Last Weekend

I just had the most amazing weekend of my life. I can't believe I am writing because words just can't describe it. I met some awesome people. We learned so much, its unbelieveable. About a year and half ago at youth, we had to set Godly goals for our selves, and I didn't reach it when it was time to. Well, I have finally reached it this past weekend. I knew God had told me to wait to reach it, but I had no Idea that Chrysails was his timing. He used my awesome new friends to finally open me up to his love. I have been so blessed these past few days. I will be forvever touched by God's work in me this weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!

Family and friends

This past summer, I had an awesome time with my family and I learned a lot. My family is really honors the Lord. We had a praise serivice at my aunt and uncles house and she spoke up and said that she had burden on her heart for our unsaved loved ones and so I wrote her a letter that night saying what I thought of what she said and it made her cry. I am very quiet during a bible study, but I really like to share afterwards what I thought. I am the same way with my youth pastor. Every time I hear him preach or teach, I am very touched. He knows more about god then my mom did before she hurt her back and even more then she knows now. I am going to try to do better to email him after each week and share with him my thoughts.

Book review #1

I just finished doing my book report for school on the Freedom Writers' Diary. It really shows you what writing can do for you. A lot of the kids thought writing would make feelings worse, but it really doesn't, it gets your feelings out. Writing can turn your life around and it definatly did that for these kids!

Lexi and I wanting to be teachers!

I really want to thank my teachers for all they have done for me, but I just can’t do it enough. I have been influenced by my teachers to do great things. I want to start preparing for my Career now. I am going to write every day. I am going to take classes to help me get my Career in high school! I am also going to try and do a book review every time i read a book. My math teacher was telling my class that if you don’t start paying attention now to try and get this stuff now, you will not get your degree. My friend and I want to go to college together, and so I need to start preparing her math wise right now. Please pray for me so that I can start working with her now.

My Calling

I am just totally moved and touched my middle school teachers for what they have done for me. Especially my 7th grade language arts teacher and my 8th grade math teacher. They did so much for me that I can't thank them enough. My calling is to do what they do and that is ot teach and to do what they did for me, but for someone else. I can't wait to start working and I really hope I get to work with them. The Lord gave me those two speific teachers because, when you a have teacher that makes a difference in your life you almost all the time teaching what they teach! My friend and I want to go to college together!!!! I think it would be good for her to go to college with me because I found out the other day that you may end up in a lower level class if you don't pay attetion in math now. I hope and pray that I can start helping her in math now!!!!!!!!!!!! Her name is Lexi!!!!!!!!!! She wants to be a kindergarten teacher and I want to be a 7th grade language teacher, but that does not mean we can't go to the same college. I hope the Lord will make that happen for us!!!!!!!!!!!!

My aunt and Uncle

This morning, I felt like the Lord wanted me to write out what happened on my vacation. Me and my family go and see my family in Vermont every summer. My Aunt and Uncle take me under their wing every time I see them. They are my favorite aunt and uncle. The Lord gave them to me ever since I was born. In august of 2007, my aunt and I got closer in our relationship. I always get so anxious when I know our time together is getting closer and closer. The devil attacked her this year and then the lord blessed both of us and stopped it. My cousin broke the spout off of her soap dispenser and then she started picking on him like crazy. A couple days after that, she went to fill it and she over-filled it. It made the counter slippery, then it slipped back and she tried to catch it and it cut her little finger quite deep. She got five stitches and then my cousin wrote a funny song for her. Then the next day, her desk chair slipped right out from underneath her. The a few days later, she was finally able to get back in her pool with me. The lord saved the ladder from hurting her hand even more. He blessed both us for that and used the pool to stop her attack. We were both blessed by that and I can’t wait to see them in two and a half months.

My Day Today

It has been a very long time since I have had a day like this!!!!! My dad and I badly clashed today!!!!!! He got really mad at me for treating him like dirt. I had puppet practice today and then we had to run some errands afterwards!!!!!! This morning is when things started. He told me that we was going to buy me breakfast, I thought he said “go get your breakfast” and so I went off because of what I thought he said. So because I did that he didn’t buy me breakfast. Then after church he bought me lunch and told why he didn’t buy breakfast. Then we went to the cable company and found out we have to switch our company. Then I went off again because I was scared of losing my favorite shows. We went to Wal- mart and got more boxes and as we were pulling I was trying to communicate with him and he said to me that he didn’t want to talk to me about anything and that he had work to do. He didn’t want to do anything for me today and it made feel like I mean nothing to him!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is been forever since me and my dad has had issues like this, in fact it was when Jeremy was here the last time that we had issues like this.

My Middle School Teachers

The best two school years of my life are coming to a close end. God has given me my teachers and so I know I will never lose them. I even believe God will put some of them in my future.
The teachers I believe that he will put in my future are Mrs. Mattingly, Mrs. Geswein, Mrs. Saylor, Mrs. Lang, Mrs. Poole, Mr. Williams, Mr. McGee, and Mr. Stowe. I have many more teachers than that, but some of them may be retired when I get back, which is in 8 to 12 years.
I am very sad to be leaving the school that they teach in because God has used them to change my life. They have done so much for me. They make sure I can be with my friends, they have become my friends, they have taught me much more than just my education and they have taught me inspirational lessons as well.
Mrs. Mattingly has taught me to conquer my fear of standing up for myself. She has helped me to be able to talk to my teachers without being afraid. I have been able to show my teachers how I feel about certain things with any fear involved because of her.
Mrs. Geswein has been proud of me when I stand for myself in front of her and that right there is inspiration.
Mrs. Saylor has helped me whenever I need anything. She has been my go to person if I need something. She makes sure I have time with my friend Dominic when the opportunity comes up for us to have that time together in school. She has talked to my teachers for me when I have asked her to.
Mrs. Lang has made a better math student. She has helped me get through tough times, for example when Dominic moved out of my math class. She has picked on me about my relationship with Mrs. Mattingly and that has made us closer.
Mrs. Poole has brought me to realize that I need to tell her when she hasn’t done something for me that she needs to do. I will start doing that more and more in High School.
Mr. Williams has made me a better flute player. He has made sure I see my improvement. He has made sure that I am not afraid when I try out and when I get new music. I feel very proud to be one of his band students. I will miss next year as he goes to school. He has made a much better flute player than I was in 7th grade.
Mr. McGee has helped me to a better flute player as well. He makes sure I have a good day before I walk out of band. He understands how I feel about having time to talk to Dominic.
Mr. Stowe has made me a better social studies student than I was in 6th grade. He has also made me feel like a fabulous girl when I walk into his classroom and through-out class. He encourages me by bragging on me about how well I’m doing in class.
I will still have Mr. McGee next year, but I won’t have any of my other teachers and I’m very sad to be leaving them. I will always be their friend and I know they will be in my future. I will think about them all day every day next year. I will take the lessons that I have learned from them and my education and use it all through high school and college. I know I will improve even more with doing that.

Last Weekend!!!!!

Last weekend, I went on a retreat with my church where I have my youth group! I learned what it means to be Holy vs. being good. I also learned individually from God how he wants me to treat the people who love me. I love the people of my church and I want to honor them in anyway I can because they do that for me all the time. My youth pastor is a very awesome man and I honored him last night with an email saying how much he means to me! When he replied to me, he said"I'm so glad that you came on the retreat with us and have gotten more involved over the last year. I cannot wait to see how the Lord is going to continue to use you." That meant the world to me and I want to honor him back. He really touched me!!!!!! When I am able to drive on my own, I will be going to that church full time to honor the people of my church back for what they have done for me!!!!! I will never leave that church in my lifetime. That would be a huge mistake. I hope the Lord will use to me like my English teacher of 7th grade was used by God in my life and that is to help someone to conquer a fear that can hurt your life, and to be a help in someone's life when I become a teacher!!!!!!!!! Over the past 2 years, my life has completly changed around! I am more involved in my church then I have ever in my entire life and plan to stay that way until I die!!!!!!! I have been truly blessed by my church and that why i have made the desicon to make that church the church of my life!!!!!!!!!

My touch by the people in my life and God!

A few weeks ago, my church had a youth led service and the youth pastor was preaching. I was very touched by his sermon. He talked about how you have to trust God in things that come into your life that you are not ready for. One of the boys in my youth group read a testimony about the Christian influences that he has in his life and I am writing about the same thing.
In 4th- through half on sixth grade, I was homeschooled and my mom told me out of no-where. I was very shocked and upset with my mom because I felt like she didn’t want me to have any friends and I knew I wasn’t going to meet friends with being homeschooled. I had a few friends, but really the people I could lean on are in my family. In 2007, I went to Vermont twice and I could lean on my family back east and during the Christmas season of 07, I was able to realize that it’s ok to lean on people in your family. I grew really close with my Aunt Debbie!
In January of 08 my cousin Jeremy who is one of my major influences moved back to Lubbock, Texas after being in Kentucky with me for a year and a half. Then I was hurting for a very long time and felt like God took him from me! I was hoping he would come back that next summer and he didn’t! I was very upset! God had me wait to see him until spring break of last year! I waited for three and a half years!
Another place I get that kind of influence is from school. In 6th grade I went back to public school and I was very happy with that! My teacher from 6th grade has put some major influence on my life! She has taught me to not be afraid to get good grades! She has taught me to stand up for myself a little bit. Her name is Mrs. Miller. In 7th grade I met a woman who has changed my life and that woman is my language arts teacher from last year. Her name is Mrs. Mattingly. She taught me to conquer some major fears I had for a long time! One is to stand up for myself and the other one is to be able to talk to my teachers about my feelings without any problems with fear. She is the one who really taught me to stand up for myself.
I also have a friend who is the sweetest friend I ever had that is my age! That does not include my adult friends! We are in band together and we used to be in math together, but it was too hard for him so he got moved in to a lower level math class! I was very upset that I cried in math the next day for about 20 minutes! The next day Dominic and I had our All-district auditions and while I was in my audition Dominic was talking to my parents and my mom told him that I was upset so when I came out he told me that he will always be my friend! I was very blessed. After my parents left we found out that he made it! We were jumping all around and we were very happy for him until we found out that I did not make it! He felt so bad for me and I did not want him to because he made a major accomplishment! He is a total true friend.
The next influence is my mom! I would not get through school if it wasn’t for my mom! She helps me so much with my homework and helps me solve my problems with kids! She is the greatest mom in the world.
The last two people on my influences list are my youth leaders! Ann has done so much for me! She has prayed for me and other people when I have asked her too! She also helps me through so many things. Joe has helped me to become a better friend and is helping me see God’s love for me!
All of these influences have helped me to realize that God put me in these people’s lives for a reason and he put them in my life for a reason!

My peom from 7th grade!

Me and My Dad Having a fight in Front of My Cousin Jeremy
Sittin’ in my livin’ room
My cousin and I having a good time
Stayin’ up till midnight or later
Sleeping in the living room
Next day everything changes
My dad and I start a fight
Then Jeremy was sent home with my mom
I got a lot worse with my anger and so it made my behavior worse
I tried to call my cousin to calm me down
My dad told me that I needed to calm down without Jeremy in the middle of everything
I was feeling like my dad didn’t love me anymore
I was finally able to call Jeremy
And he said to me “I appreciate that you changed
Your attitude
Now, I want to come back over
And I can
I am going to give you something when I get there”
The flamingo is what he gave me
It is special because he gave to me because I had changed my attitude and he wanted to
Recognize it
Jeremy is like my peacemaker when I do something wrong
I am very happy now
Everything changed that day and it ended very well
Our Relationship is not better though
Jeremy left for his home in January of 08
Our relationship got worse because I was going through a lot of sadness.
It was like I lost my life.
It was like an end to our lives
I know it wasn’t though
I am finally going to be able to see my cousin over spring break

My testimony I had to write for bible study in the fall of 09

Testimony of Hannah DeForrest
I have had problems with the lord for the past two and half years and I want to share them with you. I have wanted to see my cousin Jeremy for a long time. God has not said yes, but he has wait. I don’t want to wait anymore. Jeremy left Kentucky in January of 2008, but I have come to understand that when I get disappointed about not seeing Jeremy, that it’s really ok. It doesn’t mean that the lord is saying no.
The lord bringing Jeremy into my life has helped me to correct myself when I have done something wrong. Jeremy tells me how to fix it and try again. Jeremy knows by the look on my face when I’m just tempted or when I’m mad. He says things to encourage me so that I don’t do it.
God has made such an impact on my life through Jeremy! I thank the Lord for doing the things in my life that has changed my life. Jeremy is a leader and God took my leader away from me. Jeremy has led me to do a lot of things that I have never done before. Jeremy has led me into this small group. Jeremy has led me into band and so I’m in band this year! Sometimes I feel Jesus is not there for me when I need him. Jesus is a leader. For the past two and a half years, I have felt like the lord has not been there for me when I need him. I was homeschooled for 4th- half of 6th grade! When I started back to public school I was having some troubles being bullied. My teacher became my new leader and she helped me not to be bullied! She was the best teacher that I ever had it my whole entire life! In sixth grade I realized that the Lord had been there for me when I needed him. I’m in 7th grade now! I am more into the Lord than I used to be. I’m in a time where I really need the lord. I am having a really hard time making friends at school.
A few weeks after I wrote this testimony, things in my life really started to change and I realized that the lord wanted me to have a good year. I also realized that he wanted me to have Mrs. Mattingly, my English teacher for a reason, and that reason is that he wanted me to have a friend that is a teacher, and he wanted me to learn some things. Those lessons are shared below I learned so much from her that I can pass on to my friends, like not being afraid to tell when someone is being mean to me, and she encouraged me to read more than I did in 6th grade. I have learned a lesson from doing that and that lesson is what reading can do for your life. I can pass that on to my friend Jenna! It took me a whole quarter to learn the lesson to not be afraid to tell when someone is being mean to me! My teacher has taught me so much and that made me realized why I was on the eagles team at school this year. That reason is he wanted me to have the best teachers that I ever had and he also wanted be to have the best teachers because I’m autistic! Mrs. Mattingly is defiantly a wonderful teacher!!!!! It is not just the spiritual things that have made our relationship so well! We have had fun times together too! She has a wonderful sense of humor and that has made our relationship very well as well!!!!!! I thank the lord for bringing her into my life! She is best teacher I have had since first grade! That is six years since I have had a really good teacher and I thank the lord for knowing that I needed a teacher like that! In-fact she better than Mrs. Bakke, but I loved Mrs. Bakke and still do!!!!!!!! For example: I don’t think about Mrs. Bakke as much as I do Mrs. Mattingly during the summer!!!!!!!!! I thank the lord for bringer both those teachers into my life!!!!!! I had some problems with a few of the kids on my team this year and the lord brought me to Mrs. Mattingly so it can be taken care of As you can tell the lord got what he wanted and it changed my life! I still have problems with my dad, but I’m glad I have more people to talk to if I need to talk to them!

Faith Elizabeth Frego, Mackenzie Grace Frego, and their Ant Hannah

Faith Elizabeth Frego, Mackenzie Grace Frego, and their Ant Hannah
My Parents and I came to New York
To their house
And had a wonderful time
They warmed-up and they knew who we were
And we started to play with them
And couldn’t stop
And their ant Hannah had a wonderful time especially
I tickled them and made funny faces with them
And they laughed to no end
Faith has a new friend and that friend is her ant Hannah
Mackenzie loves me to, but she is more active and she likes to play
Instead of sitting on my lap all the time like Faith does!
I’m going to Vermont now and I miss my girls so much,
But I know that I will see them eventually!
They are coming to my house in Kentucky
And so I know that I will see them soon!
Then we went to get them then we went to Kentucky
I woke up with them every morning
It was like my life having fun
Then two weeks later we said good-bye
Then I took my grandmother home
My mom took the girls and their mom home
I will see them this summer!

My friends and I

My Friends and I
My teachers mean the world to me
They help me learn
And they help me when I’m down in the dumps and don’t want to learn
My friends help me not to be lonely
My friend Conner is my best friend
My friend Kahlan is my best friend
I don’t know what I’d do what without them but most of all
My mom is my life!
My Teacher Mrs. Mattingly is not just an educator to me
She is an inspiration to me
I have so many memories with her!

My Dream!

Lord, help me to wait patiently
Lord, help me to make my dream come true(x4)
Lord, help me surprise her right (x5)
Lord, help me accomplish my dream
I Love Mrs. Mattingly so Lord please help me to never lose her(x3)
I know my Dream will come true Thanks to My Lord(x4)
I know I will never lose her thanks to my Lord
I know the surprise will go right thanks to my Lord
I Know the Lord will help me wait patiently for my dream
I know my dream will come true thanks to my Lord
I know my lord will make my dream come true because he gave her to me

The Story of Mrs. Mattingly and I

I have thought a lot about my language arts teacher today and how I do not want to lose her. My mom has a teacher she used to have that has a modeo that says once a student always a student and that is true for the two of us because we are friends!!!! I will still be reading a lot next year because she encouraged me to and because I learned a life lesson that is what reading can do for your life and I hope I can teach my friend Jenna that lesson!! I will remember my teacher forever and I hope she knows that I will miss her very much!!!!!!! She has changed my life because I have my love for reading back and I have realized that it would be stupid of me to feel like I am not a good reader or writer ever again. I have a special place in my heart for her and even though I may not be living In Kentucky when I grow up I will still remember her! I will remember her until I die and when I come home to see my parents I may be able to see her!!!!!! I love her so much and she loves me to. We are so close that I am praying to see what the best thing is for me to do for my career and where he wants me to live. I have a feeling that he is telling me to live in Kentucky near my parents and to work at the middle school and live in New York in the summer times to work with Jenna!!!!! I may go live in New York while i a getting my teacher degree so that I can help Jenna get the Bakery Shop started. That s just in case Mrs. Mattingly is still working at the middle school when I get out of college. I am going to college for a total of 8 years, but I am getting my teacher degree first and then I am getting a music degree online instead with my cousin. So that means that in eleven years which that is including 8th grade I would be trying to get a job at the middle school. I will see what the lord wants me to do, but I do feel that he is telling me to do that. I hope I can do that without my friend Jenna getting mad. I want to teach Language arts because Mrs. Mattingly has taught me a lot of things emotionally that I want to teach other people especially the lesson I have learned about what reading can do for your life. Also I want to teach language arts so that I can encourage people to love to read just like Mrs. Mattingly has done for me. At the beginning of the school year we barely knew each other and through-out the year we became best friends!!!!!!!!!!!! She helped me to have a wonderful year and it came true!!! I had a wonderful year and I will miss her so much next year!!!! I already miss year and the year has been over for a day. Next year will not be the same without her and I am praying that the lord will help me to make our relationship grow! He did that with my friend Kahlan and that means he will probably do that with Mrs. Mattingly and I. I will defently do my part in that because it is very easy to do my part when it is compared my relationship with my father! I have not had a teacher as a friend since first grade. I would not have Mrs. Mattingly in my life if my family and I did not move to Lubbock and then to Kentucky. There are pros and cons to moving all over this country and that is a pro!!!!! A con is that i lost my cousin that i grew up with, but he is not dead, I just can't see him as often anymore. The end of year is finally over. The last day was yesterday and i am going to be sad for at least a couple weeks, but in the midst of that, I get to see my family in the north-east!!!!!! Mrs. Mattingly has changed a lot in me and I love that about her!!!!! She is the best teacher i have had in a long time!!!!!! I have not been this sad for the year to be over since second grade. I was very sad then because I was moving that summer!!!!!! I'm just glad I am not moving this summer and when we do move we will still be in Meade County!!!!!! Thank God!!!!!! Mrs. Mattingly is my best friend and I hope our relationship will grow!!!! I defiantly think it will even though I am not her student anymore!!!!!! I miss her so much already and it has only been a day!!! I will miss her all summer and I can't wait to see her again at the beginning of next year!!!! All the trips I am going on this summer will make the summer fly by because of the saying time flies when you’re having fun!!!!!! That is the story of Mrs. Mattingly and me. Written by her former student, Hannah DeForrest

Being afraid to stand up for yourself and learning not to be afraid

When I was in 6th grade I had gone back to public school after being homeschooled for 2 and half years! In 6th grade I was afraid to stand up for myself! The situations that I went through are situations where you have to stand up for yourself or the person will do it again! One situation is my teacher had given me a pencil for my birthday and one the boys in my class took it and I went over to him and asked very nicely if I could have it back. He said to me in a mean tone of voice that it was his and I went to Mrs. Miller and told her what was going on. She went to him and said give Hannah her pencil back, well it took her to call Mr. Miller for him to give it back to me! Mrs. Richardson also talked to him and I finally got it back! Another situation is that this one boy said to me are you eating your dandruff? I told Ms. Cathy what happened, she went to Mrs. Miller, and then Mrs. Miller came to me and asked me is Chad making fun of you? I said yes he is! Mrs. Miller took the two of us into the office and I talked to Mr. Miller and explained to him what happened! Then he said to me that Chad will have major problems now and if he does it again he will have even bigger problems! He also said to me that he was very proud of me for telling an adult! Another situation was my friend’s sister was being very mean to me by not sharing her sister with me sometimes! Another situation was me and the boy who took my pencil were walking out of the gym to our bus and he started in on hitting me and kicking me and I did not tell because I would have missed the bus if I did, but I could have told the next morning but I didn’t! That was all for 6th grade and then 7th grade started! There is a girl on my bus that is such a bully to me that it is a very long story to tell, but I’m going to tell it anyway! The way we met was that I was reading on the bus and she starts pulling my hair to where it feels like a pinch and she tells my friend Jenna that it looks like I’m reading upside down! Then she gets moved up to the front and becomes the bus monitor! I met a girl that becomes my bus friend and one day another girl takes her spot in my seat! I get in a fight with her and Shelby goes she’s getting in an attitude! Mrs. Straney says to me if you don’t be quiet you will go to the back! I was very upset and could not calm down! I talked to Mrs. Saylor and Mrs. Wood and then I was fine! Mrs. Straney called my mom and Mrs. Straney was going to put me in seat three and then when Mrs. Straney talked to Mrs. Wood I was able to stay in seat 14. Then towards the end of the school year she and her older sister thought I told them that they couldn’t talk and they called their mother on me! I called my mom and told her I wanted to get off the bus at Flaherty! So she called Mrs. Saylor and she got me off the bus! I wasn’t on the bus for a week and Shelby gets her wish of Cheyenne being out of my life! Well it didn’t happen, it just felt that way! There is a boy and his name is Christian and he drives me out of my mind! There is a boy and his name is miles and he drives me out of my mind too! In 7th grade I finally learned not to be afraid to stand up for myself! My language arts teacher really helped me to learn that! I want to thank her somehow, but I don’t know how too! I l love Mrs. Mattingly so much, that I will miss her this coming year! I will still get to see her throughout the year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Middle school blessings

Over the course of middle school, the Lord has shown me some things that I would have never known if he hadn’t shown me. In 7th grade he gave me my language arts teacher. She showed me how to not to be afraid to stand up for myself and not to be afraid to tell my teachers about my feelings. I would have never learned those things if it wasn't for God. I never would have such an awesome year last year if it wasn’t for God! I have been the most happy I have ever been in my entire life! In the last few days of 7th grade I was very sad because I didn’t want to lose Mrs. Mattingly. On the very last day of school when I said goodbye to Mrs. Mattingly, I balled my eyes out for half an hour. I had such a wonderful year thanks to Mrs. Mattingly, There is a boy that was in language arts with me, which is what she teaches. He got on my nerves all the time. He got kicked out of the Mrs. Mattingly’s room one time for bothering me. Mrs. Mattingly adores me and doesn’t want anything happening to me!!!!! I adore her too. In 8th grade, he showed me that I am really smart. It has taken me longer to pick a favorite teacher than last year. I have finally picked my favorite teacher for 8th grade. It is my math teacher. Mrs. Lang knows that I feel like she is mad at me when I fail a test. She tries to remember to reassures me that she is not mad at me what so ever. Mrs. Lang wants me to do very well in math and she helps me to do well. If it wasn’t for God I wouldn’t have Mrs. Lang or Mrs. Mattingly. In fact I wouldn’t have all of my teachers starting in 6th grade if it wasn’t for God! I would not have gone back to public school if God didn’t move me and my parents to Vine grove. About three weeks ago I found out my sate testing scores and that is when it kicked in that I am really smart. In that same week I was showed by God how much I am loved, especially by Mrs. Mattingly, and my 7th grade teachers.