I'm going back to Africa!

Every year the Elevate Internship takes two trips: one for full time and one for part-time. Last year the full-time went to Brazil to work with our HPC Campuses there while part-time (me included) went to Swaziland, Africa to work with Children's Cup. So this year we were waiting to find out where full time would go. Last week on our camping trip Michelle announced that the full time elevate team would be going to none other than Mozambique Africa! As you can imagine, I am more than pumped! We will be going in late April and will help the pastors, Issac and Carol Williams prepare for the launch of our newest HPC Campus, HPC: Mozambique on April 29th! Please pray for this campus and this trip as it will take a lot of planning and fundraising.

Where has the time gone???

So I just noticed that the last post I have is from over a month ago! I thank all of you who faithfully read the blogs. Anyway, I just wanted to throw out there some rambles and recent happenings.
Elevate is going well and I am learning tons about myself (not always a good thing, but definitely growing through it). I am in the middle of a book called the Barbarian Way and totally want to live like that- radically in love with Jesus. My friend Rachel made a comment to me once that I can never get out of my head: "So many people are willing to die for Christ, but so few want to live for Him." I think about that as I do the mundane day to day to do's. Am I waiting "until..." before I begin doing radical things for God. I want to lay down every night and know that today I gave Christ my everything and let Him live in me this day.
This month has simply flown by with so much going on at HPC.
We had a miracle offering for a new highland road sanctuary (called the "arena") that we are building in the back of the current property and that was really exciting. They had a countdown on the website and the anticipation was the best part of it all. When I was walking on the property I started to think about the future and that my grandchildren may grow up in this building. Generations I won't even meet will have fellowship in the cafe. It is truly incredible to think what God is going to do through that.
We also had fall fest which was such fun! And Joyce Meyer came to speak. Awesome times here in the BR!
This month is bringing the holidays to focus and once again I think about how little I need and how much I have been blessed with. I am hoping that this remains my focus and I don't get sucked into the commercialism of it all. I want this season to be about fires in the fireplace, cider, classic Christmas music,good food and tons of baking! For an alternative gift giving idea, Children's Cup (the organization I went to Swaziland with) is putting on a Christmas for the Kids that you may want to give to. Check out the info here.
Prayer of the week:

Invasion 06

(see more links from there) is a youth rally that Children's Cup is putting on November 18th. Thousands of youth are going to join together for a day of worship and teaching. Please pray for a sunny day and lift up the team.

Reflections from walking the property

Every tuesday night we have class for elevate. We have three one hour classes and it is awesome. But tonight's first hour class was quite different than usual. We met on the grounds of the new property of Healing Place Church Highland Campus. Dan Ohlerking led us in a prayer and then we spent some time praying over the property and walking it. As we were walking I began thinking about all of the future generations that would be the leaders and laborers of the church. I thought about how when this generation is gone, our children's children will be worshipping on this ground. God led me to 1 Kings 8 when Solomon dedicated the temple. Though David made the preparations, Solomon was called to build the temple. At it completion, Solomon dedicated it with a great prayer. As I was reading this prayer I was amazed that it spoke on so many different areas. He spoke about new and future visitors to the church. He spoke about missionaries being launched from the church. He spoke about sin in the church and forgiveness of the church. You should really check out this prayer in 1 Kings 8:23-53 and while you are at it, check out the Ch. 2 website and please pray for this project and all the lives that will be impacted through it! Thanks!

Youtube Videos on Christianity and...

Jessica Turner, one of my best friends in the world, is married to this totally wacky, fun-loving, godly Christian writer, Matthew Paul Turner. He just put out two promotions for his new series of books on youtube. (To be honest, I didn't really know that youtube even existed or was popular before about ten minutes ago when I viewed these videos). You have got to check the videos out:What You Didn't Learn From Your Parents About Christianity and What You Didn't Learn From Your Parents About Sex. Oh, and don't forget to pick up his books at the local bookstore. If you really want, I can probably get them signed... for a small fee of course.

Whirlwind of Ministry

Full time elevate has been such a whirlwind. It is hard to believe that my first month of the internship is already passed. I have learned so much about myself, about God, and about full-time ministry. I am discovering more about the character of God. I realize how little I truly understand about the grace and mercy of my Savior and how desperate I am for it. I was telling someone this morning that elevate is an environment that will, if you allow it, totally tear at and rip away your flesh. I am challenged, encouraged, exhausted and exhilarated by all that God requires, desires, expects, and deserves from us.

Are you a thermometer or a thermostat?

Challenge of the week:
Yesterday at Chapel, Michelle Gros, the HPC Elevate director, spoke to us about intimacy. She said something that really stuck with me and I have been pondering all week long. She said that you have the choice to be either a thermometer or a thermostat: thermometers are controlled by their environment; they adjust to the necessary temperature to neutralize the heat in the room. thermostats are just they opposite; they control the environment of the room and detemine how hot the room gets regardless of how who is there.
One of the things that I began to recognize in elevate is that even as passionate and enthusiastic as I thought I was, I am choosing to be a thermometer. I found myself lessening my enthusiasm in a room to make other people feel “comfortable”. I was stifling the passion God has put inside of me to accommodate.
Please don’t take this out of context, as a friend told me today and it is important to note, I am not talking about unfocused energy (though I do have that problem often) . I am talking about not crying out or seeking God with the intensity that I had before.


Lord, I pray that you will revive the passion, fan the flame inside of each of us. Burn with a strong intensity than ever before. Turn up the heat. We give You full reign to raise the spiritual temperature in our hearts, our homes, our relationships. Holy Spirit, revive us with a great enthusiasm. Consume us with your Holy Flame. Thank you for creating us to be on fire for You!

St. Louis Dream Center

This past week Elevate took a field trip to the St. Louis Dream Center. WOW! What an incredible ministry that reaches a lost and hurting community in St. Louis. Joyce Meyer was in town for her annual women’s conference and God provided this awesome opportunity for us to attend the conference. We were truly blessed this weekend! Thanks so much to the DC interns and staff for their hospitality and thanks to Joyce Meyer for her compassion and love toward all people!

Just Married in Manitowac

This past weekend I had the privilege to witness the union of two great college friends: Brooke Vater and Jay Creigh. Here are some pictures from this fabulous event! Congratulations and have a safe trip to Bozeman, MT!


PICTURES TO COME (experiencing technical difficulty)

Don't quench the Spirit

In classes I have heard this line a lot- "Don't do the work of the Lord and neglect the Lord of the work". As a task-oriented person, I am terrified that I will be so into my to do list, that I will forget the people I am doing it for. I don't want to lose the original passion and enthusiasm that God placed within me.

In 1 Thess 5:19 Paul reminds the Thessalonians "Do not quench the Spirit". I looked up to quench and it means "to extinguish or put out as a in a fire". How cool that the Holy Spirit is known as a fire! Paul was saying to make sure that we don't let the flame of the Holy Spirit within us be put out or be extinguished.
When looking in context you can see how to make sure that doesn't happen. He says to: "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
So the components of making sure to keep this fire burning are to:
1. rejoice ALWAYS- be filled with joy, thrive no matter what the circumstances
2. pray WITHOUT CEASING- keep in constant communication with God
3. IN EVERYTHING give thanks- be grateful for things, people, and in tangibles
THIS IS GOD'S WILL FOR YOU IN CHRIST JESUS!

So then I keep letting the thoughts roll and it brought me back to a teaching by the outstanding Ps. Mike Davis at the elevate retreat. He spoke about Karate Kid and one line he keep repeating was, "Don't forget to breathe". What keeps a fire going is oxygen. To keep the flame buring high, you need more oxygen. When you cover the flame or suffocate it, the fire will go out.

With all of that here is what I have come up with. My mathematical formula to destroy my greatest fear:

(joyful demeanor + attitude of prayer + heart of thanksgiving)* x breathing time = UNQUENCHABLE Spirit!
*note: this has no regard to circumstance or external environment

Lord, I pray that you would rekindle the fire you have placed in your children. Fan the flame of joy and thanksgiving in our hearts. Renew your Holy Spirit within us so that we may ever praise you! This is your will for us in Jesus Christ. Amen!!

It's been a while...

So I have given up on the parazz album from my africa trip. I am technologically deficient and can't figure it out, but if you are really interested in seeing all my pictures just drop me an email or make a comment and I will pursue the matter further. Otherwise I will show you them when we meet again.

But since then a ton has changed and I have not written about it in the least. So here goes: Africa still keeps my heart beating and remains on the forefront of my mind. Often I will smell or see something and just have a flashback of a moment on the trip. Wow, do I miss it. I am getting teary-eyed just thinking about it. But then again it is cool to see all that God is doing in me right now.

After I got back from Africa I sensed major changes and prayed and fasted about it. I didn't want to move outside the will of God. On thursday of that week, God moved and I was invited to join an internship at the church. It is equivalent to a hands-on bible college where we live with other interns, workout together, take classes and work in an internship area of our interest. It is an amazing opportunity for me and very exciting though terrifying because it is the cost of college and I am not making any money.

(sidenote: It is very humbling to have to ask people to support me for money. Boy, does God know how to break down my pride and force me to trust in Him alone. I keep thinking about how if I want to be a missionary I will be needing supporters for my income for the rest of my life. Kind of wild. It has given me great insight to God's view of money. I keep thinking about the parable of the talents and how really none of the money is mine anyway, it is just in my possession for a short time. I find myself being much more cautious about how I spend money when it is not mine. Like a car, I always drive much more carefully when I am borrowing someone else's car. Just some thoughts. I probably will delve on that more later because it is a big thought for me. Thank you to all you who are financially supporting me. Please know that it is being well invested and I really appreciate all of your support).

But back to the internship..I am loving every moment of it! I live with two girls: Katherine and Katie. They are both really cool and I love the living situation. Also, I work in the missions ministry area where we plan all incoming and outgoing mission teams and special events at HPC. Every aspect of this internship is so awesome. I can't even explain how cool it is. Michelle Gros made a cool comment to me the other day and I keep pondering it. She reminded me, " Colleen, just take time and enjoy living in your breakthrough." I have spent a lot of the last two years being broken and it is really cool to start seeing a lot of the pieces start coming together in the puzzle... but I am also on guard for a curveball in the destiny. We will just have to wait and see!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support!

Where do I begin???

Sorry it has been so long since I have blogged. I have been trying to hook up to this Parazz thing so I can show you all 540 pictures from my trip, but I can't figure out how to do it, so I will just have to tell you about it and upload the pictures later.

It has been the most incredible two weeks of my life and I don't know where to start the story. We left Monday July 24th (8girls, 3guys) for Manzini Swaziland. 37 hours, 6 flights, 7 meals, and 4 movies later we arrived a the one terminal Manzini airport. We slid through customs (thankfully since we had tons of gifts- not claimed) and into the arms of our loving family at Children's Cup. Charles, Kristen and Patrick greeted us and brought us to Emafini, our new home for the Swaziland trip.

We spend the first few three days (26th-28th) painting the Zakhele Carpoint to prepare it for school in September. It was really great to do something that would make a lasting impression and Rob did an amazing job designing a mural for the classroom.

The night of the 28th we had a youth event filled with dramas and worship and teachings. It was incredible. 40 youth accepted salvation and several more came down for prayer. It was a major victory for the kingdom.

On the 29th we had a "fall fest" at the Ngwane Park Carepoint and kids came to see puppet shows, jump on the bouncing castle, get their faces painted, make balloon animals, color and just be kids. I loved seeing the kids faces filled with joy and happiness. Oh I just wanted to hug every single one of them.

That night we went to the Makheya Safari Park. Rumor was that we would be roughing it but that was quite false. If you are looking for a romantic getaway, consider this: four course meal, safari ride and hike, bonfire, native dancing, starlit sky (with bonus- visible milky way), breakfast in bed, and simply the best service. I liked it so much I nearly married our safari driver- if only it had rained while we were there (ask a team member for more details on that one).

On July 31st we went to the Fonteyn Carepoint and began painting and fixing that up for school in September. I just love doing stuff like that because it is so behind the scenes and yet so necessary. That night we went to dinner at the Rodgers and I got to play a crazy game of ping pong and jump on a trampoline with the coolest kids in Swaziland! We had some more random guitar worship together which I always love and then got some rest.

On the 1st we went to Mozambique and stayed there overnight. Also, an amazing experience. We stayed at this nun’s missionary hostel/cottage/cabin/getaway. It was one of those places that has great potential but just needs the extreme makeover. However, I was pretty pumped because I got to sleep in a bay window with misquito netting and it poured so the rain on the window was just delightful. When I awoke to the netting and in the window I felt like Rapunzel, or some kind of princess (I don’t think everyone had that kind of royal experience but that’s imagination for you). After waking up as a princess, enjoying the end of an outstanding rainstorm, and being treated to a wonderful homemade breakfast, I knew this day would be different. I think that it was one of my (14) favorite days on the trip. That morning, due to a traffic delay, we got a chance to play this cool game called Empire- so fun. Then we somehow all busted out in random worship to Donny McClurkin out in the streets of Maputo, Mozambique (even the garbage man stopped to get his praise on)! From there, we saw the Indian Ocean and went shopping on the streets. With limited time, we visited the Terry Melancon Chapel and prayed over it with all the children. That was… WOW! From there, Mashalayla (sorry for the misspelling), our Mozambique go to guy, took us to an African church service. I absolutely loved it- reminded me of Acts church: just a bunch of people get together around 3ish and dance and sing and worship our Savior, Jesus. I hope we can integrate the random praise and worship into the US church culture, there is just nothing like it!

We returned to the windiest night in Swaziland’s history. We had a candlelight dinner and went to bed without electricity. When we awoke on the 3rd, winds were still going strong and we discovered that it had done much damage during our sleep. Trees were down everywhere, roofs were torn off, and homes were destroyed. It was the “hurricane Katrina” of Swaziland. We spend the day repairing roofs, removing trees from the middle of the roads, and checking on community members. What a divine appointment that God had us there for such a time as this!

That night we got to hang out with the Rodgers and have dinner all together. It was such fun to be there with the team and just pray and fellowship together!

The 4th was our last day so the team took us shopping in Swaziland and then we went to the children’s ward in the hospital. How overwhelming and wonderful! We sang to and loved on all the kids and their families. From there we all went to lunch together and most of the team went to finish painting while a few of us went to dig a poop hole. Not joking. A 2 meter high, 1 meter wide, poop hole. I thought I was close to reaching China by tunnel when we finished. It was really great to get my hands dirty, literally. That night we went to Kristen and Charles’ for dinner and games.

Seriously, Thank you just doesn’t even suffice for the gratitude I feel for all of your support financially and prayerfully. It was such an honor to represent the body of Christ half way across the world to orphaned and vulnerable children. I am not worthy of that privilege and yet so blessed for the opportunity! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You impacted the Kingdom in a great way through your giving!

If you are looking for more ways to help, please consider helping Children’s Cup. The missionaries over there are rockstars, no legends, for Christ and they need some dedicated groupies! Also, if you haven’t heard about the 40 days of prayer, please take some time to check that out and email Dan to sign onto the prayer team.

Thanks again for all of your love and support. And thank you for all of your prayers. They work wonders!

Rockstar of the Week for July 23-29th

Okay so I don't know what the deal is but the girls are rocking out this month!

This week's rockstar in Jesus' band is the young and passionate Miss Tori Ohlerking!. This is one to add to your blog links.

So honestly ya'll, I have never met this vessel of God, but I happened upon her blog and she is just rocking out for the kingdom. My word of the week is RAW and this girl is just that. She is a true worshipper of Jesus Christ and it radiates through her real entries of struggle and joys in seeking to know and love and serve God better. When I read her blog I got so encouraged about what God is doing in the future generations! She is honest and passionate, excited and ready for whatever He will do! I want to be more like Tori.

It does add to the rockin' that she is from one of the coolest families on the planet. The Ohlerkings are incredible (and that is an understatement). They are without a doubt, some the most faith-filled, radical for Jesus, servants of God I have ever known (running closely along side of the Williams family)!

Way to go Miss Tori. Keep jammin' out for Jesus and making Him famous! You go girl!

Rockstar of the Week for July 16-22nd

Drum roll, please...






Ms. Rachel Hymel!!!!

The DCC Children's Pastor, with her incredible backup singers: Twig, Michelle, Crystal, MaryBeth, Jason, Theresa, Kelli, and a host of others, has been shining the light of Christ to nearly 100 kids all week. If you have ever attended or volunteered for VBS, you know how much work goes into it and WOW did this girl do an incredible job.
It is a week like this when I wish I were 10 again (and had Rachel for a Children's Pastor).
I have nominated her as Rockstar of the week!
If you still aren't convinced, just play "One Way" in front of the DCC kids, and you will know that Jesus has a new generation of rock-stellar worshippers!

First Ever Rockstar of the Week for July 10-14th

Drum Roll, please!





RACHEL HOSAN!
My best friend from high school has just embarked on a new turn in her path of life. She just moved home to PA from Chicago IL (where she attended Moody Bible Institute and worked at a Jewish Community Center). She will be in Havertown while preparing and packing for her trip to Germany. Rachel will be an R.A. at a school for missionary children there. I am really proud of her and the ministry path she is in. She is the oldest of 10 kids (yeah Hosan family!!) and is a beautiful woman of God. She influenced me greatly in my walk with the Lord and she is nothing less than a rockstar for the kingdom! Thanks Rachel for your hard work and dedication to the purposes of God!

Please keep Rachel in your prayers as she begins this part of the journey. Your support and prayers are greatly appreciated. If you are interested in contributing financially or learning more about Rachel's work in Germany check out Janz Team Ministries- Black Forest Academy.

Check out next Friday when I reveal the next: Rockstar of the Week!

Prayer for the children

With only 10 days until I leave for Swaziland, there is much prayer and preparation, not to mention a lot of "last minutes". I am getting really excited because I know that God is doing the same: Jesus is interceding for us and he is finalizing preparations to set the divine appointments and opportunities for us to minister to those who need it. It is amazing to think that God, at the creation of the world had this in plan, already knowing the details of this trip. I can't wait to see what He has in store! I am so honored to be a vessel used for His Glory! What a privilege!

Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that during the trip I will try to post pictures and such as much as I can but mostly I will be backtracking when I get home since we won't have much internet access. During the trip, however, the team will have a blog so please check that out: Africa Mission Trip.

I also wanted to let you know about something really awesome that will be happening from August 1- September 9th. Children's Cup is initiating a 40 days of prayer for the children. Please take a moment to check that out:
.
Whether you can do it once or commit to all forty days, I know that your prayers will be heard ("The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results." -James 5:16). Thank you for joining in the prayers of many for the lost and hurting children of the world!

Africa Preparation

We went to our first preparation meeting for Africa on Thursday and it was incredible. I cried! (Though that doesn't say much if you know me). Anyway, I got a shot of most of the team that is going so you all can get an idea of who I am talking about. I will add updated pictures as we get better shots of everyone together. Thank you again to all of you for your prayers and contributions! We have our second preparation meeting tonight and I am beyond excited!

Adam and Heather's/Fourth of July

So you all know that I am not one to take a holiday as a time to relax, but instead I pack the weekend. So for the fourth, I was blessed with the treat of a four day weekend. I took a 13-hour driving retreat to Bloomington, Indiana for the wedding of dear friends of mine: Adam and Heather.
Background- I came to lousiana through Teach for America and met a ton of great people. Three great guys: Adam, Mark and Josh and I all lived in the same apartment complex called Lake Towers (North Ninth Street for those in BR). Through the trials and tribulations of teaching they remained close friends. Heather moved down in December to join Adam and Gillian stayed at Mark's often so the six of us just had some great times together. Now we are all in different areas: Adam and Heather in Indiana, Josh at Harvard Law, Gillian in NYC, and Mark and I at different ends of Baton Rouge. But what a great opportunity this was to catch up and just hang out again.
Here are some pictures from the wedding.




P.S- if you are interested in having a crazy fun wedding reception, you might seriously consider hiring Mark to attend for entertainment. Craziest dancer ever!


After another 13 hour drive home, I went to a bbq at my friend Jennifer Turner's house and then we all went to fireworks. I was amazed with my digital camera for catching some sweet shots of the July 4th celebration. Great times!

Jennifer in a deep discussion.

Tucker and John acting like fools.

OOOOOOOHHHHH!!

AAAAHHHHHHH!!

Promises and "Where do you have in mind?"

So for the past two weeks during my prayer time, God has just been on me about learning His promises. What does He promise us in His word? What promises do I embrace and which do I need to grab hold of?

I have been trying to learn about them in a variety of ways, mostly by looking at the old testament and the promises He made to Israel, Abraham and several other people. It is cool to see what he promised and how he promised it (by speaking directly, or through a prophet, or ...).

Anyway this week, God spoke 1 Chronicles 17. It is when He talks to David, through Nathan, about his hand on David's life and his covenant for the future generations. One line that stuck with me was 1 Chronicles 17:2- "Do whatever you have in mind, for God is with you." WOW! What an opportunity. I thought about it a bit and then forgot about it.

Then in the middle of the week God spoke again: 2 Samuel 7:3. What is the deal with these random scripture verses.

Not kidding- I look it up at Late Nite last night and it is the exact same story as 1 Chronicles 17:2. Weird!

So today I am thinking more about it. It is interesting that it doesn't say "do whatever you want", it says "do whatever is in your mind/heart/innermost being".

Oddly enough, just when I hear that and want to take full advantage of doing it, I sit back and contemplate. What is in my heart? What do I have in mind for the plans that God has for me? Where would I want to take God with me?

I am at a lose here. I don't know what God has planned for my life, but I am also at a moment where I don't know what I have in mind for my life.

Often it is like, "Lord I will go whereever you want to take me" but this time He says to me, "Colleen, I will go whereever you have in mind to take me."

Not just geographically but spiritually, relationally, intellectually. Where do I want to go? What do you have in mind to do?

Choices and Consequences

So this morning my girl April decided to move back to Donaldsonville. Please keep her in your prayers. She really just wanted to go back. It made me sad because I see such an incredible life God has in store for her, but I know that she has to want it and that is what is so great about God is that we have a choice. He gives us a little reminder:

"Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would CHOOSE LIFE, that you and your descendants might live!"-Deutoronomy 30:19

But ultimately we have to make the choice. Sadly, many of us settle at one point for ground chuck and don't grab hold of the filet mignon God had prepared for us.

I made this incredibly wise beyond my years (it was totally Holy Spirit infused) statement to April yesterday when she complained about not having any choices in her life. I said,

"I think the problem is that you are getting confused between choices and consequences. We all always have CHOICES in life. Everything is a choice that you get to make, but what you must face is the CONSEQUENCE of that choice, which is usually not up to us."

How often do I avoid the CHOICE for fear of the CONSEQUENCE?

Profound I know.

I AM GOING TO AFRICA!!!

ALL of the money is raised for the Africa trip- and then some!!- PRAISE GOD!
So the cool story behind this is how it happened.

Since the start of my desire to go, God made it clear that He wanted to perform this miracle of $3500.
He told me that in life I have always had a plan B, like just in case His way doesn't work out then I will do it. Sometimes, I even let Him sit out of big decisions because I think that I can take care of them. So this one He clearly said that I nor my mom were to contribute any money to this trip.

So I was humbled to send out sponsor letters and do the jambalaya fundraisers. He showed me that I should get used to this if I plan on doing missions for life because it will be a lot of fundraising.

So anyway, I waited, prayed and waited...and waited. "God, I know you said you wanted to do this one, so if you could please do it that would be great".

Long story short, tuesday I hit the wall. I couldn't wait any longer, if God wanted me to go, he needed to move!

So wednesday we had a long cry and questioning if God truly wanted me to go becuase I was still $1000 short. Then at late nite, the college ministry for HPC, someone (who wants to remain nameless) came up and said that they wanted to help with my financial burden. I poured out my heart with all that was going on and they said (so nonchalantly I might add), "I'll take care of the $1000 for Africa."

WHAT?!!! I thought they were kidding. You can imagine me after that, screaming, laughing, crying, and telling everyone about this incredible miracle God just performed.

This is just one of the many testimonies I have from the fundraising. For others just ask about the prayer journal that showed up the day I asked for a reminder that he hears my prayers, and the phone call that came just minutes after I complained about not being able to make the second payment. Thank you to ALL of you who contributed both financially and prayerfully!

Sometimes I think he justs wants to see how bad you want it and how far he can take you before you snap. So turns out... God is faithful. Once again His word is true. And I am humbled.

My Girl April

This is my girl April Davis. She is my housemate and has been staying with me for the past three weeks. She got herself out of a bad situation and is now on the road of living the life that God intends for her. Currently, she is working at Wendy's and taking classes to get her GED. When she is not schooling or working it, she serves it up on JP's team, http://www.jpbrumfield.blogspot.com and outreaches as much as she can. She is truly a testimony as one who has been called and chosen by God. I am so privileged to be a part of her journey. Watch out enemy because this girl is going to do incredible things for Jesus Christ!

Twenty-something haircut

After coming to terms with the fact that I was going grey at 23yrs old, I decided it was time to do something drastic. Of course, drastic for me is a typical haircut for anyone else. So with much guidance and support from the team at Salon Bella Vida, my hairstylist Laura Loupe, and my life coach Elizabeth Demarest, I went auburn with sassy bangs and layers. Definitely good looking. I ain't lying, I ain't lying!

Totally Great...It's Friday!

Today was a fantastic friday. For lunch I visited the promo team (if you ever need a laugh, visit the annex) and had a pizza party for Lance's 29th birthday!

this is lance opening coffee grinds with nail clippers. and that's why we call it the CREATIVE team.

Then after work, I went to Sarai Stermer's birthday party where there was slipping and sliding and a professionally-decorated cake (Well done Ms. Cindy!).

mighty men

check out pastor mark's dive through the bridge of kids (and big kid, brandon daigle).

After Sarai's party, I jetted down the interstate to a bbq at Natalie Spera's home (we are going to Swaziland together!!). It was a relaxing night with good conversation and awesome burgers and strawberry pie (good grilling Elton, great pie Kristan).


the men working the grill

chef elton at the grill

me sporting the overalls (they are making a comeback...or not) while in a deep discussion (thank my dad for the debater in me)


gustave always in for a good conversation

And then the altima turned back into a pumpkin and I headed home to bed! All in all, a wonderful friday and the end to another week of 2006! Is it me or is this year racing by??

Lisa and Bittu's Wedding

So it has been a long time since I have blogged so I will have to back track... two weeks after my cousin katie's wedding, my aunt lisa got married. It was a beautiful wedding. We heard a buddhist teaching and spend another great weekend with my relatives! Enjoy the picures!

I AM GOING TO AFRICA!!

You know when you know something but it hasn't really hit you yet. That is how I was about Africa. I was talking to people about it and when I leave and all the fundraiser letters were sent, but it didn't really ever set in. Then yesterday I got this email from another elevater going on the trip and she gave me suggestions for packing and asked about the flights. I read the email and it hit me... I AM GOING TO AFRICA!!!
Some of you (whoever actually reads this?) have known that this has been my dream since my sophmore year of college and it is really happening. It may be only ten days but to me it is an actualization of a dream and the manifestion of four years of prayer!
THANK YOU SO MUCH for your prayers and financial support. Your prayers mean more than you know and your contributions purchased my plane ticket (paying for it this friday!). May God bless you all back a hundred fold!
I am still in debt of about $1500 but am sure it will be provided. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Have I said it in the last ten seconds? I am going to AFRICA!!!!!
I may have to say it a million more times but luckily I have 53 more days to say it!

A must-have for bloggers

I think that every blog I have visited has had at least one late night entry, so here is mine (hopefully the only one). It is 4:07am on Friday night and I leave at 6:30am on a flight to Philadelphia. This weekend I am going to to weddings: Rob Fenza (mom's boss and great friend of the family) and my aunt Lisa (Dad's youngest sister). I am excited to stop at home for some water ice and soft pretzels (oh how I wish I could bring water ice to Baton Rouge-that would be fantastic!!)

Today has been a busy day and it just ended about ten minutes ago so there is really no point in sleeping since I have to leave for the airport in an hour. So I thought, what better than to blog about my late night thoughts. Here are just some events from the day: created transportation database, meeting with Volunteer Coordinators of HPC campuses, ate greek food, visited a prison, cut flyers, made salsa chicken, dropped a casserole lid into a million pieces, went to blockbuster (twice), baked cookies, and slept in my car.

I love looking back on a day to see what crazy events all happened. It is like snapshots of the day and getting to see where I was. To me that is really interesting. To others it is ridiculously lame. And as my dad used to say, "that's what makes the world such a wonderful place."

Well, I will try to have some pictures for you when I get back. Until then, have a great memorial day weekend!

Pressing Forward into the miracles God has for you

Last night I headed down to D'ville for Life U/Refuge. I had the privilege of sitting in Refuge with the youth and got to hear Michelle Gros give the word. It was awesome and it encouraged me to continue to pray for and work with the next generation. She reminded us that God has a purpose and a plan for each and every one of our lives that is far better than our wildest dreams. She talked about how so many of us allow God to start something in us but then don't give him the opportunity to finish it because we get distracted, lazy, uncomfortable, or even content in our current situation.
During small groups we asked this questiona and it is one that we all need to consider:
If you can be or do any thing in your life (regardless of age, circumstance, current lifestyle, finances, location...), what would it be? What is keeping you from that?
So often we limit our God to fit into our current situation but he wants more for us! But he will never finish a good work in you unless you look into the eyes of your obstacles and tell them that you are not going to be stopped by them. Then we must press on and keep moving FORWARD!

After Refuge, I headed to the highland campus for Late Nite and heard Mike Haman bring own the house! He spoke on miracles. One of the many cool things he pointed out was that so many of us are asking for miracles but really want magic. When you decide to live for Christ and really follow after him, don't expect it to be a cake walk. He wants to give you the desires of your heart but will expect you to cooperate in order to receive them. Mike explained the difference in that magic is "God doing it for you" while miracles are "God accomplishing it with you".
What a privilege that God gives us the opportunity to participate in our destiny. We are co-laborers with Christ!
If you need or want a miracle in your life, recognize that you will have to listen to the instructions that God gives you in order to receive the miracle, don't just sit back and expect magic!
(Please note that there were many other incredible points he made and it would be worth your while to check out the sermon at http://www.healingplacechurch.org/sermons.php (Late Nite 5/24)

A FUN-FILLED weekend

Here are some pictures from this weekend's events-

Friday
DCC Grocery Giveaway:






Ross and Joy's Wedding:







Saturday
Step Out Family Fun Day:







Service with Pastor Scott Bletso of Household of Faith:





Sunday
Dream Team Night with the DCC Volunteers:

A view from above

One thing that I love more than anything is the view from an airplane window. I always try to get the window seat (especially in an exit row for more leg room) and love to just gaze out the window onto the clouds. My favorite time to fly is sunrise or sunset (try it out and you won't regret it). Often when I am staring at the tops of the clouds I imagine how cool it would be to just get out of the airplane and walk on them. I wonder what they feel like (cotton candy, cotton balls??) and I think about dancing and jumping on them. It makes me wonder what God was thinking about when He created clouds and the sky? So amazing!

Here are some pictures I took on the way to CA last weekend. Does it look like I am outside of the Earth looking down?!





And these are pictures of the rocky mountains in Colorado (HELLOOOOOOO Greg and Mike!)