6/10/2013

    WOOHOO! We filled 32 bins!!! Thanks so much to everyone who donated to our Goodwill fundraiser. It was truly amazing how much stuff we got yesterday. We got there in the morning expecting to only fill about 10 bins, but as we emptied our two rooms (which were packed full of all kinds of fun things) the Goodwill people realized they were going to need another truck. We filled up the first 18 bins by 1:00 and had to wait for the next truck which was bringing 15 bins. When the next truck got there, we all got in a line and started passing boxes and bags to the bins and they filled very quickly too. It was awesome! At about 3:15 or so the trucks had been loaded up and were ready to leave, and we got our final number that we made $1,600 from the 32 bins! That's absolutely AMAZING!!! We are so thankful for everyone who has donated any items to this fundraiser, you guys really made this one possible, everyone came together as a community. Whether you are in Ramona or Chino, we came together as one community and it is incredible! 

    On another note, we had our last meeting before we leave for Kenya. (22 days!!!) It was packed full of so much info. We went over things that would be good to bring over there for the VBS that we'll be putting on, we got a calendar that says pretty much everything we're doing, we also started the-dying the shirts that we'll be taking over there for the VBS we're putting on. I'm so excited for July 2nd, and all this info just makes me even more excited. Just being able to see what we're doing over there is so cool! I think what I'm most excited about (and it could change in the next 3 weeks) is going to visit a school that teaches disabled kids. I've helped out with a few camps that were for kids with disabilities and I had so much fun. These kids have such life in them, and such joy. It's contagious. I'm looking forward to everything else of course, but when I saw that on the calendar, I was ecstatic. 

   I've started putting together my packing list, and I'm slowly realizing that I think I'm going to forget something important, because I'm not a very good list-maker. Hopefully I get everything on my list, and then I get everything packed that was on my list. It'll be lots of fun trying to pack. 

    As we get closer to leaving, people keep asking me, "are you nervous?" I tell them I'm not, that I'm just super excited, because I am SO EXCITED! But I am a little nervous. I've never been this far from home before, and I'm a person who likes to be in control of any situation. Going into this country, I will be completely out of control, and that's not a terrible thing, but it is a little scary. But I know that I was called to go to Kenya for a reason, and maybe it was to work on letting go of my control, and giving God more control of my life. 

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:33-34

5/19/2013

    I've decided to do something a little different with this blog. Here's a list of 49 fun facts about me that you may, or may not have known. 

1. My middle name is Alice.
2. I used to think I was named after Alice, from Alice in Wonderland. 
3. I love to play my ukulele.
4. I'm crazy about Disneyland.
5. I ran in the Disneyland Half Marathon last year and will be running in this years a month after I get back from Kenya.
6. I might have broken my nose by hitting myself with my knee.... (I'm really uncoordinated).
7. My two top love languages are Words of Affirmation and Quality Time.
8. I secretly love to rap when I'm alone in my car, but I'm pretty bad.
9. I'm terrified of spiders.
10. I now embrace how awkward I can be at times.
11. I have had two knee surgeries on my right knee due to a torn meniscus.
12. My elbows are double jointed.
13. Driving is my quiet time. I use that time to talk to God about anything on my heart at that time.
14. I'm terrible at public speaking. I'm really trying to get better, but I still get way nervous and forget everything I was supposed to say.
15. I love the water, I love to swim, play water polo, play in a pool, you name it. 
16. I nanny an eight month old little girl, 5 days a week, and love it!
17. Most of the time I act before I think, and then I wish I didn't do or say the thing I just did. 
18. I like to say I am a pretty strong person, but there are times when I know I am not as strong as I seem and I need to lean on God for support.
19. The first song I learned how to play on my ukulele was Somewhere over the Rainbow by Iz Kamakawiwo'ole.
20. That is still my favorite song to play on my uke.
21. I listen to all kinds of music. (Hence the secret love of rapping in my car.)
22. Going back to #11: when I say "quiet" I really mean "alone" because I like to listen to my music kind of loud.
23. I sing and dance in my car, and I love the looks I get from the people in their cars next to me who have to listen to me. 
24. My favorite color is sunset orange (that would be an orange-y pinkish color).
25. I love cats, but they make my eyes itch and make me sneezy.
26. Since I'm on the area of animals, in our house we have 1 (3-legged) cat, 3 dogs (a chihuahua and two black and tan coonhounds) and 2 finches.
27. I say the cheesiest jokes, and most people give me the "I don't get it" look, and that makes me laugh even harder.
28. I laugh a whole lot.
29. I love making others laugh.
30. I'm an awful storyteller. I get distracted, and can't really remember where I was at. It takes me 30 minutes to tell a 5 minute story. 
31. When I speak to someone, I can't think of certain words, and it's really frustrating. 
32. I have a duct tape wallet, but it's unfortunately falling apart. 
33. I would rather use a macbook than a pc.
34. I am right handed, but wear my watch on my right hand. (apparently that's an odd thing for right handed people to do, I had no idea.)
35. I love to read, but haven't really read any books recently.
36. I love the show Survivor, one day you will see me on that show. 
37. I don't drink caffeinated beverages because I have really bad migraines, and my migraines get worse with caffeine.
38. My favorite song changes frequently, but right now its Build Your Kingdom Here by Rend Collective Experiment.
39. Before I publish my blog posts, I go over them and re-read them about 50-60 times.
40. Just like everyone else, I care too much about what others think about me, which is why I re-read my posts over and over again before putting them on my blog. 
41. I don't really have any sense of style. I'm more of a t-shirt and jeans, or shorts if it's hot, kinda girl. 
42. The only flippy floppys I wear are my rainbows that I've had for 3 years now (I need a new pair, I know).
43. My mom and I have matching turtle tattoos, mine is on my shoulder, hers on her wrist.
44. My mom is my best friend, I am so thankful for her and everything she's done for me, and I love her so much!
45. In high school, my car got the name Red Velvet (the interior is completely red), but within the past year its name has been changed to Roi, because it says that on the back bumper where it's supposed to say Chevrolet. 
46. I was in 4-H for several years and have raised sheep, pigs, and chickens throughout the years. 
47. I love to quote movies.
48. Writing 49 things about myself has been a lot harder than I thought it would be.
49. Today I began a new life in Christ

    This morning I was baptized. My grandpa baptized me at the church that I'm going to Kenya through. My old self died when I was beneath the water, and as I rose out of the water, my new life in Christ began. I'm so glad that my grandpa was able to baptize me, and I'm so blessed to have had so many friends and family come out to see my baptism. It was really incredible how many people were there to witness me taking the next step in my walk with Christ. The church's sanctuary was filled with people. I didn't realize how many people there were in the audience until I came out of the water and heard the cheering. It was AWESOME! 

    I know I'm the same person, but I feel just a little different today. I feel a little more at peace, not so much worry as I normally do. I've been struggling with not knowing what I'm going to do with my life, and what God wants to do through me after I get back from Kenya, and what I should do with schooling. But right now, I feel at peace, I know everything will work out. He has a plan for me, and what needs to happen, will happen in due time. He knows my heart and He knows what is best for me.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

5/12/2013

    I can't even begin to write how thankful I am for this opportunity to go to Kenya. This trip has already changed me, and I haven't left the country yet. When I fist saw the flyer in the bulletin at church, I knew I was going to Kenya, but I didn't know how much it was going to mean to me. I was so excited to be able to travel to a new country and see a new culture. I was excited about helping others in need, but it didn't have as much pull as traveling did on me. This was back in September. 

    Nothing really changed until February. That's when I felt things happening. God came into my heart and started working on it, and He still is. He's preparing me for Africa, softening my heart so that when I go to Kenya, I will be ready to God to mold my heart into something new. He will be changing me through Kenya and the people of Kenya. Now when I think about going on my trip, I'm so excited to see what God is going to do through my team and I, and how He is going to change us. Yes, I'm still really looking forward to traveling out of the country, but now that doesn't compare to the fact that God has BIG plans for my team and I, and that excites me more than anything. 

    Yesterday, my team and I met up to talk about our trip and to go over some other details. We are 98% sure of our tickets, we just have to get them booked tomorrow. We should be leaving on July 2nd and coming home on July 28th. Everything is getting so real, and I'm getting so excited. During our meeting , everyone who has been to Kenya before told us everything they wish they had been told before they went over there. It was so great to hear everything they had to say, to get some insight into what it will be like over there. 

    We were talking about some of the things we were bringing over there with us. We aren't super sure how many bags we will be able to take on the plane, but we're hoping to be able to take two suitcases and a carry-on. One suitcase will be for our clothes and personal items. The other suitcase will be used to take over stuff from the church, like bibles, and toys, and shirts. We were also talking about other little things that we could take over, such as stickers, or little bracelets. Apparently the kids love stickers, so I am thinking about bringing some sheets of small stickers to hand out. 

    I'm so thankful for each person going on this trip. Every single person has something special to bring to the team and will be able to use that over in Africa, and that's going to make for a fantastic trip. 

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 

Ephesians 3:20

5/3/2013

    As I said in my last blog, here is the link to my team's website:

Honor : A Heart for Africa

    There's lots of cool stuff about this website. Under the "ways you can help" tab, you can buy a bible to donate to the Masii Christian Chapel, you can buy a t-shirt, we don't ship =[ , and you can donate straight through the internet. It's pretty cool. It will also have biographies and pictures of every team member going over to Kenya with us. Everyone did a fantastic job on this website. It turned out phenomenal. =]

4/29/2013

    This weekend, we had a meeting filled with information. We went over some important stuff about our trip, discussed some upcoming events, and we got our financial information. Some of the important stuff we had to go over was making sure everyone had their passports, reminding everyone to get their shots if they haven't already done so, we also went over how much spending money we would need to take over there. Another thing that was brought up, that I didn't know about was the visas. We will be paying for the visas when we get over into Kenya. I thought that you had to apply for a visa before traveling, because that's what my dad had to do when he went to India. Apparently its different in Africa, they welcome anyone into their country. 

    We have some cool things happening soon. Right now, we are collecting any used clothes to help raise funds. Anyone in the Ramona area who has any clothes they want to donate, let me know and I'll be more then happy to come pick them up for you! We will be accepting clothes through June 9th. Another super awesome thing we are doing right now, is that we have bibles up for donation for $5 that will be going to the Masii Christian Chapel. I think this is so cool! For just $5, you can have a bible donated to this chapel and with your donation, you can write a special encouragement on the inside cover. How incredible is that?? So any family that goes to the chapel on Sunday morning can open up that bible and see your message and know that they are loved from half way across the world. That's pretty cool. 

    Our team has been blessed with many tech-savy people, who are incredible. They are creating a website for our Africa Team. On the website, each member of our team will have their own biography that tells all about them, and gives any blogs or websites that they have. So this blog will be on my biography. There will also be a PayPal account where people can donate to individuals through that website, so its a little easier and faster than sending a check or cash. I want to thank Jessica and Rick and anyone else who helped create the website! You guys are AWESOME!!! I will get a link up to the website, I just don't have it quite yet... =]

    On a final note, I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who has donated to me in any way so far, Aunt Donna and Uncle Larry, the Hill Family, the Lewis Family, Uncle Bill and Aunt Diane, The Frias Family, The McNulty Family, Doris Ando, and The Evans Family. Thank you all so much! Thank you also to everyone praying for my team and I, I greatly appreciate it! 

    In two weeks the whole Africa team will be getting back together for a night of eating, picture-taking, and prayer, lots of prayer. We're going to be taking a group photo and having dinner and everyone is bringing something (I'm bring a delicious strawberry/cool whip/graham cracker desert. yumm.) and then we will spend the rest of the night in prayer with each other. It should be a great night, and I'm really looking forward to it. 

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

1 Chronicles 16:11

4/21/2013

  A baptism is a public commitment to Christ. It shows others that you walk with Christ, and are fully committed to Him. I will be getting baptized sometime in the near future. I still need to fix a date with my Pastor, but I made the decision I want to be baptized. I was talking with my grandpa over the weekend and he was telling me that he would really like to see me get baptized before going to Kenya. He told me all about it and he also told me it had to be my decision, so he said to think it over. I told him I would.

    I've had something on my mind for quite some time now, it was something Pastor Mike said a while back. He said, you have to die to live. I really struggled with this concept. I realize that as a Christian, you shouldn't be afraid to die, you're going up to party with Jesus and what could be greater than that? But I do struggle with that sometimes, along with other fears. Everyday I would pray really hard about this, about what I had do to die to live, even though I was so fearful. I would ask God to help me through my fears, and overtime those fears have become less prevalent in my life. But I was still unsure about how to die in order to live, until I talked to my grandpa.

    I was thinking about what he had told me about baptisms and making sure it was the right thing for me to do. In a baptism, when you are immersed into the water, you are being buried just as Christ was, you hold your breath, as if you aren't alive. Then you rise from the water as Jesus rose from the dead and you are given new life. As I was processing all this, it hit me hard in the gut. And I understood. It's funny how that happens sometimes, how you get it all of a sudden. You're super confused one minute, and the next, you are in a state of clarity, and you hear what God is telling you. Any time this happens, I'm always thrown back in amazement because He really does work in mysterious ways and it's always amazing when you finally see it. 

    Writing this post has been fairly difficult, because I'm not one to put myself out there, and I'm laying a lot down right here. But I really feel it's important to be completely honest through this journey in my blog, to help me on my walk with Christ. 

    Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

Matthew 16:24

4/14/2013 part 2

    Well, I've been trying to upload this video since Sunday when I posted the first part of this blog, with no success. I think I have it figured out though.

    This is Mike talking about Tumaini Ministries and the work they do over in Kenya.