Hogs are Beautiful...

there's nothing like drivin through the Ozarks in the fall!!...it is gorgeous up here!!...this past weekend i went to Arkansas to see my family!!...it was soo great to get to spend time with nana and papa...they amaze me with their passion for the Lord...they have so much love for Him and want to share with everyone they know...its interesting because this past week we learned about evangelism...but most Christians dont share their faith...my grandparents have a desire for people to know Christ and are not afraid to share Him with everyone they know!!...we can not be timid when it comes to sharing the greatest thing a person could ever know...i think it all comes from the fact that we dont have a passion for the lost...the last thing Jesus said as He was ascending into Heaven was to "go and make disciples"...we have been called to tell others about the peace you can have from knowing Jesus as our Lord and Savior!...i guess we just need to ask ourselves why we dont...dont let opportunities pass you by from your cashier at the store or a person you see at a restaurant...its amazing how all people want to do is tell their story to someone who is willing to listen...i encourage you to take the time to talk to someone today that you wouldnt normally talk to and just see how easy it is and what God can do when you simply love a stranger...another reason i went to Arkansas is because i have a list of things i want to do at 25 that i have never done and the first thing on my list was to go to a home game at Arkansas...i cant believe after being such a fan for so long that it took me 25 years to finally go to one but i had a fantastic time...Arkansas was playing Vanderbilt so it was my favorite state versus my favorite city...i got to see one of my most favorite friends from kamp...my sweet ashley hillborn...we were kitchies together for two summers and i am so thankful for her and the joy she brings to my life...she is a gorgeous southern belle even in a pig nose...haha...Arkansas stomped the dores and i loved callin the hogs with all the fans...i cant wait to go to another game next year...whoo pig sooie...

Wonderful Fall...

oh where to begin in my most favorite season!!...the most beautiful display of God's incredible artwork as the leaves change and fall from the trees!!...there are not many days i enjoy more during the year than the ones of fall!!...when the wind starts to blow a little more chilly and the days become longer and football is on nonstop...it is also when my birthday happens and my mother tells me every year that "the trees are putting on their party clothes for my birthday!!"...oh what a beautiful picture of God's love for me!!...He has been soo good to me this month!!...October is usually filled with candy and costumes and crazy weird things for halloween but we never celebrated it...i love costumes but id rather be playing in the leaves, drink a warm cup of coffee, eat chili, and carve pumpkins!!...keith told us in class this week that he loved getting past halloween and getting into the thanksgiving of our Savior!!...i dont think ive ever wanted to celebrate Him and His glory more!!...i had one of the greatest birthdays ever not because of all that i did but how God showed me His incredible truth...sometimes i get discouraged about my birthday because i get sooo caught up in myself and wanting to have the "perfect party" but that is not why i am here!!...He created me to show His power and glory and that through my life i would give Him all the glory in return in all things!!...once i got to the place of realizing that my birthday was all about Him it was incredible the JOY that overwhelmed me!!...i could not get over how much He loved me and how much He has blessed me with!!...we sang incredible worship songs that morning in class that i absolutely love!!...it was a great feeling to be able to worship my Savior in class on my birthday with some of the most amazing people ive ever met!!...after class i got in the car to drive home to Nashville to see my incredible family and two of my closest friends(lil sisters)!!...we ate at one of my favorite restaurants and ate hibachi...it was soo fun and it was soo good to be home if only for a moment...which i really felt like because after my 7 1/2 hour journey i got up and my mother and i drove to Auburn for the big game against Arkansas!!...it took us about 6 hours because of traffic and what not but we had a great time together!!...we stay at the Teel's incredible home and it was such a blessing for us to get to stay in a cabin in the woods!!...i think i could easily live in Auburn like that!!...time just stops down there and the beauty of nature is overwhelming!!...the game was on saturday and i got to see soo many of my K-Kountry friends!!...it was amazing to see how many people got to come down for this fun day!!...i had missed these people soo much!!...they are the college friends i didnt have in school!!...i love them more than words and even though it was a short time together it was soo worth the long drive!!...i finally got to meet my "brother" Wesley's girlfriend and we got to spend the whole game getting to know each other!!...needless to say i LOVE her!!...she is amazing and im soo soo happy that they have found each other!!...God is soo good!!...i got to see two of my sweet kitchies and they are my lil encouragers!!...my mother managed to get a ticket to the game too!!...it was an incredible game of many touchdowns and even though Arkansas wasnt able to win i wouldnt trade that day for anything!!...we left after the game and got home after midnight!!...the next day i had to get back on the road for branson but it was fun to be home for a short bit!!...this whole week was Marriage and Family week and we got to hear from some unreal speakers!!...i just loved that they were all psychologists!!...but we got to hear for Bob Paul from the National Institute of Marriage, Gary and Greg Smalley, and two wonderful JBU professors!!...soo lets just say this week is one that i will never forget!!...it was soo soo good to hear how to have a healthy, Godly relationship in these times with marriage is not a sacred anymore!!...i learned a lot!!...we had a wonderful night last night with a bonfire and testimonies!!...i am just LOVING being here!!...i cant imagine life getting any better!!...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty!!!...

overview of the Bible...

these past two weeks we went through an overview of the Bible...the ENTIRE Bible!!...i have been reading this book most of my life but for the first time it is coming alive like never before!!...i am in awe of the glory of God and how this book is the greatest historical book you could ever read!...for many Christians we simply read the new testament because it focuses on the life of Christ, the church, and His return...but you are cheating yourself by only reading less than half of this incredible book!...the old testament is the anticipation of the coming Christ...ive learned more about myself in the old testament than all that i know about the new testament...yesterday we were tested over the entire overview, and it was incredible to see all i have gained from these maps and timelines and stories...reading this book as history alone should cause people to surrender to the Lord...i have become soo intrigued by the fact that these places still exist...that you can see why there is fighting in the middle east...my faith is being affirmed and fueled daily!!...i cant get enough of Him and His word!!...i am more eager than ever to share this overview with children...discipleship is the key and all i have been called to is to be discipled and disciple others!!...k-life is teaching me so much about that and i love seeing our few high schoolers each week that come to club to play games, sing songs, and hear the gospel spoken through some college graduates!...which is also a real fun thing that has happened...i LOVE to sing!!...i always have, but i usually dont sing for people....especially in a group but i got nominated to lead worship with another institute students...soo im learning to love it...and i realize how much i love to worship my Savior!!...He is soo good, and i am so loved by Him!!...

a new community...

first day of class
well ive been here at the institute for almost a week now and im loving it!!...i cant believe that i get to experience a community like this!!...a community in which i am living with someone of the greatest people ive ever known and which is Christ centered!!...it is soo amazing to go to class each morning and know that we are going to open with prayer and worship!!...and then we are able to study His word together!!...this place is unlike any other and i cant believe He chose me to be a part of it!!...we have already had soo much fun doing really great activities!!...we have played several sports such as softball, flag football, ultimate frisbee, and soccer!!...we had a dress up night in which any costume was a fantastic one!!...we went to the landing to have dinner and yes we wore our crazy costumes there!!...i got to dress up 80s with my friend denise who actually found some awesome barbie roller blades at the thrift store!!...and yes she wore them to dinner!!...hahaha!!...nothing better than a lil 5 ft girl in bright tights and blue eye shadow skating to the Branson Landing...we had a great dinner and then went skating at skate world!...yesterday was an incredible day!!...we had a neighborhood picnic at K-1 where we got to see the entire kamp family that works here year round!!...everyone from kamp directors to interns to maintenance!!...it was soo fun to see all the lil kids!!...then we got all loaded up in cars and drove to harrison, arkansas where we went hiking!!...it was the perfect day to go hiking!!...the air is starting to turn towards fall and it was soo good to be out in His glorious creation!!...we hiked in about an hour and i found myself with 5 guys off the path climbing rocks and jumping through creeks!!...we got to the bottom of this incredible waterfall and i just had to get in the water!!...we climbed up the side of it and took some great pictures!!...i decided to jump in in my clothes!!...it was soo refreshing!!...we found some crawdads in the water and i convinced one of them to peel it and eat it!!...haha!!...i could have stayed out there all day!!...then we climbed up beside the waterfall to climb in the cave where the water was coming from...it was soo dark in there!!...i had never been caving before but it was incredible!!...you could just hear the water running!!...we climbed to the back of the cave and looked up in the opening to see the waterfall in the cave!!...it was amazing!!...then we turned out our headlamps and how dark it was!!...we then traveled back out of the woods to eat dinner!!...we went to the ozark cafe in jasper and it was soo good!!...i had the best fried pickles ever!!...we watched a movie last night and have just loved getting to know each other!!...im soo excited that i will be interning with the K-Life up here in the Stone County area!!...God is soo soo soo good and i cant wait to pour into the lives of these youth!!...tomorrow ill get to go to their football game!!...and then saturday ill be going to one of my kampers volleyball games!!...sunday there is an iron man race in Branson and there will be several Kanakuk people racing so were going to all go out and show our support!!...oh how i love these Ozarks!!...

Dress Up Skate Night


Hiking in Arkansas

Hello K-Institute!!

well i made it!!!...life is soo great!!...i have an amazing roommate!!...she went to the university of arkansas!!...praise the Lord!!...and she was a kiowa as a kamper!!...soo fun!!...we have soo many wonderful things in common and i am excited to spend the next 7 months with her!!...life has been soo fun here so far!!...we just moved in 2 days ago but have played softball (go yellow team - didnt win a game), went on a branson scavenger hunt, and have had some great bonding time!!...we had our first class this morning and hearing from our leadership team is soo encouraging!!...it is soo affirming being here and i praise God for His direction and for all im about to learn and grow in!!...so im a happy girl livin in branson!!...

last days before the institute...

i am sooo thankful to my parents for ALL the love and support they have given me to this point in my life!!...i could not do it each day without them always believing in me!!...i am soo soo blessed!!...i love you all soo soo much!!...


well A LOT has happened since kamp...ive been soo busy since...after kamp i had sarah bishops wedding in branson it was beautiful!!...such an amazing wedding that perfectly displayed the love of Christ through two great people becoming one in Him!!...then i came home for a few days to see my wonderful family and friends...then it was off to Auburn for the best roadtrip ever...i got to see 13 people from kamp!!...they spent the whole weekend taking to eat at great places...taking pictures on campus...buying sonic drinks for an afternoon of football on the intramural fields...a night in the country...old creepy house exploring...cookout by the lake...shooting my first gun...and having the time of my life...then it was back home to spend time in nashville with my sister...welcomed home one of my best friends who had been in london for the year...ive gotten to go to a titans game...go to a friends concert with an amazing girl...eat at some of my favorite places...look at the city lights from the hillside...go on a sushi date with an nfl friend...celebrate my parents 30th wedding anniversary...see my friends who now live in the dominican republic...go to kairos...spend time with my favorite kids...and then went to a kamp wedding in oklahoma city to see two wonderful kamp friends get married...there were soo many great people there...it made me realize how much i cant wait to see what God is going to show me this year!!...i know i am going to have such an amazing community and learn more about Christ than ever before!!...He has been soo very good to me and it has been overwhelming to see how much people have given me to support me this year!!...i am soo very grateful for their belief in me this year!!...i know without a doubt that the institute is exactly where God has lead me to this year!!...life just keeps on getting better!!...im just ready to be there!!...3
days!!!...

how i spent my summer...

singing...mopping...sweeping...laughing...dancing...wearing costumes...rwanda...canoeing...serving food...star tripping...zipline...rapgrass...meeting the great people...running on pea gravel...cheering...jumping off towers...having a different outfit for every K party...tubing...dancing while mopping...laughing...orange and green monster...teaching matthew...loving kids...water slides...ben rector...being an indian...stealing mickey pitman's clothes...writing goodies in song form...table rock waverunner...laying out on the dock...jumping off the dock...taking pictures...gospel skit...color party...cold water...late night talks in the Dr Pepper fridge...friendship rocks...lots and lots of guacamole...Hobie's birthday...mickey pitman day...dead snake...trash runs...dancing on kitchen counters...cheerleading outfits...golf carts...petra...4th of july parade...sign language...cat cards...jamal the peace pipe...laying on the putt putt course...kkauai supply trips...making ranch dressing...bunk beds pushed together...getting rained on in the night...friendship bagels...laughing...drawling on rocks...taneycomo teddy...alien invasions...writing fun names on cereal boxes...marrying the milk...smores...late night cereal...driving my first truck...cupid shuffle...devo rap...chica dia...man day...from dresses to jerseys...parent picnics...brad ellis...broken bowls and plates...missing water bottles...laughing...southern accent with a lisp...bald eagles...molly maner...miss kkountry pageant...helicopter ride...david crowder...being the cross and tennis shoes...beardstrongs...leadership meetings...gforce training...mixing kinds of cereals...writing funny dates on leftovers...being a cook...raisin skit that noone liked...the kamp life dance...cardboard boxes...power washing things...molly maner rocks...silly bands...movie nights and movie afternoons...cookie ice cream sandwiches...pots and pans...hat everyday...disney songs...climbing in cubbies...chipping ice out of the walk-in freezer...glutan free kids and counselors...k-2 dance party...blueberry farm...kirby magic show...real deal trips...lazy river...little chief...broken gatorade paddle...great jucos...failed pranks...silver princess...mirandas...black out dinner...monte and mona crome...corn on the cob baseball...laughing...apatche shirts...getting the truck stuck in the gravel...bbq sauce...meeting some of the greatest people in the world...best summer ever...

Summer Home Becoming my Temporary Home...

well i cant believe we only have 7 DAYS left of kamp!!...this summer has changed me in more ways than i could have ever expected!!...i have learned more about myself and those around me then ever before!!...it has been soo exciting to see God work in and through kamp but also our lives...He has taught me soo much patience!...working in a kitchen is tough but when its 140 degrees and youve been working 9 hours a day for 14 weeks it gets REAL tough!...but God is soo much more than the heat and the work we do!...He is so much more than what we do and say...He is GOD and only through Him can we take our next breath!!...i have learned how to biblically face confrontation...its amazing how easy it is to let moments change your perspective of a person instead of separating a moment of frustration from the character of that person...i have found such peace in facing a person who has hurt me or frustrated me by telling them sooner than later how they made me feel...if only we all dealt with confrontation this way people would not be so quick to anger!...we often let things that people do fester within us and then we see that person for how they hurt us rather than who they are...praise God that He does not do that!...we hurt Him daily and yet He continues to love us and see His child rather than a lowly sinner...grace is such an incredible part of the Christian life!...without it we are defined by our failures!...ive been reading the "Search for Significance" by Robert S. McGee and its amazing how much we are held back by our constant need for people's approval!...this is not God's desire!...we should only seek the approval of God and everything else will be as He intends it to be!!...He has got to be our what we desire more than anything else!!...the more you desire Him the more you want to desire Him!!...its a win win!!...i praise God that He has allowed me to back on staff for the my 5th summer!!...this year has been extra special because i dont have to leave!!...im getting super excited about the institute and i know without a doubt that God has led me here this year!!...i have longed for community like the one im about to be a part of!!...raising support is not easy but i know that God has ALWAYS provided my EVERY need and will continue to take care of me as i seek Him more and more!!...i know that it will not be easy to leave nashville and all the friends and family that i love!!...but i praise Christ for all the love and support that they have blessed me with!!...i know He preparing me for a lifetime of ministry and i am soo soo excited to dive into His word like never before!!...i will study all the way through the bible this year and will be learning from some of the top Christian speakers and theologians!!...it will be one of the greatest years of my life...or so ive been told!!...only a month until this new journey begins and im jumpin in with both feet!!...all glory and honor to the one who holds me in His hands!!...there are soo many memories that i cant wait to share from these 3 months but i only have a short time off!!...

Best Kitchen Staff of All Time...

i continue to say this is the best summer ever and i mean it more every time i say it!!...we just finished 1st staff session and it was incredible!!...REALLY INCREDIBLE!!...i have never loved the kitchen this much!!...i just had a set of 15 women that i will never experience ever again!!...there was never a moment of frustration or a disagreement!...i am so thankful that they made my transition to leadership to easy!!...it amazed how hard each of them worked EVERYDAY eventhough many of them wanted to be counselors!...ive never seen a group die to their flesh and serve the Lord the way they did!...i was always encouraged by their words, smiles, dedication, and joy in Christ!...we worked as one unity rather than 15 individuals!!...the kitchen has never been so clean or fun!!...soo many great memories from dancing on the counters, dressing up for man day/chica di day, jumping off the dock, singing "God Bless America" as a bald eagle flew by, taylor swift while sweeping, canoeing several times, Pride and Prejudice, boat trips, crazy tubing, song lyric "goodies", BEST 4th of July, zipline ride, broom broom game, foam party in the sink, singing in the shower, Miss Kountry 2010!!, and awkward family photos!!...there are so many reasons that i did not want to tell these girls goodbye!!...they have forever marked their names on my heart and my life will never be the same!!...i had incredible times with each of them and i loved that we were all able to share not only our stories but our lives as well!!...i wish that we all went to the same college!!...these were the kind of friends that you pray you get to have in your life!!...i know that we will all be friends for a long time!!...i am soo thankful for ANSWERED PRAYERS!!...i started praying back in january before i ever thought i would be back at Kamp again for unity in the kitchen and that they would not have any distractions from their job each day!!...i had no idea what God had in store!!...HE has blessed not only my life beyond my wildest dreams but this kamp has never been so fun!!...the entire 1st session staff was soo unified!!...i am encouraged everyday but all this new staff that has jumped in with both feet and were willing to give 110% at ALL times!!...i cant imagine it any better than this!!...i pray that God will continue to work in each of my girls lives as they go back to school!!...i know that they are huge lights on their campuses and i know that we will continue to keep each other accountable!!...i know its not goodbye...its only the beginning of God bringing new sisters into my life!!...God bless America!!...God bless Mollie Maner!!...God bless the Whole World, no exceptions!!

Branson, USA

well we are now in our second kamper term and im still AMAZED at how great things are going!!...everyday just seems to get better and better!!...i had the best time with my barn 12 girls last term!!...we had real deal trip, parties, and enjoyed K-Life together!!...i am really going to miss them next year when they will move on to the middle school kamp!!...i loved every minute i had with my lil jessie!!...she is one in a million!!...truly she is!!...she has changed my life in soo many ways and ive loved not only watching her grow up physically but spiritually!!...we had a couple hard days as a leadership team but its unreal to see how God is simply carrying us this summer!!...He has provided a protection that is restoring us daily!!...i dont know how we could have gotten through any other way!!...K-Life is soo great this summer!!...the gospel skit is precious as always and im amazed each year by how talented the staff is!!...so many kids rang the bell and the first time i heard it was during our hardest night and it made me realize that YES God is still Bigger!!...its soo wonderful how it rings at such great moments in which you need to be encouraged!!...its God's way of saying yes everything you are doing is for this!!...the kitchen just seems to be more fun each day!!...ive tried to create some fun moments for the girls!!...weve gotten to jump in the lake, go canoeing, go to the lazy river and lay out in the pool!!...they deserve the most praise for all their hard work!!...the kitchen can be soo difficult when you continue to do the same thing every day but these girls have embraced it fully!!...its really cool to hear them say that they doubt theyll ever want to be a counselor!!...God has completely made their hearts eager to serve and they have so much fun doing it!!...i have never been more encouraged by how they love!!...they live out Christ's joy each day!!...i could never thank Him enough for all He has provided for me!!...He is soo soo soo good!!...tonight we will get to have movie night at the sparks which will be nice!!...the girls will be excited to have a night out of the kitchen and even kamp!!...its starting to get hot but we are doing our best to fight against it....i truly believe that this is the best summer K-Kountry has ever seen!!...All glory and Honor to my King!!

K-Kountry...aka my summer home...

well ive been at kamp now for about 18 days and it could not get any better...work week was a lot of fun...most of our staff this year is new or its their second summer...its kinda fun seeing a new group of people that will be me in 4 or 5 years...they have brought soo much energy to our lil kamp and i love seeing them passionately serve!!...it is really exciting to see so so many prayers answered!!...i knew this was gonna be the best summer K-Kountry had ever seen but now im getting to experience it!!...i love every leadership person soo much!!...they are incredible!!...i have the best support in the kitchen this summer!!...hortencia and elizabeth are great and im soo happy to have a mom in the kitchen again!!...and one who can COOK!!...shes unreal!!...ive never tasted food soo good at kamp!!...all the kitchies and cooks are amazing!!...i couldnt ask for a a better team right now!!...they are all working soo hard every day!!...all i seem to pray for is rest!!...rest in Him and at night!...its not too hot yet so thats a good thing!!...we had our first party the other night and it was a lot of fun!!...it was our color party and all the kids wore white and got stamped with paint!!...i got to spend some time with darnell with momma during work week and ill never forget it!!...i love talking about the old days at kamp!!...i cant believe this is my 15th summer to get to spend up there!!...God has been soo good to me and i love how He chooses to use this place every year!!...it is soo great to have some of my favorite kampers here right now!!...they are soo grown up!!...i never thought kamp could look this good!!...soo many hours and days and prayer helped reshape this place that is so dear!!...i love everything about the kitchen!!...it is more organized than ever!!...God is just soo good!!...i tear up about it often!!...there are soo many wonderful moments of wonder like lil indians sitting around a campfire with the fog on the water!!...could life get any better than this?...

Kairos...

last night was the last Kairos service that my sister and i will get to go to in a while...i am going to miss that church so much...i started going to Kairos with my sister while i was still at MTSU..."KAIROS is a come-as-you-are worship experience geared toward energetic young adults who share a passion for growing together in the Word of God!!"...brentwoods pastor mike glenn has challenged me with the urgency to GO...i am amazed each week how vulnerable people can worship in that service...ive never heard people sing more loudly or cry out more passionately!...i love how i cant be still when im worshipping my Savior in that place!!...mike has created a safe place for young adults to come as they are before the Lord...giving all that they have to Him...i am truly going to miss going with my sister!!...her faith is so rare in this world and culture that we live in and im so inspired by her!!...i know that i will have an incredible community this year that ive never had but i will truly miss the 1,200 ive had on tuesday nights...im grateful for podcasts!...i love how God just shows up in EVERYTHING when you are pursuing Him!...i guess its that you finally see it!...the coolest thing about coming home from Dominican was that the first sermon i heard was at Kairos...scott harris is the mission minister who we just happened to fly back on the same plane with from miami with...he spoke about his trip to Haiti!...it was amazing to realize at least im home with some people that will understand where ive been...the hardest thing about going away and working for the Lord is coming home...in the realization that no matter how excited you might be when you tell your stories noone will really understand unless theyve been there...that night i realized that there were people who get it...and not just the ones who have seen the third world countries but the urgency for our generation to go and make disciples!!...it is an incredible feeling to realize that you are not alone!!...scott spoke about jonah and how God never stopped telling him where we was called to go..."we expect nonbelievers not to get it...but what happens when believers dont get it?"...WHAT BETTER THING IN LIFE THAN KNOWING GOD'S LOVE AND GETTING TO SHARE IT?...what are you doing to share God's love wherever you are?...

Albertine...

I am sitting still
I think of Angelique
her mothers voice over me
And the bullets in the wall where it fell silent
And on a thousandth hill, I think of Albertine
there in her eyes what I don't see with my own
Rwanda

now that I have seen, I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
now that I have held you in my own arms,
I cannot let go till you are

I am on a plane across a distant sea
But I carry you in me
and the dust on, the dust on, the dust on my feet
Rwanda

I will tell the world, I will tell them where I've been
I will keep my word
I will tell them Albertine

I am on a stage, a thousand eyes on me
I will tell them, Albertine
I will tell them, Albertine

Brooke Fraser

i loved this song but had never really listened to it till i read about it...this is how i feel about the Dominican Republic,,,

i never knew id love something more than kamp...

the best thing about journaling is when you get to a successful point in life and you can see where youve been...
for me the coolest thing is that i had been writing about how badly i wanted to go on an international mission trip when my family and i decided to spend a week in the Dominican...i didnt know where God wanted me to go but knew i was more eager than ever...this trip had been overshadowed though by the excitement of kamp...when we arrived in the dominican on saturday April 17th i knew it was going to be an incredible week...it was such a gorgeous, green place from above and the water was incredible!!...we actually had to make two landings because the runway was soo short and a gust of wind lifted us back up...we landed with our team of 10 with 40 bags!!...it was amazing how many supplies we were about to get through customs without being checked(praise the Lord)...we headed out into the hot, humid city of Sosua...we added 4 more to our team from other states and canada...we got to our hotel which was called Sosua by the Sea...it was super nice and i was excited to have running water and air conditioning...haha...the first night we unloaded all the supplies at the clinic...on sunday we went to the english church and got to hear brandon speak...brandon and nikki james were on our staff at fbch before they moved full time to the DR in january...we were soo excited to see them!!...after church we went to the tent where they have the spanish church to set up our family fun day!!...we had a puppet show and then we set up games and crafts for all the people that lived in the villages in the area...we had about 350 people that came out for the great event...i made balloon animals for 3 hours for children and adults!!...those children were soo precious!!...i made several "sombreros" that day!!...it was really fun!!...each day we went to either a village to give out food/hygiene bags or to a school to tell the story of Daniel with crafts and games...i immediately felt at home down there...i knew that this was exactly where i needed to be that week!!...i fell in love with the city and the people there...the missionaries that brandon and nikki are working with are amazing!!...it was soo refreshing to see people live soo simply after working in retail for the past 9 months seeing people spend way too much on things they didnt even need...my heart started yearning for such a lifestyle...we went to a school that was in the village of bombita where i first gave out food bags to people at their homes...thats when i met this sweet, sweet little boy that had a skin condition but he was the cutest little boy i had ever seen...he and this other little boy followed us door to door as we met and prayed with the people of bombita...they shared a pair of worn out green crocks...at one point they were playing baseball with Dan(one of our team members) when the ball went over the fence...the boy climbed right over that barbwire like it was no big deal...im sure he had done it several times before...im pretty sure his name was derrek and he will forever be in my heart...when we went to the village of policlinica i met a little girl that was soo sweet...we walked hand in hand that whole day...we shared a glass bottle of coke which was super fun to see them light up about!...i ended up getting to sit with her at the spanish church and i saw her truly worship the Lord with all of her heart!!...that night i had to say goodbye and she immediately started crying...i can not even put into words how that moment has changed me...i learned later that her mother had died a few years ago and i did not want to left her go...i was so glad that i was about to leave her a bag of goodies with a picture of us together in it...i can not wait till i get to see all those children again...another amazing person i bonded with was one of our translators named annabelle...she was a beautiful 17 year old girl who i could not get enough time with...she made each day soo much fun!!...im soo glad we are able to be facebook friends...she is someone i will be praying for as she figures out where God wants her after high school...i want her to see the beauty that i see...i can not even express how unbelievable this trip was for me and my family to take before i move away for a year!!...all i could say about the trip when i got home was "I NEVER KNEW ID LOVE SOMETHING MORE THAN KAMP!!"...my parents supported me in this when they told people they were glad i had made a commitment to work at kamp this summer...because they knew i probably wouldnt have come home!!...i love it down there and i know that this is just the start of my time in that country!!...my God is incredible and after many years of waiting to GO He is finally sending me out to the place i love!!...if youve never been out of the country on a mission trip i leave you with one word: GO!!...

The Day that Started the Motion...

this year has been by far the best year for me in so many ways.
in the letting go...in the embrace of a new kind of love...in the faithfulness and desire to want something so badly but not really knowing what that was...but wanting so desperately to just GO!...
well on March 30th everything changed...i received a call from Rachel at kamp...i was simply thinking that she was lettin me know that she would be a reference for me for the Kanakuk Institute...that was only half of it...she preceded to tell me that because of all the change of staff they were still praying about leadership for this summer...it was at that moment that the tears came...i knew that after yearning and seeking my Savior solely over this year that He had been faithful...i had received the phone call i had longed for my whole life-to be on leadership at kamp!!...i knew that it was only by Him alone that i could ever be in such a position...4 days later i received a call from Marissa saying that i had been accepted to the Institute!!...i can not even express the joy that overwhelmed me in those days...and they still are!!...well we had an incredible leadership weekend and i had known for a while that God was telling me that this summer was gonna be one like never before...there was a sudden urgency before i knew that i was gonna be a part of it to fight for that place that i call me summer home...to know that there is every reason in the world that that place is continuing to be so strong...and not by anyone but the Lord!!...His amazing love and restoration that has fallen on that place is incredible and im so so blessed to get to be a part of it!!...so after thinking that i would be in another country by january i realize now that He meant K-Kountry!!...How amazing is He!!...so for the next year i will be living in Branson, Missouri and i can hardly wait!!

Crazy Love...

my life has radically changed since january of 2009. God has been growing and strengthen me like never before. He has filled me with His amazing love and i can't seem to show Him love enough. it's amazing how much more you are consumed by Him when you pursue Him. the more you pursue Him-the more you want to!! it is an incredible feeling!! i have have found contentment in Him alone and have a new confidence in my faith. i have learned to love people in a new way and to not let a moment go by without sharing His love. what i have learned most is to be all there no matter where i am. that God can use you in everyday situations if you allow Him to. we are often consumed by the future-as if "God will use me when i get here or once im in the right job or ministry ill be bold for Him". we let so many opportunities pass us by. so wherever you are be all there!!