oh so punny

overplayed

Every once in awhile, a song comes on that you just can't help repeating over and over and over. For me right now, that song is "Samson" by Regina Spektor. I heard it played at an open mic night last nite then went right to download it promptly and have probably listened to it a dozen times since then.

awestruck moment #83,613

One of the coolest things about God is that He's so faithful to us. He sooo answers our prayers in His time and provides exactly what we need in His time.

God just reminded me of these things yesterday. I think it's funny that He not only answered one of my most concerned prayers yesterday, but He just completely overdid it so that I cannot have any doubt in my mind that it was His workings. Like answered it, went above and beyond, and then rubbed it in my face.

The lyrics to Indescribable by Chris Tomlin come to my head when I write this.

happy happy

My life has been going 100 miles per hour lately and I feel like I always have something to do. It's a really cool feeling to know that I'm not wasting my time, but I'm definitely feeling that I need to be more intentional about taking time out for myself.

Today I heard the best news I've heard in a long time. My uncle and his family that have been living in Kiev, Ukraine for the past 6 years are officially moving back to the United States! It has been up in the air for awhile as he has been seeking the optimal school for his doctorate. He decided 100% on coming to Michigan State and moving into a house about 10 minutes away from mine. I'm crazy about those Ukrainian cousins of mine and they're finally gonna live here!!(There's a picture of me and those blondie cousins playing for one of my profile pictures.)

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Now playing: Secondhand Serenade - Half Alive
via FoxyTunes

solo en espanol

te he extranado mucho mexico.

estoy tratando de hacer unas de cosas en la cominudad aqui pero no puedo buscar ninguna cosa que comparar.

vida es super bien pero no es la misma.

...

soundtrack to a revolution

see the world is a place made up of places.. and every place has a history.. and every place's history is reflected in what becomes it's culture.. and culture itself is defined through its people.. and the people; well, they are the future… and the future is now..

so then - looking at it in the same light but from the other side of the room; at this moment in history, we are the people in the places.. and we are the ones defining cultures.. and we are the ones creating history.. and so the question must be asked…. If we are the future; how's it gonna look..??

I don't know about you.. but if our generation is remembered for ipods, myspace, and youtube we missed it.. if history speaks of our generation as self indulgent pioneers of the digital age, reality television and purpose built celebrity we'll have failed.. the world will change by itself.. for better or for worse.. it changes daily.. but who will be the ones to shape it.. and how will it look?

in and of itself revolution is neither good or bad.. revolution represents change.. a shift in culture.. History is marked by revolutions.. social and political.. some have represented victory, freedom and justice, however on the flip-side.. too many have become infamous representations of despair, oppression and injustice.. all it takes for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing.. for the church – the hands and feet of Jesus and His plan for the salvation of this big, broken sphere of dirt, water and life we temporarily call home, this has never sounded with more urgency.. it's time for a revolution.. fueled by a dissatisfaction with self-centered living and complacent faith.. driven by a desire for truth, love and justice..

that's what this is all about…
every generation needs a revolution.. and this one needs to look, sound, walk and breathe like love..

it's not a new concept.. it's an eternal concept.. it's the reason we are alive.. it's the fundamental call of what it means to be a follower of Christ..

Love God.. love people.. that's it.. that's the revolution.. revolutionary I know.. but if we understand what that means.. if we get it.. if we establish in our thinking how that looks.. and we start living it.. we will change the world.. it's not so much about the big stuff.. it's just about the stuff.. it's about the people in the places being the answer - in the places.. and together; becoming the answer to the big stuff.. it's about your backyard.. it's about my backyard..

The world has watered love down to slogans and t-shirts.. lollipop pop songs and popcorn munching excursions in visual indulgence... all of which are fine.. but we throw the word around.. we confuse it's definition.. we diminish our understanding of God's command.. love is the quintessential human emotion.. it is the desire of every human being to experience, and in turn express love.. and God himself IS love.. and he desires to be loved.. and who are the carriers of His spirit..?? it's us…

So that's the call.. that's the mission.. that's what this is all about..

A generation expressing their worship; more so expressing their heart for worship in the action of love.. toward God.. and toward the world we live in.. and the people who inhabit it.. it's not about highlighting the darkness.. it's about becoming the light that diminishes the darkness.. it's the gospel.. and it is now.. we're all in this together..

((please note: this is not called 'I heart revolution… we don't love revolution.. we're a part of a revolution fueled by our love for God.. our love for life.. and our love for people.. it's called "the I heart revolution.."))

-Joel Houston

reckless faith

"I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.

My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my Guide is reliable and my mission is clear.
I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!"

-Final note of an African martyr

If you're wanting to read a great book, go buy Reckless Faith by Beth Guckenberger! You can order it from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or stop in to a Family Christian store. It's such a great testimony from Back2Back Mexico about God's faithfulness down there. Countless more amazing stories of God's provision at Back2Back keep piling up since the book publishing--He really does not stop.

promises

Wordle took God's promises to His kids and made it pretty.

ay!

Being back in the U.S. came entirely too quickly. I think I could live in Mexico and be perfectly content. I love being entirely humbled by a language barrier and the slow-paced life in general there. I miss the kids so much.

However, God had Riverview's itinerary in Mexico planned exactly with my needs to see certain kids one more time, I loved that. And experiencing the last week in Mexico with the Riverview group was perfect. Everything was amazing, we had such a great group of people that were constantly leaving me in awe of everything that was happening through them. I love how many people's lives it changed and how lucky I am to be able to see that growth continue back at home.

I was pleasantly surprised two nights ago to be awoken by my sister that had driven from Tennessee to visit. My fourth nephew was born while I was in Mexico and he is now 1 month old as of yesterday. It's been so great taking care of him.

week 4 endings

I had a really good last week as an intern here and spent pretty much the whole week with a high school group from Tennessee. Last night was our last night for all of the June interns to be together. We had been praying for rain all month as there hadn't been any major rainfall since we got here. Halfway during worship last night, it just started POURING! Everyone ran outside the palapa and danced and played in the rain all while still singing the worship songs. Afterwards, all of the interns walked through each of the three new buildings on campus (two new Hope Program houses and a clinic) and prayed and continued with worship in the buildings. It was the best ending for the month beyond what I could have ever imagined. God is good, so good. It has been raining here since last night.

This morning I went to see the interns off to the airport at 6am and then welcomed the July interns a few hours later after some delicious eats with some of the B2B staff and nannies. I have had a cold ever since last night in the rain... so if you could pray for a quick recovery on that so I can go full force for one more week, that would be phenomenal! :) I'm feeling all sorts of mixed emotions as I miss all of the amazing people I just got to spend the last month with but I am oh so stoked for Riverview to be here tomorrow night.

Below are a few pictures from the last week. Enjoy.

The morning of hiking to the natural waterslides... this is what 6am in Monterrey looks like (I'm not up that early too often).


On the hike to the natural waterslides with the Gucks (three kids playing in the background).


Me sliding down one of the natural waterslides.


Alva at one of the pool parties. She's gorgeous and was hoarding all of the water guns :)


Estefani and Dani at La Cadareyta.

Anji and I at La Cadareyta. Hopefully I'll get to see them all again on Sunday!

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