Remember that one time, when we threw a potato at a hobo?

Well, last week was an awesomely tough week.
Hm. Last Tuesday we had swap day-so for the whole morning, my team when to Fletcher and served there. Since it's only two blocks from the largest AIDS clinic in the states (and probably one of the largest in the world), we had the chance to go hand out free snow cones in front of it. It was interesting how many people asked...
"How old are you?" ...Nineteen... "And you know what this place is?" Yes... "And your mother lets you come here?"
Well, I didn't quite know the correct answer to that, since, well, she didn't know at the time, but it's not like I'm going to catch AIDS from them by giving them a snow cone. It's sad that they feel that disconnected from the world.
Hm. What else... well, for one, I am, in fact, still alive. Yes, there was a hurricane. Yes, we were affected by it... but merely in the flooding sense. I kinda liked it actually. I don't think I've ever seen sidewalks underwater before. It was a new experience :P
Friday was probably my favorite day, though. After chillin with our preteens, most people went to Eclipse, but a few of us non-vampirophiles (we're going to pretend that's a word) decided to find something else to do at Gano. God most definitely provided. That night at dinner, we had an excess of baked potatoes, and after a huge lunch out at a nice restaurant, none of us were hungry. So, while most of our group went to their overdramatic movie, we got the chance to hand out our extra potatoes (complete with cheese and silverware) to the homeless walking around Houston. It was pretty awesome. We ended up running into the exact number of people that we had potatoes, and it was cool how they reacted.
I do have to admit, I can now check throwing a baked potato at a homeless man off of my bucket list.. now to ride a ferris wheel..
Yeah. Haha. Well, there was this man..

And he looked so sad, and our housemother, who was chaperoning, wouldn't let us out of the car. In my defense, it landed quite a bit in front of him. We drove back by to see if he had woken up (we did quite a bit of calling to try to give him the potato in the first place with no avail) and the man beside him nicely told us that he was simply passed out (we assumed stoned) and he'd give him the potato. We decided it was a potato from heaven.
I don't know. It did sadden me to really see how they live, how they were rushing to the nearest abandoned gas pump to sleep in shelter for the night, how a couple of them started to raise their hands as if we were after them when we pulled up to their makeshift shelter... I guess it's hard to know what to do about it... but at the same time, I want to do something. I will. (sorry, making decisions as I blog is probably a bad thing... nah).
That night was rather awesome in general, though. When we got back, we roller bladed in Gano's gym, did acrobatic stuff (where Lauren murdered her knee and I jammed my ring finger), then finished it out with a movie. So much better than spending nine dollars for vampires. Just sayin' :)
Saturday was probably one of the toughest days I've experienced here. We were given tours of a Hindu temple, a Muslim mosque, and a Buddhist temple. The temples both let us sit in on services, which I won't lie, were kind of creepy. The buildings for both of the temples were gorgeous and intricate, but the insides were simply... empty. The gods they had out in the Hindu temple seemed almost creepy- I can't quite explain it, but in the service they let us sit in on, it just felt... freaky as they chanted. The mosque was probably the saddest part of our day. The families there were probably some of the sweetest I've ever met, and so convinced of their beliefs... but the thing is, our Jesus is not just a prophet, as they believe. He's what all of us need for salvation, and no matter how many sacrifices these people make, how many chants they complete, how many times they bow before their gods, they'll never attain salvation without recognizing and being cleaned by the blood of the cross.
What I don't understand is how people can't desire Jesus. His truth is of freedom, of grace-not by works, but by faith. Where the other religions call for being the best we can be, God gives us the Holy Spirit to give us the desire to obey Him, and no matter how awful our pasts are, He forgives and He's given us His Son. He has already conquered. There's nothing we can do to change that.
I just wish I could change their hearts. Irrational, since it's only by the Holy Spirit.. but my heart just aches for them.
Going on the polar opposite spectrum, we visited a Nigerian church on Sunday. That had to be the most spirited church I think I've ever been in :) It was a BYOI (bring your own instrument) church with a congregation of about 30 at most. Oh, goodness, was it awesome. We sang hymn after hymn, all filled with clapping, dancing, and the beat of a tambourine. As we went up for the offering, we danced to the tune of Oshe Baba, or Thank you Jesus (probably one of my new favorite hymns). Going from such emptiness to such joy was... refreshing. Not to mention, they served us the most awesome African food ever afterwards :)
To complete the awesome weekend, we went to a church for fireworks, food, facepaint, and a free Robbie Seay Band concert that night :) Pretty much doesn't get too much better than that. To top it off, we started the most random Boom Chicka Boom game ever that lasted about half an hour and got us new friends.. lol.
As far as ministry goes, God has been blessing this ministry mightily. We've had around 25 people (adults and children) who've decided they want a relationship with God in the past month, we had people commit to providing Bibles for all of our children, our pantry is full (for now, haha), and we even had Seoul Baptist Church send in volunteers for kids' club this week. Seoul is pretty much awesome. When we ask them to do things, they do it quickly and happily, then eagerly ask what they can do next. It pretty much rocks my socks off. All of these things were just such huge prayers answered. I've never seen the pantry so full, and we were nearly to the point that we didn't have enough Bibles for the new Christians-and a lot of my kids say that they don't even have a Bible at home.
So, God is good (all the time) :)
I guess the last thing I have to say, is my boss is giving me the chance to do interviews! Woot :)
I started today, and basically, what happens, is that to get food and clothing, each person has to go through an interview- taking information down about their family, income, religious views, then witnessing and praying... all in Spanish. It's really awesome, but at the same time.. it's just spiritually exhausting. Most of our community is traditionally Catholic, and most are quite convinced it's by works-"soy una buena persona, entonces, pienso que iré al cielo"- so it's extremely difficult to help them understand otherwise. I was talking to one woman today, and she was saying that she believed in the cross, she believed in the word, but didn't believe she was good enough to get into heaven.
In Luke 5:32, it says, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
It's not about being "good enough." It's only Christ in me that is good; without Him, I'm worthless. I'm unclean, full of mistakes, unable to be in the presence of God, unable to be in Heaven. And the thing is, Jesus was sent for the worst. He was sent for those who need Him-which is truly all, but look at Saul-he was a murderer, everything he was he put towards bringing down the Gentiles- but God redeemed him and brought him up to be one of the most inspiring authors in the Bible.
I guess, after that rant, what I really want to say is that I'd love some prayer for this. As much Spanish that I've learned (by the grace of God), I still found it hard to explain the Gospel in Spanish in such a short amount of time. I just pray that the Holy Spirit will be the one giving the words, not me (for goodness' sake, I forgot the word for forgiveness in one interview), and that the people's hearts will be opened to grace as we know it.
Finally, I'm going to leave ya'll with a passage I've come to love. Gives me goosebumps :)
Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil—to make your name known to your adversaries,
and that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. You meet him who joyfully works righteousness those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls upon your name,who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. -Isaiah 64:1-8
That's my prayer for this city. God has a plan for this place-no eye has seen nor ear has heard what he can do here. I believe he can make this city tremble in His presence. :)
Love ya'll and I hope all is well.
gracia y paz

God made YOU specialllllllllll.....

So. I think God's surprised me with how much He's taught me through our volunteers in the last week. It's interesting; we went from a group of high school students last week to a group ranging from 25 to 70 in age. All the same, it's been wonderful seeing them come in with passion and excitement to serve the Lord. Their willingness and zeal is renewing, for the most part. It has been an adjustment being placed to pour out to the groups and the community... and I think that's what is making this week so long. After pouring out and pouring out and pouring out God's love and the gospel without time to really pour into ourselves, we're all drained. All of us are lacking energy on a grand scale, and it's getting rather terrible. Everyone's getting sick again, tension is rising in the missionary house (even if just a little bit) for the first time, and I feel like this is the time when the devil really can take advantage of our exhaustion if we aren't careful. Well, I guess the point of that story is that prayer for my team as we've made it through half of our summer here (boo) would be greatly appreciated.
On a different note, it has been odd to me seeing the teams come and go. They're here for such a short period of time and when they go, I guess it strikes me as strange that I'll likely never see them again. The group of high schoolers last week was our first team at Joy, and just some of the things they said to me really blessed me... and it kinda broke my heart walking into the gym on Friday and not seeing their excitement to see us and start ministry. Sad.
One of the girls I got to serve a lot with in clothing closet was so sweet. I taught her a few phrases in Spanish so she could feel a little bit more on the level of the community, just a few instructions for them, and finally "God bless you" as they walk out. Well, at the end of the week, we were talking as a group about their favorite parts of the week, and she spoke up and started talking about how she told an elderly lady "God bless" on senior day, and the lady kissed her on the cheek. I don't know, just seeing the simple things you don't think about be transformed into things that really make a difference for someone unexpectedly just rocks my socks. How awesome is our God?
In any case, it was good to be able to have some more helping hands here. Last week, we had a chance to do some service projects for our homebounds that we don't normally have the staff to leave Joy for. One morning, we tackled a lawn that strongly resembled a jungle-waist high grass, a bucket filled with goodness knows what covered in maggots, large leafy plants... It's funny. I just still haven't trained my mind to understand that those houses exist in the US. Obviously, I have gotten used to working with the impoverished community (and I love it more than anything), but my silly head starts to feel like I'm in a town in El Salvador or Ecuador when I enter some of the neighborhoods here. Most don't have air conditioning. Lots of the houses around Joy put aluminum foil in the windows to block the sun and cool down their homes. I mean, these houses are on the level of what I saw in poor South American communities. We were at a church on Sunday talking to a young adults class about what we do and who we are, and one man raised his hand, asking if this poverty really existed 15 miles from their church-whose main building alone could most likely house all of the families we see at kids club each week-and more.
Back to the groups, though. It was a blessing getting the chance to step outside our walls briefly and serve in such a visible way in the community.
Other than the groups... what else has been going on...
Well, Saturday was adoption day, where we got to be "adopted" by wonderful people who contribute to our ministries. We went in pairs and got to do all kinds of things. My sister was Emily, who happens to serve with me at Joy (she's lovely :), and our "parents" took us to the Woodlands, a really nice mall ish area. They got us Starbucks, gave us Target gift cards, got us full mani pedis, took us to PF Chang, Sonic, and a movie.
As lovely as it was, it was truly a culture shock. I mean, it was wonderful, not complaining at all... but the people I saw were just so different. It's going to be odd going home and readjusting to my environment. I kinda don't want to. I guess Macon won't be that much of a stretch, though.. kinda. Macon is probably better of than here, actually. By a long shot.
Anyway, teen club on Monday was interesting. It was my turn to lead the girls' Bible study, and we're doing a "series" of sorts on how to be more Christlike, and well, it went in a different direction as per usual. I should just get used to that, haha. :) Anyway, we were talking about trusting God to bring us through everything, no matter how hard, and my co-leader asked the girls if they believed that God can bring us through anything, and she said no. Which, in a way, was a blessing... it's hard enough to get those girls to talk. I don't know. A few girls expressed that they are worried about God providing money.. and it just makes me sad that they have to deal with that. At the same time, though, it reminded me of the passage about God providing for the lilies and the sparrows-and if He provides for them, how we ought to trust Him to provide everything we need. It's something I need to be reminded of every day... I guess even to trust that God can provide for the needs of the community, and I don't have to worry for them.
Hm. Oh! We discovered that Pedrito, Juan, and Regina speak English. For the past four weeks, we've all been struggling to communicate with them in Spanish, and just randomly, they started spouting out English. It's real weird, haha. I was playing restaurant with Regina on Monday, and all of the sudden, she looked at me and said, "I bake you cake." I mean, it's broken, but compared to what she usually speaks like, I almost fell over in shock. Not expected at all. I have to say, I have an affinity for Spanish speaking munchkins.. but I'm glad they're learning. And ashamed it took all seven of us this long to realize this...
Oh! And Luís is back! Yay. :) And David, a 7 year old, accepted Christ yesterday! Woot :)
Well, I need to go sleep, but please pray that:
-our team is renewed in Spirit and in energy
-we can continue to pour into both the groups and the community
-we can all focus on why we're here
-the kids' parents won't keep them from coming because of the hurricane (which we're really only getting the rain from)
I love you guys and I'll try to be better about keeping up the cute stories and the goings ons of Houston!
grace and peace

I've accidentally deleted ridiculously long posts three times in a row. I'll try again tomorrow. Love you guys!

That is so awk.

So, crazy past couple of days.
First off, Pedrito decided he wanted to be a Christian, and ended up praying with Kamyr, so rock on :) He seemed like he really understood. Follow up is necessary, but it was still pretty rockin. We'll just forget that his brother had quite the accident in his pantalones at that exact moment.. Oh, well. You give and you take.
Speaking of which, I guess that is something I'm learning here. God gives and He takes away. The time we have here is momentary enough... and I don't know. It's just becoming more and more real to me that we really can't be selfish and be joyful some days. Every moment we have here is a blessing, every second we have is a part of the fight we're fighting for the souls of our friends, families, and brothers and sisters in Christ.
So yeah. That's that thought for now.
As for what's been going on in the long week since I've blogged (well, I must say, I wrote a really awesome long blog and it got deleted..)..
We got taken out to eat at a fancy restaurant, which was nice, but I think I had more fun laughing at Noe and Vanessa (who are basically in charge of Fletcher and are past MCH summer missionaries who broke the no dating rule) than I had actually eating the ridiculously expensive food. Oh, well. It was a nice gesture in any case.
Saturday, we went to Trinity Pines, a camp out in Trinity, Texas. There are plenty of awkward pictures of us doing ropes courses and bonding activities, and I can also now check going on a blob off my bucket list-or, as our house mother wrote in her thank you letter we signed, the "blog." In any case, that's where we're taking our teens and preteens in July, which we're pretty excited for :) They've already gotten their papers and such, so just pray that God opens their parents hearts to letting their kids come, and I know God will bring who He wants there, so yeah! I'm pumped!
I guess what stuck out to me most about last weekend is how much of a culture-shock we all felt going to the church we visited Sunday morning. They were great, they even handed out beef jerky to all their fathers, which I'm sure plenty of people like other than me... But yeah. We got invited to speak at all of the Sunday school classes, and this particular time I think it just hit us harder how different of a breed of kids we get to work with.
These kids knew all the answers. They were confident and comfortable in their own skins. They wanted to pray.
My kids thought Jesus' parents were named Ana and Jacob. Eve.
The preteens are quiet, shy, and obviously under all kinds of pressure. The boys are pushed to work rather than spend time with friends, the girls are pressured to have sex at ages as early as 12-or more. I heard a story of one of the 12 year olds coming to one of our old volunteers saying her boyfriend wanted her to have sex.
And as far as wanting to pray goes, I get my kids to tell God what they're thankful for at the end of class. One sentence. Monday, Edgar raised his hand as asked, "OH! Miss! Can I pray for us?" I got so excited, told him yes, and eagerly bowed my head just to hear, "DearGodthankyouforeverythingamen," followed by, "Can we get our snacks now?"
Oh, goodness.
What am I going to do with them?
I don't know, though. I'm just getting so accustomed to our kids and their pains and struggles that the lives of kids in middle-class America seem foreign to me. Odd.

Oh, and this week we actually have a group working with us, which in the game and craft area, is quite a blessing. We have about 8 high schoolers from First Filipino Baptist, and they're pretty awesome. They're very hardworking, and it's been cool being able to pour into them.
I worked with one of the girls in clothing closet today, and I don't know, it was awesome getting to encourage and be encouraged. God definitely places different people in your life for a reason, and it's great being able to see that so clearly here.

Lessons have been interesting as always with my kids. Today I tried to be the cool teacher and use props and let them act things out a bit... well... fail. We talked about worry, and decided to incorporate the story of Jesus calming the storm. With that, we thought we could use some of the biggest cereal boxes I have ever seen from the food bank as our boats-these things fit four ten year olds comfortably inside- and I got some clothes from the closet so we could fully act it out. Well.. let's just say it ended with my boss coming up and threatening taking their snack away if they didn't be quiet.. Haha. Oh, well. They seemed to still have fun.
Plus, as always, rather than talking about what I had planned as our lesson we started our questions such as:
"Miss, I'm going to heaven because I go to church, right?"
Which led to...
"No, Miss, it's that we have to be really good."
...To which I explained to them once again why Jesus had to come and die for us and take on our sinfulness...
which led to:
"So, Miss, if I killed someone, would I still get into heaven if I believed in Jesus?"
"So, we can be bad and get into heaven, Miss?"
Which led to a lot of things.
So, to whomever may think that 9 and 10 year olds are not deep thinkers, you are quite wrong. As draining as it is to try to get them to focus and listen while I scrape to explain all of what God has taught me in such a short time, it's awesome to me that they are thinking so much about it and questioning it.
I honestly wish I had questioned things earlier.
As wonderful as it is to be raised in a Christian home, I feel like you miss out on developing a trust for God and truly wondering about how big and complex our God is, you know?
Yesterday, we talked about friendship and Lydia, but in reality, we talked more about scripture. Figure I'll at least mention what we were supposed to discuss. See, our memory verse is 2 Timothy 3:16, which we're using the New Living for, which states "All scripture is inspired by God and useful to teach us what is true and make us realize what is wrong in our lives..." Well, rather than discussing Lydia, we got rather stuck on working out the verse. It's personally one of my favorites, the diction in the ESV is just plain beautiful, but in any case, it's a rather large concept for kids.
We worked through the fact that the Bible is quite different from your average book. Normal books are human concepts built by our small amounts of knowledge and philosophy, while the Bible is literally of God. Everything in it can be trusted, is true. Then, my sweet kids learned what conviction meant.
So, as much as I hope I'm getting through to them, it really has been a good reminder for me to own my faith-to know what and why I believe in things. And it has been cool going through the Word and just finding solid statements that I know I can trust.
Teaching involves so much more than you may think.
Anyway, just pray for our groups if you can. They're great, but they're getting used to dealing with kids... So pray that their eyes can be opened to these kids' needs. Also, for patience for me as they do get more comfortable with them. One of the volunteers said something really sassy and mean to my kids during craft the other day, and, well, my first urge was to sass him right back.. So, just for understanding, I guess. I am so thankful that they're here, and for the most part, their presence really has helped us get fired up again and out of routine, and they are all really sweet.
Oh, and I did want to mention that I still love how connected my MCH family is. All 21 of us get along ridiculously well-we're lacking in clique, fights, grudges, pairing off... and it's such a blessing. I love these people so ridiculously much. I think what we do right is pray together regularly. There's nothing like getting to know a person through knowing their needs and bringing them before God. I really think that's the glue that's held us together.
Anyway, sorry it took me so long to post this. I'll try to get more regular again.
Grace and peace (and love you guys immensely)
Annnnd, here's one of my favorite passages-one that keeps me going:
"I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you always be sober-minded, endure suffering , do the work of an evangelist, fulfill you ministry."-2 Timothy 4:1-5

Do you love your Jesus?

Well, I'm sure God's going somewhere with this.
Praise: We went from 50 some odd kids when we started ministry to 83 kids yesterday-which is wonderful, but I had 21 nine and ten year olds... and that meant my class had to be split.
That was absolutely heart-wrenching. I counted them off during their craft, and told them who they'd be with, and oh, it was awful. Six of my favorites came up to me with the just the saddest looks on their face asking, "Miss? Can I please be in your class?" Ugh. It was the most depressing thing ever. Luís, Paula, Dario, and my sweet José are all in the other class now and it's quite literally tearing me apart. Especially José. I finally felt like I was getting through to him.
Maybe Sarah, their new teacher will get through to them better... I don't know. Ugh.
Then, I had the most spiritually draining (but wonderful) class ever yesterday. Our lesson plan was on the life of Christ (how broad is that for a 25 minute-usually less-lesson?). Well, the little devo they gave us held some pretty big ideas for young kids... and, well:
"Miss, how does Jesus have Joseph and God as his father?"
"But, if God is Jesus' father, who was God's wife?"
"Oh! Miss! I know who God's mother is-Guadalupe!!"
"Wait, why did God create the earth if He's going to destroy it?"
"If Jesus was omnipotent (after I taught them that word..), then why didn't he just keep himself from dying on the cross?"
"I thought mother earth was in control of the weather, not God..."
"My grandma says that when babies die at childbirth, it's because He doesn't want them to be in their families.."
"My grandma says that if we're good, we'll go to heaven."
"Oh! Miss! I know when the world's going to end! 2012!!"

That's just the opening questions. Let me just tell you, I'm pretty sure I ended up explaining the Bible from beginning to end in that short amount of time. Not to mention how they ought to construct their faith on their own and not rely on the concepts their families teach them, how no one knows the end of the earth, the concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit... and more.. all in the language that nine and ten year olds can process. Gotta say, those kids' questions were not what I expected... but I'm glad they're interested.

All I have to say, is man, do those kids teach me a lot-and make me think about things I haven't wondered in years. It's easy to fall into blind trust, which is great to have faith, but I guess you have to have knowledge to back it up.
I do love these kids.

One thing I did think about today is that after two weeks, I'm already heartbroken to not teach half of my kids. I will still see them in free time and craft, but it already physically pains me to not have that time with them. How in the world am I going to survive having to say goodbye to them in just over a month? That terrifies me..

Anyway, sorry, just had to get that out. I really can't express how deeply I care for these kids.

Oh, something I have forgotten to mention: Fletcher, another one of our centers, is basically next door to the largest AIDS clinic in the US. Interesting tidbit.

But as far as the rest of things are going here, we couldn't be more blessed. Their is such a beauty in this community. Beyond the rough edges and hardened hearts, their is hope for something better, and I would love to stick around to see that day. Quien sabe. God has a plan for me, for the centers here, and for each and every person so desperately in need in this community.

Not to mention, I love my group at Joy. Us six missionaries, our director, and coordinator really have bonded in the past three weeks, and I can't be more blessed. We get along ridiculously well, and they are just so gifted and sweet. The areas the have strengths in are definitely my weaknesses, and it's encouraging to see them and work with them. I know God is going to work in me in those areas this summer, and I am so excited. I've seen it already.

Anywho, time to deep clean the house. Love you guys :)
grace and peace

Sassaholics Anonymous

So, God is faithful and provident. Not just because He created chocolate, which pretty awesomely turned my rambunctious children into peaceful angels, but I don't know. He knows my heart. Which is pretty awesome.
It was beautiful. Pull out the chocolate, make some simple promises, and, poof!- I have sweet, intelligent niños. Like, really. There was a new girl today, and Ana, one of my regulars was like, "Oh you'll love Miss. She's so cool." (aww!). They all colored their blind man pictures, drew me pictures on the back when they finished, and even cleaned up. You have NO idea how exciting this is.
Not to mention, I am officially not a gringa by little Mexican children standards. :) They were saying something about gringos, and I asked them if that term applied to me, and Dario told me, "No miss, porque you speak Spanish!" So there. I win :)
But anywho, kids club today just rocked my socks off entirely. Totally made up for the icky constantly clogged bathrooms we clean-oh, that is quite the adventure. Silly elderly people. One day they'll learn...
In any case, I saw my little problem child, José, sitting off by himself today, and ended up going up and talking to him for a bit, and we decided to play some vball for a while, and lo and behold, I think he's actually pretty keen on me now. So, if nothing else, I think he trusts me now. And he actually participated in Bible study today :)
Funny enough, as much as it's odd to say, I love this whole teaching thing. I don't think I do in a degree changing way, but oh goodness do I love working with these kids.
Hm. So a former MCH missionary introduced me to a song, The Face of God by Dave and Jess Ray, and it kinda rocked my socks off a bit. Well, I don't know. It's just so true to me right now. Check it out.
Well.. I forgot to post that yesterday. Funny how days can be so polar.
So, remember my problem child, José? My director pulled me aside today and told me that he was born with only half of his heart. I know there's a high survival rate for that these days, but it just hurts me that he has to suffer. Apparently, it just bothers him a lot, and he can't come some days, and it's just not fair. If he needed treatment, I know for a fact his family couldn't afford anything.
Heartbreak numero dos. My favorite boy, Cristian, told me that a) his father got falsely accused of stealing and thrown into jail, then b) his papers got lost, and he got deported. So, Cristian, his six year old sister Melissa, his 12 year old brother José, and his fifteen year old brother Victor, have been without a father for four years. That family is just the sweetest family I have ever encountered and it broke my heart hearing him talk about it. I asked him if he's seen him since, and he said that his mom just told him that they might see him again one day. He doesn't even know what part of Mexico he's in.
So for all of you who are against "illegals" and think they need to go back to their home countries, bull crap. This is tearing families apart. The fact that one freaking piece of paper that can be so easily lost, and yes, it is simply paper, we studied it in FYS last year, can have such a hold on lives is ridiculous. That is so far from justice. Justice would be these families being together, not them struggling to raise four kids or more alone.
The reason most of the girls get pregnant at such young ages is that the mothers are usually working overtime to keep them sheltered, and have no time to care where their kids are and what they're getting into. At least one of our preteen's mothers was called by my director to see what his clothing sizes were and all he could do was cry because his mom was gone all day and he didn't know how to check. His mother is a prostitute.
This is a never-ending cycle that shouldn't even exist. People shouldn't be so helpless that they lean on prostitution to raise a family, that they have kids just so they can get welfare, that their parents can't raise them because they're busy trying to keep a roof over their head. Back to the passage in 1 Peter: "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?"
Once again, that shouldn't exist.
Sorry about the rant, but I'm just kind of sick from seeing so much pain in one day.
Finally, as far as prayer goes, well, pray for my kids, first of all, and also, one of my good friends here is really sick right now and had to take the day off, so pray for her to regain strength.
Sorry for the depressingness, had to get that out.
Miss ya'll and love you more than you know :)

כניעה הנסיך של

Pues, he complido mi segunda semana en Houston, y nunca había amado a un lugar más que ahora.
Yeah. :)
I love this place. God is breaking my heart on a daily basis for the needs of the people here, and every day I kind of start to dread the fact that I leave in two months. I know home and Mercer are both still mission fields, but this is just what I want to do with my life. Who knows, God may change my heart and my desires, but I love these kids. I love this community. I love having the opportunity to work on improves the conditions their in, and showing the only hope I've ever known.
Oh, well. I'll do what I can do now. God's given me my mission field for the moment, and I'm not going to live in what's to come.
In any case, the block party was a success. I worked the.. golf toss? I think that's what we decided to call it? Haha, but I got to see all of my kids and preteens, so I was happy. We also had a ton of prizes for them to win with tickets the got at the booths, so it was cool getting to see them light up at a new Hannah Montana play guitar (even if I'm not her biggest fan...) or a new soccer ball. Not to mention, we had a Dora la Exploradora bounce house. It was pretty legit.
Our main need right now is funds for the retreat we're putting on for our teens and preteens in late July. If any of your churches is looking for a cause, it's going to be about 10 grand to send all of them to camp, provide them with Bibles, pens, towels, and shirts. A church has volunteered to match whatever we raise up to 5 grand, so that's a praise, but this is a very impoverished community, so most of them don't have their own Bibles and couldn't afford to go to camp otherwise. We'll be talking a lot about issues they'll be facing back in the school year, and we're taking one night to focus on sex, which is extremely necessary in the environment, seeing as most of our girls get pregnant by the time they're thirteen. They need to see that they don't have to live like that. I don't know. I know it's something that we here often, but seeing the girls in guys in their early twenties or younger come into the clothing closets with their kids breaks my heart. Being so desperate so young... I just hate that they have to go through that, you know?
That isn't justice.
In Follow Me to Freedom, Shane Claiborne talks about how many people become followers of others "not because they hold any truth but because they make us feel loved." He says that "one of our deepest longings is to be assured that we are beautiful, that we have dignity, [and] that we have meaning," and we often search for those needs to be met in ugly places. That's exactly what these teens and preteens are searching for-assurance that they are respectable, beautiful, and loved. That's what we're here to provide.
So, I don't know. Sorry I'm jumping around a lot. Need to get more sleep at some point. I guess I'll schedule that in August... Anyway, next week, we're talking "All About Jesus," startin out with Jesus healing the blind man in Matthew 9. Our memory verse for the week is Acts 10:38, Jesus from Nazareth was anointed by God, and God gave Jesus the Holy Spirit and power. Jesus went everywhere doing good.." So. Pray for some awesomely interested and excited nine and ten year olds.

Just a thought, coming up with group games for 7-10 year olds with nothing but bouncy balls, two jump ropes, and, well, that's it in half of a gym is hard. We've done a relay, red light green light, sharks and minnows.. and I can't think of anything else. We don't really do knockout kind of games with the balls, and I'm just lost.. Ugh. I wish they were old enough for giants wizards and dwarves... So, if you have any ideas, I would quite greatly appreciate them. A lot. Just saying.

But yeah, I'm excited for a new week here. :)
And... we sang Rock of Ages in church today. Haven't heard it in forever, but I like what it says.. here are a few stanzas.

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

I don't know. I just love old hymns. They make me super happy. And convict me.
Simply to the cross I cling. Right now, I'm having a tough time letting go of a few things, and let God do what He wants. It's kind of a slow and brutal process (inner crucifixion..) but He is all I need. I'm gettin there :)
Alrighty. Off to bed.
grace and peace

Epic Workout Friday!

^Most of my team :)

^Pedrito the mullet and his brother Juan

Jonathon and Efren :) ^

And this is the convention center, where they have conventions...

Kids are crazy.
One of the girls walked up to me today and said, "Miss! Miss! I remember the story from martes! It was about Abraham Lincoln!"
Uh, close. Muy cerca, querida...
I have to say, I love mornings. We have two sisters that come help out and bring their 5 year old sons with them, and they are just about the cutest things in the entire world. I ended up playing limbo with a tie with them in the clothing closet for a good twenty minutes this morning. Made my day. So, so cute. That, and I love, love, love Cristian and his family. He is just my new best buddy. Sweetest little nine year old ever. I really hope and pray him and his family wake up to a need for Christ. They seem to know most things, but I don't think the knowledge has reached the heart yet.
Anyway, I can't say that I feel like getting a teaching degree by any means, but I do feel like I'm inching towards being more comfortable with this.
I had about 12 boys and 4 girls today. I guess my only issue is that José, who constantly acts up, tends to bring a few of my other sweet, sweet niños with him.
I know something has to be wrong in his family situation. There's really no other way of explaining it. He doesn't react to discipline. I've gotten on to him all week for talking during the lesson, moving around, making jokes during the prayer... and taking his snack away twice hasn't worked. Ugh. I really don't want to have to get our director to talk to his parents. He needs this. I know he's desperate for attention..
So, be praying for him and that I can meet his needs and love him with God's love.
Aside from that, life at Joy has been pretty full of gozo :) We served the elderly this morning- painted nails, had a service for them, packed up bags of food for them, let them go through the clothing closet- and they are all just so cute haha. Gotta love them.
Tomorrow we start our preteen ministry and take group pics, so not too much there. Our other centers are having their block parties, but ours isn't until Saturday, so my group gets a bit of a breather. In a way. :) I'm coming to terms with a constant lack of breathing.
And to close out for this random little post, I just finished up Romans, and this passage stuck out to me a lot:

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peacefully with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by good, but overcome evil with good."-Romans 13:9-21

This passage was just so convicting to me where I'm at. The love these people need, from our niños to our preteens and teens right up onto our elderly, they all need genuine love. Most are in situations so terrible you can't even imagine, and some have surely never known the love of God. The notes for the first verse in my Bible say that "love cannot be reduced to sentimentalism." Just as it says in 1 John 3:18, we can't just love in word. We can't choose who and when to love. We need to love through deed, through a full understanding of the person, their hopes, their struggles, their vices, their needs-which is why I love this ministry so much. These people are so intentional, and they truly get to know community. They stay here, they get to know the people, and they love them with everything they have.
There is just so much in this passage.. it's so applicable to my life right now. Well, I'm sure it always will be, but it just hit me way hard today :)
This is why I'm here, if anyone's curious.
This is our calling.
Also, to the church we saw today with the cross tall enough that they use it as a monument to guide planes, I don't understand the parallel between this passage, the desperate people who flood our centers, and the obviously tens of thousands of dollars white pristine cross with a baptismal pool complete with fountains, floodlights, and twenty four hour guards watching it. My Jesus' cross was not white stone. It was rugged, filled with splinters, covered in his blood. It wasn't glimmering in spotlights, but instead, beaten down with the heat of the sun. It just breaks my heart. My kids shouldn't be suffering while this cross can be paid for. It makes no sense.
PS: I can't go without posting the entire passing on loving one another from 1 John 3. It just rocks my socks off:

For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.-1 John 3:11-24

I don't know how anyone could read this and not be convicted. Just saying. Pretty big calling there.
So, that's basically what's on my mind right now.
And this:
"The disposition... to leave the dearest objects of our hearts in the sublime keeping of the general and unspecific belief that God is now answering our prayers in His own time and way, and in the best manner, involves a present process of inward crucifixion which is obviously unfavorable to the growth and even the existence of the life of self"- TC Upham
Definitely, definitely on my heart right now. I'm definitely being taught how to rely fully on God. Not a shadow of a doubt. But God's got a plan, and it's so much better than mine. If He was faithful to Abraham, to Joseph, to Deborah in their obedience, I'll trust Him and obey (can you tell which lessons we've been teaching? :)
Right o.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope"-Romans 15: 13
That's my prayer for you.

Wait, do you have the ESV in Spanish?

Mm.
Ok, so I know I should be joyful, but at the moment, I'm struggling.
My sweet ten year old boys (and two girls) have been rather tough. I guess I need to be more assertive to gain respect, but there are just a few who won't pay attention and disrupt the class constantly. I shouldn't be discouraged, but I am. I feel kinda inept.
That, and a few other things are tearing away at my heart right now, but I don't know. Old insecurities have come back, and I guess that's what happens when you're at your high. Satan attacks.
So. I guess my request for you today is that you pray for... well, my heart.
Proverbs 4:23 is one of my favorite verses, and it says, "Keep vigilant watch over your heart, that's where life starts." I have a tendency to give my heart away fully when I do, and I guess it's gotten broken a few too many times... I guess I really just need to focus on giving it to the only thing that can hold it and not break it- God. I lose focus so easily.
But, on the bright side, I do love what God has me doing here. The children are just the sweetest thing in the world, and I just can't get enough of them.
Especially Cristian and Jonathan. Most precious things in the entire world. Just figured I'd throw that out there. Cristian is just my new 9 year old buddy, and Jonathan... oh, he is just too cute for words.
And it's been awesome talking to some of the women, too. Ha, one of them actually thought I was Puerto Rican when I was speaking Spanish to the kids. I was proud :P
But their stories are crazy. One of the ladies was telling me that she was 13 when she had her little girl. Thirteen. I wasn't even beginning to think about raising a family at that age. And now she's coming to our food pantry and clothing closet... and my heart just breaks for her.
I guess other than that...
Our family is complete! All of our missionaries are here, and they are just the most encouraging and sweet and strong group of girls I have ever met, and I am so excited for the friendships God is building :) These girls are awesome.
In any case, sorry for the silly worrying.
OH.
On an even better note, we all shared testimonies tonight (it took like 3 hours), which was just awesome hearing how God has worked in all of us, and how we've grown, and it was just the most heartwrenching, joyful, sweet bonding experience ever.
So yeah.
grace and peace. I'm due for some lesson preppin.

Pedro the Mullet

There is nothing in the world I love more than hispanic children.
Honestly.
I love the friends and fam, baking, rain.. all that stuff, but really, I just get so much joy out of serving little adorable hispanic kids.
Well, the point of this story, I guess, is that we started ministry today.
After some deep, deep cleaning, and some adventures into the dark smelly depths of the boys bathroom, we finally got to meet the kids we'll be pouring into all summer.
As insane as it was, I fell in love. These kids are precious, from Cristian, my sassy new friend, to Pedro, the crazy six year old with quite the mullet.
The kids I'll specifically be serving are so far, a rowdy group of nine and ten year olds, mostly made up of boys. I don't know, but I'm just so excited to get to know them. I know these kids are coming from rough family situations, and are just yearning for love and acceptance. So a prayer to start this out with is that I'll be able to love them as our Father does-to see past their attitudes when something's going on with their families, to put myself at their level so I can best care for them and show them the love of a Father that does not abuse, does not ignore, does not leave- a Father that is always there to comfort them.
If that makes any sense :)
I did get a few laughs out of today, though.
Prayer time:
"Miss, will you pray that my mom gets me pizza tonight? I really like pizza, and she never gets it for us anymore."
"Miss, will you pray that I get healthy food?"
Uh, ok...
We did have some legit prayer requests, though. I guess you give and you take with ten year olds.
Oh, crazy boys..
They are so well-mannered, though. They call us all "Miss" and gosh, they're adorable.
We did also have teen club today, which I'm pretty excited for, too.
The group is a lot smaller than the kids (which gets up to 70 by the end of the summer), averaging around 10 teens, which I find nice- it's a lot easier to get to know everyone.
I guess the one problem with all of this, is that with all the time on the field we'll have combined with the amount of amazing people we're with and the amount of distractions (as nice as they are) in the house we're staying in, is that it's so easy for me to lose focus, to put a conversation with a sweet new sister ahead of getting in the Word and doing my quiet time or preparing for leading my Bible study in the first place.
I don't want to forget why I'm here.
I really don't.
Please pray for focus.
And finally, I really can't sleep here. I've never had a problem with sleeping. But, last night, it took me an hour to fall asleep because I have to listen to music to drown out the snoring above me, and I usually wake up to music so I'm still accustoming myself to that. Then I woke up to an awful dream, ten minutes later another girl woke up to a nightmare and screamed, so everyone had to take a midmorning bathroom break, then there was the girl texting for an hour next to me after.. needless to say, I was awake from four am on. And the work we're doing is draining in the first place...
So I really need sleep.
I know that this is probably counterproductive to be awake right now, but I'm on such overload thinking-wise, I just needed to get it out, get a good devo, and read...
I have no idea how much sense I'm making, but who cares.
Anyway, I'm going to cut this off for the night.
Thanks for the prayers :)
grace and peace

Father Abraham had many sons...

I realize I said I wouldn't post this much, and I'm sure in reality, I won't as soon as I start my teaching work officially. But oh, well. I have a lot on my mind.
As I said last week, I've been working through a Charles Spurgeon book on praising God. I don't know, I've heard all of this before, but this time in these words, all of it's just hitting me a bit harder.
Talking about Psalm 103:1-Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name-Spurgeon says, "Only a holy man can delight in holy things. Holiness is the terror of unholy men. They love sin and consider it liberty, but holiness is slavery to them. If we are saints, we will bless God for His holiness, and be glad that in Him, there is neither spot nor flaw. He is without iniquity. Just and righteous is He. Even to save His people, He would not violate His law. Even to deliver His own beloved from going down into the pit, He would not turn away from the paths of justice. "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty" (Rev 4:8) is the loftiest cry of cherubim and seraphim in their perfect bliss. It is a joyous song both to the saints on earth and those in heaven. The pure in heart gaze on divine holiness with awestruck joy."
I don't know why that hit me, but it did. How privileged are we that we have a God who makes us clean so that we can delight in Him? How can we continue to sin when we know a God like ours? Are we not doing Him injustice by doing so? If we are called to glorify Him with every breath we breathe, shouldn't we do so by not only doing so in mind, but obedience, and by bring His children to Him?
Spurgeon goes on to say, "David praised God not only with his lips, not only with his hands on the harp strings, not just with his eyes lifted toward the heaven, but also with his soul, his very self, his truest self. Never let me present to God the outward and superficial alone, but let me give to Him the inner and the sincere. Never let me bring before Him merely the outward senses that my soul uses, but the soul that uses these inner faculties. No 'whitewashed tombs' (Matt 23:27) will please the Lord... We must not merely bless the Lord with our bodies, which will become dust, but with our inner spiritual natures, which make us like angels. Our spiritual natures are that which cause it to be said that in the image of God we were create. My spiritual nature, my loftiest powers, must magnify God- not with a voice that sings a self-righteous song of praise, but with a sincere heart; not with lips that cry 'Hosanna' thoughtlessly, but with a mind that considers and intelligently worships. Not with the narrow confines of my body would I sing this song, but I would fill the limitless regions through which my spirit soars on wings of boundless thought with Jehovah's praise. My real self, my best self, will bless the Lord."
It's so easy to fall into a rut of praising God out of habit, only on Sundays. Our God is bigger than that, deserves much more than that. Though all we have to give is already His, our efforts to love and praise Him please Him. Spurgeon quotes 1 Chronicles 29:14, which says "Of Your own we have given You." I think that sums it up. All we have is His. He sacrificed for us. For us. We are undeserving, so why don't we give Him our all?
Why don't we give Him our focus, strive for what little understanding we can achieve, praise Him with all we have, our souls?
The last bit of Spurgeon I'm going to throw at you today is his question, "My immortal soul, why are you spending your energies upon mortal things? Will you hunt for fleeting shadows while you are most real and enduring? Will you collect bubbles, knowing that you will endure forever in a life coexistent with God Himself, for He has given you eternal life in His Son Jesus?"
I find myself worrying about the fleeting, chasing the shadows only this life will know. Why? I have an eternity with my Saviour and Prince to look forward to?
Anywho. We've been invited to a lawn party at a family's house this afternoon, so I think I'm going to do some more reading and preparing before then.
grace and peace

I really won't be posting every day.. I think..

I realize I said I wouldn't post this much, and I'm sure in reality, I won't as soon as I start my teaching work officially. But oh, well. I have a lot on my mind.
As I said last week, I've been working through a Charles Spurgeon book on praising God. I don't know, I've heard all of this before, but this time in these words, all of it's just hitting me a bit harder.
Talking about Psalm 103:1-Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name-Spurgeon says, "Only a holy man can delight in holy things. Holiness is the terror of unholy men. They love sin and consider it liberty, but holiness is slavery to them. If we are saints, we will bless God for His holiness, and be glad that in Him, there is neither spot nor flaw. He is without iniquity. Just and righteous is He. Even to save His people, He would not violate His law. Even to deliver His own beloved from going down into the pit, He would not turn away from the paths of justice. "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty" (Rev 4:8) is the loftiest cry of cherubim and seraphim in their perfect bliss. It is a joyous song both to the saints on earth and those in heaven. The pure in heart gaze on divine holiness with awestruck joy."
I don't know why that hit me, but it did. How privileged are we that we have a God who makes us clean so that we can delight in Him? How can we continue to sin when we know a God like ours? Are we not doing Him injustice by doing so? If we are called to glorify Him with every breath we breathe, shouldn't we do so by not only doing so in mind, but obedience, and by bring His children to Him?
Spurgeon goes on to say, "David praised God not only with his lips, not only with his hands on the harp strings, not just with his eyes lifted toward the heaven, but also with his soul, his very self, his truest self. Never let me present to God the outward and superficial alone, but let me give to Him the inner and the sincere. Never let me bring before Him merely the outward senses that my soul uses, but the soul that uses these inner faculties. No 'whitewashed tombs' (Matt 23:27) will please the Lord... We must not merely bless the Lord with our bodies, which will become dust, but with our inner spiritual natures, which make us like angels. Our spiritual natures are that which cause it to be said that in the image of God we were create. My spiritual nature, my loftiest powers, must magnify God- not with a voice that sings a self-righteous song of praise, but with a sincere heart; not with lips that cry 'Hosanna' thoughtlessly, but with a mind that considers and intelligently worships. Not with the narrow confines of my body would I sing this song, but I would fill the limitless regions through which my spirit soars on wings of boundless thought with Jehovah's praise. My real self, my best self, will bless the Lord."
It's so easy to fall into a rut of praising God out of habit, only on Sundays. Our God is bigger than that, deserves much more than that. Though all we have to give is already His, our efforts to love and praise Him please Him. Spurgeon quotes 1 Chronicles 29:14, which says "Of Your own we have given You." I think that sums it up. All we have is His. He sacrificed for us. For us. We are undeserving, so why don't we give Him our all?
Why don't we give Him our focus, strive for what little understanding we can achieve, praise Him with all we have, our souls?
The last bit of Spurgeon I'm going to throw at you today is his question, "My immortal soul, why are you spending your energies upon mortal things? Will you hunt for fleeting shadows while you are most real and enduring? Will you collect bubbles, knowing that you will endure forever in a life coexistent with God Himself, for He has given you eternal life in His Son Jesus?"
I find myself worrying about the fleeting, chasing the shadows only this life will know. Why? I have an eternity with my Saviour and Prince to look forward to?
Anywho. We've been invited to a lawn party at a family's house this afternoon, so I think I'm going to do some more reading and preparing before then.
grace and peace

for serious, now..

Sorry about that last post... I was a little hyper. So was my bunk bed neighbor friend Lauren. She helped haha.
Anyway.
Prayer walking through the community this morning, I really got a glimpse of how much this community really does need love. In the thirty minutes we walked, we saw crack houses, brothels, houses with over ten people living in them... and the list goes on. This part of Houston is actually considered to be the worst, but at the same time, the people we ran into that knew about our centers and attended them were just the sweetest and most joyful people I've encountered. This community is crying out for love.
So, please be in prayer for us.
Pray that we can be bold and love those who are usually looked over.
Pray that the community would be aware of us-our center, Joy Center is the farthest away from Gano center, where we stay, so we get very little donations for the most part. Also, we'd love to bring in more and more people. Not for numbers' sake, but these people are in such need for them to be loved and accepted.
Pray for our preparation. The curriculum we're using for the kids is rather broad, so just pray that we can stay focused, not get discouraged, and present God's Word with speech and actions so that these kids will desire to know more about Him.
Also, just pray for our focus in general. I do love everyone here, but I don't want my focus to get off of serving God. I don't want to sacrifice my time preparing my heart and falling more in love with God for hanging out with my goofball teammates, as cool as they are.
Sorry for the not-so-seriousness last night. We have done a fair bit of goofing off together. I love this team :) All of them are absolutely wonderful.
Thanks for the prayers, guys.
grace and peace

Jesus is a friend of mine! (I've got a friend in Jesus)

Ok, so. I'm not really going to update this on a daily basis-I'd rather be being awesome at Rock Band or playing some catchphrase with my awesome BIBLE BUDDIES*-but here's some stuff to give you more of an idea of what I'll be doing.
Welllllllllllll.....
Today I found out that I will be working alongside of five awesome missionaries at Joy Fellowship Center, which is pretty dope since I get to wear a snazzy green lanyard. If I had been put on the Fletcher Missions Center Team, I would say it was Fletchalicious, but, alas....
Anywho.
I'll be teaching some adorable and crazy and lovely (all at the same time) children Mondays through Thursdays. We also have a food pantry (which is pretty empty if you guys are jonesing to send some food to Houston via mail..) and a clothing closet, so I'll be helping with that. Monday nights we lead teen clubs, Friday afternoon we lead preteen clubs, and throughout the summer, youth groups will be coming for week long trips to help us.
Overall, I'm psyched.
I'll tell you some goofy stories later, but I love you guys!
Here's some phrases that describe you guys:

People who are awesome
Letter sending people
Eloquently gifted with words
Amazing at keeping up with me
Senders of letters
Enthusiastic about communicating
Sharing in friendship
Engaging (not like with rings. yet. haha)
Needing to send me letters
Dedicated to our friendships
Loving people who make my day with letters!
Envelope buying people
Terribly missed by me
Terrific friends (who send letters)
Excited about sending letters to Houston!!
Radically awesome letter senders
Stamp buying friends

Get the point!
Praying for ya'll!
grace and peace

Hello from Houston!

Sorry it's taken me more than 24 hours to post this, but I think I'm in love (oops. I realize I wasn't supposed to do that this summer...), but I adore this place!
In the past 48 hours, I have ridden in the teensiest plane ever (not too shabby though), met some amazing new friends, eaten Texas brisket (awesome), learned how to make some rockin balloon animals, heard a clown testimony, played some crazy team building games, helped a new friend with his English, and my personal favorite, played soccer with inner city hispanic children. Well, that's not all, but that's the condensed version.
It really is lovely here, though. I'm all cozy in my bottom bunk at the moment. We're in a room with 17 girls from all over the states, even three from Puerto Rico. We have pretty embroidered Ralph Lauren towels (I mistakenly used a floor mat as a towel last night... oops), matching bedspreads, and even a lounge with Rock Band and such. I made it entirely through a song on hard on guitar last night. I'm proud. I'm sure you were curious (NOT).
Now that I'm done with my extremely random and pointless banter about details I'm sure all of you were dying to know, I'll get onto the good stuff.
It's been wonderful being here. We've had tons of down time, which my summer has lacked thus far. I've had so much time even in these two days to just be still and read the Word, which has been awesome. I feel like God is already giving me a fire for this community. The street we're staying on apparently has at least one drug dealer and possibly a house that trafficks women, so the need for love in this community is great- I am so ready to be a part of that. You have no idea :)
Not only that, but I am so excited to serve along this group. There is such a wide age range-from 17 to 30 in the summer missionaries (or, as we are apparently properly known, Global Footprints Missionaries). They are all so passionate and gifted, and I know this is going to be such an awesome experience being able to learn from them and build relationships.
Hm. As far as updates, tomorrow I'll find out exactly where I'm serving and what I'm doing there. There are three buildings in which we'll serve, Gano Mission Center, Joy Fellowship Center, and Fletcher Mission Center. They all hold kids clubs throughout the week and do Bible studies, but there are a few differences, and I'll tell you exactly what I'll be doing when I find out.
Anywho, I need to go to bed soon, so I think I'll cut this blog to here. Sorry about rambling. Hopefully this'll be less awkward by the end of the summer...
I do have to say though, playing with those kids just gave me joy. I hope and pray that the rest of the community is as open to just goof off and have fun with us as they were. As horrid of a soccer player as I am, it made my day stumbling around and being schooled by a bunch of ten year old kids. I can't wait for a full summer with them :)
Aaaaaand finally..
If you guys need anything to pray about...
I have been having really odd back pain. Kept me up for a couple hours last night. I wouldn't complain much, but I need sleep..
Also, that my heart would stay open to grow in Christ and as a leader. I'm naturally quiet and introverted... so I'm working on this stepping up thing. So. Boldness.
And I'm still praying for peace about a few things.
And of course, for my fellow missionaries-those in Houston, my fellow Sendmenow kids, camp counselors... all of you!
Thanks guys :)
grace and peace
Oh, and I apparently unintentionally used our theme verse for the summer as the verse underneath my blog title haha. Our theme is Vive el Amor :) Cool beans.

Mañana!

So.
I will be in Texas in about 12 hours. How odd is that?
After a week of focus and reading the Word though, God really has given me a peace about everything.
Not gonna lie, I'm going to miss some people quite a bit, but I am so excited to get off my butt and start working for God's glory :) Way more fun and rewarding than sitting around.
I do have to say though, it's been interesting how God's worked through my moods though, if that makes any sense. I let myself get pretty down and discouraged the other day about some things, and decided to pick up a random book to cheer myself up. I ended up picking up a Charles Spurgeon book about praising God. It's funny how those thing happen. My heart was so far from feeling like praising- but some of the things he said just smacked me upside the head.
"Do we sing as much as the birds? Yet what do birds have to sing about compared to us? Do you think we sing as much as the angels? Yet they were never redeemed by the blood of Christ. Birds of the air, will you excel me? Angels of heaven, will you exceed me? You have done so, but I intend to imitate you from now on, and day by day, night by night, I will pour forth my soul in sacred song"
That rocked my world a bit. How often have I gotten caught up in worries and pleas to God while I should be praising Him for every breath I breathe?
"Oh, I wish we would often break through order and decorum to give our Lord a song. He well deserves it. May we not let cold ingratitude freeze the praises on our lips."
It's so easy to get used to singing praises on Sundays and along with the radio, but never forget why we sing. Even when we're discouraged, unable to tell what God is doing, or worn down- we have a God who cares about us deeply enough to send His son to die for us. How can we live without praising a God like that? It doesn't make sense.
Not only with our lips should we praise Him, but with our lives-"To feel not only submitted, but willing to be anything or nothing as the Lored wills it--this is, in truth, to sing a song to our Well Beloved."
Sorry, that was the longest tangent ever, but it rocked to me. Our sweetest praises can be sung when we are in our deepest pain and despairs. I think that's pretty awesome.
Job 35:10 says that God "gives songs in the night." So even if you're feeling down as I did, cry out to God. Sing of His grace, his ever-presence, His love, His mercy.. He'll give you the song. He'll make you feel whole again.
As far as Texas goes, I can't wait to be there and serve my Prince :)
I've said my goodbyes (hate those..) and packed (mostly..), so I'm ready to get on that plane.
All I have to say is that I hope I get lots of emails and letters from you guys! You haven't a clue how much I'll miss you! No really, you don't even begin to know..
But I'll be praying for you all! Be assured in that.
love in Christ

Vulnerability is key.

Nine day countdown...
Nine's my favorite number, if anyone's curious. Or three. Depends on the day.
I wish I could say that I feel totally prepared for this trek, but honestly, I need some prayer.
My prayer life and quiet times have been few and far between lately, and I feel really distant.
So, as I aimlessly searched for something, anything to provoke me and awaken my spirit after a convicting conversation with a friend tonight, I stumbled on Galatians.
Even though I've read it recently, I felt convictions all over the place. It's amazing how God throws new things out to you each time you read His word.
First off, Galatians 5:13-You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
I've been using my freedom for my own gain. I've ignored responsibilities not only to glorify my God, but to honor my parents, serve my friends, and all in all, have simply indulged my sinful nature. It has been happily thriving.
Secondly, Galatians 5:6-The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
I haven't been loving as I ought to. I know that sounds simple, but I feel like I've let so many down lately for my own selfishness. My human idea of happiness is paltry compared to the importance of loving those in need.
That's not all God revealed to me.. but it's certainly a lot to work on. If I can't love those around me at home, not even in my own house, how can I love and serve others in another state?
Please pray that I can regain focus and fall in love with a Prince so much more worth my time than anything found in this world. Pray that I have the humility to serve everyone around me with love, and that my pride would be torn down so I could apologize and make things right with some loved ones. Most of all, pray that my desires match with His. There is a huge gray area in my life right now regarding that... and I don't want to desire anything that isn't what God desires for me. His plans are so much better than mine.
To end this out, is there anything I can pray for any of you?
Figure a good start is to take the focus off of myself...
Grace and peace.

This summer, I'm going to be serving as a summer missionary in Houston, TX at the Baptist Missions Center through SendMeNow, an affiliate of the Georgia Baptist Center. I am SO excited to have this opportunity; it was definitely a huge prayer answered.

Basically, here's the low down on what I will most likely be doing:

Teach a bazillion precious Latino children about Jesus five mornings a week at kids' clubs, doing Bible studies in both Spanish and English.

Leading teen clubs once a week.

Helping out in the food and clothing centers found in the ministry.

Using skills obtained from clown training (yes, I will be clown trained)

Helping bring in short term missions groups.

Whatever else is needed to reach out to the community and share God's love :)

I'll be meeting up with four other girls from Georgia summer missions, and all in all will be serving with 18 girls and 3 guys from all over the country, from different missions programs.

Basically, I am starting this semi-reluctantly (blogs are so awkward!) to let ya'll know how God is going to be working in and through all of us this summer. I'll share some stories, hopefully some pictures, and hopefully you guys will be able to know I'm still alive and well!

Love you guys!