Moments

Worth Mentioning

2012-01-21T09:30:00.000-08:00

As January and winter march along, I couldn't help realizing a rather remarkable fact: I have not been sick this entire school year to date. Not even a cold! If you knew me in high school, you would know what a big deal this is. Due to lack of sleep, playing volleyball nearly year-round, difficult classes, and just being too busy in general, I spent most of high school moderately sick. I usually got a cold/cough in the early fall which lasted all the way to late spring. My Biology class and teacher used to joke they would finally be able to invent a cure from the common cold from me because I seemed to get so many strands of the virus, and my Word Civ teacher used to call me "the Storm" due to my severe cough.

With that kind of a history, one doesn't take being "sick-free" for granted. I am incredibly grateful that God has kept me so healthy the last six months. Of course it's purely by His grace, but I think there are three contributing factors that have helped:

-Teaching elementary school for four years previously and working with impoverished children in Mexico for two years have helped me build some great antibodies.

-Emergen-C: I was first introduced to this by my missionary teammate Christy and her family, and it is good stuff! It comes in little packets that you dissolve in water, and one packet has 1000mg of Vitamin C plus 24 other nutrients, antioxidants, etc. I try to take it 2-3 times a week and more frequently if I think I might be getting sick. I highly recommend it, but two words of warning: Be sure you buy the brand-name and be sure to buy raspberry. Other flavors I have tried are really gross, and the Target brand is disgusting.

-Last but not least, I believe my obsession with always using hand sanitizer before I eat (and preferably washing my hands) has helped. :)

Tender Mercy of our God...

2011-12-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

"...because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

~Luke 1:78-79

The Help

2011-12-09T15:52:00.000-08:00

As usual, I am a bit behind on things...first, I was behind on the trend of reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I think I can still claim "living out of the country for two years" on that one. However, I was very intrigued by the novel ever since I first heard about it this summer from my aunt. Since I am a firm believer in reading the book before I see the movie, I was determined to bypass the theaters late summer and early fall so that I could read the book first. Now I'm just behind on blogging because even though I finished the book in September, I still need to write about it. So here it goes...

In a nutshell, I loved it! This can be attested to by 1.) the fact that I read it at all, and 2.) the fact that I stayed up late reading it on multiple nights. Most of what I read is either Christian nonfiction or children's literature--I'm just not a big fan of popular fiction; I think it's more of a time issue than an interest issue but nevertheless, not many "fictional adult bestsellers" make it on to my reading list. Also, I was willing to sacrifice my precious sleep on more than one occasion because I just didn't want to put this book down. In fact, it even felt "delightfully indulgent" to read one more chapter rather than being practical and going to sleep. :)

Here are some other miscellaneous thoughts I had about The Help:

I loved the shifting, first-person perspectives between the three main characters of Skeeter, Abilene, and Minnie. This keeps you always wanting to read more to find out what happens in each story thread.
I enjoyed all of the foreshadowing and "hype" that led up to the infamous Benefit and then how the tense changes completely to the active present and shifts to the 3rd person as if a reporter is writing this scene ("they walk in behind, the air seems so still, etc.").
I loved Stockett's character development and the theme of true friendship that grows stronger and stronger as the novel progresses.
I liked the complexity of minor characters like Miss Celia.

In summary, The Help is a captivating novel full of multiple layers. The depth of the characters and the various themes and interwoven story lines create a fascinating tale. Definitely a novel worth reading!

Precious.

2011-12-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

Today, as I was enjoying a refreshing morning and sitting on my favorite love seat next to the window in our living room, I caught a glimpse of my neighbor... he's probably about ten years old and lives with his family across the street. I watched him look around surreptitiously to make sure no one was outside watching and then proceed to play football by himself in his front yard. He was the ref, the defense, and the offense all in one. He would make calls and show the appropriate hand motions; he would toss the ball in the air and then catch it; he would dodge past imaginary opposing players and often end up on the ground after a supposed tackle. It was adorable. In a month when my patience can run thin at times, I am thankful for this simple reminder of the joy and innocence of being a child.

Autumn Glimpses

2011-11-26T15:28:00.000-08:00

Every year, the fall seems to fly by before you know it. This year is no exception, and much of it has been consumed by the daily routine of work. However, I have also enjoyed some wonderful weekends that brought big smiles to my face...

Nashville, TN-a fun Samford Girls reunion for Havilah's wedding on a beautiful October day

I also got to see Doug & Christy's family that same weekend since they were spending part of their furlough in Nashville and enjoyed some precious time with them.

Tally, FL-a great day for an FSU football game with my sweet friend Cassidy

This may not have been a stellar season for the Noles, but we sure picked a good game to attend. :)

Birmingham, AL-ran my first 10K with my favorite running buddy & dear friend Laura (and then enjoyed a delicious post-race breakfast at Urban Standard)

Fall in all its glory...

On the trail near Jemison...love going for runs and walks in these woods

South Bend, IN-a fabulous weekend trip to Notre Dame to visit my former roommate and missionary teammate Karen...

...and experience a ND football game and all their fun Irish traditions!

Tallahassee-Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 5K with Paul and Young-Bin

A Few of my Favorite Things

2011-09-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

Once a month, the women at my church have a gathering called "Otium Sanctum" which is Latin for "holy leisure." The phrase otium sanctum was used by the church fathers to describe their desire to pace and structure their lives in ways that would make them conducive to worship. We are currently reflecting on Sabbath and rest at Otium Sanctum.

Also each month, a different person shares a few of their favorite things with the group as a means of getting to know each other better. Last week, it was my turn. It was fun to reflect and think about my favorite things, deciding what to share with the group. I also realized that the "English-loving nerd" is alive and well in me because many of my items were actually symbolic for something else. In no particular order, here is what I shared...

*Flair pens for grading-the colors make it a little more fun. I also love Pilot G2 colored pens (not shown) for writing notes.

*My miniature, garnet Spanish Bible--Its compact size makes it great to take places, but it mostly represents my love for discipling children and youth and for speaking Spanish.

*My travel mug from the original Starbucks at Pike Place Market--It represents meeting friends at coffee shops and sharing quality conversation, one of my deep loves in life.

*Publix-the best grocery store ever where "shopping really is a pleasure"--It fondly reminds me of my mom because ever since I was little, I have been going on errands with her to Publix.

*My journals-one of the main ways I pray and process. I LOVE journaling and often measure the intensity of a season by how quickly I go through a journal.

*My U.S. passport--This one represents the fact that I love traveling all over the world to different countries for both pleasure and missions. I also love that no matter how many different places I live in for the rest of my life, my passport will always say Florida as my place of birth. Since I still consider myself a Floridian at heart, that is special to me.

*The Lakeshore Trail-I love running, walking, and being outside. I have spent many hours on that trail over the years. I would write more, but it would probably sound like a Nike commercial.

*Daily Light-This book has a compilation of Scripture for each morning and evening, every day of the year. Each entry has about five to ten verses on the same theme put together in a way where you can distinguish between the verse (should you want to look one up later in context), but reads like a paragraph. I love this simple way of starting and ending my day with the Word of God.

*Tazo Chai Latte mix--tastes just like Starbucks, but you can make it at home! Chai lattes are definitely one of my favorite things. :)

and last but not least...

*Gerbera daisies-my very favorite flowers! I love their bright, cheerful colors. "Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flowers?"

Let Your Hearts Revive

2011-09-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today I had a delightful start to my Sabbath...after a good night's sleep, I spent time this morning out on our screened-in back porch. Slowly gliding along on the porch swing, sipping hot chai tea, feeling the soft breeze, listening to the gentle rain, and digging into the Word all made for a simply wonderful time. The fact that we have not had rain in almost a month made it that much sweeter. One verse from Psalm 69 especially jumped out to me today, "you who seek God, let your hearts revive." (v.32b) I love the fact that this verse doesn't read: "revive your hearts" but rather "let your hearts revive." It's a passive or indirect action on our part--we are the receivers, not the doers. While I "let my heart be revived" by spending time with the Lord and in the Word, it is God who revives my heart. What an encouraging insight to reflect on today...

A Few Weekend Highlights

2011-08-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

Laughter. Running. Chick-fil-A. Old friends. Familiar. Comfortable. Conversations. Worshipping in Spanish. Not being in a hurry.

Sensational Summer Reading

2011-07-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

It's summertime and that means lots of things, including more time to read. Since I am often over ambitious about my reading list, I made sure to put the two books I most wanted to read this summer at the top of the list. They both came highly recommended by friends, and I had very high expectations for them...which they both met! So without further ado, here they are:

The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath by Mark Buchanan -- If you've been around me at any point this summer, you have probably heard me rave about this book. I loved it! It encouraged and challenged me in so many ways. Buchanan refers to the fact that Sabbath is both a day and an attitude, and he offers thoughtful reflections and practical suggestions for cultivating Sabbath in your life. Since I liberally underlined and starred my copy and took notes on my computer, it's hard for me to pick out just a few highlights. If I had to choose one theme that impacted me the most though, I would say it is the theme of not being in a hurry and instead taking time to live fully in each moment. Each chapter really does offer insight and wisdom though with titles such as "Stopping to See God's Bigness" , "Stopping to Number our Days Aright", "Stopping Just to Waste Time", "Stopping to Glimpse Forever", and more. To top it all off, Buchanan really is a good writer and frequently employs detailed descriptions and figurative language to make the book even more enjoyable and interesting.

A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller -- This is another excellent book that also both challenged and encouraged me. It is much more than just a book on prayer; it is a book about our Father and about faith. Early on in the book, Miller explains, "Prayer is not the center of this book. Getting to know a person, God, is the center." The book is broken up into five main parts, each with multiple chapters that are short and easy to read. The five parts are: Learning to Pray Like a Child, Learning to Trust Again, Learning to Ask Your Father, Living in Your Father's Story, and Praying in Real Life. One of the best features of this book is how Miller writes with transparency and humility. He uses real-life stories and struggles from his own life and his family's life to show us both the difficulty and the power of prayer. Filled with both profound truths and real-life suggestions, this is a wonderful book that helps you fall more in love with God and consequently develop a deeper prayer life.

Colorado Update

2011-06-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

It’s been another busy couple of weeks, but I wanted to take time to follow-up on my trip to Colorado that I mentioned in my previous post. It was absolutely wonderful.

I spent the weekend in Denver, staying with dear friends from my New Orleans/Urban Impact days. Highlights included: reconnecting with them, sharing about the ups and downs of ministry life, meeting their sweet daughter for the first time, exploring downtown Denver, and attending a church with a large Hispanic population where we sang one of my favorite Spanish worship songs and I chose to listen to the Spanish version of the sermon during the teaching time.

Sunday afternoon, it was off to MTI (Mission Training International) to attend their DAR program: Debriefing and Renewal. Because there was another program at the MTI main campus, our program was held at a lovely retreat center nearby where we enjoyed the Black Forest woods and a view of Pike’s Peak each day. I was so blessed by this program—both by the wise & caring counselors and the amazing other missionaries who were there. I love how in situations like that God quickly bonds your hearts together and you are able to share on such a deep level. Each day, I was encouraged by our formal group teaching and sharing times as well as by lots of informal conversations with dear new friends. We all long to be understood, and it was such a blessing to spend a week with people who were in a similar situation as myself and really knew what I was going through. Lots of tears and laughter were shared throughout the week! This week also really reminded me about the importance of unity in God’s universal church. We all came from various denominations and mission organizations, but our hearts all wanted the same thing: the Gospel to be proclaimed throughout the world and to see God’s kingdom.

After lunch on Friday, it was sadly time to leave, and I headed down to Colorado Springs where I spent the afternoon at Garden of the Gods and enjoying some more processing time at Starbucks. That night, I had fun hanging out with my friend Katie (also a New Orleans/UIM connection) where we ate a delicious Italian dinner in a quaint, local family-owned restaurant in Old Colorado City and then explored Manitou Springs some more, meeting up with a few of Katie's friends.

Early Saturday morning, it was off to the Colorado Springs airport and then back to Florida!

Old friends!

The Market-my favorite coffee shop/cafe in Denver

New friends!

Our view each day at DAR :)

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs

Victory in the Small Things

2011-06-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

These days it seems my life is full of decisions...living situation decisions, time decisions, financial decisions, ministry involvement decisions, and the list goes on. Since I can tend to overanalyze and also would still describe myself as "emotionally fragile" right now, most of these decisions take a lot of time and emotional energy from me. Buying new running shoes was no exception. About two weeks ago, I went to a big shoe store in Tallahassee in search of new running shoes. This store always has a 20% off coupon each weekend so I try to buy my shoes here whenever I can. After nearly an hour in the store (told you I can overanalyze!) testing various pairs of shoes, I finally decided on a pair (New Balance WR 759). Knowing my tendency to sometimes doubt and contemplate returning shoes, I decided to not do the usual "wear them around the house in case I want to take them back" but rather take them out on the road right away. I was delighted to find that I made a great decision and still feel this way today after about several good runs in the last two weeks. In fact, my success in this little decision makes me happy every time I think about it. Hooray for small victories and here's hoping to more good decisions in the coming months...

On a running side-note: I have decided running in very humid, 95 or 100-degree heat is actually harder than running at an elevation of 7,000 feet (Fresnillo) and definitely less pleasant!

Last Mexico Days...

2011-05-27T08:45:00.001-07:00

Right now, I am sitting in the Tallahassee airport waiting to board my flight to Atlanta and then travel on to Denver, Colorado. I am looking forward to spending the weekend with some good friends and then attending the "debriefing and renewal" program at MTI (Mission Training International) this week. It's designed for missionaries returning to the U.S., either permanently or on furlough. I am not quite sure what to expect, but I know it will be good to be around other people in a similar situation who understand what it's like to try to adjust to American life again while missing somewhere else so much.

As you can see, I haven't blogged in quite awhile. While I am not the most consistent blogger to begin with, this is partially because my last six weeks in Fresnillo were so incredibly busy...and I loved them!! While packing and finishing up administrative tasks aren't much fun, spending time with people is one of my very favorite things and when you're leaving Mexico, everyone wants to have you over for a meal. :) I'm incredibly thankful for the way the Lord sovereignly worked out my schedule each day, allowing me to spend quality time with so many wonderful friends. I am also grateful for sweet times of closure with my Club girls, ÉXITO kids, and Exprésate students. There's so much more I could say, but here are a just a few of the MANY pictures I took in those days that give a small taste of them...

My last salida with my afternoon Club girls

Rajas con crema with Gloria's family! :)

Touring the Fresnillo silver mine with good friends

My volleyball team, after my last game with them

Making pozole with Iris

Sweet Encouragment from Today...

2011-03-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

To describe the past few months as well as my remaining time in Fresnillo as “emotional” would definitely be an understatement. Coming home to an empty house after vacation, preparing to say goodbye to people I love dearly, and adjusting to a multitude of changes and unknowns frequently lead me to tears. However, I know that the Lord is sovereign in each difficulty and that He has great purposes for this tough time of transition. I also know that God loves to encourage us in ways that are so personal and specifically meant for us. Today, the Lord gave me several of those sweet encouragements…

I went over to Javier and Lupita’s house for lunch today and had such a fun time. I especially loved spending time with Lupita, Jesi (their 16-year-old), and Susy (their 10-year-old). We laughed and joked around a lot, Jesi asked me questions about becoming a missionary herself one day, Susy and her sassy but lovable personality entertained us, and Lupita and I talked about all sorts of different topics. Not to mention delicious food!

When I came home, I had momentarily forgotten that today was the day Gloria (a dear and close friend from church) came to clean our house. I especially love coming home on every other Wednesday…walking into a sparkling-clean house that smells so good always makes me happy. However, today was even extra special…Gloria had left me a really sweet and encouraging note on the kitchen counter, thanking me for coming to Fresnillo and telling me how much I meant to them. Then, as I ventured upstairs, I found another post-it she had left on my bedroom door reminding me that I am never alone and how Jesus is always with me. (Before she left to return to the U.S., Elizabeth had left me lots of post-it notes all over the house. It was a wonderful encouragement to come home to last week, and then again today as Gloria joined in on the idea!)

Finally, I checked my Skype phone and had a voicemail from Shannon telling me a funny story about a family of some of our former students that we both love and who often make us laugh.

Thanks, Lord, for knowing just how to encourage me today...

Vacation

2011-03-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

During March 17th-24th, I took a short but very much appreciated trip to the States. A few highlights follow both via words and pictures...

Taziki’s and Yogurt Mountain with Paul my first night back…Watching and analyzing old Grey’s episodes with Pam…manicures, pedicures, and quality talk time with Cara…getting to be a part of Anna’s wedding—beautiful bride and beautiful day…hanging out at Jackson’s and O’Henry’s with the SU girls… yummy breakfast at Another Broken Egg Café…walks along the Emerald coast and relaxing in the warm Florida sunshine…journaling on the beach… reading Abba's Child by Brennan Manning...riding bikes to Seaside and along 30A…cheesecake and strawberries… watching FSU make it to the Sweet 16 by beating Notre Dame…spending time with my parents in Sandestin… steak, baked potatoes, and Caesar salad…visiting with my Redeemer community group and them praying for me…laughing with my brother…and wanting to going back to Mexico despite the emotional challenges that lay ahead...

All the girls and Anna

Spring in Birmingham!

Samford Girls Reunion

I LOVE Florida!!

Authentic New Orleans-style snowball in Sandestin

With my brother the professional before going to the airport

Beautiful Angels...

2011-02-28T19:18:00.001-08:00

This picture is a few months old now, but I wanted to post it because it is from one of my favorite days this past December...the day of our annual Club Christmas Drama. My 7 & 8 year-old Club girls (along with Elizabeth’s 9 & 10 year-olds) were angels this year in the drama. I think my favorite moment was when we were helping them put on their costumes, and I could see how excited they were to feel “special and beautiful.” I know they are almost NEVER told that they are these things, and it made me reflect on how I want to be sure to tell them more often that they are indeed beautiful, lovely, and precious in God’s sight, while at the same time teaching them about inner beauty and purity. Please pray for opportunities to do that this semester. I love my little angels and am so thankful for the privilege of investing in their lives. :)

Encouraging Words from Thomas Merton

2011-01-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You, and I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope I never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, You will lead me by the right road although I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust You always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone." ~Thomas Merton

Long-Overdue

2011-01-12T19:31:00.000-08:00

I love blogging. It's such a great mixture of writing and talking, two of my favorite things. It's a chance to verbalize everything from the random and quirky to the deep and reflective. In a way, it's a chance for someone to hear me talking to myself (which my roommate Elizabeth correctly reports I do very frequently).

However, I have great difficulty keeping up with blogging. I knew it'd been a while since I'd written and had been thinking about posting for several weeks on various topics, but I was appalled yesterday when I realized I had not written since Thanksgiving! Seriously?! The only thing to do to remedy the situation was to blog as soon as possible-- hence today's entry.

I think this year I am going to try to blog more frequently but write shorter posts. Being so wordy is usually what leads to my procrastination. This won't be easy as someone who is quite long-winded (and enjoys being so), but I figure it's worth a shot. This is definitely not a resolution. (You can read my first blog entry to find out how I feel about resolutions.) It could perhaps be a goal though. I seem to do o.k. with goals--I started this blog in January 2009 as a means to help me accomplish a goal of writing more, and I'm still writing in it today so that is something.

Finally, I would like to give a "shout-out" to my friend Cara. Although she is a busy wife and teacher (one of the most time-consuming jobs there is), she continually inspires me with her faithfulness to blog on a regular basis. I love reading her witty comments and thoughtful insights, and I am always encouraged to keep on blogging myself...

Happy 2011!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T19:43:00.000-08:00

The blessings have been shared, the turkey and pie eaten, and there are just a few hours left of Thanksgiving 2010. As I happily watch Miracle on 34th Street (the original version), I thought I'd take a few moments to blog about my day here in Mexico...

I began the day with sleeping in a bit (a rare treat!) and then spending great time with the Lord. I also enjoyed chatting with my brother on Skype, talking to my parents on the phone, and watching part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on the computer. (Yay for technology, right?!) The parade brought back fun memories of when my family and I watched it together in person in New York two years ago (one of my childhood dreams), but it was definitely much warmer watching it on the computer this year! I also went for a run this morning and wore one of my favorite Edgewood Turkey Trot shirts (the Life is Good one). :) As I ran around town though, I did find the situation a little odd...to me the day was a special, festive holiday but to all the other people on the street, it was just a normal day.

After getting ready for the day, it was off to Zacatecas to celebrate with lots of other American missionaries from around our part of Mexico. This has been a Thanksgiving tradition for CFCIers for many years, and I enjoyed taking part in it for my second time. The feast is fabulous, of course, and it is also a wonderful time of fellowship. As I looked around the room today, it was neat to see all the different churches and missions represented throughout Zacatecas, Fresnillo, Jerez, and San Luis Potosi. Here are a few pictures from the day...

The tables were set...

The dessert table, including my first ever pumpkin pie attempt (bottom left)

My teammate Meredith and I with Lee Anne, beloved friend and holiday hostess

Game time!

Beautiful sunset over the city of Zacatecas

Must-reads and Remembering

2010-11-22T16:54:00.000-08:00

In January of 2010, I read Same Kind of Different as Me after hearing about it for several months. I breezed through it quickly since it is such a captivating story, but at the same time was deeply moved by the message and story of the book. (Yes, I also cried a lot in parts.) In fact, in a small way, the book was influential in my decision to move to Mexico as a missionary.

Recently, I read What Difference Do It Make?, the sequel to the first book. It tells the continuing story and also interweaves multiple stories of people's lives that were touched by reading Same Kind of Different as Me and their responses to the book. While I had heard this book did not compare to the first one, I was pleasantly surprised by the truths and inspirations this book included as well. In particular, I appreciated Denver's explanations of the dignity and love homeless people are desperately crying out for. Also, both Ron and Denver talk about the need for long-term commitment when it comes to making a difference. Ron writes, "Helping someone is when you find out how to help them move toward wholeness and then hang with them until they make a change." (p. 59). Denver adds, "..that blessin means you give a person a little gift to show 'em you think they matters on this earth, and helpin is when you stoop down with a person and stay there till they can climb on your shoulders to get up." (p. 170) This point reminds me of what Joel (my pastor in Bham) is always saying about what it really means to be "salt and light in this world"--where we are called to really work our ways into people's lives as salt is worked into meat, not just to the point that it is comfortable.

I could go on and on about other themes in the books, too, such as forgiveness, not judging, how one person really can make a difference in this life, etc. For the sake of time though, I won't. However, I did want to mention one other thought I had when I was reading a part in the sequel where it talked about homeless children...I thought about a little boy who was in my class my first year of teaching. He was very bright, wore glasses, and was well-liked by the rest of the class. He had several younger sisters that he helped take care of, and his mom was a single mom. I didn't know the mom very well, but she was supportive to the extent she could be in her situation and came to Parent-Conference Day, signed Friday Folders, etc. I could tell she was a good mom because my student was so well-behaved, respectful, and kind. I thought of them when reading this part of the book though because I think they might have been homeless, at least for a time. The kids always went home on the YWCA bus, and I don't know where they went after that (presumably to a house or apartment zoned for our district, but who knows for sure). My second year of teaching they officially moved out of our district, and I lost touch with them. I hope and pray that wherever they are now, they are doing well. Whether or not this family was homeless isn't really the point...the way it put a "face" on homelessness to me though does make a tremendous difference and encourages me so much to fully love and help each individual the Lord puts in my path...

"If all the Christians--I mean all of 'em--got outta the pews on Sundays and into the streets, we'd shut the city down. We'd shut down hunger. We'd shut down loneliness. We'd shut down the notion that there is any such of a thing of a person that don't deserve a kind word and a second chance." -Denver Moore

Going Out to Lunch...

2010-10-24T15:44:00.001-07:00

When I was in college and debating on changing my major, I went through the typical self-questioning of trying to figure out what kind of career I was most interested in. At one point of feeling especially frustrated at attempting to discern my elusive "ideal job," I remember remarking to my mom, "I just want to go out to lunch with people and talk to them about their lives!" My mom shared this comment with my youth pastor who replied simply and matter of factly, "Oh, she just wants to be in ministry."

So, here I am seven years or so later, living as a missionary in Fresnillo, Mexico...As I talked to my mom on the phone today and told her about some of the things I had done yesterday, she pointed out that I was doing exactly what I'd always wanted to: "going out to lunch with people, talking to them about their lives, and listening to their problems"--I just had to do it in Spanish! (I added to this that I was also doing it over tacos or gorditas instead of over Hopkins' or Zoe's.) As I reflected on this, I realized that this really is true and how grateful I am to have the privilege of investing in people's lives like this. "Going out to lunch with people and talking to them about their lives" will always be one of my favorite things to do because it's part of the core of who God made me. I'm thankful for all the "coffee dates" when I was teaching elementary school full-time (it's hard to get deep at lunch when you only have 25 minutes and are being interrupted by children needing you to help them with their ketchup packets), and I'll be grateful for however the Lord provides for this desire in the future. Today, however, I'm very content to be here in Fresnillo...spending time with people, listening, sharing, counseling, encouraging, praying, crying, and laughing with them over "picadillo" or "desebrada."

Thankful

2010-10-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

This week I am especially thankful for...

hugs
fall
hot chai tea in the AMs
adorable little kids
finishing two huge tasks I'd been working on for the last month or more
Emergen-C
running
answered prayers
the fact that it's still warm inside our house even though the weather is getting chilly outside
meaningful conversations
the community of faith

September Celebrations

2010-10-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that October is already here. As usual, the fall seems to fly by. September was a busy month. Club, team meetings, planning for and teaching ÉXITO, computer & administrative work, visiting with families and Club kids, CFCI correspondence, prayer times, Torta, and much more quickly filled each ministry/work hour and more. However, we also found time to do a lot of celebrating in September...

Claudia's quinceañera--the whole family before the church service and party that would follow

Maye's boys toasting in Mexican Independence Day with their Coca-Cola... great "Independence Day Eve" celebration with their family including pozole and watching the fireworks from outside their house

The parade on Sept. 16, celebrating 200 years of Mexican Independence

Mini-party at Yohana's for Uriel's 14th birthday

Kevin definitely enjoyed it!

Fun day trip to Aguas w/ the CFCI team girls to celebrate Elizabeth's birthday

More birthday celebrating with our dear friends and neighbors, Sergio, Faby, and Jonathan

Pongo

2010-09-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth and I "had" a dog for about a week in August. There was a dalmatian that used to always come in to our carport/parking area even when the gate was locked. He was so skinny he could squeeze through the holes in the gate. Being dog people, it didn't take us very long to get attached to him even though he was quite dirty and probably had some diseases. I named him Pongo because he had black ears just like the dog in 101 Dalmatians, and we started giving him water and scraps of food each day. Because we live in CFCI housing and pets are not allowed, we could not officially adopt him or let him come inside the house, but we did cheerfully talk about taking him to the vet one day, maybe how we should buy some dog food, and how we could take care of him, giving him a comfortable home outside. We thought it would be good for us, too--he could protect us and our home, not to mention be a friendly face to come home to each day.

Then, one day all of a sudden, he was gone. At first, we thought maybe he was just wandering around the neighborhood for awhile and would come back soon. After several days went by though, we realized Pongo was gone. Elizabeth and our neighbor Flavio think he was poisoned by someone (People sometimes do that here--it is so cruel and horrible!) because the night before he went missing, he had been howling and whining all night long. Our neighbor Alexa and I have a different theory, though. We think that maybe his real owners found him (after the night of howling) and are now keeping him well-protected in their house or yard so they don't lose him again. I like to believe this is what happened. :) Alexa thinks she might even know the house where he might be. I am tempted to go knock on their door and just ask them. Maybe I will one day. Of course, a third option is that he was sick and was howling that night because he was in so much pain and dying on his own. This would also be very sad, but not as sad as scenario #1. If this third possibility is the case, I'm glad he could spend his last week of life with us, knowing he was loved...

Isn't he precious?!

Just Plain Odd

2010-08-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

As I was driving home a few days ago, I was behind a moderately-old, silver, Toyota Corolla. Nothing out of the ordinary about that. Since we were waiting at a stoplight, I had the chance to read the bumper sticker on the back. It read, in English: "My other car is a sewing machine. Etsy.com" (For those of you who don't know, Etsy is defined by wikipedia as "a social commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items as well as art and craft supplies." It is also explained as being a "crafty cross between Amazon and Ebay and your grandma's basement.") The bumper sticker alone made it stand out in Mexico. Here is the kicker though: the person driving the car was a man with a sombrero! Needless to say, I don't think he put the bumper sticker on the car.

Starting the Year off Right...

2010-08-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

Although our financial ministry year technically starts again each year on August 1, this week is the first week of the ministry year for us in terms of the schedule. Club begins again this week on Thursday, and we are also kicking off our new times of prayer and worship. This year, we will have several open times of prayer throughout the week at various times in the hopes that these times of corporate prayer will not just be for our team, but for the whole church. We're looking forward to seeing how God uses these times. In Club, I'll be teaching seven and eight-year-old girls this year, and I'm really excited about it. In particular, I am thankful to be able to continue my relationships with many of my girls from last year that I taught in the five and six-year-olds class who are moving up this year.

In the past recent weeks, we have been preparing for this official start to the ministry year. One of my favorite aspects of CFCI is what a prayer-driven ministry it is, and this is certainly the case as we get ready to begin again. A few highlights:

Individual half day of prayer: We went to some land just outside Fresnillo and all had time to just get away by ourselves and spend time with the Lord. It was a wonderful morning and one that was so refreshing to my soul. Not only did I enjoy listening to the Lord and delighting in Him, but I also loved being outside in nature in an area that was so pretty, it almost reminded me of the South. ;)
Corporate half day of prayer: We gathered together at our main ministry building and took time to pray for each ministry in detail, including individuals by name who were involved in each ministry. What a great way to begin!
Team commissioning: Every year, as missionaries we have a special team commissioning before the ministry year begins. This year was the first year we had the commissioning with our whole team--missionaries and national workers together. It was a special time of remembering our purpose, renewing our commitment as ministry leaders, taking communion together, and praying for each member of the team individually and at length. After this very encouraging service, we also went out to dinner to celebrate.

And now, let the "new year" begin! :)

2010-2011 Club Team

Top Row, L-R: Juan, Germán, Chicles

Bottom Row, L-R: me, Elizabeth, Becca, Ruth

Where we had our individual half day of prayer...

yay for the gentle stream and the green trees!

Live from Fresnillo...Midweek Update!

2010-07-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

Here are a few random thoughts for this week...

I have had several successful accomplishments and breakthroughs this week: the Drano is making a difference in my shower, I figured out how to connect my computer to the printer we recently inherited (thanks, Mary!) even without the installation CD (actually this was my smart Mac's accomplishment, not mine), and I got to cross off several projects/tasks on my list today. These may seem like small things to most people, but it's amazing what kind of difference they make especially if you have been showering in ankle-deep water, need to print your newsletter later this week, and have had some seemingly-inefficient days lately where you couldn't finish anything.
Even predictable people you know very well can still surprise you. Yesterday, I surprised myself with a thought that was very uncharacteristic of me. I was opening one of my drawers, saw some winter clothes, and thought almost subconsciously, "Oh, winter! It will be nice when it's winter again." What?! Where did this come from? I pretty much hate winter and spring can never come quickly enough again for me each year! I suppose the thought (which was very fleeting and quickly corrected by my conscious mind) came mostly from seeing some winter clothes that I hadn't worn in awhile. This part is not very surprising since I always look longingly at my skirts and flip-flops each January, wishing it could be spring again. Apparently, while I might occasionally have whimsical, out-of-the-blue thoughts, some things do not change.
I used to sometimes watch SNL when I lived in the U.S., hence the title tribute. I loved being on central time because it came on earlier, and I almost always turned it off after Weekend Update and then went to bed...which is where I am off to now!

June Snapshots

2010-07-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

As you might suspect from my lack of blog activity, June was a busy month. I thought I’d share a few pictures that tell some of the highlights…

My Birthday

On June 13th, I enjoyed celebrating my first birthday in Mexico. Highlights from the day were Meredith's cupcakes on my birthday eve at youth group, fresh Gerber daisies and yummy homemade caramel rolls by Karen in the morning, receiving lots of hugs and birthday greetings at church, seeing a movie (in English) in Zacatecas in the afternoon with Elizabeth and Felicia, and then eating at the delicious Italian restaurant in Zac with all 3 of my roommates and Sergio and Faby, our sweet neighbors.

ÉXITO end of the year party

My weekly academic class for 4th-6th graders ended in June. We read Charlotte's Web this semester and for our last class, we had a party and watched the movie. Teaching ÉXITO this semester has definitely been one of my favorite parts of my job, and the last day felt a little bittersweet--kind of like the last day of school before summer when I was a teacher. I love the special place in my heart these kids have, just like all my old 4th graders still do.

Club T-shirt Give-away

Also in June, we finished Club for the summer. Every year, the kids that learn all of the verses (about one a month) and also have good attendance, receive a t-shirt at the end of the Club year. We have a big celebration for them and give all the shirts away on a Saturday in June. The verse that is on the shirt for this year is John 10:27. I was excited that a lot of my girls were able to learn all their verses and receive shirts. Here we are above sporting the new Club shirt. :)

Texas Trip 2010

At the end of June, part of our team headed to McAllen, TX. My roommates Felicia and Karen that are moving back to the U.S. were going to fly home from Texas, and we also had to sell one van, transfer the title of another van, and do LOTS of ministry supply shopping. We left Fresnillo on Sunday, and Karen and Felicia flew home on Wednesday. (See above picture from the airport.) However, for the Jones family and myself, the Texas trip turned into a little adventure thanks to Hurricane Alex...we decided to remain in McAllen until Friday instead of leaving Thursday as we'd originally planned, but after a few hours on the road on Friday, we had to turn around because the highway was closed. We headed to Laredo this time since it is slightly closer than McAllen and spent the weekend there. Thankfully, we were able to get back to Fresnillo on Sunday. While it was somewhat frustrating to be "stuck" in Texas a few days, I know the Lord is sovereign and has a purpose in every situation and could have been protecting us from lots of things. I also think it's a good sign that I was so eager to get back to Fresnillo! My highlights from the trip were enjoying a few more days with Karen and Felicia before they left, eating at yummy U.S. restaurants, finding a fabulous sale at GAP in the McAllen mall, and spending some great bonding time with the Jones family. :)

Hugs from God

2010-05-31T15:51:00.000-07:00

I recently returned from a trip to the U.S. It was a wonderful trip and a blessing in so many ways. I am very thankful for all of the time I was able to spend with dear friends and family, worship and fellowship with my church families in Birmingham and Tallahassee, enjoy the beautiful landscape of the Southeast, and eat lots of delicious food (both my favorite restaurants and home-cooked meals). Not only did the Lord provide all of these opportunities and answer lots of prayers for my time in the States, but He also blessed me with several special moments that I can best describe as "hugs from God." Those things that just encourage and bless me in such a personal way, I can almost see God smiling down on me as He sends them...

several times, providentially running into people I love dearly but wasn't going to have a chance to see
learning that Caroline and Natalie pray for me every day when they say their prayers at night
things working out so easily and quickly for the renewal of my teaching certificate, and the lady that helped me being a believer
being able to travel to both the mountains and the beach
prayer time with the Four Oaks Missions Prayer Group ladies
my brother being able to come home for a long weekend and getting to spend time with my whole family together
the feeling of wanting to come back to Fresnillo and being excited about this next year

Of all the "hugs," maybe the last one is the one that means the most right now. While I do of course wish I could have spent a month in the U.S. visiting people instead of a week and a half, I am really thankful for the fact that I really was looking forward to coming back to Mexico. I have recently felt so affirmed about my decision to stay another year. Praise God for that excitement and confirmation!

Rainbows in the Van

2010-04-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

Right now, there is a LOT going on here. It's easy to get caught up in everything and let the stress rob me of my joy (even though I'm praying and trying not to let it, of course). One thing I've been trying to do is just focus on each moment and not think about all the worries, questions, tasks, etc. Whenever I focus on the kids around me, I can forget about all the other things at least for the moment. Today in the van was a perfect example...

As we were driving around picking kids up for Club, a few little boys were sitting up front. When the van was facing certain directions, it would catch the sun and act as a prism making "rainbows" appear on the floor of the van. "Un arco iris!" Saul shouted when it appeared, and each time it reappeared, he would gleefully announce it again and giggle to himself. Then, he would try to put his hand there and say how there was a rainbow on his hand now, too. As I laughed along with Saul and the other boys, I loved watching their sheer joy and excitement over such a small, simple thing, and I was filled with joy too in that moment. Thanks Lord for moments like these...

Missionary to Missionary

2010-04-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, a missionary came to our church here in Frensillo to share with us about her work in Africa. Her name is Daena, and she is 24 and from Zacatecas (the state capital, about an hour away from Fresnillo). She has been in Mozambique for the last eight months and is now raising support to go back there for a year (at least) at the end of this month.

Daena's visit really encouraged me in several ways. For one, I just really enjoyed talking with her. You know those people that you instantly "click with" and easily fall into great conversation even when you've just met them? :) She definitely fell in that category, and I was glad that I got to go out to lunch with her and a few other people that afternoon in addition to visiting with her at church.

However, her visit also really encouraged me about being a missionary myself. As I was sitting in church, eagerly listening to Daena share about her ministry in Mozambique, I had flashbacks to times I was sitting at church back in the U.S. and listening to missionaries share. I would always get excited about their stories and testimonies, and I would also pray and wonder if missions might be something God was calling me to at some point in the future. Suddenly, it hit me that I was still getting excited hearing about all that God is doing around the world, but that at the same time, I was in the exact same spot as the person sharing--a missionary myself! While that might seem obvious, the Lord both renewed my passion for being a missionary and reminded me of His faithfulness in my life and how He's led me to this point. It was a sweet realization.

Daena shared one story that especially touched me. She talked about a woman in Africa who had just heard the story of Jesus' death and resurrection for the first time and was very moved by it. She asked, "When did this happen? Last week?" She couldn't believe that this had happened 2000 years ago, and no one had told her until now. Wow, talk about convicting! What an awesome privilege and responsibility we have to share the Good News each day...wherever we are.

In Due Season

2010-03-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." -Galatians 6:9

For years, I have loved this verse...maybe because it is so easy for me to "grow weary in doing good" and I am encouraged by the promise that there will be a harvest if I do not give up. Lately, I have been thinking about this verse in terms of the softening of people's hearts. A lot of the people in our ministry here have hardened hearts and lots of self-protective walls up. They have gone through so many things that I can't even begin to imagine, it's understandable to see why their hearts are hardened. Nevertheless, we continue to pray that God would break down those walls and heal their hearts completely with His restoring love.

Last week, two things happened that encouraged me in how God is working in the hearts of people here. One of the newer ladies on my cooking team for Torta seemed a little unfriendly the first time I met her and somewhat closed-off. However, last Saturday as we were having our short devotional and prayer time after cooking, she shared a very transparent prayer request and one that showed she was desiring to grow closer to God. I was so encouraged by this! The other thing was very small, but it meant a lot to me. One of the girls on my Thursday morning Club route is named Yohana. She's not in my Club class because she's in the 9 and 10 year-olds class, but I have gradually gotten to know her over this year through my van route. Each week we pick her up in the van, I greet her with a huge smile and enthusiastically ask her how her week has been. Like most pre-teens would respond, I usually get a short-one word answer from her. Every week once we get back to the church, there are two more houses I stop by on foot because the kids live right behind the church. I usually invite Yohana and the other older girls to come walk with me. They always do and seem to enjoy going along while the younger kids stay and play on the basketball court before Club. Last week, as we walked to two houses, Yohana reached out to hold my hand completely on her own initiative and continued to hold it the whole time we were on our walk. While I'm used to my five and six-year-olds wanting to hold my hand here, this really surprised me and touched my heart. It was a simple gesture, but one that showed that we had built "confianza" (or trust) over the last few months. Even if she never chatters away with me in the van, I know she knows that I care about her--and that means a lot.

Of course, there are also a few kids here that still have their innocence and know how to love without fear. Another precious Club moment I had recently was when Chewy (a nine-year-old boy on my morning van route) gave me a present. It was a little plaque that said "El Amor de Dios es Tu Refugio" and had a verse from Psalms on it. On the back, he had written "Para Cayli, Mi Mejor Amiga." (The kids call me Cayli here--I can explain why another day. It's pronounced like "Kylie" in English.) This totally made my day! I'm not even his Club teacher, but somewhere along the way, I've been able to show him enough love and kindness that merits me to be called his best friend. Wow.

So, we keep trying to "do good" here each day in God's strength and remembering that God is at work in hard hearts and soft hearts alike...

Monday Musings

2010-03-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

The last couple of months have been really busy ones for me, and I have neglected blogging. Being super busy is one of the reasons I have for the neglect, but I also sometimes feel that I have so many things to say, I don't even know where to start, and so I never do start. So today, I decided that instead of trying to blog about the last 2 months of my life (a task that seems overwhelming and impossible), I would just write a few random thoughts. So here they are, both the profound and the shallow...

*On Valentine's Day, we had a big fiesta for all of our Club kids. (You can read more about it and see pictures on my blog for kids: www.fieldtriptomexico.blogspot.com.) We spent a lot of time praying for the party beforehand, and it really was a great time. However, we had one rather scary incident at the end where a child wandered off and was missing for several hours. Thankfully, the police found her, and she was fine. We always pray for protection here and were so grateful that nothing had happened to her. As we drove home that night, tired but relieved, we talked about how you never when you're praying for something like protection, just how important those prayers might be. Elizabeth commented that even if something terrible had happened to the little girl though, it wouldn't change who God is. He is still perfectly loving and sovereign, no matter what the circumstances of life are. So true...

*I recently finished reading Expecting Miracles by Heidi and Rolland Baker (missionaries in Africa). It was an excellent book that challenged and encouraged me, and I was able to read it quickly because of how it is broken up into short segments. Here is a quote from it that I really liked:

"God is not about using the mighty, but the willing. He is not into using amazing people, just ones who are prepared to lay their lives down to Him. God is not looking for extraordinary, exceptionally gifted people, just laid-down lovers of Jesus who will carry His glory with transparency and not take it for themselves."

*A few weeks ago, I went with Elizabeth to eat lunch with a family she is friends with. I had meant them once before at a basketball game, but they don't go to our church so I don't know them very well. After about an hour, the mom asked me with a quizzical look on her face, "Now, you're from Spain?" and an expression that clearly said, "I would think you would be more fluent in Spanish if you were from Spain!" Elizabeth and I both burst out laughing. Apparently, when Elizabeth had called to say she was bringing a friend with her to lunch, the 12-year-old daughter had heard "bringing a friend from Spain!"

*Last night, I went with a few friends to see a romantic comedy in English with Spanish sub-titles at the Fresnillo movie theater. Since most of the movies that come here are dark and scary and also dubbed instead of with sub-titles, I was VERY excited about it! I also wanted to do my part to patronize this type of movie so maybe they will consider bringing more of them here. :)

Just Another Ordinary Day in Mexico

2010-01-13T18:54:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, my life here is not that different than life in the States. Other times, it is quite distinctive. Usually, it's a combination of the two. For example, today...

-I drove the van and helped David (one of our national workers) take a dead dog way out to the furthest outskirts of the colonia. (We found the dog between two of our ministry buildings.) We left the dog there on the ground inside two, black garbage bags, in an area that looks more or less like a sparse landfill. It made me really sad to see the poor dog lying there before we picked him up by the church, but perhaps because of the task we had to do, I did not cry.

-Today was our first Club after a month-long break. It was wonderful to see all the kids again and reminded me of the excitement that first day back each January after Christmas break with all of my students in the past.

-As we took the kids home after Club on our walking route, one of the boys just stopped and relieved himself right by the side of the road near someone's house or store.

-My roommates and I cooked tacos for dinner and enjoyed a great dinner together full of laughter.

All in a day...

Feliz Navidad!

2010-01-07T16:11:00.000-08:00

This year I celebrated my first international Christmas here in Fresnillo, and I am delighted to say it was a great one! Since it was also my first Christmas away from my family, I was a little worried about feeling homesick, but the Lord was so faithful to provide me with lots of joy and contentment. I could really tell people were specifically praying about this for me. Here are some "holiday highlights"....

Christmas Eve-In the morning, we handed out cookie plates to church families in the colonia. That evening, we had a Christmas Eve service at our church. Afterwards, Meredith, Felicia, and I went to different families' homes to celebrate. First, we went to our teammate and friend Ruth's house. We had both "rojo" and "verde" tamales and ponche (a delicious, hot drink made with fruit). Then, we went to Olga (and family)'s house. At Olga's, I chose to eat pozole (a yummy, red soup that has chicken and lots of other good stuff in it). Since "La Nochebuena" or Christmas Eve is the day more Mexicans celebrate than actual Christmas Day itself, it was lots of fun to visit with dear friends on this night.

Christmas Day-Felicia and I opened a few presents together by our quaint Christmas tree at the Patio and both enjoyed talking to our families on the phone that morning. Then, we went over to Meredith's for a delicious Christmas Day brunch--breakfast casserole, zucchini bread, pancakes, and pineapple. Later that afternoon, we went over to the Jones' house and were greeted by Sammy and Eric who were SO excited about their new dinosaur toys! :) We had a scrumptious feast Christy had prepared, complete with ham, potatoes, rolls from the U.S., a green salad, and a jello/fruit salad. After dinner, we read the Advent book, sang some Christmas carols, and had a birthday cake for Jesus. We also played cards and Catchphrase after the kids went to bed. What a great day!

The Day after Christmas-Saturday was a busy work day as usual, and I was on Torta (our free, weekly feeding program we have for kids and youth). That night, however, my mom was coming to visit. She had flown in to Guadalajara and then taken the bus from there. It was about 10 PM when she finally arrived, and she had quite the surprise with her...my dad and brother!!! I wish you could have seen the mixture of shock and excitement on my face or heard it in my voice, but those of you who know me well can probably imagine. ;) They didn't even know that they were all three coming until just a day or two before Christmas, and it's a neat story in itself (for another day) but full of God's sovereignty and the generosity of our sweet neighbors.

The Week After Christmas-My family stayed in Fresnillo from Saturday night to Thursday morning. On Thursday morning, we went to Guadalajara together. I spent Thursday night with them there and then came back on the bus Friday afternoon, and they flew home early Saturday morning. I am SO thankful they could all come--it was such a blessing and gift! Some of my favorite memories from their visit include: taking them to church and introducing them to so many people, us all going to a party at the house of one of my favorite family's from church, eating at the Italian restaurant in Zac, showing them the abandoned convent and throwing the frisbee with Paul there, having good talks with them individually and together as a family, and eating at Chili's on New Year's Eve and watching U.S. college football!

Club Christmas Drama

2009-12-18T20:35:00.001-08:00

I put a few pictures of our Club Christmas Drama on my blog for kids. You can go to www.fieldtriptomexico.blogspot.com if you want to see them.

Lalo y Saul

2009-12-11T18:41:00.000-08:00

Lalo and Saul are two brothers on my Thursday afternoon Club route for pick-up and take-home. Lalo is 6 and is also in my Club class, and Saul is 4. The best way I know to describe them is as "such a mess," but they have a very special place in my heart. They are both mischievous and always ones you have to keep a close eye on, but they are also so endearing and adorable. I think one reason that I love them so much is that they remind me of my brother when he was little, both physically and personality wise. :)

Things That Made Me Smile This Week...

2009-12-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth's breaded and seasoned chicken (and salad!)
The electric radiator/heater in my room that makes it warm and comfortable
Remembering Jesus' heart for children and what the CFCI vision is during team meeting this week
Christy's yummy turkey soup
Chicles climbing up to a high part of the church and using a spotlight to bring Gabriel's announcement to Mary more to life for the Club kids
Jazmin coming back to Club after a 3 month absence! Yay for answered prayers!
Karen's homemade sock/rice heater that she made for me
Singing Christmas songs in Spanish
The way some of the kids on my Thursday afternoon route really make me laugh
Listening to Erik's Vision 2010 sermons and being so encouraged and inspired by how God is continuing to lead Four Oaks (my church in Tallahassee)
Watching the Four Oaks "Rodney videos" online :)
Practicing for the Club Christmas Drama this morning and seeing how excited the kids are about it
When I turned on the CD in the van tonight on my way home and it was one of my very favorite songs ("When You Come Back Down" by Nickel Creek)

Rain and Reflecting

2009-11-30T11:48:00.000-08:00

It's cold and rainy today in Fresnillo, one of those days where you just want to curl up with a blanket and not leave the house. Thankfully, today is our day off so I am able to do just that. So as I sit here contentedly with a hot cup of tea and leftover Thanksgiving apple pic, in my warm sweatpants and favorite Samford sweatshirt, listening to A Charlie Brown Christmas music, I thought it was a good time to catch up with some blogging and share some reflections...

Over the past several weeks, I have experienced some hard times and challenges. I won't go into all of them here and I recognize that "hard times" is always a relative term, but there have been several times when I just wanted to say, "Seriously, God?! This too?" However, in each challenge, I am trying to see what God wants to teach me from it, and there is certainly an abundance of lessons to be learned from each trial, big or small.

As I was thinking about my thanksgivings for the year and how exceedingly blessed I really am, I was reminded of an important truth: God is ALWAYS sovereign. This is one of my favorite attributes of God, and there have been many times I have joyfully seen the Lord display His sovereignty in my life...from placing me on the perfect hall freshmen year, taking my "unassigned position" and putting me in exactly the school and grade level I would have chosen in the school system, and even the story of how I ended up here at CFCI in Mexico. I love retelling these stories and countless others of God's sovereignty. However, God is sovereign in the tough times, too. While these "negative" examples are not as much fun to remember, they are just as much testimonies to the Lord's faithfulness. God is never looking away and nothing is outside of His hands. I am so thankful for this fact and encouraged by it.

Another lesson I have been learning is that I only have to live one day at a time. While I desire to always be full of praise and a heavenly perspective such as mentioned in the above paragraph, the truth is I do struggle with each challenge that comes and often do not react that way. When I think about the future sometimes, I get overwhelmed because I know there are more challenges ahead always. God recently really encouraged me just to trust Him for TODAY. He will give me the grace and strength I need one day at a time, for whatever challenges arise.

So, today I am thankful for the simple pleasures of today. Tomorrow, through God's grace, I will handle whatever comes... be it a "crisis" or not.

Can you help solve it?

2009-11-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

As a way of keeping in touch, some of my former students email me. I always love hearing from them, especially since I don't get to see them in the halls or lunchroom this year like I have been able to in the past. Recently, I received an email from one of my old fourth graders. In the email, he told me about a situation with another (older) student whose mom and dad had both abandoned him. It was obvious that he was really concerned and worried about this situation. The part that gripped me was this though: He wrote, "Could you help him solve that problem?" Never mind that I live in Mexico right now or that the other student's parents had moved very far away, just a simple "Can you fix it, Miss Sloderbeck?" It made me feel both good and bittersweet that he thought I could and reminded me of what a privilege (and also heavy responsibility) it is to be a teacher. I also thought about how we are to have faith like a child. I can see why...

Classic.

2009-10-30T18:17:00.000-07:00

This past week, two classic things happened. The first one was classic Mexican. Even though we knew the time was changing on Nov. 1st in the U.S., no one was quite sure when it was changing in Mexico (sometimes they change a week or two before or after the U.S). There was a great debate as we looked on the internet, consulted a Mexican calendar, and asked various people in our church. Naturally, not all of our sources agreed with one another. Finally, about 8:00 PM on Saturday night enough of us were gathered together to reach a consensus and decide that yes, the time was changing tonight (Oct. 24/25). I thought about how different this was from the U.S--they usually post it in the church bulletins weeks in advance and sometimes even send email reminders. We can also look in the newspaper or any online source. I don't even know if there is a newspaper in Fresnillo; there probably is since it's a city of 200,000 people, but that is obviously not our main source of information. Anyway, the whole incident was quite amusing (albeit slightly frustrating) and definitely a cultural statement to me.

The other classic thing that happened this week was in regards to me still learning Spanish and not being able to fully communicate. In the middle of our classroom time at Club, my little girl Fatima kept asking me if she could have the "crayolas." I told her no repeatedly and couldn't understand why sweet Fatima kept asking me this--she knew that we didn't give away the crayons at Club. Once Club ended, she even got her sister go ask me for them! Later, as I was about done visiting one of my other Club girls, I reached in my pocket only to discover Fatima's colored pencils that she had given me to hold for her at the beginning of Club! I felt absolutely horrible! I usually refuse to hold things for the kids precisely for this reason. While it's true she could have more specifically described them, I still felt so badly and could imagine how Fatima probably thought her teacher had permanently taken her precious colored pencils away. So as soon as I finished with my other visit, I ran (literally, since it was getting dark and almost time for my roommates and I to go to home) all the way to Fatima's house to safely deliver the colored pencils back to her. As I tried to explain while also catching my breath, she had a confused but relieved look on her face. All in a day's work...

Brownies and Big Smiles

2009-10-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

For a recent Club salida chiquita (small outing), I picked up three of my girls and brought them to one of our ministry buildings. They are precious girls, and we all enjoyed this special time together baking butterscotch brownies, talking about God, and making pictures complete with glitter. It was one of my very favorite moments that I have had here in Fresnillo this fall. Here are two pictures from the day...

The Patio

2009-10-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

I put some pictures up of our house (called "The Patio") on my blog for kids. If you are interested in looking at them, you can check them out at www.fieldtriptomexico.blogspot.com. Be warned, however, that the intended audience for the blog is elementary school kids hence the writing style and tone...

The Divine and the Mundane

2009-10-20T16:43:00.001-07:00

Fun Times in the U.S.

2009-10-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

The first week of October was an especially good one for me, as I got to spend it in the U.S. visiting with dear friends and family. On Thursday, Oct. 1st, I flew up to Louisville, KY, to be a part of the wedding festivities for Bobbi Jo (one of my very best friends from college) and Nick. In addition to the joy and celebration of the wedding, it was such a blessing to have a sweet reunion with my wonderful Samford friends. God truly gave us amazing friends from Day 1 on 4th East and has graciously kept us close even in these post-college years.

On Sunday morning, it was off to Birmingham. My parents came up from Florida so I got to spend time with them on Sunday and Monday as well as see lots of beloved Bham friends over the next few days. I was so thankful to be able to connect and see so many people, even in a short amount of time. A few specific highlights were getting to talk at church and share how I really do feel "sent out" and supported; going to school and visiting with everyone, especially my former students; getting to hang out with my brother a couple of times; lots of fun get-togethers with different friends; and eating great meals whether in my favorite restaurants or in people's homes! :)

On Thursday, October 8th, I flew back to Mexico. The only thing that could have made my visit better was having time to also visit Tallahassee, but I will have to look forward to that for next time. As I headed back to Fresnillo, I was definitely physically exhausted from such a full week but SO emotionally fueled and encouraged. Praise God for such sweet time with family and friends!

Fun Times in Mexico

2009-10-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

While I definitely feel like I am right where God wants me to be right now, there are some days that it is really hard. Between learning a new language, adjusting to both a new culture and job, and missing people back home, there are plenty of challenges to say the least. However, God is in it all from the tears to the laughter and all of my highs and lows here. Experiencing difficult times makes me really appreciate and celebrate the joyful times God provides though. Sometimes, it is just a brief moment of encouragement and joy, and other times, it's a whole day of fun. Here are two recent events that I especially enjoyed...

One Monday afternoon (our day off), I was planning on going over to visit with two girls from church Jesi and Susy. Jesi is 15 and Susy is 9, and they wanted me to come meet their new puppy. When I got to their house, I found out that it was their brother's birthday. At first, I felt like I might be intruding, but they and their parents immediately were so excited and insistent that I join their family celebration. We had great baked chicken with tortillas and then had a German chocolate birthday cake for dessert, complete with the coconut icing. Afterwards, I went shopping with Jesi, Susy, and their mom. It was so fun to just hang out with them and look for new clothes. It also felt so normal, like something I might do at home in the U.S. In the picture above, Susy waits outside a store with the new puppy, whom she insisted on taking with us. :)

The next Monday was also a very special day because it was my roommate Elizabeth's birthday. We had been planning a festive day for a couple of weeks...a day trip to Aguascalientes, but what made it even more fun and special was that Elizabeth's sister flew in the night before for a surprise week-long visit. We all enjoyed a wonderful day complete with a meal at Chili's and a movie in English that even had comfy seats. Whether it's going to La Paz or Cocina in Birmingham and having Mexican food or going to Chili's in Mexico and having American food, I love celebrating birthdays with friends!

Reflections from a Velada...

2009-09-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

Recently one Saturday evening, our church had something called a "velada." It was simply a time of prayer and worship together. The velada reminded me of "Concerts of Prayer" that we used to have with our high school youth group or that we had at the beginning of each ministry week in New Orleans in the summer. I have always loved intentional times like these, where we spend time seeking the Lord and interceding for specific request together.

The velada was no exception--I loved it and desperately needed it. We had just finished our second week of Club, and it had also been a busy Saturday for me complete with Torta, a Club visit, and helping with the first youth group meeting of the fall. To be honest, I contemplated going home and just going to bed and not staying up at church for the velada. However, I was so glad I didn't because I was refreshed by God's presence as only He can do. As we were singing worship songs together in Spanish, I was just filled with joy over who God is and what He is doing through and in His church--all over the world. I also was powerfully struck by how all that really matters is the CENTRALITY OF CHRIST. All of our various ministry tasks and jobs are pointless if Christ is not central in them. My mind drifted to back home and teaching, and I thought about "why do I teach?" and "why I am here?" I realized that the answer is the same to both of those questions, just as it should be the same for even our reason for living...to glorify God and point to Christ. How that is fleshed out in our lives will look different at various seasons and according to what the Lord calls us to do in obedience, but the centrality of Jesus Christ must always be first and foremost in our lives. When my own soul is anchored in the centrality of Christ, then will He flow into others' lives, whether I am explaining long division or sharing the Gospel or preparing food for those who have none. May Jesus teach us how to abide in Him so that this will be true!

"For In him we live and move and have our being..." -Acts 17:28

Where Did August Go?

2009-08-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

As I look at my calendar, I can scarcely believe that it is almost September. This past month seemed to fly by, probably because it was so busy with various things…

The first week of August we had the team from Chicago here (see blog entry below). After that, we spent a week preparing for VBS and also doing team-building. While some people do not always enjoy team-building games and such, I am actually usually a fan of them. (In fact, I was the only one of all my Samford friends that loved Connections/ Freshmen Orientation!) We had a digital camera scavenger hunt that was a lot of fun, and we did some other classics like not falling off a board while you arrange yourselves in a certain order and 2 truths and a lie. My favorite part though was when we all went around and shared what we hoped God would do through our ministry this year and also in our personal walks with Him. It was so encouraging to hear everyone’s responses, and I look forward to seeing how God works this year in and through each one of us.

The third week of August was VBS. We had around 200 kids at VBS each night, and it was great to see them excitedly come and enjoy the songs, lesson, small-group review, crafts, and more. I only got to participate in the first two days of VBS though because this week also included a quick and unplanned trip to the U.S. for me—to attend my grandmother’s funeral. While flying all day on Thursday and then again on Sunday was quite exhausting, I am so thankful that I could be there with my family to weep for our own loss but rejoice at my grandmother’s wonderful gain (Philippians 1:21). I will miss her dearly, but I thank God for the many years I had with my grandmother and for her strong faith.

Finally, this last week of August, we have begun our regular ministry year. It has been a busy but good week. Our 3 different Clubs have begun, and we have also started visiting the children in our respective groups. More on this later! For now, I’m off to enjoy the last few days of August…

VBS

Futbol y Mas

2009-08-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

This past week, we had a small team from Chicago come here. The majority of the team was comprised of college soccer players, and they came to do sports outreaches (soccer and baseball) for the kids here. The first session was Sunday afternoon, and then we had sessions both in the morning and in the afternoon the next two days, and we ended with a morning session on Wednesday. The sessions were a mix of playing soccer or baseball games, learning a few new skills or drills, and times where the guys would share with the kids. During these times, the guys took turns sharing their testimonies or explaining the Gospel and doing short illustrations of it. A lot of prayer went into the week, and God definitely answered those prayers as the sports events and the entire week in general really went great. We are also hoping and praying that some of the new kids that attended this past week will come to VBS and Club in the future.

Personally, I really enjoyed the week. As I left the first session on Sunday evening with a sore throat and a huge smile on my face, I was reminded of how much I love recreational ministry. I love playing sports (even ones I’m not good at like soccer), but even more so, I love cheering for kids, helping them understand teamwork, and getting excited with them over even the smallest accomplishment. To a see a child’s face light up when they score a goal for the first time or to give them that high-five and encouraging word when they try their best and still don’t make it yet again, brings me so much joy. Several times this week, I thought about how much I loved doing Challenge Circle in the New Orleans projects and all the cheers we used to do to get the kids pumped up about Jesus and to teach them about the importance of teamwork and not giving up. Challenge Circle in the sultry, New Orleans summer evenings (and my whole summer in general at UIM) is one of my very favorite memories and experiences, and it was so fun to experience something similar to that this week. Encouraging kids and "cheering them on" is one of the parts I love most about being a teacher as well.

I had a few other highlights as well from this week. It was neat to have other Americans around this week and especially more people to speak English with. :) Also, I really enjoyed getting to know some of the ladies and teens from the church better when they would help us prepare the meals for the team. As we’d work together to get the meals ready, shared conversations and laughter would help ease my tiredness and make it fun. Finally, I am thankful for the fact that I didn’t have to say goodbye to kids this week. As the team took last day pictures and headed back to the U.S., I was glad for the fact that I am here for longer…to keep reaching out to these children day after day, in the name of Jesus.

First Few Weeks...

2009-07-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

As of Friday, I will have been in Fresnillo for 3 weeks! Certainly, a lot has happened during that time. While we definitely have a set routine during the school year with Club activities and such, the summer is a much more laid-back and flexible time. It is a good time to gradually transition into my life and responsibilities here. So in answer to the question, "What have you been up to?", I'd have to say a little bit of everything! This has included Spanish lessons, work projects like painting and cleaning, visiting with both American team members and Mexican families here, going to church, planning for VBS in August, learning more about Mexican history and culture, trying to how to drive around town, and lots more.

Two things that are pretty constant even in the summer are Torta on Saturdays and Tuesday chores/team meetings. Torta is a free feeding outreach where we typically feed around 300 or more children and youth each Saturday. Naturally, it takes most of the day to prepare for this and then clean up from it. I have helped with Torta a couple of times since my arrival and love being able to serve the children in this way. Perhaps, I'll write a longer blog about Torta another day with pictures. Tuesdays are also still routine during the summer. Every Tuesday morning, we have to do chores at the ministry buildings. Then, we have a team lunch and team meeting in the afternoon to discuss different events coming up.

So in a nutshell, that's what I've been up to my first few weeks here. Adios para ahora!

Refreshment

2009-07-13T21:10:00.001-07:00

Today, I had the most refreshing day! Mondays are our days off so they are always nice, but today was an especially great day. My roommate Elizabeth and I went to Zacatecas (the city) for part of the day. We live in the state of Zacatecas, but the capital of the state is also called Zacatecas, and it's quite a bit more modern than our city of Fresnillo. The drive is about an hour or a little longer so it's an easy day trip.

We began our "ZAC" day with a quick stop at Wal-Mart to buy a few supplies, and then we had the wonderful treat of going to Starbucks! I thoroughly enjoyed my delicious chai frappachino and was even able to use the Starbucks gift card I'd been given for my birthday a few weeks ago (thanks, Laura!). So fun!

We then headed to the old convent, which was where we had planned to spend the majority of our time. The convent was built in the 16th century and is now a fascinating mix of ruins and beautiful grounds. The big trees, lovely flowers, and incredible green grass were a welcome sight to this Southeastern girl! Needless to say, that's not the typical sight around here. We split up and each found our own little space among the convent grounds and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of journaling, praying, reading, reflection, etc.

As I was reading the familiar words of Psalm 139, God gave me a fresh insight into one of the verses. "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them." (vs. 14) For some reason, the words DAYS just jumped out of the page for me today as I thought about my days here in Mexico. After only being here for just over two weeks, I am not exactly sure what my all my days here will look like. I usually know what I'm doing this week, and I have a picture in my mind of what I think this year will look like, but it's only blurry right now. As I thought about this verse, I was struck by how the Lord knows what EVERY one of my days will be like here. He knows when and why I will have a day that makes me cry. He knows the days that will cause me to be elated with joy as I interact with children and watch them grow in their understanding of Christ. He knew that today I would have a great day, complete with my chai frappachino. As they say in Mexico, "que chido" or "how cool!"

Elizabeth and I with our Starbucks!

the ruins of the 16th century convent

Some girls show how delightful the grass is!

Fresa

2009-07-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

In Mexico, visiting people in their homes is very important. People show their love and respect by hosting others in their homes and providing a meal, and you honor them when you come for a visit at their houses. In fact, you're not even supposed to wait for an invitation...you are supposed to invite yourself over! Thus, visiting church members in their homes is something we do a lot of around here to build relationships. Since Felicia and I are new and still learning Spanish, we have been going on various visits with some of our other team members. Each family is so kind and generous, and it is a privilege to be welcomed into their homes.

Today, I went with my two of my roommates, Karen and Felicia, to Dona Olga's house. Dona Olga was one of the very first members of the church and has hosted in her home every missionary who has ever been here (or at least, I think that's what she said!). She has several daughters ranging in age from 12 to 24, and they joined us today for the meal and visit. We had such a blast talking and laughing with them! Olga endearingly calls them "locas" or crazy; they have contagious smiles and laughs and are constantly making jokes or telling stories. My favorite topic of conversation today was about the word, "fresa."

You might know that fresa means strawberry in Spanish. Today, I learned another meaning for the word fresa. It can be used as an adjective and might loosely be translated "girly." A "chica fresa" would be someone who likes to buy new clothes, always wants her outfits to be coordinated, enjoys bright colors, is constantly fixing her hair, etc. Olga named a few people we know who might be considered this, and then looked at me and told me that I was somewhat "fresa" even though she barely knows me. Felicia then heartily agreed with this statement! As we continued to talk about different examples of fresa, they definitely came to this conclusion.

I guess this makes sense because if someone asked me if I considered myself girly, I would say "yes, somewhat." Ever since I was little, I have liked my clothes to match, and I do usually make sure that I have a hairbrush with me at all times. I made sure to explain to Olga that I still loved playing sports though! Makes me think of how my high school volleyball team was very competitive, but yet we all wore matching ribbons in our hair. :)

So, today I learned that I not only love to eat fresas, but I also am a bit fresa.

Bienvenida a Mexico!

2009-07-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I have now spent five full days in Fresnillo, Mexico! I'm very thankful that all of the travel details and plans went so well. After a bittersweet time of prayer and goodbyes with my wonderful parents in the Tallahassee airport on Thursday, I flew to Dallas where I (and my bags!) thankfully made a tight connection and then caught a plane to McAllen, TX, with the other new missionary, Felicia. In McAllen, we were welcomed by three of our CFCI teammates and they drove us to Fresnillo the following day. We arrived in Fresnillo late Friday night, tired but grateful for how well everything had gone even at the border.

My first few days have obviously been spent meeting lots of people, adjusting to a new culture and home, unpacking, and hearing A LOT of Spanish and speaking SOME Spanish. I'm thankful to be able to understand a good deal of what I hear, but I feel like I have a long way to go in terms of speaking it myself. Naturally, all of this can be somewhat overwhelming at times, but the Lord has been so gracious in protecting me and daily uplifting me. I have truly felt people's prayers and am so grateful for them.

Rather than focus solely on the transition though, I want to share a few recent highlights of the past few days that have brought smiles to my face...

the genuine kindness and friendliness of the CFCI team here--I have felt so welcomed and loved already
Sunday's church service--we sang one of my favorite Hillsong songs, "From the Inside Out" in Spanish
anytime I get to eat fruits and vegetables (safe ones, of course)
climbing a nearby mountain on our free day and being outside in nature
wireless internet in my room here--such an amazing blessing! :)

More highlights to come soon, I'm sure...

Whirlwind Weeks

2009-06-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been quite a whirlwind! To sum it all up would take quite a long time, so I decided to use a stream of consciousness approach that gives a glimpse of recent moments...

Moving out... realizing I need to become way more of a minimalist and less of a pack rat...family vacation to Costa Rica to celebrate Paul's graduation... historic sites, volcanos, coffee plantations, rain forests, beaches, and more... conquering my fear of heights on the canopy zipline... loving the amazing sunsets, time at the beach, and sweet family time... ticos and pura vida, mae... surprise birthday/going away party in Tallahassee with precious time of prayer... back to Bham for going-away parties and goodbyes... laughing with friends at my favorite restaurants: Jackson's, Taziki's, and Zoe's... off to Atlanta for Sara and Matt's wedding weekend...throwing Sar's shower and bachelorette party Thursday night... enjoying being a part of the wedding... God-glorifying ceremony and such a fun reception... spending time with dear friends from 4 Oaks and New Orleans during the weekend... back to Bham one last time... more goodbyes... being commissioned and prayed over at Redeemer--so encouraging... back to Tallahassee... almost all done with my thank you notes... relishing one last delicious sandwich at Hopkins... packing, packing, packing...

Sara's Wedding

Amazing Manuel Antonio sunset

With Susan, Ryan, Paul, & Kara at Volcan Poas

Departure Date: 6 Days Away

2009-06-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that I leave for Mexico in one week (Thursday, June 25). Life is full of visiting with people, goodbyes, packing, and seemingly endless to-do lists. Though the sadness of leaving friends and family increases, my excitement for meeting friends in Fresnillo also grows. No doubt about it, an adventure awaits...

Since the past few weeks have been so busy, I really enjoyed a few quiet hours yesterday as I drove to Atlanta for Sara's wedding weekend. While I listened to Sandra McCracken's calming and beautiful song "Rock of Ages/When the Day is Long" (Thanks, Natalie!), I was filled with peace thinking about how God never changes. Here is the beginning of the song:

Rock of Ages, when the day is long

From this labor and this heartache I have come

The skies will wear out, but You remain the same

Rock of Ages, I praise Your name.

It also reminds me of a favorite old verse of mine, "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." (Psalm 116:7)

Thus, I will rest in Christ today and always. There will surely be some more stressful moments in the next few weeks, but may I remember to trust in Christ and abide in His presence.

Now, it's time to focus on Sara and enjoy her and Matt's wedding celebrations! :)

May 2009-Bittersweet & Nostalgic

2009-06-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

Warning: If you don't like things that are sentimental, you might want to skip this blog entry...

The last month has been full of milestones, moving, and memories. As I prepare to go to Mexico for a year, the goodbyes and bittersweet feelings are inevitable. Despite the way they hurt, I'm grateful for them because it means I have been so blessed...

On May 16th, my brother Paul graduated from Samford. For the first time in eight years, there will not be a Sloderbeck at Samford next year. As I stood in the Wright Center at Baccalaureate singing the opening hymn of "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee," I was once again reminded of how incredibly grateful I am for the opportunity to have attended Samford. While amazing friends and UCF (University Christian Fellowship) were the biggest catalysts to my spiritual and personal growth in college, the institution of Samford also played a strong role. What a blessing to go to college at a place where they challenge you to make a difference for Christ! I do not take that opportunity for granted.

Just a few weeks later, it was time for another ending: the end of the school year and my time at Edgewood (hopefully only temporarily). When I accepted an "unassigned position with Homewood City Schools" in June 2005, I never could have dreamed what a tremendous blessing it would be. In faith, I hoped for an older grade and was so excited to receive a placement in fourth grade at Edgewood. For the last four years, I have loved working with dedicated, wonderful faculty and staff and teaching precious, remarkable children. Receiving lots of hugs and encouragement, I said goodbye for now...

Two days after the end of school, we had to move out of our apartment. This was probably the least sad because of the less than stellar management there! Had it not been for the fantastic location and the hassle of moving, I probably would have moved a long time ago. Still, the end of an era again.

Clearly, it's been an emotional month. However, I am very grateful for the way God has blessed me over the years and look forward with expectation for how He will continue to work in the future...

The famous hand wall at the Great Shamah

My classroom that I'm going to miss

The fam w/ Mr. Beeson...my parents are glad to be

done with 16 semester of tuition at least!

Paul and I with the only professor we both had

--Dr. Jensen, one of my very favorite professors

Maggie's Heart

2009-04-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

Maggie is a very special friend of mine. She's eight years old, and I have known her for her entire life. More importantly, she has one of the most precious hearts of anyone I know...

Maggie has always had a very generous spirit. She loves others through giving with a maturity way beyond her years. A few weeks ago when we were visiting, she gave me a beautiful, jewelry holder that she has made herself out of clay and then painted. She wanted me to have it and gave it to me--just like that! At our traditional Easter egg hunt, Mags not only would help her little sister find eggs, but she also would give up eggs for herself and point them out to her older sister!

However, Maggie's most recent gift touched my heart in a very special way. Maggie knows that I am raising money to go to Mexico, and she recently gave me $5 to help the children there. On her own initiative, she told her mom that she wanted to give me all the money she'd received from the tooth fairy. When you are eight, $5 is an incredible amount of money, too! Yet Maggie's generous heart led her to give it to help the children in Mexico.

When I think about Mags' heart, I am so touched by her generous spirit and convicted of my own selfishness. I am also reminded of the widow who gave all she had and how Jesus praised her for her "small, but big" gift. I thank God for both Maggie and her priceless gift, and I can't wait to tell a child in Mexico how a child in America loved her and wanted to help her.

Commercials-Effective or Entertaining?

2009-04-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big TV person. I grew up in a home where TV was not a central part of our lives, and we didn't even have cable for most of my childhood. When we did watch TV, we watched PBS (Square One was my favorite PBS show) and Saturday morning shows (Hang Time, Saved by the Bell, and cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with my little brother). Of course as I got older, I made my own choices about TV and became a devoted fan of my one or two regular shows and anyone who knows me well, knows that I love to discuss and analyze those with fellow fans. :)

However, even more than TV not being a big part of our lives, commercials were almost absent from them. Both of my parents practically have a conniption if you don't immediately press mute when the commercials come on. Since my TV viewing time is still pretty limited, I only see a few commercials. Lately though, I started thinking about commercials--are they effective or merely entertaining? I recently (out of the kindness of my heart) took pity on a telephone surveyor and answered a few of his questions. He kept asking me which phone or cable commercials and companies popped in my head first, and I drew a blank nearly every time. I'm sure that commercials do subtly influence me, but being the independent, strong-willed person I am, I don't think that really have that much of an effect on me.

Here are two examples from my current favorite commercials: There is an ad for a cell phone company where the dad travels around the world for business, each time sending a picture to his wife and daughter of his daughter's favorite stuffed animal. At the end, the picture is of the stuffed animal in front of the family's house. The little girl rushes out to see her daddy, and it's sweet, cheesy, and adorable. However, I don't remember the name of the company nor I am likely to switch my cell phone provider. It did make me slightly desire a camera phone but not enough to pay the extra bucks for it. Example 2-The high-maintenance bride who wants a cake with a pattern that matches her veil but a color that matches the bridesmaids' dresses, and the accommodating Publix bakery worker who has whipped up a sample before the bride even gets off her cell phone. (My favorite part of this commercial is when she comes back to the bakery to show the wedding photos to the worker.) Once again, a heartfelt commercial I connected with and enjoyed. Did it change me though? Not at all. I am already an extremely loyal Publix shopper so much so they should actually pay me for all the free PR work I did for them when they were first starting in Birmingham. This commercial simply affirms what I already believe about "shopping being a pleasure" there. If Bruno's did a similar commercial, would I shop there? Absolutely not.

So that is my diatribe on commercials. Are commercials effective or just entertaining? You be the judge. It's clear though that at least I like to think that they are not influencing my decisions. Lastly, it also seems clear that I am a sucker for sentimental commercials...just like Meg Ryan and Rosie O'Donnell in Sleepless in Seattle!

Spring!

2009-03-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first official day of spring. To a girl who loves warm weather, that is something to celebrate. Thankfully, spring has been gradually showing herself for the last couple of weeks (with the exception of the snow we had at the beginning of March!). While fall is still my "official" favorite season, there is something so wonderful and refreshing about spring. I love the colorful flowers, the blooming trees, the perfect blue skies, the extended daylight hours, and of course, weather that is warm enough to wear skirts and flip-flops again.

However, I think there is something else about spring that makes it special...we have to wait for it. Through the bitter cold months of winter, we wait expectantly for spring to come. It never disappoints us, although sometimes it takes a little longer than we'd like. (Actually, I always wish it would come sooner--one month of winter would be plenty for me.)

The "waiting for spring" part reminds me of one of my favorite old picture books. The book is called Three Friends Find Spring by Judy Delton and is out of print now. The story is about three animals, and Duck is very depressed because of the winter so Squirrel and Rabbit try to cheer him up. Though they try various efforts (including ice-skating, painting Duck's living room bright colors, dying the snow the color of grass, etc.), each attempt fails to cheer up Duck. I love the end of the book though--Duck joyfully calls Rabbit and Squirrel over to his house because he has just seen the first daffodil peeking its head up, and spring is finally here. Because I loved reading this book as a child at my grandparents' house, I ordered it for my mom for Christmas. My philosopher brother read it and told me that the plot was pretty disappointing...the friends try and try to help Duck and never succeed. As I explained to him, that is the beauty of it! Sometimes in life, we just have to be there for our friends and wait for things to work out in their own time...they usually do, just like spring always arrives each year.

Freedom vs. Creativity

2009-02-22T19:18:00.001-08:00

This past Monday, we had a professional development day at school. While I would have much rather had Presidents' Day as an actual holiday, a day off from teaching is still nice plus getting a real lunch is such a treat. Having an hour and half to eat at Zoe's with other teachers is quite a step up from eating in 25 minutes in a noisy lunchroom while being bombarded by the never-ending questions of students... "Can I get more ketchup? Can I go to the bathroom?" In addition to these usual advantages to professional development days, I was looking forward to this particular day for another reason: our focus for the morning was writing. Since I love to write myself and teach writing, I was predisposed to enjoy this training more than most topics. Rick Shelton came to our school, and he both instructed and entertained us throughout the morning. I have his book Write Where You Are and use several of his ideas already in my classroom, but I enjoyed the discussions and learning a few new tips on teaching writing.

One thing Shelton mentioned that morning particularly struck me, especially from a philosophical standpoint. He stated that "Freedom does not equal creativity." Shelton pointed out that students need parameters in order to be good writers. If you tell students they can write about anything they want, you will probably get sentences like "I have a dog. She is brown. She is nice." But if you model good writing to students and then ask them for specifics like describing how fast their dog is, you are much more likely to get sentences like "My dog rushes to meet me every day after school. She is faster than a speeding bullet and licks me in the face before I can even set down my backpack." In my own classroom, I have certainly seen students be more successful when given a more specific task or topic. They still are creative and write from their own unique perspective, but they have a direction in which to head initially.

I also thought about this statement in other areas of life. To be creative, you do not need absolute freedom. If I am a mother one day, I do not intend to allow my children to color on the walls of our house. I certainly will buy them sketchpads and encourage their artistic abilities, maybe even provide art lessons for them. However, I think they can develop creativity without having unlimited freedom. Of course, creativity does require some degrees of freedom and the statement does not hold true in every situation. Nevertheless, it did make me ponder some abstract ideas a little...

A Dog, an Ambition, and a Goal

2009-01-31T12:17:00.000-08:00

Today, I am joining the world of bloggers. Yes, I know, I am rather late in joining the 21st century. However, several recent events led me to this point...

Over Christmas break, I read one of the best novels I have read in a very long time: Marley and Me. Because of John Grogan's easy and entertaining style, I flew through this book and absolutely loved it. My family was amused as I would often laugh out loud while reading, and then I cried for over thirty minutes as I read the end. My affection for dogs and my family's enduring belief that dogs are truly members of our families also helped me enjoy the book, too, of course. However, there was something more than all of these things that contributed to my love of this book... its ordinariness. Marley and Me is novel about real people and their ordinary lives. As readers, we experience the Grogan family's life struggles and joys with them. I think we cling to this because most of our own lives are ordinary, and yet this does not make them any less significant or profound. Reading a book about an ordinary family and watching them walk through different stages of life reminded me of this and how much people do enjoy simply relating to others. Being a big detail person, I have always loved hearing details of others' lives, be that one of my friends or even just a character in a book. I also, of course, love sharing details when I tell stories. :)

As I reflected on these things, I remembered that I had a "secret ambition or dream" to one day write a book. Reading Marley and Me encouraged me I could write about everyday people and things. I think if I ever do write a book, I would attempt a children's novel. I've read a lot of them, I know what appeals to most elementary school-aged children, and they usually all have happy endings. It truly is just a far-off dream, and I'll still be quite content to die if I never fulfill it. Still, I'm trying to learn to dream big and be more of a visionary so perhaps one day...

Thus, I made a goal for 2009 that I would write more. (I don't make resolutions because I feel guilty if I break them; it's ok to break goals.) I thought having a blog would be a good way to write more so here it goes...solo deo gloria.