"Affirmations"

Affirmations are truth statements that we speak in
the present tense. Affirmations help us to change
old tapes or beliefs we have been carrying in our
subconscious. These old tapes or beliefs can keep
us from realizing the good that is our inheritance as
children of God. As we repeat affirmations over and
over, we open new pathways to create a different
belief system, and to help us to consciously create
our lives the way we want.

An example of an affirmation that has been helpful
to me is "I am centered and poised in the Christ
Mind. Nothing (or no one) can disturb the calm
peace of my soul.

It is also can be helpful to change Bible verses to
the present tense, and repeat it as an affirmation.
"The words of my mouth, and the meditations of
my heart, are acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord..."

Affirmations work best when we decree them
from a place of power.

Let us pray
Sweet Holy Spirit, we are truly grateful that we
are able to create our lives through affirming the
good that we know is our inheritance. We give
thanks for Your mighty activity always at work
in our lives. Thank You, God. Amen.

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Hopper Happenings
We are so grateful for this new year that we
have stepped into. We wish you the greatest
year ever.

I feel called to do a process at work to help
transform the clinic, and make it a better work
environment and place for people to come to
be served. I appreciate all of those people who
are choosing to pray with me about this.

Wes will be teaching some classes for the
fire department again, and he is looking
forward to it.

We love our place here in the White Mountains
of AZ. We have all kinds of wildlife
coming through the yard, and they give us
many moments of wonder and appreciation.

We enjoy hearing from you, and we are grateful
for your love and support.

"Who, Me?"

"Who, Me?"
Moses had fled fro Egypt and was shepherding his
father-in-law's sheep when he saw the burning bush.
God told him that he was to lead the children of Israel
out of Egypt where they were slaves. His answer was,
"Who, Me?" Taking on Pharaoh, and a bunch of
Israelites who weren't sure they wanted to go, wasn't a
part of Moses' vision and mission for his life. But, he
was obedient, and the rest became Biblical history.

As we open ourselves to God in prayer, our plans do
not always stay the same. Spirit is able to give us a
bigger picture of what the highest and best is for our
lives. Sometimes our own vision and mission is
much smaller than what it really can be. As we
open up to Spirit we receive new ideas and a new
perspective. Then we act from a place of being
divinely guided, and we have peace.

Let us pray
Loving Presence, we relax and open ourselves to
You. We realize that You give us wisdom and
guidance for a new way to see the possibilities
that lie before us. We desire to be all that we
can be. We release limited perspectives, and we
say, "Yes, God. It's me. I'm ready and willing."
Thank you, God. Amen.

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Hopper Happenings
It has been a year since I've put out a letter.
For some of you, this may be your first
experience of one of these newsletters, and
I would like to thank you for signing up. My
thanks, also, to those of you that have
received them in the past, and continue to
be an encouragement to me.

Like Moses, I have struggled during this last
year as I have been working for the Indian
Health Service on the Apache Reservation
at Cibecue. It was not a part of my plan when
I was ordained June 2006. I thought nursing
was a part of my past, and that I would be
going to work in a church. What I know is
that my work as a Clinical Nurse is a place
of ministry. I bring with me a consciousness
that is not often expressed in the clinic or
on the reservation. Wherever I am, my
vision is to be a catalyst to help change the
consciousness of our planet. "Here I am,
Lord, send me."

We recently moved into a different home
that we love. We have a sunroom that
looks out into the forest, and our back yard
just goes on forever. We feel so blessed.

Wes continues to teach his seminar,
"Science of Getting Rich," and has people
from all over the world that he is reaching.
He is a wonderful role model of someone
following his passion, and listening to
Spirit. (Yes, I'm a bit prejudiced, but I'm
not the only one who admires him.)

In May we said goodby to our blessed
Gabby who had been a part of our lives
for almost 11 years. We miss her
wonderful doggy energy.

My friend, Phyllis Trella wrote a
children's book "I Got the Giggles." It
is a fun book you will love sharing with
your children and grandchildren. Phyllis
has a special offer on her book of $15,
plus shipping and handling. I
recommend it highly, and know you
won't be disappointed. Contact Phyllis
at 928-532-7109, and let her know you
heard about the book from me.

Saturday, September 20th, I will be
facilitating a workshop at Unity of
Phoenix on "Unlocking the Secrets
of Prayer and Meditation." It will be
from 9:00-11:30AM. I would love to
see you there.

Let us hear from you.

Love & prayers,
Sandra

When The Answer Is No

Sometimes the answer we receive to our prayers is
"No." Like children, we would like the answer to
always be "yes," but "yes" is not always the highest
and best answer for us, or for the ones for whom we
are praying. God will not change the laws of the
universe to fit our wishes either.

Praying is really about changing ourselves, not God.
As we pray, we speak what is on our hearts, and
then it is important to spend time in meditation
listening for Spirit's guidance from within. Then we
will know truly what is the highest and best for us.

Let us pray
Sweet Holy Spirit, we know that You know what
is the highest and best for us as we pray. We
rest in that assurance, and give thanks for Your
guidance every step of the way. Amen.

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Hopper Happenings
No, Dear Friend of Prayer, you have not missed
a newsletter. It has been a couple of months
since I last wrote. Much has been happening
with us, and I'm sure with you, too.

I came to the realization that administering a
church as Senior Minister is not where my
gifts and talents are best utilized. I know that I
serve best in Pastoral Care supporting the
Spiritual Community with prayer, counseling,
coaching, classes, and sacred ceremony. I am
submitting my paperwork to the Association of
Unity Churches for an alternative ministry that
will be a ministry of pastoral care.

July 22nd I started working for the Indian Health
Service on the Apache Reservation at Cibecue.
I am working as a Clinical Nurse, which is
something I have not done for 13 years, so it is
another opportunity to stretch and grow. My
last nursing was with hospice in Phoenix 3
years ago.

Wes continues doing some consulting work with
the Apache County library system, and he has
really been enjoying this. He will soon be
teaching another tele-seminar on the book,
"Science of Getting Rich" by Wallace Wattles.
He has had people from around the world as
students.

We enjoy hearing from you, and we are grateful
for your love and support.

Peace and love,
Sandy

Surrender

"Surrender"
I remember the song "I Surrender All" that we sang
in the church I went to years ago. Surrender had a
different meaning to me in those days, then it does
now. Thoughts of surrender meant giving up like a
soldier with his arms raised in the air, and giving in
to what someone else wanted in my life.

Now, what I am learning about surrender is that it is
not fighting what is. It is releasing the need to be in
resistance. In her book, "Loving What Is," Byron
Katie talks about this very concept. Suffering comes
when we have an expectation that something has to
be different than what it is.

When I am surrendered, then I can truly pray about
the situation, give it over to God, and listen for what
is mine to do.

Let us pray
Living, loving Presence, we relax into your Presence.
We surrender our circumstances and the circumstances
of others to you. We ask for guidance, because we
know that You know what is ours to do, say, and be.
We give thanks ahead of time, knowing that our prayers
are already answered. Thank You, God. Amen


............................................
Hopper Happenings
On April 15th I spoke at Unity of the White
Mountains here in Lakeside, AZ \(they moved from
Show Low, AZ in October\). This was my try out
talk to become their minister. Since that Sunday I
have absented myself from 3 Sundays here while
other candidates were here to try out, visited 2
other Unity churches, and visited family and friends.
Wes and I continue to be in prayer for our next step,
and for Unity of the White Mountains as they make
their decisions.

Wes has been doing some consulting work with
the Apache County library system, and it has been
a time of stretching and growing for him. He
finished a tele-seminar this month where he had
people from Australia and Canada as students.

We continue to love living in the White Mountains
of Arizona. What a blessing to be able to walk in
the pine trees, and be in the part of the country
that we love.

We enjoy hearing from you, and we are grateful
for your love and support.

Peace and love,
Sandy

Affirmative Prayer

 "Affirmative Prayer"
Prayer is when we connect with the God
of our understanding.  It is not begging
or pleading for what we want.  When we
pray affirmatively we state Truth teachings,
reminding ourselves about the Truth.

An example of affirmative prayer is: "Loving
Spirit, I know I am surrounded in the flow
of Your abundance, and I give thanks."

Let us pray,
Thank You, God, that we can come to You
at any time, knowing that You hear us.  You
know all about us, and You give to us from
Your abundance.  We give thanks.  Amen.

HOPPER HAPPENINGS:
Everyday we have been able to enjoy walks
in the fresh mountain air with our dog,
Gabrielle.  She is in dog heaven, because
while we were in Kansas City the walks were
few and far between.

Wes is doing consulting work for the Apache
County library system, and is learning all
about library terms.  He will be helping them
set up a computer system.

I have done some networking, and have my
first bride signed up for a wedding in May.

There is a couple who I met through a good
friend here, and I have been spending some
time with them.  He is on hospice, and I have
been able to give his wife some respite.  My
experience as a hospice nurse is coming in
handy.

April 15th, I will be giving a try out talk at
Unity of the White Mountains.  I had a
telephone interview with their search team,
and we had a good time.  We are praying
for the highest and best for them, and for
me in regards to their search for a minister.

We trust you are daily being blessed, and
seeing yourself in the flow of God's
abundance.  Let us know how you are
doing and what you are up to.

Peace and love,
Sandy

LENT

"LENT"
A Unity minister, Christopher Chenoweth, uses the
acronym "Let's Eliminate Negative Thinking" for the
word Lent. Many people deny themselves all kinds
of things during the season of Lent that precedes
Easter. I like the idea of eliminating negative thinking,
and I know how life changing it would be if I made
that decision for the whole 365 days of the year, and
not just the 40 days of Lent.

Perhaps you and I could make this decision together
to do our best to be aware of our negative thinking,
and to eliminate it. Let's eliminate negative thinking.
Then let us replace it with thoughts of love, joy, and
peace.

Let us pray
Sweet Spirit, we are grateful for Your presence, and
with Your continued guidance we know we can be aware
of our negative thinking, and then eliminate it. We
consciously choose thoughts of love, joy, and peace.
Thank You, Spirit. Amen.

HOPPER HAPPENINGS
On February 16th Wes and I left Kansas City. He
drove a truck pulling my car, and I drove his car and
pulled a small trailer. Except for a few snow flurries
the first day, we had beautiful traveling weather. We
were not surprised, after all, we had set our intention
for good weather.

February 18th we arrived in Lakeside, AZ, a small
community in the White Mountains NE of Phoenix
about 3 hours. While still living in Kansas City we had
found a home to lease by looking in the local paper,
and some good friends, living in the area, took a look at
it for us and then sent pictures of it to us via email.
We then talked to the agency representing the house, and
we sent a deposit.

After the truck was unloaded on Monday, then it
began to snow, but not enough to keep Wes from
returning the truck to Mesa (a suberb of Phoenix)
on Tuesday.

Our plan is to start an alternative ministry of prayer,
sacred ceremonies, spiritual counselling, spiritual
coaching, classes, and guest speaking.

Thank you for your love and support. We enjoy
hearing from you.

Peace and love,
Sandy

Kingdom of God

"Kingdom of God"

"The kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:21 Jesus told
this to a group of Pharisees that asked him when the kingdom
of God was coming. We too, can be like the Pharisees and
always be looking for an outward manifestation of the kingdom
of God. When we take time to go within, and connect with the
God of our understanding, then we find the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God is "peace that passes all understanding,"
even in the midst of chaos. The kingdom of God is joy that is
beyond the power of our words. The kingdom of God is the full
realization of our oneness with God, and that there is no
separation.

What a wonderful way to step into a brand new year as we go
within, and connect with the Kingdom of God.
Happy New Year!

Let us Pray
Living, loving Presence, we are thankful for this new year that
we have before us, and that in this year we can more fully
realize that the kingdom of God is within us. We release any
idea that we are separate from You, and we rejoice that we are
one. Thank You, God. Thank You, God. Thank You, God.
Amen.

HOPPER HAPPENINGS

Wes and I celebrated New Year's Day by working in the
telephone prayer room at Silent Unity. What a blessed way to
share the holiday with people from around the world. As we
answered some calls from hurting people, it was another
reminder of how blessed we truly are.

I have been doing Spiritual Coaching with a minister from this
area, and it has really helped me make decisions toward my next
step. I have been so impressed with the process that I know
Spiritual Coaching is something I want to be able to use in
my own ministry to support people.

In January I submitted my resignation at the church where I had
been working in Pastoral Care. In February I will begin working
at Silent Unity almost full time, instead of part time
.
I have sent my resume to the hospice in Lakeside, AZ, and Wes
has applied for a computer position at the library. We know the
right and perfect positions will be open and ready for us when
we get to AZ.

We have been doing a visioning process that includes our
move, jobs, home, and new ministry. We are excited about the
way it is all falling into place, and are confident that it will all
occur as it is needed. What a blessing to live from the place of
knowing Pure Potentiality is here now.

Write and let us know how things are going for you. We would
love to hear about your own process as you are stepping into
this new year.

Peace and love,
Sandy