You have my attention

So, last full day here at Pine Summit. It's been a fun two weeks for sure: all the prayer time, worship, watching kids puke up a gallon of milk, precious 30 min naps, hectic last minute media changes, testimonies, snack times, and of course my essential little bowl of oatmeal and cup of orange juice in the morning. Been so much fun chilling with the kids, and occasionally having some one-on-one time with God.

Maybe going to the lake today? Fingers crossed.
Only one more week to go of SMT, crazy its gone by so fast, yet also at the same time lasted forever.
P.s. today is Bailey's birthday, she is now officially 20! I've been blessed to have gotten to know her more this trip. Not only is she hilarious, she is incredibly down-to-earth, and a great listener and accountability partner.
Be praying for myself and the rest of the team as we hit the ending stretch (a little over a week left!) that we keep up the energy level, and impact lives!
P.s.s been listening to John Mark McMillan, Foster the People, Daft Punk remixes, and the song You Have My Attention by Copeland (Brandon and Geron sing it constantly.. the chorus is great)

Youtube videos to look up: (shown at camp last night)
Tallest High Dive- man does an insane high dive, pretty sure the location is at Seaworld in SD. It's pretty old (you can tell by the crowd's fashion sense ha) but still incredible. Makes me feel even more like a wimp for being nervous during the high rope's course.
Watermelon in the face- a team of two sisters on a random game show try to launch a watermelon, and it comes back and hits one of them in the face. Epic.
Freestyle Ghosting-I want to try this..

Taking a break

So excited to have a little down time today, we're at a hotel in Hisperia. I feel like a little kid in a candy store with the indoor pool and fitness center, plush beds and complimentary morning breakfast. Should be a good time of relaxation before heading back to Pine Summit.
Looking back this past week was such a time of growth for me personally, and as a team. Not only did I conquer the high ropes course (which didn't look too bad from the ground...), I am learning more and more to be on my toes with the whole media thing. Kind of a lesson in surrendering the need to have everything in line and trusting that God will be able to make something out of the little things I do.
Wish I had taken a picture of all the kids with their hands raised in worship, so beautiful and inspiring.
Still realizing I am holding onto connections from home. I thought that maybe SMT would be a way to almost escape some of it and refocus. But there always seems to be down-time where I am missing somebody.
In the meantime, the team has become more of a family this past week though, and I'm sure we will continue to share more experiences and be meeting more incredible people at the different camps (thoroughly enjoyed spending time with parents and kids alike this past week). And all this time working with mediashout has caused me to really reflect on lyrics that reflect things I want to say to my Father, but maybe don't know the right words. Ironically, the most impacting parts of songs usually ends up being the Bridge, where the lyrics and melody temporarily change from the rest of the song. Proof that change can sometimes be a good thing.

"Take my heart and make it clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen. Show me how to love like you have loved me. Break my heart for what breaks yours, everything I am for your kingdom's cause. As I go from nothing to eternity."

mid-week reflection

So its Wednesday night here with the Anaheim camp at Big Bear camp, getting to the point of exhaustion but totally worth it! Been working on the media which I love, except I am spending so much time dissecting the songs that it makes it difficult to be able to fully engage in worship. Granted I am worshipping when I am making the slides or when I am praying with my team. But I realize that the commas, the backgrounds, and those things that I stress over before the set contribute to someone else's ability to worship and communicate with our Heavenly Father.
And that is a rad concept to think about.
The team has become even more of a family to me, and I feel blessed to be able to work with such talented and fun people.
Missing people from home a little bit. I do love it here but hearing my mom's voice today, and seeing pictures of friends going on hikes without me make me miss home (and of course the amazing meals that come with that! ) Trying my best not to get distracted by things pulling me back home. Even here I find myself easily distracted by off-roading in golf carts and other various things but there have been some amazing conversations here that I wouldn't trade for the world.
Side notes: been craving Cheesecake Factory for the past two weeks, I LOVE the look of the full moon through the silhouettes of trees and surrounding visible stars, and it is insane how dirty feet get at camp!

and already the stories begin...

Night one..Whittier CA.
Set up at the church here went up way faster than last time, probably because we had a few extra hands helping.
Starting to get a little nervous for our groups first "performance" tomorrow, for lack of a better word. But trying to remind myself who it is we are really playing the songs for.
The pastor here told us about his life, about his dealing with Crohn's disease ever since he was younger, and about the two times he had died, but came back to life. So heavy and crazy to think about, but his story allows him to be able to connect with people who are about to pass on a totally different level, and that is such a blessing. He described dying as being peaceful, which makes the whole experience sound a little more comforting.
Staying at a home with an awesome family (with many extended members) that conveniently live right across from the church. We talked about the depressing yet encouraging stories of losing loved ones that are behind so many old hymns (definitely makes me appreciate them more than I did before), and on a slightly lighter note a friend of the family described a story involving a recipe called Frosty Paws (an ice cream for dogs?) that she recently shared in a chatroom. Apparently a random person joined halfway through the conversation asking for the recipe. Turns out they made it for their new in-laws thinking it was a normal human dessert item and they loved it so much they added it to their church recipe book not even realizing the recipe is for their canine companions. I almost died laughing. Remind me to thoroughly check recipes before I make them in the future for any in-laws!
Off to bed..church in the morning and gotta be up even earlier to do some last minute alterations on the slides and get ready. I don't know if I'll ever get a hang of this getting up early thing.

Expanding horizons

So we started our week of training here on campus. I confess it's been hard to fully concentrate on the team when the weather has been so sunny and with other friends staying on campus. But it has been definitely exhausting.
We've been practicing at a local church, and already I'm proud at the progress I've been making in terms of learning the mediashout program, and even with my directional sense in terms of doing errands around el cajon and various parts of SD (have yet to get lost! ....knock on wood).
Trying not to get sick, even if that means forcing myself to go to bed earlier on some nights, and chug water more than I want to. The early mornings are definitely getting to me, probably should have trained my body before this, oh well.
Went on a good run tonight with one of my team members. Was so nice to be out on the track running in the dark under the stars and full moon, and I ran further than I have previous times running there! (Might have been because I was borrowing my friend's running shoes, she does track). Felt so good afterwards, although I'm sure I will be feeling it tomorrow...

Changing Seasons

So I realized today that I haven't been on here since school has ended and summer has begun. In many ways I'm still the same person dealing with the same struggles. But in some ways my life has changed. I've grown and challenged myself, and seen areas where I have been able to make a small difference in someone else's life. Or rather in a handful of Jr Higher's lives, girls with broken families and pasts, who have been forced to grow up faster then they should have to. But the resulting rewarding feeling of being able to pray for these girls and hopefully be someone they could look up to far outweighed the exhaust I was feeling from the lack of sleep and running around.
And that was just a week.
I am about to embark on a four week journey (SMT) with some peers turned good friends, and play worship music at various camps and churches along the way. I am beyond excited about this opportunity and the experiences it will bring, also hopeful, nervous, and honestly a little sad to be leaving my friends and family for a bit (didn't really hit until my Dad started tearing up when saying goodnight).
So with bags packed (and probably lacking something important that I won't remember until I get far enough away), an open yet slightly overwhelmed mind, and the prayers of those close to me I am ready to hopefully continue making a difference and take a break from concentrating on my life.
I also will try and update this with stories and whatnot soon.
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, to Him be the glory"