sabrina's place

Changing Sites...

2010-04-04T21:57:00.003-04:00

So, I've had two blogs for a while... this one and my photography blog. But I'm now moving everything over there. As we all know, simplifying things in life usually isn't a bad thing. So, if you keep up with me, follow me over there! http://sabrinalewis.blogspot.com And if you have a few minutes, check out the website too! http://photographsbysabrina.com

Crazy Love

2010-02-11T13:02:00.012-05:00

"Not being able to fully understand God is frustrating, but it is ridiculous for us to think we have the right to limit God to something we are capable of comprehending." -Francis Chan, Crazy Love

Last fall I started hearing about this book and was intrigued. It's been a while since I've read a non-fiction Christian book so I thought this would be a good one to pick up. Well, it never happened. Things come up, I get busy (because I'm SO popular, my calendar fills up fast! lol) and I never make it by the bookstore. And clearly it's too hard to go online and order something so that never happened either.

Well, I continued to hear things about this book. Two of my high school girls were talking about it, then a couple people at work were talking about it and before you know it, I find a copy of it in my hands. Just for me! Turns out the president of our company had heard about it and read it and wanted each of us to have a copy. A big THANK YOU goes out to him!

We received the books at a company lunch we had a week ago. I wasn't too excited about the lunch because everything was decorated for Valentine's and the guy I had dated at the end of last year would be sitting in the same room... Really? Man, I sometimes think it's a gift that I could be so lucky! Anyway, as our president was talking about this book, I actually started thinking about the title and Who the book was about.

It's crazy that a God that's SO big and SO powerful and SO much more than words could ever describe loves us. Especially with as crappy and horrible as I can sometimes be. Now, I know none of you are like that, but I have some pretty bad days. But God still loves me.

I'm only just finishing the first chapter but I've already had more thoughts provoked in this one chapter than I have in a long time. And it's all about the magnitude of God. Wow. No seriously, wow. Yes, I question God. Yes, I ask why... a lot. Yes, I sometimes get answers. But even in those answers I don't always get the full story. Because God is bigger than what my little mind can comprehend. And it's not fair of me to try and bring God to my level so that I can understand what He's doing. What ever made me think that I had that right? Or capability for that matter?

So what do I do with that? I stand in awe. I meditate on Him. And I worship Him every chance I get.

my NOT VERY FUN week

2010-01-13T12:15:00.005-05:00

Pardon my "French" but this week has sucked. There are other choice words that could be used, but I will refrain. Luckily I have some amazing people in my life and one such amazing person sent this to me today and it was just what I needed.

All of our difficulties are only platforms for the manifestation of His grace, power and love. No one else can carry you through the rough times; no one else can keep you from sinking under trials and ongoing struggles…One of the things that helps in times of waiting is to review the promises God has given you in the past. Elisabeth Elliot writes “When we are puzzled by delays and detours, let us think about the great purpose of life, to glorify God.”

When the Lord feels far away, He is often allowing such feelings for a purpose. He may be teaching us to walk by faith when we are unable to sense His abiding presence.
Remember fear is not of God. James Kennedy says, “Where faith strengthens, fear weakens. Where faith liberates, fear imprisons. Where faith empowers, fear paralyzes. Where faith encourages, fear disheartens. Where faith rejoices in its God, fear fills the heart with despair."

Right now, one of my favorite little girls is in a hospital room waiting to have brain surgery in just 2 days. She's not even 3 yet. See, isn't she precious?? Visit her CaringBridge site.

And while it doesn't even compare to what this beautiful little girl is going through, my heart has been broken just a bit over the past few days because of other things going on in other people's lives, which ended up directly affecting me.

But luckily God is in control. As He always is. So that's what I'm going to rest in today. And maybe tomorrow I'll be able to see even just a tad more clearly the manifestation of His grace, power and love.

Forever, I know

2009-12-25T18:32:00.002-05:00

Has it really been over a month and a half since I last posted? I mean, what in the world? Ok, there have been a few things going on... I got a little busy with Christmas family photo shoots (loved it! You should check out the PS blog if you haven't lately. Of course that needs updating too...) and then before I knew it, December was upon us. And here we are, Christmas day, celebrating the birth of our Savior (love it!).

Back in June I posted about the One Person that truly makes my life complete. And today we're celebrating his birth. I mean, wow. Last night at my church's Christmas Eve service, one of the pastors said something that everyone has been dying to hear about for years... Christmas is all about gifts!! WOOHOO!!! Bring on the presents!

LOL - of course he was completely serious when he said it because he's right, Christmas IS all about gifts... THE gift. Because while I love everything tangible that I received over the past couple of days that came in a bag, box or stocking, the most amazing and wonderful gift was given well over 2000 years ago. The One Person that I can't live without was born in a stable in Bethlehem because there was no room for him and his parents in the inn. The love of my life, my One and Only, the Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God was born this day, in the city of David... and his first bed was a manger full of food for the animals in the stable.

Wow. I'm humbled, I'm honored, I'm down on my knees. Because the God of the universe loved me enough to give up his glory in heaven to lie in a bed of hay on the night of his birth. How could we ever ask for a more amazing and precious gift?

I pray each of you has had an amazing Christmas!

days 1, 2 and 3

2009-10-11T17:41:00.005-04:00

first of all, my french stinks. no really, it does. i can't understand more than three words from anyone and my vocab is worse than ever. ugh.

second of all, other than the french thing, i'm having an amazing time. i mean, seriously. i follow a national geographic photographer around all day. and she gives me pointers and tips and pushes me and likes my work. yay! so fun.

third of all, my roommate is from Texas. she's wonderful! but why can't i get away from these Texans?!? it's getting a little weird that i have so many of them in my life.

fourth of all, there are some really fun people on this trip. i hung out w/ a lady from Bostan all day the other day. she cracks me up. i love her. and she's old enough to be my mom. which just makes her even cooler.

pictures from day 1, day 2 and day 3

Off I Go!!

2009-10-06T17:11:00.003-04:00

I can't believe I leave for France tomorrow. TOMORROW. I still have a good bit of packing and all to do, but I'm really looking forward to the trip. I mean, I'll have the chance to pick the brain of a National Geographic photographer... for a week!! Not to mention the other 22 photographers that will be there. It's all felt like a dream... but a dream that's actually coming true.

Life is an adventure. And I can't wait to see what God does with this part of my adventure. Because it's pretty darn exciting.

Over the River and Through the Woods

2009-09-24T23:43:00.003-04:00

We probably flew over a handful of rivers and then travelled through some woods to get to grandma's house. Well, it's actually my aunt's house, but still. Grandma lives here so it counts.

It was really tough seeing granddaddy yesterday when we got here. He's down to 112 pounds and just looks weak. I knew what to expect because mom told us the details as we drove from the airport to their house. And the doctors have given him about 6 months. We cried a lot on the drive here.

But I've only cried once since being here. Scratch that. Twice. :*) Anyway... it's more than obvious that he's in pain. The cancer is on his right side and you can tell when he sits and lays down that it's bothering him. I wish I could just pull it out so that he wouldn't be in as much pain.

I'm doing my best to just listen... and watch. I want to remember every detail... the way he always answers the phone with a prolonged "heeeello" in his once deep voice that's now losing some of its power; the way his nose is a bit crooked; the way his whiskers feel on my face when he gives me a hug and a kiss.

I hate that life doesn't last forever sometimes. But I'm thankful that I have THIS time. Oh my goodness I'm so thankful. Daddy went quickly and suddenly and there was no time to just sit and talk and memorize his features. But this time I get that chance. And then once Jesus calls me home, I'll have that opportunity for eternity :*)

Dang it... I'm up to three times now.

I knew when i took this picture last Christmas that it would be a longtime favorite... That's my granddaddy, in his flannel shirt, glasses in his pocket and reading the Washington Post. In fact, I bought him one today when my brother and I went out to get lunch. *smile*

To Grandmother's House I Go

2009-09-23T10:42:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting at the airport in Greenville waiting to board my flight to Atlanta where I'll meet up with my brother and fly to DC. Growing up in the south, we didn't grow up with our grandparents just down the street or across town. My dad's parents were in Easley, but when I was younger we lived in Virginia and Georgia so even they weren't really close. Plus, they were much older and both of them passed away by the time I was 10. I remember going to my mom's parents for five weeks when my brother and I were maybe 5 and 7 but I actually don't remember too much of that time there.

As I've gotten older, I've called my grandparents more, tried to go see them more, but since I have a full time job in SC it's hard to get up to DC to see them and my mom more than a couple of times a year. So, I'm SO glad to have this chance to go up, stay with them and my aunt and uncle and have nothing much on the agenda for the next few days. It's not Thanksgiving, it's not Christmas, it's just a random weekend in September... that God carved out JUST for this.

My granddad isn't doing too well. He's had scleroderma for a while now but we just found out recently that he also has cancer. I hate cancer. This is my first family member to have it, but I've had friends of friends and who have struggled with it, parents of friends who have fought and won and I hate it. It tears life apart. And it's just another reminder that we live in a fallen world that we aren't meant to be in forever.

So, since granddaddy is suffering and I'm leaving on my "big trip" in just two short weeks, I wanted to go and see him now. I want to hug the 112 pounds of him that are left. I want to sit at his feet and listen to stories. I want to hear about how he came to know our Savior. Because soon... sooner than I would like... I won't have that chance anymore. And the last thing I want to do is to look back and regret that I didn't take the time or opportunity to go and see him.

Only God knows whether this will be the last time I see him or not. My gut tells me it is. Hospice brought a hospital bed to the house yesterday so things aren't looking too good. But, he'll be with Jesus soon and there's nothing sweeter than that :)

Thru the Eyes of Texas

2009-09-19T00:26:00.002-04:00

I know it's been a long time. And I'm so sorry! Life is catching up with me and I've hardly had a chance to breathe over the past few months. But while I'm still catching my breath, I want you to check out Arica's football blog. This girl not only loves college football, she LOVES the Texas Longhorns. But seriously, check it out and keep up with her. I don't think you'll regret it!

http://thrutheeyesoftexas.blogspot.com/

Cheeseburgers in Paradise

2009-07-23T10:06:00.005-04:00

I’m ready for a good AMERICAN cheeseburger. Yes, that's right. I like meat. And I like to eat. And I like to eat meat. And I'm not ashamed.

While we were in Peru, the Peruvians (I just love saying that word) went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed in their beautiful country. We arrived on July 3 and the evening of July 4, we had the most amazingly private fireworks display I've ever seen. I mean, wow.

Anyway, they did their best to make us feel at home as we celebrated our country's birthday, which included cheeseburgers and hotdogs for dinner. The hamburgers were actually ok. Although most of our group did NOT like them. The hotdogs... well, I usually eat maybe one a year. And by eating this one I met my quota until probably 2013.

But I digress. This post is about Cheeseburgers in Paradise. I'll get to be in a bit of Paradise this weekend as I meet up with my Clemson girls (and their families) for a picnic at the lake up in Rock Hill. Woot woot! I love these girls (and their families) and we don't all have the chance to get together very often, but we'll do it this weekend!

And I'll be secretly celebrating even more because I'll be eating a large, juicy cheeseburger... and loving it :)

reading on the couch

2009-07-18T23:13:00.003-04:00

i haven't done this in forever. seriously. i've been travelling or moving or something for the past forever so to spend the evening sitting on the couch reading a book is GLORIOUS! i worked in the yard this afternoon (MY yard! ah!) and then came in intending to take a shower but got distracted by unpacking and getting more settled. really, it wasn't a bad thing that i got distracted this time.

i finally took a shower and realized it was 8pm. oops. no dinner yet. so, i did what any single girl home on a saturday night would do: i popped some popcorn, poured myself a tall glass of cold sweet tea and picked up my borrowed copy of "eclipse" (the third Twilight book).

every once in a while though i would look up and just smile. not at the silly story between Bella and Edward (whom i was just told played cedric diggory in HP 4, duh! can't believe i didn't make that connection) but that i was sitting in MY house just chillin'. it's so crazy that i bought a house. but i love it.

now if only i could win a million dollars so that i could decorate and landscape as i would like :)

pictures will come soon... i promise!!

1 Person

2009-06-29T17:08:00.004-04:00

If you know me at all, you know that one of my desires in life is to get married. Another is to have children. I was never one to have a timeline of my life in regards to when I would get married and by what age I would have all of my kids. But never did it even cross my mind that I would be approaching my 30th birthday as a single woman.

But you know what? One thing I’ve learned over the past 30 years is that I have this hole inside of me that only one person can fill. Only one person can fill the void inside of me, only one person can fulfill the desires that I have and only one person can make me whole. And I found Him many years ago. Our relationship has changed and grown and deepened over the years and I’m thankful for each second of it.

As I was trying to figure out what the #1 thing would be on this silly countdown that I began a while back, I kept coming back to this one person. I aim for each part of my life to be centered around Him and while some days I’m more successful than others, I still hope that you can see in me that this one person is who I look to for everything.

Yesterday as I was moving things into my new house, the U-haul truck I had rented had a radio, but it was busted. Yay. I didn’t feel very safe calling my peeps on the phone while driving this monstrous 14 foot truck so I began to sing. Ha! I LOVE singing. But I don’t always hit the right notes. Luckily this one person doesn’t care. He’s pretty awesome like that. But I realized in singing praises to my Creator and Lord that He really does make me whole. Yesterday afternoon I was 100% content with life, with what I’m doing, with my amazing friends and family that I’m blessed to have around me… it was pure joy that can only come from God.

And then I got to work this morning. And I got an email from a friend/former interest that he was engaged. Now, I’ve been in 10 weddings and been to dozens more. I even had a dream a year about this friend proposing to his now fiancée. So I knew it was coming. But satan knew that moment that I let my defenses down that he could attack. And attack he did. Grrr… he REALLY aggravates me. I went from being on Cloud 9 to wanting to crawl into a hole in a matter of the time it took to check my email.

And no, it wasn’t because this guy didn’t choose me. He’s an awesome, godly man and his fiancée is so adorable and they’re going t be great together! It’s because yet again… I wasn’t the one getting engaged. I mean, seriously, when is this pity party going to end? I’m personally getting tired of it. As are my friends that are surely tired of hearing about it from me J
But because Jesus is so much bigger than the self-pity that satan wants me to feel, He healed me… again… and here it is, 5:00 and I’m whole again.

I love Him. I love Him. I love Him. How could I not?? Seriously, if you don’t know Him, you really should. He’s the love of my life and this is one love that I’m more than willing to share.

2 weeks...

2009-06-17T09:29:00.002-04:00

...until I move into MY house!! eeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

Jump Over...

2009-05-31T23:45:00.005-04:00

... to my photography blog (click on the Photographs by Sabrina logo to the right or on the picture below) and check out the contest!!!

3 Inspirations

2009-05-12T13:36:00.003-04:00

Three things have inspired me to be a better person today*. They are as follows, in no particular order...

My Charming Kids You HAVE to start reading this blog. This lady is amazing and I could spend all day reading her stuff and looking at her pictures.
Jasmine Star This woman is about 6 months younger than me and I totally want to be like her when I grow up. She's a Rock Star. In every sense of the word.
Picture of the Day I just love pictures (obviously...) and a couple of things have inspired me to try and do a picture of the day on my Photography Blog. But it will have to wait... at least until tomorrow :)

And until "tomorrow" comes, here are a few Picture of the Day sites:

*Disclaimer: many people I know inspire me on a daily basis and to list them all would take up the entire page. Therefore, this post is limited to those outside my circle of influence that have made this particular day inspirational.

4 Prayers

2009-05-06T17:01:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I was at Bonclarken for our student's mission trip planning retreat, so I missed service in the morning at Grace Church Downtown, but was able to make it to community group that afternoon. Well, we were discussing the sermon, which was based on Ecclesiastes 3, and the sovereignty of God. And today He showed me just what that means.

This morning I realized that there are four pretty big things on my plate right now that I'm praying through. With two of them I've been seeking answers for a while. The other two have only just come in front of me in the past few days. Well, I was doing normal work stuff at my desk when I got up to go get something off the printer and then take it up to the accounting department. One of the guys I work with walked into the mail room where I was and said he had a random, off-the-wall question for me. Sure! I love random, off-the-wall questions! (Now, I should tell you that while I see this gentleman almost every day, we work in different departments and it has (sadly) been a while since I've had any kind of in-depth conversation with him.) Well, he then asks me if he could be praying for me about anything.

I just stared at him.
And then the tears came.

He said that God had just let him know that Sabrina needed prayers in discerning some things right now and to be reminded that she's loved and appreciated.

I just stared at him.
And all I could say was wow.
And the tears kept coming.

God is SO big. He is SO huge. He is SO good.

And even when I'm struggling and just trying to wade through the waters that I'm in, He's there and He's guiding me and He's looking out for me. And He even sends people to remind me of that.

And that's not all :) Around 4:30 or so, one of the ladies I work with stopped by my desk and just said, "I wanted you to know that I've been praying for you about things."

Not only did God blow me away once today... He did it twice.

We serve a pretty stinking awesome God. I dare you to tell me otherwise.

half-five...

2009-04-25T01:33:00.002-04:00

...is what time I got up this morning. But after I woke up at 4am. Luckily for me, I'm in the Pacific time zone (in Arizona) so my body was telling me it was 7am and time to get up. I mean, I was awake at 4 and WIDE awake at 5:30. Kind of sad, but it was nice to have a leisurely morning before breakfast at 7:30. Now, if I could only get in bed early enough to wake up at that time and have a leisurely morning every day before work, I may actually enjoy getting up. But no, I stay up way too late doing.... well.... I don't always know. It's amazing how it seems to important at 9pm to watch this week's 2 hr Biggest Loser episode that's on my DVR. Because, you know, it's not like it won't be there tomorrow. I mean, that's just an example. I don't make silly choices like that. I always go to bed when I should so as to get a solid 8 hours of sleep.

Pshh. Right.

6 flights

2009-04-06T21:51:00.004-04:00

It had been 8 full months since I had been on a plane. I went to Ireland to help with some camps at the end of June '08 and got back on a plane at the beginning of March '09 for a training session in Toronto.

Yes, I have a pretty cool job. Many things escape me... I am NOT Captain Obvious. But one thing I do know is that God has blessed me in SOO many ways over the past 4.5 years and while I don't have a top 10 list (yet), I know that many of those are because of my job at Upward. So, while I get to travel the globe in helping tell kids and their families about Christ, I get to see other people, places and things that God has made. And it blows my mind.

I love that even though I was on 6 planes in just a week's time, God used the time in between those flights to re-energate me. In meeting a group of South Africans (and a Brit) while in the UK, He let me see that His people are energized! Holy cow - it was a small group, but they are pumped. They are ready to take the UK by storm and let them know who this Jesus is.

The next "in between" was Ukraine. This was my fourth trip there and while Ukraine is a cold country and you can still feel Soviet oppression, you can't help but SEE that God is working. And in huge ways. Each time I land, I'm blown away by the people I see in line as well as behind the glass window at customs. I mean, my heart just breaks.

If you haven't heard the song Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath, go listen to it (and watch the vid) on YouTube. No, seriously. Go watch it now. It'll just take 4 minutes and 2 seconds.

But then God lets me see the people I know. And He introduces me to other believers. And my heart soars because He's working! He's working all around us. We just have to ask Him to let us see where He's working so that we can go and join Him in that.

My prayer over the past few weeks has been for Him to do just what the song says... as cheesey as it may be. But I really want Him to open my eyes. I'm tired of looking through my own and seeing only what I want to see. I want to see what He sees. I want to see where His people are, I want to see where His people need help, I want to see where His people need love. I also want to see where He wants me in terms of those who aren't His yet. I want to see how He needs me so that the people who have no hope can have all the hope that He gives us.

And that's going to be hard for me. I don't say that in an "I'm so humble" kind of way either. I'm serious. It's SO hard for me to step out because most of the time I just. don't. know. what. to. say. Period. God has given me some good ears so that I can listen. He's given me a heart that can hurt or rejoice right along with you. But any words that come out of my mouth in regards to what He's doing around me... that's ALL Him. There are many words that come out of my mouth that are NOT all Him... but that's an entirely different post.

I'll put some pictures up from the latest trips soon, but in the meantime... go watch Give Me Your Eyes. If you watched it when I asked you to above... then go watch it again. I promise another 4 minutes and 2 seconds won't kill you. :)

7 months

2009-03-11T17:07:00.004-04:00

... from today I'll be in Provence, France taking pictures with a National Geogrphic photographer. Yep... you read that right!!!!!!!!!!!!! National Geographic does expeditions around the world, a handful of them being devoted to photography. And I'm going. In October. 2 weeks before my 30th birthday. And I could NOT BE MORE EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!

God has orchestrated this entire thing and I'm just dumbfounded. A couple of months ago I got online to do a search to see if there was any way that I could work with a photographer in France. I know, it's a broad search, but I was curious. I was thinking the newer version of the movie Sabrina and was willing to do anything - including grab belts for the models in the shoot. Of course I would know what a "centure" was so I'd be able to pick out the belt :) Anyway, I digress...

This past Sunday as I was flying home from an Upward Leadership Training Conference in Toronto, I was flipping through the February issue (even though it was already March) of Delta's Sky Magazine to find the feature article, She'll Always Have Paris. This is where I "met" Catherine Karnow for the first time. I was in love with her work and with her job.

On Tuesday, I had decided earlier in the day that with my 30th birthday looming just 7 short months away that I was going to take a trip to the south of France with a bag of clothes and my camera. I'm a big girl, I can totally do a trip like that!

Well, I had some time after work on Tuesday so, I looked Catherine Karnow up online and found that she does one-day workshops about travel photography. PERFECT! That's what I need! Well, after a few more clicks and a little more surfing... I landed on National Geographic's homepage and that's when I discovered that they conduct Photography Expeditions around the world. Seriously? And do I see... no way. Is that a picture of... wait a minute! That's Provence. That's a photographer's dream. Did I just fall into a dream? For real? Please, pinch me.

Well, I see the cost of THIS excursion and realize that I don't have that kind of money just laying around in the bank. But, I call my mom to tell her about this amazing trip I had found. I was grinning like a fool... I had to tell someone about this!! So, she looks it up online and is as amazed as I was. I mean, wow. Just wow. So, we get off the phone and I go and meet my cousin for dinner to celebrate her birthday. When I get in the car, I return the voicemail my mom had left and the conversation went like this:

Mom: are you sitting down?
Me: Well, I'm driving home, so yes.
Mom: You may want to pull over.
Me: Why?
Mom: You're [family] is going to send you on that trip for your birthday.
Me: OH! MY! GOSH! OHMYGOSH!!!! HOLY COW! OHMYGOSH! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?

This went on for about 5 minutes. I seriously had no other words. God is so good and I can't believe the things He is laying in place for stuff like this to happen. I'm SSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited.

No one is going to be able to stand me for the next 7 months... ;) WOOHOO!!!!!

8 people

2009-03-09T16:10:00.002-04:00

Allen and Courtney Tipping are expecting their first child soon!!

They're also expecting their second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth child soon... Yep, you read that right! Their family of two will soon be a family of eight when all six of these babies are born. As you can imagine, they are very excited, very nervous and very reliant on the Lord.

Please keep them in your prayers. Courtney went into the hospital a few days ago when she went into pre-term labor. With multiple babies, pre-term labor is common, but as always, the longer they can stay inside their momma, the more developped they will be when they are born. So, she is about 19 weeks along right now and the doctor is hoping to get her to 26 weeks. After that, his goal is 28 weeks.

Please keep up with them on their blog, www.thetippingfamily.com, and keep them in your prayers. I've known Allen since college and it's crazy to think that he and his precious wife will soon have six babies on their hands. What is awesome to see though is how much they are letting God lead.

Allen and Courtney, thanks for your encouraging faith as God leads you on this journey!

9 questions

2009-03-06T21:37:00.002-05:00

why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?
why don't i talk to God like Moses and David did?
when do we officialy have to "grow up"?
why don't people believe God exists?
how do we get one of those replicators that they had on Star Trek?
how was anyone able to come up with the idea of "normal"?
who decided that girls = pink and boys = blue?
when do i get to meet "the one"?
why do we make the gospel more complicated than it really is??

10 days...

2009-02-19T12:34:00.000-05:00

... left in February. Just in case you were wondering.

11th verse, 26th chapter of Exodus

2009-02-09T11:52:00.002-05:00

Then make fifty bronze claps and put them in the loops to fasten the tent together as a unit.
-Exodus 26:11

You may be wondering why in the world I'm putting this seemingly obscure verse on my blog. The reason is actually two-fold. 1) The "countdown" is down to number 11. 2) God wanted to remind me that He's in the details.

Part of the joy of reading through the Bible (see Goal #5) is that you get to go through all of the good stuff, the bad stuff, the ugly stuff, the exciting stuff and the boring stuff. Yes, there is bad stuff (um, the Fall would be bad stuff #1) and there is boring stuff (please see the Regulations About Mildew in Leviticus 13. Mildew? Really??).

Right now, I'm in Exodus reading through some of the "boring stuff" regarding the tabernacle and what the priests are to wear. I've done Beth Moore's study on the Tabernacle and I realize that God has every (boring) detail listed for a reason. It will blow your mind when you consider what each minute piece of the tabernacle represents and why it's included. However, sometimes when you're reading through, it just gets boring.

So, as I hit that wall yesterday, I asked God to talk to me and reveal Himself to me in a way that I wouldn't see by simply reading through the "boring stuff". And guess what... He spoke to me.

For the past few months I've felt as if I'm in a holding pattern. I've been restless and I don't know why. I'm leaning on Him and learning about Him. I'm talking to Him and listening to Him. I'm serving Him and loving Him. And hopefully He's using me in the lives of people around me. But all the same, I feel as though I'm waiting for him to give me the GO... I just don't know what the GO is for. So, as I'm reading through all of these minute details that don't seem applicable to my life in February 2009, it hits me. God is in the details.

God is in the details and it's the details that make up the whole picture. God gave Moses instructions on how to make these bronze clasps and what to do with them. Why? Because they would fasten the tent together as a unit. They would bring the whole thing together! If the clasps hadn't been there, the curtains wouldn't have held up, the tabernacle wouldn't have had walls and the whole plan would have been pointless.

So, while I'm sitting here and living this life that He's laid out for me and sometimes think that nothing is going on, God chooses to remind me that yes, He's working. The whole plan can't come together if He doesn't have every little detail in place. He's works like that throughout creation and if I've said it once, I've said it a million times... I'm glad He's in charge and remembers all of these things because if it were up to me, I'd forget something small but important and we would all be wading through mud instead of walking on land because I forgot that one element that makes the ground solid.

God uses the small stuff to make up the whole picture. I just hope I can remember that when my life seems "boring" and that I'll praise Him for what He's doing that I can't see... yet.

2009-01-21T17:22:00.002-05:00

I'm not normally a big "poem person" but this was on Arica's blog and it just resonated with me and where I am with God right now. Do you ever have those moments, days, months or years where God is just asking you to wait?? Sometimes it's painful, sometimes it's needed and sometimes you just don't have any kind of clue as to what in the world God is doing.

Luckily though, I know that HIS plans are what matter and HIS plans are what I want. Any time I've tried to do things on my own, I've either failed, failed miserably, or failed and had things blow up in my face. No, really, they actually did...

So... while some days I feel like I'm waiting simply as a last resort, today I'm making the CHOICE to wait. Because clearly God is working and personally... I'd rather not get in His way :)

WAIT
by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate...
the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!"
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

My future and all to which I relate
hangs in the balance and you tell me to Wait?"
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign.
Or even a 'no,' to which I'll resign.

You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply.

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
as my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
and grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting...for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine...
and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
you'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
when darkness and silence are all you can see.

You'd never experience the fullness of love
when the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,
the faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

You'd never know should your pain quickly flee,
what it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
but oh, the loss if I lost what I'm doing in you.

So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
that the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still "WAIT."

One Goal Down

2009-01-17T08:04:00.004-05:00

Well... I did it! I chopped my hair in order to donate it to Locks of Love. It's been about 5 years since I've had my hair this short. But I really like it!

Sing Out Loud

2009-01-06T12:50:00.003-05:00

please, Please, PLEASE read Josh Ridings' new blog post. it's amazing....

Hello, my name is Billy Graham

12 Goals... because I don't do resolutions

2009-01-05T08:33:00.002-05:00

1. donate my hair to Locks of Love
i've tried before but have been unsuccessful. they need 10 inches so i think by summer i'll be able to chop it without going with a pixie cut.

2. read at least one non-fiction book for every two fiction books i read
i love reading but i don't stimulate my brain with non-fiction :)

3. go see family in easley
they are just down the road. i have no excuse.

4. get in better shape
i know i know. it's cliché but i feel better when i work out and we are supposed to take care of the bodies God has given us, so it really just makes sense.

5. read the bible through
lee cunningham posted a chronological plan on facebook so there's a group of us reading through it. last time i tried i got about 3/4 of the way there so i want to finish this time!

6. go at least one date
no idea how i am going to make this happen, but well, surely it's possible.

7. save some money
i went through dave ramsey's financial peace this past summer and so far so good... i just want to stay on a roll :)

8. write at least one note/letter to a friend a month
i've been wanting to do this for a while but just haven't. so now it's in writing and i have to... right?

9. deepen my prayer life
my relationship with Jesus is more important than anything. but i don't always treat it that way. and again, i have no excuse.

10. purchase a pair of name brand jeans
i know it's kinda silly but i just want to. they're great jeans and really are worth the price! and since i know how to budget now, i can save up for them and not go into debt to buy them :)

11. be better about updating my blogs!
it's not super easy to do since i don't have internet at home but i'll just have to be more intentional about it

12. launch photographsbysabrina.com
keep your eyes open... i'll keep you posted!

HAPPY 2009!!!

Juli is giving away some Curiosity

2008-12-05T17:01:00.001-05:00

Winn Collier, the former pastor of DCF in Clemson, has written a new book: HOLY CURIOSITY: Encountering Jesus' Provocative Questions. And Juli is giving away a FREE copy of it on her blog. But HURRY!!! Time will be up come next Wednesday at noon.

Check out her post...

PS - if you mention that I sent you there, I'll get an extra entry into winning the book :)

13 people

2008-11-25T12:22:00.004-05:00

I need 13 people to respond to this post and let me know what you are thankful for RIGHT NOW that you didn't have last year or that you didn't know you'd be thankful for in a year's time. Got it? I'll go first...

1. I'm thankful for the 9th grade girls in my Discipleship Group. I only met them about a month ago and I already consider them a huge part of my life. If only I'd known this time last year that we'd be chillin' every other Wednesday and on Sunday nights and on Fall Retreat and various other times/places, then I don't think I could have waited a year to meet them.

(more pics from Fall Retreat here and here)

Ok, so i guess i only need 12 people now :)
(Thanks for the question to get me thinking, Mary!)

14 reasons I'm humbled

2008-11-06T20:49:00.000-05:00

A month or so ago I emailed some friends and asked for 3 words they would use to describe me. I mainly needed something to put up here for this silly countdown, but wow, I wasn't expecting to feel so inadequate because of the words they chose...

- understanding
- present
- seeker
- loyal
- relentless
- passionate
- selfless
- role model
- caring
- smart
- artistic
- pretty
- fun
- creative

I really don't have anything else to say other than thank you to my most amazing and incredible friends. I don't deserve you guys, but I love you tons!!

29th bday and Trunk-or-Treat

2008-11-01T14:21:00.009-04:00

I can't believe I'm 29. Holy cow, just one more year until the big 3-0. But, luckily I have some pretty amazing friends who surprised me the Friday of my birthday weekend... so I didn't have much time to think about the number.

The biggest surprise was that Arica (who now lives in Nashville) drove in for the weekend! SO much fun :)

Sunday - the day OF my birthday :) - was Trunk-or-Treat at church, which is always a blast!

Tinkerbell (aka Adri) playing a little soccer.

A little peace-love from Nick and Gabby.

Mac and Erin - a part of The Greatest Show on Earth!

The coolest small group - i mean, community group - at Grace Church!

When your group leaders, who are avid Gamecock fans, get you a Clemson cookie cake for your birthday... you know they love you :)

Click here for more birthday and Trunk-or-Treat pics.

15 pull-ups

2008-10-30T13:17:00.004-04:00

no... NOT the toddler diapers. ew! i'm talking actual, physical, real pull-ups. some guys at work decided to do 100 pull-ups in 100 days. it goes something like this...

Day 1 = do as many as you can at one time
Day 2 = 2 pull ups
Day 3 = 3 pull ups
Day 4 = 4 pull ups
etc....

the number of pull ups for the day we're on can be done over the course of the day (thankfully!). i was already doing a handful each time i went to fill up my water bottle or was in the general area of the work-out room at work. now i just have more motivation. as of today (and the past 29 years) i can NOT do a pull up all on my own. i'm pretty strong for a girl, but those muscles in my arms just aren't developped. so.... we're changing that.

i joined in on day 9 i think. and while i have to use a chair to do the pull ups, i can already tell that i'm not using the chair as much as i once was. so that's a bonus!

let's hope that by the last day i can do at least one without the aid of a chair :)

We interrupt this countdown...

2008-10-23T17:13:00.008-04:00

...for recent happenings.
1. Fall for Greenville. ALWAYS mucho fun with yummo food and festivities:

Garrett was planning his route and menu.

Glamorous Kelly and Allison

Yummo....

the boys and their hotdogs

amazing what can be done with a large block of ice and a chain saw

2. It's fall in South Carolina and football is in full swing! Granted, Clemson isn't doing as well as all had hoped, however, we are still enjoying the season, our team... and the food :)

My cousin Morgan is a Clemson Tiger now... although her boyfriend is at the Citadel. But he's pretty cool, so we're keeping him around!

Will and Diana's tailgate

I love this picture of D and Wyatt!

as for this one... my friends were supposed to jump WITH me... :)

16 things...

2008-10-10T16:51:00.002-04:00

... that I'm thankful for.

1) God's grace
2) His Son, Jesus
3) my amazing family (mom, brother, aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins!!)
4) my Clemson girls
5) phone calls from old friends (like the one I just received from Melody!)
6) a job that i love
7) the fact that i consider the people i work with to be more like family than co-workers
8) the 5 months that i lived in Belgium
9) Arica and the Greens, none of whom i would know had i not gone to Belgium
10) the chances i've had to travel the world
11) the fact that i have friends in 6 different countries who would let me sleep on their couch should i ever get over to see them... :)
12) my Clemson Tigers (regardless of their ability to play sports)
13) a church that i love serving with in Greenville, SC
14) a small group - i mean, community group - that i adore
15) my new camera
16) cherry coke and chocolate

ok, i realize that last one had two in it, but they HAD to make the list. and really, i could go on FOREVER with things that i'm thankful for. this list doesn't even really scratch the surface.

what are YOU thankful for? everyone has at least 2 things they could name off the top of their head. come on, you can do it!

17 more days...

2008-10-09T14:49:00.002-04:00

... until I hit 29. Wow. I've been freaking out a little bit because the next birthday that rolls around will be the big 3-0. Not that I've ever really been that into the number of my birthday... it's just the fact that it IS my birthday :) But, this is my last one in my twenties.

The other thing is that while I was never one to have my life planned out (by this age I'll be married, by this age i'll have a career, by this age i'll have so many kids, etc.), I really didn't think I'd still be single at 29. It's really a minor thing because I have an amazing life! I have SO many things that I'm thankful for (keep an eye out for #16 in the "countdown") and God has used me in ways that would have been more challenging had I been married.

However, it would be really fun to share this life adventure with someone. But, I know God has a plan (Jer 29:11) so I'm just chillin' until I get to share this cool life with someone else :)

18 Years Old (post 2)

2008-09-23T19:08:00.004-04:00

The Christmas after my 18th birthday, I asked my mom if the family could all pitch in for my Christmas gift. What did I ask for? All I wanted was a "real" camera, like one that professionals use! That Christmas I got my first SLR, a Nikon N50... and I was in love.

This was my baby. I loved this camera. While I was co-opping in college, I purchased a zoom lens and took even more pictures. In the 8 years that I used this camera, I know that I took thousands of pictures. And loved snapping each and every one. Now that we're in the digital age, I've probably taken twice as many as I ever did with film. Maybe three times as many...

Well, along with time and practice and falling more in love with photography, it's time that I take it to the next step. No, I'm not a pro, but I've created a photography blog and I hope to have another website one day soon. I'm excited to see where God takes me with this venture.

So.... I'm officially introducing PS: Photography by Sabrina. So check it out.... www.sabrinalewis.blogspot.com... and tell everyone you know!

18 Years Old (post 1)

2008-09-23T18:54:00.005-04:00

Finally... something for the number 18 :) In fact... I have 2 things!

When I was 18 years old I left an amazing group of friends and headed off to Clemson University. Little did I know that I would find another amazing group of friends. In the past few weeks, I've seen people from both groups and am amazed and SO thankful that God has allowed these people to remain in my life.

Back in March, we had our 10 Year High School Reunion (above). And this past weekend, I had lunch with the Scharffs and Jean. I love that even after 10 years, after going to different colleges, after some have gotten married, had children and moved to different towns, we can get together and still laugh and have fun.

The girls in the picture above (minus the Mrs Chapman, who is next to Jennifer, the bride) were in my bible study my freshman year at Clemson. These are the girls that I daily live life with. We certainly don't see each other every day or even every month, but we stay in touch, stay connected, stay close and stay in touch with what's going on. We've gone on cruises, we've gone to the beach, we get a cabin each December, we've been in each other's weddings (as you can tell above!), we've been at the hospital for births, we've been to funerals... and we plan on doing MUCH MUCH more together as the years go by.

As I've talked to people over the years, I've really realized just how blessed I am to have both of these groups of people in my life. God always knows what He's doing but it always makes me smile to think that He knew FAR more than I could ever have dreamed when He brought all of these people into my life... and have let them stay in my life!

GFCs from 2008

2008-09-05T16:43:00.001-04:00

Upward churches in the states took Upward to 3 different countries this summer. Animoto put the pictures together and I found the song on their site... I'm quite a fan if I say so myself :)

19 Days...

2008-08-25T12:07:00.007-04:00

...until we beat NC State in Death Valley :)

GO TIGERS!!!

Disclaimer: I will be pulling for the Wolfpack this Thursday (Aug 28) as they take on the chickens... aka South Carolina Shamecocks. I mean, Gamecocks :)

20 weeks

2008-08-20T11:34:00.005-04:00

I realize this is a little crazy, but I'm trying to keep up with this obscure countdown-to-nothing and I wanted to do something with the number 20 on the 20th day of August. So, when I counted 20 weeks from today, this was my revelation:

20 weeks from today will be the first Wednesday of 2009.

I've heard people say this SOOOO many times, but I promise that the older I get, the faster time seems to go. Ahhh!

Happy New Year!!

lol!

21 year-old Jamaican

2008-08-19T16:57:00.004-04:00

Has anyone been watching the Olympics this week?? Yes, they're still on. Swimming may be over, but there is another superman in the house (or Bird's Nest or Water Cube)!!

Like Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt is a MACHINE. This boy can not only run, but he can R.U.N. Run! Usain! Now!

And yes, I just made that up... thank you.

Of course, I'm still pulling for the US, but you have to appreciate that mad-crazy talent... regardless of where in the world it hails from!

22 Cows

2008-08-12T08:25:00.005-04:00

So, I decided that after posting about 24 Minutes and then 23 Days that I wanted to keep going with this arbitrary countdown. I'm not actually counting down to anything and there will probably be almost no correlation between the posts and I probably won't post everyday to make it a legit countdown, but why should that stop me? Besides, after my last post, there needed to be a little less seriousness going on here:)

I realized the other day that I never posted any pictures of the cow crossing that I saw in Northern Ireland! Tragic, I know. So, while I'm not totally sure whether there were 22 cows or 220 cows, here is proof of my cow-crossing experience. lol

Our lovely driver, Jenny, offered us the opportunity to get out of the car to get better pictures, but I politely declined. 1) I was in the backseat of a tiny european car. 2) it was raining and 3) while I'm ok with being "that american tourist" on occasion, I'd rather not do it in the rain. Besides, you still get to see the pictures and you still get the same idea. haha!

And see? The cows made it just fine and we were on our way.

And now you know that it takes approximately 22 cows approximately 15 minutes to cross the road in Northern Ireland.

Half of my life ago...

2008-08-09T16:51:00.004-04:00

August 9, 1994 was a day that I have run through my head a million times over in the past 14 years. It’s brought on every emotion known to man and affected me in ways that only our great God can fully know.

I woke up that Tuesday morning not long before 6:00am. It was nearing the end of the summer and my brother had soccer camp that week out at USCS (now, USC Upstate). So, while it was early and I thought it a little odd that the light in the hallway was on and people were talking in the hallway, I just thought my parents were getting an early start to the day. Being the inquisitive (aka “nosy”) person that I can be, I got out of bed to see what they were doing up so early to find my neighbors, Al and Cindy, outside my door.

I went into my parents’ bedroom to see my dad laying in the bed, barely breathing and his lips a pale shade of blue. I wanted so badly to reach out and put my hand on his chest, to hold his hand, to give him a hug, to kiss his face… but all I could do was stand there with my arms wrapped around myself. Turns out I didn’t know what fear really was until that moment.
Cindy was standing next to the bed massaging his hand and I remember her saying that his hands were clammy. I had to leave that room. Right then. Somehow I ended up in our living room where I did what anyone in my situation would do. I turned on the computer and started to play solitaire. It’s ok, you can laugh :)

Shortly afterwards, the ambulance arrived and the paramedics went back to my parents’ room. As they came back toward the front of the house, I walked over to the door they were about to walk by and as I closed the door, I saw my dad’s feet on the stretcher, having no idea that would be the last time I would see him alive.

The rest of that morning was pure torture. Mom followed the ambulance to Spartanburg Regional Hospital (no idea why she couldn’t ride WITH them) and when it was time, Cindy took my brother to his soccer camp. I tried to make the time go by as fast as I could, but without much success. I played more solitaire, I stared out the back sliding glass door, I tried to find something on TV, but while I was in that place, time seemed to stand still. I look back now and it seems that it passed by in a flash. What was probably a couple of hours later, I was sitting in “daddy’s chair” watching an episode of Sisters when my mom and our pastor walked in. I didn’t really have to ask, but I did anyway. “How is he?” Mom’s simple reply was, “He’s gone.”
The next couple of days became a blur of people coming and going and calling and visiting and hugging and kissing and crying and loving us. I have never seen so much food in my fridge nor have I gotten as many hugs as I did that week.

While I would not wish this experience on ANYONE, I’m thankful for how God has been able to use what my family went through for His purposes, which are always much more detailed and intentional than I could ever imagine. While I grew up in the church and accepted Christ as my savior when I was about 9, it took until my freshman year at Clemson before I let God really get His hands on me and draw me into Himself. Ever since then, He’s been my Father, my provider, my strength, my heart, my life, my everything. We’ve had a few rocky patches along the way, but what relationship doesn’t? My dad and I had more rocky patches than I would like to ever admit, but in spite of all that I consider hard or bad, God has used it all to shape and mold me into ME.

One of the hardest things about life is trying to be a friend to someone who has gone through something like this (just take a glance at the book of Job in the Bible!). We never know what to say. We never really know what to do, which is why we take food. You don’t have to talk if you’re eating! Most of the time, there just isn’t anything TO say or do. My advise: whatever you do say, do NOT start quoting scripture. As true as it is, it’s actually the last thing someone in that position wants to hear. Twice in the past 9 years I’ve had a few friends lose their dads as quickly as I lost mine. While I still didn’t know what to say, I was at least able to give them a hug and say, “I know” through my tears, letting them know that they aren’t alone in what they’re going through.

Most years when August 9 rolls around, I remember what day it is but I’m either at work or I have something going on. But I think because I was 14 when he died and it’s now 14 years later (and I’m this much closer to turning 30) I’ve been a little more reflective than normal. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d make it to the age of 17, much less 28. I don’t think I had any kind of concept of what 14 years later would look like. I’m just thankful that God has brought me this far and I’m still in one piece!

It would take a book to explain all that He’s taught me in the past 14 years. The main thing I’ve learned though, and I seem to still be learning, is that HE is God and I’m not. I know, simple concept, right? Then why do I think that my plans are better than His, when in fact, once I let Him do His thing, I realize that what He’s done is in fact what I wanted all along? For example, I wanted to go to the Naval Academy more than anything in the world. And I thought that God wouldn’t have put that desire in me if He didn’t have that plan for me. The reality of it was that I wanted to be a midshipman more than I wanted to follow God’s plan. So, I ended up at Clemson… which was almost the last place I wanted to be. I realize for those that know me – or have only met me once - that’s hard to believe. But, it turns out that since that’s where God intended for me to be, that’s what I actually wanted!! I just didn’t know it at the time because I was blinded by myself and MY plans.

The truth is, regardless of what’s happened in life, God will use it to glorify Himself. The only catch is that we have to LET Him be God and LET Him lead the way. But, if we can remove those blinders that only let us look at ourselves and instead open our eyes to what He wants to do with us through us and around us, we would see that we would be insane to NOT let Him lead the way.

There are some days that something will hit me and I’ll find my heart caught in my throat and tears welling up in my eyes over the loss of my dad. It’s not easy growing up on this earth without a father. But, out of this tragedy, God has revealed Himself to me as my Father and let me see Him in ways I may not have been as open to had my dad survived that heart attack.

Daddy, as much as we went through, as many tears as I’ve shed and as much laughter as we shared, I still love you. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.

Abba, Father, as much as we’ve been through, as many tears as I’ve shed and as much laughter as we've shared, I will always love you. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for You.

Michael Gray Lewis
February 12, 1949 - August 9, 1994

23 Days...

2008-08-07T14:28:00.003-04:00

...until COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!People have been mentioning it, there's been chatter of season tickets arriving in the mail, the summer is drawing to an end and there we'll be... in the midst of football season!!!!!!

The Tigers are ranked in the top 10 and there's plenty of talk of this "being our year" to win the ACC Championship. I'll admit that I get a little nervous when we're ranked this high and we're the talk of the conference. BUT, I have faith in my Tigers. Always have, always will.

C-L-E-M-S-O-N! T-I-G-E-RRRRRRRRRRR-S!
Fight Tigers... Fight Tigers... fight, Fight, FIGHT!!

24 Minutes...

2008-08-05T12:38:00.002-04:00

... is my new record time for getting out of bed, in and out of the shower, getting dressed, putting on make-up, fixing my hair (blow dry and all), getting in the car and pulling out of the driveway.

It's amazing how quickly things can happen when you wake up at 7:45 and are supposed to be at work, which is 20 minutes away, at 8:00am.

Details, Details...

2008-07-30T17:04:00.002-04:00

There are no spoilers to the Batman movie in this post.

Last Saturday I finally went to see Dark Knight. I say finally because even though it had only been out for a week, it seemed as though I was the only person in the country who had not seen it yet! Anyway, my plan was to leave my house about 40 minutes before the movie started at 5:10pm, which would leave me plenty of time to run by Target across the street first. I left a little later than planned but still made it to Target and I ended up buying my ticket at almost exactly 5:10pm.

I go into the theater and make my way to Theater #2, as it clearly states on my ticket. I hand the nice ticket-tearing guy my ticket and he points me toward the left where my theater is waiting. I look over and see that the second theater is indeed playing Dark Knight. I quickly slide into the restroom knowing that I'll miss a couple of previews, which I don't like doing because I love previews, but this is a two and a half hour movie and I have the world's smallest bladder. So, I make a quick run through the restroom and then dart into my theater.

To my surprise, the movie has already started. Hmm... kind of odd, but whatever. It's one of the smaller theaters and the place is FULL. I go up a few rows and ask the lady and her husband if the one empty seat next to her is taken. She says no and I slide in and sit down, put down my bag and turn my phone to silent. After maybe 30 seconds I'm settled and ready to take in this amazing movie I've heard so much about.

The Joker is in a hospital room and talking to a guy that I've seen in the previews so I have an idea of who's in the scene. But, after a little bit I realize that I've missed something. But I waited a little bit longer just to see what was going on before I do anything. After about 20 minutes or so, I lean over to the nice lady who let me slide in next to her...

Me: What time did this movie start?
Nice Lady: 3:10
Me: Ahhh.... I'm in the wrong theater (duh). lol
Nice Lady: Yep

So, I gathered my things and left thinking that either I really did go into the wrong theater or the lady who sold me my ticket sold me one for two hours earlier. I check out my ticket as I leave and indeed, in my hurry to get to the movie, went into the wrong theater. Again, duh.

I had three options at this point.
1) Go to the appropriate theater and miss the FIRST 20 minutes of the movie
2) Go to the front, explain what happened and buy another ticket
3) Find what theater the 5:40pm showing was in and go to that movie and see the entire thing

Some of you may be sad to know that I took option number 3. And really, I don't know that management would have minded... :)

I'm telling you, some days I think I have blonde hair under all of this brunette stuff on my head. LOL Hey, at least I know how to laugh at myself, right? Well, that and I love giving "my" public entertaining stories about my life ;)

Northern Ireland

2008-07-25T10:54:00.008-04:00

I know y'all have been waiting. So here they are... FINALLY. Enjoy :)

Me with some of the girls from camp.

Gotta love the Give Way signs :)

This was at a cultural event in the neighborhood we were staying in.

Beautiful sunset over the North Atlantic.
That small piece of land way off in the distance is Iceland!

This would be the view from one of the churches. Pretty, huh?

The group from Clinton, MS that I went with.

This is at the Giant's Causeway. I'm doing my traditional Irish pose. lol

Please notice the SHEEP in the background... :)

Goofy kids can be found anywhere in the world :)

It was parade season. All of the small towns have their own band and they marched right in front of the church we were working at. We were like little kids! It was cool.

Ireland + rainbow+ seeing the END of the rainbow
= leprechaun and pot of gold

sadly we didn't make it over there to catch him :( those buggers must be really sneaky!

More pictures are here. And even more are here.

In the meantime....

2008-07-14T10:56:00.003-04:00

I KNOW I'm taking forever with my pictures from Northern Ireland... but I was home for about 5 days and then went to the beach for vacation (I'll post pictures of that too). So, until then, please watch this video! It's seriously one of the coolest things ever.

Be sure to click "watch in high quality" below the video.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY

Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland is one of the first places you'll see him... and I was there just a few weeks ago!

Info about Northern Ireland

2008-06-22T18:46:00.002-04:00

It's just now 15 min till midnight and I can still see a "wee bit" of light on the horizon over the mountains.
They really do say "wee bit" quite often
They drink more tea than any culture I have ever been around. I may float home from all the tea I've been offered to drink!
Crumpets are actually served with tea
I still have no idea what a crumpet really is...
We've only had potatoes served with one meal... well, unless you count the "chips" (aka french fries) we had with lunch today
I've already been here long enough that I'm typing this and expecting you to read it with an Irish accent
It's the end of June and we're freezing. It's been cold and rainy... more so than when I was in Belgium! Ahh!
But, because of the rain, the countryside really is as green and beautiful as the pictures and movies we've all seen!
My roommate (for the week) and I set off the alarm when we came "home" yesterday. It was quite fun! Luckily the police didn't show up. Our hosts were out for a bit and had set the alarm. After a few phone calls they finally called and gave us the code to turn it off. whew!
We were stopped on the road for about 15 minutes today while cows crossed the road to another field. Yes, I'll have pictures of that later :)

It's supposed to be yucky weather all week so PLEASE PRAY that God will allow good weather for our outdoor soccer (football) camps!! According to weather.com tomorrow is looking a little better so keep those prayers going!

Beth Moore on Worry...

2008-06-02T17:48:00.004-04:00

I learn so much from Beth Moore and I wanted to share what she wrote on her blog yesterday. You can read the full post for yourself here, but most of it is pasted below... I have issues with wanting to be in control (and I'm sure some of you can relate!). So, it's a good reminder from a godly woman that GOD is the one in control... and for good reason!

The lead verse for this morning's entry was Isaiah 28:12. Of God the prophet Isaiah wrote, "He said, 'This is a resting place, let the weary rest'; and, 'This is a place of repose' - but they would not listen." Here's a little of what followed (originally written by Charles Spurgeon):

"Why do you worry? What possible use does your worrying serve? You are aboard such a large ship that you would be unable to steer even if your Captain placed you at the helm. You would not even be able to adjust the sails, yet you worry as if you were the captain or the helmsman of the vessel. Be quiet, dear soul - God is the Master! Do you think all the commotion and the uproar of this life is evidence that God has left His throne? He has not! His mighty steeds rush furiously ahead, and His chariots are the storms themselves. (Pause, Siestas, and hear the sound of those mighty steeds in your spirit. Feel their hoof-beats pound in your chest. He's on His mighty way!) But the horses have bridles, and it is God who holds the reins, guiding the chariots as He wills! Our God Jehovah is still the Master! Believe this and you will have peace. 'Don't be afraid' (Matt. 14:27)."

My favorite line: "You are aboard such a large ship that you would be unable to steer even if your Captain placed you at the helm." So, we might as well stop trying. Anyway, with the best intentions we'd steer that Titanic smack into the next iceberg with all our loved ones on board. You don't let your two-year old steer the car no matter how she might kick and scream from the backseat. God's too wise to let our control issues work out for us. If we keep insisting, He might let us give it a hand for a while but, sooner or later, we'll hit the iceberg. And the iceberg is He.

Regardless of how convinced we are, God has not placed us in control of our environments nor are we responsible for how everyone is behaving or how things will turn out. He is still God and, yes, even over "this," whatever your "this" may be. His, Beloved Siestas, is a LARGE SHIP. Something much bigger than we can picture is going on from a God's-eye view. Our trials are allowed so that Christ may be formed in us and then, through us, serve that greater purpose. Worry always and only forms thicker flesh in us and weights us down until we cannot walk where the Spirit would take us.

I've come to learn from God that worry is a waving red flag to the enemy. It is a dead giveaway that the person owning it does not trust God. The shield of faith is down. So fire when ready. Every time we're tempted to take it all on and worry something to death, let's say aloud from the depths of our souls, "I choose to trust You, Lord. I choose trust. I choose You."

Be quiet, Dear Soul! God is the Master! Don't be afraid.

With dearest love,
beth

Unique

2008-05-28T18:06:00.002-04:00

I’m not saying I’m any kind of wise, almighty Christian.. because I am the FURTHEST thing from that. But God has been teaching me SO much lately and I realized just the other night that I’ve come back to Him in a way that I didn’t know was possible. I was never gone from Him but I’ve been so dry these past few years!

The time I had in Belgium was so unique because of the physical time I had on my hands and because of the situation I was in. I had time to wake up when my body was ready (I’m a much happier person when I get to do that!). Because I had the time, I was awake when I spent my time with the Lord in the mornings. I wasn’t rushed with my time with Him because of some crazy schedule. And I was relying on Him like never before to help me build meaningful relationships with people that I was only going to be around for 5 months.

I’ve been LONGING for that since I came home 4 years ago, but I’ve only just realized that was a UNIQUE time and I probably will never have that again. However, it doesn’t mean that God can’t work in and through me in similar ways. My hunger for Him has grown recently and a lot of it is because of my singleness. One of my biggest desires is to find the love of my life, get married and have kids. But, for whatever reason, God isn’t allowing that right now (I could go on and on about all I’m learning through the series of Job we’re doing at church right now and how we just don't know what God is up to! It’s amazing). And since I have no idea why He’s allowing that, my purpose is to serve Him as best I can. THAT is my desire right now!! Sure, I’ve always wanted to have that attitude, but for the first time I really GET it. I know that I’m in a unique (there’s that word again) place in life and all I want is to honor Him so that I can be used by Him while I have this kind of time on my hands.

I say all of this in hopes to be an encouragement, not to brag on what a "wonderful Christian I've become." ha! I hope no one ever calls me that... because I will never amount to what God had in mind for us to be before sin entered the world. Of course if that were the case, Christ would not have needed to come and we would not have the word "Christian". But that's an entirely different discussion...

It has taken me YEARS to get to this point... and I still have a long way to go. And I will probably even backslide quite often. But at least I finally understand what Paul was talking about in I Corinthians 7:34. "...An unmarried woman is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit..."

Right now is when I have the time on my hands to serve the Lord with everything I have. Right now, I don't have a husband to devote my time and energy to. Right now, I don't have children that need my care and attention. So, RIGHT NOW is when I can devote ALL of myself to God and what He's called me to do... love and serve HIM! How amazing is that?? ;-)

the blog isn't dead!!!

2008-05-24T23:52:00.002-04:00

i know, i know, i know, i know.... i know! it's been over a month. and i don't really have an excuse. other than i moved... again. and i don't have internet at home... at all. and i've been travelling... some. and i'm lazy... ok maybe that's the real answer :)

there has been so much going on in my head and i really want to get it out, so i PROMISE to get it up here soon (please feel free to harrass me until i do... accountability is a good thing!).

so for now, i leave you with a quote from the great Wayne Gretzky:

"You miss 100% of the shots you never take."

random, i know. but we ate at his restaurant in Toronto tonight and i liked it. therefore, i had to document while it was still fresh on my mind. haha!

Upward Blind Ambition

2008-04-14T11:52:00.002-04:00

You need to see this story about Mitchell Bridwell...

Click here for video...

David Dean Grogg!!!

2008-04-01T22:59:00.003-04:00

Jill and Michael welcomed their son into the world yesterday, March 31, around 5:08pm. He was 8lbs 7oz and 19.5 inches long. Isn't he beautiful??

Andrea is already a wonderful big sis! Jill's sister Meghan has more pictures and a video on her blog... check it out!

March 2008

2008-03-31T23:01:00.006-04:00

Wow - what a month! I've been to Brazil, France and Canada and have had a blast. In the midst of that, two friends have had their second children (both boys)! Chris and Emily are continued to be amazed at the miracle God has given them in Cohen. Jill and Michael just welcomed their son, David, into the world this evening! I'm still in Canada so I don't have any pictures of him yet. But don't worry, they are coming!

So, since you've been waiting on the edge of your seat for pictures from my travels, here they are (in addition to a video from Brazil). Enjoy!

Outside Courtyard of the Louvre (more Paris pictures)

This is Chambord... one of my new favorite castles :)

Chenanceau - mom reminded me that we were here in 1996, so it was cool to go back!

This is Azay-le-Rideau and it's so beautiful!
(more pics here)

I was in France with mom and her students for a week and had a lot of fun! I've been lucky enough to travel to France quite a bit, but it's been a while since I was able to go outside of Paris. So, while I LOVE Paris, it was fun to see other parts of the country! I think my favorite was St Malo...

It's such a cute little town and it's GORGEOUS!! You can see more pictures here.

The last trip was to Canada for work. We came for our first Upward Leadership Training of the season, but also to help out with the first EVER Ball Hockey Coach Training and Ball Hockey Evaluations. I don't have pictures off the camera yet from those, but I've got some from playing in all of the SNOW when we went to Dave and Meredith's house. It was so much fun although we were all wiped out after sledding and playing for a bit.

Dave and Meredith's house. She is our first ever league director in Canada and this is their farm.

Myrna and me after we went for our run in the snow.

Sledding! Meredith was doing well!

This is me up to my knees in snow. There was SO MUCH of the stuff! And it was beautiful!

God's Power

2008-03-14T10:20:00.003-04:00

Some friends of mine, Chris and Emily McGowan, are going through a lot right now with their new son, Cohen. Back in November they found out that their son was diagnosed with Thanatophoric Dysplasia (Emily gave a good definition in this post). Our first prayer was that God would perform a miracle and heal Cohen so that he could live a full and healthy life. The second prayer was that if that was NOT God's will, then Emily would be able to at least hold Cohen before he died.

A week and a day ago, I was about to get on the plane to head to Brazil when Kelly called. She had meant to call Jessica, but hit the wrong speed dial :) But I was glad she did! Emily was going in for her C-section a couple of weeks early and was calling to update Jessica. She told me what she knew at the time, but I got on the plane with a heavy heart and prayed for them all on the way to Brazil. When we landed and I turned on my phone, Kelly's text message had good news!

"Cohen is breathing on his own. Certainly has a form of dysplasia, looking at days, may be able to take him home."

WOW! Our God is a GOOD God! Later that day, we received an email from a guy at work who is also friends with the McGowans and gave more details, praising God for this miracle. As I read the words, tears streamed down my face with all God had done and was doing!

It's been a week and a day and Cohen is between breathing on his own and needing oxygen. He's been taking bottles and eating well too! But, there is still a long way to go. I have no idea what Chris and Emily are feeling or are going through right now, but I know that it isn't easy. It's incredible to watch them cling to our Lord through it all and remember that every minute they have with Cohen is precious. They also know that God is in control and whatever happens, He will be glorified.

My prayer right now is three-fold. One, I pray with all of my heart that God will heal Cohen. He has shown His power and might just by letting Cohen come into this world and be with us for this long. Two, I hope so badly that Chris and Em will see at least a glimpse (if not much more!) of how God is using this. I've already talked to and heard from people who have been touched by the situation and as a result... God's name is being praised! Three, I pray that Cohen will one day know how his life has been used by God :)

Please be in prayer for this precious family. Their older son, Cort, is at his grandparents this weekend. Pray for him too as things are not "normal" for him right now and his little heart may not understand at all what is going on.

They have been good about updating their blog, so keep checking so you can keep praying. Thanks!! http://cortmcgowan.blogspot.com/

from brazil...

2008-03-10T08:23:00.002-04:00

My first time in South America has been nothing short of awesome. The land is beautiful, the weather is WARM, the people are friendly and the food is yummy! The only negative thing I've heard from people in Dourados is that I haven't really been to Brazil until I've been to Rio de Jeneiro :) Maybe I can make it there on my next trip down.

on a side note... I just had a conversation with one of the hotel employees and neither one of us understood the other. i KNOW we were having two completely different conversations! lol!

I'll add pictures when i get home...

THE Reason

2008-03-04T18:29:00.003-05:00

Have you ever gotten into a rut... with your job, with church, with life? Please say yes so that I know I'm not the only one!!

Anyway, I was there last week. Well, I think I had been there for a while and was in desperate need of some rejuvination. The thing that made me upset though is that I had no reason to feel like I was in a rut! My church is amazing, my friends are wonderful and my family is the best ever. To top all of that off, I have an amazing job that not only allows me to travel the world, but as I do that, I'm able to impact the lives of people for the Kingdom! Hello!! But, even in ministry, it's easy to get into a rut. One thing I have done to try and stay out of that rut is to coach an Upward team every so often. This past fall I coached a 5yr old soccer team (oh la la!) and we just finished our basketball season where I coached a cheer squad (2nd to 5th grade). While the kids could be nuts and were often times hyped up on sugar (or so it seemed), they were adorable (as you can see below) and SO loving.

Well, even with coaching these incredible kids, I found myself in a rut. I was tired, I was anticipating all of the travel that I have during the month of March as well as moving at the beginning of April! But, God used a missionary to Bethlehem and a friend of mine to renew my soul :) Just hearing the missionary talk about how sports can bring the people in Palestine and Isreal togther and how Upward can play a part in that helped me to realize and remember that what I do at my desk each day has an eternal impact.

I've been working on some manuals that we will use in Brazil this week and much of it was mundane... but when I think about how each small task - getting those books translated, working with a graphic artist to lay them out into a printable format and then having them printed - will all fit together and allow a coach in Brazil to teach kids basketball and tell them about Christ, I realize that my life and my job have purpose.

I'm so thankful that these small things are behind the scenes because if I was able to see all that God sees in how my job affects each person who comes in contact with Upward... my head and ego would be too big to fit into a room. I'm not telling you this so that you can see how humble I'm trying to be... I'm telling you this to help you see how BIG our GOD is! I have NO CLUE how God uses each aspect of Upward. But, I'm so glad to hear the stories from coaches and kids and people who are involved in the ministry because that is what helps keep me motivated.

So, if you think about it, pray not just for me and my travels or for Upward and the ministry, but pray for all of those who are reaching the world for Christ. Regardless of your job title, if you are a believer who has a passion to live your life like Christ, then you are a missionary and the world is your mission field. It's a big challenge, but luckily we serve a BIG God.

New Trick

2008-02-15T17:40:00.002-05:00

Look what I learned how to do this week... :)

Who knew...

2008-02-12T13:27:00.000-05:00

...that I had a child?!? I got a voicemail a little while ago saying that my child was tardy to her elementary school this morning.

So, I called the school to clear things up...

Attendant: Thank you for calling The Elementary School.
Sabrina: Hi, I received a voicemail that my child was tardy this morning.
Attendant: Yes, ma'am.
Sabrina: Well, it's pretty difficult for her to be late because I actually don't have any children.
Attendant: [much laughter] Well, that is a problem then!

No worries though, I gave her the child's name and MY phone number and she was going to get it corrected.

Whew! Part of me was scared that I had blacked out for a few years, had gotten married, had a child and didn't know about it! But, I've checked the date and it's still 2008 so I think I'm safe :)

What were you doing 4 yrs ago today?

2008-01-07T17:08:00.000-05:00

I realized this afternoon that 4 years ago today - almost to the hour - I was getting on a plane to fly to Brussels, Belgium where I was going to live in a neighborhood with mostly north Africans and teach English to anyone who wanted to learn.

Who knew that during those five months I was there that I would learn so much about Islam, become friends with people from at least five different countries - all of which I never thought I would meet people from - take three trips to Paris, visit six different countires, be PUSHED out of my comfort zone more times that I can count, meet one of my best friends and a family who might as well be related to me by blood.

It's amazing to see how even now, four years later, God is still using what He taught me in the little country of Belgium to further me as a Christian woman on a daily basis. It blows my mind and I am SO thankful for Him and all that He has allowed me to experience these past four years :)

Arica sitting in one of Marc's Black Hawks in Germany.

One of our first "statue pictures" in Worms, Germany :)

In England - obviously.

Ah... I love Paris in the springtime!

Packing to travel back to South Carolina... and yes, the suitcase DID close!

So... what were YOU doing this time four years ago??

Lunch at the Eiffel Tower

2008-01-03T12:18:00.000-05:00

"[Alain] Ducasse, who has 16 Michelin stars and more than 20 restaurants around the world, says the menu price is "accessible to everyone": about $108 for lunch and $216 for dinner, without wine." Full CNN Article

He's kidding, right? Someone please tell me he's joking... At those rates I don't know that I could even afford the wine! oh la la...

For unto us a child is born...

2007-12-22T01:47:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!!

May you and your loved ones experience the grace and love that God shared with us so long ago in the birth of His Son, Jesus.

Enjoy this season and may you have a wonderful 2008!!

What's Important?

2007-12-12T12:34:00.000-05:00

The two greatest commandments are

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matt 22:37)

and

Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt 22:39b)

Knowing that God is a relational God (read Genesis 1:26 and let me know if you see "me" or "us" in the verse) it would stand to reason that since we are created in His image that we are also relational people. All you have to do is look at the two greatest commandments above to be reaffirmed of this. Rick's brother Paul left a comment on one of his blog posts and said, "... what God wants from me is fellowship, not my 'good works'."

One of my favorite things is being with other people, laughing, goofing off and loving on them. I always said that if I could get a degree in socializing in college then I'd be golden! I CAN NOT wait for Christmas to get here. I know that some of you are panicking right now because I said that, but it's true! Christmas means that I get to see my mom and my brother, I get to spend time with them doing things we love, I get to see extended family - related by blood or by Christ - we get to eat together, exchange gifts, go to movies and just goof off! And I'm going to love every minute of it. The best part about all of it is that we'll be doing what God has called us to do... to love our neighbor as ourself.

Not every Christmas has been great, nor will every Christmas in the years to come be wonderful. The Christmas after my dad died was the worst so far. Although, even from that, I have fond memories. On Christmas eve each of us would get to open one gift. Well, in 1994 mom opened one, I opened one and Matt opened one. We all looked at each other and said, "Let's open one more!" Sure, why not? Then we looked at each other again and said, "Why not one more?" OK, great! Before we knew it, we had opened all the gifts!! It cracks me up to think of us sitting in our den floor with our gifts and wrapping paper everywhere and it not even being Christmas morning yet.

The point I'm getting at is that I need to learn to enjoy just BEING. God is the great I AM, not the great I WILL BE or the great I WAS. While He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, He is always in the present and pursuing a relationship with us RIGHT NOW. So, I need to put aside all that I'm doing and let Him catch me and love on me. It's my fault that I've been running away instead of towards Him, but I'm changing that. Right now. If I'm going to be running, it might as well be into His arms instead of away from Him. Without Him I get no where. With Him, I go where He wants me, which is right where I want to be anyway. I just pray that you'll do the same!

It's been a while...

2007-12-11T13:36:00.000-05:00

I know, I know... It's been way too long since I've posted and I hate that. And I could give you plenty of (good) excuses but I'm going to spare you. Instead, I'm going to give you an update of the last month or so in pictures. Besides, that's what everyone wants anyway, right?

Nov 3 - Robert and Lindsay got married!!!

Mid-November - did pictures for some families at work

Nov 19-23 - spent Thanksgiving in DC

Nov 24 - watched Clemson beat USC with some Gamecock fans :)

And now it's December... we've had the cabin weekend and our Upward Christmas party but you will have to wait on those pictures. I'll get caught up soon!!

for the love...

2007-11-14T17:26:00.001-05:00

Luckily I've been on here enough so that I at least know where to click to add a post and stuff. Otherwise you would not be reading this right now. Why? Because when I logged in while in Ukraine, the website came up in Russian - or Ukrainian - and I couldn't read any of it.

For example, where you see the title of this post, the title of the box should just read "Title." However, while I'm typing this, I see "Название:" Do you think I have any idea what that says?? Clearly I do since I just told you... but I couldn't pronounce that right now without my little phrase book if my life counted on it. Ahh!!

It's ok though... my very witty and talented friend in Ukraine is looking into it for me. I've given him my username and password so he can get in and look at it to see if he can switch it back to English. I'm trusting you, Sasha!!!! :)

Short Trip to Europe

2007-10-28T10:08:00.000-04:00

It's Sunday and I'll be home tomorrow night but I wanted to post a quick recap of the past few days.

Wednesday - arrived in Paris at 6am and went to the hotel. Myrna and I took a 2hr nap since we got almost zero sleep on the plane! From there we went and bought metro tickets and headed into the city! Stopped in Montmartre, had lunch at "my" café and then went on a hunt for Moulin Rouge. I have zero sense of direction but we followed my instincts anyway and after asking a couple of people we actually found it! From there we went to the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and ended at the Arc de Triomphe followed by dinner at a café on the Champs-Elysées.

Thursday - flew to Kiev, had a meeting with a guy about Upward and then flew to Odessa. Oh, on our way to Kiev, I sat next to a Ukrainian guy who is fluent in Russian, French and Polish. I had a French newspaper so he knew I spoke French and halfway through the 3hr flight, he began to talk to me. Now, I didn't understand everything he said b/c my brain started hurting after a bit. Plus, we were close to the engines so I couldn't hear him really well anyway. The gist of it is that he is 60yrs old, has a wife, 3 children and a granddaughter. He's been flying back and forth to Africa for the past 10yrs for work, which is how he knows French. At some point he started talking about the Iraq war and the fires in California and all kinds of stuff. Sadly I didn't ever fully know what he was talking about so I mainly just listened! I felt so bad but he was so nice!!

Friday - MY BIRTHDAY! :) We slept in a bit, headed downtown and met a friend for lunch. We wandered in and out of a few stores and then headed to a football match. This was my first pro soccer game to go to and it was exciting! It was two Ukrainian cities playing and so of course we were pulling for Odessa. Sasha and Regina even bought me an Odessa scarf so that I could be a real fan. Odessa won 4-0. There were 2 red cards given to the other team and at least 2 yellow cards to a couple of different players too! After we scored at one point, the cheering section got really crazy and lit a couple of red flares and while we were watching them we started seeing yellow and blue chairs flying in the air! We think a fight started in the midst of it all... it was nuts!

Saturday - a guy came to Odessa from Lubni (?) to see Sasha and Regina's Upward soccer games so we spent the morning with him and Sasha told him about Upward and his experience. That afternoon we headed to the gym for their last games of the season. It's been raining like crazy so they haven't been able to play on the fields for a few weeks. The games were a blast and the kids have had so much fun.

Sunday - we went to church this morning and after the typical 3 sermons came home for homemade pizza. A missionary that used to live here was in town so he and his daughter joined us for the afternoon. Now we're about to leave to fly to Kiev and we'll fly back to the states tomorrow.

Pictures will come when I get home! In the meantime, thanks for your prayers... for the churches and Upward leagues in Ukraine and our travelling safety!

Doombah Chickensquirt

2007-10-16T09:51:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when you have a stressful day or week, you need some silliness to break up the day. If we are honest, we have a lot more stressful days than not. Here is your dose of humor...

A. Follow the instructions to find your new name.

B. Once you have your new name, leave me a comment with it and your “old” name. If you want to email this to people, put your new name in the subject box and forward it to friends and family and co-workers.

And don't go all adult - a senior manager is now known far and wide as Dorky Gizzardsniffer!

The following is excerpted from a children's book, Captain Underpants And the Perilous Plot Professor Poopypants, by Dave Pilkey, in which the evil Professor forces everyone to assume new names.

So…

1. Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:
a = snickle
b = doombah
c = goober
d = cheesey
e = crusty
f = greasy
g = dumbo
h = farcus
i = dorky
j = doofus
k = funky
l = boobie
m = sleezy
n = sloopy
o = fluffy
p = stinky
q = slimy
r = dorfus
s = snooty
t = tootsie
u = dipsy
v = sneezy
w = liver
x = skippy
y = dinky
z = zippy

2. Use the second letter of your last name t o determine the first half of your new last name:
a = dippin
b = feather
c = batty
d = burger
e = chicken
f = barffy
g = lizard
h = waffle
i = farkle
j = monkey
k = flippin
l = fricken
m = bubble
n = rhino
o = potty
p = hamster
q = buckle
r = gizzard
s = lickin
t = snickle
u = chuckle
v = pickle
w = hubble
x = dingle
y = gorilla
z = girdle

3. Use the third letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:
a = butt
b = boob
c = face
d = nose
e = hump
f = breath
g = pants
h = shorts
i = lips
j = honker
k = head
l = tush
m = chunks
n = dunkin
o = brains
p = biscuits
q = toes
r = doodle
s = fanny
t = sniffer
u = sprinkles
v = frack
w = squirt
x = humperdinck
y = hiney
z = juice

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOUR NEW NAME IS... and leave your real name too :) !!

Remember that children laugh an average of 146 times a day; adults laugh an average of 4 times a day. Put more laughter in your day.

It has been the longest week ever...

2007-10-05T16:29:00.000-04:00

You know when you're waiting on something and each day you think that will be the day you receive it? But then the end of the day comes and you realize it didn't come that day either? Yeah, that's been this week. ugh. It's ok though... some things are just out of my control and I'm trying to exercize some Daring Dependence on God. Luckily He knows that I'm a work in progress!

One thing I DID get this week was a replacement for my phone! YAY! I had a scare though as I left the store... I had sat in the parking lot for a few minutes resetting as much as I could so that it was "my" phone again. I pulled out and onto the road and opened my phone to see a text I had just received. But the screen was blank. Ok, maybe I'm imagining things. So I close the phone, the outside display shows me the time and everything as usual and I open the phone again. Nothing. Are you kidding me?? I pull into a parking lot to see if I can figure it out before running back to the store. The only option I had was to pop out the battery and put it in again. Praise the Lord it worked! Good night, did I really need that minutes after I had picked it up and days after I had broken the first one?? Negative, ghost rider! But, all has been good since. Whew!

sad...

2007-10-03T07:54:00.000-04:00

Now, I'm a responsible person. I don't lose things, I don't break things, I always return things that I've borrowed (even if I've had them for months on end... you WILL eventually get it back!). However, it seems that with age these traits that I've prided myself on are slowly deteriorating. Yeah, yeah, I'm not really that old but I'm getting close to 30, people!

Anyway, Sunday night, this responsible young lady that you all know and love dropped her cell phone. I never said I didn't drop things... Well, I dropped it on the carpet in my apartment and it broke. It wasn't a huge deal because it was just a little crack. One of the sides where the phone flips up cracked, which caused the top part of the phone to sit a little crooked when it was open. I was laughing so hard at my "new" ghetto phone!

Well, I really shouldn't have laughed too hard because yesterday, that piece that cracked fully came off. The ONLY thing holding both pieces of my phone together is the wiring that makes it work! LOL! Luckily, I was able to take it to the shop on Monday and they are ordering me a new one and said I should have it in 3 to 5 days. So, hopefully by the end of the week I won't be toting around my sad little phone!

oh la la...!

2007-09-20T17:28:00.000-04:00

The past month has been a whirlwind! Mid-August I got back from Canada and thought I was going to be able to take a breath, but no sir-eee bob! I may not be travelling again until the end of October but I've been all over the place doing way too much lately! I moved and had friends over and small group started back and football season started and i started coaching a 5yr old soccer team (that's where the "oh la la" comes in) and Arica was in town last week and I have a meeting tonight to start helping with the Women's Ministry at church which starts next week. Oh and my former roommate is getting married in 44 days so there are a few things going on with those festivities! WHEW! It's so much fun though :)

When Arica was here we went to see the Greens and then we went down to Atlanta because she's never been. Woohoo! I love the ATL so I was more than happy to take her down to one of my former "hometowns." We hung out with my friend Erica from high school for dinner and ice cream, we went to the GA Aquarium (more pics), visited the gift shop at World of Coke, played in Centennial Park and toured CNN.

Statue in front of Coke Museum.

NOTE: Thanks to Arica and her mad photography skills, there are actually pictures of me from a trip. Yay! I have proof that I really went somewhere ;)

Murder in the Kitchen

2007-09-06T09:21:00.000-04:00

Last night I got in from a friend's house and was making my lunch for today. It was a typical evening and I had the bread, mayo, turkey and cheese out on the counter. I'm in my shorts and t-shirt (we had said we were going to try and work out. ha!) and had taken my shoes off. All of a sudden I feel something on my foot and look down to see a ROACH crawling over my FOOT! AHHHH!!!!!

Yep, I screamed. Like a girl. Sadly I quickly realized that no one was there to come to my rescue! A couple of weeks ago Kelly was over and while we were sitting on the coach, minding our own business, she screams because there is a roach on the wall. Being the good hostess that I am, I sat on the coach freaking out while she attacked it. Oh yeah, I also called my friend Myrna to freak about it too. Kelly loved me for that!

Well, last night she was not there. My roommate wasn't there and my husband wasn't there. Oh wait... that's right, I live alone now and I'm not married. DANG IT!! So, I had to suck it up and kill the roach. LUCKILY, I had a handy can of Raid under my sink because there was no way I wasn't going to be prepared after last time. Now, I've used Raid before, but it was mainly on ants. This is some powerful stuff!! One spray and the roach tried to run but didn't make it more than a centimeter before I sprayed him again. It was a quick death so he didn't suffer long. It took me a little while longer to get up the courage to actually dispose of him. So, I called Myrna to tell her of my bravery. She laughed. Um, hello!! I just killed a ROACH! This coming from the same girl who slept in the guest room a couple of years ago b/c a cricket was hiding under my bed! Yes, I'm a wimp. And I'm ok with that.

Ugh. So gross! Hopefully the little roachie is communicating with his little friends from the sewage pipes and telling them to STAY AWAY!! I know it's unlikely, but I can hope :)

Isn't she lovely...?

2007-08-31T12:36:00.000-04:00

Andrea with "Aunt" Sabrina

I got to have dinner with Brooke, Jill and Andrea last night and it was a blast watching Jill's daughter WALK and laugh and play with whatever she could find in my apartment. What made me laugh most, besides the fact that she is a curious 17 month old, was when she figured out there were chocolate chip cookies sitting on top of the stove, she did everything she could to get me out of my chair to let her have some! It wasn't your usual pulling of my hand to get me up or even crying... the girl slid her hand between my back and the back of the chair and would proceed to pry me up and out of the chair! I was laughing so hard. But, you gotta give the girl credit... she was doing all she could to get some of those chocolate chip cookies! She's a girl after my own heart :)

Jill and Andrea ready for football season!!!

Andrea playing with Brooke's Treo :)

He Gives and He Takes Away

2007-08-28T17:03:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago yesterday, I got word that the dad of some friends had tragically passed away that morning, August 13, 2007, while working in Rock Hill, SC. His twin sons, David and Andrew, were (and still are) good friends of mine from high school. After tragically losing my dad 13 years prior - almost to the day - to a heart attack, my heart broke into pieces when I heard the news. Losing a parent, no matter what your age but even more so when you are younger, is something I would not wish on my worst enemy.

The thing that I have learned in the past 13 years is that God always uses what He does for His glory. I had a friend in college who suddenly lost her dad just before finals of her freshman year and to be honest, when I heard what had happened, it felt like I was going through it myself all over again. But, God took me to her side and I was able to pray specifically for her that summer because I just knew. She told me later that of all the cards and letters she received from people, mine was the only one she remembered most. To be honest, I don't think I sent her more than just a verse.

When I went to see David and Andrew the day after their dad passed away, we walked into their house and I hugged both of them and their mom. All I said was what God gave me... "I'm sorry" and "I know" and "I'm praying for you." And they just hugged me tighter. While I don't fully know the pain they are going through, God has at least given me understanding so that I can pray more specifically for each of them, their mom, their wives, Andrew's "baby Scharff", their sister, her husband and their two children.

While it took me many years to see that God had to take my dad in order to glorify Himself (and I've only seen small pieces), it took me less than a week to see a part of why He called Wade Scharff home to Heaven. While I don't know that Wade Scharff could have picked me out of a crowd, I felt that I knew him by the end of that week. He was a godly man who loved his family and each person that he came into contact with. I realized that by the end of his memorial service that Friday that it turns out I did know him... because I know his sons. They love the Lord and live their lives for Him and the Son. They love their wives as Christ loves the church and as Wade loved Connie. They are great friends, amazing brothers and they are going to make wonderful fathers. I laughed as people told stories at the memorial service and I cried as we sang praises to the King. He truly does give AND take away. What blows me away is that I have NEVER been so encouraged and/or challenged in my Christian walk than I was by listening about the life of Wade Scharff a week and a half ago. I came out of that church a new person. Words on this screen will never be able to explain that.

David and Andrew were much closer to their dad than I was to mine and they had 13 more years with Wade than I had with my dad. But, each person is different and God's plans are different for each of us. I know that the Scharffs will make it through this because they are leaning on the only One who can give them the strength to go on. It took me years to get to that point - to realize that it's the one true God that deserves all the glory. Even though He takes away, He GIVES so much. And for that, I am thankful.

I'm on my way to catch up!!

2007-08-24T14:17:00.001-04:00

There has been a lot going on the past couple of weeks and many many many thoughts going through my head. But for now, I will leave you with this quote and will be back to update in more detail later.

“The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here.”
~Jonathan Edwards

Alberta, Canada

2007-08-12T20:22:00.000-04:00

Lake Louise

So I have now made it to 3 Canadian Provinces and I must say, that I'm growing quite fond of the country. Not that I was ever NOT fond of it... I just hadn't been there and didn't know anyone up there. But, since Upward is finding a way into the churches and hearts up there, I've been able to go and see a bit and meet a ton of people. Hopefully I'll continue to be able to go and explore!

This past weekend we had a training conference in Calgary, Alberta, but went up a day earlier than usual (Thursday instead of Friday) and took the extra day to go up towards Banff, which is in the mountains. The only sad thing (other than temps being in the 50s during the day!) was that it was also overcast so we were only able to see pieces of the mountains. However, it was still amazing.

The words that kept coming to mind were "God's majesty" and these pictures don't do it enough justice!

A little bit of God's Country in God's creation :)

Ukraine Sports Camp

2007-08-04T19:49:00.000-04:00

Thanks for everyone who prayed for the trip! We had a great time despite all of the opposition we faced. In all my travels, I have NEVER had as much trouble as we had on this trip. We had delayed flights, 17 pieces of lost luggage (yes, 17!), a missed flight b/c of the lost luggage, no a/c at camp for 2 days, 4 sick team members throughout the week and while we got back to the states in one piece, EVERYONE had trouble getting out of JFK. Clearly God was doing a lot if the Enemy was fighting back so strongly! Praise God!

I've put pictures on Facebook but even if you don't have Facebook, you can see the pictures by clicking on these links. Enjoy!

Ukraine 1

Ukraine 2

Ukraine 3

Harry Potter and the Ukraine

2007-07-19T18:42:00.000-04:00

If you don't know what the word "muggle" means, then you will not understand this post. But, read on if you like... :)

Some of you know that I'm an avid Harry Potter fan (check this if you don't believe me: B93.7's website).

Sadly, I will be leaving the country exactly 5hrs and 45minutes before the final book of the series is released. Since my Russian is not quite as good as I would like just yet, I will not be able to purchase the book and read it while in the Ukraine.

Therefore, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not spoil it for me!! Once I get back to the states a week from Saturday, I have an overnight layover in NYC and will probably head to the nearest bookstore to find a comfy chair to begin reading. When I get back to Greenville, the book will be waiting on me at home to finish it.

Alright, that's enough pleading. If you are able to get the book on Friday night or Saturday, enjoy it. I will be re-reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (for the 3rd time) so that I am fully prepared when I get home.

His hand closed automatically around the fake Horcrux, but in spite of everything, in spite of the dark and twisting path he saw stretching ahead for himself, in spite of the final meeting with Voldemort he knew must come, whether in a month, in a year, or in ten, he felt his heart lift at the thought that there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione.

-HP and the Half Blood Prince (p652)

Here's to "one last golden day..."

Jeremiah 29:11

2007-07-03T10:30:00.000-04:00

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

There is a lot to be said for keeping God's Word in your heart and actually praying Scripture. It's amazing how when you are seeking Him and striving to be in His will He will give you just what you need. I've been asking for insight into His plan for me as I'm getting ready to move to an apartment instead of a house like I had been hoping. But in the midst of that, He reminded me that His plans are to prosper me and not to harm me. He loves me so much that He really has plans to give me hope and a future!

God isn't up there trying to see how He can mess up my life. I can walk you through my past 27 years and prove that right now. Everything He has done for me, with me and through me have been for HIS glory. So, while sometimes He asks me to fight and sometimes He asks me to persevere, this time He's asking me to just "be still" so that I can see that He truly is the Lord of my life. All I have to do is sit back and let Him do His job.

...sometimes that's a lot harder than it may sound!

LOL!

2007-06-30T10:29:00.000-04:00

Rick's blog is making me laugh... he's moved to Australia to help with a church plant. You need to check it out.

It's been a while...

2007-06-29T22:50:00.000-04:00

I know. The last post doesn't really count as a "real post." So, here's what I've been up to this month...

June 8: Amy and I went to MS to help Myrna with her daughter's wedding. I took pictures at the rehersal, the dinner and the bridesmaid's lunch and then helped get the reception ready most of Saturday. I don't know that I've ever sliced so much bread, cut so much fruit, mixed so much tea, or washed so many dishes. But it was all worth it!

aren't they cute? and I washed a window too :)

The DELICIOUS cake. Chase and Holly!!

June 16: Marsha and Tyler's wedding!! It was so fun.

Butterflies were landing everywhere after the release!

Small group girls and the after-party downtown!

June 22: Headed up to Toronto to train Canadian churches on how to do Upward. Again, it's amazing that I get paid to help people reach kids and their families for Christ.

It was a really old (and cool) gym...

Marriage

2007-06-19T10:52:00.000-04:00

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?
(Written by kids)

You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
-Alan, age 10

No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.
-Kristen, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?!
Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER By then.
-Camille, age 10

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
Both don't want any more kids.
Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
-Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)

On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
-Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?
I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the Newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.
-Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
When they're rich.
-Pam, age 7

The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.
-Curt, age 7

The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
-Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
-Anita, age 9 (bless you child)

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
-Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favorite is........
HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck hit her.
-Ricky, age 10

to buy or not to buy...??

2007-06-17T13:41:00.000-04:00

Many of you know that my roommate is getting married in November (woohoo for the "soon to be" Neelys!!), which means I have to find somewhere else to live because a boy will be moving into 205! Crazy, I tell ya... :)

Anyway, I kept going back and forth trying to figure out if I should buy something or not. I was 98% resigned to the idea of renting for a while while I continued to save money and in six months or so, start looking again. Well, a week ago Monday I went and looked at a couple of condos and really liked one of them. Everything about it was fabulous. So, Wednesday I went to look again and just kept praying that if I wasn't supposed to do it, that God would just slam the door in my face (sometimes I have a really tough time following Him when he says, "No" so if the door is slammed in my face then I have no wiggle room).

So, Wednesday night I was sitting down with my realtor signing the papers to make an offer when we did a quick check on the interest rates. Oh my... they were at 6.75% which was half a percentage up from the last time I had been out looking. So, we decided to hang tight until morning when I could talk to my would-be lender. Although when I called him, rates had jumped to 7.125%. I think my heart stopped for a second.

He tried his best to look at other options for me and different programs but nothing was going to fit. So, I took this as God slamming the door in my face. And am, afterall, going to rent an apartment for a while. You know what though? I'm 100% fine with it. I don't know the reasons behind God stopping me from purchasing something right now, even though I have been through every scenerio possible in my head (trust me!). Therefore, I'm going to remain mobile in my living situation and see what He has in store.

Now all I have to do is find enough furniture to furnish a one bedroom apartment!! That's what happens when you've always lived with people who have enough of their own furniture. Although I am pretty excited about having a NEED to go shopping for household items. haha :)

Holy Babies, Batman!

2007-06-03T23:00:00.000-04:00

Just had to get this out...

I tend to laugh at myself a lot because while I'm not the drama queen, I can work myself up to sound like one just to make myself laugh in order to keep myself from really freaking out. It's actually pretty fun... you should try it! Anyway, I had lunch on Friday with Natalie and Adri and love that they live so close to the office that I've been able to go and see them during Natalie's maternity leave. But, tomorrow, Natalie comes back to work... which means it's been 14.5 weeks since Adri was born. Oh my gosh!

I was actually fine about Adri being 14 weeks old until I went to Jill's blog and saw how big Andrea is getting. In the most recent pics Jill has put up, Andrea looks so much more like a little girl than a baby!! Granted she just turned one in mid-March, but still. Can these kids stop growing up, please?? That would be great, thanks.

Obviously, regardless of how many times I ask, the kids keep growing. The thing that worries me is that if I'm this "emotional" about my friends' kids growing up, I'm going to be a wreck when I have my own kids one of these days!! Good grief... maybe I should go ahead and buy some stock in Kleenex... ;)

My Memorial Day Weekend

2007-05-28T19:22:00.000-04:00

It's been a crazy busy weekend but as I laid by the pool this afternoon thinking about it all, I realized how amazing the whole thing was.

Thursday: trip to Rock Hill to see Brandon Green graduate from high school. Brandon is the son of the missionaries I worked with in Belgium and they have become like family to me. I laugh so much when I'm with them and Thursday was no exception!

Before:

After:

Friday: I drove up to Tennessee to take pictures for my friend, Melody, as she married the love of her life, Logan. It was so much fun and the only regret of the weekend was that our friend Melissa couldn't be there too :( Other than that, it was a blast to see where Melody grew up and to meet her friends that I've been hearing about for the past three years that I've known her! CONGRATS MELODY AND LOGAN!!

Sunday: On my way back to SC I drove through ATL to meet a friend for lunch. Well, about 20 minutes outside of Marietta, my check engine light comes on. Awesome! I just prayed that I would make it to ATL so that I wouldn't be stranded on the side of I-75. As I'm getting off the interstate my check oil light came on. Cool, huh? After lunch we checked my oil and turns out I had almost none. So, we went to Wal-Mart to get some oil, which obviously helped. But, the check engine light was still on. Long story short, we took my car to Pep Boys and after about 45 minutes or so, they changed the oil and the engine light went off. Turns out I had gotten the wrong kind of oil. Oops! So, I finally made it home around 8pm, all in one piece and my car doing well.

Monday: RELAXATION! Got up around 10:30am when Lindsay woke me up to go wedding dress shopping. So fun! Then, Kelly and I went to lay out by the pool for a couple hours and I then washed my car before coming in for dinner.

I just wish this "weekend" could last for another few days!!!

The Future MRS. NEELY!

2007-05-21T14:17:00.000-04:00

CONGRATS ROBERT AND LINDSAY!!

It happened this past Thursday evening but I had to wait until Lindsay told as many people herself as she could... Robert proposed in CLEMSON this past Thursday and Lindsay said YES YES YES YES!Robert took Lindsay to dinner w/out telling anyone where they were going... While I didn't know the destination, I had an inkling that a diamond would be given that night. At 9:39pm Thursday during Grey's Anatomy, I got a text from Lindsay saying that Kelly and I should go to her parent's house by 10pm. My response? OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH!!! It was fun to celebrate with them and her parents and Kelly that very night!

Here are some other pics from the weekend:

Telling Mrs. Shirley the news...
Showing off the bling with Catherine...I think this is my favorite shot of the weekend... with Tammy at Relay for Life!Ashley stopped by on Saturday....

Jenn sent Lindz some fun stuff in the mail to help get her ready!

I don't think they've really stopped smiling yet :)

Mr & Mrs John Sewell!!

2007-05-19T20:49:00.000-04:00

It was a fun day and a beautiful wedding. Congrats you two!!

John & Benita Sewell!

They had such a cool cake! And it was yummy too :)

The first dance.

The Pattersons!

Look how blue Adri's eyes are!

Apparently the ducks didn't read the sign...

excitement...

2007-05-18T11:35:00.000-04:00

It is a crazy busy time of year and these next few weeks are no exception! I'm not sure when I will get to post with details but in the next three weeks alone I have three weddings, a graduation and many miles that will be travelled. But I'm really excited about it all because I'll get to see old friends that I love dearly as they celebrate these awesome times in their lives! I also get to meet their friends and family that I've been hearing about for quite some time so I'm pumped about that too!

Anyway, I'll do my best to post some pictures along the way but I wanted to go ahead and put out the warning that I haven't fallen off the planet or up and moved to another country... :)

Janée in Brussels

2007-05-08T09:42:00.000-04:00

It is very difficult to live and work somewhere and for that place, the people and the culture to not become a part of you. Whether you loved it or hated it, that place is a part of your heart. Such is the case with Brussels, Belgium for me. My time there opened my eyes to many things, including many people from different cultures, languages and faiths.

Since I came home - almost exactly 3 years ago - I have not stopped thinking about Brussles and the Muslim neighborhood I called home for 5 months. In the fall of 2004, a woman by the name of Janée moved into my old home and has been living and working there ever since. We have never met, but she has encouraged me monthly with her email updates telling everyone what she has been up to and all that God has been doing.

So, I ask that you pray for my friend who is in Brussels. The Greens have been home for close to a year, but the work they started there has been able to continue through Janée and there seems to be a chance that it will continue to go on! My heart lifted when I read about the possibility. While I have not seen the friends I made in Brussels in quite some time, many of them - who are not believers - are still on my heart. And it would be amazing to see this ministry to them continue!

Janée's blog is at http://onthefridge.blogspot.com/ so you can see for yourself all that God is doing!

on the hunt...

2007-05-05T11:50:00.001-04:00

I'm still looking for a house but it's getting narrowed down. And I'm slightly less stressed than the last time I posted. :) Here are the contendors:

This is a cute small, 2 bedroom/1 bath and is listed at a GREAT price. However, the floor plan is a little off with with 1 bath and while it's in a pretty good neighborhood, the guys next door kind of freaked me out when we were driving away. So, I'm thinking no, but I don't know.

This one is great. Two story, 2BR/2.5 bath and it's maybe 2 miles from where I am now, which is fabulous. The floor plan is a little closed off and the kitchen is small, but it's in good shape and there are wood behind it, so it's really private. The only problem is their asking price is a tad high... but I do like it.

This one is in the same neighborhood as the one above, the price is better and the kitchen/dining area are combined so it's more open. It's 2BR/2 bath, one story and in great shape. The main con with this one is that it backs up to other townhouses so there isn't as much privacy.

So... I'm in a quandry. I think I've narrowed it down to the bottom two but I don't know which one I should go with. I may have a chance to talk the two-story to a lower price, but I don't know. Help!!

meanwhile

2007-04-27T18:53:00.000-04:00

Many of you know that I spent 5 months in Belgium when I graduated from Clemson. I don't know whether I fully appreciated all of it while I was there or not, but I do know that it (like most places I visit) will always have a piece of me. Just like I left part of my heart in South Africa with those kids in Jo'burg, Brussels has a piece of my heart that lives among the Muslims and refugees that I shared a neighborhood with.

Anyway, Janee has been in Brussels since the September after I left in May of 2004 and while we have never met in person, we have chatted via email and have a connection because we have shared a lot: living in the Center in a Muslim neighborhood, learning how to connet in a church that is bi-lingual although neither language is your "heart language", loving the people around you and bonding with them because none of you are in your native country. But most of all, we share a love for our Lord, Jesus.

While I was in Brussels, I sent weekly emails with updates of my adventures and prayer requests but since Janee was on a longer assignment, she sends her emails monthly. Anyway, this past one hit me. I can't really say it better, so I'm just going to quote her:

"Meanwhile, the Midianites sold him (Joseph) in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh's officer, the captain of the bodyguard."
Genesis 37:36

I have been reading through Genesis again and spending some time with the life of Joseph. I was reading in chapter 37 where the jealous brothers are trying to decide what to do with their favored brother who often flaunts his colored tunic that reminds each of them that they don't quite measure up in their father's eyes. They first thought of killing him but finally settled on selling him to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels of silver and bringing the tunic back to their father covered in the blood of a goat…allowing Jacob to believe his son had been killed by a wild beast. The story is familiar and I know the outcome. So I can read it understanding and seeing how God was working out all the details. However, as I read it again this week, I thought of Jacob, Joseph and the other brothers who didn't have the advantage of knowing the final outcome. They couldn't flip a few pages over to chapter 45 where years later Joseph explains to his brothers that God saved his life to preserve the remnant and keep the family alive for a great deliverance. They lived each day not knowing what was next…not seeing the ways in which God was at work. Yet as I was reading in chapter 37, I paused as I read one simple word…"meanwhile." The guilty brothers are letting their father believe Joseph has been killed and Jacob grieves and weeps over his loss. Then verse 36 begins with "meanwhile." Jacob is weeping and "meanwhile" Joseph arrives in Egypt. Jacob and his sons couldn't see the "meanwhile" and I am not even sure Joseph himself saw it, but in the "meanwhile" God's plan was taking shape.

The very next sentence in her email was "I can't get that word out of my head." And to be honest, I've had trouble doing the same. I've gone back and read her email over and over and have gone back into Genesis to read that familiar story. So many times I've read over those "insignificant" words but all it takes it one time for God to let you pause on something. All it takes is someone pointing something out to you one time...

I feel like I'm in an odd stage at the moment. I've been looking at houses (to buy) and it's such a huge (and permanent!) thing. Up until now I've been able to be mobile. Since I'm not married and I don't have kids I can up and do whatever I want, whenever I want to. My job is great for this stage of life because of all the travelling I get to do. Of course I like coming home, but I would be OK staying somewhere for longer than just a weekend. And, sometimes I do.

One of my biggest desires is to live overseas again. Since my mom is a French teacher, I've grown up hearing about another country and another culture and was so excited when I finally was able to go and see that for myself. I was 16 and spent a month touring Europe with the orchestra and then my mom and her students. Little did I know that I would be moving there 7+ years later. But, everything that happened during those seven years was a part of God's meanwhile, which led me to living in Brussels for 5 incredible months. Part of me feels like if I buy a house I won't be able to move back overseas at the drop of a hat. I realize that's an extreme way to think of it, but it's true. Sure marriage and kids are a permanent thing too, but they can go with you! A house can't easily do so.

I'm just curious as to what the meanwhile is right now. Of course I won't know what it is for a while, I'm sure, but that doesn't stop my curiosity. All I know for certain is that God is the only one I trust 100% with my meanwhile. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

I can look back over the past 27 years of my life and see thousands of those times when I was moving or struggling or just living life and God was working on my meanwhile. So, I know He's working on it now... it's just that this is a stretch or a season that is new and very unknown. It seemed like I had thoes for a while... for a few years actually... (changing my major at the "last minute", moving to another country, coming home and not having a clue what I was going to do, getting a great job while still desiring to work with overseas missions). But now that all of those details I was initially worried about have been taken care of, I've grown complacent and my leaning on God has become less over the past few months... maybe longer. My faith hasn't dwindled, I just haven't "needed" to trust Him for the day-to-day stuff as I have in the past. And that is a dangerous place to be.

This all might sound depressing, but it really isn't! It's a good place for me to be right now. I know that God always has been and always will be my strength. He IS the reason I get out of bed in the mornings (that and to make my alarm stop yelling at me...!). Some days I just wish I wasn't so comfortable in my day-to-day life. In Brussels I had nothing BUT time on my hands some days. So what did I do? I read my Bible, I learned more and more about Him and drew closer to Him. I had more of those moments where I noticed those words that I had read hundreds of times before but had never seen! That's what I want to have back. It's been too long since I've heard my Father's voice... so maybe this house thing is part of learning to listen for Him again. I hope so :)

Adventures of Gertrude

2007-04-19T21:24:00.000-04:00

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted, but things have been a little crazy! This past weekend we went to Vancouver for work and Myrna and I found a friend. Her name is Gertrude. We fondly call her Global Gertie. She was born in Vancouver, Canada and her dream is to travel the world... so we're going to do the best we can to help her out!

Stay tuned for more of Global Gertie's adventures!

Me with Gertie at the harbor.

We actually parked in the middle of the road for this pic.

A close up of Gertie.
We aren't really sure if she's a bear or what...

Jill and Andrea Grogg

2007-04-04T11:07:00.000-04:00

I took some pictures of Andrea last year for a long-term project I wanted to do, so when Jill said they were coming into town, I asked if I could take some more pictures of Andrea. Unfortunately I used film last year and haven't scanned those pictures, but here are some from the shoot on Monday. Isn't she so cute?? I just can't believe that she's walking and has a bunch of teeth in her mouth!

We did it!

2007-04-01T18:05:00.000-04:00

Kelly and I took a trip down to Charleston for the weekend and attempted the Cooper River Bridge Run. It's a 10K (6.2 miles) and we thought that we would run as far as we could and then finish out walking. However, once we got to the top of the bridge, we just had to run DOWN because as Lindsay has said, if you're going down hill, you might as well run. So, we ran down the hill, got to the bottom and decided to try and keep going. Before we knew it, we were at mile 5 and decided there was no way we could stop there, we only had 1.2 miles left! So, we kept going and made it to mile 6... just two tenths left of a mile left! So, the paper says we finished in 1 hour 41 min and 37 seconds, however, that's a bit off. First of all, we crossed the finish line almost 10 minutes after the race started (there were almost 29,000 people in the race so it took a while to get started) and then Kelly needed a bathroom break, which took almost 15 minutes b/c a lot of other people also needed a bathroom break. So... we guess that we finished the race in about an hour and 16 minutes. Not too shabby for two girls that aren't "serious" runners and who didn't train for this thing!

We did it!!

me, Kelly, Lindsay and Robert after the race Clemson peeps! Will, Paul, me, Kel and Jessica

Grace Church peeps: Caroline, Lane, Tracy, me and Whitney

Finally, I saw Kristi (expecting a little boy), Lee and Traci (expecting identical twin girls!)

It was such a fun day. I can definitely see why Lindsay likes races so much. Plus, I got to see a ton of people. Oh yeah, that night, Kelly and I were taken "restaurant hopping" by my brother. He's a chef in Chuck town and definitely knows his stuff. Good food, good fun and a full stomach!

Home Sweet Home

2007-03-24T21:15:00.000-04:00

If you know me even a bit, then you know that I love to travel. But, one of the fun things of traveling is coming home. And Greenville is a pretty sweet place to call home!

Today was gorgeous - temps in the 80s, sunny skies, flowers blooming and a gorgeous downtown to hang out in! After a stop in Starbucks to get a tall Vanilla Bean Frap with whipped cream (YUM!) and a chat with Matt Ables, I headed to Reedy River Falls to enjoy the day and read a book.

Everyone had the same idea I did :)

I love daffodils!
I saw this on the news and couldn't help but take a picture when I saw it. It's good to see G'ville embracing their inner Jedi...

Downtown is a pretty sweet place... if you haven't been here, you need to come visit!

Cruisin' to Mexico

2007-03-10T22:14:00.000-05:00

I've been on 3 cruises since 2002 and I love them! So, when Arica called last fall and asked if I wanted to go on one, I thought about it for a couple of days and decided, what the heck?? And I'm SO glad I went! I've been "on the go" so much lately that I've barely had time to breathe, so this was the perfect getaway for doing just that... and getting a tan at the same time!

We had a blast and we've already talked about going on another one :) Here are a few highlights...

A gorgeous ship:

Massages on the beach:

And some beautiful scenery:
I mean, this kind of scenery:

If you want to see some more, I've uploaded them to Kodakgallery.

Enjoy!

Triple A Day!

2007-02-22T21:59:00.000-05:00

ADRI'S AWESOME ARRIVAL!!

Adrienne (Adri) Rebecca Patterson arrived around 12:30 today, by C-section, at a healthy 8lbs 7oz and 20 inches long. She is a beautiful baby girl and Natalie is doing well. I will post more pictures as I can!

island pictures!

2007-02-22T09:32:00.000-05:00

Swimming with the sting rays! Driving on the right side of the car and the left side of the road...
Sunset on the beach...
The wind was crazy and the waves were crashing hard...

I really wanted to bring her home with me and call her Daisy...

White beaches and beautiful colors!!Of course there were palm trees everywhere :)

i'm driving on the wrong side of the road!

2007-02-17T21:18:00.000-05:00

Yep, you read that right... for the past 24 hours I have been driving on the LEFT side of the road. And no, you will be happy to hear, I haven't hurt or killed anyone. "How is that possible?" you may ask? Well, because everyone here drives on the left side of the road... in Grand Cayman that is :) I got here yesterday to visit an incredible church, First Baptist, who is now four weeks into their second Upward season. I knew from the first time I talked with them on the phone that if anyone in a seemingly difficult situation could do Upward, they could. Their hearts are in tune with God's and they are striving to make this something their kids and parents will value for a lifetime. And from what I've heard over the past two years and from what I've seen over the past 24 hours, they are doing exactly what God set out for them to do... reach these children and this island for Christ.

A quick blurb before I head upstairs to my room to look at pictures and video from the day:

Driving on the left side of the road (and steering from the right side of the car) has more hazards than you may think... I've hit my RIGHT elbow on the "passenger's side" door more times than I can count (I'll let you figure that out)
Wearing shorts in February is a beautiful thing :)
Seeing basketball coaches wearing the national Cayman shoe (flip flops) to games is also a beautiful thing!
Swimming with sting rays definitely freaked me out, but they are just one of a gagillion or so reasons why God is such an amazing God.

That's all for now... I'll post pictures when I return home.
Much love from the islands!

Valentine's at Upward

2007-02-14T16:11:00.000-05:00

First, Melissa brought me a chicken biscuit from Chick-fil-A where they were making heart shaped biscuits this morning! YUM!

Then, later on in the morning, Neva - I mean, the Queen of Hearts - came around to deliver our Valentine's and some candy! Isn't she cute? :)

I hope that, regardless of whether you are single or married, dating someone or engaged to "the one", that you somehow SEE, HEAR, or FEEL the love that Christ has for you.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!