystal 10 Comments

Do You Believe?

I’ve realized people, even adults, desire something magical that they can at least pretend to believe in, whether they know it or not. Laurelle and I..sleeping beauty! We recently returned from a Disney vacation, and you could see every parents’ desire to create wonder, joy, and memories for their little ones everywhere you looked. The girls are dressed as princesses, waiting in long lines to meet and greet with Queen Elsa and Cinderella for a few treasurable moments. A sweet moment...Laurelle and Fancy Nancy! The disappointment comes when, as my five-year-old Laurelle realized, Fancy Nancy doesn’t talk to you, her costume being a huge painted replica head with skin-colored stockings covering her arms and legs. She looks like the Disney Junior and book character that we have enjoyed and come…

28Nov 2019 by Krystal 2 Comments

Thankful

Faith

Thankful for a dirty table to wash, crumbs to sweep, mouths to feed, leaves to rake, snow to shovel, toys to put away, baths to be given and a noisy, messy house. Thankful for this day. Thankful for a devoted husband, children, siblings and parents through thick and thin; steadfast hearts bound together in Christ will always win. Thankful for my family. Thankful for an unanticipated note offering hope from above, a meal prepared with sacrifice and love, the care of others flying in like doves. Thankful for humanity. Thankful for a sun that shines, trees that blossom, lose their leaves, and rest, for in each season God displays His splendor and best. Thankful for creation. Thankful for sophisticated medical treatment, the restorative healing process, and damaged legs that can…

27Oct 2019 by Krystal 8 Comments

Being a Receiver~ Would You Catch that Ball?

Faith, Personal Testimonies

a few days before surgery with my dear husband The day of my ankle surgery last month my husband and I got there before 6 a.m., early as recommended. We checked in and took our seats in a waiting room full of people. I was in a wheelchair and across the way an older woman, let's call her "Elaine," was using a walker. We exchanged a few words with her and then, very promptly, a door opened at the far corner of the room; my name was called along with hers. Two hospital personnel accompanied us, initially focusing on holding the door for me because of my condition with two ankle injuries in a wheelchair. However, the attention quickly shifted to Elaine who had arrived alone. "Is anyone here to…

24Sep 2019 by Krystal 11 Comments

The Gift of Immobility

Faith, Personal Testimonies

Thirteen days have passed since the accident, since I was crossing an intersection with my four children and was hit by a car. It was a sunny afternoon and we were on our way to the library. The plan was to return books and spend a few hours reading and then picking out some new selections. In the middle of the crosswalk that would all change for us. The moment before it occurred was peculiar, helplessly watching a car coming towards us and yet inwardly anticipating a miracle. The miracle came, though the driver never slammed on the brakes. My older boys had made it safely across seconds earlier on a bike and a scooter; I was thrown into the middle of the street and the stroller I was pushing,…

03Aug 2019 by Krystal 4 Comments

Who is sharpening YOU?

Faith

A few days ago was my birthday, I turned 37! Turning one year older has had me reflecting on who I am, who I was, and who God is making me to be. Just the other night, as I was ready to cry looking at our cluttered basement full of toys, books, etcetera that needed to be sorted and purged through, God graced me with a sacred treasure. I came across some old e-mails that my dear mother had printed from before I was married, containing a pure and relentless love for God. The tidying up could wait, for this was no small find. Some of these letters were written by me, others by my parents or siblings, and a few by a special cousin. Each and every e-mail I…

01Jun 2019 by Krystal 7 Comments

An Act of Love

Faith, Personal Testimonies

Love from an aunt It was already 7:00pm as I was heading into Dollar General with my four kids all geared up with swimsuits to have an evening in the pool at grandma and grandpa's house. The next day was a garage sale at our house, and I was in need of poster board and some duct tape for signs. My children followed me around the store for the items on my list, and then they spotted the swim gear! So they each got a pair of goggles, I grabbed a few extra items including laundry detergent, and we headed for the check-out. Being a regular customer at this particular location, I greeted the cashier by name while he was asking my children questions about where they were going to swim.…

18Apr 2019 by Krystal 2 Comments

Easter Reflections

Faith

Spring is in the air, today being the 70 degree day we were waiting for since the middle of winter! It's a day in which new life is emerging, hope is soaring, and people are rejoicing! Four days ago, on Palm Sunday, we sat down and watched The Passion of the Christ. The movie begins with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and focuses on just that "short window" of unimaginable suffering from his arrest, trial, sentencing, and ultimately his crucifixion. The images are harsh, and yet we still can't truly fathom all that He endured. A crown of thorns for the "King of the Jews" was mockingly forced upon his head, as many spat in his face and hurled insults. He was brutalized with a cat of nine tails…

22Feb 2019 by Krystal 4 Comments

A Testimony of God’s Provision

Faith, Personal Testimonies

Jorge & I -2018 The story I am about to share is our own. My husband Jorge is from Ecuador, South America, and we met while I taught English there for a year. He arrived to the United States in October of 2007 on a fiancé visa, and we were married that December. From then on we began our journey together. Jorge had a secure and well-paying job in Ecuador as a computer engineer in one of the biggest phone companies. At the time I remember being so in love that I didn’t seem to worry at all about how life in the United States would be for him; I simply trusted that God would provide. The beginning months of his stay here were filled with learning English, a language he…

22Jan 2019 by Krystal 4 Comments

Helpless & Uncomfortable

Faith

I didn't want to write this entry. I have been uncomfortable for the past week, following the news about the little two-year-old boy, Julen, who fell down a long narrow borehole on a mountainside in Totalan, Spain. Over ten years ago I myself studied in Spain, about 30 minutes away from where this tragedy has now taken place. And, I have a two-year-old little boy. My heart strings were and are attached to him, empathizing with his pain, condition, and the hearts of his family and loved ones. The effort to rescue him has been slow-moving. The equipment needed to begin excavation had to be delivered, and much deliberation took place as to the method they would use to create a tunnel to reach him. Five days passed before digging even began, with…

28Nov 2018 by Krystal 3 Comments

~Learn to RECEIVE~

Faith

Last year-Christmas 2017As the Christmas season approaches, we think a lot about GIVING. As a Christian I know that God is the ultimate example of a GIVER, offering us His Son so that we might believe and be forgiven. The self-less message in the air this time of year reminds us to do the same: GIVE, GIVE, GIVE, which is all fine and well. Yet conversely, I feel the message of RECEIVING is just as important for us to hear at Christmastime. Read on, as I quote a passage from my book Mommy's Inspirations, chapter 40, p. 119-120:"Recently, we hit a time where we had more bills coming at us than we had income. It was stressful to feel somehow irresponsible despite our attempts to be careful with our money. We…