Haiti

[to bring a foundation to my thought process…
I have been hearing a few songs over and over again.
One being Follow You by Leeland and Brandon Heath
Another being Healing Begins Tenth Avenue North
And another being Lead Me by Sanctus real.
This blog or note is about Follow You]
Well more about Haiti]
(I could possibly write a book about Follow You.)




*******
“All my needs You have supplied
When I was dead You gave me life
So how could I not give it away so freely?
And I´ll... Follow You into the homes of the broken
Follow You into the world”

I will be going to Jacmel, Haiti in about a week.
I will be going with 9 other college age kids.
We will be working with Calvary Chapel Haiti Initiative.
http://www.calvarychapelhaitiinitiative.org/
I am not exactly sure what I will be doing.
I will tell you in two weeks.

Here is an idea of what we will be doing:
Opportunities will include evangelism, children's VBS-style ministry, medical, social work, clean up, rebuilding homes and orphanages, and much more.
We will most likely be doing some
children’s ministry, clean up or rebuilding work.
We shall see what God has planned for us in Jacmel.

Pastor Bill at Crossroads has mentioned how dark of a place Haiti is spiritually. Over half of the people still practice voodoo. There is a lot of Satanic and demonic activity that runs rampant in this nation. We for sure, 100% need to go into this trip prayed up and with our spiritual armor on. God is bigger than the evil one, but spiritual warfare is a reality we will be encountering.

Prayer is powerful and God is so much more powerful.

We leave Friday July 30, 2010 sometime in the morning.
We will head to Dallas and have a layover and then to Miami.
From Miami the next day we will go to Port-au-Prince.
From there we will fly to Jacmel.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Pieces of a Real Heart

[to bring a foundation to my thought process…
I have been hearing a few songs over and over again.
One being Follow You by Leeland and Brandon Heath
Another being Healing Begins Tenth Avenue North
And another being Lead Me by Sanctus real.
This blog or note is about Lead Me.



*******
Friends have gotten married
and have gotten engaged
and have gotten into a relationship.
It has been a wedding summer
[although I didn’t go to any of the weddings]
And I figure this is only the beginning.

I have this theory about dating.
[More like this thought to keep me from dating or an excuse to some of why I am not dating.]
I don't date guys who aren't friends. [I don't know who they are.]
I don't date friends. [It will muddle up a good friendship.]
Conclusion: I don't date.

[For now at least. It’s great, I can do whatever I want. Hmm, maybe I am selfish.
I pray that I am not. I am following what I believe Christ desires of my life.
And with that, I am not always sure what his desires are; I hope that my desires are His.]

I read this book called "How to ruin your dating life"
It was about how to avoid certain mistakes.
It even talked about Joshua Harris’ book I Kissed Dating Goodbye.
I’ve read that book as well.
So far these past six months that theory I have has worked in this dating culture.
As well as this thought:
In the end what matters?
God.
God matters and what matters to God matters.
When we are in heaven we will be brothers and sisters in Christ.
So ultimately, these friendships are what matters.
Friendships with Christ in the center.
All of us will be the bride and Christ will be the bridegroom.

“When we arrive at eternity’s shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We’ll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we’ll sing
You’re beautiful”

After a wedding there is a marriage.
A lifetime
This marriage is to be a picture of how Christ is to the church.
I do not see this picture very often in this world.
I desire this picture.

I am letting God orchestrate my love story.
I am learning to love God with all my mind, heart, soul and strength.

“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men”
Ephesians 6:7

I'd rather forget and not slow down.

It is this life in this world.

It is not easy.

I know this feeling.

This feeling of failure and wanting to rewind and change things.

But then I remember a few things and it helps ...

One is that song where it goes,

"Whatever You're doing inside of me

It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace

It's hard to surrender to what I can't see

but I'm giving in to something Heavenly"

And another...

"I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,

When I think about, the way… That He loves us"

I haven't blogged as much as I had originally planned.

I figured that since my major places me in front of a computer all year long

I don't need to be in front of one for much of this summer.

I have been busy with work; It as been fun though.

I have been able to hang out with friends periodically

between work, youth group, camps and sleep.

Parents out of town in different places is new.

My father looking for jobs in places life Africa.

I wonder where God is leading my father.

Holidays.

Parties.

Weddings.

Engagements.

Mission trips.

"I see my life sometime and I ask why..."
Walking on the stars.
Its a song thats playing right now, I like it.
This blog is like taking 3 hours to write...
Don't worry, I am doing several other things while I add to this.
I find that I have too many ideas in this one post...

Sweet Tea Tyree

Note - this blog is no longer going to be like a good design if that makes any sense.

I was unwilling to come near this because I didn't like the design and didn't feel like learning what the code was saying because that is what I will be doing all year long, at least during fall semester.

This is a place where I will write down memories. Many joyful ones along with trials.

Joy does not come without hardships on this earth.

Sweet Tea Tyree.

About a year ago, it was the fourth of July at Lake Retreat.

The day before, we just got done with high school camp and the summer staff was hanging out at camp. We decided to go into town which was only about a 20ish minute drive. My lovely amazing friend Tyree and I began talking and somehow found a similar joy - Sweet Tea.

We decided that we wanted to get some. We went to the Covington Wal - Mart . . . no sweet tea.

Sad faces.

We went to Safeway on our way back to camp, and once again no sweet tea.

Back at camp sweet tea - less, we chilled at the lake and I believe that was when like a bunch of us were in Lungren watching The Office until like 1:30 or something. Maybe that was a different day. Nonetheless we were at camp without sweet tea.

Fourth of July.

Lake Retreat has a party on the lake and people come and get food and enjoy the day.

Some people may stay the night, some will go home. Stephen and Eric, the camp year round works even set off fireworks from the floating dock in the lake.

I ask my father if he would like to come up since I am there and my mother is in Japan.

He says he will [ he likes driving...he is driving across the country next week!]

He asks if I would like him to bring me anything. I just said Arizona Sweet Tea.

Later on the fourth my father comes and he tells me this story of how he went to like seven stores to find this tea for me. It was so brilliant. My father is amazing. [He is even despite the tea] He found it in like an AM.PM and a 7.11.

I had my amazing friend Tyree meet my father and thank him for the sweet tea. It was so great.

And I had my father at camp! I had 2 free meal tickets, one for lunch and one for dinner and I didn't eat lunch so my father was able to get a meal without having to pay for it.

We ate and later watched the fireworks. Then my father went home that night.

Yea, he likes driving. My dad brought about 15 things of Sweet Tea and other Arizona flavored drinks. It lasted well through the next two camps.

And on a random note, I had and kind of sill have this obsession with butterscotch pudding.

At camp I got that at Wal -Mart and I had orange Jamba juice spoons with me to eat them.

These days I just have metal spoons in my purse.

My mother calls me the spoon thief.

I LOVE YOU TYREE! =]