week three recap

started week three off at the Cadareyta which I mentioned in an earlier post. i'm pretty sure that's also where Riverview group will go on their first full day here. one of the big projects there was to remove this giant water tank from a giant cement table and then demolish the cement table. they ended up rolling it from the table onto a roof and then finally transport it elsewhere. below is a picture of it rolling off the roof (Indiana-esque).

i think on Monday and Tuesday for Riverview group, we will be headed to Imperio de Amor (IdA--"Empire of Love"). It's a fairly newer property that I have been spending a lot of time at in the last week. here's a couple pictures with some girls over there with Ruby.


on Thursday, we took El Retiro Juvenil (ERJ) to Estanzuela which is a beautiful place to hike. there were some pretty little waterfalls every once in awhile and more butterflies than i've ever seen in my life. below is also a picture of Holland (another intern) and I sitting in front of a thousand foot drop.



last night was our last Interns' Night Out which was pretty bittersweet in itself. a few staff took us to a parent's summer home (their quinta) which was nothing short of gorgeous. full outdoor kitchen, dining room, amazing outdoor pool, tennis court, etc. I only remembered to take a few pictures at night, but they didn't turn out well--so I'll spare you.

so we're now gearing up for our last week here as interns and just finished all of our meetings and cleaning to do before the next group gets here in a half hour to be joined by four more groups throughout the day.

tomorrow is my day off and I was invited to come along with a staff family and some other interns who have the day off to hike to these natural waterslides that are about an hour and a half out. (Leah--this means that I'll probably be online around 3 or 4ish eastern time.)

if you could pray for overcast skies and heavy clouds, that would be amazing. they're needing tons of rain here as the casa hogars (children's homes) are quickly running out of water. we've gotten a couple light mists in the past two weeks, but that's about it.

week 2 awe

this last week absolutely flew by. i was with a group from Grace Chapel in Ohio all week long and was able to make a lot of great friendships along the way. individuals from one of the other groups here have made a website for Rayitos de Luz and can be found here. they hope to get a website up and running about each of the Casa Hogars being served by Back2Back.

one of my favorite moments from this week happened a few days ago. i was sitting with one of the girls from my Grace Chapel group, Ashley, during dinner when I turned to her and said, "You know, I feel extremely spoiled here in the sense that I get to have worship every single night." and she said, "Yeah, actually last night was the first night that I have ever enjoyed worship." I go, "Really?!" and she said, "Yeah, I actually just accepted Christ into my life this morning. I've gone to church all of my life and have never really owned it on my own and I decided I want to follow Him for the rest of my life. You're actually the second person I've told." I was kinda shocked and was like, "Oh.. wow. That's awesome! You should tell more people!" I asked her if she was interested in being baptized here in Mexico and she and a few other girls that I've been getting to know wanted to read into baptism. So we talked about baptism with some 10 other people that were interested alongside their pastor Jeff Greer. The next morning a few girls and I went over some more verses and last night around midnight, Ashley and 4 others were baptized. It was awesome to be a part of walking her through her public declaration to follow Christ.

On a completely different note, I've been talking a little to Jeff Greer about serving in Nigeria next summer as he is kinda overseeing growth at Nigeria's Back2Back site. They have just purchased 250 acres over there for their site and are going to expand to another 250 more acres really soon. They have 5 interns over there this summer and only a few staff. I don't know exactly if that idea will grow into more than just an idea, but it's definitely a dream worth chasing as I feel like God's really moving in my heart for that country.

I haven't uploaded a lot of my pictures from this last week to my computer but here's a few worth sharing.

A little girl at the Cadareyta. The Cadareyta and the Rio are both impoverished communities that Back2Back ministers to and provides meals for as often as possible to provide aid to parents in hopes up preventing them from dropping their children off at a Casa Hogar.


some funny boys and I at the Cadareyta.


my Mauricio from Villa de Juarez (VdJ) who I would love to take back with me to the states. he thought he was funny for telling everyone his name is Abuelo (grandpa in Spanish).


While everyone was staring at the mountains one morning: "Yeah... these mountains every day, they kinda get old after awhile... just kidding, this never gets old." --Tim Couch, house parent at Back2Back.

flexico

Hey guys! I have to say after one week, Monterrey has been phenomenal! I've been so busy with intern stuff--and I've been wanting to contact everyone since I got here, but today was my first day off!

I live with one staff member, five nannies, and five other interns (down a little path and through a gate from the main Back2Back area). Everything here is amazing... the KIDS! are so fun, the staff, the missionary kids, the interns, the groups, etc.

I have so much to say about everything, but I'll limit myself to just posting a few pictures as there are currently two pool parties going on here with kids from Casa Hogar Douglas (CHD)! CHD is one of the many orphanages that Back2Back supports and is actually just one mile from Back2Back. Yesterday, I spent the morning at CHD serving breakfast, and then later spent half the day there organizing trench digging for a new water line that is being installed today.

First picture of the trip! :) Some fav missionary kids and their new nanny Jess.


The palapas, one of the pools, and the Guck's house at B2B. The mountains actually extend to the top of this picture but it was kinda cloudy that day.


At a tienda down the street--Diane, a food queen, in the foreground.


These pictures are out of order and my battery is about to die. This was from climbing yesterday at Huesteca. Ricardo and his friend.


After breakfast at CHD


Making necklaces at CHD


More necklace making.


And more necklace making under a palapa.


At Huesteca... the pictures do no justice to this place!

More Huesteca


High fiving for the ball ceremony at CHD.


Alexa at the ball handing out ceremony, all the kids got a ball and shirt after soccer camp.


I forgot her name... :( but she's holding Santiago or "Toto."

More pictures from a CHD breakfast.

And again at CHD breakfast.

A guy from the McCollum group this week with some kids at the pool at Huesteca.


A couple of my girls from bible study... we were given two machetes for our project. Good day.


McCollum himself heading up soccer camp.

Alexa and I at El Retiro Juvenil (ERJ)... she really likes taking pictures.

Cony and I at ERJ. She's actually a neighbor, not resident at ERJ.

Girl from McCollum group with a dead tarantula and frog at the new Rayitos de Luz property. Gross.

Limes growing at new Rayitos de Luz property. We were the first group to work at the new property and they hope to have the kids moved in by the end of June!

one week

One more week until I am in la ciudad de las montañas. Ahh! It's finally starting to get real!


Stuff you can pray for...

• Continued fundraising and support for the Mexico team (RivMexico.com)
• Safe travels on Thursday
• Strong community between the interns and Back2Back staff
• Having a ready heart

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Now playing: Cobra Starship - Smile For The Paparazzi

tis the season

Jeremy: "What do you like better, Christmas or wedding season?"
Jeremy raising hand
John: "Mr. Grey?"
Jeremy: "Yes. The answer would be, um, wedding season?!"

quack quack

Nicky's sister has ducklings! Joaquin, Nancy, and Hubert are awkwardly adorable.



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Now playing: Journey - Wheel In The Sky

haha

"White People’s body temperatures do not operate on logical or consistent levels, and because of this white people are often forced to wear clothing combinations that might seem strange or illogical."

Continue? [Click me]

Aww... I'm actually a fan of the scarf and t-shirt style.

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Now playing: Cute Is What We Aim For - There's A Class For This

you guys are sweet

This is more like a shout-out and thanks to everyone that emailed, messaged, or spoke to me in person about my last post. I'm so thankful for you guys and your positive comments... I have such awesome people in my life.

Have a fab day


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Now playing: A Cursive Memory - Tonight Lites

the greatest of these

I'm sad for a handful of Jesus-lovin friends right now. I don't know their hearts, but I hope that they are not seeking companionship for the sake of companionship.

A verse that has helped me is Proverbs 4:23:

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

I think it's important to look at the context prior in Proverbs 4:1-22. We see that to live righteously, we need God's Word instilled in our hearts and for the Word to guide our actions so we don't fall into disobedience. So when we look at "guard your heart," we're talking about more than just something along the lines of "don't let your heart get broken" which is what I feel most people think of when they look at this verse. Guarding your heart is about guarding your decisions, discernment, thoughts AND your heart (1 Kings 3:12). It's about being completely honest with yourself and God about what motivations and worries are at the core of your heart. We are told to guard it. Preventing ourselves from being in sketchy or misinterpreted situations is a good start. But the world suffocates us with gossip, immorality, greed, idolatry, and lust to enter into our hearts--it would be impossible to guard it ourselves. Who better than God (Isa. 43:2, 2 Thess. 3:3, 1 Samuel 2:9, Psalm 61:3)? How? We can do this by letting His truth apply to our life.

It's so important that our heart is right with God because from our heart comes our words and actions (Luke 6:45). You're not going to be able to separate them--it might work for you for a little while, but not for long.

As an individual that has been there (a lot), I know the longing to be adored by someone and I know how good it feels when you're valued and wanted in a committed relationship. The big mistake that we make is that we are way too quick to assume that what we want and what feels good to us must be what's right. I'm not going to lie, it's really hard to let God write our love story. We have our own timelines and agendas, and we can pursue (or be pursued by) person after person, but what it comes down to is evaluating where your heart is (Prov. 23:15). If you're pursuing someone or even thinking about pursuing someone, I would strongly encourage you to question why you're pursuing them. Is there desire in your heart to connect with them at a physical level? Is it because you feel like the only one not in a serious relationship? Do you just want to be loved?

It's so cliche', but it's so true: God has the most amazing love story in the works for you. He loves you more than anyone ever did, can, or will. I was once told to think about my favorite romance/love scene of any book or movie of all time. For me, it's Somewhere In Time, and I like to think about the whole movie rather just one specific moment. This guy (Christopher Reeves) is absolutely intrigued by the lady (Jane Seymour) and travels backwards in time (kinda Sci-Fi weird, I know) to figure out why. He gets to know her and they fall in love, but are separated once again by time. Now that Reeves understands his love for her, he realizes he cannot live without her. Recollect any love story, be awestruck by the fact that God loved you before you were made and loves you more than anyone else, and know that He knows you better than anyone (Psalm 139:23).

Don't settle. If you pursue, pursue someone that will build you up in Christ (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1), not leave you where you are, and pray for oneness with that person so that you have the same heart and that you might add to His kingdom (John 17:20-23). 1st Corinthians 13 is so commonly acknowledged as what we define love to be that we almost look past each of its promises. "Love is..." There's a lot of good and common-sensical stuff in there and it's easy to say "yeah, yeah, 1 Corinthians 13, I know." If you're pursuing someone, ask God to reveal to you each day for... let's see, there are 14 (15 if you include the one in verse 8) promises of what love is... so, if you asked God to show you each of these promises every day for a year, you'd have reflected about each promise at least 24 times. Excessive? Maybe.

Also, I think there's this funny notion that men feel like they have to be constantly pursuing someone. Okay, so God probably isn't going to drop someone in your lap, but He will provide someone who's going to capture your heart and He knows what you need (Psalm 37:4-5, Romans 8:32). Seek God first. (He's going to throw someone at your heart anyway.) Constantly seek Christ. You don't have it all together, none of us do. We all need Jesus and you can't overdose on Him. Are you content with God alone (Isaiah 58:10-11)?

I think a common flaw in our mindset is when we treat love like we are fishing. Love is not like fishing. We cast our little theoretical pole into a lake, aiming for the good fish, hoping it bites and when that doesn't bite, we can always ease the line over to the next best fish still swimming there and hope to lure it in, oh that didn't work either, but fortunately there's another one to try... and so on. "There's plenty of fish in the sea." Of course you're going to get a bite.

Love is more like hunting. I actually know very little about hunting, but I do know that it's about patience and going after the one you've been waiting for. I'm completely guessing with these terms... but it's more like seeing a 6-point buck when you know that there is a 24-point buck that is going to walk by if you chill for 30 more minutes. "Wait for it... .... ... wait for it... .... NOW!" Kinda like that.

Regardless of where you are in your relationship, I'm pretty sure you'd rather choose the hunt while holding fast to a guarded heart on God's timeline, not yours.

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Now playing: The Almost - Drive There Now!

Zzzz

You know you're tired when... you're standing at your locked front door pressing the "unlock" button on your car remote.

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Now playing: Eagles - Love Will Keep Us Alive

sueña

I went to the park today to catch up on some reading (thanks to the gorgeous weather). I set up my blanket on the lawn at a relatively safe distance away from the kid-dominated play structure. After looking around once I noticed a little guy not any older than 4 was swinging by himself. We smiled at each other for a second and he kept swinging.

I tend to zone out when I read. A couple minutes later, I glanced up from my book and the 4-year old kid, who I now noticed was sporting the cutest little mohawk, was standing directly in front of me, hovering. He stood there for a second and then said, "Hi mom." Then he walked back to the playground. Needless to say, I was very confused and just stared after him until he walked up to a very pregnant woman that I assumed was his mother and then he left.

I got back to the park a couple hours later after I decided to be ambitious enough to go running. I think that I was wired to only do things requiring sprinting and short-term strength. Long distances and endurance just doesn't work out for me. I'm not going to write-off running just yet, but man did that suck! There are way too many sick people out there that enjoy running for the hell of it. I envy them.

distraction

canadian show

nickyisms

My roomie Nicky is the funniest depressing person I know. Don't be worried, she thinks she's funny when she says these things... Krissy and I probably don't help when we're doubled-over in tears.
N = Nicky
K = Krissy
S = guess



N: I think I'd be alright if I died right now. I feel like I've accomplished enough for me. Death would be such an easy way out. No more student loans. No paper to write for tomorrow...

K: But then you'd miss hanging out with us all the time!

N: Well, I'll see you up in heaven. I'll be patient, just chillin' on the couch. Actually, I'll probably be at the table... eating. Actually, I'll be so skinny in heaven you probably won't be able to recognize me.

N: Is that sad that I want to die? You want to die too, don't you?

--3 minutes later--

N: Let's go to Europe next summer?! You want to?

K: Yeah, I'm already going!

S: Yeah, I wanna go too! I'll have enough saved up by then.

N: Screw that, I'm taking out student loans.

S: Yeah, then you get to pay it in 10 years.

N: Hopefully, I'll just die the day after I get back from Europe and don't have to worry about that.

N: Let's go to Germany. And just be like, 'Hey Germans. Peace sign, from America.' Then leave when they throw eggs at us.

--10 minutes later--

N: Seriously though, you don't think about how life would be if it just stopped right now? I'm so excited to die it's ridiculous! Heaven sounds much better.

K: Yeah, I don't really want to die.

N: Just take me up like you did Elijah! ...I want a chariot.

K: You don't want a family?!

N: Screw that. Kids scream. I was at church today and there were kids crying. My dad's like, 'Shhhh...' ITS A BABY, get your baby out of church. I can't stand kids--I really can't.

K: I want to have a bunch of kids.

N: Ugh, gross. If I have them, it will be accidental.

--2 minutes later--

N: Seriously, if we all went to heaven together it would be way more fun! Then I could donate all my organs and I'd save at least five lives of people that are probably really smart. Someone could have my heart, another my kidneys... my skin.

S: They can't take your skin!

N: Yes they can! It's called skin grafting. It's on the back of my driver's license. I'm not trying to creep you guys out, I just don't want to go to work. I need coffee.

K: Let's go shopping right now.

N: I can't, I have 15 more minutes before my cupcakes come out of the oven. See? Life sucks. I can't go shopping.

K: Let's just plan our Euro trip.

--15 minutes later (with laptops)--

N: This might be racist, but I don't really want to travel to any Middle Eastern countries.

S: Really? I really want to go to the United Arab Emirates.

N: I'll Google that.

N: Dubai? It's a fricken crop circle in the middle of the ocean.

N: Oh look! It's Finland, the land where I'm from!

Obama's speech

I'm just getting around to posting this great speech which should be required viewing. Obama didn't want to touch on race at the beginning of this election, but his pastor left him no choice and he addresses the nation with humbling charisma and an undeniable concern for justice.

fly

Most recent email from my professor:
I am trying to send this important article as an attachment. If it does not "fly," I will try resending it another way. Try to read it asap.

1. "fly"... hahahaha
2. That is one generous article. He just sent me a 17-page novel in .doc form. That certainly does not "fly."


Friday night I was thinking to myself, I wonder if my favorite band is done with their tour yet and is playing anywhere else in the near future. Then I see their next gig is a free show at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI. What?! How did I not know about that sooner. Here's a picture I took (from our 5th row seats) before the concert-halting moshing started. At one point, my hand was 3 inches from Stephen's hand... for some reason it was vital that I was able to touch it Monday night.


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Now playing: Anberlin - Naïve Orleans (Acoustic)

grad school

I have almost two years to figure it out, but tonight I'm in a strange "I-want-to-get-out-of-this-place" mood. These are my choice grad schools. (Manoa more than others for obvious reasons.)



SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY







Rhode Island College
Providence, RI







Barry University
Miami Shores, FL






University of Hawai'i Manoa
Honolulu, HI






Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY








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Now playing: Lynyrd Skynyrd - Simple Man

homie

creepy.



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Now playing: Cute Is What We Aim For - Sweat the Battle Before the Battle Sweats You

Pew Forum

http://religions.pewforum.org/

a slice of minny

Audrey and I spent 8 hours straight shopping in the Mall of America yesterday. We went to bed at 10pm-ish on this bench here.


Unfortunately, we opted out of church Sunday because it was either the Church of Mormon or a 40-minute drive each way to Urban Refuge at 10am. Multiple services are truly a luxury we've decided.

Lucky for us, the band Kutless will be performing an acoustic set at Club 3 Degrees on Thursday which we are pumped for!