Still laughing...

In my last post, I wrote that God makes me laugh, and well... I'm still laughing at what He's doing in my life. So VERY much has happened since I last updated this blog. I don't know where to begin... but since it's late, and all 2 of you who read this don't want to read a novel, I'll just give you the basics...

-My roommate got married... it was an awesome wedding, and I was so fortunate to be able to be a bridesmaid AND get to sing in the wedding. It's been quite a change for me to not have Leanne here at home. I miss her so so so much! But it's cool to see her living her life with Chris. They're a pretty stellar couple, and I'm so glad they're in my life!

- Yulyney officially moved in! God provided a great roommate to share the joys of the Ruskin House! We've had 2 big rains that caused flooding downstairs, and she's been a trooper the whole time!

- I'm singing again! Or should I say, "Estoy cantando otra vez!" In August, I wrote, "Tonight, as I sang the songs in both languages... as I worshiped my Savior in Spanish, my desire to learn this beautiful language was, without a doubt, rekindled. I pray that God will help me learn and then provide me with new opportunities to serve Him!" Well... no surprise here... He has provided!! It has been a crazy few months, as I've slowly but surely made my way into the Summit en Espanol community. In the beginning, on Saturday nights, I would serve at the English PM campus of the Summit, then go down just for the sermon in Spanish, and then I'd leave early to go be at the door to say goodbye to people at the English campus. Slowly, I started to hang around after the Spanish service and attempt to talk to people. With the help of Yulyney and a few other friends who felt sorry for me (hehe) I started to hang out after church with new friends from SeE. I eventually went to a Bible study in Spanish... and it has all just progressed from there. My Spanish is improving (very slowly, but improving nonetheless). This past Saturday night was my 2nd week singing on the worship team for SeE. I can't believe they let me sing! I can't believe that I call Summit en Espanol my Summit campus home! I can't believe that, lately, at most of the social events I attend, I only understand about half of what's being said! :)

There's more I could write... and probably more I SHOULD write, but at the moment, I'm exhausted. I worked 2 shows at the DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center) and then went to some SeE friends' house for a birthday dinner and stayed too late playing cards. Fun times... I might regret it when I try to wake up in the morning, but these memories are worth being tired. God is good... I'm so glad He lets me live a life that makes me laugh so very much! :)

Dios me hace reír!

Indeed, God does have a way of making me laugh. Maybe that's the wrong response. Maybe I should be falling on my knees in gratitude and awe of His goodness to me when I least deserve it. But for now, at 3 o'clock in the morning, He makes me laugh. 2 months ago I wrote here that I was excited about learning Spanish, and I prayed that God would help me learn and provide me with opportunities to serve Him. Something I did not write, that I should have, is that I was also going to be losing my amazing roommate, Leanne, on October 24th because she is getting married. You all know that living in this house requires a very special person, and I was completely trusting God to provide someone in His time (though I was prepared to wait and live alone until He provided someone). Well, ladies and gentlemen... I am not at all surprised to tell you all that God has faithfully come though again, and He has done so in a way that just makes me laugh as I think about how it is only HE that could have done this.

A couple of weeks ago I got a random phone call during work. It turned out to be Yulyney, a girl from the Summit who was looking for somewhere to live. She had gotten my name/number from a friend at church. Turns out, Yulyney is Columbian (and therefore speaks Spanish!) and is involved in Summit en Español. Are you kidding me??? She came over to see the house the next day, and had dinner with Leanne and I a few days later. By then, she'd made her decision to move in. Yulyney has a heart to reach our neighbors with the love of Christ. She's ok with living in this neighborhood, even though it's not the safest part of Durham. Sound like anyone else you know?! :)

Tonight after church, I didn't want to go home. Yulyney was going to watch soccer at someone's house, but she strongly encouraged me to go hang out with some of the people from Summit en Español. I really wanted to go, but I was also very nervous... It has been 4 years since I've hung out with a group where most of the people in the room were not American. With Yulyney's encouragement, I ended up going, and oh my goodness... I had so much fun! I most definitely made a FOOL out of myself trying to speak Spanish. One friend even tried to teach me a little bit of dancing... haha... FAIL! It's ok though. I know I'm going to make an idiot out of myself learning this language, but I'm going to do whatever it takes! I'm ok with laughing at myself, as long as my new friends will be patient with me while I learn (which is going to take a while!).

So yes... God makes me laugh... both at His crazy, amazing, faithfulness to me, and at myself. He is so good.

I don't believe in coincidence

Sunday night (as my previous post records) I got super excited about the Summit's Spanish Campus, and my desire to learn Spanish was rekindled in a huge way. Today I went by the preschool office and picked up my class list/folders. I have 13 kids in my class so far... possibly 14 soon... 7 of the 13 are Spanish speakers and the possible 14th is as well. Over half of my students are Spanish speakers - that's more than I've had in the last 2 years combined. Add to this scenario, that the only other teacher from my school (besides the ESL teacher) that spoke any Spanish at all has gone to another school, AND that my classroom is right across from the front office... I think I will have MUCH opportunity to practice what I know and learn much more this year. Crazy... Coincidence? I think not. ;)

¡Summit en Español!

I have known for a couple of months now that the Summit would soon be launching our newest campus... Summit en Español. I was already excited about this because it was going to be meeting at the same time as the Summit Evening Campus (which is moving to Saturdays as of August 15th). I believed it was a great idea. I looked forward to occasionally making my way down to the bay, where the Spanish campus would be meeting, to listen to and sing in Spanish. But I can honestly say, I wasn't as pumped as I am now.

This afternoon, as I was helping set up for the evening campus, I was listening to the worship team practice (it's one of the reasons I love helping set up!). Everything was per usual... Raudel was singing "Here I am to worship..." when all of a sudden I realized he was not singing in English! My heart did flips as I listened and looked at the screens and realized that 2 of the songs we were singing tonight were partly in English and partly in Spanish.

You see, I used to love Spanish. In college, I was convinced I'd be a missionary someday in a Spanish speaking country... I ended up in South Africa, where they most definitely do not speak Spanish. Strangely, and most assuredly by God's grace, while I was gone for 2 years, not using any Spanish, I did not lose much of what I had learned in school.

In my first 2 years of teaching, I was able to use a good amount of Spanish (for many of my students, Spanish is their primary language). I bought a house in a neighborhood where many people speak Spanish, and I helped out with the kids at the Summit's ESL classes. I loved learning more words/phrases in Spanish. I met a pastor at a Spanish church and visited his church - vowing to continue to improve my Spanish so that one day I'd be able to understand his sermons! :) Slowly though, I used less and less Spanish. I still have Spanish speaking children in my classes at school, but the last 2 years, they've come in with a good handle on English. I lost contact with my pastor friend. I stopped helping at the ESL classes to focus on the Oxford Manor Kids' Club, and I have yet to have a good conversation with my neighbors.

Tonight, as I sang the songs in both languages... as I worshipped my Savior in Spanish, my desire to learn this beautiful language was, without a doubt, rekindled. I pray that God will help me learn and then provide me with new opportunities to serve Him! I am so excited, or should I say, "Estoy muy emocionada!" (Raudel, was that right??) about this upcoming Saturday, when the Summit PM campus AND Summit en Español will be simultaneously launched. I know God is going to do big things, for from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever!! Amen!

Eat cookies. Lose weight. It's that simple.

Seriously!? Are you kidding me??

Those were the words I saw flash before my eyes as I (not so simply) finished off my treadmill time this morning. Well geez, if I'd known it was that simple to lose weight, I wouldn't have gone to the gym!

I'm 28 years old, and having been struggling with my weight since I was about 7 years old, I can tell you - it's not simple. Nothing about it is simple. And eating cookies is not the answer. But slowly (I am fairly stubborn), God is teaching me what the real answer is.

I grew up in church, and I am thankful for the many truths of God that I learned at a young age! But I can honestly say that it wasn't until about a year ago that I ever heard a pastor preach about the sin of gluttony. Yep, I said it. Gluttony. It's not a pretty word. It's not fun to talk about. And it's especially not fun to hear about it. The sting of conviction is never sweet, but what is sweet is the amazing declaration that Jesus paid for my sin on Calvary. Though this is a hard battle, I know that God is the strength of my heart (where all this sin originates!) and my portion forever! I know that I am a child of God, and that He desires good for me (and good does not mean He lets me do/eat whatever I want!).

This has been an incredible, life-changing revelation for me. It's one that I have to constantly remember. My small group members have to pray for me and hold me accountable. It's NOT simple, but it's so worth it to know that I am faithfully taking care of the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that I am striving to live according to His plan for my life!

I realize that this concept (age-old though it may be) is quite foreign to our "supersized" "have it your way" culture, but it is Biblical. If anyone reading this would like to discuss this further, please let me know! I recently read a book called "Love to Eat, Hate to Eat" by Elyse Fitzpatrick, and I highly recommend it.

"Sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace."
Romans 6:14

the happier side of Oxford Manor

After yesterday's post, I feel the need to write today and let you all know that today went much better! Brett went and talked to some parents Thursday afternoon and was told that "it won't happen again." Well, nothing happened today! I'm happy to take one day at a time. Today was a fun day at Oxford Manor. We had a surprising turn out of missionaries, and for that I am so VERY grateful! God always provides. :) I should be sleeping right now, so instead of writing a ton, I'll just show you some of the wonderful reasons I go to Oxford Manor every week. ENJOY!

sometimes ministry hurts

Today was day 3 of the 5 day Oxford Manor Kids' Club. Each day has had its struggles... primarily because of some tough, angry, defiant older kids who, for some odd reason, show up every day with no apparent goal other than to be a distraction. Tuesday they faught (for real fighting) twice. Wednesday they located the snack buckets and stole some snack. Today they decided that throwing water would be fun. Then at the end of club, when we were giving out snack to the kids who listened, a couple of them came over and tried to grab snack right out from the bucket that I was holding. I honestly don't know exactly what happened. All I know is as one grabbed the bucket, another grabbed snack that fell on the ground, and somehow at the end of it, I ended up with a pain in my side. I seriously can't tell you if a kid hit me or if I twisted wrong trying to get the snack away from them, but somehow the story ends with a pain in my side (literally).

I tried so hard not to seem influenced or shaken, but I honestly was. My heart hurts more than my side does. I wonder what these kids' lives are like everyday... for them to think that stuff like this is funny, to see nothing wrong with blatantly stealing things, to think that yelling and calling people awful names is ok. I grew up with Christian parents who taught me right from wrong, and who loved me unconditionally. I can't imagine what it must be like for these kids. I hate the sin that is ruining their lives.

Sometimes I have trouble remembering that it is the sin that I despise. I found myself on Tuesday just wishing they would go away so we could have a good kids' club without so much annoying disturbance. Sometimes I have to watch my tongue because my first reaction to rude talk is to throw some back at them. Wednesday morning God smacked me with 1 Peter 3:8-9 - Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. God put His finger right on my own sin and reminded me that I am called to bless, not return evil with evil, or "rude talk with rude talk."

That's not easy... today's events make it even harder. It's hard to be treated like crap every day and go back the next. But Jesus did it, and tells us to be willing to do the same. 1 Peter 3 goes on to say "Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled."

We are there because these kids need Jesus. They need the life changing power that only Christ can offer. Thankfully, about 50 kids are hearing the Gospel everyday. Even though the rough kids try to distract, many kids have their eyes glued to the teacher as he teaches them about Jesus Christ. This is why I am there! I love watching the kids as they hear about Jesus and His love for them. I am thankful that Jesus has power over sin, and that I already know the end of the story!

Please pray with me that the next two days will continue to be fruitful for the Kingdom of God. Pray that Jesus will be glorified and that He will draw these children to Himself. Pray that residents of Oxford Manor will come to know Jesus Christ, whatever it takes.