I feel like a lot of people have probably wrote on this topic before me, but God has just kept it on my heart and I feel like I just need to write about it. It may or may not make sense to anyone, or maybe it will just be a lot of stuff people have already heard, but I’m just going to write what I feel led to write.
Life is like one giant puzzle. Each area of our life and most events are a puzzle in themselves as well. We are constantly trying to piece together a puzzle that only our Creator can put together. He is the only one who knows exactly where each piece goes and when each piece needs to be placed. He is the only solution.
Sometimes there are pieces of our puzzle that we think we are ready to put in place and may even feel like God is ready to have them placed, but they might not quite fit where we need them to. There may be other things that we have to put together first before that piece comes into play. We can’t get discouraged by the piece not fitting at the moment, but rather put our efforts into the pieces around it. We have to remember that God gives us each piece and tells us exactly where it goes and when to put it there and his timing is always perfect, whether we think so or not.
Whenever I put puzzles together I always found all the outside pieces first and made the outline of the puzzle. Whenever you do that you can’t stop working once you get the outside together, because you haven’t experienced the puzzle fully. You don’t know its full beauty until you finish it. When we start things in life we can’t just do it enough where we think we have the full gist of it. We have to keep persevering until we get what God intends for us out of it.
God creates these puzzles in our life, but not to confuse us- the bible tells us he is not the author of confusion. Rather, he builds these puzzles to allow us to put our faith in him. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God knows the plans he has for us, he knows how the puzzle is going to fit together perfectly and his plans will not make us hurt, but rather prosper and it is up to us if we are going to trust in God to put together the puzzle of the plans he has for us.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
The Most Amazing Morning of My Life By Far
This morning Julie, Casie, Lauren, Nealy, Allie & Amanda (friends of Lauren and Nealy), and myself got up super early- like 4:30 am early to head down to watch the sun rise. I must say walking through the French Quarter at 5 am was pretty interesting. I wouldn’t use the word scared for what I felt, but it was extremely weird and almost like in an eerie way. I don’t think I have ever walked through a city at 5 am in the morning. There were still a few parties going on but for the most part there were just drunken people sleeping in cars, homeless trying to catch of few minutes of rest on the sidewalk, and a few people were up walking around. We stopped at Café du Monde and ordered beignets and café au laits. We then walked down to the steps that lead into the Mississippi River to wait for the sun to rise.
I have never watched anywhere go from dark to light. It was by far one of the most amazing things I have watched. I got to watch God wake up New Orleans and fulfill his promise of a new day and I chose to let today be a new day and to let go of the past. It was so peaceful to be sitting on the steps just reading my bible, praying, listening to worship music, and just watching God at work. It just felt like he was right there with me, wrapping his arm around me. I felt so loved and protected by my Heavenly Father. While I got to watch the beauty of nature, God didn’t let reality slip to far away.
While I was sitting their reading my bible, a man I believe to be homeless walked down the steps. I watched him as he removed his shoes and socks and rolled up his pant legs. I watched him walk down the last few steps and walk back and forth across the lowest step that was emerged in water. He was washing his feet and legs off. I’m not sure what it is called when a Catholic prays and they do the forehead, mouth, chest thing with their hands, but I was just so drawn to see what the man would do next. He went back to where his few things were and pulled a little toothbrush and a little thing of toothpaste out and he brushed his teeth with an alcoholic drink that he had with him. This was just a really eye opening experience for me. I never really thought about the entire life of a homeless person. My heart broke for him and I just sat there and prayed as he was leaving that one day he would have hope and that if he didn’t already know Jesus Christ that one day he would come to know our Savior.
I also witnessed another person, that may or may not have been homeless, but he was definitely over the limit on alcohol consumption. My heart broke for him to. He was so unhappy; he was yelling and pretty much cursing the world. Then he grabbed up some trash and threw it into the River. All I could do was pray for him as well. I just hope that one day he will know Christ as well and will find joy in life.
So while God allowed this wonderful morning to become an eye-opening experience as well, I could never be more grateful for this opportunity. I definitely believe that it will become a Sunday morning ritual for the few Sundays we have left with all of us together.
<3 Kendall
I have never watched anywhere go from dark to light. It was by far one of the most amazing things I have watched. I got to watch God wake up New Orleans and fulfill his promise of a new day and I chose to let today be a new day and to let go of the past. It was so peaceful to be sitting on the steps just reading my bible, praying, listening to worship music, and just watching God at work. It just felt like he was right there with me, wrapping his arm around me. I felt so loved and protected by my Heavenly Father. While I got to watch the beauty of nature, God didn’t let reality slip to far away.
While I was sitting their reading my bible, a man I believe to be homeless walked down the steps. I watched him as he removed his shoes and socks and rolled up his pant legs. I watched him walk down the last few steps and walk back and forth across the lowest step that was emerged in water. He was washing his feet and legs off. I’m not sure what it is called when a Catholic prays and they do the forehead, mouth, chest thing with their hands, but I was just so drawn to see what the man would do next. He went back to where his few things were and pulled a little toothbrush and a little thing of toothpaste out and he brushed his teeth with an alcoholic drink that he had with him. This was just a really eye opening experience for me. I never really thought about the entire life of a homeless person. My heart broke for him and I just sat there and prayed as he was leaving that one day he would have hope and that if he didn’t already know Jesus Christ that one day he would come to know our Savior.
I also witnessed another person, that may or may not have been homeless, but he was definitely over the limit on alcohol consumption. My heart broke for him to. He was so unhappy; he was yelling and pretty much cursing the world. Then he grabbed up some trash and threw it into the River. All I could do was pray for him as well. I just hope that one day he will know Christ as well and will find joy in life.
So while God allowed this wonderful morning to become an eye-opening experience as well, I could never be more grateful for this opportunity. I definitely believe that it will become a Sunday morning ritual for the few Sundays we have left with all of us together.
<3 Kendall
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
God is so Powerful
So I said in my last blog that I was going to talk about all the things that have led to my decision to stay here in New Orleans and I didn’t because I got to tired- so this blog is going to be devoted to that.
Since Day One of being here in New Orleans, I have known and felt that this is exactly where God wants me. I was talking to a wonderful person and she told me this and it has really stuck and it perfectly describes my first day here at the Baptist Friendship House. She said, (and I’m paraphrasing so I won’t use direct quotations), Satan can mess with our minds and get in our minds and throw things at us on the outside; but if Jesus is in our heart then Satan can’t get in there. That totally describes how I felt my first day. As soon as I stepped in the doors of the BFH, I felt as if God was opening his arms saying “Welcome Home.” And that feeling has not left me for one second since I have been here. This is the first place in my life that has ever felt like home other than Kenansville Baptist and even there, it wasn’t the same feeling as I have here. I’m looking back in my journal and in my first entry I talked about how perfect and right this feels and I knew that it was part of God’s plan for me. From that very first day he has just sent so many affirmations that he has huge plans for me here and that I shouldn’t leave yet.
I have now realized that God has been preparing me for a transition like this for a while now. I first felt the call to missions around a year ago while serving in Honduras; however, I knew it wasn’t for foreign missions, God wanted me in my home country. It wasn’t until I was waitlisted for a position at Centri-Kid that I realized that my dream of fulfilling my call to missions could actually take place after learning about opportunities with NAMB. I immediately knew this was in God’s plan for my summer. There were so many options to choose from out of at least 100, I chose two mission locations in Oklahoma and my third choice was here in New Orleans. I honestly did not think I would end up in New Orleans, I was told that they were usually able to place people at their first choice. Evidently God wanted me here. Once I got here and began thinking about staying here in New Orleans, I was able to look back to my last semester at UNC-Chapel Hill. I tried my best to make myself be happy and enjoy life at UNC, but in my heart it just wasn’t there. I truly believe that is one way God began to prepare me to leave that place, my uneasiness there and lack of wanting to go back there was definitely God.
Since I have been here, God has just continually affirmed that this is definitely where he wants me. The feeling of being exactly where God wants me, like I said, never leaves me- even on the hardest of days- and there have been several…. God still makes me feel like I am here for a purpose and that this is all in his plan. I have made relationships with staff members, summer missionaries, along with my directors that I will never lose, no matter where I am. They push me to be the best Kendall I can be and are such an encouragement. They are so supportive of whatever decision I make, although it has been made for now…. I have made relationships with my girls and I know that God has placed them in my life for a reason and I am in theirs for a reason. After camp, I don’t want to lose contact with them and walk out on them, I want to continue our relationship and hopefully be some kind of mentor to them. I have met a lady who is a prostitute, (the one that I cleaned her feet and polished her nails that I mentioned in an earlier post), and I just feel like God is going to use our relationship for a better good for both me and her. A woman that has not been here in years, came in last week to complete her GED and before she came in, I volunteered to start teaching GED stuff. My directors are so excited and really seem to think that me and her are going to do really well together and hopefully that will be another relationship that betters the both of us.
There have been little things as well that just continue to affirm that I am making the right decision…. On one of my harder days here, I was able to see a double rainbow- and for those of you at KBC, ya’ll know how big we are on rainbows, especially double rainbows. When I go running by the river, I just feel like God is telling me- Kendall this is where you belong, and I absolutely love it. I am going to have the opportunity to write at least one, hopefully two books before too long, which has been a lifelong dream. There is an older man at a coffee shop that I began talking with and I can’t wait to see where God goes with that one, I may never see the man again but God just keeps him on my heart.
So I know some of you all who are reading this have been fairly concerned about schooling for me. I WILL NOT be dropping out of school. I love school and I want to keep learning more. I couldn’t imagine not finishing, in fact I have even began praying about possibly-eventually pursuing a doctoral degree. I have already began looking at colleges in the area and I am super excited to be able to tour them. One of them has a counseling program that I am extremely interested in- I know that is what God wants me to do. That’s been on my heart for a while. So there shall be no worries about me completing school- I know UNC is an amazing school with a prestigious reputation, but that does not matter to me- I want to be filled with joy wherever I am.
Others I know have worried about me rushing into this decision and making it too fast. It honestly doesn’t matter about everything I wrote above this because in the end I can give each person every reason in the book as to why I should stay here and not one of them matters, except that this is where God wants me. I ended my last blog with the quote about how to know when it is God speaking to me. I never in a million years would have thought I would be making this move, NEVER!!! You know, I had it all planned out, finish school at UNC, go to graduate school, get married, have kids, be successful…. And God has completely changed that plan for me. And honestly I don’t know his complete plan, but I don’t feel like that is for me to know. That takes the joy out of living by the word FAITH, because that is certainly what I am doing. I am nineteen years old, moving away from everything I have ever known, and because I have faith, I KNOW in my heart that as long as I am living in God’s will, I have not one single thing to worry about. I have no fear at all about moving down here. I am so content with life- overjoyed with life. And you know, God may only have me serve here for a few months or he could have me here for years, whatever he decides, I WILL go wherever he leads me. I don’t think you can make a wrong decision if you follow what God places on your heart. He has placed it on my heart that New Orleans is the place for me.
My prayer for everyone who reads this is that you can put any questions that you may have aside and just join with me in trusting God and his PLAN for me. I am so thankful for all of you all’s support, but I promise you that I am not making this decision alone, God is right here beside me, comforting me all the way. I pray that you can just support me and God’s will and know that I will be okay. I pray that you can one day feel, if you haven’t already, what God has allowed me to feel. The feeling of being exactly where he wants you. It is so peaceful, even in the hardest situations. HE IS WITH ME.
Since Day One of being here in New Orleans, I have known and felt that this is exactly where God wants me. I was talking to a wonderful person and she told me this and it has really stuck and it perfectly describes my first day here at the Baptist Friendship House. She said, (and I’m paraphrasing so I won’t use direct quotations), Satan can mess with our minds and get in our minds and throw things at us on the outside; but if Jesus is in our heart then Satan can’t get in there. That totally describes how I felt my first day. As soon as I stepped in the doors of the BFH, I felt as if God was opening his arms saying “Welcome Home.” And that feeling has not left me for one second since I have been here. This is the first place in my life that has ever felt like home other than Kenansville Baptist and even there, it wasn’t the same feeling as I have here. I’m looking back in my journal and in my first entry I talked about how perfect and right this feels and I knew that it was part of God’s plan for me. From that very first day he has just sent so many affirmations that he has huge plans for me here and that I shouldn’t leave yet.
I have now realized that God has been preparing me for a transition like this for a while now. I first felt the call to missions around a year ago while serving in Honduras; however, I knew it wasn’t for foreign missions, God wanted me in my home country. It wasn’t until I was waitlisted for a position at Centri-Kid that I realized that my dream of fulfilling my call to missions could actually take place after learning about opportunities with NAMB. I immediately knew this was in God’s plan for my summer. There were so many options to choose from out of at least 100, I chose two mission locations in Oklahoma and my third choice was here in New Orleans. I honestly did not think I would end up in New Orleans, I was told that they were usually able to place people at their first choice. Evidently God wanted me here. Once I got here and began thinking about staying here in New Orleans, I was able to look back to my last semester at UNC-Chapel Hill. I tried my best to make myself be happy and enjoy life at UNC, but in my heart it just wasn’t there. I truly believe that is one way God began to prepare me to leave that place, my uneasiness there and lack of wanting to go back there was definitely God.
Since I have been here, God has just continually affirmed that this is definitely where he wants me. The feeling of being exactly where God wants me, like I said, never leaves me- even on the hardest of days- and there have been several…. God still makes me feel like I am here for a purpose and that this is all in his plan. I have made relationships with staff members, summer missionaries, along with my directors that I will never lose, no matter where I am. They push me to be the best Kendall I can be and are such an encouragement. They are so supportive of whatever decision I make, although it has been made for now…. I have made relationships with my girls and I know that God has placed them in my life for a reason and I am in theirs for a reason. After camp, I don’t want to lose contact with them and walk out on them, I want to continue our relationship and hopefully be some kind of mentor to them. I have met a lady who is a prostitute, (the one that I cleaned her feet and polished her nails that I mentioned in an earlier post), and I just feel like God is going to use our relationship for a better good for both me and her. A woman that has not been here in years, came in last week to complete her GED and before she came in, I volunteered to start teaching GED stuff. My directors are so excited and really seem to think that me and her are going to do really well together and hopefully that will be another relationship that betters the both of us.
There have been little things as well that just continue to affirm that I am making the right decision…. On one of my harder days here, I was able to see a double rainbow- and for those of you at KBC, ya’ll know how big we are on rainbows, especially double rainbows. When I go running by the river, I just feel like God is telling me- Kendall this is where you belong, and I absolutely love it. I am going to have the opportunity to write at least one, hopefully two books before too long, which has been a lifelong dream. There is an older man at a coffee shop that I began talking with and I can’t wait to see where God goes with that one, I may never see the man again but God just keeps him on my heart.
So I know some of you all who are reading this have been fairly concerned about schooling for me. I WILL NOT be dropping out of school. I love school and I want to keep learning more. I couldn’t imagine not finishing, in fact I have even began praying about possibly-eventually pursuing a doctoral degree. I have already began looking at colleges in the area and I am super excited to be able to tour them. One of them has a counseling program that I am extremely interested in- I know that is what God wants me to do. That’s been on my heart for a while. So there shall be no worries about me completing school- I know UNC is an amazing school with a prestigious reputation, but that does not matter to me- I want to be filled with joy wherever I am.
Others I know have worried about me rushing into this decision and making it too fast. It honestly doesn’t matter about everything I wrote above this because in the end I can give each person every reason in the book as to why I should stay here and not one of them matters, except that this is where God wants me. I ended my last blog with the quote about how to know when it is God speaking to me. I never in a million years would have thought I would be making this move, NEVER!!! You know, I had it all planned out, finish school at UNC, go to graduate school, get married, have kids, be successful…. And God has completely changed that plan for me. And honestly I don’t know his complete plan, but I don’t feel like that is for me to know. That takes the joy out of living by the word FAITH, because that is certainly what I am doing. I am nineteen years old, moving away from everything I have ever known, and because I have faith, I KNOW in my heart that as long as I am living in God’s will, I have not one single thing to worry about. I have no fear at all about moving down here. I am so content with life- overjoyed with life. And you know, God may only have me serve here for a few months or he could have me here for years, whatever he decides, I WILL go wherever he leads me. I don’t think you can make a wrong decision if you follow what God places on your heart. He has placed it on my heart that New Orleans is the place for me.
My prayer for everyone who reads this is that you can put any questions that you may have aside and just join with me in trusting God and his PLAN for me. I am so thankful for all of you all’s support, but I promise you that I am not making this decision alone, God is right here beside me, comforting me all the way. I pray that you can just support me and God’s will and know that I will be okay. I pray that you can one day feel, if you haven’t already, what God has allowed me to feel. The feeling of being exactly where he wants you. It is so peaceful, even in the hardest situations. HE IS WITH ME.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Week 4 Complete, Margaritaville, Circus, Stennis Space Center, and walls coming down
So before you begin reading this blog- I want to go ahead and warn you it might be kinda long. I’m hoping that through it everyone can not only catch up on week 4 but maybe just see some of the things God has done for me here and I want everyone to understand my plans for staying here in New Orleans.
So first things first- I must catch you up on Week 4 of Up2Hope. So as I talked about in my last post- I was pretty sick Monday and laid in bed all day. However, when I woke up I was able to clean and put nail polish on the hands and feet of a lady who is a regular at our center. That was a very humbling experience just to see how that little bit of nail polish changed the woman’s day. While at the beginning of the week I was a little discouraged my girls truly showed me that I can’t get discouraged. They are amazing and I love each one of them. On Tuesday we discussed death, which I knew would be hard. I was expecting a lot of stories from the girls, but instead they were so numb to the pain. They simply treated death as if it was an everyday occurrence and showed literally no emotion with it. They have all been thru so much and have seen more than I could ever imagine seeing. It just broke my heart that they have experienced so much pain. I began to have some behavioral issues with a few of my girls and one of them literally has one more chance. If she gets in any sort of trouble she is out for the rest of the summer. This girl was kicked out last summer and I so wish that she would just grow and realize she can’t keep doing what she is doing. Luckily on Friday, she showed me the potential she has. We went on a field trip to the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Two of my girls (one of them being the girl on her last chance) and I went through the whole thing by ourselves, just us three and it was amazing. They were so happy and they wanted it to be just me and them. And I just went with it. We had so much fun. I think it was truly a growing moment for the three of us and I could see some of their walls coming down. These two girls are tough and hard and have very very strong walls up, so for them to be like they were on Friday was such a blessing for me. I was so proud of them as well. We had a little bit of an issue with another tourist at the Center and she just fussed at my girls and they had done nothing wrong. I am so proud of them though because they didn’t yell back or anything, they simply came over to me and talked to me about it. I just told them how proud I was of them and that the lady would leave in a few minutes…. I’m telling ya’ll- for them not to go off on her was a huge accomplishment. So now we are halfway done with camp and it is to sad to think about it. I can’t look at it as we are halfway over, but that we still have 4 wonderful weeks left with these beautiful girls.
We had a pretty busy week outside of camp as well. On Tuesday, my director’s boss came into town and she ended up taking us all out to dinner. We went to a place called Margaritaville and let me tell you- they have some amazing food. Me and Lauren split the Volcano Nachos- they were unreal there were so many of them. We made some huge progress on them though. Wednesday we had like a Mexican night here at the center and it was delicious- we had amazing guacamole. I am in love with that stuff! Thursday we went to the circus- let me just say me and clowns are not a good combination. We were down on the floor for all the pre-show stuff and were just standing around. These clowns had been walking around and I could see they were asking for trouble. Before I knew it, I feel something rubbing on my butt- so I quickly turn around and that joker is lucky I didn’t pull some tae-kwon-do on him. The clown had taken his hat off and was rubbing it on me. Then before we left, me and Mrs. Kay (my director) got wet because those aggravating clowns threw water on us!!! Needless to say it wasn’t the best experience. I enjoyed the circus for the most part, especially the animals but all the acrobatic stunts scared me. Friday we all made a trip to McAllister’s- a place I am falling in love with- and Wal-mart, which consumed a lot of our evening and then we just chilled. Saturday I stayed in my pajamas all day until about 7:00 pm when me and Julie decided to go for our run. We have discovered a new favorite thing- running through the French Market down by the Mississippi River and back…. Not only is it a workout but it just refreshes my mind and reminds me why I am so in love with everything here. Today I went to a church that I really enjoyed and could definitely see myself going back to. It was more contemporary which is what I am pretty used to now and I just really felt good there. So that has been my week four. I can’t wait to see what week 5 will hold.
So I’m actually kind of tired of typing now and this is getting super long- so I will save the whole spill on me staying here in New Orleans for another post- which I will do soon. But I will end with this quote that I got from a really great friend. It will just give you a little insight on God’s power and plan.
"how do you KNOW when it's GOD speaking to you?" The answer was: "If it is something constantly in your mind that you yourself wouldn't have come up with in a million years and you can't get it out, then God's speaking to you!!"
<3 Kendall
So first things first- I must catch you up on Week 4 of Up2Hope. So as I talked about in my last post- I was pretty sick Monday and laid in bed all day. However, when I woke up I was able to clean and put nail polish on the hands and feet of a lady who is a regular at our center. That was a very humbling experience just to see how that little bit of nail polish changed the woman’s day. While at the beginning of the week I was a little discouraged my girls truly showed me that I can’t get discouraged. They are amazing and I love each one of them. On Tuesday we discussed death, which I knew would be hard. I was expecting a lot of stories from the girls, but instead they were so numb to the pain. They simply treated death as if it was an everyday occurrence and showed literally no emotion with it. They have all been thru so much and have seen more than I could ever imagine seeing. It just broke my heart that they have experienced so much pain. I began to have some behavioral issues with a few of my girls and one of them literally has one more chance. If she gets in any sort of trouble she is out for the rest of the summer. This girl was kicked out last summer and I so wish that she would just grow and realize she can’t keep doing what she is doing. Luckily on Friday, she showed me the potential she has. We went on a field trip to the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Two of my girls (one of them being the girl on her last chance) and I went through the whole thing by ourselves, just us three and it was amazing. They were so happy and they wanted it to be just me and them. And I just went with it. We had so much fun. I think it was truly a growing moment for the three of us and I could see some of their walls coming down. These two girls are tough and hard and have very very strong walls up, so for them to be like they were on Friday was such a blessing for me. I was so proud of them as well. We had a little bit of an issue with another tourist at the Center and she just fussed at my girls and they had done nothing wrong. I am so proud of them though because they didn’t yell back or anything, they simply came over to me and talked to me about it. I just told them how proud I was of them and that the lady would leave in a few minutes…. I’m telling ya’ll- for them not to go off on her was a huge accomplishment. So now we are halfway done with camp and it is to sad to think about it. I can’t look at it as we are halfway over, but that we still have 4 wonderful weeks left with these beautiful girls.
We had a pretty busy week outside of camp as well. On Tuesday, my director’s boss came into town and she ended up taking us all out to dinner. We went to a place called Margaritaville and let me tell you- they have some amazing food. Me and Lauren split the Volcano Nachos- they were unreal there were so many of them. We made some huge progress on them though. Wednesday we had like a Mexican night here at the center and it was delicious- we had amazing guacamole. I am in love with that stuff! Thursday we went to the circus- let me just say me and clowns are not a good combination. We were down on the floor for all the pre-show stuff and were just standing around. These clowns had been walking around and I could see they were asking for trouble. Before I knew it, I feel something rubbing on my butt- so I quickly turn around and that joker is lucky I didn’t pull some tae-kwon-do on him. The clown had taken his hat off and was rubbing it on me. Then before we left, me and Mrs. Kay (my director) got wet because those aggravating clowns threw water on us!!! Needless to say it wasn’t the best experience. I enjoyed the circus for the most part, especially the animals but all the acrobatic stunts scared me. Friday we all made a trip to McAllister’s- a place I am falling in love with- and Wal-mart, which consumed a lot of our evening and then we just chilled. Saturday I stayed in my pajamas all day until about 7:00 pm when me and Julie decided to go for our run. We have discovered a new favorite thing- running through the French Market down by the Mississippi River and back…. Not only is it a workout but it just refreshes my mind and reminds me why I am so in love with everything here. Today I went to a church that I really enjoyed and could definitely see myself going back to. It was more contemporary which is what I am pretty used to now and I just really felt good there. So that has been my week four. I can’t wait to see what week 5 will hold.
So I’m actually kind of tired of typing now and this is getting super long- so I will save the whole spill on me staying here in New Orleans for another post- which I will do soon. But I will end with this quote that I got from a really great friend. It will just give you a little insight on God’s power and plan.
"how do you KNOW when it's GOD speaking to you?" The answer was: "If it is something constantly in your mind that you yourself wouldn't have come up with in a million years and you can't get it out, then God's speaking to you!!"
<3 Kendall
Monday, June 21, 2010
Week 3 Complete, Julie's Buttday, Preservation Hall, Cafe Au Lait, Oil Spill, and kinda sick
So after staying in bed (well on Karina’s futon) literally all day being sick with this cold and sinuses stuff, I think I am now ready to write a blog- because it has been a while.
I believe I will start with Week 3 of camp. For the most part it went really well for me. My girls have had some issues with getting along with each other; however, we had a very long discussion on Thursday and I am hoping that it has solved some of the issues. I now have about 8 girls that come regularly to my group. They each have their own very distinct personalities and some are much stronger than others. Getting back into our routine after having the youth group from FBC Pasadena was difficult at first, but by the end of the week we were back on track. We taught the girls a dance to Shackles and I love it so much- they seemed to enjoy it. Then we had our field trip on Friday to the skating rink and the girls absolutely loved it. I think every one of them at least put on skates and a majority of them did skate. I put on skates which I haven’t done in years and surprised myself. Little girls from another group that were about 5 latched on to me and some of our other leaders who were skating around so they wouldn’t fall, and they didn’t even notice us. It was so sweet.
This past week we also got to celebrate Julie’s birthday, she is one of the summer missionaries serving with me. Her birthday was Wednesday and we had cake with all our girls at the camp, and it was designed amazingly by our cook, Megan. Then Thursday, we went to eat seafood and it was delicious. I actually had an amazing salad but I did eat a little bit of shrimp from Kay’s plate. I’m not sure which was better. After eating we went to Preservation Hall, which is where a lot of musicians got their start like Louis Armstrong. It was just a small room with a few benches and some standing room and we got to listen to a brass band. It was really interesting and fun, but I think it is just a onetime deal for me. Then of course on our way back we stopped at Café du Monde and had a wonderful Café au lait and I loved it!
Saturday we drove about 2.5 hours down to Grand Isle, LA to see some of the effects of the oil spill. I had no idea what to expect, I didn’t know what an oil spill would look like or how bad it was going to be. It was so amazing to see all the bridges that we drove over through the marsh land. There was literally no land in some of the places we were driving, just bridges. Once we got to Grand Isle, it was eerie it was so quiet and dead. It is summer time and we were at a beach and hardly anyone was out. We drove over to this state park area which happened to be a clean-up site, so we got to experience that part of the spill as well. We did see some of the black clumps of oil sand piles, but for the most part what we saw was the shiny residue in the water and along the shore as well as maybe some of the chemicals mixed in with it. My heart just broke for all the people living there because fishing and the ocean was pretty much their life and now they are stuck.
Sunday, I got to experience Popeye’s chicken and red beans with rice. It was delicious. I don’t feel like I enjoyed as much as I would have liked to because I wasn’t feeling to great, but another trip there will happen.
Today I was able to have a very humbling experience. We have a lady who pretty regularly comes to the Friendship House. I met her for the first time about 2 weeks ago. She hasn't had the easiest life and hasn't chosen the best routes, but I truly believe that she is trying to make a difference and get her life back on track. So last week when she came in with bruises after being beaten by her "John" I told her that the next time I saw her I would do her nails for her. When I woke up today she was here, and she remembered the nail stuff. So we let her soak her feet in some antiseptic water to try and clean them some- they are in terrible condition from improper shoes and tons of walking, but as soon as I got that bright pink nail polish on her fingers and toes, she was a completely different woman. It is possibly one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had. She walked out of our building today with her head up. It really is the simple things in life.
So I am finally beginning to feel better after sleeping a lot of the day yesterday, last night, and all day today. I think God was trying to tell me something- ya think??? I am ready for tomorrow- I missed being with all my girls today- so pray for a much better tomorrow!!!
<3 Kendall
I believe I will start with Week 3 of camp. For the most part it went really well for me. My girls have had some issues with getting along with each other; however, we had a very long discussion on Thursday and I am hoping that it has solved some of the issues. I now have about 8 girls that come regularly to my group. They each have their own very distinct personalities and some are much stronger than others. Getting back into our routine after having the youth group from FBC Pasadena was difficult at first, but by the end of the week we were back on track. We taught the girls a dance to Shackles and I love it so much- they seemed to enjoy it. Then we had our field trip on Friday to the skating rink and the girls absolutely loved it. I think every one of them at least put on skates and a majority of them did skate. I put on skates which I haven’t done in years and surprised myself. Little girls from another group that were about 5 latched on to me and some of our other leaders who were skating around so they wouldn’t fall, and they didn’t even notice us. It was so sweet.
This past week we also got to celebrate Julie’s birthday, she is one of the summer missionaries serving with me. Her birthday was Wednesday and we had cake with all our girls at the camp, and it was designed amazingly by our cook, Megan. Then Thursday, we went to eat seafood and it was delicious. I actually had an amazing salad but I did eat a little bit of shrimp from Kay’s plate. I’m not sure which was better. After eating we went to Preservation Hall, which is where a lot of musicians got their start like Louis Armstrong. It was just a small room with a few benches and some standing room and we got to listen to a brass band. It was really interesting and fun, but I think it is just a onetime deal for me. Then of course on our way back we stopped at Café du Monde and had a wonderful Café au lait and I loved it!
Saturday we drove about 2.5 hours down to Grand Isle, LA to see some of the effects of the oil spill. I had no idea what to expect, I didn’t know what an oil spill would look like or how bad it was going to be. It was so amazing to see all the bridges that we drove over through the marsh land. There was literally no land in some of the places we were driving, just bridges. Once we got to Grand Isle, it was eerie it was so quiet and dead. It is summer time and we were at a beach and hardly anyone was out. We drove over to this state park area which happened to be a clean-up site, so we got to experience that part of the spill as well. We did see some of the black clumps of oil sand piles, but for the most part what we saw was the shiny residue in the water and along the shore as well as maybe some of the chemicals mixed in with it. My heart just broke for all the people living there because fishing and the ocean was pretty much their life and now they are stuck.
Sunday, I got to experience Popeye’s chicken and red beans with rice. It was delicious. I don’t feel like I enjoyed as much as I would have liked to because I wasn’t feeling to great, but another trip there will happen.
Today I was able to have a very humbling experience. We have a lady who pretty regularly comes to the Friendship House. I met her for the first time about 2 weeks ago. She hasn't had the easiest life and hasn't chosen the best routes, but I truly believe that she is trying to make a difference and get her life back on track. So last week when she came in with bruises after being beaten by her "John" I told her that the next time I saw her I would do her nails for her. When I woke up today she was here, and she remembered the nail stuff. So we let her soak her feet in some antiseptic water to try and clean them some- they are in terrible condition from improper shoes and tons of walking, but as soon as I got that bright pink nail polish on her fingers and toes, she was a completely different woman. It is possibly one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had. She walked out of our building today with her head up. It really is the simple things in life.
So I am finally beginning to feel better after sleeping a lot of the day yesterday, last night, and all day today. I think God was trying to tell me something- ya think??? I am ready for tomorrow- I missed being with all my girls today- so pray for a much better tomorrow!!!
<3 Kendall
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Back on the Mountain Top
So this week has been insane, but it has allowed God to work in my life and prove that He is in control of everything, has a reason for everything, and is there for me all the time. I am so thankful today- because now I am seeing and beginning to understand some things a lot more.
So here is what this week has involved:
-A youth group from FBC Pasadena in Texas doing everything for us as far as camp goes with the girls
-Meeting a regular lady who comes to get help from the BFH, that has a lot of unfortunate problems
-Carrying food and hygiene kits to a homeless shelter
-Hearing the life story of the head cook at the shelter
-One of our girls at camp accepted Christ for the first time
-Going to worship with the youth group of FBC Pasadena (about 150 youth)
-Having awesome conversations with my directors
-Having deep and meaningful conversations with the girls that I am serving with at BFH
-Enjoying a McDonald’s Caramel Frappe with Lauren
-Eating a ton of unhealthy cookies
-Bailing out on Jillian Michaels 2 days in a row (might make it 3)
-Sharing parts of my life with one of our campers that goes home to a bad home life
-Witnessing to the same girl and just comforting her and making her time at camp fun
-Making the decision to stay in New Orleans, because this IS where God wants me!
-Beginning my art journal
-Welcoming a new family into our transitional housing program
-Celebrating our cook’s (Megan) birthday at the Cheesecake Bistro
-Beginning a book by Beth Moore
-Talking with a “hopefully not for long-stranger” in the coffee shop for a few minutes
-Hanging out in a coffee shop just to get wireless
-Visiting a salvage yard
The list can go on and on. These are just some of the ways that I am spending my time in New Orleans and just falling in love with it more and more each and every minute. While this week has had some highs and lows- you have to go through the valley to stand upon the Mountain of God (I think that is a Third Day quote from a song).
Please continue to pray for all us serving at BFH that we continue to experience awesome days as well as the days that are in the valleys somewhat- because we do need some of both. Pray that our relationships continue to strengthen. Pray that we can get back into our regular schedule easily. Pray that our girls will continue to come with open hearts and minds and that we can continue to bring Christ into their life, one girl at a time. Pray for our girls that go home to hard lives and in some cases ones they shouldn’t have to go home to, that they will be able to return each morning into God’s loving arms.
I am so thankful for everyone praying at home and I can’t wait to keep updating you on this amazing Journey!
<3 Kendall
So here is what this week has involved:
-A youth group from FBC Pasadena in Texas doing everything for us as far as camp goes with the girls
-Meeting a regular lady who comes to get help from the BFH, that has a lot of unfortunate problems
-Carrying food and hygiene kits to a homeless shelter
-Hearing the life story of the head cook at the shelter
-One of our girls at camp accepted Christ for the first time
-Going to worship with the youth group of FBC Pasadena (about 150 youth)
-Having awesome conversations with my directors
-Having deep and meaningful conversations with the girls that I am serving with at BFH
-Enjoying a McDonald’s Caramel Frappe with Lauren
-Eating a ton of unhealthy cookies
-Bailing out on Jillian Michaels 2 days in a row (might make it 3)
-Sharing parts of my life with one of our campers that goes home to a bad home life
-Witnessing to the same girl and just comforting her and making her time at camp fun
-Making the decision to stay in New Orleans, because this IS where God wants me!
-Beginning my art journal
-Welcoming a new family into our transitional housing program
-Celebrating our cook’s (Megan) birthday at the Cheesecake Bistro
-Beginning a book by Beth Moore
-Talking with a “hopefully not for long-stranger” in the coffee shop for a few minutes
-Hanging out in a coffee shop just to get wireless
-Visiting a salvage yard
The list can go on and on. These are just some of the ways that I am spending my time in New Orleans and just falling in love with it more and more each and every minute. While this week has had some highs and lows- you have to go through the valley to stand upon the Mountain of God (I think that is a Third Day quote from a song).
Please continue to pray for all us serving at BFH that we continue to experience awesome days as well as the days that are in the valleys somewhat- because we do need some of both. Pray that our relationships continue to strengthen. Pray that we can get back into our regular schedule easily. Pray that our girls will continue to come with open hearts and minds and that we can continue to bring Christ into their life, one girl at a time. Pray for our girls that go home to hard lives and in some cases ones they shouldn’t have to go home to, that they will be able to return each morning into God’s loving arms.
I am so thankful for everyone praying at home and I can’t wait to keep updating you on this amazing Journey!
<3 Kendall
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Life on a Rollercoaster
So this past week has had a lot of ups and downs for me- physically, emotionally, and spiritually as well. We have a youth group from Pasadena, Texas here doing pretty much everything for us, involving the girls. It is nice having a little bit more time to relax, but in all honesty, I’m ready for next week for it to be the six of us summer missionaries and our girls. It is a little overwhelming with all the people here (15 more than usual) and at times it is pretty chaotic. I have felt so much more worn out this week and practically drained than I was last week when we were running everything. I am so thankful for the youth group coming in and doing everything, but I think we are all ready for our regular schedule.
So physically I have just been drained and part of that may have to do with us missionaries working on completing the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred- gotta do it- it’s on the bucket list. Needless to say it is a legit 20 minute workout. The only other thing I think that is taking a lot out of me is just being surrounded by so many people right now….
Emotionally and spiritually I have just been up and down. I haven’t had to prepare a lesson with the girls or anything like that and with being tired at night I haven’t spent as much quiet time with God as I need to. I have sort of got comfortable where I was with Christ- but this is something I must pursue daily, to dig deeper into scripture and pray and just spend time with God. We can never be comfortable in our relationship; there is always room for growth, so my focus is now going to be relying on that to get me through. God will provide me with everything I need; I just need to go to him more. Emotionally, there has just been recent things that have happened that not only break my heart for my girls, but it also brings back memories of what I’ve experienced and how I can relate so much to so many of these girls. But again, I just need to continually go to God to help me get through the valleys.
So in all I have to say I am having yet another extremely blessed week. Sunday we attended Grace Baptist Church and it was really nice. It was amazing to see how race is not an issue here in New Orleans. Everyone is intertwined everywhere you go, from the streets to the pews. So Grace was a little country Church in the midst of a huge city. There are about 50 members in the congregation and everyone was so loving. The preacher was awesome. He spoke about the Transfiguration and was able to relate it to my life well. After church we went to McDonald’s and then the French Quarter to do a little shopping, I used a ton of self control and only purchased a single belly button ring. However, I did find out about the 9% sales tax which isn’t so fun. Sunday night the missionaries arrived and we got to meet all of them.
Monday-today we have just been supervising a little during the activities making sure our girls behave and respect the youth group. I have to say- I am so so so proud of our girls, they have been patient, respectful, and have participated in the activities. I can see growth in each of them. I am so excited to watch them continue to grow over the next 6 weeks.
Please pray for all of our girls, because most go home to living situations that most of us can’t even begin to imagine. Pray for their safety and comfort each night. Pray for us summer missionaries and staff at BFH that we can have patience through the rest of this week and get prepared for next week. Pray for me in my journey in New Orleans as God continues to reveal his decision and my plans for staying here in New Orleans. Pray that he will continue to help all of us at BFH build relationships that will last forever. And lastly pray that everything we do results in God’s glory and that through our actions Christ can be seen.
<3 Kendall
So physically I have just been drained and part of that may have to do with us missionaries working on completing the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred- gotta do it- it’s on the bucket list. Needless to say it is a legit 20 minute workout. The only other thing I think that is taking a lot out of me is just being surrounded by so many people right now….
Emotionally and spiritually I have just been up and down. I haven’t had to prepare a lesson with the girls or anything like that and with being tired at night I haven’t spent as much quiet time with God as I need to. I have sort of got comfortable where I was with Christ- but this is something I must pursue daily, to dig deeper into scripture and pray and just spend time with God. We can never be comfortable in our relationship; there is always room for growth, so my focus is now going to be relying on that to get me through. God will provide me with everything I need; I just need to go to him more. Emotionally, there has just been recent things that have happened that not only break my heart for my girls, but it also brings back memories of what I’ve experienced and how I can relate so much to so many of these girls. But again, I just need to continually go to God to help me get through the valleys.
So in all I have to say I am having yet another extremely blessed week. Sunday we attended Grace Baptist Church and it was really nice. It was amazing to see how race is not an issue here in New Orleans. Everyone is intertwined everywhere you go, from the streets to the pews. So Grace was a little country Church in the midst of a huge city. There are about 50 members in the congregation and everyone was so loving. The preacher was awesome. He spoke about the Transfiguration and was able to relate it to my life well. After church we went to McDonald’s and then the French Quarter to do a little shopping, I used a ton of self control and only purchased a single belly button ring. However, I did find out about the 9% sales tax which isn’t so fun. Sunday night the missionaries arrived and we got to meet all of them.
Monday-today we have just been supervising a little during the activities making sure our girls behave and respect the youth group. I have to say- I am so so so proud of our girls, they have been patient, respectful, and have participated in the activities. I can see growth in each of them. I am so excited to watch them continue to grow over the next 6 weeks.
Please pray for all of our girls, because most go home to living situations that most of us can’t even begin to imagine. Pray for their safety and comfort each night. Pray for us summer missionaries and staff at BFH that we can have patience through the rest of this week and get prepared for next week. Pray for me in my journey in New Orleans as God continues to reveal his decision and my plans for staying here in New Orleans. Pray that he will continue to help all of us at BFH build relationships that will last forever. And lastly pray that everything we do results in God’s glory and that through our actions Christ can be seen.
<3 Kendall
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Week 1 Complete with a little zoo action and ending today with my “frienemy” Jillian Michaels
So I have now been in New Orleans for 10 days now- I think???? I am so in love with it here and can’t imagine being elsewhere…. If people are wondering if I am getting homesick- I’m most definitely not- because I am at HOME here! I can’t even begin to describe how awesome God has been in my life this week and how much he has revealed himself to me. It is one of the most comforting feelings ever. I have been so blessed to meet 6 wonderful girls in my group that I am getting to know more and more each day. I get to build amazing relationships with each of them and in some way or another I have seen improvement in them.
Since Tuesday- there has been a little bit of drama between the girls- but that is to be expected because they are pre-teen girls and that is just how Girls are- but part of our role in their lives is to teach them how to handle things in a more positive, and Christ-like way…. We have 8 weeks to accomplish this and I definitely think it is possible.
Not only are we impacting the lives of these girls, but because of them I will never be the same. They have changed my life in unimaginable ways. I will not go back to North Carolina (if I do) the same person.
This upcoming week is going to be a little different. We have a youth group coming in Sunday night and they are going to be running everything for the week. There are several things I am looking forward too. I have never been the like camp counselor over another group sorta- like I have always been the one with the youth group. So I am excited to get to build relationships with the girls coming in as well. I can’t wait to see how are girls respond and interact with the girls coming and this is going to provide our Up2Hope girls with more people to love on and hang out with. And I am also, most definitely, hoping for a somewhat relaxing week to prepare for week 3 (including choreographing a dance to Shackles)!
I am super excited about the relationships that I am building with the other summer missionaries as well as all the staff at BFH- they are awesome and we just have so much fun together- whether it is playing Apples to Apples or getting our butts kicked by Jillian Michaels- “we are all in this together!!!”
I ask that everyone who reads this pray that God will continue to reveal his plan to me on whether or not staying in New Orleans is what he wants. Right now they are several things he is doing and has shown to me encouraging me to stay here.. And deep down in my heart I honestly believe that is what he wants and I am ready for anything he wants me to do. So just pray that things will keep coming together and that he will continue to reveal his plan to me. Pray for safe travels for the youth group that will arrive late tomorrow night and as well as safety while they are traveling here. Pray for all of our girls in Up 2 Hope that they can come in with open hearts and a willingness to learn what we are teaching them and that they will be able to begin applying it to their lives. Pray for all of us missionaries and staff that we can continue to just reach out and love these kids and for flexibility this upcoming week- things are sort of in the air for us. Also please pray for some disclosed things that I will be sharing later this summer. Pray for confidence that I will be able to do it, because I know God wants me to.
Kendall <3
Since Tuesday- there has been a little bit of drama between the girls- but that is to be expected because they are pre-teen girls and that is just how Girls are- but part of our role in their lives is to teach them how to handle things in a more positive, and Christ-like way…. We have 8 weeks to accomplish this and I definitely think it is possible.
Not only are we impacting the lives of these girls, but because of them I will never be the same. They have changed my life in unimaginable ways. I will not go back to North Carolina (if I do) the same person.
This upcoming week is going to be a little different. We have a youth group coming in Sunday night and they are going to be running everything for the week. There are several things I am looking forward too. I have never been the like camp counselor over another group sorta- like I have always been the one with the youth group. So I am excited to get to build relationships with the girls coming in as well. I can’t wait to see how are girls respond and interact with the girls coming and this is going to provide our Up2Hope girls with more people to love on and hang out with. And I am also, most definitely, hoping for a somewhat relaxing week to prepare for week 3 (including choreographing a dance to Shackles)!
I am super excited about the relationships that I am building with the other summer missionaries as well as all the staff at BFH- they are awesome and we just have so much fun together- whether it is playing Apples to Apples or getting our butts kicked by Jillian Michaels- “we are all in this together!!!”
I ask that everyone who reads this pray that God will continue to reveal his plan to me on whether or not staying in New Orleans is what he wants. Right now they are several things he is doing and has shown to me encouraging me to stay here.. And deep down in my heart I honestly believe that is what he wants and I am ready for anything he wants me to do. So just pray that things will keep coming together and that he will continue to reveal his plan to me. Pray for safe travels for the youth group that will arrive late tomorrow night and as well as safety while they are traveling here. Pray for all of our girls in Up 2 Hope that they can come in with open hearts and a willingness to learn what we are teaching them and that they will be able to begin applying it to their lives. Pray for all of us missionaries and staff that we can continue to just reach out and love these kids and for flexibility this upcoming week- things are sort of in the air for us. Also please pray for some disclosed things that I will be sharing later this summer. Pray for confidence that I will be able to do it, because I know God wants me to.
Kendall <3
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Good morning, time for breakfast, fun fun fun, small fight, see you in the morning!
So today has been an overall great day. I love spending so much time with the girls, the 6 ½ hours they are here just flies by. I feel like this summer is going to fly by a lot faster than I want it to. So today we were able to break into our groups. I absolutely love my group, although we did have one dispute, it is hopefully now fixed and we will be able to see how it goes from there. I don’t think I’m going to put the girls names up here- just for privacy issues. I had 6 girls today ranging from 9-11. They are all so different from one another.
We came up with our team name- SOUR STRAWS!!! These girls are definitely meant for me- sour candy is my weakness. In devotion we talked about how each one of us are fearfully and wonderfully made with a distinct purpose and plan that God has created for us. Then we had dance, and surprisingly some of the girls really don’t like to dance. Hopefully by the time we get some choreographed they will be more into it. Then we spent some time in each one of our groups and discussed all about how God made each one of us specially and he loves each one of us. The girls were really attentive and interested and some of them had a lot of input. One of the girls asked “is this Church?” So I got to explain that this is not actually a Church but that the ones who work here do believe in God and Jesus and we want to share him with each of the girls there. I had one girl mention confession- we got to talking about sin and forgiveness- so I’m not exactly sure how much religion or faith these girls have been exposed to.
Two of my girls are really aggressive and have been taught to fight and that is probably most of what they have done. I noticed this the other day but it became extremely clear today. So later in the day, two of my girls got into a confrontation and did hit each other- so they both received strikes. Hopefully a little bit of rearranging the group will solve that problem. We will have to see how it goes. I just want to dig deep into these little girls and just show them Jesus’ love and teach them there are other alternatives to fighting and that it doesn’t solve anything. It is definitely going to be an ongoing mission for me, but definitely one of my goals.
So now I am pretty tired, but I am just loving it so much here and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
<3 Kendall
We came up with our team name- SOUR STRAWS!!! These girls are definitely meant for me- sour candy is my weakness. In devotion we talked about how each one of us are fearfully and wonderfully made with a distinct purpose and plan that God has created for us. Then we had dance, and surprisingly some of the girls really don’t like to dance. Hopefully by the time we get some choreographed they will be more into it. Then we spent some time in each one of our groups and discussed all about how God made each one of us specially and he loves each one of us. The girls were really attentive and interested and some of them had a lot of input. One of the girls asked “is this Church?” So I got to explain that this is not actually a Church but that the ones who work here do believe in God and Jesus and we want to share him with each of the girls there. I had one girl mention confession- we got to talking about sin and forgiveness- so I’m not exactly sure how much religion or faith these girls have been exposed to.
Two of my girls are really aggressive and have been taught to fight and that is probably most of what they have done. I noticed this the other day but it became extremely clear today. So later in the day, two of my girls got into a confrontation and did hit each other- so they both received strikes. Hopefully a little bit of rearranging the group will solve that problem. We will have to see how it goes. I just want to dig deep into these little girls and just show them Jesus’ love and teach them there are other alternatives to fighting and that it doesn’t solve anything. It is definitely going to be an ongoing mission for me, but definitely one of my goals.
So now I am pretty tired, but I am just loving it so much here and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
<3 Kendall
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Hop in the car, lock the doors, Elysian Fields Rd., Stoplights, Bridge, I-610, Causeway Dr, Jefferson Rd, Hospital on the Right- adventures on the night/early morning of5/30-5/31
Sooo…. Right now I am sitting in the Oschway Hospital Emergency Room at 1:20 am…. Thankfully not for me, but I really hope one of my friends (also a missionary is ok)…. Not going into details- because that would be breaking a HOSA (or whatever the acronym is) rule. Anyways- I have received a great thrill and adventure out of this trip!!! I got to drive New Orleans style- this is a huge deal to me. These roads are not like NC roads at all…. Like there are 10 times more stoplights and extremely weird left turns. I am glad to say that we made it here safely and I didn’t cause any unnecessary emotional distress that would result in more of a reason to be sitting in the ER room. I was saying earlier I shouldn’t have drank caffeinated coffee at 10 pm but now it came in handy- God is good…. I feel like I could go for hours- problem is- the girls will be arriving in approximately 7 hours!!!
Ok so although I am on an adrenaline rush from this adventure to the hospital (ps we still have to make it back)…. I have had a pretty lazy and relaxing weekend. Saturday all of us girls slept, ate lunch- and I can’t remember what else at the moment. I know that Julie and Nealy cooked dinner for us- barbeque turned chicken haha (insider)… and rotel and cheese dip…. Can I get a mmmmm!!! Then Stephanie took us to Magazine street- I must say I will own a pair of heels from that street before I leave here…. Anyways- we went to this place called Sugre- which is the only one in the world (I think- right until proven wrong is my opinion)…. And the owner is a guy from the food network- (I guess you can google it if you interested)… the only thing I was interested in was the gelato and sorbet (yummy) and the amazing display of chocolates and decorated cakes…. So that was my Saturday and it was good!!!
Sunday- began at approximately 6:15 am- getting ready for Church- an awesome Church- Franklin Avenue Baptist Church- AMEN!!! We went to the 7:30 service so we knew we would be out within an hour and a half to two hours…. This church was huge and beautiful. I have never been to anything like it. While it was predominantly black, we all fit right in. Everyone was so welcoming and passionate about worshipping Christ. This church was practically destroyed during Katrina and pretty much everything was a loss. However they have been resilient and are now worshipping fully again! The choir and pastor were so enthusiastic and could definitely lift any spirit. The older women dressed beautifully with matching hats were so pretty. I loved watching them. You could definitely see the Spirit moving in them- hips and all!!!! The funniest and most entertaining thing to me- did not involve the pastor, choir, welcoming group, or fashionistas- but rather- the sole reserved seat for the nurse on the front row…. That had me cracking up. Unfortunately, I believe I left my favorite pink bible in the pew in the Church- I have been a little sad about it bec. It had all my verses that I like highlighted in it. A dear friend that goes by the name of Maggie though- made me not sad because she told me now- I can find even more verses I didn’t really notice before- good point…. Now I have an orange bible, and although it isn’t pink, I believe God is color blind maybe??? So color doesn’t matter, and by the way, Orange was one of Raven’s favorite color- so now I will think about her when I see it. So now I have a new bible!!!
When we got back from church I slept for like 4 hours and then got up- ate a little, watching some “Drop Dead Diva” and then went back to sleep for about an hour. Then I woke up, watched more “Drop Dead Diva” and then ate pizza- mmmm…. Yummy! Then we were all just chilling and hanging out- we ran to Wal-mart, came back then went to a coffee shop and then were hanging out again…. Now I am chilling at the hospital and praying Stephanie is okay…..
So I hope tomorrow I will have an exciting update on how the first day of Up2Hope goes. I am super excited to meet all the girls and show them what a NC girls is like!!! I know it is going to be amazing. And I can’t wait to see how God uses me, and the other girls I am serving with to fulfill the purpose he has given to each of us.
Please pray that we are able to fix any problems that may incur tomorrow and that things will run as smoothly as possible. Pray for my friend Stephanie that everything will check out okay here at the hospital. And pray for the rest of the staff as we begin this 8 week long camp.
<3 Kendall
Ok so although I am on an adrenaline rush from this adventure to the hospital (ps we still have to make it back)…. I have had a pretty lazy and relaxing weekend. Saturday all of us girls slept, ate lunch- and I can’t remember what else at the moment. I know that Julie and Nealy cooked dinner for us- barbeque turned chicken haha (insider)… and rotel and cheese dip…. Can I get a mmmmm!!! Then Stephanie took us to Magazine street- I must say I will own a pair of heels from that street before I leave here…. Anyways- we went to this place called Sugre- which is the only one in the world (I think- right until proven wrong is my opinion)…. And the owner is a guy from the food network- (I guess you can google it if you interested)… the only thing I was interested in was the gelato and sorbet (yummy) and the amazing display of chocolates and decorated cakes…. So that was my Saturday and it was good!!!
Sunday- began at approximately 6:15 am- getting ready for Church- an awesome Church- Franklin Avenue Baptist Church- AMEN!!! We went to the 7:30 service so we knew we would be out within an hour and a half to two hours…. This church was huge and beautiful. I have never been to anything like it. While it was predominantly black, we all fit right in. Everyone was so welcoming and passionate about worshipping Christ. This church was practically destroyed during Katrina and pretty much everything was a loss. However they have been resilient and are now worshipping fully again! The choir and pastor were so enthusiastic and could definitely lift any spirit. The older women dressed beautifully with matching hats were so pretty. I loved watching them. You could definitely see the Spirit moving in them- hips and all!!!! The funniest and most entertaining thing to me- did not involve the pastor, choir, welcoming group, or fashionistas- but rather- the sole reserved seat for the nurse on the front row…. That had me cracking up. Unfortunately, I believe I left my favorite pink bible in the pew in the Church- I have been a little sad about it bec. It had all my verses that I like highlighted in it. A dear friend that goes by the name of Maggie though- made me not sad because she told me now- I can find even more verses I didn’t really notice before- good point…. Now I have an orange bible, and although it isn’t pink, I believe God is color blind maybe??? So color doesn’t matter, and by the way, Orange was one of Raven’s favorite color- so now I will think about her when I see it. So now I have a new bible!!!
When we got back from church I slept for like 4 hours and then got up- ate a little, watching some “Drop Dead Diva” and then went back to sleep for about an hour. Then I woke up, watched more “Drop Dead Diva” and then ate pizza- mmmm…. Yummy! Then we were all just chilling and hanging out- we ran to Wal-mart, came back then went to a coffee shop and then were hanging out again…. Now I am chilling at the hospital and praying Stephanie is okay…..
So I hope tomorrow I will have an exciting update on how the first day of Up2Hope goes. I am super excited to meet all the girls and show them what a NC girls is like!!! I know it is going to be amazing. And I can’t wait to see how God uses me, and the other girls I am serving with to fulfill the purpose he has given to each of us.
Please pray that we are able to fix any problems that may incur tomorrow and that things will run as smoothly as possible. Pray for my friend Stephanie that everything will check out okay here at the hospital. And pray for the rest of the staff as we begin this 8 week long camp.
<3 Kendall
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Initiation into the "Ben-yay" club, Mississippi River, New Friends, and Anderson Cooper up close and personal :) Day 1 in NOLA
Today I started off a little bit worried about heading to New Orleans and I almost wanted to chicken out- but I am so so so thankful that I did not, because today goes down in my book as one of the best days of my life. New Orleans may be a little hot and humid right now- but it is so definitely worth it.
I arrived in NOLA at about 2:30 and was picked up by two “Kendall sign bearing girls” DeShannan and Kim. They gave me the education about a lot of stuff on the way to BFH where I was welcomely greeted by all the other staff members- might I just add they are awesome and this is going to be a fun and hilarious summer- gotta love em… I definitely don’t think they were quite prepared for what this NC girl is bringing them!
So when I got to the Friendship House, I got first dibs on the room- sorry girls, but a princess must control the air temperature- I will be reasonable and open to suggestions..JK- we will all work together on that one :) After chatting with everyone we went to pick up my roomie Julie- from SC (we are the Carolina girls) Then we were treated to a New Orleans favorite and staple- red beans (aka the kidney ones) and rice with all kinds of meat and stuff… Anyways- I was a little bit worried at first when I saw them on the kitchen counter being prepared to cooked- but they were delicious… I never would have given these things a chance in NC- good thing I like it because it is on the menu for Mondays from what I hear. After we ate- all together of course, the Mississippi girls arrived- Nealy and Lauren…
Then we were off to get a taste of this wonderful city. It was the best walk of my life. Thanks to Kay my feet didn’t hurt to bad- I can’t believe someone talked me out of wearing my “mini-heels” but she was really persuasive. So I wore flip flops. I can’t remember all the names of the streets that we went down- but they were pretty awesome. The French Quarter is beautiful- I even got to see Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s house… Now if I can just go knock on the door one day….I will save that for another trip up town. We rode the free ferry across the Mississippi River- back and forth… The scene on the other side of the river (the skyline of the French Quarter and stuff) was so awesome.
So then we are walking and we had noticed some cameras filming when we went and got on the ferry- but when we were walking back by- we realized it was the one and only Anderson Cooper!!! Can you believe it- within a few hours of being in New Orleans- I got to see a celebrity. However, I didn’t get to mark something off my bucket list because Karina and the others wouldn’t let me go touch him haha… Probably for the best. After checking Mr. Cooper out- we had to see how good he looked in person; I revealed some of my secret crushes- haha… I won’t get away from that one. Walking to Café du Monde (sorry I don’t remember the specific names- but maybe I will get it soon) I told lots and lots of stories and we had some pretty good convos…. While waiting for my Sprite and Ben-yay’s I showed off pictures of my special kitty kitties… needless to say- that kept us entertained….. So then Kay decided to "try" and initiate me- but it didn't go as planned- the "ben-yay's" have sugar all over them and evidentally to get initiated someone sneaks up behind you and blows the sugar all over you haha... I had already knocked most of mine off- so it didn't cover me.... After eating we returned to the BFH and started to get settled in…..
Of course- I had to take a shower before I put my pajamas on and I discovered that these showers are just a tiny-bit bi-polar… Maybe I can figure out what triggers their emotions before too long…. So that has been my absolutely wonderful day- and I can’t wait for it to continue tomorrow….
In all seriousness now- I am so thankful that God led me to come to New Orleans. I honestly feel like this is where I belong for the summer definitely, but who knows, I am thinking a return trip already…. I have fallen in love with every single part of the city- the ones who don’t have Christ in their life and are begging for help and a Savior on the streets, the beautiful scenery everywhere, to the children that I haven’t even met yet. I know this journey is going to leave me changed person- in fact, it already has. I just am so excited and can’t wait to see what is going to happen next and how I can use what God has given me to spread his word. I am also so thankful for all the staff and all the girls serving with me, these are some friendships that will never be lost or broken.
The biggest thing I can ask you to pray for is that we can prepare and just reach out to these girls that will begin camp on Monday. Calm any nerves that we may have and for everything to work out the way God intends it to. Pray for safety everywhere and that us girls can just prepare our heart, mind, and body to serve God the way he wants and needs us to. Also pray for all the staff here that they can get us missionaries prepared as well as what needs to be taken care of before the camp begins. Pray that every little girl’s life will be touched here this summer.
I love you all in DC- but I don’t miss ya to much yet- in all honesty- I really love it here so please don’t worry about me…
<3 Kendall
I arrived in NOLA at about 2:30 and was picked up by two “Kendall sign bearing girls” DeShannan and Kim. They gave me the education about a lot of stuff on the way to BFH where I was welcomely greeted by all the other staff members- might I just add they are awesome and this is going to be a fun and hilarious summer- gotta love em… I definitely don’t think they were quite prepared for what this NC girl is bringing them!
So when I got to the Friendship House, I got first dibs on the room- sorry girls, but a princess must control the air temperature- I will be reasonable and open to suggestions..JK- we will all work together on that one :) After chatting with everyone we went to pick up my roomie Julie- from SC (we are the Carolina girls) Then we were treated to a New Orleans favorite and staple- red beans (aka the kidney ones) and rice with all kinds of meat and stuff… Anyways- I was a little bit worried at first when I saw them on the kitchen counter being prepared to cooked- but they were delicious… I never would have given these things a chance in NC- good thing I like it because it is on the menu for Mondays from what I hear. After we ate- all together of course, the Mississippi girls arrived- Nealy and Lauren…
Then we were off to get a taste of this wonderful city. It was the best walk of my life. Thanks to Kay my feet didn’t hurt to bad- I can’t believe someone talked me out of wearing my “mini-heels” but she was really persuasive. So I wore flip flops. I can’t remember all the names of the streets that we went down- but they were pretty awesome. The French Quarter is beautiful- I even got to see Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s house… Now if I can just go knock on the door one day….I will save that for another trip up town. We rode the free ferry across the Mississippi River- back and forth… The scene on the other side of the river (the skyline of the French Quarter and stuff) was so awesome.
So then we are walking and we had noticed some cameras filming when we went and got on the ferry- but when we were walking back by- we realized it was the one and only Anderson Cooper!!! Can you believe it- within a few hours of being in New Orleans- I got to see a celebrity. However, I didn’t get to mark something off my bucket list because Karina and the others wouldn’t let me go touch him haha… Probably for the best. After checking Mr. Cooper out- we had to see how good he looked in person; I revealed some of my secret crushes- haha… I won’t get away from that one. Walking to Café du Monde (sorry I don’t remember the specific names- but maybe I will get it soon) I told lots and lots of stories and we had some pretty good convos…. While waiting for my Sprite and Ben-yay’s I showed off pictures of my special kitty kitties… needless to say- that kept us entertained….. So then Kay decided to "try" and initiate me- but it didn't go as planned- the "ben-yay's" have sugar all over them and evidentally to get initiated someone sneaks up behind you and blows the sugar all over you haha... I had already knocked most of mine off- so it didn't cover me.... After eating we returned to the BFH and started to get settled in…..
Of course- I had to take a shower before I put my pajamas on and I discovered that these showers are just a tiny-bit bi-polar… Maybe I can figure out what triggers their emotions before too long…. So that has been my absolutely wonderful day- and I can’t wait for it to continue tomorrow….
In all seriousness now- I am so thankful that God led me to come to New Orleans. I honestly feel like this is where I belong for the summer definitely, but who knows, I am thinking a return trip already…. I have fallen in love with every single part of the city- the ones who don’t have Christ in their life and are begging for help and a Savior on the streets, the beautiful scenery everywhere, to the children that I haven’t even met yet. I know this journey is going to leave me changed person- in fact, it already has. I just am so excited and can’t wait to see what is going to happen next and how I can use what God has given me to spread his word. I am also so thankful for all the staff and all the girls serving with me, these are some friendships that will never be lost or broken.
The biggest thing I can ask you to pray for is that we can prepare and just reach out to these girls that will begin camp on Monday. Calm any nerves that we may have and for everything to work out the way God intends it to. Pray for safety everywhere and that us girls can just prepare our heart, mind, and body to serve God the way he wants and needs us to. Also pray for all the staff here that they can get us missionaries prepared as well as what needs to be taken care of before the camp begins. Pray that every little girl’s life will be touched here this summer.
I love you all in DC- but I don’t miss ya to much yet- in all honesty- I really love it here so please don’t worry about me…
<3 Kendall
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Cry-Positive Commissioning and Last Sunday before I leave for NOLA
Well this past week and a half has been a whirlwind full of God’s work and also some obstacles thrown in the way. It has consisted of getting to know the girls that I will be serving with through facebook, dealing with two car accidents (not involving me), my commissioning today, sleeping, relay for life, a parade/pageant appearances, and some sleeping. Since my last post, despite all this stuff, God has really answered some of my prayer requests regarding my upcoming travels to New Orleans and the 2 months that I will spend there.
Before I go any further in writing, I must thank God and give him all the glory for the miracles that took place with the car accidents. The first one involved my sister and a friend and they flipped the car, luckily both walked away with only some airbag burn. The second wreck involving my friend Ivey and 2 of her friends and was much more severe. However, God has shown that he is still in the miracle performing business; bringing a guy off life support and allowing Ivey to walk even with 4 broken places in her back. He truly is amazing. I am so thankful.
The last time I wrote, I was uncertain of a lot of the things I will face when I arrive in New Orleans. However, God has answered this by allowing all of us girls to begin to chat on facebook and discuss things that we are questioning. And thankfully, there is a girl that is already down there to give us even more advice. Now the fun part begins of actually packing, one of my least favorite things to do ever. It will get completed eventually, probably Wednesday night!
I was also dealing with a lot of temptation the last time I wrote, but I have been using the doubled edged sword and have fought it off by spending every opportunity I have to dig into God’s word and it provides me with the strength and comfort that I need. The only thing now is that I feel like every time I get ready to do something big, a whole bunch of things (not really good) happen all at once. For example, the week that I moved into college my sister was hospitalized with pneumonia so my parents were pretty much with her the whole time I was moving in.
I am still struggling with worrying about having withdrawals from my Church family. I have to give a huge and amazing thanks to everyone who played a role in my commissioning today at Church. It was such a special and life touching service for me- nearly as special as my baptism. I was so “cry-positive” today- especially when Mrs. Angie sang “When I Call on Jesus” especially for me. It was so moving and she definitely topped Nicole Mullen. While I can’t imagine being anywhere except KBC on Sunday mornings, at the same time I am really excited about getting to go to a new Church in New Orleans and experiencing that. But my KBC family must know that I will be thinking of them often and love them so so so much! I am just so thankful to everyone’s kind words and prayers and encouragement as I venture to New Orleans. I can’t wait until the day that I can report back on all the ways that God uses me.
Well I think that is about it for now- I should really get some sleep so I can get up in the morning and finish preparing- I still have a lot of stuff to do.
Please pray that I can continue with an open heart and Christ like attitude as I begin this journey of a lifetime. Pray for comfort while I am away from my KBC family and that we can continue to stay in close contact with one another. Be with the other girls as they also prepare for travels and that they will also have an open heart. Pray for my own family that they can stay strong but also provide me with the support I need. Pray for the director and staff as they begin to prepare for all of us missionaries to arrive. Continue to pray for safe traveling and safety and good health throughout the next two months. Pray for me to get motivate and get all my papers turned in and the other things I need to tend to in a timely manner so I won’t have a time crunch. Most importantly pray for the people of New Orleans and that I may be able to touch someone’s life and allow them to experience salvation.
<3 Kendall
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Preparing for my journey to New Orleans
I should first start by explaining what this journey to New Orleans is going to involve and the "hows" and "whys" of this upcoming experience. I will be leaving RDU airport on May 27 for New Orleans, Louisiana. I will be there for 2 entire months- 9 weeks! I will be serving the highest and most awesome God in ways that I am not completely sure about. The full extent of how I will be serving has not been revealed to me. However, there are some things that I do know:
I will be serving at the Baptist Friendship House- located within the French Quarter
The director and staff all seem so dedicated to this place and I can't wait to meet them
There will be three other girls serving with me
The main thing we will be doing is acting as sorta- camp counselors for a program called Up to Hope that the BFH puts together during the summer for girls from the age of 9-18
I know that it is going to be hot and muggy and I'm not sure if I am prepared for that
And the most comforting thing I know is that I will have wireless access- haha jk...
The most important and comforting this is that God is going to use me in ways that I can't even imagine and this mission trip is going to leave a lasting impact on my life.
As I am beginning to prepare my heart and mind for this experience, I have encountered a lot of problems and difficulties. Satan is extremely unhappy with my choice to serve the Lord and he has been trying to deceive me and tempt me so that I will stumble. Unfortunately I have stumbled some and it has caused me to fall completely down at times. But every time my God has been there to help me up and wrap me in his loving arms. I was not expecting any of these difficulties. I felt that when I accepted God's calling for me to go on missions that I would be on such a "Spiritual High" that I wouldn't fall at all. Now that I have learned that I am going to be tempted and deceived, but as long as I turn to God in everything he will give me the strength to get over hard times, options to avoid temptation, and love and forgiveness that I need when I do mess up.
So now my main focus is just allowing God to handle everything in my life by just going to him daily and giving him my burdens and right now I do have many. As much happiness and "excitedness" I have about the opportunity- there is almost an equal amount of worry.
I have never been away from my sister and brother for this long
I am so sad that I won't be at KBC every Sunday to see that family
I will miss my parents and grandparents and other family members and summer events I will miss
I'm not a fan of cajun or spicy food
I don't know the conditions I will be living in or the culture shock I am going to face
I don't know anyone there
Please pray that I can continue with an open heart, stay strong in the Lord and stand up for the right thing. Pray that I can overcome any fears and worries by giving them to God and letting him provide me comfort. Pray for my family and friends that will miss me as well. Pray for safety traveling and during the two months I will be gone- as well as no health issues. Pray that I can be an incredible witness and hopefully show Christ through every action and word I speak and that I can help bring someone to know Christ through my testimony.
<3 Kendall
I will be serving at the Baptist Friendship House- located within the French Quarter
The director and staff all seem so dedicated to this place and I can't wait to meet them
There will be three other girls serving with me
The main thing we will be doing is acting as sorta- camp counselors for a program called Up to Hope that the BFH puts together during the summer for girls from the age of 9-18
I know that it is going to be hot and muggy and I'm not sure if I am prepared for that
And the most comforting thing I know is that I will have wireless access- haha jk...
The most important and comforting this is that God is going to use me in ways that I can't even imagine and this mission trip is going to leave a lasting impact on my life.
As I am beginning to prepare my heart and mind for this experience, I have encountered a lot of problems and difficulties. Satan is extremely unhappy with my choice to serve the Lord and he has been trying to deceive me and tempt me so that I will stumble. Unfortunately I have stumbled some and it has caused me to fall completely down at times. But every time my God has been there to help me up and wrap me in his loving arms. I was not expecting any of these difficulties. I felt that when I accepted God's calling for me to go on missions that I would be on such a "Spiritual High" that I wouldn't fall at all. Now that I have learned that I am going to be tempted and deceived, but as long as I turn to God in everything he will give me the strength to get over hard times, options to avoid temptation, and love and forgiveness that I need when I do mess up.
So now my main focus is just allowing God to handle everything in my life by just going to him daily and giving him my burdens and right now I do have many. As much happiness and "excitedness" I have about the opportunity- there is almost an equal amount of worry.
I have never been away from my sister and brother for this long
I am so sad that I won't be at KBC every Sunday to see that family
I will miss my parents and grandparents and other family members and summer events I will miss
I'm not a fan of cajun or spicy food
I don't know the conditions I will be living in or the culture shock I am going to face
I don't know anyone there
Please pray that I can continue with an open heart, stay strong in the Lord and stand up for the right thing. Pray that I can overcome any fears and worries by giving them to God and letting him provide me comfort. Pray for my family and friends that will miss me as well. Pray for safety traveling and during the two months I will be gone- as well as no health issues. Pray that I can be an incredible witness and hopefully show Christ through every action and word I speak and that I can help bring someone to know Christ through my testimony.
<3 Kendall
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