Zack, Kelly, A.C. Slater, The Max, Bayside High…..and somehow Haley Mills managed to descend from The Parent Trap greatness to become Miss Bliss?! You know you watched Saved by the Bell. Admit it. You even envied the Zack Morris phone. Now, fess up and tell how Screech savvy you really are.

I barely made the grade with 80%. Ready? It’s test time! See how Saved by the Bell you really are.

Don’t be afraid of the title “salad” - these do not fall in the “rabbit food” category (as my husband calls them.) They may have lettuce in them, but are much more than that!!!

Tropical Chicken Salad
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. curry powder
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
2 large bananas, sliced
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup coconut
lettuce leaves
sliced almonds
Mix first 4 ingredients. Just before serving, add next 4 ingredients. Serve over a lettuce leaves and sprinkle with nuts.
Compliments of Liz Meiners (Rinnie Hersman’s mom)

California Brocolli Salad
1 large bunch brocolli, flowerets only
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 lb bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup red grapes, sliced in half
Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar or honey
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Mix first 5 ingredients. Blend mayonnaise, sugar/honey and vinegar in blender until sugar dissolved. Toss dressing with salad just before serving.
Submitted by Currin Ann Seeley

by Sarah Wilkening

This summer, I was an intern with World Harvest Mission in Southall, an area of west London that is predominantly South Asian. It was a summer full of both hardship and countless blessings. Though I could never relay all the experiences I had or the many ways I was blessed to see God working, I would like to share one story of a very special friend I made and how God used this friendship to reveal himself not only to a lonely Indian woman but also to me.

The second Sunday I was in London, I decided to go to the grocery store before church. Since the service was in the afternoon I had plenty of time and we needed a few basic items. I walked to the nearby corner grocery store. I need to mention that I was wearing a Punjabi suit (a typical Indian outfit) that I was planning on wearing to church. Needless to say, I stuck out a bit being that I don’t look very Indian. So, I bought the few items I needed in the grocery store and then proceeded to pick out some fruit from the stand right outside the grocery store. When I went to pay for it, the lady at the cash register eyed me with delight. She was a middle-aged Punjabi woman, rather heavy-set with dark hair and big smile. She told me my suit was very nice and asked if I was from Germany. I explained that I was actually from the USA and that I was living nearby and working with a church and in a charity shop for the summer. She was very friendly and we had a little conversation about how her husband was British and spoke much better English than she did. Then, I said goodbye and headed home. Little did I know that behind her smile and friendly demeanor lurked a great deal of loneliness, emptiness, and fear. Little did I know that conversation would spark a very special friendship.

I continued to shop at that little grocery store and fruit stand all summer. My friend’s name was Manjit but I affectionately refer to her as “the fruit lady”. Her story is long and complicated; She was born in India to a Sikh family and her life has been very difficult, filled with a great deal of rejection and hardship. She was lonely and I like fruit so I ended up at her fruit stand every few days and we talked a great deal. Eventually, she invited me to her house for tea. Our friendship grew and we talked about everything from Indian food to my family to her fears. We laughed together and we cried together. She loved to dote on me and would slip a few extra nectarines into my shopping bag when I checked out. Eventually, due to some unfortunately circumstances, she had to move her fruit stand to another street, farther away. I continued to walk there to meet her several times a week. In fact, on many occasions she would ask me to watch her fruit stand while she took a break. I had no idea when I arrived in Southall that loving people and showing them Jesus would mean selling tomatoes so they could go eat a kebab and rest their feet. I had no idea that I would find myself holding a sobbing Punjabi woman in my arms.

Through my friendship with Manjit, God taught me several very important things. When I arrived in London, I was uncertain and afraid that I would not easily make friends. There was a great deal of free time built into our schedules so that we could build relationships but I wasn’t sure how to go about finding those relationships. Yet, I didn’t have to go out of my way. God brought Manjit into my life in a very natural way, as simply a part of a normal trip to the grocery store. It was no accident that I went to that fruit stand. It is no accident that God brings people into the paths of our lives.

I was also struck on so many occasions by the realization that showing Jesus to Manjit meant loving her in brokenness. I didn’t have all the answers and I couldn’t fix her hurt, but I could listen and I could share what Jesus has done in my life. And I had to trust that even when my plans didn’t work (I invited her to church events several times and she never came) He was pursuing her beyond my ability.

I don’t know if I will ever see Manjit again. However, I continue to pray for her; that she will come to know the hope of Jesus Christ. I miss her a great deal. I miss her laughter and the times we shared together. I am so thankful that God brought her into my life. I learned a lot from her about the beauty of her culture and also about the spiritual darkness that surrounds her way of life. God worked in our relationship and even though she did not come to know Jesus while I was in London, I know that He is working in her life.

Every week (or so) we would like to introduce you to a woman at UPC who you may or may not know. The object is to help you get to know her through this blog. Then when you see her at church you can introduce yourself and become best friends. That’s the mission, should you choose to accept it. Our pick of the week is…drum roll, please…

AMY HERSMAN
Also known as: Amos, Ames, Ducky (don’t ask, she’s not telling)
Amy is a 20-something, single, female, who insists that she does NOT need any match-making help, although if she could choose she would pick Matthew McConaughey…

She grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) in Nairobi, Kenya and has been attending UPC for 7 years. You can usually find Amy in the center of a gaggle of middle school girls, since she volunteers in the UPC Youth Ministry. If you want to have a conversation with her (and she highly encourages you to), just be prepared for it to be interrupted several times by 11-13 year old girls throwing themselves at her and smacking her posterior region.

This is what Amy has to say about herself:

Do you have any pets?
Yes, a dog named Tequila. He’s a Chihuahua. I thought that it was a good, strong Mexican name. And a cat named Fiddlesticks. He’s Kenyan but has adjusted to the United States after several weeks of culture shock.

Dogs or cats?
Dogs. Sorry, Fiddles. I love you, too!

Daisies or roses?
Roses, orange please.

Vanilla or chocolate?
Psh! Chocolate…duh.

What’s your favorite dessert?
Oatmeal cookies and dirt pudding (Mmmm….)

What’s your favorite vacation spot (real or imagined)?
I’ve always wanted to go to Australia. It’s sunny, surrounded by water, and I’ve always wanted to see a wallaby.

What’s a weird thing about you?
I love purses and flip flops. I have tons of each in just about every color imaginable. My family and friends like to make fun, but they’re just jealous. To quote Natalie Dee, “It’s not a problem, it’s a superpower.”

If you were stuck on an island for a week alone and allowed to bring your Bible and one other book what would it be?
Ventriloquism for Dummies. If I’m not going to have anyone to talk to but myself, I might as well learn how to make it more interesting.

What’s your job?
Administrative Assistant to the Director of Operations for Advancement at Wycliffe Bible Translators. Yeah, try and say that five times fast. Basically it’s just an important sounding way of saying “secretary.” A stinking good one, too!

What’s your favorite TV show?
I don’t get to watch a lot, but I do get together weekly with the other youth group leaders and watch “Lost.” It’s totally got me hooked. I can’t wait for the new season to start

Do you have any Bible passage that’s special to you?
“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1 Cor. 10:12-13

I love these verses. They remind me that I’m human, and God is in control and ever present, even in my darkest moments of temptation.
***

Thanks, Ducky! Let’s hear a round of applause for AMY HERSMAN!! If you would like to get to know Amy better visit her blog at www.kenyaninside.com

Are you new to the blog world?

We’ve created a short tutorial so you can make the most of your your Craving Grace blog experience.

Cathy and I had a phone conversation the other day when I introduced her to this blog. Care to listen in?

If you watch and listen, you’ll hopefully get a better feel for what this site is all about.

Watch the video by clicking here.

NOTE: You may have to let it load a few seconds. When you are finished watching, just close that window and you’ll be back here.