Mallards/ Marley T.

Hot days are on the way and everyone knows what that means! Ice cream! The perfect way to cool down is enjoy a sweet creamy cone full of mint ice cream. Or maybe you are the daring type and you prefer rose or rhubarb ice cream. Either way, Mallards can help you satisfy your cravings

The Lord says everyone has a talent that can be used to make the world a little better, am I right? Just a little extra sugar in my tea. No kidding, here is a group of people who added LOTS of sugar to my tea. With local ingredients, fresh produce, and constantly new daring flavors (forget the classics, course they have them, whats the fun in that?) Mallards Ice Cream really is the best ice cream shop around Whatcom County!

Mallards isn’t just a self-centered sort of shop, like some places. These guys really care about their community and friends. For example, they make donations to: The relay for life, The Boys and girls club, WomenCare, and Western Clubs! Also, They believe in sharing the knowledge of ice cream making with friends, you can get tours of the kitchen, and even see the plans for future flavors!So next time you decide that sweet tooth gets a treat, or that crave to learn about ice cream occurs, head on over to Mallard Ice Cream, located on 1323 Railroad Ave, for a special treat!ys are on the way.

Belgian Shepherd / Emi W.

The Belgian Shepherd as if you could tell is from Belgium. I think the name is the give away as to where the Belgian Shepherd is from. Did you know that there are actually four different breeds of Belgian Shepherds depending on their coat color, texture and length. The four different names for them are Groenedael, Laekenios, Malinois & Tervuren. These dogs have worked for centuries as guard dogs for sheep and cows. They love small children and they have the nature to become like a brother or sister to them if they are raised with them.

The Belgian Shepherd is such a great family dog with the strongest sense of responsibility, especially when guarding your family. The are great with kids, but wary with strangers, yet they will not attack without cause. This dog is extremely loyal and will give you it’s very best every time. The Belgian Shepherd gives us a great example of the relationship we can have with Jesus. They stay by our side everywhere we go and would even die to protect us.

The male Belgian Shepherd gets up to 80 lbs. and the female gets to 70 lbs. You will need to brush their coats for at least one half hour a week. You will actually have to brush them even more and with care during their shedding period that is in Sring an Autumn.

The Belgian Shepherd normally has between 6 to 10 puppies each time. If you are looking for a wonderful family dog, then this is one of the best breeds to chose from. I really hope you enjoyed learning a few little facts about the Belgian Shepherd.

Carter John Nickelson /Will N.

Carter Nickelson was born on January 28, 1997 to Brett and Susan Nickelson. He has 2 brothers; Lukas, and Will (who is far more awesome then everyone else in the family). Carter is a very talented football, basketball, and tennis player, but is best at baseball. He plays first base and has made a competitive baseball team 3 years in a row. Last year, his team, the Bellingham Baby Bells, won the 12 year old 70 ft. state tournament. In the championship game against Eastmont, Carter had 2 clutch hits, a walk, and drove in a run. If they had one, Carter would have been the game’s offensive MVP. Unfortunately, they did not go far in the regional tournament, which was held in Meridian, Idaho. Carter also has a strong Christian faith. Carter was born into a Catholic family, but is now in an evangelical Christian family. He goes to Bellingham Christian School and attends church regularly. Carter says he gave his life to Christ when he was 7 or 8 years old. Carter is a nice and loving person (although he needs to work on some stuff) who is funny, and fun to be around. Here is an exclusive interview with Carter (this actually happened). Will-”Anything to say about your faith Carter?” Carter- “God is Awesome.” Will- “Anything else?” Carter- “God is cool.” Will- “Anything real that you actually want to say?” Carter “Are you actually putting this on your blog?” Will- “Yep.” Carter- “God is incredible.”

President Obama’s Defensive Plan for the United States | Will J.

President Obama says that he strongly believes in the defense of the U.S. Eliminating threats and protecting the borders of the U.S. are things that the President says he wants to achieve. He said that we have made progress by using four plans and he has set up six guiding principles that he says will help us continue with the defense of the U.S.
The plans that President Obama says we have made progress by using are 1: Renewed dialogue with NATO and other partners and allies on strategic issues. 2: Announced a plan to help “responsibly” end the war in Iraq (which I mentioned in a previous blog: “President Obama’s Speech to Send 30,000 More Troops to Afghan”). 3: Developed an absolute new strategy on Afghanistan and Pakistan and authorized deployment of more than 21,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan, (also see my previous blog listed above.) And 4: Announced creation of a Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record for members of the U.S. Armed Forces to improve quality of medical care. (A plan that provides better health care for those in the military.)
As I mentioned before, President Obama has also set up six guiding principles that he says will help maintain the U.S.’s defense. The first one is to take care of U.S. troops, military family, and veterans. Including the expansion of ground forces to meet military needs and improve quality of life, lighten burdens on the U.S.’s troops and their families, and to serve our veterans. The second principle is to re-balance the defense capabilities for the 21st century. Including maintaining dominance at sea, missile defense, the operations in space, our reliance on cyberspace (technology, electronics, and computers), to preserve air supremacy, and to regulate irregular warfare capabilities. The third principle is reform procurement, acquisition, and contracting, meaning to make sure that the contracts we have with companies who make our supplies are really necessary. The forth principle is to develop and resource strategies to succeed in current conflicts such as Afghanistan and Iraq and tocommunicate the full costs of U.S.’s operations to the American people. and the final two principles are strengthen America’s alliances and partnerships and to use all elements of American power in an assembled fashion.
Wanting to defend people sounds okay but is it really the government role? I think that many people would say it is. But is it? Or is it Christians job to ask God to protect us? Let’s see what the Bible says about protection and defense.
Deuteronomy 31:8 says that God will always be with us, it says, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he willnever leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Luke 22:36 talks about self-defense, saying, “He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” In Matthew 26:52-53 Jesus says, ” ‘Put your sword back in its place,’ Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?’ ” And in the Old Testament the Israelites protected themselves from their enemies. And when they were faithful to God he protected them.
So, based on these verses and the Old Testament it sounds like it is partially the governments responsibility to protect and defend its people and nation. But we also have to trust in God to protect us and be faithful to Him and He will protect us.
If you disagree with me please comment but before you do think about this: Who is ultimately in control of the world? And who does the Bible say we need to put our trust in? I believe it’s God.

“Mama” Mary: A Liberian Orphan | Laura T.

Because my blog posts were becoming repetitive, I have decided to switch my topic. Instead of only writing about African countries, my blog is now about people/missionaries who have made an impact on our world for Jesus Christ. Sometimes they have worked/are working in Africa but sometimes in other countries.

From 1989 to 2003, a savage civil war took place in Liberia, West Africa. Rebel soldiers would go through villages and kill anyone of a different people group or anybody who got in their way. The people who survived were left with nothing. The soldiers would completely raid every village they encountered. There was already poverty in Liberia, and then the war.

In the book, Where Little Ones Cry, by Harvey Yoder, a girl named Mary is described (her last name was never mentioned in the story I read about her). She was among the poorer people in Liberia. All through her childhood, she went to the market selling things for her grandmother. One night, she had a vision. In it, a man dressed in white sewed a skirt. Mary remembered how to do it and made a business off of it.

It was during her time as a young adult in the market that Mary heard a missionary calling out the gospel. She then accepted Jesus. This was around the time when the war started. When rebel soldiers were attacking nearby villages, she fled her own village with her two children.

When she was traveling, she passed many orphans. Again one night, she had a vision. A man dressed in white told her to take care of the orphans. When she woke up, she realized that the man in white – in both visions – was Jesus. She began to bring the orphans she saw with her and created a little traveling orphanage. The kids called her “Mama Mary.”

Eventually, after the war was over, Mary bought some land where she built a structure for the orphanage. She taught the children many things, but the most important thing she taught was about Jesus.

I admire Mary for many reasons, but one thing I admire most about her is her faith in God. Even though there wasn’t much food, she had more than 50 kids to take care of, and it was the middle of a war, Mary kept her faith in Jesus alone and pushed through.

Avenue Bread | Marley T.

God has blessed everyone with many talents. One talent I would like to point out specifically is baking. This is, what I would consider, a wonderful, yet challenging art. I find it hard to perfect, though I know many people who are outstanding at this art, some of which are my friends at Avenue Bread. I can’t even begin to say how much God has blessed them. They are outstanding at their job and altogether very creative.

Croissants are a well loved bread, but have you ever tried one fresh out of the oven, having it melt in your mouth, warming you from head to toe?! I tell you there is nothing like it. Plus all of the ingredients used in it and other foods come from local farms and mills. They purchase their sprouts from Happy Valley, their organic mixed greens and soup ingredients are seasonally bought from Double Rainbow Farms. Their crisp pickles and sauerkraut come from Pleasant Valley Farms in the Skagit Valley.Their flour is bought straight from Fairhaven mills, and their milk comes from Edaleen dairy. Now it makes you want to go and eat some of their food, right?

All of Avenue Bread’s food is made specifically for it’s costumers. If things don’t sell very well while on shelf, they will replace it with something that is more popular…that means only hit foods are displayed and made. How perfect! Did you know that Avenue Bread is not only a bakery, but a cafe as well?! So now not only are baked goods available, but so is coffee, tea, sandwiches, soups and salads.

Avenue Breads has been so supported by it’s community, that it is located in 3 places!!!

1313 Railroad Avenue, 1135 11Th Street, and 2301 James St.

Avenue Breads supports people’s gifts from god, in one way, by doing something they call: giving back. they quote: “Avenue Bread is a big part of Bellingham community. We are very proud to donate our bread and pastries to the local food banks, soup kitchens, schools, churches and many other organizations. We believe in providing bread to the ones in need and helping each other.” That goes to show us how much they support local, now I know I help do, do you?

German Sheperds | Emi W.

This week I am going to talk about the German Shepherd. The German shepherd is known as a police dog, but it is one of the best family dogs. The German Shepherd is a very intelligent dog, that is why the law enforcement agencies use them for tracking people and finding drugs. Sometimes people think that the German Shepherd is the only police dog in law enforcement but that is not true. The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has two German Sheperds and one Black Lab named Molly who specializes in drug detection.

When God designed the dogs sense of smell he allowed it to smell forty times better then a humans sence of smell. Here is a great example to think about. When you make stew for dinner you smell all the ingrediants blended together. A dog smells each individual ingrediant. They smell the potatoes, carrots, salt, pepper, meat, beaf broth and anything else you can think of.

Another thing the German Shepherd has is a very beautiful and magestic look too them. The German Shepherd is a very strong dog that and is normally an Alpha dog. German Shepherds are not always tan an black in color, they can also be white and other colors too. They can either be mediam or long haired. The long haired German Shepherd requires a lot of grooming.

Thank you for all your time!!!!

People Who Enjoy Hurting Animals | Emma B.

All killing or hurting of animals just for the fun of it is a cruel and evil thing. The only time I would take an animal’s life is when it’s in so much pain it cannot go on living or if it has cancer or some other disease without a cure (although in some cancer cases there is hope), and the only way to take his or her life without cruelty is to put him or her down. I understand that hunting has a purpose and is not the same thing. But I really feel like giving a piece of my mind to whoever likes to hurt or kill any animal just for the fun of it. I feel like putting that person in front of God’s judgement seat and hear what God has to say. But it’s not up to me to put those people in front of God’s holy chair of wrath or judgement. Although they may deserve it, I can’t put them before our Lord’s throne because I have also sinned and ” the wages of sin is death, but the gift of GOD is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”-Romans 6:23.

If you are a person who likes to see the pain of poor helpless animals, then be aware that there are those who think differently including our Lord, Jesus Christ himself, and there are laws against animal cruelty. I hope that you come to realize that animal cruelty is a sin, and that you repent from it (meaning, commit to stop hurting animals for fun) and ask for God’s forgiveness. And those are my thoughts on people who enjoy animals in pain.

President Obama’s Speech to Send 30,000 More Troops to Afghanistan | Will J.

On December 1, 2009 President Obama gave a speech in West Point, New York saying that he will be sending an additional 30,000 US troops to Afghan to “seize the initiative”, to end the war, and start a pullout in July 2011. He also vowed for the first time that US forces would start coming home in 18 to 19 months. President Obama said that the first US Marines could be in place by Christmas and that with this new garrison of troops the US will defeat Al-Qaeda, “crush” a resurgent Taliban and “pave” the way for a withdrawal. The United States now has 71,000 US troops in Afghanistan, plus another 42,000 from other allied nations, but with this comes a 30 billion dollar price tag.

So, from what I understand, President Obama is doing this so that Afghan can become a secure, free, and safe nation and so that our US troops can come home soon. I personally think this sounds alright but lets see what the Bible says about war and freedom. Matthew 24:6 talks about war, it says, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.” Ecclesiastes 3 says that there is a time for everything and verse 8 says, “-a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” Galatians 5:1 talks about being free, it says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” And 1 Peter 2:16 says, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”

So, based on what these 4 verses say it looks like President Obama is mainly on the right track in wanting to free the US from threat and Afghan from the Taliban. What do you think?

Tony Dungy | Connor S.

Tony Dungy was the former coach of the Colts, an NFL football team and is one of the most respected men ever to coach the NFL. Tony was the first African American coach ever to win a super bowl. Tony and his team won the super bowl February 4, 2007. His love for Christ is strong and he reads God’s word every day. Tony has also been a frequent speaker for Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Athletes in Action, which are both Christian organizations. Tony says that he puts God first, family second, and football last. I like how Tony is faithful to God and keeps Him first in his life. I try to do this to in everyday situations and ask that you would do the same.