Christmas with a Chance of Sun

Less than two weeks till Christmas and the sun is out, the birds are chirping, and I'm heading to the beach. This is way better than having to dig my truck out of the snow for two hours! Finals week is among us, and I only have two more classes, one on Wednesday and the last one on Thursday. I can't believe this semester is already over. I'm so ready for three weeks of no work and school. I can finally just relax, but knowing me I'll be bored fast and ready to come back to San Diego.

Here are some things I've learned this semester:
1. Dressing up silly for events/activities is a big part of college (NAU needs to figure this out)
2. The time change does not affect the times of your favorite TV shows.
3. Worms can drown when it rains a lot, so they move to the sidewalk.
4. The difference between cake pans and pie pans
5. Nerf guns are a necessity for sneak attacks.
6. I could be an amazing house wife if I wanted to be (I don't)
7. Children's Christmas musicals are serious business.
8. Beach camping requires a beach, not a parking lot.
9. Onesies make for the best sleepovers and fort building.
10. I have the best friends in the world.

The most important thing I've learned is that God is in control. Coming here I was nervous, anxious, and was full of doubts. God has taken all of that away. He has provided for me and is teaching me to trust and rest in Him. Only three semesters left... I can't wait to see what's next.

Here's some highlights from this semester:

My Invitation to Change

Well I have unsuccessfully kept this a secret long enough, so now I invite you to join with me in excitement. I am going to Africa. I leave in May and will be back in July. I'm overjoyed and cannot stop daydreaming about what will be happening in the upcoming months, not just while I'm there but also the time before and after. I have no doubt in mind that I will return changed, impacted. I will fall in love and my heart will break. I will smile and cry. I will experience more than my mind can fathom.

We leave a week after school gets out in May. When I say 'we', I mean my friend, Kristin, and I. We are flying to Uganda to work in an orphanage and a school for six weeks. There are about 150 AIDS orphans living on the site and around 250 kids in the school. Then we will fly to Kenya to work in a small orphanage for three weeks. Kristin and Sara have been to this orphanage already, and I'm surrounded by stories, pictures, and videos from their trips there. Going to Kenya will be special because it will bring all of their pictures and stories to life for me.

God has such amazing plans that I cannot even begin to see. Please pray as I prepare for this new adventure, and also pray for the people I will come in contact with, not only there but also here in the US.

This is a video of pictures from Sara's first trip to the orphanage in Kenya, where Kristin and I will spend the second half of our trip.

How I Love Days Like Today

Today was close to perfection... and it's only 5:30. Slept in at my friend Sara's dorm and woke up to the promise of chocolate bread if I hurried and got ready for the beach. Chocolate bread captivated my heart. Then Kristin, Sara, and I went to Pacific Beach which was high class for us. Normally, we have some interesting experiences at the beach. For instance, the last time we went to Ocean Beach we had creepy guys throwing footballs at us which was their way of trying to hit on us. Surprisingly, we just weren't attracted to guys hitting us with a football. Weird, right? (I hope you all are picking up on my sarcasm.) That type of thing does not make for an enjoyable day of napping and reading. Pacific Beach is huge, so we could spread out and not have to listen to annoying conversations and be hit on by creepers. Then we walked to get frozen yogurt, and just to add to the greatness of my day there was mango froyo which is my favorite. I loved having a relaxing day with my friends, and the fact that I can go to the beach in the middle of November. Now it's back to reality which means homework, homework, homework. Kristin and I have spent a good amount of time in the Nease lounge having "study parties" lately. It's even gotten to the point of her having to wake me up cause I'm snoring passed out on the couch. Hopefully, we won't be in there that late tonight.

Today wasn't the only good part of this weekend. Friday, Kristin and I had to go to Target, and as we were leaving, we noticed two guys sitting outside waiting for the campus shuttle to take them back to campus, so we offered them a ride. Yes, I pick up strangers on occasion. It ended up being a great and entertaining idea because one of the boys decided to tell us a ghost story on the way home (it's not as sketchy as it sounds) and pretty much made our car ride 10 times better. Yesterday I was suppose to drive one of the school vans for Kristin's tutoring ministry to the aquarium. We picked up kids at the church and were pulling out when the van was making a weird noise. Kristin got out to look and saw we had a flat tire. Bummer. But with ministry comes flexibility. The kids and tutors jumped in the other vehicles and made it safely to the aquarium. I was blessed to have a man from the church change the tire on the van and safely make it back to campus which was one of the longest, scariest drives of my life. No aquarium for me sadly, but my day turned around. I went with Sara and Audrie to Toyota, which was pointless because they did nothing to fix Sara's car, and then to a thrift store which had 40 percent off Christmas decorations. Score! On the way back to campus, we decided that it was the perfect day for passion tea lemonades from Starbucks and then a nap in Sara's bed (by far one of the most comfortable beds so I tend to spend as much time as possible in it). Then it was our friend Lauren's birthday, so a big group of us went bowling at San Diego State University which was a lot of fun. We ended the night at California Pizza Kitchen. All together this was an amazing weekend!

I'll let you all in on how my brain works. When I have something to look forward to, it never leaves my mind. I will think up every possible and even extremely rare situations surrounding whatever event I'm waiting to occur. For example, between April and August, all I thought about was Point Loma. I would imagine everything about it, good and bad. I'm almost always living in possibilities. Weekends like this, especially days like today, I'm here. I'm present. I'm enjoying each individual moment, and it surpasses all of my daydreams. I'm blessed to be here; I haven't forgotten that.

I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired

Time is not on my side. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I still have so much to do. I made the mistake of looking at my calendar the other day which only made me realize how little time I have. And as my to-do list gets longer, I get a cold which just makes me want to sleep. My body seems to have quit trying to keep up with me. I went to the doctor today and was prescribed some amazing cough syrup that will knock me out, so I'm looking forward to that. Having a cold is awful. I have no energy for anything. I'm too tired to do anything fun, and focusing on school work is even harder. Yesterday I was privileged to spend nine hours of my Sunday studying for a test. One thing I definitely learned is that shots of espresso are life savers.

Can I just mention something that I love about fall? Fall means pumpkins, and pumpkins mean pumpkin bread, cookies, and muffins which I LOVE. All day I've been craving one of these delicious pumpkin treats! Fall also means the beginning of the holiday season. I can't believe Thanksgiving is almost here. I know that we're having a family reunion, but I'm looking forward to just relaxing on the river and seeing my family (like the ones I know). Oh and I can't forget the food! Home-cooked meals for almost a whole week! I don't know how I'm going to be able to eat in the caf after that.

Two of my friends and I went and saw a movie called "Waiting for Superman". It's a documentary about the public school system in America. It was like a rollercoaster watching that movie. One moment I would be extremely angry about how kids fall through the system and the quality of school systems; then I would start crying because I can't see the solution. There are so many parents out there struggling to provide a better life for their kids and not finding any support from schools or teachers. Teaching is about each individual student. I don't want to work for the politics or the system. I want to work for the kids. I can't change the world, but I can change how a child sees the world.

Go see that movie. It is completely worth it.

May the peace of Christ be with you

Tonight as I made my way across campus back to my apartment I realized something. I generally make this walk every night, but there was something different about tonight. Silence. The campus was silent. I couldn't even hear the waves from the ocean. And after a long, tiring day, my mind was finally silent. The negative images and thoughts were no longer rustling through my head. Tonight on my walk I was reminded of what peace feels like.

Maybe I should let you all in on my day a little bit. I was dreading today for awhile. Today is my friend's birthday. Sadly, he isn't with us to celebrate birthdays anymore. I am reminded of him daily, but today everything seemed to be intensified. Let's just say I've spent a good amount of today with tears running down my face or doing my best to distract myself from thinking. My brain would not slow down. I went to chapel twice today and found myself struggling to worship and focus on the messages. I even had more trouble than usual sitting still. I was not resting in the peace of Christ and ultimately not fixing my eyes on Him.

I believe that you allow Christ to live through you. I began feeling His peace and stillness not during church but when I was with my friends. I know they want Jesus to shine through them and I know they love me. As I walked home in the silence, I was reassured that God wants me here. Although this year has been my hardest, it has also been my most rewarding. Through everything, I have grown closer to Jesus. I have learned to trust Him. I have been blessed to make some amazing friends here who I can grow with and learn from. I'm truly thankful for them daily. God has shown me His love and grace. I know that hard times are still to come. Life is never going to be easy and perfect, but after this year I know God is faithful and will never leave me. He will make beauty from ashes.



Happy Birthday CMS
10/6/89 - 01/28/10

The End of a Long Week

God is at His best even when I'm at my worst. This week has been exhausting and not my best, but God has allowed me to have some amazing conversations with people this week. I've gotten to share His truth, make a new friend, receive encouragement, and find a place to serve. Overall, I can't complain.

God is going to begin using me in Mexico again, and I am overjoyed. Next weekend some friends from Flagstaff will be driving to San Diego to visit me for my birthday. And since I have such amazing friends, they have agreed to celebrate it with me by spending Saturday doing mission work in Tecate. I can't wait to see "mi Madre" and the kids and their new home (they just moved from Nogales to Tecate). I hope to be making these trips twice a month with the Ministry with Mexico group from Point Loma. They spend one weekend in an orphanage or women's home and the other weekend working at different churches. I'm so excited to begin serving across the border again. Please pray for that country. God's love has no borders.

Labor Day weekend some friends and I decided to go "beach" camping. Turns out that the spot we reserved was in a parking lot with a small patch of dirt next to the freeway and railroad. We had to hike to the beach which ended up being just rocks. We didn't last long at the campsite; as soon as we "woke up" (waking up requires us to have actually slept which didn't really happen since we got to hear the trains and intercom from the truck weigh-in station all night), we went straight to Laguna. It was really nice to lay on the beach and read. It was the funniest weekend I've had in a long time. Last Friday everyone went to Six Flags. The park is reserved from 6pm to midnight for NazNight, so there are hardly any lines. I've decided that Goliath is my favorite ride, but you have to sit in the very front because that makes it ten times better.

I got a job as an after-school nanny for two boys. It's really close to my school which is nice. I'm also helping out with children's choir at San Diego First Church of the Nazarene every week. I mainly work with the third graders. It's a lot of fun and very different for me because I'm use to working with teenagers and didn't really grow up in a church. These kids take their Christmas play very seriously which is so funny to me. School is beginning to pick up, and I seem to keep getting busier. I gave my first speech on Tuesday, and I think it went really well. I have my first test on Monday, so needless to say I'll be studying for a lot of the weekend (hopefully at the beach). Point Loma has been great so far, and things keep looking up! This week God reminded me that He will use me as much as I let Him and that He wants me to live an abundant life. Not a life with an abundance of money or things, but instead with an abundance of joy and truth and love.

"Rich or poor, God I want You more than anything that glitters in this world. Be my all, all consuming fire. You can have all my hands can hold, my heart, mind, strength, and soul."

A New Start

It's crazy to think that my first week of classes are already over. I'm here. Throughout this week, I've had to constantly pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. I love it here. I love reading on my balcony overlooking the ocean and longboarding bare foot across campus. I love that my professors use the Bible to make their points. I love worship every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday where I can just stop in the middle of my day and refocus on Him. I love being silly with my friends and just having fun living my life. I'm not so in love with the food in the cafeteria, but it's a small price I'm willing to pay.

When I first got here, it was a little overwhelming. Everyone knows everyone here, and it felt a lot like high school. No more sweats and t shirts to class. Looking good seems to be a fairly high priority here which will take some getting use to. Classes are very small and some of my professors already know my name. I constantly get to look out at the ocean (except when there's fog). I'm beginning to feel more and more comfortable here as time goes on though.

Wednesday, a big group of us went to see a John Mayer concert in Chula Vista. John Mayer is by far my favorite, so this was like a dream come true. It was so nice to just lay out on the grass with a bunch of friends and hear him play. I also learned that soy sauce and white shorts are not a good combination. I was fortunate enough to experience this right as we pulled into the parking lot, so I was wrapped in a blanket for the entire concert. (The stain came out.) I'm excited to see what this weekend will bring.

God really does provide. I have no doubt in my mind that this is where He wants me, and I can't wait for Him to mold and shape me here. My friend asked me the other day if my tattoo (I finally got it finished) was worth it, and I hesitated a little thinking about the money I spent and what I could have used it for. But then I realized that's what my tattoo is about. My treasure is in heaven, and God will always take care of His children. Why stress or worry? God has done something that I thought was out of reach. He brought me here. His arm is much longer than mine, so why should I bother reaching for anything other than Him?