Ohh Mexico.

this room was once filled high with tents, boxes of food, speakers, and carefully packed boxes. Now all that remains are papers strewn across the room and that box, which to be honest...I am not sure what's in it and my mind wonders if it is indeed important????

But my point. With this trip a month early and too many twist and turns to count. I will not lie...my heart is anxious. 

we leave tomorrow and we return next week. 

pray pray pray for us if you read this. 

Pray that we ALL are open to what God will and is already doing. 

Pray that we will take time to breath while we are down there. (mostly me)

Pray for safety

Pray for relationships, and there fruitfulness, even in the midst of opposition or trial

Pray for the people we are serving. Pray as we join the ministry already in progress that God would guide our steps!

Until I return. Much Love

driving

Sometimes driving over the hill pays : ) Tuesday I drove over the hill (17) twice. Both times for people that I enjoy. I drove over by myself and returned with a passenger that is very dear to me in my car.

I have always loved drives by myself, where I can turn my music up loud, and enjoy the turns & straight paths. Yet something I love more. The drives where, you gain a passenger to journey with you on the second half, or return drive. 

Tuesday was one of those days. 

Tuesday I was able to do that twice. 

Once to catch a glimpse of one's day to day, as I begin to understand more of what he does. The second time to fetch a friend returning from a visit to her sisters, where we caught up on life.

The second is the one who blessed me with the flowers. Sweet friends and fun un expected gifts, tangible and intangible. Did I mention I just love flowers 

even buying them for myself. Just love them...all kinds.

DAYS OFF

It seems that when I have the day off I would like the world to stop for me. 

sadly that is not the case. 

People work, people get sick...

That is just life...

Have I found rest?? Yes indeed I have.

Also, by day 3 I had to get creative. Being an extrovert and spending that much time alone...can make you go crazy. It truly seems like the world is driving 25 mph. And I want them to catch up to me. Although I suppose that might be why I needed a week off. humph. Now I am wondering where my time went and what did I spend my time doing?

I support stopping the madness and any local youth pastor that ends up seemingly disoriented because of too much time on their hands.

ps did I mention there is a mattress on my deck. ehhh. I was tempted to burn it many times this week but its much too close to the house...and well I like my house, as well as the friend that left it there!

Calm Before the Storm...

This week is my week off before we are off to Mexico for 8 days of goodness. What that "8 days of Goodness" entails is totally unknown for me. But I am not worried. 

Mexico brings: pressures of deadlines, and my mind keeps thinking we have to be forgetting something. Yet everything is falling into place, everything is where it should be, everything seems calm. So My mind says wait for the storm. My prayer is the Storm is a lovely one that you get to watch and enjoy the goodness. 

Today I sit in my kitchen (day two of my five days off), hearing nothing but the tapping of my fingers, the birds and the silence of my home. I have just returned from a glorious bike ride on my roommates teal cruiser where i felt the wind on my face and the sun on my skin. Nothing could feel better on this fine day. I have chatted with friends near and far, friends that are close to my heart and new friends on the rec field as I paused in the middle of my bike ride. I brought my housemate his lunch at school and chatted with one of my life mentors. I have read chapters in the current book I am reading. And its only 3 pm.

Today I also talked with a friend who I was suppose to visit but the colds sicknesses just won't go away. I was yet again reminded of the beauty of friendship that I have all over this state and county. And how powerful peoples prayers are. powerful. 

wow. What will the Lord bring me tomorrow? I cannot wait. 

1st'

This year has been a year of firsts'

I started actually a little before this year started...in fact this blog has been part of that journey.

I realized that I have lived in this town Santa Cruz as a college student 5 summers, and as an adult, now starting my 3rd year. Its this third year and the third thought of: Why do we, (being myself and friends) always go to the same locations to eat and play? Why not explore? Why not be open to all that is out there. Going to new places that I have never been is part of that journey.

I have always been safe and practical. i walk in life very very carefully. I am afraid of many things, but the unknown scares me the most. So when I started writing this blog the Theme "Be Open" was something God had really been impressing on my heart for months before. Its a total God thing that this year for our Mexico team, our theme that we stumbled across was and is "Wide open", Todd had no idea where God was taking my heart in this year 3. That has only encouraged my journey.

So as I have walked through this year it indeed has been full of mixed emotions, and trying to listen to my heart, trying to mend things as soon as they need to be mended, changes in life in love, changes in friendships, changes in ministry, changes in students lives, changes in family. All things are not easy, but this year has been about being open to things for the first time. My eyes have been in awe daily, and my heart has been in a fragile place. 

But this I know as truth:

"But if we hope for what we do not have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:25

I cannot say that this wait in life has been or will be something where patience is easy...because that has proven to not be true. Alas for the first time in my life God is working on helping me understand what it means to wait. He for the first time is granting me some of the desires of my heart. He for the first time is teaching me how to Trust Him more than I care to admit or acknowledge until now. He is granting me Hope through people and Vistas in my life. How grateful a

nd how intrigued i am for what lies ahead.  Mi Vida is an Open Road. I have not idea what lies ahead but I am Taking this Journey forward, and honestly thats a first.