So Much on My Mind

Hey Everyone!

I know that I haven't blogged in forever, but there is so much on my mind that I want to blog about.

I just don't know where to start

and

what to tell you first.

Right now, here are some things I do know.

Camp is still going great! We are halfway done! 

How did that happen???

I am still tired.

I really think that I am going to take a nap right after I press "publish".

The Lord is good! 

Did you know?

Have you heard?

He is faithful and good. 

Oh, how I love Him! 

If I don't post anything beforehand, I hope you all have a great 4th of July!! 

:-) 

2 Months

It's been two months since the Tuscaloosa Tornado.

Since that normal day that quickly turned violent

and

tore my college town apart. 

Homes destroyed

and

lives destroyed.

Two months since.

Some days it feels like it has only been a few days.

Other times is seems like a year.

Two months since. 

However, now, I am even more thankful for

God's provision

and 

His protection. 

When I Feel Small

There is a moment in my life when I feel truly small. 

It happens a lot 

and 

isn't a bad thing. 

I actually really like it. 

It is humbling. 

Whenever I pray to my Father God, I get this feeling that I am super small. 

Like I'm in a big, bright, white room with huge ceilings.

And there I am, along a wall or in a corner, surrounded by hugeness. 

With a feeling of being small.

I can feel God's power and how mighty He is.

I feel the sense of being surrounded by Him. 

I know that He is here with me! 

I got that feeling tonight as I was praying with fellow staff members. 

I was asked to open us up in prayer 

and 

I gladly did. 

I tend to not pray out loud unless asked 

or 

if I really feel the Holy Spirit leading me. 

Sometimes I wish that I was the first to volunteer, but being who I am, 

I hesitate and let someone else do it. 

Because the devil tells me that prayer isn't good enough 

or 

that I am going to sound stupid

and

stumble over words

or

that I'm not going to make sense.

Well, you know what?

God hears my prayers. 

He understands them. 

He knows my heart.

He knows how to answer prayers. 

Tonight however, I prayed to my Father as I joined hands with not just staff members, but sisters in Christ. 

I once heard one of my youth pastors or someone say that if we pass up the opportunity to speak out loud when we feel led, when we feel God telling us to speak, that we may not be letting God use us as He could. He might want us to speak or say something that He wants someone else to hear, but if we are silent, they won't hear it. 

It is the same with the Gospel. 

We can live it out all day and say that we believe it, but

if we don't actually speak the Gospel 

then how will people hear it? 

How will they come to know?

I pray that my boldness of the Gospel will just spill out.

That everything I do or say

and 

everywhere I go 

will just be a picture of the Gospel. 

There is nothing else that I should live for as a believer in Christ. 

I pray that I will speak out when I feel the Holy Spirit leading me.

That I will not be hindrance to the Gospel of Christ. 

That I will be vulnerable 

and 

allow God to use me as He wishes. 

I pray, Father, that You will use me as You see fit. 

Surround me with Your mightiness. 

Help me to feel small. 

Everything by Tim Hughes

Lately, this has been my constant prayer. 

Happy Father's Day!!!

My Dad is one of the greatest people I know. 

I am so thankful and blessed that God allowed him to come into my mom's life and my life. 

He has done so much for me

and 

has become one of my best friends! 

I love you, Dad! 

Thank you for all that you do. 

You are wonderful 

and 

I love you! 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Thanksgiving 2009

2010

Clothes

I hardly ever buy new clothes.

Like, it is usually awhile before I go shopping 

and 

actually get anything. 

Well, I recently went shopping to Forever 21 and Target.

And I walked away with bags! haha

Just one bag from each place, but I got some good stuff that I am excited to wear. 

:-)

Here are some pictures of things that I got, they may not be exactly alike, but they are similar.

I love all of my purchases, but there is one more purchase that I am absolutely in LOVE with!
If you know me, then you know how excited I am!
:-) 

I also bought a new pair of TOMS!
We found a place that sold them
and
me and another staffer got a pair!

I love love love them!

:-) 

Favorite Moments From This Week

Just thought I would share with ya'll some of my favorite moments from this week.

Most deal with camp 

and 

some are moments with other staffers. 

I loved one conversation I had with a girl who I asked if her parents were missionaries. She responded with yes they are and so am I! I was like yes, you certainly are. Then, she also told me that she wants to go to Africa and Chile one day to tell the people there about Jesus. 

Me too L., me too. 

Another moment is one that I had with the same little girl above, L. We were working on a craft (making crowns) and I heard her singing. What was she singing? Mighty to Save. 

Needless to say that I joined in! 

:-) 

There is one moment that I didn't enjoy, but later turned memorable. 

It involves a little boy, T. He is so great and has definitely become my buddy these past few days. 

Well, yesterday was the first day that I had to get on to him. 

I saw him hit another boy, just in play, but still. 

It happened right in front of me and I was told him, no sir! We do not hit our friends. You need to say sorry and not to hit again. 

Well, he did apologize and then he walked off to a chair by himself. 

I looked over at him and I see him starting to cry. 

I. Felt. Awful. 

I did not want to get on to him, but I also know that all the kids need to be treated the same. 

He didn't cry for long and went back to playing. 

I called him over and told him that I was sorry for yelling at him, but I needed him to know that it is not right for us to hit friends. He said he understood and I asked him if he could forgive me. 

He shook his head no. 

I was like okay, knowing that most likely he would change his mind. 

I let him go play and went to go pick up some toys and clean a little 

and 

when I stood up, T. came running over to me and gave me a big hug! 

My buddy was back. 

:-) 

I also enjoyed that while I was outside, the same boy above, T., wanted me to help him as he hung from the play place. Our play place doesn't have monkey bars, but the kids discovered today that they could make something like it, by just hanging from one part of the play place and crossing over.

Well, I was helping T. cross over the makeshift monkey bars and then lift him down because he didn't want to jump down and then I had walked away to do something. He came running up to me, wanting me to follow him back to the play place. But, I was busy doing something then. T. told me that he just wasn't going to show me if I didn't come right then. So, I went with him and he told me to watch him. 

I watched as he climbed up and shimmied across the "monkey bars" and let go falling to ground and landing on his feet.

All by himself! 

I was very proud! haha

I gave him a high five 

and 

then he showed me again how he could do it.

All by himself. 

That above story just shows me a little bit of how I am going to watch these children change over the summer.

A lot of change happens in these years (4&5)

and 

it is exciting to see what is going to take place.

They are going to grow so much. 

I also love that I can pinpoint some of my Child Development knowledge in these kids. 

Looks like I am learning something during class! Ha!

Another favorite moment from camp happened when I was leaving work and walking back to my dorm. 

The children that were still there were outside playing on the playground 

and

I was walking past the fence. 

I got into the parking lot next to the playground and I heard a kid say, hey that is Ms. Jessica!

I turned around and some of the kids were yelling at me! 

They were telling me bye and that they would see me on Monday! 

It was very awesome.

Definitely a favorite moment. 

Another favorite moment that is not in camp, but is instead with Staffers! 

There is Camp Nola Kidz staff and then MissionLab staff. 

We have gone to the movies with them and gone to eat with them, but 

this past week has been like bonding week for us all. 

We have gone to church and worship during the week with them. 

Wednesday was one of our staff member's birthday, so we all went to eat and MissionLab came with us. 

Thursday was the birthday of a staffer from MissionLab so we had fun with that.

Today we are planning on going to play Laser Tag with them

and 

it is also another staffer's, from MissionLab, birthday.
So, we are going to eat for his birthday. 

It has been great getting to know them and hang out with them.

They are so much fun and it is great that we all have this bond going on. 

Okay, well I think those of most of my favorite moments from this past week. 

I know I have many more, but these are the ones that I could remember right now.

Week 3 of Camp went by really fast 

and

I am really tired! 

:-)