SUBSCRIBER'S SCRIPT | by Jenny & Becky F. ~ (Vol. 3#3)
Dear Sisters in Christ,
Hello! When Sarah asked if I would be interested in doing this interview I was delighted! I’ve asked my sister Becky to join me and we hope that you will be blessed by it. My name is Jovana F. (I was named after my great-grandmother) but everyone calls me Jenny. I am seventeen years old. I have many interests and passions but I pray everyday that the LORD would be my greatest passion. I desire so much to love Him with all of my heart, soul, and mind, and to be a vessel that He can use for His glory. He is so good to me and I am so grateful for His faithfulness!
I am homeschooled and will graduate next spring. After that I plan, Lord willing, to stay home with my family and focus on serving the Lord. I also would like to study nutrition, writing, and music. Right now much of my time is spent being with my family, doing Bright Lights (more on that later), writing, playing piano and violin, publishing a newsletter for Christian young ladies called The Little Women, and of course, doing schoolwork. Some of my interests include: medicine, homemaking, nutrition, sewing, hymns, Civil War history, and flower gardening. One of my latest aspirations is to become a good cook, like my mother and both of my dear sisters. I have also recently begun to memorize Scripture, which has been a big blessing for me. I’d really like to encourage other girls who think they “just can’t do it” to give it a try!
·Becky: Hello KBR readers! I am so excited to do this interview, I pray that it will be a blessing to you. My full name is Rebecca Rose F.; most people call me Becky. I am fifteen years old. My favorite pastime is reading, especially Christian fiction books written in the 1800s. I love scrapbooking and playing hymns and hymn arrangements on the piano and flute. Cooking is another one of my favorite things to do; my family have been very obliging guinea pigs to my experiments with new recipes.
My spiritual gift is serving, something I am working on developing. The Lord saved me four years ago and I have been growing closer to Him since. I am still amazed at the overwhelming love the Lord has for me. I am filled with feelings of unworthiness when I think that He, the mighty Creator, desires a relationship with me, a miserable sinner. Yet I am so grateful for the forgiveness He so freely bestows towards me, and for the cleansing work He performs in my life. I pray that I will be yet more grateful and that He will help me show His love to others.
·Jenny: We have been very blessed to be raised in a family that tries to seek the Lord first. Our dad, Pete, is a wonderful father who even comes to tea rooms with us when we ask him to! He works at a local construction company and enjoys reading, history, golf, and hiking. It seems to me that he knows the answer to any question you could imagine, whether it has to do with sports, doctrine, history, the Bible, politics, or anything! Our mom, Kim, is a stay at home mother who spends all her time teaching and caring for us. She loves quilting and teaching others to quilt, reading, Bible studies, and going on long walks in the countryside. She is writing a book on Christ-like music.
Elizabeth is 13 years old and the “baby” of our family. She is a wonderful sister and certainly knows how to make us laugh! She loves the Lord and desires to please Him. Some of her hobbies include, but are not limited to: writing letters, playing piano, violin, and guitar, baking and cooking, babysitting, Scripture memory, biking, baseball, and knitting. She loves horses-reading about them, drawing them, riding them, and dreaming of buying one someday! If you have similar interests, she would absolutely love to correspond with you!
We have been homeschooling since I was in first grade. I am so grateful for this special blessing! We love learning together as a family. This past year we enrolled in the Advanced Training Institute, which has been very encouraging. As a family we enjoy singing, hiking, reading, and playing games together.
We moved from Long Island, New York, to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, six years ago. Since then we have struggled to find a like-minded church, but have recently settled into Covenant Reformed Church. We are grateful for the God-honoring worship.
·Becky: In the spring of 2005, our family attended the homeschool conference in Ohio, where we had a booth selling sewing kits. My mom, Jenny, and I went to a session given by a young lady Sarah Mally, titled “Preparing Young Ladies for Their Teenage Years,” hoping to get some good insight and encouragement. During the session, Sarah talked about the Bible study groups for girls called Bright Lights that she started. Bright Lights is for pre-teenage girls (around the ages of 9-13) and was designed to be taught by older girls. The goal is to encourage girls to stay strong in their teenage years and to provide godly peer pressure. All three of us left the session feeling led by the Lord to start a group. At this time of our lives, our family had been noticing how girls make big decisions in their teenage years, decisions about whether or not they are going to follow the Lord. My sisters and I had also wanted to get involved in some form of ministry, but were not sure where the Lord was leading.
How grateful I am that we went to that session! We have been so blessed through our Bright Lights group. We meet every other Friday night for a time of singing, a lesson, activity, biography reading, and, of course, tea and dessert. BRIGHT stands for Being Radiant In Godliness, Holiness, and Testimony. This is the desired goal that with God’s grace we hope to achieve. It has been so encouraging to be a part of a group of girls that comes together to study God’s Word and become young ladies dedicated to the Lord and His service. Since starting our group in September of 2005 with about 10 girls, it has now grown to approx. 20 girls! It had been very exciting to see older girls being godly examples to younger girls and is a blessing to watch all the girls implement the things they are learning in their lives. I have personally been very blessed by Bright Lights and have grown much closer to the Lord through studying the lessons. If you are interested in reading more about Bright Lights, you can go to the website at www.brightlights.info.
·Jenny: Isn’t it amazing how the Lord is so faithful to teach and mold us to be more like Him? I love knowing that He uses all things (fiery trials, irritations, disappointments, etc.) to draw us closer to Him. I am slowly, by His grace, learning to look at these things as His way of teaching me Christ’s character, and in doing so, answering my prayers that He would make me more like Himself! This has really encouraged me in my walk with the Lord.
I would especially like to encourage other “older sisters” to not underestimate the impact you have on your younger siblings. I am rarely separated from my sisters, yet it takes effort to let them know how much I really love them-to really talk, encourage, and serve them. Give of your time. Be interested in their interests. Listen and encourage. I am still only beginning to learn these things but see much fruit when I do apply them! I have found it very encouraging to do Bible studies with my sisters periodically. Studying God’s Word and praying together certainly draws you closer together! Also, praising our siblings is so important. We need to take advantage of every opportunity to encourage and inspire them in the Lord. Prov. 18:21 tells us that our words can bring life or death! I want to be a life-giver, just as Christ gave His life for me. It’s not always easy, but keep the vision alive and focus on the Savior!
·Becky: Just as important as having a relationship with our siblings is having a relationship with our parents. Lately the Lord has been impressing on me the need to honor my parents and have a close relationship with them. Proverbs 1:8-9 says “My son, hear the instruction of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother; For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.” It is so important that we be under the authority of our parents because God has placed them over us to protect us and teach us about Him. I know my parents love me and want to instruct me in the ways of the Lord. I should delight in being under their authority and be thankful for their instruction!
Our parents do so much for us. They provide us with meals, clothing, gifts, transportation, and much, much more. They make many sacrifices that we may take for granted. We can honor them by showing gratefulness for all the things they do. Take the time to thank your mother for cleaning the house and cooking meals, and your father for working to provide for you. Another way we can bless our parents is showing them that we delight in being with them. My mom loves when I want to go on a walk or to a tea room with just her. She is delighted when I want to have a long talk with her and when I ask her questions about her interests. My dad appreciates when I want to be a part of something he is doing, whether it be reading the Bible or taking out the trash. Be sure to show your parents that you love them. Have long talks. Be affectionate. Make them your best friends. They are always there for you whenever you need them. God is so glorified when we love and honor our parents!
·KBR: May God richly bless you, Jenny and Becky, as you live for Christ!
