Kids... They are beautiful.

Wednesday was a very hard day for Cais because her beta fish, Blue Star, died right before her Stars class. Jen and Cais came over to tell me, and it was so sad. Cais had tears that were flowing down her little cheeks. As we were trying to comfort her, Jennah came over and asked what was wrong. We told her that Cais's fish died, and then she said oh so clearly and sincerely, "Oh, that's so sad." When she said it, she grabbed Cais and gave her a big hug where their little cheeks were side to side. Then Jennah gave me a big kiss squeezing my cheeks so tightly. It made Cais totally bust out laughing, and it was beautiful. Jennah's beauty and innocence made a grieving friend have some much needed joy.

Once we were in Prims, both Kaitlyn C. and Malia got sick and had to leave the class. We divided up into 3 different prayer groups and we prayed. They always crack me up with the prayer requests. Grace wanted prayer that she wouldn't be surrounded by so many boys (in the lunch line, at her desk, etc.). A couple of the girls wanted prayers for their dads' legs and for their dad's health. Two of the kids wanted prayers for their animals (one just had a puppy that opened its eyes for the first time and the other had a puppy that just died). We each prayed for the person on their left, so I asked Cheyanna if she wanted to pray for Cais, Malia, or Kaitlyn because they were "my prayer requests". She decided that she would pray for Cais because she doesn't understand what's wrong with Malia and Kaitlyn and she has had a fish die before so she understands that. Then, she said the most simplest, child-like, cutest prayer ever: "Dear Lord, I ask you to help Cais's fish have a good time in heaven. Amen.". It was so precious, I had to tell Cais.

Later on, after I told Cais about Cheyanna's prayer, I was talking to her about her fish Blue Star. She was telling me about how she could never get another fish because it would just make her miss Blue Star so much. She also told me a story about how her mom cried when her fish died when she was 21. She proceeded to explain to me that she thinks it is okay to cry when your fish dies when you're 8 but that it's not okay when you're 21. It was kind of funny how much she has processed the justification of her own crying at 8 and how she thinks there is a certain age to where it's no longer socially acceptable. There is so much that this beautiful little girl thinks about and realizes - and it is scary how mature she already is.

Amadeo Women's Retreat

This was such a wonderful weekend. I too often don't get enough "adult time" with Christians. It was so great to spend some quality time with the women and be encouraged. Many people received prayer and were healed. The most interesting was Susan's pain that started in her lower back, went to the front of her hip, to her thigh, to her heel of her foot and then she stomped it out of her foot as Mandy laid hands on her foot. It was the craziest thing to see it go throughout her body but then, it finally left.

The prayer walk on Saturday night was amazing. It was set up in 11 stations.

1 - Mandy prayed for us as we entered.
2 - Names of God - it named all the different names of our 3 parts of our God - Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We were supposed to pray and ask God to be those things and to add "my" before them.
3 - Worry Station - we put books with different types of worry on them in a backpack so we could feel the weight of it. Then, we prayed for them as we took them out and gave them over to God.
4 - Name that Sin - We then got to sit through and name all of our sins that we struggled with, ask for forgiveness, and ask for the very thing we need to overcome that struggle.
5 - Then, we came to a station that we were able to read the story of when Jesus was anointed with expensive perfume before His death. We left that station with a cotton ball to remind us of this extravagant love.
6 - Nails - From there, we moved to the nail station... Now this is one that really hit me hard. I was reminded of how strong nails are and then how strong God had to make our skin for the nails not to go through it for Jesus to stay up on the cross. The way that God made our hands is amazing. There are so many bones, and they are just so strong... He didn't have to make our hands this strong, but He had to, because He had plans of going on the cross from the very beginning.
7 - Then, we went to a station where we were reminded of how the disciples couldn't even pray for an hour when Jesus had asked them to. There was also a poem there that Sarah G. from VCC wrote. It was a beautiful illustration of how there is nothing we could do to prevent the death of Jesus.
8 - The next station is where we were able to release our sins. We got to put the papers in from the worry and "name your sin" stations into the blue water. It's very freeing to let go of them. Jen said that when she got them at the end of the night, all of the ink was smeared and gone - so it was all illegible. What a powerful demonstration of the forgiveness of sins.
9 - From there, we got to have some quiet time. We just sat there and got to pray and read the bible as we felt lead.
10- The next station is the anointing station. We anointed our eyes, mouth, hands, nose, ears, feet, and knees. I admit it was kind of weird to anoint my knees and even my nose, but I did it. I was reminded of when I was in college and how we had to read a book on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, pray to receive 3 of them, and then write a paper on it. Well, when I read that book, I prayed and asked God for each of the gifts. I figure, hey, why not? It's not like any of the gifts are bad. Also, why would I want to miss out on God's anointing or will just because I never asked for it. Well, I noticed that I kept that same mentality at this station. I had so much anointing oil on my lips it felt like I had lipstick on. I could rub them together like I would if I had lipstick on. Yet, I wanted to jump in and receive from the Lord.
11- The last station was communion. What a beautiful way to end it. So many times it can get to be ritualistic, but that was not the case this night.


This retreat was a blessing, and I was so blessed to be able to spend time with such amazing women and especially with out beyond amazing Lord.

I'm so annoyed....

So, last week, I took my car in to get my right turning indicator fixed and my fuel pump something or another fixed. They were both under the warranty, so everything was free. Well, they told me that my transmission fluid is brown and that my breaks are almost metal to metal. They told me that my brakes were top priority, that my transmission fluid was #2, and then something or another was the 3rd thing on my list. So, since my dad has always done my breaks, I thought I would have him fix them to save me the $250 it would cost to do at the dealership. My actual brake pads only cost $38 with a lifetime warranty. Yet, because Mazda thinks they are the coolest thing under the sun, they can't use the same tool dies that all other cars use to put the calipers on, and that costs $120. Even better, it takes 5-10 business days to get in. So, yesterday, I had my car towed to the dealership so I wouldn't have to wait 2 weeks to use my car again. I got a call today, and they just told me that "whoever was trying to do my brakes" ended out damaging the left rear caliper and both routers. They are actually too thin to even be resurfaced. Since those 3 parts need to be replaced completely, it's now going to cost $926. My dad agreed to split the cost with me, but it's still going to cost me an extra $220 on top of the $250 for his mistake. I know I probably just sound like an annoying, pouty, whiny daughter, but come on - this is a lot of money - especially since I still have to put out another $400 before my move to fix the other crap. I hate cars.

Update from last weekend's trip...

There are certain things, that we have to be completely serious about. We have to look at the innermost parts of the heart and examine it.. Hopefully, in the middle of it all, we'll find love.
At Amadeo, this is true. We sandwich people with our love for them.
People's responses can be unpredictable. They might be gitty and accepting.
They might be serious and have to contemplate and process things first.
Or in the end, we may just help bring them complete joy.

This weekend was an amazing one. Patty and I got to pray for healing for Rosa Adriana's headaches. Both her and her twin sister had migraines this weekend. On Sunday, I got a note thanking us for helping her when she was sick and for Patty giving her the pills.

It was great to see how Bryant was being stretched by Alicia stalking him while Shannon was at the store. He handled it well despite her repetiveness and lack of caring of him telling her no. It was also amazing seeing Shannon looking at her standing in the doorway with endearing and loving eyes for this girl that already has made many enemies with the other kids.

My boy reminded me that I can not expect perfection from him. He is trying - he is doing better. He might not be perfect, but neither am I. I really need to learn how to reset my expectations without allowing him to live a life of sin or make excuses for it.

It's official.... My prayers have been answers, my dreams have become a reality, and I will be moving to Mexico in January.

My boss told me at 9:30 this morning that she had "good news" for me. Well, it wasn't until 5:40 that she officially told me that I got my VPs approval. I can technically start working from home tomorrow, but I'm going to wait. They would like me to work from home until January so that I can be more productive with me going into the office one day a week before the move.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers. I am beyond blessed to have you all as friends. I am still in shock, but I know that God is the only One that can be responsible... and He alone is responsible for working this out. There's a lot more details that need to be worked out, and now it's time to be praying about all of those. :)

Here's some pictures from my trip... there's lots more, but I just picked some of my favorites. I wanted to give a couple of pictures to show what I was talking about in my last post.

Here's a picture of some of my newest photo objects - leaves. It was such a blessing to take pictures of a different type of God's creation this time. I just kept thinking about the verse how that even the rocks would cry out to give praise and glory to our King.

Beautiful flowers in the sun.

The Great Falls - they are in a drought right now, and this is more of the creek area.

God's magnificent creations.

Park Area
Awesome tree trunk
I love this picture... It reminds me so much of how the living are reaching out to the dead to try to bring them new life... The purple flower to me repsents how Christians should be - almost falling over becuase they want to reach out to the lost so much to save their dead souls.

I took some pictures while I was driving. Here's a pic of the crowded trees up close.

I just love this picture - the sky is so beautiful.

Here's an updated picture of our beautiful friend Beka - for those of you that were blessed enough to know her before she moved to VA 5 years ago.

I thought this light was just hilarious how they put a different sign for almost every lane. It seems like it's so inefficient to me to not have lights with the left turn arrows and to actually put signs next to the lights just to know what they were for... but this was the situation there more times than not.

Baltimore Harbor at night.

For the first time ever, I actually took some plane pictures... I was blessed with a window seat on my entire flight home, so I got to take a few.

The first one I love because it is a community that is almost in the shape of a heart.... Oh to be in a community of love. May Amadeo help make that happen.

This is just another picture that shows the crowded trees in this part of the country. It's so beautiful and it looks just as intense from the sky above.

Here's good old AZ or NM compared to the above... What a difference.

I liked this picture because if you look closely enough, you can see the land below inbetween the clouds.

Here are some crazy storm clouds. It is so crazy how they can truly be a blanket in the sky.

Things I'll miss from VA and MD

• Trees so dense that can't see the sun through them.
• Toll roads - somehow, they seem to slow down traffic.
• The scenary on the side of the highways.
• Driving by Frying Pan Rd everyday on my way home.
• Seeing dead deer and beavers on the side of the road instead of dogs and cats.
• Nicer offices.
• Going from the VA-28 to the 276 to the I495 to the 270 to the MA-28 for work and then back again.
• Listening to WGTS 91.9 - a Christian radio station here.
• Trees so tall that they look like hills.
• Groups of trees so thick that they look crowded...so rich that only God could afford to plant so many.
• Leaves: purple, pink, yellow, orange, red, green...and brown.
• Friends - Beka.

Sunday, Ben taught about being living sacrifices and how it is our honorable act of worship (or service)... I can't remember right now, but I know everyone knows the verse. :) So, I got to teach the kids about that as well. When I was thinking about worship in particular, I was reminded of how it's a lifestyle and not just something that we do throughout the week. I decided that this week, I wanted to have the kiddos be doers of the word and not just hearers. So, that's exactly what we did.

We started off with just talking about worship - the point of worship, what it is, and how do we do it. We talked a little bit about how different people in the bible worshipped and the lives that they lead. Then, we sang and danced to one worship song - Jump for Jesus. Right when we were going to start the second, a kid had to go to the bathroom. So, we all went to the bathroom. It was a joyous time, especially when one of the little girls tried to use a urinal in the boys bathroom... haha. Anywho, back to worship. We sang another song - Big Big House.

After that, I talked a little bit more about how the women annointed Jesus with the costly perfume and how our actions can be worship as well. Then, I had each of the kids spread out and kneel down with their chests touching their thighs. It's kind of a different version of the fetal position. I wanted them to trust the fact that no one could see them. Then I pleayed "In the Secret" and I told them all to pray. It was great hearing about all the different things they prayed about.

There was a little tiff the week before between two of the boys, so I really wanted to talk about the difference between liking everyone verses loving everyone. We talked about how there are times where we might not like someone, but when we choose to love them and be nice to them, it's a way we can worship God. It was great hearing some of their examples. Noah brought up the Bridge to Tarabithia - and what a great example that bully is. So many times the people that are so mean and harsh are that way because of how hard of a life they have had. It's great to see how some simple acts of love and friendship can change someone's whole dimeanor like in that movie.

It was then time to play somewhat of a game. I told them to all think of a "position of worship". After everyone had one in their head, I told them to go on 3. We did this twice and then I had them do it for prayer. Some kids struggled with it, but it was great to see all of their different poses. I wanted them to see a variety, and they definitely did. It was great when Savana went on her knees but still had her arms crossed - oh how often that position is fitting - ultimate surrender, the fear of what God is going to do, but knowing that He is in control and comforting us.

Finally, it was time to pray. We all sat in a circle and I told them that there would be no passing. I told them about the 4 different types of prayer: adoration, thanksgiving, self, and others. Since we were cutting it close on time, I combined adoration and thanksgiving. I talked about them a little bit and then had everyone go around and pray what they were thankful for. I told them they didn't have to close their eyes or bow their heads, but that we could just sit there. They were thankful for everything from Spiderman and video games to their family, shelter, and friends. I was happy when they said things like video games because I think it's so important to be honest to God and if that's what they're truly thankful for, then He already knows that. Next, I had them pray for themselves. This was really hard for Derek. It shocked me - I thought this day would be the easiest for him. He didn't want to do it, but I made him and then finally, he did. During the first time around, Annah was a little bashful, but she did great the next two times around. It was awesome that Seth prayed that he would become a better man of God. Cais was overly excited to pray for her health issues and asked if she could pray for 3 things for herself - it was awesome. Sam prayed for his headaches. Then, we prayed for other people. I think the best one - even though they were all amazing prayers was Joshua's. He prayed that Derek would feel more comfortable to pray outloud with people. It was so compassionate and beautiful. Noah prayed for Jennah to continue to read more and for Annah in her schooling. The prayer time was my favorite. Even if each kid each only said 3 sentences, they prayed. Well, that was about it... It didn't go exactly as I planned, and I wasn't able to have them complete the last two things I wanted - which was writing a letter to God and drawing a picture to God or of God. But, I think it went well none the less... I am not sure what the kids thought about it though.

I'm almost off.... Tomorrow after church, I fly out to VA and MD to work for next week. I have one day off so I can spend time with my friend Beka that lives in Richmond. I return Friday at noon and then leave for Mexico at 6. The weekend after that is the women's retreat with Amadeo, so I have a slightly busy couple of weeks. I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Here's some weird postings:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20996555/

This one is about a stupid Border Patrol agent... This next one is just plain out weird:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20996503/

And for Keith with his democrat buddies.... check out what this legislator did when giving a lecture:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21122988/

Here's an udpate on my business proposal.

I just got out of a meeting with my immediate supervisor. Both she and her supervisor have agreed to fight for me and are all for the move. My boss's supervisor is going on a trip this afternoon to my VP's location. She is going to be working in that office on Thursday and Friday this week and hopes to talk to her about it then.

Please pray. My VP is my biggest and only obstacle at this point.

Last night, I went to the dance class. Really, I only went because Gracie wanted me to go, and so I felt bad if I said no... that's the reason why I do lots of things. Yet, after I started thinking about it, I knew that it would be good for me to go. It would be really stretching. I can do it. So, I went. Please keep in mind, that I have always been one that would not dance. I've never been good at it, and at least I know that. From 18 on, my friends would always give me lots of shots of vodka before we would go to a club. I remember going one night after 7 or 8 shots and I still wouldn't move on the dance floor. I couldn't. My mind was blank, and I just have no idea what to do. I never wanted to copy my friends moves exactly because then that would just be and look weird. Yet, that's just some of the history.

So, I went. It was beautiful to see the planning stage, and to even participate in the warm up and cool down. When I found out that there was going to be a "free dance" time, I got totally freaked out inside. Yet, thankfully Jen got me covered. She welcomed us to copy her or Sharon during this time if we didn't know what to do. I decided to copy Sharon, I really like her style. Also, most people were copying Jen, so it makes it easier if I don't compare myself to everyone else, and it's just one. I got in the corner, and I was free. One time, Sharon saw that I was copying her, and that totally froze me up, but once she closed her eyes again, I went back to being free. It's weird, when I watch people, I can think of different moves. But when I am standing, or in the position to start dancing, my body freezes.

There was definitely an improvement though. I find worship dance much more freeing and comfortable than normal "club" style dancing. haha I think it all has to do with being comfortable. See, I know that despite my lack of talent and giftings when it comes to my singing and dancing ability that God still sees it as beautiful. To me, Him enjoying it, is a miracle in itself. But He does, somehow. Then, it just has to do with the approval from the other people. If I tell Shannon, come on, you can do it... Just dance. Then, I need to be giving it my all too. (She did great, I was just using her as an example.) Yet, it's hard.

On Sunday, I am teaching the kids on "worship is a lifestyle". I think there's another part to it, but I can't remember it. I think that going last night will help me teach it and understand it more. It's easy to teach from my own relationship with God, but when it comes to showing and teaching about all or most of the different types, then it gets more difficult.