KICK-OFF Launch of FCCC

WOW! That's all I could say after kick-off launch Sunday at FCCC 2 weeks ago already! God brought a lot of new people to our church and we also had a lot of family and friends that joined us. It was a special day as we started a new part of the journey called "church planting". (I've also been able to explain what church planting is and about FCCC to many new families that have interviewed me for babysitting recently!) Each week we've had tons of new visitors..I barely recgonize half of the congregation. I'm fortunate enough to be on stage so I get to see everyone and how each week, there are fewer and fewer empty chairs. God is doing amazing things and I'm excited to see how the next couple of months go. I can't imagine all that God will be doing in the church! Tonight will be my first night with the youth of FCCC! I'm excited and nervous. I know that my SUMMIT family will always be in my heart and I'm grateful for them and the amazing love and support they have shown me as I have been led by God on this new journey.

A little about how I started this journey for those that don't know:
Three years ago, I had a decision to make as I finished college/my Masters program. I could either stay in Nashville and most likely have a job or move home to watch my brothers and sister grow up through the end of high school and have to find a job. I am very close to my siblings and really felt as though that is really where God was calling me. As I came home, I decided to join in with the youth at my home church GEBC. I found a new passion for high school students and ended up staying with the ministry for 2 years until just recently leaving to pursue the youth of FCCC. I remember hearing about the church plant when I would come home to visit and decided to check out one of the meetings. As the discussion grew and we finally had decided on a location, it was clear to me that God was calling me there...as it was going to be planted in the town I was living in at the time...and still am!!!!  I continued attending the meetings and just felt like it was part of God's plan for me. I can see part of why God has called me here but I know there is much more to be seen!

The Skit Guys

Tonight was our launch weekend kick-off event! We hosted The Skit Guys, find out more here. We had probably 200+ people which was awesome! I couldn't stop laughing most of the night. It was cool to see how they were able to touch on some significant issues, some that I have even been facing recently, and bring them forth in the light and speak truth through the comedy. I know that God was moving in that place tonight. I'm very excited to see what God does on Sunday as we officially LAUNCH Four Corners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1st day of School 2010-2011 and GOD

As I waited for the students to arrive today, I was excited about who was coming, wondering what would happen, who I would see from previous years and how the day would go. When I started to write this, it struck me that God must feel the same thing as He waits for us to come to Him every single day. He waits expectantly, hoping that we will come to Him with a smile on our face and an open heart to what He wants to share. I often find myself going to God saying, I pray for so-n-so or for this situation or please give me ______________ (insert character trait, etc...) or God, WHY???? I pray that as I grow in Him that I would be letting Him speak to me more. I hear Him better than I ever have before but I long to hear and know Him better still.

Looking ahead in the school year, I'm sensing great things happening and praying for opportunities to share my faith with my students (within my legal bounds...gggrrrr), parents and colleagues.

An Exciting Week Ahead

This week is going to be full of new and exciting things. I am starting my job as an instructional assistant again at the same school and am grateful to have a job. Still praying about the classroom!


It's also a big week because we will officially launch our church....We will start the weekend on Friday night with a comedy group, The Skit Guys! Then on Sunday we will have our launch service and a picnic to celebrate! I can't wait to see what God does. I have a feeling it is more than any of us can even imagine!

http://www.fourcornerscommunity.org/

Thirsting for Him

As of my last post, I was in a really difficult place and was having a hard time seeing what God was doing. On Wednesday, God provided an opportunity for reconciliation. I am so thankful for the way He orchestrated it. It provided relief and I was so excited I could barely speak! I have seen just in the last few days how God is using this as a life-changing experience for me. It has drawn me much closer to Him and I have a thirst for His Word and seeking Him!!!!! One of the things that has really stood out to me and I keep hearing God say to me is, "I am more than enough for you...I'm all you want, I'm all you need..." The words of the song Draw Me Close have been playing in my head since I started singing it with students on our campout on Friday night.... click here to here/see this amazing song and its lyrics. As I link it here, I am listening to it and its giving me goosebumps, I can't even explain the comfort and hope that this song has brought me over the past 48 hours! I'm excited about what God is doing in my life, in my heart and in my relationships with those friends closest to me. We also sang a song in church this morning and the words continue to linger in my heart. It is called Healer by Hillsong:

You're my Healer

You hold my every moment

You calm my raging seas

You walk with me through fire

And heal all my disease

I trust in You

I trust in You

I believe You're my Healer

I believe You are all I need

I believe You're my Portion

I believe You're more than enough for me

Jesus You're all I need

My Healer, You're my Healer

Nothing is impossible for You

Nothing is impossible for You

Nothing is impossible for You

You hold my world in Your hands

Although I felt like my world was falling apart just a few days ago...God has started putting it back together piece-by-piece in His PERFECT timing according to His PERFECT plan which is greater than any plan I could have for myself. Last week, I couldn't have imagined the immense peace and desire for God that I would have at this very moment. I would be lying if I still didn't have lingering pain from the experience but I see God using it in my life and for that, I couldn't be more thankful. I'm looking forward to what God has in store and am grateful for the people he has brought alongside me to continue along my journey!!

My verse for today that I am clinging to...

‎"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith deveops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything..." ~James 1:2-4

I am definitely in the midst of a very trying time in life where just about everything in life seems up in the air. I'm grateful for my wonderful friends and church family that have been supporting me and continue to support me. I am looking forward to the day when I can look back and say "WOW God! Thanks for doing that even though it was NOT FUN at the time!" I know God has a purpose but finding it right now is like trying to find a needle in a haystack!

Mixed Emotions

As I sit here tonight, I look back at my week and all the emotions that have flooded my mind throughout just the last 5 days. I've experienced joy, pain, sadness, sorrow, disappointment, anger, delight, embarrassment, courage, feelings of being overwhelmed, fear, excitement, gratefulness, peace, compassion, frustration, irritability, euphoria and many more I can't even think of right now. There have been moments of each of these, one sometimes followed immediately by another, some lasting for much longer. Sometimes I wonder why God allows me to feel all of these things so close together. I know that He has a greater purpose than what I can see from down here and I'm so grateful!!!

The ache that doesn't want to go away....

Recently, I've really felt God pushing me in new directions and making me think about a lot of different things...most of them scare me and excite me at the same time. My heart feels torn in too many directions and trying to narrow and focus it is easier said than done. I think I want to be doing about 8 things at one time and I'm not sure I have the energy to do all of them simultaneously. Many of them are ministry related in some fashion and others are hobbies that I want to pursue deeper and then there is the ever-nagging ache to be in the classroom and teaching!!!!!!! I have to remember that God has a plan much better for myself than I can ever have but I know that I need to make the most of every day. We never know what tomorrow holds or if we will even have one, so we have to live each day as though it's our last just like Tim McGraw's song Live Like You Were Dying:

He said: "I was in my early forties,

"With a lot of life before me,
"An' a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
"I spent most of the next days,
"Looking at the x-rays,
"An' talking 'bout the options an' talkin’ ‘bout sweet time."
I asked him when it sank in,
That this might really be the real end?
How’s it hit you when you get that kind of news?
Man whatcha do?
An' he said: "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."


He said "I was finally the husband,
"That most the time I wasn’t.
"An' I became a friend a friend would like to have.
"And all of a sudden goin' fishin’,
"Wasn’t such an imposition,
"And I went three times that year I lost my Dad.
"Well, I finally read the Good Book,
"And I took a good long hard look,
"At what I'd do if I could do it all again,
"And then:


"I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,'
"To live like you were dyin'."


Like tomorrow was a gift,
And you got eternity,
To think about what you’d do with it.
An' what did you do with it?
An' what can I do with it?
An' what would I do with it?


"Sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And then I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I watched Blue Eagle as it was flyin'."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,


"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'."
 
Please continue to pray for discernment and courage to step out in faith where I feel God leads me!

La Paz, Mexico Missions Trip with SUMMIT 2010

I realized I had not blogged in a long time and that I did not post regarding my SUMMIT Missions Trip to La Paz with the students from GEBC. God used the trip to bond people together through ministry opportunities to both the communities and local missionaries.

On our first day, we arrived at Casa Buena, our residence for the week. It is a beautiful bed and breakfast tucked away in a little neighborhood just off the bay. Although we were in the middle of the city, we felt as though we were in an oasis where GORGEOUS flowers were blooming bright pink while climbing the trellaces around the walkways. The pool was a welcome sight for those hot afternoons!

On Sunday, we attended church at La Paz de Christo where we listened to a Father's Day sermon completely in Spanish. Although I did not know very much spanish, I was able to get bits and pieces and recognized some of the words on the slides. The message blessed me in more ways than I can explain and despite the language barrier and many distractions, I was ministered to by the message.  Then we went up to "the ranch" where the Gatto family lives and is building their ministry. We were able to see many sites where we would be spending the rest of the week, saw beautiful reminders of God's amazing creation as the sun set, and Peter Gatto shared his testimony and his prayer for us for the week we were there. I know that many of the students were ministered to during the testimony and it set a positive tone for the week.Mama Jane and I got to go shopping with Peter and get our groceries...basically almost everything for the week!

Monday was our first work day. Each site had an intern heading up the projects. Everyone was choosing/being chosen (if they were up for whatever) and so the last team ended up being the horse corral team. I was fortunate enough to be a part of this team for the week and it was led by two of our very own "homegrown young men" Zach Ursiny and Graham Rouse. Although I knew both the families very well, I was able to grow much closer to both of these guys and see where their hearts were and how God had been using them on the ranch. My team was able to start digging large holes to put posts into for the corral. We kept hitting HUGE, HUGE, HUGE rocks but kept plugging away and getting things done. That evening we had our first VBS of the week...we had 8 kids! Disappointing, yes, but God used those kids to help us grow in our faith that God would bring more children the next evening.

The next day, my team went back to it again, we changed our positioning just slightly to hopefully avoid some boulders in our way. That, however, did not help at all. At the end of the day, we changed the plan drastically and began digging a whole new set of holes. These came much easier even with a few boulders that we chipped away at until we cracked them into manageable pieces to move. There were times where God had to push me through because I wanted to get really frustrated. I also helped to take down a temporary fence and start nailing in boards with Graham for posts that were already poured and had set. In the evening, we went back for day two of VBS, unsure of how many kids would actually decide to show up. We ended up with about 20 kids which was a huge blessing! Peter and Antho had gone to the nearby 'tienda' to purchase some items and talked to the man running the shop. Just so happens that he also had a hot dog stand nearby. He was so happy to see us at the park putting smiles on the faces of the children of Marcus de Leon. He said the park had been over run and no kids played on it anymore because the drugs and things that would happen at night were so bad. The fence was broken in places and there was trash everywhere we looked.

Wednesday, we kept plugging away and were able to pour for a few posts after we got every hole to the depth and condition we needed them to be in. Once again we had hang-ups and snags along the way. I kept praying that God would give me the patience to endure the heat and the frustrating setbacks we seemed to keep having. During VBS, we had about 25-30 kids and many of the students went around inviting...with little or no spanish language knowledge, inviting families and children to the "hot dog bbq" and family fun night we were holding on Thursday night. It was great to hear the stories of how God used those students and their broken Spanish to bind the people of the community and our students.

Thursday was our last work day and we wanted so badly to finish the projects we had begun and worked at lightning speed...is that possible????...to finish. Some projects were finished...like our corral but some projects were much closer to completion than when we first arrived and that was all we could have asked for. This was our last night of VBS. We fully expected to have about 50 people but we turned the corner to get to the park and much to our surprise there were almost 150 people!!!!!!!! All of these mothers and children and a few fathers had heard what were doing and wanted to see what it was all about. We had also planned to share the gospel and have students and one of the leaders share his testimony with the people that had come. God was able to touch a lot of hearts that night through the testimonies. We had already seen one man give his life to God earlier in the week. That night, we split the children and the adults/teens apart into two groups for the gospel presentation and testimonies. We started and then some of the kids started drifting off to play on the playground instead of listening to what was being shared. I ended up helping to try and round up some of the kids...with my horribly broken Spanish...and one girl clung to me. She would only go where I went so even though I started with the group of adults/teens, I ended up on the rocks with her listening to the gospel. At the end, there was an invitation to accept Christ and as I was sitting there, the little girl bowed her head with me and starting praying as Peter led the prayer to accept Christ. It was truly a surreal moment! Here I was, tired and impatient, sitting on rocks that were killing my legs, with a little mexican girl on my lap, praying alongside her to accept Jesus into her heart. I was so humbled that God would use me and my love of children and my broken spanish for the advancement of His Kingdom. I had been feeling "un-productive" at VBS throughout the week because I was manning the craft table, trying to make sure kids didn't steal anything and this made me understand why I was there. Although I was standing at the craft table, ATTEMPTING to understand these childrens' demands, I was ministering to them all along.

Friday was our FUN DAY!!!!! We went shopping for little souvenirs in the morning and I brought back a wooden whale! What a treasure! Then we went to a beach along the Sea of Cortez for the afternoon. We had fun just playing in the water and trying not to drink the water!

Overall the week was amazing! We had tacos almost EVERY SINGLE night for dinner; we had lovely encounters with very LARGE bugs/spiders/scorpions; we made the Chinese film crew not so happy with our early morning/late night LOUDNESS!!!!; and were totally grateful for this amazing week!

There are lots of pictures on Facebook both on my profile and those of students that went with us! Also, posts by students at our La Paz Blog.

Summer Break thus far...

So far, I can't complain about summer break. I was sooo productive on Monday that I did some stuff on Tuesday, a little today and will finish packing on Friday for La Paz. I cleared out tons of emails...which feels like I threw away a lot of stuff...very refreshing. I'm watching some friends kids while they are out of town for a couple of days and I've had fun chillin' with them. We've got another day and a half. I'm still looking for a teaching job for next year but am not too worried...God will provide. He's been providing for this summer so far with plenty of work. Enjoying the World Cup when I get to watch it. Also, I just got out last Friday so going on this trip will give me a great start to the rest of the summer.

Please be praying for plenty of rest, good health, the lives of the people we will come in contact with and the amazing work God has planned while we are there! :)