On Vacation!!!

Tomorrow morning at 5 a.m.(too early) I'm headed to the airport. My friend Apryl and I are flying into San Francisco to spend the day site seeing. Later that night we will drive to Napa to visit my dear friend Mindy. We will spend Sat. and Sun. in Napa with Mindy and then head back to the city for more site seeing on Monday. I'm really EXCITED to be going on a vacation that doesn't include a million little kiddos running around me! It will be great to catch up on life with Mindy and to have some adult friend time. I will post pics of my trip when I get back. Adios amigos!

HANGIN' WITH THE GIRLS!

Sorry that it's been a while since my last post. I've used the last week and a half to reflect on all the trips I've been a part of and to let God speak to me. God has shown me so many things and spoken to me in many different ways.

Yesterday afternoon I got to have a girly afternoon and hang out with some of my favorite girls. We started the afternoon at my favorite nail place-Kristy's Nails-where we got pedi's. Lucy and the ladies took good care of us! "You want design. I make flower for you." The girls got a cute flower, but I chose no design(saving it for another "special" day). After our toes looked beautiful we headed to the mall to hang out and do a little shopping. I had such a great afternoon hanging out with the girls. I feel so blessed to have these girls in my life!

Amy, Rachel, and Emily getting pedi's.
Claire and I getting pedi's.

We thought this pic was cute and funny-our heads are all squished together!

The girls being goofy and sporting some BIG AND FUN sunglasses-too cute!

SHINE, SEE, GLORIFY!!!

"Let your light SHINE before men in such a way that they might SEE your good works, and GLORIFY your Father who is in heaven." Matt. 5:16

This was the verse on the back of our L.I.T. shirts and is the core verse behind the L.I.T. program. This is exactly what happened this past week when Travis and Wedgewood combined to do mission work in San Marcos, TX. God showed up BIG time and was GLORIFIED!!! Our 4th, 5th, and 6th grade boys and girls lead other children to Christ. It was truly AMAZING!! We had 9 different sites that we were doing VBS work at. A couple of days before we left for the trip God really opened a door for us to be able to go into the Boys and Girls Club. At this site alone there were around 70 kids. This is the site were my team along with 2 other teams worked. These boys and girls were so hungry to have what our boys and girls had and to know more about Christ. It was SO AMAZING to see God at work in this place and to see lots of kids come to know him as their Lord and Savior! At the different sites our boys and girls were in charge of everything. They lead praise and worship, memory verse station, Bible Study, games, crafts, and were counselors. It was so AMAZING to see God use 4th, 5th, and 6th graders to reach other children! Over the entire week around 91 kiddos came to know Christ as their Lord and Savior through ministering at the different sites-GOD WAS GLORIFIED BIG TIME!!! I am so PROUD of our boys and girls and how they let Christ use them this past week! In my own life these boys and girls really challenge me to do the same.

These were some kiddos that I became really close to.
Tasiyan and I...I could never get enough of her!

Amanda and I...we had an instant connection because of our names. She had so many questions about God. I talked with her on Tuesday and she wasn't ready yet. Her first question to me was "How can God be real when he didn't answer my prayer for my mom to call me?" She lives with her aunt and uncle because her mom is wanted in 2 different states. This broke my heart! We talked a really long time that day and I told her that I would pray for her before I went to bed and first thing when I woke. The next day as soon as we got there she runs up to me and says that she is ready! Amanda asked the Lord to be her personal Lord and Savior-Praise God!!!
Kaitlyn and I...we started praying for her on day one because she had such a sad face. By Friday she accepted the Lord as her Savior! God is good!!

If you think about it say a special prayer for all the boys and girls of San Marcos who are baby Christians. Pray for their spiritual growth!

Headed out again...this time to San Marcos!

Well, it was nice to be back home for like a day and sleep in my own bed, but now I'm off for a week to San Marcos, TX. I am going with my church and the L.I.T. program to do mission work. We are hooking up with Wedgewood and taking our 5th and 6th grade boys and girls to do apartment ministry(VBS at different apartment sites). This was a great trip last summer and I'm so EXCITED to see what the Lord has in store this time! Please lift these boys and girls up in prayer!!! If you think about it this week, please say an extra prayer for me as well. I have been on the go like a crazy woman and it really is starting to catch up with me-I EXHAUSTED, but I know that the Lord will renew my strength daily! I will share pics and stories when I get back. Thanks for praying!!

Fun Times in OK!

Teri, Abbigail, and I at VBS.

The first part of the week I spent some time in OK with my family and helped my friend Teri with VBS at her church. The week flew by too fast! On Monday I spent the day with my sis at her house. Tuesday my dad, sis, and I headed over to Ardmore to visit with our grandpa(Howard). It was so good to see him again and hopefully he will get to move back to his assisted living in the next couple of days. Please continue to lift him up in prayer! Thanks for all your prayers!! On Wednesday I spent the afternoon with Teri and Abbigail. I had so much fun hanging out with you guys and really loved helping you out in VBS!! I helped Teri with VBS at night time so I had the day to spend with family and friends. I thought that I would have a chance to relax and rest but my life was still pretty crazy busy while I was in OK! Oh well, that's the way I like it!! Thursday I meet my mom and sis for lunch-good times! I really enjoyed my time in OK and I feel truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and friend that I got to spend some time with!

Abbigail is too cute and look at her cute pink skirt and leopard print shoes!

Precious Memories from Guatemala!

I got back from Guatemala on Sunday and truly wasn't ready to come home yet! Thanks for all your prayers! My first praise is that my flight there was one of the smoothest landings ever(wasn't the case in 04-got really sick)! Second praise is that my team members were some of the coolest ladies ever and we all got along really well and I developed some really great friendships! Third praise is that the conditions of the orphanage have improved greatly! The orphanage in Xela has a new director who has done amazing things there. She has hired all new teachers who are great with the kids(about 90 kiddos)and the orphanage is super clean and the kids have structure and discipline and are under control(unlike my last visit with kids running around crazy and doing what ever they wanted). The orphanage also has a new playground in the back that is really nice and the kids love it! PRAISE THE LORD! GOD IS GOOD! We were at the orphanage Monday through Thursday doing VBS work. We were at the orphanage in the morning from 9:00-12:00 and then in the afternoon from 2:00-4:00. On Thursday night we got to go back to the orphanage for a farewell party from 6:00-7:00. We brought McDonald happy meals and cupcakes for each child and every child wore their new clothes we got them to the party. The kiddos loved it! This was one of my favorite times of the week! It was much easier to leave the orphanage this time(still cried and wasn't really ready to leave)mainly because the children seemed so much happier over all. I miss seeing all the kiddos and especially a few that I got really close to. I got really close to a pair of sisters and their brother: Amelica(4 yrs. old), Amelia(5), and their brother Emmanuel(7). They were so sweet and cute! Also, I got really close to Blanca(9). I so would have taken all four in a heart beat if I was able to(my instant family minus my future husband). These four kiddos plus all the rest will definitely be in my prayers!

After we left the orphanage we headed to Panjachel to do some site seeing and shopping at Lake Atitlan. This was our 4th of July surprise and celebration! We took a boat tour around the lake and stopped at the cities of San Antonio and San Diego(which I thought was kinda amusing). The lake is truly AMAZING! It is surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. God's creation is truly breath taking here!! Here's a funny story: The boat ride was a long one and on the way back I fell asleep only to wake up to what I thought was a huge storm in which I was going to drown!!! We were in a small boat and I woke up to huge waves tossing our little boat from side to side. Little did I know that our boat had stopped to refuel(that's why the waves seemed so HUGE)! I was certain we were in a storm and going to drown! We didn't- praise the Lord- and even made it back before the storm hit! We had our farewell dinner later that night at Porta Hotel Panjachel. This was our last dinner together with all the leaders and interns. They surprised us with USA napkins and signs that said Happy 4th of July. They had planned some fireworks for us but the rain came instead. Fun times!! I am so glad that I had the opportunity to return to Guatemala. The Lord truly blessed my time while I was there and hopefully I will get a chance to return in the near future! Guatemala has a special place in my heart!!!

VBS at Westcreek Elementary...an answered prayer!

My life has been EXTREMELY CRAZY the past couple of weeks or say month so I feel like I should try my best to catch you up on the life of adb(for those of you who are interested). I taught summer school for 14 days in June and it was truly the best summer school ever! On average I taught 7 kiddos a day and they made huge leaps in their learning-YAY!! The last week of summer school before I left for Guatemala I helped out with Kid Power Camp(like VBS)at my school. This is a HUGE answer to prayer-Praise the Lord! Wedgewood Church has been trying to get into my elementary school for 5 years and this summer my principal finally okayed it. On Monday night we only had 29 kiddos, Tuesday night we had 49, Wednesday night 59, and Thursday night 62 kiddos-the kiddos just kept pouring in-this was a great turn out for our first Kid Power Camp! Best of all 17 kiddos from Westcreek Elementary and the surrounding neighborhood accepted Christ as Lord of their lives-PRAISE THE LORD!!! GOD IS GOOD!!!

Here's a pic of me with one of my students on Camo Night!

Here's a pic of Yates and I...she made me this cool hat to wear for Crazy Hat Night!

I'M BACK...

I'm back from Guatemala and can't wait to share what the Lord did during my time there! I will post pics and share about my time in Guatemala in a few days. I already miss the kiddos at Xela, but it's good to be back and this week I get to spend some time with my family in OK and help Teri(my bf)do VBS! Thanks for all your prayers!