theAdventure

My English Student

2011-05-31T15:36:00.000-07:00

For about the past 3 months I've had the pleasure of meeting with a young man for English lessons. When we arrived in Italy, one of the things that each of my teammates said we wanted to do and accomplish before we leave here is to develop relationships, make friends, with the people here-in particular people who are not of the church.

One of the methods presented to us for finding people to develop relationships with was to give English lessons. In order to find students we spent time creating flyers and distributing them around the center of Prato and in some neighborhoods. We went to coffee bars and food stands to leave them for people to pick up and we left them on car windows and in mailboxes (not illegal since it counts as an advertisement). We passed out so many flyers and once we got a call. This was very exciting but unfortunately after the first lesson, we never heard from the man again. Some months later while Anto, Ryan, and I were cleaning at the church building, two men walked in asking about the flyers and if they could get English lessons. This got us excited again because we finally got another response and potentially something else to add to our schedule, an opportunity to interact with people outside the church. These men did not show up to their lesson.

During the same time, we got a phone call from another man from Senegal who wanted to meet with someone to practice his English. It started out with Jackson and I meeting with him and later on it switched to Ryan and I. It has been a great experience meeting with Lamine on a weekly basis. He is such a good student and always wanting to learn new things. Lamine is 25 years old and came to live in Italy because the university he was trying to attend in France got a mix up and wouldn't allow him to enter just yet. His family here offered him a place to stay and he has been playing soccer for a team here. He loves sports, rap music, and talking about world issues and philosophy. He, like us, often misses his friends and family back home along with the culture and way of life he left behind.

Each week we spend time talking about how the previous week went, going over some grammar and vocabulary, and reading a story from the bible. He'll ask questions about words he didn't understand, I'll ask some questions to see if he understood the concepts and get his thoughts on what it means, and we'll also work on pronunciation.

Recently we've been meeting with him on Saturdays with the rest of the team just to hang out and let him practice his English more. He doesn't have very many people in Prato who speak English and so he really enjoys this time to be with a group of Americans around his age. We normally always meet at the church building but this past Saturday I decided to take this gathering mobile, so we walked around and treated him out to gelato. During this time he told us that he thinks America is the best and we are good friends and people. This of course made us very happy.

When I leave this place I will really miss getting together for lessons and fun with Lamine. I hope someday he can visit the country he believes is so wonderful and maybe I could see him again.

The End?

2010-12-28T09:47:00.000-08:00

It's strange to think that the end of the year is fast approaching, and in fact, is really here already. I know it seems that at the end of every year it just feels like everything went by so fast and I tend to say, "I can't believe it's the end of the year already." This time, I feel like a have a whirlwind of feelings and thoughts about this past year.

In January I started to spend time with my team, most of whom I knew very little about. I moved in with Shae and Josie and spent a lot of time getting to know the rest of the guys. We walked in the snow and a river of ice once to get to the bus stop because we weren't allowed to drive (Mission Term rules restricted us from doing a lot of things that made life easy for us). Our whole class traveled to Mexico City and for a week got to spend time with AIMers and missionaries there.

We had Camp Adventure and were in charge of campers. We attended the class of 2007's graduation, a preview of where we'd be in 2 years. Then we hit the road for the Tulsa Workshop and visiting other congregations in Arlington and Oklahoma. Teams then split up and went all across Texas and other states for a week on our own working with a church. Our team went to Montgomery, Alabama.

When we got back to Texas we had to say goodbye to the friends and family we'd come to know better over the 7 months in Lubbock knowing that we probably wouldn't see most or any of them again until our graduation, 2 years later.

I had a short amount of time at home and then the big move came. I came to a different world, living in Europe. In Italy I've encountered a different way of life than the one I was used to. The people, the food, the language, the customs, the dress, so many things are different. I've traveled to major cities like Rome and Florence. I've been on a mountain and walked past vineyards. I've helped organize parties for the church. I've had a bible study with future-Christian young ladies of the church. I've helped format electronic songs for the church. I've attended language classes and learned the basic rules of the language and that learning a language is a continual process for me.

I've met local non-Christians and hung out with them and felt the rush of excitement at the thought of helping them know Christ.

In November I traveled to London. I got to meet a group of Christians there and was reminded how great the family of God is. I went on to Scotland to meet up with other AIMers and relish the few days spent with them touring Glasgow and Edinburgh.

I've spent time with the mentally disabled.

I've fed the poor.

And I've realized that the end of the year is not an end to anything for me. It's like a page is being turned and what is about to be read is only more intriguing. It's like this past year was a step ladder that will help me climb over a wall and I'm able now to get a peek at what's on the other side.

This pas year has been amazing and truly blessed. God's been working me like a piece of clay, cutting off pieces that don't belong and shaping me into what he wants me to be.

It hasn't been easy this whole time that's for sure. I've been frustrated with myself and with others. I've been disappointed, annoyed, angry. But the growing process sometimes hurts. Knowing that God's got it under control has brought me peace and keeps me going.

And for all the temporary difficult times, there have been times when I was filled to the brim and overflowing with the joy that God provides. God is the Great Provider. And yes, God is good all the time.

Happy New Year!

They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love

2010-12-07T13:21:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of traveling to the UK with my friend and teammate Shae Baker. We were on our way to the AIM retreat in East Kilbride, Scotland where we would meet up with 14 of our classmates who are serving the Lord in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Zambia (the two from Zambia were a pleasant surprise). Before starting the retreat in Scotland, we decided upon making a stop in London for a day of some sight seeing and a little adventure of our own.

When deciding upon staying London, we knew from the flight details that we'd need a place to sleep for two nights. We were about to look up hotel prices when I remembered that one our classmates had to say in London for a few days before going to her field in Africa. I knew that she met some Christians there and got to hang out with them, so I thought I'd ask her if she could give us a contact so maybe we could meet some of the Christians while we are there, too, and perhaps even stay with them for the two nights. She gladly gave us a name and we went with it.

The name she gave us was one of an ex-AIMer. He was more than happy to help us out with our stay and was so excited to get to meet us. He found us a couple to stay with for the two nights and got off of work so that he could take us around London on the full day that we would be there. At first I was just excited about getting to go to London, but then I started to get really excited about meeting my fellow Christian and the people we'd be staying with. I mean, this is some of my family that I'd never met before! They've lived across an ocean from me all this time and we hadn't known each other before my trip, but they were my family, bonded by the strongest, purest blood of all-the blood of Christ. Hearing that they were excited to meet me, made me very excited to meet them.

We arrived late Tuesday night, but Pete waited for us at the airport (after much delay) and took us to Craig and Crystal's home outside of London. We were much later than anticipated, but Crystal (26) and Craig (25) waited up to meet us. She was so sweet and had saved leftovers for us to eat (which made me very happy because we were very hungry). We talked for a little bit before letting her get to bed and us to our dinner and sleep.

The next day was wonderful because Pete picked us up early and we went around London. And although seeing the sights was definitely fun, it was only half the fun. We didn't stay out all day because we had made plans to get back to the suburb before dinner to eat with Crystal and then head to Wednesday night study. While we were too late to make it to dinner BEFORE study, we made it back to the town in time for Wednesday night study at a Christian's home.

We had been told by Pete that everyone was excited to meet us and when we walked in I felt automatically in place and very welcomed. I greeted the 8 new faces (Pete, Crystal, and Craig made it a 11 person small group), grabbed a spot on the couch, and soaked in the goodness of an open, searching, loving, humble, sincere, group of adults discussing the challenges they face and how Christ would have us face them. The discussion was great, the leader did very well, and it was obvious that when we had already gone past time, they all wanted to keep going talking about scripture and Christ living in us. It was awesome! By the end of the discussion, I was fighting back tears because being in a group of English speaking, hungry for God's word people had been an experience I haven't had in half a year. It felt soooo good.

When we concluded the study, there was no pause between that and just talking about plans for the week, asking questions about us, us asking questions about them, the host offering beverages and bringing out the snacks, and just easy-flowing, laid-back, talk amongst ourselves. We had two other households offer to have us stay with them When we come back again to visit...they kept stressing how they wanted us back and it was a shame we had to leave so soon.

After leaving from the study we headed back to Crystal and Craig's place for dinner. Five of us gathered in their little kitchen and had some more good conversation and fellowship. I just kept feeling so blessed to have that family there who would just open up their home to us, feed us, and have this bond with us. A few hours later we had to call it a night and the next morning Shae and I left for Scotland.

I had told Craig and Crystal that last night that we were really grateful for their hospitality and blessed by the small group. I told them that if it had been a non-Christian in my place, he or she would have been shown a good example of what Christians are because of the love they showed, the unity of the group, and the sincerity of interest in God's word.

I love meeting family across the world! This world is big, but the family stretches far and wide.

Come se dice...?

2010-09-09T16:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight me, Shae, Josie, Ryan, and Jackson went to hang out with Carmen and Elena, two of the Hondurans who go to our church sometimes. It took us a little while to find their place, but once we got to talking, the fun began :) Elena has been living in Italy for a longer period of time than Carmen. Elena speaks Italian well, but Carmen is not so confident and less practiced...much like us. We all tried to get out understandable sentences to each other and managed to pull it off. I loved how we were all in the same boat and no one got frustrated or annoyed with anyone else. We were just 6 young adults who speak (or at least partially) 3 different languages. Once, Jackson was trying to ask how to say a certain phrase in Italian, but I could only think of it in Spanish. So he asked me, I asked Elena, and Elena told us what it was.

We ended up walking around and getting gelato at this place around the corner. We talked about games, pets, languages, family, and whatever else we thought up and managed to find words for. Those girls are awesome and I'm glad that we have them to hang out with.

We also managed to schedule in some more hang out dates. I noticed in their apartment a box of dominos, so I asked who liked to play. Elena said she does so we set up a game time with them at the church. We also asked if they wanted to go to Firenze with us.

On Sunday is Maynor's birthday. He is a Honduran boy who goes to the church too. He actually lives right next door to us. He has been hanging out with us a lot lately. He comes over and Josie helps him with his homework and the guys will play video games with him. We also like to play soccer with him and his friends sometimes. We've been invited to his birthday party on Sunday, where we will also see Carmen and Elena along with the rest of his family who attends church.

Of all the Hondurans that attend church (about 10 or so) I believe only 1 is baptized. We are hopeful to have studies with them later as we build relationships and communication becomes easier.

Sunday in August

2010-08-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

August is the vacation month. People are out and about traveling and so each Sunday has had different amounts of people. Once it was just us AIMers, our coordinator's family, and two Italians. Other times, the Hondurans would show up which adds a good number to the group. This past Sunday we had a pleasant surprise- a visitor!

We approached the building and saw a man standing outside looking at the door and then at us. He was holding a paper in his hand. No one else had arrived at the building yet so it was locked. We unlocked it, introduced ourselves, and went inside just the 6 of us and him.
He name is Kingsley and he is a Nigerian who moved to Prato to work. He had gotten the address of the church from a friend. He was very friendly and interested in the church here. He spoke English to us and I'm not sure how much Italian he knows. It was nice to see a new face and have someone else worship with us. Since so few people come in August, we don't have bible class. We use that time to just fellowship with whoever is there. We have espresso and talk. So we got to use that time to visit with our visitor.

It appeared to be another empty Sunday with just our visitor and 2 Italians, but shortly after starting, a group of Hondurans showed up. I like getting to talk to them. It's weird because now I'm getting my Spanish and Italian mixed up more and even forgetting the Spanish words for things.

Jackson led the songs in Italian and English and Ryan helped with the Lord's Supper.

After church I got to talk with the Hondurans some and their little kids. They are so cute! I was able to talk to Alessandro who is 6 and Daniela who is 3. The kids can be pretty shy so this was cool. We talked more with Kingsley for a while and then went our separate ways. It was a good Sunday. Very refreshing.

Mensa

2010-08-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

On Wednesdays and Saturdays a few of us go into the soup kitchen to volunteer. We cut up fruits or veggies, wash dishes, and serve food, clean up afterward, and whatever else they tell us. I really enjoy when I get to go in because of the interaction I have with the Italians. The good totally outweighs the bad.

When I say bad, I mean the times that I get frustrated with not being able to speak Italian well. Sometimes the main chef will give me an instruction and I understand what he says, but I'm confused about the details...like once he told me to help a lady cut vegetables. I knew what he wanted but I didn't know where the knives were. He looked annoyed that I was confused and said, "Coltello, coltello" [knife, knife]. As I looked around for a knife he goes to them points and says coltello again, then points at the lady who needs help. I knew what a coltello was, and I knew what I was supposed to do with it, I just didn't know where they were. I got a little frustrated because it seemed he thought I was stupid, and he walked away with an annoyed look on his face. Other times he'll tell new volunteers off the bat that I'm American and don't speak Italian, so then they don't even talk to me. They'll just point or grab my arm and move me. It can be frustrating sometimes, but these really aren't big deals.

I've met people at Mensa who are very friendly. There are a few who speak a little English, like Sergio, Ornella, and Ricardo. They try to speak some English to us and we try to answer back in Italian. They are so patient with our broken language and they always make us feel welcome. I love getting to talk to these people. There are some who don't speak English at all and are still friendly. They speak slowly for us and repeat themselves so we can understand. There was an old lady named Anna who helped me serve bread on Saturday. She was so sweet because I didn't know the names to all of the different types of bread, so she would point them out to me and tell me the names. When the people going through the line were impatient with me or I couldn't understand them, she stuck up for me.

Not everyone who comes to get a free lunch at Mensa is so grateful. Some come through the line and are very picky. They want extra servings and specific amounts/types of foods. They don't smile and don't say thank you. They snap and just seem bitter. They are getting a blessing but don't seem to realize it. Other people that come through the line are the opposite. They are patient, they take what they're given, they smile and say buon giorno, they ask instead of demand. These people make me smile. :)

At Mensa, the people are served very well. They get pasta, lots of bread, fruit, yogurt, a dessert, and sometimes salad or another dish. It's very good food. After helping all the volunteers get to serve themselves and eat. Mensa lunches are awesome!

This past Saturday we met some new volunteers. Two young guys joined us and to our surprise, they not only spoke English, one of them was from the States. He was from Missouri and the other was from Ecuador. They are Mormons. It was great getting to talk to them and ask them about what they do. We got to tell them that we are also here to help with a missionary. We got along great with them and hope to see them at Mensa again and maybe even play soccer with them. They could be leaving soon, but the opportunity to talk, get to know them, and discuss spiritual things is so exciting!

The date is set!

2010-07-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

It hasn't been very easy getting to meet and make friends with people over here. The obvious reason: different languages! Learning the language hasn't been so fast of a process and so having conversations with people has been a challenge. However, there are some girls that worship with us who are from Honduras. One has been living here a little over a year and the other for 4 months. They don't speak English, but with the little Italian we know, plus the Spanish that some of us can speak, we are able to talk to them a bit more than others. The girls have decided that it would be good for us to have a girls night with the Honduran twins, to get more familiar with them. So the date has been set and we are excited! We'll have them, Anto, and Beth over to our place for a chill evening with the girls. :)

Jesus Doesn't Make Box Wine: Thoughts on the First Sign of Jesus as Written by John

2010-06-16T17:03:00.000-07:00

Chapter two of the book of John starts on the third day after Jesus’ baptism by John the baptist. The Holy Spirit was seen descending and remaining on him (1:32) and he has gathered disciples (1:35-51). Now on the third day after his immersion into water, he revealed his glory to his mother, disciples, and many oblivious guests. Chapter 2 verses 1-11 can be taken as a historical account of the first miraculous sign performed by the man Jesus. However, when reading the scriptures, it is important to remember that Jesus is a man of purpose and plan. In this gospel account, John reveals the history of Jesus as well as allowing readers to see that even small details can have great significance. Jesus’ character and identity is revealed through the obvious miracle, but his purpose and plan are shared through the interactions he has with individuals as well as the detail in setting.

Here is an overview of this first miraculous sign: Jesus, along with his mother and disciples are at a wedding (1). At some point of the celebration they ran out of wine (2). Jesus’ mother wants him to do something about it so she tells the servants to do whatever he says (3). Jesus tells the servants to fill six jars (4) with water. When the servants draw the water out it has turned to wine (5). Then the master of the banquet tells the bridegroom that, unlike most others, he has saved the best until last (6).

(1) The setting of this first miracle may very well be of no true significance. While I may be reading into text too much, I can’t help but think of the connotations of a wedding. This is a celebratory time. Two people have been brought together and united. A man and woman are making vows and a bond to last through time. A man is declaring to love her and provide for and protect his bride, while she is declaring to love him in return and respect and honor him. Many times in scripture, Christ is seen as the bridegroom while the church is his bride. What a great place for the first miracle of Christ- a party celebrating what Christ came to do- unite (himself to his church!)

(2) When Christ and his disciples are having the Last Supper, he tells them to drink the wine, which is his blood. Sure this is a party and there would be wine at such an occasion, but again I think about the symbol of wine. The people were having a good time and kept on drinking this mediocre wine. Then, it runs out. It can’t suffice…much like the animal sacrifices (blood/wine connection) used for centuries. The time came for this kind of wine to run out.

(3) Here is an excellent example of faith in action. She believes that her son can do something about this wine issue. There are so many other options of things she could have done, but she goes to Jesus and tells him about the problem knowing he can take care of it. She then acts upon her belief by telling the servants to do whatever he says. She knows that if they were to just listen, trust, and obey him, he would provide the wine for this celebration.

(4) I’ve found that numbers in the bible are more often than not significant and hold meaning. Here there are 6 jars that are to be filled with water. 6 represents incompletion/imperfection. It makes me think that the imperfection of man is being emphasized here, especially with the type of jars they are. These jars are not just any regular jars. They were some huge jars that were used in ceremonies of purification. What purifies all men? Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and resurrection, only his blood purifies man.

(5) So here it is, the first revelation of Jesus’ power. The servants draw the water out and it is wine! Jesus can do what is impossible for man to do. Jesus is faithful and he provides.

(6) So the man that puts all of this wedding celebration together, the one in charge of all of details, who would know his stuff, confesses that Jesus’ wine is the best. All of this time they’ve been drinking the so-so stuff, what we know as box wine. And perhaps, this wasn’t even so-so to them. Perhaps this is the best wine that people could come up with at that time. But even so, Jesus’ is better. He doesn’t serve box wine.

The other wine ran out and the best, most fulfilling wine is given by Jesus, straight from the purification jars, on the third day after his start of ministry!

The previous text is simply my thoughts from a close reading. I am studying John with my team and coordinator here in Italy and would like to post thoughts on some interesting things that come up. I will most likely not write from a mere historical perspective, but will look into small details to see just how amazing Christ is, with his plan that has been in place since the beginning.

Italy...first thoughts!

2010-06-09T06:31:00.000-07:00

I have been in Italy for 3 weeks and it has been one crazy ride! Not knowing the language has to be the biggest barrier and setback of living in Italy. We started Italian lessons and have them twice a week. Anto, our coordinator's wife, is teaching us. We hang out a lot at our coordinator's house and spend time with him and his family. It's nice having them to speak English to and our new teammates, Brandon and Evan. The church family over here does not speak English so we have just been able to use the little bit of Italian we know with them. Some people there even speak Spanish so I use what I do know to try to make conversation, because I'm not so great at Spanish either :/

I'm excited to see what God will bring our way and pull us through. This is just the beginning of a great experience. Being over here, I have to remind myself everyday why it is that I'm here. The thing is, even if I wasn't here, it would be important for my to remind myself of that everyday. There is a sign in the church building that says, 'Every heart without God is a mission field and every heart with God is a missionary.'

I have obstacles here that I wouldn't have in the States. Still, I had my own obstacles there, mainly with myself that I've carried with me. Now, I'm gonna let God lead me to overcome them all. The great thing is...He can!

"Get on outa hea!"- Matt Baggett

2010-05-12T22:25:00.001-07:00

My time here at home has come to a close. I've been here for a few weeks and tomorrow I head out to Fort Worth. I'll be there for a few days and then my girl teammates and I will fly out of Dallas toward our new home in Italy! The guys on our team had planned on leaving on the 1st of May, but because of visa problems, have pushed their flight back to the 18th! The same day as ours! Our coordinator, Mike, will pick us all up in Milan on the 19th.

My team plans on sending out newsletters as a team to keep everyone up-to-date. If you would like to receive these through email, let me know.

I'm going out into the unknown. All that I know is who it is that leads me, and that's enough for me to follow. So in the words of Matt Baggett, AIM assistant extraordinaire, it's time for me to "getonoutahea".

March Madness

2010-04-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

After Camp Adventure we hit the road for March Madness. We took trips to Arlington, Childress, Tulsa, and other towns in Oklahoma. It was a time of service, fellowship, and letting people know what we're about.

In Arlington we spent time with some of the youth, put door hangers on some of the homes in nearby neighborhoods, spent time with our host families, did different volunteer work, and went to church service on Sunday morning. At the worship, one of our classmates who is from that congregation got to be interviewed and tell the church what he is doing and what AIM has done for him. We also did a flag presentation. Right after lunch we hit the road for Childress, TX.

Childress has sent students to AIM for years and really supports the work that the program does. On Sunday afternoon we did a flag presentation at church. We spent a few days there doing service projects for the church and community. One night a family had us out to their ranch for a cookout. It was so nice getting to be out in the country, eating hot dogs, and talking and singing with friends. From Childress we loaded up and headed toward Tulsa

We went to Tulsa for the Tulsa Workshop. We stayed with families in Jenks, OK and spent the days in Tulsa at the workshop going to classes and talking with people about AIM at our booth in exhibition hall. I got to hear some encouraging lessons from Christians like Trey Morgan, Josh Graves, Jeff Walling, and Chris Johnson. The AIM class also did a flag presentation and passed out prayer lists to lots of people. After the workshop was over we drove to Dewey, OK to meet with the church there and spend time with families. We let them know about all the teams during church service and had class with the youth. Then we drove to Yukon, OK for evening service and do a flag presentation. This is the congregation that Pat Shaeffer, assistant director, is originally from.

From there we split up by teams to go to our Challenge Week destinations...

Camp Adventure

2010-04-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

March 12-18th was Camp Adventure: Overflow. During the Camp Adventure weekend my apartment didn't get any campers because there weren't enough for everyone. This time we got three girls ( 2 from Houston area and 1 from Kansas). The three of us were really excited about having campers and getting to hang out with them and hopefully have a good influence.

Friday was registration and the 2007 AIM class graduation. We met our girls, got them moved in, got ready for the banquet/graduation, and headed off to the church for the night. One of our girls had never been to camp before so I was excited for her to experience the graduation and all the week had to offer. It was cool getting to see people that I know graduate. Two of my assistants (Aaron and Jessica) graduated, along with several other assistants that came back from the field and started volunteering with AIM.

After the graduation we gathered together in the high school room for a time of singing.

Throughout the week we did different things like listen to lessons by Geoff Dunn and Eli Hooper, lots of singing, devotionals from the assistants, saw field reports from past AIMers, free time to play games and get to know each other, and community service projects.

One of our service projects was to go to a new Salvation Army thrift store and help set up shelves, move furniture, and get them organized. We took our girl and guy campers and they all did a great job. Another day we took them to the South Plains Food Bank and packed carrots into bags for distribution.

During the week one girl was baptized.

On Wednesday night we had a talent show which included campers, AIMers, and some ex-AIMers. There was definitely a lot of talent that night and the show lasted about 3 hours! My team performed that night, singing two songs. We dedicated the songs to our campers and everyone really enjoyed it because they were interactive and fun.

This camp can be a great experience for anyone who comes to it. Its a great time to get to know other christians, be encouraged and uplifted, help out others, and learn a little more about AIM.

Ladies Chapel

2010-03-11T22:16:00.000-08:00

Every Tuesday morning there is split chapel. The ladies of SIBI gather together in song, scripture reading, a lesson, and prayer. We have been hearing lessons on women of the Bible from different speakers throughout the year, mostly guest speakers and a few instructors. Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to speak at the ladies chapel. I took the first half and Ashton took the second half. We both spoke about Hannah and what she teaches us by her example in sacrifice and prayer.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous when the assistants asked me to speak in chapel a few weeks before. I haven't done much reading on the women of the bible and didn't feel confident in this area. Thankfully, Ashton had just read about Hannah and thought it would be cool to talk about her. So I read the 1st and 2nd chapter of 1 Samuel to become better acquainted with it and soon realized how crazy it is what Hannah actually did. She went through so much pain, had so much desire for a child, and once she had her son and watched him grow, she gave him back to God. She completely gave over the desire of her heart...how much more should we do the same! Just hand it over to Him, the great Provider.

The lessons went very well. Ashton and I have different speaking styles and both complimented each other well that morning. It was so encouraging to hear that the message was received with open hearts and minds and made an impact on the ladies.

Speaking in front of crowds might not be the most comfortable thing to do, but when I pray about it, get prepared, and have a good message to share, it's a great experience! Hopefully I can find the audio recording of it to post up later.

Mexico City- Into the Wide Open

2010-02-23T20:14:00.000-08:00

My class, AIM staff, and some of the church from Paducah, KY went to Mexico for a week. This trip for me was a mixture of emotions. At times I was overjoyed and uplifted by my class, the teachers, and the AIMers that are in Mexico right now. At time I was angered and saddened by the poverty. I was in awe and frustrated at how askew the beliefs of so many of the people are. I was touched by God's grace when playing with orphans, and made happy to make new friends at a high school. God is definitely good-all the time! Here's a day by day glance at my trip. We left Thursday afternoon and got there Friday night.

Saturday:

We spent the day split into two groups. Half of the class went to Tlapan and the other half went to Apaxco. I went with the group to Apaxco, which is about an hour outside of the city. We spent the day at a preparatory school with the students doing different projects. I got into a small group and first we worked on a craft. Wow, these people know how to do real crafts and they are not easy! We made a bicycle out of folded up paper glued together and then painted with coffee. Each group made a few of these that would be used to hand to children in the community. The bicycles have a basket in which they would put candies.

Then I went with a group into town and we scraped off old paint from the curbs of the street. We swept the curbs and then painted them again with bright yellow paint. We rode to this area in the back of a truck, AIMers and students packed in tight and laughing whenever we went over a bump because we'd sway back and forth and sometimes fall on each other. While we were working on the streets, a little boy came and hung out with us. We all thought he was someone's little brother, but turns out nobody knew him. When we went back for lunch, he snuck into a car and went back with us. The rest of the day he stayed with us and played a lot with my teammate Josie. I could tell he had lots of fun with her and being with all of us. He even asked when we would be back, but sadly that was our only day there.

We listened to some of the students play guitar and one of my classmates, Cody, played guitar for them. Jacob taught them how to sing Amazing Grace and Ryan talked to them about who we are and what we were doing in Mexico and in the future. Then we all did another craft, which was also very difficult for me. We exchanged this craft with each other as a sign of our friendship. Then we painted our hands and put them on posters with our names. They would display these posters to show our friendship with the town.

We had tamales for dinner and I had a sweet tamal for the first time. The tamales in Mexico are very different than the ones in the states. The sweet tamales were very good, especially with a cup of coffee. We hung out with the teens and then had to say goodbye.

I had made friends with a few of them there and there was this kid named Alex who was really cool. I hung out with him a lot. We even went to a snack shop across the street and he showed me his favorite snacks and bought some cookies for me. Josie bought her first torta and enjoyed it.

When we left the teens followed us to our bus and yelled "we love you". It was sad to leave. We all loved our time there.

Sunday:

We split into three groups this day to go to three different churches. I went to the church in Tlapan, a section of the city. This is the area and church that three AIMers work with. They are Bryce Ballard, Austin Odle, and Randall Young. Austin was our guide during the whole trip. The church there is a small size but the people were very nice and good to talk to. I tried to use as much Spanish as I could, but struggled at times. I was able to have some good conversations. I also had to remember to kiss every lady that I met and talked to. Oh! and for the communion, we used tortillas instead of crackers. I thought that was pretty cool.

After church we went to lunch in one of the markets. There are so many small markets and people trying to sell stuff. I had to just keep walking though, even though the fruit smelled so good. After lunch we passed out some flyers and went to an even bigger market. We were there for a while and then had dinner at this very crowded place and ate fried quesadillas. I ate a lot that day, greasy foods, and later regretted it.

Monday:

We spent this day with our guides exploring the city and taking in the lives of all the people. I was sick this day, but I tried to keep up with everyone and focus. We rode a lot of little buses and the metro. It was very crowded but we had to pack in there and the guys looked after us. We passed out fliers for the church by the metro. We went to the basilica first. This was amazing. It is so big and elaborate inside. I saw a lot of things there, some made me respect and have reverence, some made me sad and frustrated. We walked up many step to the top of a hill to a temple that was dedicated to the virgin Guadalupe. People were outside the temple chanting and inside there was a service going on. I heard the story of how all of that came to be and it amazed me. There were many statues everywhere too. We could see the tops of the mountains from there along with most of the city.

We went to the tower of Latin America. This is the tallest building in the city and we went to the very top to look over all of the city. The missionaries said that this was the best day they have seen in a long time for looking over the city. Mexico City has lots of pollution and so usually all people see is some of the city and lots of smog. We were able to see a lot of the city and the beautiful snow capped mountains.

Then we went to a cathedral located by the main circle. It was a beautiful building, and again gave me a mixture of emotions. We saw some of the ancient ruins that were near the cathedral.

Tuesday:

This day we traveled to Cuernavaca. This city is beautiful! It has so many trees and flowers. Once we were there, we split into two groups. One group went to the city square and the other group went to an orphanage. I went to the orphanage and had an amazing time. From the moment we got there, the kids just wanted to play with us. They didn't care that most of us couldn't speak fluently in Spanish. They wanted to picked up and carried around. I talked with some of the little girls and helped others understand what they were saying. I played kickball with one of the little boys and sang songs with one of the little girls. Another girl, Olivia, wanted to look through my camera and take pictures. There was a boy who was didn't really talk, but we had such fun playing with him. These kids showed me how amazing the Lord is, how innocent he makes children and full of love. It was emotional for me to leave the orphanage.

We met up with the rest of the class at the square and sang songs in front of everyone. We sang songs in English and in Spanish. Some people just walked by and others stopped to listen and watch us. Then we passed out fliers here all along the square. After that we went to a taco place, which was very yummy but I didn't eat too many tacos. Everyone's favorite was tacos pastor (pork).

Wednesday:

This was our last day in Mexico City. We had to say goodbye to the AIMers from Guadalajara Leon, and Tlapan in the morning. It was so great getting to meet them and be encouraged. We drove north to the ancient pyramids. We climbed to the top of the biggest pyramid. It was a little scary because the steps were very steep but once I got to the top, it was just a beautiful and amazing sight. I thought about the people the built them and the civilization that was there thousands of years ago.

Throughout the week we had devos in the morning and at night. We heard some of the AIMers speak to us and some missionaries. We learned songs in Spanish. It was just good for my soul to be there, participating in mutual encouragement and seeing what I will soon go through in Italy. When we said goodbye on Wednesday after lunch, it was difficult and I cried a little bit. I am so proud of all the missionaries in Mexico. I know that it is not always easy for them to be there. Sometimes, I know they do not want to be there and get discouraged. But they have gone on faith and I love them. The people are amazing, the culture is amazing, and the good things that happened made this trip wonderful. I also got to bond more with my team. Overall, blessed trip! God is good.

Glory to our King

2010-01-09T23:53:00.000-08:00

For our Spiritual Disciplines class, we took a day away from the classroom to dedicate to prayer and mediation. Our class traveled outside of town to a lake and canyon area to spend some time with the Lord. During one of our segments focused on worship and adoration, I wrote a song. Here it is:
Glory to our King
Beautiful creations, the work of your hands.
You breathed the breath of life, to make man.
So now we stand before you, with breath in our lungs
To shout a song of praise- Glory to our king!

Glory to our king, the Lord of our lives,
The maker of the earth, the lover of my soul.
With a mighty hand you rule, and a gentle heart you love.
Your power is amazing, glory to our king!

I look to a brother, I look to a friend.
It's just what I needed, when I thought it was the end.
A hand to pull me up, and arms to embrace.
Amazing, when I see their love, I can see your face!

Glory to our king, the Lord of our lives,
The maker of the earth, the lover of my soul.
With a mighty hand you rule and a gentle heart you love.
Your power is amazing, glory to our king!

The waves will crash, the lightning flash,
But you're in control.
Through strife and despair, and blessings everywhere,
Praises be to You!

Glory to our king, the Lord of our lives,
The maker of the earth, the lover of my soul.
With a mighty hand you rule, and a gentle heart you love.
Your power is amazing, glory to our King!

When Words Are Not Enough- to my supporters

2009-12-27T20:47:00.000-08:00

When words are not enough
What is there to say?
You've done so much for me
You've helped in so many ways.

I'm sure you're not aware
When you give a little "dough"
All that you give me
I wonder, do you know?

I have a place to lay my head
I have warmth when its cold.
I have food to cook and buy.
I've coffee to get me through the nights.

I have gas to put in my car
It gets us to school and the store
It's taken us to Denver City,
To do laundry, and more!

I've friends of all ages and places
Who share a goal with me-
To love and serve others
They're now my family.

I have books for classes
The ones that mean so much.
Have I told you what these classes do
Where I was and where I am,
Because of you?

A faith that had become so weak
A spirit tired and drained
I knew I had to hold on, to grow,
Take action and share what I know.

It's been an adventure so far
Though I know it's just begun
I wish I could share all of the stories
Of how I've been stretched, how I've had fun.

I may not know all there is to know
But be assured, you're helping me grow
With your prayers and support I'm making it through
I'm starting to live my dream; you're helping it come true.

The last of the AC DC days

2009-12-26T19:44:00.000-08:00

Without a doubt one of my favorite things about my time in AIM so far has been area church. I was blessed with a great group to go to Denver City with, great assistants, and a pretty cool church family in DC. As finals were approaching, team announcements getting closer, we knew we didn't have much time left together as AC DC.

We had a meeting together to discuss how we wanted to spend our last weekend. We decided to have a long weekend (Saturday and Sunday) so we could spend some more time with the church. On Saturday we drove out right after lunch and went visiting people. At one lady's house, after we talked for a while, we helped pick up sticks and leaves outside. Then we gathered in the kitchen to eat "store bought" cookies and drink some diet cokes. What I found interesting about that visit (among other things) was that while she was talking to us, she mentioned something that I had just heard earlier in chapel from a young student giving his senior sermon. They had the same ideas about families being involved in ministry and not just relying on the youth minister to come up with activities to keep the youth involved and interested. He was just discussing the idea, and she was talking about a time when things were different. It was just neat to see those two perspectives, from two different generations, on the same concept.

After visiting we split up to go stay at our host family's home. Ginger and I went to the Curtis' home. Twice I've stayed with the Turnbough's (an elder and his wife) and once I've stayed at the Young's. So I was glad to spend my last weekend there with Corie and her awesome family. And, I got to preview some delicious desserts Corie's mom made-cake balls! We watched the movie Radio, which I hadn't seen before, and it is quite the movie! I laughed, cried, and laughed some more.

On Sunday I visited the high school class (normally I go to the semi-bilingual class) and for lunch we ate in the fellowship hall with Skip's (the preacher) family to celebrate his son's birthday. We ate Thai food and it was yuuuumy :) Skip and his family lived in Thailand for several years as missionaries. Then we found something of a giant tumbleweed oustide-I called it the West Texas Christmas tree.

Then we stayed at the building to put together the goodbye picture and note for the church, rest, and get some homework done. We took off to the nursing home to sing, then head back to the church for evening worship. This is when we gave them the frame with our picture and verse and they called each of us up to give us a book and pray for us. Standing up there and looking at them made me sad because some of them I had gotten close to and didn't really want to say goodbye. Corie's mom even cried after Bryson spoke on our behalf.

Then we said goodbyes and headed out to Taw's ranch for the youth Christmas party. This was so fun and delightful for my tummy :) There was so much food! we ate, mingled, went on a hayride, sang by a fire, had a devo, and rode back up to the house for more merry making. Then we had to say goodbye to the high school kids which was hard and to their families. We drove back to Lubbock, wearing our AC DC shirts with pride, thankful to be blessed with the experience we'd had.

My First Devo- beauty

2009-11-18T16:19:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we were in Denver City Friday-Sunday and this time the AIMers were in charge of organizing what would be going on. Usually our assistants tell us who we'll visit, what events are going on, who's house we'll have lunch at on Sunday, or whatever else is going on. We knew we had a lock-in on Friday night and the 8 of us were in charge of it. We had an ACDC meeting to plan it out and it went pretty well. I was really excited about this, especially for the split devo we decided to have. We would have a devo with everyone at the beginning of the night, led by Jacob, and later on split the guys and girls up for a more gender-focused devo. Chris and Van did the boys' devo and Ashton and I did the girls' devo. We were planning on doing these later on in the evening, but most of our plans got shifted around ("be flexible" as they say) and so we ended up doing these right after the main devo. Ashton and I didn't exactly have our materials ready but we quickly got our stuff prepared while Shae led songs.

The devo I led was on beauty. In our culture, girls are constantly pressured to look a certain way. They're shown images of models who are all skinny, with perfect skin, perfect hair, the nicest clothes, the latest trends and accessories. This is what makes a woman "beautiful". I showed the girls pics of these beauties from magazines and they picked out ones they'd want to look like. They were able to point out the qualities of these girls they wished they had...these qualities that just don't reflect reality. I read from part of a book called Wanting to be Her, which emphasized the image of beauty that we're faced with so often but is really a lie that our culture gets girls to believe, and damages their own self-image. We all admitted that there are times when we look in the mirror and just don't like what we see. My nose is too big, my complexion is gross, I lips are too thin, my hair is dull and flat...or frizzy. I'm too big, I'm too small, I'm not beautiful. These are the lies that we are told, and that we tell ourselves.

Then I went to scripture and told them what Real beauty is. I took about 4 different verses that show what beauty according to the word of God is. Girls really need to be reminded how beautiful they were made, and made to be with their lives. We were made in the image of God, each fearfully and wonderfully made. Beautiful are the feet of those who bring GOOD news, and not those who outwardly "do themselves up", but who radiate beauty from the inside out. Some of the girls told me they really liked the lesson and that made me happy because I felt like I was able to bring them some sort of light.

I know what its like to look at yourself and think, meh, I'm not pretty enough. I can't compare with that girl, she's so beautiful. The thing is, I'm not supposed to compare. Everyone is different, yet made to be beautiful. And if I continue in the way of the Lord, I'll have a beauty that can't be bought in a bottle or off a rack. It's the type of beauty I want others to notice because it reflects and points to the one who loves me all the time, whether I'm having a bad hair day, wearing no make up, totally don't match clothing...the One who made me to be exactly who I am.

I really hope the girls remember this in times to come because I know they'll face this issue time and time again. It's something I'll work to remind myself too.

Portrait of a Real Man

2009-11-05T15:42:00.000-08:00

Six foot something, fit, and an air of confidence about him, the guy walked past everyone. Strutting his cowboy boots, blue jeans, and vest, he was fittingly fashionable and clean cut. He was what would appear to be just another guy who has it all together, going to say a selected few words in front of people, then sit down and continue looking like a guy who has it all together. Maybe he'd receive a few head nods at the words he read, though true, said quite flatly.

He took his place in front of us all and began to read. Nothing out of the ordinary. I might have not even been looking at him anymore. But then I heard it-a crack in his voice. I looked up and saw this confident looking man suddenly weak. His voice dropped and raised. His lips curled down. All eyes were now certainly on him as he attempted to continue reading the words in the book in front of him. I wondered, what's going on? Something must have happened. He's surely going to tell us some story of what happened to him that made him so emotional. There's some personal life application to what he's reading that has brought him to this state. He paused to try and collect himself while letting out a few wimpers first. Struggling through it, he read the rest of the scripture. As he choppily read, I realized there was no personal story to accompany it. There was no story about how his kid did something precious to remind of what faith really means. There was not story about his wife expressing what love means and in turn showing him how to be Christ. No story about anyone-just the reality of the words he read.

My brother from Denver City read from the book of Philippians, chapter 2. Wow. Amazing. Those were my thoughts. This strong looking man broke, surrendered, and wept like a child in front of us all at the reading of the word of the Lord. A man who loves the Lord. There's a REAL man.

>Women< on a Mission

2009-10-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

When I woke up this morning, I have to admit I was not exactly looking forward to our new class. On Tuesdays we have women's chapel and the guys have their own chapel...it's what some of us like to call segregated chapel. While it's cool to hear about the ladies of the bible and get a chance to lead singing/prayer, we do like being with everyone. So, on Fridays we now also have a segregated class. The girls go to the class Women on a Mission. I thought it was going to be like another ladies chapel, and wasn't really excited about it. Actually, I was kind of bummed. BUT, the class was-Amazing! I was so uplifted and encouraged by it. Pam and Beth did an excellent job giving the class and I think set it off on the right foot. It opened my eyes to some important things about the girls in my class and about ministering to girls. It reminded me of things I needed to hear too.

This class focuses on what the title is- women on a mission. Its about us girls being mission minded and how we can minister to other girls. I'm looking forward to seeing how this class can help me grow.

New Blog!

2009-10-22T17:18:00.001-07:00

I decided it would probably be good to have a blog specifically for my AIM (Adventures in Missions) thoughts and updates. So, here it is! I've transferred the entries I had in my other blog to this one, which go from the Canadian trip to thoughts from the Paducah, KY trip. I will try to post entries more frequently.

[10/16] Loving the Leper (from the class to Kentucky and back again)

2009-10-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

During our class the Life of Christ, through the gospel of Luke, one of the stories we looked at was when Jesus healed the leper. He loved the unlovable and touched the untouchable. I've never seen a leper in real life, but in that class we were shown pictures of people that were affected by the disease. It was truly saddening and eye-opening to the reality of what the people I'd read about actually went through. Lepers were the unclean, outcasts of society. It was wrong to be around one let alone touch one. Yet, Jesus loved, had compassion on him, and reached out his hand and touched him. That must have been so overwhelmingly joyous for the leper. Not only was he healed, but someone had actually reached out and gave him what he hadn't known in who knows how long. He gave him physical touch.

Touch is so important for me. While I do like my "me time", I definitely love being around people and enjoy a good hug, or pat on the back, touch to the arm...some sort of touch. Actually, touch is essential to all creatures. Research has shown that if living beings are deprived of touch it negatively effects their health. So this man who had a disease that ate away at his body, and who was absent from touch, which would've eaten away at his very being, must have been completely desperate for some sort of care. Any touch, any companionship would have lifted his spirit. His desperation led him to Jesus and his faith was rewarded with healing, of the physical nature but most likely of his spirit as well.

This past week I was sick. It had been a rough couple of days during finals and I guess my immune system was at a low. The last day of finals and day before we left to Kentucky I felt absolutely horrible. The trip over there was not enjoyable and my time over there was somewhat frustrating because I was always coughing, couldn't breathe well, mostly lost my voice, and just couldn't talk and socialize with people the way that I would had I been well. I felt worried too because I didn't want to get anyone else sick. I felt like I shouldn't be around anyone, that I should just stay to myself, keep my mouth shut, and not touch anyone. It made me sad. On Sunday after church I was taken to a clinic and the rest of the day and all of Monday I stayed shut in at the host family's house. I was away from everyone and I hated it. I wanted to be well again, just to feel good. I wanted to fearlessly be around people and touch them.

My cold, is absolutely nothing compared to a disease like leprosy, yet that was on my mind during my time alone. I was reminded how being sick and away from people, just really stinks. It made me sad and lonely. How much more the leper! How desperate he was! Christ showed him love and that is what I, as a disciple of Christ, should do too. I would warn people that I was sick so they wouldn't hold my hand or get too close, but some didn't care. They stayed around me anyway and hugged me, held my arm and hand. That made me feel loved. I need to remember that people that don't look so appealing, that are sick, that are normally outcast, those are the ones that I need to show love to. I need to love the lepers.

[9/7] ACDC

2009-10-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

Yeah so I'm in this group called AC DC and we totally rock! :) AC DC is the name my area church group likes to go by. Area Church-Denver City. Every Sunday a group of 10 of us head out to Denver City to worship with them and spend the day with some of the members. Our group consists of 4 girls (me, Ashton, Shae, and Amanda Holler), 4 guys (Van, Chris Willis, Ryan, and Jacob), and 2 assistants (Ginger and Bryson). When I first found out which area church I got and who I was with, I had mixed emotions. I was really happy because I'd heard good things about Denver City and I knew I liked my assistants. However, I hadn't really talked to the AIMers in my group yet so I wasn't sure how we'd work together. Well, after spending time with them I had a good feeling about it.

I've gone twice so far to Denver City. I can say that God has blessed me with a great team. Everyone is so willing to help out and do stuff. We get along great, have good laughs, and each bring a little something different to the group.

The first time I went was the weekend of TCC-Teenage Christian Conference. This was a pretty neat event because there were over 600 people there from all over West Texas and part of New Mexico. It was a day of lots, yes lots, of singing and listening to 4 different speakers preach the Word. We left on Saturday morning and when we got there went to the high school cafeteria to help set up for the dinner that would be provided for everyone. Basically we moved tables, chairs, covered tables, and set up the food (buns, chips, candy, condiments) for the burgers. Then we had some lunch and headed back to the church building to for the conference. Our guys led prayers, songs, and scripture readings during the conference. Seeing my brothers get up and lead never gets old! I love it. One girl ended up getting baptized that night. Praises to God.

Shae and I stayed with a couple, the Turnboughs (sp?), and they were really sweet. On Sunday there was a lot of fellowship with the church, which was just awesome.

This past Sunday we went to the youth group class and then during worship tried to do the "no bunching" again. There is a rule that we are not supposed to bunch up but go and meet new people. It is a little difficult sometimes to just get out there and strike up a conversation, especially because there are not a whole lot of people and I can't go up to someone who already has an AIMer or two talking to them. But I managed to sit next to a lady (with no AIMers) and talk a bit to her. She, like mainly everyone else, was very nice. After church we went out in the country to have lunch with a family. Oh man, that was some good home-cooked food. We ate well, and just knocked out afterward. Well, we talked and played with their kids first, but after that good meal and waking up early, it was time for a nap. We also saw their horses and land, which was pretty awesome.

Something that we will do every Sunday is go to the nursing home to visit and sing songs. I really like doing this because I know it makes them happy. Those people are just sweet and get joy from us visiting them. Some of them sing along with us which makes me happy. This past Sunday one lady kept saying "that was pretty" after every song we sang.

Even though we get tired from the drive over in the morning and then staying there all day, I'm so glad to be doing it. I can't wait to get to know my brothers and sisters from Denver City better. I'm looking forward to making a difference in their lives, growing closer with ACDC, and growing closer to the good Lord.

[8/16] Trip to Canadian

2009-10-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend the AIM class went up to Canadian, TX. It. was. a. blast. At first I was just wondering what we were going there for. It didn't seem like they had much planned for us, and really...they didn't. But somewhow each moment of the day was filled with blessings for them and especially for us. I didn't even know that it was pretty in that part of Texas but it definitely was. We had hills and plateaus and it was green and pretty! =) When we got there we went into the church building and they had pizza for us and we just talked with people and sang songs together. Then we got split up into our host families and I got put with 8 other girls (Amanda, Susan, Michelle, Valerie, Kalen, Glenna, Danni, and Jennifer) with a widow named Joyce. She was such a nice lady and really enjoyed having us over. She told us alot about her family and how she was born and always lived (w/the exception of just a few years) in Canadian, and mostly in the same house after her and her husband got married. We learned that she really loves butterflies and actually owns most of the land on her block, as well as a sweet collie named Daisy :)

On Saturday we had a lesson on conflict but a lot of it was on being men and women of God, which was really cool. I liked it alot and it reminded me of things I needed to hear. After that we hit the town lol. Really, we did a lot of walking and went down to a soda shop that was just amazing. I got a rootbeer float and just talked and got to know some of my classmates better. The shop was attached to this antique store that had some pretty amazing (and expensive) things. I will remember those old cashiers and soda dispensers, coke machine, and especially the strange painting we saw of dead animals hung on a wall. yes, it was very strange haha. After the shop we headed into the back of a truck and drove down to the bridge. We walked the bridge back and forth and watched the trains go by and our classmates play in the water below. Then it got even better!

The church had a cookout for us and we got to eat some amazing burgers and food and just do more fellowship! Fellowship is amazing. Seriously, it's not about food at all...this whole trip was fellowship. It's about being with each other and sharing in each others' experiences and being there for one another. After we ate and talked ( got to talk to some assistants which was cool), I saw the kids playing and thought it'd be a cool idea to join them. So I went over and jumped into a game of tag. We then played chinese freeze tag, red light green light, and another game I can't remember the name of. The kids were so fun to play with and having a bunch of us AIMers play with them was fun too. We may not be in the best of shape anymore but our hearts were sure into it and speaking for myself, I felt like a kid myself. It was just good fun and I'm sure those kids will remember playing with us. That night the girls and I talked alot and got to know each other better and hear about our backgrounds. Man, everyone has a different story, a different life and somehow we all ended up together reaching for the same goal...God is Good!

Sunday morning we went to class and in worship some of our guys led prayers and singing. I'm so proud of our young men that get up and lead. It makes me feel good to see them displaying their love for Christ and leading others in worship. Two of my classmates (Chris Reid and Erick Paddy) talked about why they came to AIM and a little bit of their background. I was proud of them too for sharing with everyone there and just uplifting everyone with their faith and desire for God. The church provided us with more food...gosh, amazing people...and it was goooooood! I got too much because it all smelled and looked so scrumptious. But yes, it was yummy. We had our first test on the NT books and I'll have a test on OT today and on wed. Ed's 1st test (dun dun duuuuuuun). But overall, this has been an amazing experience so far that I know is the start to something BIG in my life. I've still got plenty of growing to do, and I feel like it's going to be here that I do it. I really love my classmates and teachers and I hope I can make an impact in the times to come

[8/16] I Look Up

2009-10-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

The land is flat,
the eyes see far and wide,
and still I cannot keep my eyes
from staring at the sky.
There isn't much to see,
but that's not the reason why
I look up at the clouds above,
I look up at the sky.

In the morning bright yellow
splashes the canvas spread wide
At midday grand ships of white fly by
In the evening warm colors
melt my heart as the artwork
of God is displayed for all to see.

And when it seems all light is gone
and blue has turned to black,
I look up at the sky and stare in awe
at His power and grace.
For even when life is dark and lonely
and even when I'm scared,
God gives us light to guide and lead
if only we look up.