Ironically, I'm back at Kaldi's. :)

It's spring break, which is kind of weird when you're not a student. The students are gone but instead of just relaxing, I'm trying to catch up on everything I couldn't do during the semester. I'm working through a Berean class, doing some craft things, and catching up on phone calls. Just a lot different than the regular spring break routine of either working at Pablo's till I dropped or sleeping in till noon and hanging out all the time. :)

I'm going through the Synoptic Gospels Berean class, and it's crazy how things are lining up. The historic events they're explaining add so much to my understanding of what Jesus was teaching, and they make references to a lot of Old Testament events that I just read about (in the first five books.) I LOVE this: "The Greek word for meek describes a stallion that is submitted to the his rider." Totally changed the way I understood meekness; that it's more about submission to authority than gentleness. The book also said that the translation of a verse in Exodus should be that Moses was the meekest of all men on the planet, not the humblest. I've been chewing on that all day.

I started a schedule that helps you read the entire Bible in 90 days. I've done it for 22 days straight, which is actually a big deal for me. I've always struggled with reading the Bible consistently. My relationship with Jesus right now is difficult...instead of running, which is what I usually do at this point, I dug my heels in and am asking the Spirit for help to go forward. Instead of changing my actions, I'm asking Him to change my heart, and letting the actions follow. It's tough. Like any relationship I have days where things are so uncomfortable that I just don't want to spend time with God. But since I've been reading the Bible every day, and most days for an hour or more, I'm staying close with Jesus. After reading that much of the Word, it's seriously a lot easier to face what God is trying to teach me. My campus pastor from when I was in Ohio used to say that once you do something for 30 days straight, it becomes habit. So I'm also praying that this "habit" is really taking root in my spirit, and isn't just something that'll only last 90 days.

And...I just don't think I will ever like the book of Judges. I mean, I'm grateful for Gideon and Samson but the rest of that book is stinkin' creepy!

Live from Kaldi's!!

Kaldi's is a coffee shop on Sam Houston Avenue. They offer "free" internet service as long as you spend $3 here. But, I get to update my blog, so I guess $3 and a mediocre cup of coffee is a small price to pay to keep you included in my life. :)

Yesterday I spent the day with Miss April Wikstrom, one of my small group girls. We went to a tea room (which was really cute, and had really good coffee, and man do they know how to make chicken tortilla soup down here!) and we went to this sweet dinner theater. Basically it looks like a regular movie theater, but then every other row is removed so that you can either sit at a table (in a rollie-chair!) or at a bartop. Then you can order dinner while you watch a movie. My brother first told me about one of those when he called me on my birthday, so I thought they were only in Alaska...but then I found out they're all over Texas. :)

I also learned this weekend that I have absolutely no idea how to drive in the city. The traffic was INSANE, especially with my country-bumpkin decision to leave Houston at 6pm. On a Friday night. Nooot the smartest move. :) I accidentally got in the "change only" lane when I was going through the toll booth (the first toll booth I've ever driven through), and freaked out because I only had a dollar bill...and so I just drove through. Well technically I threw fifty cents in the bucket, but that just doesn't cut it. So quite possibly there is a state-wide manhunt in Texas going on to track me down.

Small group tomorrow night is going to be sweeeeet! We're joining up with one of the other girl small groups to do Communion, and it'll be the first time we've all taken Communion together. Also one of my girls has decided to go on a missions trip this summer to Kazakhstan (I have no idea how to spell that, and I think spell check is also befuddled). I'll be going to Bangladesh at the end of May, so we're muddling through the support raising process together. :) They actually go panhandling down here...I guess it's less dangerous down south. :)

And in other random news, my driver's license expired on my birthday. That means I have to get that and my tags renewed...which means...by the end of the week Gracie will have Texas plates!! So weird...and kinda sad. Especially since I won't be down here forever. I guess it's not the end of the world. :)

Alrighty...I miss you guys. I'll try to have something more exciting next week. :)

Hello again!

Hey, I know it's been forever...but I'm back in Texas. :) It's weird because even though I have less intern classes this semester, I feel twice as busy as fall semester. There are mission trips to plan and leadership classes to help out with and girls to hang out with. It's a pleasant but exhausting kind of busy. :)

I met Jesus in a new way last week. Do you ever learn something about Jesus and think, "How did I ever think I knew Him before this?" Britt Arthur is learning something along the same lines (what an awesome awesome battle buddy I have in her), and she said, "It's like you can finally take deep breaths and just enjoy your walk with Jesus." Nothing in my life got easier, per se. I'm still stinkin' selfish, there are some of my girls that I feel completely at a loss with, I make wrong decisions. But all of a sudden I have this weird peace and comfort...like, maybe if I never become perfect and I don't get everything right, Jesus will still come back for His children. Maybe, Jesus can still use me to do ministry even when I'm dealing with the after-effects of moral failure.

I can't fix myself!! There is no list of "don't do's" or "do's" that I could follow and then all of a sudden become righteous and holy. I can't copy the holiest person I know to attain righteousness. There's no heart change in that. So...I'm just walking with Jesus. Honestly. Without hiding things. And I'm comparing myself with Him, and listening to Him. And I'm learning that anything I come up with or try to do on my own is just filthy rags next to Him and His glory and His righteousness. But I think that maybe that's grace. That sanctification is a process and while He's changing my heart, I am not going to do everything right. But I really am trying to please Him.

With me it's always been about looking good. And it just isn't anymore. Learning to be real in front of Jesus, and in front of people I respect and look up to, and in front of people that look up to me, it's not easy. That's mostly why I'm staying in Huntsville to do a second year of internship. There is so much more to learn and process; I'm just not done here yet. And I'm okay with that, I'm okay with not being the best or blowing everybody away down here with my awesome intern skills. I'm okay that I'm not going on staff anywhere next year and I'm not pioneering yet.

Because I'm finally digging my roots in Jesus. I'm just learning to be me and let Jesus come through that. And that is a freedom I have not ever ever known before.

Blog from the Buckeye State

So I'm back in Ohio...and it's as weird as people said it would be. :) I forgot how cool my family is, how solid and loving and crazy they are. Steven comes on home on Saturday, and then the reunion will be complete. :) Yesterday my mom and I baked 12 dozen cookies, peanut butter fudge, and puppy chow while listening to Butch Walker. Today is Hank Day! Highlights will include MST3K: The Movie, Disney's Robin Hood, a taco ring, and I Am Legend. Tomorrow starts a week-long rush of family time and Christmas parties, so...yeah I'm excited. :)

Jesus has shown me different things while I've been home, I think a lot of those things He had started showing me in Huntsville, but I wasn't willing to listen. So with that said, here's some news:

I'm staying in Huntsville next year.

Holla. :)

Me and Jackie!!


My brother getting fancy with the camera. Look at the snooooow!


Awesome coffee date with Smo...and then Santa showed up! ps that's the sweatshirt my roomie bought me!!

Really quick update, and then I'm off to study for a test on A/G History, Missions, and Governance...heck yeah. :)

The week before Thanksgiving was pretty slow, which was appreciated. :) Nate and I were the only ones in the office on Thursday so we broke out the Nintendo. We have a high score war going on in Tetris, and on Thanksgiving Nate and about five Koreans beat Mario 3. Yeeeeah!

My first time baptizing someone!! This was a sweet sweet night, especially for Rena, the girl I baptized. My girls took care of her; they bought her a bouquet of flowers, a journal, and made her a certificate (which they framed). Beautiful night, and 45 people got baptized! The small group leaders are the ones that get to baptize their small group members, which I thought was incredibly awesome.

All three groups together for a night! That happens about once a month, and it's incredible when it does.

Hee Young (my roommate) went back to Korea last Saturday, so the four of us went out to dinner, lookin' snazzy. :)

Dessert at Texas Roadhouse

Things are going really sweet, and it's hard to believe that I'll be back in Ohio two weeks from now. I'm excited to be home for a little while but it is definitely not easy to leave here, even knowing I'll be back in a couple weeks. Oh Huntsville...how did you steal my heart. :)

PS My small group is the best thing ever!! The girls are really starting to love each other, and two of them are signed up for the leadership training classes that start spring semester! This is Devorah, the married chick of my group. :)

My obsessions...

I LOVE HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS!!! Shoot dang, I love this internship, I love the people that are stealing my heart away, I love what Jesus is doing here. Siiiiigh. :)

GOOD NEWS:
I get to preach Thursday night! In two weeks I also get to baptize the beautiful and amazing Rena Ortiz. My small group is still growing, and the girls are starting to hang out with each other when I'm not around. I looooove my roommates!

BAD NEWS:
I fell down some stairs and my foot's all swollen and bruised. But, I find the healing process really interesting and totally dig bruises, so this is not as bad as it sounds.


Here is a chronicling of one of the goings-on down here in Tejas:




Once upon a time, Odette (Mexican), Bat (American) and Jin Sun (Korean) decided to make some green tea cookies. The recipe was in Korean and Jin Sun was going to lead the process.


These girls were so excited to bake together, and rocked out some aprons!




Much to their dismay, something went awry. For reasons unknown (aka something to do with the flour) the cookies turned out totally bitter and tasted like nasty butt. Here, two of our heroines try to get rid of the taste by eating brownies.



The cookies eat the dust! Minutes later, even the trash can complained about the taste.


So, needless to say, the cookies didn't turn out so great. But the time spent baking them was a blast. Thank You Jesus for ISFM and new friendships!!

*Warning* Please read this post backwards...I'm not sure what happened, but the explanation stuff is down at the bottom. :)


Making the food! This guy was fun to watch dancing. :)



The girls practicing their dance, I thought it was the best part of the night.


The planning committee! So beautiful. :)



My roommate Hee Young! She just presented her thesis and passed the board, so congrats to her. She's got brains AND beauty, obviously. :)



Jin Sun looked so awesome this night! And the other girl is April, a new girl in my small group. She's got a cool story for how she got hooked up with us. :)


While I'm doing this blog I'm listening to a podcast from Ravi Zacharias. I've completely conformed to the enviornment down here...and it feels great. ;)





The Chi Alpha at SHSU has a really sweet ISFM (international student friendship ministry) program. Every other Friday there's a different themed party for the international students. Some of the parties teach the international students about American culture, and others are themed around different cultures. My friend Lauren and I were in charge of last night's party, and we worked with a lot of Indian students to plan Indian Night. It was stinkin' awesome!! The students made tons of food, sang the Indian national anthem, put on a fashion show, performed a dance, and an Indian guy sang a song. We also played some games and at the end people just danced. One of the coolest nights we've had so far. :)

I heart Huntsville!!!!