Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Hiking, volleyball, and other activities

From College Station...

This has been a bit of a rough week so far. The Lord is really showing me alot about what to do concerning my future and I forget how hard it is to be obedient at times.

But on a more positive note, Kristen E. will be visiting next weekend! On Friday we are going to Bastrop State Park to do a little hiking and have a picnic. Our Saturday activities will be cut a little short since she must leave in the evening to get back to Denton. As she has previously mentioned, she teaches Sunday school there, so she needs to be back Saturday night. Nevertheless, it has been far too long since we have seen each other, and we are WAY overdue for some quality Kristen time.

Another thing I have had the opportunity to do over the past few weeks is play intramural volleyball! I always forget how much I miss playing until I get the chance to. And what makes it even more fun is that it's competitive (kind of) and so I get to play with actual rules. I've never really been a "let's just play for fun" kind of girl...I always get too competitive, no matter what it is, so I guess having enforced rules makes it better for me. Whenever I do agree to do anything "just for fun", I end up getting frustrated because I am following all the rules but some people don't...just sayin'.

Well I wish I had something super exciting to say...but alas...I don't. I'm sure after next weekend either Kristen or I will have something interesting to share, and maybe some pictures!
Have a great week and stay warm!


Saturday, October 23, 2010

Stink clouds

From Denton...

So, I know I just posted but I just needed to post a few more cute stories. I am in Houston this weekend with all of my dad's side of the family. We are all at my grandmother's cleaning out my Poppy's workshop. He passed away in March and we were finally able to get everyone together to go through the workshop and organized all of his equipment and cleaned it up to sell. It has been a wonderful weekend and such a blessing seeing everyone come together to serve our Memi. God is very good! I have the cutest little cousins and they say the most precious things.

Cole is 7 years old, and I went to give him a big hug so i picked him up and...
me: (picking him up) "i love you cole!"
cole: (with a huge grin on his face) "I just made a stink cloud..."
me: (hugging him not so tightly anymore) "does that mean you tooted?"
cole: "hahaha yeeeessss hahha"
Needless to say, I put him down quickly and let him go on his marry way making "stink clouds"...where he came up with that? I do not know! haha

Mattie is another one of my cousins and she is 2 and a half and is very smart! She knows just about everything and can be quite sassy but is so stinkin' cute!
So, I am sitting at the dining room table working on organizing some picture we had taken of all of the equipment and cole and mattie decide to "spy" under the table while eating tortilla chips, as i'm working I hear...
cole: "Mattie, please be careful and don't make a mess...and make sure we whisper so no one can hear us!"
mattie: "I know cole, and don't make me tell you that again!"

I busted out laughing and they peeked their little heads out from under the table telling me to be quiet because they were "spying"...my B!

Have a wonderful week!!

Friday, October 22, 2010

The Joy's of working with children!

From Denton...

I am a leader for Cubbies which is the 3 & 4 year olds class, apart of the Awana program. It is such a blessing getting to serve the precious kids and helping them learn about God's word as they work hard to memorize scripture and write God's word on their hearts. Along with helping them learn scripture, I get to hear the innocent and funny things that come out of their mouths. I am dedicating this post to some of the cute things they have said so far!

This week, we had two new kids in our class. They are siblings (a brother and sister) and they are from Korea and do not speak english yet. Two weeks ago they came but were not comfortable yet so they left...but they came back this week and stayed the whole time and did a great job! Anyways, they had just arrived as the other kids were arriving and while all the kids were playing (about 10 of them) another little boy comes up to me and...

Caison: " Excuse me Miss Kristen, but do we have chinese in our class?"
Me: (trying not to laugh) "Well Caison, we do have two new friends Bonnie and Johnny and they are from Korea!"
Caison: "Oh! So, are they from Chinese?!"
Me:( I just could not hold it in anymore and busted out laughing then just patted him on the back)
Caison: "What is so funny?"

Goodness, they are so cute. I am learning how to respond to them instead of busting out laughing. Later on, we were all gathered around on the carpet having story time and...

Mrs. Julie: "What are things that we pray for?"
Debbie: "We pray to obey our parents"
Shelby: "The flowers and for water to come down and make rainbows and then we lay our heads on pillows and then the school bus comes to pick us up and then for backpacks and sprinkles!!"
Mrs. Julie: "Oh wow, those are a lot of great things to be praying for, Shelby. Anyone else have anything?"
Zeke: "I like chicken. I ate my sister's tacos."


I'm sure there are more but I just can't remember them all at the moment but I look forward to hearing all of the things that they come up with! OH and tonight the Rangers won their playoff series and are headed to the World Series for the FIRST time ever!! How exciting?! It is such a blessing to see and a blessing that Josh Hamilton was named the MVP! God is so powerful and has such a divine purpose...so awesome to see such a Godly man leading the team, not only athletically but Spiritually!! The Lord is moving in huge ways through that team and the men on that team!! Praise Jesus for humbled hearts and transformed hearts! :)

Have a blessed weekend!!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Future plans

From College Station...

Good afternoon! So recently I have been praying alot about what to do after graduation. I feel like the Lord has really opened so many doors as far as where He wants me. At this point in time, I believe He has called me to stay in Round Rock and work with the youth group at Central Baptist Church. I fell in love with that group over the summer and God really placed a passion in my heart to serve them further. As far as which nursing school I am supposed to go to, I'm not sure yet. I am going to try my best to get into the A&M Health Science Center in Round Rock, but since it is still small and understaffed, the most realistic choice might be the ACC nursing school. However, I know God doesn't stay within the boundaries of what is "realistic". I trust Him to put me wherever I am supposed to be. I know that He has in store only what's best for me. Also, I have discovered the opportunity to take 2 classes online over Christmas break that I would've had to do either next semester or next summer! He is so faithful :)

Have a good rest of the week!!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

A wonderful weekend in Round Rock!

From Denton...

This weekend I finally got the opportunity to come home to Round Rock, after two longs months. My brother was able to come home for the weekend as well so my parents were very excited to have the whole family together for a few days and I was too. Life in Denton these past two months have been quite busy, a bit challenging, but full of growth and God's anointed blessings. He is so good ALL the time.
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I made it into Round Rock around 10:30pm thursday night...just in time to watch grey's anatomy, that my parents so graciously recorded for me, and get to bed at a decent hour! I woke up friday morning and my mom and I spend the early afternoon shopping then lunch. We had a special time at lunch, i'm so thankful the Lord is at the center of our relationship and allowing us that have the mother-daughter bond we were created to have. He answered so many of my prayers during our lunch together and I give Him all praise and glory!! After that, I had a hair appointment then had a wonderful dinner with my family and spend the rest of the night catching up and visiting.
Saturday, I was able to go to my neighbor's son flag football game, which was such a blast! They all played so well and I loved seeing their faces light up when they got a touch down, ran a good play, or pulled a flag. Later on, we had many friends come over to hang out and watch the UT-OU game...UT did not win but we still had a great time. Finally, saturday night Kristen K, my good friend Blake, his girlfriend Jaclyn and I went to see Cinderella the musical at a local theater to see some of our good friends perform. They all did an incredible job and it was a great time!
Today, I sat in Kristen K's sunday school class with the middle school girls...I loved seeing Kristen teach those precious girls. It's been so humbling seeing how God is using Kristen to further is Kingdom by loving on those girls and teaching them about the Gospel. She truly is a beautiful woman of God and I know the Lord has so much in store for her life as she lives each day to serve Him. I loved getting to worship with my Central family today!

This weekend has been so full of rest, love, and joy. The Lord answered so many of my prayers not only through relationships but also I found out that some of my dear friends, whom I have been praying for-for years, accepted Christ. How great is our God?! The Lord continues to blow me away each day as he reveals Himself in new powerful and mighty ways. God is good ALL the time...even when we may feel worn out and our cup is empty... He is there and His love is very real. I'm so thankful! I hope everyone has had a blessed weekend!!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Graduation!

From College Station...

Good afternoon! So this post was prompted because I just finished filling out my Intent-to-Graduate form. That's right...graduate. I am planning on graduating next August, which is less than a year away. As excited as I am, I'm terrified at the same time. I'm not so sure I'm ready to be out in the "real world", but I feel like over the summer God prepared my heart and really worked in me as far as the maturing process goes. Being a youth intern really taught me so much about myself. I had to learn to take responsibility for others as well as myself. I had to take a step back and realize that going by strict plans isn't always what's best. I had to learn that everything I say and do reflects who I am to those younger than me. As stressful as that can be, it is also quite encouraging. I am currently teaching middle school girls Sunday school in Round Rock, and although it has only been a month, it has been so rewarding. I can't wait to see how these girls grow in their walks with the Lord and how He uses them this year in their schools and homes. I am incredibly blessed to get to be a part of their lives this year.

All that being said...Kristen and I will both try to do a better job at posting at least every other week. Our schedules are hectic but it's something we have been wanting to improve on.

Have a wonderful week!
Kristen

Monday, September 13, 2010

A lot to be thankful for!

From Denton...

It has been quite some time since I last posted and I need to start by pointing out how GREAT our God is. :) Summer has sadly come to an end and school is back in session. I praise my Jesus for an incredible summer. The Lord graciously and lovingly provided for me as well as broke me in order to show me how much I need His love alone to fulfill me. I can't put into words all of the amazing things the Lord has taught me but I'm so thankful He has His way of knowing. Although, I am sad to see summer go I am so encouraged by all the Lord is doing and very much looking forward to a new year and finally some cooler FALL weather.

My heart just may burst open with joy because of all God is doing in so many hearts of those in Denton. There is an evident and contagious passion going around and ALL praise and glory goes to Christ. Have I mentioned how much I love Denton lately? because I LOVE denton, the culture, the people, the atmosphere, the square, just everything about it. I am so grateful to be in this city and the privilege to serve God and His people here. I pray knowing that the Lord will move and transform hearts here...YAY :)

Thank you Jesus for salvation and for loving us enough to die in our place.
Thank you Jesus for being the perfect example of holiness.
Thank you Jesus for joy and for strength because in my flesh, I do not have those qualities.
Thank you Jesus for loving me enough to teach me and mold me.
Thank you Jesus for a chance to get to know people, to love on them, and to build relationships. I love you more and more each day.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Sweet summertime

From Round Rock...

The summer is flying by! I have already been home from school for a month, and it feels like I have only been here for a week. I started my job as the second youth intern at Central, and I absolutely love it. I get paid to do fun stuff all the time...and fulfill other random requests, but I don't mind that so much. It comes with the territory. On Wednesday nights, the youth group does regular worship from 7-8:30, and then from 8:30-11 there is an activity planned. It is so cleverly called 7-11. Last week was Gattiland, and I left with an awesome foam bow and arrow! I was excited. This week is messy games night, and while I am more excited about watching, I have a feeling I won't be allowed to leave without getting somewhat disgusting. We have also started having meetings for the mission trip to Alaska. Being the planner that I am, I am sooo looking forward to getting the "What To Bring" list! I love packing for trips. It makes it more real that I am actually going somewhere cool. We also are leaving for Youth Camp this Friday! I haven't been since 10th grade, but this time I will be going as a sponsor instead of a student, so that will be an interesting change.

This weekend I traveled to Denton to visit Kristen E, and might I say we had a lovely time! Despite the sunburns anyway. I will go ahead and share a funny story...

We went bowling, and I was discussing with my niece, Amanda, what we would be if we could be "made" into anything. Of course talking about the MTV show. Kristen E. apparently missed that part of the conversation and this is what happened..

Amanda: "If you could be made into anything, what would it be?"
Me: "Ummm I would say a drag racer."
Amanda: "Kristen what about you?"
Kristen: "Oohhh, chocolate!"

Oh, Kristen. I love you so much.
That is all. Have a blessed week :)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

So close to the end...

From College Station

It has been quite some time since I have posted, and for that I apologize. Well as the title indicates, this semester is almost over. The last full week of classes is halfway through, and then "dead" week and then finals. I wouldn't exactly say that "dead" week is an appropriate name, seeing as it is the time when everyone stuffs their brains so full of information that dying wouldn't even be an option. I just thought I would share some of my summer plans :)

-I will be working at Central as a youth intern alongside my dear friends Allen Frans and Justin Kellough, and I simply can NOT wait. It's something I have been praying about ever since Allen asked me back in October, and I feel like it's exactly what God wants for me the summer.
-Because of this fabulous job, I will have the opportunity to go to North Pole, Alaska, on the annual World Changers mission trip. I have always wanted to go to Alaska, but it will be even cooler getting to go and serve others rather than just for a vacation.
-Since Kristen E. will be staying in Denton this summer, I'm sure I will be making many trips up there to visit her as well!
-Almost every year, my family goes to a place in Hunt, TX, called River Inn. It is probably my favorite place in the world, simply because it is so peaceful and beautiful. I haven't been in a few years, so needless to say I have been more than ready to go back.
-My sister, Kerry, will be graduating in May. I am so excited for her and even more excited because in the Fall she will be joining me at Texas A&M as my new roommate! This summer will be filled with trips to Target and Bed Bath & Beyond I'm sure...

That's pretty much what my summer will look like. As for next Fall, I am very much looking forward to what God has in store. Have an awesome day :)

Monday, April 26, 2010

God is Merciful

From Denton...

Today I was reading my weekly e-mail from James McDonald, which is a small devotional sent out once a week. Today's was over the Lord's mercy and his Holiness- truly understanding how Holy Christ is, as we continue to grow in an intimate relationship with Him . Something that James McDonald said was a great illustration of a growing relationship, growing in understanding and in knowledge and I wanted to share!
"The bigger the trials get, the more I know I need God.
The more I need God, the closer I am drawn to Him.
The closer I get to Him, the more I sense His holiness.
The more I sense His holiness, the More I realize my own sinfulness."

That illustration is something that I have truly been experiencing this semester as the Lord has been challenging me through different trials and situations. I am so grateful for His mercy as He breaks me down and shows me how much i truly need Him and the grace only He can give. God has shown himself to be bigger than anything here on this earth and I can't wait to continue getting to know my Savior more and more each day. The Lord is so good!


"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." -Philippians 3:10-11



Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Road Trip to Round Rock!

From Denton...

Since last semester I had been wanting to take a trip home and bring a bunch of my friends with me to meet my family (if they hadn't already) and to experience the lovely Round Rock/Austin area! I finally found a time to do so and ended up taking seven of my WONDERFUL friends with me back to RR last weekend and we had a blast!

Five of my friends (Michaella, AJ, Lizzy, Corey, and Kip)met me at my apartment around 12:30 on friday and we decided that we all wanted to ride together so we all crammed in my little, but comfortable, honda civic. I rode comfortably for the 3 hour trip because I was driving but the rest of them enjoyed snuggling up in the back seat and we had a great time jamming out and all the road trip type things that you do. Once we got to RR we stopped by the house, said visited with my parents, then headed off to CHUYS...yumm :). Chuys was the first place I wanted to take everyone because it is a well known tex-mex restaurant which originated in downtown Austin and is so very delicious. After that, we hung out at the house played pool, and had a dance contest until catching a movie at the dollar theater. We decided to see The Book of Eli which was very good. I was not sure how i felt about it at the beginning but once it got going i was hooked. Late friday night, Kelsey and Seth finally got in and then we crashed!

Saturday morning we slept in until about 10:00 or so with RR Donuts (arguably, the best donuts in the world) , pigs-in-the-blankets, and fresh strawberries sitting in the kitchen waiting for us.


Around noon we all left the house and headed to our first stop in Austin which was the 360 bridge look out! We hiked up the cliff took some pictures, hiked a little bit more to take more pictures then finally headed back down. It turned out to be such a beautiful day and the view was just awesome!



After 360 bridge, we made our way to Mt. Bonnell...we hiked up the concrete stairs and hiked around for a little bit and enjoyed the incredible Austin view! Around 2:30 we made our way to South Congress, downtown, to eat lunch at Home Slice Pizza then stopped to get a cupcake at Hey Cupcake...DELICIOUS!! We strolled around south congress to stop in some thrift stores then made our last stop to the drag to go to Toy Joy and Buffalo exchange!! We ended the night with a fantastic dinner at the house...my parents grilled fajitas!

Sunday, we all woke up and went to church, had sushi for lunch, took blue bonnet pictures, then headed back to Denton. On the way home we stopped in Waco to eat dinner and my best friend blake and his good friend jaclyn joined us since they go to Baylor! It ended up being such an amazing weekend! The Lord has blessed me with such incredible friends who have hearts to serve the Lord and love others...God is so good!


Sunday, January 31, 2010

Lessons learned...

From College Station...

This past week was pretty tough. Filled with lots of ups and downs. A week ago today (last Sunday) I heard about an organization on campus called Project Sunshine. Their mission is to host activities for kids with special needs, usually things they don't normally get to do. Things like a mini-prom, basketball games, carnivals, trips to the zoo, etc. As soon as I heard about it, I immediately fell in love with the idea of being a part of something like that. I went to the informational the next night and signed up for an interview 2 days later (Wednesday). The application process was fairly simple...basically I just had to answer why I wanted to be a part of the organization. My answer was truthful, stating that I believe that every child is a gift from God and is precious in His sight and should be shown the same amount of love, if not more, than a child without disabilities, and that it is our calling to show the unconditional love of Jesus to those who need it the most. I felt like my interview went very well. I was very honest in all of my answers, and the girl interviewing me seemed like she could tell this was really on my heart. After the interview, she told me to come by their cubicle on Friday morning to pick up my letter saying if I made it in or not. I left not feeling too worried about it, because surely they only denied the people who answered things like "I just want something good to put on my resume". Fast forward to Friday. I got my envelope, and I opened it as soon as I got on the bus. It was like the letters got smaller and smaller as I read...

"Thank you for applying to Project Sunshine. Unfortunately, we cannot offer you acceptance into the program at this time. Don't let this discourage you from applying next semester."

I felt like crying right then and there. I felt like screaming at God at the top of my lungs. I felt confused. Angry. Hurt. Inadequate. For the first time in a while I felt like He had really put something on my heart to be a part of. Some way I could serve Him tangibly. And then to pull it out from under me? Of course I was upset! All the questions came flooding into my head. And then they all were silenced with one voice...

"Be still and know that I am God..."

That was so hard for me to hear. I wanted to be still, but something inside of me kept talking back. It took me a few minutes, but then it all became so clear to me. My plans may not always match with God's plans. Let's be honest...my plans RARELY match with God's plans. How silly of me to think that I knew what was best, and then to blame God for not doing it my way. God revealed to me that although we may have all the right intentions of doing something, it still may not be in His timing. "No" may simply mean "not now" or "wait". I have recently been asking God to provide money for my mission trip to Alaska this summer, since I have not had the best of luck finding a job this year. Project Sunshine cost $50 to join. Who knows, maybe it's God's way of providing that extra $50 I had been asking for. On a better note, I did have a job interview on Thursday, and I will hear back about it by next week sometime. I'm really putting all my trust in God with this one, because if I don't get it, I'm really going to have to have a ton of faith to believe that He will provide a way for me to pay for this trip. Please pray about that.

I leave you with this applicable verse.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Long time no post!

From Denton...

It has been almost a month since I last posted and I did not think I would go this long without blogging but indeed I did. However, I am going to work on blogging more often :).

I am finally back in Denton for the semester. I went from going to Round Rock to Houston, back to Round Rock then to New Braunfels, back to Round Rock then to Denton, back to Round Rock then to Belton, back to Round Rock, then finally back to Denton all in about a month. It was a lot of traveling but very much worth it because I got to visit my mom and dad's side of the family and be a leader at Disciple Now in Belton, TX which was an incredible experience and God blessed my heart.

I am currently coaching an upward basketball team with one of my dearest friends, Jordan, and we are coaching 3rd and 4th grade girls. They are precious girls and it has been so much fun. We have had four practices and our first game was today. Although I was a tad nervous, it turned out to be a blast and I am more pumped up than ever to get back to practice. The neat thing about upward is that it is geared towards having fun and sharing the Love/Gospel of Christ and not so much the winning aspect. Therefore, they do not keep score or make many calls on fouls and things like that. The not keeping score part turned out to benefit us today because we had our lunch served to us (or however you say it) so it kept them from having low spirits. We hand out stars at the end of each game; each girl gets a star and they all represent different things like most Christlike, best offense, best defense, best effort, and sportsman ship. It was such a blessing to see how excited they got when we announced which star they got! The girls had such great attitudes throughout the whole game and I know they are going to have a fantastic season!!

School starts back up on Tuesday and although I am not so excited for the 'school' part I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things...I will feel more productive since I have spent the last few days hanging out, sleeping in, and watching too much television.

I hope everyone has a blessed week!!