A Brand New Day...A Brand New Adventure

I'm blogging on Myspace now!

2006-07-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

For the remainder of my trip, I will be blogging for BWV on myspace. You can read it at http://blog.myspace.com/bigworldventures. Thanks!

I don´t know.

2006-07-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

So, Yesterday (Thursday) I went out with a team and they did the drama three times. It was amazing to watch them do the drama and it was absolutely INCREDIBLE to see people´s lives being changed.

As we were driving back on the bus, I was thinking about it all and I have come to the conclusion that I don´t ever want to come to a place where I am SO comfortable in my faith that it doesn´t even affect me when I see people come to the Lord. It has been seven years since I accepted Jesus into my heart and there have been times when I have let myself become numb to the amazingness of God´s love. Seeing people find that love for the first time really reminds me of how precious of a gift we have been given. It is so amazing! God doesn´t just want His love to change our lives when we accept Him into our hearts, God´s love is so great and so powerful, that it should always be changing us--every week, every day of every week, every minute of every day. I don´t think I can really put this into words clearly. Give me a few days and maybe I´ll come back and try again. Anyway--tomorrow is packing day. It´s kind of sad, but also really exciting. Ecuador here I come!!!

Prayer need: the travelling home day is always a crazy one here in Brio world...not really sure why, but I just know that it can be complete insanity, please be praying that everything goes smoothly and that this year travelling home isn´t insanity, but rather a peaceful experience not only for the teens, but also for ht eleaders and staff

Minstry de Pan.

2006-07-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

So, this story is actually from a few days ago, but I´ve been busy and unable to get on the internet for very long.

On Monday, I went out with team 15 and we worked in a poor area. It was really cool to get to minister to the children there. We washed hair again and there was one girl that was talking to me about us doing that and she told me that it was a ¨very special thing¨ and she would ¨never forget it.¨ It was really special to me to hear that, and what was even cooler was that I had the priveledge of combing and braiding her hair for her. Good stuff.

As the team was getting ready for lunch, some of the leaders got on the bus, only to find that they had no bread. Yup. That´s my job every morning, to give the teams their bread and fruit and somehow I missed that team that morning. SOOO I headed out with one of our contacts from the area and we walked almost a mile to find a little bakery where we could buy some bread. It was no surprise to me for us to find that the store did not sell bread in loaves like we are used to, so I purchased over 50 small rolls to use for our PB and J. It was really funny. Then we had to walk the mile BACK to the bus, and this time it was all uphill. I decided that that was my ministry for the day. Bread. It may seem kind of trivial at first, but when you think about it: the team needed to eat and without food they wouldn´t have been able to do their ministry, so when you look at it like that the ministry of bread is a very important one. I´m glad to be able to be a part of those behind the scenes kind of ministries. But I also like the kind of ministry where we get to touch people´s lives and like the little girl told me--it is very special, and they will never forget. May I never forget either.

Amiga! Amiga!

2006-07-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

On the day of the 6th, I spend most of the day working--greeting flights and showing them the ropes, facilitating meals, carrying luggage, etc. There were two flights that got to the hotel around nine thirty pm and I helped facilitate their late dinner by making sure the students knew where to go and making sure everything was running smoothly and other things of the like. Apparently, I looked important and somewhat in charge becuase the hotel staff began coming to me to ask me various questions--not really a big deal. One woman in particular (I still don't know her name, haha) kept coming up to me and asking me if I was hungry. I politely explained to her that I had eaten dinner earlier with some of the other students. "ok ok" she said and walked away. 5 minutes later she came back to offer me a Coke. "No thanks". This woman has somewhat taken me under her wing, she makes sure that I have everything I could possibly need. For example, the next day after my nap, I was walking around the grounds and I happended to walk by her, it was almost 1 in the afternoon and she asked me if I had eaten any lunch. "Not yet," I said and she told me to follow her. She took me to the bakery and offered me some bread and a postre *dessert*. I explained to her that I wasn't really hungry and I was going to wait on some friends before I ate. "Oh, ok." Then she went up stairs and so I just started walking again...a few seconds later she came running "amiga! amiga!." I turned around and she handed me a bottle of water, telling me that I needed to drink it, I told her thanks and continued on my journey. Well, little things like this have kept happening between me and this lady and it is really sweet how she tries to take care of me. Well...TODAY, Caleb, Becca and I were out putting up some signs for seminars that will be going on tonight and I was walking through the plaza and the lady came up to me again. She gave me a gift--it's a little key ring with a doll on it. She told me thanks for all of the work I'm doing and kissed my cheek. It was so sweet. That is probably the best present I've ever been given in a foreign country. :-) Good times.

My first ministry day.

2006-07-08T16:59:00.000-07:00

wSo. Yesterday I had to stay in the hotel because there were things that I needed to work on for Big World, but today I got to go out with a team for their ministry day. I chose team 10, and apparently I chose well because we had an amazing day.

We started out around 9 this morning, and it took our bus nearly an hour to arrive in the poor district where we would spend the day. When we got there, I was reminded somewhat of the dump in Quito...the streets were dirty and filled with trash and there were sick/nasty looking dogs running around everywhere, it was not a particularly pretty sight. We headed over to the soup kitchen and the pastor told us to go around the neighborhood and bring children to come eat with us. I set out with one of the small groups, and we began to meet children and tell them to come with us...before I knew it, we had probably 20 kids following us around singing and laughing--happy to just be shown some attention. More children came along with the other small groups and it wasn't long before there were at least a hundred kids waiting in line for their food. Since most of the children were very young, we helped feed them to make sure they didn't burn their mouths with the hot food. After everyone was done eating, we began to wash their hair. I was the official hair washer for my small group. As each child knelt down in front of my tub of warm water their friends all smiled--excited to watch. You know, I never really thought about how special it would actually be fore the children, but to them it was like being a prince or a princess. The thought of having someone wash their hair was far too grand to comprehend. How amazing to be able to treat them like the princes and princesses they are in God's eyes! Within in hour or two, I had probably washed 30 or 40 children's hair. It was an amazing experience for me to see how a little compassion--even in the form of hair washing--can bridge even the largest of cultural and language gaps. I love that today I got to share the love of God with those children. That is the most amazing things I have ever or probably will ever do.

The greatest blessing I have ever been given is to have the opportunity to share the love of Christ. To the people of Peru the Highlanders are most certainly the "least of these" but to God, they are princes and princesses--they deserve to know that and to be able to be God's hands and feet to these people is an incredible thing. I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be here. That I not only get to minister through my work with Big World, but I also get to get out there in the trenches and minister the people of Peru.

Lima Lima.

2006-07-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!! I´m in Lima! Wow. it is so crazy to think that i´m actually here. my flight went well, and i´m still feeling better--both great things. I´m not really going to write much today because i´m out of time on my computer and i don´t have any extra soles. Ministry starts tomorrow please be praying for that...ok. gotta go. i love you all and God bless! more to come...

Better

2006-07-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

So...I'm better today. Praise God. I was really freaking out about being sick yesterday. Anyway. I'm better today, I"m still trying to take it easy--walking a little slower, sitting a little bit more...but I'm okay really. It's really funny because like all of the team leaders have come up to me today to ask how I am. Anyway. I just have to say one thing--I LOVE what I'm doing. I love this "job" of sorts. It is amazing.

So, I'm leaving tonight. My flight meets in the lobby at 9:15 tonight and then our flight leaves out at 1:20 in the morning. Then I'll be in Peru!!!! I'm so excited! I cannot wait to be there and to start ministering to the people.

If you want to check out Pictures from the Brio trip, you can go here and click on the "Daily Pics" link. Anyway...i guess that's all for now--I'll talk to you on the flip side...of the WORLD!!!

Sick.

2006-07-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was insanely busy, but we got all of our participants here without too much trouble. I spent 8 hours at the airport plus the 4 hours I spent working at the hotel for registration. I enjoyed it really, but I think I overdid it and now I am ill. I have been sick all day, weak and throwing up. It's not fun. Please be praying for a quick recovery so I can get back to doing the things that I came here to do.

That's all for now.

In Miami.

2006-07-01T05:22:00.000-07:00

So, I'm in Miami. It's full of great-ness. Spanglish is everywhere, which is totally exciting. :-) The past two days, haven't been very busy, just kind of chill out days. We had a few errands to run and minor projects, but no biggie. That is all about to come to a screeching halt. As I write this, the first adult leaders/LITs should be landing at Miami International Airport. Our work has begun. Of course, all of the getting ready has been work as well, but now all of the prep-work is turning into a reality. It's no longer just names and agendas on paper--it is now the actual action that will consume our lives for the entire month of July. I'm so excited that it is actually here! It's gonna be amazing. :-D Well....I've gotta go so I can get ready for registration. Later gators. God bless.

AHHH!!!

2006-06-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

It is official--my family has been blessed with some of the most amazing friends in the whole entire world. Within the past week and a half, people have been giving me money to use for my spending money on the trip, which is totally amazing and that means that I have that much less to worry about financially. Thank you so much.

I can hardly believe that today is my last day in the office. Tomorrow, I am heading to OKC to see my family and hang out before I leave on Thursday morning. Yeah, and I leave BEFORE 7 a.m. that morning. How crazy is that? I'm not exactly looking forward to having to get up that early, but oh well. Frequent flyer miles=free ticket=totally worth having to get up early.

So, I'm pretty much all packed (I think). About all I have left to round up are the things that my parents are bringing to me tomorrow and the stuff that I'm going to need to use before the trip (unless of course you don't want me to brush my teeth until after I get to Miami--which is totally disgusting). Anyway, not a whole lot is going on...I'm kinda starting to get the pre-trip jitters. So be praying for peace, and as little stress as possible. I think that's about all for now. Love y'all thanks.

2006-06-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

Today is Thursday. That means that a week from now, I'm going to be flying to Memphis, TN en route to Miami. How crazy/cool is that?!?

First the good news. As of this Monday, my last major payment was made for my trip, through the kindness of a stranger. HUGE blessing! It was only a month ago that I was freaking out because I still had over $1000 dollars to raise. It seems like an eternity ago. But God always makes a way and for that I am utterly grateful.

I've learned a lot through this experience about trusting God's plan rather than my own. When I left Weatherford, I literally had to walk out on my best friends in the whole world for 3 months. It was a really difficult on me. I literally cried almost the entire drive from Weatherford to Cordell. It was so hard in fact, that I had to call one of my dear friends and let her remind me why I was going to Tulsa in the first place--to follow God. In the midst of my freaking-out-ness, I had focused on the here and now, and I had forgotten to look at the big picture. But the big picture is this: God knows what he is doing. He has a plan for your life and He will ALWAYS take care of you, because He doesn't want to see you run into disaster he wants to give you a hopeful future.

So, that's my lesson for the week: Trust God, even when you can't see the big picture, because He knows what He's doing.

In other news, I haven't even STARTED packing or buying the stuff I need for the trip. I should probably do that.

So, Lately...

2006-06-12T16:24:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been GREAT! I still love working at the office. As of late, I have been working on the team books for the Brio trip. Basically these are ginormous compilations of information for each student made into books which are divided by team and given to the team leaders in Miami. Good times. I spent practically an entire week copying the stuff for files (it's really a big job). But it wasn't so bad. Anywho...I've been working really hard. It feels good to be doing something. Sometimes I let myself forget the big picture and I forget that the things I am doing are important. If all of the planning and preparation didn't go into these mission trips then the ministry wouldn't be able to run as smoothly. Thankfully God smacks me in the head when I need it and reminds me why I'm here. It's a good thing.

I have a HUGE praise report as well! Two weeks ago, I needed $1500 for my mission trips. I was really worried about it and I knew that it would take nothing short of a miracle for all of the money in time. I was really frustrated, too because I was out of creative and quick fundraising ideas. Checks started coming, friends started calling...and now *da da da dum da dummmmm* I only have $300 left to raise! Praise God for His amazing faithfulness!!!

Thank you friends for your prayers and support. It means the world to me. I pray that God will bless you greatly for it.

It's June 1!

2006-06-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

Wow. So, I'm pretty much a lazy bum who doens't post on her missions blog very often. Sorry, y'all. I'll try to set aside one or two evenings a week to post here. Then when I'm gone, I'll TRY (empahsis on the whole--not for sure part) to post every other day or so. We don't want a fiasco like last year, no? hahaha.

Anyway. Things are going great. Working at the office is good, great, awesome, wonderful--take your pick. I'm working on the devotional book/journal/everything book for the ZOEGirl Missions participants. It is seriously an amazingly fun job. I enjoy it a whole bunch. During my other time, I'm testing speakers and mics, filing, making lists, revising the lists, going through the tech box to take inventory of all of the things we have and all of the things we need, etc.

Oh yeah--I almost forgot the best part. Friday I was working in the back with the sound boxes pretty much all day. While going through last years tech box (sound equiptment, supplies, etc) I found a Kat costume for the drama that teams perform on the trip and I totally dressed up like a Kat all day long. It was hilariously fun. But seriously--we work hard, so dressing up like a kat is a well-deserved escape from it all. :-D

So--I have a ginormous praise report. (Or two or three). 1) I got 2 checks in the mail yesterday, totaling $165. 2) Some family friends stepped in to "save the day" today and wrote me a check for $200 to help me out. 3) I supposedly have more money coming from some random and secret source. If all goes according to plan (of course my plans might change in order to fit into God's plans) then I will have half of the $1500 that I need to cover my spot in Ecuador. I'm amazingly excited. With that in mind, don't stop praying, please about my finances. Things are good, but I still have a ways to go--but my God is an on time God and I know that He will provide...Agreeing with me on this issue, though would help keep my stress level down alot though. I can't just sit back and wait--that's not me...even if all I can do is pray, well that's better than nothing.

Thank you all so much for enocouraging me and supporting me. If it weren't for my friends and family I wouldn't be where I am today. You touch my life in ways that words can't describe and I thank you for that. I love you. Good night.

WoW.

2006-05-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

So this week has pretty much been crazy. Amazing and exciting, but still crazy. It all started Monday morning when Amber called me and told me that we had our apartment and that she was going to start moving in. I decided to postpone my move to Tulsa a day and move into the apartment with her in order to save the ginormously long drive home and back over the weekend. So yeah, all day Monday I was busy with that, but it was a lot of fun and I got to hang out with the fam. an extra half day and with Amber and Penny that afternoon.

Then Tuesday, I headed to Tulsa. After 3 hours of driving, 2 missed exits and 1 very upset old lady in a mini-van, I made it. Yay. :-) I got to Caleb and Becca's house around 1:15 and they helped me unload a little, then we headed to the office. My first afternoon at the Big World office was filled with stuffing envelopes of information for the students on the Brio trip. It was a bit tedious, but it wasn't bad. That night, I got settled into the house, unpacking and all that fun stuff.

Wednesday was a full day at the office. And Thursday. And today. I love it! Even though, I'm not personally working on stuff, being in the office really has helped me see all of the things that go into planning and getting ready for a mission trip.

I can still hardly believe that I'm actually here, working with the Big World staff...I really truly believe that this is where God wants me to be right now, and that is so exciting. Two weeks ago(ish) I was really beginning to doubt that working in Tulsa was what I needed to be doing, but now that I'm here I see that it really is. I'm really glad that I didn't let Satan get me down so much that I backed out all together.

Surprise! I'm amazed at how much of my day is spent in prayer. I get busy on a task--whether it be copying room lists, stuffing envelopes or compiling the devo books--and I find myself being silent on the outside, and full of prayers and praises to God on the inside. Today seriously like the ONLY thing I did all day was work on the devo book for Ecuador. The whole time, I kept praying that God would use those pages to make a difference in the lives of the trip participants and that the participants could then use those lessons to make a difference on their world. I've been praying for the Brio trip alot too--most of the stuff I have done for that trip has been rooming lists and sending out flight information, so those prayers have been more concerned with safety and that the girls (and guys) will get along as well as humanly (or by God's Power) to make their ministry much more impactful. It's kinda funny, but I don't even know most of these people--they are just names without faces at the moment, but I care about them so much. Wierd, huh?

Anyay. I love it. I am amazed that I'm here. Yay for God.

Ok. I'm finishing up now. Two prayer requests. 1) I still need ALL of my money for the Ecuador trip (about $1500), please be praying that God will make a way for that trip to be possible. I really want to be there. I'm not sure why, but I think I NEED to be there for some reason...I can't explain it. 2) There is a girl that is signed up for Ecuador, but her father is refusing to sign the papers for her to get her passport--please pray for supernatural favor over her...

Ecuador 2005.

2006-05-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

My team ventured to the outskirts of the city of Quito to visit Fundación Remar--a local orphanage. The home where my team went on both the 2004 and 2005 trips is a the Remar home for boys...the babies and girls live in a different home closer in to the city. My team went to the orphanage pretty early in our time in Quito. In 2004 when I went to this orphanage it was in horrible condition and the director didn't even seem to care about the children...this made me very, very sad. But in 2005, was pleased to learn that there was a new director--she is a wonderful woman who truly loves and cares for the children and she's really concerned about their well-being. The living conditions had also improved a whole bunch, so that was really good. But that is all kind of beside the point.

As soon as stepped out of the bus I saw an adorable face that touched my heart. The boy looked to be about 11 or 12-ish...this boy kind of stood off to the side, and didn't interact with the other children very well. Every time you looked at him, he appeared to be about to cry--but I could never tell if it was sorrow or anger, because he often lashed out at the other kids verbally and he was very protective of all of his belongings. My heart went out to him...he needed a friend so badly.

It took me a while, but I worked up my courage and went over to talk to him. After the general small talk--which was pretty much all I knew, Luis started kind of following me around and talking to me about things...mostly just random things, but still, it was fun. Before long, my new friend Luis was calling me tía. We just had a pretty good, all around day....the team performed our drama. I was the clown and Luis got a real kick out of seeing me in my costume and make-up, and once the drama was over, we played catch with my beach ball. It was a great day. Then it came time for the team to leave and head back to our hotel. All day, I knew in the back of mind that this was going to happen, but it still made me really sad.

So, I tell Luis that I had to go, and he just kind of looked at me--he knew the score of this game. Someone comes along...they have a good time....and then they leave him. Just like his parents did. Just like the visitors do...every single time. But he told me good-bye as best he could and I did the same...and he walked me out to the bus....and watched us drive away.

If the story had ended here, I would have honestly been okay with it. But while we were on the drive home, Dacia our team leader told us that the orphanage's dining room had asbestos all in the roof and it wasn't a high quality in the first place, and the director was worried about the safety of the children . . . our team agreed to take up an offering and go back later that week to give them a new roof. I was so excited. One: we had the opportunity to do a new service project and Two: I was going to get to see Luis again! Now--in between the two good parts of the story is one very bad part, but it isn't relevant, and what's done is done so I'm not even gonna go there....So let's fast forward a few days.

We get back to the orphanage early that morning. I'm so excited that I get to see my friends again--particularly Luis.

Once again, we had a great day together. I was in charge of entertaining all of the little little kids to keep them away from the construction so they wouldn't get hurt, some of the older kids helped out--Luis included. We played with finger paints and bubbles and all sorts of fun stuff, and for the first time I saw Luis playing with the other kids as opposed to yelling at and running away from them. It made me really happy to see that. About half way through the day, the children began started to disperse around the yard and play amongst themselves...so I began to clean up all of our arts and crafts stuff and took it to the director's room for safe keeping. As I was walking out of the house, I decided to go see how things were going around back--where some of my teammates were painting the dining room tables. I hung out back there for a while, and then a few of the older boys came around and started working on their chores. A few of them talked to me in passing as they went back and forth about their duties. Luis had to go mop one of the floors and after he was done he went out to the water barrel thing (it was like a horse tank, but that's the water they used for cleaning and things of the like) to clean out his mop and bucket. He called me over and showed the turtle that he and some of the boys had found. It was one of those Galapagos tortoises...it was really cool. Anyway, we spent almost an hour talking about the turtle and he would ask me how to say words in English and I would ask the same to him in Spanish. Before long, it was yet again time for us to leave.

I didn't want to.

Luis had changed so much, just in those two days. He just needed a friend, someone to love him and care about him. Before I left, I got to share the love of Jesus with that little boy...wow.

But still, leaving wasn't so easy the second time. As I explained to Luis that I had to go, tears in my eyes, he took my hand and asked me not to leave him. I didn't want to. Oh gosh, I didn't want to leave.

As our bus pulled away, and I had to leave Luis, it literally felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest.

Sometimes it still feels like it's missing.

Luis...

2006-04-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

A few of the people from my team on the 2005 trip made a website, and on it Jen posted all of her pictures. . .

I found one of Luis.

I can't believe I found it. . .I have wanted to have a picture of him for so long. But I never thought that seeing his face would be like this. . .I was going through the photo album, just enjoying the smiling faces, I wasn't expecting to see Luis. I don't know what to say. Words just don't work in some situations--this is definitely one of those.

I miss him.

WOW...

2006-04-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

I went to Night of Praise on Tuesday night and a friend of mine and I were talking. We had somewhat of a revelation and it's really pretty exciting. My original goal was around $4000. That is the cost of the Brio trip, the ZOEGirl trip, and 2 domestic flights. Caleb informed me a few weeks ago that I was only going to need one roundtrip flight to Miami, because the staff just stays in Miami the few days in between the two trips. So by saving one flight, that saved me close to $350. Then we were able to use frequent flyer miles to pay for my flight...which saved me ANOTHER $350-ish dollars. Add that to the $1400 dollars that I have now, and that puts me over half way to my goal. That is amazing. God is so awesome. I am nothing short of astounded.

Prayer requests: My friends that are going to Rwanda this summer have a big payment due next week, please be praying that their needs are fulfilled so they can go do the work that they feel God has called them to. I'm considering starting a new fundraiser, but it needs alot of prayer. Also be praying about my current fundraiser--flip flops. It's going really well right now and if it keeps up then that would be GREAT. A final prayer request--please be praying that the transition w h en I move to Tulsa goes smoothly...I'm a little nervous about it, please pray that God will give me peace about it.

Praises and Pictures.

2006-04-13T12:03:00.001-07:00

Things are going great right now. I have already been blessed with an amazing support base. Thank you all for being faithful in prayer. I am so thankful for all of you--my friends and family in Christ--that are willing to support this grand adventure. Everyday, there are little things that confirm that this is God's will for my life and likewise there are tons of little things that make me more and more determined to do what it takes to get there. But at the end of the day, I am thankful that God is in control of everything, because if it weren't for Him, I would have lost my strength a long time ago. Praise God for His never-ending faithfulness!

Finals are coming up, so flip-flop making efficiency is down some. But I'm doing just as much as I can, whenever I can and that's all I can do. Sometime in the near future I will have photos up of a new batch of styles. Most of them this time around have already been promised and/or bought by people, but I am always open to trying to duplicate a style for you if you're interested.

Prayer requests: This isn't directly missions related, but please be praying that my two soon-t0-be roommate and I will be able to get into a house soon. Two of us are in the dorms until the end of the semester, but ALL of us need a place to move into by the 15th of May at the latest, and so please keep that in your prayers. Today the biggest prayer request I can think of is Peru. I forget when their presidential elections are (or maybe they are even just over), but pray that God will put a strong, trustworthy leader into their government and that the transition will go smoothly. I was talking to a friend of mine here in Weatherford that was from Peru and she said that this election is a really big deal, maybe even more so than normal, so we definitely need to be praying about it. I guess that's about all for now...except for some pictures!

These are pictures from Brio I.E. '03 to Quito, Ecuador. My first ever time to be in that amazing place!

Yeah...I was a mime--more specifically I was a tree. It was a lot of fun.

He is quite possibly one of my favorite children EVER!!! (after Halli and Natster of course). His face is painted like one of the Kats from the drama and he is displaying his sweet karate skills. hahaha.

These girls are playing ring around the rosy--the two in Navy had just gotten out of school and the girl in the white was the littlest sister of one of them, I think...I wish you could see all of their faces, because their smiles were priceless.

We got to play with children during their vacation bible school at a church in Quito. The blonde girl in the red shirt is Miriam--she was my roommate and prayer partner for the trip. They are rolling a bouncy ball around (we got in trouble for bouncing them...)

This is my teammate Kristina. We were coloring with these three girls...It was fun.

These are three of my best friends from I.E. '03. Kiana, Abbie, Renee, and I. That's the equator monument behind us...well, actually the "Mitad del Mundo" monument. haha. Good news! Abbie is starting college in the fall at UCI in Cali. WOOT WOOT. Congrats, girl.

Ok, that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane. :-D

The Newest Flip Flops.

2006-04-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures of my newest flip flops...

I'd like to give a big shout out to all of my AMAZING foot models: Janna, Bre, Jessica, Kaylen, Lacey, and Amber (I'm the other foot) and also my FANTASTIC photographer--Jason. Thank you all so much for your help and your support. I heart you alot.

Now--For closer-ups. :-D

Enjoy--I can duplicate these styles if you like them...or if they inspire you for more ideas or you just want to nab some for yourself, say the word. My inbox is always open. toni_druann@hotmail.com

Updates and Prayer Needs--4/3

2006-04-03T13:16:00.000-07:00

I'm currently 5.2% of the way on my financial needs for this summer. Please be praying that my current fundraising efforts will prosper and that God will work a miracle through all of this. Also pray that this miracle will stand as a testament to those non-believers that hear of this story.

Be praying for the teens that will be ministering on the trips this summer. Pray that God will prepare their hearts for the things that are going to be happening in their lives before the trip. Also pray that God will prepare them to be bold testaments of the love of God to the people of Peru and Ecuador.

The third and final prayer request that I would like to ask you to keep in mind is that God will prepare us all for the spiritual warfare that is going on now as we are all fundraising and also for the all-out war that Satan is going to be waging with us to try to hinder our ministry. Pray that God will empower us to overcome and defeat the enemy and WIN SOULS TO HIS KINGDOM!

Amen.

Pictures of My Flip Flops.

2006-03-27T16:20:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures of a few of my flip flops.

Well...I guess that's about all--feedback would be great and if you are interested in something specific I'd be happy to try and take care of you! :-) Thanks.

Fabulous Flip Flops.

2006-03-27T07:09:00.000-08:00

Ok. So, I'm making (well decorating) flip flops that I am going to be selling as a way to raise funds for my summer stuff. I'm gonna see if my roommate will let me use her digital camera so I can get some pictures up. If you are interested in buying some you can e-mail me or post a comment on this site and I will do what I can. I'm open to taking "special orders" as long as I can get a hold of the materials that you want. So far I have 3 pairs completed and 4 more in the works they are women's sizes ranging from 5-6 to 9-10. I am also going to try to do some girls' shoes as well, but I haven't done any yet.

Oh yeah--I said you can leave a comment on this site. For those of you that aren't familiar with blogger/blogspot, when you click on the link at the bottom of a post that says "0 comments" (or there will be another number there, if comments have already be put up) then you will be directed to a page and you can leave a comment as "other" and just put your first name or anything that I can use to identify who you are.

Anyway--anyone that is interested just give me a holler in some form or another and we'll see what we can do. :-D Muchas Gracias.

A Few Things I've been thinking of Lately.

2006-03-21T08:32:00.000-08:00

In the past few days, I have been praying alot about this summer and the things that God is going to be doing. I have this swelling feeling inside of me that something big and amazing is going to happen and it makes me so excited. I can hardly believe that this is where my life is now...it's just mind boggling. God is so amazing.

On Sunday night, we sang this song at church and I really think it pinpoints the way I'm feeling right now.

"Don't want to stand here and shout your praise,
and walk away and forget your name.
I stand for you if it's all I do, c
ause there is nothing compared to you.
'Cause all I want in this lifetime is you.
And all I want in this whole world is you.

Tell the world that Jesus lives.
Tell the world that, tell the world that,
Tell the world that He died for them,
Tell the world that He lives agains.

No longer I but Christ in me,
cause it's tthe truth that set me free.
How could this world be a better place?
By thy mercy, by thy grace.

'Cause all I want in this lifetime is you.
And all I want in this whole world is you.

Come on, come on and we'll tell the world about You.
Come on, come on, let's tell the world about You."

I want to tell the world about Jesus, and I don't wanna just say that. I want to live it out, and I believe that this is an amazing opportunity to use my skills and my talents to do just that.

A lazy, wonderful, rainy day.

2006-03-18T09:41:00.000-08:00

I'm still in Tulsa with my family. Today all the families are playing together in a local church, but being the lazy college student I am, I opted to stay in the hotel. :-) As I'm sitting in the quite comfortable hotel chair next to our widow, I'm staring out at the rain just enjoying the beauty of it all. I love the rain. I can't see those beautifully formed drops of water without thinking of God. It has been an almost constant prayer thought my life as a Christian that God would rain down his presence on my life, seeing the actual physical drops of rain reminds me of that plea. It amazes me how amazing the Lord is to me and how amazingly he has answered that prayer.

When I was fifteen years old I went to Falls Creek with the youth group of FBC Sentinel. At this point in my life, I was planning on being a teacher--it was what I had always wanted to do. On the very first night at the tabernacle service, I felt God telling me that I really needed to open up my heart and my life because HE had some important things that He needed to tell me. I began to pray and try to open up my mind to the possibility of new things that God might have in store. Tuesday night, the sermon was about when Isaiah was called by God. "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" Those words began to seem as my own calling. They were no longer a compilation of letters on a page in my bible, they were the living, breathing words being spoken to my heart. That night I committed my life to the ministry, believing that it was God's will for my life. To this day, I have never regretted that decision and I have never taken it back. About a month later, I participated on my first mission trip with my youth group. We were in Cheyenne, Wyoming putting siding on a woman's home. I would say, that it was probably that week working with the "Mighty Miter Joints", plus reading Jesus Freaks that helped me to truly realize that my life was made to give to others. As far as I'm concerned the rest is history--three summers of mission trips in Ecuador, developing a passion for the Spanish language and culture, and now here I am: a mere 7-8 weeks from literally the adventure of my lifetime. Within that sort time, I am going to living in the amazing city of Tulsa working with Big World Ventures. I am so excited. This opportunity is the very answer to my prayers, and it isn't the first time my prayer has been answered.

I am just in awe of this opportunity. If you would have told me 6 months ago that this amazing adventure was going to be in front of me, I would have laughed and probably told you that you were crazy...but now I am just amazed. I am so blessed.

Another thing that has totally blown me away this week is that I got my support letters and e-mails sent out. Amazing? Yes for me. What has made me even more excited about this is that I have already gotten an amazing response. Less than a week and I already have two prayer supporters and two financial supporters. I want to thank you all very much, and even more importantly I want to thank God for being faithful. Praise God! I am so excited. Really. Words cannot accurately describe how very excited I am.

I'm off to watch the rain some more...later.

Today.

2006-03-17T14:53:00.000-08:00

Today I am in Tulsa visiting my families travel group from our second adoption trip to China. The Bes part of this?!? We got to visit the Big World office where I'm gonna be working (well, interning) this summer! It has made me so excited. Even more than I was already. I'll post more later...

New Blog.

2006-03-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

Ok...so I moved this blog from eponym for one simple reason. PHOTOS!!! I thought I was going to be able to easily post photos on that sight...but it didn't work out exactly like I had planned. Then viola! I remembered that blogger had photo posting, and it's more commonly known to people...so that kinda helps. Anyway. This is great...I like my home on blogger, so it's all good. Adios muchachos.

Mathematical Breakdown of the Current Financial Situation....

2006-03-14T16:27:00.000-08:00

SO... $4000 that's ALOT of money, right? Yeah. I'm pretty sure it is. It is that number 4000 that seems so daunting to me right now. So...I decided to break it down...
I thought--March, April, May, June...4 months. That's $1000 each month! That still seems really big...so I thought about days. 122 (except that I have already lost 14 days for this month) days...That's $32.79 per day. That seems feasible, but not really practical.
Then I thought of something that is a bit more logical. I sent out 52 support letters. 17 Support E-mails. Plus my friends and family that I have talked to in other ways (i.e. my xanga, and in person) so I have about 75-80 people within my immediate support base, that MIGHT help out, as God leads them...That's $50 per person...but for some people that's alot.
Here is my conclusion: If this is really what God has called me to do, then HE is going to provide, even if my calculations cannot fathom it. I have no clue how HE is going to do it...but HE is big enough, and I have to learn to trust him. So--forget the calculator. I want to present my requests to God, because HE is the only one who can provide my needs and fulfill my dreams.
Love you all! :-D

A Few Pics from the ZOE 2005 Ecuador Trip.

2006-03-13T16:29:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of the lovely city of Quito. It really is an amazing place...I love it there so much!

This is the nursing home that we visited. I first visited this place on the 2004 ZOEGirl trip, then I was blessed with the opportunity to return in 2005. This particular old woman danced in her wheel chair for us...her joy is a blessing to me.

This is Jen (the Spanish Dancer) was putting lotion on this woman's face...The kind and gentle way that she cared for the people in the nursing home touched my heart. I have been blessed with amazing teams on all of my trips to Ecuador--Team 9 on Brio 2003, then in 2004 (did we have a team name?!? haha), and the Blue Team in 2005...

Here is a picture of my team from the 2005 trip.

This last one is a picture of me and some of my good friends from the 2005 trip in colonial Quito at night...a great sight-seeing trip for anyone that is ever in the area. :-) [this picture is Hannah, Maranda, Me, Masha, Jen, Amanda, and Elizabeth]

Working On Support Letters

2006-03-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a day this has been. I went to work at 7:30 and spend the next hour and half, I worked on my support letters. Then I went to class...after class I had to be at work again and worked another hour and a half on my letters. That makes three hours today. Plus the like 5-6 hours I've already spend working on my letters...of course that was spread out over something like three weeks, so it was different. The good news in all of this is that I now have about 50 letters practically ready to mail out. then I have 37-ish more envelopes and something like 50 more letters that I can/might send out.
I am so excited about this summer! I cannot wait.

Adios amigos.

Un Gran Verano.

2006-03-09T17:49:00.000-08:00

Here's how things are:
In November, I applied for an internship with Pan de Vida--a ministry of HCJB World Radio in Quito, Ecuador. Well, I didn't get accepted because the ministry didn't actually have any full-time missionaries to mentor me and my friend Jen during the time we were there. The day I found out about this sad news, I found this verse randomly and I really believe that it was God comforting me:
"God-of-the-angel-armies speaks: 'Exactly as I have planned, it will happen. Folling my blueprints, it will take shape. . .God-of-the-angel-armies has planned it. Who could ever cancel such plans? His is the hand that's reached out. Who could brush it aside?'" Isaiah 14:24,27
I was greatly encouraged by these verses, but still basically my summer plans were totally up in the air and I began to pray that God would guide me to where he wanted me to be because I had felt for a very very long time that the summer of 2006 was going to be a big and important part of my life, but I didn't actually know why or what that meant.
The days went on, then weeks, and I continued to pray for guidance. Then one "normal" Monday night, I was talking to my good friend Caleb, who works at Big World Ventures and he asked me to consider a mini-internship over the summer in Tulsa and help out around the office then work as staff if I raised enough money to go on one of their trips. I prayed about this for a long time and weighed the pros and cons of doing the internship.
Fast forward 2 months (ish), I decided that I wanted to go to work for Big World over the summer as an intern and go to Ecuador with ZOEGirl Missions as well. Then, God really surprised me and I felt Him leading me to go on the BRIO trip to Peru and help out as well. Wow. I still can't believe it.
I am really insanely excited about all of these things (no really...I think I might be going crazy) but at the same times it all seems a bit daunting because it's all gonna cost around $4000 plus dollars. I was really stressing out about this at first, then last Sunday I was at church and every first Sunday wehn we take up the tithe and offering, we pray a prayer about giving to God. Somewhere in the prayer, it says something about how God provides for those who want to follow Him, beyond even our wildest hopes or dreams. While I was standing there praying that prayer surrounded by my church family, I realized that if this dream I have been given really is of God then He will make it happen and if it doesn't happen, then I know that His will is greater than mine, and I am okay with that. God is bigger than I can ever imagine and I am so thankful for that.
Well, I guess that's about it in a nutshell.