No Place for Dessert

I'm back to recount Wednesday's VBS day... 

We woke up and walked to school on this morning. By now, both of my feet had blisters on them from the only 2 pairs of shoes I brought. We were told to bring shoes suitable for rainy weather, so I brought 2 pairs of crocs and a pair of (what I thought would be) comfortable flip flops. I guess no matter how comfortable a pair of shoes seem, when you walk 3-4 miles in them everyday, it changes the picture a little. So after applying a couple of band-aids, I was good to go.

It started to rain when we got there, so we hung out in the school and under the sheltered areas for awhile. Eventually it died off, and we headed out to the soccer field for VBS. Within minutes, blue sky was visible and the sun came out. We circled up for songs, and then enjoyed being taught by Leah, Katrina, and Tyler. The skit was fully equipped with pom pons, and the craft on this day was to make someone special an encouragement card. The activity was a scavenger hunt, and everyone had fun walking around the school area finding items such as "something to ride on," and "something orange."

After lunch, the other half of our group went to visit the compounds. It started to rain, so we had the task of entertaining 200+ kids. It sounds daunting, but all you would have to do is sit down with a book, and you would have 30 kids surrounding you as you read to them. Some of the teachers sat down with us and translated for the kids. We also got out coloring books and crayons; they LOVE to color.

We finished relatively early on this day, and so afterwards we walked back to the New Life Center. David invited Dru's "son" Kafuti over for dinner, and so we really enjoyed having him with us. (He is pictured in the graphic at the top-- in the red). I was asking him some questions before supper about his family and the culture. I asked him about food and what they ate a lot of the time. Then my eyes lit up.

"What do you have for dessert?" I asked

My question was met with the biggest laugh I have ever heard from Kafuti. He was beside himself. He shook his head. 

"Most do not eat dessert," he explained. It was then that I realized that with his surroundings, most were lucky to have one meal a day, let alone dessert to top it off. 

He wasn't offended; just entertained. Then he told me that they eat a lot of ice cream, and also sometimes marshmallows. I also noticed that in Africa, they have really delicious chocolate and cookies.

I love dessert, I really do. I was mainly just trying to ask a cultural question, but instead was met with a reality kick. It is definitely a luxury here in America that I get to enjoy, but am definitely not entitled to. 

After supper, Kaufti told some of us his "story." Up until this point, I had been doing really good keeping my emotions in check... it seems like whenever I have a lot to process, I have the ability to store the harder things away to think about at a later date so I don't get too overwhelmed. However, as I listened to Kafuti share about his childhood, his hardships, and his journey to finding God, I found irreversible tears in my eyes. 

Kafuti talked about how he was abused in his own family, out on his own at a lot of points, and how Dru came into his life when he needed a mother figure the most. I was mostly astonished by how he had been through so much, had no spiritual upbringing or background, yet still had faith in God and knew His comfort. So I asked him a question at the very end...

"At what point did you learn about God?"

He was silent for a minute, and then said that he really never did. No one taught him about God. He just remembers laying there one night and sensing that there was a God, and that he should pray. And that is when he started praying. Since then, many of those prayers have been answered.

It hit me how fortunate that I am. I grew up in a loving, Christian home with parents that care for and support me. They never abused me, neglected me, or accused me of lying. They never kicked me out, rejected me, or abandoned me. I went to Sunday School every Sunday and learned about a loving God. By God's grace, I made the decision to follow Him at a young age, but I had to think of how many people grow up in this type of environment and still refuse to believe. They embrace the comfort of it all but still reject the most important thing, even having been taught it since birth.

And here is Kafuti, tucked away in Africa, having grow up in a family and environment that is anything but what I just described, and he just "knew" there was a God. And he prayed to Him.

Could it be that the desperate, the broken-hearted, and the neglected have an ability to connect with God that far surpasses those of us who live comfortable, easy, and materialistic lives?

Tony finished up our evening with a nice devotion, challenging our perspective and outlook on the trip. Of course, we had more popcorn. I topped off my evening with too much caffeine, though, and was wired... so I ended up staying up way too late.

I'll be back (hopefully) tomorrow with Thursday's recap. Love you all.

T

The Day I Met Leonard

I am going to try to knock out 2-3 days of VBS in today's post, so hopefully I suddenly suffer from a loss of wordiness and can be concise. Nonetheless... Day 2 of VBS was Tuesday. We walked to school again, but about halfway there, John pulled up in his Noah and begged us to get in.

"We love walking," we told him.

"You can walk when you get back to America," he said, "You have already done too much walking here!"

We finally obliged, and I had visions of walking in snow-covered, icy Illinois as I crawled into his vehicle.

When we got to school, it was my group's turn to teach. My group was Tony, Holly, and Chalise. David put me in a group of 3 in case I needed to float off and take pictures.

We did a series of skits that reflected people who demonstrated "endurance" in the Bible. Our craft was to decorate brightly-colored sweat bands, and our activity was Animal Bingo & a bunch of really fun relay races.

After lunch on this day, about 6-7 of us walked to the compound area with some of the staff from Lifesong to do home visits. These are homes of children who attend Lifesong. It was an eye-opening experience.

We split into even smaller groups, and Holly & I were together with one of the teachers. As we walked further into the compound, we walked by the bar, which was playing loud music and was hopping at 2pm in the afternoon. We also walked by a small structure with a loud movie playing inside. We found out it was the movie theater.

The first home we visited, they invited us inside. The front door was literally a sheet that hung down. It was pitch black right at first, because we were used to the bright day outside. Once my eyes adjusted, I saw that I was in a very dark room with one small opening for a window, and a chair and torn-up couch. We were welcome to ask any questions we had, and then the staff with us would interpret. I could not get over the living conditions. We then had a chance to pray aloud for them and their family, which was really neat.

The second home was much the same. We were shown the well where they obtained water, which was literally feet away from their outdoor bathroom. In African culture, the mom is generally the figure who cares (and often provides for) the children. The dad, if he is around, does not do much, or spends his money on drinking rather than on taking care of the family.

As we walked down the dirt streets of this area, I was astounded. Many people were outside and would watch us or point and say in Bemba, "Look at the white people." The ground beneath us was cracked, often with big craters that you would have to jump over, and there is no way you could get a car through some of those places if you tried.

Processing this experience was interesting. I found that I wasn't as emotionally distraught as I would have liked to be. I think I comforted myself with the fact that for most of the individuals in this situation, it is all that they have ever known. Does it make it right? No. But somehow, it made me feel better that they have no idea what living "America" even amounts to. The only reason it seemed so preposterous to me is because I have 100x more in my own closet than a lot of these people have ever owned in totality in their whole life.

With all that being said, I'm not so sure that I'm not the one with the short end of the stick. Having more clutters your life, your mind, and your perspective. Walking in the compound area forced me to imagine what it would be like to live like that. You know what? For some reason, it almost seemed more appealing to me. Fighting for food, stealing to stay alive, and contracting disease because of sanitation deficiency in your living area? No thanks. But when you look at it from the standpoint of simplifying your life to the basics, I think I like that idea better. I kept having the urge to call home, tell my family & friends that I wouldn't be home for another few months, and move in to the compound area with my camera to capture the life there. But I didn't. I thought that would be a little impulsive. =)

But even now, as I sit here and type, I still think that would be a fascinating study... not only to capture it, but to live it while capturing it. That's when you catch real life. And that's when you change.

After visiting the compounds, we all planned a meeting point at one of the crossroads. By the time we all got there, clouds were rolling in an rain was imminent. We started walking toward the school, but were feeling rain drops on our heads. We were instructed by the staff to follow them over to the nearest shelter, which happened to be the overhang of this pretty Catholic church. It was there that I met Leonard.

Leonard was hanging out under there, as well, on his scooter. He was missing a leg, but he had the biggest smile on his face. I was able to ask him a few questions and he even let me take his picture. He is pictured in my graphic at the beginning of this post. At one point, as we were all standing there waiting for the rain to clear, he hopped off his scooter, used his hands to "walk" out into the open, and just sat on the pavement and looked up, letting the rain hit his face. He didn't ask us for help. He didn't explain why he did this. He just did. It was in that moment that I realized that the ability to appreciate the small joys of life is nothing we can buy, earn, or even make ourselves do. It's simply just an attitude.

We finally started back out, and along the road, a truck drove by and offered us a ride. One of the teachers knew the driver and ensured us we'd get there safely, so we all hopped in the back of this white pick-up truck and held on. It was very windy and rain was still pelting our faces, but it was a nice, refreshing ride. I, of course, had my camera stuff with me, so stuffed it all under my shirt so it wouldn't get wet. Consequently, I looked absolutely 8 months pregnant. Anything to protect the camera! Ha.

Other highlights of my day:
-This is the day I met sweet Karen, my pal.
-Got REALLY sunburnt
-Delicious spaghetti for dinner
-David had nice devotion in the evening
-2nd night of AMAZING popcorn!

Well, the situation we were all hoping for has obviously not occurred. I successfully wrote a way-too-long post. I apologize, but I tend to be tangent prone. So we'll only cover one day today. I'll be back, sooner rather than later, with VBS Day 3.

Love you all!

T

The First Day of School

Here I am, ready to share about VBS on Monday. 

Before I begin...  in other news, it would seem as though the whole "jet lag" thing has been an interesting concept in my life. On the way TO Africa, it did not affect me whatsoever. I switched over to African time without a problem, and I never felt better the whole week. On the way home, it wasn't so easy. It wasn't terrible, but what has happened is that I have become a complete morning person. This is when we know something has gone terribly awry. I am the night owl of all nights owls. I am known to stay up until after midnight and sleep in until the last possible moment the next morning. However, ever since my return from Africa, I have been in bed by 10:30 and wide awake between 5:30-7 am. It's crazy... but I kind of like it. I basically gain 3 more hours every morning. Do you know how much that can get done??

Anyway. Monday. *Opening up journal* So Monday- Heather was my trust alarm every morning, and she knew to get me up about 6:30 every time. We needed to leave the house by 7am in order to make it to the school by 7:30 (since we were walking), so this gave me just enough time to get dressed, grab my camera stuff, and eat a bowl of Bran Flakes.

Monday morning, it was very foggy out. There was a thin layer of cloud hanging thick above our head, but it was really pretty. It was cool out, but very pleasant. 

We exited the New Life Center via the front gate and started walking toward the school. I am sure we were a sight to see-- a big mob of white people walking down the streets of Zambia. As we walked, we would pass others on their way to work or other children walking to school. Every once in awhile, a truck or car would come FLYING by, and if you were lucky, they would honk. Otherwise, you would just have to hear it in time to clear the road or else there would be a high chance of getting hit and or grazed. The vehicles would come SO close! They move out of the way for no one.

There's a big roundabout on the way with brightly colored flowers. Other favorites of mine included a railroad and sign covered with spider webs, a very cool fence, a flower-petal lined curb, and some very cool trees. We saw all of these landmarks on our walks to and from the school everyday.

When we got within 5 minutes of the school, there was an increase in the amount of children on the road-- many were in uniforms, but a lot of them just fell into step beside us and gave us shy looks. We asked some of them where they were going and they said, "Lifesong."

"So are we!" We replied. Within 30 seconds, each of us had 5-6 kids holding our hands and walking right alongside us. 

Upon arrival to the school, I heard singing. When we turned the corner behind the school, all the kids were gathered into a huge group, but separated into lines by class. They sang beautiful songs in Bemba. As the week went on, we taught them quite a few new songs with motions that they loved. 

Every morning, John Mumba or one of the teachers would say, "God is good..."

and the children would shout, "ALL THE TIME!"

Then, "All the time..."

The children: "GOD IS GOOD!"

I love how that sounds. It's so true. It may sound like a simple saying but once I thought about it, I realize how very, very true it is, even when life isn't good. Life isn't always good, but God is. And we wonder sometimes how "a loving God can allow tough times to occur." As I sit here and type now and am back in the states, I know a family who is going through the trauma of cancer; their beloved mom is dying and will not be here much longer. Another family I know just lost a loved one to cancer. Why? We don't know. Today, as I was driving with my friend, though, I noted... There has to be a reason, a God-glorifying reason, that these things take place in our lives. And it's because God is good. God sees so much more than we do, and yet we try to understand everything by event, by circumstance, or by effect. We can't. We can't look at "she died of cancer" and equate that to an unloving or uncaring God, because in the grand scheme of things, that very circumstance may be orchestrated by God for the better good of so many and the bigger glory of Himself. It may not be something we understand now, or will ever fully see. But we know God is good, and that's what we must have faith in.

This is where I came to regarding Africa and all that I saw, as well. I saw situations that were sad. Kids who don't get fed for 2 days. Kids who don't have loving parents with their best interest at heart. Kids who are abused. Kids with no shoes to their name. Kids who sleep on a dirt floor every single night. And I found myself wondering... God is good? Of course He is. Because at the end of the day, I still saw joy on these kids' faces. I saw the love of Christ being shared with them by arms that held them, smiles that they received, and hands that were held. God is good, because ultimately, God is all we need in this life to sustain us. In the end, I had to note that these kids in their poverty seem to be better off in being closer to true joy than most Americans who have everything (that they think) they need.

Anyway, sorry for the tangent. Veering back on course... so, after singing is breakfast. Dru told us that on Monday mornings, a lot of the kids show up with stomach aches because they haven't eaten all weekend, and truly they're just hungry. They serve them 2 meals a day at school, breakfast and lunch, and they try to get protein in as much as they can. After breakfast is served and eaten, the kids would come with us out to the big soccer field and split up into (4?) groups ranging in age from 4-14. Each group had 2 group leaders (from our team) plus a Zambian teacher. The groups would sit together and watch the skit/lesson for the day. Monday was Leslie, Sheila, and Kent. They did a great showing of David & Goliath. 

After that, the groups would go into separate locations/classrooms for the group discussion and small group activity. The craft on Monday was for each child to color a puzzle piece. At the end of the day, the project was put together into a giant, beautiful puzzle that Leslie created and drew. It was so neat to see how each little brightly colored piece formed a big, beautiful picture.

There was always a break between our big group activity (out on the soccer field) and lunch, so a lot of times the kids would play soccer, do hand clapping games, or just hang out with us. On Monday, I remember sitting down and within seconds, I had 4-5 kids sitting on my lap, around me, and holding my hand. They will grab your arm and rub your skin. They think it's hilarious to press on it and watch it turn white, and then all the blood rushes back. Also, many hands were in my hair, touching it and feeling it, playing with it. They look at your fingers and count them, and they love to be near and feel love by touch.

Our team ate lunch everyday at the guest house on the school campus. We had PB&Js, chips, cookies, and juice. The juice there is actually a thick nectar that you have to dilute with water, but it's very tasty. 

After lunch, everyone broke up into their groups to go to class. I was lucky to be "floating" between all of these classes, and I found myself landing in the art class taught by Andrew. I absolutely loved it. He is one talented artist! He taught the kids how to paint 3 beautiful pictures by watercolor. It is amazing what he can do, and I was also thoroughly impressed with the kids and their works of art. Tony & Leah were in this class, and I know they enjoyed attempting to paint in the African style... most of the kids showed them up... but they did great. I talked to Andrew for a bit and he told me he was "an artist," and that "God has given me this gift, and I am glad to use it to teach the children."

School gets out at 3. We walked home after and had a lovely dinner of chicken curry. We hung out, played games, ate amazing stovetop popcorn, and headed to bed for Tuesday.

This got long. Sorry. Be back soon with Tuesday-Wednesday's VBS!

Love you all!

T

A Sunday in Africa

Sunday morning had arrived. The night before, barking dogs outside woke me up at 2:30am... I distinctly remember looking across the dark room and asking Heather, "Why are the dogs barking?" 

"I don't know," she told me.

In my mind, it meant one of two things: there was someone who had tried to break into our house, or there was a large animal outside that would soon eat us all alive.

Needless to say, my imagination is often more active in the middle of the night.

I wasn't scared, though, just tired. And I soon fell back asleep. 

A little before 7am, I again awoke to a hair dryer in our room. Unfortunately, the whole "jet lag" thing had affected most everyone else more than it had me, and a lot of girls were waking up between 5-7 am. I grudgingly rolled out of bed, but after moving around a little I was ready to go. 

We left for church around 8:30 am. The church we attended was nearby and it was called "United Church of Zambia." As we pulled up and exited the vehicle, a lot of the teachers/staff from Lifesong were already there to greet us with big, warm hugs. In Africa, you hug across each shoulder. I was astounded by how welcoming and friendly everyone was, although by the end of the week, I learned that is just part of their wonderful culture. 

I walked a few more steps and tears almost flooded my eyes. In my ears was the most beautiful singing, and off to my right was a huge gathering of little children. All of them were standing there quietly, looking at us. It was then that David walked up to me and whispered in my ear, "If your mom had come on this trip, there is no way she would have gone home empty-handed."

Amen to that. My mom had considered coming on this trip right at first, but then decided not to come. All week long, I kept thinking that perhaps it was a blessing in disguise; she might have come home with several children otherwise. My mom has a huge heart for kids, and would have fallen in love with every single one. Our family did foster care for a number of years when I was in High School for babies, and to this day, we are still connected with a lot of special kids who have since been adopted and have grown up in loving families. These kids who have been no exception, and there is no doubt that my mom would have found a way to pack some into her suitcase.

We walked into the church, which was a large room full of several rows of benches and leftover, brightly colored Christmas / New Year's decorations. There was a Christmas-tree like figure at the front with blinking, colorful lights, and a piano player on a keyboard on the left in the front. A group of Africans were up front, singing and clapping their hands. It took me a minute to take it all in. Keep in mind that in Zambia, most buildings have no glass in their windows, it's open air- and so the breeze you get is whatever outside air flows in. It wasn't too hot that day, luckily, but I'm just trying to paint the picture of how different everything is. We don't sit on padded benches with carpet underneath our feet, and children don't have a bag of toys for church. In fact, one thing I noted is that a lot of the kids sat perfectly still throughout the entire (2 1/2 hour long) service without making one sound. They seem to know how to be content with very little from a very early age.

Anyway, it felt more like a program than a church service. Multiple groups got up and performed songs, and again I say, it is like nothing I have ever heard before. It was beautiful. LOUD, and beautiful. Africans know how to sing, and they aren't afraid of making a joyful noise to the Lord. They also know how to move!

There was a guest speaker, who was actually a woman, who got up and preached, read from the Bible, and gave the message. It was in half English, half Bemba... often translated. I really, really enjoyed it. 

As I said, the total sitting time there was over 2 hours. It was a combined service, so it was a bit longer. I loved every minute of it.

After church, we were invited next door in the backyard for tea, juice, and cookies. We stood around with some of the staff, and one of the little boys who attends Lifesong, Juniper, was there. It was really nice.

From there, we left church and headed over to Lifesong school for a tour by John Mumba and Dru. We walked around and became acquainted with the place we would be all week long with the kids, holding VBS. We went through the classrooms, into John's office, the kitchen, and just looked around. It was nice being able to see it in advance to know what to expect.

Then we headed into town to the Curio Market. It was raining at this point, so we all piled into this tent where several interesting items were being sold. Had it not been raining, I would have loved to have walked around to other areas, as the place was huge, but we all stayed in this one spot. Jewelry, coasters, figurines, purses, candle stick holders, pots, bowls, etc... there were many things to go through. Each booth had an African standing by who, when they would see even a flickering of interest on your face, would grab your arm, drag you over to the nearest piece of merchandise, and tell you that you just had to have it. 

"I will give you a special deal, since you are my first buyer today," is what about every single one of them told me. I stopped believing it after being told it for the 5th time.

"You have to have this," another would say, holding up a purse. "White women LOVE these!"

I walked out of there with an awesome reversible purse made out of some great African fabric, a necklace with a cross on it, and a blue vase with animals that says, "The Zambia." All this for 20 American dollars... however, we paid them in kwacha, so I have no idea how much that equates to, but in US standards, I felt like it was a pretty good deal.

Others along became a bit frazzled with the whole process; you have to be comfortable saying "no," or learn the art of sneaking away if you truly aren't interested, or else they'll keep you there all day and convince you to buy everything. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the process and would go back again by myself if ever given the chance.

We ate dinner in town at a place that had a wide variety of food. I was happy to see "American" choices on the menu, and promptly ordered a hamburger and fries, which sounded SO good to me. Call me adventurous, I know. Anyway, I would soon learn that hamburgers in Africa taste more like meat loaf. The fries and coke were good, though, and I tried to get through as much of it as I could. 

After supper, we went back to the guest house and just relaxed. The group for Monday went over their skit for VBS, and a lot of people played soccer outside with some of the other Africans on the property. I took pictures. We played games inside, then a lot of people were off to bed early.

The synopsis of Sunday ended up being a lot longer than I planned, so I'm going to end here for now. I'll come back soon with my review of Day 1 & 2 of VBS at Lifesong... see you soon, and love you all!

T

The Journey Begins...

While on my journey in Zambia, at the close of each day, I wrote down a synopsis of what went on. At the time, it took some effort, but now in hindsight I am really glad that I did it for 2 reasons: 1) I have a terrible short term memory, so now I have something to go off of to update others and this blog, and 2) I have a written record of some fun memories, including some stuff I would have never remembered happening.

Since I did this, I would like to update my blog on a daily basis this week using my journal as a guide. I will start with Day 1-2, which was our traveling.

To start, let me just note that I am so blessed to have an amazing family! The night before I left, my family took me out to dinner to send me off. It was so nice. A few days earlier, the girls from our "Girl's Night Out" (which includes my mom, sisters, and a family friend/cousin) all gave me useful items to take to Africa, which was so nice. I honestly felt like I was leaving the country for 10 months instead of 10 days, but it was great to hug everyone good-bye and share my excitement with them before parting ways.

One of the most thoughtful gifts I received was a darling journal that my sister made for me. Her kids (Dom, Sophia, and Beau) all drew/colored me pictures, and she decoupaged it with a map of Africa on the journal. They all also wrote me a little message in the notebook. This journal is precisely what I used to write down my thoughts all week!

The journey started on Thursday morning. Everyone on the team except Chalise, Tyler, Leslie, Katrina, and Sheila met at my house in Morton at 9am. From there, we drove to Bloomington airport. Leslie, Katrina, & Sheila met us there. Since it was morning and we had plenty of time on our hands, I stopped by the little coffee shop and got a mocha. I started chatting with the barista and told her about our trip... she told me I looked familiar and I told her the same. After giving me my coffee, I went and joined our group. About 5 minutes later, she came bounding up to me with news that she texted her friend about me and found out that I was in her friend's class at school-- small world! We are now Facebook friends... you never know who you're going to run into at the airport, I guess! =)

The plane ride from Bloomington to Atlanta was pretty short, just a couple of hours. However, I found it necessary to drink a lot of water on this flight, and so about 15 minutes before landing the pilot announced that we need to go to our seats and buckle up. Well. For some reason, I didn't take this cue to take care of my full bladder, and soon thereafter I was in some sort of desperate pain. I kept thinking the plane would soon land, but it didn't. I was in terrible pain, and my eyes kept watering. I looked back to the bathroom at the back of the plane, and I even had Tony switch me seats so I was sitting by the aisle and could bolt to the back ASAP upon arrival. The plane finally landed, and I peeked around the corner of my seat, starting to stand up... and my attempt was promptly met with the flight attendant shaking his head "no" and motioning for me to sit back down. Defeated, I slumped into my seat, trying not to envision what peeing my pants on an air plane would look like. About 5 minutes later, I couldn't handle it any longer, and I got up, bolted to the back, and pointed to the bathroom door.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I'm having bladder issues."

That's all I said... and somehow, it worked. I mean, really... we were on the ground, completely landed... what was going to happen? The only reason I could foresee needing a seat belt at that point was in case we crashed into the airport, which was highly unlikely and did not occur, so I was glad to be able to take care of business. The only other time I had felt such pain in my life from a full bladder was another time that ended up being a lot more disastrous, in which I will not describe at this time, but nonetheless, it did bring back painful memories that I was glad to be able to solve.

Once we made it into Atlanta airport, we stopped at the very cool food court and grabbed a bite to eat. We had a relatively hefty layover, plenty of time to enjoy a late lunch, charge needed technology, and make it to our gate to board the big plane to Johannesburg!

We all boarded, and the plane was HUGE! This was my first international flight, and after 5 minutes of sitting there, I knew I would love the flight. There were 3 rows of seats, which was unlike anything I had ever seen. I was seated in the middle seat of the middle section, right in between Katrina and Leah. In front of us were TVs with a touch screen including a wide selection of movies, music, and games, all free and complimentary to the flight! An hour after takeoff, we were served a very nice dinner. I made it my personal goal to stay up almost the entire time so as to counteract jet lag. I achieved this by watching 3 excellent films, 1 which was an independent film. I'd like to note that independent films are often hidden treasures. The one that I watched was!

Anyway, I stayed up most all night. I think the only other person who did this was Kent. Every once in awhile, we'd look across the way at each other and wave, while others next to us were sound asleep. 

We arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa at about 5pm on Friday, which was actually 9am our time. So it was essentially as if I had pulled an all-nighter. After checking into the VERY nice hotel that we stayed in overnight (very bright and modern-looking), we cleaned up and ate dinner. We split into 2 groups, and those I ate with dined at a restaurant called Tribes. It was tasty, and I split ribs & chicken with Heather. Also, I ordered dessert, which consisted of a chocolate bucket with chocolate mousse inside. It was amazing. 

After dinner, most of us were ready to call it a night. I was especially glad to be so tired, because I went right to sleep and slept until morning without a problem. Breakfast was equally amazing, provided by the hotel in the Flag Cafe. The orange juice that I drank was possibly from Heaven. It was the most amazing OJ I had ever experienced. We had an hour to kill, so we spent those out in the warm sun by the pool... relaxing. After that, we checked out and rode back to the hotel to board our flight from Johannesburg to Ndola, Zambia.

It was a couple hour flight. The airport here was a bit more primitive; upon arrival, we paid our visa entry fee and went through customs. They searched all of our bags and found a bunch of t-shirts we were taking to give to the kids. This seemed to be our only problem; we were told we had to claim these as gifts. Luckily, our driver, Ramseys, had an "in" since he was familiar with the individuals performing our customs search, so that made everything run a bit smoother.

Dru, John, and Tyler were all there to meet us at the airport outside, so after we all made it through customs, we took our bags and loaded up the 3 vehicles there to take us. Dru brought her car, John had his Noah, and Ramseys had the bus. Heather, Sheila and I rode with Dru, so it was nice to be able to talk with her and ask her questions on the way to Kitwe. It was about a 2 hour drive from Ndola to Kitwe. I used a lot of this time becoming accustomed to the fact that cars drive on the left side of the road, and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. Crazy!

We arrived at the New Life Center in Kitwe, which is a little over a mile away from Lifesong school, where we stayed all week. This place is situated on a big piece of land with green grass, trees, flowers, and a fence that surrounds it with security by the front gate and dogs that bark. There's another building, a house where missionaries live, and a smaller house the boys stayed in. The girls were fortunate enough to stay in the bigger house with a nice-sized kitchen, living area, and several bedrooms. We found out later that this guest house was built by the missionaries' son.

After unpacking and getting settled in, Dru and John gave us a quick rundown of the week and how the next day would go, and then we were left to enjoy some beef stew and relax. We spent the rest of the evening chilling out, planning for the next day's VBS, playing some games, and heading to bed early. I was all about taking pictures, so I made sure to document anything outside that I could before daylight came to a close. Unfortunately, I had a bunch of pent up energy inside, so it felt good to get outside into some fresh air. Upon one of my walks, I met Watson, one of the Africans who lived on the property, and he was so sweet to me. He told me his youngest son went to Lifesong, and also welcomed me warmly to his country and told me it was a neat opportunity to experience Africa at such a young age. "You will see why God has brought you here," he told me, "and you will want to return soon!"

He was right...

I'll be back tomorrow to tell you about our experience at church on Sunday and Day 1 of VBS.

Love you all!

T

A Taste of Zambia

*Note: Images at bottom of post!

It has been less than 24 hours since I have stepped foot into the states, and already I am wondering if it's too soon to go back.

Everyone warned me that I would leave a piece of my heart in Africa... and a common welcoming statement from many of the African people was, "Welcome. You will come see us again?"

I nodded and smiled politely.

Now, I am convinced they all knew something I didn't... falling in love with Africa and its people is inevitable, and once you give a little love to those who need it, you don't want to stop.

Tonight, I spent a nice evening with my family, eating dinner and telling them all about my trip. But as my 10 nieces and nephews ran around our big house screaming, scattering hundreds of toys all over the house, and I ate my easily provided supper & dessert, I had to think. I just returned from a place where children their age go all weekend without a meal... a place where children their age sleep on a hard, dirty floor every night in a room with several other people... a place where children their age don't have 50 different toys to choose from, so instead, they learn hand-clapping games and kick around half-deflated soccer balls. I'm not faulting my life and family back at home; only observing the difference. And now that I've seen the other side of the story... not just read about it, hear about it, or see a movie on it... but actually have seen it with my eyes, held the hands of the kids affected, and looked into the hearts of the people who live in it everyday... this difference really bothers me.

We have so much; they have so little. I often wonder... what can I do? Currently, I feel like God has clearly defined my purpose in this 10-day trip I just returned from, and for that I am thankful. In tow, I have hundreds, possibly even thousands of images that I captured while there. I also have a handful of video footage. My heart is tell the story of Zambia, of these orphaned children, and of Lifesong. Raise awareness. Help others attain just a taste of what I just experienced.

For more information on the awesome organization that allowed me to take this trip in the first place, visit this website.

That's all for tonight... I will be back soon with more. I wrote in a journal about my trip at the close of each day, so I would like to do a nice re-cap on my experience or at the very least, share some more thoughts. For now, a combination of jet lag and hunger are allowing me to come to a close.

Love you all, and enjoy the images. More to come!

The $100 Project

Yesterday, I sent a letter to 20 randomly selected individuals that I know. Some are friends that I've had for years, some are new friends, some are family. The letter was sent in an effort to start a project... a project that I hope to see grow.

I was sitting in church a few Sundays back, thinking about money; how different people obtain it, how a certain importance is placed on it, and how it is used. I thought, there has to be a way to give a little bit to a lot of people in order to do something big. And then, the $100 Project was born in my mind. 

I often get big ideas, but I seldom act on them. However, this is one I had to act on.

I have had this project in my prayers for a few weeks now, and my prayer is that it will be a blessing to more people than I could have ever imagined. It will start out by taking 20 giving hearts, but it has the potential to affect endless amounts of people. My hope is that the money itself is only a catalyst to give more than just monetarily... that it would inspire others to give of their time, their hearts, their ears, their care, their concern, their aid, and their love.

Ultimately, my prayer is that God will get the glory, and many lives will be touched.

I would like to conduct this project again in the near future. For now, the first batch of 20 received instruction to comment on this post if they wanted to share how their story of giving took place. I may get 0 comments or I may get 20; my goal is not to see how many comments I can get, but to inspire hearts to genuine generosity. May God get all the glory for this act of giving.

Here is the letter:

Most of us have heard of the “pay-it-forward” concept. Today I was thinking about creative ways to give that would generate further giving. I love the idea of copious lives being touched, starting with just one person who knows 20 people. What if those 20 people each gave in a way that would touch even just one more persons’ life? That is one person, one individual, one soul who I may not even know, but now through this “giving” process, it’s another life touched.

This project cannot be successful without your help. Your task is simple. Enclosed with this letter, you will find a $5 bill. It may not seem like much, but it can help buy a small lunch, a cup of coffee, or even a few pairs of socks for someone who doesn’t have any.

Chances are, you know of someone who is in need of something. My prayer is that as you read this letter, someone comes to your mind. If not, pray for an opportunity to use your $5. Whether if it’s to purchase something for someone who needs it, or if it is to take a friend out for coffee who needs a listening ear, I want you to bless someone else with this money. Let the Spirit lead you.

In doing so, you will have another experience in generosity, and a story to tell. In whatever way you choose to give, my prayer is that your act of generosity will be an encouragement to that person to also “pay it forward.” As the process continues, many people will be blessed!

If you would like to share your “$5 Story” of giving, visit my blog at www.1andonlyt.blogspot.com. I am going to have a special post that will run for about 2 weeks, and I would love to hear how God used your experience! Comment on the post to share. If you don’t want to be public about it, drop me a note—I love mail!

I recently heard that “We should focus more on the Giver than the gift. We can be content with what we have when we realize that with God we have everything we need." (Eccl. 5:19,20) With those thoughts in mind, may our thoughtfulness, time, and joy of Christ give more to the person than the $5 that started it in the first place.

God bless you!

Taryn

*Note- this post will remain for 2 weeks.

Passion 2010

I just returned from Passion 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was an amazing few days. At events like those, it is like "information overload." To remedy that problem, I took with me my giant "prayer/notes" book in which I record all prayer requests and tidbits of wisdom and notes from sermons/talks that I hear. I love it-- it's this gigantic, hard cover book with endless space and lines on each page. Anyway, I was able to take notes during the entire experience so that I can go back over everything that I learned.

I heard speakers like Francis Chan, Louie Giglio (founder of Passion), Beth Moore, Andy Stanley, and John Piper. Providing worship were singers like Chris Tomlin, Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill, Hillsong, and David Crowder. It was incredible. 20,000+ individuals 18-25 attended, and awesome organizations such as World Vision, OneVerse, Operation Mobilization, Hope International, Compassion, Not for Sale, and Gobena coffee were present. A huge area with fantastic exhibits gave an exciting opportunity to give.

Amazing things happened while there! I couldn't possibly sum up everything in a blog post, so I'm not even going to try. I'm just going to tell you my personal goal. My prayer before going on this trip was that I wouldn't just go to this conference, sit and listen to each speaker, sing the songs, experience how awesome it is, and then just come home and live my life. My prayer was that I would do all of those things, and then come home and actually be changed. The only way to be changed is by the Holy Spirit, so my hope is that I will live out the truths and wisdom that I heard over the course of the past several days, and that others may see the true JOY of Jesus on my face so that God may be glorified. 

See this article for more info.

My Simple Diary entry for today:

Your day was

a treat

taken away

a runaway train

Explain why

Slept in until 11, no work, great sermon

Leaving aside property and privilege, what is your greatest advantage in life?

Passion for my work

To be lovesick, to be nowhere.

Fate

1. a mother and a father

2. all the attention

3. to be well

4. safe and sound

5. a goodnight kiss

6. white hair

7. Passover

I don't much believe in fate. I believe in God, I believe in His working, and I believe that a lot of our circumstances are due to our own sowing. But if I had to pick one as being "fateful" in nature, it would be those who receive all the attention. What makes someone more apt to be in the spotlight than another? Underneath it all, we all have potential, talent, and brimming stardom. It's just that some know the right people, have the right connections, or were born at the right time. If I had to believe in fate, that's what I would call fate.

Circumstance

1. either or

2. maybe some other time

3. well, not so well

4. no savings account

5. a late night show

6. a wig

7. passing out

That's a circumstance!

Something is in your way: 

Yes

No

Love you all!

T

Simple Diary

Rainy Christmas Eve: Check.

Chaotic Family Get-Together with the family: Check.

Lots of good food and good times: Check.

Tonight, I received a little book that will hopefully keep me blogging more frequently. It's packed full of random nuggets of questions, quotes, and wisdom. It is called "Keel's Simple Diary." There is a page for each day. There are several multiple choice questions and statements, and some fill-in-the-blank opportunities. I love it. I will try to share the more interesting days that I fill out. Here is tonight's entry, as well as my introduction sheet.

(All of the options I chose are BOLDED. All of my extra comments are in blue.)

Congratulations. You got Simple Diary in ROYAL BLUE.

This could mean that you

a) like Porto Ercole. I had no idea what this is- in fact, until I googled it, I thought it was a person.

b) are a thinker. Well, and I'm a Feeler, but I also think a lot. About everything.

c) dislike muffins. Untrue! I love muffins.

What you might need right now:

1. someone to tell you 

2. Oscar Peterson

3. stop your nicety!

4. less salt on French fries

5. cosmic breeding

6. trim the hedges

7. racing stripes

8. a hummingbird

9. goodwill There is a lot of goodwill in my life; but somehow, I was still drawn to this answer. I love "nice" people, and those who do good.

10. a light suitcase

Plural kills the fantasy, orchids last longer.

Not if the orchard is living with me!

In so many ways, you can't wait for this: Africa

I am so excited to be traveling to Zambia, Africa for 10 days at the end of January! I'm going with a team of others, and I be capturing our trip through photography and video. I can't to see how God uses this trip, and I also hope to be able to put together some media/art for Lifesong for Orphans when I return (we are taking the trip through this organization).

Royal blue is a relief and interestingly

a) flattering. This color IS so flattering. I really like it a lot.

b) works well on blonde. This is true, but the answer I chose is all-encompassing, because royal blue also looks good on brunettes and red heads.

c) unfashionable Untrue!

REMARKABLE

insatiable patience

palms by sunset What could be more remarkable than this?

united molecules

MEDIOCRE

long explanations

skim milk duds Go for the real deal, if you're going to have milk duds. Except I do use skim milk in my cereal.

uptight anxiety stuff

Date: Thursday, December 24, 2oo9

Your day was:

a party

a U-turn

a smarty

Explain: Christmas Eve w/the fam- it was a chaotic party!

FEELING AT HOME

1. Opening an organized, odorless refrigerator filled with everything you like.

2. A mess of your own making, reassuring diversions to keep you busy and engaged in every corner. This definitely describes "feeling at home" to me.

3. The same person or animal that sometimes makes you want to leave your home.

If it's not there, there's nothing to find out.

I really like this quote.

Are you at peace with your hair?

a) yes Truly! A rare moment, trust me... I mean, I never usually hate my hair, but I get bored of it quickly. 

b) no

With respect to your generosity:

a) no comment

b) some take advantage

c) fifty-fifty There are plenty of people who are generous to me in return, so I have to go with 50/50.

*You will either enjoy this as much as me, or you will be someone who reads this and doesn't quite understand why I would spend my time with something like this. I seriously love stuff like this-- and, I think it is a great conversation started for blog material! Thus the comments in blue. I can never just fill out questions like these and then not have additional feedback. =)

Enjoy! Love you all.

T

Sharing the Gift

Well, people keep coming up to me and saying, "I was a (insert # here)."

After giving them a confused look, recognition floods my face as my brain scans all of the possible Facebook statuses, pictures, or blog posts they could be referring to. Guilty as charged-- my last blog entry was way too long ago, and I need to update so as to give my friends, family, and potentially strangers new material to discuss with me. Ha! Although, the "personality" test was kind of interesting, wasn't it?

Christmas is quickly approaching. Christmas Eve was always the big day in our family. Family tradition was that we opened all our gifts on Christmas Eve night, after dinner of course. As a child, it was always a painfully long day. I would run over to the tree every few minutes and examine all of my presents for the thousandth time, rearranging them, shaking them, changing my mind about which one I wanted to open first. There was such anticipation in getting to open gifts. I still love it and look forward to it, but somehow, when you get older, a lot of the magic dies. Maybe it's because the "surprise" factor is taken out of it-- nowadays, I know about 90% of the gifts I will be receiving before I open them. So how is that a gift? I mean, it still is, but to me, most of what makes a present exciting is being surprised. 

We never believed in Santa. I wasn't one of those kids who had that shocking, devastating moment that I remember when I first realized Santa wasn't real, because to me, he never was. I always knew that my parents bought all my gifts. And I'm glad. Santa is great and all, and I don't mind him, but I'm fairly sure I won't be teaching my kids about him. Presents are a wonderful token of giving, and that's what I want to teach my kids. The importance of a generous heart. Not about some guy with a white beard and a bag of toys who only gives to kids who are nice, and not naughty. 

Anyway. Christmas morning in my family was "stocking" time. So you see, the whole 2 days was full of all sorts of presents. Now, it's a bit different. Everyone is married with kids, so our big family celebration this year is going to be on Christmas Eve day. I'm excited about it; I love being with my family. Christmas day, then, will be my parents and I, and we are going to spend the day with a couple of cousins. That should be a nice time, as well!

I love Christmas. I love the holidays, the music, the decorations, the food, and all the excitement that seems to be present in the air. I love all of the hype and the environment and all the stereotypical stuff that most people either dislike in the first place, or eventually get sick of 10 days into December. But to me, it's what makes the holidays so exciting. It adds sparkle and flair, and it puts a smile on my face. 

I must admit, though, that this year and even in years past, I haven't been doing the best at remembering the true Reason for the Season. I mean, I know what's it is all about. But I feel as though I haven't placed the amount of importance on it that it warrants. I think that after awhile, it is easy to go through the motions of it and chalk it up as "another year of Christmas," instead of stopping to really focus on the magnitude of what it means for all of us.

What are we celebrating? A birth of Jesus, the One who is our Saviour. Without Jesus and His death on the cross, we end up where we belong-- burning for eternity. His gift of salvation is all we really need in this life, and so often, too many of us try to find happiness in other "gifts." But just like any material gift we will receive this Season, it eventually breaks down, becomes outdated, loses its magic, or gets rusty. Does salvation break down? Does it become outdated, lose its magic, or get rusty? Absolutely not-- it's the one gift that cannot be earned, is not deserved, and should always be shared. You can't give anyone salvation, but you can tell others about how this gift has changed your life. 

Anyway, my point is, without Jesus' birth, there would be no ultimate gift. And really, we don't deserve it, anyway. But let's be glad that He was born into this world so that we have hope today.

Love you all, and I hope you have a terrific Christmas with your family and friends. 

I'll be back soon!

T

I was a 36

Well, today was crazy.

Kristi left for Florida and will be gone for a week, so I'm manning the shop by myself. I actually really don't mind being alone and enjoy the independence, but I am finding that I miss having a team mate! Especially on days like today. Everyone decided to stop in. I LOVE visitors and customers, but it was just busy! The day flew right by me. 

Anyway, I'll share this fun little test that I've known about for years. I've gotten it in several e-mail forwards, and word on the street is that this is a personality test that Dr. Phil gave on an Oprah show many moons ago. If you have a few minutes, take it-- it's kind of interesting!

Begin..

1. When do you feel your best? 
a) in the morning 
b) during the afternoon & and early evening 
c) late at night

2. You usually walk 
a) fairly fast, with long steps 
b) fairly fast, with little steps 
c) less fast head up, looking the world in the face 
d) less fast, head down 
e) very slowly

3. When talking to people you 
a) stand with your arms folded 
b) have your hands clasped 
c) have one or both your hands on your hips 
d) touch or push the person to whom you are talking 
e) play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair

4. When relaxing, you sit with 
a) your knees bent with your legs neatly side by side 
b) your legs crossed 
c) your legs stretched out or straight 
d) one leg curled under you

5. When something really amuses you, you react with 
a) a big, appreciative laugh 
b) a laugh, but not a loud one 
c) a quiet chuckle 
d) a sheepish smile

6. When you go to a party or social gathering 
a) make a loud entrance so everyone notices you 
b) make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know 
c) make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed

7. You're working very hard, concentrating hard, and you're interrupted; do you ... 
a) welcome the break 
b) feel extremely irritated 
c) vary between these two extremes

8. Which of the following colors do you like most? 
a) Red or orange 
b) black 
c) yellow or light blue 
d) green 
e) dark blue or purple 
f) white 
g) brown or gray

9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going to sleep, you lie 
a) stretched out on your back 
b) stretched out face down on your stomach 
c) on your side, slightly curled 
d) with your head on one arm 
e) with your head under the covers

10. You often dream that you are 
a) falling 
b) fighting or struggling 
c) searching for something or somebody 
d) flying or floating 
e) you usually have dreamless sleep 
f) your dreams are always pleasant

POINTS: 
1. (a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 6 
2. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 7 (d) 2 (e) 1 
3. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 5 (d) 7 (e) 6 
4. (a) 4 (b) 6 (c) 2 (d) 1 
5. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 2 
6. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 2 
7. (a) 6 (b) 2 (c) 4 
8. (a) 6 (b) 7 (c) 5 (d) 4 (e) 3 (f) 2 (g) 1 
9. (a) 7 (b) 6 (c) 4 (d) 2 (e) 1 
10. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 6 (f) 1

Now add up the total number of points.

OVER 60 POINTS: Others see you as someone the should "handle with care". You're seen as vain, self-centered, and who is extremely dominant. Others may admire you, wishing they could be more like you, but don't always trust you, hesitating to become too deeply involved with you.

51 TO 60 POINTS: Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural leader, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement your radiate.

41 TO 50 POINTS: Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

31 TO 40 POINTS: Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over it if that trust is ever broken.

21 TO 30 POINTS: Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It'd really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment, expecting you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then, usually decide against it. They think this reaction is caused partly by your careful nature.

UNDER 21 POINTS: People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive, someone who needs looking after, who always wants someone else to make the decisions & who doesn't want to get involved with anyone or anything. They see you as a worrier who always sees problems that don't exist. Some people think you're boring. Only those who know you well know that you aren't.

Love you all!

T

Early to bed, early to rise...?

I am SO not a morning person.

But this morning, I took a deep breath and braved the dark, early hours of the morning... all in the name of "getting things done."

What has this world come to?

I obtained a wonderful 3rd shift job last Spring. What 3rd shift jobs are wonderful? The ones in which you are paid to sleep. =) Anyway, my shift ends at 6am, so instead of driving home, shuffling upstairs, and crawling into my nice, warm sheets... I stayed up.

Do you know what? It's like I added on a whole other half day to my day. It was great. I cleaned the basement, made a pan of brownies, had a leisurely breakfast, and went to the gym... all before going to work!

Will I continue this tradition? On an as-needed basis. My schedule lately has been beyond crazy. I have so many things on my to-do list that I'm not sure there are enough hours in the day for the next 2 weeks to get them all done unless I stop sleeping.

Another wonderful part of my morning was when I picked up this book that has been in my bathroom for quite some time. It's called "31 Days of Praise," and I randomly flipped to Day 11. Do you ever open the Bible or read something inspirational from a book that is exactly what you needed to see at that time? It's so encouraging... and this morning, that is exactly what happened. It was God's way of delivering to me a cup of comfort, and I loved it.

Here is an excerpt of what I was encouraged by...

"Thank You, my gracious and sovereign God, that You have been with me and carried me from the day of my birth until today...that You have known my whole life, from beginning to end, since before I was born...and that You wrote in Your book all the days that You ordained for me before one of them came to be.

Thank You that in Your gracious plan to bless and use me, You've allowed me to go through hard times, through trials that many people go through in this fallen world. How glad I am that You're so good at reaching down and making something beautiful out of even the worst situations! How encouraged I am when I think how You did this for Joseph, how his brothers hated and abused and betrayed him, and how You worked these things out for blessing, both for Joseph and his family and for countless other people.

I praise You that the things that happened in my past, both enjoyable and painful, are raw materials for blessings, both in my life and in the lives of others. So I thank You for the specific family (or lack of family) into which I was born and the opportunities You did or did not provide. And thank You for the things in my past that appear to be limitations, hindrances, bad breaks...the wounds of old hurts, the unmet emotional needs, the mistakes or neglect of others people-even their cruelty to me, their abuse.

How comforting to know that in all my distresses You were distressed. And how I thank You, Lord Jesus, that on the cross You bore my griefs and carried my sorrows, as well as my sings...that I can kneel at the cross and worship You as the One who took on Yourself all my pain and experienced it to he full. And how comforting to know that in the present, day by day, You feel with me any pain, confusion, inner bondage, or struggles that stem from my past. Thank You that all these seeming disadvantages are a backdrop for the special, unfolding plan You have in mind for me...and that if my past still handicaps me, You are able to lead me to the kind of help I need.

I'm so grateful that all my past circumstances were permitted by You to make me see my need of You and prepare my heart for Your Word...to draw me to Yourself, and to work out Your good purposes for my life. I rejoice that You are the Blessed Controller of all things-You are now, You will be throughout the future, and You always were. All my days had Your touch of love and wisdom, whether or not I can as yet fully see it.

And Lord, I choose to look beyond me past and present trouble is in this life-this temporary life- and fix my eyes on the unseen things that will last forever. i praise You for the eternal glory these things are piling for me as I choose to trust you."

Love you all!

T

You've Got Mail

Being downtown has so many perks. One of my favorite parts is establishing relationships with people.

Normally, our mail man comes quite early-- around 9am. This is when Kristi and I arrive on most days, but on days that we are late or at a shoot, we miss the mail.

Today, I had dropped my car off to get fixed (down the road from where I work) and was walking to the office when the mail man saw me from afar and flagged me down.

"Hey!" he called. "I have some mail for you today, but you weren't there earlier when Is topped by. Wait just a minute."

He ran to his mail truck, shuffled through his stack, and gave me the piece.

On other various occasions, our Fed Ex and UPS delivery guys have seen we were gone and have remembered that we were located in my parents' house before, and have actually delivered there for us instead to make sure we got our package. Or, they have delivered our packages to a next door business for us to pick up later when we arrive.

None of this may seem like a big deal... but, it's the small things and simple acts of kindness that often speak to me the most. I love being able to establish these pleasant relationships... even if it's as simple as a "Hello, how are you today?" and a smile as I get handed a piece of mail.

Have a blessed day! Love you all!

T

The Weekend 5

Well, I'm sitting here in the office on a late Sunday night. There are twinkle lights in our window. There's an empty popcorn bowl on the ground beside me. There's music playing from my speakers thanks to itunes. And I just finished up with about 2 hours of work on my church website job... still have many hours to go!

Kristi and I were busy at the end of last week getting the shop ready for Holidazzle! My mom did an awesome job of helping spruce up the front end of our place with her fun holiday items. We hung Christmas lights, painted snow on the windows, and lined up a bunch of yummy treats to serve on Friday night and Saturday. Friday night was a great turnout! We had a ton of people come through... so many, at times, that it was hard to move!! I think it was a great way for people to see our place and find out what we are.

Saturday and Sunday evening of this weekend was the Benefit Dinner. I sang in it this year. It's always a blessing! It's so neat to see how the songs come together, and it's really powerful to stand up on both of those nights and sing praises to the Lord in such a big choir. It sounds so cool! However, I will be thankful to have 1-2 nights now available in my week again, especially since my life only keeps getting busier!

Here are a few random highlights from my weekend:

1. Between Holidazzle, the Benefit Dinner, and church, I wore a total of 5 formal outfits. The wardrobe forecast for this next weeks looks like "casual, cute, and comfy."

2. I went bowling and scored a 63. I'm really good at bowling.

3. On Saturday night I ate 3 desserts. Creme brulee with berries. A banana split. Cookies 'n Cream shake from Steak 'n Shake. Tonight I ate 1 dessert. Peanut Butter Pie from One World.

4. I played a game where everyone picks a packet of sugar to put in their mouth, except that one of the packets has salt instead of sugar. Then, based off of everyone's facial expressions and reactions, you have to guess who has the salt in their mouth.

I picked the packet with the salt. My tongue almost burned off.

5. Frank Sinatra: A Jolly Christmas (purse) officially made his debut at the beginning of November and he's been accompanying me most everywhere!

Have a lovely day! Love you all!

T

Denying Coffee : Harder than it sounds

When I was at the conference this past weekend, my heart was moved to support a beautiful little girl from Honduras through Compassion. One of the speakers at the conference put it well: "We are often more concerned about our standard of living than we are about others living." He suggested that instead of buying the pumpkin spice latte that we think we need, just put a lot of sugar in some coffee. =)

This spoke directly to me, as I often treat myself with the luxuries of life. A specialty coffee drink, a big dessert, a new pair of shoes that are too fun to pass up. Do I need this stuff? No. But does it deliver some sort of temporary satisfaction? Absolutely. So much so that after awhile, I almost feel entitled to these things.

So, I made a deal that I would cut back my purchase of coffee drinks to one a week. To some of you, that still may seem like a lot... but you don't understand... my office is located in the center of 2 of my favorite coffee shops in Morton. Furthermore, I have a mild addiction to Starbucks. But I also have a coffee maker at home... and it works just fine. So if I can save even $5 a week on coffee, that money can now go to help this little girl in a country where just having 2 meals a day is a luxury.

The problem is, I told this all to Kristi. Yesterday, I was craving yogurt + berries from Eli's. But then, I also wanted a coffee drink to go with it.

"Taryn, it's only Tuesday," Kristi pointed out. "Are you going to be able to make it the rest of the week if this is the one you get?"

"Absolutely," I said. "No problem."

I was wrong. Today, we had a photo shoot in Peoria so swung by Panera on the way home for lunch. What did I want? Their mocha coffee drink. It's glorious. It really is. But thanks to Kristi's accountability, I said no.

And you know what? It was sad at lunch time, but as I sit here and type, it's not like I'm still in turmoil. It's often hard to deny yourself in the moment, but after the fact, it's always worth it. Whether it's a coffee drink or a serious sin you're denying, in the end, you've saved money, heartache, and guilt.

All afternoon and evening, Kristi and I jazzed up Imagine Artists with the help of both of our moms. There are now twinkle lights dangling from the windows, snow lining the edges, ornament-struck topiaries, and many sparkly gifts and items that will be on sale through the holiday season. It really all came together quite well, and I'm super-excited for the Holidazzle event this weekend! Stop on by and see us at our open house... we will have wonderful treats, specials, and gifts for sale!

Well... I should wrap it up. Just wanted to write a little, as I plan on holding up my end of the deal w/the blogging. I'll write if you read. I'll write even if you don't... because I love it. =)

Love you all!

T

Busy, but good!

So, I've decided to try to update more regularly by giving myself an easy blogging task. My job is to post something every day or so about the day, most likely concerning office life. Since that seems to be consuming a large portion of my time right now, that's probably what I'll write about.

However, I'll note that I just returned from an awesome weekend in Dallas, Texas! I road tripped down there with an SUV fulled of 6 others. We left Friday morning at 4am, arrived in TX about 4:30 pm, and attended the 1st session of the conference that night at 7. We heard Kay Warren & Francis Chan-- excellent speakers with great messages! God was surely present.

We stayed at my former room mates' relatives' house, and they were gracious enough to keep up on short notice! It was wonderful!! It seems as though everyone is so welcoming and warm down south. Saturday's conference started at 9am. The first speaker was Matt Chandler- he was excellent- and then we had 2 "connection sessions" + lunch with a ministry review of choice. I chose Prison Fellowship, as I've been getting actively involved with prison ministry at my home church. My connection sessions were also both good; one was about how to use art in the community, and the other was question-based discipleship. The last speaker of the day was Donald Miller.

The group walked around downtown for awhile, grabbed some supper, and then headed back about 7pm. Somehow, I ended up staying up all night long. I got myself into multiple AWESOME conversations; and at about 3am, I finished off the road trip as co-pilot for the 3-7:30 am shift. This was after sufficient snacks (popcorn, donuts, a banana, apple, etc.) We arrived home in the morning and topped it all off with blueberry pancakes.

I then did a mad dash for Morton and attended first service (a bit tardy, but I did make it) and stayed over the noon hour to serve as computer/website support, helping people in our church get signed up for the "Barnabas Group," a great service split into 8 groups to serve as help and outreach.

I went home after this and crashed for about 3 hours... then woke up to go out to dinner w/my family for my sister's birthday. Enjoyed steak and ice cream, went back home and slept for an hour in my cozy bed, and then woke up at 9:30 pm to go to my 3rd shift job.

Today is Monday, and it was a busy one in the office. We have a lot to get done this week, including preparation for Holidazzble this weekend!!! We will be hosting our open house this coming Friday/Saturday, so stop by if you're in the neighborhood! It's going to be a great time. We'll have snacks, handouts, and a raffle.

Tonight was "Girl's Night Out" for my sister, Tonya (we love to celebrate birthdays for about a week in my family!!!) I then came back to the office at about 9:30 to do some website work for my church web support job, 1 of 3 jobs in which I am currently employed =)

So on top of my busy life, I'll just throw in the responsibility to keep this blog updated =) Actually, I think I should do it... writing is good for me, and it's actually really a relaxing technique when I make the time to do it. I really love it, so hopefully I can pull it off... hold me to it!

Love you all!

T