Not a Popularity Contest

In High School I would religiously write down my outfit each day as to not have any fashion repeats within a two week period. Heaven forbid I walk into first period wearing the same sweater I had on last week! Think of my reputation! Think of all the girls who would roll their eyes at me snickering to each other, "OMG! She's totally wearing a repeat!"

I've come a long way, but the truth is a lot of us desire the acceptance and approval of those around us. We formulate decisions, even life altering ones, based on what other people think. It oppresses our freedom, our giftings, and ultimately our joy.

When decisions are approaching I tend to flop like a fish out of water wondering what is the best. Sometimes instead of going to God and ultimately obeying him, I ask friends, family, people I sit next to on airplanes (seriously) if they have opinions of what I should do. Of course they do! And then I flop around some more, only further from a pool of water.

The other day while flying back from my brother's wedding in Virginia, I read about Amaziah, a king of Judah, who made some decisions that made some people mad. Instead of wanting popularity, he decided obedience to God was far better.

Amaziah was going to war and decided to hire 100,000 troops from Israel for 100 talents of silver to help him fight the battle. A man of God approached Amaziah with this message: "O king, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel-not with any of the people of Ephraim. Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow." (2 Chronicles 25:8-9)

Amaziah kind of complains saying, "But what about the hundred talents of silver I paid for the Israelite troops?" To which the man of God replied, "The Lord can give you much more than that."

So Amaziah decides to trust God's ability to win the battle with less men and with less money in his pocket and out of obedience he sends the Israelite troops home. Their response? "They were furious with Judah and left home in a great rage." (2 Chronicles 25:10)

Amaziah wasn't looking to win a popularity contest with people. Amaziah didn't change his mind when he saw people were furious at him. He remained obedient to God.

Being obedient to God doesn't mean you'll make the popular decision. It doesn't guarantee rejoicing from those around you when God intercepts and changes your plans. But it does guarantee you God's best.

Popularity contests are thriving within our culture. I pray we would always choose obedience to God.

We didn't start the fire

I remember running toward the thick black smoke through the maze of condos a few months ago. Coming back from an afternoon hike I saw the dark cloud, heard the sirens, and instinctively knew my life was changing.

When I arrived and saw the flames pilaging the inside of the condos three things went through my mind: 1. Oh my gosh, all my stuff is gone. . .and I'm wearing my ancient faded green shorts. 2. Did I start the fire?! and 3. "You will keep in perfect peace him whos mind is steadfast, because he trust in you." Isaiah 26:3

After the initial shock, I went around interviewing people to try and discover the cause of the fire. "Excuse me, did I start the fire?!" I'd ask. Hmm, perhaps I should have thought through my statements a little better. And why didn't I pick my favorite pair of jeans to go hiking in.

In a few short hours, my life was becoming exceedingly more complex, yet more simple. I was immediately awarded the coveted "minimalist" title that had been held since birth by my friend, Suz.

What I experienced that afternoon was an angelic chorus of provision surrounding my soul. Theresa, a stranger, cradled me in her arms and sung sweet prayers over me. My friend Kim sat on the grass with me for hours while I made phone calls and talked to firemen. Allison, another friend, came up to me and said, "I want to be here for you, and I'll stay if you need me, but would you like me to go get you some underwear?" I laughed-so thoughtful! "Yes, please, and a cell phone charger." "Done," she replied, and she was off. That evening I had cookies waiting for me, dozens of housing offers, and a tiny stuffed panda bear from a three year old girl who heard mine had perished in the fire.

The blessings didn't stop at 12:01 the next day. No. For the next two months I saw the Family of God rally around me and generously giving and providing. From towels to dishes, to gift cards to money, to meals and beds, I was flooded with love.

I am so grateful for my God and his people. I am so humbled. What the Psalmist said is true, "The Lord has done great things for [me] and I am filled with joy." Psalm 126:3

Posing in front my my condo in the infamous survior shorts and my 'life is good' towel.

A little roommate reunion: I lived with these beautiful women in 2270 Stepping Stones Way (prefire, that is).

Flowers in the In-Box

Yes, I am a girl, but I did grow up with a brother and one Christmas he received one of those matchbox car tracks that had these little battery operated rubber wheels that provided continual propulsion of the miniature vehicle through the course. For hours you could watch the little red convertibles and the yellow dump trucks cruise the track and just when it would lose a bit of momentum, the little rubber wheels would send it speeding forward once again.

I believe God is always with us and he is always at work, but sometimes we forget it or we don’t feel it. And we slow down, but at just the right moment God lets us in on a little work that he’s been doing that fills us with courage to keep running in life.

If you’ve been a part of my life and ministry you have heard about Christina, my UCCS friend, who came to Jesus last fall and is beginning to walk a brisk pace down his path. God gave me a little push this morning to remind me, and hopefully you, that our labor in Him is not in vain.

Hey Lauren-I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you meeting with
me one on one to learn more about the bible and Jesus. I know that life is busy
for you and I so greatly appreciate you taking time to meet with me!! I love our
time together and I have so much fun with you!!! Thank you so much again for
meeting with me and taking time to hang. I have learned so much from you and
your different lessons and for that I am forever grateful. Thank you for
everything that you do and I love chilling with you!! You are one of the most
amazing people I have ever met. Enjoy your Sunday and get some sunshine today!
(it will remind you of FL...he he he) Christina

This email was more delicious to my soul than a Sunday morning large buttery Lucille’s biscuit (even with rhubarb jam). It was like a bouquet of flowers in my in-box from God telling me, I love you, and I am using you to bring glory to my name.

God, thank you for the flowers, and may you continue to send them my way and the way of my friends at just the right time

.

Oh The Places You'll Go

My freshman year at Florida State, Dr. Suess' book Oh the Places You'll Go was read to me in such an unusual place. My biology lab instructor pulled the book out in one of our final classes and read us the whimsical words of a playful poet. He encouraged the group of naively confident 18 year olds that we had places that we were to go. I agreed. And I even had ideas and presumptions of where these places would be and when I would arrive, and maybe imagined to the degree of what outfit I'd be sporting upon arrival.

Looking back at the past 8 years of my life hasn't looked as cookie cutter as I dreamed up in that biology lab while sitting next to the flour beetles in little glass test tubes (side note: our flour beetles failed to reproduce as fast as other groups' beetles, therefore, while they were trying to count the dozens of family beetle members crawling all over the table, our group neatly contained our American Dream Nuclear Beetle Family: Dad, Mom, and 2.5 kids; that's right 2.5, someone went cannibalistic.) By my 18 year old standards, my life has been messy, unorganized, poorly timed, and why don't I have 2.5 kids yet?!

Feeling nostalgic, I reread Dr. Suess's poem, and was caught by this stanza:

"You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.Some windows are
lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow
and chin!Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?How much can you
lose? How much can you win?
And IF you go in, should you turn left or
right...or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?Or go around back and
sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,for a
mind-maker-upper to make up his mind."

I have come to a place where the future is not clear, where there is no logical decision on where to go or what to do. I may very well sprain my elbow or chin, and I may even lose some, but I may even win. Summer ended, my apartment burned down, I began a relationship with a wonderful man, I have no job, and I certainly do not know where I am headed.

And I am in smack in the middle of making life decisions that may alter the course of my life. But then I am reminded with verses like Proverbs 21:30: There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. Chew on that for awhile. So I am humbled in realizing that, yes, I will make decisions that will affect where I live, what I do, who I'm around, but really, God is bigger. (Can I get an amen?)

The big question in mind was, do I stay or do I go?! Do I leave The Navigators, or do I stay with them? After seeking the Lord through prayer, his word, and godly counsel, I have decided (drum roll please) to do part time work with The Navigators. I cannot deny my passion for reaching college students for the sake of Christ. I connect with them, I love them, and they are in desperate need of Jesus. So I want to stay. But I also have a big heart to work in a secular environment. So I am off to do both! What a journey this will be!

I am returning to Colorado Springs and will be living there and working with The Navigators at UCCS this fall. I will also be looking for a job. That means my work dress code just change dramatically! From jeans and flip flops to grown up clothes I will go. The great part is my apartment fire cleared the way for me to get these new, more professional threads.

But I am completely satisfied, because this is an adventure, and one that I did not write, nor is the pen in my hand even now. At 26 there are still a million decisions ahead of me and yes's and no's that will be said, prayers of petitions and help to be prayed, and wise counsel to be sought. Whew. And at 27 there will be more decisions, and at 28, and at 29, and maybe not at 30, I mean, we all need a break now and again, but definitely at 31.

The point is, I'm seeking God, and he's leading me. I am blind, but he promises to lead the blind. I am thankful.

"Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!"
-Dr. Suess

Summer Time: Bite-Sized Highlights

Describing the events and of Snow Mountain Ranch Summer Training Program 2009 would certainly send anyone into a spiritual coma and make them late to work, so I've decided to boil down STP into a few bite sized highlights to encourage you and get your heart racing down the track of thanksgiving.

Highlight One: The Students!!

I had the privilege of training 75 students from various college campuses! They were hilarious and so much fun to be around. They also possessed incredible hearts and teachable spirits.

I loved sharing meals with them!

Highlight Two: Hannah and Laura

These are the women I met with one on one all summer. They were Team Leaders and had a great responsibility in passing on all the tools they learned to their team members. I loved meeting with Hannah and Laura and discussing life and the Bible with them over icecream and walks.

Highlight Three: Serving the Students!

Here Jamie, Leigh Ann, and I are making S'mores for the students. Our campfire got rained out but that didn't ruin our fun! I also helped run our student ministry Nav Night and set up various events all summer to encourage and bless the students.

Highlight Four: Baptizing Robyn!

Robyn is a freshman from UCCS who just became a believer this spring. She decided to come to STP this summer to learn more about God and at the end of the summer she approached me and my teammate, Jamie, asking us if we would baptize her. Robyn is a joy!

Highlight Five: UCCS STUDENTS!

We had 14 UCCS students come to STP this summer!! How fantastic is that! I was praying for four to come! These students learned incredible tools on how to disciple, serve, lead, share Christ, and work hard and now they are back on campus living out what they learned.

Summer Time: The Great Outdoors

Oh the places we go when in Colorado's back country!

This summer has been nothing short of outdoor adventures. There are plently of miles to log in the National Forests and Parks surrounding us and it's a blast to take students along. Our conversations have roamed the great expanse of the mind including topics of God, life lessons, dating, embarassing moments, and maybe an occasionaly corny joke.

Summer Time: Humble Beginnings

This marvelous and attractive young bunch are the Team Leaders and Navigator Staff that are up here in Granby, Colorado working hard and learning about Jesus. These are our humble beginnings back in May!! We took a hike and learned about the history of The Navigators. (By the way, before you go cross eyed looking for me, I'm smack dab in the middle. Sorry all you Where's Waldo fans for giving away the answer so casually. Maybe we'll have round two later.)

Currently I am meeting with two of the girl Team Leaders: Hannah from the University of Northern Colorado and Laura from Colorado State University. Both these ladies have demonstrated a heart that wants to follow God and help others do so. We spend a lot of time together in Team Leader training, Bible Study, One on Ones, and hiking/fun times of course! Please pray for Hannah and Laura to know God even more deeply this summer and for their futures as they both just graduated! Yay!

As for me, I'm so blessed by the mountains, the Staff team, the students, and all the adventures we've had so far. I am still waiting and praying to see a bull moose and touch a beaver's tail. Here's hoping :)

Just a Couch?

Just a couch? Or do you see something more? About a month ago, I threw out an idea to set up an old couch and offer prayer to students passing by in the Student Center to the Prayer Team. At first eyes darted away from mine and they shifted uneasily in their seats. Finally one student said, "Let's do it."

Our goal with "Free Prayer" day was simple: to encourage students at UCCS as well as get them thinking about eternal things. What better way than offering prayer to people right before finals, graduation, and summer transitions.

We set up shop on a Wednesday, dragging a slightly used couch to the center of the Upper Plaza. (Ok, so the couch had definitely been sitting in a garage and been sat on by many a dog, but after intense vacuuming and some lint rollers, we were good to go.) Taking hour long shifts, we each sat on the couch and invited people to come over and share requests.

Here are some highlights:
1. Nav students who volunteered were strengthened in their faith as they stepped out and engaged in prayer with fellow peers.
2. Two of the girls in my Investigative Bible Study came specifically to pray with me about difficulties in their lives.
3. We prayed with the new student body president who has had some misunderstandings about Christianity.
4. People were vulnerable with hurt in their lives.
5. We all got our first taste of the summer sun (ie we all looked like lobsters at the end of the day).

Lots of prayer, lots of interested looks, and even a guy who said we should flip a coin to see if we should pray for him; all in all a fantastic day on campus.

Next time you see an old couch, think beyond it's character, where it's been, and how to get it to Good Will; look beyond what it is. . .even an old green couch can bring God glory.

Jamie (my teammate) and I ready for some prayer at the UCCS Upper Plaza.

The Invitation

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat was is good and your soul will delight in the richest of fare."

Isaiah 55:1a-2

The ever present invitation to come be with Jesus; the invitation for the thirsty to drink, for the hungry to eat, for the laborer to find satisfaction.

The invitation had been sent over and over to Christina. She usually stamped it, unopened, with a "return to sender" label and put it right back in the mail. Sometimes she'd open the invitation and glance at the letters, and set it aside, eventually thinking that party had long since happened.

But God kept sending her invitations to come to Him, and last week she responded.

I got a text from Christina on Monday: "Hey, got anytime this week that you would want to do a quiet time with me or just get together?" A quiet time?! Quite surprised Christina initiated with me the desire to read the Bible, I texted her back a time and place, curious to hear about what was going on in that heart of hers.

Sitting across from her at Starbucks yesterday, she began to pour out her story between sips of hot chocolate, about how she discovered God in a real way last week.

"Lauren, no one notices when I'm missing; missing from Navs, missing from rugby, missing from class. . .all these things that I thought would fill my life are disappointing me. And then I realized, Navigators won't satisfy me, rugby won't satisfy me, class won't satisfy me. I need God, and I never thought I'd say that."

Ha! Neither did I! I've been praying for Christina, meeting with her, trying to make the Bible as exciting and clear as possible (without having to pull out felt-board Jesus or break out the tap shoes), and nothing has seemed to click. But all this time, God has been faithfully sending Christina invitations to come to Him, and she is finally responding.

I sat across from Christina and sent silent praises to God, as I listened to this 21 year old spout off these new epiphanies. We read Isaiah 55 together and she wrote in her journal.

She finished her hot chocolate and made a comment about having too much caffeine, and then we planned out what to read this week. And I am still amazed. God is so kind to constantly be sending out invitations to come to Him. To have relationship with him and discover what truly satisfies.

Me and Christina at the Valentine's Dinner this past February.

Ski Art

Every winter season I have high hopes of making it to the slopes an excessive amount of times. Living two and a half hours away from the nearest lift and working with college students seems to hinder olympic ski aspirations, so I've decided to go into the lesser known, but potentially lucrative business of "Ski Art."

What is it you ask?! How you can you be a part of the Ski Art experience?!

Well, first you need some end of season spring conditions. I'm talking slushy 7 eleven slurpy type snow. Then you need some great friends that will do weird things. Be sure to leave all expectations of an awesome ski day at the car, grab your camera, and start snapping away. There you have it, Ski Art. For the common folk who still wear bibs and scarves skiing. . .or who just can't make it to the slopes enough to brave the terrain park.
Cheers to spring conditions!!

Road Trip: Part Three, Making a Splash

You can't take a group of 19 and 20 year olds to Southern California and not have a little fun! So while our friends back in Colorado were braving the blizzards, we played in the surf and sun, and sang along with Jack Sparrow on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney.

I really enjoyed the last day in California. My teammate Jamie and I took two van fulls of landlocked students to Laguna Beach to boogie board, play in the sand, and explore the tide pools. As I sat on the beach and watch them conquer the waves I smiled and really felt the joy of their pleasure. I can only guess this is what a parent feels like when they see their kids truly enjoying something, and how God must feel when we're doing the very things he's created us for on earth.

The students would occasionally run up from the icy Pacific waters with different types of seaweed wearing them as wigs, or scarves; it was quite entertaining. We also touched sea anemones and urchins, watched a few crabs fight over a meal, and found a very large and slimy sea slug making his daily rounds in his tide pool.

I really believe discipleship reaches it's most glorious points when you spend a lot of time together. Spending eight days with 17 students really allowed everyone to see the gamut of emotions and personalities under every kind of circumstance: stress, anxiety, fun, relaxation, quick decisions, etc. Each day held challenges and I really wanted to be a model, always responding in that angelic godly way. Haha. I laugh now. But despite the ups and downs I believe I got to exercise that humility muscle, you know that one small piece of our bodies that occasionally overpowers our opinions, sarcasm, irritation, and so on. And in God's grace, we all learned, we all loved, and we all are back safe and sound.

What an adventure!

Laguna Beach Time!

One of the seaweed wigs! (And some boogie boarders.)

Road Trip: Part Two, Service with a Smile

On Sunday we took the troops to a Cambodian American church in Long Beach to help clean their facility by window washing, gardening, cleaning, and all the other various things 20 year olds can be entrusted to do without leaving permanent damage to the property.

I really treasured our time here because not only did the students get to give their time and energy to helping out fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, but they were exposed to the nations, right here in America. When we arrived we were able to listen to a few stories of the difficult and tragic journey Cambodians have been traveling for the past thirty years. Lukina, a church member, said that most Cambodians have been exposed to at least 13 tragedies in their lifetime including death, starvation, rape, murder, prison, labor camps, and more. Many Cambodians escaped to the United States to begin new lives, but only if they were fortunate enough to get a sponsor to pay for their way over. And Cambodians are so hungry for good news, and respond quickly to the Gospel message.




Here were are, post work, in front of the Cambodian American church!


The next morning we were out the door before the sun woke up and headed to downtown Los Angeles to help Project Angel Food in the kitchen. Project Angel Food cooks meals and serves 1500 clients in the LA area who cannot afford proper nutrition and have medical problems.

After dressing up in the fashionable kitchen attire including, hair net, apron, and gloves (unfortunately no booties), we jumped right in making gravy, packaging meals, and slicing up anything they put in front of us.

After we sliced and diced and packaged and at some snacks, we went out and delivered the very meals we made! Our students were able to meet face to face people who relied on the love of others.
Here I am slicing up a honeydew. Gotta love the hair net!

We're about to go out into the community with our food!!

Road Trip: Part One, Escape to LA

Tomorrow at 4:30am I will be playing the ultimate game of tetris, as I try to fit and eventually cram everyone's luggage into three rental vans. My teammates, Jamie and Derrik, and myself will be driving 17 UCCS students to sunny California for their spring break. I hope I survive.

This year's trip is really unique. Our theme is "Super-Cali-Fellowship," with an emphasis on the fellowship. 1 John 1:7 says, "If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin." Over the next seven days we will learn what real fellowship is through devotionals, service projects, and playing on the beach.

This entire trip has been bathed in prayer and the students are thinking about more than coming back with a tan. I really believe they are excited to take Jesus into Los Angeles and take steps forward in their personal fellowship with God and with others. I can only imagine our love for each other will be tested by the first brave soul who nervously asks, "Can we stop? I have to go to the bathroom." I hope we don't have an casualties due to small bladders. What a sad way to go.

I found this website designated to praying for L.A. I printed out some of their prayer points to give to students, because, well, shoot, I bet people in L.A. have a better idea of what to pray for! I'd love for you to join me in praying some of these things in addition to things like safety driving, unity, and well, sanity.

Pray for L.A.

1. A revival in Los Angeles

Pockets of people seek God as best they can, yet the majority of the city sleeps. We need to wake up! We need to be revived! We need to have the sleep rubbed from our eyes.

2. Pray for "prodigals" to return home

Prodigal people are recklessly extravagant. They leave wisdom behind and expend all their resources wastefully. Many in Los Angeles have become a prodigal generation. Many have left God to pursue the things of this world.

3. Conquering spiritual strongholds

A stronghold is a place of security. There are strongholds for both Christ and Satan. In Los Angeles, many strongholds are obvious and many are hidden. Therein lies much danger. Since Los Angeles impacts the world, the strongholds here are indeed strong and massive.

(These were taken from http://www.prayforla.org/ visit me for more info!)

I'm excited to spend time with the students, especially some of the girls in the ministry that I really want to invest in, but, alas, I lack the time. I'm sure a 20hour road trip will do wonders for our relationships.

Cactus garden at The Getty Center overing looking a smoggy day in Los Angeles.

No Tripping Allowed

"Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. . ." I enthusiastically waved my hands around in exaggerated motions to symbolize a great cloud. That summer of 2004 I remember flapping my arms and making funny motions to help kids learn the camp memory verses, Hebrews 12:1-2. It continues, "let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance, the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus. . ."

I've always loved those verses. I can so clearly picture a runner, shoes rhythmically hitting the pavement, one after another, expending every last ounce of energy to get to the finish line. This past weekend, I was the runner, in real life, completing my first 5k; insignificant to the elite runner's world, but an accomplishment for me, the lay jogger.

My friend, Meredith, who serves with The Navigators at The University of Colorado (CU-Boulder), came down to run with me. She's experienced, fast, and full of energy. She was my cloud of witnesses on Saturday, keeping me on pace and heading toward the goal. We prepped our race with some "running" passages and Hebrews 12:1-2 came up, reminding me that when I run, I have to persevere. And believe me, that moment came, when Meredith looked at me and said, "less than a mile!" And I turned to her and through my pants said, "Yay!" even though I secretly wanted to trip myself and lie in the street to catch my breath.

But I finished (without tripping myself) and we drank our water and ate the celebratory bagels and oranges as we walked around the park waiting for the St. Patrick's Day parade to start.

What a great physical reminder to run the race of life with perseverance. The Spring semester at UCCS is in full swing with a host of activities, one on ones, and lots of Bible study. I'm exhausted at times, but those moments are when I need to fix my eyes on the goal, Jesus, and look at my cloud of witnesses to cheer me on.

Meredith and I after persevering the 5k on St. Patrick's Day in Colorado Springs.

More than Familiar

Teen temperatures sent me power walking through the UCCS library today on my way to meet with a student. It's always my ambition to find ways to avoid being outside on such days. As I pumped my arms and clomped my boots passed studious collegiates and book lined shelves, I found myself recognizing faces. "Hi, Lauren!" a student said as I passed by. "Oh, hey! How are you?" A brief exchange of salutations and I was off again. Then it hit me. I'm not a student here, yet I know so many people.

There up on the bluff, within the public university, are dozens of faces that are more than familiar to me. They have names, they have personalities, they have pasts, they have futures, they have questions, they have thoughts, they exist to me. And every time I step foot on campus I enter into their world of activity. I am living life with them all the while showing them the light of Jesus.

I sat in Jazzman's, the on campus coffee shop, and talked with my freshman friend and we both occasionally paused to say hi to our passing friends. I think it's a testimony of God's grace and favor to give me friendships with these college students.

Thanks for your prayers-they are the foundations of these relationships.

The UCCS library. . .my inside "shortcut" during snowy days. (Please imagine a white ground and me huffing and puffing with seven layers on in this picture.)

And We're Off!

The 2009 UCCS Spring semester begins tomorrow! Soon the parking lots will be filled with cars, the smell of Jazzman's coffee will again float through the University Center, study rooms in the library occupied by all those single individuals will be commandeered by members of the Prayer Team. It will be grand.

With all this buzz of activity means I need to figure out my semester schedule and start making plans. Even thinking of that task makes me break out into some form of hives. Yes, I have allergic reactions even to the thought of making a schedule. It's quite difficult to sit down and set in stone your course of action when one works with college students who's schedules are akin to a newborn's (you know, frequent naps, frequent feedings, awake during the wee hours of the night, play dates, drooling. . .ok, maybe not drooling).

Prayers are appreciated as I contact the women I mentor and set up our one on ones, and plan the material for the Investigative Bible Discussion, and plan all the little interactions with students throughout my week. Whew!

Come back soon to see how I made it through my first week back! Perhaps there will be evidence of these schedule induced hives!! :)

This is what my head feels like when I think about making a schedule. (This is actually from an Eagle Lake Extended Version day last January where we let children play with stacks of newspaper. . .another form of recycling, and a great way to make your eye twitch.)

Scoping out Hollywood

There are so many adventures when you're on staff with collegiate Navs! Just last week my teammates, Jamie and Derrik, and I flew out to Los Angeles to scope out the city that we will soon be bringing some of our UCCS students to for their Spring Break.

Some Highlights:

1. randomly sitting in front of one of my former UCCS Bible Study girls on the plane to L.A.!

2. touching the Pacific Ocean for the first time!

3. seeing Amy (now 15!!) whom I used to nanny several years ago.

4. discovering heaven on earth: Yogurtland!

5. talking to Project Angel Food about volunteering our time to help prepare meals

Some "I'm so glad we figured this out before we brought students out here" moments:

1. all the interstates that run together like spaghetti ("the 5" "the 405" "the 55" weird)

2. having a GPS is not helpful, is necessary for survival and sanity!

3. expect to pay $$ for parking anywhere you go

4. there are way more fun things to do in L.A. than visit the Hollywood Wax Museum

5. Santa Monica is the home of the "original" Muscle Beach

Our theme for this trip is "Super Cali-Fellowship" and we'll be taking a closer look at what real fellowship means. 1 John 1:7 says that "if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another. . ." Our desire is for students to not only enjoy each other and the sights and sounds of L.A., but to really know that true fellowship is only experienced by walking in the light of Christ.

Spring Break isn't until the end of March, but it'll be here sooner than I expect! Please pray for 18 students to commit to this trip and for their hearts to long for true fellowship. And please pray for our planning!!

Jamie and I at Long Beach-look at those beautiful palms!

Amy and I at Yogurtland-the most delicious place your tatsebuds will ever know!