Tuesday, February 27, 2024

I understand Arabic!!!

Sooooo one night, several years ago, a group of us went to Oregano's, this seemed to be our new hang to eat, its THE ONE place everyone could ALL agree on, even tho it takes us an HOUR, EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT, to decide where we are going. Weeeeelll this night, as we're sitting there looking over our menus, I noticed that the table across from us was trying to take a group picture.
πŸ“Έ
So they had the whole group in one picture except for the woman that was holding the phone taking the picture! Then after she took the picture she sat down and handed the phone to another woman take a group picture with her in it...buuuuut NOW, this lady taking the picture wouldn't be in it and there would be no picture for them with all of them in it!!!
πŸ“ΈπŸ“ΈπŸ“ΈπŸ“ΈπŸ“ΈπŸ“ΈπŸ“ΈπŸ“ΈπŸ“ΈπŸ“ΈπŸ“ΈπŸ“ΈπŸ“ΈπŸ“ΈπŸ“Έ
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Weeeeeeelllll you know ME, I HAD to offer them my assistance. I called out to them, if you want I can take a picture for you guys so that ALL of you can be in the picture at the SAME TIME!!! They were like, Oh that would be GREAT!!! Thank you SOOOO MUCH!!! So I walk over to them, they hand me the phone to take a picture!!! Annnnnnd NO I DID NOT drop her phone, JUST IN CASE that's where you thought this story was going!!! ( I did think about that while I was taking the pic tho!!! I was like OMW, what if I drop her phone??? I didn't want a recap of THIS MOMENT!!!)
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Soooo I take several pictures on her camera and then I thought I heard a man say take another one, SO I DID!!! Then when I handed them back the camera they were all staring at me in AWE!!! And one of the men says, So you speak Arabic??? I'm like, HUH??? He said it again, you speak Arabic?
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Weeeeellll I must have looked very confused because than another older man says, When you were taking the pictures,
 I said to you in Arabic,
"Take another picture!" but I didn't say it in English at all and he repeated it in Arabic to me, he's like, and when I spoke it to you in Arabic, you just automatically took another picture like you understood exactly what I said!!! I busted up laughing!!! I'm like, I do NOT know Arabic at all, TRUST ME, I can NOT speak any language other than ENGLISH, annnnd thats PUSHING IT... buuuut I honestly thought you said to me...
TAKE ANOTHER PICTURE!!!πŸ“Έ
(IN ENGLISH!)
They thought it was just HILARIOUS!!!
What can I say, I'm sooo spirit minded,
 not only do I speak in other tongues,
 I HEAR IN OTHER TONGUES!!!
Yup, that's ME, Mar Bear,  
understanding foreign languages without even trying!!!
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
♥Mary Frances :)

Monday, February 26, 2024

Happy Monday!!!


I’m striiiiiiiiiiving to be a WISE WOMAN… not quite there yet, buuuuuuuuuuut WORKING ON IT!!! (The Wise Man seems kinda like, THE DREAM MAN!!! Lol;) Strive this week to do something good without telling ANYONE!!!! I dare YOU!!! I dare ME!!!! Hahahahahaaaa!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Happy Sunday!!!

Has God ever answered you without you every actually praying about??? Sometimes you just think it, liiiiiiike that would really be cool or I should… or I wonder if… OR I should pray about that or ask God for something or get Gods opinion on that, buts like a flash going through your mind and then you never get around to asking or you just forget about it AND THEN God responds to your thought!!! That is soooooo amaaaaaaaZing to me!!! It’s like proof that he knows EVERYTHING!!! It just solidifies faith in Him!!! He knows our hearts, he truly does

♥Mary Frances :)
P.S I’m NOT saying don’t pray πŸ™ because God knows what’s in your heart and he already knows your heart, but sometimes God responds to your thoughts even when you don’t specifically mention that thought to Him, buuuuut…live prayerfully ALWAYS!!! 

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Single Saturday!!!

Not even lying πŸ€₯ lol that’s actually on the positive side!!!
Bahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaa!!!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

Friday, February 23, 2024

Holding His Hand(2nd blog post ever written, Maryfranceswriting transfer October 2006)

I sighed happily as I snuggled beneath my covers. The spring 2006 semester of college was over and for all I cared I would never be going back. After all, who needs school when you’re in love and getting married? Even though my boyfriend had not actually proposed to me, we had spent many hours on the phone talking about our wedding, and planning our future. I knew before the summer was over I would be engaged. I couldn’t help but smile; all my dreams of love and romance were finally coming true. Before I drifted off into dreamland I hugged my pillow and whispered a prayer of thanks, 
“God you are so good!”
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Several weeks later, I again lay in my bed beneath my covers. However, this time I was not smiling and whispering prayers of thanks. My head was buried in my pillow and my body shook as I sobbed the tears of a broken heart. I couldn’t understand how one day a person could be holding your hand, whispering sweet “I love you’s” then change their mind. My heart was crushed.
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It had been easy to give God thanks a few weeks ago when everything was going good, but what about now? I had always said I loved God, but did I know how to trust Him? I had always lived my life for Him, but now I would learn to hold His hand even when I couldn’t see the path he was leading me through.
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“I just don’t get it God! What are you doing? What in the world is going on?”
“ I have a plan for you Mary.”
“But God it hurts so much”
“Trust me.”
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As a little girl, I always knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was going to be the best mommy in the whole world, just like my mom. I would marry a Godly man and together we would love our kids, read them stories, and bring them to church. I secretly dreamed of making my family blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Now it seemed like that would never happen.
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What I didn’t know at the time was that what seemed like the end of my dreams was the beginning of something new. God was about to unfold a beautiful plan for my life.

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“Will you trust me Mary?”
“But God all I have ever wanted is to get married and be a mom!”
“Just trust me.”
“I promise to raise my children right…”
“Just trust me.”
“I’ll bring them to church…”
“Just trust me…”
“I’ll teach them your ways…”
“Just trust me…”
“God, I’m so desperate I even promise to be an obedient and submissive wife.”

“MARY! Will you please just trust me?”
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Finally the message sank in and I began to trust Him. Still there were times I wondered if I would ever get married and be a mom. God knew all the questions and ponderings of my heart, He didn’t say yes and He didn’t say no, instead He took my hand and led me in another direction.

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When the fall semester of school started I enrolled myself in as many classes as possible. I had planned on not returning to school this semester or taking on another semester of editorship for the college newspaper, but my breakup changed all that. I had to stay busy to keep my mind off the pain. Still, I found myself in the bathroom stall, in between classes, silently sobbing. Every night I cried myself to sleep. It was in these desperate moments of brokenness that a desire inside me began emerge.
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Despite my broken heart, I wanted to love. I remembered getting a fortune cookie that said, ‘Your ability to love will help a child in need.’ I knew in my heart that God wanted me to share my love. I began looking online for volunteer opportunities. The one thing that caught my eye was volunteering with sick kids at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. However, the process of being approved as a volunteer was quite lengthy. In the meantime, I continued to stay busy at school. One day my journalism instructor gave me an assignment to write an article on an English Literacy class that was being taught to African Refugee women.

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The class was being taught in the office of the Paradise Shadows apartment complex where a lot of African refugees live. Paradise Shadows is located in the Palomino Square area, a rather rough part of Phoenix. When I got there I saw kids running around, playing everywhere. They stared at me curiously as I walked to the office to begin observing the literacy class for my article. I tried to listen and take notes, but the whole time my mind was on the kids. About half way through I headed outside for a break and began talking to some little girls.

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They were so eager for my attention, showing off their braids and asking me to take their picture while they did a little cheerleading routine. I was having so much fun, that for just a few moments I forgot about everything else going on in my life. Soon it was time to leave and when their little brown arms wrapped around me in hugs, something began to pull on the strings of my heart. I knew immediately that these were the children God wanted me to love.



That was on a Tuesday evening of October 2006. That Saturday, I got my youth group together and we headed over to Paradise Shadows for outreach. We blitzed the place with church fliers and told all the kids to meet us on the playground. On the playground we sang songs, took prayer request and played with them. These kids play hard and wild. The boys were jumping out of trees and landing in the splits. By the end of the outreach we were hot, sweaty and tired. But, my youth group had fallen in love the kids as well.
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The next day was Sunday and some of the youth and my family drove over and started picking people up for church. We have been bringing people to church ever since and I don’t think our church has quite been the same. Our children’s ministry expanded. I began assisting my friend in her Sunday school class and soon became a teacher as well for the little girls class.
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Since that time I have had the opportunity to bring many of the kids to youth conferences and camps. One girl even came to live with me for several months until her mother came from Liberia. They have taught me about their culture, language, and even had me taste some African food. I have taught them about matching clothes, dressing modestly, hygiene, manners and much more. Together the older girls and I figured out how to curl their hair and I taught them my all time favorite girls game of M.A.S.H. Most importantly we all taught the kids about Jesus.
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I can now say that I honestly feel no sadness about my break-up. God used my broken heart to begin reaching out to the children and He used the children to begin healing my broken heart. Because of my brokenness, I was forced to dig deeper, move beyond myself and grab a hold of something bigger. There is nothing more amazing to me than seeing their arms stretched towards heaven, tears running down their cheeks as they surrender their lives to God.
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Now when I lay down at night I can smile and honestly say, God you are so good! The reason I say that is not because I have a new boyfriend and I think I’ll be getting married soon. The truth is that I am still very much single. It’s also not because God took away my desire to get married and be a mom. I still dream of holding my own baby and making my family blueberry pancakes.
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The reason I say God is good, is simply because He is. I see now that His hand is on my life. I look back to when I was a little girl and see that even then He was working on me, preparing me, for what I am doing right now. I don’t know what all God has in store for my life, but I do know that as long as I keep holding His hand, He will 
keep on leading. 
♥️- Mary Frances

First ever blog post- Mary Frances Writing Blog-

Mary Frances Writing Transfer- October 2008
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December of 2006 was the last time I had written anything. I had gotten involved in a lot of things at my church and writing was kinda pushed onto the back burner. Well, this past May, 2008, my pastor's wife came to me and said that she had heard about a writing contest she thought I should enter. The story was supposed to be a story of faith in God, in your own life or in someone else's. 
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When I got home that night I started thinking about what I should write. I have written many stories of faith that God has done for other people, but I wanted this story to be about what God has done for me. I have never had a serious illness or some kind of big, remarkable miracle, that has happened to me directly. I have basically grown up in church since I was 2. I got the Holy Ghost when I was six and it has ALWAYS been my desire to serve God. 
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As I was thinking, I began to realize that in life I have learned that sometimes the BIGGEST act of faith is simply trusting in God. I didn't get my story done in time for the contest, however, the above story, Learning to Hold His Hand, is the result. 
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After writing this story in July, I felt like God was pushing me to get back to writing. Since that time, God has continuously been giving me story ideas. I have already completed another story and have some more in the works. My sister told me recently that she believes God wants to use me with my writing. She told me that she doesn't believe God would give me the ability to write for no reason. As I write I pray to God, asking Him that above talent or ability, that He would bless my writing with annointing.
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So as I picked up my old pen to begin, I thought, ok God, it's great to be writing again, but who will read all this stuff?
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  That my friend is you! ;-)

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Combining BOTH MARY's!!!

Weird title right??? Okaaaaaaaaaaay let me explain myself, in 2008, my life changed foreverrrr...I STARTED A BLOG!!!! ACTUALLY, I started two blogs!!! After a big heart-break in June of 2006, I stopped writing for several years and one day Sister Bishop Abbott came to me to me with a writing contest in Guidlines (is that the name of it?) magazine and she said she felt I should enter...I didn't WIN buuuuuut in a way I DID because it got me back to writing AGAIN, which Elder Sister Abbott was adamant I needed to do what God designed me to do...WRITE!!!
That year, 2008, was a life-changing year for me, I came out of my gloom and despair and God restored to me MY JOY through using the gift of writing He had bestowed upon me. I started my blogs two blogs, a SERIOUS BLOG, because there is a serious side of me and Classic Mary Moments for WEEEEELLLLL THE FUUUUUUUN SIDE OF ME!!! 
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Well as you all know, Classic Mary Moments gained and INSTANT following of readers, literally just by me being well ME, the person God made me to be. Today I average between 2-3,000 hits a day, and NO I still havn't figured out how to make a DIME off of this thang!!! A writer I AM, a MONEY MAKER I AM NOT!!!! BAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! I seriously lack even an ounce of business skills!!!! It also astounds me that I have THAT MANY READERS and I'm STILL SINGLE- I'm liiiiiiiiike God must have a really AWESOME love story for me to have that many people KNOW I'm SINGLE and STILL BE SINGLE, I MEAN REALLLY???? HAS HE NOT BEEN ON HERE YET??? AHAHAHAAA!!!!
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AnywayZ, People would tell me that they liked Classic Mary Moments Better than my SERIOUS blog because that was just MORE ME!!! I would think, weeeeeelll then you really don't know me BECAUSE ACTUALLY, they are BOTH ME!!!! I am a HILARIOUS, FUN-LOVING, AWEOME PERSON, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut I am also SERIOUS ABOUT LIVING FOR GOD!!!! I looooooove God with everything that is within me, he is my hope, my joy, and MY EVERYTHING!!!! HE is my reason for living, my purpose and fulfillment in life, He is the best thing that have ever happened to me!!!! 
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Well after a while, i figured out how to combine both sides of MARY on my one blog of Classic Mary Moments! I basically taught myself how to write devotions and humor stories and sometimes combos of both....BUUUUUUUUUUUT I have a bunch of writing that has been stuck on the other blog and I havc decided that I want to start transferrring all that writing on to this blog and then shuttint that blog down, so I will slowly but surley begin that transfer and as I do I will post that it's a transfer and put the original date it was written!!! 
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HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY!!!
♥Mary Frances :)

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

My mind is liiiiiiike…

The kitchen junk drawer…

ON A TRAMPOLINE!!!
Just ask the girlZ at Galentine’s on Monday night, I wrote a RIGHT/LEFT story game, it got a little long winded, I was liiiiiike I wonder how I’ll end this, buuuuuuuut I neverrrrr once ran out of something to say… it was quite entertaining, just ask the girlZ about THE EVIL PRINCE IRVING LEFT FROM LEFTYLAND!!! 
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Seriously, you neverrrrr know what I’m going to say, I not only surprise everyone around me, I surprise myself !!!! Liiiiiike I say something and then I’m liiiiiike, oooooh so that’s what I was thinking?!?!? Oooooops!!!


♥Mary Frances :)

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Christmas In The Park 2023!!!

As a form of outreach, our church ⛪️ does Christmas and Easter in the park and it’s A LOT OF FUUUUUUNNNN and we have great results!!!! Here’s some pictures from this past Christmas in the park!!!






































♥Mary Frances :)

Monday, February 19, 2024

Happy Monday!!!

It’s ALSO ok to pray πŸ™ for something BIG from God since EVERYTHING IS LITTLE TO GOD!!! 
 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.”(2 Kings 3:17-1)
♥Mary Frances :)

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Happy Sunday!!!

Isn’t that a pretty amaaaaaaaaZing thought???
If they can cheer for the apostle Paul after he murdered them, the least we can do is love and forgive one another down here!!!
♥Mary Frances :)

Saturday, February 17, 2024

LPC Van Outreach!!!

Today we went out to restart our van Outreach and it went so, so, so, SOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!
This is almost the whole, MJ is in the van but you can’t see her cuz she’s so short, Levi and Ash couldn’t make it and Chris has to work on Saturdays so he’s the van driver for Sundays!!

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We got so many kids and teens that are wanting to we’ll have at least the big van filled up for next Sunday!!! We are allll soooooooo excited!!!!
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I can’t wait to see what God is going to do!!! Great things are in store for Landmark!!! 
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THIS IS THE YEAR OF MIRACLES!!!
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I’m wondering how God is going to give us our church ⛪️ building, I think of all the different ways God can do it but He usually surpasses all our ideas and does it in a way we never even thought of!!! $2 million is literally pocket change in God’s eyes!!!!
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Marvel not at the works of sinners; but trust in the Lord, and abide in thy labour: for it is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord on the sudden to make a poor man rich. (Ecclesiasticus 11:21)

 ♥Mary Frances :)

Single Saturday!!!

Bahahahahaaa this cracked me up!!!
♥Mary Frances :)

Friday, February 16, 2024

Does God speak through fortune πŸ₯  cookies???

Sooooooo on Valentine’s Day I got some Asian food for my sister and I, I say Asian in general because it’s a Boba πŸ§‹ shop, TeaZona, up the street from us that now sells food too. So I see they put to fortune πŸ₯  cookies in the bag and I pull the first one out buuuut before I open it I say, God tell me what I REALLY NEED TO HEAR!!!
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Then I thought πŸ’­ that’s such a DUMB PRAYER, liiiiiiiike God talks to us through a dumb O fortune πŸ₯  cookie… sooooooooooo I open it and busted up laughing!!!
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I was liiiiiiike, okaaaaaaaayyyy, maybe God DOES speak through fortune πŸ₯  cookies!!! 
THIS WHAT IT SAID….
Read below in case you can’t see that…
Reaffirm your faith in financial plans-MAKE A BUDGET 
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Ahahahahahaaaa!!! I was liiiiiiike SERIOUSLY???? It’s true, I’m working on being better with my finances, the shopping πŸ›️ fast is going goooooooood buuuuuuut I thiiiiiiink I STILL need to figure out a budget…they’re just soooooo budgetY… and hard to figure out…I need heeeeeeelp!!!! 
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It’s interesting that it says reaffirm your faith- WITH AN ACTION!!! Sometimes faith is simply trusting in God, buuuuuuuuuuut A LOT of times true faith is fulfilled by believing AND TAKING ACTION!!!! If you need to take action with something to propel you forward- JUST TAKE IT, then see what God does!!!!
♥Mary Frances :)
P.S. I actually think the restaurant is Chinese based because fortune πŸ₯  cookies are CHINESE, even though boba πŸ§‹ is Vietnamese!!!! 
P.P.S The best fortune πŸ₯  cookie prayer was the time I said, “God, tell me something about my future husband, then I opened up the cookie annnnnnnd guess what??? IT WAS EMPTY!!!!! Bahahahahaaa!!!! πŸ˜‚ πŸ˜‚ πŸ˜‚ πŸ˜‚ πŸ˜‚ 😝 πŸ˜‚ 

Thursday, February 15, 2024

God’s will to…

NOT GO TO ON COURSE!!!!
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Okaaaaaaaaayyyy sooooo you wouldn’t think I’d be sooooooo excited about NOT going to a conference buuuuuuuut I ACTUALLY AM!!!! 
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Soooooooo I’ve neverrrrrr gone and Priscilla and I decided that this year we were FOR SURE GOING!!! We were soooooooo gonna GIRL TRIP IT out there together and we had all these plans and I would ask her every few days, You’re still going RIIIIIIIIGHT!!!! And she would say OF COURSE!!!
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Weeeeeeeellll then when my sister in law announced she was pregnant I was wondering in my head like UH I wonder who’s gonna watch O now if I’m out of town? Buuuuuuut I didn’t say anything but then my sister was like well what do you think we should do because I can’t take off three days of work and I don’t think we should ask Grace because you never know how she’ll be feeling… sooooo I was liiiiiike idk 🀷‍♀️ 
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I mean I don’t really care, I was just thinking about how I had been making sure every few days that Priscilla was still going and NOW I was going to have to tell her that I was NOT GOING! So when my sister asked again what I was going to do I was like I just won’t go I mean it’s really not a big deal and I wasn’t even gonna be able to help with the driving anyways cuz I literally freak out on non-AZ freeways πŸ›£️ or even non Phoenix highways πŸ›£️ so I think that was gonna be an issue but anyways I’ll JUST TELL HER!!! 
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So I called her Tuesday night on the way to Bible study and I was liiiiiike heeeeeyyyy soooooo…. And she was like ok sooooooo I have to tell you right away that I’m NOT going to be able to go to On Course after all and the reason is…and I could tell she felt really, really bad sooooo I interrupted and I was like ok I can tell you feel really bad so before you tell me your whole story, so you don’t have to feel bad THE WHOLE TIME, let me just first say this, I WAS CALLING TO TELL YOU I CANT GO TO ON COURSE!!! And then we both busted up laughing!!! I was liiiiiike okaaaaaayyyy NOW FINISH telling your story!!! 
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AnywayZ, I literally don’t care that I’m not going… i mean, We’re getting a BABY IN THE FAMILY!!! I looooooove babies and I can go hold her ANYTIME I WANT!!! That is literally THE BEST THING EVERRRR!!!!
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The only thing I’m bummed about is that I don’t get to hear MY PASTOR PREACH!!! And I’m sure he’ll be devastated that I won’t be there with my Pom poms to cheer him on buuuuuuuut alas, perhaps I can pass them on to his wife, mom and sister to do my job!!!! Bahahahahaaa!!!!
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Anyways, I told Priscilla you knooooooow what, I just don’t think God wants us to go to On Course and as long as I’m in His will I am perfectly fiiiiiiiiine with that!!!! 
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Besides, how could I everrrr stay mad at Priscilla???
When I was in the middle of a VERY HARD DECISION…
Priscilla was THERE FOR ME!!!
I was liiiiiike about to back out and Priscilla propelled me forward…
To buy this dress!!!!

Bahahahahaaa 
Noooooo really, it was liiiiiiike 1.5 days before my shopping πŸ›️ fast, December 30th and I was on SHEIN when I saw THE CUUUUUUUTEST EVERRRRRR VALENTINE πŸ’Œ DRESS and I was liiiiiike, should I get this dress??? And she was like, uh YEAH!!!! And man, when you have friends like that, YOU JUST DONT LET THEM GO!!!! 
♥Mary Frances :)