How Great Is Our God{Canada:Day Four}

Wednesday, March 16th

Today was another great day spent at UGM! I was designated “ketchup girl” during breakfast. Let me just say, Canadians love their ketchup. They requested it on everything, even their toast.

To each his own.

Then Libby and I sorted through pastries, fruits, and vegetables to bag for the homeless people. (We only ate a few things from Starbucks. Don’t judge us.)

I talked with a guy today who had his two-year old daughter with him. He said her mother left when she was only a few months old and he was raising her on his own. “It’s tough,” he said. “I only bring her here when we need food. I don’t like her to be in this environment.”

It was very sad. I will probably think of that little girl forever. I hope she is warm and her tummy is full.

After we left UGM, we ate a quick lunch at Burger King and then headed back to the house to take a nap.

That night, our group split up and went to two different devotionals.

I loved the one I ended up going to!

For one, they live on the beach in White Rock, BC. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. God is such an artist!

The devo was great. Keri led it and she talked a lot about who we are in Christ and about spending time with Him. Afterwards, she made us nachos. Speaking my love language.

When the night was over and we were back at the house, our group just hung out, laughed and played cards.

Like a family…

Celebrating Life{Canada:Day Three}

Tuesday, March 15th

We left at 7 this morning for New Westminster, BC to work at Union Gospel Mission Drop-In Centre, where homeless people can come and get food for the day.

The doors open at 8 a.m. and they are served a hot breakfast. They each get to pick out two loaves of bread from the bread shelves, and then there is a devotional. At noon, lunch is served. They also get a bag of fruits or vegetables and Starbucks pastries.

It really is an incredible mission! Everything is donated by stores/companies in the area. Starbucks donates their leftover pastries, stores donate fruits/vegetables, and various places donate bread!

Our job was to serve them food and then to sit with them and get to know them.

Brette and I decided to talk to a very intimidating guy. He had on a spiky leather jacket and pants, a mohawk, and a lip ring. We ended up talking with him for 3+ hours. His name was Neck.

Nice ring to it, huh?

He was only 20 and had been on the streets for years. He talked of nothing but drugs, drinking, and rape. We talked of nothing but school, God, and that we don’t drink.

At one point he said, “I didn’t know people like you existed!”

I don’t think we really got through to him, though. Somewhere in our conversation he said something about what he would do to us if he met us in an alley somewhere. The next time I talked to Neck, I took a boy with me! (Thanks Tim.)

After we left UGM, we traveled into Vancouver to do some cleanup at The Lions Den, a community centre. The floors were black when we got there, and after being on our hands and knees for a few hours, they were white!

The people at the community centre were such a blessing to be around! They were just so grateful that we were there and excited that we were helping them.

When we left The Lions Den, it was time to eat dinner. We walked a few blocks to an Italian restaurant. It was probably the best pizza I have ever eaten! Mmm, pesto pizza. I want some now.

In honor of Chelsey’s birthday, we went down to the International Ice Cream Factory where there was over 200 flavors of ice cream/gelato!

I was adventurous and tried flavors like curry gelato. Dairy curry? Gag.  

   

And then we went home and passed out. It was a wonderfully busy day!

“5 points for a condom!”{Canada:Day 3}

Monday, March 14th

We rolled out of the bed early, got ready (which is a post in itself) and went downstairs to grab some breakfast. Our wonderful hosts, Larry and Rose, had fresh fruit, apple fritters, three different kinds of cereal, juices, milk…they went above and beyond all week!

After eating a fritter and fruit, we left for the city!

We spent our day picking up trash in neighborhoods for the Community Policing Centre.

That was an interesting experience! The main things we were looking to pick up were needles (drug use is rampant in Canada), bags of poop (both human –homeless people- and animal), and condoms.

The Centre even set up a point system for us, since our group split up and were “competing.”

10 points – needle
7 points – bag of poop
5 points – used condom
2 points – condom wrapper

Believe it or not, we found all those things!

That night some sweet church members grilled steaks for us! One thing we did in Canada, without a doubt, was eat good.

For our group, this night was epic. As soon as dinner was over and we had cleaned up, we all slowly congregated into the same room. Two nights into the trip and we were all around each other because we enjoyed it so much. How awesome!

It ended up being intense. We each started sharing things we struggle with. When everyone had shared, we had a mexican prayer. (A mexican prayer is when you pray out loud for the person sitting to your right or left, and everyone does it at the same time. It’s incredible!)

Then we sang a few songs. There is something about singing a cappella in a quiet house with people you just shared your heart with.

I’m so grateful for the people in my group. I love them dearly!  

Fellowshipping With The Saints{Canada:Day Two}

Sunday, March 13th

Our first full day in British Columbia was amazing!

We started the day off at the Delta Church of Christ. It’s a small congregation and they have no church building. Their services are held in a elementary school gymnasium.

Still, a church is not the building but the body of Christ, and I met some very sweet people! Emily and I taught the children’s class and our great guys led the service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After service, the members had prepared for us an amazing potluck. We Church of Christ members are famous for our potlucks! Even in Canada. Who knew?

That afternoon our group drove around Delta, BC and picked up over 200 bags of food that the community donated to the local food bank.

Amazing! People were so giving, and hopefully they are now curious about the Delta Church of Christ!

You can read more about our efforts for the food bank here.

That night we had a home devotional with our group and members from the church. It was simple- a few songs and prayer, and then pizza. But it made it very intimate and special.

Then the church members surprised us with Canada gear! We were such tourists…

And then we had an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.

  

Our week was just beginning, and we had no idea the wonderful things in store for us!

Instant Bonds{Canada:Day 1}

We were up early. In the 4 a.m. range, just to give you an idea.

It wasn’t hard to get out of my warm bed, though. I was beyond excited!

Brette and I got ready, grabbed our suitcases and went downstairs to catch the airport shuttle with our group. Someone from another group going on the same shuttle was late and we stood outside waiting for a long time.

Clearly I was excited about that.

Soon we were off to Little Rock to catch our flight to Phoenix, Arizona, a state I have always wanted to visit!

 

We bummed around the Phoenix airport for a few hours, eating Wendy’s and playing cards.

Eventually we boarded the plane and flew to Seattle, Washington. Amazing city! I loved it.

Once we were safely in Seattle, the family we were staying with picked us up from the airport and we ventured a short 2-hour drive to Vancouver.

When we arrived to our home for the week, the smell of salmon, asparagus, breads and pastas engulfed us. Rose, our lovely mom for the week, is the best cook and hostess in the world. Truly her spiritual gift.

Within 10 minutes of us walking in the door, she collapsed and had to spend the night in the hospital.

We were scared. We were worried. We did the only thing we could: circled up, held hands and prayed.

And just like that, we became a family.

Best Week of My Life

After flying, driving, serving, praying, singing, volunteering, exploring, and bonding, I’m home to my tiny dorm room.

It was an amazing week of God working through me and in me. That’s always awesome, isn’t it?

I miss those sweet people in the picture, too. We were strangers and we clicked almost instantly.

This week I will be writing about my trip and the things I experienced. It was all pretty good (understatement) so don’t miss out!

See you in Vancouver soon!

Hello There, Spring Break.

Spring break is finally here!

Which means that I am off to Vancouver, Canada for the next 7 days.

Please pray for my group to have safe travels and for us to show the love of God to the sweet people we encounter!

 

Peace out girl scouts.

On My Mind

besides midterms…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MANA {Mother Administered Nutritive Aid}

This non-profit organization is combining peanut butter and fortified milk into a product they call RUTF, Ready to Use Therapeutic Food, and it’s been designed specifically to treat kids diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition.

“A child diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition can be – literally – on the brink of death. On average, three packets a day for six weeks will revive a child, getting him or her back to normal nutritive levels, healthy, responsive and happy.  Better yet, the RUTF track record is such that kids who have been “nursed” back to health from a SAM state rarely fall back into that state again.  In other words, when they’re back, they’re back for good!”

 

 Under The
Banner of Heaven
by Jon Krakauer

“In Under the Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer tells the story of the killers and their crime but also explores the shadowy world of Mormon fundamentalism from which the two emerged.”

A book about Mormons and murder?

Hand it over.

 

 

Spring Break Mission

In three days I am flying to Vancouver, Canada for my spring break with a group of Harding students.

Of course we have our “free time” packed with fun things to do, but our purpose of the trip is to serve the homeless individuals living on the streets.

I can’t even imagine what it must be like. God has blessed me so much and I hope that we can bless these people while we’re there. Please pray for our trip.

 

…And back to the books!

 COUNTDOWN(S)

04 days until spring break in Vancouver, Canada

35 days until Kaylee gets
home from Rexburg, Idaho

64 days until sophomore year is over
and summer vacation begins

98 days until I’m in Panama City Beach
with my home-slices

 

What are you looking forward to?

Seventh Grade.

Those two words make me cringe.

Oh, seventh grade.

Everyone was awkward in middle school. I know that. But no one on this planet was as awkward as me.

Let’s begin with my physical appearance.

I was probably 20 pounds overweight for my height, had gotten a perm the previous year (which means that by the time 7th grade rolled around, it was half straight/half curly), had straight bangs that hung into my eyes, and wore a ridiculous pair of blue cotton (high watering, mind you) sweatpants at least twice a week. With a matching baby blue shirt.

And sneakers.

It gets worse. (HOW?!)

I had a freaky obsession with Hilary Duff. I’m pretty sure my parents were questioning my sexuality. Actually I know they were. Because they asked me. That made for interesting table talk. (I was just a fan!)

I had everything Hilary Duff related that you can even think of. Bed spread, jewelry, clothes, CD, books, and I made a fansite.

I also cut out articles about her in magazines and made a scrapbook. A SCRAPBOOK!

What’s worse? Everyone at school knew about this weird obsession. People actually brought me pictures of her from magazines that they had cut out for me.

(I think that’s pretty weird of them, but who am I to judge?)

To top it off, I was in band. A true Clarinet Connoisseur.

My friends deserve a medal. They were there for it all. Except Emma, who I hated because she was cute and popular.

(This year. Obviously not 7th grade!) 

 BT-Dubs: you will never see a picture. I burned them all. And that freaking scrapbook.

 

…you can’t make up stuff this good.

Scenes From My Weekend.

 Inspiration

 

 

 

 

My neck still hurts.

Re: I Hate Coldplay

I discovered it was all a lie this morning.

I was munching on a waffle in the student center and mindlessly reading The Bison when I saw an article entitled “I Hate Coldplay” in huge block lettering.

As if that statement should be broadcasted.

I stopped chewing. Hate Coldplay?

People do that?

I started reading.

Yes, people—Cody—do that. I was seriously mystified.

My mystification didn’t exactly stem from the fact he doesn’t like Coldplay. We’re all sinners and I have a God who teaches forgiveness.

(Not even Warning Sign, Cody? What about Amsterdam? Come on—throw me a bone.)

No, I was mystified because my Harding bubble—that warm fuzzy bubble where everyone has a Northface backpack, hikes and listens to Coldplay—was shattered.

I realized there were actually people on campus that don’t fit the Harding stigma, which is great. We need diversity.

The article went on to talk about “music elitism” (Google it) and I won’t go into that because clearly I have better music taste than Cody (that was a music elitism joke. Clearly you didn’t Google it or you would have gotten it). Chiddy Bang? What the…?

All this to say:

Even though Harding needs diversity, even though I had the thought of Coldplay-hating people in the world thrust upon me at 9 a.m., even though I admit that I am a stereotypical Harding student,

I love the bubble.

I think I’ll stay awhile.

***POST-EDIT**

I was going through saved drafts of blog posts I have written but never published. This was one, funnily enough about Harding needing diversity. See post below.

HU Queer Press

My school is getting a lot of bad press today.

Google ‘HU Queer Press’ and you will see hundreds of articles about an online magazine that gay students here published, speaking out about what it means to be gay at a Christian university.

Harding blocked the website from being viewable on campus hours after it launched, but that hasn’t stopped it from being viewed all over the nation.

“Our voices are muted, our stories go unheard, and we are forced into hiding. We are threatened with re-orientation therapy, social isolation, and expulsion. We are told stories and lies that we are disgusting sinners who are damned to hell, that we are broken individuals and child abusers. We are told we will live miserable lives and are responsible for the collapse of civilization.”

It needs to be said that Christians, as well as Harding, do not hate gay people. I read this comment on an article and it says it perfectly:

“I think that as an institution who stands for what the Bible says it is imperative for the university to take a stand against the things God himself says is wrong. I don't think God sees people who are gay or lesbians any other way except for His children who have been led astray by the father of lies.

This is not an issue of people's freedom being restricted. It is a matter of people knowing the truth and trying to justify it. I stand behind the university in their policy of love. If they did not love their students enough to tell them the truth or try to seek to help the students then I would be greatly concerned.”

If any gay people read this, specifically those at Harding, God loves you! I love you! You are valued, you are loved, you are a wonderful human being, created in the image of God. No one is perfect, I have sin! Together as Christians, we can overcome our sin together. Christ died for you. Let’s both live for Him.

Thoughts?

McBretty McBirthday McBash!

I have this friend named Brette.

We call her a lot of different things, though. Bretty, McBretty, and other such things.

And today is her birthday! We kidnapped her and took her to Waffle House for breakfast.

 

The staff loved our festive birthday hats and gave us a complimentary birthday waffle which we devoured in about 2.5 seconds.

Happy Brette-Day McBretty! The McBash has been fun!

I Heart IHOP.

It’s a good day.

Any day you get free pancakes at IHOP is a good day.

Mmm, a short stack with melting butter and sweet, thick syrup.

Delish.

If my stomach weren’t full of pancake already, my mouth would be watering.

But alas, I just stuffed my face.

Did you get free pancakes at IHOP today?