All in one week...

Hello world! I am currently sitting in the dining hall thinking back upon the week that I just experienced. Exactly one week ago to I was driving up to Missouri to make my home for the next couple months. It was an absolutely unbelieveable week and I would totally LOVE to walk you through what has been going on.

Saturday we arrived and moved into the Cabanas...My roommate is an absolutely wonderful girl named Abbie from Missouri. We bonded relatively quickly us both being very layed back people. That night we had dinner and games in the Hale Olina (house of joy...aka the dining hall) then we were free to continue getting settled in. Well by the time the settling occured it was about 1am for Abbie and I. We were SO excited b/c we were organized...life is good when organization is in place. So we went to sleep...did I mention that a Hurricane had hit Texas a couple days before and we'd been told it was going to rain? Or that I live on the bottom floor at the end of a little slope in the road? So Let me rephrase that with sandbags in place at the bottom of the slope and 1 am Abbie and I went to bed....We were awaken at 3:30 am by our sweet mate Kristin by a pounding at the door (I'm laughing as I replay this memory in my head) Abbie crawls out of bed and announces our floor is wet! She goes to the door cracks it a little and I hear water rushing in...she slams the door! We then start trying to decide what we do now that our room is flooded, we try to call some people, we laugh, we call some more people, and laugh some more...the only people to answer their phones were some K one staff who are living on the Kauai properties while they re-do their house. They were nice enough to allow us to come to their house and sleep for the rest of the night. The next day we changed rooms and are currently still waiting for our room to dry out so we can move back....memoriable experience, for sure!

Since then we have had an intermix of class, and lots of get to know you activities...we've been out on a house boat, played blue gnu and snipper at the landing, we just returned from a camping trip in Arkansas which included hiking and bluff jumping, the sharing of testimonies, and good amount of time with the Lord to prepare for this next year. Its so fun to be at a place of life and learning where nothing goes without being prayed over before something is done...God is to be glorified in all.

We were in class really 2 days this week. Karen did a Biblical overview of the whole Bible as we learned the map out of the Old and New Testament... so cool it was to see how it all interconnected...the old testament has been something I've read but hadn't really tried to understand how it fit together because it has a lot of lineage lists and I got real confused real fast. But now I see how it all fits together, well its a good basis anyways...I'm excited to go deeper! We also got new study Bibles this week, I looked at Abbie when they passed them out and said, "How cool is this....this is our text book! We are studying the Bible for school!" We were really excited.

For me today and tomorrow will be completely ingrossed in writing papers about peoples opinions on spirituality and religion, interesting words, and definately interesting readins I've had to do that I don't honestly know how I feel about...but I heard this class is actually good even though it is the hardest....So here goes nothing, I'm diving in to get these papers done....until the next time...see ya!

So its been awhile...

Hey ya'll from the Ozarks! Things are going wonderfully here...Lots of families have walked through these gates with the opportunity to relax and be recharged in the Lord as well as grow together as a family! Its been so stinkin fun to see the Lord work in all these families and individuals young and old. We have approximately 4 more terms of families coming, I seriously cannot believe that we are already that far into the summer. It will be here and gone before I know it and I'll be back at home for a bit before returning to school in the fall. Speaking of school...I'm planning on getting a Masters in youth and family ministry over the course of the next year. When I decided this was the route I stated I didn't want to take out anymore student loans to pay for the schooling....well, I decided that I would go ahead and apply for student loans to help cover the cost...it seems the Lord wants to teach me a big lesson in trust, it looks as if I won't be recieving much money from FASFA. I'm pretty confident that I want to do the Masters program so that means...I kinda need to come up with about 10,000 dollars...yay...a friend once said...if its God's will its Gods bill. Lord I'm handing this one over to you...I will do my part and fit together the pieces, just lead me in the direction to find those pieces!

One little text...

Today the boys and I were out for a walk and I just randomly text one of my friends to see how their day was going. Well when he replied he informed me things were not real great. Alot of things in his life were just not going the way he really planned for them to go. Complications with his roommate, financial difficulties, girl problems, ect. He said he had worked himself up so much last night he had had a panic attack. I was really amazed at how open and honest he was about his situation at hand. But oh am I ever so thankful, it was a great open door. I explained to him that times such as these are such great times to remember that nothing in life is consistent, that the Lord and His word are the other constant things in life. I said in these tough times if we cling to the Lord and His promises in the word, even the toughest times can be looked back on as good, because our faith was strengthened so much. I got to ask my friend if he had a Bible (he wasn't sure where it was, I encouraged him to find it and to dig it. I offered to buy him one if his could not be located. He said he would get one, but it would be helpful if I could give him a list of verses to look up. I was SO excited, I had never gotten a chance to talk to my friend about his relationship with the Lord, and the Lord completely opened the door. I am sorry he is hurting but I know someone who can calm all fears, and pain and that is who I am going to point him to. And I got this opportunity all because I sent one little text...

My little sister and I had conversation this week about an area of live we were going to begin keeping each other accountable in. And that area was speaking the truth into peoples lives even when we were afraid of the outcome. I have had one to many friends go through tough times and turn away from the Lord. I cannot control my friends decisions but I can speak the truth into their life and try to help remind them on the foundation that they used to stand on...

Let my eyes, ears, mind, and heart be ever mindful of the people around me. We don't know what is going on in peoples lives until we meet them where they are and simply ask...will you make time to meet someone today?

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday...

Sunday morning me and my mom went walking at the track, there were 3 little guys out there (by little I mean between ages 7-9) and EVERY time we walked by they threw plastic bottles at us! I think we were both wearing Oklahoma State stuff, who knows if that was the reason why, but they got lots of kicks out of hiding and trying to ping us with the bottles. Thankfully the wind was blowin so they never actually made it to us...Sunday afternoon was spent with the fam celebrating my little cousins 3rd birthday. It was so stinkin fun b/c my sister and her children came down, and by down I mean up to visit us as well. It's always a treat to have them around :) Mondy was a Monday, hanging out at the house with the 2 little guys, then I watched the CMA's. Today was Tuesday and it was a great day, got a workout in, and just relax. I also got to watch the finale show for the Biggest Loser, what an incredible show. Its so fun to see the changes that happen in those peoples lives as their learn how to live healthier lives. The show took place over six months and I now have a new goal of working on consistency in my life as far as working out. I've been doing fairly well, and want to continue this through the summer as I change environments...So I'm staring now thinking of how that will happen. I want working out to be something I cannot go without doing...maybe I can get to where I replace the diet coke with the working out...now theres a goal...and also another topic for another day...good night!

Frustration yet Perserverance...

Forgive me if I spelt (you didn't know it, but I'm English :) )that wrong...today has been a frustrating day. Long story short I'm getting very tired of doing something for someone and never getting anything in return. I've been battling with this all day long, I am exhausted with continually trying to befriend someone, yet they dont seem to want to be friends with me...so you say move on, right? Well let me give you a little history, it is a relationship that has a crazy beginning honestly the most random meeting ever, we were introduced by a man who knew me at age 5. We met 5 years ago, and since I met this person I have grown SO much in the Lord as I learned to listen to the Holy Spirit and follow His prodding (sp?) This friend is a decent friend when I approach them, hardly ever am I approached by them. Well this friend is now in a discipleship program for 6 months (starting in January) and I have been sending notes of encouragement off and on since the beginning. This program allows the students to write mail in return and I have not recieved anything back, which is frustrating (I just wanted to know what they are learning..). So I've been thinking...do I continue to send letters? (b/c satan is wispering in my ear, andrea don't do it, stop writing they don't care, so on so forth). However, this afternoon after battling this yesterday evening through this morning the Lord and I had some good one on one time. Basically this is what I was reminded of: Just like this friendship has taught me from day 1, it is what it is because of the Lord and His instructions of what I am to do. I have been blessed in so many ways by seeing how the Lord has worked when I simply did what I was called to do. I made a committment to this friend in December telling them not only would I be praying for them, I would write them letters while they were away. I do what I do because its what the Lord has told me to do period...why in the world would I second guess anything else that goes along with that...as well as I was reminded of the verse that says "Never tire of doing good, for at the right time you will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Gal 6:9) Because really, glorifying the Lord is what it is about, if a friend is gained wonderful. But how horrible it would be the miss out of seeing the Lord work b/c I was selfish and wanted something more out of it, isn't the Lords blessing enough? ...A frustrating day, yet a day where frustration turned to perserverance as I chase after the things the Lord has called me to take part in...

What a weekend...

This past weekend I got to roadtrip to Branson for leadership weekend. I was able to hang out with lots of friends and really get fed spiritually. Hearing lots of things about unity of the body (using Phil 1), salvation (Phil 3), and then about the not underestimating the power of the Lord in our lives. We are teaching Philippians to the staff this summer, so we got lots of good views on the book, as well as views on the life of Paul. It got me really excited to realize next year I'll be getting to study the word for class, and then getting to take what I've learned and use it in the internship I will be having as well..I have such a passion to be in the word and to know the word and cant wait to be taught the connections through the Bible. Alright...to bed I go, I hope I will continually get better at writing as I continue to do this...
but think on this...
the Lord loves you just as you are, HOWEVER, He loves you SO much that He doesn't want to leave you that way. Salvation is a great experience with the Holy Spirit as you become connected with the Lord, after that experience let the Lord begin to santify you as you grow and learn about Him...Let Him mold you into the person you are called to be, when you are moldable and usable is when His power can never be underestimated in us.

3rd times a charm...hopefully for me it will only take 2...

Well here I go again trying to join the world of the blog...lets see how try 2 goes at this...by the time I move to Branson next fall I should be real good at it. That is in fact when I want to start really using this blog..okay enough for now I'm going to try to figure out how to post of AlandJanes web page so EVERYone will know I have started a blog myself...until later...