We're Back, It's Story Time!!

It's taken me way too long to post these stories, and I apologize.  But I'm doing it now!

So, Wednesday and Thursday (6/8-6/9) were traveling days.  I had tried to write my testimony on the plane, just in case I needed it while in Uruguay, but nothing was making sense and in the end I just gave up.  I thought that God would give me one later if necessary, and I'm not sure if that was God or procrastination talking.  After we landed in Chile, I enjoyed the weirdest birthday I have ever experienced (the "enjoyment" cutesy of our amazing missions team, you guys blessed me tremendously that day :D), we got a good nights rest in a safe hotel, thank God, and then spent the next 24 hours (Friday 6/10-Saturday morning) in the Santiago airport.  I had really believed that God was telling me we would leave sometime Friday, but I was mistaken and rather discouraged.  After a rough night's sleep, we finally flew out of Santiago and were on our way to Montevideo.  God gave me my testimony on that flight, about how faith is important, but if what you believe is not a part of God's plan (i.e., getting out of the airport Friday), it wont' happen.  It turns out, a very dear member of Sinai (the church in Montevideo) had passed away, and having us there would have been an added stress and inconvenience.  God always has a plan!

Saturday afternoon went by very quickly.  When we arrived in Montevideo, we learned that the kids attending our VBS/Kid's Carnival had been waiting for us for a few hours.  We shoveled down some (very delicious!) lunch and got started right away, and the kids loved it.  I hope that God used our lesson (no matter how unrehearsed and improvised it may have been :D) to bless those kids!

The youth service Saturday night was amazing.  I met some wonderful friends that night!!  I shared my testimony along with Rhonda, and Niki gave the message.  What impacted me the most, however, was the worship.  It's so energetic, real, and free!  One way they worship is with dance (awesome.), whether choreographed or just jumping up and down like a maniac.  I was able to join them in the dancing-like-a-maniac-for-the-Lord part.  Megan also performed her dance to "Come As You Are", and I can't stop telling her... Megan- you have never been so beautiful as when you were dancing for the Lord. <3 One of my new friends, Kelsey, asked for our team to pray over her (which came as a surprise to me!), which lead to many people laying their  worries out before the Lord.  The Holy Spirit was there, at a youth service!  I guess we just have to welcome in.  One thing is for sure though, I will make sure that our youth group gets out of our routine when it comes to worship.  Now that I've experienced such freedom and passion in worship, I will not go back! :)

Sunday (6/12) was a nice day of rest.  Our wonderful translator Daniela (whom I love very much! <3) took us to the market and to Villa Camila (pronounced Visha Camila), the satalite church we were to paint the next few days.  The area we were in is vastly different from the US, but I instantly fell in love with it.  The beauty comes from the simplicity, I think.  For the Sunday service, Pastor Charlie preached a message about the Holy Spirit lifting us up to the line God sets for us, and it was very powerful.  Again, the Holy Spirit showed up, more than I had ever seen before.  Practically the whole congregation of about 150 was in front of the stage, worshiping God, shouting prayers, falling down..  it was truly amazing.  We had to keep moving the chairs back so there was enough room!  Later that night, we were all relaxing in the kitchen after yet another wonderful meal, all singing Revelation Song with Esteban playing.. it was fun!  Daniel scratched our previous plan of Annie, Niki, Mom and I singing that with Niki leading, and there was a new plan.. everyone sings it!  Bad news: I was leading, Niki was harmonizing (this goes against every fiber of my being since NIKI HAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL VOICE AND SHOULD LEAD!)  When the time came to sing it for the pastor's dinner the next night, though, God taught me that it didn't matter who was leading, if my voice sounded good or not, if I was even on pitch.. as long as we were worshiping him, he would make it beautiful.  And I am so glad I got the chance to learn that.

Monday (6/13) was a long day of painting.  I was miserably cold, but whenever I felt like complaining, God would remind me that I was in a foreign country with amazing people, painting HIS house of worship.  I was blessed!  The pastor's dinner was a success, and many pastors and leaders from the district attended.  I also learned that night that I am NOT cut out to be a waitress (I must have spilled 7 or 8 times!).

Tuesday morning was more painting, and I started talking a lot to my new awesome friend Vivian!  Now we talk everyday on facebook, and I love her!  Rhonda and Daniel had been working very hard on the door to Villa Camila, and it looks WONDERFUL!  Pics coming later, or just look on facebook.  That night we went to seminary in Montevideo (after a rather bumpy car ride:D), and that was very interesting.  Pastor Charlie, Mrs. Gina, and Pastor Ramon (husband of Pastor Elba, the pastor of Sinai) were running a little late, so this one lady requested to lead everyone in worship.  Everyone started singing and clapping, and it was so high energy!  I was amazed yet again at the freedom they have in their worship.

Wednesday was MORE painting, this time at La Mission, a discipleship program.  We made a lot of new friends there, and I will be looking into participating after college.  That night was our last church service before we left Sinai, and it was amazing yet again.  Mrs. Gina taught about turning fear into faith, and Mrs. Alisha and Mom shared their testimonies.  It was powerful.  People were laying hands on her, and everyone was praying for her healing, and she was even anointed with oil!  The two of us were bawling.  Pastor Elba held up 20 slips of paper for mom to write her name on, so the congregation could pray for her.  There was an immediate race to get a slip, then they stampeded towards mom, talking to us in spanish, hugging us and kissing us.  Mom started crying all over again.  It was amazing that so many people were so excited about praying for Mom.  I am proud to report that she is home, after a successful surgery, and she continues to get better everyday <3

Saying goodbye to everyone was so hard, Wednesday night and Thursday.  God placed a love for these people in my heart, and I WILL be back!  Thanks to everyone who walked this journey with me.  God blessed me through it, and through you. <3

Finally

We are here, we are safe, everything is wonderful.  Yesterday the kids carnival and the youth service were amazing.  God is working here.  I will not blog much at all while we´re here, but when I get back, get ready for a novel.  I love you all.  CHECK OUR FACEBOOK PAGE FROM HERE ON OUT! That will be updated much more than this blog.  God bless you like he´s blessed me!

Will we EVER get to Uruguay?

Well, our flight did not leave at 1pm.  This morning, Pastor Charlie got a notice from American Airlines to be at the Santiago airport at 10am, so we immediately checked out (I didn't really get breakfast:/) and grabbed a taxi.  We were then told that the chances of us leaving Santiago today was slim, and we were given hotel vouchers, enough for two days.  Spirits were relatively low as we headed downstairs to catch a bus to the hotel.  We were delayed, however, and didn't leave the airport.  While we were waiting, we were sharing little snippets of what God was telling us- Rhonda was told that we were in Santiago for our safety, Mom was told to pray for peace and patience, and Megan was told (while on the plane, just after we learned that we couldn't land in Montevideo) "not today, tomorrow".  After a short amount of time, we learned that a flight was being planned and would leave in the afternoon.

We have stayed in the airport all day.  Earlier, an announcement told us that we would be receiving more information about boarding at 5pm.  When the time came, we were told that we would receive information in 30 more minutes.  Currently, the plan is to leave at 8, but announcements are coming every two minutes or so.  It's in God's hands, and our team isn't worried.  "Not today, tomorrow."

I'm proud of our team.  We have made it over 24 hours in a spanish speaking country without a translator.  I am rather enjoying using the little bit of the language I learned this year in Spanish 1.  I made a friend in the souvenir store :)  Can't wait to get to Montevideo.  Please continue to pray for our safety and for God's will to be done in our situation.  Will blog when we receive more information or when we arrive in Uruguay! <3

Wow, such a beautiful view!

Of the Andes mountains.  We're in Chile.  A volcano has spewed ash and the plane was unable to land in Uruguay.  We spent an extra two hours or so, first flying to Mendoza, Argentina to refuel then landing in Santiago, Chile.  We have found a nice (and safe!) hotel courtesy of American Airlines and the earliest we might leave tomorrow is 1pm (11am your time).  Unfortunately, we missed painting the church today and will miss spending time at the retirement home tomorrow.  I believe we're planning on sacrificing part of our free day to visit the elderly and give them some blankets we made and some hats donated by a wonderfully talented family friend, Mrs. Kathy Solomon.  We are all especially tired (most of us have had around 3-4 hours of sleep last night), so I must hand over the computer and catch up on sleep.  Link to the Facebook page (click on the title of the previous blog entry) to view photos!  God bless.

En Route to Montevideo!

I am currently sitting in a terminal, waiting two hours and thirty minutes until our flight to Montevideo leaves.  (I am a jerk to my friend Megan...awkward asian face : / <----Megan said that.)  Yeah, we're having fun.  I think.  Countdown to my birthday: 2hrs 55minutes.  We got to Miami uncomfortable and cramped, but we had no problems.  I'll try and blog sometime tomorrow as well.  Based on my random thought patterns, you might infer (bonus word) that I am tired and rather bored.

Megan says: I need to squeeze the lemon...
What?
You heard me...squeeze the lemon ;)

We are also looking forward to watching Get Smart later on the plane, with our Annie's bunny grahams and pretzel m&ms.  I think that's about all there is to report at the moment.  I miss all of you back home :) Keep you posted!

Oh, and I linked to our Facebook page for the Uruguay trip, pictures are being posted there!

It's Here O_o

O_o says it all.  Tomorrow is the day that it's all been leading up to, the day that it all starts.  I AM LEAVING THE COUNTRY AND GOING ON A MISSIONS TRIP TO URUGUAY!! AHHHH!!  It's amazing, I'm so blessed!  I couldn't be more excited (then again, I haven't gotten on the plane yet).  Thank you all for supporting me in preparing for this.  Throughout the next few days, please keep us in your mind, and don't forget to keep checking my blog for updates!  Also, please continue to pray for everyone's safety and for God to use us to bless those we're going to serve.  I just know that he will do amazing things in our lives during this trip.

Thank you for embarking on this journey with me.  It's going to be truly awesome. <3

Hi of 95 today. I'm going to miss this weather when we get to Uruguay. Weather forcast: 40-60 degrees.

Uruguay Itinerary

This is the schedule for the Uruguay trip!  I'm sure this is going to change in some way over the course of our trip based on what God is leading us to do, but this is the main idea of where we will be going and what we will be doing.  Enjoy!

Uruguay Itinerary

Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
Arrive & get settled	1:00pm Nursing home visits	2:00-6:00 Kids Carnival (details below)	4:00pm Main church service	Paint church – time TBD	Fun Day	Finish painting or other work project	Head home
Paint church interior	7:00pm Church service	8:00pm Youth service	Charlie preach	7:00pm Pastors meeting		7:00pm Church wide devotion & group discussion
	Daniel preach	Megan dance		Charlie speaks		Gina to facilitate & lead discussion
	Annie, Mika, Kelly & Niki Sing	Cardboard Testimonies (whole team)	Testimony 2 adults	Team serves meal to pastors		Team members to participate in discussion groups
	A team member share testimony	Testimony shared by 1 youth and 1 adult Niki preach	Niki sing

Kids Carnival order of service & participants

1. Face paint, games & characters outside as kids arrive
2. Worship music & dancers (Megan, Annie & Mika can teach a dance to girls and learn one of theirs to do during worship)
3. Sin chair skit (Mika, Steve, Angie & Niki)
4. Adam & Eve lesson (Kelly to teach w/ help from team)
5. Break into small groups to do the evangecube and pray (Alisha, Mika, Angie & Rhonda as group leaders)
6. Songs to end
7. Games and crafts outside

Im packing!

2 days left...

In about 20 minutes, there will be only two days left until the day that we leave for Uruguay.  The thought is overwhelming.  There are so many emotions that I'm feeling now, including anxiety.  In our Uruguay cell group earlier today, we were discussing what we are most looking forward to and most afraid of.  The majority of us were most excited to meet the people and to establish a relationship with them.  I especially can't wait until Saturday, when we will be having our VBS for the children.  However, I am afraid that I'm not prepared for this.  I feel like I haven't put enough thought into what I have committed to, even though I've worked hard so I will be ready.  I think all these feelings will go away when we finally arrive in Uruguay.  We have planned so much, and I believe we're all ready to carry our plans out!  Above all the other emotions racing through my brain, anticipation is the strongest.  I am so excited to see what God has prepared for us, and I believe that we will be ready for whatever it is.  After all, it's God who's sending us, and he will continue to guide us every step of the way.

Matthew 28:19-20      "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Please continue to pray for me as I set off on this journey.  Great things will happen :)

Church Address

I just wanted to make everyone aware that until now, I had posted the wrong address to send checks to, under my first "Welcome!" post.  I have changed it so it shows the correct address.  If you already sent a check to that address, we will still get it, so don't worry about that.  It just might take a while for the mail to go through forwarding.  Sorry about that, guys!

8 more days!

With school finishing up and my unfortunately small attention span for things that actually matter, I haven't been blogging nearly as much as I should have, and I apologize.  A lot of things have been planned for our upcoming trip that I'm very excited about and I would love to share them with you.  The ten days we will be in Uruguay, our team will be hosting LOTS of services for the church we are serving this trip, including a youth service, a pastor/leader service where our pastor, Charlie, will be lecturing, and a VBS for the Uruguayan children!  I am especially excited about the VBS, where I will be heading a small group and also doing a lot of skits and songs with the kids.  My mom and I have been preparing snacks and small toys to bring with us on the trip, which is a constant reminder that in a little more than a week, I will be leaving for Uruguay.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around that fact.  I would be lying if I said that I'm not nervous, but I'm trusting God to continue to mold me in this upcoming week into the person he needs me to be for those people in Uruguay.

Please continue to pray for my mother and me, along with the rest of our team.  Mom and I have been fasting sugar for the past few weeks (which is especially hard for me, because I love my sweets!).  Please be praying for God to ready me for this experience, because heaven knows, I'm not ready right now.

God bless you all! <3

I raised all the money for my trip! So did mom! Thank you to EVERYONE who donated!! We so appreciate it.

Happy Easter! He is risen! <3

Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night Success!

Well, I just sat down from being on my feet since 5pm.  5-8pm was our spirit night at Chick-Fil-A on Colombia, and it was definitely hard work.  So many families came out to support our trip, praise God!  Thank you to everyone who was there tonight, we appreciate it so very much.

For the majority of the time, I was back in the easter bunny suit.  It was nice to be sitting and in the air conditioning this time.  The kids were so precious, even though a few were thoroughly terrified of me.  If it weren't for all the smiles, hugs, and high fives I received tonight, I would not have been able to stay in that sweaty suit!  It was pretty yucky, yet somehow, I would be happy to do it again.  Around 7, when most of the families had left, I was able to retire the suit for good, grab a bite to eat, and start serving the customers and the restaurant.  It was fun to talk to some of the people and share a little about the missions trip and Gateway.  It's really cool how God can turn something as simple as serving a couple at Chick-Fil-A into a chance to share my faith.  The employees at Chick-Fil-A were amazing, too.  It was a pleasure to serve them by cleaning the restaurant and play place, serving the customers, etc.  Mrs. Gina would not stop cleaning the windows!  I also got a picture of Pastor Charlie and Mr. Daniel (he's the leader of the missions trip) cleaning the windows.  Let's just say, those windows were sparkling by the time we all left!

Thanks again to the missions trip team for your hard work, everyone who stopped by to support us, and a BIG thank you to Chick-Fil-A for hosting this!  It was such a pleasure.  Pics will be posted soon :) God bless!

Chickfila spirit night tonight! Come to chickfila on colombia from 5-8, and 20% of all funds goes towards our trip! Dont miss this opportunity to help!

Oh!  I had forgotten to mention this before.  My wonderful mother has been wanting to come with me to Uruguay for a while, but it would have to be God's will for her to go if we were ever going to raise the necessary funds.  She has been praying about it for a while, and in the past few weeks, she has been feeling that she is supposed to acompany me on this trip!  I'm so happy she gets to go. 

Final amounts in for the flea market fundraiser! The total amount of money raised was $4630.67, and Mom & I made $396.09 each towards our trips. Praise God!

Flea Market Fundraiser Success!

Our big flea market fundraiser was a huge success!  I don't have the final number yet, but altogether, we made over $4,000.  Thank you to everyone who donated and stopped by, and a HUGE thank you to the missions trip team for working so hard to put this together.  I love you guys!

So, few things happened today that I wasn't expecting.  First, I got a slight tan, and if you know me, you understand what a big deal that is to my pitifully pale self.  Second, I was in an easter bunny suit for a few hours. Even though it was excruciatingly hot, I had fun.  It was such a blessing to see those little children's faces when I gave them candy, and I got a ton of hugs.  I definitely should've taken a picture, but I didn't think of it.  Luckily, I will be back in the suit (while in the air conditioning!) for our next big fundraiser: Gateway Church's Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night!  I'm especially excited about this fundraiser.  Here's how it works.  On Monday, April 18th (that's the Monday after next), you all come to eat dinner at Chick-Fil-A.  When you order, you say that you're at Chick-Fil-A for the Gateway Church spirit night.  Then you eat, spend time with your friends and/or children, and take pictures with the Easter Bunny (mua).  20% of all profits that night will go towards our missions trip.  It's that easy!  So please save the date, this is a great way to support our trip while eating yummy food.  If you're a parent, your kids will love it, too:)

Also, I have a few prayer requests.  Mrs. Rhonda is a wonderful woman who is going on this missions trip, and her mother is in the hospital right now.  For a while, things were not looking good, but recently, her mom has been doing a little better.  Prayer for her continued healing would be great.  The next request is for my very close friend and her family.  They are some of the most generous and loving people I know, and they are going through a rough time at the moment.  Please pray for God's perfect will to be done in their lives.

Thank you to everyone who is supporting me in this journey.  God bless! 

Gateway Team Flea Market Fundraiser

I had mentioned this fundraiser before, and now I have details!  My church has done this once before when we sent a team to Romania, and it was a huge success.  Lets make it just as much a success this time.

This huge sale will be going on Friday, April 8th and Saturday, April 9th, 7am-6pm Friday and 7am-2pm Saturday.  The location is Perry's Home Outlet in Spring Hill on Hwy 31, just south of Lowe's.  In addition to the sale, there will be an Easter bunny for kids and delicious baked goods available to buy!  Please stop by to support our trip.  

We are also in need of donations to add variety to our sale.  Suggested items include (but are not limited to!) home decor or household items, furniture, electronics, hardware, kids clothing, adult clothing (clothing is best on a hanger), baby items or toys, and books.  Any donation is very much appreciated.  For your convenience, we will also have drop off locations available on Sunday, April 3rd and Monday, April 4th in Franklin and Spring Hill.  For more information about that, please contact me and I will help you find the location closest to you!  You may also bring items to Perry's Home Outlet on Thursday, April 7th.  

This sale is a huge opportunity not only for our team, but also for you.  Please take advantage of this sale to clean out your garage and closets, and to come shop for new items.  This fundraiser won't be successful without your participation.  Thank you so much for your support of this missions trip.  

I just found out our church was launched on April Fools Day four years ago.  My pastor sure has a sense of humor!

This just in.. Will be staying in Uruguay until the 17th! 10 full days!

Welcome!

Hello everyone!  The purpose of this blog is to inform all who are interested in my upcoming missions trip to Uruguay.  I will be posting fundraising information and random things that God shares with me on this blog regularly, and I hope to post while I am in Uruguay, though I don't know if that's possible.  Pics and testimonies will definitely be posted when I return home.

So, Uruguay!  This will be my second missions trip, and my first with my church, Gateway (www.ourgatewaychurch.com).  We will be leaving on June 8th and returning on June 15th.  Where's Uruguay, you ask?  (I didn't know when I signed up for the trip!)  Uruguay is in South America, above Argentina on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

Now on to the fun part for all of us.. finances!  The total cost for this trip is $1800.  This is a lot of money for me, but I know God will provide.  There's currently two easy ways to get involved if you feel God is asking you to help me financially.  The first is to simply donate whatever you can towards my cause.  Checks can be made out to Gateway Church for tax deduction, and can be sent to Gateway Church, 1288 Lewisburg Pike, Franklin, TN 37064.  Please leave the memo section of the check blank, and include a sticky note with my name in the envelope.  If you are unable to donate money and you live in the Franklin, Spring Hill, or Thompson Station area, you can still help me fundraise!  The Gateway missions team is having a huge yard sale at Perry's Home Decor in Spring Hill, TN on April 9th.  If you have anything you would like to donate (furniture is especially needed), there will be drop off stations in Franklin and Spring Hill a few days before the sale.  Also, don't forget to come shop!  More details to come.

 I think that about sums it up for now.  Thank you to all who are supporting me financially or in prayer.  I couldn't be doing this without you.  God bless.