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!!!
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Sacramento, San Francisco, and SoCal (Vacation Week!!!)
So, as most of you know, Kara and I took a sweet road trip during week 7 of our California summer missions experience. We went to Sacramento on Monday and Tuesday and stayed at Kara's host mom's mother's house. It was a lot of fun and quite relaxing. I think we laughed more in those two days than the rest of the summer combined. Let's just say that we love adventure and those two days were definitely adventurous! :) We saw the State Capitol of California (sorry, no Arnold), shopped at the Outlet Mall, saw Evan Almighty, and visited Old Sacramento. It was a lot of fun and nice to get away for a couple of days. On Wednesday morning we got up and drove over to San Francisco for the day. What an adventure! Up to this point in my life, I had never driven in a "big city" except a couple of times in Houston and DFW. Thank goodness for good Mapquest directions and a lot of patience! :) We went back to Fisherman's Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge as well as Coit Tower and a trip down Lombard Street (the crookedest street in the world)! It was fun to be able to see all of it without chasing junior highers down. San Francisco is such a cool city...so many different people...:) I loved it! There will definitely be pictures posted soon...:)
We drove back to Clovis on Wednesday evening and finally got back into town around 9:00 I think...to find out that Kara's host mom had hooked us up with a place to stay down in Santa Clarita (north of Los Angeles) for the next couple of days. So, we got up on Thursday morning with our amazing Thomas guide map and directions to a bunch of cool places to go and left for Santa Clarita/Los Angeles. It was totally different than anything I ever expected. I guess I didn't realize the mountains went right into the ocean and that they were everywhere down there. On Thursday we went down to Malibu and Santa Monica and hung out on the beach and at the Santa Monica Pier. It was so much fun and so beautiful! We watched the sun set (well kind of) and then went back to Santa Clarita. On Friday we got up and drove to San Diego to go to the San Diego Zoo. We also made a side trip through Newport Beach and Laguna Beach...so that we could say that we drove through the OC...hahaha...:) It was beautiful...and I'm a huge fan of the Pacific Coastal Highway now...:) So amazing! :) The Zoo was wow...simply incredible!!! It's right near downtown San Diego, but you would never know it! I got to see the pandas and polar bears and giraffes and elephants and lions and everything else you can imagine! The San Diego Zoo is somewhere I've always wanted to visit, so now I can say I have! :) On our way back to Santa Clarita, we stopped in Escondido and had dinner with the amazing Torrey Eckert (a Baylor/KXA friend) at Chick-Fil-A! :) It was refreshing to get to see someone that I have known longer than two months. :) On Saturday we went to Beverly Hills and Hollywood. It was not what I thought it would be, but it was fun to see all the places that people always talk about (Chinese theater, walk of fame, Hollywood sign, Rodeo drive). Again, pictures will be posted soon I hope. :)
All in all, the week was a lot of fun and Kara and I had a blast together. Our quest to see as much of California as we could in six days was very successful and I'm glad we had the opportunity to do it. I really want to come back someday and see all of it again and more. Oh how I love this place!
We drove back to Clovis on Wednesday evening and finally got back into town around 9:00 I think...to find out that Kara's host mom had hooked us up with a place to stay down in Santa Clarita (north of Los Angeles) for the next couple of days. So, we got up on Thursday morning with our amazing Thomas guide map and directions to a bunch of cool places to go and left for Santa Clarita/Los Angeles. It was totally different than anything I ever expected. I guess I didn't realize the mountains went right into the ocean and that they were everywhere down there. On Thursday we went down to Malibu and Santa Monica and hung out on the beach and at the Santa Monica Pier. It was so much fun and so beautiful! We watched the sun set (well kind of) and then went back to Santa Clarita. On Friday we got up and drove to San Diego to go to the San Diego Zoo. We also made a side trip through Newport Beach and Laguna Beach...so that we could say that we drove through the OC...hahaha...:) It was beautiful...and I'm a huge fan of the Pacific Coastal Highway now...:) So amazing! :) The Zoo was wow...simply incredible!!! It's right near downtown San Diego, but you would never know it! I got to see the pandas and polar bears and giraffes and elephants and lions and everything else you can imagine! The San Diego Zoo is somewhere I've always wanted to visit, so now I can say I have! :) On our way back to Santa Clarita, we stopped in Escondido and had dinner with the amazing Torrey Eckert (a Baylor/KXA friend) at Chick-Fil-A! :) It was refreshing to get to see someone that I have known longer than two months. :) On Saturday we went to Beverly Hills and Hollywood. It was not what I thought it would be, but it was fun to see all the places that people always talk about (Chinese theater, walk of fame, Hollywood sign, Rodeo drive). Again, pictures will be posted soon I hope. :)
All in all, the week was a lot of fun and Kara and I had a blast together. Our quest to see as much of California as we could in six days was very successful and I'm glad we had the opportunity to do it. I really want to come back someday and see all of it again and more. Oh how I love this place!
Priceless Slumber Party
The rest of Priceless was really good. Our slumber party was quite successfull, with lots of pizza, sugar, and girliness! :) We talked about Self-Esteem/Self-Worth on Friday night and our friend Hayley shared her testimony with the girls. She did a wonderful job talking about how she struggled with those same issues and how, through Christ, she is overcoming it every day. After that, we let the girls have some quiet time and talk to God about some of the things that we had discussed throughout the week. Some of them laid some pretty heavy sutff at the feet of Jesus that night. It was so cool to watch. Pray that they will always know that they are Priceless Princesses. :) After that, we did some good 'ole "I love you because..." and then the night of sugar and movie watching began! It was so much fun and finally, at 5am, I went to sleep when the last girl fell asleep. I then got up @ 6:45 because one of the girls had to leave early. Yay for taking a nice nap of 1 hour and 45 minutes! :) It was worth it! They had so much fun and so did Kara and I! Great relationship building time!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Oh Junior Highers...
I've been absolutely terrible about blogging these last few weeks and I'm going to try to remedy that this weekend, but I wanted to post a quick blog about this week...
I'm at Centrifuge (youth camp) this week with the Junior High students from Clovis Hills. It's definitely been an experience. They are so high energy and I'm definitely beginning to feel the effects of being "on the go" for most of the summer (not to mention our quest to see as much of California in one week as we could last week). For the most part, the week has been good and I've really enjoyed getting to hang out with them and get to know them. Centrifuge is a little different than what I am used to as far as Youth Camp is concerned, but I'm learning to like it more every day. :) Anyway, that's what I'm up to this week. I'll write more when I get home tomorrow about what I've been up to the last couple of weeks. I'm also going to work on posting pictures from our trip around California as well as the Sleepover and things like that...:) Love y'all and can't wait to see you soon!
Kimberly
I'm at Centrifuge (youth camp) this week with the Junior High students from Clovis Hills. It's definitely been an experience. They are so high energy and I'm definitely beginning to feel the effects of being "on the go" for most of the summer (not to mention our quest to see as much of California in one week as we could last week). For the most part, the week has been good and I've really enjoyed getting to hang out with them and get to know them. Centrifuge is a little different than what I am used to as far as Youth Camp is concerned, but I'm learning to like it more every day. :) Anyway, that's what I'm up to this week. I'll write more when I get home tomorrow about what I've been up to the last couple of weeks. I'm also going to work on posting pictures from our trip around California as well as the Sleepover and things like that...:) Love y'all and can't wait to see you soon!
Kimberly
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Sacramento, San Francisco, and SoCal...
So this is our "off" week...which is Summer Missionary talk for "Let's see as much of the State of California as we can in 6 days." Therefore, I just got home from two days in Sacramento, today I was in San Francisco, and tomorrow I'm leaving to go to Southern California (aka LA and the OC). It's been fun and I'll definitely update more when I get the chance, but for now I'm going to bed so I can be up early in the morning to head south!! YAY FOR CALI!!!! :)
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Reality
I was reminded this afternoon that my time in California is coming to an end. In four weeks, I'll be on a plane, headed back to Texas. While it's definitely the biggest and best of the contiguous 48, I'm already sad about leaving this place I've called home since June 4. Not only am I heading back to Texas, but headed back to all things Baylor, Waco, and the real world. I can honestly say I'm not ready for that at all. It's nice to be away from everything this summer, to go to a place where noone knows me and I can be just me, with no expectations of what I "should be", to be in a place so foreign, yet so familiar, to not have to worry about school, KXA, or anything. All of that to say, please pray for me as I wind down my time here and I get ready to come back to Texas. I know I have to go back, but right now (minus seeing my friends and family), I'm having a hard time wanting to because I don't want to have to deal with all of the "stuff" that's waiting for me when I get back. Also, pray that God will give me some kind of direction about 1) where to go to church next year (either back to Grace Temple to play the piano or somewhere else) and 2) life after graduation. Thanks. I really appreciate it.
Kimberly
Kimberly
Friday, July 13, 2007
Priceless
Sorry it's taken forever and a day to update this! I've been feeling a little lazy...:) Anyway, on to the excitement that is my adventure in California...:)
I guess I'll start with Sunday...it was a really good day! Church was so great! Dave's (my supervisor for those of you who might have forgotten...) wife, Kimberly, taught/preached on Sunday morning (She's the Pastor of Worship and Arts) and it was phenomenal! She spoke on the work of the Holy Spirit and how our lives are changed after the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. She talked about allowing the Holy Spirit to take control of things in our lives and asked us to think about those things that we were not letting go of. It really challenged me to think because there are so many things in my life that I want to keep for myself and not let the Holy Spirit have control of because I think I can do it better. There was definitely some conviction happening in my heart! On Sunday night, I went to ICON, the college group @ Clovis Hills and there the topic of freedom was discussed. My friend Hayley gave her testimony and it was so sweet to hear how she is experiencing freedom in her life. It really challenged me to daily ask God to help me experience freedom in my life from things that are holding me back from being all that He created me to be. Afterwards, we went to Starbucks with a few friends (yes, I have friends my own age here now! It's so exciting!!!) and it was definitely good to hang out with people my own age and get to know each other better. (Just so I won't be misunderstood, I have had friends the whole time I've been here, but it was super exciting to have people to hang out with after college group on sunday night...:) I don't know why, it just was...I'm weird, what can I say?)
Anyway, on Monday Kara and I went to Shaver Lake with some more of our college age friends! It's about 30/40 miles from Clovis up in the moutains!! It was so beautiful and so amazing! We had a great time. It was fun to relax and swim in the amazingness of God's creation (and man's too I guess...).
Tuesday began our week of girliness, that which we call Priceless. We played games and did a scavenger hunt of sorts on Tuesday afternoon. It was great fun and definitely interesting. Most of the girls that were there I hadn't had a chance to meet yet, so it was fun to get to know them. Yesterday (Wednesday), we discusses modesty and what that means to us as Christians. It was definitely interesting to hear their comments about what was and was not appropriate and I had to remind myself several times that even though we're all in the USA, culture is definitely different here than back home. I guess the whole modesty issue has always really frustrated me to no end. I know it's hard to find cute clothes to cover up your body, but it's possible. Millions of people do it everyday. I guess it's just one of those topics that I have a hard time finding sympathizing with people about because it's always been so cut and dry for me. I just pray that something we said or did will make a difference in one girl's attitude about clothing. Today we talked about purity and relationships. It was definitely an interesting (and at times awkward) discussion, but one that I feel like is so important. :) After talking about how far is too far (as far as physical purity) as well as emotional purity and the future consequences of it all, we asked the girls to write down some boundaries they have set for themselves as well as some qualities they are looking for in boys. We challenged them to stick to those boundaries and never settle for less than God's best. It was definitely a good reminder for me too as I made my hundredth list of qualities and boundaries. Oh how important it is to know those things before even thinking about dating a guy! Anyway, it's been an interestingly good week of hanging out with the girls and hearing from God's Word about some of these issues that we as girls struggle with especially during the teenage years.
Tomorrow night is our sleepover and even more girliness! :) I'm excited, but know that I need to go to bed so I'll have the energy I need to stay up all night tomorrow night! Whoohoo!!! :) Anyway, the week has been good, exhausting, but definitely good. God is good and it's so much fun to serve Him everyday! :) Love all of you and can't wait to see you in a month!
Kimberly
I guess I'll start with Sunday...it was a really good day! Church was so great! Dave's (my supervisor for those of you who might have forgotten...) wife, Kimberly, taught/preached on Sunday morning (She's the Pastor of Worship and Arts) and it was phenomenal! She spoke on the work of the Holy Spirit and how our lives are changed after the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. She talked about allowing the Holy Spirit to take control of things in our lives and asked us to think about those things that we were not letting go of. It really challenged me to think because there are so many things in my life that I want to keep for myself and not let the Holy Spirit have control of because I think I can do it better. There was definitely some conviction happening in my heart! On Sunday night, I went to ICON, the college group @ Clovis Hills and there the topic of freedom was discussed. My friend Hayley gave her testimony and it was so sweet to hear how she is experiencing freedom in her life. It really challenged me to daily ask God to help me experience freedom in my life from things that are holding me back from being all that He created me to be. Afterwards, we went to Starbucks with a few friends (yes, I have friends my own age here now! It's so exciting!!!) and it was definitely good to hang out with people my own age and get to know each other better. (Just so I won't be misunderstood, I have had friends the whole time I've been here, but it was super exciting to have people to hang out with after college group on sunday night...:) I don't know why, it just was...I'm weird, what can I say?)
Anyway, on Monday Kara and I went to Shaver Lake with some more of our college age friends! It's about 30/40 miles from Clovis up in the moutains!! It was so beautiful and so amazing! We had a great time. It was fun to relax and swim in the amazingness of God's creation (and man's too I guess...).
Tuesday began our week of girliness, that which we call Priceless. We played games and did a scavenger hunt of sorts on Tuesday afternoon. It was great fun and definitely interesting. Most of the girls that were there I hadn't had a chance to meet yet, so it was fun to get to know them. Yesterday (Wednesday), we discusses modesty and what that means to us as Christians. It was definitely interesting to hear their comments about what was and was not appropriate and I had to remind myself several times that even though we're all in the USA, culture is definitely different here than back home. I guess the whole modesty issue has always really frustrated me to no end. I know it's hard to find cute clothes to cover up your body, but it's possible. Millions of people do it everyday. I guess it's just one of those topics that I have a hard time finding sympathizing with people about because it's always been so cut and dry for me. I just pray that something we said or did will make a difference in one girl's attitude about clothing. Today we talked about purity and relationships. It was definitely an interesting (and at times awkward) discussion, but one that I feel like is so important. :) After talking about how far is too far (as far as physical purity) as well as emotional purity and the future consequences of it all, we asked the girls to write down some boundaries they have set for themselves as well as some qualities they are looking for in boys. We challenged them to stick to those boundaries and never settle for less than God's best. It was definitely a good reminder for me too as I made my hundredth list of qualities and boundaries. Oh how important it is to know those things before even thinking about dating a guy! Anyway, it's been an interestingly good week of hanging out with the girls and hearing from God's Word about some of these issues that we as girls struggle with especially during the teenage years.
Tomorrow night is our sleepover and even more girliness! :) I'm excited, but know that I need to go to bed so I'll have the energy I need to stay up all night tomorrow night! Whoohoo!!! :) Anyway, the week has been good, exhausting, but definitely good. God is good and it's so much fun to serve Him everyday! :) Love all of you and can't wait to see you in a month!
Kimberly
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Fireworks and the 4th of July!
This week has been full of 4th of July activities! On Tuesday, we helped out at the Freedom Tailgate party @ Clovis Hills. It was a lot of fun, but very hot! :) We attempted to put two volleyball nets, but were very unsuccessful. :) Let's just say that it's harder than it looks (or maybe we're just dumb). I worked at the drink booth for most of the evening. It was fun getting to hang out with some of the kids and others that were there. :) My favorite part of the evening was definitely the fireworks. :) First, I love California nights---it actually cools off and it's just amazing. :) They did a display of fireworks that they were selling at their fireworks booths and then there was an aerial display. (Everything that you buy at a fireworks stand has to be less than a certain height here...almost all of them are small fountains that you sit on the ground) Anyway, the aerial fireworks were good and it definitely made me think about the good 'ole days of Pineywoods and watching fireworks there several times a summer. :) Afterwards, we cleaned up and stuff. It was a long day, but it was fun. :) I love fireworks (and watching people watch firewords) so it was all worth it. :) At the end of the night, Dan (the guy in charge of the Tailgate) told Kara and I that we worked like men. That's definitely the most interesting compliment I've gotten in a while. :)
On the 4th of July Kara and I worked at on the Clovis Hills Youth Fireworks stands. Yes, the church sells fireworks. Everyone sells fireworks here-the high school bands, the football teams, the churches, everyone! :) It was a long, hot (105 degrees!), dirty day, but lots of fun. We got to hang out with Thilani all day and meet some of the youth parents, so it was a lot of fun. :) It was good to get to meet and talk with other people outside of the church as well and tell them what the proceeds of the stand were going to (youth mission trips and camps). My favorite scenes of the day were definitely when dads brought their sons to buy fireworks. They would all get so excited, it was so cute! :) Anyway, it was a lot of fun! :)
Well, that's all about it for now. I'm beginning to compile a list of my favorite things that are "different" about California. :) Love you guys and miss you all!!! :)
-Kimberly
On the 4th of July Kara and I worked at on the Clovis Hills Youth Fireworks stands. Yes, the church sells fireworks. Everyone sells fireworks here-the high school bands, the football teams, the churches, everyone! :) It was a long, hot (105 degrees!), dirty day, but lots of fun. We got to hang out with Thilani all day and meet some of the youth parents, so it was a lot of fun. :) It was good to get to meet and talk with other people outside of the church as well and tell them what the proceeds of the stand were going to (youth mission trips and camps). My favorite scenes of the day were definitely when dads brought their sons to buy fireworks. They would all get so excited, it was so cute! :) Anyway, it was a lot of fun! :)
Well, that's all about it for now. I'm beginning to compile a list of my favorite things that are "different" about California. :) Love you guys and miss you all!!! :)
-Kimberly
Monday, July 2, 2007
Obedience...
Wow...World Changers was amazing. Until last week, I had never been on a World Changers project. I'd always heard about it and wanted to go or do something like it, but never had the opportunity. I think it's now one of my favorite things I've ever done---right up there with Pineywoods and Super Summer. :)
We arrived on Saturday afternoon after the grueling 20 minute ride across town to Fresno Pacific University, where we stayed all week. Saturday and Sunday were mostly filled with Orientation type of things along with meeting our Crews that we would be working in all week and going to the church on Sunday morning that would be feeding us lunch the rest of the week. We also visited our work site and met the homeowner, Mr. Kelley. From the beginning, I knew our crew would be great, but I never could have guessed just how much fun we would have or how awesome a crew we had until later in the week. We worked at our work site Monday-Friday, painting, gardening, and fixing other little things that needed to be fixed. I had so much fun working and getting dirty. I think that I was probably the dirtiest person on our crew almost every day. It was GREAT! :) It was hot, but not too hot. I think it might have gotten over 100 one day, but other than that, it was just in the mid/upper 90s (which is good for Fresno/Clovis during this time of the year). I really enjoyed getting to know everyone on our crew and see us all work together. Our Crew Chief, Charles (he was from Clovis Hills!!!) ,did such a great job and was so encouraging throughout the week! I couldn't have asked for a better crew! :) It was really sad on Friday night to have to say goodbye to all of them.
Even though I really enjoyed getting dirty and working hard all week, worship was probably my favorite time of each day. The theme for World Changers this summer is Obedience, Choose to Serve. Dave, my awesome Supervisor for the summer, was the Project Coordinator (basically in charge of all things World Changers on the Clovis end of things) as well as the Worship Pastor at night. Every night, God used him to speak directly to my heart and show me things about Himself that I needed reminding of or to be shown for the first time. It was absolutely incredible. God definitely taught me a lot about obedience, especially concerning obedience about my future. I came to California this summer with hopes that He would show me what the next step in life would be after I graduate from Baylor next May. While I've had "plans" for a while now that consist of going to grad school at Baylor, I'm just not really sure that's what God wants me to do anymore and I don't really feel at peace about that decision at all. I know that some would say that's because I'm in a new place and new people and I tend to doubt myself when I'm in situations like this, but I really think I've always felt uneasy about these plans and it's just now becoming real to me that this is going on. Anyway, back to World Changers. As Dave talked about obedience all week, I was reminded of a lot of things and retaught some others.
1) Serving God out of love and not obligation or fear is of the utmost importance. While I believe that I do serve God out of love, I know that those other two motivations for serving God creep back into my life sometimes when I get lazy with my relationship with God. God really challenged me to stay on top of things and always be motivated to serve Him out of love.
2) Serving God in everything I do is so crucial---even brushing my teeth!
3) While most people struggle with saying yes to big things that God asks them to do (be a missionary, go to Africa, etc), I find those things really easy to say yes to, it's the smaller things in life that I struggle with being obedient in. While I don't know why God isn't revealing my next steps in life to me yet, I have a feeling it's because He's teaching me to be obedient in the little things because He knows I don't have a problem with the big things.
4) God has given me passions and He wants me to use them for His Glory. He wants me to follow in His will and as I do, my desires will become like His. He loves me so much and He really does my best interests at his heart. I can see in my life where the passions He has given me have been used and are being used for His Glory. I can see too how when I am in good relationship with Him, my desires are very different than when I am not. I'm working on believing every single day, that He loves me so much that He wants only the best for me. I know that seems rediculous, but I guess there have been some things that have gone in my life over the last several months that have caused me to wonder about this truth. I'm working on every morning, waking up and claiming this to be true in my life. So far, so good. :)
5) I'm going to use this summer to practice walking in obedience to God. I don't have the distractions here that I normally would at school or home and so I think it's a good place to practice, so that when I do get back to my normal environments, I will already be good at it (hopefully).
6) I posted a song on Thursday afternoon that had really spoken to me throughout World Changers. I guess it really speaks for itself, but my prayer is that God would consume me from the inside out, that I would be changed from the inside out. I really like the 2nd verse: Your will above all else, My purpose remains, The art of losing myself, In bringing You praise. That's my heartbeat right now---that His will will be supreme in my life, above everything that I want and desire, that I will lose myself for His glory, to love Him and serve Him from the inside out. I know that as my desires and will become more like His, that my purpose is still the same---to know Him and make Him known. Oh how I love this song!! It is my heartbeat and I pray that I can sing the words honestly ever single day of my life---that I give Him control of my life. How fitting for a week about obedience!!! :)
Anyway, that's just a small portion of the things that God is teaching me right now. I hope that as the summer continues, that He will continue to teach me new things and continue to change me from the inside out.
A few prayer requests for this week:
-Priceless, our girls-only event that's happening next week for the Clovis Hills girls-that Kara and I will get everything together this week and not be stressed out about it all
-solid relationships with the girls here in Clovis built on trust and authenticity
-my relationship with my partner, Kara
-Me-vulnerability with those around me, that I wouldn't feel like I have to keep everything in, but that I can share what is going on in my heart and mind with those that God has placed around me this summer
-Deeper relationships with people---not just the fluffy stuff
Thanks y'all!!! :) Hope you all have a great week!
I'm lovin' it!
Kimberly
We arrived on Saturday afternoon after the grueling 20 minute ride across town to Fresno Pacific University, where we stayed all week. Saturday and Sunday were mostly filled with Orientation type of things along with meeting our Crews that we would be working in all week and going to the church on Sunday morning that would be feeding us lunch the rest of the week. We also visited our work site and met the homeowner, Mr. Kelley. From the beginning, I knew our crew would be great, but I never could have guessed just how much fun we would have or how awesome a crew we had until later in the week. We worked at our work site Monday-Friday, painting, gardening, and fixing other little things that needed to be fixed. I had so much fun working and getting dirty. I think that I was probably the dirtiest person on our crew almost every day. It was GREAT! :) It was hot, but not too hot. I think it might have gotten over 100 one day, but other than that, it was just in the mid/upper 90s (which is good for Fresno/Clovis during this time of the year). I really enjoyed getting to know everyone on our crew and see us all work together. Our Crew Chief, Charles (he was from Clovis Hills!!!) ,did such a great job and was so encouraging throughout the week! I couldn't have asked for a better crew! :) It was really sad on Friday night to have to say goodbye to all of them.
Even though I really enjoyed getting dirty and working hard all week, worship was probably my favorite time of each day. The theme for World Changers this summer is Obedience, Choose to Serve. Dave, my awesome Supervisor for the summer, was the Project Coordinator (basically in charge of all things World Changers on the Clovis end of things) as well as the Worship Pastor at night. Every night, God used him to speak directly to my heart and show me things about Himself that I needed reminding of or to be shown for the first time. It was absolutely incredible. God definitely taught me a lot about obedience, especially concerning obedience about my future. I came to California this summer with hopes that He would show me what the next step in life would be after I graduate from Baylor next May. While I've had "plans" for a while now that consist of going to grad school at Baylor, I'm just not really sure that's what God wants me to do anymore and I don't really feel at peace about that decision at all. I know that some would say that's because I'm in a new place and new people and I tend to doubt myself when I'm in situations like this, but I really think I've always felt uneasy about these plans and it's just now becoming real to me that this is going on. Anyway, back to World Changers. As Dave talked about obedience all week, I was reminded of a lot of things and retaught some others.
1) Serving God out of love and not obligation or fear is of the utmost importance. While I believe that I do serve God out of love, I know that those other two motivations for serving God creep back into my life sometimes when I get lazy with my relationship with God. God really challenged me to stay on top of things and always be motivated to serve Him out of love.
2) Serving God in everything I do is so crucial---even brushing my teeth!
3) While most people struggle with saying yes to big things that God asks them to do (be a missionary, go to Africa, etc), I find those things really easy to say yes to, it's the smaller things in life that I struggle with being obedient in. While I don't know why God isn't revealing my next steps in life to me yet, I have a feeling it's because He's teaching me to be obedient in the little things because He knows I don't have a problem with the big things.
4) God has given me passions and He wants me to use them for His Glory. He wants me to follow in His will and as I do, my desires will become like His. He loves me so much and He really does my best interests at his heart. I can see in my life where the passions He has given me have been used and are being used for His Glory. I can see too how when I am in good relationship with Him, my desires are very different than when I am not. I'm working on believing every single day, that He loves me so much that He wants only the best for me. I know that seems rediculous, but I guess there have been some things that have gone in my life over the last several months that have caused me to wonder about this truth. I'm working on every morning, waking up and claiming this to be true in my life. So far, so good. :)
5) I'm going to use this summer to practice walking in obedience to God. I don't have the distractions here that I normally would at school or home and so I think it's a good place to practice, so that when I do get back to my normal environments, I will already be good at it (hopefully).
6) I posted a song on Thursday afternoon that had really spoken to me throughout World Changers. I guess it really speaks for itself, but my prayer is that God would consume me from the inside out, that I would be changed from the inside out. I really like the 2nd verse: Your will above all else, My purpose remains, The art of losing myself, In bringing You praise. That's my heartbeat right now---that His will will be supreme in my life, above everything that I want and desire, that I will lose myself for His glory, to love Him and serve Him from the inside out. I know that as my desires and will become more like His, that my purpose is still the same---to know Him and make Him known. Oh how I love this song!! It is my heartbeat and I pray that I can sing the words honestly ever single day of my life---that I give Him control of my life. How fitting for a week about obedience!!! :)
Anyway, that's just a small portion of the things that God is teaching me right now. I hope that as the summer continues, that He will continue to teach me new things and continue to change me from the inside out.
A few prayer requests for this week:
-Priceless, our girls-only event that's happening next week for the Clovis Hills girls-that Kara and I will get everything together this week and not be stressed out about it all
-solid relationships with the girls here in Clovis built on trust and authenticity
-my relationship with my partner, Kara
-Me-vulnerability with those around me, that I wouldn't feel like I have to keep everything in, but that I can share what is going on in my heart and mind with those that God has placed around me this summer
-Deeper relationships with people---not just the fluffy stuff
Thanks y'all!!! :) Hope you all have a great week!
I'm lovin' it!
Kimberly
Pictures!!
I finally uploaded most of my pictures from the summer!! Whoohoo!! For all three of you that read this, I know you're super excited! :) Anyway, below are the links. Let me know if they don't work. I'll update later today about World Changers because I know you're all dying to know all about it...:)
http://baylor.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2113314&l=2232c&id=9203501 (the first two weeks I was here-Orientation and Clovis)
http://baylor.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2113325&l=05b6c&id=9203501 (San Francisco and World Changers---I know there are no "working" pictures from San Francisco, they advised us not to take our cameras with us each day because of distraction and risk of it getting stolen)
Also, another fun link for you...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WwBMij2Yg0 (This is the World Changers Love Song written by the amazing staff at World Changers last week. It's absolutely hilarious!!!!)
http://baylor.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2113314&l=2232c&id=9203501 (the first two weeks I was here-Orientation and Clovis)
http://baylor.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2113325&l=05b6c&id=9203501 (San Francisco and World Changers---I know there are no "working" pictures from San Francisco, they advised us not to take our cameras with us each day because of distraction and risk of it getting stolen)
Also, another fun link for you...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WwBMij2Yg0 (This is the World Changers Love Song written by the amazing staff at World Changers last week. It's absolutely hilarious!!!!)
Sunday, July 1, 2007
San Francisco, Part 2
Wednesday
Wednesday we spent the entire day at the San Francisco Rescue Mission. It was definitely an interesting experience and probably the hardest day I experienced in San Francisco, simply because I do not like chaotic situations when I don't have control over them or I can't fix them. I spent most of my day helping clean up different areas of the Rescue Mission as well as stuffing envelopes with newsletters. I did get to attend the Celebration Service that afternoon, which is required for those that want to eat the meal that is served afterwards. We served the men and women in attendance a meal afterward and then cleaned up. I think what made the day a little difficult was that I didn't get to have much interaction with the people we served at all. I don't mind doing behind the scenes work and serving when no one else sees, but I really would have loved to have more interaction with those that were at the Rescue Mission that day. All in all, it was a long day of work and I was definitely glad when it was over, but it was a good experience and definitely a good reminder that just because I may know a better way to get something done, that isn't always the way things get done, if that makes sense). We had the evening off on Wednesday and we got to go to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39!! It was so much fun!! :) We ate at Bubba Gump's (yes, from the movie Forrest Gump) and shopped around for souvenirs. It was so much fun to just relax and hang out with the kids and get to see some of the sights of San Francisco...:)
Thursday
Thursday was my favorite day of the entire week! We went to the Haight-Ashbury Food Program on Thursday morning and it was AMAZING!!! I loved it!! Definitely my favorite place we went all week! :) The HAFP is located in Lower Haight-Ashbury and has no Christian affiliation whatsoever. They have a Food Pantry once a week and serve a very delicious lunch 4 or 5 days a week (I can't remember what they said) to those in need in the Haight-Ashbury District. We worked all morning at preparing the food for lunch. I chopped zuchini and potatoes until I thought my fingers might fall off, but it was all fun!! The volunteers there were just amazing and so much fun to work with. It was probably the happiest place we were at all week and definitely the most helpful as far as working with volunteers. The food there was amazing too! They have a chef-training program there and the food was so good, I would be willing to pay to eat there! :) We ate lunch and then served for almost two hours. It was the first time all week that I had had a lot of interaction with people (minus the afternoon at the day care place) and it was so much fun to talk with the men and women that came through the line. I hope and pray that I was able to small ray of sunshine in their lives that day. It was just so much fun, which I found to be amazing because there was never any formal mention of God or the Church or anything. The people there simply want to meet the needs of their neighborhood and do it with a smile. It was so cool!!!! I also got to talk to their Executive Director, Michael, for a little while during the morning and it was good to make that contact. We talked about funding and different social work type stuff. They don't have a social worker on staff, but hopefully will be able to afford one soon. Out of all of the places that we served at, that was the one that I would probably be the most willing to work at and I thought I would never say that because I don't really feel called to inner city ministry or anything like that. So, we'll see what happens with that. :) Thursday afternoon we did the "Meet a Need" Exercise, where our City Host gave us $20 and sent us out into the Haight-Ashbury District to try to meet someone's needs. It was an interesting experience and I found that when we were finished, I was overwhelmed with the amount of need that there was and how inadequate $20 was in meeting those needs. It was a good experience in realizing that anything can be used to help meet needs, even if we feel like it is inadequate. We bought a blanket for a couple of girls and bought a man something to eat with our money. It was really neat. Haight-Ashbury is definitely an interesting place. :) Thursday night was Burrito night and worship with the other groups @ CSM and then our final debriefing session.
Friday
We came home on Friday! Whoohoo!! We did stop by the Full House house before we left though and I took some pictures! It is supposedly the house that is seen in the credits part at the beginning of the show. :) Our trip home was good and pretty uneventful. I loved hanging out with the junior highers some more. They are definitely a very cool, very hard working group of kids!! :) I love 'em!
As I look back at my week in San Francisco, there are a few things that stick out in my mind (some spiritual, others not):
-We as the church need to work in finding a balance between meeting people's physical and emotional needs vs. spiritual needs. This is an area in my life that God is really working on me. I know that there is a delicate balance between the two, and to find that balance is so crucial.
-I don't like chaos when I'm not in control of it.
-I really liked the city of San Francisco, but I began to feel really claustrophobic by the end of the week. Tall buildings and lots of hills just aren't my thing for an extended period of time. :) I was definitely glad to be back where there is some sense of wide-open spaces by Friday.
-God is at work through a variety of agencies and organizations in San Francisco and I'm really glad I got to be a small part of that.
So, that was my week in San Francisco. I'm working at posting all of my pictures on the internet and I'll post a link as soon as I get them all up so that you can see them! :)
Kimberly :)
Wednesday we spent the entire day at the San Francisco Rescue Mission. It was definitely an interesting experience and probably the hardest day I experienced in San Francisco, simply because I do not like chaotic situations when I don't have control over them or I can't fix them. I spent most of my day helping clean up different areas of the Rescue Mission as well as stuffing envelopes with newsletters. I did get to attend the Celebration Service that afternoon, which is required for those that want to eat the meal that is served afterwards. We served the men and women in attendance a meal afterward and then cleaned up. I think what made the day a little difficult was that I didn't get to have much interaction with the people we served at all. I don't mind doing behind the scenes work and serving when no one else sees, but I really would have loved to have more interaction with those that were at the Rescue Mission that day. All in all, it was a long day of work and I was definitely glad when it was over, but it was a good experience and definitely a good reminder that just because I may know a better way to get something done, that isn't always the way things get done, if that makes sense). We had the evening off on Wednesday and we got to go to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39!! It was so much fun!! :) We ate at Bubba Gump's (yes, from the movie Forrest Gump) and shopped around for souvenirs. It was so much fun to just relax and hang out with the kids and get to see some of the sights of San Francisco...:)
Thursday
Thursday was my favorite day of the entire week! We went to the Haight-Ashbury Food Program on Thursday morning and it was AMAZING!!! I loved it!! Definitely my favorite place we went all week! :) The HAFP is located in Lower Haight-Ashbury and has no Christian affiliation whatsoever. They have a Food Pantry once a week and serve a very delicious lunch 4 or 5 days a week (I can't remember what they said) to those in need in the Haight-Ashbury District. We worked all morning at preparing the food for lunch. I chopped zuchini and potatoes until I thought my fingers might fall off, but it was all fun!! The volunteers there were just amazing and so much fun to work with. It was probably the happiest place we were at all week and definitely the most helpful as far as working with volunteers. The food there was amazing too! They have a chef-training program there and the food was so good, I would be willing to pay to eat there! :) We ate lunch and then served for almost two hours. It was the first time all week that I had had a lot of interaction with people (minus the afternoon at the day care place) and it was so much fun to talk with the men and women that came through the line. I hope and pray that I was able to small ray of sunshine in their lives that day. It was just so much fun, which I found to be amazing because there was never any formal mention of God or the Church or anything. The people there simply want to meet the needs of their neighborhood and do it with a smile. It was so cool!!!! I also got to talk to their Executive Director, Michael, for a little while during the morning and it was good to make that contact. We talked about funding and different social work type stuff. They don't have a social worker on staff, but hopefully will be able to afford one soon. Out of all of the places that we served at, that was the one that I would probably be the most willing to work at and I thought I would never say that because I don't really feel called to inner city ministry or anything like that. So, we'll see what happens with that. :) Thursday afternoon we did the "Meet a Need" Exercise, where our City Host gave us $20 and sent us out into the Haight-Ashbury District to try to meet someone's needs. It was an interesting experience and I found that when we were finished, I was overwhelmed with the amount of need that there was and how inadequate $20 was in meeting those needs. It was a good experience in realizing that anything can be used to help meet needs, even if we feel like it is inadequate. We bought a blanket for a couple of girls and bought a man something to eat with our money. It was really neat. Haight-Ashbury is definitely an interesting place. :) Thursday night was Burrito night and worship with the other groups @ CSM and then our final debriefing session.
Friday
We came home on Friday! Whoohoo!! We did stop by the Full House house before we left though and I took some pictures! It is supposedly the house that is seen in the credits part at the beginning of the show. :) Our trip home was good and pretty uneventful. I loved hanging out with the junior highers some more. They are definitely a very cool, very hard working group of kids!! :) I love 'em!
As I look back at my week in San Francisco, there are a few things that stick out in my mind (some spiritual, others not):
-We as the church need to work in finding a balance between meeting people's physical and emotional needs vs. spiritual needs. This is an area in my life that God is really working on me. I know that there is a delicate balance between the two, and to find that balance is so crucial.
-I don't like chaos when I'm not in control of it.
-I really liked the city of San Francisco, but I began to feel really claustrophobic by the end of the week. Tall buildings and lots of hills just aren't my thing for an extended period of time. :) I was definitely glad to be back where there is some sense of wide-open spaces by Friday.
-God is at work through a variety of agencies and organizations in San Francisco and I'm really glad I got to be a small part of that.
So, that was my week in San Francisco. I'm working at posting all of my pictures on the internet and I'll post a link as soon as I get them all up so that you can see them! :)
Kimberly :)
Thursday, June 28, 2007
World Changers
I'm sorry I still haven't posted more about San Francisco...:) I didn't have time on Saturday morning and I haven't had computer access until now...Anyway, I'm at World Changers and I'm having a great time!! I'll definitely post more this weekend about all of my adventures in San Francisco and World Changers. Let me just say that God is absolutely amazing and I can't wait to see where He take me on this adventure called life...:)
Love you guys and miss you all!!!
Kimberly :)
PS This is my new favorite song...I'll explain more later...:)
From The Inside Out
by Hillsong United
A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out
Love you guys and miss you all!!!
Kimberly :)
PS This is my new favorite song...I'll explain more later...:)
From The Inside Out
by Hillsong United
A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out
Friday, June 22, 2007
San Francisco...
Hey guys!
I got back from San Francisco this afternoon! :) It was a lot of fun and definitely an interesting experience to say the least. We took 4 Junior High students (3 boys and a girl) to Urban Plunge that is put together by CSM (Center for Student Missions). We did a lot of inner city ministry and service there in San Francisco, mostly centered around the Tenderloin district and other programs that help the poor and hungry.
I guess I'll give a brief day by day summary and then talk about some things that I learned as a result of this trip...
Sunday
We arrived around 5 on Sunday and got settled in. We had an orientation and met our City Host, Rich. (Your City Host is with you throughout the week at each ministry sight and helps with debriefing and things like that.) We ate Vietnemese food on Sunday night. It was good, but challenging because we had to eat with chopsticks! :) Rich had to teach me how to use the chopsticks and then I kept having to have lessons throughout dinner to work on my "form". It was a lot of fun and the food was amazing! :) We then went on a Prayer Tour and saw various parts of the city and prayed for different things. It was really really neat to see how different the city is and how much need there is there. We went up to Coit Tower (it's on top of a hill) and we could see most of San Francisco from up there and it was amazing!!! All of the lights from the city were absolutely incredible! :) Definitely something I won't soon forget!
Monday
Monday we worked at the San Francisco Food Bank in the morning. It was a really neat place and there was so much food there! We worked on putting together one pound bags of rice from a one ton bag. It was really fun to get to work with the kids and get to know them better as well as Rich. Monday afternoon we worked at the Salvation Army Service Center sorting through clothes and putting together various gift type things for older teenage girls. Again, it was a lot of fun to get to hang out with the group and get to know each other better. It was amazing to me how many clothes we sorted. Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Gap had donated all of their sample clothing (things that the mannequins wear) and other clothes that were out of season or whatever. We also prayer walked over the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday afternoon and it was AMAZING!!!! It was really foggy and windy so we couldn't see much of the city, but it was still sooooo cool!!!! Oh how I loved it!!! So much fun!!! (We also saw the family from Little People Big World before we started walking so that was exciting too!) We ate Nicaraguan food on Monday night and it was interesting. Not anything like I remember eating when I was in Nicaragua, but it's all good. It was a good experience. We went to a park for debriefing on Monday night and it was a lot of fun to hear what the kids had to say about what we had done on Monday. We got into an interesting conversation about where do you draw the line as far as just meeting people's spiritual needs (preaching the Word of God) vs. meeting the physical needs of people. I think that's something I've struggled with alot, especially since becoming a social work major and I know there's a delicate balance between the two, but I also know that people are never going to listen to us preach if their stomachs are growling. It was an interesting conversation and something I know I will continue to wrestle with as I get older.
Tuesday
Tuesday was a hard day, but a good one. We went over to Oakland and worked in the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room in the morning and then served lunch for a couple of hours to homeless and poor people in the area. It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed working there because it was very organized and run very smoothly (I'm learning I love organization and chaos really bothers me!). I got the job of banging trays during lunch time. It definitely took me back to the good ole days of Pineywoods and working in the Deuce!!! Oh how it made me miss it! Anyway, it was fun and I had some interesting conversations with some of the volunteers. Before I left, I was crowned Queen of Garbage by the guy that was spraying down the trays. It was amazing! :) One man I talked with had been volutneering there every Tuesday for 17 years. It really challenged me to be more involved in doing something like that on a regular basis and not just for my service points for KXA or something else. Rich (our City Host) had to leave our group on Tuesday afternoon due to a family emergency. It was terrible heartbreaking and we really hated to see him have to leave. He was a great leader and definitely an amazing man of God. Please pray for him and his family during this time. We got a new City Host, Lisa, on Tuesday afternoon when we went to work at the St. Vincent Day Home, a day care for lower income kids also in Oakland. I loved Tuesday afternoon and it was probably one of my favorite things we did!! I was in the Dolphin class room of 4 year olds for the afternoon and I had a blast!!! We had snack when they got up from their naps and then we played for a little while in their room. It was such a blast! The kids just latched on to me and wouldn't let me go. How sweet it was to feel that unconditional love that they just poured out on to me. Kids never cease to amaze me...:) and these were definitely no different! :) Theire energy was so contagious and definitely an encouragement to me because Tuesday was a rough day, with Rich leaving and everything and just being exhausted from working all morning. :) Anyway, it was a good time and I really loved the Day Home. So much fun! Tuesday night we had Indian food, which definitely added a little spice to our week! :) haha! It was really good, but different, almost a little too spicy for me, but I'm glad I tried it.
Anyway, that's a couple of days from my trip. I'll write more in the morning before I leave to go to World Changers about the rest of the week. It was a good trip, but it's definitely good to be back in the land of Clovis! I'm definitely looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight!
Please be praying for us tomorrow as we go to World Changers. We'll be working here in Clovis/Fresno, but we'll be staying at a local college. :) Yay for another week away from "home!"
I got back from San Francisco this afternoon! :) It was a lot of fun and definitely an interesting experience to say the least. We took 4 Junior High students (3 boys and a girl) to Urban Plunge that is put together by CSM (Center for Student Missions). We did a lot of inner city ministry and service there in San Francisco, mostly centered around the Tenderloin district and other programs that help the poor and hungry.
I guess I'll give a brief day by day summary and then talk about some things that I learned as a result of this trip...
Sunday
We arrived around 5 on Sunday and got settled in. We had an orientation and met our City Host, Rich. (Your City Host is with you throughout the week at each ministry sight and helps with debriefing and things like that.) We ate Vietnemese food on Sunday night. It was good, but challenging because we had to eat with chopsticks! :) Rich had to teach me how to use the chopsticks and then I kept having to have lessons throughout dinner to work on my "form". It was a lot of fun and the food was amazing! :) We then went on a Prayer Tour and saw various parts of the city and prayed for different things. It was really really neat to see how different the city is and how much need there is there. We went up to Coit Tower (it's on top of a hill) and we could see most of San Francisco from up there and it was amazing!!! All of the lights from the city were absolutely incredible! :) Definitely something I won't soon forget!
Monday
Monday we worked at the San Francisco Food Bank in the morning. It was a really neat place and there was so much food there! We worked on putting together one pound bags of rice from a one ton bag. It was really fun to get to work with the kids and get to know them better as well as Rich. Monday afternoon we worked at the Salvation Army Service Center sorting through clothes and putting together various gift type things for older teenage girls. Again, it was a lot of fun to get to hang out with the group and get to know each other better. It was amazing to me how many clothes we sorted. Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Gap had donated all of their sample clothing (things that the mannequins wear) and other clothes that were out of season or whatever. We also prayer walked over the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday afternoon and it was AMAZING!!!! It was really foggy and windy so we couldn't see much of the city, but it was still sooooo cool!!!! Oh how I loved it!!! So much fun!!! (We also saw the family from Little People Big World before we started walking so that was exciting too!) We ate Nicaraguan food on Monday night and it was interesting. Not anything like I remember eating when I was in Nicaragua, but it's all good. It was a good experience. We went to a park for debriefing on Monday night and it was a lot of fun to hear what the kids had to say about what we had done on Monday. We got into an interesting conversation about where do you draw the line as far as just meeting people's spiritual needs (preaching the Word of God) vs. meeting the physical needs of people. I think that's something I've struggled with alot, especially since becoming a social work major and I know there's a delicate balance between the two, but I also know that people are never going to listen to us preach if their stomachs are growling. It was an interesting conversation and something I know I will continue to wrestle with as I get older.
Tuesday
Tuesday was a hard day, but a good one. We went over to Oakland and worked in the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room in the morning and then served lunch for a couple of hours to homeless and poor people in the area. It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed working there because it was very organized and run very smoothly (I'm learning I love organization and chaos really bothers me!). I got the job of banging trays during lunch time. It definitely took me back to the good ole days of Pineywoods and working in the Deuce!!! Oh how it made me miss it! Anyway, it was fun and I had some interesting conversations with some of the volunteers. Before I left, I was crowned Queen of Garbage by the guy that was spraying down the trays. It was amazing! :) One man I talked with had been volutneering there every Tuesday for 17 years. It really challenged me to be more involved in doing something like that on a regular basis and not just for my service points for KXA or something else. Rich (our City Host) had to leave our group on Tuesday afternoon due to a family emergency. It was terrible heartbreaking and we really hated to see him have to leave. He was a great leader and definitely an amazing man of God. Please pray for him and his family during this time. We got a new City Host, Lisa, on Tuesday afternoon when we went to work at the St. Vincent Day Home, a day care for lower income kids also in Oakland. I loved Tuesday afternoon and it was probably one of my favorite things we did!! I was in the Dolphin class room of 4 year olds for the afternoon and I had a blast!!! We had snack when they got up from their naps and then we played for a little while in their room. It was such a blast! The kids just latched on to me and wouldn't let me go. How sweet it was to feel that unconditional love that they just poured out on to me. Kids never cease to amaze me...:) and these were definitely no different! :) Theire energy was so contagious and definitely an encouragement to me because Tuesday was a rough day, with Rich leaving and everything and just being exhausted from working all morning. :) Anyway, it was a good time and I really loved the Day Home. So much fun! Tuesday night we had Indian food, which definitely added a little spice to our week! :) haha! It was really good, but different, almost a little too spicy for me, but I'm glad I tried it.
Anyway, that's a couple of days from my trip. I'll write more in the morning before I leave to go to World Changers about the rest of the week. It was a good trip, but it's definitely good to be back in the land of Clovis! I'm definitely looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight!
Please be praying for us tomorrow as we go to World Changers. We'll be working here in Clovis/Fresno, but we'll be staying at a local college. :) Yay for another week away from "home!"
Saturday, June 16, 2007
end of the first week in clovis...
hope you guys enjoyed those pictures...i'll post some of clovis really soon...:)
sorry it's taken a few days to write again...everytime i sit down to do it, i get distracted or i'm tired and ready to go to bed...
so, let's see what's been going on the last few days?
wednesday i worked around the church for most of the day. kara and i also ventured to downtown Fresno to get a tb skin test. that was definitely interesting. :) california roads and signs can be really confusing so it's always an adventure when we're looking for somewhere new...:) needless to say, we made it back alive! :) kara and i also went and hang out at starbucks for a while on wednesday night and then we watched so you think you can dance @ her house. i'm definitely hooked now. it's so good! dave, your dreams of us becoming hooked on reality tv while we are here is coming true! :)
thursday we worked at the church some more doing random thigns for people in the office. we cleaned up one of the storage areas in the youth room for dave for a while. let's just say that kara and i should have our own organization/cleaning show on tlc or something because that place looks AMAZING now...:) we also did some planning for our girl event on thursday.
yesterday (friday) was an amazing day!!! oh it was so great! definitely one of my favorite days since i've been here. we spent pretty much the whole day planning out priceless, our girls only event in july. i am so so so so excited to see how God uses this event in the lives of the girls of clovis hills. as kara and i talked and planned, things seemed to flow so well and our hearts are definitely on the same page for this event we are planning. as we talked and discovered what we truly wanted to convey to these girls, i was taken back to all of those times in junior high and high school when i struggled with relationships and purity and wanting to fit in and how there were always people investing in my life, helping me navigate through all of the lies that the world tells you at that age. i realized that i want to be one of those people for these girls here in clovis this summer. pray that i would be open and available for that this summer.
so, i've survived my first week in clovis. it's hard to believe that i've been gone for almost two weeks!!! i think that the fact that i'm going to be here all summer without the parents and friends is finally sinking in so please pray that i'll have peace and not get too homesick. this is such an amazing place and i don't want to miss anything that God has for me here, so pray that i will be focused on california and not missing home too much. also, pray that i will be patient in allowing God to show me why He has me here this summer. while i definitely know He brought me here (because i would never think up something like this on my own), this week i've really been struggling with why i'm here and all of those questions. thanks so much guys!! you are amazing!!!
i'm leaving to go to san francisco tomorrow and i won't be home until friday afternoon/night so it'll be awhile before i update again, but know that i love you all and i miss you bunches!!!!!! :)
sorry it's taken a few days to write again...everytime i sit down to do it, i get distracted or i'm tired and ready to go to bed...
so, let's see what's been going on the last few days?
wednesday i worked around the church for most of the day. kara and i also ventured to downtown Fresno to get a tb skin test. that was definitely interesting. :) california roads and signs can be really confusing so it's always an adventure when we're looking for somewhere new...:) needless to say, we made it back alive! :) kara and i also went and hang out at starbucks for a while on wednesday night and then we watched so you think you can dance @ her house. i'm definitely hooked now. it's so good! dave, your dreams of us becoming hooked on reality tv while we are here is coming true! :)
thursday we worked at the church some more doing random thigns for people in the office. we cleaned up one of the storage areas in the youth room for dave for a while. let's just say that kara and i should have our own organization/cleaning show on tlc or something because that place looks AMAZING now...:) we also did some planning for our girl event on thursday.
yesterday (friday) was an amazing day!!! oh it was so great! definitely one of my favorite days since i've been here. we spent pretty much the whole day planning out priceless, our girls only event in july. i am so so so so excited to see how God uses this event in the lives of the girls of clovis hills. as kara and i talked and planned, things seemed to flow so well and our hearts are definitely on the same page for this event we are planning. as we talked and discovered what we truly wanted to convey to these girls, i was taken back to all of those times in junior high and high school when i struggled with relationships and purity and wanting to fit in and how there were always people investing in my life, helping me navigate through all of the lies that the world tells you at that age. i realized that i want to be one of those people for these girls here in clovis this summer. pray that i would be open and available for that this summer.
so, i've survived my first week in clovis. it's hard to believe that i've been gone for almost two weeks!!! i think that the fact that i'm going to be here all summer without the parents and friends is finally sinking in so please pray that i'll have peace and not get too homesick. this is such an amazing place and i don't want to miss anything that God has for me here, so pray that i will be focused on california and not missing home too much. also, pray that i will be patient in allowing God to show me why He has me here this summer. while i definitely know He brought me here (because i would never think up something like this on my own), this week i've really been struggling with why i'm here and all of those questions. thanks so much guys!! you are amazing!!!
i'm leaving to go to san francisco tomorrow and i won't be home until friday afternoon/night so it'll be awhile before i update again, but know that i love you all and i miss you bunches!!!!!! :)
Picture Time!
Here are just a few pictures from my first week in California (I know, I've been here for two but I've been bad about taking pictures...I'll take some I promise!). They're mostly from Jenness Park (where I was at orientation.) The last one is from this week when we ventured downtown for a TB test.
On the way to Jenness Park...so GREAT!
Mountains....so beautiful!!!! 
Jenness Park...BEAUTIFUL
Chris---he's from Alabama...
The girls in my cabin-Kayla, Kara, Anna, and Hope---they were the best!!! :)
Having fun @ Jenness Park...Kara, Emily from South Carolina, and ME!
The famous Oreos on the forehead...
My beautiful, amazing, oh so much fun partner, Kara---she's from North Carolina!
Waiting to get a TB Test in downtown Fresno...SCARYTuesday, June 12, 2007
Paper Fish
Hello again from Clovis! :) The last couple of days have been a lot of fun and I just wanted to write a quick update.
Sunday I went to Clovis Hills for the first time and it was great! I went to the first youth service and got to meet some of the teenagers that I'll be working with this summer! It was definitely a little intimidating, but good. I had read just that morning in 1 Thessalonians about the faithfulness of God as I was getting ready to go, and He was definitely faithful to give me some courage to talk to some of the students. While most of the time, my personality is to be very outgoing, sometimes it takes me a little time to warm up to people and be that outgoing one, but praise God that He gave me that courage on Sunday. I really enjoyed the services at Clovis Hills. Dave (my supervisor)'s wife, Kimberly, is the worship leader for "big church" and it was great to watch her praise God on Sunday morning. I also enjoyed the preaching time and found the pastor to be very easy to listen to. While Clovis Hills is definitely a little different than what I am used to (Grace Temple or Central), I think I'm going to like it. Change is good, and I think it's something that I need right now. While I haven't been actively leading worship for over a month now, I must say that it is so nice to sit in the congregation and be an active participant instead of playing the piano all of the time. :)
Sunday night Kara and I went to ICON, the college group. It was exciting to meet some other college students @ Clovis Hills and I really hope that I'll get to spend more time with them and get to know them better in the coming weeks. :) I know I'll eventually need a break from the teenagers. :) We went over to Dave's house afterwards for hamburgers and to hang out. Two of our friends from Orientation were there. They are also serving in Fresno and one of them's host home are friends of Dave and Kimberly's. It was good to see them and hang out with them again. :) Hopefully we'll see them often this summer.
Yesterday (Monday) we had the day off. Kara and I ventured to Wal-Mart (let me just say that they are not as good as back in Texas!) and then hung out by the pool at my house for most of the afternoon. :) It was glorious! :) The kids came and played with us for a while and it was so much fun! I love having kids around all the time. It's so much fun! Never a boring moment. :) Kara and I went to her house and watched a movie (well, I slept through most of it---the sun is so draining here!) and then had dinner together. It was definitely a great day of relaxing and hanging out.
Today was my 1st day of "work" I guess you could say. I'm working in the office this week helping out various people and doing various things. I cut out paper fish of all colors (hence the title of this blog) for a good 5 hours today. They are going to be used in the Children's Ministry for Scripture memory or something like that. It was fun and it gave Kara and I more time to talk and get to know each other so it was good. We got to meet some more people that work in the office and I must say, it's a pretty fun place. :) Dave also gave us something to think about along the lines of doing something for the girls of the youth group. Because we are not going to Philly anymore for M-Fuge (so sad about that!), we will have a week here with nothing really planned so he wants us to plan something for the girls of the youth group for that week. Something like a Princess Camp or something like that. Pray that we will be able to get a lot of the planning for that done this week because we will be gone the next two on different mission trips. I'm really excited about doing this because it's definitely something that is close to my heart, but pray that I wouldn't let myself get in the way of God's plans for that week. It's so easy for me to get caught up in what I want, so please join me in praying that I will be open to what He wants us to do to reach out to these girls. :) Thanks so much!
Anyway, I'll try to post some pictures on here later this week so you guys can have some sort of reference as to where I am and what I've been up to. :) Also, if you are reading this and you would like my address for any reason, email me and let me know and I'll get that to you. I think that most of my readers are already on my email list, but just in case you aren't, let me know. :)
Prayer Requests at the moment:
-boldness in making relationships with teenagers and all those I come in contact with
-strong relationships with Dave (my supervisor) and Kara (my partner)
-continued adjustment to the time zone difference
-mission trip to San Francisco next week with Junior Highers :)
Thanks so much for praying!! I love you all and miss you!
Falling in Love with California,
Kimberly :)
Sunday I went to Clovis Hills for the first time and it was great! I went to the first youth service and got to meet some of the teenagers that I'll be working with this summer! It was definitely a little intimidating, but good. I had read just that morning in 1 Thessalonians about the faithfulness of God as I was getting ready to go, and He was definitely faithful to give me some courage to talk to some of the students. While most of the time, my personality is to be very outgoing, sometimes it takes me a little time to warm up to people and be that outgoing one, but praise God that He gave me that courage on Sunday. I really enjoyed the services at Clovis Hills. Dave (my supervisor)'s wife, Kimberly, is the worship leader for "big church" and it was great to watch her praise God on Sunday morning. I also enjoyed the preaching time and found the pastor to be very easy to listen to. While Clovis Hills is definitely a little different than what I am used to (Grace Temple or Central), I think I'm going to like it. Change is good, and I think it's something that I need right now. While I haven't been actively leading worship for over a month now, I must say that it is so nice to sit in the congregation and be an active participant instead of playing the piano all of the time. :)
Sunday night Kara and I went to ICON, the college group. It was exciting to meet some other college students @ Clovis Hills and I really hope that I'll get to spend more time with them and get to know them better in the coming weeks. :) I know I'll eventually need a break from the teenagers. :) We went over to Dave's house afterwards for hamburgers and to hang out. Two of our friends from Orientation were there. They are also serving in Fresno and one of them's host home are friends of Dave and Kimberly's. It was good to see them and hang out with them again. :) Hopefully we'll see them often this summer.
Yesterday (Monday) we had the day off. Kara and I ventured to Wal-Mart (let me just say that they are not as good as back in Texas!) and then hung out by the pool at my house for most of the afternoon. :) It was glorious! :) The kids came and played with us for a while and it was so much fun! I love having kids around all the time. It's so much fun! Never a boring moment. :) Kara and I went to her house and watched a movie (well, I slept through most of it---the sun is so draining here!) and then had dinner together. It was definitely a great day of relaxing and hanging out.
Today was my 1st day of "work" I guess you could say. I'm working in the office this week helping out various people and doing various things. I cut out paper fish of all colors (hence the title of this blog) for a good 5 hours today. They are going to be used in the Children's Ministry for Scripture memory or something like that. It was fun and it gave Kara and I more time to talk and get to know each other so it was good. We got to meet some more people that work in the office and I must say, it's a pretty fun place. :) Dave also gave us something to think about along the lines of doing something for the girls of the youth group. Because we are not going to Philly anymore for M-Fuge (so sad about that!), we will have a week here with nothing really planned so he wants us to plan something for the girls of the youth group for that week. Something like a Princess Camp or something like that. Pray that we will be able to get a lot of the planning for that done this week because we will be gone the next two on different mission trips. I'm really excited about doing this because it's definitely something that is close to my heart, but pray that I wouldn't let myself get in the way of God's plans for that week. It's so easy for me to get caught up in what I want, so please join me in praying that I will be open to what He wants us to do to reach out to these girls. :) Thanks so much!
Anyway, I'll try to post some pictures on here later this week so you guys can have some sort of reference as to where I am and what I've been up to. :) Also, if you are reading this and you would like my address for any reason, email me and let me know and I'll get that to you. I think that most of my readers are already on my email list, but just in case you aren't, let me know. :)
Prayer Requests at the moment:
-boldness in making relationships with teenagers and all those I come in contact with
-strong relationships with Dave (my supervisor) and Kara (my partner)
-continued adjustment to the time zone difference
-mission trip to San Francisco next week with Junior Highers :)
Thanks so much for praying!! I love you all and miss you!
Falling in Love with California,
Kimberly :)
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Clovis!
It's so nice to be "home," or at least "home" for the next 2 months! :) I got to Clovis yesterday and it's great here! :) It's a lot bigger than I imagined and there's so much to do and see here. :) I'm pretty sure there is a Starbucks on every corner, which definitely makes me happy and my host family is super super sweet! :) They have two kids and they are adorable! I've colored, played with remote control animals, and everything else in the little over 24 hours that I have been here! :) Today Kara and I got our car (which I get to drive all summer because I'm the only one that is 21) and then shopped around Clovis/Fresno for most of the day with one of the girls that lives at Dave's house.
Like I said before, it's so great to finally be here and meet Dave and see Clovis and all. Dave's really great and I can already tell we're going to have lots of fun this summer! :) I'm excited to meet some of the youth tomorrow at church and get into the swing of things! :)
Anyway, that's about it for now I guess. I'll write more when there are more exciting things happening. God has been so good this week as I have been "orientated" to California and Summer Missions. I've met so many awesome people and had so much fun. I'm excited about what the summer holds! Pray that I will fall in love with the people of California. :)
Like I said before, it's so great to finally be here and meet Dave and see Clovis and all. Dave's really great and I can already tell we're going to have lots of fun this summer! :) I'm excited to meet some of the youth tomorrow at church and get into the swing of things! :)
Anyway, that's about it for now I guess. I'll write more when there are more exciting things happening. God has been so good this week as I have been "orientated" to California and Summer Missions. I've met so many awesome people and had so much fun. I'm excited about what the summer holds! Pray that I will fall in love with the people of California. :)
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Day 3!!
It's Wednesday and that means the week is almost half over! :) It's crazy to think that I've been gone from Texas for 48 hours, but I have been! It's been a great experience so far---God has definitely blessed my time here already. The other summer missionaries are amazing and I've made so many neat friends! There are several that are also serving in the Fresno area so hopefully we'll get to hang out sometime this summer.
Jenness Park (the Christian Camp where we are at this week for Orientation) is absolutely amazing! It's about 50 degrees right now and the sun is shining! So great! Yesterday it was cold and rainy all day, but still amazing! :) We're in a little vally amongst the mountains and there's no cell phone reception and we're about 30 minutes from civilization. I climbed a mountain with some friends yesterday to see if they could get cell phone reception and it was absolutely gorgeous! I'm so glad that I'll get to come back here at the end of July for camp with junior high and high school kids! :) It's gonna be GREAT!
Needless to say, God is amazing and I'm so glad that I am here. I'm really anxious for Friday to get here so I can go home to Clovis, where I'll be all summer. :) I'm excited to see what God is going to do in my life and my prayer is that I will come home a very different person than I left. Love you guys and miss you alot!!!
Jenness Park (the Christian Camp where we are at this week for Orientation) is absolutely amazing! It's about 50 degrees right now and the sun is shining! So great! Yesterday it was cold and rainy all day, but still amazing! :) We're in a little vally amongst the mountains and there's no cell phone reception and we're about 30 minutes from civilization. I climbed a mountain with some friends yesterday to see if they could get cell phone reception and it was absolutely gorgeous! I'm so glad that I'll get to come back here at the end of July for camp with junior high and high school kids! :) It's gonna be GREAT!
Needless to say, God is amazing and I'm so glad that I am here. I'm really anxious for Friday to get here so I can go home to Clovis, where I'll be all summer. :) I'm excited to see what God is going to do in my life and my prayer is that I will come home a very different person than I left. Love you guys and miss you alot!!!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
I'm here!!!
Just wanted to let everyone know that I made it here safe and sound! I'm at Jenness Park Christian Camp for the week doing Orientation. I don't have long this time, but I'll write more later tonight hopefully. :) It's beautiful and God is so amazing! :) It's gonna be a good summer...:)
Monday, May 21, 2007
One Week!!!!!
In one week, I'll be getting ready to go to bed so I can get up and go to California for the summer! Whoohoo!!!! In the last few days, I've truly begun to get excited about the summer and all that God is going to do!!! It's so hard to believe that I've been waiting for this for so long and it's finally here, but it is! Yay!
Some prayer requests for this week:
- have enough time to get everything done (pack, spend time with family, sleep)
- no fears about the summer, to remember and truly believe that God has everything under control even though I don't know what to begin to expect this summer
- that God would use this summer to change my life, to truly break me and put me back together the way He wants me
- that I would be open to being used by God this summer, that He would use all of me to bring Himself glory
Thank you guys so much for praying!! :) Have a great week!
Some prayer requests for this week:
- have enough time to get everything done (pack, spend time with family, sleep)
- no fears about the summer, to remember and truly believe that God has everything under control even though I don't know what to begin to expect this summer
- that God would use this summer to change my life, to truly break me and put me back together the way He wants me
- that I would be open to being used by God this summer, that He would use all of me to bring Himself glory
Thank you guys so much for praying!! :) Have a great week!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
40 days...
40 days until California! whoohoo!! it's hard to believe that in just 40 days i'll be in california for 10 weeks!!!!! it's scary, but i'm so excited!! for those of you that don't know, i began this process back in september as i began filling out my application and asking for reference letters. after looking through all of the summer missionary positions and praying about where God would have me serve should i be approved, i decided that california would be an awesome place to go. i chose the clovis position particularly because i've always wanted to be a youth intern for the summer and work with teenagers and this job seemed to fit that desire to a T. i must admit that i was nervous when i finally submitted all of my application materials. while i knew that on paper i was probably as qualified as most to be a summer missionary, i still wasn't sure this is where God wanted me this summer and to make a decision like that 8 months in advance was a little scary for me. i got approved at the very end of october with clovis being my preliminary assignment. it wasn't until the end of february that i was officially assigned to clovis and oh how welcome that email was! :) i don't remember ever being that excited to get an email! :) anyway, it has definitely been an adventure and even though there were so many times when i doubted God's plan and doubted that this is what i was supposed to do this summer, i'm so excited now about the opportunity to serve in this church this summer!!! i know the next 40 days will probably not go by as quickly as i would like, but june 4 will be here soon enough.
in the next 40 days i ask that you pray for me as i finish up this semester (oh how i can not wait for may 8 to be here!!!!) and get ready to go to cali. pray that i will be diligent in spending time with God everyday so that i may be spiritually ready for the summer. pray that i will be diligent in taking care of myself so that i am as healthy as possible to begin the summer. pray that i will be able to finish up everything here in waco in the next 2 weeks so that i will be able to fully enjoy my time at home with my family before i leave for the summer. thanks.
in the next 40 days i ask that you pray for me as i finish up this semester (oh how i can not wait for may 8 to be here!!!!) and get ready to go to cali. pray that i will be diligent in spending time with God everyday so that i may be spiritually ready for the summer. pray that i will be diligent in taking care of myself so that i am as healthy as possible to begin the summer. pray that i will be able to finish up everything here in waco in the next 2 weeks so that i will be able to fully enjoy my time at home with my family before i leave for the summer. thanks.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8
Monday, April 23, 2007
Numero Uno
Hi friends!!
I've created this blog in order to keep people posted on what God is doing in my life and the lives of those around me this summer as I serve as a NAMB Summer Missionary in Clovis California. I'm also going to be posting prayer requests and things like that as well as sending out a weekly update (hopefully) via email once the summer gets started, so email me if you would like to be put on that list. Thanks! Have a great day!!!
California here I come!!!!
Kimberly
I've created this blog in order to keep people posted on what God is doing in my life and the lives of those around me this summer as I serve as a NAMB Summer Missionary in Clovis California. I'm also going to be posting prayer requests and things like that as well as sending out a weekly update (hopefully) via email once the summer gets started, so email me if you would like to be put on that list. Thanks! Have a great day!!!
California here I come!!!!
Kimberly
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