Friday, November 16, 2007
The End...and The Beginning
I've started a new blog: www.kimberlyinsideout.blogspot.com for those of you that are interested in reading...
Friday, September 21, 2007
40 days later...
it seems as though it has been forever since I have been in California...but in reality it's only been 40 days...
the last 40 days have been crazy to say the least. school has started, my internship has started, kxa has been going nonstop, i've gone back to work, and i've been trying to figure out what i want to do for the rest of my life...
school has been good. i'm only taking 13 hours and it's marvelous. it's a lot of work, but i'm enjoying my classes for the most part for the first time in a long time.
my internship at child protective services is amazing. i love it there. i know that i'm making a difference in people's lives, if only in the smallest way. i love being able to use all the things i've been learning about over the course of the last three years. i believe that my confidence is growing in the person that i am and i like that.
kxa has been crazy. i love it, but it's been crazy. we're going through a lot of reevaluating and refocusing, but it's been good for us. the leadership summit played a huge role in giving me this vision, and it's been such a blessing in my life. for such a time as this...
work is good, as always. i love working at the school of education and the people here were so gracious to work around my crazy schedule so that i could continue to work here this year. it's nice to know that there are adults in my life that care about how life is going.
figuring out what is next has been a journey to say the least. God really began to work in my life my last few days in california about what would be next for me and as i have come back to baylor, that has been solidified in my heart more and more everyday. my desire to see the church become involved in community/social ministries grows each day as i talk with more people and i figure out what that looks like in the community. i had the opportunity to sit down with one of my professors this week and talk to him about what this really all means and looks like, and it was such a wonderful conversation. the church is beginning to see the need for these types of ministries and it was interesting to hear how several churches that i have heard of as well as organizations are getting involved in these types of things. it excites me because i know that this is where God has called me, this is where my two passions collide. i've applied to graduate school here at baylor so hopefully i'll be starting that in july after i graduate in may. if i do the program here, i'll graduate with my msw in may 2009. i'm also thinking about seminary right now too, but i'm not sure if that's something i want to do right now or not. i'm still praying through all of that. i've also found a church that i will call home this school year and i'm super excited about getting involved there. they do some social/communtiy ministry stuff so i'm excited about being able to get involved in that way. it kind of reminds me of a smaller clovis hills, which is even more exciting to me. :)
so that's what life looks like 40 days after california. it's been an adventure and i'm not one for adventure...or at least i wasn't before june 4. God is so amazing and i know i'm where i am right now for a specific purpose and i'm just trying to live that out. i can't wait to go back to california and pray that that will be soon. i miss that place so much. i miss those people so much. while those strong feelings of wanting to be there are getting a little less everyday, there are somedays, like today, when my heart and body ache to be back there. my life truly is different because the people of clovis hills allowed me to come and spend the summer with them.
the last 40 days have been crazy to say the least. school has started, my internship has started, kxa has been going nonstop, i've gone back to work, and i've been trying to figure out what i want to do for the rest of my life...
school has been good. i'm only taking 13 hours and it's marvelous. it's a lot of work, but i'm enjoying my classes for the most part for the first time in a long time.
my internship at child protective services is amazing. i love it there. i know that i'm making a difference in people's lives, if only in the smallest way. i love being able to use all the things i've been learning about over the course of the last three years. i believe that my confidence is growing in the person that i am and i like that.
kxa has been crazy. i love it, but it's been crazy. we're going through a lot of reevaluating and refocusing, but it's been good for us. the leadership summit played a huge role in giving me this vision, and it's been such a blessing in my life. for such a time as this...
work is good, as always. i love working at the school of education and the people here were so gracious to work around my crazy schedule so that i could continue to work here this year. it's nice to know that there are adults in my life that care about how life is going.
figuring out what is next has been a journey to say the least. God really began to work in my life my last few days in california about what would be next for me and as i have come back to baylor, that has been solidified in my heart more and more everyday. my desire to see the church become involved in community/social ministries grows each day as i talk with more people and i figure out what that looks like in the community. i had the opportunity to sit down with one of my professors this week and talk to him about what this really all means and looks like, and it was such a wonderful conversation. the church is beginning to see the need for these types of ministries and it was interesting to hear how several churches that i have heard of as well as organizations are getting involved in these types of things. it excites me because i know that this is where God has called me, this is where my two passions collide. i've applied to graduate school here at baylor so hopefully i'll be starting that in july after i graduate in may. if i do the program here, i'll graduate with my msw in may 2009. i'm also thinking about seminary right now too, but i'm not sure if that's something i want to do right now or not. i'm still praying through all of that. i've also found a church that i will call home this school year and i'm super excited about getting involved there. they do some social/communtiy ministry stuff so i'm excited about being able to get involved in that way. it kind of reminds me of a smaller clovis hills, which is even more exciting to me. :)
so that's what life looks like 40 days after california. it's been an adventure and i'm not one for adventure...or at least i wasn't before june 4. God is so amazing and i know i'm where i am right now for a specific purpose and i'm just trying to live that out. i can't wait to go back to california and pray that that will be soon. i miss that place so much. i miss those people so much. while those strong feelings of wanting to be there are getting a little less everyday, there are somedays, like today, when my heart and body ache to be back there. my life truly is different because the people of clovis hills allowed me to come and spend the summer with them.
Friday, August 24, 2007
These are a few of my favorite things...
So I decided I would write about my favorite things about California (aka the things I miss the most...)...
1) No humidity---I really hate the humidity, now more than ever---it's going to kill me someday I just know it...
2) I got to see the mountains every single day (even when there was a lot of smog, I could still see them to some degree...)
3) Clovis Hills Community Church...there is none like it!
4) In-N-Out Burger...oh my goodness! Why don't we have something like this in Texas???
5) Hanging out with the coolest teenagers on the planet...
6) The honesty that is so ingrained in the culture...people just tell it like it is...(why do we have to sugarcoat everything in the south?)
7) Crazy California drivers...:)
8) All of the random things that you have different names for...like Frito boats...
9) Shorts and flipflops are appropriate for almost every occasion...
10) the wildeys...what an amazing family to live with for a summer...
11) The best Summer Missionary Supervisor and his lovely wife...Dave and Kimberly...:) and their "kids"...Thilani and Hayley...:)
1) No humidity---I really hate the humidity, now more than ever---it's going to kill me someday I just know it...
2) I got to see the mountains every single day (even when there was a lot of smog, I could still see them to some degree...)
3) Clovis Hills Community Church...there is none like it!
4) In-N-Out Burger...oh my goodness! Why don't we have something like this in Texas???
5) Hanging out with the coolest teenagers on the planet...
6) The honesty that is so ingrained in the culture...people just tell it like it is...(why do we have to sugarcoat everything in the south?)
7) Crazy California drivers...:)
8) All of the random things that you have different names for...like Frito boats...
9) Shorts and flipflops are appropriate for almost every occasion...
10) the wildeys...what an amazing family to live with for a summer...
11) The best Summer Missionary Supervisor and his lovely wife...Dave and Kimberly...:) and their "kids"...Thilani and Hayley...:)
Monday, August 20, 2007
Nothing to do with California...
This has nothing to do with California, but someone tagged me in this, so I thought I would do it.
Post the rules
List 8 random facts or habits about yourself.
If you are tagged, then you must Post the rules and list 8 random facts or habits about yourself
After you post, tag people and let them know they must read your blog for the rules.
Random facts....
1) I like my personal space. I really learned this in California. I don't like it when people stand really close to me, especially people I don't know really well. BUT, I love to make people feel awkward by standing in their personal space or by giving them long awkward hugs (just ask my roommate).
2) I'm not a very adventurous person. I like to play things safe. (Well, except in California because I had no choice but to be adventurous.) I used to get physically ill because I would get so nervous about doing new things, but I'm getting better at that.
3) My favorite places in the United States (I would say the world, but I haven't been very many places yet) are Disney World, Winter Park (Colorado), Yosemite National Park, and Clovis (California).
4) I have a panda bear named Jake that I sleep with every night (except when I was in California because he wouldn't fit in my suitcase). I've had him since 3rd grade (that's 14 years).
5) I hate dressing up, except for really really special occasions (semi-formal and formal dances, sometimes weddings, etc). This is why I have 1,000 t-shirts and 3 dresses in my closet.
6) If I won a million dollars, I probably wouldn't spend much of it on myself. I would probably pay off my college loans and maybe buy myself a new car and give the rest of it away.
7) I really love ice cream and I'm always in the mood for it. Thanks to Dave, Coldstone is my favorite.
8) I love to sing really loudly and obnoxiously in the car, especially to the Mandisa song as well as musical soundtracks. This tends to freak other people out a little.
Hope you enjoyed that...:)
Post the rules
List 8 random facts or habits about yourself.
If you are tagged, then you must Post the rules and list 8 random facts or habits about yourself
After you post, tag people and let them know they must read your blog for the rules.
Random facts....
1) I like my personal space. I really learned this in California. I don't like it when people stand really close to me, especially people I don't know really well. BUT, I love to make people feel awkward by standing in their personal space or by giving them long awkward hugs (just ask my roommate).
2) I'm not a very adventurous person. I like to play things safe. (Well, except in California because I had no choice but to be adventurous.) I used to get physically ill because I would get so nervous about doing new things, but I'm getting better at that.
3) My favorite places in the United States (I would say the world, but I haven't been very many places yet) are Disney World, Winter Park (Colorado), Yosemite National Park, and Clovis (California).
4) I have a panda bear named Jake that I sleep with every night (except when I was in California because he wouldn't fit in my suitcase). I've had him since 3rd grade (that's 14 years).
5) I hate dressing up, except for really really special occasions (semi-formal and formal dances, sometimes weddings, etc). This is why I have 1,000 t-shirts and 3 dresses in my closet.
6) If I won a million dollars, I probably wouldn't spend much of it on myself. I would probably pay off my college loans and maybe buy myself a new car and give the rest of it away.
7) I really love ice cream and I'm always in the mood for it. Thanks to Dave, Coldstone is my favorite.
8) I love to sing really loudly and obnoxiously in the car, especially to the Mandisa song as well as musical soundtracks. This tends to freak other people out a little.
Hope you enjoyed that...:)
Friday, August 17, 2007
Life After California...
The last 6 days have been some of the best, worst, and craziest days of my life. I came back to Texas on Sunday afternoon/evening and I have to say that Sunday was one of the hardest days of my life. I've struggled alot over the last several weeks with wanting and not wanting to come home, and Sunday all of those feelings hit me like a brick. I wanted to come home and see my family and friends, but at the same time, I didn't want to leave all that I had known for 10 weeks behind. I got to go to church on Sunday because my flight didn't leave until the afternoon, and while I'm glad I did, I think it made leaving that much harder. As I left 2nd service a little early to make it to the airport on time, I felt like I was leaving a piece of my heart behind. Dave met me outside the auditorium and asked if I was ok and I could only say "no" because I wasn't. I held it together pretty well on the way to the airport and when Dave dropped me off, but when I got on the plane, I couldn't do it anymore. Kara and I had made a CD earlier in the week of songs that kinda defined our summer in California and as I listened to those songs as we flew over Fresno/Clovis, I lost it. The lady that was sitting next to me probably thought I was a basketcase, but I am okay with that. I'm not normally a real emotional person in public, but I couldn't really help it. I loved Clovis and California and the people there and it hurt in my heart that I didn't know when I would be back to see those people and that place that had impacted my life over the course of a summer. It was a highly emotional time.
This week I've been busy with seeing family and getting ready to come back to Waco. It's been good to be surrounded by people and to be busy because I haven't had a chance to think about the fact that I'm back in the real world and not in California anymore, but at the same time, it's been kinda challenging. I've realized that I'm going to have to work hard not to revert back to Kimberly pre-California, that I'm going to have constantly pursue my relationship with God to stay solid in the decisions that I made this summer.
I ask that you guys (whoever is still reading this thing) to continue to pray for me. I'm really struggling with wanting to be here (school/Waco/Texas in general) when my heart just isn't in it. Some of my relationships here are suffering because of that because I just can't put into words what is going on in my heart. As I drove back to Waco yesterday I prayed for contentment, to be happy where God has me now-at Baylor, because I know that I have to finish school and I know that I have to live here at least until May.
Thanks guys! I appreciate it! I'll try to update more so stay tuned...
Kimberly
This week I've been busy with seeing family and getting ready to come back to Waco. It's been good to be surrounded by people and to be busy because I haven't had a chance to think about the fact that I'm back in the real world and not in California anymore, but at the same time, it's been kinda challenging. I've realized that I'm going to have to work hard not to revert back to Kimberly pre-California, that I'm going to have constantly pursue my relationship with God to stay solid in the decisions that I made this summer.
I ask that you guys (whoever is still reading this thing) to continue to pray for me. I'm really struggling with wanting to be here (school/Waco/Texas in general) when my heart just isn't in it. Some of my relationships here are suffering because of that because I just can't put into words what is going on in my heart. As I drove back to Waco yesterday I prayed for contentment, to be happy where God has me now-at Baylor, because I know that I have to finish school and I know that I have to live here at least until May.
Thanks guys! I appreciate it! I'll try to update more so stay tuned...
Kimberly
Monday, August 13, 2007
Camp...
This is from an email that I sent out a week or so ago...
Wow! It's hard to believe that I'm starting Week 10 here in Clovis this week! That means that in one week, I'll be on my way back to Texas! Craziness!! Anyway, I just wanted to send out a quick email and update you guys a little on what's been going on out here in the great state of California!
I've been at Camp for the last two weeks, the first week with Junior Highers and this past week with High Schoolers. We went to Centrifuge (a youth camp put on by LifeWay) up at Jenness Park, which is where we also had Summer Missionary Orientation. It's a beautiful place in the middle of mountains (I think the elevation is like 4000 feet or something but it might be more...). Junior High camp was a lot of fun and God moved in amazing ways. We talked about God with the abandoned, the poor, the sick, and the oppressed. It floored me how much some of our junior highers are going through and the family situations they come from. As we talked about God with the abandoned, some of their stories of times in their lives when they felt abandoned were so overwhelming. Wow. It was amazing to see God work in their lives and free them from some of the chains that have been holding them down for way too long. God definitely did a work in my heart as well as I experienced freedom in some areas of my life that have been holding me back for a while now. It was super sweet! :)
High school camp was amazing as well. It was good to reconnect with some of the kids that I met @ World Changers and hang out with them again. God did some amazing things in their lives, including calling one of my girls to missions and another one rededicated her life to Christ. It was simply incredible. Emerald, the girl that was called to missions, is such an amazing young lady. She just graduated from high school and will be attending a community college in Fresno in the fall. She was in my room @ World Changers and we really connected there and I've been praying all summer that she would accept the call that God has put on her life because I could tell God was working on her at World Changers. :) It was a great week and Clovis Hills has some amazing kids in their youth group, some of 'em have pretty rough backgrounds, but they are amazing nonetheless. :) I miss 'em already and I'm not even gone yet!
Anyway, needless to say, Camp was a great experience and I'm kinda sad it's over. God did some amazing things in my life as well as the life of our students! I am glad to be sleeping in "my own bed" again and without 20 girls in the room (peace and quiet is so nice!), but I kinda miss it already. :)
I'm sorry that I've been lazy in updating this the last few weeks. It seems like I've either been really busy or really tired. See all of you soon!
Kimberly
Wow! It's hard to believe that I'm starting Week 10 here in Clovis this week! That means that in one week, I'll be on my way back to Texas! Craziness!! Anyway, I just wanted to send out a quick email and update you guys a little on what's been going on out here in the great state of California!
I've been at Camp for the last two weeks, the first week with Junior Highers and this past week with High Schoolers. We went to Centrifuge (a youth camp put on by LifeWay) up at Jenness Park, which is where we also had Summer Missionary Orientation. It's a beautiful place in the middle of mountains (I think the elevation is like 4000 feet or something but it might be more...). Junior High camp was a lot of fun and God moved in amazing ways. We talked about God with the abandoned, the poor, the sick, and the oppressed. It floored me how much some of our junior highers are going through and the family situations they come from. As we talked about God with the abandoned, some of their stories of times in their lives when they felt abandoned were so overwhelming. Wow. It was amazing to see God work in their lives and free them from some of the chains that have been holding them down for way too long. God definitely did a work in my heart as well as I experienced freedom in some areas of my life that have been holding me back for a while now. It was super sweet! :)
High school camp was amazing as well. It was good to reconnect with some of the kids that I met @ World Changers and hang out with them again. God did some amazing things in their lives, including calling one of my girls to missions and another one rededicated her life to Christ. It was simply incredible. Emerald, the girl that was called to missions, is such an amazing young lady. She just graduated from high school and will be attending a community college in Fresno in the fall. She was in my room @ World Changers and we really connected there and I've been praying all summer that she would accept the call that God has put on her life because I could tell God was working on her at World Changers. :) It was a great week and Clovis Hills has some amazing kids in their youth group, some of 'em have pretty rough backgrounds, but they are amazing nonetheless. :) I miss 'em already and I'm not even gone yet!
Anyway, needless to say, Camp was a great experience and I'm kinda sad it's over. God did some amazing things in my life as well as the life of our students! I am glad to be sleeping in "my own bed" again and without 20 girls in the room (peace and quiet is so nice!), but I kinda miss it already. :)
I'm sorry that I've been lazy in updating this the last few weeks. It seems like I've either been really busy or really tired. See all of you soon!
Kimberly
Monday, August 6, 2007
Picture Time!
I posted pictures from the last 5 weeks on Facebook today...check 'em out...if you don't have Facebook, you can go to the links below...I'm working on writing captions and stuff like that, but I wanted y'all to be able to see them...:)
Priceless Week, 4th of July, and Shaver Lake...http://baylor.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2120677&l=9a412&id=9203501
Road Trip, Part 1...http://baylor.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2120667&l=3a800&id=9203501
Road Trip, Part 2...http://baylor.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2120679&l=3f132&id=9203501
Junior High Camp...http://baylor.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2120683&l=50b6b&id=9203501
High School Camp...http://baylor.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2120684&l=4ff7a&id=9203501
Enjoy!!!
Priceless Week, 4th of July, and Shaver Lake...http://baylor.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2120677&l=9a412&id=9203501
Road Trip, Part 1...http://baylor.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2120667&l=3a800&id=9203501
Road Trip, Part 2...http://baylor.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2120679&l=3f132&id=9203501
Junior High Camp...http://baylor.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2120683&l=50b6b&id=9203501
High School Camp...http://baylor.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2120684&l=4ff7a&id=9203501
Enjoy!!!
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