M.I.A.

so I realize I have not updated in a long time. But I have been super busy.

In my last post, I mentioned my car was dying. well, because I didn't feel safe driving my car, and because the repairs cost something close to getting a new/used car, I thought I would look at cars. Well car shopping is extremely time-consuming and stressful. At least it was for me. I had a limited budget and my time was very limited.

So after lots of prayer, and some help from my parents, God provided enough for me to get a 2002 Ford Focus! I am very excited about it. I had driven my friend's focus this past summer, and liked it well enough. Hopefully I will get a picture before too long, although I am leaving for Florida to spend Christmas with my parents who are already down there, escaping this beautiful Christmas weather we are having!

I absolutely love it!!!! (the snow that is) I tried my car out on the snow drenched roads today, and it handles pretty well, it's just that iti is low, and so where they haven't plowed yet, it is hard to get through. I thought I would go out and get a couple errends done, and get some food for tonight and stuff, so I don't have to go out again, but a lot of stuff was closed, not surprisingly, but I did run into Jimmy Johns (apparently most food places are open) and got to hang out with my friends from there for a little while, which was nice, since being home alone, I don't get much human interaction :-)

I am sad I won't be around during Christmas to see all my friends who are coming in from out of town, or out of country, but I am happy to go to a warm place again. I have been having dreams about seeing my thai friends and speaking thai to them, so I think my mind wishes I was in a warm place again :-) and I am missing my friends from there.

other fun news is over New Years, I will be in DC with about 800 international students from all over the U.S. !!!! I am so excited because I get to do a little ministry stuff! then I will gone all the month of January at training for Campus Crusade, taking seminary-level classes and whatnot, so I am excited about that too. so you might not hear much from me in the next month and a half, but hopefully I will have time to keep you posted.

my poor little car

so my car is about to die at last.

I brought it in to the auto mechanic today and he basically told me the engine and transmission are about to fall off my car! the oil pan is rusted through, and the transmission is going.

overall it is going to cost about $1800-$2000 to fix... HAH! about $1000 short of a car 8 years younger. (mine's a 92 with just over 200,000 miles on it)

so I am freaking out a bit, because I need to get a new car and figure out how to afford a new car.

please pray for me that I can get my finances figured out, and that my car would last just a while longer until I can get a new one

so needless to say, I have to quit my job at jimmy johns as a delivery driver....sad day!

Snow

I never realized how much snow is a part of me. I love the fresh crispness of the air. The sound of crunching as you walk through it. the way it flys at and then over your windshield when you're driving, the feeling of laying down in it, how it's icy when packed, but so stisfying to make footprints in fresh clean snow.

I know there are downsides to winter, the salt from the roads collecting on your car, the gray slushiness after many cars have driven on the road, the icyness, the bitter cold that makes you shake all the way through,

but all in all, I am glad to be able to experience snow again. It feels like this is what I have been missing the past two years. I didn't miss it all that much the first year, but the heat just got to me and I think that is one of the major factors in me coming home is just that the heat felt un bearable most of the times.

Although I am cold most of the time and have a hard time getting warm unless rediculously bundled up, I don't mind it. not really :-)

last's week's photo

Clock Tower (at MSU)

last week's photo

Fall mums

the court of law!

So friday all day I was at the oakland county court. I was selected for jury duty, and wouldn't you know it, my name was literally the FIRST name called, first thing, along with 30 other people, but then when we got to the court room, they picked 13 people, and I thought... ok, I won't be picked for this case, but after dismissing a couple people, they needed one last person, and guess what? it was me!

anyway, It was definitly a new experience for me, but I am glad I went. IT was funny, though, when the judge and attorneys were asking questions of the jurors, they asked me what my occupation was.... I said "ministry" they asked what knid and I told them with Campus Crusade reaching out to College students. They asked if I could judge the case impartially and I said I could, and then the attorney of the defense asked his client if they should keep me on or not. I thought that was pretty entertaining. I am only 24 but doing "ministry" and being a "christian" although I am sure at least half the jury line would probably claim to be christian anyway, but the fact that I do it as a profession raises more eyebrows.

anyway, they decided to keep me, and I sat through the case. It was interesting, because I wanted to make sure I was keeping an unbiased opinion. The person was being charged of possesing Cocaine with the intent to deliver/sell. It was nice because at lunch I was reading "Searching for God Knows What" by Donald Miller (fabulous book!) and the chapter I was on was about morals coincidentally enough, and he was talking about how people focus so much on gay and abortion issues politically, but they mostly talk about God and his vengence and whatnot, but don't mention Jesus.... I think this is becuase they know Jesus would love on all people, regardless if they support abortion or Gay rights or hav had an abortion or are gay. He loved on the woman at the well who had many husbands didn't he? he loved the lepers and outcasts of society, so why would he love the gays and abortionists?

anyway, it got me to thinking I shouldn't automatically think this guy bad because he was found with cocaine and herione stuff, but I should feel sorry for him that the devil has twisted up his mind so bad, that he thinks he needs these things. So the second half of the trial a saw in a new light, and I wanted to give my opinion fairly, but I couldn't really see how this guy was innocent. Thankfully enough for me, all the other jurors unanimously agreed he was guilty....

so now I am trying not to judge people by who they hang out with, or what they do, but try to see them through Jesus' eyes ( I know I have heard this so many times) but it really came to light on friday, since I actually was helping to make a judgement.

snow?

I feel like I should put a picture of snow up, since it has been snowing on and off all day today... not much on the ground though, just falling pretty.

I was going to complain that it really sucks how bad the economy is right now, and my friends that I met at New Staff Training in Orlando have been feeling a lot similar. I hear how things with them have been going, and I realize that it's just that time of year. Everyone is getting hyped up about the holidays. Everything becomes a big ordeal, and no one has time for meeting with people to hear about what God is doing, they all have so many other things to do, and I don't blame them!

I am praying so hard for all those who have or are possibly going to lose their jobs with GM. If you aren't in Michigan... an update... almost everyone in Michigan works for or has family that works for GM, Ford, and Chrysler. So this market is absolutely terrible, and I don't know anyone that is not being affected by what's going on. So my prayers are with you!!!

For me, support is getting difficult. I get it into my head that if I don't do everything just so then I won't get my support in. I think it is all my efforts. I see myself as failing since I am not doing as well as I had hoped I was. but that's the problem. I.

The last paragraph has the word "I" or "me" or "my" 14 times!!!!! 4(-ish) sentances. I am comgin to the point where I need to remember it is Him. He is the one that is doing this. not me. He is taking care of me, and providing for me. What I am asking of Him is mere pocket change, but every single penny feels like a mountain to me. ( Mt 17:20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.")

Thank you so much for all your prayers... specifically, be praying I would get $400 a month in support come in so I can pay for the utilities while my parents go to Florida for the winter. I know God will do everything in His timing not mine, and I am counting on it, it just gets so hard to trust and depend fully on Him for everything. Everywhere I go, everyone tells me that or reminds me of that, and I feel like I hardly need reminding, I am living every day!

My life can be summed up by one word. "Dependent" it's just a matter of who or what I am depending on that makes the difference. when I move from depending on the lord, to my self, that's when I get into trouble. sometimes I wish my life would just fall into place like a fairy tale, but I know God has amazing things in store for me, it's just hard to see the full picture from down here.

Memories of Thailand

Today my mom was standing behind her car, and I was going to start it up, but I paused, I stopped, because I thought, I don't want the exhaust to get my mom all dirty!

To tell the story of what happened to make me believe this I will bring you back to a year ago, in Chiang Rai, Thailand:We had just gotten a station wagon so my team of 6 could travel the 3 hour ride back and fourth from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai for our meetings. As we got ready to go one day, Cristen from our team was standing behind the car, getting into the back. As we turned the car on, the exhaust blew out black soot all over Cristen's cream colored pants!!!!
Ever since then, I think we have all been careful not to stand in from of the exhaust pipe, or have been more cautious about who is behind the car.

So that is why I paused when my mom was behind the car, because I didn't want the exhaust to blow black soot all over her :-)

Photo os the week

Fall leaves

Mangos and Sticky rice!!!!

One of my favorite dishes in Thailand was Mangos and sticky rice!
it is made with sticky rice and coconut milk with mangos! This weekend I tried to make some, but to no avail :-(

So I bought this bamboo steaming basket to put in a pot in order to steam glutanous rice (the kind used to make sticky rice). I did it the way my Thai friends had instructed me, but I think I am supposed to rotate the rice throughout the steaming process? some of it turned out right, but the rest was still crunchy. and then I heated up the coconut milk to put in the rice and mixed it together, but it wasn't the right taste and texture.

Then the mangos we had bought were definitly NOT ripe! They were picked to early and then left to ripen while shipping them here, they got soft, but when I peeled them they still looked unripe and were not sweet. actually pretty bland.
so, it really didn't work, but I think I have a better idea on how to make the rice now.

My mom tried some of the crunchy/mushy rice and said -"this tastes right!"
My respose was "mom, I have lived in Thailand for TWO years!!!! I think I know what sticky rice tastes like!!!"
She said "well I had some when I visited!" but really she was only in thailand for 2 weeks and maybe had sticky rice twice..... so really she doesn't know, but I will keep trying!!!!
:-)
I'll let you know when I get it right!

FREEZING!!!!!

So I am not enjoying the 40ish weather we have been having. I have decided the 50 and 60 degree weather is more agreeable to me. Thankfully we did NOT get snow today, there was some hail yesterday, but not much. But the freezing cold rain is something I have not missed much.

Last night I counted how many blankets I have on my bed, and I have 5. One sheet, a down comforter, a light quilt, a fleece throw and a down throw on top of that. :-D :-)

I know, a little bit overboard, but I get so cold, I just can't warm up!!! I totally forgot about wearning pajama pants and long sleeves to bed. I have slept in a t-shirt and shorts for two years straight, I forget about layers! and I have to say I am LOVING it!!!!!

Marisa-your "cold Arkansas nights" have nothing on Michigan's 40 degree DAYS with a chance of snow right now. I saw your pictures... you were still going without a coat outside during the day! I can't even run down to the mailbox without freezing half to death! :-)
(This is Marisa who was on my team my first year in Thailand she has a blog about her 2.5 kids and husband and their ministry with Campus Crusade at Arkansas: the foltz4--- I guess she will have to change her blog name to foltz 5 soon!!!!! :-) )

My car got broken into!

So a couple weeks ago I was in Troy, hanging out with my brother, and I got back to my car, and the door was slightly ajar, but I thought, maybe I just didn't close it all the way when I got out, since I had a lot of stuff in my hands. Anyway, so I got on the expressway, and then I noticed a light in the back of my van was on, I reached to turn it off and realized, there was no way I could have turned this light on. I have not been in the back of my van for at least a week, and I can reach it from the front, I have to crawl into the back to turn it off. Anyway, I realized my car had been broken into, and when I got home I called my brother about it.

The next day he made a police report, so they would keep an eye on the neighborhood. The whole way home I was trying to think of anything ofg value in my car they might have stolen, but I couldn't think of anything. I watch CSI shows too, and I thought about how they do fingerprinting, so I was trying to figure out how to turn off the light and check the glovebox without messing up the fingerprints, but then decided since I had nothing of value, and I don't think anything was stolen, they wouldn't do forensics on my car or anything like that. However, yesterday I saw my brother, and he was telling me about the report he made and the officer asked him if I was planning on bringing the car back to Troy to do forensics, he said no, he just wanted to make sure the police knew about it. But it amazed me that they would do forensics, even though there was nothing stolen.

I think 10 years ago they probably never would have done that, but now that forensics is all over TV it has helped them out a lot. I don't know. my cool story about my car being broken into. not that it's cool, I freak out about leaving ANYTHING in my car now, but better to be safe than sorry.

Last week was WHEW!

Warning: this is a long one, and for some reason, my blog isn't lett me me put spaces in between the paragraphs :-/

So last week was very very interesting. I think because I was able to meet with so many, and talk to some really amazing encouraging people, Satan was not happy, and tried to throw me off.

(warning, if you are a super animal lover, do not read the next paragraph)

Monday: it started out, I was driving and I hit a wood chuck! I have never hit anything before, and I felt so bad. I was driving and this animal was in the middle of the road, and it had no place to go, a truck on one side, and then me coming, and so it was running back and forth, and finally decided the best place to go would be to run under my tire! I was so shocked and surprised, I felt so bad for the poor thing.

The good thing is I saw 16 swans on our lake! They were so beautiful and majestic

Tuesday: I was getting ready to meet a lady from my church and I just finished blow drying my hair, I took a moment to just take in the storm blowing in, blowing the water creating waves going off the lake, my dad joined me at the window, just watching the storm. All of a sudden, in slow motion, I see the boat being blown by the wind, pulling the dock along with it, ripping the dock out of the water, and pulling the whole thing apart. I yell "oh my gosh the dock!!!!" and my dad couldn't see it where he was at, but just ran outside and started heading down. I ran, changed out of my nice clothes and joined him. We both got into the water, pulling pieces of the dock back onto shore so they wouldn't float/blow away. my dad tied up the boat and we got it pretty well settled. when I got inside, I realized I was going to be late for my appointment, and so I called, my friend said, "well at least you have a REALLY good excuse" :-)

Thursday: So I was headed to another support appointment on Thursday night. Praying as I was going that God would just give me words, and be working. As I am going along, I notice I am at the area where the road narrows down to one lane, and it's all construction, I see the construction sign telling me the road ahead is going to merge so I turn on my blinker and try to get over, but there is a car there, so I decided to get ahead to merge over. Just about this time, we come over the hill, and I realize the construction is all cleared up, and I don't want to cut the other guy off, so I stop trying to merge and straighten back out into my lane, but by this time, the guy behind me decided he was going to pass me and was already headed into the left lane(the lane I was in) to get around me since I was moving over, but now I realize he's trying to get by me, so I try to move out of his way to the right, but he is already trying to do that now. So I am just confused at where this guy is going, and I am just trying to get out of his way, well, he then decides to turn on his lights. It's a COP! he pulls me over, and I am thinking, ok, it's just a misunderstanding, no big deal, no need to get upset or anything. If anything, maybe I just didn't come to a complete stop at the blinking red back there, I don't know, I am pretty calm, not really worried.

So the guy comes up to my window, and asks me, so what was going on back there. I start to try to explain, but my body defies me and I start to get a little choked up anyway (even though, it's a completely non-threatening situation), I tell him, sorry, for getting choked up, I try to take a breath to calm myself down, and while I am taking my breath, he starts yelling at me. Telling me I have issues with Road rage, it's bad enough that I am doing that to a cop, I shouldn't be driving that way with regular people (I had no idea he had been a cop when he was behind me, b/c it was so dark) and he just keeps going on and on reaming me out, yelling at me telling me how bad a driver I am and how bad a person I am, and so I start SOBBING I mean I don't do very well when people are accusing me of something, that I didn't intentionally do! I couldn't even get a word in! Finally, I did get a chance to say something, and asked if I could, he said " you better explain yourself" so I tried to tell him about the construction sign, and then he went on and on about how the construction wasn't there any more, and was yelling and accusing me some more. I finally said "well I realized the construction was gone, after we got to the top of the hill" inbetween sobs of course. so then he asks if I am from the area, I say yes, he asks what my record is like, I say I've never been pulled over before, and he takes my liscense and stuff, and says he'll be back in a moment.

I just sit there praying, trying to calm down. b/c I know I have to meet some people and my face is going to be all red and puffy, so I try to calm down.

Then the guy comes back, and very nice, sweet, calm voice he says "well I'm just going to give you a verbal warning for now, drive home safely, and just becareful when your driving from now on"

I couldn't believe it!!!! the only thing I can think of that changed his whole demeanor is that he looked at my record, and there is NOTHING on it! the only thing might be a parking ticket at MSU, but that would be it. No accidents, no nothing! so later I thinking, maybe THIS guy has problems with road rage.... I don't know.... maybe I could win a prize for best story about a support appointment. :-)

Friday: I get a letter in the mail, saying I have been picked for Jury Duty! I can't believe it! I am just so crazy busy now, and in the middle of raising support, and all sorts of stuff.... and Jury Duty.... oh well, hopefully I won't get picked.

So my conclusion is that Satan is not happy that I am doing well, and I am in the word, and just overall, happy about how things are going right now, even though the economy sucks, God is taking care of me.

So yeah, that's a little about how my week went

last week's photo of the week

here's is last week's photo

Tribute to the end of summer

Amazing Thailand

Here is my video I created about some of my experiences in Thailand

Amazing Thailand

So Fast!

Wow! Last week just flew by, and it must have been because I was working a lot for Jimmy John's (my part-time job) and outside with my mom. I loved it though. I moved a whole pile of wood for her, and we just spent some time getting the house looking nice for her friends coming into town, and I got to do some manuel labor, which I think deep down makes me feel wonderful. I am a hand's on type person and if you give me a job, even though it's tedious, and it's within my capabilities to do, and if I have good company or music, I just love it! I worked for this one guy the summer before I went to thailand painting stuff around his place and stuff like that. I LOVED it because even thoguh it was tedious, it had an end point, and I got to listen to my favorite music, and just enjoy the time completing something.

I think that's why support seems difficult at times, because it's not something I can necessarily finish exactly, it's something more the Lord has to finish. I can do all the steps to get there, but ultimately it's the lord working in people's hearts that will complete my team of supporters.

I took some time out this week just to take some pictures of fall, and it's so relaxing for me, and God has provided some wonderful sceneries for me!!!!

So many people ask how support's going, so if you are wondering, and haven't actually asked recently, it's going well. I am meeting so many people interested in the ministry I am doing and it's so encouraging. I am really enjoying raising support now compared to before going to Thailand. the New Staff Training I went to in September helped encourage me by going through what the bible says about raising support, and how god provides, and what He's called us to. So I guess I just feel more confident now of what I am doing because I know God has already asked me to Go to MSU with Bridges, it's just a matter, of who is going to be blessed by joining my team of ministry partners.

Oh! and Church this morning was AMAZING!!!! I got the chance to go to Riverview this morning. It's the church I went to while I was at MSU. It's a younger congregation, and I have been listening to the sermons while I was in Thailand, along with the Village Church in Texas. It was SO cool, because I have been listening to them teach, and talk about the new building and just all the goings ons at the church, and today I actually got to join them again! I got to finally see the new building after hearing about it for two years, but never being able to visit, as well as hear the pastor in person, and not on a podcast. SO COOL! SO much fun! and the worship was so amazing. It spoke right to my heart this morning. Mostly it was all Hymns. We sang Amazing Grace too, and I have been listening to the song a lot recently because I made a video with the song as the background music, but today I was just moved to tears, that and a couple other songs I have not sung for a year. Not since I was in Copper Mountain, CO for our briefing conference and my new team that I was going to Chiang Rai with.

Wow. I just. I mean. wow. it was great. Thank you god. Thank you for amazing music! It just stirred up all the hopes and dreams I had a year ago, and then I think of what God did these past two years, the lives he's changed, tha amazing experiences that happened, the blessings, the hardships, the transformation. wow. it was good.

photo of week

Last Week's Photo of the week: Grasshopper (right outside my garage)

Dreaming...

So I am taking a course called "New Testment Survey" and it is a seminary level course. One of the assignments we have to do is pray for the campus we are going to be on, and taking time to dream about being with our team. Well last night, I dreamt about being in a classroom of Chinese students. They were listening to an American speak, and they couldn't understand a thing he was saying, and I think it was just his accent, or he was speaking too fast, but anyway, in my dream me and a friend took it upon ourselves to sit down with a group of the students and just start breaking the lecture down for them, and speaking slowly in terms they could understand.

When I woke up, it just made me so sad that I could not be on campus yet, and that I have to wait for the Lord's timing. I know he will get me there right on time :-)

butI miss working with the Thai girls, and even a couple chinese girls that I made friends with these past two years.

Pandora

I "found" this great website that you can listen to music to online, and I am obsessed with it! but it is so wonderful. By "found" I mean at work they use pandora, and so since I have seen it and used it there, I am now using it at home.

I change the "station" depending on my mood, and it fits me perfectly!!! you can select a song you like, and it makes a radio station based on the musical qualities and the artisit of that song, or an artist you like and it will make a station based on the songs by that artist. I have gone through the scal of nickleback, pink, daughtry, enya, michael west, and others.
And the best part about it, is that it's free! I know this sounds like an ad, but I spend a lot of time on my computer, and sometimes I get tired of what I have on itunes, or just want to hear some new stuff, and this past week, it has been a lot of fun to spice up my little "space" in my parents basement where I have my "desk" set up :-)

last week's photo of the week

Cattails(dedicated to my brother)

no time!!!!

I am finding how incredibly crazy my schedule is getting. It's full of people I want to meet and hang out with and stuff, but I miss working out in the mornings and I am just so tired now during the day, now that I don't have my routine in the mornings. I feel like I never stop moving.





This past saturday was nice though, I got to go visit my cousin's little girls and watch the one play her soccer game.... she's only 5 and way cute!!!!

My cousin, his wife and their two little girls...... oh so cuteThis is the younger one a year ago, now she is 3

after the game my other cousin, Julie, and I took the girls to chuck E Cheese's... I have not been there in AGES! but it was fun hanging out with the girls. Afterward my cousin and I went and saw The Women, which was a good movie, nothing super fantastic, but something fun to see on a saturday. so it was nice to just chill a bit on Saturday. but now I look forward to my week and think... yikes! I need to balance work and meeting people, and my boss doesn't like to make the work schedule till the day before the "new" week, which oddly enough starts on Wednesday, so I really don't know how to plan stuff for a lot of the week, but I am sure God will help me figure it all out.

I feel really blessed too that my boss is so accommadating. I think he might like it if I worked more since I am pretty reliable, but I am really just doing this to pay for gas and my cell phone bill for now.... I guess we will see how it goes.... I might actually need to work more hours if things don't pick up soon, so keep me in your prayers. I am trying to trust God as much as I can, but also be obedient and do my part, but it's hard. But I know God has big plans for me, I just need to patient, which I think is the hardest. so maybe I should be praying for patience more than trusting the lord, I don't know!

yay for crunching leaves

(pictures from a few years ago)

so today I crunched on my first crunchy leaf of the fall season!!!! yay!!!!

and many more to go!


I got some apple cider and a doughnut and a caramel apple yesterday, it just absolutely made my day!

Growing up in Rochester, MI we were surrounded by cider mills, every school field trip in the fall was to one, weekends were spent running around, watching how the cider and doughnuts were made. The past two years it has been so hard to really feel like it was october and november without the cold, the leaves changing and the cider. In Fact, when thanksgiving rolls around, it barely seems like a special day, except that all of us are on the phone late at night or early in the morning, connecting with family. Of course we had a special meal together, but it never felt like thanksgiving thanksgiving.

so not to purposefully quote McDonalds, but I'm lovin it!
I LOVE FALLLLLLLLL!!!!! :-)and I can't wait until next year to spend fall at MSU again, because it is absolutley gorgeous there by the cedar river.
So I hope you get a moment or two to go outside and take a walk and enjoy the changing of the season.

FALL!!!!!!

can I just tell you how excited I am that fall is here?!?!



I have not experienced fall for two years now, and it is so incredibly nice to have some cooler/cold weather.

I get to wear fall clothes too!!!!



and I am so looking forward to the leaves changing colors... this is going to be the longest I have ever lived in this house, and I love the way it feel in each season, I really feel the difference in Fall versus how it was in the summer... I am not sure I am looking forward to winter though :-)



A summer's night -the previous photo of the week(or month :-P )

Praise the Lord!!!!

ok I know I haven't posted much in the past couple weeks, I was at new staff training with campus crusade for Christ, I would love to write more about that in my next post.

but for now,
I am so excited.

My poor car, has all sorts of issuses. I finally got it all fixed from when the wheel went flying off. now I went to get the windshield wipers fixed, because they weren't working very well. they would wipe and everything, but the fluid wouldn't come out, and the wipers wouldn't STOP working when I turned them off..... anywho I went to get them fixed, knowing it would be about $200-300 to get a new motor, which we thought was what was wrong....and the guy called me two hours later saying, I don't know what was wrong with them, but they seem to work fine for me.... it's nuts!!! I have no idea why they are working suddenly. maybe they are only behaving for a little while? or maybe god fixed them.... I don't know what happened, but the Lord is good!

Last week's photo of the week:

so, the renaissance festival is in town, and I am so excited to go. I don't know why but I just have so much fun, like I am whisked away to another time and another place. I think that's why I like reading so much, that you get to be removed to another time and place. Forget about all your worrys and such of today. Live the life of another.

speaking of which, I have just gotten into a new series, called the AD. Chronicles by Brodie and Brock Thoene( I think that is the right spelling) but it's about roman times when Jesus lived, and the lives of people who were affected by him and his ministry. it's pretty cool. I read another series by Francine Rivers called the Mark of the Lion, about a Jewish Christian living as a slave in Rome. it was pretty cool too. I am just a book worm though, I eat up almost everything!

kodak moment lost....

well, I should have taken a picture, but it was too crazy and stressful as it was, but it would have been funny.....

so

Today I was working delivery with Jimmy Johns (yes.... I know, quite an interesting job, but it helps pay for gas and such while I am raising support)... anyway, as I made my first delivery aroudn 11am this morning, my tire sounded funny, and I thought, oh no, this could be bad. so I did what I always do when something is wrong on my car, I called my dad. well, he said his car sounded just like mine did when he needed to get the brake pads changed, so I should take it in, but it would be fine to take in after work got over somewhere around 2 or so.... so, I continued to make deliveries throughout the day and it kept making noises, and made me nervous, so I was a worried wreck all day at work, didn't really feel like talking at all, b/c I was trying to think of how much the bill would be, and how to balance my budget since I need NEED to buy a new computer, since my current one will only let me use it for about 10 min before the screen shuts off. All this going through my head, I made my last delivery of the day, was excited b/c I should be home free in a few minutes and then get my car fixed, and one thing off my mind... well I was turning out of the sub, and all of a sudden my car dips, and I hear a scraping sound, I immediately swerve to the shoulder of the road, and I look and see my tire flying across the road, bouncing around 20 ft in the air going everywhere.... snap... I really would have like to capture that moment on film.... oh well....

anyway so it turns out my tire rotation I got with my oil change the wheel got on cockeyed or something.. the guy said it happens like twice a year, (lucky me) and they are paying for all the costs everything, so not too bad a deal, but it was nuts. thankfully I was not hurt, and my dad was able to drive right over and drive me back into work so I could clock out. All in all, a more exciting day than I would have liked. here's a pic of my car if you wanna see what it looks like... it's a '92 and I seem to keep it running pretty well, so I don't mind it's, as long as it gets me from A to B :-)

Mine is the silver one

on the road again....

Here are some more pics from our road trip: Yay!!!
Betty : our faithful navigator!

Megan trying to look tough

What I learned from Ramsey

so Ramsey on my Stint team these past two years is from Virginia and I think every time we talked about food we missed or something, all I remember him talking about is Bojangles... I thought he was kidding the first time I heard him talking about it, but it reall does exist and I ate there in honor of him

so I skipped a week....

Last two weeks picture of the week: So this past week I was in Virginia!!!! It was so nice to just get out and hang out and have no responsibilities, and just time hanging out with friends. I went to visit my friends Matt and Megan, who have just celebrated their one year anniversay.

I had a great time. I got to meet some her fun friends and we even got to go on a road trip to NC to visit another of our friends from school, Kristen, who just got married a couple months ago. It was a nice small reunion, and Meg and I had fun on the road trip. here are some pictures from my trip:

5 hours going south on I-85 whoo hoo!!

Me and Megan
Kristen and megan(megan doing a trick with a lemon rind
me stopping to smell the flowers at Maymont(a castle in richmond)
megan's favorite bridge
me driving....yay!
prettyness at the park
more prettyness

adjusting

so now that I am back in America, I am in this time of "adjustment"
people have asked me, "so are you all adjusted?"

well.... there are a few different things I need to get adjusted to:
for starters, there's the climate-the answer is yes, I am adjusted, I still think much below 75 is cold, but I LOVE IT!!!!

time change- yes, I am all adjusted back, but really the light is messing me up. In thailand it was light from abotu 6am to 6pm sometimes it got light at 5am sometimes it was dark at 7pm, but pretty much for 2 years that was the light schedule, I got used to wakign up when sunlight filled my room, and after it go dark I had 3 or 4 hours to wind down before going to bed. Since I have been home, the sun in the morning was pretty bright at about 7, which was good, almost the same, so getting up wasn't hard, but at night, at the beginning of July, the sun went down about 10, so then I felt like I still had 3 or 4 more hours before I should sleep, but I was getting up at 7:30, so I needed to be going to bed around 10! now the sun is coming up later and later, so it's getting harder and harder for me to get up!!! I hope this will get easier though.

getting to a "normal" schedule. The past month of being in Thailand was crazy as I was trying to get everything prepared to come back home, see everyone before I left, and still working, going to meetings and going on campus everyday, planning and having events, etc.. now that I am home, it's crazy because I sort of get to plan my own schedule, and having a lot more free time, it's hard to balance time with family, time with friends, working out, having a quiet time, and getting work done. I find myself spending a whole day doing one thing, not multiple things, so no I have not adjusted to balancing out my time.

Raising support again....my thoughts on that are AAAAaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! no really, I am trying to remember God can provide for all my needs, and he has in the past, and he will do it again, and he has not called me to be on staff with Campus Crusade if he means for me just to fall flat on my face and be lacking. but it's hard. so no, I have not quite gotten adjusted to raising support again, but I think I am almost there! :-)

to seeing my friends again. YES! let me just tell you, I LOVE being able to see friends and be encourage and enjoy one another's company. I have kept in touch with most of them, but not consistently, and often times I felt very lonely and forgotten in Thailand, but now it seems like everyone wants to see me and hang out, and I really do love being lifted up and encouraged by them after a year or two of separation.

photos of the week

here are previous weeks photos: July 6-19
I know it's blurry, but it just turned out so cool! July 20-26
The sun setting outside the window of the plane-July27-Aug 2

pictures

to make it easier here are the websites where my pictures (all old ones I have posted before, no new ones...yet!) are posted, so you don't have to go through my old blog looking for the sites:
the last trip to elephant island
waterfall adventure
a day at san kampeng
take a walk with me
take a walk #2
back to Bethleham
Cambodia-the lost city of Angkor
Songkran A.K.A biggest water fight in the world!
life in the moo-bon (village life)
The gardens
Rice, Thailand style!
Elephant riding
CM2007
CM2007 part 2
random cool stuff
Thailand's beauty

"Up North"

For all of you that do not live in Michigan, "Up North" refers to the middle to northern part of michigan where Michiganders go to vacation usually during the summer months. This past week I went up with my cousin Julie and her husband matt to spend the weekend plus a couple days with Her family. they rent a cabin on a lake, and their whole family and their family friends all go up for about 2 weeks, or just the weekend in the middle. I have been going up there for about 7 years now, and it is so much fun just to be able to spend time with that side of the family. (my mom's sister) My cousin Jess also has two little girls maddie who is 5 and emily who is 3. They are so cute, and have grown so much in the past 2 years. before I left for thailand Emily wasn't even speaking yet, and when I came home last april, she was talking up a storm! I am glad I have been able to spend time with them now though.
While we were up there we did have a little accident. I took some pictures on my cell phone, but I can't get them onto to my computer. We were hit by a guy running a red light, and I got a little whiplash and fortunately that was the worst of the injuries. God was definitly looking out for us, because a couple milliseconds later, and I think there could have been a lot worse injuries.

Now I am preparing to raise support for the beginning part of my training, I thought I might have enough support to cover it all, but I didn't realize quite what the costs would be with travel and everything. Everything in America is just so much more expensive, I know I will be comparing Thailand and America a lot in that respect. If you are interested in giving a special donation to help cover the costs for New Staff Training, please visit this website and search for account 0584391
Thanks!!!

random happenings

so everyday I think, "oooo I should put THAT in my blog today," or something along those lines, and I never do. I just hate being on the computer sometimes, because my computer likes to die on me, and I think the less I am on it, the better, but the less I am on it, the less I can get accomplished. so like if my friends say something on my wall that don't need an immediate response, I wait a couple days when I can more time aside to dilly dally on the computer.

so things I have been really thankful for :
-seeing Lindsay, my friend who is teaching abroad in Peru and is home for the summer
-seeing Melissa, a friend from school who lives in Ohio,
-and then Nick, Megan and Jason H. who are also friends from MSU, but live relatively nearby, compared to Linsday and Melissa, as well as megan's mom and brother.

-spending time with my grandma and grandpa today since today is my grandma's birthday!!! happy birthday grandma!

-wind-I know I have said it before, but I really love windy days, and today was beautiful

-cappuccinos!!! I finally tasted an american one today and it is the closest so far to the european style lattes I would have in Thailand(American lattes taste like hot milk to me blagh!)

Things I am still getting used to:
-getting into the driver's side of the car on the left side of the car( I just had to close my eyes to think of where it is) I love going to the right side of my car which is where the steering wheel is on cars in Thailand.
-how BIG everything is in America,
-saying pop, and up north, and not getting strange looks
-the time difference. the jet lag is almost worn off but mornings are still very hard

Interesting notes:
-a new church I visited today is sending a team to work in Chiang Rai Thailand in october to help with an orphanage!!! it's a small small world! my mom said I shoudl go to help translate!
-I just realized that the reason it get s late so fast for me is because for the past two years, it got dark at about 6pm, so I could always tell how late it was, now it's almost 10pm before it's completely dark!

Welcome!!!

This is my new blog!!!! I was having trouble formatting my old one, so I have change to this new one!!! plus I can put pictures on here more easily so hopefully I will have more available to accompany my blog! I hope you enjoy posts to come!

you can still get back to my old blog to see posts from the last two years at
www.xanga.com/armst138