Oh, you know…. Just bummin’ around.
Bummin’ around Switzerland, to be exact.
Enjoying breathtaking views…
…in great company.
I was there for my mission’s conference, where we deprived missionaries spent hours commiserating about how we suffer for God….
…in our five-star hotel. 
There were fabulous meetings and wonderful speakers. Primary lesson learned? Allow me to tell it with pictures:
“When life throws you for a loop…”
“…head for the hills…”
“…from which our Help comes.”
(Verse taken from the PNSV translation. That’s Phoenix Non-Stardard Version.)
And on a less profound note, I also learned the following existential truth:
Next time you have a bad hair day, be grateful…
…you could be having a bad horn day–like Bessie here!
(Look carefully…)
If you’d like to see more pictures of my time in Switzerland, please follow this link and click on “slide show”:
https://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/shelleyphoenix/album?.dir=53a8re2&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=
I am thrilled to be home–back where I belong with Storch’s girls, my wonderful (and talkative!) writing class, my buddies, my small group, my projects and the incredible fulfillment that comes from being where God wants you.
My love to each of you!
Mama_G_Hugs
I am sensing a new illustrated book on the horizon involving cow characters and breathtaking locations! We’re glad you are home too! You want some creative student’s assignements? Hehe! love ya, Ne
unnie13
haha that was a quick picture update! thanks for having me over last night! missed you last week..
tryals15
Suffering for Jesus, eh? I think I’ve decided that I need a little more suffering in my life… =]
armie2007roses
I think it was this weekend that I heard about this… our help does NOT come from the hills because that’s where people use to worship idols and stuff. That one song where it says “… something something Mountains something something… where does my help come from”… I think it’s saying that our help does not come from the hills. am i repeating myself?
laurishka
Yay for
a) Beautiful views (I’m a little lustful, if one can lust over scenery)
b) 5 star hotels. . .I broke a wall in one once!
c) Having a writing class and a Storch. . .
d) You in general! To borrow college colloquialism (sp?) “I heart you, like kind of a lot.”
developmentation
hey michele
thanks for the post. it’s 2:40 and i’ve been trying to sleep for an hour or so. but i took a 2.5 hour nap at like 8 pm because i was overwhelmed with Chemistry, tiredness, and hating evil as you saw. i went to that dixie classic fair on Friday i mentioned and there was a booth to pay a dollar and go behind a screen to see a really small woman. i thought it was a gag, but it turns out there is a midget woman behind the screen and she just sits there as people walk by and try to suppress a laugh at how small she is. a friend’s friend died on friday in car accident. another friend’s parents are going through a hateful divorce due to a rotten marriage of 20 years. other friends feel lonely, depressed, and empty. rachel jones is in africa watching the third child of a family to die within 2 months. i think about the boy, Saidu, who had his left arm amputated this summer. the cause of each and every thing? evil.
all that to say, thanks for your encouragement that God is using me somehow, in the past or present. please pray that He does in the future. it’s just hard to care about chemistry when the world is suffering; i wish i were ready to help. learning learning learning. argh.
serenitymine
In answer to Ahram: That’ll teach me to quote others’ interpretation of verses! I was merely parrotting the brief message someone gave this week. On closer inspection of Psalm 121, Ahram may be absolutely right! (In her usual understated and gentle way…huh?)
Maybe my “verse” is best interpreted in metaphorical terms: God lives “on high” (in the mountains of our lives), and that’s a good place to head in case of trouble.
developmentation
thanks again michele. i need to remember that, but it’s hard not to be focused on what I want “now and here” especially as an mk that feels his home is “now here” if you catch that drift. thanks for your words of encouragement.
it’s pretty funny. i want to either be in the past, or the future, but not HERE. crazy. i would love to be on Rome trip. or I would love to be married and in med school (as my vague notion of the future goes). ok, so both involve romance of varying degrees, that’s a given. BUT, it’s still interesting how I struggle to be content with what I have now.
AND ps, i actually heard a sermon about how the idols were the hills too and how our help comes from the Maker of the hills. but i just wasn’t going to say anything because i didn’t want to take the niceness of your xanga post. i guess ahram has more guts than i do. 🙂
thanks again for your time.
sunminchang923
dang it!! why does the world love you but hate me?!?!?! send me to the alps~~~ so I guess this trip was the reason why you didn’t pick up my call over the weekend~ gash~ I’ll try again some other time…
mereeser
I will lift my eyes, to the hills and their Creator, who made all heaven and earth! Thanks for lifting our eyes to the “hills”, and thanks to Ahram for reminding us (in so many words) where our help comes from! You guys are cracking me up.
kluelessklutz
Yes, the pictures look lovely 🙂 Miss Phoenix, do you like cows?!
unnie13
hey you forgot to give my the boxers?!!
armie2007roses
Adam Graff says: I should write her a message…
nickel_for_a_penny
You took some beautiful pictures of yourself Mish. hehe.
Just kidding, you’re rump is far more lovely!