And This Happens

One Tee. One week. One Cause.

2011-08-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

I love when I find a business that manages to support ministries in a creative way so I have to share my latest find (well, someone showed it to me so i'm really just passing it along..) It's called Sevenly and they sell t-shirts to support different ministries/causes around the world. Each shirt is uniquely designed by the Sevenly team and for every shirt sold the ministry it represents gets $7. It's an easy way for ministries to raise money and awareness for their cause. Each shirt is only available to order for one week which means you have to move quick and check back every week for the new ministry and design.

Enough from me, just check it out!

1 Corinthians 1:25

2011-08-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Poland

2011-08-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

It has taken me a few weeks to readjust to being home and to process my summer. In the month of July I was only in my house for 7 nights and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love every minute of being away!

This summer was packed with lots of adventures; two youth summer camps and two trips to different continents, Nicaragua and Poland. I came home at the end of July exhausted yet revitalized and more torn than ever on where I’m supposed to be.

Poland was an incredible opportunity to serve in a way that I’m not used to. Every mission trip I’ve been on has been centered on serving some of the poorest people in the world and I almost went to Poland with an arrogance because I didn’t think it was going to “get me” like my other trips have. Of course, God proved me wrong and humbled me right away. While Poland may not be as financially poor as I’m used to seeing Poland is extremely spiritually poor. The population of Poland is 40,000,000 and it’s estimated that only 0.01% of the population are evangelical Christians. There are currently 39 evangelical churches in the entire country. These figures are still staggering to me and impacted me greatly as I ministered to the people in Poland.

Proem Ministries was a pleasure to work with as they are making great progress in the country in terms of raising young Christians to be a light to the country. Our team had the privilege of helping run a basketball camp that focused on teaching youth adults (ages 12-early 30’s) about Jesus. Every morning and evening we had a worship session, very similar to ones we put on at Roll Hill, and during the day we ran basketball drills and games. We also had the joy of seeing 54 young adults accept Christ for the first time, which is an incredible number when you think of the overall number of Christians in the country! Please join me in praying for their walk with Christ as there is not a lot of support outside of Proem Ministries and their sister church, Tomy Church.

I went to Poland excited to serve in another country and to get a better understanding of one of the trips Roll Hill offers every year and I came home longing to go back. I am confident that while the last ten months have brought about a lot of unexpected transitions, God is placing some really cool ministry opportunities in my path that might not have been possible without those changes. I am looking forward to continuing this journey of discovering where God wants me to serve.

I am extremely grateful for your support, prayers, encouragement and friendship. I ask that you please continue to pray for me and the different ministry opportunities God continues to reveal to me.

Challenges

2011-05-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

"Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you." 1 Peter 4:12

Okay, so we know trials (challenges) are going to come our way and even though God's word says we should not be surprised by them we still manage to be shocked when they do, myself included. Recently I've been caught off guard by challenges that have been placed in my path but instead of crawling in a hole (like I've often felt like doing) I've decided to take this opportunity to work on myself, try new things, expand my comfort zone, and push myself. So far (among some other things) I've gotten two new tattoos, a new ear piercing, made new friends and smoked a cigar. However, the things on my calendar for the weeks to come are even more exciting. In a couple weeks I'm going skydiving, in October I'm running a half marathon in San Francisco (hills galore!), a full marathon in December and at the end of next month I plan to go to Nicaragua with my roommates.

We've been given an opportunity to work with the International Women's Coffee Association (IWCA) through my roommates families coffee company. The IWCA works to "empower women in the international coffee community to achieve meaningful and sustainable lives; and to encourage and recognize the participation of women in all aspects of the coffee industry". We know that trials are going to come our way yet for many women around the world life is a constant trial because of the circumstances they live in. I'm excited for the opportunity to go work with some women that are striving to improve their circumstances in order to raise healthy families.

The challenges I've been faced with have given me an opportunity to take more time to travel and work with people in other countries that have challenges of their own.

More to come on my adventures...

Mexico Changes People

2011-04-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

I love mission trips. I love them because the people who serve come back changed and the people who are served are changed. I spent the last week in Mexico building 7 houses with 120 high school students and leaders. We built 7 houses in 3.5 days. On Thursday night, when the houses were complete I went to bed thinking about the families spending their first night in their brand new home-a home they waited years to receive, a home they couldn't build themselves, a home they couldn't pay for. It was an incredible feeling-it is every year.

Not only was this trip another life changing experience because of the work that was accomplished but for me this trip was another milestone in rediscovering myself. The trip went really smooth and at the end of the week I realized I can do this on my own. I can plan, organize and lead mission trips successfully and while I had a whole crew of leaders to make it work I was able to pull it off.

At a young age, I learned (from my beautifully strong mom) how to be an independent woman. I just recently realized how much my identity became wrapped up in my former husband. It's hard to tell when you're in it but once you're out of it you begin to see glimpses of how it really was. I'm an independent woman whose identity is in Christ Jesus and I can do this thing called life with Him and through His strength.

New Starts

2011-04-12T23:07:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've been active in the blogging world and man oh man a lot has happened!
It's been six months since my husband of over three years told me he was resigning from his position at our church and also walking out on our marriage. The last six months have not been the easiest, to say the least, but I have learned so much about myself, forgiveness and the promises God offers. I am finally at a place where I can recognize the good in the divorce and am able to forgive him for the pain he caused and the promises he backed out on.

Forgiveness is not an easy or quick road to walk down but it is one that I feel benefits me more than it benefits him. Just yesterday I was able to send him an email explaining to him that I had forgiven him for the pain and chaos he threw into my life-it wasn't about releasing him from any consequences of his actions or validating his choices, it was about releasing myself from the burden of his decision and letting myself move on. I forgave him because Christ first forgave me. Did he deserve my forgiveness? Maybe not but then again I don't deserve the forgiveness Christ has given me either.

So, what is "and this happens" now about? It's about the adventures I take as a single woman rediscovering herself, her purpose in life and her purpose in Christ. It's about seeing the silver lining in what seemed like a very dark, thick cloud.

On to 2010...

2010-01-08T21:14:00.001-08:00

or 2KX as some of my friends are calling it. It is interesting to hear all the variations, I wonder what will be most popular by the end of the year.

I ended 2009 with one of my most challenging accomplishments which was running a full marathon. I finished it in 4:30:36 and never walked! I had a great team of friends and family supporting me the whole way-through the training and during the actual run. It felt amazing to complete my challenge from CIY and to also raise $1100 for a well in Malawi, Africa. And, to answer your question-no, I have not run since! I have been working out but no running-my body needed a serious break after 4 months of training. However, I am registered for a half marathon in March so I need to get myself back on the road! My goal for 2010 is to run two half marathons and I have already registered for one and am close to registering for the second! I'm not sure I'll run another full one but I can sure do a half!

I am looking forward to 2010 because we have lots of exciting things to look forward to. As I'm sure you have done, I've set some goals for myself and can't wait to see how God works through me to accomplish them.

At the end of March we are planning on taking about 115 high school students and adult leaders to Mexico to build houses for the poor. We had to cancel this same trip last year due to the media hype but we are going full steam ahead this year! We are going with a new organization this year which not only focuses on building houses but also focuses on teaching communities about the love of Jesus Christ. I can't wait for this trip...when I was a senior in high school I went on this trip and it totally changed the course of my life.

Another thing that I am really excited for is a new adventure Matt and I have started with a couple of our friends. Every year we take high school students to a conference but there aren't really any great, affordable conferences for junior high students. This lead us to plan one on our own! It is a huge task but we are really looking forward to offering a high quality conference for junior high students in Northern California-so look forward to more information about Collision 2010!

I think that's all for now! I hope that you have a great 2010 and can't wait to see what 2KX has in store!

Christmas Video

2009-12-28T15:20:00.000-08:00

Check out our youth staff Christmas video!

Mission Accomplished!

2009-12-07T16:43:00.000-08:00

I'll post more later...when I can feel my legs again. For now, I just wanted to post that I officially finished my first marathon! 4 hours 30 minutes and 36 seconds! Thanks again for your support!

One week!

2009-11-29T14:09:00.000-08:00

I can't believe the day is almost here-I have one week until the California International Marathon! I am really excited to complete this challenge and truly appreciate all the support and encouragement you have given me. I have about 6 people ready to run alongside me during different parts of the marathon and I'm looking forward to sharing this experience with my friends.

The Death of Me

2009-11-19T15:51:00.000-08:00

Not very many people can say they know the day they will die...I have a sneaking suspicion I may know the day and even a time range...December 6, 2009 between the hours of 7:00am and 11:15am. These are the hours in which I will be running my first marathon. Okay, now I don't really think it will be the death of me but it might bring me closer. Training has been taking up a lot of my "free time" which was already hard to come by. I have enjoyed the challenge and I am looking forward to the actual race but I can also say that I can't wait for it to be over! This whole thing started from a challenge at a summer conference called CIY and now in just a few weeks I will be completing the challenge! All the money I raise for the run will be going to bring clean water to a community in Malawi, Africa through playpumps international. Please read my support letter and pray about supporting playpumps either through my marathon or through their website. I have included my support letter in this post and ask that you would consider supporting the children in Malawi.

I hope this letter finds you well and getting ready for the quickly approaching holiday season! I can’t believe it is already November - I feel like I just returned from India! This year has been great as I graduated school last December, and was then offered a job at our church as the student ministries coordinator - Matt is now my boss! It is working out really well and I think we make a great team. I can’t imagine doing anything else right now.

This summer we took 150 high school students to a conference in Southern California where everyone was given a challenge card, which contained one of many possible challenges. A group of 4 junior girls and myself decided to open our cards together so that we could keep each other accountable for our challenges. I was the last one to open my card and on it reads, “26.2- commit to being healthier. Train and run a marathon before next summer.” While I have always been active, I have never been a long distance runner by any means! I have already started my training and actually ran a half marathon in preparation for my full marathon on December 6.

I have decided to raise support for my marathon and donate all proceeds to PlayPumps International. This organization supports a cause that has really been on my heart - providing clean water for communities that do not have access. 1.1 billion people in our world do not have access to clean drinking water, which leads to premature deaths. Every 15 seconds a child dies of a preventable disease related to unsafe water. In addition, in many communities, young girls walk an average of 5 miles a day to get this unsanitary water, which results in the girls not being able to attend school.

PlayPumps International installs wells in areas that don’t have access to clean water. These wells are attached to a merry-go-round, and every time kids spin the merry-go-round, water is pumped from the ground. Not only does this system provide clean drinking water, but it also provides a place for little kids to play. PlayPumps also hires local men to maintain the system. In addition, girls get the opportunity to attend school because they don’t have to walk for hours a day to get water.

I would love for you to join me in bringing awareness to this cause and this organization. I also ask that you would consider sponsoring me as I run 26.2 miles to bring awareness. All the support raised will go towards a PlayPump in Malawi, Africa. My goal is to raise $2500. If you are able to support this challenge of mine, you can make checks payable to PlayPumps International. Thank you for always supporting me in my adventures! This is by far the most challenging for me, so I ask that you keep me in your thoughts and prayers-especially as December 6 gets closer.

With love and appreciation,
Heather

I would also like to add-I was not the only one who received a challenge at CIY and by the time I cross the finish line one of our students will have memorized the first chapter of Ephesians...on his way to memorizing the whole book by July 2010! Go Taylor!

1/2 Marathon down...

2009-10-13T12:47:00.001-07:00

I ran my first official 1/2 marathon race and boy was it exhilarating! I'll tell ya-sometimes it is difficult to go out and run 15 miles around town but I had a lot of fun at the race. There were thousands of other people there walking and running, bands every couple miles and lots of people lining the streets to cheer for people. My official finishing time was 2:08:15 which is quite a bit faster than my training pace so I am excited about that! When running for over two hours straight there are lots of interesting thoughts that pop into my head and I sort of wished I had brought my cell phone along so I could Tweet updates.

Since I didn't think ahead to bring my phone I will recap some of those thoughts here:

Mile 1: Are you kidding me...why is it so stinkin' cold?! (We started at 7:30am)

Mile 3: Are you kidding me-it's only been 3 miles?!

Mile 5: Oh yeah! I can do this...who chose that band? They are terrible!
Mile 5.5: Just saw a girl with a shirt that said "I'd rather be at church"-laughed to myself then pondered whether that was because she really enjoyed church or because she really hated running.

Mile 6: Got passed by some kids that looked all of 11 years old and realized I'm not even 1/2 way finished.

Mile 7: Took some Cytomax from the volunteers handing it out at the hydration station, spilled it all over myself...great, now I'm sticky.

Mile 8: I think the guy in front of me pooped his pants...I've heard of that in the Olympics and the Boston Marathon but come on...this is the Cow Town 1/2 marathon...take a few to use the porta-potties!

Mile 10: If someone offered me $100 to chop my foot off I would consider...my left foot is hurting so bad, ow...ow...ow. Dang it, an old man just passed me.

Mile 13: this is by far the longest mile ever...is this some sick joke?!

Mile 13.1: How am I going to do double that in a couple months?!!

I actually really enjoyed the whole race atmosphere and also like my cowbell finishing medal! I'm really glad I did the 1/2 and will consider carrying my phone with me for the full-if not to Twitter at least for use in case I need someone to pick me up and drive me to the finish line :-)

"Kids these days"

2009-09-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

I'm always a little frustrated when I hear people talking about "kids these days" because they can have such a negative view of today's youth. I happen to love junior high and high school students and while I realize they can be a little noisy and energetic at times (or all the time) they are kids and they have some of the most amazing hearts that I have ever seen. As a youth group we have a goal to raise $5,000 to put towards a playpump Last night at Impact (our junior high service) I was standing by the information table which also has our Well Project donation box on it when I saw a group of seventh grade girls walk up with wide grins and fists of waded up money. They began stuffing the money into the donation box so I asked them if they had been saving up their allowance and they proceeded to tell me that they had been setting up a lemonade stand to raise money for the well. How amazing! These girls spent hours of their weekends in the 100+ degree heat to raise money to provide people they will never meet with clean drinking water. "Kids these days" have hearts for things far greater than themselves and want to make an impact in the world like we have never seen...sometimes they just need a little direction and guidance on where to spend their energy and creativity. "Kids these days" have more faith in our Savior than most adults I have encountered and more dedication to learn more about Him. "Kids these days" have a heart to serve the people that "adults these days" don't. Encourage the kids of these days and just see what happens!

26.2 and play pumps

2009-09-09T18:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am about 4 weeks into my marathon training and feeling pretty good...a little tired but good! This past Friday I ran 13 miles as part of my training and while I could not run another mile I wasn't feeling too incredibly bad. I was right on for my 10 minute mile pace. December 6 is my marathon date and I just pray that it doesn't rain. I don't mind the cold-it will be better than the 95 degrees now but I can't take the rain!

So, what am I running for? Other than to prove to our students that you can do anything you put your mind to and that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Phil. 4:13) I am running to raise money for a project that has really been on my heart.

There are 1.1 billion people in the world who do not have access to clean drinking water.

Young girls have to walk an average of 5 miles a day to get water, carrying up to 40 pounds of water.

The water they get is often contaminated.

These young girls cannot go to school because they have to get the water every day.

Every 15 seconds a child dies of a preventable disease related to unsafe water…every 15 seconds…that is 5,760 kids every day…that’s over 172 thousand every month!

The organization I am running for is PlayPumps International. PlayPumps is an amazing organization that installs some really cool water pumps in Africa. These aren't your ordinary pumps-these ones are connected to a merry-go-round that kids can play on. Each spin of the merry-go-round pumps water into an above ground, sanitary holding tank that the community can pump water from. PlayPumps also hires local men to install and maintain the pumps and guarantees them a job for at least 10 years. These pumps not only provide safe, clean drinking water for a community but the pumps offer an opportunity for girls to go to school to get an education, for men to get local jobs to earn money to support their family, play equipment for kids to enjoy and of course clean water to cut down the amount of deaths caused by contaminated water.

I tell you about this organization so you can spread the awareness and check out the organization for yourself. A little goes a long way and clean water is something that every person should be able to enjoy.

Check out the website www.playpumps.org to get ideas on how you can support a playpump in Africa!

Kids Play. Water Pumps.

CIY

2009-08-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had the great opportunity of taking 150 people (high school students and adults) to a Christ in Youth (CIY) conference in Southern California. CIY is an incredible organization that hosts conferences all over the US and even overseas. They bring in great bands and gifted speakers and have great programs designed to inspire and challenge high school students.

Here are some of the highlights from the conference:

2 girls from our group committed their lives to Christ for the first time.
6 students were baptized in the ocean.
Dozens of students committed to serving in full time ministry.
Dozens of students committed to serving in missions.

At the end of the week CIY handed out a sealed envelope to everyone and explained that what was inside was a challenge that was to be completed within the year. The CIY director explained that it should only be opened if you were completely serious about finishing the task that was inside the envelope. A few of us decided that we would open the cards together and that we would support and encourage each other in whatever task we opened. I'll tell you my challenge in a minute. A lot of our students decided to open the cards and we are very excited to see how God uses the tasks. Some of our students were challenged to take an overseas mission trip within a year, provide breakfast for the teachers at their school every month, fast one day a week for a whole year, raise $2000 to pay for 10 students to attend the conference next year and one of my favorites...do something nice and unexpected for your youth pastor once a month for a year. There are lots of others but those are the ones I can remember right now.

So, here we go...the card I opened said that I need to train and run a marathon within a year to raise money for a clean water organization! I'm actually really excited about it and have already started training. My marathon date is December 6...26.2 miles here I come! I have decided to raise money for playpumps.org and will explain more about that ministry later.

All in all, CIY was a great week-lots of awesome conversations and decisions and I'm already looking forward to next year!

Any running tips?

Kiva

2009-08-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have a lot to write about from CIY and Amplify but first I need to tell you about this organization I just heard about- Kiva. Kiva is a micro-lending organization that allows you to lend money to an entrepreneur either in another country (and a few in the US). These entrepreneurs are working people living in poverty that want to start up a business or make a repair on their existing business in order to support their families. They aren't looking for handouts, they just need a little financial assistance to get things up and running. The lowest amount you can lend is $25.00 but it is a loan-the entrepreneur pays you back-and then you can loan to another entrepreneur! You even get to see a picture of the person you are lending to, read a little bit about them and you can pick what industry you want to support...health, agriculture, transportation, clothing, etc. Go check it out while you wait for my stories of our summer camps!

Summer!

2009-07-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

Summertime in youth ministry is my favorite time of the year. Summertime is crazy busy but totally rewarding and so much fun! In just a couple days we leave for Biola University with 130 high school students and 20 leaders for a Christ In Youth Conference (CIY) which will be attended by thousands of other high schoolers. This is going to be an awesome week and I hope that you will join me in praying for all the students and that they will be open to being changed by God.

We will return from CIY with just one day before leaving for Amplify-Junior High Summer Camp in Tahoe. We are taking about 80 junior high students to summer camp and pray that they will be changed as well and excited to show their community the love of Christ when they return home.

I always look forward to these camps and conferences as our students walk away challenged, changed and refreshed in Christ. I look forward to writing again in a couple weeks to update you on all the exciting happenings from camp!

Why I'm a junior high leader...

2009-06-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

As the school year comes to an end my junior high small group is taking a break for the summer. My wonderful girls decided to have me over for an end-of-the-year dinner party. Each girl was responsible for a different part of the meal and when I arrived they were great hosts. The table was decorated with candles and flowers and name tags for where each of us was to sit. The girls brought their parts of the meal out-salad, bread sticks, spaghetti and soda, we prayed and they insisted that as the guest of honor I make my plate first. The food was delicious and we had some fun conversations. After dinner we had round one of desert and then the girls decided to play dress up. They found some old Halloween costumes and each girl dressed up as a princess and then of course we had to walk around the neighborhood...a sort of princess parade. The girls were cracking me up as they walked around "looking for their prince charming"...let me tell ya, the way they were singing would have sent anybody in their path running :-) After our walk we returned to the house and the girls proceeded to entertain me with dance performances and their own renditions of current songs.

One of the best parts of the night was just getting to watch the girls and how they interacted with each other. They each wrote me a note that touched me deeply and the whole night made me feel very honored to be a part of their lives.

There are times during small group where I wonder if they are getting it and wonder if they ever will and of course times when all I can do is laugh-like when one of the girls asks how to cure cavities when all the other girls are asking serious questions about Christ, or when one of the girls spits root beer float all over your face because someone made her laugh, or when one causes your toilet to overflow all over the bathroom and stares at it screaming instead of grabbing a towel-I love every moment of being their leader and really feel honored to be their junior high leader.

If only...then maybe

2009-05-31T23:16:00.001-07:00

If only you knew that we spend our vacation thinking of ways to improve the youth group then maybe you would be slower to judge our decisions.

If only you knew how many hours we put into the youth ministry then maybe you would be less likely to tell us to add another event to benefit you.

If only you took a few minutes to ask the vision and purpose of the group then maybe you would understand the meaning behind our decisions.

If only you knew how much we truly care for each student then maybe you would understand that it breaks our hearts when we hear students are partying...and if only you knew how much we try to keep them on a healthy path then maybe you would be slower to put the blame on us when it does happen.

If only you would offer to host an event at your house or sponsor an event then maybe we could put some of your ideas on the calendar.

If only you encouraged/made your child attend youth group then maybe they would know what events are going on.

If only you were a parent to your child rather than a friend then maybe they would not go out and drink.

If only you volunteered in the youth ministry then maybe you could help "those" kids...you know, the ones who go out and drink...not yours, "those".

If only you spent some quality time with God then maybe your child would too.

If only you knew that youth ministry is more of a way of life than it is a job then maybe you would be less critical and choose your words more carefully.

If only...

One more No-No

2009-05-31T23:08:00.001-07:00

"Are you tired?"..."No, oh, you look tired"

Oh, gee, thanks for that boost of confidence!! Really, does anyone want to know when they look tired?? Let's just leave this question out of our conversations...uh, how about forever!

Conversation "no-nos"

2009-05-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

Being a pastors wife I have come to notice that some people think they know you a lot better than they actually do. This probably happens because they see my husband on stage and see us around the church...being part of a large church most people know us but we do not know them. And this happens...people think they are pretty close to us when in reality we barely know who they are...which leads them to making comments or asking questions they really shouldn't. In the past few weeks this has become very clear to me through some of the questions and statements that have been directed at me. So, I thought I would do a service to everyone and remind you of a few questions/statements you don't say to people...especially women.

When waiting to get food at a self-serve BBQ don't say "Oh, (insert name here) just got her food, is there any left?"

When saying good-bye to someone at the same BBQ don't say, "I'll see you at the gym working this BBQ off".

When seeing someone make up their plate at a self-serve dinner don't ask, "Is that all for you?"

And, the one I thought everyone knew..."Are you pregnant?" Really, no matter how close you think you are to someone, don't ask this question! Here's a hint...if you are "that close" she will tell you if she is pregnant...you won't have to ask!

NOLA

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

Okay, so clearly I have been slacking on posting about our New Orleans trip. I have decided to just post some highlights instead of posting about every day...because I can't exactly remember what happened on which day now :-)

Some highlights from playing with the kids in the projects:

A little girl was asking us where we were from and when a team member answered "California" she responded with, "Oh, is that where all white people come from??"

On the first day we arrived to the projects one little girl, about 10 years old, spotted one of our male team members and was determined to make him her best friend. The little girl played with our team member all day and eagerly awaited his arrival on the second day. When we finally arrived on the second day she presented letters, poems and pictures to our team member. We teased him about his new girl friend but were really touched when he read her letter and it stated that no one ever played with her because she was the fat, ugly girl. Our team member was committed to making sure she got all the attention she deserved and it was wonderful. They even went on a picnic together in the projects.

Some highlights from demolition:
We got to demolition a whole apartment complex rather than a house.

The apartment complex owner also owned a doughnut shop so we got free doughnuts in the morning!

Our work on the apartment complex will not only give homes back to families but will also give a means of income back to a family.

Street Ministry Highlight:
We met a husband and wife that survived Hurricane Katrina. When the hurricane hit and the water rose in New Orleans he swam 2 miles with his wife on his back. They left their house with only his wallet, which the wife held in her mouth, and a Bible.

Random Highlights:
Jenna almost beat everyone during a Speed Tournament..after she pretended she had never played before.

We went to a swamp area and got to see alligators and it was sweet!

Matt and some other guys from the team saw a brutal beating and called the cops while in hot pursuit of the suspects.

The upstairs toilet overflowed and leaked through the ceiling of the first floor and Matt just happened to be standing under it...and this happens...Matt gets peed on during a game of Mafia.

Mission Trip Flexibility Moment:
We planned on going to church one night...and had even prepared...we were dressed and ready to go when our YWAM leader showed up to tell us the church service was the night before. Oh, by the way, this is after he checked the website earlier that day to see what time the service was at!

Day 1: Part 2

2009-04-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

...Off to Wal-Mart...and this happens....

Grocery shopping for 35 people for one week is no small task. Luckily, Super Wal-Mart has everything one might need...that is everything except customer service. I put together a team of about 10 people to tackle the shopping list and off we go. We actually knock out the shopping list in about an hour which really is great time but then comes time for check out. We line up our five over-flowing carts of food and call back to the house to tell them we are almost finished with the shopping and to save some pizza for us. Little did we realize that check-out at Super Wal-Mart is not so super. Our less than enthused cashier begins scanning and bagging our items...one by one. And by one by one, I mean one item at a time and one item per bag. As you can imagine this takes an extremely long time...in fact it takes longer than the actual shopping did. The cashier is pretty impressed with the amount of food we bought and seems excited to tell us about milk prices and that they too have the "Happy Cow" commercials and the cows are from California...if only she showed that much excitement while she was still scanning and bagging our items. Multi-tasking apparently is not a skill impressed upon in the south...

Highlight of the shopping trip:
At one point I need to ask someone where an item might be located. I approach the lady and say "excuse me" when she responds with "I'm listening" without ever looking up from her task....so much for friendly customer service!

If you are ever looking for a great cross-cultural experience I highly recommend going to a Super Wal-Mart in the South.

Getting to N'Awlins Day 1: Part 1

2009-04-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

To give you the full experience of our trip I will start for the beginning...getting to and meeting at the airport.

Because we had to pack bedding for the bunk beds in NOLA we packed extra community bags so that we didn't each have to pack bedding in our own personal bags. I collected all the bedding and a few extra bags and packed the bedding in community bags. It was an easy task but what wasn't so easy was getting the 15 extra bags to the airport. My wonderful Dad volunteered to take myself, my husband-Matt and our great friend and intern Rob to the airport at the wonderful hour of 4 in the morning.

** A little side note on Rob**
Rob was not scheduled to go to NOLA until Thursday-We left Sunday morning. We had one student drop from the trip and our tickets were nonrefundable although we could do a name transfer for no charge. So, that is where Rob comes in. He had been begging us to let him go but since he is only one year out of high school we usually do not allow them to go on high school trips. Matt and I thought about it and decided Rob was the best candidate for the trip so we called him up and gave him the good news...not the Good News...he already knows about Jesus dying for his sins but this could be the second best good news that he has ever received. We convince Rob that is was not a late April Fool's joke and then he was in.
**Back to the main story**

We cram the extra suitcases into the suburban and Matt and Rob sit not so comfortably with the bags while my Dad and I sit very comfortably in the front seats. We arrive at the airport a little after 5:00am and begin making bets as to which team member will be the last to arrive. The students begin to roll into the airport...all in matching bright green team shirts designed by one of our leaders and my good friend, Jenna.

I begin to hand out the tickets and extra bags for students to check-in and right as the first group of students get to the front of the line at the ticket counter the attendant informs us that we are in the wrong line because we were a group. I would have assumed that they would have noticed that a few minutes earlier since we were all in matching bright green shirts but it's a mission trip so I take a deep breath and let it roll off my back. So, they get into the other line and more and more students begin to show up. We get all checked in and to my surprise almost everyone, except two, arrived early. Two students arrived 6 minutes late and were ridiculed endlessly for not making it on time...not really...but they were made fun of.

All 35 of us make it through security without any problems and board our plane like pros. The flight attendants even made an announcement about our team and thanked us for our volunteer work we were heading to do. (one reason we always decide to wear team shirts is for the incredible conversations it can spark...and it makes it easier to keep track of everyone.)

We land in Las Vegas for our 2 hour layover and that is where the "fun" begins! We find our gate for the next flight, tell our students what time they need to meet us back at the gate and remind them not to do anything stupid since they are all under 21 and this is a mission trip.

Airport Entertainment:
See how many celebrities you can spot...we saw Usher and George Lopez...okay, look-a-likes...but it is a lot of fun!

See how many people stare at your group as they try to figure out if you are a sports team of some sort, a cult, a school group or what...

Make guess on who will show up last or late for the scheduled meeting time...

Lesson Learned: Subway in the Las Vegas airport does NOT partake in the $5 Foot Long promotion but the do prefer the $14 Foot Long deal which really isn't a deal at all. I suggest Sbarros pizza because it is so delicious and less than $14.

Everyone makes it back on time and we board our final flight into NOLA and again the flight attendants make an announcement about our team. The flight crews on Southwest were very nice and patient with our large group of anxious and excited high school seniors.

We land a few minutes early into NOLA and immediately feel the humidity as we step off the plane. We gather all our bags and head to the rental car place.

We arrive at the rental car location and find that although I called to confirm our reservations (twice) and the exact cars we needed they didn't actually have the right car after all. (I booked 5 vans/SUV's with exactly 35 seats) Luckily, they were able to get us a car that could fit even more so we had a little bit of extra room...well not really because of all our bags...but I didn't notice because I was a driver and didn't have any bags near me!

We finally get on the road, only after breaking a sweat trying to cram all the bags into our cars, getting in a small disagreement with another leader, and dealing with the nonexistent customer service of the South...and answering questions like, how long is the drive, what car do I get in, where is the bathroom....

We arrive at our house at 7:00pm (after passing the Super Dome) and then the chaos of getting the rooms situated begins. Now, there are 35 beds in the house and 35 team members in the house...so, everyone has a bed. Well, that would be too easy wouldn't it? People are freaking out over who gets to sleep where and what?...there are only 3 bathrooms?!? We gather everyone and remind them that although we are staying in a house with electricity and running water which is quite different that Mexico this is STILL a missions trip and we are suppose to be out of our comfort zone and it is okay if you have cold water for a shower or have to sleep on a mattress on the floor...at least you have a mattress!

We place an order for pizzas and I put together a team for grocery shopping at the Super Wal-Mart...stay tuned for what happens at the Super Wal-Mart as it is deserving of a post of its own!

A day with no shoes!

2009-04-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

Today is a day with no shoes! Toms Shoes is a company that sells shoes and for every pair of shoes they sell the company donates a pair to a child in need. In other countries shoes are often one of the last things a family worries about. Kids walk miles to get water without shoes which leads to deformities and infections...which are 100% preventable with shoes. A day without shoes is a day for you to bring awareness to this cause. Go one day with no shoes...one...to make a statement and when people ask why you don't have shoes on you can explain...and two...you can get a little bit of a grasp as to what it is like for people in other countries that don't have the luxuries and even necessities that we do in the US. Obviously there are some places we can't go barefoot but do the best you can and even if one person asks and is informed about the global problem you have made a difference! Can't go without shoes? Then visit Toms and support the cause by purchasing a stylish pair of shoes!

We're Home!

2009-04-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

Our NOLA team returned home exhausted, sore, and exhillerated on Saturday evening. The New Orleans mission trip was a huge success and there are many, many stories to tell. I will do my best to recap as many stories as I can...some are funny, some are interesting, some are heartbreaking and most are life changing. I hope you will check back as I begin to share the experiences of 28 high school seniors, 7 adult leaders, One amazing God and numerous New Orleans city residents.

Alternatives

2009-04-03T16:41:00.000-07:00

Since our annual Mexico Mission Trip for our high school youth group was recently canceled we have planned an alternative trip for our seniors. We only opened the alternative trip up to the seniors because this would be their last trip with our youth group before they graduate. There were about 40 seniors signed up to go to Mexico and we are now taking 28 high school seniors to go to New Orleans to serve. This trip is quite a bit smaller than the Mexico trip but God is going to move through it in amazing ways. On April 5, 35 high school seniors and adult leaders will be leaving for New Orleans, Louisiana. Throughout the week we are in NOLA we will be gutting the inside of a house that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina, doing homeless ministry in the French Quarter of New Orleans and playing with little kids in the projects. A lot of the houses that were damaged by the hurricane have not been opened since crews went through them to check for survivors days after the natural disaster occurred. As a team we will gut the inside of a house for a family so that another crew can come in and repair and rebuild the inside so families can move back into their houses. Since the hurricane, the homeless population has increased greatly and many people living on the streets simply want their story to be heard. We will spend time listening and talking (hopefully more listening than talking!) to the people we encounter in the French Quarter and hopefully we will have the opportunity to also buy a few meals for friends we make. Some afternoons we will also go to the projects to play with little kids. We will bring craft supplies and possibly put on some skits.

Last year, we took a team to New Orleans and had an incredible time. We came away with numerous stories and memories from the people we encountered and I am so glad we have the opportunity to go back.

We have had a great deal of disappointment within our youth group because of the cancellation of our Mexico trip but it is my true belief that God never planned for us to go to Mexico this year. I know God will use our group in ways that we cannot imagine right now.

Because we are only able to take the seniors to NOLA we have planned numerous local service projects to help people from our own church body as well as local schools in low income areas for the freshman through juniors.

Check back after April 11 for a recap of our New Orleans trip and our local service projects! Your prayers for all of our projects would be greatly appreciated!

Big Brothers Big Sisters

2009-03-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

For a little over a year now I have been the liaison for my church and Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) for our county. Now, before beginning my role I had only associated BBBS with the inner city because most of their promos have non-white children featured and our county is predominately white...let me fill you in, when I graduated high school there were only 4 black students at my school and 3 were siblings...triplets actually. Get the picture? I quickly learned that while our county, specifically our town, is very wealthy we have a divorce rate that is higher than the national average. The people in our town tend to put on a show and pretend that everything is just fine inside their huge houses located in the gated neighborhoods but the truth is their families are struggling too...and boy do we see this being involved in youth ministry too. I know our town has issues, I just didn't know BBBS was involved in neighborhoods that aren't located in the inner city.

BBBS has this awesome program where mentors can meet with students during their lunch break on the child's school campus. This is an amazing ministry for a few reasons...one it is only 45 minutes a week so it is not a huge time commitment, two, you can talk about anything you want with the student..even Christ!...three, it makes a huge difference to the students.

Last year I met with an 8th grade girl who was labeled "at-risk" by the school counselors. She was failing most of her classes and had been caught in the bushes with boys...during school hours. She was a beautiful girl who had lots of family issues and just wanted to be loved. We had a great time when we were able to meet and she even graduated the 8th grade which she was not expected to do.

This past week I was able to meet my new little sister...she is a little ball of fire! We were no more than two minutes into talking and getting to know each other when she says "My life sucks!" At least she is open! She is also "at-risk" and is failing most of her classes and has some family problems but hopefully our time together can be great and we can get her grades up.

I tell these stories to encourage you to get involved with BBBS. It truly is an organization that is making a difference in our communities. A lot of the students who are in need of mentors are lacking one of their parents being involved in their life and have little to no friends on campus. Meeting with them at lunch could mean that once a week they know they will have someone they can sit with at lunch and they won't be alone, someone to listen to them, to encourage them and someone who can tell them they are worth something and that they are cared about.

Check them out and see how you can get involved in a child's life...

Culture Shock

2009-03-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

Culture Shock basically is the disorientation or confusion felt when entering a different or unknown culture. Not surprisingly I experienced this when getting off the plane in Calcutta but I also experienced what is known as Reverse Culture Shock which happens when re-entering the familiar culture...well, I actually experienced this during our layover in Dubai which is located in the United Arab Emirates...the Middle East. Dubai is the wealthiest city per capita...mind you, Calcutta is the poorest city per capita. The airport itself is incredible. There are huge water falls, beautiful decorations and it is spotless. They even have reclining chairs for those long layovers. On our way home from Calcutta we had a long layover so we stayed in a hotel and had the opportunity to do a little sight-seeing.

The mall in Dubai is unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it...and I am NOT exaggerating. This mall has every restaurant you can think of...we ate at Chili's...and it was great! The most impressive thing about the mall was that there are ski slopes inside the mall. Yup, you read that correctly, ski slopes...in the middle of a mall which is in the middle of the desert!

Yes, Dubai is sweet. They pride themselves in being the best and having the record in everything. Dubai just built the tallest building in the world, has a building that is on the ocean and has a grocery store called "Safest Way"...that's right, not Safeway because that is American but Safest Way.

After being in Calcutta for 2 weeks and drinking instant Nescafe coffee I was thrilled to get a real latte and do a little people watching.

To Go or Not To Go....

2009-03-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me or even reads my blog can tell that I am a huge missions person. I became a Christ Follower on a house building trip to Mexico and have done everything I can to go on more each year. This year we were set to take over 200 high school students and leaders to Mexico over Spring Break when chaos broke out. The media decided to begin showing stories of violence in the California/Mexico border towns and warning people to not go near Mexico. Now, as Christians we are called to live on the edge through faith, right? We are called to go into places no one else wants to go into. Well, that is not exactly how the parents of minors see it.

One Wednesday night one of the top news stories was about how people are getting killed all over Mexico. (Now, let's be realistic here...it's not happening ALL OVER Mexico. It's kind of like when there are huge wildfires in Southern California and I live at least 6 driving hours away from them I get calls from family that live on the East Coast asking if our house is burning down. Lesson 1: before going crazy pull a map up from Google and take a look at the areas of violence and the areas of travel.) So, news story airs on Wednesday night and thus begins the frenzy. Thursday the church office gets swamped with parents saying their child is not going, the Church is being irresponsible in taking kids to die...because clearly that was our goal all along, Mexicans may need homes but their child is not going to die for THAT...and on and on. We decide to hold a parent meeting in which we could address these issues all at once rather than one by one and even have a representative from the organization we are working with fly up from San Diego.

Here is a brief recap of the meeting:
Matt (Pastor of Student Ministries and my husband) and Jon (Amor Rep.) begin by speaking for about 35-45 minutes about our safety precautions, what we know as fact, what are rumors, how we handle everything, yada, yada, yada....they do a GREAT job by the way.

And this happens....

Parents begin asking questions:
some are valid questions-
can my child at least call to let me know they are OK? (We usually don't allow contact with family/friends at home for many reasons but that is another post for another time!)
How far away from the violence will you be....
Is there a fence around the area where you stay...

And then the ridiculous questions:
Q. Who will be armed (carrying guns)?
My thought: is that really the best solution? To add more guns to the situation...and what are you expecting- for us Christian missionaries to get into a shoot out with the drug cartel?
Appropriate and given answer: it is illegal for US citizens to carry guns into Mexico, so no one will be carrying guns.
Response from a parent and leader on the trip: there are 230 of us and we all have hammers-so yes we are armed!

Q. Do the drug cartel know our group is coming down over spring break?
My thought: Yes, I just emailed them and they will be waiting at the border for us. Oh, Should I not have them on our email distribution list??
Appropriate and given answer: I'm really not sure.

Q. Does building houses in Mexico even have a benefit.
My thought: I'm going to hurt you right now for even asking that question.
Appropriate and given answer: The Mexico trip changes not only the lives of the Mexican families we minister to but all the lives of the students and leaders.

So, after the meeting we thought the frenzy would calm down...we were wrong. In fact, one parent began emailing students will information from the CIA (false information from what I researched). And, of course on the night of the meeting there had been no reports of violence in Tecate-where we were going. Wouldn't you know it-Wednesday morning reports of 2 sixteen year old girls (from Mexico) being found dead in Tecate began popping up all over the Internet and news channels. Nice timing! So then the calls began to flood in-you lied! You said it was safe in Tecate. Ugh! It WAS!

So, after much, much prayer and hours of research we have had to postpone our annual Mexico trip. I can't tell you how difficult of a decision this was-especially for a missions driven person like myself. If we were taking adults instead of minors on the trip we would still be going. I personally don't think we would encounter any danger but also have to remember that it is different when taking minors instead of adults and that we need to not take the trust of our parents lightly.

I know God will do amazing things wherever we serve. My heart breaks for the students who so badly want to go.

I did learn that I never want to have a parent meeting like that again. I heard that all community meetings in our area are similar to that, needless to say I will not be attending any of those!! It amazes me how we as a youth group/church can do so much for some families and they can turn on you in an instant. It is frustrating to see how some parents have no trust or respect for the church leadership. It also makes me think about how God must feel when people are lukewarm and when people only turn to Him when they need Him and use Him like a genie. If it frustrates me this much I can't imagine how He feels.

Let's pray that the violence in Mexico calms down before Spring Break 2010 so we don't have to go through that again!

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-02-28T17:58:00.000-08:00

You've probably heard about the movie Slumdog Millionaire by now but in case you've been in a cave somewhere I'll give you a brief rundown...
Slumdog Millionaire is a movie based in Mumbai, India and it follows the life of a boy who grows up in the slums...he is a slumdog. I won't give away the rest of the story but it is amazing. This movie has won multiple awards including movie of the year.

My husband and I finally got an opportunity to see it on Valentine's Day and I am so glad we did. This movie is very well done and very realistic. The only thing missing for me was the smells of India. Everything else was included in the movie.

It was difficult for me to watch because it immediately brought me back to Calcutta and made my heart ache for the people I left behind there and for the little kids that I encountered. One scene in the movie is of kids getting their eyes burned with a hot liquid. This particular scene was difficult for me to watch as I encountered kids who had damaged eyes. This happens so that the children can become "better beggars". Often times parents will break the bones of their babies so that they will grow deformed and they too can be better beggars. It is a tough movie to watch but one that I think everyone should see so that we can gain awareness of what goes on in other countries.

One little girl who we encountered in the market was trying to sell us these bead looking things that grow into gel balls when put in water (they were really strange). She followed us all around the market begging us to purchase her product, which of course none of us had a use or a desire for. We began to pay extra attention to our surroundings and noticed that as she was following us a man was following her. We asked her who he was but she said he was no one and then he started staying further back. Basically he was her pimp...not in a sexual way necessarily but in the fact that he gets the money that she earns from selling her bead-to-gel-ball product. This became a real struggle for us as we had to decide whether or not to purchase one of these items. On the one hand, if you purchase the item the money goes to the pimp and supports him and supports the problem but on the other hand, there is a good chance that if she does not bring in enough money (whatever that is)she will probably be beaten. What's the answer? I'm not sure but we did purchase one packet and had to haggle with her because she wanted to charge us 4 times what she should have. What do you think? What would you have done?

Another thing we encountered over and over was street kids holding crying babies while begging for food and money. Now, sometimes they really are siblings but sometimes they are "borrowed" for purposes of begging. Older children will take crying babies with them so that they get more sympathy and hopefully more money.

It's easy to get frustrated and annoyed that these kids are shoving a crying baby in your face and it can be frustrating when you think about how they are playing with your emotions for money but when I really sat down and thought about it I could not even imagine what I might be willing to do if I was in their situation. I have no idea how I would react and could not get mad when our hotel staff would ask for a bigger tip or a teenage boy would see us coming and go pick up a crying child to show us.

Go see Slumdog Millionaire! It is totally worth the $10.75 or whatever it costs to see a movie now! Go see it so you too can fall in love and then you can go back to Calcutta with me in a few years. I go to a new place and this happens...I always fall in love and can't wait to go back!

Parasites

2009-02-15T09:35:00.000-08:00

Often times when staying in another country, especially a developing or third world country, one will become very sick from the water or the food. And, one may even acquire a parasite...it's not that bad, think of it as a gift from your host country. Well, one night, actually our first Saturday in Calcutta I became quite sick...I traced my meals back and realized that I began feeling sick after eating a chicken dish at our hotel. Now, almost everyone had chicken while we were there and it was not my first go at the chicken dish but that did not matter. For some reason that specific piece of chicken did not mesh well with the inner workings of my body. Now, I tell you all this to get to this picture of something we passed every morning on our way to work at Prem Dan.

I show you this not so that you can think about how disgusting it is or how unclean other countries are but so that 1.) you can realize how it is possible for us to get parasites in other countries and 2.) to give you a glimpse of the way of life on the streets of Calcutta. There is nothing wrong with it in Calcutta, they don't get sick from it, just us wimpy-stomached foreigners do. In fact, if we were to bring them to the US and showed them our meat factories (or whatever they are called) they would see an enormous waste of money and time. I bring this up because so often we look at the way others do something and immediately want to fix it and show them the correct way to do it. However, it is only the correct way in our eyes. This method has worked for them for many decades and for us to think that we have all the answers is ignorant and arrogant and is the reason why so many countries around the world despise the US. And, let me just add that when people from other countries travel here to the US they often get sick from our food and water too...it is simply what your body has grown up on and what it is use to...so come on now...let's get off our high horses...we don't have all the answers :-)

Barbara

2009-02-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

Barbara was one of the patients at Prem Dan that spoke English really well. She was at Prem Dan because she had a stroke and was not able to move her left leg. Other than that she was pretty healthy. She had even been in a regular hospital but they were charging her too much so she had to leave. And, while she has a family and an apartment her family was unable to take care of her since she needs help getting to the restroom and such. Barbara even knew the pastor we worked with, Pastor Gus, and attends his church. Since the homes for the dying do not offer any rehabilitation or physical therapy our team decided to do it on our own. One day we got Barbara out of bed and we taught her how to use a walker to get around. We would stretch her leg for her and teach her how to do it herself so that she didn't get worse from not using her muscles.

Barbara is an amazing lady and taught our team a lesson in humility one day when she asked if we would pray with her. We prayed for her and when we were finished she began to pray for us. It was a beautiful moment. It was difficult to leave Barbara as we were able to grow closer to her because we did not have a language barrier.

I wanted to share this story with you today because this morning I got great news. Exactly one month ago today we left Calcutta and this morning we got word from one of the volunteers that is still working in Prem Dan that this morning Barbara went home to be with her family. It is wonderful news for us as she was very unhappy and lonely staying at Prem Dan.

This morning was bitter sweet as I heard this news. I am so happy for Barbara but so sad for the other ladies that won't get to go home to their families or don't have families to go home to. It reminds me that while we left Calcutta and came home to the prestige of the United States the men and women we encountered are still there, still struggling for life and still living in the same conditions we saw them in. It reminds me that they were not there just for us to serve but they were there because that is the life they live. They don't get to spend two weeks in it and go on to something better and that is difficult for me to think about.

Street Sights

2009-02-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

While grown men are known to bathe on the streets they start raising them up young in Calcutta...here is a little boy being washed by his mother. This sidewalk is right in front of one of the main train stations in Calcutta and is well traveled. It is also alongside what seemed like a freeway (at least a bigger street than anywhere else).

Not only are the street corners a perfect place to take a bath but also to get a shave. Men visit the barber for a facial shave right on the street corner.

Bathing

2009-02-10T12:24:00.000-08:00

So, I've shared stories about working with Missionaries of Charity but haven't really shared much about the street life in Calcutta. So, here we go!

One of the things that caught our eye very quickly because it is so different than life in the US is that men bathe on the street. Every so often there will be a facet on the sidewalk and groups of men will be surrounding the water source in their underwear or a towel, scrubbin' up! It was always a little awkward to walk by them because sometimes there were large groups of men in one area but we became quite accustomed to the sight.

While some men would bathe a little bit off the street some would bathe right on the street while cars are passing by.

Look closely and you can see a guy covered in suds!

So the next time you take a shower be thankful that you have a water source inside your house and don't have to wash on the main street going through town...

Kalighat

2009-02-06T13:34:00.000-08:00

Kalighat is the first home for the dying that Mother Teresa started. This home is for patients who are in critical condition and is not for long term care. Basically, the patients here are probably going to die within a few days. While I did not work in Kalighat we did walk through it and it was set up much like Prem Dan but the feeling was a lot different. All the ladies were in their beds and the home smelled worse than Prem Dan. The women are so weak that they cannot get up and walk to the toilet so they simply scoot off their bed and try to go in a bed pan on the ground but most of the time they miss the pan so it goes onto the concrete floor and goes to the center of the room where there is a drain. I do not think I would have been able to work in Kalighat but am so glad that there are men and women who can.

The first picture is of the top of the Kalighat home. What is interesting about this picture is that Kalighat shares a wall with a Hindu Temple. It just struck me as interesting that on one side there is an image of Jesus Christ and on the other side are images of many, many gods.

The second picture is a difficult picture for me to look at and is a sight that is all too common in Calcutta. This lady was outside of Kalighat waiting for a bed to open up so that she could be taken care of. She was covered in flies but one of the volunteers at Kalighat had given her a bottle of water to try to sustain her until a bed did become available.

**If you read Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne (which I highly recommend) this is the home where he spent his time volunteering.

Little Old Lady

2009-02-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

Okay so one of the patients at Prem Dan was this little old lady...I mean really little and really old...
We are not quite sure how old she is. We asked a few of the nuns and got numerous answers so our best guess is that she is between 92 and 130. I would venture to guess that she is more like 103 but probably not 130. She was completely blind and would sit with her feet up on her chair all scrunched up (like most of the Indians sit) and she would keep her hands out so she could feel when people would walk by her. Every day she had the same routine: She would sit in her chair, eat lunch (although if she was not served meat then she would not eat it), wet herself, then want to go to bed. The best part about this little lady is her voice. She has this high pitched scratchy voice that I really can't describe and cannot even imitate but everyone would just stop and listen to her because it was so funny. After she finished her lunch she was ready for bed so all you would have to do is get close enough so she could feel you and then she would cling on (sort of like a little monkey) and you could just start walking with her clinging to your waste and take her to bed. She also did not enjoy having clothing on. One day she wet herself (well, every day she wet herself) but this day the volunteers went to change her dress and they would put a clean dress on her and she would take it off and throw it on the floor. After about five times of this little game they were finally able to get her to keep her dress on. Oh, she is so cute. I just wanted to share her with you because she brought me much joy and entertainment.

Shika

2009-01-24T15:44:00.001-08:00

This is Shika. Shika has a broken leg but is otherwise healthy. Her bed was in the back corner of the building which didn't bother Shika because she could see everything from her view. She was the little gossip of Prem Dan. I would often go sit with her because the other volunteers didn't give her much attention...probably because she was fairly healthy and didn't need that much assistance because she could feed herself and get up to go to the restroom...
Although Shika knew only a few words and phrases in English we grew quite close and had many conversations. I would sit with Shika on her bed and she would point to different patients and motion to me that they were crazy...some motions are universal! She would point to different Nuns and let me know who the nice ones are and also the not so nice ones. She would tell me an elaborate story all in Bengali, using hand motions and everything and even though I did not understand a word of it I would listen and make comments, which she of course didn't understand either. When she was finished with her story she would look at me and then I would tell her a story, all in English, and she would listen intently. One day we were doing our story time and as Shika was telling me her story she pauses and says "Don't worry, Be happy!" I had no idea what the rest of her story was about but that was all I needed to understand. Shika was happy and she has a beautiful spirit about her that is contagious.

One day I was feeding a patient on the bed next to Shika's and I look over in time to see Shika reach for a plastic bag under her pillow. She reaches inside the plastic bag and pulls out a smaller bag with some sort of white powder in it. I must have had a weird look on my face because she looked at me and said "salt" then motioned to her food and acted like she was gagging. I guess she didn't like the food too much! It was a good reminder for me though that even though the people there don't have much they still have their likes and dislikes. It made me think of the people here, like the homeless people we serve in Sacramento and sometimes we get frustrated when they don't want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich but we forget that they are people too and just because they have an unfortunate situation they are still allowed to have a preference of food.
I was nervous to work at Prem Dan because it is difficult to work with adults when you don't speak the same language. They need something and they are trying to communicate it to you and you don't have any idea what they are saying so they get frustrated which is of course frustrating and then they wet themselves (or worse...) and you realize "Ah! She needed to go to the restroom...shoot...too late." With little kids you don't need language too much, you can entertain and take care of little ones using barely any language. Skiha, however, taught me that some adults don't need language either, they just need love and affection. Shika is a beautiful lady who will forever hold a spot in my heart.

Bhula

2009-01-24T12:53:00.001-08:00

This is Bhula. She was one of the older ladies at Prem Dan and was a little slow mentally. The first day I met her she grabbed my hand and made me sit down next to her. As I sat with her I held her hand and rubbed her back and she just smiled. She never said anything more than her name..."Bhula" and then she would laugh. She was more like a child than an adult. There were always masses of flies swarming the benches where the ladies sat and as I was sitting with Bhula one landed on her hand. She looked at me, gave me a sly little grin, then quickly smacked her hands together, she slowly pulled her hands apart and with great pride showed me the smooshed fly on the palm of her hand. "That's nice, Bhula!" I replied and she flicked the dead fly on the ground, gave me a great big hug, then proceeded to hold my hand and I tried not to think of the fly guts being shared between our palms. Every morning I would find Bhula and give her a hug before I started my cleaning. She was always beaming.
About one week into our trip I was having a rough day, just trying to process everything and really think about our work at Prem Dan and I didn't say good morning to Bhula. I knew she wasn't all there mentally and with all the volunteers that go through there I figured she really didn't know me from any of the other women. That afternoon I was helping pass out plates of food and as I walked by her she reached out and grabbed my arm. As I looked at her she smiled and stood up to give me a hug. After that morning I never skipped saying good morning to Bhula because I realized that she does remember me.

One more story about Bhula:
On our last day of work at Prem Dan I was putting lotion on Bhula's arms. My roomie, Sylvia, was standing with her back to us to the right of us and Bhula kept looking at her, looking at me and then laughing. All of a sudden she swiftly reaches over and grabs Sylvia's butt and looks at me and starts laughing...One of those belly laughs that little kids do and you can't help but laugh too. You put a bunch of Westernized volunteers with Indians and this happens! I'm not quite sure who taught her that but she was not going to let anyone get by her without grabbing their rear. Maybe she knew it was our last day and wanted to give us some parting gifts...so this is Bhula!

Prem Dan

2009-01-22T15:04:00.000-08:00

After our first day of volunteering I was set against working at Prem Dan. I wanted to work at Shishu Bhavan (Children's Home in Bengali). Half of the kids at the orphanage are physically disabled or mentally handicapped and the other half of the kids in the orphanage are "normal" (their words) and are adoptable. In order to work with the kids that are able to be adopted you have to be able to work there for 2 months so we were not eligible. We had to go to the Mother House to get our two week work assignment and for this we were able to request where we wanted to work. As we waited...and waited...and waited I just felt challenged and felt God tell me that He didn't bring me to Calcutta so that I could do something I knew I could do. I know I can work with kids...so I decided to challenge myself and request Prem Dan...knowing that the following day I would probably be kicking myself and wishing I was working with the kids. So, every day for the rest of our time in Calcutta I was assigned to Prem Dan to work with dying adults. I have to say that now I am so glad I made that decision and while it was challenging and I was way out of my comfort zone I made the right decision.
Every day was basically the same routine but it got easier the longer we were there because we came to know what the Sisters expected out of us and how they wanted things set up. Let me tell you, they know exactly how they want things and if a bed is even half an inch off they will fix it. Some days it was really frustrating because they were more focused on the work than on the patients and I was reminded of the story of Martha and Mary where Jesus explains that the relationship, not the work is more important. However, they seemed to think otherwise...But, we got through it and only got yelled at by a nun once. She was mad because we were visiting with patients while we waited for the floors to dry and we were suppose to still be cleaning. She told us to either work or leave. We decided to go back to cleaning but it was really tough because I simply wanted to love on the ladies. So, like I said, after we knew what the Sisters expected out of us it got a lot easier...and we didn't get yelled at again! Each of us seemed to find a couple patients that we would spend time with and we would make sure to say Hi to them in the mornings and give them their massages...we became somewhat territorial over "our" ladies.

There were quite a few volunteers from other countries there to work with Missionaries of Charity and many of them were there simply to be a help. They did not come with a church or because they even believe in Christ but because they saw a need and felt they had to do something. We got to know quite a few of these volunteers and as a team were able to share Christ with them. Very few patients at Prem Dan speak English so we were not able to communicate with them using words however we would tell the patients about Christ and pray that God would use our words to convey the message in a way that they would understand.

The picture at the top is where the more able-bodied ladies at Prem Dan would spend most of their day. They could only go outside when accompanied by a volunteer but most of them simply wanted to sit in this area all day.

Calcutta

2009-01-22T14:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know you have been waiting anxiously to hear about my trip to Calcutta...okay maybe not but just humor me! Let me just begin by saying it was an incredible trip...the most challenging of all my trips by far, but over all it was simply incredible.

For now I'll give a brief rundown of what we did and in later posts I'll get into more detail about the people we met and some of the relationships I had the privilege of building.

Mother Teresa started Missionaries of Charity which is an organization that exists to give the dying of Calcutta dignity. There are about 8 homes now which are run by the Nuns (Sisters) in Calcutta. Basically, Mother Teresa decided that people should not die on the streets of Calcutta but should have a bed, some warm food and caring people around them during their last days...and who would argue with that?! There are now several homes for dying adults, a few orphanages and homes for the mentally handicapped. The first day we went to volunteer the Sisters assigned our group to Prem Dan which means "Gift of Love" in Bengali.(the picture above is of Prem Dan) Prem Dan is a long term home for the dying. The younger patients at Prem Dan have diseases such as TB, HIV/AIDS, extreme malnutrition and many of the older patients have mental illnesses or some other handicap. Let me also just add that I did not want to work at this home. I really wanted to work in the orphanage and did not think I could handle working with adults. I can entertain kids...I know how to work with kids...adults, not so much! But of course, we were sent to Prem Dan...
The mornings were spent cleaning the beds and the entire room where the women sleep. Nothing has changed since Mother Teresa started the organization...it is a bit of a time warp walking into the homes. All the laundry is done by hand and the floors are washed with buckets and "brooms" made out of straw. After the cleaning was finished it was time for us to focus on the patients. Some of the patients have terrible bed sores and I was recruited to help another volunteer clean them. Mind you, neither of us have medical training but in Calcutta that doesn't really matter much! We would do our best to clean the sores without putting the ladies through too much pain and I would try to do my best to avoid being pooped on by the ladies. Yes, pooped on. Many ladies are not able to get up and go to the restroom so they go in their bed and the first lady I was recruited to help just happened to be one of those ladies and as we were cleaning her bed sore we had to shift gears and clean her elsewhere. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" has never gone through my head so many times before!
The ladies greatly enjoy having lotion put on so we would walk around to the ladies and rub lotion on their arms and legs. They loved it! One lady loved it so much she took her dress off to make sure our co-leader, Kelly, didn't miss a spot! We gave lots of foot and hand massages. One day we even brought nail polish and did some manicures and pedicures for the ladies. It was amazing to me how such a simple thing, lotion, could brighten a day...it was a great reminder of the little joys in life. We spent a lot of time just sitting with patients and giving them physical contact. Although there are a lot of volunteers there (mostly from Australia and England) they don't all give the patients much physical contact...at least not without gloves on...and we did not wear gloves. I feel like wearing gloves to console a dying lady isn't really giving them much dignity. We would also help feed the patients lunch. Most of the patients could feed themselves but there were also quite a few that needed to be fed. It was difficult to try and feed some of the patients...especially the ones with extreme malnutrition because every bite is such a struggle for them that they don't want to try eating yet eating is what they need to do.
Our first day came to an end and as we were leaving one of the patients passed away. She had been on an oxygen machine but was not able to make it. Our first day was really tough and I really wasn't sure how I was going to do this for two weeks. I desperately wanted to work with the kids because they were mostly handicapped but otherwise healthy so I figured I wouldn't have to see patients die.

Almost there.....

2008-12-23T21:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, it has been a while but things have been crazy! I graduated! Yeah! And, now I am putting the final touches on my trip to India!

All has been calm and quiet in Calcutta although persectution continues in Orissa. A group of Hindu radicals are planning on shutting the entire city of Orissa down on Christmas so that the Christians cannot partake in Christmas Worship Services. This is not expected to reach Calcutta...but the Christians there are in desperate need of prayer. The YWAM base there has had a lot of difficulties lately and has been attacked several times.

I just found out that I will not have internet access while away so you will have to wait until I get back to get a run down on my adventures!

Thank you so much for your support and prayers...I raised enough money to cover my own trip as well as help with another team member so thank you!

I just ask that you would continue to pray for me as I prepare to leave and while I am gone. I have been on enough trips to know that this is the time in the process when Satan seems to attack me the hardest; putting doubts and worries in my mind.

Thank you again and I look forward to getting to share my stories with you...stories of how God used our partnership for His Kingdom.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Love to you!

Line Etiquette

2008-12-12T13:16:00.001-08:00

While we were at Disneyland we waited in hours of lines, now in the US waiting in lines is a common occurrence, we have grown up with it and we are use to them-I recognize, acknowledge and have experienced the fact that things are different in a lot of other countries. Lines are not a universal norm however, at Disneyland they are and if you are from the US then you have no excuse and after experiencing a full day of this I felt the need to set a few things straight regarding lines:

1. We are all anxiously waiting in line to get into the Haunted Mansion, get onto Space Mountain, Indiana Jones....(you fill in the blank)...we all wish the line would move faster.
2. Standing less than an inch behind me literally (definition: actually; without exaggeration or inaccuracy) breathing on the back of my neck is not going to make the line move any faster...I promise, it really isn't.
3. Letting the people directly in front of me take two steps without immediately taking two steps of my own is not going to affect your wait time. In fact, yelling at me and telling me to "move" will make me less willing to immediately take my two steps but still...no affect on your actual wait time. In fact, I prefer to get a few feet in between myself and the group in front of me so that when I do move up the whole line behind us moves up a lot and feels like they are making a lot of progress...mind games...I like!

Here are a few suggestions for waiting in long lines:
1. Bring a game: sudoku, word search, crossword puzzles, a hand held game...but don't get too distracted and not move up...you may get yelled at...
2. Buy something to eat before getting into a long line...Disneyland has great churros, frozen bananas, Carmel apples, popcorn...and lots of other tasty goodies....if the line is long enough you will have plenty of time to eat and digest before getting on the ride so you won't get sick
3. Pray...pray for the line to go fast, pray for the ride not to break down after you wait 45 minutes, pray for the people who keep yelling at you because you waited 5 seconds before taking two steps to move the line along...
4. Play the 20 things you won't see in El Dorado Hills game...its simple, you pick out things that you don't normally see in El Dorado Hills. Matt and I play this when we go to Palmdale, only we play up to 50 because there are so many and they are so easy to spot...

Of course we could do away with lines...and this happens:

Do you have a line etiquette story or suggestion to pass the time?

Advent Conspiracy

2008-12-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

A follow up to a post a couple weeks ago regarding money spent on Christmas and the lack of clean water world wide:

and this happens....Check out this video on the advent conspiracy

Let me know what you think....

Happiest Place on Earth

2008-12-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we took our youth group (Jr. high and high school) to Disneyland.

Youth group Disneyland trip....and this happens....

85 of us Load up on two charter buses around 4:00 Friday afternoon

First bus (not the bus I was on) right out of the church parking lot...goes the wrong way (first affirmation that this was a bad idea)...proceeds to do a u-turn in front of the church (not a wide street, especially for a bus to attempt a u-turn)

Our bus begins shifting funny and it seems as though we might break down...but our bus driver rocked and just kept going...

Driver number one takes the most random routes...costing us about an hour

Stop for dinner...Stu gets dinner at Quiznos and McDonald's...Gray tells us he wants to run for president and wants to have a female vice-president... we try to talk him out of it when Amelia says "I'll be your running mate....then I'll plot to kill you and take over..." point proven....

Matt found a mega-nuggie at McDonald's....

Continue with the drive...driver number one pulls over as soon as we get on the freeway because his door was not closed all the way (affirmation #2)

I take Benedryl to force myself to sleep for a while...

Stop at the bottom of the Grape Vine and when we get back on the bus we do a head count and come up one short...count again...same thing...I get off the bus with Pappa John check the bathrooms...no stragglers...get back on the bus...still one short...have a group huddle, realize the driver did the first count and assume she was wrong so we just decide to leave...(no one ever called so the count must have been wrong...or Matt is going to get a call from one angry parent today!)

Finally get to our hotel at 1:00am....yes, it took us 9 hours and it should not have...

Check into our rooms and get to sleep around 2.

Saturday Morning:

Meet in the lobby at 7:30....

Nick was mad after having found "love stains" on his sheets at the Super 8

Students arrange themselves in groups and off we go....

Arrive at Disneyland around 8:30

Get to ride on Indiana Jones and Pirates right away before lines start to form....

Matt gets a call from the charter bus company and needs to go back to the hotel to buy extra time for the drivers...and the (not so) Super 8 doesn't authorize credit cards over the phone...

Dave, Jenna and I eat a nutritious breakfast of churros and coffee...Disneyland has the best churros!

We meet back up with Matt and go on some more rides...one of those being Splash Mountain...mind you, I hate Splash Mountain...the ride itself is great but I hate wet socks and shoes and I also hate wet jeans which both are likely to occur on this ride but Dave and Matt convince Jenna and I that it won't be that bad and we foolishly listen. It was that bad...actually worse. Matt looked like he peed his pants and my butt was wet for a few hours.

We took a break for lunch and it was then that I realized I was ready to go home yet still had 7 hours left....

Went on more rides until Aaron called us to let us know that one of the girls in his group was sick so we met up with them, bought the girl an apple, gave her some Advil and told her to suck it up...well, a little nicer but those were the thoughts in our head....

Had another churro

The lines got longer and longer and let me tell you...people are pushy in lines even when they aren't moving....I'll post more on that later....

We had some dinner, took care of more sick kids and walked around trying to pass the time...

I did get a caramel apple which was delicious by the way and we waited for another hour until we got to meet up with the group...

John Stamos did a reading of the Christmas Story which was really cool...what a captive audience there was...he even read from Scripture and it was beautiful.

Kids started to meet up to head back to the buses....

Gray showed up...15 minutes late...and not with a leader but with his family members that met him there....not sure who's idea that was... but he showed up soaking wet and it was then that we found out that Splash Mountain had some technical problems while he was on it and they could not stop the ride...so he ended up going on the ride 12 times in a row and he was in the front seat. He was drenched...and that is another reason I don't like Splash Mountain.

We finally loaded up on the buses after rounding everyone up and by this time I am extremely frustrated and more than tired...one of our leaders went back to the buses without telling everyone else so we wasted 15 minutes waiting around when they were sitting on the bus already...not cool...so we head out....
The driver of the first bus gets on the wrong freeway...actually the right freeway just going the wrong way...yeah, towards San Diego, oh and then he doesn't turn around for over 20 minutes. So we got to Irvine and he finally decided to turn around and start heading North...(affirmation #3)
I realize that I really can't handle many more affirmations and take a benedryl to help me sleep...especially since one of our students got sick and was having stomach problems just thirty minutes into our nine hour drive
Suddenly, as I try to sleep curled up in an uncomfortable bus seat I hear the driver yell "I need coffee" now, I am half asleep and in an antihistamine daze and I'm not quite sure why our driver is yelling this but soon realize she is letting the other driver know that she needs to stop because...as you guessed it, she needed coffee.
It turns out the other driver needed coffee too as we found out later that he was pouring cold water on his head while driving to try and stay awake. (affirmation #4) Two of our very dedicated leaders were taking turns talking to him, asking him questions and trying to stimulate his brain.

Sunday Morning:

We rolled into the church parking lot around 7:30 am...just in time for Matt to rush home, take a shower and return back to church in time to give the announcements and communion thought.
I went to church and then spent the day attempting to write a paper and not being very successful after having only about 9 hours of sleep for the whole weekend. (affirmation #5)

I've had a lot of really great times at Disneyland so I know it can be the happiest place on earth...tell me one of your favorite memories from Disneyland

Christian Cussing

2008-12-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

The other night a bunch of us were enjoying an after youth group dinner at our favorite after youth group restaurant...Chili's aka Salties because of the mound of salt they pour on chips, french fries...salads, hamburgers, desserts...you name it and it has salt on it...I always leave there dehydrated and sick to my stomach yet we continue to go...we need to reevaluate our decision making abilities...anyways back to my original point....
We began discussing how to get to my school which is 45 minutes away from where we live...not because it is far away or there is a lot of traffic but because there is no easy way to get there...which led us to talking about Folsom Dam and the road that goes over it being closed (since 9/11-no we aren't egocentric). Now at a table of 10 Christians this is always a fun conversation to start and this happens:
"I hate that dam road."
"oh, that dam road."
"I use to love driving over that dam road."
"...dam road, dam road, dam road..."
"I wish they would just open the dam road."

No matter how the conversation starts or where the conversation was intended to go this is always where it will lead when trying to discuss the Folsom Dam Road. Hmmm, as my good friends over at http://krazydelicious.blogspot.com/ thinks...maybe this is a way of Satan (Stan) getting to us, just like that Santa Claus ploy...could be something to look into. If you have no clue what I'm talking about check out Ryan's blog. It is sure to entertain you as his life is far more exciting than mine....

Have a great weekend...and just try talking about the Dam Road.....

Brotherly Love

2008-11-30T16:10:00.000-08:00

One thing I forgot to tell you about while we were in San Francisco:
While out praying for people in the city a man asked one of our male students to pray for "Brotherly Love"- During our debrief the student explained that he was really unsure as to whether he should pray for it or not because it didn't sound appropriate, and he was rather uncomfortable that the man would ask that of him...we had to explain to him that "brotherly love" is more like peace and everyone getting along...not men loving men....this was a great relief to the student who wanted to make sure he didn't ask for anything he wasn't suppose to!

Oh how I love Junior High innocence...
You take students to work in San Francisco and this happens!

Volunteers are sexy

2008-11-24T08:26:00.000-08:00

That's right, I said it, volunteers are sexy...actually, I can't take credit for this amazing quote...I stole it from a homeless lady in San Francisco...well let's say borrowed, I don't want to come off a total jerk, stealing from a homeless lady....
I just spent the weekend in San Francisco working with YWAM to serve the homeless and to share Christ's love with them. This is my 4th year going and every year I come away learning new lessons and seeing God work in incredible ways. Here are just a few of the highlights:

Friday night:

Arrive at YWAM around 6:30
Begin orientation
Brackney sets his eyes on one of the YWAM leaders, Amanda...now becoming a missions trip tradition
Head out for hot chocolate ministry where I see the homeless man that we (Matt and I) had purchased a "bed in a bag" for (from Ross Dress For Less) a few months earlier...he no longer had the blankets :-(
Met some incredible people: Joey who has been homeless since 14, got hit by a car at 19 and his dad is now dying from cancer but won't talk to his son-a really neat guy who simply had a terrible childhood and is still struggling from it and another man who I could not understand but provided us with a little giggle...we thought he fell asleep while we were talking with him, turns out he was just preparing to pray, for about 2 minutes....
Went to bed late and got no sleep...

Saturday:

Woke up at 5...thanks to some lovely girls from another church....
Went on a prayer walk around the city...prayed for strip clubs and "massage" parlors
A student realized why the city smells so bad when he saw a man peeing on a wall...
Met a beautiful lady named Grace-we bought her some yogurt and cranberry juice and prayed with her, we prayed that her family would come back together and as soon as we finished praying her grandchildren walked up to her...what an incredible answer to prayer right in front of us!! Oh, she also called one of our chubbier students "a chunk"...she really meant it in a nice way....
Went to lunch on Hippie Hill on Haight...always walk away with the stench of pot stuck in your nose but this activity always leads to great conversations
Set up a prayer station where Aaron had to pray without using pronouns because he didn't know if Billie was a male or female...he said it was the most difficult prayer he ever had to pray
Students bought homeless people lunch...an incredible selfless act who spoke volumes to other people who witnessed the actions
Went to Blondies for lunch....greatest place for pizza by the slice...especially when you had breakfast at 7 and no lunch till 4....
Corporate worship time when I really got to see how mature our jr. high students are....the other group at YWAM had high school students who were goofing around, writing on each other and even sleeping on the floor...did I mention even their pastor was sleeping on the floor....ugh! Our students did great and were very respectful
Walk to Grace Cathedral where we had team worship time...Aaron Wolfe did great leading us in worship...he is such a stud and I think all the ladies should take notice of him....
On the walk to Grace a student asked me what "exotic nudge shows" are...I had to correct him because the sign said "exotic nude shows"....awkward!
Another student saw a corner store in which she thought she had been to before where she had the best hot chocolate...turns out it was a pretty wild bar....I hope she was mistaken
Late night walk to Burger King...yum!
Finally got a few hours of sleep

Sunday:

Doughnuts/donuts...both spelling are correct by the way....from Happy Donuts....best donuts in Northern California!
Church at PromiseLand...a Charismatic church
Service started at 10:30...pastor started speaking at 11:40....they did some healings and claimed prophecies....interesting cross-cultural experience!
Got home at 3:00

Had an amazing time and the junior high students did an incredible job of stepping out of their comfort zones and showing people the love of Christ in practical ways. I encourage you to drop any stereotypes of homeless people because they are not all lazy drug addicts and alcoholics. You can learn a lot from homeless people too as most of them are more appreciative of what they have, as little as it may be, compared to those of us who can have pretty much anything we want. Take 20 minutes this month and chat it up with someone living on the streets, you may be surprised by what you learn....and remember volunteers are sexy!

How much?!

2008-11-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

With Christmas just around the corner...and already in all the stores...I feel the need to give a plug for the less fortunate in our world...someone needs to! It is estimated that last year Americans spent around 450 BILLION dollars on Christmas. Let me repeat this...450 BILLION DOLLARS only on Christmas. Now, what tugs on my heart is that it would take just 2% of that amount to provide fresh water for every people group that needs it...so, I'm not that great at math but I believe that is just under 10 Billion dollars...to provide every people group that needs fresh water with a fresh water source. I'm not talking one bottle of fresh water but a long term source such as a fresh water well. This really just tugs on my heart and makes me ask how can we help, how can we change this because this is not okay. One of my professors said something that really stuck out to me (finally! Boy, does he stretch my patience!) Because there are so many needs in the world we can often get overwhelmed with where to start and what cause to support but that the most important thing to do is to educate and instill compassion into younger generations. Hopefully, by doing this each generation will become more and more compassionate and thus, in theory, the poverty of the world will decrease accordingly. So, in an effort to educate and instill compassion I want to point you to a wonderful organization-world vision. World Vision provides child sponsorships but at Christmas they provide opportunities for people to purchase gifts for needy families, in the US and across the globe. You can purchase animals for families that can use the eggs or milk as well as sell any extra items for a profit. And, to tie it all in with the fresh water problem...you can also help purchase a well for a needy community. Worldvision.org- check it out and spread the word! And, with the economy in the shape that it is I'll add that these gifts are really affordable. I hear sad statistics and this happens...I need to share them...

Palmdale

2008-11-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

Whenever we go down to Southern California to visit Matt's parents I am reminded of what a sheltered community I live in. Palmdale really is a different world compared to El Dorado Hills/Folsom. One time Matt, Jenna and I went and as we drove around we played a game to see who could spot things that you don't see at home....we usually get to about 10-15 things on a ten minute drive. For instance, the first time I went there to visit we were driving on the freeway when a van flew pass us in the fast lane. What was interesting about this van was that it did not have its headlight on...and it was about 9:00 at night. But don't worry, it did have a small flashlight taped to the dashboard on this inside of the van...so obviously they could totally see where they were going! This last time we were down visiting there was an ice cream truck driving around the neighborhood. At first there was nothing special about this ice cream truck until we all stopped to listen to the familiar song it was playing...nope not the normal "do your ears hang low" song but "jingle bells", yup "jingle bells" in early October. Well, that's one way to get people's attention! Oh how I love Palmdale!

Recap of meeting my India Team!

2008-10-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

Sunday, October 19:
Matt and I drove to Citrus Junior College in southern California where we were holding a rummage sale at a swap meet. They all met at 5:00 am but because of where we stayed I got there at 8:00, so as I walked up to the group everyone was busy selling items and getting people to look at our "goods". Doug, our leader, starting introducing me to everyone right away and everyone was very welcoming. There are 9 of us total and only one person that was not there. I was a little overwhelmed meeting everyone at first because it was a bit chaotic and a lot of names being thrown at me...not to mention not everyone I met is part of our team so I was trying to remember who was who! I stayed close to Kelly, our co-leader and I think her and I are going to get along very well. She has been to Kenya and Peru as well and worked with the same ministries I worked with when I was there...so we hit it off right away! Because we are staying in a hotel we already have our room assignments so I got to meet my roommate, Sylvia. I was also excited to see that I am not the youngest member of the team-there is a 22 year old guy who has actually never been out of the country before. With the exception of Matt, the 22 year old, everyone on the team is married and will be going on the trip without their spouse. It will be neat that we will be able to help each other and relate to each other throughout our stay in Calcutta.

Meeting everyone has gotten me so much more excited and has also relieved some anxieties that I had. I ask that you will continue to pray for me and our trip and that you will be asking God to prepare my nerves and my patience with the living situations I will encounter.

One last thing...I also found out that we are leaving two days earlier for our trip, December 28 at 1:30pm from LAX.

Thanks again for all your support and love. It has been incredible to see all the support. As of today I only need $60 until my trip is paid for...thank you!

PS to Prop 8 post...

2008-10-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

I'm not saying one should vote yes or no on prop 8...I'm simply wondering why we, myself included, spend more time making known what we stand against rather than what we stand for. I think it is a problem with Christianity as a whole...we are known more for what we stand against rather than what we believe in and stand for. Just don't take this as a political statement on how to vote one way or another! Okay, now I'm done!

Prop 8

2008-10-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

On my way to school this morning, around 7:30 am, I drove past a busy intersection to see two people holding signs to vote "yes" on Prop 8. This got me thinking about how much time we spend making it clear about what we stand against rather than what we stand for. I would venture to guess that the majority of the people who are rallying people to vote yes on prop 8 are Christians which begs me to ask if they are spending even half as much time loving others (homosexuals) as they are making their stance known? Jesus simply calls us to Love God and to Love Others and if we did this simple command...oh how different the world would be!
On another note, why are Christians so focused on homosexuality? Do we see it as a sin? Yes...but why are we so focused on this sin compared to other sins? I haven't heard much talk about prop 4 which deals with abortion. The truth is that homosexuality is happening...and it didn't just start in 2008...it was in the Bible and whether there is a law against homosexual marriage or not same sex couples will be together and a law is not going to stop it. Whether they can marry or not really has no effect on my marriage, my marriage is still valid and will be great regardless of who else is allowed to marry. Youth are still going to grow up knowing homosexual relationships happen but I really don't think it will have an effect on the path they choose...in the past it wasn't talked about nearly as much as it is talked about now yet homosexuality didn't die out...it still happened. As a youth leader I say we should focus more on teaching youth to value themselves and to guard their body against premarital sex or drug use or underage drinking rather than trying to protect them from the talk of homosexuality. Let's teach the youth to love God and love others regardless of the life they choose just as Jesus did. Okay...that's all on that. This is what happens when I have an hour drive to school early in the morning! :-)

It is really going to happen!

2008-10-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

I just got confirmation that our plane tickets to India have been purchased! It is really going to happen! I am really excited...it's not just a possibility anymore. I'm also excited because we have a layover in Dubai and I really like it there! Thanks again for your prayers and support!

India Team Training!

2008-10-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

I am very excited for this weekend as I finally get the opportunity to meet the people I will be traveling to India with! The team is holding a fundraiser in Southern California and it will work out for Matt and I to go down for the weekend. The church I am going with (Simplified) is holding their church service at a swap meet to be out in the community and all the money raised from the swap meet will go toward our trip. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone and hopefully it will alleviate some of my anxieties about the trip! Again I want to thank you for all your support, financial and prayer. I can't explain how encouraged I have been by the love and support you have poured out on me.

Frustrations....

2008-09-25T14:29:00.001-07:00

Quite honestly I try to avoid talking to a lot of other people involved in youth ministry because it usually leaves me being frustrated and this happens...a post about my frustrations! I was recently reviewing a popular website among Pastor's wives and one of the most popular posts was about the game show Wipeout. Now, for the record, this is a pretty hilarious game show. We actually DVR it so that we can watch it with friends and make fun of the ridiculous things people will compete in for money. Having a post about the game show is not the frustrating thing frustrations comes in when the wives go on and on about how their youth pastor husbands spend time, energy and money figuring out how to recreate this obstacle course for their youth services. I am all about having fun and enjoy creating fun environments for youth the problem I have is that when we as youth leaders only have about an hour and half with these young students why are we wasting it playing silly games? Project Four Twelve is very, very unique in that we do not play games during our youth group services and I am astonished at how many groups will spend 45+ minutes playing games each week. Wednesday night for Jr. High and Thursday night for High School are our most crucial nights of the week and I can't imagine wasting that time playing silly games rather than worshiping and teaching students about the most important thing they will ever hear about. They don't need to compete in a fun competition what they need is to hear about the saving grace of Jesus Christ...they already know how to have fun...they need a Savior...they need to know how to live for Him, how to teach others about Him...not who can drink a disgusting blended drink of sardines and whatever else was on sale at the store. We have been entrusted with an amazing responsibility of teaching young people about Christ and I don't want to waste the time that we have to do that.

India Update!

2008-09-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

I recently received an update from our India Trip Team Leader and wanted to pass it on to you to include you in my trip as well as to ask you to join me in praying for India. This update makes me nervous and at the same time makes me want to go to India even more. It is clear that the Christians in India need encouragement and support and the country is in dire need of Christ's love. Here is the email that the missionaries in Calcutta have sent to us:

I just spoke with [the Pastor] on the phone from Orissa. He says that things are much worse than even what the reports we’ve read are saying. The government is 100% for the radical Hindu groups that are attacking Christians, burning churches, killing and raiding. The Baptists and Catholic communities have been hit the hardest. Many Christians want to retaliate with violence by joining the terrorists hiding in the jungles. Many Christians must hide out in the jungle at night for safety. No where is safe for them. [Pastor] is there with his son, and others – who speaks the local language. They are meeting tomorrow – which will be our tonight – with 20 Christian pastors to fast and pray and seek the Lord for wisdom and guidance. He is asking for our sincere prayers. He wants to know what to do to help. We had two missionaries in this area for about a year, but they have since fled. There are some Christians there who have no pastor that were baptized under our care. [Pastor] believes that the Lord has a plan for this area and that many will be reached for Christ through this conflict. The people he has talked to are so very grateful that he came – they feel that there are not alone and they’ve been told that we are praying for them.

Please continue to pray and let others know what is happening. This hasn’t hit the world news reports yet, and it needs to. Indians in other areas feel that this is barbaric and is a stain on India. We must pray that the dark deeds of Satan against the church be revealed. Pray for God’s Spirit to lead and guide His people though this very difficult time of persecution. He is their ever present help in time of need. Pray to the Prince of Peace to rule and reign in Orissa.

An Incredible Gift

2008-09-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

While I am super excited for my upcoming India trip I am constantly seeking God's will and wanting to make sure it is what He wants me to be doing. I am nervous about the trip and there are numerous things that continue to pop into my mind that make me begin to doubt my thinking that I am suppose to go on the trip. I have sent out a number of support letters to inform family and friends of my latest adventure and have been thoroughly blessed with the prayer support, encouraging notes and generous financial donations however the most recent donation I received encouraged me and settled my doubting mind in ways I never expected. With today's economy I know money is tight and I have received so much support and simply do not have adequate words to express my gratitude to everyone. As I shuffled through yesterdays mail mostly consisting of bills and junk I noticed an envelope from a family of one of my 7th grade small group girls and as I opened it I was brought to tears as I pulled out $20 and a note telling me that the money was for my India trip and had been earned by the 7th grader through babysitting. While I have received generous donations of all sizes and know they all come with a sacrifice it amazes me how this beautiful girl was willing to make a sacrifice for God's Kingdom and for my trip. As I read the note I remembered the days when all my money was earned through babysitting and how tight I clung to every penny of that hard earned money and was overwhelmed with a sense of comfort...a sense of peace that I am suppose to be going on this trip. So, I thank you my dear small group participant because you have encouraged me and settled my mind in great ways...You are a beautiful child of God and I thank you for believing in me when I was having trouble believing in myself.

Staff Retreat with spouses....

2008-08-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

So our church just had the first staff retreat with spouses so I was lucky enough to be invited since I am married to the Pastor of Student Ministries...and this happens...
We start the retreat off by playing a friendly game of guesstures (similar to Charades but it is electronic) and I'm pretty good at these types of guessing games so I'm pretty excited, that is until I see the word that I have to act out in front of the whole pastoral staff at my church...yeah...everyone else gets cat, dog, blanket...not Heather...she gets LAXATIVE.....that's always a great way to start off a staff retreat!
Day 2 we start off by going over personality tests that we took before the retreat started and wowzers did they get to learn a lot about the inner workings of me...on the hostility score I got a 95% which means only 5% of the people surveyed (about 9,000 females) were more hostile than me! That's great...that is something every Pastor's Wife should strive for! Not only am I hostile but I'm also anxious which makes for a great combination! On the upside I am self-disciplined which is good...I guess!
I think I may be sick when this retreat rolls around next year for fear of what else may be unveiled!

All in all it was actually a great weekend...and now I have plenty of attitude changes to work on!

MissionS Completed

2008-08-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

Anyone involved even slightly with youth ministry knows that while summer is relaxing and includes downtime for most people it is quite the opposite for youth ministry. We have just successfully completed another summer of craziness but when the summer is packed with goodness this happens:

Recap on some of the amazing events of the 2008 summer for Project 412:

New Orleans: July 1-8, 18 team members
Gutted a house that had remained untouched since Hurricane Katrina AND managed not to die from mold exposure...so far...
Fed thousands of homeless people on the Fourth of July
Jackson got attacked by fire ants...not necessarily a highlight for him but I had never seen something like that
Met, prayed with, ate with and talked with many people on the streets of the French Quarter
And so much more but to sum it up an altogether amazing trip and a new close group of friends

CIY Conference: July 14-19, Over 100 Project 412 attendees
Got the Freshman connected with the high school group
Confirmed that our group is spectacular
Almost took out Wizard Boy....by whipping him in the legs...
Heard some incredible messages
Students had the opportunity to see they are not alone in their struggles
Slightly damaged a 12 passenger van...no one was injured!
Multiple baptisms in the ocean

Jr. High Increase Summer Camp: July 28-August 1 104 Impact Attendees
Had a record number of 6th graders attend summer camp
May have convinced Mr. Matt Smyles to move to Northern California
Fixed up a kids eyebrow when he cut it open on a counter top...he thought I was a doctor...I faked it well
Heard some awesome messages by the Matts
Managed not to damage the same 12 passenger from CIY
Had 17 Baptisms in Lake Tahoe

Super Mexico: August 6-10 14 Team Member
I didn't attend by they need to be recognized since they
successfully made it across the border into Mexico
Built a house in 3 days
Managed not to die from taco stands...and rotten potato salad
Successfully made it across the border into the U.S.

While summer is crazy it is always the highlight of the year for youth ministry...so many amazing things take place during the trips...just one of the many reasons why being married to a youth pastor is so great..I get to experience all these things first hand....

Some information About Calcutta or Kolkata...

2008-08-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

Residents of Kolkata are called Calcuttans. As of 2001, Kolkata city had a population of 4,580,544, while the urban agglomeration had a population of 13,216,546. The sex ratio is 828 females per 1000 males– which is lower than the national average because many working males come from rural areas, where they leave behind their families.

India 08-09

2008-08-07T18:14:00.000-07:00

Later this year I will be embarking on a new adventure...traveling to Calcutta, India for two and a half weeks. There are a few things that make this trip an incredibly exciting opportunity:
1. I have never been to India! India is 80% Hindu which just screams "We need to see Christ's love"!
2. I only know one other person going on this trip...the team leader who invited me. The team is based out of Southern California and there is a chance I won't meet anyone until we all gather at the airport in December...
3. We are going to be working with the organization Mother Theresa started, Missionaries of Charity...so awesome!
and...
4. I expect to see things that I have never experienced before being that we are going to be lending a hand in numerous homes for the dying, clinics and orphanages.
Oh and did I mention we may see a live goat sacrifice at a Hindu temple??!!

I'm pretty excited about this trip and I can't wait to see how God is going to work through it! I'll be posting updates leading up to the trip and hopefully during the trip...

The Reason

2008-08-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

My original reason for starting a blog was to retaliate, in the most loving way of course, against another blog in which wives of youth pastors come together and complain about their husbands' job. Being a pastors wife myself I find that site to be quite obnoxious and dishonoring to their husbands. Their poor husbands-I hope they never stumble across that site and view what their wives have been posting! Being a pastors wife can be difficult but is such an honor and I pray that the wives of pastors can come together to encourage and support one another in their ministry rather than complain and fire one another up about who has the worse summer because of youth camps and trips.

So, I struggled with names for this blog...morethanapastorswife and marriedtoayouthpastorandlovingit were just way too long andthishappened was already taken and so I settled upon, with the help of my husband and Sharpie, andthishappens...a sort of "sister site" to andthathappened...which you should check out by the way because my studly husband runs it.
So there you have it, the reason for and this happens which consequently is what happens when something frustrates me and gives pastors wives a bad name....