Thoughts on life, love, and politics

:)!!!

2006-07-14T07:41:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday I went here for an interview. The next day I was called and ask to come back yesterday. When I went last Thursday the only person there was the person interviewing me. I really enjoyed her a lot and thought I might enjoy this school. Yesterday a lot of the staff was there and they were all young and eager to teach. The position I was being interviewed for was a kindergarten assistant so the two kindergarten teachers interviewed me. I really enjoyed them a lot and left hoping I would get a job. I didn't know when I would hear back (I knew it had to be soon because it is a year round school and it starts on Thursday). Well about 4:30 last night I was called and offered the job!

So starting Monday I am an Employee of SENSE charter school.

I am really excited about this position. This is the school for which I have most wanted to work. There is a good chance I will be able to get a teaching position there next year. Have I said I am excited? Well staff training is Monday - Wednesday, then our little kindergarteners come on Thursday. The teacher I am working with has taught for a year and a half, so she isn't much older than I am. I think we will get along really well. She said she had heard of Grace which surprised me and made me think she might be a Christian (after all who else would have heard of a small Christian college?). Well all I know is I start Monday and I really think it is going to be a good year!

The Desires of our Hearts

2006-06-27T14:03:00.000-05:00

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
Romans 8:26

These two verses have been on my mind lately. They remind me that God is going to provide me with the desires of my heart. But also the Spirit is interceding when I don't even know what to pray. Recently I haven't even known what to pray. One day I pray for one thing and then the next day I pray for something completely different. I really just don't know where I want to teach or even at what type of school I want to work. But these two verses asure me that God will grant my hearts desires and I don't have to have it all figured out.

I am officially sick of job applications! I keep telling mom if I don't get a job I am not going to be happy because I have put entirely to much effort into getting one. I am starting my second box of resume paper and have used a whole box of envelopes and who knows how many stamps. Then there is the calling schools and waiting for them to call back.
I have decided the worst thing about growing up is how far away everyone lives. I wish I could see some of my friends more often!

A Freshman in Life

2006-05-12T16:21:00.000-05:00

My first week as a freshman in life is coming to an end. Mary informed me last weekend that since I was a college graduate I was now a freshman in life. I sure feel like a freshman in something. Insurance decisions, job applications, and questions on what to do all require answers that I just don't have. Seems a lot like my freshman year of college :).

The week leading up to graduation was fun. There were some wonderful pranks played by some guys on campus. Some of the pranks were a little destructive and most broke the rules in some way (like being out after curfew), but they entertained us as we sat on the balcony of the apartment. Later I heard even more from a friend on campus safety who sat on the roof of one of the buildings and radioed to officers on the ground where students were. So campus safety was having as much fun with it as we were.

Graduation was wonderful. I got to wear funny clothes and stand around. Then I got to walk across the stage and was handed my diploma! Afterwards my family (well my parents, aunt, and Shawna and Travis since everyone else was too busy :)) went to lunch with Holly's family. Then I stopped by my wonderful roomie's (aka goofy) open house and later Sara's. I made it home without falling asleep (oh boy did I need that Starbucks in Kokomo though... I thought I was going to fall asleep while I was driving since we had been up late the night before with Jewel's boyfriend).

In my first week of being an "adult" (someone actually referred to me as an adult since I had graduated), I have kept busy mainly with applying for jobs. I also met with session to join southside, talked with a family I might nanny for this summer, applied for insurance since I get kicked off my parents next month (what insurance company only gives college graduates one month to find new insurance? Most of my friends have till the end of the summer!), and substitute taught one day. Oh and of course I had to unload my car and move back into my room. Mary was very nice and had space for me to put my stuff this year. So we are both moved comfortably into the room! Who knows how long I will be living there, but for now I am moved in!

As we go on...

2006-05-02T15:41:00.000-05:00

At 2:30 this afternoon I walked out of my last class as an undergraduate student. It really hasn't quite hit me. I know I am grduating and not coming back, but part of me still thinks I will move back here this fall and go to school. I can't quite believe that I will actually be done with school. Seriously I have been in school my whole life. Is there really life beyond it? Well I guess I will still be in school, hopefully, I will just be the teacher now.

As this part of my life ends, I wonder what the future holds for me. As I was thinking about this last night God brought to mind Psalm 71: 15 -18.

My Mouth shall tell of Your righteousness

And Your salvation all the day,

For I do not know their limits.

I will go in the strength of the Lord God;

I will make mention of Your righteousnes, of Yours only.

Oh God, You have taught me from my youth;

And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.

Now also when I am old and grayheaded,

O God, do not forsake me,

Until I declare Your strength to this generation,

Your power to everyone who is to come.

The power of those verses just hit me. I don't know what I will be doing, but I want to share the truth of God's wonderous works with this generation. I don't know where I will be doing that. I don't know who I will be doing it with. But I know that is what I want to do.

The other day Jess mentioned Vitamin C's Graduation Song. That song came out the year we graduated from high school and was her class's song. Ever since that song has been going through my head. Those words and the tune of the song haunt me a little. They are so sad. However, as I think about the friendships here, I know there is so much truth to them. I have made friends here that even as we go on and our lives change and we don't see each other, we will be friends forever. And our friendships are really going to be forever because we have the same savior who is preparing an eternal home for us where there won't be anymore good-byes. Until that time, no matter what we are doing, my prayer is my friends here and my friends at home will be proclaiming our savior to this generation. ... and of course some of us have a little vacation planned on a tenth wedding anniversary...

The Hunt

2006-04-30T14:51:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my roomie and I went off hunting. We knew what we needed and didn't think it would be hard to find... unfortunately it was a little more difficult than anticipated. I have been struggling with what to wear to graduation because what I planned to wear looked funny under my regalia when I went to have my formal picture taken and I have realized that I haven't bought any summer dress clothes in a long time because I have worked at camp and gone to church there most of my summers since I have been in college. So yesterday we went shopping. I found a beautiful skirt at Kohls. It is white with black flowers. Well I figured I could easily find a white shirt to go with it. Well we had no luck and Jewel needed to get back to study. So last night Jess and I went shopping again. Jess found a whole rack of white shirts at the second store we went to (after I tried on many, many shirts) and it looked really cute. So now I have a beautiful graduation outfit!

The series of "lasts" has begun. I went to my last church service here this morning. I had my last lunch in Alpha Dining Hall.

We have generally finalized our plans for the week. Through Wednesday we all have finals. Thursday is packing day. Friday morning we are going to finish packing and begin preparing dinner for our families. Friday afternoon we have graduation rehearsal. After rehearsal we are going to make dinner for our families, then go to the presidential reception dessert. After the dessert Jewel and I will come back, finish packing and cleaning, and then check out of our apartment between 9 and 10. Then Jess, Jewel, and I are going to drive up to South Bend to pick up Jewel's boyfriend from the airport. Hopefully we will be back and in bed at a somewhat decent hour. Saturday we have to be at graduation at 8.

THEN AT 9:00 A.M. MY COLLEGE GRADUATION CEREMONY BEGINS!

This is the plan for the end of my college career. However, Jewel and I were just talking yesterday about the accident involving a semi and students from Taylor this past week. At least one of those students was a senior. She was looking forward to graduation just as we are. She probably was planning her last few days of college life. In an instant she entered eternity. It makes us think about James warning to not boast about tomorrow.

Come Now you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit", whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

James 4: 13 - 16

So these plans are our plans for the end of college, but they will only be fulfilled if the Lord wills it. Please remember to pray for the families and friends of those killed and injured in the Taylor accident!

Words of Comfort

2006-04-27T21:00:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the last night for my Classroom Assessment class. The prof ended by talking about plans. She told us something that "some of us might think isn't very comforting, but some of us will understand why it is a comfort." The words were words that are a comfort and it was a great reminder. She told us that it is ok if we don't have our life figured out because we aren't really in control of it anyway. However, we serve a God who is in control and has a plan for our life. It is so comforting to know that I am not in control of my life, because if I was, I would be sick with worry. Since I serve a God who is in charge of all things I can "present my requests to God" and His peace will guard my heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-7). I am so thankful for that peace God provides!

I thought I would share a quote from my guy friend so all of you could get to know him a little more. Charity seems to have something against him just because he is dead. Maybe this will help to convince her of his worth.

"Yea, the very pleasures of human life men acquire by difficulties, not those only which fall upon us unlooked for, and against our wills, but even by self-chosen, and pleasure seeking trouble."

Who ate the pie?

2006-04-22T12:30:00.000-05:00

Last night Jewel and I embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. It was an adventure that we knew would test our courage, but in order to graduate we had to accomplish this task. With trembling hands and fast-beating hearts, we walked into the building and announced our presence. The man behind the counter immeadiately recognized us and knew the task we were about to attempt. He questioned our preparedness and warned us that the sun might set before we accomplished the task. This did not deter us. We decided to attempt it, because there might not be another opportunity. Because we did not know our way we had taken the liberty to find a guide. Our guide was none other than the distinguished Mr. Binkerd. He encouraged us to relax, because we were going to have fun. Neither Jewel or I were convinced, but there was no way around it, we had to complete the task. With sweaty palms we approached the first obstacle. There was some debate over who should go first, but the rules clearly stated the oldest must go first, so Jewel stepped up and placed her ball on the tee. She removed her club, took a couple practice swings, and then sent the ball flying down the fairway. Two and a half hours later as the last few beams of light were fading, we trudged back to our car having played nine holes of golf.

Jewel and I thought it would be fun to take bowling and golf for our P.E. elective. Well it hasn't been quite as fun as we thought. We just found out we had to golf 2 7 holes by the third (the day seniors final grades are due). The only thing we have done in the class is hit some balls on the driving range with various clubs, but we didn't really know when to use various clubs, or anything. Jewel's dad came along for the first four holes and taught us what we needed to do for the rest of the holes. I think if he hadn't come along we would have failed miserably. Since he was there we did ok and actually finished all nine holes. I must say that golf actually is kinda fun, a little frustrating, but fun.

Well when we got back from golfing we devoured a wonderful strawberry pie and worked on our take home test all about golf. What a wonderful way to spend the last "regular" Friday night of our college careers (next Friday is the first day of finals, so it isn't a "regular" Friday).

186 teachers are being fired by IPS because of budget cuts. They are hoping to hire them back, but this is going to make the education job market much more competetive in the Indianapolis area. I am glad God has a plan for my good, because it gives me peace.

Two weeks from today and I will be a college graduate!

life

2006-04-20T11:01:00.000-05:00

Well I had the interview yesterday. I don't really know how it went. I really didn't feel comfortable with the principal. One of the teachers who was in on the interview and I were talking before anyone else arrived. She found out I went to Grace (she graduated from Taylor) and she told me not to discuss certain things when the others came in the room because they wouldn't like it. I appreciated her sharing that with me... but it made me a little uncomfortable to talk with them. They told me they would let me know next week and part of me is hoping they won't offer me the job because I don't know that I want it. I think the class would be amazing and I would learn a lot, but I don't know if I can handle the school. There really wasn't anything real specific, I just wasn't real comfortable with the situation. I am glad God knows what His plan is and is preparing me for the place He is going to take me.

I am officially ready for school to be over. I want to be able to focus on getting a job, but I have so much homework to get done I can't. Maybe I should just go to China and teach... I can get a job there at the drop of a hat since I practically had one thrown at me last fall. Of course I also get emails about opportunities in Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea several times a week... so really if I am willing to travel...

I only have five pieces of homework left for the semester!

I have no idea what I am going to do this summer... any suggestions? (I have already said no to N.C. and St. Louis.... so don't even try those my Grace friends:)

Dale Fincher from Soulation found my blog because I had mentioned him on it after he and his wife came to Grace. If you search for Dale and Jonalyn I am the third website that comes up... it makes me laugh.

Children playing on the school playground right outside my window is music to my ears.

Interviews

2006-04-14T17:25:00.000-05:00

The teacher recruitment day on Tuesday went wondefully well. I had two interviews and I enjoyed them both. I got some good feedback. Neither school district has advertised openings yet, but each is recruiting because they are expecting several. Both ended the interview by giving me information and encouraging me to make sure I filled out an application with them.

Today I was called by a principal from Franklin Community Schools in Franklin, IN. I had applied for a fourth grade temporary teaching position for the month of May. I honestly didn't even expect to get an interview, but he asked me to come in on Wednesday! I am bouncing off the walls. If nothing else this interview will be good practice for more interviews. I am praying they hire me, but will not be surprised if they don't.

:)

2006-04-10T11:46:00.000-05:00

I am feeling very introspective today. Perhaps it is due to trying to answer all these sample questions for the teacher recruitment day I am going to tomorrow. Some of the questions are a little ridiculous

Examples - and possible answers...
Do you have a sense of humor?
... um.... no life is serious, I don't believe in laughing ...
... um... yes everything that happens is so funny I spend my life laughing...
... um... yes in fact when I sat down to talk to you I almost laughed out loud because of....
... um... I believe it is a sin to laugh. We weren't put here to have fun...
... um... no I was baptized with lemon juice so my lips are forever frozen in the sour face...
What has been your biggest challenge in life?
... well... when I turned six I really wanted to be in the same math book as my big brother so I spent the next couple weeks working through my first math book and caught up with him.
... um... beating Anna R at a game of boggle
... hiding from the guys in the white lab coats
... trying to end world hunger
Are you a good student?
... no I hate school and everything that goes with it... which is exactly why I chose to be a teacher
... I am the model student, if everyone was like me this world would be a better place
What author has influenced you recently?
... St. Augustine
... J.K. Rowling
... Dorothy Sayers
... Dr. Seuss
... F. Scott Fitzgerald
What question would you want to be asked?
... wait I thought you were the one doing the interview????
... Which came first the Chicken or the egg?
... How did the chicken cross the road?
... What would you do if a student was sitting in the coat closet making monkey noises while you were trying to teach a math lesson?
... Compare the job of a teacher and the job of a zoo keeper.
What school system would you most want to work in?
... um the one that is going to let me teach children...
... Well since I am talking to you right now yours... but in a few minutes during my next interview it is going to be the school over there.

Seriously what in the world do these people want to hear?

Then there are the questions that are good questions but I don't know how to answer. The most important one of course is the - Why should we hire you? - question. I don't know maybe you shouldn't. I think I would make a good teacher which is why I am pursuing this career... but maybe you don't.
I am really bad at this selling myself thing which is what I am supposed to do in interviews. Today is interview preparation day for me because tomorrow is the wonderful teacher recruitment day. I wish someone would just offer me a job. I don't think I am going to be good at this networking/interviewing thing.

My sisters and Ellen Edwards came and visited this weekend. We had a fun time complete with watching a wonderful play (Somethings Afoot - a comedic murder mystry), taking a wonderful walk around the lake, playing the question game in the car, going to my wonderful church, and having fun with everyone up here. I enjoyed it!

Well I must get back to analyzing my life skills... "what are three words to describe yourself?" um... yeah... anyway have a blessed day!

Memories

2006-04-06T14:59:00.000-05:00

In four weeks I will be finished with all my college classes. In four weeks and two days I will walk across a stage and receive a piece of paper saying I am a college graduate. It is odd that in just 30 days I will be a college graduate. I was talking to some of the girls from my freshman year hall a few days ago and it doesn't seem possible. It can't have been four years ago that we were sitting in a circle on I1E playing a get to know you game. At the same time there is no way I have only known some of these people for four years. It feels as though I have known them my whole life. But as I have been thinking about college I have created in my mind my top ten memories of college life.

~ Fire Drills - Everyone complains about them, but they sure provided my friends and I with lots of fun. Freshman year we figured out when one was and dressed up for it. From then on we would email each other and joke about appropriate clothing for fire drills, when they would be coming, and the best way to exit a building during a fire drill.

~ Milk - From the milk machine exploding in my hands to Holly and her "melk" (that is the way she says it) milk provided all of us with many a laugh. And of course Mama Tew always knowing when she saw me walk into the Grille that I wanted a cup of skim milk.

~ Walks around the lake - One of my favorite parts about Winona Lake is walking down by the lake. It is beautiful and peaceful. Going on walks down there provides the perfect setting for good conversations with anyone. Although Deana and I went on these walks together the most I have loved spending times with friends on warm afternoon walks by the lake.

~ Caring People - There are so many people in the Grace community who have blessed my life. From my freshman year hall mom, to Mama Tew, to professors and members of student development, God has given me great opportunities to get to know some wonderful people and has allowed them to impact my life.

~ Creatures - from the cat that "mysteriously" ended up in our room freshman year (our RA put it in there as a joke) to the birds and bats that got in the ceilings and walls in our rooms in Westminster, to close calls with Deer on the roads we have had fun with animals big and small.

~ Sumo Wrestling with Deana - This was a little bit of a contest between Deana and I on one team and Brianne and Jodi on the other. We would take turns showing up at the other sides door randomly dressed in some outfit. Sometimes we would have music. Other times it would just be us doing a trick.

~ Weddings - You can't attend a Christian college (probably any college but especially Christian ones I think) without going to many weddings. From weddings we didn't even go to the reception for (the parents didn't really want the couple getting married and the wedding was very uncomfortable so we left after we congratulated the bride and groom) to weddings we stayed till the very end we had fun laughing, joking, and dancing together.

~ Cartoon voices - I always gave Holly a hard time by talking in a really high pitched voice. She just couldn't handle it and called it my "Barbie voice". Well finally this year I have a roomate that understands :) and even joins me in my high voice talking. We do it so much that a couple times we have done it while we are out with friends. Our friends give us a look and we can't figure out why...

~ Girl fun - Living in a dorm for 3 years provided many opportunities for girl fun. In some ways it was like a sleep over that never ended (although there were days that you wish it would end and everyone would go home so you could have some peace). Laughing with a group of friends after a long day is always wonderful.

~ Growing - I will always remember Grace College as a place that I grew. I came to know my savior in a deeper way than ever before. Each year I can point to places where my walk with Christ was strengthened. I can also point to people here at my college who God used to work in my heart to bring me closer to Him. I don't think I will ever remember my time at Grace College without thinking of God's grace in my life as He continues to mold me into the women He wants me to be.

Know I feel like I am an old person. "It seems like just yesterday that..." I am glad that it wasn't yesterday that I started college because I am ready to be finished! There was a guest speaker in one of my classes yesterday (an older pastor from the community) who talked about how he was in grad school again because he wanted other people to choose the books he has to read. Well I am ready to be out of school because I want to choose some of my own books again. I have more than 10 sitting on my bookshelf that I am dying to get to.
So in four weeks I may be down with school but I know that learning lasts a life time! Don't I sound like a teacher?

Have a blessed day! and I am impressed if you made it all the way through my ramblings :)

Blessings

2006-04-01T20:59:00.000-05:00

This past week I went into career services and rewrote my resume. After going into career services I was wishing I hadn't sent any applications out yet because my new resume is 10 times better than my old one. It was really amazing because the new resume has the same information about my experiences, it just explains them much better. After leaving career services I was a little bummed because I had already sent several applications. I was wishing that I had waited and sent my new resume. Well today mom called me and said that an application had been returned because the address did not exist. After looking up addresses we found the correct address. This means that I was able to include my new resume in this application. It is also the school that I am currently leaning towards. It is the only Christian school to which I have applied, and part of me really wants to work there. Now they will see the best side of me, instead of the ok side.

Last night my roomate and I had a lot of fun talking (after we had turned the lights out:) Then we had a wonderful morning (afternoon? day?) of running errands together. I love hanging out with her, being goofy, and yet still being able to have good serious talks. I know I am going to miss living with her after graduation.

I had a good talk with mom this afternoon about finding a job. It is always nice to know how much someone is praying for me to find the perfect job.

I am ready to leave Grace College and I am happy. Coming into the year I was afraid I wouldn't be ready to leave at the end. So I am thankful that I am truly ready to move on.

I found shoes to wear to interviews... they were $7 at wally world. They are black square toed shoes with a small heel. I think I can walk around on them for a whole day. I was excited because I needed a pair of shoes like this but all of the shoes I was finding that would work cost a lot more.

I have my graduation Regalia (cap and gown, I have found out many have never heard that word). My hood has light blue trim (Teacher Education colors) and then is red and white on the inside (our school colors).

I have an interview with my first choice of a school on Grace's teacher recruitment day.

It is spring! Last night we slept with the windows open because it was so warm in our apartments. This morning I woke up to birds singing and a cool breeze... it made me feel as though I was camping.

I am still loving my new guy friend (wink wink Charity :)) I have just gotten to the point in The Confessions in which St. Augustine is coming to know Christ. It is a wonderful book!

Well... I could keep going... but since we are losing an hour tonight due to daylight savings time, I must be heading to bed soon.

Always remember Philippians 4:6-7!

God's Plan and the Desires of our Hearts

2006-03-23T15:34:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking about God's plan a lot lately. I know this is because I will be graduating in just a few weeks and don't know what God has for me next in life. But it is also because so many things I have planned in life have been changed as God has worked on my heart.

This time last year I was planning on finding an inner city mission and joining it. Last summer I had found the mission that for which I thought God wanted me to work. It was an orginazation that I still believe has a lot of good practices, that begins churches and schools in inner cities, and I think does amazing things. Since I am going to be a teacher I fit right in.

Then came a fateful day in August where a certain pastor (guess who :) came and challenged me about my relationship with the visible church. He challenged me about the importance of the church and my independence in regards to the church. He said some things that made me start thinking about what the church was, what purpose Christ had for the church, and what my relationship to the church should be. As I came back to college last fall I still thought I would work for this mission, but I began to wonder. Through an email with Pastor K, he sent me an article on Christ's covenant and how that relates to the church. Reading that article began to change my perspective. I have always heard that joining the visible church is important, but no one had ever really explained why (or at least I hadn't heard it if they had).

That article put a cork screw in my life and I knew that my plans had to change because they were not alligning with God's plan. Anyone who has ever struggled with God's plan coming into conflict with the desires of their heart, especially desires that they thought were from God, knows how difficult that can be. However, it became clear to me that was happening.

I eventually gave up the idea of this mission I had found and began planning to move back to Indy, join southside, and hopefully finding a teaching job in the inner city there. Then I could move to the inner city and have some type of ministry in the community in which I taught. Mom was dreaming right along with me about all of this. She worked in the inner city some before kids and would like to get back involved so she really wanted to help with all this. So I got real excited about this possibility. Well soon I found out there were going to be budget cuts in the inner city school district there and they would be firing not hiring teachers this year.

It seems today that the door has been shut on my desire for inner city ministry at this point in my life. I know that God says if I trust Him, He will make my paths straight. As I look forward to graduation I don't have much idea of what that path is or where it leads, but I know that He knows! What I do know is God is calling me to join His visible church. I know that God will provide for all my needs beyond what I can think or imagine and that He knows each of those needs.

Windy Day

2006-03-13T19:29:00.000-05:00

Well I am back at school after my last spring break as a college student. It is good to be back and see friends. I know I am going to miss living in this type of a setting when I graduate. It is nice to be able to walk down the hall and see many of my close friends. It is good to come back and hear about everyone's break and just connect again.
Today was one of my favorite types of days weather wise. It was windy and in the 60's... but tomorrow it is going to be COLD and windy :( oh well...

Over break I found the mom of a girl I worked with at the mission is in the hospital not doing well. She is the only believer in her family and has asked that we pray for her witness during this time. There is a lot of tension between various people in the family and she feels caught in the middle but wants to be a witness for Christ in the midst. Pray also that her mom would recover.

I applied to four schools over break. Three are charter schools - two of those three are opening this fall so they need a complete staff. I am also in the process of applying for a Christian school. Christian school apps are so much more complicated than any of my others. Right now I working on the essay section... eight questions that I really have to think to answer. Hopefully it will be finished by the end of the week.

I have been making a new friend the last couple weeks. I had a friend tell me a couple years ago I should get to know this man, but I hadn't taken the time. I was at the library and decided to pick up his book The Confessions and get to know St. Augustine. As I have read this book I have realized how quickly I give up on God when I see people I love turn away from God. Augustine's mom prayed for him and never gave up as he continually lived in rebellion to God. Eventually Augustine did come back to faith and was greatly used by God. This book has encouraged me to not give up, but to continually come to God with my prayers. It is also really good to read his words and see how he interweaves scripture into his prayer. This book is quickly becoming a favorite.

Making Disciples

2006-03-06T16:47:00.000-05:00

Charity asked an excellent question about my post on the Great Commission. She asked how someone her age could go about making disciples. In order to answer that I think we better think first about what that word means... That's what I did at least when I read Charity's question... yes Charity... your question made me think :)
dictionary.com defined the word like this

1. One who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another.
2. An active adherent, as of a movement or philosophy.
3. often Disciple One of the original followers of Jesus.
4. Disciple A member of the Disciples of Christ.

I am pretty confident that Jesus didn't mean that we should all become members of the Disciples of Christ, or that we become one of the original followers of Jesus (that would be a little impossible because we weren't:)

So that leaves me with the possibility of #1 or 2 from dictionary.com

I went and looked up the Greek word for disciple and to make a disciple in that passage means to teach someone to follow another's precepts. So when we are making disciples, we are teaching them to follow the precepts Christ taught us.

I would agree with Charity that there are differnet roles that each of us have in doing this. In Titus 2 we see Paul instructing Titus that older members of the church should be exhorting the younger how to live properly (follow the commands of Christ). Pastors and elders also have this role.

However, I do believe each of us as Christians has a role to play. Timothy is told "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity." If Timothy is setting an example for believers, I would suggest he is discipling them because he is showing them the way we are called to live. So I would say the first way youth can disciple others is by setting an example. In order to that we better know how we are called to live and live that way! We should continually be challenging ourselves in the way we are living by asking if we are being that example. Also if you do not spend time with other believers it would be difficult to set this example. Therfore we do need to be involved in other christians lives. As I have thought about it I believe this aspect is one of the best ways for the youth to help in the disciple making process.

I guess as I end I think the great commission has much to do with the quality of life for both the adult and young people. I know from my life, some of my greatest witnessing opportunities have occured because I consistently lived differently and co-workers asked questions. I don't think we can fulfill the Great commission without relationships. Christ prepared his disciples to disciple others through three years of building a relationship with them. It is not a quick process. It is not an easy process. But it is a process that has been commanded by Christ. Each of us has a role... And part of that role for the youth is to set an example, but also to seek to be discipled by older Christians as Titus 2 discusses.

To anyone who is still reading this post I would ask you to pray for me as I am looking for a job. I have applied to two schools. I would LOVE to work at either of them. I am also in the process of deciding where else to apply and what to do this summer (since as a teacher my job won't start till August). I need God's wisdom and peace on my future... May 6 is quickly approaching and I have no idea what I will be doing after that date...

Why I Have a Problem with Jokes Aimed at a Culture Group

2006-03-03T09:54:00.000-05:00

This is in response to a post on another blog. There was a joke that I felt was perhaps not the most appropriate joke and many disagreed with me. These are the reasons that I believe it to be wrong to joke in that manner.
During my time at Grace I have been challenged in many of the ways I and fellow US Christians naturally think because of our American culture. I have been challenged to think about how my cultural values affect my witness. Sometimes it has been difficult and I haven't liked what I saw. This issue is one of those things.
In the Warsaw - Winnona Lake area (where I attend school) there are a high number of immigrants from many different countries (because of factories and farm work). In addition there are a high number of US Christians. This area was considered the capital for Christianity in the US for many years (all the churches including the RP church used to have their conferences here:). You would think this would be the perfect opportunity to witness to the nations in the way Christ commanded. We can do it right here in our backyard. This has not happened. In fact currently a church in Mexico has a missionary here to reach the Mexicans living in our midst. When I met this missionary I began to wonder what was wrong with the people here, what was wrong with me, that a church in Mexico did not think the Christians here could minister to immigrants living in our midst.
At about this same time I began meeting some other Mexicans who came here as children. Now remember all of these people came LEGALLY and lived here LEGALLY. They came to an area of the country that is highly Christian (I have seen passages read from the Bible in public school classrooms and no one cares). As I heard some of their stories I was shocked by the treatment they had from many people in the community. Because they were Mexican they were looked down upon. Often they were thought to be unintelligent and lazy. All of the awful stereotypes that we put on illigal (we claim) Mexicans, were put on these people.
Now these people who shared this with me are fellow believers who are attending my school, or have some connection with me through the body of Christ. Is it any wonder that if our law abiding brothers and sisters in Christ experienced this type of racism that the church would have difficulty witnessing to Mexican immigrants? These people had difficulty joining other believers in worship because of these issues.
As I thought more about my beliefs about Mexicans I realized that I shared some of the same beliefs. I had stopped seeing a Mexican I passed on the street as a fellow human, instead I viewed him through some narrowly defined cultural values I held. I had forgotten that he was a fellow human with a soul, that he was part of the nations Christ has commanded us to go. It is easy to do all of these things when we put people in a group. It is easy to think about illegal immigrants and group Mexicans in that way. However, when we do that, we forget about individuals. We hurt our brothers and sisters in Christ. We ignore people made in God's image.
I guess what I am saying is that Mexicans are made in the image of God. Mexicans are part of the world Christians are commanded to reach. Increasingly they are literally our neighbors. Jokes such as the one told on that blog hurt relationship building not just with the illegal immigrants but with the legal. There is no way to differentiate between the two. When you pass a Mexican on the street you have no idea who they are. These types of stereotypes have hurt people I know and they have hurt your brothers and sisters in Christ. They have damaged the churches witness. They have in fact caused some to think Christians are worthless.
You know the Mexican missionary that is here. Some Mexicans have rejected him because he is a Christian. They do not want anything to do with Christians because they know what we believe about them.
Scripture teaches us the tongue is a powerful thing. What we say is something that we believe at some level. Out of the heart the mouth speaks. Any joke that stereotypes a people group I believe damages our witness to and relationship with that group.
This is an issue that I have struggled with a lot. I know this is not well organized... just a bunch of thoughts. But I ask any of you that read this to think about the words you say and the way it might impact others, but especially the way it might impact the church of Christ and her witness to the world. You see what any of us says has a reflection on any group we are a part of (our family, our friends, our school, and yes our church). Think about whether your words are reflecting God's attitudes or are bringing shame to his name. I think each of us needs to be more careful with the words we use, not just in relation to this issue but in all areas of our life.
I know the particular joke was used in fun, but I question whether God would find it fun for his children to be joking in this manner.

Passing Mid-terms 101

2006-02-28T20:45:00.000-05:00

This is mid-term week here at Grace College. A couple weeks ago in my Letters genre (Bible class where we study the letters of the Bible) two friends and I gave a presentation on the book of 2 Corinthians. During the presentation we used cookies to keep people's attention and encourage participation. Well the prof. seemed to get the biggest kick out of it and thouroughly enjoyed the cookies. We joke around with this prof and have fun with him before and after class. So my friend Ashley suggested we make him cookies and give them to him before the midterm. So we did. While the cookies were baking we decided to write him a letter based on everything we have learned about writing letters in NT times. Here is our wonderful letter.

Winona Lake, Indiana
February 28, 2006

Ashley Nicole Masten and Hannah Elizabeth Ray to their gracious professor O’Hare. Greetings! We hope this finds you in good health.
Each week we look forward to the blessing that God has given us to learn from you. We are thankful that God has blessed you to convey messages about Himself.
As you know from your experience as a student, midterm time is difficult for any student. We have studied individually, in groups, e-mailed you to gain clarification, and made study sheets. We also recognize that as you grade papers it is strenuous to continually write “A’s” on papers. In order to aid you in your “A” writing stamina, we are providing you with some energy in the chocolate chip cookie form.
Throughout our college experience, we have observed that it is much easier to write a “C” than an “A”. We have seen friends study long hours only to receive the dreaded “C”. Therefore, we are hoping to provide our professors with the energy they would need to complete the pen strokes necessary for an “A”.
Many professors believe that giving out to many A’s means they are to easy. However, students spend hours studying and as you have seen we have done this. Therefore, a great many students receiving an “A” does not show low quality in the professor, but diligence in the students.
We are asking you to please remember the stress of midterms as you grade these tests.
Greet your wife and sons with a holy kiss. Bob and Kathy Masten and Bruce and Betty Ray send their greetings and thanks for your participation in their children’s academic success.

We were excited to get to class tonight. When we got there he wasn't there yet so we left the cookies and the letter (tied up to look like a scroll) sitting on the podium for him to find when he got there. Well a few minutes before class was supposed to start the chair of the Bible department walked in and said he would be giving us our exam. Now I knew most of the Bible department would not find this funny but I didn't know this guy well enough to know if he would. Well Ashley is braver than I am, so she went up to ask if he was going to see our prof that week. He said he wouldn't and she explained to him everything and told him he had to read the letter. He found this letter so funny, and decided to read it to the whole class. He ends by saying "Some might call this brown nosing, but I call it creative".

So yes you read correctly... The way to pass midterms is to bribe your way through it! I just wish I could be there when Prof O'hare reads it because he is going to think it is funny...

Well I must get back to working on stuff for this week... one more test and project... a couple class periods and then it will be spring break...

The Great Commission

2006-02-20T16:46:00.000-05:00

In my last post I mentioned Dale and Jononlyn Fincher and their ministry. I have been thinking about another thing he discussed during one of our conversations. He talked about how few really strive to follow the Great Commission. Many have taken this passage and watered it down to mean that the Christian's goal in life is to get people saved. This leads to all kinds of wonderful revivals and camp salvation stories. However, we then have all these "christians" who are not living any differently. This has completely affected the church to the point that there often is not a distinction between a Christian life and lives of those in the world.

In the conversation he contributed this in part to a lack of understanding of the Great Commission. As I said earlier many people believe this means the goal of the Christian should be to get people saved. Well what does the passage actually say?

Matthew 28:19-20

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of teh Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching tehm to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.

Christ doesn't say "Go and get people saved". One very obvious reason for this is that is not our job. We can't save people, Christ alone can.

Christ tells his disciples to go and make disciples. His disciples had just spent three years being discipled and taught by him. They were called, they responded to the call, and they learned what that call meant. Now they are told to go and make disciples, baptize, and teach them to observe Christ's commands.

You see the attitude that Christian's are supposed to "go get people saved", has damaged the church. We obey the first part of the command well. We go and call others to "become a disciple of Christ". Sometimes the second part is even observed. We get them baptized. However, the issue of teaching others to observe Christ's commands is left out of many ministries. We simply drop them once we can count them in the "saved" column of the score card.

Why? I think part of the answer is it is to time consuming and not product oriented. I have spent three summers working with a mission. Through that I have gotten a glimpse into many mission philosophies. A constant struggle of missions is to financially support itself. Many of the financial supporters are not involved directly with the mission, they simply send a check. Because humans like to see a product where we put our money, the mission has preassure to deliver a product. That product is of course "souls". In our super sizing world more is always better. If at the end of the summer if we can report to our supporters that "75 children were saved", we will probably continue to receive financial support or maybe get more so we can continue our programs and maybe add more. It is not as exciting to read "We discipled two children who had committed their lives to christ and helped them become part of a church" in a mission report. The fact is that the time our ministry took to get those 75 children saved was less than the time it took to disciple those two.

Many Christian's (including myself) have watered down this passage and believe the focus is on numbers. However, Christ's own ministry tells us something different. Christ calls us to be disciple makers not soul savers. I pray that the church and my own heart would gain this focus as we interact with a lost world! We need to train those who have committed their lives to Christ, to obey His commands.

Faith and Life

2006-02-14T16:31:00.000-05:00

Recently I have been thinking a lot about the future and where God wants me. This is in a lot of ways natural because I will be graduating in 82 days according to the countdown calander. It is odd to realize in 82 days I don't know what I will be doing. This is where faith comes in.
As I have been thinking about this, we had a couple come in to speak in chapel last week. Dale and Jonalyn Fincher have started an organization with a motto of "Sturdy answers, better souls". You can find their website here (he has written a wonderful article on why the Movie "The Lion the Witch and the Waredrobe" was so dissappointing... I mentioned in a conversation with him how I didn't like the movie as well as the book and he told me to read the article and I loved it :)) Anyway as a friend and I were talking to Dale one evening, he talked about the concept of faith and how it has gotten so twisted in Christian minds. It has become a "feeling" that the Holy Spirit gives us. He argued that was a complete twisting of scripture. The concept of "a leap of faith" or "childlike faith" were concepts that went against the word of God.
Now I am going to make a huge jump over to a Bible project I just had... and if anyone is reading it I will put it all together in the end (I think). For my Bible elective I am taking a class where we are studying the letters of the Bible (the epistles). In that class we had a group project where we were supposed to explain one of these books. My group chose 2 Corinthians and I was assigned the job of analyzing about 5 verses and explaining the theology of those verses. The verses I chose to do was 2 Cor. 4: 16 - 5:5. In this passage Paul argues that even though they are experiencing suffering they have hope. What I found interesting in this passage was that this hope or faith was not a feeling. It was in spite of what he was feeling. Instead it rested on the fact that Christ said in John that he was going to build a heavenly home for us and that the Holy Spirit was being sent to guarentee our heavenly home. As I was studying the issue of faith and hope based on this letter I went over to Hebrews 11:1 where we see a definition of faith. As we read the chapter we recognize that all these examples of faith never acted on a feeling. Instead, they believed the promises of God and grasped them in their life.
As I was talking with Dale all this came to mind and it began to make sense a little more. Faith is not a leap. Faith is not something that just occurs. Faith is knowing and trusting the promises of God and living life in light of those promises even when everything around you is telling you otherwise (just as Paul did as he wrote 2 Corinthians). So even when I feel as though I am lost and no one knows where I should go, the promises of God tell me that he will direct my paths, that he will make my paths straight, that he has a plan. Even though in 82 days I will have a college diploma and not know what I am going to do with it, God knows, and it is my responsibility to grasp those promises and live in faithfulness to him in the meantime. And even on those days that I don't know if I can trust God and decide I know what is best, I can look back at the people of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 and see that although they showed great faith they also stumbled, and yet God didn't give up on them.

If anyone wants a good laugh check out Charity Blackwood's blog. The post I am talking about is the Terrible, Horrible, No good, Very bad day. If you have never read that book you may not enjoy it as much as I did. But don't despair, go to the local library I am sure they have the book. It will take you five minutes to read and you will be a much better person for having read it. Then you can go to Charity's post and enjoy the humor in it.

lots of stuff...

2006-02-04T13:08:00.000-05:00

Well I have been thinking a lot recently, which may be quite dangerous so I won't blame you if you duck.

This week was hip hop week in chapel. We had two speakers who have studied this culture come in and share with us things that it tells us about ourselves (christians). These two men are well known men in inner city ministry groups. They really made me think a lot. I have enjoyed rap music to some extent for awhile because I really think it is thought provoking. The people who write it really know they are looking for and can explain in human terms why they haven't found it. During chapel these men used the words of rappers to show problems in the church (that are quite real) and then addressed those problems with scriptural answers. Although I didn't agree with all the conclusions these men made I appreciated that they were willing to honestly look at a culture and seek to understand it. We as Christians are often quick to judge a culture as bad and therefore have nothing to do with it. But aren't we called to go and be witnesses in the dark places. There is a lot of trash in rap music but there is also a lot of true hurtful life experiences.
One of the most interesting songs we discussed was one in which the rapper states "curiosity killed the catechism" (all the lyrics to the song can be found here). This song really is an idictment on many ways that we minister. He knows that religion should be a lifestyle but what he is seeing isn't that. He knows that there is truth but all he sees is people memorizing catechism. Ministry in general and particuarly inner city ministry deserves many of the charges this man brings forth. This week just reminded me again of the importance of listening to culture as they discuss the church. There is truth in what unbelievers are saying about us. Instead of listening we are condeming them as evil.

Graduation is less than 100 days away (more like 90 now)... My roomate has a countdown calander and if it is correct 91 days. Since that is including the breaks we have left I probably have less than 80 days left to spend on this campus. It is really quite sad. I really can't imagine leaving here and never coming back. This place has been a refuge for me. It has been a safe place to grow and change. It has been the place that I have called home for the last few years. In a few short weeks my friends and I will be graduating and moving all over the country maybe even the world. It is times like this that I wish I had a button that I could slow down time with. But I know life keeps going and God has an amazing place planned for me and I am excited about that!

I wish I knew where I was going to get a job next year. My roomates mom works for a school district between Peru and Kokomo Indiana (near where the CYA conference is) and she told me last night there is a 3rd grade position opening up there. As my roomate and I talked about it I again realized how much I want to live in Indianapolis. During the conversation I realized that most likely I could at least get an assistant teaching position in the fall. If I got an in like that hopefully by Christmas a head teacher position would open up that I could take.

My new favorite verse is Col. 3:3 For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Well I have lots of children's books to read for my children's lit class, so I will leave you with that!

random thoughts

2006-01-20T17:18:00.000-05:00

~ I really enjoy college life

~ I am going to be sad to graduate in May

~ However, graduation day will be exciting!

~ I like going to a Christian college

~ Chapels are one of my favorite things about my school

~ Chapel times are always challenging ~ this past week and this coming week are "Spiritual Discipline Weeks" in chapel, so chapels have been especially challenging!

~ I hope that some weekend soon I can stay on campus for the whole weekend

~ I wish I knew exactly what was next for me in life

~ I am glad God knows exactly what is next for me in life

~ 24 (on Fox) is a wonderful show! - if you haven't seen it, it is on at 8 on Monday nights... watch two episodes and see if you aren't addicted

~ it seems that no one reads my blog... or those that do simply have no thoughts about my previous comment ... thanks to the providers of spam comments though!

~ I have been thinking about the previous entry a lot. I was thinking about it even before I read that quote. If I am reading that quote correctly Edward's is arguing that if you are not part of the visible church (a church member?) you are part of the kingdom of satan. Because of a lot of things I have been thinking about church membership (things = studying fellowship/community issues for a seminar I co-led, reading a recommended book called "Stop Dating the Church", struggling with para-church organizations in light of scripture, and a pastor who came along right after all these things occured and challenged me to join a church). So when I came across Edward's writing on this subject it challenged me even more.

~ Really I write because it helps me think ... but if you do read this and have any thoughts on the previous post I would love to hear them!

~ Well those are my random thoughts for the day!

What do you think???

2006-01-06T19:46:00.000-05:00

I just read this quote and am not quite sure how to take it... What do you think?

The whole world of mankind is divided into these two sorts: those that are God’s visible people and those that are of the visible kingdom of Satan. ~ Jonathon Edwards

Break

2006-01-02T11:01:00.000-05:00

It is getting closer and closer to the end of the break... which also means it is getting closer and closer to the start of my last semester of college. It is so wierd that my college career is almost over. Soon I am going to have to really be an adult.

I have kept myself busy over break. I have worked on getting my college portfolio online... getting closer to putting it up. I have created a resume. I have also begun applying for my first real job. It is in the Westfield school district (just north of Carmel). It is not the district I have dreamed of working in. I really want to work in IPS because I love the inner city but Westfield is the only district with advertised openings right now.

Over Christmas my Uncle (who is not a Christian), told me that it was a mistake to want to work and live in the inner city. He told me that if I wanted to work there that would be fine but I need to live somewhere were I "won't wake up every morning wondering if my car is still there, or come back to my house at night not knowing if someone was inside or whether my things were going to be there. You don't need that type of stress." So I have thought about that a lot. How our priorities are so different that I think it is vital that I live there and I am willing to have that type of stress in my life. Because of him talking about keeping my things safe as a reason to live in the subarbs not in the city, I had to laugh Wednesday morning. You see Wednesday morning we discovered that my radio was stolen out of my car (which was parked in our driveway, on the "safe" side of town, with a security light right above it) sometime Tuesday night. It reminded me again that the feeling of safety that I have in the subarbs is really just that. It reminded me that "some trust in horses and some in chariots, but we boast only one defense the name of God the Lord most high". The radio being stolen was annoying but it really was a good reminder of what is really important.

Yesterday Pastor Keddie spoke in the morning on the parable of the sower. It was a really encouraging sermon. He talked about how it really is more a parable about the soil. It was Christ teaching his disciples about the different types of responses they will receive when they share Christ. Also because Christ is really the sower it is the responses that he received. The part that was really encouraging was the plant that grows up quickly but then falls away. Christ never said that that was the sowers fault it was just a statement of a possible response. I recognized some of the youth I have worked with in the inner city in that. It is discouraging to me to see a girl that I studied the Bible with and helped to disciple who was on fire for God choose and state that she was choosing to live in contradiction to what she knows the Bible teaches. It is difficult to see a boy who I have had worked with my entire time at the mission turn to a life of drugs and criminal activity. It makes me want to figure out what I and the rest of the people at the mission did wrong. If we did it right they would stay committed to the walk they claimed to have. So I just need to figure out what I did wrong. The truth is that is a possible response to the message. It is my responsibility to proclaim truth, some of that will fall on fruitful ground, some will not but I must proclaim.

Well I think that about sums up my break... Mary wants me to take her to Goodwill... so maybe I will do that...

$1000 fine and other matters

2005-12-07T19:29:00.000-05:00

Well the story of the $1000 fine is quite the tale... It may go down in Grace College fine tales. It all began with two mischevious girls. Of course one of them was yours truly... the other was my roomate.
Setting... Kent Hall, Apartment 208 on a cold night. It had been cold for seemingly months on end (at least a week) so the girls were getting cabin fever. What should they do to get some restless energy out? Finals were looming. There was no place to warm up. And they were stressed. Mischevious ideas were thrown around but nothing was decided upon. While Jewel worked on homework, Hannah pulled out the bedtime story and attempted to read it. When the story was over (it was interrupted time and time again by a certain mischevious girl) it was bedtime. So of course being the good child she is, Hannah went right to bed. Well mischevious Jewel kept talking to her... anyone who has spent much time with these two knows that talking is often done in Barbie voices and often turns into high pitched disagreements (which are always sssooooo serious (sarcasm...)). Well tonight was no different and Jewel soon ordered Hannah out of the apartment because of some smart remark... Hannah fled their room in terror and ran to the other bedroom to seek help from the two other girls in the apartment. Jewel soon followed pointing to the door and informing Hannah that she should be out of the apartment. Hannah saw an opportunity and was able to run back to their room and lock the door. Jewel ran after her but was to late. Being the nice roomate she was Hannah realized Jewel still needed to study so she thoughtfully pushed all Jewel's study items under the door... she even shoved the blanket Jewel was using to stay warm under. Jewel was on the other side of the door yelling about how she could just pick the lock. Hannah felt that this was imposible because although most locks at Grace can be picked this lock was different and would be difficult to pick. Sure enough try as she might Jewel could not get in. Hannah contentedly curled up in bed to sleep. The noise that Jewel was creating outside of the door made it very difficult to sleep... Eventually Hannah unlocked the door and allowed Jewel back in so she could get a moments peace. Eventually Jewel calmed down enough to allow Hannah (and the rest of the apartment) to get some sleep. Well this morning as I walked out into our dining area I saw two fine slips on the table. Imagine my shock when I saw it had my name on it. I had made it through three years at Grace without any type of fine. As I read the fine I discovered it was for disturbing the peace. Apparently my RA had gotten wind of the occurences. Because "disturbing the peace" is a serious issue here at Grace (but especially in Kent Hall because of the privledge of living here) this is a serious offence. They have never heard of apartment mates fighting to this extent and it must be dealt with severely... So here I am trying to figure out how to pay a $1000 fine in the next four days.
(all of the events occured exactly as recorded from the perspective of the author... the other character in the story has a slightly different recolection of the events... but who can believe her... she was in the circus)

Ok anyway... I hope you enjoyed the story... my roomate and I really have a great relationship (she just told me she hates me). Oh the joys of dorm living! Seriously though we do have a great relationship... but if some people watched our interactions they probably wouldn't think so :)

This week is school spirit week. Monday was our favorite book charactor day... I dressed up as Wilbur the pig from Charlotte's Web. Tuesday was "What you want to be when you grow up". I had several different plans for outfits but because of the whether (it is freezing here) I didn't want to wear any of them so I put my warmest clothes on and said "I want to be warm when I grow up. Today was mismatch day and oh boy did I mismatch. I started with a blue and whited striped shirt and a black sweater with light blue embroidery around the zipper. On the bottom half of my body I wore blue polka dot pants with a blue flower skirt on top, a different patterned toe sock on each foot and different shoes. One side of my hair was in a high pig tail bun while the other side was down and pulled away from my face with a bobby pin. Let me just say standing in the parking lot scraping my car off this morning with my apartment mate (who looked just as ridiculous as me) was fun... People are not quite awake on their way to eight o'clock classes so there were some great looks as they weren't quite sure of what they were seeing.

Please pray for one of my students who is in the hospital because his appendix exploded inside him... he is getting better though!

Have a great day!

:(

2005-11-25T17:11:00.000-05:00

Wednesday at lunch I found out my most difficult student of this semester was leaving my school. The whole school was rejoicing that this child was leaving... I was about ready to cry. I know it sounds so strange. This child has made so many of my days difficult. He has made me want to give up. He has caused me grief. But he has also caused me inexpresable joy. You see because of his behavior problems I have spent a lot of time talking to him when he wasn't allowed to go to various activities because of his actions. I have watched him go from a boy who defied the world to one who thought about what he was doing, until finally two weeks ago I saw that he felt bad for his actions. He came in as a boy who looked miserable. He acted as though no one cared. Before he left Wednesday I told him how sad I was that he was leaving and he gave me another hug and said "that is for Monday". When you watch a child grow from the point of hating the world and doing whatever he wants to recognizing that his actions impact others and he should take responsibility for his actions it is amazing. I honestly developed a deep love for this child and I will miss him.
This child taught me to think so much about what grace and love is. He taught me to think about why I love. He taught me the need to pray continually. He challenged me to give him another chance when I wanted to give up on him. And in all of this I realized the grace and love Christ shows me. I realized that Christ shows me love not because of anything I had done but because of his mercy. He loved me while I was still a sinner so as I live like Christ did I must love those who are still sinners. Working with this boy everyday reminded me how easy it would be for Christ to give up on me, but yet he doesn't. Having this child in my classroom this semester has prepared me to deal with difficult students and it has strengthened my relationship with my savior. He is a child that I will not soon forget. He is a child that needs me to continue praying for him.

I have spent today working on my senior project... and it still needs a lot of work. The written part of the project is well over 20 pages. After that I probably have at least 75 pages of supporting documents. Once I get all that completed and put in a logical order I have to work on a twenty minute oral presentation. Monday night I will present this... and then my sememster will pretty much be over. I will still have a little over two weeks but I honestly won't have much to do. Right now though I must press on to finish this project!

Question...

2005-11-17T16:44:00.000-05:00

ok... try to follow me... I have a philosophy question, but don't be scared... I don't think it is to deep... I think it is somewhat interesting...
Term you need ... Existentialism meaning "existence preceeds essence". This means there is no purpose until you create it.
This semester I have been puzzled all semester with why many people base a childs value based on their actions. Now I completely understand having difficulty working with a child or becoming frustrated, even angry, with a child... believe me I have five students who shock the school based on their behavior. But they honestly don't think mis-behaving students are valuable. This morning I began rereaching "Don't Waste Your Life" by: John Piper (an excellent book by the way... my church here read it together last year)... anyway.... In the first chapter he discusses existentialism a little bit. This is the note I wrote down after I read this and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.
"Does exestentialism effect the way we view students? If existence preceeds essence then the child has no value until he acts valuable. There is no intrinsic value in that child. If he never acts valuable then he isn't valuable. My Christian worldview states that a child is valuable because he is made in the image of God. He or she is also a gift from that same God"
Does this make sense to anyone? Is exestentialism what is causing the widespread belief that some children are not valuable?

I was observed again today:) The person who observed me today had never been to my class before. I just really enjoy how everyone who comes to my class says the same thing... "You have so many immature boys" "How do you handle this everyday?"

Well that is all... my thoughts for the day... Aren't you all glad you don't have to live in this head? :)

random thoughts ... in no particular order

2005-11-13T16:01:00.000-05:00

22 days left of student teaching!

school counselors are some of the neatest people (at least the one at Lincoln Elementary is a huge blessing!)

I love going to a school where I know my professors and other classmates are praying for me... I have discovered just this week how many people on campus know some of the things I have been going through this semester and have been praying for me... what a blessing!

I am getting paid for tomorrow because my supervising teacher will be gone so I am the sub :)

I graduate from college in less than six months and have no idea what I will be doing (I have been offered a summer job ... that I might accept... but beyond that....)

My senior presentation is in two weeks and I am not nearly finished with it (Thanksgiving Break will definately be a time to finish!)

I never thought I would like the name Miss Ray... but hearing little children I love call me that is so sweet!

Next semester I have no classes on Friday (and only one class on Monday and Wednesday!)

I will also only be taking 14 credits... Until this point I have taken at least 17 credits

The school counselor has offered me the use of her office to come and have lunch with my students next semester whenever I want because she doesn't want them to lose my influence.

Book orders have got to be the most addicting things... I love getting new childrens books!.... good thing I am taking childrens lit next semester so I can start to organize them

As a result of classroom management issues I have spent a lot of time thinking about God's discipline and grace... if we are supposed to be like Christ, the way I discipline students must have some scriptural basis... I can't overtly tell them about God but I can show them Christ in my actions!

I love having a kitchen to use whenever I desire

I really want to move into the inner city... but actually doing it is a little scary...

My roomate and I are going to ruin our voices because of the funny tones we continually talk to each other in... if only she would sleep we could stop the game :)

I have officially dealt with my first migraine while teaching ("Miss Ray you don't look like you feel well" "Miss Ray don't throw up" no worries I didn't... but I did feel and I am sure look awful I made it through teaching the last 45 minutes of the day and then it was off to bed for Miss Ray)

Grace College has no control over where student teachers are placed... which explains a lot of the questions in my mind about my placement.

So there you have it... that is my life at this point :) Have a blessed day

why student teaching is difficult

2005-11-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

I have never felt so many different emotions in my life. I don't ever want to go back to the class I am working with for several reasons that I can't really talk about because it would break the confidentiality code of student teachers. However, I do not ever want to leave the students in the class I am working in. I love each and every one of them in their own unique ways.
I had an assistant that I have known my whole time at Grace (she was my hall mom freshman year) tell me that she didn't even realize I have been stressed this semester. That was a relief because I don't want to be walking around the school letting students know how stressed I truly am. She went on to say that she understands exactly why (and she didn't even know I had behavior issues in my class... she knew the true reason for the stress). It makes me feel better that everyone who has experienced the person causing me stress understands why I am struggling. As my college advisor said this week while she was there on a visit "I hope you are realizing more everyday that you aren't the problem". While I am... it is a continual frustration because it would be easier to just change the thing I was doing to cause the problem where as in this I can't because it is not in my power to change the situation. And then I wonder why my college put me in this situation since they seem to have known about the problem...
The only thing I can do is follow the commands of Christ... to love those who mistreat you... to count it all joy when I face various trials, because I know that the testing of my faith produces perseverence!... to rejoice always and pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances... to not be anxious about everything but give it over to God in prayer so he can give me peace... to live a life in front of the world above reproach...
The thankful for things is the one that is probably easiest for me right now... I am thankful for my college supervisor, full of encouragment, even if she doesn't have answers and is just as frustrated with the situation as I am... I am thankful that God gave me students this semester who needed to experience unconditional love along with loving limits... I am thankful for a roomate and apartment mates that are fun and ready to encourage... I am thankful that God is always there even in a school where he is not aknowledged... I am thankful for other teachers in the school who come by to encourage me... I am thankful for parents of my students who have encouraged me... I am thankful for an old friend that I can pray with every Wednesday because that is keeping me sane... I am thankful that God is trying to build character in me through difficulty...
The thing I am struggling with the most is how to love someone who does not treat me in a loving manner... how to respond to all the negativity... how to respond to the pain of felt rejection... how can I not respond in like manner... how can I show her the love of Christ?
Fortunately I have one more day to prepare to show love and respect to this person even though it is not what I feel... it is what I must do...
Here is a quote I came accross

"Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent."
Marilyn vos Savant

This weekend I have felt defeated by this problem due to a Friday after school occurance... but I can't give up... Monday I will get up and remember that God's strength is sufficient for me...

Sunday afternoon ponderings...

2005-10-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

hello to all who read my blog... perhaps I am just talking to myself but it does help to write things down... so hello to myself at least.
Well student teaching is still going well... Monkey Boy is doing well... I am beginning to see a change in him where he is beginning to want to please me, but he doesn't want to let me know that. I have noticed that he has begun to do exactly what I ask him to do but he won't do it until I am not watching. It is really quite interesting.
This week we have parent teacher conferences and fall break. As a result students will only be at school on Monday and Tuesday. So we are not doing any of our normal things because they are all based on a traditional five day week. We are reviewing some concepts that we have done before. So Miss Ray has had fun this weekend planning what we are going to do. I am quite excited about tomorrow. All of you should be jealous about the fun my second graders get to have!

Onto my ponderings...
Church this morning was quite interesting. One of the pastors announced his resignation at the beginning of the service because he felt that he no longer met the qualifications for elders because one is that they manage their household well.
Our "head" pastor is currently in Italy speaking at a pastors conference. So one of the other pastors has been preaching. I had only heard him a couple times before, but I had always appreciated what he had to say. This time as he has been preaching the last several weeks I had not been real sure that what he was saying was what the passage meant or even correct. I couldn't really put my finger on it but I was uncomfortable with what was said. My friend that I go with felt the same way... on the way back today we were both wondering what the pastor would think of the sermons. It is not like they were heretical or anything just a lot of fluff which is very unusual in this church.
Today during the sermon I had an interesting thought. It was on the parable of the good samaritan. I began to wonder if this is simply discussing meeting the physical needs of my neighbors or if it is also talking about spiritual needs. It is easy to live in the middle class environment most of us live in and rarely be confronted by physical needs. However, all of us are daily confronted with people who have deep spiritual needs. Is part of being a good samaritan seeking to meet those needs (through sharing the good news)? A quote in a book I am reading supported this notion to some degree. It is from a man who was being helped in the 1800's by a mission in London said, "Religion is all a sham. I'll never believe these people believe my sould will burn in hell for ever and ever. If they do, they must be brutes indeed. Why, if I saw a poor creature under a cart-wheel I'd try to pull him out, but hell you say is worse still. If they believed it we should hear more about it than we do." This man compared sharing the gospel to doing a good deed. The more I think about this concept the more I believe that sharing the good news is probably at the heart of the story of the good samaritan. Why do we usually not share Christ? Because we don't want to risk it. We don't want to be maligned. We don't want to step over the cultural seperation of religion being private. We don't want to get involved in messy, long term relationships with people that are hard to love. In the story the Good Samaritan risked much. He risked rejection by the person he was helping. He risked cultural seperation. He invested into the relationship with his time and money.
Perhaps I am misusing this story... I am not sure this is what is meant... but it was an interesting thought that brought more meaning to a parable I have heard over and over.

Hope all is well with you... think about the good samaritan and let me know what you think...

my mind...

2005-10-09T13:16:00.000-05:00

Hello to all of you out there
Student teaching is still very interesting. I was observed this past week and my professor informed me that I have the best "teacher voice" she has heard in her five years as an education professor. The observation was very helpful and encouraging because I have been struggling in relating to my supervising teacher. I had expressed that in my journal and my professor's goal was to try to find out what else I could do. The bottom line she told me was that I just need to ask my supervising teacher more questions. Sounds easy enough... but I am really struggling with what to ask. I don't really have any questions. I have been trying to come up with good legit questions and can't really.... So if you have any good questions that you can come up with let me know.

In other news... I think I am making progress with my relationship with my "monkey in the closet" student. He is beginning to respect me and respond to my instructions. This week all the student teachers from my school were required to go to an ACSI conference (Association of Christian Schools International from whom we recieve one of our certifications after graduation). At the conference I attended a seminar on working with the strong willed child. It was an encouragment because according to them many of the things I was doing were exactly what I needed to do. The speaker gave several suggestions of other techniques to reach the student. I have hope that I am going to reach him. In addition my professor after observing is working on suggestions for what I can do. She knows that I have been struggling with him and a couple other boys and after watching the class she honestly had no idea what to say so she is thinking about it and we will have a date to talk soon.

There isn't really much else going on around here besides working on my senior project and thinking about different things entirely to much... An article that I was given made me think a lot. It helped put some pieces of life and Christianity into place but for every piece it helped put in place it displaced several others. So right now my brain is just going around and around issues trying to figure things out.... Moral of the story... don't accept reading material from a person who is smarter than you who wants you to think... they just might succeed in making you think...

wow can I just say that I have spent to much time in a second grade class room. As I wrote that last sentence I was thinking about what made the I sound in various words (that is what we studied in phonics this past week) the igh pattern is something few of my kids picked up on... but we will still work on it.

Well I could keep writing forever today... but I will leave all of you in peace and not torment your brains... Perhaps all of you will live out your days in sanity... I am afraid I am a lost cause :)
Have a blessed day!

Why I love teaching

2005-09-27T20:11:00.000-05:00

Well last week was just rough... There were a lot of reasons for it students misbehaving (one really, really badly!), tensions in teacher relationships, and a lot of other little things. Honestly I was kinda thinking I was a little crazy for wanting to do this for the rest of the life. But then today reminded me why I want to do this.
It all began this morning when one of my students decided it would be fun to bang his pencils together all morning. Well eventually I told him he could spend some time with me banging pencils during noon recess. Well when recess time came along he met me in the library (where all the second grade teachers meet to discuss what is going on). I had him sit on the carpet and told him to bang the carpet for five minutes without stopping. After about two minutes he stopped and complained that his arms were hurting. I said "oh my I guess we are going to have to start the time over because you stopped. Keep banging for five minutes without stopping. I am sure it is hurting your arms but I played the drums for awhile and I used to do that for 30 minutes with drum sticks so I know it won't kill you. While your doing it think about how much your banging your pencils hurts me and the rest of the class." This same scene occured a couple times. Finally he banged his pencil for five minutes straight and I told him he could go out to recess. Before he left I asked him if he was going to be banging his pencils anymore. He gave me a look of horror and shook his head no. Then I asked him if he remembered what would happen if he did it again. He replied, "I will have to do it for ten minutes." Satisfied that I had made my point and he understood I told him he could go outside and if he was a nice classmate he would inform the other students that they probably should not bang their pencils anymore as the consequences are not very pleasant. Well when the students came in from recess one of the students banged his pencil. I immeadiately looked at the recess pencil banger and asked him if he could explain to the student why that was not a good idea. He did and I did not hear another pencil bang the rest of the day!

Well the other funny thing that happened happened as the students came in from recess. My trouble maker from last week came in well after the rest of the class which means he had misbehaved somehow during recess. I asked him what he had done. He refused to tell me for quite awhile. Finally he told me. Then he lay down on the floor in the hallway, where we were talking, and refused to talk to me anymore as he rolled around. I quickly decided to leave him there since he was right outside my classroom and go teach because I was pretty confident he would come in. Sure enough he came into the classroom a few minutes later. When he came in he climbed into the closet/cupboard where their backpacks hang. The whole class looked at me wondering what I would do. I chose to ignore him and made a general announcement that we were going to do math and ignore the closet. Well soon enough we began to hear monkey sounds coming from the closet. That was to much and the class lost it. All of them were giggling. I felt like just breaking down and laughing so I went towards the closet (so I was facing away from the class) and composed myself. I then turned around with my best "teacher face" and said in my "teacher voice" that is not funny. I then turned back around to open the closet door. I saw his little chubby body curled up in the cupboard and just about lost myself to laughter. So I had to close the closet doors to collect myself so he wouldn't know I was finding this funny. I collected myself, opened the doors back up and told him he had to quit making noise. Then I turned around and continued to teach the class. Soon I saw the boy reaching into his cubby to get his gym shoes out. I turned and told him that the only students going to gym were the students in my class. I calmly continued that I was not sure if he was in my class because he wasn't doing math. "However, if you would like to be in my class and join us doing math I am sure you can go to gym with us." He quickly went back to his seat and got to work. One battle won with the kid! Later as part of math we had to color a pattern (so the pattern was more obvious) so I asked if anyone would let me color with them. This boy quickly raised his hand. So I went over and colored with him.

This post is dedicated to Dr. Bowling (an ed prof here who was my inspiration for today)
"Deep down inside young people want to please their teachers"
Dr Bowling
Last night during a class discussion on classroom managment

Hope all of you see the humor in this day that I did. I think I just have been so stressed I needed to laugh. And although this day was somewhat chaotic it was funny and is now even funnier to look back on. And you just got two stories from the day... Have a great one... and think about being a teacher!

hi...

2005-09-20T16:11:00.000-05:00

Well I must begin with the most exciting news... I know many of you are not going to believe this but the day that represents something that I have hoped and longed for for most of my life finallly came....

I GOT A RING!!!

Yep... you read right...

I Hannah Ray was offered and accepted a ring from a man...

I know... so many of you thought I was hopeless...

but the ring currently is residing on my ring finger....

I look at it reguarly just to make sure it is true

It seems like it all happened so quickly

but as I sit here and type I can see that it is all true

Really... I did get a ring... My class ring... representing that I am a graduating senior. You see at my school the school gives everyone a ring. And in the fall of your senior year we have a Convocation Chapel in which all the graduates rock across the stage and recieve their ring from Dr. Manahan (our president).... So you see I am wearing a ring that represents something I have dreamed about for a long time... Graduation from college and becoming a licensed elementary school teacher....

Anyways... just wanted to have a little fun with you all. OK Mare told me to update so I will. Summer camps at Wheeler Mission went well. This summer was by far the most stressful of any I have worked there. The only way any of us made it through was because of LOTS of prayer.
Right now I am back at school. This is my student teaching semester. This means that I am pretty much a teacher. So I keep teacher hours (meaning I go to bed at times no college student ever thinks about going to bed). I have a second grade class... with 16 wonderfully active boys... and 4 girls... Oh my... but don't feel sorry for those girls. They are all tomboys and love their fun playmates.
I am living in an on campus apartment with three other girls who are loads of fun! My roomate, Jewel, is someone that I didn't know but we had a lot of mutual friends who said we would be perfect for each other... and we have tons of fun. Today we decided we needed a no talking after we turn the lights out rule because we stayed up long after the lights went out last night and we are both tired today...
Hmmm.... not much else going on here... must get to lesson plans... and other things... Like reading... I have been given different things to read by SO many different people. So I should get to some of that tonight too. Well I hope this will keep everyone for another couple months... I don't know when I will update again.

hi

2005-05-26T11:20:00.000-05:00

You all probably thought I was gone forever... oh well I am back... with a new template and everything.
Well lets see... school is done for the year! I have one year left and then I am done and have to get a real job... kind of scary. Anyway... in the fall I will be student teaching in second grade! I am excited and scared about that but it should be a good semester.
Prayer request for everyone out there... My friend needs prayers. She is a senior in High School from the inner city of Indianapolis. I found out yesterday her dad died last week from a drug overdose. She claims to be a Christian but right now does not really care what God has to say about the way she is choosing to live her life. Pray that God uses this death to bring her back into right relationship with him. Hopefully I will be able to reestablish contact with her while I work at the mission with her.
Well I am heading off to Edenburgh for Mia, Christie, and my annual trip to the outlet mall. Should be fun... we need to hit the 10 for $5 area of Claires to get gifts for our girls at camp this summer.
Well that is about all... Have a great day to anyone who still checks here ever...

freedom

2005-04-24T12:29:00.000-05:00

Recently I have been thinking a lot about Christians attitudes to freedom. This began because of reactions I have heard from many Christians about rules at Christian colleges (both my own and elsewhere). Usually the conversation goes something like this
Me: talking about a rule
other person: you have that rule! but the Bible doesn't forbid you to do that.
Me: but that is our community living standard.
Other person: but that is so legalistic (or something to that effect).
I have even experienced such comments from people who attend my school. The Bible doesn't forbid it so why can't we do it.
Well here is my answer. The Bible allows us as Christians freedom on many issues (drinking, TV shows, dress). The Bible provides guidelines but no hard answers. However, as Christians we do not live life without relations to others. Therefore we need to think about others in what we do.
Many (most) Christian schools have some kind of community living standard. This is not the school adding to God's law. Instead it is saying as a community we believe that living in this way will benefit the whole. Some people in the community may have to give up personal freedom in order to be part of the group. This is really what the Christian life is about. A Christian should never think "the Bible doesn't forbid me from doing this so I can do this". Instead they should think about how this will effect other Christians and the community they are a part of.
A Christian school should not be thought of as legalistic for having these standards. Instead, these standards should be recognized for what they are, a set of standards that memebers of a community freely and willingly take upon themselves when they join a community.
I really think the way Christians, especially American Christians, need to think less about what they are allowed to do in Christian freedom and more about what they can do to live in community with others. As Paul says he would give up his right to eat meat if it would cause his brother to stumble. So why are Christians who give up their right to drink, get a piercing, watch certain movies, or get a tattoo mocked or talked down about. Not saying I am not guilty of it... I have never understood why someone would go to Bob Jones or somewhere like that but although they have strict rules, they seek to honor God! Freedom should never be our goal! Just some thoughts.

yea!!!

2005-04-16T19:48:00.000-05:00

I found out this week that I got into Kent Hall!!! Kent Hall is the only dorm on campus that is apartments!! YEA!!! This means that while I am student teaching I can make my own food when I want to eat! I am living there with three friends. I don't know any of them real well but they are all nice and I enjoy all of them! One of them will be student teaching with me at the same school... so that should be fun!
Well not much else going on around here... right now I am the "RA" for the evening. I have to make sure nothing bad happens during open dorms. fun fun... I have a 21 page paper left to write... and a philosophy project... but besides that I am mainly done for the semester...
I am sad that this year is over... but I am ready to get back to working at Wheeler Mission!
Well better go do room checks

video

2005-03-24T20:33:00.001-05:00

hey everyone... if anyone would like to help me edit a movie in Indianapolis this weekend it would be amazing!!! I would love the help... I have never actually done it... and it is going to be shown next week to many people! Just let me know... I will be at home!

2005-03-13T16:42:00.000-05:00

Here is my memoirs of Spring Break 2005... it is long... but Mary wanted to know what I did... so here it is.... have fun... and go to NYC sometime!
Well... I got back from NYC and spring break early this morning... It was SSSSOOOO much fun. I went with three of my friends from school and we stayed in a hostel (cheap place for students to stay) in times square. We got there last Saturday afternoon and left yesterday afternoon. In between we did SO much.
Friday night- Saturday afternoon
Holly's mom drops us off at the train station.... long train ride... arrive in NYC.... carry luggage half mile through NYC.... check into hostel... collapse for a little bit...
Saturday night
Went to Maddame Tussads (a wax museum full of famous people) I have pictures of me with tons of movie stars and sports players...
Sunday
Went to church at the Journey
Went to Central Park and Central Park zoo
Harbor lights cruise in the evening
It was a reallly fun day! Church was funny because the sermon was on Marriage and it was literaly exactly what is taught in the marriage and family class here that all of us had taken... so we all could have given the sermon :) Central park was so much fun. It is a beautiful place. I am sure many of you have heard of the orange gates in central park and have heard them mocked. I felt the same way... but when I saw them I really thought they were pretty. The harbor lights cruise was freezing (we stayed on the outside part of the boat for it). After it was over we were going to have to walk about a mile back to our hostel. Well there were limo drivers there so we decided to find out how much it would cost for them to take us back to the hostel (we figured it would be to much but it was worth a shot). Well the guy said he would take us for $20. So we hopped in and took a limo ride! What a wonderful day.
Monday
Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
World Trade Centers - Ground zero
Empire State Building
Wonderful day seeing the major sights of NYC. All of these things are places you need to experience! The Statue of Liberty was amazing! Ellis Island was fascinating. Walking by Ground Zero was indiscribable. There is still visible destruction on the buildings surrounding the sight (protective tarps and dirt etc.). The Empire State Building was neat.... But it was REALLY windy.... so it was hard to even stand on one side of the building.
Tuesday
FAO Schwartz (famous toy store)
Carnegie Hall Tour
NBC studios
audience members on the Jane Pauly show
Studio tour
BB Kings for dinner
Fun day.... FAO Schwartz has increadible toys!!! My favorite was a huge piano that you play by walking on. So much fun.... I would loved to have bought it but it was a little out of my price range. It costs... $150,000.00 So if anyone needs a birthday present idea for me... there it is :)
There were also some huge stuffed animals that I would love to have for my classroom... I really wanted the elephant and giraffe.... but they were $450 and $250 respectively. Well after the toy store it was on to Carnegie Hall... What a beautiful place! So much history and fun... Then it was off to the NBC building. When we got there we were asked to be guests on the Jane Pauly show.... so we did that... it is fun to see what happens behind the scenes in a TV show. Then we went on a tour of the studios... Probably none of you will ever want to watch TV with me again because after seeing the crumy stages these shows are produced on I will be mocking the set ups for ever! Then we went to BB Kings a wonderful jazz resteraunt.... so much fun.
Wednesday
Well this day was our LONG day! WE got up at 5:45 to go stand in line to try to get on Live with Regis and Kelly with stand by tickets. Robin Williams was going to be the guest and we were excited! Well we got to the line at 6:30 and we were the 11, 12, 13, and 14 people in line. We had heard that if you were in the first 20 you usually got on. At 7:30 they came out and gave us a paper with our numbers on it and told us to be back at 8:30... So we went into the starbucks across the street to warm up... an hour later we walked back... went through security and waited some more to find out if we were going to get in. Everyone in front of us was seated and so we were at the front of the line. The lady came out, rushed the four of us back, got us seated and the show started almost immeadiately. It was so much fun! Regis and Kelly are so fun off camera. You find out so many things... Well after the live show was over they kept us in there because they were filming the beginning segment of a show that is going to air on March 22. So if you watch that show at the beginning and the end you might see me! Regis and Kelly joke about "the last time" they wore the clothes they had on... and stuff. Well then we went to try to get tickets to Broadway's Phantom of the Opera and succeeded in getting some for $20 appeice. The rest of the day was low key... We did our touristy shopping, had lunch at Planet Hollywood and took a nap before the play. Phantom was amazing and so fun that evening!
Thursday
Scary day in Brooklyn... we went to the New York aquarium there. Then we got back on the subway to go to a childrens museum and a botanical garden. Well when we got there I looked around the area and decided it would be stupid for us to do that so I suggested we not. So we got on the next subway and went back to Manhattan. We did random stuff in Manhattan. Then after dinner we went to Serindipity (the coffee shop in the movie) for dessert. Well.... there was an hour wait... so we decided to give up our dreams of a frozen hot chocolate at serendipity. We went back down the street to this place called "the candy bar" and ordered a dessert called "I bet you can't". It was ten scoops of ice cream and ten toppings... it was so good... There was interesting company there.... but... you can ask me about that.
Friday
Last full day in NYC
Radio City Hall tour
ice skating at Rockefeller center
Guggenhiem museum
Dinner... at Federicos
Dessert... cheesecake... take out from Maxis
Great day... Radio city hall tour was led by a gay man.... quite amusing... If you ever get the chance to go you must check the bathrooms out at Radio City. They are ginormous. Three rooms... two sitting rooms... and then the room with toilets and sinks... WONDERFUL!!! While we were there we saw river dance in rehearsal... so fun! Then ice skating... just all around fun... The Guggenhiem was fun and interesting... Fredericos has quite possibly the best italian food I have ever had. And then Cheese cake and mild for dessert before bed!
Saturday into Sunday
Got up... checked out... wandered around ... went to the train station... left.... long train ride... Sunday comes around... finally arrive in South Bend... Lunch... hang out... move back into the dorm.... shower... now

samaritans purse shoe boxes

2005-02-24T13:06:00.000-05:00

All of you who have ever packed a christmas shoe box for samaritans purse should know about a special opportunity, easter shoe boxes for tsunami victims.

question

2005-02-15T14:51:00.000-05:00

OK just a question for all you wonderfully smart US government people.... The Constitution states that we have certain unalianable rights given to us by our creator and that among these are "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Where did God give us these rights? Is this a truth from scripture or are we allowing our American identity to corrupt our thoughts and change what the Bible says. I don't know... I don't know that I can find a place that God gave us these rights. I know God promised hardships and trials but I am not sure about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. So US government students... can you explain this????

hi

2005-02-06T19:02:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,
I am doing well... I have discovered that being an el ed major has wonderful perks!!! I started the weekend with a TON of coloring... Friday night I took my markers and my coloring out to the lobby to watch movies and hang out with other girls. Soon two other girls were coloring with me. Everyone wanted to color! By the time I went to bed on Friday night all my coloring was done. So Mare... you are not the only one to have helped with my homework.
Well my semester is still going well...
Right now I am really looking forward to spring break. Three of my friends and I are taking a train to New York City and staying in a youth hostel there for the week. I made reservations at the hostel last week and I will be making reservations for the train soon. So we will be in NYC for the week! It is going to be tons of fun! We are going to go see everything. I found out last week that as students we can go see Broadway plays for around $20. So hopefully we will go see one. We are talking about going to Phantom of the Opera. Oh and our hostel is RIGHT by Times Square so when we walk out our door every morning we will be in the heart of NYC. Oh and we will try to get on Good Morning America... so watch it March 7-12 and maybe you will see us.

school

2005-01-20T15:03:00.000-05:00

First let me talk about chapel this week. Al Capone's cousin has been our speaker. I thought he was joking when he first told us that, but he really was. He talked a little bit about that and how grateful he was that God saved him from that. He was here to talk about moral purity and spoke the first two days from 1 Thessalonias 4:3-8. One thing that he said that made me think was "we talk about what God calls us to do all the time, but I think from this passage we know with more certainty that God has called us to be morally pure than that God has called you to have your chosen career." He challenged each of us to read that passage 40 times in the next week because "once you do something 40 times it is yours for life". Today he discussed how God can purify those who have fallen and can keep us from falling. He discussed the importance of scripture memory but had a unique (in my opinion) approach to it. He said that all of us can memorize things. We prove that by memorizing commercials and movies. So maybe we need to change our approach. He suggested memorizing verses while brushing your teeth. We all do it "you have probably even read your tooth paste box more than once because what else are you going to do while brushing your teeth". So there you go all you southsiders still in the scripture memory program. Hang up your verses on the bathroom mirror!

Well what else... I am without a roomate this semester. Holly decided to live at home this semester to save money. It is different but I still see her a lot.
My classes are going really well. It is my "pre-professional semester". In the fall I will be a student teacher so that means I will enter the "professional" world. Therefore a lot of my class work is preparing me for that world. There are so many requirements and it is going to be tough but it will be so much fun!
Well that is about all for now...

Merry Christmas

2004-12-25T22:41:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all...
Well lets see what has happened since I blogged last... Well my semester ended. THAT MEANS NO MORE BIO SCIENCE AND NO MORE DR. JEFFEREIS AGAIN EVER! It was a good semester over all. I learned a lot, was challenged to think about my life as a teacher, and spent good time with many friends.
After school ended I came home. Then I began working on my Mom's Christmas present. We had decided to make her a scrap book this year. A family memeber (I won't mention names but her initials are MJR) was supposed to find good pictures to put in it but she didn't even make it to Daniel being born, so Isaac and I looked through and found them. Then I spent the next several days putting it all together. It was really fun to look through all these pictures and remember good stories to put in the book. I finally finished it on Thursday night and wrapped it up an put it under the tree. Well it was kinda a joke in my family that we were getting mom a lap top for Christmas so we decided to play along with it. So when Mary and I went out oh Thursday to copy some pictures (after all that snow... we walked because our cars got stuck) we bought mom a handheld video game. We wrapped that up with a note that said "here is your first lap top, when you master this we will get you a real one". Then we had pictures of Daniel's lap top and made a scrap book page that said "here is a picture of your future lap top. We decided it would take you at least ten years to master the game and by that time Daniel will have a new one so you can have his". Then her final present was the scrap book. It was fun! She was surprised by some of the photos I found from her childhood.
Besides the scrap book I went down to camp for a camp reunion. Then one day this week I worked at Mr. Edwards factory helping with a book order. It was interesting. I would not want to do factory work everyday, but I think it was good because it helped me understand the job that many of my future students parents will have.
Well my parents got me some childrens books written by lynne Cheany (the VP's wife) about our history. They are wonderful and I really enjoyed reading them. They sum up our history very well. One is about women in U.S. history. Another is about the country as a whole. Finally her newest book is about Washington crossing the Deleware. Oh and I better mention what mare got me... She got me a wonderful warm scarf that will keep my neck warm as I walk across campus and two books.
Well now I don't know what I am going to do the rest of break... but that is fine. I am not ready to go back to school yet. I am sure I will be soon, but not yet!
Good night everyone

procrastinating....

2004-12-11T16:01:00.000-05:00

Well it is right before finals week.... SCHOOL IS ALMOST OVER FOR THE SEMESTER!!! My finals week is not going to be real difficult. I have five tests and then 3 class periods. My tests are for professionalism, biology lecture, biology lab, phonics, and origins. My other classes are going to be real fun! For emergent literacy we are telling stories to Kindergarteners (not reading... telling them... acting them out) I am doing Jack and the Beanstalk. My Methods of Science class is going to the Jr. High for a science exhibit. The Jr. Highers are going to use us to experiment on and stuff... little scary but should be fun... Then I have methods of Social studies. We are meeting at six on Wednesday night to eat pizza and talk to some teachers about teaching.
Well right now I have finished ALL my homework except... for biology... I just can't focus on it. My brain has decided that that class is over and I should stop thinking about it. Well the lectures are over but I still have two tests so I need to study.
Well lets see what else is going on... If you are dating someone you probably don't want to come up here. I have had two friends break up with their boyfriends this week. It is really sad! One of them I found out about on Wednesday on the way to chaple. She was my suite mate freshman year. Since her freshman year (she is a year ahead of me in school) she has been friends with this guy. Many people thought they would begin dating at some point and they did this past summer. Well last Sunday night they decided they made better friends than a couple so they broke up. I was sad. As she was telling us that they had broken up she shared that it was hard but she knew it was right. Then she talked about how her and her ex were still going to be friends which is what she values most from him. That made me happy because they have been friends for years! Well this morning at brunch my RA told me that her boyfriend (whom she has dated for 4 years) and her broke up last night... I am sad... They were a cute couple and I have enjoyed getting to know them.
Well I am going to try to study my bio now...
Can you guys believe I updated again?

long time

2004-12-03T20:20:00.000-05:00

Wow it has been over a month since I updated! Lets see what has happened in my life... well I started dating got engaged and am eloping tomorrow... no just kidding... Actually not much has happened at all. My easy semester suddenly turned into a difficult semester with all kinds of homework. Really my life has consisted of going to classes, doing homework, and trying to find a moment to spend hanging out with friends. I have created so many lesson plans and so many projects! Then there is bio science. I would not want anyone, even someone I hated with all my being, (and no one is allowed to comment that we should love everyone because this is simply hypothetical) to have to sit through a science class with Dr. Jefferies.
But now all this is almost over. I have one final weekend of studying and creating projects and then I will be mainly done. I have one week of classes left and the finals week! Soon I will be heading home for break!
My friend, Deana, gave me a Christmas present tonight. It was a gift certificate to buy something from her Mary Kay supply! I was so excited! I have been wanting to buy Satin Hands for awhile but I haven't been able to justify spending the money. Now I will just spend $8 and get the set!
I think that is about all that has been happening here... well we are going to watch Serendipity now so I will write more another time... Everyone have a good night.

Interesting story...

2004-10-26T09:19:00.000-05:00

This week is the conference on Missions here at school. We have missionaries from all over the world here to talk to us and stuff. Well last night my growth group met with a man who works for a middle east missionary organization. He shared many stories with us about how God was working in the middle east. One however seemed especially amazing. It was about the Passion of Christ... Now before I lose everyone who is sick of hearing about the movie please read on to see how God has used this controversial film for his purposes... I don't know if you remember but when the movie was about to be released a rumor got started (a lie) that the film was anti - semantic. Well here in the US some people didn't want to see it because of that. However, in the middle east everyone was like "an anti semantic movie, I want to see that". All of a sudden movie theateres all through the middle east were showing it. These theateres were packed for weeks on end. Many of these theateres were in contries that are completely closed to the gospel. They are countries that Christians get killed in. They are countries that missionaries are not allowed in. They have the strictest islamic code. But they showed The Passion of Christ! Christians working in some of those countries had the opportunity to go to the theateres as the movie let out. People were crying. People were asking questions like "did he really say that? Did he really ask God to forgive those people who had beat him so brutally? Is this a true story? Where can I learn more". These are countries that Mission organizations have wanted to reach for years but were having great difficulty reaching because of laws in the country. But because someone said the movie was anit semantic the government allowed the movie to be shown and introduced countless muslims to the story of the cross for the first time.
That story is amazing to me. It was nothing that anyone did! People had tried to act and had prayed for these countries for decades! However, God used a movie to introduce these muslims to the story of grace.
God used a movie that many Christians are unsure about to bring the gospel message into the lives of muslims and encourage them to ask questions about Christ. Their only knowledge of Christ is that he is a good prophet. Now many know that he died and that in his death he forgave others and that he claimed to be God. That type of grace is unheard of in the Muslim world!

life

2004-10-22T17:17:00.000-05:00

Well I did something today for the first time... I was looking for some books and they are really expensive so I decided to check Ebay for them. Well they weren't there but while I was looking I found 20 dr. Seuss books for sell... Well I LOVE Dr. Seuss so I decided to bid on them. Yep! I bid on Ebay. Well I ended up winning and so I have 20 Dr. Seuss books coming in the mail! I am excited because I like Dr. Seuss but also this is a wonderful start to my library for when I am a teacher! I payed less than $2 for each of them and they are all hard back in good condition! Yeah that was fun! I have entered the world of buying things through ebay... I must say I think it could be addicting... It is a little like a sport... you have to figure out how to bid so you can outbid someone else.

Well not much else is going on... I came back to school after a wonderful fall break and I had a major test on Thursday. I must have done really well on it because my mid term grade in the class is a little higher than i expected... so that was happy!

Well just thought I would share a little bit of joy with all 2 of you who read my blog :-) but it made Mary happy for me to get one!

quotes of the debate last night

2004-10-14T07:44:00.000-05:00

Well I just wanted to share with those of you who missed the debate some wonderful enlightenment that you missed. The whole loby laughed out loud when Kerry said this and I looked at the transcript to make sure we heard it correctly. Well here it goes

"It is against the law in the United States to hire people illegally"
Senator Kerry
Presidential Debate
October 13, 2004

Wow thanks! I never would have guessed. He really cleared that up for me!

WMD's in Iraq

2004-10-07T09:36:00.000-05:00

Well with the new update on WMD's in Iraq I decided to share two thoughts I have about the report and on the subject.
First: The report did state that Iraq could have developed WMD's within a few months! It also stated that there is still the possibilities that the WMD's were smuggled to another country such as Syria in the days leading up to the war.
Conclusion: Perhaps Iraq had actual WMD's at the start of the war, but perhaps they didn't.
This leads me to my second point
Second: Everyone believed that Iraq had WMD's before the war began. No one (that I can remember) in the UN was debating this point. What was being debated was whether we should pass another UN measure or invade Iraq. President Bush looked at the facts according to what everyone believed at the time
- Saddam has WMD's
- Saddam has not abided by terms of the treaty set out at the end of the gulf war that he would allow weapons inspectors to inspect freely.
- Saddam had used WMD's against his people and others
In addition he looked at this type of evidence
- A key AlQuaida agent by the name of Zarqawi was believed to be in Bagdhad ever since the Taliban fell.
Note: if the name Zarqawi sounds familiar it should that is the same man that has been seen on video beheading US civilians such as Nicholas Beard.
- The human rights crisis where anyone who spoke against Saddam was murdered or family was raped etc.
Note: When we invaded our troops found mass graves. They released a prison full of starving children whose crime was not publically embracing Saddam as a benevolant dictator.

No one is discussing these type of things today. But the things Bush looked at when he decided to go to war have either been proven (Zarqawi's involvment in Iraq and a human rights crisis) or were commonly thought.

Therefore this was the decision Bush had to make. Do we continue to use diplomatic means that we have tried for the last ten years or do we follow through with our threats and act? Bush chose to act on the information because he (and by the way John Kerry and John Edwards looked at the same information and also decided this) believed Saddam to be a threat to our nation. Diplomatic means had not worked in the previous ten years and Bush said enough is enough lets act!

interesting movie

2004-09-23T16:13:00.000-05:00

check this preview to a movie being released September 28 in response to Michael Moore's Fairenheight 9/11

new stance in the pro-life debate

2004-09-22T20:07:00.000-05:00

Note: read this whole post before drawing conclusions!
Well we had a chapel speaker today who spoke about abortion. He really made me think a lot and so I have come up with my firm stance on abortion. All these years I have been wrong. I need to stop and just let a women have their right to choose. Furthermore I think every prolife/ right wing zealot needs to sit down and stop trying to force their views on women after all women have the right to choose. What right have we to stop a women from choosing. I believe we have all been wrong all thees years and I will work hard to stop all pro-life movements if scientifically someone can prove to me that a fetus is not a human. You see I do believe women have a right to choose. Women have a right to choose what man they date, what man they marry, where they live, what kind of car they drive, what school they go to, what job they get.
I got this argument from Scott Klusendorf. This is a prolife activist. He believes Christians have gotten a lot of things wrong. He began a debate at a secular campus against a prominent pro-abort with this type of speech. What does this do? It focus the debate to one question is an infant a human. The thing is no one can prove scientifically that a fetus is not human. In fact most of the evidence supports that they are. He shared with us a useful word to remember this. Babies are the same as us except for four things and that is SLED, size, level of development, environment, and degree of dependency. If we think about this logically than it follows that men are more valuable than women because they are bigger. Secondly a twelve year old is more valuable than a four year old because he is more developed. Third when you move from outside to inside do you change? Of course not you are the same person your surroundings simply changed. Finally if we measure by degree of dependency than all those on kidney machines are less valuable than those of us that are not. These arguments simply do not make sense. It was a neat message. It was powerful to force me to think about what the true issue in abortion is. The issue we need to focus on is whether a baby is a human or not. This is vital in our debate. Christians need to engage the world with the truth. When we do we see results. This man has debated major pro-choice activists across the country. He has been able to share with others more about the truth. One of the best stories he shared with us was after he debated in Iowa sharing the scientific facts about life a women came up and talked to him. This women simply said "your a man". Without thinking he immeadiatly shot back "how do you know". At that point he said he shocked even himself but he went on with it. She replied"cause your dressed like one".
"Maybe I am a cross dresser"
"You look like one"
"Maybe I had a gender change"
"You have a deep voice"
"So do a lot of women"
He shared that often when he has argued logically proaborts have nothing to say but attacking who he is. That attack is not valid because who he is does not change the facts but also who women say the smae things. I higly encourage listening to this man if you ever get the opportunity. He is enjoyable and has a lot of good truth to share!

Saddam/Alquadia link?

2004-09-17T08:31:00.000-05:00

An article at Fox News is reporting indications that Saddam used the UN oil for food money to help fund Al Quadia. This is very interesting. There is evidence in classified UN documents. Would this not be an interesting development. Maybe the Bush administration knew what they were doing all along? Oh wait! I forgot they are incompetent! They can't know what they are doing. Who trusts a cowboy from Teaxas anyway?
Well if this is true hopefully the news media at large will report it. CNN just has a story about how Iraq is falling apart and is hopless on its cover page.

interesting article

2004-09-09T13:25:00.000-05:00

here is an article you all should read it discusses Bush's military record in detail ALL OF IT!

hello

2004-09-05T09:25:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! How are all of you? Well I will start with an update on the room. We were able to find a used couch for only $20. A friend of mine who just got married was selling some old furniture. Well it is one of those 70's couches with the stripes of brown in different colors so we got a full size sheet to cover it. So that was the beginning of our "living area" of our room ( we are joking about how we almost have an apartment this year because we have our sleeping area, a bunk bed; our study area, desks on the wall; our kitchen, a microwave and fridge; and our living area. Well to get back to the living area my roomies Mom had made us a rug out of a HUGE beach towel (It was more the size of a blanket) and they had another one so we turned half of it into a huge pillow that sits on our floor. Then we also needed pillows for our couch. So we bought some hand towels at walmart and sewed two pillows. They are a bright blue and green. Then we also have a lamp in the corner. It looks so homey. I love our room this year!
Well besides the room not a lot has happened here. I have more homework now. Oh let me tell you about my biology class. My prof is crazy. I never really know what he is talking about or what it has to do with the subject. He is one of those teachers who is always telling you what you will learn in the future but not explaining what we are supposed to be learning now. It is a good thing I was homeschooled because I am used to figuring things out on my own. But he really is a very nice man! Well last night we went to rent a movie and for the third time it was not there. You see my roomie really wants to see the Prince and ME and blockbuster never has it. So we went to walmart to see how much it was and it was $20 so we didn't buy it. But we started looking at some of the older movies and between Holly and I we left with 4! I bought Simon Birch and Yours mine and ours. Simon Birch is an excellent movie and if you have not seen it I highly recommend it. I think it has a very good message (we all have a God given purpose no matter our size) and it is just so funny and then at the same time so sad. We all laughed and cried our way through it last night. Yours mind and ours is a movie with lucilia Ball in it that was made in 1968. I have watched it with my grandma before and remember it being good. So really when we left walmart we had each spent the same amount that it cost for the Prince and Me but we ended up with some good movies to add to our colection.
Well in case you didn't get a chance to see the Republican National Convention there are some wonderful speeches and they are still available to view at www.gopconvention.com. Besides the obvious choice of the presidents speech I highly recomend Maryland's Lt. Governor's speech. I can't remember his name but that speech was wonderful. There was also a speech given by a democrat (his name was Zell Miller or something like that) that was wonderful.
Since the convention Bush has gotten major boosts in the polls. Well I don't really believe in the polls because they are so fickle but it has been somewhat encouraging to see.
Well recently I have heard many good Chrisitian people saying things about how we should not vote for Bush. I would like to say that I disagree completely! And here are some reasons that I believe as Christians and good citizens we should vote for Bush!
Note: these are quotes from things that they have said
1. Abortion
Bush - it is wrong and I will appoint Federal Judges who believe that
Kerry - My faith tells me it is wrong but I can't put my faith on other people so I can't change the law.
2. National Defense
Bush - Whether you agree with him or not (I personally agree with much of what he has done on this issue) you know where he stands.
Kerry - I voted for the $87billion defense plan before I voted against it. Changing your mind I believe is a good thing at times but I believe we need a president who knows what the role of American defense should be.

Now many people think that we should vote for Bush because of spending issues or his stance on the defense of marriage act. I don't agree with either of these. Bush I do not believe is a conservitive spender. He keeps adding new programs so that is not a good issue. And the Defense of Marriage Act I do not believe is a good thing and possibly unconstitutional. I do believe that homosexual relations are wrong but I don't believe the Bible teaches they are more wrong than say an adulterous relationship. As I look at the rights of citizens I do not think that we can deny these people the right to be married from a legal stand point. And from a moral stand point I don't think it is my job as a Christian to make sure people outside the church are living correctly. I think God gives us the responsibility of people in the church to begin with. So I think the church as a whole is very hypocritical when they make statements saying that homosexual marriages are wrong but perform marriages for people who have been divorced and want to marry another person. Or when the church ignores adultery. I am not speaking of a particular branch of the church hear but of the church as a whole. Therefore I do not support the Defense of Marriage Act from a legal standpoint nor from a moral because it is hypocritical. Now I know many who read this blog will disagree and the first time I heard this position I did also but the more thinking, praying, and research I do the more I am convinced the Defense of Marriage act is not a good thing.

All this to say I believe Bush is the right person for the job! But I do not agree with everything he does.

Sorry this was so long! Have a great day... I am off to church!

I wonder if anyone checks my blog anymore

2004-08-25T19:21:00.000-05:00

Well I thnk I will give everyone a little update on my life (or I will just write for myself since I am sure everyone has given up on me ever updating). Well camp ended and that was sad. But then a week later I packed up and came here to school. My first week here I had a training conference for leadership. I am a small group Bible Study leader for my hall this year so that is why I was in training. The first few days all the student leaders went on a camping trip (to the school soccer fields) where we did a lot of challenges and things. It was an enjoyable time. We did not end up camping out because a huge storm came through so we loaded up on busses and drove back to the rec center and spent the night there and went back to "camp" in the morning. The next couple days we had various meeting about college specific things (the new computer network etc.) and then we also had a meeting specificlly for those of us in the Growth Group Leader position (me) It was a good challenging time. Then this past weekend all the freshman and transfers moved in and finally Monday the returning students moved in. It has been a good time. The only real problem I have right now is my room has this empty corner that we really want to put a couch in but we can't find a couch we like. There is this factory damaged furniture sale happening in town this weekend so we are hoping to find one there but if we don't I don't know what we will do. I want a couch because it will be nice when I have my weekly Bible Studies to have somewhere to sit but also it is just nice to have one to study on. Classes started today and I only had two so I don't have a lot of homework. Well I don't really know what else to tell about. I just thought I would share what is happening. oh and go to Mare's blog if you want to see how my house is falling apart (although you have probably already seen all that). Well have a great day everyone and God Bless

time to blog

2004-07-31T19:32:00.000-05:00

Well since the last time I blogged I have been at camp for a week (a somewhat boring week because we had a rental camp and then a small Wheeler camp). The next week began with a pool party at the Nelson home (Cal Nelson is the guy who hired me and I work with two of his sons, Adam and Jared). At the pool party we also had a team golf competition. The prize was a $10.00 chiles gift certificate. My team began the day with three people who had never played (me being one of them) more than putt putt and we ended by winning by 4 strokes. The rest of the week was spent at the community center in Indianapolis. It was a neat experience. We lived on the seventh floor in the dorms there. During the day we helped out with various activities at the mission. The guys and Karyn ran a basketball camp and the girls helped pick up kids for the camp and then helped with various other activities. Two of the days I went on home visits with a couple field workers. This meant three or four of us piled into a van and visited children who have been involved in club at the center. It was neat to see the environments that the kids with whom I have been working all summer come from. It was also difficult! I saw the shows that were watched in front of these children. Shows that I would never consider watching myself and children as young as 1 were in the room seeing them. I saw alcohol being used excessively. I even saw some drug use. This really made me think about the words of an 80 year old volunteer at camp. I was talking to this lady one day and she said "with the problems these people have in their lives it is a wonder that they are doing as well as they are. I would go and jump off a bridge if I had half the problems." That is so true! I cannot imagine growing up in that home life and experiencing those things and surviving it. Many wonder why so many kids coming from these environments begin a life of crime. Today I wonder why these kids don't begin sooner. I also wonder that we can be shocked by it. We admit that man is totally depraved. This totally depraved child begins life by seeing drug use and violence. What else can we expect but that this totally depraved child will have no respect for the law and begin a life of crime. Finally I am shocked that any of these kids come to faith in Christ and learn to lean on him. I know some kids who come from the worst of these homes who today are living their lives for Christ! What grace God shows man. To think that these people who are my friends could have followed the examples their parents set for them and begin a life of crime makes me realize that God has been gracious in my life. Well enough reflection on that.... One afternoon I was able to go putt putting with a group of pre schoolers....that was so much fun... if you have never seen little kids try to hit a golf ball you really need to have that experience. Well that week finally came to an end and it impressed on me more of a desire to spend my life working in the inner city. I got home about ten on Friday night. We had to leave my house around 6 on Saturday morning in order to be on time for my two o'clock meeting at Calvin for counselors. Calvin was good. I enjoyed seeing people I hadn't seen in awhile. Ted Donnelly's messages were challenging. I also had a wonderful time hanging out with the Jr. Highers (I was a jr high counselor) That is such a neat age and I loved it. Well that brings us up to the presant. Tomorrow I will head back to camp for my last week there... I cannot believe that summer is almost over and I will never be able to work at camp Hunt again (the Camp is changing to a Chemical addiction recovery program for men) Oh well we will have a good week and then we will go our seperate ways. I think many of us our planning on working at the community Center next year so we will see each other just in a different capacity. After camp ends I have a week before I have to head back to school.... I am excited about that I have missed my school friends this summer and am ready to see them again.... Well I will go now

Oh and just a message to all who do ratings of people's blogs.... My blog was never meant to be updated reguarly....I don't have time... However when I do update I will give you a good over view of what has been happening in my life and careful consideration of the world...and this summer (as I have stated many times) I have access to computers seldomly.... have a nice day

wow!

2004-07-10T10:18:00.000-05:00

What a week! This week we had the 10-12 year old boys at camp and it was a week packed full of stuff. the staff had responsibilities from 7:30 in the morning till 10 or 11 at night! It was also quite a wild group. 4 boys were sent home for misbehavior and many others had to miss activities and help with chores around camp. The way the camp was run was also very different. In the mornings we went into Bloomington for a Sports Challenge VBS program at a church there and then we would come back for lunch and spend our afternoon doing rotations at camp. After dinner the counselors all had a meeting together and the rest of the staff played with the kids. then we would have chapel and snack and they would head to bed. Nothing really happened on Tuesday it was a smooth day. On Wednesday the VBS did not meet but the church put a program on for us where the kids learned to box and then got to box against the state boxing champion who goes to church there. That evening during game time the "fun" began. We had a 3 on 3 basketball tournament going on. You would think this game was the biggest deal in the world. The kids were getting so angry at everything. Our ISS had to hold a kid down on the ground to keep him from hitting someone. Then while that was going on another team lost and one of the kids got very angry. He and another kid started walking away from the playground area where they all were supposed to stay so I followed him and asked him to come back. He shrugged me off so I just kept walking with him and he just yelled about how he wanted to be alone. I told him he could be alone he just had to come back to the playground. Well we walked by the maintanance guys cabin and Justin one of our maintenence guys was there and he came out and helped me and the kid was furious with him but Justin brought the kid back to the playground. The next day I was sitting in VBS and these two kids were play fighting a little but I told them to stop because these kids cannot play fight without gettin into a real fight usually. Well they didn't listen and all of a sudden it was a real fight and I and a couple other staff people got in the middle and broke it up. THose two sat out of the activities that moring. Well that day we were in the water camp so we had water baloons and a couple round 3 foot deep pools and a slip n slide. Well Thursday was not a very warm day and in the morning it was freezing. I was not planning on getting wet but I was there to help out. Anyway I was standing there and I see Adam and Travis talking and I realize they are going to throw me in the pool. So I sit down hoping they won't do it because I am already cold. Well they keep coming so I start yelling that I have tennis shoes on so they pull those off and one grabs my arms and one grabs my legs and they throw me in the pool. It was really funny but I was really cold the rest of the morning. The rest of Thursday went well. There was a problem all day with one camper and Travis was able to talk to him Thursday night and the camper asked about how he could recieve Christ and the camper did accept Christ Thursday night. This was a camper who everyone remembered from last year because of the problems he caused and he was sent home so it was exciting. Friday at VBS we had some fun. WE had ice cream sundaes for snack and I was sitting there talking to a kid when someone all of a sudden starts rubbing whipped cream all over my face. I turn around and of course it was Adam so I chase him a little and wipe the whipped cream all over his shirt. Then I go and wash my face in the bathroom. I go back outside and go over to talk with Adam and Travis. Travis picks up a bowl of ice cream to eat so I grab it from Travis and pretend to smear it in Adam's face and then hand it back to Travis where Travis then takes the ice cream and smears it in my face. It was really funny so I go wash my face again.
Well God also worked in some unique ways at this camp. At VBS there was a chance everyday for children to pray the sinners prayer and then raise their hand to indicate they did. Many of our campers raised their hands several times throughout the week. As the counselors watched this they knew it was a problem and were able to talk to these boys in depth about what it means to be saved and eternal security and things like that. It was very beneficial. All in all the week was a good week. my stories about the boys fighting probably made it sound like these were horid kids but many of them were wonderful, had wonderful attitudes (most of the time) and really made camp enjoyable. It was probably my favorite week yet this summer!

What a month!

2004-07-03T20:34:00.000-05:00

Well I haven't posted in a long time because I have been at camp. I have been very busy! but I have also had lots of fun! Working at camp is one of the best things to do with your summer. I work with 13 other people and we have all become very close. One of the things we have had most fun with is creating pranks for the other sex. It all started when Adam threw me in the lake with my jeans and sandels on. Since then we have created posters to tease him with. We also got our boss and the camp secretary to help us write a note that said he was not going to be allowed to go on a staff trip to Holliday World because he had broken rules... it was really funny! He didn't really believe it for very long but he said it was the most creative prank ever pulled at camp... so I appreciated that! We have had 4 camps for kids and 3 family camps. The kids camps come in on Monday and leave on Thursday usually then the family camp comes in on Friday and leaves Sunday morning. Sunday nights we usually have a time of prayer and orientation with the staff and volunteers for the next week of camp so we haven't had a lot of time off. God has really blessed the camp with several children accepting Christ into their lives at each camp. The camp this past week (10-12 year old girls) was amazing! The last night many of the girls asked Christ into their hearts! It was amazing. The staff is now praying that these girls will truly live differently as a result of this decision. I could tell stories about camp for the next two hours but I won't bore all of you with it. It truly has been an amazingly fun time and I am grateful for the way God has been at work in my life, the lives of my fellow staff members and the life of the campers that we desire to influence!

camp...

2004-05-30T20:16:00.000-05:00

Well so far training for camp has been fun...(oh kat...I am working at Camp Hunt - Wheeler Mission's Camp for inner City kids). They were not able to find enough guys to work there this summer so there is not a guy arts and crafts instructor or archery instructor. It should work out it just means that I will not be a counselor at all this summer. There are several people back from last years staff. Both Nature instructors (Emily and Justin), the head lifeguard and male assitant (Jared and Adam), our female archery instructor (Amanda), and I. Jason and Justin are also back as maintanace guys. Our new staff members seem to be a lot of fun and have fit right in with the rest of us so I think it should be a good summer.
We really haven't done much...learned some camp games...fun I get payed to play tag! Went on a trail ride with the horse crew ... yep got payed to do that!
and then worked through a little of our training manual.
On Friday night we had a bonfire and spent the night at the archery range. It was a lot of fun...
Right now there are a lot of storms (tornados) and stuff in the area so I should probably get off the computer... Oh I was watching the TV and they showed a traffic cam a few miles from my house (465 and 65 for those who know the area) and there was this huge storm cloud. All of a sudden a funnel cloud came out of it and touched down on the ground. It was neat to see but it was also really scary because I knew it was hitting an area with homes and businesses... so far the pictures don't look horrible but there were homes severly damaged and many people are without power.

CAMP!!

2004-05-26T19:47:00.000-05:00

Well it is finally time (almost) for camp to start. Training starts at ten tomorrow morning! I am so excited! I don't really know when I will be around. Once we actually have campers (in about a week and a half) we have campers every day except the tenth through the month of June... So I will be busy... but when I do have time to post I know I will have some good stories because life with campers is never dull and then there is the staff... I don't know everyone who is working there this summer but the people I do know...wow we should have fun! Well I need to finish packing... I will probably be back this weekend but I don't know that for sure...so everyone have fun...till later

terrorist using kidnapping

2004-05-25T17:10:00.000-05:00

just ran across this article outlining the techniques in Al Queda training manuals to kidnap someone and use them for their own purposes. Daniel Pearl's kidnapping is used as an example.

I'm back...

2004-05-25T16:44:00.000-05:00

Well DC was fun... We got to Daniel's apartment early Sunday morning... then we went to his church on Sunday and went to a family's house for lunch...
Monday morning Mom dropped the girls and I off at the subway station and we headed into DC. We went to Chinatown to begin with but there was really nothing there so we walked towards DC and ended up by the White House and then headed over to the mall (note...it has come to my attention that many do not know what the mall in Washington is it is not a place to shop. Instead it is wher the memorials (lincoln, washington, jefforson, war memorials etc are) Well we checked out the new World War II memeorial (it was just opened and hasn't even been dedicated yet but will be this weekend so we were some of the first people to have seen it). Well then we went to the Holocaust museum. I twas increadible! I highly recommend it! You get a booklet containing the information of someone caught up in the Holocaust and read it as you go through. My person died in Warsaw, Poland during the war. I was amazed by how wicked Hitler really was. I knew the stuff from history but I never really thought about it. The museum really brought it to life! Part of the display was on the issue of whether the US should have done something to stop this genocide before the war ended (some had suggested bombing austwitch (sp) in 1943 or so) If that had happened it could have stopped the mass murder taking place at that prison. However, it would have killed everyone inside and Hitler could us that (the killing of civilians) as propaganda against the allies so they never did bomb it. As I thought about this I wished we had done something sooner but then my mind went to the current world situation. Now I am by no means saying Saddam and Hitler are the same by what I am about to say because I don't think there is another Hitler out there! However, Saddam was killing his own people. He did have children in prison. There were mass graves. Family members did disappear. Speaking against Saddam often led to death. I saw so many similarities. And the US led coalition went in to Iraq to stop this (along with the threat of terror he brought to the world). To me it just cemented in my mind more the rightness of the invasion.
Well after the museum we rented a paddle boat and headed out onto the Potamac river for awhile. While we were out there a military helicopter flew over at us and landed in the White House area. A few minutes later it flew back. Well I don't know for sure that the President was at the White House but he did have to be in Pennsylvania for his speech so I think the helicopter was picking up our president and he flew right over us! thats my story at least. Well the Potamac was beautiful! Afterwards we found a stand to buy FBI, CIA sweatshirts for the girls and I ended up getting a pink tie die FBI t-shirt...Well we drove through the night and got here about nine this morning... I don't sleep well in cars so I went to sleep when I got home and woke up at about two...
well thats all for now... AND CAMP STARTS ON THURSDAY!!! FINALLY I WILL HAVE STUFF TO DO (camp goes till August ninth and I have to move into my dorm on August 16th for a week of leadership training so my summer is pretty much over... no more being board!)

life...

2004-05-22T09:38:00.000-05:00

Well I am heading to the DC - Maryland area today... Monday the Rebekah Mary and I will explore DC...Should be fun... But hopefully we won't have any Grenades in the capitol building incidents... well Isaac won't be there so we should be safe (he causes those problems)...

I went to the outlet mall in edinburgh yesterday with Mia and Christie and their friend Jess. On the way down all these dump trucks turned in front of us. I got in the other lane and pulled up next to one at a stop light. All of a sudden this guy is waving at us and smiling... Oh my he was like like 40... Well we just bust out laughing and he is accelerating and I just let him go by and pull in behind him. And we can see him in his mirror laughing at us... It was so funny. Well I didn't really buy anything for me but I hit the Claire's 10 for $5 thing and got all kinds of prizes for camp this summer. The thing I was most excited about was a pink doorbell thing that we will use on our cabin door...should be funny. I also got a miniture pool game to play during free time... and then just normal prizes like lip gloss and eye shadow and some toys and jewelry and hair things. But really there wasn't much else to buy.

in their own words

2004-05-21T18:11:00.000-05:00

I just ran across this letter from one of our troops over seas.

This is a letter from Ray Reynolds, a medic in the Iowa Army National Guard, serving in Iraq:

As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay in Iraq, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not believe the media. They have done a very poor job of covering everything that has happened. I am sorry that I have not been able to visit all of you during my two week leave back home. And just so you can rest at night knowing something is happening in Iraq that is noteworthy, I thought I would pass this on to you. This is the list of things that has happened in Iraq recently:

(Please share it with your friends and compare it to the version that your paper is producing.)

* Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
* School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.
* Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons stored there so education can occur.
* The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be off-loaded from ships faster.
* The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August.
* Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in Iraq.
* The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before the war.
* 100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed, compared to 35% before the war.
* Elections are taking place in every major city, and city councils are in place.
* Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
* Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
* Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.
* Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US soldiers.
* Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.
* Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to prevent the spread of germs.
* An interim constitution has been signed.
* Girls are allowed to attend school.
* Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the first time in 30 years.

Don't believe for one second that these people do not want us there. I have met many, many people from Iraq that want us there, and in a bad way. They say they will never see the freedoms we talk about but they hope their children will. We are doing a good job in Iraq and I challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me on these facts. So If you happen to run into John Kerry, be sure to give him my email address and send him to Denison, Iowa. This soldier will set him straight. If you are like me and very disgusted with how this period of rebuilding has been portrayed, e-mail this to a friend and let them know there are good things happening.

Ray Reynolds, SFC
Iowa Army National Guard
234th Signal Battalion"

What is happening in Iraq?

2004-05-21T18:02:00.000-05:00

Well I have been saying for days that our people are really helping in Iraq. Today I ran across a web site that shares some of that information and I thought I would pass it on to all of you
soldiers in Iraq

Question

2004-05-20T11:28:00.000-05:00

Is having denominations OK? What would Christ say about them. If you look at history some (not all) denominations split over little things like if it was ok to use zippers instead of buttons. Legalistic things that the Bible does not address. But Christ's command is to Love. He tells us that the mark of a Christian is their love. So is it OK to have denominations. I know the church I grew up in has four churches in one block on its road. However I have never done anything with those churches. Is this OK are we showing the world Christ's love as we live this way. Or does the world then have the right to say (as many do) "christian's can't even figure out what they believe so why should I join them?" If the world will know us by our love if we don't show love are we being a good witness? Just a thought but maybe Christ's "Blessed are the Peacemakers" statement in Matthew 5 would help Christians.
My personal belief. There are some things that are very clear in scripture that everyone agrees on. There are other things that we don't. but one thing that is very clear is that we must show love to other Christians and the world. Perhaps we should pay more attention to those commands and get that right before we start emphasizing things like who to baptize, or what to sing, or what predestination and fee will mean. Lets get back to the basics of showing love for all Christians! If we start doing that then maybe our discussions on theological issues would be much more benificial and we can maybe start working through differences and begin working together.
My challenge: Therefore as we have opportunity let us do good to all, ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO ARE OF THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH!
The Apostle Paul
Galations 6:10
What a difference we would make if we followed this!

big frustration

2004-05-20T11:03:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else find it funny that the news media and all these citizens know more about foreign policy than the President of the United States and his advisors and the security agencies? And I am talking about everything the WMD's, the prison scandel, the subject of who is winning the war. Yesterday in the congressional prison abuse hearings a senator read to the generals from Iraq who were appearing news stories and asked if they were true. The generals time and time again said what the news media was reporting was false. And what was the senators response to these men who have put their lives on the line for our freedom for years? THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE THEM! Many indicated they believed the news media not the generals who were there. Why? Does the media have access to inteligence? Were they in the prisons when the abuse took place? Have they personally talked to the people involved? NO! The media does not have access to our inteligence! The media was not in the prisons when the abuse took place (oh and the media did not show the military the abuse the military was practically done investigating the abuse before the media even found out). And they have not personally (to my knowledge talked to anyone involved in it). They have talked to lawyers and family members of the people involved but that is it. So why should we believe the media? They don't have the information the generals do. And frankly in my opinion many in the media do not have the charactor of military personel who have risked their life for my safety and freedom for years.
Know lets talk about WMD'S all we have hard from the media is the administration lied about Iraq having WMD's. Well lets see
Fact: it has been known for years that Iraq had these weapons.
Fact: Saddam Claimed they were gone.
Fact: Saddam would not allow weapons inspectors to search for them.
Fact: Saddam had lied about having weapons before.
Fact: Saddam did have the capability to use these weapons because he had used them on his own people.
FAct: our inteligence agencies found good indication he had WMD's and intended to use them.
But the news media says it was a lie. Well what does the news media base that on? I cant think of one thing.
Fact: WMD's have not been found.
Oh wait... They were found the other day. And currently there is a big concern in the inteligence world that the stockpiles of WMD's that they believe (knew) Sadddam had before the war have fallen into the wrong hands and will be used against our troops soon. But I suppose that to will be the administrations fault because they didn't do something correctly.
Oh and winning the war. If you look at the news media you would think the US was losing the war like nothing else. Well lets look at the facts
Fact: 200,000 US troops are in Iraq
Fact: Some are being attacked.
Fact: Many are living at peace with and helping Iraqis rebuild their country
Fact: Many troops who have been over there or are currently over there say the news media is not showing what they saw while there (I have a friend whose fiancee is currently over there. Before he went his commanding officer told him to not listen to what the news was saying and let his family know not to listen because it simply is not accurate and would cause needless worry.)
Fact: Life in Iraq is easier today! The majority of Iraqi's would agree with that.
The media
Fact: troops are dying
Fact: we are being attacked
ok those are true. But who is attacking us? The same terrorist agency has been implicated in the attacks in IRaq as in the attacks of 9-11. In fact we know that at least one high level officer in the agency is in Iraq because he beheaded Nick Berg on tape. So the same people are killing us today who killed us on 9-11. But we are capturing more of their people and breaking up the organization more every day. I don't think we are losing the war.
Just wanted to share my thoughts that just because the news media, or a teacher, or even I say something does not make it true. We don't have all the information. So at some point we have to trust the judgement of our leaders who we elected to make good decisions to protect us.

PACERS WON!

2004-05-18T23:26:00.000-05:00

Eight more games...that is all the pacers need to win this season...eight more...Of course they will win the championship while I am at camp and I won't be able to see it and experience the joy...That frustrates me but since training starts May 27 and camp goes through August I will be out of touch with the world and not be able to see the game... well I will just have to have someone record the awards ceremony and part of each game and keep the paper so I can experience it later... well have a great night

Iraq WMD's

2004-05-17T14:13:00.000-05:00

To everyone out there who has been saying that Bush lied to us I would just like to point out the news of the day. WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION FOUND IN IRAQ! For months I have listened to people saying they were not there because we had not found them. However, I was also listening to top iraq scientists saying they were there. Well the news media here and in England have attacked Bush and Blair for months saying they lied to us about what technology iraq had so we would support the war. Had any of these news media seen the intelegence reports? NO! But if we aren't willing to share our inteligence the news media claims we are lying. Well a little hint about inteligence... if the citizens of your country know what inteligence you have so do your enemies... hmmm how much would that inteligence help our cause? just a question... Well I hope that the news media will apoligize for their unfounded accusations against our president and Britain's prime ministe. Both of these positions deserve more respect than the news media have given them. However, I am almost positive they won't. In fact some orginazations have already said "they aren't weapons of mass destruction" oh get ready for this... to be WMD's they would have to be shot through the air and they have not been used in that way... I say whatever...they have the chemicals that the news media has been claiming were not in Iraq! Oh and just so you know what a top iraqi scientists has to say about these findings... "you will find more" The news media hates this! all of a sudden the invasion of Iraq has all the things that Bush said would be there and more. How can they fight it now? Well I can tell you this prison scandal is going to be their life blood... Oh but wait news on that too... Turns out Lawyers have adviced the Bush administration that the Geneva Convention does not cover terrorists... who are the prisoners in those photos??? you guessed it Men with suspected terrorists links... so guess what those men did not have the rights of enemey combatants. And I am not excusing the few soldiers involved actions (and might I point out neither are our leaders) what they did was horrendous but the men they did it to were men who had participated in activity that killed citizens of our and our allies countries. Many also had information about future activity that they were not willing to share. Were all the techniques that the media is talking about torture? um really none of it was but some was inappropriate...the pictures of sexual conduct are disgusting...but lets look at some others...making soldiers stand for hours. Some would say that is horrendous. um just a thought but that is a common punishment in grade schools across the world. I have a friend that grew up in South Korea and that is a common practice (only they have to put their nose in a dot on a blackboard that is just above their height level so they have to stand on tip toes)... um I don't think that is exactly inhumane. Keeping people off a regular schedule so they don't know what day or time it is is another technique. Although I would never want that treatment it is not exactly inhumane. In fact it is a common interogation practice...it has been practiced forever. That way the person begins to rely on their captors as their only source of stability and are far more open. Lets remember that our goal was to find information that would save lives!
Well just a few thoughts...oh and guess what? There are Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq...Bush and Blair actually knew something...I know shocker...they might be smarter than Tom Brokaw...or maybe even than gasp Ted Kennedy...or wait...there is no way they could be smarter than...John Kerry...no way we all know he is brilliant

have a great day!

Nick Berg

2004-05-14T13:45:00.000-05:00

Ok so all this furror aroud Nick Berg's (the American civillian in Iraq) death is really getting to me. Everyone is blaming the abuse in the prisons for his death because that is what the people who killed him gave as their reason. Lets remmeber he was killed by terrorists. The terrorists are part of a larger terrorist organization led by Bin Laden. Now lets think back to the history of that organization. And we will just stay with recent history. Lets start with September 11, 2001. Does anyone remember what happened that day? Oh yes! Some planes flew into some buildings here in the United States and killed 3000 American civilians! Who did that? THE SAME TERRORIST ORGANIZATION! And if that was not enough we saw them celebrating the attack and thanking their god for it! What reason did they give for that attack? The only one that I can even think of is jihad...their holy war. If you look at this organizations history you will find out that one of their goals is to kill ALL Americans.
Lets come forward to 2004. In April or May of this year (I don't remember exactly when but it was recent) this organization announced that it would give gold to ANYONE who killed an American (and we think from the context that the person meant in American in Iraq). So we know that this organization wants to kill the Americans in Iraq. Then the prison scandle breaks and the world is mad at us (if you haven't read my opinion on that you can read it in one of the posts below). Now these terrorists have a perfect opportunity to kill someone and say that it was in retaliation of the abuse. Could they have done it to express their anger over the abuse? Of course that could be their reason for this particular MURDER. However if we look at history and the organization they work for I think we can realize that they will kill Americans no matter what. I don't think we should be so surprised over his death. Should we be saddened? YES! But surprised? This organization has already told us its goals! It is to see every American in Iraq DEAD. Lets keep the facts in mind as we view news coming out of Iraq! Also let us remember that while our news media is focused on the prison scandle thousands of our fellow citizens are over there helping the Iraq citizens! And many of these soldiers are working on building schools and recreational places. They are helping with water supply problems so that communities can have running water. We don't see these stories brodcast by the news media very often but if you talk to people who have been over there or people with loved ones over there these things are happening! I don't know all the news medias motivations for the way they report news but part of it could be political. This is an election year and many in the media make no secret of the fact they would like Bush out. Lets not let their biased reporting change the way we think of the war.

substitute teaching...

2004-05-13T16:59:00.000-05:00

Well this morning I was woken up by the phone ringing...I looked at the clock and it was 5:40...right away I thought "I guess I will be subbing today. Sure enough mom came up and knocked on my door and told me I woiuld be teaching 5th grade science... Well I went to the school and the lesson of the day was watching a Magic School Bus movie and doing a worksheet..So I watched the magic school bus where the students get baked into a cake 5 times today Lets just say it got boring... but I really enjoyed the day... For the most part the students behaved well...I had the fifth grade class I subbed for the other day ... and lets just say that class needs help but oh well...

If anyone has any wonderful ideas of things to do in the DC area next week let me know (not like visiting the monuments and museums and stuff though)... We talked about painting the white house orange but then we decided we would just study the White House so we are better prepared to plan how to do it...

Question: If a turtle loses its shell is it naked or homeless???

Have a great day!

life

2004-05-12T22:20:00.000-05:00

Well just finished watching a disappointing pacers game... Hopefully they will come out and play on Saturday (unfortunately I won't be able to watch because I am going to be at a wedding but thats life :() Oh and about that fight in the fourth quarter...putting our guy in a choke hold is NOT acceptable and if Artest could get suspended for taking a couple steps onto the floor during the altercation in the last series that guy should get suspended...
Well the past couple days I have been working on my England scrapbook. I am almost done with the London pictures so now it is on to Oxford and the rest of England! It has been a lot of fun to look at all the pictures of England and remember the fun of spring break...
Oh let me tell you one of our favorite stories of London....Okay now remember English people don't really like Americans because we are...loud...happy...care free... Londoners are VERY serious...Don't think about smiling or talking to a person you don't know. Oh and when you are riding the underground DON'T talk to anyone you are with... and DON'T make eye contact with anyone ... Stare at your feet. Well we had been in London for a couple days so we had figured all that out so we were riding the underground.... the group in the car I was in was sitting in the back of our car and the only person outside of our group was a little old lady... She was sitting there all prim and propper. Well I could tell she was getting irritated but I didn't really know why because we were following all the "rules" Well a couple stops later the lady stands up and says something to the girl sitting next to her (someone from my group) and exits the car VERY primly... Well I did not hear what she said but the girls across from me were just sitting there very stunned... a few seconds later the girl said "did you hear what she said" well we hadn't so she went on to repeat it... this proper old lady had just said "like most Americans you are grossly over weight" We were all shocked... I guess the lady felt the girl was taking up her seat room I don't know... well the rest of the trip we referred to ourselves as the grossly over weight Americans... Good Times!
Honestly if you go to England...go to London and see the sights but eventually LEAVE London and see some of the rest of the country... the people outside of London are much more friendly...also you kinda get the true feel of England...the little bread shops... slower life...people who want to help...They are not as busy...they seem to care about others and are not completely against Americans
Two weeks from tomorrow until camp starts!!! I can't wait!
litle known fact: English palace guards do NOT wear red most of the time...they really are in navy blue except for formal occasions such as a coronation... the things movies get us to believe...
Sorry this is all about England...
oh lets post something about current affairs...Why shoiuld ALL the pictures about what some US soldiers did in Iraq be released but the media can't even show what happened to a US captive beheaded by the terrorists? Does that seem like a double standard to anyone else
also what those soldiers did says NOTHING about who I am...All it says is there is evil in the world EVEN in the US...However we confront and deal with that evil! We do not like Saddam ignore, encourage, and order these things. No! we punish the wrongdoers. I am getting sick of this being compared to Saddam's torture chambers...Does anyone remmeber the kind of torture he metted out??? Well lets see...MASS GRAVES!!! He used chemical burns...oh and RAPE ROOMS!!! There are reports of his torture chambers pulling body parts off one by one...That man killed people! What those soldiers did was wrong! However, it is in NO way comparable to what Saddam did! Also our government is not comparable because they have been dealing with it...even before the story broke! Books of investigative material have already been compiled! Lets not let the news media use this as a political tatic in an election year...let us aknowledge the wrong but stand up and let others know we do not believe that we are like Saddam!

Oh and to all of you (rebekah) who wanted me to update...I will update when I have something to write...and during camp this summer I may not update for weeks on end...and when school starts in the fall who knows...but this is NOT my priority

night everyone

Substitute teaching

2004-05-10T14:58:00.000-05:00

Wow... what a day... This morning mom woke me up a little after 6:30 because Mr. Hanson had just called and he needed a substitute teacher at 7:30 this morning. well the school is a little over a half an hour away so I had NO TIME. Well I got ready and left and headed out to Triton... In the morning I taught fifth grade. The current way students have decided to torture substitutes is to pretend to have a cold... So my first class used almost a whole box of kleenexes blowing their nose...ok it wasn't that bad but I didn't really know what to do because blowing their nose is a legit body function but enough is enough...Well as the day went on and EVERY class did the same thing I began to wonder if they talked in the halls about how they were going to torture a sub... They were so consistent. If I had stayed much longer I could have predicted what the next misbehavior was going to be. Well in the afternoon I taught eighth grade English. The teacher had left me a note indicating that I would probably have to send someone down to the office to make an example so the other students would behave....so I was a little scared. But really the student's were pretty good. They tried to get away with stuff at the beginning and I told them no so within the first 5-10 minutes they were all hard at work...Wow...well I am going back on Wednesday to spend a half day at the HS and a half day at the middle school...

Pacers

2004-05-08T21:04:00.000-05:00

Well Pacers won their game! They need to work on their free throw shooting but other than that it was a good game...hopefully the guys who fell hard tonight will be better by Wednesday :-) All of you need to remember mom's day tomorrow!

Mother's Day

2004-05-08T15:51:00.000-05:00

Well Mare and I just got back from buying mom a mother's day gift... Oh it is so difficult...she is one of those people that no one ever knows what to get. Well we ended up getting a couple books and a flower and some chocolate...real creative I know...

Title of the blog

2004-05-08T11:59:00.000-05:00

This will have my thoughts on any subject under the sun that I happen to think is important...Good books...good blogs... what is wrong with the world...what is wrong with our culture...and just issues in my life. Could it be one of those boring blogs???? Perhaps... But I hope you will have fun and enjoy it!

Address of my blog

2004-05-08T11:57:00.000-05:00

Perhaps you are thinking "iwanttobeamoon" is a stupid address for a blog. But let me explain the title. What does a moon do? Well of course we all know it reflects the sun. What are we as Christians supposed to do? REFLECT THE SON! So i want to be a moon!

2004-05-08T11:40:00.000-05:00

Well here I am on my own blog! Yes Mare I did it!