Narnia.

There's something really beautiful about the first night of Winter where you can see your breath.
It's really beautiful seeing the simplicity of life as it flows in and out so freely.
I want to live somewhere it is Winter always.
Somewhere I can breathe easy and live life as an adventure.

I want to be able to explore on a whim,
and just sit when I need.

Maybe not Winter always.
Enough that it feels like Winter actually exists.
Enough that I can see my breath any given night of the Winter week.

I want to travel to the ends of the earth
and meet all the people who know how to breathe easy.

I want to learn too.

"The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?" Proverbs 20:24

Thanksgiving

There's been quite a few things I've been able to be thankful for over the course of my life. And in all honesty, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday (though Christmas is a really close second)! Maybe it's the smell of pumpkin spice, the warm house filled with warm colors, or simply time with family that makes it so grand, but in my opinion there's not much that can go wrong at a time like this!
With this in mind, here are some things over the past couple months that I have been extremely blessed with:

1. 125 Ohana Tribe (post to come on them)...

2. The Alpha/ AC Experience (post also on this to come)...

3. The Hawt Chicks in #f6 (They are my r00m!3z)...

This is just one of them...

4. Thanksgiving in a place that actually looks like Fall (Guess there is something good about the YC)

5. And most importantly...a loving & amazing family that has taught me to rely on God and them, because both are where I get my strength from.

I'm also thankful that my mom kept all my art projects from the third grade...

(I did the pumpkin, not the sign behind it...)

This year has been the best and the worst with challenges and trials, but all of which have formed me into who I am at this very moment. I don't  want to live restrained. From my spur-of-the-moment ideas to my well-thought out plans, I pray that God be glorified in my words and actions, and that others are blessed through adventures, memories, and laughter. 

Happy Thanksgiving. 

A Breath at The Life Church

Once again, after months of praying, planning, running around like crazy, and more praying, we have finished another kids camp. Phew! It's summers like this one that make my life worth living. Honestly, this week of ministering at The Life Church, was so refreshing and encouraging! Talking with the Life Church staff, working with their youth, and worshipping with their kids brought a breath of life, and reminded us why we even do this- to make eternal investments, to plant seeds!

 The week kicked off wonderfully without a single hitch! Actually, there was one...our glow sticks didn't really glow. But even in this little baby hiccup, God provided even more than we expected with flashlights and laser lights  the kids loved! We had great times of worship, and fun with silly songs, and had the perfect opportunity to encourage kids to have a heart for missions and prayer, and to help them understand God has a plan and purpose for them! We even were so blessed that we were able to bless every kid with a gift!

As you can see, the kids had a great time getting there "blessings"!

Overall, it was an incredible week filled with the presence of God! There is something so incredibly humbling about seeing kids worship God!

Learning to sew the Prayer Flag Banner like a boss.

Prayer flag and walk way.

Pre- Games.

One of my favorite things is the chance to invest in the Life Kids both last and this summer! 

From Year...

2011

...to Year.

2012

Classic.

This is my life.

Thank you so much to Pastor Lance and Pastor Laurie, and all the staff and student leaders at The Life Church! If you're in Stockton, I urge you to check this church out! Also thanks to Nikki for putting up with my pretend punching and bossiness- I love you! And finally, thanks to Jan- without you this would have been a danger filled disaster! I sincerely appreciate all of you!

Well, here we go, off to the church for round 3 at Christian Worship Center in San Jose! Pray for us! It's from 9am-2pm, and I have the preschool and kindergarten class with 17 kids!

Pray for the planted dreams!

Love.

Seattle & Tea

Here I am, folding costumes, organizing game supplies, and packing for the week to come while watching one of my favorite movies, "Sleepless in Seattle". A nice warm cup of tea steeping next to me, and I know it's nights like these that make me remember just how good God is. It's like God lives and moves in the simplicity of it all. I leave for the second camp tomorrow. I pray it goes even better than the amazingly blessed last camp, and that God has His way! Pray with us. We are trusting the Lord will exceed our expectations. I feel so blessed for this opportunity and this evening, and everything. I know the Lord is faithful not only to meet my needs, but to meet me where I'm at.
Love.

"Now that was when people KNEW how to be in love. They knew it! Time, distance... nothing could separate them because they knew. It was right. It was real."

Our Camp in Review!

So...this is a few days late, and by "a few", of course I mean a week! My bad...Anyways, after months of praying and writing, and weeks of planning and gathering supplies, the week came of no sleep and early mornings! Praise the Lord for Go-Girls! Janet, the other writer of our VBS curriculum (and not to mention my Best Friend) came down for the week to speak and lend her logical thinking- cause let's face it, that just isn't my strong suit! Our hope for the week was that children would develop a passion for powerful prayer and a heart for missions, and that they would begin to understand that God has a plan and purpose for them! And after the week was over, we asked the kids what God had taught them, and they all said something along these lines! 
It is so incredible when you see a dream that God gives you come to pass!

Some 1st grade girls playing in the laser hallway.

The stairs up to the "Gadget Garage" (Craft Room) was lined with glow sticks and lasers also!

"And the Good News about Heaven will be told to everyone, all over, so that all nations will hear it." Matthew 24:14

One of the illustrations with colored bubbles.

Prayer flag banner, the kids each wrote one for missionaries around the world.

Janet and I with the VBS leaders- all of who were in the 6th-9th grades.

God completely exceeded our expectations, of course, and blessed this endeavor more than we could've even imagined! We had no problems or injuries, more kids every day, and the Sunday after I had three girls come up to me and tell me how they're raising money to support a missions organization and want to talk to families in the church to partner with them financially and through prayer!

Life Lesson: When God is for you, nothing can stand against you. 

And it's so wonderful to see this in action! 

Ask God what He really wants, because He will use those who have a willing heart.

Love.

Countdown to Camp #1!

Well, here we are, a mere three days to the opening rally for Camp #1. It has been a long process of praying, writing, rewriting, attempting crafts, finding games that wouldn't inflict injury, and figuring out what exactly the purpose of the kids camp was. For eight months we've been working on this project and praying up a storm- cause let's face it, with out that, what even is Children's Ministry? Oh yeah...babysitting. So here it is: 

Our heart for this ministry...

I am literally overwhelmed with the goodness of God, and the power of His presence and prayer. Literally. I keep finding myself in positions where God not only meets my needs, but exceeds my expectations in every way. My hope for this curriculum, as it is about to come to pass, is that children would develop a passion for prayer and a heart for missions! My hope is that they encounter God at this event, and that they begin to understand that God has a plan and purpose for them! 

This is going to be an amazing week of fun, but it's also going to be a time of revelation of God's heart for people, and how we can model that today! 

I am so excited and blessed to be a part of this awesome God opportunity! Partner with us in prayer as we begin to start into week number one!

On another note of blessing, if you or somebody you know also works in Children's Ministries, I will be training for an online Children's Ministry workshop through pajamaconference.com on July 30th! It's for free if you want to tune in to learn about "Developing Leaders in Your Ministry"! You can read a quick synopsis of it here. 

Anyways, the next three days are going to be crazy. Pray for me! Seriously. Praise the Lord for the leaders who are partnering with me, and Praise the Lord for Go-Girls. ☺

Love Notes and Great Folks

What? Blogging two days in a row? Yeah, I'm multitasking...
So last night, I brought in my first box from my college stuff. I know, I know...it's been almost a month we've been out, but it's only books and what not. Well, the what not was some notes from my good friends (hand written notes are my favorite), and I realized how much I miss the friends I made at APU! It's funny though, I was sad, yes, but I just feel blessed that I have those friendships! For certain reasons, many of the friendships I have in Azusa got real real deep, real real fast! I'm mostly certain that if they weren't based on a mutual love for Christ, we wouldn't have known how to encourage one another best.
And I'm not dissing my friends from the YC- Ale, Nikki, Tori, Janny, everyone...you all know I love you like Jonathon loved David, and I'm talking about the biblical figures who were like brothers, not some obscure other reference...Anyways, from the long conversations that take place in my car, or chalk drawing, or adventures, or kids camps, I know our friendships were orchestrated perfectly!

And I guess that's what I'm talking about...it is so awesome that God does that for us- orchestrates friendships that are not only filled with laughter and shenanigans and frolicking, but also encouraging words when we need them, and support , and good wholesome fun! This school year, I was blessed with both people on my hall- Carol, Kaitlyn, Emily, Brea, Abby, Rachel, Emily P, Lauren..., and those who were older  wiser who invested time and prayer in me! All of you- Nichole, Brigina,  Chelsea, Dee, Teagan, Holly, Aranda...there's so many more (please don't be offended if I didn't name you- multitasking has never been my strong suit.) I guess this is just a little shout out that I am so incredibly blessed by you all! Incredibly.

I was also reminded of my awesome friends when I received a letter in the mail- yes, snail mail! from The Brea! So great. Made my life. So I'm sending her a letter as soon as I post this...

Let's be pen pals, cause let's be honest, who doesn't love a good hand written note? 

Anyways, thank you for being wonderful friends. 

It doesn't get much better.

Love.