A fair is a veritable smorgasbord orgasbord

Yesterday I reluctantly had the afternoon free. The day had been full of unexpectancies, of which I found myself unable to help, and thus unable to really do anything. I was supposed to help clean the lodge (the guys side is SO gross!), but one thing led to the other and we didn't have enough time, so we made assessments, and left the work to today. I was feeling lonely so I drove to Mammoth to go the the Loony Bean. I brought along A Quest for Love, and finished it on a comfy couch with a delicious mint mocha(mmmmm...). It was just what I needed - some great coffee, people, and a great book. A perfect pick-me-up.
I left later in the evening for the tri-county fair in Bishop. Master's is doing the grandstand clean-up each night as a fundraiser. I had an awesome time getting to know a few girls who came to help out. There was so much gross junk left over! I couldn't help thinking of Templeton's song from Charlotte's Web, "A fair is a veritable smorgasbord orgasbord orgasbord, after the crowds have ceased. Each night when the lights go out, it can be found on the ground all around, oh, what a ratly feast!"
My new addiction is the Rubik's cube. Matt loves puzzles so he has all kinds of crazy stuff like that at their house. Which, by the way, I am getting good at "dropping in." Ha ha. Mom'll understand that! They laugh at me, and like last night they said, "hey, good job you didn't even knock!" Yep. I dropped in this morning at ate their waffles. Mmmmm....
Well, I'm going to watch Finding Neverland and do some reading while I have the chance. Then I'll be helping to do a deep cleaning of the lodge, and the clean-up at the fair again tonight. Peace out y'all!
A fair is a veritable smorgasbord orgasbord....

She was such a nice little squirrel...

Yesterday was quite the adventure. We drove about 2 1/2 hours to Pinecrest (over the Sonora pass), where a couple families from the church have been camping this week. I'm surprised I didn't get car sick because it is the worst road I have ever been down, but poor Abby got super sick. We stopped for about a half hour on the other side of the pass just to recuperate. All better after a rest, we were driving the rest of the way, when all of a sudden I saw this brown blur of fur go straight under the car and then THUD...poor little thing, she was such a nice little squirrel. I just thought I would take a moment to commemorate her with a moment of silence..........ok, ha ha. Anyways, when we got there we enjoyed the remaining sunshine before the approaching storm arrived. The lake was beautiful. It has a spot where about 8 logs are strung together out into the lake. Its a fun challenge to try to walk out to the last log as they spin and bob under you. I only made it to the end of the third log! It was a blast swimming a while, then we changed and hung out in trailers at the campsite while the sky drizzled. I met some of the girls who are in the youth group. It was fun and I am excited about getting connected with them. I had tea and watched a game of Othello - it was delightful. The drive back wasn't nearly so bad, and we got home just as the sun was disappearing.
Today was down to business. We started the morning off with a good time of prayer, and brainstormed through the afternoon. We've come up with some good ideas and its pretty exciting! It was great to feel useful today. In about an hour I am going to the young ladies Beth Moore Bible study group at the Stovesands, and I'm looking forward to seeing the girls again.
I'm tired already and we've hardly begun! I love it though.
Prayer requests:

• Joel still doesn't have his visa, but it is looking like he'll get it in time to fly in and meet up with us in LA to fly to Mazatlan together. Pray that everything goes through!
• The rest of this week, and next week, well, Monday the 3rd through Monday the 10th is when we'll be in Mexico really putting together the vision and plan for this year. This is the most crucial time for us as a leadership team because this is when everything is being shaped and put together. There are a lot of things changing this year and things will be different. We need creativity and God's will combined to plan an awesome, life-changing year!
• I think I'm fighting another sinus infection (well, I have been the last few weeks). My ears are hurting and my head hurts a lot. There are some nasty bushes blooming too. So I don't know if its still sinus stuff or allergies too, but my head feels gross. Yeah.

I love and miss you all. Thanks for the comments (those posted and those not) - they make my day!

My own set of wheels!

Abby is lending me a bike that she doesn't use, so yay I'll be trotting around Crowley on a bike! I'm happy because its absolutely rediculous to really drive around Crowley when you can walk. But sometimes you just don't feel like walking for 8 min. if it could take you one to drive you know? Now I can zip around, get exercise, and not waste gas. Hurray!

On your mark, get set, GO!

After 22 years, and about 5 months, I am a resident of California again. My transition here has been an easy one, for the most part, and that is not a difficulty if you could see this place and know these people. I feel so much at home here with Kent and Jeri Rianda (my wonderful home-openers). Kent is the more driven, task-oriented, detailed entrepreneur, who is always full of stories. Jeri is more mellow, and probably less by-the-book I would guess. None of her recipes ever come out the same (she says), she loves to experiment and doesn't usually plan, though everything she makes turns out amazing (so I heard and now I know for myself). They have a golden retriever named Honey, who, needless to say, is pretty mellow, but man can get you all wet. They also have a chiwawa named Minny, who is adorable and surprisingly not yippy at all. My room is beautiful. The walls are painted a warm tone of yellow, and sponged over gold, the decor and furniture (I have a really cool sleigh bed with drawers underneath) are kind of victorian with this outdoorsy touch. The linens are shades of yellow, gold, and red in paisley and stripes. Totally me. Seriously, it is the most comfortable bed I have EVER slept in! I could write a whole blog about my bed - ha ha! It is a great room, and it feels like sunshine and I love it!
I had some good time with Matt and Abby today, and already they have things for me to do. Each moment proves my fears wrong, and my doubts are dissipating. My life is gonna get pretty crazy from here on out. It's funny cause I wasn't expecting it to pick up so fast so soon, its like on your mark, get set, GO! I love it. This week we are going camping for a few days with a bunch of other families in the church, then this weekend we are doing the clean-up for a big fare to help raise funds. That'll be over late Sunday night, and we leave at about 3am Monday to drive to LA, to fly to Mazatlan, to chill on the beach for a week, come back for a week, program starts, and the insanity begins for the next nine months. Its basically awesome. So y'all, I'm doing great. I am so blessed. I am getting a CA drivers license and gonna get my class B license so I can drive the van. Its gonna be a life-changing nine months. Like having a baby or something, I might come out the other end a whole new person.

Packing...I'm ready to be done now!

Dude, I have way too much stuff. Thats all I have to say. Even though I am proud of myself that I am not taking all of my shoes.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire

In just four days I will drive the 3 hours - a small step, but a leap of faith - to Crowley Lake, CA, where thus is the beginning of so many things for me. Though already the growth process is long underway. It amazes me that just when you think you are safe, something else comes along to challenge and poke you out of your comfortable position.
I received word yesterday that two of the young ladies who had signed up for the program withdrew. Another of the young ladies signed up will not be here until December, so that leaves only one other girl in the program for the fall. One. Simultaneously our other male staff member is having trouble getting his visa into the states (he is from Australia). So here we are just weeks away from Masters starting, we have a program full of guys, but our male staff member is having trouble getting here. I am here and ready to go, and we don't have any girls! Life can be such an irony.
Just when I thought I was safe from the insecurity that nips at faith's heels, I find it chasing me again. But I am choosing anyways to have faith despite what I see. Life is a series of faith-building circumstances, as sometimes we go out of the frying pan and into the fire. In such situations faith is a fight more than ever.
This situation seems impossible - financially we are in a crunch. It is disheartening and discouraging. It makes me feel like I've lost my purpose. But what is the truth? Faith is working in this circumstance. Faith is the substance of what we are hoping for, the evidence we have now of what we do not see yet.
Can I forgot what I have just so recently seen? How I felt when I first began this journey? I felt unneeded, and even like I was imposing. All I wanted was purpose in my life - something to set my hands to where I felt needed and useful. I can still here Tom Lonsdale's words, "we need you, we just don't know it yet." And it proved to be true. I know we will see again the proof of God's hand working for the best in our lives. And in the end God's best and God's plan is always worth the journey.
So I am leaping into any entirely insecure looking circumstance, walking in faith that because God holds the situation in His hands, the future couldn't be any more secure. Who says being a Christian is boring? Living the life of faith is living life on the edge baby! Daniel 11:32b, "...but those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits." I know my God - at this point fear only makes the journey more exciting =)
Prayer Requests:

• Matt & Abby Don (Master's Commission Directors) - This is their first year taking full leadership of the program. Pray that they would not be discouraged or disheartened by our current circumstances or by what they see. Pray that they would be filled with courage, faith, and wisdom.
• Joel (The other staff member) - Pray that he would have favor to get his visa in time! That he would not be discouraged as well in the mist of circumstances that are opposing all of us.
• Students - We still need students, especially girls. Pray that God would open up divine connections, and that He would make a way for the right people He has called to be a part of this program to get here.
• We need new tires for one of the Master's Commission vehicles.
• Please pray for our staff team that we would have eyes to see what God is doing, and to completely let Him reshape what He wants it to look like this year.
  

I threw it all away

So the other day I started going through my stuff and throwing things away. Let me tell you, it was near therapeutic as I got rid of certain things. It was like shedding layers of junk that had built up (not just litterally). Feelings of being pushed out. Dispare of having so many doors in my life close over the last 9 months. The hopelessness I felt that God had good things, good plans in store for my life. I peeled off the doubt and threw it in the trash. A bag full of crap and I threw it all away. I'm ready for the new, and I'm not looking back...