We returned to Mission Center tonight... all 54 of us OBU students for the 28 kids that came. I loved it.
The freshmen were brilliant... they were involved, active, and I could tell they just loved it. During Circle Time, one freshman girl referred to the group as "us" and "we" and it made my heart SO happy to hear that she already includes herself in that.
And the kids...
Blake can walk! He doesn't need his wheelchair at all anymore, except for school and "just in case". He walked all the way home from Mission Center for the first time ever. And he spent the hour and a half there just sitting in Tina's lap, playing with her hair. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. She was so excited about it, and I am too! Jessica told us that last summer, his wheelchair was stolen, and they couldn't afford to get a new one, which he needed before he could return to school. One of the news stations heard about it, did a story, and in one night they raised enough money to buy him a nice new chair and a little tricycle to ride around. What a God thing!
Kathleen is so beautiful... she is top in her second grade class! She has such a huge heart and I can't wait to see even more how God is going to use her. She knows the Fruit of the Spirit verses by heart and can recite them back to us. She is growing into an girl/young lady. She loves reading, Hannah Montana, math, and her family. And I love that she loves us. She came up to me, and I carried her most of the night. Oh, I love her.
And Desiree and Katie... those girls... wow. So much energy. They very clearly like Mission Center.
And Andy, Yessica, and Roberto. How did I live for three months without seeing them!
Tink is locked up again. Her mom said she would be back home on Wednesday. That girl... she needs so much prayer and love, and I don't know if I have enough to give her. It's so hard sometimes. But in the hard times, that's when I know she needs it the most.
God is working in the neighborhood, in the lives of those that live there. And I have a role in it. I contribute.
I am amazed.
9.05.2008
Skater Girl.
Well.
Finally Friday. I work in 40 minutes, then at 4:30 is Mission Center. I'm excited.
I feel like a skater today. My pants are tight-ish at the bottom, more so than on any other jeans, and I have on Vans. So I feel very... "Grab a long board and let's go!" It makes me laugh.
Finally Friday. I work in 40 minutes, then at 4:30 is Mission Center. I'm excited.
I feel like a skater today. My pants are tight-ish at the bottom, more so than on any other jeans, and I have on Vans. So I feel very... "Grab a long board and let's go!" It makes me laugh.
9.03.2008
Middle School.
Middle School.
Oh, the glorious days of wearing gray sweatpants and tan over-sized shirts, passing notes in band, and hanging out with the ELP kids. I tried to block most of it out, not because it was bad, but just because it was... eh.
But today I had to write a middle school memory, and floods of occurrences just came rushing back to me. So I wrote them all down on my calendar, and decided to commemorate my high school years here forever. So, without further ado...
My List of Middle School Memories.
- Breaking my reed during the band concert and having to leave to get a new one, then Dylan telling on me and Brittany for talking during the concert. Gosh, I was mad at him.
- In 6th grade, going with Cody, Matt, and Caitlyn to get fish on base for the ELP fish tank. We didn't talk the whole way in, then on the way back, we played the alphabet game. Then Caitlyn and I had nothing to do with the fish the rest of the year.
- I made a lot of websites, and somehow ended up teaching a class to younger kids about how to make their own website.
- Going to Kachemak Bay.
- Winning 2nd place in the 8th grade speech competition.
- Reading days in the library, and spending all semester on ONE book. My teacher was not impressed, even though the book I was reading was called "How to Win Children to Christ". The only time I ever read it was when we went to the library. It was boring, but now I wish I had paid better attention to it.
- Playing Truth or Dare at Sabrina's house.
- Doing the project about stars with Jade and another girl at Glacier View.
- Writing a story about Martha Stewart in 8th grade English.
- Having to recite song lyrics as poetry in 8th grade English, and Cody getting the best grade in the class, even though he messed up a lot. Dang.
- In venting animals in 8th grade science. I hated that project.
- Getting a perfect score on the 8th grade English standardized test, and no one telling me until I got my results, even though my parents, teachers, and principal all knew.
- Going to Germany and New York.
- Honor Band trips to Palmer High School.
- Talking to the Principal in 7th grade about having a lock down plan in case a Columbine shooting happened at our school... and crying throughout the entire hour-long interview.
- Interviewing the principal in 8th grade (Mr. Miller) and reading his favorite book about golf. Again, I wish I had paid better attention to it.
- 9/11 and the 7th grade scrapbook about it.
- Hannah visiting me.
- Walking into the bathroom one time during lunch in 8th grade and seeing Allie and Kelsey in there hiding the fact that they were eating a brownie.
- Middle School Dances... ha. I wore a skirt to the last one. It was black. I remember being really scared to ask my mom, the one day we were driving home from dance class, and a song came on the radio that was about missing the dance, and I told her I didn't want to miss the dance, and could I please go? She said yes. And I remember Brad picking me up from a dance, and he sneaked inside the commons to look at the sound equipment the DJ used.
- Someone had a crush on Gabe, and we spent one social/dance trying to get near him so he would ask her to dance. Was it Liza? I don't remember.
- Spraining my finger during volleyball one day in 7th grade and getting out of PE for a semester. I ended up being an aid to my teachers.
- Carmen called me Mel-Issa.
Hm. Funny.
Oh, the glorious days of wearing gray sweatpants and tan over-sized shirts, passing notes in band, and hanging out with the ELP kids. I tried to block most of it out, not because it was bad, but just because it was... eh.
But today I had to write a middle school memory, and floods of occurrences just came rushing back to me. So I wrote them all down on my calendar, and decided to commemorate my high school years here forever. So, without further ado...
My List of Middle School Memories.
- Breaking my reed during the band concert and having to leave to get a new one, then Dylan telling on me and Brittany for talking during the concert. Gosh, I was mad at him.
- In 6th grade, going with Cody, Matt, and Caitlyn to get fish on base for the ELP fish tank. We didn't talk the whole way in, then on the way back, we played the alphabet game. Then Caitlyn and I had nothing to do with the fish the rest of the year.
- I made a lot of websites, and somehow ended up teaching a class to younger kids about how to make their own website.
- Going to Kachemak Bay.
- Winning 2nd place in the 8th grade speech competition.
- Reading days in the library, and spending all semester on ONE book. My teacher was not impressed, even though the book I was reading was called "How to Win Children to Christ". The only time I ever read it was when we went to the library. It was boring, but now I wish I had paid better attention to it.
- Playing Truth or Dare at Sabrina's house.
- Doing the project about stars with Jade and another girl at Glacier View.
- Writing a story about Martha Stewart in 8th grade English.
- Having to recite song lyrics as poetry in 8th grade English, and Cody getting the best grade in the class, even though he messed up a lot. Dang.
- In venting animals in 8th grade science. I hated that project.
- Getting a perfect score on the 8th grade English standardized test, and no one telling me until I got my results, even though my parents, teachers, and principal all knew.
- Going to Germany and New York.
- Honor Band trips to Palmer High School.
- Talking to the Principal in 7th grade about having a lock down plan in case a Columbine shooting happened at our school... and crying throughout the entire hour-long interview.
- Interviewing the principal in 8th grade (Mr. Miller) and reading his favorite book about golf. Again, I wish I had paid better attention to it.
- 9/11 and the 7th grade scrapbook about it.
- Hannah visiting me.
- Walking into the bathroom one time during lunch in 8th grade and seeing Allie and Kelsey in there hiding the fact that they were eating a brownie.
- Middle School Dances... ha. I wore a skirt to the last one. It was black. I remember being really scared to ask my mom, the one day we were driving home from dance class, and a song came on the radio that was about missing the dance, and I told her I didn't want to miss the dance, and could I please go? She said yes. And I remember Brad picking me up from a dance, and he sneaked inside the commons to look at the sound equipment the DJ used.
- Someone had a crush on Gabe, and we spent one social/dance trying to get near him so he would ask her to dance. Was it Liza? I don't remember.
- Spraining my finger during volleyball one day in 7th grade and getting out of PE for a semester. I ended up being an aid to my teachers.
- Carmen called me Mel-Issa.
Hm. Funny.
8.31.2008
C'est Le Weekend.
This was a great weekend... one of my favorites in a long time. Shaun and I went to his aunt and uncle's farm in Paul's Valley, and met his dad and sister there, along with a few other relatives.
We spent our time fishing (I caught 5 - FIVE!!! - fish, and released them all), driving 4-Wheelers, playing Washers (or, in Shaun's Dad's case, Warshers), and just hanging out. I got really badly sunburned (again):
You can't really tell, but I'm very red. I will be wearing skirts for the next week or so. And yes, that's a burn line from my Teva's. Fantastic. I wore my Party Pink shorts today, and the burn line on my thigh is ridiculous. So painful. I'm chugging the water now and rubbing Body Biolage lotion on. You'd think I would have learned my lesson from last April, which I still have a burn line from - I'm not completely healed yet. But no... I didn't.
Idiot.
It was fun, though, this weekend. I liked seeing Shaun in that environment, away from the internet and his computer, fishing and 4-Wheeling, and being with his family. Paul's Valley is officially my favorite Oklahoma spot, and I would totally live there, at least from September to November, then from March to May.
We spent our time fishing (I caught 5 - FIVE!!! - fish, and released them all), driving 4-Wheelers, playing Washers (or, in Shaun's Dad's case, Warshers), and just hanging out. I got really badly sunburned (again):
You can't really tell, but I'm very red. I will be wearing skirts for the next week or so. And yes, that's a burn line from my Teva's. Fantastic. I wore my Party Pink shorts today, and the burn line on my thigh is ridiculous. So painful. I'm chugging the water now and rubbing Body Biolage lotion on. You'd think I would have learned my lesson from last April, which I still have a burn line from - I'm not completely healed yet. But no... I didn't.
Idiot.
It was fun, though, this weekend. I liked seeing Shaun in that environment, away from the internet and his computer, fishing and 4-Wheeling, and being with his family. Paul's Valley is officially my favorite Oklahoma spot, and I would totally live there, at least from September to November, then from March to May.
8.29.2008
For Hannah.
This is the story of a girl.
She hid her heart in Christ, and kept it there, locked away in a secret place. She knew that the greatest love of all was hers... and because of that, she made standards and kept them.
Many men lined up to date her. They brought her flowers, their love, romantic poems... but none of them had the qualities that she desired and needed. None were able to climb the ladder to reach her heart that was so well hidden in the Lord.
But the girl had a light - the Holy Spirit - that was there to help her. The light shone on whichever man was worthy of her love. And it rested on one man only. When that light - the light of love for and in the Lord - appeared, the girl knew that that was the man ordained for her.
Only he was able to climb the ladder, to search the Lord for the girl's heart. And only when he sought the Lord did he receive her love in return.
Here I am, humbled by the love that You give; forgiven so that I can forgive…
Now I know the greatest love of all is mine
Since You laid down Your life, the greatest sacrifice…
Majesty, majesty, Your grace has found me just as I am -
Empty-handed but alive in Your hands…
Majesty, Majesty
Forever I am changed by your love
In the presence of your Majesty
Chapel Today.
I’ve been complacent.
But now I know the greatest love of all is mine, since You laid down Your life, the greatest sacrifice….Majesty… Majesty.
James 1:5-6 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”
James 1:16 “Don’t be deceived….”
When did I allow God to get this boring? When did I take His place from Him and give it to another? How am I going to change it?
God is in all things, for He fulfills. God is outside of all things for He gives shape. God is over all things, for He sees all. God is under all things, for He gives life to all things. God is everywhere, in everything, unbound by time or mistakes or my selfish ambitions and desires.
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
Happy are those who get God – those who understand Him and what He is like – for God will be real to them.
I wanted to stand up, but I didn’t. Fear and apprehension and the chains held me back. He is asking me to do something hard… I think… but it has been so dang confusing lately, and I’m not really sure anymore of anything.
James 1:5-6 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”
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But now I know the greatest love of all is mine, since You laid down Your life, the greatest sacrifice….Majesty… Majesty.
James 1:5-6 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”
James 1:16 “Don’t be deceived….”
When did I allow God to get this boring? When did I take His place from Him and give it to another? How am I going to change it?
God is in all things, for He fulfills. God is outside of all things for He gives shape. God is over all things, for He sees all. God is under all things, for He gives life to all things. God is everywhere, in everything, unbound by time or mistakes or my selfish ambitions and desires.
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
Happy are those who get God – those who understand Him and what He is like – for God will be real to them.
I wanted to stand up, but I didn’t. Fear and apprehension and the chains held me back. He is asking me to do something hard… I think… but it has been so dang confusing lately, and I’m not really sure anymore of anything.
James 1:5-6 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”
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