Stories from the Journey

This Year In Pictures

2010-12-29T23:01:00.001-08:00

A little vacay with the Isch's and Passage's

Adam runs his first half marathon in Sacramento.

I attend the IJM Advocacy Day in DC and it rocks my world!

We show Call + Response at CSUB. Finally! Great film followed by a great discussion.

We celebrate 5 years in Bakersfield. I miss these students. Our Bakersfield friends also throw us a very sweet going away party.

Adam and I celebrate 4 years of marriage at Lake Tahoe. Also, Adam's dad retires (we headed over to his party after Tahoe).

Camping with the Codys! Henry's first birthday.

New Area Director Training in Madison.

Fund Development trip through the NorthWest with a stop at Crater Lake

Move to the coast! New roles and new challenges. Loving it so far!

Students from all over Southern California gather to learn about evangelism

Fall Conference where students receive freedom and healing

Tammy and Henry come visit!

I run my first marathon!

Thanksgiving with my Family at Shaver Lake (my cute cousin Riley)

Bekah and Matt decide to plant an IV Chapter in Ventura! Praise God!

We spend Christmas in Loyalton with Adam's Family

New Years with a new baby! Below is Oliver (Tammy and Brian's newest addition).

It was a great year!! I'm ready to take on 2011!!

Reverb10 - Day 4

2010-12-29T13:21:00.000-08:00

I write this sitting in the Fresno Airport on my way to my sister and her fam. I'm excited but in for a long night of travel! 2 layovers that are around 3 hours each. Blah. Good payoff though!

December 13 – Action. When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?

Take more photos of people! Practice!

December 14 – Appreciate. What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?

Stepping into a more supervisory role makes me appreciate my supervisors even more. Thank you Joseph for 5 great years (for putting up with me, and going way beyond what I had expected of you or could even recognize) and to Rob for taking on crazy. Thanks for advocating for me and teaching me, and to both for your friendship.

December 15 – 5 Minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.

This year you learned to be a "long distance runner" in everything you do!

And now I'm just choosing my favorites...
December 25 – Photo – Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you.

This was shot by Adam on the way to Loyalton at a vista on the 80. It was snowing and I think I was trying to not let the snow hit me in the eyes. I had already taken the photos I wanted to get and then I was wanting to get back in the car. Some of my friends tease me about something I once said jokingly, "what Tina wants, Tina gets." (I said it when I bought a scone at Peet's and I was "justifying it".) I don't think that's always true, but I am pretty stubborn, especially when I'm tired. But this shot shows my expression when I'm wanting to do something else, but that I'm learning to sacrifice, even if it's just for a minute, and I can do it with a smile :)

Reverb10 - Day 3

2010-12-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

December 9 – Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.

Urbana 2009 New Years Celebration (which went into 2010), hands down. I mostly worked in the office for the conference but then got to work crowd control for the last few hours. Brenda Salter McNeil spoke and was amazing. She then conducted communion for 15,000 people. Then there was an amazing worship service that led up until midnight. After midnight the office staff had some pizza then we helped clean up the stadium and the communion. We were there till 2 or 3 in the morning. A fun and exhausting way to end a fun and exhausting week!

December 10 – Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

Attending the IJM conference in Washington DC. I took a risk, went by myself and loved it. I blogged about it here and here.

December 11 – 11 Things. What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

1) Staying up to late! - I need to make commitments for the morning so I have a reason to get to bed!
2) Fear of others opinions. - Often I don't post stuff of FB or blog or be really authentic in our prayer letters because I fear what people will think. I need to hold the balance better of sharing TMI and authenticity without letting fear seep in.
3) Worry. Fund raising, the future, what others think, time...if it affects me, I like to worry about it. I think prayer and time with God is lacking and that leads to worry.
4) Not having our own washing machine. Let's fix that when our lease is up in July!!
5) The extra commercials on hulu. Uncool.
6) Cougar Town. I watched a lot of the episodes but didn't enjoy them. I kept thinking I wanted to give Courtney another chance. Sorry Courtney, no more.
7) A gym membership. Lesson learned, already gone.
8) I honestly can't think of anymore. We went through all our stuff when we moved and got rid of everything we didn't need. I had a hard time finding stuff for white elephant gifts this Christmas! I could go without the stuff I got at those exchanges (Bible trivia playing cards? no thanks).

December 12 – Body Integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?

In November I ran my first marathon. I thought I would hate it but I didn't. I love running because you push your body to do things you didn't think you could do and then you are amazed with your body (not a common feeling for women!). Also, when you are totally exhausted but you keep going you feel every part of your body, even your taste buds feel heightened. But there is nothing like the finish line. That is when I felt most alive, present and proud of myself.

Reverb10 - Day 2

2010-12-28T18:22:00.000-08:00

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

Moving to San Luis Obispo has allowed us to walk or ride our bikes more often. I see something new every time I walk just a few blocks. I'm always on the lookout for something interesting that I hadn't noticed before.

December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

Moving to Seattle. For now. I am utterly fascinated by that city. We seriously considered moving there after I was accepted to grad school. It was a hard decision but I finally was honest with myself that the program was not where God was leading me.

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

Other than taking pictures, the last thing I made was probably when I carved a pumpkin on Halloween. Sad, because I like creating things. However, I think photography has been a great outlet for that lately.

December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

I have found community in a small group in SLO that my friend Melissa invited me to. They are all really fabulous people and I'm excited to have more experiences with them in 2011. I also love, love, love the church we are attending (it's not connected to the small group). I feel so encouraged by the people there, young and old. I am hoping to connect more deeply with both of those communities.

December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.

I think people appreciate my friendship the most when they really get to know me. I tend to be pretty shy and quiet at first, but once I feel comfortable I get goofy and more loving. I've tried to make that happen when I first meet people but I just can't fake it. I do try to be kind to everyone though :). What makes me different: my creative problem solving mind, my large feet, and my determination and commitment to things I set my mind to (which makes it hard to let go of things too!).

Reverb10

2010-12-24T21:58:00.000-08:00

I came across a project today called Reverb10. It's an "online initiative to reflect on your year and manifest what’s next." I think reflecting is good (I wouldn't still be on staff with InterVarsity if I didn't) and I don't know how I feel about "manifesting" things, but I do think we can go into a year with goals, prayers, and plans. There is a prompt for every day in December. I know I'm coming in a little late, so I'll just do a few every day.

December 1 – One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

Change. I feel like my life is always changing, but this year Adam and I moved from Bakersfield to San Luis Obispo. It was the first major decision we have made as a married couple. I'm always excited for change and then it always proves to be harder than I think it will be. However, I feel incredibly lucky to live where I do and be married to Adam. For 2011 I hope my word will be risk. I think it will be a good year to pursue some things I have been fearful of in the past.

December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?

Stay up too late! I'm addicted to photography blogs right now. I keep saying "just one more page..." I also don't allow enough time for solitude. I think living my life in bite-size pieces with facebook, blogs, e-mails, and hulu is ok for part of my day, but I need to let myself live life in more than 420 characters or less.

December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

Well it would have been almost exactly one year ago (Dec 2009) so I'll use it. Adam and I went to Costa Rica for a bona fide vacation. Each place we stayed was really lovely, but it wasn't all handed to us on a silver platter. We had to figure out driving in CR (not very easy!), figuring out where we were going, and where to get cheap but good food. Each place we went was really amazing and it was the perfect mixture of real life and beauty to make you feel like you were living life and not just watching it.

Yeah, we got a little bit of sun...

Shots Around Loyalton

2010-12-23T16:09:00.001-08:00

Adam and I are spending this Christmas with his side of the family up in Loyalton, CA. This afternoon we walked around and took some photos. I hope they convey how cold it is here :)

Panning: take 1

2010-12-21T23:47:00.000-08:00

On the drive to Loyalton today I decided to take my first shot at panning. It's when the object you are shooting is moving past you (or you are moving past it, in my case) and you want to capture the idea of movement. You take a longer exposure and try to keep the object in the same location in your viewfinder throughout the shot. Harder than it sounds.

This is the one and only shot I liked. I wish the tree could have been more in the frame, but oh well.

This one really isn't panning, but still created the idea of motion. After this one I started to get sick so I put the camera down.

Rainy Day Out

2010-12-18T17:58:00.000-08:00

Today with umbrella and towel in hand, I set out to take pictures of the rain and to attempt to capture the story of "wet". I don't know that I love any of these pictures, but here was my attempt.

Shot from the gazebo in Mitchell Park

In front of Seventh Day Adventist Church

Perfect for rainy day feelings

Rainy Day In

2010-12-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

Because it was so rainy today and will be until Christmas, I woke up this morning with a goal of trying to capture the "story of rain." To bad I don't like getting wet. Today I warmed up to the idea by taking photos while still inside :)

Adam and I spent the evening writing thank yous and Christmas cards at our favorite coffee shop, Sally Loos. I don't know if I captured "wet" but I think I did enjoy being there!

Steamed soy milk with honey and cinnamon. My new afternoon favorite.

These were made from old music sheets. Great idea!

We were there for a while :)

Tomorrow I'll gather the courage to go out in the rain!

Photography Dreams

2010-12-16T15:03:00.000-08:00

I have a not very secret dream of being an awesome photographer that does wedding and engagement photography on the side of ministry. Adam and I bought an awesome camera this summer. Step 1 - Check. I read several photography books, the best being Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision.. Step 2 - Check. I have gone out a total of 2 times for the sole purpose of taking photos since. Step 3 - fail...for now. The first time I went walking around downtown SLO and it didn't produce very many inspiring photographs. I think I was too self-conscious to be walking around by myself with a gigantic camera. I felt like a poser. But two days ago I went out with a friend who also likes taking photographs. We drove up See Canyon Road and also stopped at Johnson Ranch. It was really fun and she let me take some photos of her as well.

Here are some of my faves:

Anyone want their photo taken? :)

Ignite

2010-09-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Southern California InterVarsity's annual evangelism conference, called Ignite. 500 students from all over So Cal and Southern Nevada came to Bel Air Presbyterian for a day of learning from speakers, attending seminars, and discussing with their campus groups how to bring the kingdom of God to their campus. This conference is always a catalyst for ministry, especially with the start of the school year.

Adam and I were on the media team for the day. I was mostly taking pictures and interviewing students, and Adam labored all day long to produce a video that recapped the day and they showed it at the end of the conference. The end result is here.

Here are some of my favorites shots I was able to get:

This is Nicole, the Team Leader at Cal Poly, giving the evening plenary talk.

The guy in the middle is Lawrence, a student from CSUB that I used to work with. He's belting it out.

God is Generous

2010-08-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

As Adam and I wrap up our summer of fund raising we're finding ourselves in a similar situation of funding as when we started. We have had many gracious people say yes (and no) and others decide to move their support to stay local in Bakersfield. So we're looking to a year that is full of ministry, both on-campus and in our fund development. IV has taught me to ask in so many other areas of life, "what am I learning about God and about myself in this?", so I started to ask myself this question again.

This morning I sat on our sunny deck and read a chapter from the book The Good and Beautiful God about the generosity of God and the false Biblical narrative that we believe about earning what we receive. I know that many people in ministry struggle with this issue, since sometimes all of our energy and passion goes toward the intangible, and we are able to do what we do because of the grace and generosity of others. I am sometimes asked about when I will find a "real job", one that, in their minds, pays me because of the product I am providing or selling. It doesn't bother me too much because I know I have the best job for me. But through the experience of fund raising, and especially this summer, I realized that I have started to believe that God provides based on the ratio of work I put into things. In the parable in Matthew 20, the vineyard owner gives based on his generosity, and not by the hours worked by each laborer and takes delight in it. This kind of ticks off the people who worked all day long and I'm sure they are feeling discouraged as well. They are operating in the mindset that we only get what we deserve and this really affected how they related with the vineyard owner.

I have been treating God like I have been working hard all summer and would like to see the results as a direct product of my work, rather than his generosity. But in reality, I don't even deserve what God has given me already. God has provided above and beyond what I need because he delights in me.

I'll keep working hard, not because God is hovering over me, but in response to God's love for me.

The Kingdom of God is Like...

2010-07-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

...some travelers hitting the road for two weeks and having a free place to stay wherever they go.

Adam and I are in the middle of a two-week trip throughout the Northwest for fund development, and seeing family and friends. With a little coordination and willingness to be flexible on where exactly we sleep, we found places to stay in each awesome city. Thanks to everyone for hosting us!! I kind of feel like we could go anywhere in the world a find a free/cheap place to stay if we're flexible enough (couch surfing anyone?).

I have also started training for my first marathon, which means getting in some runs while we're on the road. Which, while traveling through the northwest, means I get to run in some awesome places. Here's what I've got so far:
-Loyalton (high sierra country) - 7 miles
-Bend (Deschutes River trail) - 4 miles
-Eagle Creek (super green country near Portland) - 3ish miles
-Greenlake, Seattle (urban human-made lake) - 6 miles

Monday we'll be Portland again, the Eugene, then we'll head down to the Bay Area to finish up our trip. Thanks to everyone who is praying for our trip!

Crater Lake, OR

Smith Rock near Bend, OR

Adam at Mt. Hood

Chillin at a park in Bellevue, WA, Mt. Rainer in the distance

Training in Madison

2010-06-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

I'm in Madison for five days receiving training for the Area Director position. I'm learning all about casting vision, financial reports, how to supervise, missional areas, and hiring new staff. It's a lot of info, but so helpful. It has also been helpful to lear how it is all works toward the vision of IV, "students and faculty transformed, campuses renewed, and world changers developed."

Sadly, before Adam and I were supposed to leave he got sick and wasn't able to come. We were both really bummed he didn't get to come, but he got to spend some time with his mom and sister instead. He does feel better now!

Layla and Beth, new directors in Fresno, are going through the training as well.

For kicks I'm including a picture from when we went to Orientation for New Staff, 3 years ago. Deron and Jess were going through training for LINK staff. Good times. Way to look fierce Deron.

Camping

2010-06-24T23:54:00.000-07:00

We had a great time camping with my family this week. We stopped at Jamba Juice on the way home and my feet were so dirty I was embarrassed to be inside. Now we're folding laundry in Fresno, getting ready to fly to Madison, WI tomorrow for Area Director training until the 30th.

The pictures are just of Henry, my favorite shots.

The Road to SLO

2010-06-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

Adam and I have moved all of our things into a trailer and left it in a friend's backyard in Bakersfield. Since then we have traveled to SLO, Redondo Beach, Hollywood, Catalina Island, Fresno, Lake Tahoe, Loyalton, Fresno again, and now SLO.

We celebrated our 4 year anniversary at beautiful Lake Tahoe. This place is amazing! So breathtaking. We had a great time before heading over to see Adam's family for his little sis' graduation and his 10-year reunion.

Next week: Camping with my family!! Then off to Madison for Area Director Training.

I am thankful for:

2010-04-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

-Family and Friends of course
-Rain when I'm sitting inside with the windows open
-Coffee w/ Creamer
-Farmer's Markets
-Getting a deal on a really cute article of clothing
-Getting magazines in the mail
-The feeling after a good run
-Fun blogs to read
-My apartment
-Mellow Music
-When kids remember your name
-Having a-ha moments while studying scripture
-Seeing others grow
-Crazy travel opportunity
-When my plants don't die (I think my neighbor is watering them)
-When a photo turns out really good
-Target
-Good fiction novels
-Funny and inappropriate cards from Paper Sky
-Bakersfield after the rain
-People who invest time in me
-Good romantic comedies

More to come!

IJM #2

2010-04-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday Night
Wrapped up the Prayer Gathering section of the event this morning and then attended the advocacy training. Got some great training on how to lobby my representatives. I’m heading to Capitol Hill tomorrow to meet with Boxer, Pelosi, McCarthy, and Garamendi. We probably won’t meet with them personally, just with their aides. I’m excited about the meetings, but am almost more excited just to see the capitol. However, we have a lot of meetings tomorrow and I’ll just get to see it as I speed
Monday Night - LAX Airport
Still 3 more hours till I get home, but feeling so good about today. All the meetings went well. We talked to each office about the Child Protection Compact Act, a bill that IJM is working to pass. I spoke the most in a meeting with Kevin McCarthy’s office, since he is my representative. I was a little bummed after that meeting because that aide seemed the least interested, but he was from Bakersfield which helped. My group was great and I enjoyed spending the day on Capitol Hill with them. I didn’t get to see much of DC, so Adam and I need to come back.

A common thread throughout the weekend was God’s provision for me. I went by myself and I was a little nervous about being lonely, which I was at times. But God gave me a friend or a group of friends that I really enjoyed before the loneliness got to bad. Today I was going to share a cab ride from DC to the airport when I found out their was a group of college students, that were with IJM, were going to take a Hummer-limo to the airport because it was cheaper for them than renting a small bus. So I asked if their was a free spot, they said sure, so I rode to the airport in style (although I get really sick when I don’t face forward in the car). We passed 2 motorcades on our way, at least 1 of which we were pretty sure was a diplomat from another country here for the Nuclear Summit. All the guys in the black SUV were looking in our limo and they passed and we were trying to look into their SUV. Then we realized they were trying to figure out who we were! Despite motion sickness, the ride was pretty fun.

I would say my expectation for the weekend were exceeded and I’m looking forward to bringing people with me next year.

God's Provision when you just ask for a ride:

International Justice Mission Global Prayer Gathering

2010-04-11T05:27:00.000-07:00

Friday Night

I made it safely to Vienna, VA where I am attending the Global Prayer Gathering for IJM. Tonight there was a welcome banquet that I arrived at a little late since I cut it a little close with my flights. After checking in I threw my bags inside my room, combed my hair, and thankful put on a nicer cardigan than my stinky travel sweater. I sat down at a table and the men were wearing ties and the women had blouses and skirts on. Note to Californians who travel to the east coast: Casual dress = what you would wear to an Easter service. We heard about two little girls in Phomn Phen (I think?) who were rescued from a brothel, testified against their oppressor, and are now in aftercare. The IJM people who were helping them through their trial gave them stones with “truth” written on it. This signified the small stone that David needed to face Goliath and take him down. Then we were each given stones and got to write on ours with a sharpie what we felt like God was giving us to hold onto. On mine I wrote faithfulness. I feel like I have all these longings in my heart for travel, adventure, and changing the world. I think God is and will satisfy those desires, possibly not in a way that I expect. While I wait on the Lord to continue giving me these things, I believe he wants me to be faithful in the big and small things he is calling me to. So tomorrow I am going to be faithful as I pray for all the places I long to go to, knowing that may never happen. I will be faithful as I worship God for who he is, who he has made me to be, and allow him to continue to mold me heart into his.

Saturday Morning

Isaiah 65:19-25
“I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it infants who live but a few days or older people who do not lives out their years; those who die at a hundred will be thought mere youths; those who fail to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses an others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but the dust will be the serpents food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain.” says the Lord.

Sat. Afternoon

It feels like no matter how humble an operation tries to be there will always be heros or “superstars” in the Christian community. Today I got to pray in a group with Gary Haugen and his children. I know that my work in the kingdom is no less important than his, but I still felt very blessed for the opportunity to pray in a group with him. I am also constantly reminding myself that true justice work is not sexy, and that the workers that we are praying for are putting in lots of hours into relationships that aren’t glamorous or “brochure worthy”, just like on-campus with students. Just as I have students who bail out on going to a conference, or disappear without a goodbye, it must be so with the work that IJM is doing. I find myself wishing that I too, had rooms full of people praying for what I do, when in fact, I do. I also met another young IJM staff that worked for InterVarsity at one point. He said that if it weren’t for fund raising (which I don’t mind so much), he would have loved to continue with IV. Hmm. My job is pretty great, even if 90% of the time that I share what I do with people, they don’t understand. It can feel lonely at times, but loving what you do outweighs the fear of being misunderstood.

Saturday Night:

Had a really encouraging day. Most of the day was spent listening from different field directors and praying for the work all over the world. I was feeling tired this afternoon so I took one of the short prayer sessions off, went to my room to rest and prayed that God would provide someone for me to eat dinner with (esp. since all the eating places are kind of far from the hotel). So I sat next to a woman in the next session who happened to be from Sacramento. She was here with 3 other people from her church. I asked if I could tag along for dinner and she said yes, and they had a car! Yes. We went to Chiles and they were so nice. The pastor even bought us all dinner. Then, we went to Startbucks and ran into Gary Haugen and his family. I was excited after getting to meet him and feeling pretty good about the whole answered prayer. We went to our night session and heard from investigators who work undercover in the field. Wow. They have an interesting, exciting, and incredibly scary job. We prayed for them, and after the session was over I turned around and there was Bill Clark, a friend of Rob’s who works for IJM. So I introduced myself and he talked with me for around 45 minutes (in the middle of our conversation I met Gary again! I told him he was my hero, and he said it’s ok to have heros). I felt so blessed that he would talk to me for so long and give me so much encouraging advice. And now Tina Fey is hosting SNL!!! This night could not get much better.

Fun With Henry

2009-12-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

I have been at my parents house for the last week hanging out with my family, including my sister, Brian and baby Henry. He's so fun, but seems like a lot of work. This morning my mom brings him to me and says "time to play with auntie Tina!" (I was still sleeping). She also brought a dog that says things when you squeeze it. The first thing it said "time to learn!" Yea... I tried to get him to watch Baby Einstein while I slept but he would have none of it. So I got up and we listened to music, ate, and I pushed him around in a walker in the kitchen. Right when you think he's going to make you frustrated he smiles at you and makes you melt.
Oh Henry.

Hey it worked!

2009-11-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

Zondervan announced today that they are pulling the Deadly Vipers book from stores permanently. My blog post last night came after many other Christian leaders in Asian American community were in conversation with Zondervan about the lack of respect and honor in the marketing. The full story is here. Even though these authors are great Christians men I think the road of reconciliation is going to be messy and long, but can be a great testimony to people following Jesus' leading.

How does this honor our brothers and sisters?

2009-11-19T00:17:00.000-08:00

Deadly Viper Character Assassins is published by Zondervan. I did a little research around after seeing their marketing for the book and I'm a little dumbfounded. I'm sure the content of the book is great but it takes the Asian culture and makes it into "funny" little caricatures to sell a product. More eloquent articles are here and here, but if you would like to join me in writing a letter explaining why this is unaccpetable to Zondervan please click here.

Seattle Trip

2009-11-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

Currently...

2009-11-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

I got this from my friend Larissa's blog.

I'm currently...

wishing: God would give answers more easily
disliking: my bangs that are growing out funny
reading: everyone's blog
missing: free weekends
wanting: a great pair of size 11 boots, not so easy to come by
improving: communication, I think...
realizing: people are what matter
loving: the fall! Don't go!
considering: the future
watching: Modern Family, Grey's, Office, Community, and of course, 30 Rock
regretting: how much I ate this weekend
hoping: I can go to Fresno on Wednesday to see Tammy and Henry

What are you currently doing?

Dreamin'

2009-10-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Going to visit Seattle in two weeks. Here are some of the things I have been dreaming about doing:

-Eating a doughnut here
-Eating at the Seattle Crumpet Shop
-And maybe here
-Seeing these people
-And watching the ferry boats go in and out

Columbus Day

2009-10-12T14:19:00.001-07:00

Came across this interesting video about Columbus Day. I've never really thought about it before, but they make a really good point.

Justice and Evangelism

2009-10-07T14:14:00.000-07:00

"How can we see the kingdom come without inviting others to acknowledge the King?" Well said.

Staycation Saturday

2009-09-19T11:51:00.001-07:00

This is the first Saturday I have had completely free (no work, no out of town stuff) in a long long time, like since June long time. Even though it's blazing hot, I decided to stay in town and do the things I like in Bakersfield. Adam decided to go chop down a tree in the mountains, but before he left we went to Dagny's, our fav coffee shop. Then we went to the farmer's market and bought produce, flowers, honey, and juice. This was followed by a trip to the library for the first season of Chuck and The Great Awakening by Jim Wallis. After dropping Adam off I went to Trader Joe's and got our favorite groceries. Now I'm contemplating the gym, an hour at Barne's and Noble or my first movie by myself. Despite the heat, it's been a pretty good Saturday already!!

Interesting New Book

2009-09-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

I came across a blogger who is writing and compiling a really interesting new book, Permission to Speak Freely, with Zondervan. It's kind of like post secret but specifically with art and essays about fear, confession and mercy. She said her idea came from a blog post called "keeping your mouth shut" and from the comments left. It sounds like you could use a similar idea and turn in into a campus outreach. I'm really drawn to this because I often feel like I'm lost in church, not just my own, most of them, and I feel like I'm ready for something new. Not like an addition to what's already happening, but something completely different, something that applies Jesus' revolutionary words and actions. I feel like we got the grace thing down, that we're supposed to forgive our brothers and sisters like Jesus does for use, and praise him for heaven, but what about everything else? It kind of doesn't feel like we're bringing his kingdom here. Does anyone else feel this? I also feel like there isn't a lot of room for discussion. Like if I said something someone may jump to correct me or hand my a convincing article about why the TNIV is not a reliable source of scripture (not that that happened...ok it did). But let's engage in some conversation huh? One of my commitments I made to myself this year was to be more open about who I was and to give people a chance to know me. It's not their fault they don't I just haven't given them an opportunity. So I need to meet them halfway and give them a chance.

So, what are some of the things you feel like you can't say in church?

Here are some of mine:
"I really uninterested in watching Facing the Giants or Fireproof"
"I think about being a pacifist often"
"I voted for Obama"
"I believe women should be allowed in any level of leadership in the church"

Family on the Mind

2009-09-06T00:23:00.000-07:00

I've been hearing a lot from my family about the California water crisis. It affects my direct and extended family since my mom works for a farm and my uncles, aunts, and cousin actually do farm. We also enjoy some free tomatoes and melons once in a while. My mom went with some of my uncles and cousin to the last protest in Sacramento, where my uncle Ted brought in tractors to put in front of the capitol. The issue seems pretty urgent if California is going to keep providing our nation with produce and cotton, as well as keeping California's economy afloat.

I also came across this while doing a little research. The 6th picture down in from my uncle's ranch.

We are also in Auburn celebrating the life of Adam's grandma. It's good to spend time with his family and hear about what a great lady she was.

Sir Henry

2009-08-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

Here is our new nephew, Henry. We match today. We planned it.

Back Home

2009-08-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

My internal clock has finally adjusted to time in California. Let's mess it up again!! On Tuesday Adam and I fly out to Illinois to meet our new nephew, Henry. We're so excited!

As promised, here is a little more about my time in Bosnia:
This time in Bosnia I learned a lot more about the country, the aftermath of the war, the culture, and the church in Bosnia. I feel like I now know how to better pray for Bosnia and advocate for others to go on the project in the future.

Here are some things I want to "take home" from Bosnia:
-I want to protect my Sabbath and really have one. I'm not sure this will always take place on Sunday, but I want to have a real day off every week. We did this in Bosnia and it was easier there because my team was my only real responsibility. It will be more challenging here.
-I want to simplify my life a little by clearing out clutter and giving away clothes I don't wear. I was able to survive for 6 weeks out of 1 bag of luggage. I don't want to simplify that much, but I think my clutter stresses me out. This will have to wait until it gets cooler so I can clean without sweating so much.
-I want to initiate friendship more, even with students. This was a huge element of our project and I even struggled with it then. I want to learn how to initiate with people and invite them into my life.
- I want to eat better! I ate a lot of bread, meat and double king bars (ok, maybe only 4 or 5 of these) over the summer and I want to treat myself better. I'm learning this mean more trips to the store instead of stopping through fast food to get a snack. We'll see how I do when school starts up again.

End of the project and Croatia

2009-08-04T00:31:00.000-07:00

The students left at 5:30 this morning in two vans headed for the airport. Whew!! Adam, Nicole, and I are staying in Croatia (where we did our team debrief) until Friday morning for some R & R and extra time with the Bauers (who are coming today!). I have lots of mixed emotions about the team leaving. Last night I was getting sentimental and realizing how much I will miss seeing them all the time. However, this morning I was picking up some forgotten things and asking "who's are these?" and realized I need a break! I loved my team, but I also know that when you live in community for 6 weeks sometimes it's ok to need a some alone time. I am so relieved that we decided to stay in Croatia instead of exploring somewhere new. Even though it is a little warm and humid here, it is very beautiful here with crystal clear water. We have been swimming every day so far and plan to keep the trend going.

Small Project Update: The end of the project was amazing. We had 9 Bosnians and 1 guy from Pakistan come to camp. The students and staff were able to go deeper in their relationships, we studied the Bible together, and we heard from speakers everyday talk about things like forgiveness, communication, what the gospel is, and what some next steps are. The gospel presentation was given by a local Bosnian pastor, Slavko, and it was very powerful and straightforward. Our team was amazed at the unapologizing conviction that Slavko had. It led to some great conversations afterward. We ended camp with a really fun talent show that I got to be a judge for. Thank you everyone who prayed for and supported the Bosnia project. Adam and I were very blessed to be a part of it and participate in what God is doing in Bosnia.

I hope to blog more about some of the things that I learned personally during my time here, but I could use some more processing time (at the beach :)

The Old City in Dubrovnik

Bosnia Update

2009-07-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

We're half way through the project! We have consumed lots of coffee and had some great conversations with our new Bosnian friends. Tonight we are having a discussion at EUS (the IFES organization we are partnering with) about human trafficking. I am personally excited about this one so I'm co-leading it with some students.

The weather has turned from 70ish degrees and breezy to hot and humid. It's making our team a little sleepy but they are hanging in there.

Here are some pictures from a trip Banja Luka (in Northern Bosnia) I was able to take last week.

Melissa and I in Zenica

Praying over the city
(the staff there knows of only 1 student that is a Christian)

In Jajce with my favorite ice cream bar

First Two Days

2009-07-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

Zdravo!

We are finishing our second full day in Sarajevo. We were greeted at the airport by great friends (Deron, Jess & Enisa) and then drove to some really great apartments that we'll be staying in this summer. They are in a great location for ministry and a 5 minute walk from the Bauers. Yesterday we had a 30 minute training session and then went out to the "faculties" or colleges (different departments are in different areas of the city) to meet Bosnian college students. We took with us some surveys to ask about events they might come to and then asked them if they would like to get some coffee. Many students ended up having coffee with Bosnians and many set up coffee dates in the next few days. Today we took a city history tour and an EUS (Evangelical Union of Students) orientation and learned about it's history. And we've been walking everywhere! Today we walked a little over 11 miles and I've had 4 cups of coffee. Walking and coffee are two of my favorite things.

On Monday we'll start our English conversation classes and have invited everyone we met to them. Tomorrow we're going to an EUS event where we'll get to meet Bosnian Christians and hopefully we'll get to work alongside them as we do evangelism. The team we brought is awesome and we're really excited about starting some things up next week. Thanks for your prayers!

Ciao!

T Minus 21 hours

2009-06-30T00:17:00.001-07:00

We fly out at 9pm tonight. This morning we're going over city orientation and praying for our city's we're going to. It has been a great orientation so far and we're excited to finally get there. Pray for our travel to LAX. Last year we got a flat tire that set us back 2 hours. We also have two students who are not US citizens and will have a harder time getting through customs. Pray that there travel visas they worked out will get them on the plane. We're also so grateful for everything that has fallen into place for us to go. I'll try to update this is Bos but unsure if I can. Thanks for your prayers!

Bosnia Orientation

2009-06-28T22:36:00.001-07:00

We have one day left in our orientation for the Bosnia Project then we're off to LAX on Tuesday. We're having a great time in beautiful Santa Barbara. I'm always amazed at the amount of support we receive from people. Shout outs to the Michaelsens (Becca specifically) for hosting us, Rich for helping with training and meals, Henry Cody for being born early so we could see you on skype, the Green's for driving us to the airport, Sarah Marcus for helping us get non-airport food at the airport, the donors who are helping get us there and those who are praying for us.

Here is a picture of the full team:

Henry

2009-06-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

Auntie Tina

2009-06-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

I finally received the inspiration to blog (although it will probably be another month and a half before I do again since we're leaving the country next Tuesday).

My sister had her baby!! Henry Roscoe Cody came after 31 hours of labor. I don't remember the exact weight but he was over 7 pounds. We skyped this morning and he's so cute and awesome. It was hard for me to comprehend the he is theirs and is my nephew. It's difficult for me to be here right now knowing that we won't see them until August, especially because he'll be so different by then.

I will post pictures as soon as I get them!

Nothing has changed

2009-04-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

My mom found this card that was given to her by my sister and I on her birthday. My twin sister...

So sad...

Seasons Changing

2009-03-03T22:04:00.001-08:00

I think I enjoy the winter in our apartment the most for one big reason. No bugs in the winter. However, it climbed up to 85 degrees over the weekend in Bakersfield. I had just had a conversation with Adam yesterday about how I wanted to fumigate every month this summer because I was so tired of cautiously opening up cabinets, waiting to see what bug, one in particular, was inside.

Then, today I was getting ready to leave in a hurry, and out of the corner of my eye I saw it. I started to chase after it, pulling a chair out of the way. But then I froze, and it froze, and, not having one of Adam's shoes within reach, I very slowly took off my flip flop and smashed the first cockroach of the season as hard as a could. The battle begins.

Bako in the Spring

2009-02-28T21:39:00.001-08:00

Bakersfield is actually very nice in the spring. The weather feels like the coast, you can see mountains all around after in rains, and there are tons of pretty blossoms. This is a tree I discovered our neighborhood. It may have been a better picture without the Christmas light still on it. It also smells good outside, especially at night.

A Victory for Women

2009-01-30T12:29:00.000-08:00

It seems that this would have come a lot sooner, but I am grateful that it has happen.

Running Update

2009-01-13T17:35:00.000-08:00

Lately I haven't followed through with many of the things I say I want to start doing more often. But I've finally hit my "stride" with running (to bad Joseph probably doesn't read this). Back in this post I said I wanted to run more often. Since then I was in a 5K fun run and have been training with my staff buddies for a half-marathon in March. Here's some things that have been helpful for me:

Having a goal. I know I would be sorry if I didn't continue to train and then tried to run 13 miles.
Adam running with me. Even if we don't run the same distance, he will still get me to drag myself to the gym on the days when I'd rather sit at home with a blanket and the remote.
Running fun stuff. New shoes, an ipod (thanks to my sweet husband), a nike pedometer/ipod/electronic thingy my sister-in-law got me. Although I tend to not want to buy all the goodies because of guilt or cost, getting these awesome toys have helped me.

If you're really interested you can keep track of how far I run by looking at the mini me runner at the bottom right of my blog. Thanks to everyone who has been encouraging me!!

Brewing in Bakersfield

2008-11-25T21:10:00.000-08:00

There is a topic that I have been brewing about lately, the opening of a Hooters in Bakersfield. It made me think a little about sex discrimination (which I guess is ok since "Sex appeal is legal and it sells") but has made me think more about treating woman as a commodity. The justifications that they give are maddening, like the magazines and talk shows do it, so why can't we?

"The chain acknowledges that many consider "Hooters" a slang term for a portion of the female anatomy. Hooters does have an owl inside its logo and uses an owl theme sufficiently to allow debate to occur over the meaning's intent. The chain enjoys and benefits from this debate. In the end, we hope Hooters means a great place to eat."

One look at their website and you know they are banking on it being more than just a great place to eat. You can check up on the swimsuit contest and even get hooters on dvd.

Not that pornography and strip clubs don't infuriate me, it's just that this is taking a restaurant and making it a socially acceptable place to treat women as objects to sell and consume. Isn't that called something else? In a world that is still fighting self esteem and body image issues, much less sex trafficking and forced prostitution, it is really discouraging that they are still opening these restaurants.

Thoughts?

Why I love downtown

2008-11-05T14:23:00.001-08:00

I'm sitting in a coffee shop and this little girl (maybe 7 yo?) is very excitingly sharing her "weird animals" book with a crazy homeless guy who often comes her to ask people for change. Don't worry, her mom is cautiously watching, it's just a fun sight.

Yea America!!

2008-11-05T10:29:00.000-08:00

Congrats!!!
Also, good job McCain for a beautiful speech last night.
Very classy and respectable.

New Lesson About Roaches

2008-10-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

They can play dead. I can hear it in the cabinet under the sink, so I open it, and it's laying on it's back. I grab the windex right next to it and it jumps up! I windexed God's precious creature and then smashed it with a shoe (Adam's shoe, I wouldn't use my own :). Gross.

Wierd Yummy Sandwich

2008-10-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

Today for lunner I made this sandwich. This was the first time I have ever read a magazine recipe, bought stuff, and actually made it. It used like 4 ingredients I would never put in a sandwich, but it was delicious!

Here's what my creation looked like compared to theirs:

I didn't transfer my ingredients to little bowls, but I think I did ok.

Feeling Inspired...

2008-10-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

by staff friends who have taken up regular exercise I decided to get serious about it as well. So I took my b-day money and bought these snazy shoes. They only weight 6 oz and actually fit. Most people don't make a 10.5 for women in any kind of shoe, something that always kind of baffled me. I guess they figured once you hit size 10, you must be a dinosaur and need huge, whole sized shoes. I started with 2 miles today. So thanks Saucony for making a 10.5 size.

Hopefully I stick with it!!

Things that make me happy

2008-10-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

After a staff friend, Larissa, posted about her list of things that can brighten even a sick-in-bed day, I decided that since I am on my way to being sick I would post as well.

So here are some things that make me happy:

Trips to Trader Joe's for random frozen food and good bread
Walking around our neighborhood in the evening
Watching TV on the internet, TV on TV is so boring!
Seeing college friends, and Tammy and Brian
Walking around in the downtown of a city
Reading at coffee shops with Adam
Chocolate covered espresso beans
Being in the middle of a book that you can't put down
A really good find at Ross
Going to the mountains, but right at the part where it starts to turn from ugly brown to green trees, the part where you roll down the windows
This colorful and frequently updated blog: Apartment Therapy
Saturday night at a really good weekend conference
20 minutes after getting off the boat to Catalina, when the sea sickness finally subsides
Waking up an hour before your alarm goes off, and going back to sleep
And finally, my slippers that I missed all summer

3rd time's a charm

2008-10-02T23:57:00.000-07:00

Today I got my ears pierced for the 3rd time. Hopefully this one will stick (and not get infected). We'll see...

New Lessons

2008-09-28T21:29:00.001-07:00

Today I learned that cockroaches can climb on walls and do acrobatic jumps. Disgusting. I also learned that buying a block of white cheddar cheese with carmalized onions from Trader Joe's can change your life. Eat it with bread. If you don't have access to a Trader Joe's, you should move to a town with one, like Bakersfield.

I'm also including pictures of my latest creative activity. It's for our club board for the student union. No more dumpy club board.

In Progress...

Completed:

It's a real word! (according to Wiki)

2008-09-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

"Flexitarianism is a semi-vegetarian diet involving the practice of eating mainly vegetarian food, but making occasional exceptions for social, pragmatic, cultural, or nutritional reasons."

After spending a week with my vegetarian sister and brother-in-law, I felt a lot more healthy and energetic. It's also better for the environment and better for my bank account. I'm not ready to take the plunge though, still leaving open the option to eat meat when I go to someones house or a party. But I am ready for flexitarianism.

And, they just opened a vegan store down the street from our house, yeah Bakersfield.

Feelin' Crafty

2008-08-07T21:33:00.001-07:00

Every now and then I get the urge to create something artsy and since I'm not very good at painting or drawing I went and wandered around Michaels and here's what I came up with. Only $4 total for supplies! I'm sure it's been done before, but I'm very proud of my "creation."

Return from Bosnia

2008-07-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

I'm back and jet lagged. Right now it's 3 pm here, but midnight there. So weird. I'm still trying to sort through all my interactions and the events that happened while in Bosnia, but here are some of the things I'm thinking about and processing:

-The effects of war on a nation and on individuals are huge! One of the most profound interactions I had while I was there was with my friend Rusmira. She lost her father in Srebrenica but they never found his body. She said that if they ever did, it would be like losing him all over again. I think about what she said every day.

-How as Christians in the U.S. we get the luxury of choosing if we want to be an evangelist. If I lived in Bosnia (and was Bosnian) I would be 1 out of 700 Bosnian Christians in a country of 4 million. Unless I didn't tell anyone I was a Christian, I would have no choice but to share my faith with others. We met some amazing and strong believers while we were there. How could I exhibit their boldness and strength at CSUB?

-Who am I to tell people who have had such a hard life about Jesus? What do I know about suffering and healing? I know that Jesus offers that to them, but who am I to tell them this?

thanks Jared, thanks...

2008-07-29T15:17:00.001-07:00

"I was taking a shower and my soap fell down the toliet"

2008-07-12T07:17:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite quote so far, said by Ashley, one of our team members. The showers at the place where the students are staying are right next to a Turkish toilet, which now contains Ashely's soap. While I walk around the city and don't feel to much out of place since everyone looks like me, I still feel tension with all the small, and many big, things. Like walking through the grocery store and seeing lots of familiar things, but being unsure if what I just picked up was yogurt, creamer, or milk. Or walking with Ekaete and everyone staring at her and saying "Hi" in their best American accent (we have only seen one other black person). Or looking for the bathroom, finding out where one is, and then praying it is a "regular" one. But it has also been fantastic. This morning I graded the English tests on an outdoor patio sipping a cappuccino with some students. And after every class the students love to go to a cafe to talk and practice more English, and then we go home and stop by the pekara (bakery) on the way, where they have fresh, hot bread at 11 at night for forty cents.

The team has had many great conversations with the Bosnians and several have presented the gospel. Tomorrow we leave for camp, and we have a good number of people coming with us. We will be discussing relationships (dating, friends, family, and God) and enjoying deepening our friendships with our new friends. This evening we are throwing a BBQ for our classes so I have to go help set up!

Ciao!!

Bosnia Update #1

2008-07-02T06:27:00.000-07:00

Zdravo! Bosnia is beautiful! I wish I could load pictures to show, but I will do it after we get back. Last weekend we visited Mostar and got to walk on the famous bridge the was destroyed during the war and recently rebuilt. It was very warm there, but amazing. We also were able to swim in the freezing cold water.

We have started English classes and we have 60 Bosnians coming! After class we invite our new friends out for coffee. They are so friendly and almost always accept. Right now we're just getting to know them, but we are praying for deep relationships. Last night I went out with a woman named M. and some of her friends. She was telling me about her relationship with some of the missionaries here and how they have told her about God and how he loves her. She recently lost her sister and was finding it hard to believe that he did love her. But she said she is thinking more about it and then we were interrupted by some friends. She can't make it to class tonight, but I'm hoping to have coffee with her again on Thursday. Pray for great conversations!

Our students are doing great and really like each other and talking with the Bosnians. We come every night and swap stories and pray for our students. Thank you for all your support and Ill update again soon!

T-Minus 23 hours

2008-06-23T21:17:00.001-07:00

Our plane to Bosnia leaves in 23 hours. Orientation has gone amazingly well in Bakersfield. We have 2 houses for people to stay in, both with swimming pools and enough room to sleep. Some highlights of orientation have been:

-Us thinking that we were $40,000 short of our fund raising goal the day before orientation. Then the students came and gave us their updated totals bringing us to just about $10,000 short.

-Students making fund raising calls last night and raising over $6,000 in one hour, with money still coming in today. The team felt bonded and united in their purpose. One student said, "I think God really wants us to go."

-Getting to know our team. They are great and so fun! I think it's going to be a great summer.

It's Hot

2008-06-15T19:08:00.000-07:00

We are actually going to the dollar theater, thus saving money on air conditioning because it's 7pm and still 97 degrees outside.

God's Provision

2008-06-11T18:18:00.001-07:00

So after weeks of sweating out funding for Bosnia, both for Adam and I and our students, God showed up right on time. This past weekend at InterVarsity regional meetings I kept praying that God would rain down money from heaven. I even said to one of our co-directors, "watch, we're going to get home and get some huge checks." Then I came home, opened an envelope for two very large checks for two of our students who have had trouble fund raising. Praise God! Our church, RiverLakes, also was very generous and gave Adam and I some hefty support. It's all coming together 9 days before orientation starts. Continue to pray for more support, our team still needs it!

You know it's hot when:

2008-05-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

When parking, you find yourself trying to predict where the shade will be when you come out of the store, and you'll willing to park a lot farther to get shade
You buy frozen peas so you can put them on your stomach while you watch TV
You don't shut the car door until the car is on and then you try to drive with two fingers
You go watch a movie to save money on air conditioning
You start thinking about how you need to strengthen your relationships with your friends who live in San Luis Obispo, maybe a visit would do them some good...
You also haven't seen your friends in town (the ones with the swimming pool) in a while, maybe they would like you to watch their kids...
Any kind of running water makes you want to go run through the sprinklers
Any other ones?

That's it...

2008-05-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

I said. I'm turning on the air. We have a swamp cooler in our bedroom, so I turned it on for the first time. It didn't start so I turned it on high. Then I realized it was unplugged, so I bent down to plug it in and in blasted on, blasting dust everywhere (and I'm sure a few spiders)! I guess it's a cleaning day now. It needed it anyway.

Brain Zap

2008-05-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

I just got done with 3 days of meetings and I'm mentally done. I don't know how business execs do it all day long, and we were talking about stuff that I really care about. I find it hard to plan as a feeler after hearing a really good talk or having a great experience (driving tour of urban Fresno) to then jump into planning. I think that may be what is so exhausting, to force myself to plan when all I want to do is cry because of a touching testimony of a woman who made it out of motel drive. And I'm the lucky one who gets to retreat to the coast today and disengage. It's a privilege to hear stories and have them touch you, and to get to choose how much you will engage with it. The woman didn't get to choose how much to engage with her life of prostitution and drug abuse (it wasn't a life that she choose, I have never heard of anyone choosing that over other opportunities). But as Christians I believe we are called to engage with both big issues of injustice and with the people who have been deeply affected by them.

Now I'm sitting at my parents house waiting for my mom to get home to celebrate Mother's Day with dinner at Sweet Tomato. I can celebrate that she was a great mom who worked hard for me to have so many opportunities and to never even have to question if I could have ended up with a life like those on motel drive. She may have had a different starting point that many other moms, but it wasn't an easy one either. She has helped to provided a stable environment for me to grow up in so I could do things like do my homework on time, eat healthy meals, wear nice clothes, have school supplies, play sports, go camping and have other adventures, apply and go to college, and have the occupation of my choice. I think mom's deserve at least a week dedicated to them.

Happy Mother's Week!

Bosnia Team

2008-04-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

We meet our whole Bosnia team this past weekend for training, all 24 of them.
Here's a little snapshot.

And our beautiful Sarajevo team.

It's going to be a good summer.

Competition

2008-04-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

When I arrived at the Dixon's house on Saturday morning to help Amy set up for Leslie's baby shower I was greeted by Rob and Lucy in the drive way. Lucy has been known to have a little crush on Adam. She said "Hi Tina...where's your friend?" She was disappointed when I said he wasn't coming and then not as excited that I was there. I guess I can't take it to personally, he is more fun than I am.

Also, here is a picture of our garden at our apartment. I'm so proud because I used to kill everything, even a cactus that Adam gave me.

My favorite flowers that we have:

Here is our herb garden, planted last week. I hope it grows before we leave for Bosnia!

Catalina

2008-03-22T01:15:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a week of Mark Camp at Catalina and I am wiped. I co-led a Mark 1 study of CSUB and Fresno State students and it was so much fun! We studying the first half of Mark for eight hours a day (one night we went until midnight because the group wanted to keep going). My favorite times are when people start to get delirious and saying embarrassing things. Other highlights of the week were burgers on the beach, late-night nertz games, and showing up a few guys on the basketball court (I am very out of shape!). On my not-so-favorite list is having a candy overload stomach ache, the worst boat ride I've ever experienced on the way over (one guy threw up the whole way over), Friday LA traffic on the way back, and missing Susie Veon, the old camp director. But, it was a good time had by all and students were amazed at how interesting and powerful the Bible is.

Snow Much Fun!

2008-03-04T21:44:00.001-08:00

Ohhhh cheesy pun shout out to Joseph. My weekend comprised of hanging out with good friends, playing lots of games, eating really good food, snowboarding (I got better!), and extreme sledding. Good times...good times.

Winter Con

2008-02-26T23:12:00.000-08:00

Look at this beautiful CSUB group. Smokin.

2008-02-14T14:16:00.000-08:00

Wow am I lame. I haven't posted in a while. Sorry to all of my loyal readers (hi mom) and Happy Valentine's Day! I am going to be spending my v-day working and painting with Emily. Adam and I will celebrate next week when every thing's on sale!

Since my last post I have been to Fresno and Mexico City. Mexico was awesome! We watched a live Mariachi band, rode the Metro all over, and I ate a cricket! In the words of a hilarious girl I know who likes to speak with grandiose words, "it rocked my world."

Other than that, life's been pretty standard. I'll post more pictures later. Now go love on someone.

Happy New Years!!

2008-01-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

Here's a look back on something I did a lot of last year, traveling. I counted all my travel for work, weddings, family, and a vacation, and I packed my bags (only when I was leaving to go to a city, not returning back home) 36 times. That's an average of 3 times a month. It has included the span of California, Wisconsin, Vegas, Illinois twice, and Guatemala. And tomorrow I'm packing my bags for St Louis. I know many staff probably out rival me in traveling, but today I am perfectly happy watching Grey's Anatomy all day with my sister.

Also, yesterday I screen printed for the 1st time! My sister and I made t-shirts for CSUB's outreach. I think we did a good job and I felt really crafty. I know it looks like Tammy did all the work and then I just put on the t-shirt, but I helped :)

Lack of Posts

2007-12-26T18:40:00.000-08:00

I haven't been posting lately because I have been preping for an outreach we are doing in January, traveling, moving, and participating in Holiday festivities. Right now I'm in Illinois at Tammy and Brian's house. I've included some pictures from our outreach (the Free to Be Campaign) prep. What a bunch of studly students.

We're Moving!

2007-11-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

Again! We are very excited to be moving to downtown Bakersfield. We found an awesome apartment, a little smaller than the one we have now, but with a lot more character. And, we can paint! Extra bonus for me. We love the new landlord and our favorite coffee shop is a long stroll down the street (a 5 minute bike ride). Here are some pictures of the building and the inside.

This is the living room from the dining room. The kitchen is one the right.

The Kitchen. Obviously.

Anyone own a truck? :)

Fall Conference

2007-10-22T10:59:00.001-07:00

We just finished our Fall Conference weekend. It was a success! We had a great speaker and a lot of people walked away with a fresh start on their relationship with Jesus. We had to evacuate an hour early because of the fires in Malibu. The fire is not contained because of the Santa Ana winds, along with several other fires in Southern California.

Here are some of the pictures I snapped on the way home.

This guy is going to be my breaking point...

2007-09-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

So I've been having a rough time lately, still adjusting to life here, being very busy. I just finished 2 new student outreaches and a conference in LA. Also, last week we had a large group on Friday night that I spoke at. It was an intro to justice and I really enjoyed giving it. But then, as I was giving an invitation to follow Jesus, a older guy with some mental handicaps came up to the stage and started talking to me, very loudly, about some pretty out there things. After about 2 minutes, I finally got him to go talk to Joseph outside, I continued finished my talk and then crawled into the back of the room. I was fine with what happened, it was a good example of brokenness in our world and the role we should have in it, it just wasn't supposed to happen in the middle of my talk (didn't he see my notes?). So I spent the whole weekend trying to get what he said out of my head by watching Scrubs and Grey's Anatomy, which was a little depressing in itself that I had nothing better to do. Then I hung out with someone last night who is potentially a very cool woman, my age, does ministry downtown, goes to my church, etc. And she tells me she's leaving in January, moving to the Northwest. Great. Now I'm sitting in the lounge at CSUB finishing up my prayer letter, and this guy is playing some king of repetitive computer game with the sound on. It's like 3 sounds, over and over again. Do I tell him he's driving me crazy and I've been wound up a little to tightly the past 3 weeks, and that if he doesn't stop I'm going to snap? He's lucky I spent some long-over due time with Jesus this morning, or I might throw his computer on the ground and jump on it. I love students, I love students, I love students....

On the road again, Just can't wait to get on the road again...

2007-09-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

Today it's L.A. Yeah for conferences on evangelism, boooo for them being during one of the busiest weeks of the year. We just finished BC's new student outreach, then this week I worked on nso stuff for when Cal State has their's next week. In addition, we had a fund raising dessert, wrote half a prayer letter, helped with freshmen move-ins, and I got half of my talk done for next Friday. Whew! Pray for sanity.

Bribes

2007-09-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't this awesomeness get you to join a Bible Study if you were a freshmen?

Birthday Bash

2007-08-27T14:42:00.001-07:00

So it all started when I got a really cute bag from my sister. It's from Dignity Regained.

Then Leslie and Jeremy surprised me (set-up by Adam) the day before my birthday and came to Bakersfield to spend the day with us. They got me a super cute apron, a pretty candle holder from Guatemala, and earrings (for when I get them pierces this week!)
Then they took us out to eat at Frugatti's, our favorite restaurant in town. And they forgot their leftovers in our fridge. Mu-ha-ha. Here's me eating Jeremy's Eggplant Parmesan. Yummmm.
Then Adam and I went shopping on my birthday and he
bought me cute clothes and this great find at Ross.
Then at night we went out to P.F. Changs with friends. Afterward we played "Moods," a game that my college roommate (that I loved) had that isn't made any more. Megan got found it on ebay and got it for me! Soooo thoughtful!

And then they made me a birthday cake.
And not that a birthday is all about gifts, but this one was a good one for gifts!
And I have good friends that made me feel special. Thank you!!!

When Worlds Collide

2007-08-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had out fall leadership retreat at my aunt's cabin in Shaver Lake. It's usually a place where I go to be with family, so when all the students that I work with were there it was a little weird for me. And my parents were there, while I was working. Also weird. Besides me being worried about breaking something, I had a great time being with them all. I always love it when we can get students away from their normal lives. Good stuff.

Book: The Irresistible Revolution

2007-08-14T13:38:00.001-07:00

So I'm reading this book, The Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne. And I have sat down to blog about it several times because I'm so pumped about what he is saying. But I can never quite put it into words. So here is my plug; Go out and buy, borrow, or steal this book, read it, and then discuss it with me!

Guatemala

2007-07-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

[written yesterday]

We made it back from Guatemala! It was an awesome trip and I think I could have stayed another week at least. Right now I'm on the train from Fresno to Bakersfield. I stayed at my folks house in Fresno for the night for a little R & R and good food. Back to Guatemala, among other things I had the opportunity to help with: vaccinating cows, pigs and horses, build a chicken coop, and mix cement to build a porch. On the weekend we hiked a volcano and saw actual lava flowing down the side! We also spent some time in touristy Antigua on our down time. The majority of our time was spent in Magdelena, a small town in the hills about an hour outside of Guatemala city. We all stayed with host families. Adam and I had the opportunity to stay with Mario Mendez and his family, who was actually also the leader of the site I worked at (it was agriculture if you didn't pick that up, they also had education, appropriate tech, social work, and health sites). We ate breakfast with our families every morning (yummm, fried plantains and beans) and then went to our sites till the afternoon. Then we had some time to rest and hang out out before dinner. After dinner we either had team time or testimonials from the missionaries there.

That's the short version of what happened, and the short version of what I'm learning is:

I love working with students, especially when they are away from home (like at conferences and mission trips)

God had me there for both the “productive” times and the down times. God does not need to show me a finished project in order to show me that he is moving and working (I often thought we could finish the coop in 2 days rather than 4), but God had me there to eat long lunches with the family and to spend time with students as well.

And we're off!

2007-07-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

We are just about ready to leave for Fresno. We have a day there to get our "stuff" together, then we have a wedding on Saturday, then orientation with the students on Sunday, and then we leave for Guatemala that night! Seems so crazy that I get to go back. It will be different since we'll be staying somewhere different than last time, but a lot of things will be similar. I get to be at the ag site (the site I was jealous of last time because it looked like so much fun). Here is a picture of me visiting that site last time. We picked radishes and then played soccer with all the kids. So fun.I am excited to go, not really about flying again, but I'm excited that we get to be there. Please pray for us!

Back in Bako

2007-06-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

After 12 hours of travel, we made it back to Bakersfield. Although it feels good to be home, I find it hard to relax here. Probably because all the events that I look forward to happen out of town and I haven't found "my thing" that I like to do at home. Adam and I just drove around some old neighborhoods to appreciate craftsman style homes (becoming more rare in Bakersfield) and then went to the independent coffee shop that we like (there are only 2 in town that we know of). We have summer InterVarsity tonight, which will be a great reminder of why we are here. And we are looking forward to hanging out with some people that we enjoy this week (not that we don't enjoy students!). Then it's off the Guatemala next weekend!!

Madison Update

2007-06-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we did some contact evangelism (sorry if some don't like that term) on the university campus. After my stomach turned for about an hour while we ate lunch, my partner and I hit the campus. I am always amazed at how much I actually like doing this kind of outreach. We just asked people spiritual questions and then asked to share the gospel. We had some great conversations and I think some of the people we talked with haven't though about spiritual issues in a long time. And, I really liked the campus, beautiful. Then I read in my new favorite coffee shop, Barriques. It's right around the corner from my hotel. They have a lot of metal art inside. Here is a shot from my table.

Tomorrow afternoon we leave! Feels like I've been here for a month.

Why do I hate goodbyes?

2007-06-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

I think it's because I so badly want to express how much I deeply care for a person and how much I will miss them. But in that moment I struggle with the fear awkwardness or being over emotional (which our society discourages, which is frustrating because that is sometimes the thing that we most need). Then I only find myself looking back and wishing I had told them how much I love them and how I will miss them.

Madison

2007-06-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

We went to the national headquarters for InterVarsity yesterday. Wanna know why it's in Madison, Wisconsin? Me too.

It was nice to see who is answering all our questions and what the office looks like. It's nothing fancy, but we liked it.

Picture with Alec Hill coming soon.
:)

This morning there was a farmer's market around the capitol, which is right across the street. We love the street performers, fresh produce, and cheap flowers. It makes us miss San Luis Obispo a little, but we probably appreciate more because stuff like this is not usually accessible to us. Anyway, we had a fun morning. Here is Adam and I on the observatory deck of the capitol:

I'm a traveling maniac!

2007-06-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

It all started out with Regional meetings at a slightly singed Campus by the Sea on Catalina Island. Then we flew to Peoria, IL to see Brian and Tammy. Tammy and I had fun shopping and drinking coffee, while Adam got his disc golf and racquetball fix with Brian. He even went as Brian's date to a wedding while I hung out with Tammy. Here they are all ready to leave:

They are so snazzy. Then we drove to Madison Wisconsin with them and had fun walking around downtown. There's a lot of great shops here that sell fair trade items like coffee, chocolate, and clothes. Here's Tammy and I in front of a church:

Awww family. I wanna live near them!

Now we're starting Orientation for New Staff for 10 days and then it's back to Bako!

For Women (and men that know any women, so...for anyone)

2007-05-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

Something happened that hit close to home. My sister described an experience she had last Saturday in her blog. Everyone please read it and be safe!

Become an M&M

2007-04-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

You can now become and M&M.

The didn't quite have my hair, but here is my M&M. I wish my hair looked liked this, not so much my skin though. And I declare that this is a peanut butter m&m. mmmmmm.

Never thought I would say this

2007-04-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

I am actually kind of fond of Fresno. We just finished going to a great wedding in a beautiful church downtown. It rained a lot however, but I've heard that rain is good luck. We got to spend some time with good friends and today I hung out with my mom. Now with many of our college friends living here, it really feels like my home away from home. I ran into a really good friend that I had many classes with (Addie) twice this weekend. I still remember the first time we ran into someone we knew in Bakersfield, that was out of the context we usually saw them in. Usually happens in the grocery store. It feels like a rite of passage to calling a new place home.

The girls had a fondue/dance/movie night at the house. Here's a picture of the chocolate goodness. Hanging out with the women in our fellowship is maybe the most fun I have out of all the things I get to do. They remind me that I'm young. And here's Adam building a flower box (his dad helped), and the flowers that went in them. We now have a cute patio! Come over and we'll bbq for you.

What the....

2007-04-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

A while ago I heard on the radio that KLOVE was having a cruise with different worship artists attending and performing. I then found out that this happened every year. I was kind of disturbed. Thousands of workers are oppressed on cruise ships and are enticed there by "getting paid to travel around the world on beautiful ships." KLOVE chose Carnival, which is registered in countries like Panama, Liberia and the Bahamas, even though their headquarters are in the US. By flying "flags of convenience," they escape paying US taxes and are able to pay their workers less than $700/month and make them work 10-12 hours days/seven days a week for 6-10 months at a time (that's $2/hour for the highest paid). They force them to live in crammed conditions, hardly ever getting to leave the gallery to see any sun. Workers who get to be in contact with the guests, such as waiters and housekeepers, only get paid $50/month and are expected to receive the rest in tips. They can get away with not allowing the workers to unionize and can decrease their wages without reason or notice. And the workers can't complain because they can be fired and replaced so easily, and their are not many better options. Carnival also has one of the worst environmental records of all the cruise lines. And now a Christian organization wants to condone and support those practices. They want to hold worship services literally on top of the gallery where people are living like this. And KLOVE is not the only one. "Today's Christian Woman" magazine takes Carnival cruises as well as many other Christian orgs. It really doesn't shock me that the world views American Christians like they do.

For more info go to the ITF website.

Recent Developments

2007-03-14T00:53:00.000-07:00

-My sister, Tammy, is very close to starting up her online store (there's going to be some cute stuff on there!) to help free women and children from sex-trafficking. It's called "Dignity Regained"

-We're heading off to Catalina Island next week for Spring Break Camp. Pretty much the best (in my humble opinion) conference that InterVarsity puts on. We have 14 students going.

-After researching car insurance rates we decided to try and sell my car and to try being a one-car family. 1997 Jetta anyone? Dixon, your kids will be driving soon, it's a nice safe car...

Hands Outreach Project

2007-02-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting in front of the Dorthy Donahue Hall at Cal State right now helping out with the "Hands Outreach." We're asking students "What do you care about?" They write it on their hand, we take a picture of them, and print it out on the spot. Here are some of my favorites:

Yea for Campus Life!

Been a while

2006-12-21T20:42:00.000-08:00

It's been a while, again. We got the apartment, but a different better one! However, I'm not sure the stress was worth it. After much communication with our rental agent person (or lack of communication), I went in to talk to her with some concerns. I then realized that conflict resolution with someone whose not really interested in resolving much is hard and eats away at me when we're done. I brought in concerns, she took it as a personal attack on her and attacked back. I left on a good word, but she really got to me. I'm now sitting in the Phoenix airport and one my way to Chicago to see Tammy and Brian, glad to be forgetting last week; also glad I'm flying to Chicago and not Denver where all flights are canceled.

Also, I've decided that babies make the holidays and family gatherings more fun. I'm not saying we're having one yet, just saying they make it better. Here is a picture of my cousin's girl Riley at my family Christmas celebration. She's a firecracker that doesn't want to be doing the same thing for more than 20 seconds.

Waiting is hard to do....

2006-11-08T14:40:00.000-08:00

Adam and I are waiting to hear back from a condo rental application, we could hear today or tomorrow. I detest waiting.

Seattle

2006-10-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

What I loved about Seattle:

The choices of coffee shops. Anywhere you stand you can see either a Tully's, Starbucks, or Seattle's best. I like Tully's the best. You can also have coffee from an independent coffee shop if you prefer as well.
The have cupcake shops. Enough said.
It's beautiful. The combo of the city and the Pudget Sound is amazing.
It's diverse. You can tell right away from the variety of restaurants to choose from and walking around the city. Not only in ethnicity, but in social class as well, which I guess is to be expected in a city.
Riding public transportation. We rode the bus everywhere, and you can ride for free downtown. You don't need to worry about parking either.
They're big on the environment. You have to separate you recyclable into four different categories and they love sustainable buildings.

Anyways, I loved it. I hope to go back soon and bring more people with me. Road trip anyone?

Fruit Roll-Up Miracle

2006-10-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight Adam and I were driving home from Oakland and stopped in the beautiful oasis of Wasco to get a wake-up drink and switch drivers. I was looking for a strawberry fruit roll-up (I'm pretty sure I got the last one), and when I found one, it had two rolls inside! I checked the other ones which only had one. No special package or anything, just a special customer (Adam got a grape one, it only had one) Hmmmm. Might blog about Seattle tomorrow.

SLOOOO Good

2006-09-30T00:48:00.000-07:00

How I love SLO, even though I feel tension about it feeling like home, but not really. We had lunch at a coffee shop we walked to (they also served fair trade coffee!), worked on the computer a bit because they had free wireless, walked to a disc golf course and played (I was 17 over), walked downtown for a stroll and a coffee, ate a really good Italian dinner downtown with a good friend, went to a concert, and then had dessert. I'm pretty sure we saw the guys who did the concert playing disc golf that day also. We're going surfing tomorrow and then it's back to bako. You just can't replicate these days. Love it.

Tip me over and...

2006-09-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

I made it through the women's retreat. It was partially good, and partially me surviving. I was greeted by a cup pot name tag that was bigger than my fist, some scripture tea, a tea cut pin, and some muffins (I like muffins). Highlight of the weekend: having an awesome conversation with a great woman who really likes to think and question and learn. Not so highlight of the weekend: entering every conversation being asked if I was married and when the kids are coming. I felt bad for the 1 single woman I met who was over 20 (granted, I didn't meet everyone). I thought about giving up and just attending some where else until I had the great conversation. She was an answer to prayer and I feel that God wants me there. And I realized that their tea cups are to my coffee mugs, as their tea parties are to my coffee shop conversations. I like tea, but I'll stick with my mug.

(I know my font is all screwy, it won't let me change it!)