learning

life seems so different lately. sometimes i get frustrated at how things happen and end up. but this time around, my frustration has been a good one. ever since camp, ive been struggling with how my life looks.. not to others or myself, but how it looks to God. i know that can sound corny but something has changed. God has thrown ideas and questions around in my head that have now just shaken up my life. everything from what i think about when i wake up in the morning, to what i am going to be when i grow up. it all seems to need purpose. it's made me wonder why i do the things i do and why i choose the words i speak and why i go the places that i go. i dont want to waste a moment of life or miss out on anything that God has in store for me to experience or learn or see. it's made me think a lot harder about the lifestyle i live and even more about the lifestyle i want to live when im a " big kid". i'm beginning to experience life differently when i allow God to be my everything, my Best Friend, Father, Savior, and my Lord. all of this has been overwhelming. i don't really like change, and this has been the ultimate changing machine! it's taken over my life and it's absolutely crazy, but i'm excited to be at this place with my God.

Meg and Me

I had the greatest time with my friend Meagan on Sunday. She and i pretty much have the same feelings and reactions and stories about everything. We even sound exactly alike! Sunday we met up and went to applebees and split the three cheese penne dinner.. highly recommend it! It came with a appetizer and dessert! Then we went to the park to take a photo shoot... which was her boyfriend, Ethan's, idea! And that is what our lovely picture is from. After all of that excitement we just chilled at her house, talked and watched movies. OH and had some angle food cake.. also very delicious! Meg is one amazing person. I love her very much and I'm so thankful to have her in my life. She is the one friend that no matter what, i know i can always be myself with her.

Back from Nashville

Nashville was So Great!!!

It was probably my favorite mission trip I have been on so far. We were constantly busy all day long and had the opportunity to do several types of service, and the group of people we went with was wonderful. I have so many fun stories but I'll try to condense it a little. Each day we did something different, but we always went to the Boys and Girls Club. That was fun! We pretty much just hung out with the kids there and helped out whenever we were needed. The kids were crazy but so loveable. One of my favorite things, was going to the mission in the morning. We woke up around 4:00 AM and went to the mission to serve breakfast. They only serve men there and they were all different ages and from different backgrounds. The reason it was my favorite, was because I had the opportunity to greet each one of the men. I was "ice girl" so as each person passed by, I got to say good morning and hand them their cup. I think I liked it so much because God was just like "kelsey I made each of these men and love each of them dearly, imagine how they feel when people are scared of them or purposefully ignore and pass them by". God gave me a way to show them love by simply filling their cups with ice and smiling at them. There were so many different places we served and people we met.. most of it is recorded on http://www.blogatthevine.blogspot.com/. It's our youth pastor's blog, you should check it out! Especially since I can't write all of it.
Every time I go on mission trips, I'm reminded of how priveledged and fortunate I am but this year it was more than that. As I've grown up and as God has revealed himself more, I realize that there's way more to learn than just how we take materials and family for granted. This year it was about how these people must feel. It was about stepping into their shoes and seeing life as they do. To have people constantly pass you by and avoid you, to have judgements and assumptions define you, to have no or very few words of encouragement, to have no home or no way of supporting yourself, to live in fear of when your next meal will be there or if your going to be safe when you fall asleep.. all of that must be so draining and must create a hopeless and lonely life. I guess what God was ultimately teaching me is that life with out him is hopeless and that there are people living with out him feeling that hopelessness... what am I going to do about it?

randomness

what is it that seems to worry you the most? does it ever just consume your day? that's one of the topics my fantastic youth pastor (kyle) spoke of tonight. he talked about the future and how most of us constantly are stressing about what we are going to do with it, who we are going to be and where in life we will end up. those thoughts are definitely on my mind all of the time. i'm freaking out about what college to choose and what im going to study. most of all, i'm freaking out about just screwing everything up and having to leave everyone i know. kyle encouraged us to be present in the day we are in. matthew 6:27 says.. "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" how often do i waste away my day just worrying about all of this stuff. so i'm thinking i'm going to stop thinking so hard about the future...

this week has been really great so far. i got paid for the first time! :) i had coffee with a good friend. church was good. my brother and i have gotten to spend a lot of time together lately which has been great. i get to hang out with one of my favorite people tomorrow, heather! And work has been fun. i love being happy to go into work everyday.

just a little update.. i know it's random.

new book

just started a new book today. it's called Wide Awake by Erwin McManus and it's great. for the most part, it's been about dreams; finding them and following them. what i have learned so far is that my dreams are important. they are what is going to keep my life from being mundane and bleak. which is great because i feel like i live a purposeless, kind of boring life sometimes and just get caught up in doing a routine everyday. i have been thinking about my passions and my interests, lately, my "dreams" and how i'm going to make a career and life out of them.
McManus wrote
"...what you care about is what you dream about, your passions fuel your dreams...When God is at the core of our lives, he becomes the inspirer of our dreams. If we want to live the wide awake life of our dreams, we must trust God to guide us on a journey we cannot take on our own.."
so i need to find my passions and dream about what i can do with them. and i need to trust God and allow him to be at the center of it all so my life will become what he purposed it to be, which i know will be more than i could ever have imagined, because He is faithful.

summer so far.

alright, summer so far... been working everyday and i really like my job (chiropractor assistant girl). the people i work with are so wonderful and nice which helps a great great deal! and i get paid good with good hours.. yay!

camp was a blast and has been my favorite memory of the 2008 summer. i learned a great deal about some simple things and ever since then life's been different. it was also just a fun time to get away and be with my church family. they are awesome.

coming up soon is mission trip! seems like we've been waiting forever to go. i have a feeling it's going to be different than all other mission trips.. maybe because of where i'm at in life or maybe because of people that will be around me, but either way i'm so excited!

ok that's pretty much what is on my mind at the moment. this blogging thing is new so the posts will get better i promise! hope its a great day.

kelsey ann