CBS Training in Colorado Springs...

Four crazy-fun days filled with...
*Flying on American Airlines & reading Cathy Zielske's 2nd book
*(Note: Mom don't read this one) Having to change planes in Dallas because of a problem with the plane
*Growing in the Lord
*Watching leaves fall
*Getting goodie bags filled with wonderful stuff
*Meeting people from all over the U.S.
*Eating amazing food (everything was so delicious!)
*Sinking into bed each night exhausted but happy
*Missing my boy (and wishing I had indeed put him in my luggage and smuggled him into the resort like we originally planned! He can totally fold up like a pretzel!)
*Spending time with friends
*Thanking God for Bryan and Julie
*Feeling empowered to do more at TCBS
*Bonding with my peeps
*Skipping school
*Throwing snowballs made with Colorado snow that just barely survived the warmer temperatures
*Indulging on decadent desserts
*Being the youngest person at training and being known as the "girl that graduated in the 2000s" (thanks to an ice breaker where people would stand when they called out the decade they graduated in...I was the only one!)
*Asking a lot of questions
*Answering a lot of questions
*Getting refreshed and filled up
*Reading the manual
*Being reminded of the "big picture" of CBS
*Showing off a picture of my wonderful boy (and me) from our wedding day
*Getting commissioned as a Coordinator
*Doing a lot of highlighting and note taking
*Glittering pumpkins with Julie
*Being in awe of God's beautiful creation
*Not doing homework
*Feeling a little overwhelmed
*Watching Dorothy (er Julie) from the Wizard of Oz sing her little heart out and do a fabulous job!
*Listening to the trainers sing I'm Off to See my Regional, Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Leader of the Pack, & These Are a Few of My Favorite Things and laughing hysterically
*Getting a lot of new ideas
*Eating the biggest breakfasts I've had in months (maybe years!)
*Late night chats with Michelle, Carmen, and Julie
*Visiting a Teen CBS class in Colorado Springs
*Attending lots and lots (and lots) of meetings
*Adding another CBS shirt to my collection (an orange T shirt that says "Diakonos" (“Servant”) on the front and has the student CBS logos on the back)
*Supporting Carmen, James, and Michelle as they trained for eTeen CBS
*Wearing new cardigans from Old Navy to keep warm
*Smiling & laughing (a lot)
*Going on a Starbucks run after a class visit
*Taking 242 pictures
*Being cold during outside meetings
*Drinking hot cocoa and tea on breaks
*Missing Brad
*Buying honey for my daddy and having to return it and buy it again later (on the other side of the terminal) because I couldn't take it on the plane (after being assured by the store clerk it would be fine because it was purchased in the airport)
*Losing my Tide-to-Go pen because it is apparently a "dangerous" liquid…even though it went through the Austin airport! (really one of them just had a stain on their shirt they wanted to get rid of!)
*Laughing at and bonding with Carmen (my roomie)
*Looking at the Cheyenne Mountains and Pike’s Peak from the balcony of our room
*Learning more about CBSI (CBS International) and In Prison CBS
*Seeing the "Focus on the Family" building from the bus on the way to a class (pretty much the extent of my sightseeing)
*Getting to sit at the same table as Camilla Seabolt (the Executive Director of CBS) at lunch
*Calling Brad each morning to wake him for school and church
*Getting out of breath walking up the gazillions of stairs (it's the altitude...really...I'm not that out of shape...lol)
*Watching Camilla drink Red Bull and listen attentively to James' duck joke
*Feeling so incredibly grateful for Michele for being my treasurer (those forms are so not user friendly!)
*Wasting time with James, Michelle, and Carmen by taking pictures at the resort
*Filling out evaluations
*Getting interviewed by Debbie Crockett
*Having a total blast
*Being "delirious" and laughing hysterically with James, Michelle, and Carmen at the airport
*Becoming "official" and getting the CBS silver necklace from my favorite Teaching Director Julie
*Feeling really proud and blessed to be a part of Gtown TCBS
*Thrilled to spend time with student CBSians that have a zest for life and are such a joy to be around. You can see they are filled up with the Holy Spirit…overflowing with His love…simply happy to bring glory to the Lord in any way that they can
*So ready to go home to my boy and sleep in my own bed
{Written on the plane ride home}

Off to Colorado...

I'm flying out to Colorado this morning for Community Bible Study training...should get to Colorado Springs just after noon. I come back Tuesday night late.

Looking forward to 4 days of crazy busy CBSness. Should be so much fun! They say we are so busy with training that we have absolutely no time to sighsee!

Please pray that God would move and we would have a wonderful time of fellowship. Pray for the trainers as well...they do a lot of work putting this all together!!

I'm still praying for snow!!!

Peace out! :)

P.S. Don't worry...I'm not missing out on voting on election day...I voted early yesterday! :) (Go Grandma! No TTC!!)

Had a B L A S T at CKU...

Truly.
Met some of my favorite fancy scrapbookers.
(I talked to them in the elevators!)
(and even stayed across the hall from some of them!)
Lots to share.
Fun pics.
Good stories.
Tons of free stuff.
Cool projects.
Happy to be home.
Missed my Bradley terribly.
Longest time without him since we've been married. :(
Failed a test today.
Got made fun of by one of my teachers for going to a scrapbooking convention.
Not enough time in the day.
No time to share yet (sorry, Mel!).

Stay tuned, though...one of these days I will be writing a long post about CKU! :)

P.S. I GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR OF SCRAPBOOKING ARTS...(Really!! I have the diploma to prove it!!)...

Mission Trip to Nuevo Laredo




I never really got a chance to share about how the Lord spoke to me during the mission trip. It is hard to put into words what the Lord did in my life but I will share some of my experiences during the week.

John spoke at First Baptist Nuevo Laredo on Sunday morning. He talked about suffering. The Lord allows us to go through suffering so that he can prune us so that we can grow in our faith, the Lord can bless us, and we can help others come to Christ. Things that Satan means for bad are used by God for good. It was quite a moving message and many tears were shed in the sanctuary.

We went to one Vacation Bible School (VBS) in the morning and two different afternoon VBSs (we went to one of them twice and the other three times). We gave the kids snacks, made crafts, and did recreation (baseball with a wiffle ball, jump rope, tug-of-war, piggyback races, soccer, volleyball etc.). Ladies from the host church did the Bible lesson.

Despite the fact that the children had very few material belongings, they were so happy. Their faces would light up when they saw us coming. They were filled with joy. Little things made them happy. One of the little girls in the afternoon VBS was so excited because she got to take a couple Ziploc bags home to her mom after she finished the craft.

Seeing the beautiful faces of the kids and how excited they were to color on a sheet of paper or make a cross necklace was unlike anything I had ever seen before. There was such joy on their faces! They were genuinely grateful...grateful that they had the opportunity to make cross necklaces...grateful to eat goldfish...grateful to have piggback races...grateful that we came to see them...

It was heartbreaking watching the environment that the kids have to live in day to day. It is extremely hot with little shade, very few trees, hardly any grass, and glass and garbage cover the ground. The play area at our morning VBS was covered in mesquite trees with huge thorns. The afternoon VBS looked like a desert.

Most of the children were basically on their own and some young children were in charge of their younger siblings. A young girl was sleeping on a chair in the bed of a pickup while her mother held her baby sister on another chair. It is so different then children are treated in the US. We would go to jail for treating kids that way. In Mexico, it is normal.

While we were at the hotel, Brad and John noticed a man that was drunk and beginning to get violent. They saw him slam his hand into a car windshield. Some people attempted to get the man to stop but he chased them away. John noticed the man's little baby was walking around in the street so he picked him up and walked over to the man. He told the man that the Bible says not to get drunk. The man said, "Am I drunk?" and John said, "Are you?" and the man said, "Yeah, I'm drunk.". John talked to him and got him to calm down. The police came but the man had already calmed down by that time and they left after they realized everything was okay. Afterwards, John talked to the man's wife and she said, " I am Catholic and he is Baptist. Every time he gets out of hand, God sends a Baptist to get him back in line". God is so awesome (and He has a pretty good sense of humor).

Everywhere we turned, the Lord was working. He was working in the lives of the waitress at Pizza Hut, the man from the Auto Parts Store, the drunk man in the hotel parking lot, the lady Brad and John went to pray with, etc....

I have a hard time looking at the pictures without getting emotional. Saying goodbye to the kids was so hard. One little girl had tears running down her face and she would look away and wipe them away and then look back at us. It is easy to get attached to them. Seeing them all line up as we drove away...watching them wave goodbye...some of them were really sad to see us go...I know I was sad to leave them...

There is nothing like being used by the Lord. It is amazing. Be available!

He did things through us that we never could have done on our own. If you have never been on a mission trip before, I highly recommend that you go on one! You will not regret it!!!!!!

Just checking in...

It was another awesome day here. God is definitely working in this area!!! It is so amazing to see Him working in the lives of these people. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to come on this mission trip.

The schedule changed a bit from what I had written...we have the morning VBS from 10:00-12:15ish and the afternoon VBS from 4:00-6:15ish.

We went to the same morning VBS but went to a different one this afternoon. It was super hot (like usual) but the Lord sent us a little rain today. Apparently they don't get rain too often because a couple of the little kids were scared when it started raining!

The games and crafts went really well today. I wish I could communicate with them better...but sometimes actions speak louder than words. We did a lot of playing today...volleyball, piggyback races (boy were those tiring!), tug-of-war (the girls won!!!! They are strong little girls!!), soccer, etc. I think the boys really love to play the slap game that Pastor John is so good at! I love seeing their smiling faces...they are so happy to see us everyday!! Some of them even run after us when we leave.

It really makes me realize how much I have and how little they have.

We take air conditioning, good housing, clean water, green grass, good medical care, everything for granted!! They are so grateful to get some foam stickers and a visor to wear on their heads!!

Please continue to pray for us!

Please pray that we will keep our focus on Jesus!!!
Pray that we would remember that we are on a mission to share Jesus!
Pray that the kids would see how much God loves them!
Pray that God will continue to work in their hearts!

P.S. Mom, I bought you Vanilla but I left it at the church and and they accidentally carried out with some stuff for the evening VBS. Also, I know you will be pleased to hear that we did not go to the VBS near the man on drugs!

P.P.S. Mel, we totally wish you were here!! Next year you better come!! It will be like having an Esther in both groups! (For those of you who are wondering...Esther speaks really good Spanish/English and it is such a blessing to have her to communicate!).

An Update

GOD IS GOOD, PEOPLE!!!! GOD IS GOOD!!

It is hard for me to put into words how awesome and mighty He is! We all try and do things according to our own agendas when all we really need to do is give it to Him and He will take care of it. His plan is so much better than any plan we could ever make.

In the last two days we have worked (collectively as a group of 24 people) worked in 4 Vacation Bible Schools, 1 youth event, and ministered to many people who are hurting. There are four churches represented here.

Brad went with Pastor John (Melanie & Marissa's dad) to pray with people in Nuevo Laredo. They went to see a lady that had been suffering from an infection for the last 20 years. She had been to see many doctors, all of whom had told her it was hopeless. The flesh on her leg was rotting off. When they went to remove the bandages and clean her leg, part of the skin came off. They prayed with her and one of the ladies from the church helped her to learn John 3:16. She would recite the verse over and over again until she had it memorized. Though her situations seems hopeless, she is now improving after 20 years of suffering from the infection in her leg. Her suffering is what may ultimaltely lead her to eternal life with Christ.

I am in awe of what the Lord is doing here. We have seen over 50 beautiful children here in need of God's truth. My heart breaks when I see them and we have to leave them each day.

Please continue to pray that the Lord will work through us to reach out to these hurting children. I cannot even imagine living in these conditions, surrounded by drugs and violence. Please pray that God's Will would take place.

July 11, 2006 - Chicago, Day 2

We had the option (given by Gene) to sightsee on day 2 but opted to go to the market instead.

I woke up at 7:45 to shower. Boy was I tired! We visited more showrooms, ate more free food, and drank more free drinks. Enjoyed spending time with family all day. They are really funny people. I got a little sleepy (I was so ready to take a nap on the comfy sofa!) mid-afternoon but luckily we went on a much needed Starbucks break. I needed that Mocha Frap!

It was rainy and foggy all day. Kind of a bummer. We ate out with Tian (another one of our reps) and his wife. They are from China and own a Chinese factory and an American company. They are so totally cute and funny.

We ate at a yummy steak and seafood place, Gene & Georgetti's. Brad and I shared the Eggplant Parmijana. They split it for us and it was super big and good! We all shared Cheesecake and ice cream. Really good.

After we ate, we walked back to the hotel and changed. Gene and Linda talked to a store owner from Louisiana. The five of us piled in a cab (four in the back)...quite a snug fit...I half sat on Brad's lap. We rode to Millennium Park. It was really cool.

There were tall building-like fountains that change color...part of it had faces on it...rather scary, Alicia and I thought. The lights and water were really cool though. Saw a HUGE pavilion/concert area that Brad and Gene thought looked like a plane crash. We also saw a ginormous silver sculpture that Alicia thought looked like a spaceship, Brad thought looked like an upside down cowboy hat, and I thought looked like a jelly bean. It was crazy to look up from underneath it! Saw a couple of bunnies as we walked through the gardens. On the way out we noticed some huge sewer rats with the bunnies. Apparently the rats have some clout because they chased the bunnies even though the bunnies are bigger in size. Poor bunnies! It really was a funny sight - wish we had gotten it on film. Interesting park in general.

After the park, we walked on Michigan Avenue, the Magnificent Mile. Cool stuff. Neat shops. Lots of colleges. Vibrant city with lots of life.

It's hard for me to imagine living in such a big city, traveling by bus, cab, or train everyday, having so many stores and restaurants right at my fingertips, being surrounded by so much art and music. It sounds like fun but I am not sure how long I could live here. It is quite different from our everyday life.

There was a train derailment today here in Chicago that injured around 60 people (there were no fatalities). That is scary. It made national news because Amanda called tonight to check on me. I called mom and dad to assure them that I am safe (thought they were unaware there was even an accident). Not sure if that will affect our trip to the airport tomorrow or not. We ride the L-trains and the derailment was in the subway. Our plane leaves at 2:45 pm.

Very pleased with my shoe purchase but not my sock purchase...the darn things kept falling down all day...so very annoying! I am really sad that my pictures didn't turn out!! We took a group picture at Millennium Park with the timer on my carmera...but it was just a big blurred mess!! :(

But overall, it was a fabulous day in the windy city!!

July 10, 2006 - Chicago, Day 1

{Warning: This is really long and boring!!! Read at your own risk!}

Brad and I had the opportunity to go to Chicago with Gene, Linda, and Alicia for an outdoor furniture pre-market so we jumped at the chance. What a blessing to have the opportunity to visit Chicago and see what a furniture market looks like!

Brad and I woke up at 5:30 am to make our 7:30 flight. (Gene, Linda, and Alicia flew out on Sunday.) We had a direct flight thankfully! We left the house 15 minutes later than we had planned…but since we didn’t check any luggage (aren't you guys so proud of me?!) and had already printed our boarding passes it didn’t take too long to check in once we got to the airport.

The flight was good except that we didn’t get to sit together (stinkin’ Southwest Airlines with no assigned seats!) and we left my favorite white sweater on the plane (bummer!).

We made it to Chicago safely and figured out the train ticket machines after it finally stopped spitting our money out. We caught the right trains. We didn't get pick pocketed on the train (it has happened to Gene twice on previous visits). We got to see some interestingly dressed people, too!

We saw parts of the Merchandise Mart (oh my goodness, it is so huge!). We changed clothes in the room and went to the Lloyd/Flanders showroom and ate lunch. Quite yummy! We ate sandwiches, fruit, chips, and really awesome homemade coffee cake and muffins.

We did lots of standing, walking, drinking water (there is no DP in the Windy City!!), eating candy (they all put candy out for people to eat), meeting new people, greeting acquaintances (I am forgettable so most people that I have already met didn't know me), and trying out chairs (I did the "short person test" since they are all really freakishly tall).

After the showrooms closed, we headed over to Devon’s Seafood & Grill for dinner with one of the reps. While we were waiting for everyone to arrive, we hung out in the bar area downstairs, ate bread, drank water, took some pictures (some of the few that I have because the camera messed up shortly thereafter), and chatted about our favorite finds of the day.

The food was delicious! Brad and I shared the Maine Lobster Bisque and a sampler type seafood plate. The dessert was even better. The five of us shared the Vanilla Creme Brulee and the Cheesecake.

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel. We had a really great conversation about "The Chica School" (really "The Chicago School" but it was lit up "The Chica School”). I had asked them which schools were in Chicago since one of my Bible study girls is living in Chicago and I forgot which school she attends. Gene noticed the school and said, "Look, there’s the Chica School." We all laughed and Brad looked at it and said "It looks like Chica and then a "g" and I can't see..." We all laughed and said “It’s The Chicago School!” Good times, good times!!

I am in the land of Oprah...how cool! Here it is 11:30 pm and I am watching Oprah on TV! Debt Diet, Part I! (I don't agree with Oprah at times…I pray that she will find Christ and use the influence that she has for God's glory...but I do enjoy her show on occasion.)

What a day!!
In a city all lit up…
Fast paced…
Fun…
Cool weather…
Beautiful flowers everywhere...
Little bistros...
Restaurants...
Hotels...
Skyscrapers...
Tons of people out...
Good conversation with family and friends...
Surrounded by laughter…

{I will add Chicago Day 2 & 3 next week when we get back from the mission trip. Brad and I will be gone till next Saturday! Please pray for the whole group while we are gone! Pray that hearts will be open and that God will shine through us! Please also pray for safety as Nuevo Laredo & Laredo are very dangerous areas right now. Thanks!}

Back Home Safely from Chicago!

We made it back safely from the Windy City. It is fun to travel but it is always nice to come home!!

I have a lot to share...I wrote 26 pages in my journal while I was gone! The trip was quite an experience!! :)

I'm sure some of you probably heard about the train derailment in Chicago on Tuesday night...it happened while we were on our way to a restaurant and there were EMS vehicles, fire trucks, and a helicopter. Brad and I rode the train the day before but weren't anywhere near them on Tuesday. There were no fatalities (that I know of) but 3 lawsuits had been filed as of this morning!

Sadly, the camera (my old camera) that I brought broke while we were in Chicago...it made the pictures completely and utterly blurred (it looks like what I see in a crowded city when I don't have my glasses on/terrible).

Out of 81 pictures, only 16 were not completely blurred. It is such a bummer because the city is so beautiful!! I only got one picture of downtown Chicago.

None of the shots I took at night (at Millennium Park and of the city) turned out! :( It is a sad day for this scrapper! That'll teach me to leave my honkin' (and completely wonderful!!) camera at home just to save space!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you who were wondering...we did indeed get all our stuff into our carry on bags (and a purse) and the shoes were wonderful (no blisters!!)!!

More to come later...I'm gonna go catch up on sleep...we're back to work tomorrow!

Chicago, Here We Come!!

I am really excited about going to Chicago...I have never been that far north in the U.S.! The closest I've been to Chicago is Oklahoma when I visited Mel and Riss...so this will be pretty exciting. Brad and I are leaving the house tomorrow around 5:30 am and our plane leaves at 7:30 am. We are going to pack everything in our carryons so WISH ME LUCK!!!

If you guys know me, you know that I pack WAY TOO MUCH EVERYWHERE I GO!!!! And that is no understatement. I always hear Brad saying "Why do you need all this stuff?", "Do you have to bring this to work {school, CBS, etc.}?", "We don't need this much stuff to spend the night at your parent's house." I reply "I know, I know" but make him haul it the car every time anyway.

We will only be there from Monday through Wednesday. Anyone think I can do it?!??? Yeah, I don't know either.

We will be hanging out with Gene, Linda, and Alicia while we are there. We will be looking at a lot of outdoor patio furniture, talking to a lot of people, and hopefully drinking some Starbucks! :) I hear Gene is going to take us to the Navy Pier while we are there...sightseeing and shopping...always nice. I hope I can get some good pictures of the family while we are there and we are all fancy.

I am sad to say that I had never thought about the fact that Oprah's studio is in Chicago until Vicki reminded me this morning before church! Perhaps I will try to find the Harpo Studios sign and take a picture by it. lol Alicia said she would go with me...too bad we hadn't thought about this before!! Alas, no Oprah for us. (That is unless we just happen to run into her while cruising around Chicago! Ha!).

I have had a large shoe debacle over the last two days. I have been advised that it is a little bit of walking and a lot of standing and that comfortable shoes are a must. Gene has shot down my staple shoes…flip flops. I am very uneasy about standing that long in non-flipflop shoes!!

I went to Target with Amanda and Vicki yesterday to pick up some "professional looking" shoes for the furniture market. We went home with some penny loaferish shoes. I bought some dress socks and gel insoles as well.

We went home, Amanda and I ran outside to buy ice cream from the ice cream man (“Hello!” I finally bought ice cream from the ice cream truck that rolls through the neighborhood periodically!! YAY!), stunk horribly from the exhaust of the nasty ice cream truck, washed some laundry, I showered, put the insoles in the new shoes (thanks for the help, Vick!), and I enrolled in Vicki’s Shoe Camp to break the new shoes in.

Boy, were those shoes a terrible purchase! I wore the shoes around the house for a few hours. A blister on the back of my right foot is all I have to show for my hard work at Shoe Camp. I told Vicki that it was painful and that I couldn’t do it anymore and she said

“PUT ON A BANDAID ON AND PUT THE SHOES BACK ON, NOW!!.”

I woke up this morning and slipped the shoes on…intense pain, once again. I needed a plan B!

After church we all headed to the Village Inn to eat and while we were waiting for a table, Brad, Vicki, and I headed over to DSW Shoes (WOW! Is all I have to say!). I got to see one of my awesome CBS girls!! She was in my group in 2003 and last year!! That was really exciting! I ended up adopting some Aerosoles shoes with no backs and no heels. They are not the cutest shoes I have ever seen but I think they will look nice with black pants. We shall see how they do!!



I should go pack so that we can get to bed early!! 5:30 will come early!!!!!!! Please pray that I can find my little camera so that I don’t have to pack the honkin’ camera in my carryon!!

Edited: God always helps me find my lost items!! :) We found the small camera, wooooo hooooo!!! I even charged my batteries and cleaned out the memory sticks!! I can take {lots of} pictures! :) YAY!