I feel really bad for not posting for months! To be honest, I am forgetful and lazy.

So I'm going to do what my sister did and catch you up on the whole summer


July:
July was the busiest month for me. On the 18th I flew with my friend Mary out to Scotland where we met up with the rest of our team from our church. That night I was absolutely exhausted, but not so exhausted that I couldn't enjoy a haggis and chips dinner! The next day was a day off and we went to the Edinburgh City Center to sight see. We started off with a history lesson by seeing the place where the Scottish covanenters would have been hanged because of their faith. We also saw the Scottish National Museum and saw the view of Edinburgh from the top of it
 The view was amazing! We were fortunate enough to be there during a "heat wave" when it was sunny and 80*.  We also saw  Edinburgh Castle (unfortunately only from the outside) and walked the whole of the Royal Mile, before walking back to Niddrie. On the other days we mostly just painted the McConnell's house, cleaned, painted and fixed up the church and did some other community projects. It may not seem like we did anything significant. We didn't storm through the city converting hundreds of people, but that'ts not why we were there. We were there to serve a  sister church in any way we could, so our brothers and sisters there could focus on building on relationships with people in the community (I'll write a more in-depth post about that later).
I met so many awesome people while in Scotland as well! Everyone was friendly and welcoming! I really hope I'll be able to go back!!
My last day in Scotland, I met up with a really good friend I've been keeping in touch with over Facebook and e-mail for the past year. He, Mary, a couple from the Niddrie church and I climbed Arthur's Seat. The view from there is even better!
I hated leaving Edinburgh and everyone there, but the next day Mary and I were off to Northern Ireland. We took the ferry from Scotland to Northern Ireland, and I'm so glad we did! The crossing was perfectly smooth and the land on the distance looked like what I always imagined in fairy tales!

It started raining once we reached NI and soon after we started walking around the city centre of Belfast Mary and I were soaked through!  Thanks to my good friend Jenni (who we were visiting in NI) and especially her husband, Merv, we were able to do a bus tour of Belfast. I think the most interesting part was the Belfast peace wall. It just blows my mind how there are still places where people are so divided
 (That probably shows how sheltered I am). Anyway, at my friend Jenni's house I met a bunch of ladies from her church when they came to lunch. I also hung out with Jenni's two adorable kids! They showed me their toys, chatted with me about their lives and showed me their guinea pigs, which are also extremely adorable!  I was very sad to leave this wonderful family!

London was pretty cool. We saw Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham palace, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar square, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, London Bridge, the National Museum and probably a few other things. By the end of that day, I was sooo tired and my feet hurt sooo bad. I walked so much that my feet had been rubbed raw in places.
The next day, August 3rd, I went home while Mary traveled on to Paris. Hopefully next time ( if there is a next time) I'll be able to save enough money to travel to more European continental countries. Or I might just stay longer in Scotland.


August-November:
I've been working hard to make back what I lost not working for almost a month. When I got back, the elevator at work had broken down so for the last 3 months or so we've had to carry all the books up the stairs rather than taking them up in the elevator. I think it's been good for our arms and legs, but it's extremely inconvenient and we lose time when we have to carry the books.

At the beginning of this month my sister, Kirsten, and I went to Wisconsin for one of our cousins weddings. It was amazing to see family who we hadn't seen for years and to meet new baby cousins. We had some good laughs and made great memories!

That's the overview of what I've been up to since I last posted. I'll probably post some more specific updates later. And I'm going to try to post more often than I have been!!

5 days!

It's only 5 days 'till I board a jet to Scotland! As the time approaches I find that I'm a lot more nervous than I've been in a while! I haven't flown since I was 7 years old, 15 years ago, so a lot has changed since then. I'm nervous about going through security and just about being in another country and another culture. I'm also nervous about meeting Facebook friends for (kind of ) the first time. There's so much unknown! What if everything goes wrong? What if people don't like me? Etc.

I know these are just my insecurities talking, but I'm still a little afraid. I'm looking forward to when I'm in the middle of it, helping people and seeing the sights!

After the missions part of the trip (I'm still not sure exactly what we're going to be doing) me and my friend Mary are going to do some sight seeing. We have one day in Edinburgh, one-ish days in Northern Ireland and one-ish day in London. In Edinburgh I'd love to see the cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter, in Northern Ireland we're visiting an old friend from California, and in London I'd love to see this crazy statue in Hyde Park among other things. :P

Actually, I just watched the video after posting the link, and apparently he's moving around?? So I WON'T be able to see it?? I'm kind of sad, now...

Christian Summer Camps

Every year bajillions of christian teens and young adults go to camp every summer. For the past 6 years I've gone to the same weekend youth conference.

Over the years I've noticed things that go on at camps that I'm sure have always happened and always will happen 'till Jesus comes back, because of human nature and raging hormones.

Top Silly Things I see at Summer Camp : 

1. Kids will never listen to "No Pairing Off!" 

Or maybe they will, but they WILL find someone of the opposite sex they like, and make sure they get that person as their partner in games. And they'll sit next to them in church. And flirt with them on Facebook and through text message for the whole year 'till camp rolls around again. 

Kids, listen to a camp veteran, cut it out! :P  You aren't getting married no matter what you think at the time! (Generally. There are exceptions.) Girls, don't fall for a guy just 'cause he can sweet talk you and he's the cutest guy there. Just 'cause he's a charmer doesn't mean he'd make a good husband. Besides, if you're truly a Christian, the point of being here is to follow Jesus, not to follow other boys. Only he can give you true satisfaction. This may seem like a cliche thing to say, but it's Sooo true!!  

2. One of the unspoken rules is "Don't be yourself!!" 

Unfortunately, according to lots of kids, being yourself means being uncool. You NEED to have the proper pair of sunglasses. On Sunday, Girls, you better have a new dress and that dress should follow the rules of modesty, but just barely. You still gotta look hot.  And on the even sadder side of things, you've got the kids pretending to be Christians, because at camp it's cool.

False. Some of the coolest people there, are the ones that don't look cool. On this, my last, year I've realized that I'm finally comfortable enough with myself that I don't feel like I have to pack every outfit I own. And I'm not even going to bother wearing a cute summer dress. *GASP* But ya know what? It's so freeing! To be yourself is to be free. In fact, when you're not being yourself, your kind of a walking lie. Think about that for a second.  

3. The number of signatures you have on your conference folder/t-shirt/whatever shows how popular you are. It doesn't matter if you don't know half the people you have sign your folder, you are still an awesome, popular person...Even if you get weird stuff signed, because they don't know you either.

Also false. One year I tried to do this and these are a few things I saw: "Hey I saw you today," "You did great on the team," (even when you weren't on their team) and "You're cool." It's just awkward. Oh--and one friend signed my folder multiple times so It looked like tons of guys had written their number on my folder. It's really ok if you only have a few close friends. Those few signatures will be far more special than if you have no more space left on your t-shirt, but don't know 90% of the people who signed it. 

Unfortunately, I know some kids who would read this and their teenage minds would translate everything into:

But seriously, the youth conference I go to has always been a blessing to me.

My Top Favorite Things (no particular order):

1. The road trip

When you're stuck in a car with a group of people for 5+ hours, crazy things are bound to happen. Most of the time you get to know people better and build relationships, although there are those people you hope and pray you'll never get stuck in a car with ever again. I've had so many good heartfelt conversations during the car ride to and from the youth conference. That's when you really get to know people for who they really are.

2. The preaching

I always come home feeling refreshed and like I've been nourished over the weekend. Not because we dance and sing, but because the preachers at the conference I go to actually dig deep into God's word. I'm often convicted and find ways where I sin that I never saw before and that's SO GOOD, because then I can see how to become more like Christ! 

3. The testimonies

I love at the end where people share their testimonies. Hearing how God works in people's hearts is the BEST. No other words needed! 

4. The FOOD!

Seriously. At the conference I go to the food is so darn delicious. We stay on a college campus and for a whole day we get to eat in the cafeteria, which means all kinds of different foods are available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I usually stick to traditional breakfast/lunch/dinner foods, but if you want to have waffles for dinner, go for it. If you want to mix all the Sodas and fruit drinks together with chocolate milk, no problem! If you want to build sculptures out of your mashed potatoes, it's not considered rude. If you decide to sit in a baby highchair while eating a delectable slice of pizza (yes, I did do this), WHO CARES? You can even have ice cream for breakfast. NO MOM TO TELL YOU OTHERWISE!!

And we're seriously fed every two hours! we show up and eat in-n-out for dinner. session one. games. snack. sleep. breakfast. prayer. session two. snack. session 3. lunch. games. snack. games. rest. dinner. session 4. snack. talent show. snack....etc. you come home and you've gained 20 pounds!

So to everyone who's going to a christian camp this summer, may God bless you through the preaching/teaching. Go and make many wonderful memories, and don't be stupid. ;) 

Since writing this 2 days ago I got some certain feedback that indicated that I may need to clarify that the first half of this post was intended to get people thinking. My intent is not to be judgmental or to speak harshly. :) 

Sickness and The Doctor

I've been sick for the past few days. Friday I started having a sore throat, but didn't think much about it, because sometimes sore throats happen. Then Saturday I went to work feeling fine, but started feeling feverish. I had a light fever all afternoon Saturday, but I felt better yesterday apart from a headache and sore throat. Today I looked at my throat with a flash light in the mirror, and my tonsils were swollen and red with white spots on them, so I'm going to the doctor later this afternoon. Now if only (as one of my Facebook friends pointed out to me) going to the doctor's office meant a visit to the T.A.R.D.I.S.!!

And since I turned to the subject of Doctor Who, I had a very strange dream about David Tennant and Matt Smith last night...

I was in a sort of warehouse place (like maybe from MythBusters?) and there had been a murder (I had been watching Miss Marple as well as MythBusters yesterday). I guess Matt Smith and David Tennant were the intended targets and I was trying to figure out who the culprit was. (the police knew it wasn't me, because I was such an upstanding citizen and too trustworthy) Then, for some reason Matt Smith and David Tennant and me and the other people who were all hanging out decided to go to the local county fair. I went in Matt Smith's car as did several other girls. David Tennant then got mad, because Matt Smith had more girls in his car, so Matt put David in the trunk. As Matt drove to the county fair, I kept watch, making sure that no murderers were following us. Once we got to the county fair, they made sure that everyone else who was there went home, so the park area was only open to our group. And then the rest of my dream was kind of a blur and I woke up. I was disappointed, because I didn't get to save Matt or David from the loose murderer.

My dreams get pretty vivid when I'm sick.

No Excuses!

Something that I'm learning about life this week is to not make excuses!

I'm currently trying to lose a little weight. I think I might be bordering on "over weight" according to my BMI or something, and I do have a little extra fat on my body, but I'm not obese at all. I'm 5'4" and about 155 lbs right now. I'd like to get down to 135, which was what I weighed when I was 19. Back then I wished I was 120, but now I laugh at my 19-year-old self.

Anyway, It's been hard, because everyone around me tells me, "You're perfect just the way you are!" or "It's good to get in shape, not that you need it." or "Why are you trying to lose weight? You don't need to!"
Another hard part about trying to get in shape and lose weight is me making excuses. It's easy to go on a 30-60 min. walk/run everyday, but the eating gets me every single time!

 I've been finding myself telling people "It seems like every time I actually start getting on track, another party happens. Someone has a birthday, someone has a graduation, or there's a church event!"
Well, I realized last night at a party (sadly, while eating cheetos, jalapeno poppers, ice cream and drinking soda)  that it's an excuse.

Two days ago, on Wednesday at prayer meeting, my pastor was teaching from Titus 2. He was talking about how older women need to teach the younger women to be self-controlled, and when he asked what self-controlled meant, someone said something about food. That started a whole discussion about how in Crete the people were taken over by gluttony and drunkenness and stuff.  The world told them to gratify their desires, but once they became Christians, they were no longer supposed to be controlled by their own desires. Instead, they were to become slaves to righteousness.  When they no longer needed to drink alcohol, or stopped after one drink, they would stand out. When they limited how much food they ate, they would stand out.

I realized that's how the American culture is. Everyone eats. We eat because we need to, we eat when we're bored, we eat because it helps us feel better. We eat, eat, eat. That's why America has a problem with obesity. Even in Christian circles you have people telling you, "You're fine. you don't need to lose weight!" or "Oh, go ahead eat that cookie, it's okay as long as you don't eat 10 cookies" Even in Christian circles, we make excuses for why it's okay to eat. "It's so-and-so's birthday. It would be rude not to eat at their celebration." "This is a church meal, I did pretty good this whole week, it's okay to indulge today"

 Stop right there. No more excuses!!

As Christians, we are called to die to ourselves, daily. We are to be known by how self-controlled we are. We have the Holy Spirit working in us!

Last night I realized instead of looking at birthday parties, graduation parties and church events as excuses for why I can indulge, I should view these events as opportunities to practice self-control. These are opportunities to stand out and be counter-cultural. These are opportunities to glorify God.

So, to everyone who tells me I don't need to lose weight:
Please stop telling me that! I do need to lose weight! Not because I'm insecure about my size, but because I need to get healthy and because I need to be self controlled! There are health concerns in my family history. My Grandma died while in her 60's due to complications of diabetes. My dad just had a heart attack last month. I don't want that to be me. I don't want that to be my future. I don't want to leave my grandchildren at a somewhat young age. (I'm sure she'd be flattered by that..heehee) I don't want my husband or children (If that's in my future) to have to worry about what will happen to them if their mother dies.

 I'm going to continue getting in shape, trying to eat healthier, and losing weight, because it is something I need to do.

Soon I will be like this dog:

Scotland update!!

Things are coming together in an amazing way for the missions trip I'm going on!

I was supposed to raise $1000 by the 1st of June. I needed about $300 more to meet my goal, so I planned on using my pay check ( I was paid $315). I thought I'd pay my phone bill with the rest of the money and I'd just have to survive the rest of the month. I'd been praying about it, but was content with having no money for the month. Then, I get a check in the mail from an Aunt who gave me $25. And another $100 as a late graduation present. And then $200 from a wonderful couple from church, who I know made a sacrifice doing that! That's already more than my paycheck! I also got an e-mail from another one of my Aunts promising to send a $50 check. So now, I've got money to buy clothes and other things I need for my trip!
God truly takes care of his children's needs! To Him be the glory!

Other than that, my passport came, and my tickets are bought. Tonight's a meeting with the mission team, and on Saturday I get to speak to a local college bible study about my trip.

I'm just so excited to see what God has planned for me, because I know whatever it is it's gonna be for my good!

Why wait?

Lately I've been thinking about marriage.

The question that's been floating around in my brain is this: "If you've found a guy (or girl) that you really love,  then why wouldn't you marry him (her)?"

I know there are extenuating circumstances, like it is a good idea for a man to be able to afford a home for his potential wife, and of course in our western culture you have to wait 'till your of age, but exceptions aside, why would you date someone for years and not marry them?

Here are arguments I've heard that support long-term dating :

• You need to get to know them first before you know if they're good for you.
• You should wait 'till you've both finished school (college).
• You should be able to fully support a wife (for men). 

And here's what I've got to say:

• That's selfish. Basically you want to "test them out" before you "buy" them. Sometimes what's good for us isn't always what feels good. Yes, you should know them well enough to know they have a good character and are a Christian (for Christians), and yeah your relationship should be built on friendship. Also you want to be attracted to them, but dating them for years to see if they are good for you...that's selfish. 
• You should wait 'till you've finished school? Going to school is like having a job. You're not going to wait 'till retirement to get married, are you? I know many couples who were still going to school after they got married, and it's working fine for them! 
• You should be able to fully support a wife...I think that he should make enough to pay rent and pay for basic necessities, and the wife can work too. The thing is, if some couples waited 'till they could afford 2 cars, a house, and cable and the latest smart phone, etc. they'd never get married. 

From the Christian point of view, you have to trust God with all of these things. God designed marriage firstly, so that man had some one to help him (Genesis). Second, for the procreation of children. After the fall, marriage also kept men and woman from sinning. The commandments in Exodus forbid adultery (sex outside of the covenant of marriage, marriage being defined as a promise a man and a woman make to each other before God) so marriage is designed to keep men and women from sinning. (1 Cor. 7:2)

The longer you're dating some one you love romantically and are sexually attracted to, the greater temptation is to sin, so you should get married. Dating someone just so you have have those fuzzy feeling and can get your emotional needs met is complete selfishness! Marriage is suppposed to be the opposite of selfishness. Women are supposed to be a help to their husbands, and husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Helping people and loving people requires self sacrifice.

So again, I ask the question, If you're dating someone you really love, then why aren't you getting married?