Today

Today has been a good day so far, we are housesitting right now in
Riverside and woke up to the sound of their doggies scratching at the doors
and I let them in and they were so excited to see us. Gave them breakfast,
got ready... We had made some plans to go over to my Grandma's to get some
videotape of her talking about her life. It was really nice, at first she
is asking why we wanted to do this but once I got her talking she was fine
on camera. Got some laughing moments and funny stories. I will post some of
the video once I get it uploaded.

A hard Christmas

This Christmas was a good Christmas, We went to my sister's apartment and decided to cook breakfast with French toast, bacon, and orange juice. Then we headed over to my Grandma's house to have a Christmas lunch with Turkey and all the good side dishes. We pulled out my Grandma's best China and crystal for the lunch, since my Grandma couldn't remember the last time she used them. You're reading this and wonder why I labeled this blog what I did. What has made this Christmas hard is that my grandma keeps saying this is going to be her last Christmas. We're waiting at the table for the food to come out, and my Grandma says "This is a sad Christmas, I don't know why but it just feels sad". So we go on our way with the lunch and have dessert. My Grandma never wanted us to "fight" over her stuff when she was gone so every time we come over we end up leaving with some things she has decided to give us. Even more so this Christmas, so I am left with these feelings like I am taking something that doesn't belong to me. We're sitting in the back room of the house and hugging my Grandma and she says "You know I've loved you since the moment you were born" and of course I start crying because she's talking like this. I told her how much I loved her too... And the conversation carried on with more talk that just made me cry harder. She wipes the tears from my face and says "I love you." In a way, she's checking out, meaning she's in her own way ready to go to her real Home.

Death is a part of the complete cycle of our lives, and it's not my fear of her dying that makes me cry. It's the feeling of not seeing her anymore, missing her spunky character and her back scratches. She's always been spunky, and that's what I have loved about her most. There's a lot of memories there from her. It's a hard Christmas because, partially, I don't know how to deal with these feelings. It was hard because I didn't want to think that this was going to be her last Christmas, I just wanted to enjoy being around her. We get in the car after leaving and I start crying again, Andrew says "Why do you have to make me cry?" So anyway, overall everybody was safe and we enjoyed each other's company so I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas..

Fearless

For Andrew's birthday gift he bought "Fearless" with Jet Li and we watched
it this morning as we just kinda lazed around. Pretty cool movie not just
for the action but also because there were a lot of good points in the
movie. The movie had subtitles bu once I got into the movie, I didn't
even realize that there were there still. One of my favorite was when the
half blinded grandaughter Yueci talks about the moment she knew she was not
going to be able to see and her grandmother says something like "It's okay
to be sad and cry for a little while... And after you cry, you have to live
life."

I thought that was cool, there is a time and a season for everything. So
when life hits hard, it's okay to be sad for a little bit but then we have
to move on and live life the way it has been given to us.

Christmas portrait session

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Why Persevere?

To persevere means "to persist in a state, enterprise,or undertaking in
spite of Counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement." The Dictionary
of Biblical Imagery says that "perseverance is rooted in confidence in the
Lord. It is produced by siffering (Romans 5:3 , James 1:3) and produces
character, 'so that (we) may be mature and complete, not lacking anything'
(James 1:4, Romans 5:4).

Let's face it right up front: Suffering is associated with the development
of perseverance. As we understand better scripture teaches about the
spiritual benefits of perseverance, we can look to the future with hope
instead of fear. There are 3 specific reasons for our suffering:

1) Suffering is God's means of perfecting us.
2) Suffering is a means of spreading the Gospel.
3) In persevering through suffering we see God.

January 19th

Today Andrew turned 26!!!! Yikes man, He said 26 and was like blown away still. We were talking in the car the other night and at one point I think Andrew said, "I mean you're only 21"... ha ha... and I said "No, Honey I am 23... He says No you're 21... I said no I was born in 1983 that means I am 23." Andrew says, "... but we just got married"... I said "Honey, we are getting near to 2 years of marriage."

Time flies pretty fast around here. So 26 years ago, Andrew was born literally kicking and screaming (ha ha). Tonight we got word that a friend of ours, Stephanie, has gone into labor with her baby boy, so we went to the hospital to visit her. Stephanie, you are so awesome. She is progressing nicely and nearing her 5cm and still has not had a any pain meds at all. Go Lamaze classes, and Go Stephanie!!! You will forever be my hero if you go all the way through the delivery without any pain meds. After that we went to Borders to pick out a book for Andrew. Of course, I went to the photography section and started thumbing through some books but none really caught my eye. And now, we are home just hanging out and hoping to go to sleep EARLY tonight!

I am so looking forward to what God is going to show us in the future. We are, literally, on the edge of our seats just waiting for what God is going to tell us. We really have no idea what God is going to give to us.

We have a lot of things that "could" come our way as far as housing. We typically, make too much money to get help from the county of Riverside to buy our first home and yet we don't make enough to float a house payment on our own. So... what does this really mean? Does it mean that what all the real estate experts keep saying might actually happen? The bubble will burst and once again make it possible for youngins like us to buy a house? Or is it all just wishful thinking? We will see, if you read my previous blog about what $269,000 would get us then you know exactly what I am talking about.

Anyway, keep us in your prayers for guidance for decisions. We are at a crossroads right now as we are just waiting for a single word from God about what we are supposed to be doing.

Mary

Can you imagine giving birth to the Son of God? I imagine you would be
holding the little baby Jesus and just crying... I mean think of the weight
that would have been on Mary's mind. I would be crying just because God had
placed such responsibility, think of little baby Jesus in your arms. Did
Jesus know even as a baby that He was the Savior? Did he remember the world
being created even as a baby?

Would she be extra cautious or worry about hurting him as a child or
toddler? I could only imagine... What if God was thinking you were raising
Him wrong, could she raise Him wrong? Gosh I know I would be scared...I
guess that's why God had chosen her because He knew she could have handled
it all. I would a nervous mess, all the time!!

What a miracle... I think we pass by the story of Jesus birth and just
think yeah I have heard it a millon times. But think about it, a young
woman was told my an ANGEL that she was going to be with child, without
ever being with anyone... Geesh, whoever thinks that God does not have
power needs to re-think this story. He was able to create the Savior inside
a young woman who was a virgin. This totally amazes me- If that was me I
would be like- HOW???

God works miracles everyday in our lives, the trick is to First, recognize
them and Second, be thankful to God for them! Thank you Lord for your
miracles and blessings everyday in our lives!! You are so awesome and
amazing and give you praise for providing for us.

Spekulatius Party

Yesterday, we were invited to come to the "Spek Party" from a friend. And we were like that sounds pretty cool, Each year this family holds one of these parties. A Spekulatius is a german cookie, a pretty traditional spice/sugar cookie (we couldn't decide which once it tasted more like). Anyway, they make HUGE batches of this dough and I think they said they use like 6 lbs of flour for the batter. It is supposed to make enough for everyone who attends to take some home. How they get the cookies in a very cool design is unlike I have ever heard. In Germany they would cut very intricate designs into long pieces of wood with maybe 12 different designs on this one piece of wood. Then, they would smoosh the dough into the designs and then you would have to proceed to turn the piece of wood upside down and smack it against a hard surface to get the dough out of the cutter without ruining the design. Very cool, we were invited to go ahead and try this ourselves so here is the video of me making a Spekulatius cookie. It was so cool because this whole family would get together every year and make these cookies, something they have passed down from generation to generation. I would love to be able to pass along something like that to my family...If I had something like that to pass along :)

This is what $269,000 would get us:

Seriously the market has been dropping little by little but... OH MY GOSH. Can you believe that we would be paying like $1400/month for a 580 Sq ft house. I can't even fathom at this point paying like $1000/month on a mortgage for a house because even that would be WAY beyond our budget. Sheesh! Praise report though, Andrew got a $1.25/hour raise at his full time job. Has now been with the same company for 7 years going on 8, crazy! Anyway can you believe this property:

An unconsious effort

How would life be different if helping people was an unconsious effort?
Maybe people wouldn't stuck on the side of the road without any help.
Someone would always stop on the side of the road and ask if they needed
help.
Maybe those homeless people wouldn't be sleeping on the park benches, they
would be in a mission or inside our home being fed and clothed.
Maybe those orphaned children wouldn't be without parents, they would be
adopted and loved and not left to emotional distress because of life's
circumstances.
If helping people was similar to breathing then it would become second
nature to us. We wouldn't ignore the man standing on the side of the
freeway. We wouldn't tell that homeless man we have no money when we really
do. We wouldn't ignore the worldwide hunger.

Hardwood floors pics

These are 2 pictures I took from my phone of my Dad's awesome looking
hardwood floors. The pictures don't look like much but they look so
beautiful.

Hardwood floors

The house I grew up in, my Dad still currently lives in and the house has
always had hardwood floors underneath the carpets. He has been wanting to
rip up the carpets for a long time because, hardwood floors (and real ones)
look beautiful, and my Dad agrees that it will be better for allergies. So,
today he ripped up all the carpets and told me how beautiful they look and
how different it will be when you come in. I am so excited to see this!! I
will have to take pictures and post them once I stop by there.

So cute!

Okay, so the other night we were in the Anne Geddes store at Downtown Disney and we saw this baby collection. And I couldn't help but think how cute it would be with our last name being Holybee to have this Bee collection or decorate the babies room in bee's. This is just so darling!!!

Christmas at Downtown Disney

Went to Downtown Disney tonight and on our way out it started raining... We
went into the Anne Geddes store hoping to find a little santa outfit for
Briana's baby but had no luck. Although I did find a little Bee themed
onesie and I thought how cute it would be when we have babies to have Bee
themed baby room! We are headed home now and it is raining a little bit so
yeah the winter season has started.

Lately

Andrew and I have been discussing what we are going to do like with where
we are living. Are we going to live a very humble life? With this humble
life we would be sacrificing a lot things in our life so that we could help
others around us that are in more need. Means in a lot of ways giving up
the idea of ever owning a home. We want to live humbly for sure, to what
extent are we called to live like this?
We would just love some answers as to what direction God is leading us, are
we supposed to be church planters? Are we supposed to buy a house? Should
we buy a bigger rv? Even just a little hint as to what direction we should
take. We think we are getting taken a direction and then something happens
to confuse us again. I know it's just a season but sometimes you just want
answers. I pray every morning just holding onto the hope that God will
reveal to me just a little more about what direction to take. I mean just a
peek into where to go would be so helpful.

We've never thought that we would be ones that ever moved out of California
and now we just keep leaving every door open because if we need to move
then I know that God has his hand in it. Oh Lord, why do you make me wait
for your words? I feel like a little child looking up at her Daddy just
waiting for Him to bend down and whisper his desires for me in my ear to
me. So, here we are just waiting for Him.

James Riley pictures

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Thoughts for today

Ever just have one of those days you feel like no matter what you do, you
just can't seem to get it right? I feel like a horrible person today, seems
like whatever I touch seems to go to crap. I know... It's just a season.
Trust God and he will work everything else out. I know all of the things
that people will say to try and make me feel better but it is so hard to
see what I am doing right at this moment. I want to cry but I can't since I
am at work. Life has been pretty stressful right now, with work opening the
new building and ministry, and all the other life stuff. I feel like I am
living outside my own body... Like I am watching my own life happen instead
of living it. I don't know how else to explain it. I know that God has a
plan for our marriage and our life plans and living situation, but I feel
so blind right now. I feel like I can't see more than what is directly in
front of me. Some people have visions of what their life will be like and
it happens... Not us! We seem to live in such abnormal circumstances, and
sometimes I just want to decorate my own house and paint my own walls, pick
out my own furniture but we can't. Ahhh, too many thoughts and it's driving
me nuts!

My new little nephew

Born Dec 4th 12:00 in the afternoon, weighing 6lbs 4oz, 19.5 inches long.
Yeah! How cute!

End of the world

I hear so many opposite opinions from people in general about starting a
family:

Some say... You should travel and accomplish more things before you start
having babies and a family. You'll never be young again in your life so do
everything you want to before you have babies.

Opposite side... Says having babies is the most accomplishing thing you can
do with your life. Don't worry about having money because God will provide
for you. Who says you can't travel with babies? You get to share all those
experiences as a family.

So where do I stand? Man... I think sometimes it would be great to wait til
we have a house and make more money, but what if we never have a house or
never make more money? I would be waiting forever before we start to have a
family. I want to share all those traveling experiences with my children,
and who says we can't do that even when they are small.
Why is it that some people view having a family as the end of the world?
Like you will be so strapped down if you have a family?
See, that person that says we should accomplish more is the same person
that will end up waiting til it is too late to have children. I once heard
someone say that if you wait til you are financially stable to have
children you never will.

I don't think having a baby is the end of the world, but yet another
chapter of your life that will bring good things too. I refuse to believe
that having a baby can be a negative thing.

Malachi 3:3

"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this
statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get
back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch
him at work.

She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her
curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and
let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold
the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to
burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought
again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of
silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there
in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver,
but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the
fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be
destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment.

Then she asked the silversmith,

"How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered,

"Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his
eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
Someone needs to know that God is watching over them.

And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.

"Life is a coin.

You can spend it anyway you wish,
but you can only spend it once."

Rainy season

Yesterday marked the start of the rainy season, or so I think... Never can
tell with California. I love the rainy season, I always imagine me sitting
near a window looking out and contemplating my life. I usually don't keep
anything hidden, so here it goes:

The last 5 days have been filled with thought of overjoyment and
anxiousness... The reason why- I was 5 days late for my cycle. The last 5
days I have tried to keep my thoughts from going to the fact that I
actually thought that I could be pregnant and also my own thoughts of
wanting to start a family of our own. I cannot wait to have a baby and
start our own family and if this is what God had for us then I felt
blessed.
Yesterday confirmed that I was in fact- not pregnant. My cycle just decided
to be 5 days late for no apparent reason.
Andrew and I were ready to accept what was happening and were overjoyed but
we also kept it quiet what was going on with me because I didn't want to
jump the gun and tell people before I actually knew anything at all. So
what do we do with this little "incident"?
I am left with this overwhelming feeling that now, I really do want to have
a baby and sometime soon. We will wait patiently on the LORD for his will
and his timing. And as disappointing as it has been lately with all of
this, I still trusting in the LORD that his will be done.

Thank you Lord for your blessings and your trials.Thank you for teaching me
to trust you. I pray that we would all learn to truly trust you more and
even more depend on you to tell us what your desire to do.

Our first Christmas Tree

This may look really cheesy but it is our very first Christmas Tree and it
is fake with a little snow and some small ornaments and I plan on buying
some more little ones. But I was very excited about this little tree.
Someday Andrew and I and our little kids will be able to have a Christmas
Tree and decorate it together.

Rosales- Dawson 11-17-06

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This Christmas

I am forever changed by God laying such truths on my heart. After
convention, God has changed my heart in such a way that I want to help
others that have less than me. In all reality, some people consider where I
live and say huh? Even as little as Andrew and I have, we still have 50%
more than population of the world. The reality is I never have to wake up
wondering if I will have a roof over my head or food to eat. Instead of
wondering if I'll eat, I am wondering what I am going to eat. The reality
is that in the U.S., 300,000 people will die due to causes from over
consumption. The reality is that every day people are dying due to causes
from starvation.

This Christmas, I have a heavy heart of what God has laid on my heart. Why
should I give people more "stuff" to people that already have "stuff".
Shouldn't I be caring for the weak, the poor, the dying? Not that anyone I
know should feel offended because I do not give them a gift for
Christmas... Don't be offended be inspired to do something for someone
else who has less. I needed a push, but a friend of mine decided to make a
sacrifice and donate to Blood Water Mission (www. Bloodwatermission.com)
what she would have spent on gifts for Christmas. I had been thinking about
what I should do for Christmas for people, but when I heard this I knew
that God had been calling me to do the same. I am not donating because it
makes me feel good, but because if I am only able to affect one person by
my donations then at least I helped that one person. How could I ignore a
tug at the heart? I still imagine that child in India dying of starvation
and orphaned, the nun comforting the child, still hits me hard when I see
this.

If you feel so called, or have some time please check out Blood Water
Mission teaming up with Jars of Clay. Many children and adults die in 3rd
world countries because of the inability to get clean water. Blood Water
Mission is working to change this problem. Their website is :
www.BloodWaterMission.com.

My very first official wedding job

My very first official wedding job is today, I start taking photos at
2:30pm and the reception ends at 11pm. I am extremely nervous. So this
morning I went to 2 of the sites and practiced a little so I know what I am
in for. The picture site I hope turns out good, not a lot of colorful
vegetation. I have not seen the ceremony site yet so I am nervous about
that. The reception site will be wonderful, looks good on the inside and I
did a lot of practice shots with my flash in there so I am excited about
that portion. I am hoping that everything goes well.

Last night I bought the reflectors I needed for the outdoor pictures. Talia
will be "assistant " today holding the reflectors. I also bought some extra
memory, another 1 GB card because I know I will use my other one very
quickly. I am trying not to think about Murphy's law because I do not have
an extra camera. I brought extra batteries for my flash and also charged my
camera battery so I thinkin I am pretty much ready I am just a little
scared. Keep me in your prayers today.

Gary Thomas notes

We deserve to go to hell, and if we believe that... That anything better
than hell we should be thankful for. We say Lord, bless me more, increase
this more and then I will be thankful. When a day we see a sunset, or hear
our children laugh is an incredible blessing from God in itself.
So quickly we take for granted the little blessings that God gives us, that
we never have to wonder whether we will have food on our table but what
kind of food we will have on our table.
We becom spiritually sick when we tolerate God's blessings rather than be
thankful for them.
Why are we not weak at the knees at the blessings that God has given us?

Gary Thomas notes

We deserve to go to hell, and if we believe that... That anything better
than hell we should be thankful for. We say Lord, bless me more, increase
this more and then I will be thankful. When a day we see a sunset, or hear
our children laugh is an incredible blessing from God in itself.
So quickly we take for granted the little blessings that God gives us, that
we never have to wonder whether we will have food on our table but what
kind of food we will have on our table.
We becom spiritually sick when we tolerate God's blessings rather than be
thankful for them.
Why are we not weak at the knees at the blessings that God has given us?

Grey's Anatomy

Last night we watched Grey's Anatomy and I have decided I am pretty much
addicted to the show. We bought seasons 1 & 2 on DVD so we could watch
them. Andrew has to pull me away from watching them, but it is such a good
show! I just cannot believe Derek, I am like 6 episodes into the 2nd
season. Has anyone watching this also? There is only 1 other show that I am
like this with and that is LOST. I am waiting for 3rd season to be finish
before I watch either of those shows. I prefer to watch them on DVD because
of commercials, I hate commercials!!!

Upcoming photo jobs

So, this Friday is my wedding photo job coming up. I am going to be
practicing some techniques this week to try and get more familiar with my
flash. I am very excited and yet still very nervous as I want them to turn
out creative and good and everything the couple wanted. I charged a minimal
price for the job because I am still learning, but yikes!!!! I may possibly
have another wedding job on Dec 30th depending on some circumstances. So I
am HOPING it works out.
Also, I have 2 portrait sessions set up for Christmas photos. This will be
coming up in the next 3 weeks or so to get the photos out in time for
Christmas. I am going to check out some websites to host my pictures for my
clients but I am having a hard time finding one that isn't too expensive. I
checked out Pictage but they want too much money, and also collage.net but
I didn't like the layout. Anyone have any suggestions?

Final Session

Matthew Mauer as worship this morning. The theme of the convention was
"Reveal", so as a final activity there were mirrors placed all over the
arena with sharpie markers and what they told us to do was go to the mirror
and write a word that sums up what you have been taught at this convention.
And as you write the word, look at yourself in the reflection and decide if
this is what you will carry with you everyday. I wrote Humility...
Something that God has ever so confirmed to both Andrew and I that we will
live a humble life. Does that mean giving up a dream of owning our own
home? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. What it does mean for me... To make
sure everything we buy is not for ourselves. Allowing God to use us in
ways we never though possible, by maybe staying in an RV so we can reach
those in our own trailer park. It's not ideal, but when was Jesus ever
given an ideal situation? We need to be like him more.

Speaker and President Mark Oeistreicher
Jesus touches the untouchables... We are the untouchables.
We are in CONSTANT need of a Savior.
Humility- the acknowledgement of our true selves

Steps to humility:
Reverence for God
Doing God's will
Obedience to Others
Enduring Affliction
Confession
Contentment

Family

Thoughts from Talia's bible study last night:

What does family mean to you?

This is a hard for me because I am close with my Dad and Mom, but as far as
siblings. I don't even know what it is like to have siblings that I am
close with... I have never had a close relationship with my siblings. The
closest thing I have to a close sibling is my cousin Nicole. I grew up in
what feels like a jacked up lifestyle, even though I never really it had it
that bad. I spent 1 week at my Dad's and 1 week at my Mom's and had a lot
of emotional trauma from them getting divorced. When I was growing up, I
was a very angry child, I was stressed at the age of 10. I spent years of
my life crying because I wanted my parents to get back together so I could
be a normal kid. I spent years of my life wondering who I am. When I got to
high school, I was searching for someone to understand me but no one ever
did. Being married to Andrew, he has taught me so much about family and
caring. My life is an open book... I never keep anything hidden from anyone
and I would never rightly hide an answer from someone who asked me a
question. Andrew has taught me that there should never be a part of your
life that you hide from people...

Is it hard for me to define what a family is? It is very hard for me... So
I guess I would define family as someone not purposely trying to hurt you,
caring for each other, looking out for each other, being honest.

I can't wait to have my own family, because I think then I will truly
understand what it is like to be a family and have that connection that I
missed growing up.

Anyway just my own thoughts, don't arrest me if your opinion differs!

Final thoughts on Session # 5

Shane Claiborne

Shouldn't we shutter at the name of Christ just like Lion
King.....Mufasa...oooooh say it again!
Jesus.... Ooooh say it again, Jesus!

Dr King said should we be"Extremists" for Love... Love people so much that
someone would call us an extremist. That we would stand out above all and
truly truly show Christ's love even to the least of these. To the homeless,
the dying, the poor. Let's be "Extremists" for Christ's Love.

General Session #5

Vicky Beeching did the worship this morning, Jars of Clay was the entertainment band this morning, song Dead Man is awesome live.

The speaker this morning brought me to tears, and I was overwhelmed. His name was Shane Claiborne, really funky guy who has dreads and was pretty funny. He was so awesome, he grew up in the back woods of Tennessee and thought one day there has to more to Christianity that this. He ended up the hardest parts of Philadelphia and lived like the homeless. You see, Jesus didn't have a home, nowhere to lay his head. He has shared everything that he has been given. He brings families in and gives them a hope for the future.

Shane also went to Calcutta, India and worked as an intern under Mother Theresa before she had passed away. He saw some of the most amazing sights, these Nuns were awesome in taking care of the dying. Mother Theresa never took the best of anything, when shoes came in she always picked the worst pair so that other would have better than her. So because of this, her feet were deformed.
Shane came this morning to speak, and with the money that he would have been paid for coming there to speak he received in all $1 bills. He literally wrote "LOVE" on each bill and had prayed over the money. What he did, blows me away!!! He took those $1 bills and had them spread all over the alter in front of where he was speaking. He asked everyone to come down and take $1 bill and promise that if you take it that you are making a commitment to serve and to help those that are in need. I am amazed at this man, he only receives money to take care of his daily needs which is $150 a month.
What really got me this morning was the video of a Nun in Calcutta who has caring for a boy who was dying and in this video she is stroking him to try and help him feel better and as I am crying and overwhelmed by the need in the world for our help. We are gluttons! Over 300,000 people this year have died, and these deaths all could have been prevented in they didn't over consume. I was sitting there crying overwhelmed by how much we have and so little others do. So what does it mean to live a humble life to you? What does it mean... when other countries suffer from starvation and AIDS when we sit in our comfy homes and watch TV? This message was over powering, and to see a man like this... WOW! Christ does do miracles, and he is waiting for us to REVEAL Him so that he can do His work.

We went through the One Life Experience, where you do a walk through of what it is like to live in a country in Africa, after the speech and going through the One Life Experience... We sponsored a little girl from Tanzania named Rehema Seif Omary. For only $32 a month through Compassion International. I know it's not much but I hope that it helps! I encourage anyone if you have enough to buy Starbucks more than a couple of times a month, than you can afford this also. We don't have much, but what God has given us we always try and use for others. Could we buy a house with that $32 a month, maybe... but how much more would it mean that we are helping someone else who does not have hardly anything at all. Think about it, and if you want to sponsor a child, please visit: www.Compassion.com.

General Session #4

Last night was pretty awesome once again, I Love David Crowder Band they really rock the house. They even did some old hymnals but with a rock tune so I was loving it. At one point he had all of us in the audience put our arms around each other and jump to the beat of the hymnal, I looked out on the audience and we were all moving together literally like the ocean. Everyone was very grateful for David Crowder Band to be there, on a side note I really LOVE his violinist. They will not be here today for the worship portion because they took a red eye last night to make it back to their home church for worship Sunday morning. Gotta love their dedication to their own church. I have added a few pictures I was able to take with my camera of David Crowder Band and Shaun Groves which by the way I love also. He has a real heart for people in ministry, also if you notice he actually left a comment on one of my previous blogs. Jars of Clay will be here for the rest of the weekend, pretty cool!

The speaker last night was Mike Pilavachi, he was pretty awesome. He was speaking at Spirit West Coast this last year. He is a British speaker, and had a lot to say. He was talking about he came to SWC last year thinking he was somebody because they had asked him to come and there would be 30, 000 people there. When he got up there, he choked and people left in huge herds... It was then he realize that he was nothing not even a little bit of something. How many of us, have someone give us compliments and we take it to our heads and think that we are something? He also talked about, how someone had told him you need to only speak at engagements that had 1000 people or more. But after SWC, he realized that Jesus never went to the thousands of people... in most of his stories he tried to stay away from the crowds and went out the save the "one". The one lost sheep that has gone astray, He wants to save the one. Like the woman at the well, or the man in the cemetery and called himself "legion".

Day 4

We woke up at 9:30am this morning, got ready and went to the General Session #3, did some more worship with David Crowder Band (and by the way sounds the same in person and on the Cd, so he must be an awesome artist) also had a speaker named Matthew Barnett..

He's a Senior Pastor in his later 20's at a church, LA Dream Center, from the inner-city of LA. He is taking inner-city LA by storm, he is a white- boy from Scottsdale, AZ that was asked by his Father, after 10 candidates had turned down this position, to be a Senior Pastor. Matthew took the position, moved from everything he knew to LA, his congregation went from 80 to a congregation on 2 in a matter of 6 months. One day, while weeping in his apartment in LA, prayed to the Lord... How can I be successful? The Lord spoke to him and told him to go to Echo Park, at midnight, no less... he thought sheesh God must be punishing me for wanting to be successful so he's sending me there to my death. Anyone familiar with how dangerous Echo Park is?

God spoke to him that night in the middle of Echo park and told him, I want you to throw away any desires you have of wanting to be successful. I want you to look around you, understand that this is your mission field. The gang's, the pimps, the prostitutes, and the drug dealers. When he set aside all of his desires to be successful, at the age of 22 now, his congregation grew from 2 to 700 in 6 months. He's converted gangsters, pimps and and prostitutes. They would go out to areas of LA that no one would want to touch, and give prostitutes a place to be able to run away. LA dream center had purchased 16 homes, and drug dealers, pimps, prostitutes could come here, live, and it would give them an option to be able to turn their life around.

He once brought this girl in from prostitution, grew up in foster homes her whole life. They had a van, smuggled her in there, meanwhile her pimp is chasing them down the street. Who is waiting at the church, but the gangster's, drug dealers, and pimps who had been converted waiting at the gates to scare off the pimp chasing after that girl. When Matthew had a chance to talk to her, she told him her story. She had been prostituting and she got pregnant and everyone told her that she could not keep it and continue in this business. She decided to keep the baby because she thought that this baby would somehow bring her dignity and that it would motivate her to want to change her life. Her pimp came in one day and told her to get to work, and she told him No. While holding her baby the pimp had shot her baby with a gun killing it, and then used a curling iron to ensure that she would never be able to have children again. LA Dream Center brought her in, changed her and now she is going out to those places she once worked to convert pimps and prostitutes. To even further this she had been talking to these 3 pimps in a donut shop for some time, so they told her because she had been so persistent that they would go to church with her just once. And in the back of the church stood 6 or 7 pimps she had brought in, that day all of them had confessed Jesus as Lord.

Another story, Matthew came into the church one day and noticed that a young gang boy had been killed just outside his church. And Matthew said, we've got to do something. The ex-gang members told him, that's not how it works out here... you need to just leave it alone. Matthew continued and said, I am going to do something about this. So they got together $28 to give to the young boy's family. We went across the street to the apartment of the family and knocked on the door, opening the door was the biggest, most tatooed gang member he had ever seen. He asked him what he wanted, well we got together $28 to try and help with the loss of the young boy and to pray for the mother. So he gave them the money and tried getting out of there as soon as possible. And as he walks away, he felt an arm grab him and said can you come in a pray for our whole family? Matthew went in, and had several gang members and the mother. So, he started praying, but nothing so he continued praying bolder and nothing. He prayed even bolder, and he felt the gang members hands tighten with him and he prayed bolder and he felt their arms raise above his head and when he had opened his eyes they were all crying. So, he ministered to them and was able to bring them all to Christ that night. Had he done nothing because of fear, these people may never have come to Christ.

This may be an extreme case, but how many times have we been to scared to do anything or go somewhere out of fear? I admire Matthew Barnett, not because he's saving lives... but because he's not afraid to go out into the scariest place and try and reach people. We will be purchasing the DVD of his speaking from today because it empowered us so much that if this white boy can go to the inner city of LA, then maybe there is somewhere that God has called us to be that we could have been scared of. Too often we stay in our comfort zone. We will be doing a Bible study with our kids on this speaker, He is very powerful and you know what He's under 30... so crazy.

**On a side note, today was my sister's baby shower. She is having a boy, naming him James. My grandma still has suspicions that it will be a girl, my grandma had guessed all of us grand-children's genders before we were born. My mom one times had even bet her house that she was going to have a boy, but just like my grandma had guessed it was a girl. My grandma let us keep the house! That was lots of fun, I can't wait til I will be able to have a baby shower and get all sorts of clothes and stuff. Maybe someday in the future :)

These things still amaze me...

Okay, now I got this email from Apple about the new Ipod Shuffle, and this sooooo awesome! I never thought that this would amaze me, but it still does.

Chris Folmsbee speaker

Chris Folmsbee -notes
An new kind of youth ministry: Incorporating new ideas and practices for
making disciples

Reculturing Evangelism
Proclaiming is with just our mouths, declaring involves every part of our
lives. The way I talk, what I do, and how I love.
Go from "I must obey".... To "I love..."
The Bible isn't easy and explainable but msyerious and complex, and it
should be.
Reculturing Education
Fill the education to meet the needs of the students, not our own
preferences
Never stay static, always evolve
Concentrate on the depth not the breadth
Interactive/Experiential education
People learn better in groups.
Stop worrying about the end product, concentrate on the process of their
own evolution instead of a cookie cutter end product

*** Never be content with where you are in your walk, constantly look for
God and seek after God's voice, Stay humble- never be to cocky to say that
you've messed up, never stop loving, read God's Word.

Recultering Mission
We shouldn't just support missions, but be a missionary everyday
Don't separate the sacred and the secular, realize that God is working in
every area of my life
Mission trips don't mean we have to go far away, missions can be right in
our own city!
Everyone is called to be a missionary, whether in town or overseas
Every has been given gifts and skills to be a missionary, given unique
gifts and skills

Day 2 Session #1

David Crowder and Kendall Payne were entertainment for the worship and had
a speaker Kenda Creasy Dean talked about have we been spiritually deaf to
being able to hear God's voice in his leading in our life.

Also, for fun you should download the song "I hate supermodels" by Kendall
Payne, we were laughing our heads off and she has a really pure sounding
voice.

Day 2 Morning

Day 2, completing the second part of the Critical Concerns course of
Techknowledgy. After we complete the course, we are going to go grocery
shopping and buy food rather than buy fast food all week. Man, they did
not provide any food at all...After that we have a General Session with the
David Crowder band and speaker coming up after that.

Reveal

After lunch today we started the critical concerns course, reaching kids
through today's techknowledgy. The speakers were Jay Delp (who does all the
videography for the convention) and Joel Lusz (Youth pastor for over 20
years). They went through a lot of video editing programs and what
different ways we could be able to use them. It was awesome to be able to
talk with others who are ministry like us and how they are using media for
their kids.
After the session we went into the arena and we ran into the speakers, and
we were able to talk with them about ministry and encouraged us that it
doesn't matter about the numbers. Also talked about having babies, and he
says you need to have them and especially a girl. You will love having a
girl! We said, I know but what happens when they get to 18... He says you
start when they're young.

Tomorrow from 8:30-11:30am they will be continuing the course and talking
about use of Myspace and Xanga blogs for ministry to reach the kids in your
youth group. This will be a very great convention.

The Core

Woke up this morning, went to a free breakfast at the hotel, finished
getting ready and then headed over to the convention center to register. We
got a free backpack that has our whole schedule of events for the next few
days and some cool promo stuff. We looked around in the bookstore, and I am
pretty sure we are going to purchase the whole set of Nooma videos. If you
have never heard of Nooma, the set is awesome. They are inspirational DVD's
for ministry that have incredible messages behind them. They are so cool!
Right now we are just waiting around until 1pm for our Critical Concerns
course to begin, we sat and decided which seminars we wanted to go to,
looking forward to all of this! Tonight from 5pm- 7pm they are having a
madness sale on their bookstore, 30% off all their items. We are waiting
til then to purchase the Nooma series. More to come soon!

Children of men

Saw a preview of this movie yesterday, it looks so intence. I hope to be
able to see it when it comes out. Hopefully, it won't be too violent.

A futuristic society faces extinction when no children are born and the
human race has lost the ability to reproduce. England has descended into
chaos, until an iron-handed warden is brought in to institute martial law.
The warden's ability to keep order is threatened when a woman finds that
she is pregnant with what would be the first child born in 27 years.

Man of the Year movie

This might be becoming a tradition for Halloween, we yet again went to see
a movie on Halloween because we did it last year and the theaters were
empty, so we decided to see Man of the Year with Robin Williams. There were
some questionable parts, and a couple of words. They were few and far
between, we really enjoyed the movie and Robin Williams kept us laughing
almost the whole movie.

A site that you all might enjoy would be the Focus on the Family "Plugged
in", they do reviews on movies, music, video games. It tells you how many
cuss words in each movie, sexual content, etc. Pretty good, and we almost
always check every movie we see on this site. Check it out!

National Youth Worker's Convention 2006

Starting Thursday Nov 2nd through Nov 6th, Andrew and I will be attending
the National Youth Worker's Convention in Anaheim by Youth Specialties. We
signed up for a Critical Concerns course labeled "Reaching kids through
today Tech-Knowledgy", it will be discussing using media to reach your
youth group. We are very excited about this course. There were a lot of
other courses, like marriage and ministry, helping hurting kids,etc. But
they all cost extra money to go to those so we just chose the one for both
of us.

Also, on Saturday night from 10pm- 11pm they will be having a course called
"Using your Mac for Youth Ministry", so we are ecstatic about this one too
since we only use Mac's.
We're wondering how much this will be able to show us, since we really use
almost everything on our laptops for ministry. Andrew especially is
interested to see what they can show him, since he thinks he is the Mac
guru, which to his credit a lot of our friends have purchased Mac's because
of Andrew and his skillful salesmanship!
Awesome speakers coming every day and night, and also some of the coolest
bands: Shaun Groves, Jars of Clay, Kutless, Hawk Nelson, David Crowder
band, and also Kendall Payne for entertainment. David Crowder band will be
leading worship every night, which I am so excited for!! This convention, I
think, will helps us a lot in our ministry and show us some new things :)

We reserved a hotel for the time we are out there because of the times of
the convention, we didn't want to have to wake up at 4am to make it out to
Anaheim. A Queen Suite with free wireless internet, what else could you ask
for? Ha ha. We are so blessed to have a church that will be sending us to
this convention, yipee!
Keep watching the blogs because the next few days I will be blogging a lot
with all the events going on.

Bill O'Reilly

Tonight we went over to Andrew's parents house in Cherry Valley... Holy cow
that fire was close coming off the freeway.

Anyway, while we were there she was watching a Oprah when she had Bill
O'Reilly on and I normally would not like him because I have heard some
things from him before but this time almost all of the subjects he had an
opinion on I agreed on like the war in Iraq, government, etc. I thought he
was an ultra liberalist but he's pretty conservative on his thinking. He
said in the show when debating with an audience member "You probably pulled
that off the internet..." she interrupted and said "No I read it in the
newspaper and I have all the clippings." Bill says, you've regurgitated
that from someone else. He says, "The news shows are jokes" they sit in
make up for 4 hours and read the teleprompter... Ooooooohhh.
I agree, that most people do not know where they truly stand on issues,
they read an article that makes a lot of sense and try to call it there
own.
Most people will agree that soldiers being killed in Iraq is bad, but who
am I to say that their life was not valuable that their purpose was not
valiant? It's one thing to not agree with the reasons for the war, but
don't ever stop supporting our troops!!! They went into the military some
before they knew they were going there, and some because they wanted to go
there and fight. Their reasons may be different, but who are we to say that
their purpose should have been different?
I guess, I feel so passionate about our soldiers because my Grandpa
served, my Father served, and my Brother is serving now. My Dad has told me
stories of when He returned from Vietnam and being yelled at "Baby
killer"... where was the welcome party then? Do you even have a clue how
much morale soldiers lose when their own country does not support them?
Imagine being one of those soldiers, another reason why I am so passionate
about supporting our troops is because so many other don't. I see
protestors wanting to be-head Bush, and I am so stinkin sick of it...
People want someone to blame and he just seems to be the easiest target.
God puts in place all authorities, so why I do I back Bush and support out
troops because "In God we trust"

Mission Mandate

Mission mandate Acts 1: 1-11, Matthew 28:16-20 by Pastor Cor Pool
* Sermon notes

Evangelism- not everyone is gifted with evangelism but we all do have the
responsibility to be a witness for Christ.

"And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth."

Jerusalum- start with the people closest to you
Judea and Samaria- beyond the comfort zone, people that are different than
you.
End of the earth- go everywhere, Global Mission

- Finish the missions that Jesus has started, there is no "Plan B" in the
missions of Jesus Christ.
- Americans are more interested in spiritual things now than they were 10
years ago. 65 million people do not belong to a church. 34 million people
said that they would go to a church if someone invited them.
- 2 Peter 3:9
- Our mission here on earth has eternal consequences, sometimes that means
stepping out and taking a risk.
- We know the path to salavtion, why would we not want to share that with
other?
- We are called to be bridges to people not walls, we need to reach other
that may be different than us.
- Reach out to the homeless, the loveless in their plight.
- Are you fishing for men, if not, everyone deserves to hear The Word of
Christ.
- Is anyone going to be in heaven because of you? Is anyone going to say
Thank You for sharing your faith with me?

Buttercups

A little while ago Andrew's parents gave me a little bucket full of
buttercups (which smell delicious when they are bloomed) from there house
out at Cherry Valley because they were blooming literally all over their
3/4 of an acre backyard. So my Father- in - law took a shovel and dug some
up for me and I took them to our little place and have been sitting outside
our door for about 6 mos. A few months ago, I could have swore I killed
them off. I remember Andrew's mom telling me that they are resilient little
flowers, but I thought I still killed them. This morning I came outside to
find them growing still and on top of if they have multiplied the bulbs.
Crazy! So, I am excited for them to start blooming because they smell so
wonderful. I can't wait to have a full garden of my own, or a backyard or
front yard to plant... someday.... Ahhhhh :)

Eyelash implants

Listening to Air 1 this morning, the news mentioned that cosmetic surgery
has now allowed for a person to be able to get eylashes sewn into their
eyelids so that you could have longer eyelashes. The surgery would cost
$3000/ per eye. Yikes, I say forget that crap. You would have to trim your
eyelashes because they use human hair, weird huh?

Briggs Wedding 10-21-06

Create Your Own!

1 Corinthians 12

Spiritual Gifts (by Pastor Cor)

The divine ability distributed by God to fulfill his purpose for us for the
common good of the will of God.

If you are gifted in teaching, Teach. If you are gifted in leadership,
lead. If you are gifted in reaching people, evangelize. If you are gifted
in music, then play. We cannot copy someone else's gift, we need to use the
gift that God has blessed us with. We need to discover out gift and then
develop our gift. If you are not using your spiritual gift God has given
you, maybe it's because you are scared but when you do use your gift it
will give you the greatest thrill you could ever imagine.
After you discover and develop it, deploy it. Put it into action (1 Peter
4: 10). God has given us each a gift so that we can use them. No Christian
is ever left out of receiving a gift, God has given each Christian a gift
to be able to function as one body. There should be no spectators within
the church, no one should ever just be sitting in the pews. The body of
Christ suffers, when one part does not use their gift. When we come here to
serve God we need to put aside any spector attitudes, not just listen to
The Word but be doer's of The Word.
God's plan is brilliant!!! Every Christian receives a gift, so that one
ever feels insignificant. No ever feels left out. Every person is an
important part to furthering the Kingdom of God. No such thing as "little
people" in the body of Christ. Every gift is needed, and we compliment each
other by using your gift. Start now by contributing to the body of Christ
and serve by using YOUR gift :)

Bored at lunch!

Funny picture of me because I am bored at lunch now.... Geesh. If I had my
internet acess that would be nice! Can't use my work computer for personal
business.

Bachelorette Party

Last saturday was the Bachelorette Party for my cousin, I rented a 2007
Jeep Commander, which I loved!! Picked them up at 11am and went to eat at
the Elephant Bar in San Bernardino. After that we went to the Picture
People (which I wouldn't suggest going to unless you have children) and
took some pictures (seen above) then after that headed out to Palm Springs
for manicures & pedicured at the Spa Resort & Casino (do not go there,
staff has horrible customer service and prices are outrageous) so it turned
out the girls only got pedicures but that is fine. It started getting dark
so we headed out to the Aerial Tramway (www.pstramway.com) to go up the
hill and have dinner. We got there and it was 38 degrees, we ate at the
Peaks Restaurant (yummm) I got the Kobe Burger, 1 girl got the linguini,
and the rest got the steak and fries. Excellent service, quiet, and had a
spectacular view of the Coachella Valley at night. We all gave Nicole some
sexy lingerie and fun marriage stuff, who hoo! 2 days for Nicole as a
single woman! Riding down the tramway at night was scary and cool at the
same time :) We all got back to the meeting place and 1 girl left her
headlights so I used the rental (which seats 7 by the way) to jump start
her car. All in all besides the horrible service from the Spa place it was
a pretty good bachelorette party!

Barefeet Costume Party

Create Your Own!

Bridesmaid Dress

2 pictures of me in my bridesmaid dress:

Busy days

So Saturday 21st is my cousin's wedding and I am the matron on honor. These
last few months have been hard, especially since I still think of her as so
young still (and really she is only 1 year younger). Tonight I have my
final dress fitting and Friday I should be able to bring it home. Thusday
is the Rehearsal Dinner and Friday is going to sleep early because I have
to wake up at 4am for my hair appt... I know I know she is crazy for making
me wake up at 4am. So I also have to come up with a speech for the toast,
yikes, I have so much that I could say. Pray that I can keep up the energy
through the weekend and try and rest on Sunday and go back to work on
Monday. It's so utterly crazy how fast we truly grow up, and thinking about
families and wow so amazed still. I always get butterflies thinking about
having a baby, he he.

Date & Time stamp

Okay so I have been in search of a Electric Customizable date & time
stamper but have been unsuccessful. I used to use this one by DYMO called
the datemark but it is not customizable. I need it to be able to say my
company name and department. If anyone has any resources of where or how I
can find this please let me know.

Thanks!!!

Question?

Did anyone ever actually eat the top of their cake at their 1 year
anniversary. We still have the top of our wedding cake and wondered if it
would be actually safe to eat after that long. Anyone?

Bitterness? No!

I can look back on recent events and honestly say I have made a lot of
mistakes, I am not so prideful that I cannot admit that.

One thing I won't do, is take responsibility for someone else's mistakes or
actions. When will people step up to the plate and stop pointing the finger
at other people for their problems? When did society teach people to point
the finger instead of taking responsibility? I may have said things the
wrong way, but what excuse can someone else have for their own actions?
They take none, and because they take no responsibility it only shows their
lack of maturity.

When did it become okay to always act like the victim to get your way? Who
taught these younger generations to act in such a way? These people act
like victims all the time so that someone will always pity them and feel
sorry for them and always come to their "rescue".

When did it become okay to shut your eyes so you purposely not see the
truth or reality of a person? How can we shut our eyes to reality of who
people are or excuse them away because of their behavior. At some point in
your life you will be face to face with the truth, will you close your
eyes? You can only shut your eyes for so long, before you are backed into a
corner with the truth.

I never claimed to be perfect, and I never will... I have a lot of my own
issues. The great thing of having a good relationship with Christ is that
he is constantly showing me where I need to improve and every part of my
life is a learning experience. I will not let the love in my heart grow
cold because of other people's thoughtless and selfish actions, because
Christ is constantly pumping my heart full of warmth because I am seeking
His good and perfect will.

RMC

This a picture of me in my company logo polo shirt, they are really
comfortable. Supposed to only wear them on Friday's but I am too lazy and I
work in the admin so they are cool with it. Man, I am tired lately. Keep
thinking... Why am I so tired? Sheesh. Try and watch some TV tonight and go
to bed early.

Clint's 27th birthday

We had Bible study and also Talia and I decided to make a cake and decorate
it for Clint's birthday. Had a lot of fun. Happy Birthday Clint!!!

Talia's hair

The New life Drama company having fun with Talia's hair!!!

Gone...

So... When I was 17 years old I decided to get my belly button pierced.
Everyone was doing it... Ha ha. I was a lot skinnier back then and I
thought it was totally cool to be able to get one so I did. Well,
embarrassingly I have still had it in til this day. I decided this morning
that I have had this in for 6 years and that it is time to just get rid of
it. With me wanting to have kids someday... It was just time. So I have
moved along now, it is quite weird since I feel like it was almost a part
of me but it's gone now. Man, I can't believe I kept it in for that long.

Connecting

How weird would it be to walk around this earth and have no connections with people. Our sermon for this Sunday morning was all about the connection with people. How much relationship effect our ability to minister to people or not. Each of us has been designed as a different part of the body of Christ(Romans 12:1-21). Without us being unified as one body, how can we work together for Christ's purpose. We all need to be plugged in to the church and ministries. If all we do is sit in the pews every Sunday but walk away without a connection, then you are missing part of the purpose of our being here on Earth. If you expect to walk into a church and meet perfect people then you are coming into church with the wrong objectives. We are all a bunch of messed up people who have issues and we are not perfect. If we were perfect then we wouldn't need a God who forgives. Because we are imperfect, we need a God who forgives us and cleanses us. As people, we need connections in order to have fellowship. Most people do not respond to street preachers, the main reason I believe for this, is because when people street preach they don't portray their faith being real to them. How do we show people that our faith is real... By creating relationships and showing them that your faith is consistent in every area of our lives. Show kindness, be patient, always forgive, offer commitment. Just some thoughts of my own from the sermon this Sunday.

Gosh!!

Okay, So I have been signed on for this wedding on November 17th. I was like totally nervous before, but then I went on the internet and found out where the wedding was going to be held and now I felt even more nervous because the site where the wedding and reception is going to be held is in a lot of ways not very attractive. So, now I am even more nervous because I don't quite know how I am going to pull off good photos in a place like this. I have my flash and I have been practicing but am still nervous anyway. The reception shouldn't be so bad but the ceremony I am pretty nervous about. Keep me in your prayers.

Details from Monday

Well, I spoke to my Dad who had his meeting with his Union Rep and with Human Resources. The meeting went really well, the Union Rep said he represented himself really well. They asked him questions about the specific situation, what happened in the classroom full of students and teachers. He told them that the student asked for my dad to show him her pressure points because she had a headache.

When he mentioned that he knew who had made the allegation, they were surprised that he knew who it was. They asked him how he knew, and he answered by saying that she is the only person in this facility that doesn't like me. When she has an issue with me, she has never pulled me aside to discuss them with me, she will say what she needs to say in front of the children and in front of other counselors, which is inappropriate. They asked him for a specific example of her not liking him, so he made mention of a situation where he made a joke about people who wear low-rider pants. He said there are 3 kind of people who wear low riders, Britny Spears, britny spears' fans, and plumbers." She came storming over, and scolded him because her husband was a plumber.

He also told them, that in this profession because they counsel kids, it is not unusual for counselors & teachers to hug one of the children, in some instances we are hugging children 3 or 4 times a day. Especially, when they are going through a hard time. The probation officers feel that they should not have any physical contact whatsoever with the children. Which, is ridiculous, due to the nature of their profession.

All of his co-workers they talked to gave him praise, that he is well liked, the children get along with him, has been here for 15 years.

Me being in Human Resources myself, I tried to get as many details as possible... They took my Dad out of his work which I can understand because they don't want to compromise the investigation. The part that could get the County of Riverside and Probation dept. in trouble is the fact that the Chief Probation Officer banned him from Van Horn, and made him clean out his desk which in other words is claming him guilty before they have come to this conclusion and told him he would be transferred. you cannot force someone out of their job without reasonable justification as to why you are forcibly transferring them. My Dad thinks he is going to be consulting an attorney depending on the outcome of the investigation. It is defamation of character, which he would not be going for any money but a formal apology from the County of Riverside, Chief Probation Officer, and the officer that accused him for falsely accusing him. There are a lot more details to the interview, but this is what I have for now.

My Dad is hurt beyond belief about this whole situation, I pray that Human Resources would find no fault in my Dad. That those who accused him would understand the severity of trying to accuse someone of these actions. Lord, give my Dad a peace about the outcome, that your will would be done. Pray for the accusers, that they would be able to see the truth. Thank you for all of you that were praying for him, and continue the prayers on until they reach a conclusion to this investigation.

***Update***

My Dad was originally supposed to meet with Human Resources today but
instead he scheduled it for Monday so he can have his Union Rep. With him
to help him with the investigation because He does not know all the
legalistics. He has a peace about this whole situation, he knows God is in
control. Pray that Monday the interview with Human Resources would go well
and God would give him the right words to say.

Sacrifice

What is it Lord that have asked of to sacrifice for your name? I look
around and see a greedy society... People always wanting more. When they
get what they want... They continue to want even more as if what they have
is not enough. I think goals and dreams are important, but when those goals
and dreams consume your thoughts more than than the will of God then it is
time we start sacrificing. When Jesus asked his disciples to follow Him,
one asked to wait so he can bury his family and another wanted to say
Good-bye to his family. But Jesus told them, No, to follow me you must
leave everything(Luke 9:59). Isn't that what we are supposed to do also
with out faith? God says don't stop along the way to finish your business,
I put you here with a purpose. The hardest part of our life, is figuring
out God's purpose for our lives. Yes, we are to witness but in what ways
has God asked of you to witness to those around you? Do you encourage your
fellow believers to not JUST believe but to have depth to their
relationship with our Savior? To not stop at what's comfortable but move on
towards areas that are out of your comfort zone? To not be satisfied with
where you are spiritually? To be teachable? What is it that God has asked
you to do that you have ignored or flat out refused to do?

When I read Hebrews 12:1-2, throw off everything that hinders us and
entangles us...throw off!! That means not letting that $ an hour distract
you from your devotion to Christ. Sometimes we have to throw off the many
things that we want for the greater purpose in life. When I sit before God,
He's not going to say why didn't you get a house? He's gonna look at me and
say, while you were so busy trying to get that house or that more money you
missed the opportunity to help someone or encourage a fellow disciple.
Ouch! I don't want that! I would be grateful for a house for a family but
at the expense of God's will for me... That I will not do just so I can get
a house. I am so thankful Lord, that you saved me. Thank you Lord for
remembering me when I am crying and in pain. Your are so faithful Lord, I
praise you Father for all you're doing and all you are going to do.

Need hardcore prayer!

Yesterday, I went to my Dad's house to find him off of work. So, I asked
him why he was home so early, they sent him home early. My Dad currently
has been working for the County of Riverside for 15 years, and due to
retire next year. Where he works is called Van Horn, it's similar to
Juvenile Hall but these teens stay there long term because of their
behavior problems, or getting into trouble. They go to school at Van Horn
and sports, etc. My Dad counsels the kids and the parents to understand the
reasons for the behavioral issues, he also has been a coach for
Cross-country for these kids for about 10 years now!

My dad has been able to be such a great witness to his co-workers and his
kids and over the years has been able to bring some to Christianity. It has
been such a blessing to my Dad.

Yesterday, my Dad told me that one of the kids came up to him and told him
that she had a headache, can you show me the pressure points to try and get
rid of the headache? So my Dad, showed this girl her pressure points on her
head... Meanwhile he is in a classroom full of kids and adults. One of the
probation officers thought it was inappropriate and reported him as
touching students inappropriately!! My Dad never touched anything below her
neck. Human Resources is now investigating the situation, and he is off
work and with the kids until they come to a conclusion about the situation.
The probation officer that reported didn't like my Dad to begin with which
was more of the source of the report than what he was actually doing.

Bogus!!! My dad has cared for these kids deeply like he would his own, and
gosh darn it... He's good at what he does.

I pray that Satan would not get a foothold in this situation, that Human
Resources would see the truth of the situation. I pray that God would
reign, I truly believe that Satan has used the probation officer to try and
attack my Dad because he is one of a few Christians in his workplace. Pray
that God would be sovereign, that my Dad would be able to stand strong.
That the people being interviewed would use the right words to clear the
investigation. Lord, we need you to reign through this situation, we need
you to take a hold of this investigation and bring to the surface the
truth. Wrap your arms around my Dad and let Him know that you love him and
you have a purpose. Rest your love upon my Dad as he goes through this
trial.

A new chapter!

Well, we thought we were going to begin this new chapter in our life. We
spent most of our afternoon looking at land properties or houses. No luck
on this aspect of our lives, too many were out of our price range. We even
said we would buy a not liveable house and live on the land til we can
re-build but that aint happening either :) The realtors were very helpful
and knowledgable just can't find the price we need right now. So I think
that was God's way of closing the door for us... Right now anyway.

Andrew and I were talking and looking at each other like.... What the heck
are we going to do???? We both shook our heads and said " I have no idea!"
Our plan is this: We are going to buy a different 5th wheel... Not new just
one with a better floor plan. Hopefully near the same price we bought the
other one for. That way we will actually be spending less because of the
interest rates. Yeah, we won't have a house when we have a baby but this is
God's plan for us as crazy and how scary it might be, it seems to be the
only road that God has lead us. Financially, it's better for us just to
save what we can.
So, after being not so sure this morning about all these plans. I got a
wonderful opportunity to talk with my co-worker who is a Christian and has
4 children. She asked me when we thought we were going to have kids and how
many. I told her that I was scared because of our living situation. She
smiled and said, When I got married I was 28 years old and me and my
husband waited 2 years before we started to have children. Within those 2
years we had all these things we wanted to get before we had kids... like a
house. And when we realized that these things were not going to happen
before we wanted to have kids. We just said what the heck, we are gonna
have kids anyway. You put aside all those pre-set ideas you had and you
make the best of the life we had. We didn't have much, but we didn't need
much either just food on the table and a roof over our heads. I had
girlfriends that made a lot more money than me and my husband and she had a
very nice house filled with expensive furniture. She was so worried about
getting it dirty,that even her own children were not allowed to sit on the
couch. She said, I see that and didn't want to live my life that way. We
bought multi colored couches and carpet so dirt wouldn't be so obvious and
our kids could actually "live" in the house. I never wanted too nice of
things, because I realized they were just that... Things! I am excited for
you to have kids, you'll never regret them no matter when you have them,
it's when they get older and they don't want to hug you and cuddle with you
that kinda hurts. I wished they could go back to being little ones again.

Listening to her talk made me smile and made me feel encouraged in my own
life. That people can make it work for them, even if you don't have a nest
egg and "planned" financiallly to have a family. Because of the life we've
chosen, ministry, we will probably never make a lot of money. Whoever says,
people get into ministry for money, is kidding themselves! It's so hard to
decipher God's will for us right now. I feel like we're kinda just
wandering around looking for the right path. The right path and knowing
that the one we're standing in front of is the right one, is hard. The last
thing we want to do is step away from the will God wants for us. Crazy!
Crazy! Thank you for bringing this co-worker to me so she could encourage
me :)

The flash is here!!!

I am so totally stoked right I just can't contain myself.... My flash is
in!!! I just can't wait to actually use it :) Anyway, I just had to write
that really quick !

Land for sale?

Hey everyone- If you know of any land for sale in your areas please let me
know as soon as possible. We are looking to buy a piece of land. Just send
me the number for the realtor and we will call them.

Thanks!!

I don't need your pity

I am so sick and tired of people's reactions towards where we live. When I
say that they automatically assume that we are so poor beyond compare that
we can't afford anything. I mean we don't make 100,000 a year but I feel
like people who make that kind of money just pity us and I am so stinking
sick of that kind of attitude towards me. I don't need you to feel sorry
for me. God has blessed is many other ways than money. I never wanted to be
make a lot of money, because money distracts people!!! People who have
money depend on it for their lifestyle and I won't do that. I will depend
on my Savior for my provisions and my blessings because greater is the
woman or man who depends on the unearthly God of Heaven than on earthly
matters. We are only here for a short time, and when you sit at the throne
of God... He won't ask you to pull out your checking, savings, or 401K and
ask how much money you have or made. He'll ask you, where is your heart?
Was it with me here in heaven or there on the earth? My heart lies within
the hands of God, I rest in his arms because I know that from that I will
grow closer with Him.

** venting through a hard day today**

Mobile Homes

Well, we checked out the mobile homes within our park yesterday and from
the outside they don't look that spectacular but we are going to try and
schedule a time for us to go inside. It's 4 bedrooms and 2 baths just
recently remodeled so we will see....
Also, Andrew and I are endeavoring into possibly buying a piece of land in
colton with another young couple we know and make sure the land is big
enough for 2 houses and either build a house or put our own mobile home on
the property. There is a lot of land for sale in the area we live in Reche
Canyon so we are looking into the prices of the properties for sale. Some
are like 10 acres of property!!! We will see, the couple we went camping
with are also in youth ministry like us... I think this would be soooo
cool! We will see the prices first before we get ahead of ourselves here :)

Weekend at San Clemente w/ Fitzpatricks

Friday night after work headed to San Clemente State Beach for camping with
another married couple Eric & Becca Fitzpatrick. We will be there til
sunday. This is a picture of all of us on the shuttle, we are on our way
now to the Harbor Days in the Oceanside Harbor. Before that we came from
the Mission Del Rey off the 76 hwy. More pictures to come from our trip!!!
Hope you all are having a nice weekend :)

Beautiful Sunset

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Thank you Lord for making this sunset for me :)

14 lbs...

Whooo hooo.... I now weigh 134 and I am still looking to lose about another
10 lbs and I will be satisfied. I messed up on meals here and there and had
fast food one night bu overall I feel I have been disciplined and been
picky on the foods I have chosen and eaten. I am slowly but surely getting
back to where I want to be and I feel so great and energized most of the
day. I don't normally get tired as early. I am so proud of myself cause
everytime I try to lose weight I fail, but this time is totally different
and I love the foods.

** P.S. A mobile home in our park is for sale for $55,000 4 bedrooms and 2
bath. We are going to take a look this weekend and see how we like it. Keep
us in your prayers that God will would be done.

Barefeet dodgeball

We played Dodgeball with our youth group, we didn't keep points or try to
hurt each other. We did, however, have a lot of fun! Pictures are low
quality because they were taken by my phone. Wish more kids could have been
here for this one! Totally hilarious :) Play for Barefeet and continual
additions to the youth group. I am working on door hangers we can make, we
will be heading out to the community to put these on doors to hopefully
make our numbers increase.

Is this God's ministry for us? Is the lack of growth and decrease of
numbers due to us? Is it because we are doing something wrong? Oooh Lord,
we call upon your name to reveal to us what we are doing that may be wrong
or what it is we need to do to make your kingdom flourish even more? Lord
show us your wisdom and show us the true answers according to your will! We
call upon your mighty name, use your power, Lord, to bring more kids your
youth group Lord. We thank you Lord, for your marvelous Love and endless
renewals in our life. We come before you Lord, humble and open, that we may
know more about your will for our lives.

Production work

Here is an example of one of the wedding invitations I have made, my own
creationg!! Hope you like it.