shame....shame

shame. Sorry everybody that it has been forever since I have written a blog. :( So.....our long trip to Kentucky....it was pretty much awesome. we got to see alot of the countryside on our way up there. It was pretty cold and rainy most of the trip up there but we made it. The coolest thing that we got to do on the way there was to stop in St Louis and go up into the Arch. it was pretty amazing it cost us about ten dollars for a ticket but it was totally worth it :P The trams that you get into to go up to the top look like something out of a 50ies scifi movie. The door to get in was about two feet wide and five feet tall. inside it looked like the inside of an egg all painted white and lit really brightly. When we got to the top the views were breathtaking. it was a rainy day but everything looked really green and pretty and some of the leaves around the area were starting to change. It was a beautiful experience. While I was up there I kinda began to think about the tower of Babel. I couldn't help identifying with the people who built that tower. I definitely felt a sense of pride in the work that this architect had accomplished, and it would have been easy to feel very very very proud with the work of human hands. But then I remembered my priorities and thought about how God had created the very ground on which that building is sitting. I remembered to give glory where glory is due.
when we got to Peduchah we were welcomed with open arms and a whole lot of food. this is something yo learn about the south is they love you by feeding you. That night we were split up and sent to host families from the church around Peduchah. My friend Amberlee and I got to stay with an older couple. Their names are Daryl and Jackie Blagg. the blags are amazing people and i was so thankful that we got to stay with them. They are always remarking how much the "Lord has provided" and as we spent some more time with them we heard some stories from them that sounded as if they were some pretty tough struggles. For example Daryl has a Tracheotomy and is not able to breathe through his mouth. However they seamed to find that silver lining in every situation. Funny story...so the first morning Daryl takes Amberlee out to the deck to look at the back yard. when they got out there he pointed out a building that liiked like a garage only nicer. In a hushed voice he said " that is where my other woman lives". Amberlee didnt quite know what to do. But then he laughed and said " dont worry its only a car". it was really funny. Ok.....so Daryl has a 2004,aniverasry edition,last ones ever made, THUNDERBIRD!!!! this car was beautiful!!! five hundred horsepower. It was amazing and Daryl let us drive it. He kept saying" mash that peddle, mash it to the floor!! But I was to chicken to let tit go all the way. But I am pretty sure that I hit 100mph and I could feel that it could go much faster................more to come about our trip and life tomorrow I promise.

LICE!! Gods Little Attitude Adjusters!

Hello there. This week has gone fast. Isn’t it funny when you get home from a trip it seems like the next week is when you play catch up. This week has had a lot of activities.
I want to tell you a story……On Monday we went to Cool Waters which is a program that the Sunset youth group participates in. Cool Waters is a program that feeds the homeless. This was a really impacting thing for me. I think that I was affected most by lice. When we got to the bus station (where we were handing out food) I saw a guy that looked pretty miserable. I took a lunch and gave it to him. I shook his hand and as I looked at him I noticed that his hair…….was moving. It was FULL of lice. I was immediately repulsed and discreetly moved to another part of the room. I was bothered all night, itching and scratching and feeling like there were bugs crawling all over me. When I got home I immediately got in the shower and scrubbed down from head to toe. However I still felt gross like I had bugs in my skin. I didn’t get very much sleep that night I was tossing and turning and feeling really silly because I didn’t even have lice but I was still going crazy. Then it hit me…….that man still has lice…real lice. AND he doesn’t have medicine, a bed, food or even the knowledge about Jesus to comfort him in his unfortunate position. I failed to give him the latter because I was a little uncomfortable. How selfish! The one thing that I could freely share with him I held back. If I were to catch lice by some strange incident I would have money to get medicine to take care of it, I would have water to wash in and I have Jesus to comfort me. I am constantly amazed at how the Lord works day by day because the very next morning in class we talked about how Jesus healed a leper in Luke. When He healed the man, He didn’t just wave His arms, pronounce him healed and leave because He didn’t want to be contaminated. NO! He actually TOUCHED him. He put his HANDS on that dirty, smelly and most likely lousy man. I am going to Cool Waters again this week, and I am going to try to find that man. I will shake his hand again, I will learn his name and I will pray with him. I will remember that in God’s eyes I am no better than he is…. clean or unclean, lice or not … Jesus loves us! ALL OF US! We are called to be JUST LIKE HIM!

Refiners fire!

Hey there! Wow! A lot of things have happened in the last three weeks. The main event was spending some time in New Mexico. My area church group was asked to help out at a youth camp up by Las Vegas NM called Blue Haven Christian Camp for the weekend. The kids that came to the camp were from the Sunset Church of Christ youth group. The weekend was really productive. We mostly worked with the recreation crew. The activities that the kids did were really neat. They all had a spiritual message with a practical application. The activity that I worked on was called the ladder. The kids had to build a ladder in order to get their team over an obstacle. The ladder is constructed in such a way that it can be taken apart and put back together. However, there is only one way to put it together correctly because every slot that the rungs fit in is a different size corresponding to a particular rung. It can be really frustrating. We made a phrase and wrote it letter by letter on the rungs. But the phrase was meant to confuse the kids more because some of the letters were upside down and backwards. It was really interesting to see how the kids worked together to build the puzzle. The challenge is designed in such a way that the people who are leaders will try to work out the puzzle by the first apparent solution (the phrase) however; the quiet people will look ahead to the real solution (trying each rung individually). The activity promotes teamwork but in a different light then most see it. It elevates those who are not natural leaders and gets them to voice their opinions in the group. There were about three different activities like this every day that we were there. The kids had a great time and I am sure that we learned more than the kids did but I am finding out that this is how it is a lot of the time when you teach the word.
Because we were headed to another camp the day after Blue Haven was over, our team got to spend an entire day at Blue Haven by ourselves. We went on several adventures. Including driving up on a mesa during a thunderstorm and consequently getting our car stuck in the clayish mud on the way down. We actually had a lot of fun pushing the car out of the ditch, guiding it down the mountain and getting absolutely filthy in the process. A few of us also got to go on a guided tour of the area led by the caretaker of the camp. Apparently when Teddy Roosevelt recruited his Rough Riders the first place he went was New Mexico. There is an old campsite called “Camp Blue” that was the first place that Teddy found men. We went up the Mountain in a “mule” (basically a hardcore golf cart). We stopped at a place called Inscription Rock. The story goes that one of the men in the first bunch of Rough Riders was a skilled stone worker. He made an inscription of the names of the Rough Riders and also made a sign on a rock that said) “Old Camp Blue”. Also on the side of the rock that the names are in, there is a scale carving of a rifle complete with trigger and hammer!
After we got done at Blue Haven we drove straight to Mountain View Christian camp in Ruidoso NM. It was beautiful! You can’t even imagine how awesome trees smell until you have lived in Lubbock for a month. Mountain View was a time that we were allowed to get some rest and catch up on some sleep. We were blessed to have two amazing speakers: Mike Tenero and Geoff Dunn. They are both dynamic speakers. We were challenged by Mike to quit nibbling on the word and FEAST on it! And Geoff sparked a fire to our passion for the Lord and his word. I was challenged to HUNGER and THIRST for righteousness. It is so amazing how much I have grown just in two months. Every lesson is life changing and every class is motivating. I can’t wait to see what I will be like in eight months! I was humbled by an illustration that Kristen told me at Mountain View: When a silversmith is refining his metal he lights a fire under it. Slowly, painfully the ore is melted down. After it is given to a certain heat the impurities float to the top and as they do, they are scooped of and thrown into the fire. This process is repeated and repeated. The silversmith knows that his precious silver is ready for use only when the liquid, hot, maleable silver reflects clearly the image of his face. And so it is with the Lord. Pray that I am wise enough to allow myself to be refined over that fire, and that consequently I clearly reflect His face!!!

This is the sunset above the apts where I live.

The sunsets are one of Texas' redeming qualities.

This is my adorable fellow Montanan!! AKA my roommate Kristen Smith!

Exausted!

Hey everybody! It was a good week! But I am exhausted. Fun fact: There are 66 AIMers in this class, 39 girls and 27 boys. How many books are in the Bible?!Old Testament? New?! :) Pretty cool huh? Anyway we were split into Area Church Groups this week. Because there are so many AIMers it would be impractical for all of us to attend one church so they split us up and spread us out over the state so that we can be a benefit to more churches and so that we can improve our serve. My area church is right here in Lubbock at Sunset COC. There are eight of us in our group three boys and five girls. We have been working with the youth at Sunset. This Wednesday night we put on a skit for the kids during class. It was really fun and I am really looking forward to getting to know the youth here better and hopefully we can influence them for good. This next weekend our group gets to help out with a camp for the sunset highschoolers called Blue Haven retreat. We are all super excited! It should be a blast. I am excited because it will give me a little taste of YBC which I missed this year because I was working. Well I caught the Lubbock Crud as it is called around here. Its a combination of not getting enough sleep, adjusting to a new climate, a weakened immune system and a nasty cold. Thank Heaven I didn't miss any classes, at least physically. I am better now thanks to my classmates who took great care of me and my roommates who are just awesome! I have a bit of homework to get caught up on however. I love you all and you are in my prayers. Please keep me in yours :D I especially need prayers this week and the next to stay focused as we head into midterms and various other activities. Pray that I do everything to the Glory of our Lord! Also be praying for Kane Berry, one of my classmates, as he is struggling with not one, but four rare forms of arthritis. He is the bravest person that I know and he never ever complains. He is willing to give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Pray for relief and healing for him. Nothing that we do here is easy and I am sure that it is ten times as hard for him. Thanks! love you all!