What car are you?

This is sort of fun though I would wonder at how true these personality quizes are.

I'm a Lamborghini Murcielago!

You're not subtle, but you don't want to be. Fast, loud, and dramatic, you want people to notice you, and then get out of the way. In a world full of sheep, you're a raging bull.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Four fires...none of them set by me.

So there has been so very much going as is customary for the holiday season. Just in the last four nights in fact I have spent my time around four completely different fires. The thing I love about winter is the fact that we get to spend time with friends and family after dark just hanging out. P.S. Just so you know I now have a digital camera that I can record life with...I had been saving for a nicer one but since I have switched my major for probably the 8th time I decided I was tired of not recording life and so now I will be including many photos in my blogs.

The first fire was a saguaro lake on Thanksgiving Eve. This was an awesome opportunity for some Seven:teners to go out and just spend some time hanging out. The guys made a great show of lighting the fire and keeping it going. It was a great night though I only met one new person...I was a little captivated by the fire and the interesting conversation I was in at the time. I met a guy who comes from a different church. We had some great conversation about some of the ministries that go on there. Then there is Tree...well he likes to show off his "I am not afraid of fire," moves. The ones on this blog were actually only the small fire he stood in. I stopped taking shots as I told him I would not mind(now I don't want you to think I would not be sad) him being martyred or burned for the gospel but this is not exactly giving God the glory and so his death would be a waist. Then of course there was the attempted marshmallows roasting...Oh, and the trip home I was thanking God for GPS. Ryan was driving us out but we didn't know where out was. Ryan would follow Cody and then Cody, Ryan but we were attempting four wheeling at about midnight in the desert. GPS system however became rather useful as it pointed to the road and showed us continually which way we were going in regards to the road.






Flame number two: This was the following night at the Paasch's thanksgiving. We dined under the stars and had a great practice run the Tuesday before as it was Lynne's birthday. This was my third outing on Thanksgiving but it was great. I loved the fun of spending time with my real family but even more so completing it with my church family.





Flame three: It was Maria's 16th birthday. I did not take photos but it was great. Oh, we sang our songs around the campfire-praise of course, played Curses, and then ended with my best shot at teaching the girl and guy part of swing dancing with Amy as my assistant.

Flame four: Last night we decorated the Christmas Tree, drank cider and watched a movie inside the Paasch house. We sent out a smoke signal quit by accident as a nice send off to Mike who is going on a mission trip this week.



Oh, how I love family, friends, the holidays and all the memories they make. Talk about something to be thankful for during the week of Thanksgiving. Thank God for wonderful things. Oh, and ignore the dates on any photos as I have no idea how to correct them.

Back from Rocky Point

Thank you guys so much for your prayers. This weekend was so great and I am so excited to go again hopefully next month. I really appreciated your lovely phone messages and thanks for the strenth and encouragement you have provided.

We left Friday night for Rocky Point and I jumped in the car with Derek and Michelle. It was such a crazy ride as we delt with many funny issues from Burt running out of gas to Michelle getting pulled over for speeding to my luggage falling off the roof. Neverless, we made it safe and soud after midnight. I had never been to Rocky Point and let me just tell you this was the most beautiful mission trip I had ever been on. I wondered outside to the patio and crashed under the stars...or should I say froze under the stars. I don't think I slept more then an hour because I had not really packed well and had brought my summer sleeping bag.

As the sun rose I saw the ocean and spent some time with the Lord. We soon began our day with breakfast and off to our designated spots. Some of us went to work on one of two buildings and the rest were going to give out food and clothing. We build our house and found out the next day at the dedication it was actually going to be a school for some handicapped children. It was so great as we handed off the key after one day of nailing and painting (well, at least that is what I did).

The trip was incredible as I tried to chat and share the gospel in Spanish...I know I don't really know the language but I knew more then the few I tagged along with. God really used this trip to renew my joy and excite me. I spent some awesome time with Derek and Michelle and am more excited about missions then before. In fact I have two new mission buddies. But rather then bore you with any more details and a poorly written blog I will just show you some of the trip.

A Calling

So this weekend a question was asked. If you were told you had 30 years to live what would you do with those years? I answered the question in a way I am still in agreement with but I my mind never ends after the fact. It has been four days and as I was cleaning my mind began churning more about that. I am only 25 but there are things I say that I am going to do when I am 30. I am not much of a plan maker but none the less there are things I think about. So, what struck me most is how we are the people of God allot ed time on this planet. Now, you would think that since we are in such a hurry to go home...and I am so in a hurry to get there, that we would change how we live.

Let me paint a different picture. I know God has me here as long as he wants me to be here. I remember part of my answer on Sunday night was that I would live and plan for the first five years and fix all the relationships I have here and say my good buys and make sure to leave a mark on my family and share with them. Then...I would go. I would then spend the last two years in some very dangerous place knowing that I was promised 30 years but not the quality of those years. So today as I was cleaning and singing I thought what a funny but true statement I had made. I am not worried about the time span or the fear of dying...it is the fear of the quality of the life here. What an idiot I am! What in the heck am I doing waisting my time because I am focused on making sure my life here is quality. Yep...smack me in the face and please wake me up. I know months ago I wrote a blog about living more dangerously for the gospel and I said something about not living stupidly. But, what defines stupidity? Knowing God is maintaining my life and the quality of it should make me live a life of reckless abandonment. Now, I do mean danger is OK. I have family, but no husband or children minus my few animals. Why would I focus on trying to carve out a nice little hole, a dwelling in this planet where I am safe and can maintain my few years? Why should I waist my years and spend time trying to look nice and buy nice things and make sure I am taken care of? I want to go home and what better way then to go and live a life of danger knowing when it is my time I will go and there is no better life then one lived and a death for God and His glory.

I think God may have just changed my life forever to one spent as goer rather then a sender. I hope He now gives me the strength to do it and step out. I want to be able to step out on the water knowing I will only sink if I fail to put ALL my faith in Him. Knowing when I trust Him I can walk on the water to Him. Now I just need to find out where He wants to send me and where I will go. There is a chance I will try to study abroad in Africa for a semester with a missions organization. I think I should Go. Now I just pray that God will send me and my motivation will not dye down and my passion will only increase. Where I do not know but I want to GO. So this weekend, January, hopefully next year I can begin to plan it out.

Ministry Opportunities

This week has been amazing and though this is not an all together deep discussion there are some things I am really excited about. First off I have the opportunity to go this weekend to Mexico with my friend Derek's church. I did not even know it was an option for me until Saturday but I am ecstatic to go. I absolutely love the church that I currently attend and have no desire currently to change. However, one of the things I love about Derek's church is they are a Bible church but one that flows much different then ours. The one I attend is very organized and structured and at times this can make it difficult to bend. I love that about it because I myself often need the structure.

With that said I myself am an artsy person who loves change and is more lax. (Is that a word?) What I am looking forward too is the bit of change in a more relaxing way. Let me give you an example. I did not know I could go this trip until tonight and was able to call and just tell them I would be there Friday at 6pm for departure. This goes well with my mind frame as I can spend time planning details filling out papers, applications and fundraising, but I can also just go. This is so exciting as I have such a passion to pursue ministry opportunities everywhere and with different tribes and people. The other great thing is I get along well with knew people and can not wait to hang out and do ministry alongside of one old friend while meeting about 60 or 70 new ones. We are going to build houses, meet people and spend time with the children, bring food and do many other ministry activities. They are just more lay ed back and so I am excited to spend a weekend serving my God alongside His people.

Prayer would be greatly appreciated as I am leaving work a bit early to head out toward P.V. where we will be departing at about 6 P.M. Plus, I am leaving the country with no passport or birth certificate. (Though you could never accidental mistake me for a native) Please pray for us as I want so much to serve with a pure heart and to go out of my way to show God's light. (Especially since I am forgetting more and more Spanish every day) This, is another thing I so desperately want to pursue and plan to take part in our Spanish church ministry on Sundays soon. SOooooooooooooooo excited...yep!