Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Hollywood, In and Out, and Huntington Beach







After a long week of training, God blessed me with some time in LA. On Friday night, Four of us went to Hollywood. We had such a good time. It was great to just hang out with some of my new friends. First we had to ride public transportation. That is always fun. The train we rode was in the middle of the highway. Then we had to ride the metro. Once we got to Hollywood Blvd. I could not believe all the people that were there. Then I saw all the stars on the ground. That was so exciting. I could not believe all of the stars. Then we took the red carpet road to the Hollywood sign. It was far away but we still got to see. It was great. Then, I saw Mickey and Minnie Mouse. I was so excited. The girls were laughing at me because they were like you know you will have to pay for that picture. I said I would pay anything to take my picture with Mickey and Minnie.  IT was two dollars and worth every penny. I could not believe all the impersonators that were on the street. It was unreal. The Tom Cruise impersonator was the best. He really looked like Tom Cruise.  I had to do a double take. Then we went to the area where many stars put their hands and feet in the cement. It was really cool. I got to put my hand on Robert Pattison (Edward). That is probably the closest I will ever get. LOL!  We ate at a Mexican restaurant. It was very good. I am so glad that I got this amazing opportunity.

Saturday, was a relax day. Finally, after five crazy days we got one day to relax. Some of us went to the burger joint In and Out. It was YUMMY. You put 1000 island on your burger. Their fries are homemade. It was great.  Then I was on the hunt for a new suitcase as mine broke before I even left Tampa. It was stressful but I found one finally on Sunday. Then Saturday night, we had our closing ceremony. It was really powerful, as we all prayed for each team. It was great to be around all of these people and praying for God’s will. I was humbled to be there. Then we had a talent show. I could not believe all the talent that we had in our group. IT was really fun.

The first team left Saturday night at 9:45. Then another team left at 2:45 am and another team at 4:30. I went to all  the send offs. It was so sad to see everyone go but great to know that they are going to do God’s work. Then Sunday, two more teams left. We went to In and Out again. I loved it. We also went to wal-mart and did a little shopping. Then we went to Katie’s house. It was very nice. We had a good time. Her roommate Thea made us a delicious breakfast. Then we made sandwiches for dinner. I got to sleep on an air mattress. It was so comfortable. Her neighbor also came over and she was super sweet.  It was very nice to stay in an house instead of the dorm.

Monday morning, the Russian team left in the morning. We met them and said good-byes. It was hard because we got close to them since we did most of our training together. The Russia team is a young team but they have so much heart. I cannot wait to see what God does in Russia. Then we went to the Beach. We drove to Huntington Beach. It was gorgeous. The water was really, really cold. We only put our feet in. So I can say that I have been in the Pacific Ocean. Then we hung out for about two hours.  It sunny and there was a nice breeze. It was Perfect. God is so awesome.  They had a bunch of surfing camps out there, so we were watching all these young kids learning how to surf. It was great. Some of them were really good. Then we went to a little restaurant. It was called Blackboard Bistro. It had a school theme to it. IT was really good. Then we went to pick up a couple more things for our trip. We went to the THREE story Target.  It was great. Then we walked the Americana Mall. It was such a beautiful day out. I just loved it there. For dinner, we went to a Mexican restaurant and had a margarita. It was yummy. Then we finished packing and went to sleep. It is our last night in the United States.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Week 1


Week 1 in Pasadena, California

God was really stretching me. I have never been so out of my comfort zone until this trip and I have not even been overseas yet. However, God takes care of me every step of the way. I was extremely nervous to fly by myself and have to switch planes. How did God take care of me? The person who sat next to me on my first flight was also going to LA then overseas to teach English for the summer. She was with Teach Overseas. How awesome was that? We talked the whole plane ride. It was amazing. Both plane trips were great. LAX was not bad like everyone said it would be. In my taxi van there were four of us going to Teach Overseas. Rexine (who I met first was not on my taxi) so I met 3 more people that I would be spending the week with.

I finally get to the College and had to jump right in with activities with all of these people I do not know. It was very hard for me. I was very quiet and did not say much. I thought, why in the world am I here. I am not outgoing enough for this. I started to second-guess myself.  But God was a work and He was working fast. I met my teammates who consist of two other ladies. They are really sweet and great. Funny thing is they have very similar personalities like mine. So we have kind of been sticking together.

I have met some pretty amazing people here. Everyone comes with a different story and it is awesome to see how God is working in all of his or her lives. I believe the youngest is 19 or 20. They inspire me because some have never even been on a plane before and they are getting ready to go out of the country. I love seeing how they are leaving their college life behind for the summer to do God’s work. Only if I was that smart in collegeJ then the oldest person I think is around 75. They inspire me because they do not let age to be an excuse for not doing God’s work. Some of them have been going for 14 years. I pray that when I am that age, I will do God’s work, as He wants me too and not have any excuses.

I am putting myself out there and being open to whatever God has for me. I am stepping out of my comfort zone with so many things but I know that God has me and so I should not fear. I am here for a purpose and I cannot wait to see wait holds in the Ukraine.

This training has been intense and sometimes I do not know what the purpose is, but I know it is for a reason.

Thank you all for your prayers! I can feel them. Please pray for our traveling to the Ukraine.

Also, thank you all for your financial support. I am fully funded and had extra to share with someone else that needed some to finish their support raising. I am truly blessed with the people that God has put in my life. Please know that I am taking you all with me in my heart.

"Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16