Making a Difference

I have the coolest friends ever. No, really, I do. The coolest. Ever.  Don't believe me? Listen to this:

A friend - we'll call her "Friend A" - recently had a birthday party. Instead of collecting various cards and presents from party-goers, she asked everyone to bring a stuffed animal that she then donated to Riley Hospital. She ended up with 70 stuffed animals. That's 70 sick kids who got a cuddly new friend that just maybe made their bad day a little brighter.

Not awesome enough for you? Here's another one.

Another friend - for pattern's sake, we'll call him "Friend 2" - felt like God was really calling on him to reach out to other people in the world. He took this calling and turned it into a Twitter account and a Facebook page, both called RealTalk116, where he posts bible verses for followers to see throughout the week. In just 7 days, the Facebook page gained more than 100 fans. He didn't just listen to God's calling - he acted on it. (BTW, check it out!)

Need another? Here goes...

Some of the awesomest (is that a word?) people I know gave up their spring break to go to Guatemala and sift dirt for a week. Sure, the beaches in Florida are perfect for relaxing. Of course, those Caribbean Islands were looking mighty fine when the weather here was cold and wet. But did these guys go on vacation? Nah. We chilled with preschoolers in a foreign country.

Still not enough? Ok, one more.

I collected money for FMSC recently, and my friends and I raised $312 dollars. That feeds a family of 4 for more than a year. More than a year!

Now, didn't I tell you that my friends are awesome?

Kind Words

We were given a writing prompt today in English to practice for standardized testing. Yah, you know the ones I'm talking about. "You will be given 50 minutes to complete this prompt. When you reach the 'STOP' icon, do not go on. When 50 minutes are up, put down your pencil. Do not turn back to work on other tests." Do not pass go, do not collect $200? We get the point. Anyways, for some reason we have to practice taking these tests, because taking them for real isn't sufficiently torturous. The writing prompt contained a quote by Mother Teresa about the continuous echoes of kind words. It then went on to explain the quote - the quote that was pretty much self explanatory - and then asked us to write about a time that we have spoken kind words that affected someone else or when someone else's kind words have affected us. Upon fully reading the prompt, Lauren turns to me and says, "Katherine, I think you should choose the second one."

Wow. Thanks, Lauren.

After I thought about it, though, I really did end up choosing the second one. I could not think of a single time when my own kind words had a positive influence on someone else. In fact, I could only think of instances where my impluses led me to insult people. Really? Ouch. 25 out of my 50 minutes were spent trying to formulate an instance - in truth or in fiction - in which kind words were spoken. Seriously? And I still ended up writing about a fictional event.

How is it that in all 16 of my years I haven't been graced by kind words that have echoed forever? How is it that I've never said anything nice to anyone that was worth writing about? How is it that we live in a world where my English class of 30 (give or take) people can't come up with kind words to write about? I hope that you have spoken kind words to someone, and I hope that someone else's kind words have had a positive influence in your life. As for me, it's time to stop speaking on impulse and start trying to have a positive effect on the world. 

It's the Altitude.

During this trip, I've found that basically everything can be explained using the following words: it's the altitude. For instance, we were hiking on Monday and found ourselves surprisingly winded after only a few steps. "How could we possibly be this out of shape?" we thought aloud. It's the altitude.

On the van ride from Guatemala City to Panajachel, the breeze coming through the window grew increasingly colder. ¿Porque? It's the altitude.

True as the previous may be, other situations weren't quite as logical. In example, Hillary's guitar seemed to never be tuned. Why, might you ask? It's the altitude. True or not, that's the explanation we gave.

Every mañana for breakfast and every tarde with lunch, we had fresh fruit. Everything from mangos to bananas to coconut tastes better here. Why? It's the altitude.

Our room at the compound was a mysterious place. Often my phone would be unplugged from the wall unbeknownst to Alix or me. The temperature of the water in the shower refused to cooperate. A strange smell began to appear. And how did we explain all of this? It's the altitude.

The people are beautiful here. The scenery is gorgeous here. The weather is excellent here. Why? It's the altitude.

We are all sunburnt. It's not because of a lack of sunscreen however. It's the altitude.

I feel extremely close to God here. I've gotten to make new friends, reconnect with old friends, try new things, and even step out of my comfort zone. Why has this week been so awesome?

It's the altitude.

Cosas de Anoche

Here are some things that were said tonight during devotions: Even after making so much progress, sometimes we have to work backwards and take down what we've built before we can really accomplish what we're working towards. Just as we have been sanding bookcases and rounding corners, God sands us and rounds our corners so that we can better love others and serve him. What we're doing this week may not have immediate results. The seeds of hope that we are planting are going to take time to grow. A pair of $5 sunglasses that means nothing to us can mean the world to a little kid on a soccer field. God puts the perfect opportunities to serve into our lives, even when we're afraid we won't be able to make a difference.

I see God in...

I had this whole blog post planned out, but realized that that's notat all what I need to share tonight. At devotions tonight, Ben asked us where we saw God today. And that is what I need to share. I see God in the beautiful scenery that we get to see all the time. I see God in Hillary every time she picks up her guitar. I see God in Alix when she does cartwheels through the grass. I see God in the women who cook dinner for us here at the compound. I see God in the faces of all the little kids we see in the streets. I see God in the two little girls I met today who helped me figure out how to make a broken kazoo sound good. I see God in the group of people who played soccer today. I see God in Ben when he prays with us or preaches to us or shares a part of his day with us. That's all for tonight. Tomorrow I get to see God in all new ways.

Technology is Great...

Except when it isn't.For instance, a computer for check in for Continental is great. You can swipe your passport, confirm your identity, and check in for a flight very early in the morning, all without having to talk to any grumpy airport people.

However, when the name on your passport doesn't quite match the name on your boarding pass, technology is not so great. After completing (so we thought) the check in process once, Alix and I discovered that we had actually not checked in, and had to try again. Our second attempt involved one of those grumpy airport people I mentioned earlier. She had to swipe her badge and then confirm that "ALIXANDRAJ" is the same person as "ALIXANDRAJEAN."

Really?

So the grumpy airport person went on her way and we checked our bags and proceeded to join the rest of the team on the way to security... last. Again.

Anyone else seeing a trend here?

Everything is a Journey...

And this is how ours begins...At the last mission trip meeting, my mom had the suggestion of arriving at the church at 2:30 in the morning to handle packing and paperwork needs before heading on the road. Great idea, right? That way we would have plenty of time to get everything done before leaving the church parking lot. Excellent.

Alix spends the night, and we set alarms for 2:00 A.M. so that we can throw on some clothes and run out the door, bags already packed and in the Prius. 2:20, we should be out of the house and headed to the church. Everything's planned out. Right?

Wrong.

You see, there's a tired Brazilian currently living in my room who is rumored to have shut off the alarm when it was beeping at 2 in the morning. Which is fine, other than the fact that it didn't wake Alix or me. About an hour later - that's 3 o'clock, by the way - is when we were awakened by the landline ringing. "Who the heck would be calling at this time in the morning..." I thought as I walked to get the phone.

Caller ID? Benjamin Lovell. Our youth group leader. No doubt calling to say, "It's 3 A.M. Where are you?" Alix and I scrambled to get dressed, luckily with all garments facing forward and right side out. Alix called Ben or Ben called Alix or something... And I heard Alix saying something along the lines of, "I don't know when we can leave. We'll be there as soon as we can. I don't know."

On my way to my mom's room, I somehow acquired Alix's phone and was talking to Ben, and he said something about a gas station and a bus, to which I replied. I have no idea what I agreed to in my response, but I know I did reply.

My mom heard me at the door, welcomed me into her room (as welcoming as anyone can be at 3 in the morning), looked at the clock to find a time much later than 2:00, and then jumped out of bed and got ready to go.

Hearing something about gas station, we went to the gas station around the corner. We stood outside the car, bags sitting in the parking lot. We waited in the cold(ish). We began to say our goodbyes...

And then we drove back to the house?

Alix got another call saying that someone was at our house to pick us up and take us to the church.

Okay...

We went back to our house to find Ben knocking on the door and Jody (the pastor's wife) standing by her car in our driveway. At this point, it's about 3:20. Embarrassed greetings were exchanged from all parties, and luggage was transferred from one vehicle to another.

Another hug for my mom, and we were on the road. (I can't decide if I should include that Ben drove much faster than legal...) We arrived at the church at 3:30, and the rest (so far) is really very insignificant. We walked on the bus, took our seats, prayed, and headed on the road. Alix and I are about to burst from the anxiety of it all, but really, everything is a journey, and what's a journey without a little chaos?

Not What I Have Done

All high school kids go through the exact same problems. We fall in love, we get our hearts broken. We're assigned homework, we forget to do our homework. We procrastinate just a tad too long. We make new friends, we break old friendships. All of our problems are the same as someone else's. And it's inevitable that we will all go through these problems. But what will you do about it? When you fall in love, will you sit idly by and do nothing, or will you take a risk and shut up and ask him out? And when you do shut up and take a risk and ask him out, but he rejects you, what will you do? Will you dwell in misery over mistakes you've made, or will you move on? When you procrastinate a little too long, will you keep procrastinating, or will you learn from your mistake? When you screw up a friendship, will you learn from what you did wrong?

Problems are inevitable. Mistakes will be made. It's part of growing up! But what are you going to do after you make your mistakes? Are you going to curl up into a ball and cry when you make a fool of yourself, or are you going to move on and try to avoid making the same mistake twice?

I choose to learn from my mistakes. I choose to stop procrastinating because last time it didn't go so well. I choose to take the risk and ask him out. I choose to move on when I'm feeling miserable, and avoid making the same mistake twice.

I'm not what I have done, I'm what I've overcome. fireflight

Movie Premieres and Season Finales

I have this running joke with my family about how much money people spend on useless things when they could be saving kids in third-world countries. Did anyone watch the Biggest Loser finale last season and see all the confetti they dropped on stage? The money spent on the tons of confetti dropped could have been spent on meals for starving children. And how about radio contests on KLOVE? They gave away tickets to a movie premiere in London a few months back. Couldn't they have auctioned that off and used the money to actually make a difference? For a more recent example, look at the Super Bowl. Companies pay millions of dollars to advertise during the game. And sure, Pepsi Max commercials are funny. Yes, the guy licking the Dorito cheese off someone else's finger is hilarious. But paying millions of dollars? 1 million dollars is enough to feed more than 3,000 children 3 meals a day for a whole year. And we're spending that money on commercials to play during a football game?

Our country could be making a huge difference. I could be saving lives. You could be ending world hunger.

If you're lost, or don't know how to help, check out the Samaritan's Purse (or Samaritan's Pocket, if you're Miranda) or World Vision website. Pack an OCC box. Help out at an FMSC packing event. Donate your spare change. Helping is easy, and it's way past time for us all to start making a difference. Don't throw out that old, rickety chair; donate it to Goodwill. Don't buy that extra soda; give $0.50 to Samaritan's Purse and provide 2 meals to a child. The smallest efforts make the largest difference.

As the Father has sent me, so I send you.

For those of you who are interested in reading about our upcoming trip to Guatemala, you can go to the Blue Grass Student Ministries web page and read the updates that our youth group leader, Ben, sends out. He just posts study materials and reminders right now, but eventually the site will have updates on how our mission is going. All of the study materials referenced in this post can be found on the January 25th post on the Blue Grass Student Ministries web page.

We had our first study tonight, and it really got me thinking about the trip. Why am I going? Is it because I want to be witness to Christ in my life? Or because I want to serve others? Or because I just really enjoy manual labor? 

In Mark 5, a woman comes to Jesus looking to be healed. She only wants to touch Jesus, because she knows that is all it will take for him to heal her. When she does this, Jesus turns in the crowd and asks who touched him. He connects with the woman and forms a relationship with her. Jesus shows this woman love. Not only does he heal her physically, he heals her emotionally. He takes a broken woman who has been an outcast for years due to her sickness and heals her. He loves her.

Why am I going on this trip?

I am participating in this mission because God has given me the opportunity to learn to love the way Jesus loved. And wouldn't I be a fool to pass up such an opportunity?

"As the Father has sent me, so I send you." John 20:21

Brazilians. 'Nuff Said.

I have friends over all the time. Our house is often filled with obnoxious teenagers who eat lots of food and run up the energy bill. Not only do Mommy and Mark welcome my friends into our home, but they also tell me to invite more. "Oh, Katherine, when is Alix coming over?" "Katherine, you should tell Payton to stay for dinner tomorrow night." "Don't you want to have Miranda and Lauren over tomorrow?" Why yes, that's a great idea! But apparently Hannah and I and all of our friends just don't fill up the house enough. We decided that we needed another teenager in the house. In fact, we decided to import one from a foreign country.

And along came Tess.

When we were "shopping" for an exchange student, we had to read about Tess. We read about her interests, her family, her education, her allergies, her food preferences, her religion, and everything else that the exchange agency thought we'd like to know about her. We read that she was interested in cinematography, which is perfect because we're a family of photographers. We read that she sings in a band, which is wonderful because our family is full of musicians; I sing, Hannah plays violin, Morgan plays the saxophone, Mark knows everything about music, Thomas' favorite part of the day is playing piano. We read all of these things that just kept making us love Tess more.

And then we read that she's allergic to pets.

As much as we love Tess, we love Brody (our not-too-bright black lab) quite a bit, too. We were thrilled about inviting Tess into our home for a year, but we were not willing to get rid of Brody. Brody sheds a lot, so having a pet in the house and a sneezy teenager probably wasn't the best idea. But we'd already fallen in love with Tess!

To compromise, Mark said he would vacuum frequently. My mom said we could have Brody groomed often so that he won't shed as much. Mark said we would brush Brody every night. They were willing to make sacrifices so that a stranger could be more welcome in our home.

I admire my mom and Mark. Not only do they welcome Hannah's and my friends into their home, they also welcome strangers. Not only do they take in crazy Brazilians for 10 months at a time, they are willing to make sacrifices for other people's comfort. Not only do they love their own kids, they love everyone else's, too.

Pollution

While headed home from Thanksgiving weekend, I noticed a lot of different smoke stacks. I'm not exactly a "save the planet," "end global warning," "recycle" type of person, but the dark clouds billowing into the air don't strike me as healthy. I mentioned this to my dad and he said that it was just steam. Really, though? That isn't pollution?

The first picture is of a high fructose corn syrup factory. Have you ever been graced by the aroma of corn syrup on a humid day? No? Consider yourself lucky. If you have ever smelled it, you would think twice before putting ketchup on your next burger. The stuff smells nasty. Supposedly the smoke coming out is just like steam you would have coming out of a pot on your stove, but the smell makes me think otherwise.

As for these other pictures, I have no idea what factories these are, what cities they're in, or anything else.

Pretty soon we were losing light, and I found it hard to get a decent picture. There were plenty more smoke stacks, but this was the last that I was able to catch on camera.

Even if the output from each of these smoke stacks alone aren't harmful, there are so many of them that there has to be some sort of negative accumulated effect. Coming to the end of this post, I started wondering how to conclude. But I realized that I don't actually have a conclusion of the issue, let alone a conclusion for my post. Is this really a problem? Or does it just make an interesting picture?

Giving Thanks

Things are a little different than usual this year for Thanksgiving, and anyone who knows me knows that I don't particularly like change, so this holiday season has been a little difficult to adjust to. Everything is just a little different than what I've gotten used to over the past few years - different city, different house, different room, and even a different family. But after all my grumbling and complaining about not liking the change, I finally realized that I was completely defying the entire purpose of this holiday. Thanksgiving? In whining about giving up my room, am I giving thanks for having a room at all? In complaining about missing out on time with a certain extended family, am I giving thanks for being able to spend time with my dad and grandma? In all my grouchiness about all the change, I've been forgetting everything I have to be thankful for. I get to be together with my family all weekend. I get to see my dad and my grandma. I get to eat a bunch of food, then feel sick for weeks after eating too much. I realized that what I have to be thankful for completely outweighs what I've been complaining about.