Thursday, December 30, 2010

Please Join Me In Prayer...


Hello Friends!
2011 is coming fast. The end of 2010 means about a month and a few weeks left until I head out for AIM training. I am writing to ask for your prayers! I thank you as you have all had a hand in my calling to the mission field; it might have been a word of encouragement, a prayer, or just telling me how excited you are as I am answering His call; it all has been used by the Lord. I could not be anything more than grateful. As my training draws closer I would love to keep partnering with you in prayer.

A lot needs to happen in the short time left before I fly out to New York. The Lord has lead me thus far and I know He has me each and every step of the way....but some prayer would be great! Before I head out I will getting everything ready, from paper work to prepping for a sub while I am gone. The week of training will be busy and fun. I am very excited to meet other AIM candidates, make some new friends, and learn a lot about African Inland Mission. At the end of the week I will know if I have been accepted into AIM and possibly know a definite assignment. This is huge! As each day passes my excitement and nerves grow. This is truly an exciting time as God is calling and I am answering. I know I cannot do it without you and your prayer support. By mid February I hopefully will know where I will be placed, the ministry I will be doing, start raising my support, and have a sending date!

The prayer needs listed below are for pre-trip, during, and post-trip. Thank you in advance for all your friendship, support, and prayers. If you have any questions or would like more information on any of the prayer needs please contact me. Thank you for the covering of prayer; it is a great blessing. I will keep you posted on what is happening through my blog.

Working for Change in Africa,
Cassandra

Prayer Needs!
-Reserving and sending back all the needed AIM paper work (on time)
-God's provision for Candidate Week (still need to raise $500)
-Prepping my class, lessons, and projects for a sub while I am gone
-Travel mercies (round trip)
-God's leading as the final step of an assignment is completed (I am dying to know where I am going)
-Meeting other missionaries during my training and making new live long friends
-Peace in my heart to listen to God
-All the little things (I know He has them all taken care of)

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Time Together...


Happy belated Thanksgiving. The last month has been crazy so there has been little time to write but I wanted to say a few things about giving thanks.

I spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. It was needed time and time well spent. My family and I do not have the chance to see each other as often as we would like and this time together was very meaningful. My grandmother is getting older and not in the best of health so the holiday spent at the table together had new meaning. We had a great time watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and a yummy meal. I was also blessed to have a few days with them after Thanksgiving before I had to head back to Cali. It was very hard to spend the time together knowing how it could be my grandmother's last. There was even a few times I had to hold back tears because she even said it might be her last. She is the one person in my family that understands me and we are joined by a special bond.

Because, of this bond it is harder then even to think of life without her. A life that holds a whole new chapter for me soon, one she may never get to see. I am sure I am not alone in this feeling during the Holidays. For many this could be the last holiday together or the hurt of the first holiday without them. All around us there are songs and phrases that tell of the great joy this season brings, but yet for many it is not a season of joy at all. This year the Lord is teaching me the flip side of this season. I still love the sights and sounds but they are bitter sweet undertone this year. All the fun of Christmas shopping, card writing, and decorating is still on my "to do" list. As I am going about my days getting things done and marking them off my list there is a kind of understanding I am learning about....the understanding of joy and pain this season can bring.

It can be very hard at times to feel this mix of joy and pain but I am grateful for the insight God has given me because I am now able to relate more with others. He always has a lesson for us to learn to help in our ministries. Through the pain this season, at time brings, I know He has plans for me and my family to have great joy together. This will be a Holiday season I will not let slip by or say bah-humbug to.

As you go about this season I pray if you feel the overwhelming joy you remember those that feel pain and if you feel the pain this season can bring I pray you know there are others that understand how you feel.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Giving. Has it become a commodity?

So this weekend I along with a friend and her husband I went to The City. We took BART in and walked a few blocks to get to the GREEN Festival. Call me a hippy at heart, but I had a great time. There were a ton of booths about how to green your home, fair trade goods, and renewable living choices; but for me it wasent just about the booths. God had a few people in mind for me to meet.

As I strolled around the main floor of the festival something caught my eye. There was a booth with African baskets for sale. I stopped by and took a look. They were stunning baskets handmade in Rwanda. After chatting with the nice lady running the booth I kept going. Little did I know that just a few booths down God had something for me. There was a both called "African Mamas." It was full of colorful shirts, beads, and more from all over Africa. There was some Kenyan beads that just sent me back to the hot orange sun of Kenya. I smiled and kept looking. The lady running the both came up to me and we started to talk. I asked if the beads were Kenyan and and with a surprised response she said they were. We started talking more about our lives. I told her I have been to Kenya off and on for the last three years and at the end of this up coming summer I would be moving to Africa (Thank God she did not ask what country....because I still don't know). I got a few things (one is a great Christmas gift) and she asked me for my name and email. She said she is always looking for contacts that know Africa. As I was about to leave a young lady stopped me. She said she had over heard my conversation and would love to hear more about the orphanages in Kenya I have worked with. She is starting one in Lago de Atitlan, Guatemala. She is looking to talk to other that have start orphanages to get ideas of what she is getting into. It was a great time talking and exchanging contact info. As I walked away I felt God's hand on me, leading and guiding every step I took at that event. God is so good but that is not what I wanted to write about. He is and we all know that He is but there is something that HIT me.

Tonight I was checking out the website of the young lady I meet starting the orphanage. I loved reading about her, seeing her pictures form the last trip she took, but the thing that got me the most was the video she had listed under inspirations! It is the founder of a micro loan website speaking on how the nonprofit came to be. She talked about how she learned of the poor in her Sunday School class. How she knew she was asked to help. Filled with excitement and passion she started to do so but then learned that Jesus said the poor will always be with us. She started to see the poor as an never ending line of people asking for things. She started to give out of guilt and then the guilt was replaced with a new feeling. Somehow the giving became a commodity. As I heard what she said I was floored! How can giving become a commodity? But then as I listened to how she described it and what it had done to her it was crystal clear. And it made me start to think.

In today's world giving has become a commodity. People do it because it makes them feel good. There are gift giving catalogs that make it simple to give someone in need something as a gift for other. We seen the commercials on TV all the time for organizations asking for money so they can give it to others. The more and more I thought about it the more my heart broke. We have high jacked something that God asked us to do n order to bring glory to ourselves (there is a deep pit in my stomach right now). Where did we make the turn of doing something for someone in the name of US insetd of Jesus?

The video goes on to say that the founder had learned so much when she packed up and moved to East Africa for three months. She learned how the people just wanted a a little help more so then a hand out. The movie does come full circle and gives hope but I am still hung up on the fact that, we as humans have lesson-ed the meaning of giving. Truth be told there are many great givers out there that give with the intend that God has designed. But this thought of how giving has become a commodity just rocked my world. What about you?

Thursday, October 21, 2010

True North


Every one knows there is a true north and a magnetic north....I see it is our north and God as the TRUE north. We all walk around with a compass in our lives but what north are we following?

Even the best made plans are ones that are driven by our own magnetic north. We might have set off following the True north but some how along the way through our wants, wishes, and dreams lead the magnetic north to have a stronger pull on our way. We can convince ourselves that we are walking in the way of the True north even when we know with out a shadow of a doubt we are not. Others are more then willing to hold your hand on the path telling you that you are doing what is right and pleasing for the True north. But the hard cold truth is we KNOW we are lost and wandering among coordinates that are not meant for us.

We can stop walking, get our barrings straight, and start walking towards the True north once again. There is no one that has not needed to get their barrings straight now and again. This world we live in is one that has an supernatural pull towards the magnetic north of our lives. There is no shame in talking a few steps back or even starting the whole journey over. By any means it maybe a hard thing to do but the True north does not waver or miss lead because the traveler has walked another path.


What north are you following? Are you praying and holding on to the True north? Well you are not alone! Life is a ball of confusion and I am right there with you. On this journey and in this time of a lack of clarity I pray for us. May the one and ONLY True north make it all clear so we can get back to trekking this journey called LIFE!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Call+Response


Today there are more slaves in the world then any other time! There is a movement to spread the word of what is happening to over 27 million peoples all over the world. There is a screening of the film at Fremont Community Church Oct. 17, 2010 at 11am. I hope you all come and bring a friend. We are all created in the image of God and we all have the right to freedom in who we are through Christ, salver is not what God indented for His Children. You can also see the trailer online at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxOyPGE9Nns

A Good Laugh


I am not going to ask you if you have ever had a day were you just wanted to laugh.....I know you all have! Well, today is my day of just wanting to laugh, and laugh at everything. As I was on my way to work the car next to me, a sports car, almost hit me. Come to find out they were on the phone. That warranted a laugh. When I got to work and made my oatmeal and started to set up my class room. I needed sand for a project and went outside to get one. A kindergartner said "What are you doing here? You belong on the other side!" Well, I kindly reminded him I was a teacher and that I can go where I needed to go. I also tried my best not to laugh. At the children's nap time there was a little one that was more wiggly then a worm. I asked " Do I needed to glue you to your bed?" To my amazement he nodded his head yes! I composed myself long enough to talk to him about how he needs to lay still and rest (without laughing...but now that I am sitting working in my classroom I can not HELP but laugh)!

So here is a toast (I have some Ice Tea) to the days when you just want to laugh. You may not be able to laugh when the moment hits you I hope you all get to laugh at the end. It is the best! It even helps your health! A hearty guffaw will burn more calories than a nervous titter, but researchers at Vanderbilt University found adults burn an average of 1.3 calories per minute while laughing with their friends. That’s about the same number of calories you burn while taking notes in a classroom or standing and talking on the phone. But laughter has other benefits besides burning calories, including relief of emotional stress and a workout for the muscles of the diaphragm, abdomen, back, and shoulders.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

SICK!


Of course I am sick...I have a thousand and one things to do and a in a wedding this weekend! The day started like any other but then I had to go home in the middle of one of my long days because I had fever. So for the last few hours outside of sleeping I have 5 glasses of water, 2 cups of cold care tea, and my cold kicking herbs! Tomorrow is a new day and I need to be at work so send prayers my way! Thanks for love and thank you God for your healing touch. (Oh a good bath with herbal salts doesn't hurt too.) :)

If you would like to get some herbs and vitamins to help you next time you get a cold try:
Zinc
Vitamin C
Spirulna
Ecanasia

Also the tea I drink is:
Traditional Medicinals Gypsy Cold Care

Thursday, September 2, 2010

One Step Closer!

Hi Y'all! It has been a while but things are changing in my world right now. At the start of Aug I started my new job....new old job. The Lord has lead me back to teaching preschool. I love it! We started the new school year just this week and it is great.

I also have been working on following the leading to Kenya full-time. Just tonight I have been booked on a flight in Nov to attend a week of training at AIM (Africa Inland Mission) headquarters in New York. There is really no way to put into words the way I am feeling right now. Every day I wake up and I can see the changes taking place in my life. Before I start teaching again God really made me stop and think about how much I trust Him and follow even when He says JUMP. As far as I can tell I have jumped and landed where He wants me. :)

For now things are just about getting in the routine of the new stage I am living in. With love and support of friends and family it is all coming together. When things slow down I am hoping to get thrifty and crafty ASAP! The Holiday weekend is coming up so I hope to finish a few projects I started but never finished......stay tuned to see how they all come out!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Fun, Easy, and Green



How many of you have thought...."I wish I could make that!" Well I thought that with the packets of dye for tie dye. When I was in Kenya working with my friend's amazing family we tie died some shirts. The kids has a blast and it was really easy. It was not much money but I did have to bring over the dye.

So last week I was thinking about how much fun I had dying the shirts with the girls and seeing their faces was a great moment. A friend of mine will be celebrating her little man's 1st birthday this upcoming weekend and I wanted to get a fun gift. I really wanted to make him a tie dye shirt but I did not want to go buy the dye.

With the internet as my guide I found some info on making natural homemade dye from spices, plants, and food! So I looked around to see what I had and found I could make yellow, orange, blue(ish), and brown.

For Yellow:
I took 2 lemons and took the peal off and boiled them in water (2 1/2 cups) for 1hour. Flitered it and stored in a glass jar.

For Blue:
I peeled one red onion and placed the peals in water and boiled for 1hour. Filtered it and added one drop of blue food coloring and stored in glass jar.

For Orange:
I boiled water with Paperkika (3Tlb) for 1hour. Filtered it added one drop of red food coloring and stored in a glass jar.

For Brown:
Boil 1/4 cup of used coffee grounds for 1hour. (I had a three year old wanting to get starting with the dying process so I did not let it boil for an hour. Because it was a very light brown I added one drop of blue food coloring. It became more like a ocean green. It was fun and worked in a pinch.) Filter and store in a glass jar.

To make fun lines, shapes, and what not add your rubber bands to a white shirt. Make use the bands are tight. I placed some of each color into glass blows (if you are seeing I use glass a lot, I do! They are green and reusable and the color will not stain it.) Now that the colors are in blows....HAVE FUN! Dip the part of the shirt you want in each color. Dip over and over again to make the color darker. When you are done place the shirt in a plastic bag. Let it stand as long as you can. The longer it stands the stronger the colors will be. When you are ready take the bands off and rise in cold water.

Have fun with your new shirt! I know I will have a great time giving the cute little guy his tie-dye birthday gift! If you have any questions please feel free to comment or contact me.

Here Is to Jumping!


Have you ever felt that peace that comes from standing next to a cliff? I have, I am. There is something to be said about the feeling that comes over you as you are standing there (just so we are clear the cliff is a metaphor not a real cliff!) and God is taking your hand, leading you towards the edge, and whispering “trust me. I got this. JUMP!” It may sound odd to those that have not been there but I bet there are many that are nodding their heads right now agreeing.

It is not an easy road to walk down and get to the point where the peace ever so present and the knowing that God is asking you to jump. By any means it is not easy at all. It is more like getting 10 teeth pulled in the same day or trying to build up the nerve to tell that person what your heart is screaming at you to say. But, when you are finally on the edge of the cliff you look back and see that the path was worth every tear, bead of sweat, and sleepless night. For what you are feeling now is more then peace! God is holding your hand, He is pointing you in the way to go, and even when you see just the end of the cliff you trust because you KNOW something great is on the other side.

For the last week I have been on the not so comfortable path. There is a funny sense when you come to the point where God says jump and you do it. You may not know all the details but God has made it clear that this is what He has for you. Even with all the questions about money, time, what happens if…. and all that other stuff we worry wart humans think about, a PEACE falls on you when God saying jump. So as the “what ifs” and “will if this” plays out in our heads suddenly they were pushed to the side and God has lead me to the place where all you can do now is JUMP and TRUST! My heart still skips a beat every now and then but my spirit feels right at peace. Even in this funny limbo dance there is peace. Have you felt this way? Are you feeling this way?

God really does want the best for you. He has a plan that may be unclear and uncharted to you but there is a rhyme and reason behind it. God has a great way of giving us gifts, passions, and talents can really shape how we live our lives. The ten thousand dollar question is if we willing to let is shape our lives? As I stood on the edge of the cliff getting up the courage to jump and trust I thought about all the great woman in my life. How many of them have stood where I was standing, how many of them have asked the same “what if”? My heart felt so much joy and freedom as I jumped…….how many have felt that? No matter the age there is something God is leading you to. It may be a small cliff, it may be a large one, it may even be one that changes your life forever! Isn’t worth it?

I am glad I jumped. It was hard, scary, and not what I wanted to do but even now; when my feet are not yet fully on the other side of the cliff, I know it was what I was meant to do. My prayer and hope for every woman feels the leading of God to the edge of the cliff and follows. And when it is time to jump….I pray they close their eye’s hold on to God’s hand and take the biggest and highest jump they can. When they land I pray they look back and see how God lead them to where they are meant to be!

So here is to jumping and trusting ladies!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Passionate Homemaking

Over the last few months I have had the joy of reading and following a blog that is all about Green, Biblical, and simple living. It is full of great tips and tools. The lady running the blog has now added some weekly contributors and their writings are GREAT! Also there are some great giveaways! This week there is one for a dehydrator!!!!

A dehydrator in your home is a great way to make healthy snacks and also a savvy way to be green and frugal! Hope you all check out the blog for the great tips and sign up for the giveaway.

www.passionatehomemaking.com

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

WOOO HOOO!

Sweet Marashi has just had its first sale! Just wanted to thank everyone that has check out the shop. It is a great way to help spread the word about Cana and get some support coming for the girls. :)

Please keep praying for the girls, the staff, setting up sponsorship, and the shop. If you have questions of are interested in sponsorship let me know.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Diamonds are NOT a Girls Best Friend


That unmistakably Tiffany’s box makes the old Marilyn Mauro Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend very clear. For decades girls have wished, dreamed, and even prayed for that shinny peace of ice to adorn their ring finger. But in 2006 Edward Zwick directed a movie in which Leonardo DiCaprio started in that showed the hard to swallow, gut ranching truth about diamonds. Yes the movie was not 100% accurate. However it did start to shed light on a topic most people did not know existed or wanted to sweep under the rug of “Western World Would Never”.

Blood diamonds are real and not only are they real but hundreds of unsuspecting women are walking around with a ring on what has potentially cost someone their life. These women did not knowingly seek out such a ring but the ring was purchased and given without any certification on where it origin. There is no record proving that it has been mined in a fair-tread mine nor is there proof that the labor used to collect, clean, and cut diamond was not slave labor.

Now don’t take my passion for human rights and fair-tread as me stating ALL diamonds are bad, but understand there needs to change in the way consumers buy diamonds. People, especially those who are believes, need to see what is really going on in the world and business of diamonds.

As a believer I know we are all created in the image of God and have been created equal. With the issue of Blood Diamonds people have been striped of their identity of being wonderfully and beautifully made. They have been forced and manipulated in to working in mines to dig up something they know is of value; something they have been told is more valuable then them. Each and every day war lords, drug and gun runner, and even government officials exploit thousands to make money to support their wars, their “business”, and their own pockets. So all I ask is if you are a girl thinking, dreaming, or praying for that shinny piece of ice or if you are a guy planning on buying a special girl that ring…..stop and think. Take the time to look into not only what you/she wants but really look at where the diamond is coming from.

When it comes to talking with a jeweler or a store and they say “I am not sure if it is conflict free” or “We have no way of knowing that” then that is not a place you should be spending any money. Conflict free stones come with certification and reputable jewelers will bend over back wards to show and tell you all the information you want to know about the origin of a diamond. The BBC has a great article about what blood diamond/conflict stones are and the latest news on what is being done to stop the growing problem (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/10307046.stm). Also there is a petition right now people can sign to help the US government become more aware of the public rising their voice to make policy changes related to this issue (http://humanrights.change.org/petitions/view/demand_complete_reform_of_the_failing_kimberley_process_to_prevent_conflict_diamonds). Lastly there is a brilliant alternative to your normal jewelers right here in the Bay area! Brilliant Earth is a jewelry company that is founded on the fair-trade concept and they give 5% of every purchase to a non-profit helping villages in Africa that are suffering because of the diamond business. They have a great selection of rings, ear-rings, and necklaces (http://www.brilliantearth.com/).

Diamonds can be a girl’s best friend IF they are certified conflict free! Show off that diamond and tell others why it was such an important issue for you to get a conflict free stone, I know I will be when I have one (well I will be when I have my conflict free pearl)!

Something to make your mornings SWEET

This past Sunday I was thinking of ways to make a tasty, healthy, and money savvy way to make breakfasts for my week mornings. Instead of running out to the store and spending money, even when I could I knew I shouldn’t. I just looked around to see what I had in my kitchen that could be brekfesty (yes, I made up a word). There were 4 almost too brown bananas and on further inspection I found some semi-sweet chocolate chips and some coconut oil. From what I had I could wipe up some banana chocolate chip bread and or muffins. So once the house cooled off a little of the summer day, I have no AC, I stated to make my breakfast treat.

I fallowed my normal recipe for banana bread but used whole wheat flour and coconut oil instead of butter. It is much healthier then butter and adds a great taste; the bread moist and has a hint of the tropics.
Ingredients
• 2 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
The recipe made one loaf and 5 muffins. The muffins will be great for mornings when I am running late and the loaf is good for the nights when I want something sweet and almost ready to cave in to the candy fix. So if you are in bind of having tasty, fast, and healthy breakfasts then try making your mornings sweet with some banana chocolate chip bread!

How to save money, tickle your taste buds, and help your skin glow



Avocado is a great! They taste good and are good for us and I am sure you all have had an avocado that is just way to ripe and not sure what to do with it. Well I can offer two ideas……

One: Avocado Cream Cheese Spread
To make a fast and tasty spread for toast or sandwiches all you need is a really ripe avocado, some garlic, cream cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Peal and pit the avocado and place in a food processor or blender. Next about 1/3 cup of cream cheese (whipped or regular, it is all up to you). Mix avocado and cream cheese together for a minute then add garlic salt and pepper to taste. End my mixing everything together for a few seconds to help the flavors thoroughly mix. Place spread in to an air tight container and store in the refrigerator. The yummy and healthy spread will last about a week. This spread is great on toasted sourdough bread with a few slices of tomato. Also you can use this as a dip for most veggies.

Two: Avocado Honey Face Mask
Peal and pit one really ripe avocado. Mash in a small blow and add about 3 to 4 tablespoons of honey. After washing and drying face place the mask on and let dry. The honey is a great way to kill bacteria and the avocado helps skins complexion and hydrate skin naturally. For most skin types it is ok to use the mask up to 3 times a week. Keep mask in air tight container and in the refrigerator. Should stay good for about 3 days. You will see the avocado start to turn brown and that is when it is time to make a new batch.

So next time you have an avocado that has lost its appeal because it is to ripe….don’t just toss it! Try one of these recipes. It will save you money, tickle your taste buds, and help your skin glow!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Farmer's Market!


Sunday Farmer's Market......

I wanted to find a way to get fresh food and not spend a ton; so today I went to the local farmer's market. Before I left I looked at how much cash I had in my wallet.....$17. So as I headed out I made a list of things I wanted to get without spending more then $17 and that would make enough meals for a week of homemade FRESH breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

Idea List:
Peaches
White Nectarines
Strawberries
Eggplant (2 medium size)
Tomato (3-4)
Green Beans

If I Can List:
Brown Eggs
Basile
Flowers

Armed with my "FEED" bag and my list I walked the whole market to check out prices and see what was there. Once I made a few price checking and then I started to tackle my list. I was not only able to get my full list I got everything on "if I can list" all for $12! The time at the market was good to get some yummy healthy food but time to just be and relax.

So if you the plan to get health food and keep to your budget then find the closest farmer's market! You will be getting local food, in season food, and most if not all foods are organic! Even if you are single girl you can be green, thrifty, and savvy!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

29 more days!

29 more days...
until I hear the sweet sweet sounds of birds that are the brightest of colors
until my feet touch red dirt
until my van is chased by little ones yelling "ho are you, ho are you"
until my hands shake the hands of dear dear friends
until the smells of ugali makes me smile
until my arms of full of the most darling babies
until my face is baked by the sun from watching an orange sunset
until my heart is at peace
29 more days...until my heart is HOME!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Ouch

So on the 25th of March I was rear-ended and I have been living with some not so fun side effects from it. I really can use some prayers.

My neck and shoulders are hurting. I started PT this week and we will see what we shall see. I really would love to see a chiropractor and a massage therapy but so far that is a no go. So prayer is needed! Please pray for my body to heal and let it be used to show God's glory. I know there are people at my office and in the Doc office that need Christ so.....please pray that God uses my pain for His glory.

Thanks and Much Love!

Compassion


Have you every had a day your heart was so happy? Things were good the sun is shining after a few Nor Cal days of rain and you just feel good. I had that day yesterday! There was good news all the way around yesterday....tickets booked for Kenya and got something in the mail I have been waiting over a YEAR for. Even today I was still feeling the joy of yesterday. Yes, I was late for work and feeling pain form my PT appointment yesterday, but it was still a good morning.

Don't you love that?! A day that slips over on to the next day....ahhhh makes me smile and my heart sing. But just as fast as the joys of yesterday appeared news of a friend's heart ache hit me today. A dear friend of mine was informed she lost a love one today.

Just like the dark rain could hovers over Pooh bear it sunk up on my friend and I. It was hard to hear your on the phone. My heart was hurting for your hurting heart. God has a way of bringing people into our lives at the right time. This friend has been that for me. She held my hand on hard days and prayed over me each and every day. I am so thankful for her. She made and interesting year more tolerable. Now she needs someone to hold her hand and pray for her.

As we hung up the phone the meaning of COMPASSION hit me. The true meaning is to suffer with and in this day and age I see so many people using that word in ways that are far from the true meaning. How many times do high school girls have "compassion" on the girl that can't get the same new "it" pair of shoes. Or how their "compassion" leads to save face friendships that only hurt you in the end.

I just hope that I can be there for my friend in this time like she was there for me last year. God gives us people in our lives...but we have to truly love them for who they are and how God wants us to love them. No save face and no us first and then them. Thanks to her.....I know what that looks like. Thanks for the love (you know who you are) and I hope I can love and be there for you.
XOXOX


Thursday, March 4, 2010

Rain=An Umbrella


So today Cali got some rain....and I was using my pok-a-doted umbrella. Naturally I would I did not want to get soaking wet. But, to my surprise everyone around me was looking oddly at me. Not sure if it was the fact I had an umbrella and they did not or if it was the fact I had a colorful pok-a-doted one. I am guessing they all felt left out in the rain, pun intended, and were wishing they had an umbrella with them. I know I was! This is why I have followed my mothers advice and leave mine in the car. Also it never hurts to check the forecast before walking out the door. :0)

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Little Steps for Lasting Change


Have you ever wanted to do something to help raise money for someone else? I have always thought the bigger the event the more money that comes in….it is true to some degree. But, recently I have found some simple ways to help support the missions and charities you have a passion for without throwing a city wide event. Here are some simple ways……

-Baking for Good
This is an online bake sale with mouth watering treats! They have different community spots open and give 15% of all orders placed under the community fundraiser back to the group. You can contact them for information on having they post your mission, charity, or group on their site. Emily is a doll to work with and it is not as hard as you would think. Really this is a great easy way to raise money…oh and a delicious way too!


-Paper Bead Necklaces
So many people have oooed and awwwed over my paper beaded necklace from Africa. Rightfully so it is really cool and helped someone in Uganda earn a monthly income. But I want to share a secret…you can make them at home! To raise money for a mission trip I am leading this spring myself and a few friends are making the beads and creating stunning necklaces with them. All you need is paper of any kind and any color, a glue stick, coffee stick, and some clear nail polish. The link below will give you how to instruction; as simple as 1 2 3. The out come is great and you can sell them to support the causes of your choice.

-A Garage Sale
We all know about the tried and true classic garage sale for extra money. We all know about it because it works but I have a fun twist…have many garage sales on the same day at different location. For example my mission’s team picked a day and will be having two to three locations open to raise money for the trip. Also they will have flayers to pass out to people who come by with info and addresses of the other locations. This way all areas get more traffic and more money will be raised in a shorter time span. The team also asked family, friends, and neighbors for donations of items to sell. People got to support the team and so some early spring cleaning. All in all a win win situation.

These are just a few ways I have found to raise money for your mission trip or to support your fav charity. All of them came from thinking out of the box and seeing if other would want to help the cause and working for change!

Working...

Working for Change is a statement that has been on my mind a lot the last few weeks. Not like the slogan used in the latest presidential campaigns but one that is showing how the small things add up and start the ripple effect. This is even how I have started to sign my emails related to working in Africa. I love the meaning of it but was not 100% sure of where it came before I started to use it.

We are all born for something, birthed will skills and talents uniquely for a God given calling. Many know what they are born for and are doing it and others are lost in the valiant sea of doubt and lack of purpose because the enemy is controlling and trying to drain them in. and then there are some that know what they were born for but are working one getting there….learning the meaning of walking by faith and not sight. Looking at my life and were I am at this time I would say….I am the one that knows but is working on getting there. In a year or so there is the move to Africa but for now I am in the great land of Cali working 8-5 5 days a week.

God in the “oh so fun” and sometimes even down right “hello!!!” ways of getting my attention is showed me how He has invited me to join Him in something. There is a revolution in my soul and spirit that God has invited me to actively participate in; one that I was blind to even when it is taking place in me. This invention did not come in the mail often like invitations do. This one came from the quite moments of a mind seeking the “off” button before bed each night. Some where in the still and the quite moments with a mix of deafening inner thoughts. Through all of this came the invitation in the form of a question. “What are you doing now?” Well me being me I thought….TRYING TO GET SOME SLEEP (something I have been truly missing the last few weeks)! But then out of the natural reaction of my mind it started to mull the question over and over and over…..and over.

What was I doing now? Working to make a living and to pay bills (like everyone else). Taking classes to become a licensed minster (not like everyone else). Oh and I am getting ready to go back to Kenya in a few months. To my overly tired body with its overly awake mind…it had hit on something. Truly I just wanted to save it on the mind’s shelf till morning but that was clearly not going to happen. So I mulled it over some more in the darkness of my room curled up in my comfy bed. Mind spinning 1,000,000 miles an hour. Then like a World Rally crash the words…”working for change” popped up. That is what I should be doing. I work in a place there change is needed, my heart is called to Africa and change can not come soon enough there, and I could live every aspect of my life with the purpose of CHANGE. WOW I got it! Thanks and good night…..oh heck no! This was so a no sleep night.

Through the night more and more ideas and ways to work for change came to mind. From how I shop, where I shop, what I do in free time, what I watch and listen to, how I eat, what I think about myself and others, what takes up my brain power, to even sleeping…ideas just flooded my mind. This invitation of posing a question by God was…something I could not ignore nor would not have an impact one me. I love it; not a fan of losing many nights of sleep but it is so cool to see how God is calling me to live right here and right now.

So the new chapter is entitled “Working for Change” and page one is being written. The grassroots movement of TOMS is how I am viewing the world; getting something that I need that will make a lasting positive impact on someone else and seeing how we are all so beautify interwoven together. I am so excited to see this new chapter looks like and how I will be used in big and small ways for CHANGE (I am also hopping for more sleep now). But I have to ask….So…..”What are you doing now?”

Friday, February 26, 2010

It has been a few months....

A lot has changed from June of 09. 5 days marks my one year working for DCARA and I love it. July 09 I was honored to be in the wedding of the century of Scott and Wendy. Also the happy couple are now welcoming their first bundle of joy into the world. I also had a wonderful holiday time with the family is not so hot and sunny Arizonan. Things have been moving fast in this new year of 2010.

Biggest news.....God has lead me to work on moving to Kenya to work at a school sometime in 2010. This is soooooo exciting. Over 8 years ago a seed was planted in my heart and now it has grown into this plant that has been transplanted from Monterey to Fremont and now 1/2 way around the world! There never was a point in time where I saw the move from once a year to all the time. I mean the passion has always been there but....really seeing it happen still rocks my world. All because conversations have taken place, people have prayed, I have answered the call twice to go to Africa, and God is well just that GOD. Oh, and how He moves in might and strange ways! :) And..........May 15th my feet are touching Kenyan soil!!!!!!!!!! A team from my home church, FCC, are heading to work for 15 days in Nakuru. So good to go and see old friends and work hand in hand with fellow brothers and sisters. We have a monumental task for fundrasing for our tickets by the end of March and trip cost by early May; but know God is good and it is all His anyways. Well...That is all for now but more to come!