Second to last week...

Sarah Wennersten

May 2-8, 2011

Week in Review 26

Second to last week of Joshua... where has all the time gone? It seems like just yesterday we were all moving into the building, saying awkward hello’s, and beginning our adventure at Wildwood.

The first part of the week was filled with making quilt squares, writing a paper, having book discussion, packing, and trying to enjoy our last few days together as a class. Come Thursday however we were off on our last trip together. We loaded up the vans and came to Hartland...the land of large trees, brush, and power tools. Thursday we didn’t do any work, instead we relaxed, had a great meal, spent time together as a class doing skits, and then hung out in the gym. The skits were so much fun! We were split up into 9 groups each having a different topic such as the trips or Joshua life or the one our group had: rules. We had so much fun with our skit. I thoroughly enjoyed all the skits and reminiscing on the year. Ours was the very last skit and to say the least, we brought the house down. There were three guys and three girls in our group and our skit was basically break every Joshua rule possible. To start out we walked up holding hands. Devin and I were teamed up, Kaylee and Tyler, and Autumn and Caleb. Then we sat down at a “movie theater” and the boys proceeded to pull a move on each girl. Then one group drank beer, another smoked, and Devin and I... well, I reached over, took off his hat, and then we both put our faces behind it. I was expecting it to be funny, but I was not expecting the reaction it got. I couldn’t actually see but I heard everybody was on their feet. The noise level the class reached was crazy, lots of yelling, pounding, and general statements of disbelief. I was a little bit shocked at how everybody absolutely freaked out. We were waiting for the noise to die down so we could continue our skit but it just didn’t stop. Then Josh Coffey came and hit the hat away and we tried to finish our skit amidst the noise. I guess one of the reasons it was so shocking was because nobody expected that from me. Anyway, it was a super funny moment that I will never forget, especially after all the teasing grief everybody gave and is giving me. After that was over and we had a snack most of the class went to the gym. I got to conquer two routes on the climbing wall which we were very challenging, so I really enjoyed that. I also got to help one of my sister conquer her fear of heights and climb the wall. I was so proud of her, the last time she tried a wall was when she was really little, and this time she did great. Then it was off to bed to prepare for a hard day of work. Friday came and I was put on the stream/low ropes crew. We had to clear forest (sound familiar?) for a low ropes course and also get logs and debris out of the icy cold, snow melt-off, stream. The first job I had I volunteered for whole-heartedly. Our leader asked if anyone wanted to shovel so my hand shot up. I got to shovel a huge mound of sand/soil with plants and roots in it and then make a path. I had so much fun. It was hard work but also very rewarding to see a nice path where it was once very uneven and on a slope. After that I helped pull trees and the like out of the woods and then I got to use a pole saw. I went around and cleared off all the dead, low hanging branches I could reach with the saw and helped open up an area where people walk a lot. It was fun to use the saw and also a challenge at points. I also spent a few hours working in the creek that day and was very cold and tired. After work that day we got to go on the zip line and then we got together as a class and put together a letter for the next class: one from the boys and one from the girls.

Saturday was more forest clearing, followed by more stream clearing. I got to use the pole saw again and unclog the stream from branches. After dinner we got to do the Extreme Swing and Vertigo. On the Extreme Swing you are raised about 50 in the air by the back of your harness till you are facing straight down. Then you have to pull a quick release and then you are flying through the air on a giant swing. Super fun. After that I did Vertigo, the vertical climbing structure. Vertigo is 75 feet high and consists of 6 different elements that are all connected one on top the other. The whole structure sways and moves and is very, very challenging. Once you make it to the top you stand up on a little platform and prepare to jump. You can see the rope 20 feet or so in front of you and so you just take a flying leap from 75 feet in the sky free fall for a bit and then are lowered to the ground. I had so much fun with that. That night for our class activity we sat around a bonfire and shared and talked about the year. We worshiped together and just thought back, sharing memories and lessons learned. I loved it. I am going to miss my Mispocha so, so much. We were told about the rules we were on for the two week break which are that we can’t listen to music, the even rule still applies, but we can watch a movie or TV show with our family or at least three Joshua siblings. I am pretty excited to get to sit down with my family and watch the news or go to a movie.

Sunday we had a sleep in day and journaling time followed by another great meal (the food there was sooo good!). Then we cleaned our cabins and headed back to Hume. I road in Jen’s van this trip which was really fun. The van has all bucket seats that recline so I took the chance to catch a nap on the way there and back. Once to Hume our Pause family got together to practice for Mock Rock. We are learning a complete dance, I hope we can get really good at it before Thursday. We went to church that night, I called my family, and then we practiced more. Crazy week, and an even crazier one in front of us.

Israel Reflections

Sarah Wennersten

January 3-9, 2011

Week in Review- Israel Reflections

Where do you even start to wrap up a week touring the Holy Land? So much happened in ten days...we were busy all day long every day.

The trip started out in the desert, wilderness, and around the Dead Sea. Being in the desert was my favorite part of the trip. I loved being out in the nothingness. I loved seeing and experiencing where the Israelites would have wandered and where Jesus was tempted. I loved feeling and hearing the rocks under my feet. On this section of the trip we did lots of hiking. If there was a mountain to climb we climbed it; the hard way. We climbed Masada, Qumran, and many other sites. Masada was an interesting hike for me. That morning after breakfast I got really sick and felt super nauseous and needed to throw up. When I finally got off the bus it was really bad. I ended up at the back of the group with Joey; he told me afterwards he didn’t think I was going to make it. But I did. It was tuff, but I had good friends along side me the whole way. Jared ended up taking my backpack which I loathed. I hate it when boys carry a girls’ bag like that; I think girls should pack only what they can carry in that kind of situation and not expect boys to just carry it. But, they practically ripped it off of me and assured me that they knew I wasn’t taking advantage of them. It did help a lot to have the load off. Once to the top I started feeling a little better and Joey said I had color back in my face. I thought I was in the clear but then the hike down came. My legs were so incredibly weak I could not support my weight. They were shaking worse than they ever have before. Finally I had to sit down. Soon I was surrounded by about 5 people all taking care of me. Mrs. Whitling, Scott, Brandon from Hawaii and a few others got me shade, water, and energy jelly beans. Scott turned out to be a paramedic and he made me drink so much water. Every time I drank I thought I was going to throw up but he still made me drink. When we were finally up and walking down again he was constantly saying “suck it down”. We made it back to the buses long after everyone else but no one seemed to notice. Scott then handed me two 70 once water bottles and told me to drink. I ended up putting one in my camelback and drinking on the other. The whole fiasco made the trip very memorable... the struggle to the top, collapse on the way down, and then being drowned by drinking so much. As much as we can figure I got some sort of stomach bug from breakfast which made me sick and therefore sapped my energy. Besides that hike on all the others I was toward the front of the group, ready to go. Right after Masada we hiked Qumran where the Joshua Monument is. It was a pretty difficult climb and a little sketchy. At one point I was pulling myself up onto a ledge and got caught on a bush which then ripped my arm as I came up. It hurt pretty bad and bled. I didn’t think it was that deep but I still have scars from it... oh well, battle wounds are cool I guess. Along with cutting my leg on that climb I was pretty beat up. Once to the top however we got a great view of the valley on one side and the wilderness where Jesus would have been tempted on the other, it was a really neat experience. Here we had time to reflect on what God had done in our lives this year. We each picked up a stone (I carried mine up with me from part way up the mountain) and wrote with a sharpie what we have learned. Mine was easy. One word: freedom. We had time to just sit and reflect and praise God. I sat on the rocky hillside looking out over the wilderness thinking about this year. For those of us who made the climb it was neat time to be together and to be with God. Then all together we stood atop the mountain and shouted the Shema across Israel. I was working hard to fight the tears. That day was a good day for sure. We did many more hikes, with many more stories accompanying them, all of which are to be told in my Israel journal. And, of course, since we were staying right off the shore of the Dead Sea we did go for a float. An interesting experience indeed.

The next part of our trip took us to the Sea of Galilee where Jesus spent most of his time of ministry. We visited many city ruins, climbed up the cliffs of Mr. Arbel, sat on the Mt. of Beatitudes, swam in the Galilee, took a boat ride on the Sea (which was super duper fun), and had a bit of down time in the evening to relax a bit. I think the boat ride was my favorite part of the Galilee. We had time at the beginning to reflect again on Christ and just think and pray. I stood at the front of the boat and let the wind whip my hair and just soaked up the sea and all that happened there. After that time came the dancing. Oh boy did we dance. First were group dances where we danced around the boat and then in a big circle holding hands. We did different jumping steps and then on the cue of the music you would all raise your hands and go up and in the middle. So on a little boat we had a big circle of people jumping around and holding hands suddenly converging on the center all at once. It was crazy and so much fun. After the group dances we made a circle and people would randomly go in and do a move and jump out. I pulled my sprinkler move. We had such a good time as a family just enjoying each other and the company.

The final major leg of our journey brought us to Jerusalem. I really enjoyed Jerusalem and seeing and feeling the city. There is so much in Scripture about this one city. All that happened here, is happening, and will happen blows my mind. I was struck by how God’s hand of protection has been over this place. I was also struck by how the Israeli people will give up land and rights just to keep the peace like at the Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock. I loved Hezekiah’s tunnel, the Mount of Olives, and just walking the streets. Jerusalem was an excellent way to wrap up our trip.

The first thing that hit me in Israel and kept hitting me was the patriotism. Every male serves in the armed forces for two years when they turn 20. And then they are on the reserves for the rest of their lives. Every Israeli man you see is a trained soldier. These people give so much to protect their country. I was stirred by their patriotism and was strongly considering joining the US National Guard but have mostly decided against that even though I still have a longing to serve my country in that way. I have known all along that I was willing to give my life for my country and fight for the freedoms we hold dear. Now I know I will hold loyal also to God’s country, Israel, and stand by them no matter what.

I realized while I was in Israel just how important this place is. I always knew it was special, and that God’ chosen people where special. But experiencing it made it so much more real to me. I came to the conclusion that: I will die for my family, I will die for my country, and I will die for the nation of Israel- God’s chosen ones.

There is such an incredible amount I could write about Israel... But it is in my heart and mind and soon will all be down on paper.

Spring Break

Right after we landed in LA from Israel I was heading over to Southwest to try to get on an earlier flight than 3pm. We had left Israel at 1am their time and landed at 6am our time; with 14 hours in between. I was very tired and didn’t realize how big the terminals are and so I walked with two suitcases and one duffle bag from terminal 3 to terminal 1. I was very tired by the time I got there and had to take many breaks. Once there this annoying lady was yelling at everyone and so I got in line to check in. I was not able to check in because I was so early and I couldn’t change my flight. So I got in line to be helped by a real person and waited to be helped. I called by mother on Eric’s cell phone since mine was dead and she started working things from her end. I got the counter and the lady was most unhelpful. Eric was trying to get on the same flight as me and got to get on. So I walked away dejected and without a phone. I found a corner with an outlet and sat down with all my bags on the floor and charged my phone. When I was finally able to talk to my mom I had found out Eric had gotten on the flight and was becoming delirious at this point. As soon as I started talking to my mom I felt the tears rising up. I fought them off for a while but finally they came out. I must have been some sight. Curled up hugging my knees on the airport floor crying. Oh well, I guess that’s what being tired, sore, and frustrated does to you. So I got back in line to try again and mom called Southwest and got to talk to the most helpful woman. She was able to help us change the flight for the online fare of 13$. I would have had to pay 185$ to do it at the counter. So the lady mom was talking to went above and beyond to help us. It was great. I ended up on a 10:45 flight and took off through security. Turned out that Kaylee was on the same flight for Seattle since her grandpa was sick. I almost missed my flight because I had just sat down with Kaylee and her sister without checking the gate number and was one gate off. I didn’t even see everyone load. I heard my name over the loudspeaker and went to the desk. She simply said “you can load right there”. Oops. But I got on without delaying the flight. I was the last one on besides Kaylee and I got an exit seat. It was so nice compared to how cramped the El Al flight was. I sat next to a neat lady and we talked most the whole time. We stopped in Oakland and Kaylee came up to sit with us and we all talked some more. Through our conversation with the ladies and the flight attendant I became interested again in maybe being a flight attendant. I looked at it awhile ago but I thought it seemed to binding. Then I found out that Southwest has super flexible hours. You work pretty much when you want, and the pay is really good. Especially when you are in the air. My biggest dream right now is to travel and see the world. I could defiantly do that by working as an attendant. We will see. I still have a huge passion for health and fitness.

Once we landed in Seattle I felt so good. It just felt amazing to be home. Mom and I went out to eat at Chang’s Mongolian Grill and did a little shopping. Basically I wasted this whole week... and it felt so good. Except the spiritual dryness part... that felt not-good. Monday I slept, ate, read, and slept. My body needed it. Through the week I rested a lot, wrote an essay for a scholarship, applied to a new college (oh is that a whole other story), finished a book, visited my youth group, went to an Easter service, went to church, and chilled with family friends. I think going to church was one of my favorite things about going home. It was so good to be surrounded by my church family like that again and to be loved on.

Ok... so college. For about a year now I have been struggling between choosing which school to go to. I could not decide between Corban University in Salem Oregon and San Diego Christian College. Then over break my parents got a newsletter from the school they both graduated from talking about their exercise and fitness management program and major. Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas seems like it could be the answer. It is over 10,000$ cheaper than the other two and seems to have the best kinesiology program. From what I have learned so far I am really impressed with the school. They are very well-founded and respected. The school is bigger so if affords more opportunities. I am still not sure where I will be attending in the fall...it is such a tuff decision. All three are good schools and offer different perks. Ugh. Decisions, decisions.

This week I am going to pray for Israel. We saw so much while we were down there that it’s hard to put into words what exactly I am going to pray for. Israel has been creeping into my dreams constantly and has been a burden on my heart. I will pray for continued peace and that God’ purpose will continue to be worked out through his people.

A relaxing week in the life of me

Sarah Wennersten

March 14-20, 2011

Week in Review 22

This week was pretty chill. Starting on Monday we had our second round of preview kids come through. Julie and my preview kid was awesome. She was just a super neat gal who loved the Lord and it showed. She was an encouragement to me. Also on Monday we got all our Israel stuff!!! It was like Christmas!!! We got our backpacks, special study guide journals, sweet journals that have Joshua on them, plane tickets, travel documents, and flashlights. The study guides are so nice. I was planning on making something like that but now I don’t have too because this one is way better than anything I could have done. It has everywhere we will be, maps, charts, and anything else we could possible want all in one sleek little book. So cool. The backpacks are nice too and have quite a bit of space.

Tuesday I had SWEEPs for Joshua. Since the staff were doing interviews Josh Yee and I were sent on an SS run, to look for some keys, and to drop off and pick up mail. We got to drive the garbage truck which was really fun. He drove up and down the hill and I drove around camp. I love old trucks. As we were arriving back at the building some boys were outside about to go down and play disc golf. So I leaned out the window and one of them tossed a frisbee to me and I was able to catch it. It was fun. But then, from the other side of the truck, behind my back, one of the other boys landed a snow ball right through the window. It was super cold, but a nice throw non the less.

Wednesday was a pretty normal day. We had classes, lunch, and then book discussion. Book discussion was not as long as last week and I think we actually got more accomplished and talked about. I think something about having an hour to talk just made it hard to talk and concentrate. But 20 minutes was a good time. So we were all thankful for that.

Thursday was a good day. The morning hours were normal and then during the afternoon Emily Harer, Glenda Gibson, and I went on a hike around the lake. This was my first time to ever go around the lake and it was great. There was still some snow on the ground so we were falling and sinking in random places but it was fun. The lake is so beautiful. This was another one of those moments where I look and go “I live here”. I got to see “The Cove” which everyone always talks about and the dam. I really enjoyed my time with those girls. And it was neat to try out all my Israel gear. I wore the clothes I plan on wearing and the whole shebang. I filled my Camel Back and put two big water bottles in the side pouches, it was a bit of weight. After our hike we had a theme dinner. It was “Under the Sea”. So I dressed up as Ursula from The Little Mermaid and Derek and Emily H were my shark/eel creatures. They wore one white and one pink contact each. They looked super creepy and I looked pretty evil myself. During dinner Matthew walked up to me and said “you know Sarah, you don’t make a very good Ursula”. At first I didn’t know how to respond. I was about to call him a jerk when he said, “cause Ursula was ugly”. Ok, charmer. It was sweet though. After the theme dinner at 6:30 we had a Passover celebration. A guy came from “Jews for Jesus” and led the meal. It was really neat to see all the traditions and how they point to Christ. We sat at tables with 6 people who were our family for the night. We had bitter herbs, even more bitter herbs, yummy apple stuff, 1/4 of a hard boiled egg, and matza- the unleavened bread. At one point early in the meal the head of the household went and hid part of the matza, then later on all of us kids had to go find it. This pointed to the fact that Christ was buried, yet rose again, and the passover feast could not continue until he was risen. Overall it was a great night. Except I wasn’t a big fan of shooting glasses of grape juice. There are four different “cups” that you take part in during the feast. We of course used grape juice instead of wine for the cups, but it was a lot of liquid, especially for someone who isn’t real fond of grape juice. Super good feast though, I would love to do a real one some day, they take multiple hours.

Friday began another work weekend. When I checked the list my job was listed as “Rich Ferreira”. Which I found out meant babysitting. It was supposed to be Danielle and I working but since Lacy’s back is still really hurt they traded jobs. So Rich took Lacy and I down at 1:30 to watch the kids till around dinner time. Becky is gone so it was nice for Rich to be able to go to meetings and get a workout in. Then he took us all to the snack shop for dinner and then back up to the building. I finished the grey beanie I have been working on and started a new one.

Saturday we didn’t have to be in till 9:30. We were only going to be there till lunch time cause Becky was coming back so the kids just got to watch shows the whole time. We watched Finius and Ferb, Strawberry Shortcake, and Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses. So ya, basically I spent my Saturday morning sitting on a couch watching TV. The kids behaved well so the weekend was really easy. It was a blessing for Lacy to be able to rest like that. I was a little restless after sitting all morning. So when we got off after lunch I went and volunteered at High Adventure. I found them above the weight room and contractors building dinosaurs. Jordan has been working on making these huge dinosaurs for the paintball field, they actually look pretty cool. So I sanded pieces of dinosaur for a couple hours and then helped put the thing together. There were 5-6 guys and me all holding this thing up while we hammered and wiggled the “bones” into place. My arms were a little sore. But it is up now and looking good. After dinner I walked back up to the building and relaxed. I took a super duper long shower and studied Philippians. Then I got in bed and crocheted a little more.

Sunday I had the day off. I was not entirely sure what to do with myself, but it turned out great. So I got up at 7, went to breakfast at 8, hit the gym around 9 (got an amazing workout), went to my Pause families until 2 (had pancakes and coffee and then went down to the clothing store), came back up to the building, had tea with Sharon our Catalyst, got cleaned up, went down to Paul and Sarah Dixon’s for dinner, went to church, got a ride back up to the building, worked on my speech amidst the power going out, and then went to bed. It was snowing so much on Sunday. We got over a foot. I enjoyed walking down to breakfast so much. People didn’t understand why I would get up early on my day off but it made sense to me. I love walking in the snow by myself like that. It is so peaceful and beautiful. I love the morning hours. The whole weekend it was snowing, but Sunday it really started coming down, non-stop all day. Hanging out with my Pause family was really nice. They had two people staying at their house who left around 1. I enjoyed helping make pancakes and just relaxing. I bought a nice little zip up hoodie that I really like at the Clothing Company. Back at the building I came in and no one was here. I was on the internet when the power went out. But our Catalyst came out and we started talking. Sharon is a neat lady. She invited me to tea so we sat in her room and just talked and drank tea. It was very nice. After that, since I was still in my sweatpants and workout clothes from the morning, I went and took a shower and downed my snow clothes. I got to wear my snow jacket I got before coming up to Hume all day, I enjoyed that. So I put on my Neos and snow jacket and set out into the snow. The road was really slushy so I had a blast. I was just splashing along having a good time. Since my feet were totally water proof I didn’t have a care in the world. I was bundled up, nice and warm, slashing in slush and puddles. Doesn’t get much better. I made it to Paul and Sarah’s to find a feast laid out before me. Most of the other 8 girls were already there sitting around the table. There were three different kinds of sandwiches, four kinds of scones, multiple cupcakes, fruit skewers, fruit pies, no-bake cookies, coconut cookies, cheese, and tea. It was ridiculous, but so good. I got super full. After eating and talking we played Apples to Apples and then went to church. The whole day was very nice and restful. I needed a day of rest. I think I had the best Sunday I could ask for, or could get here. Only having my family here would make it better.

This morning I woke up at 6:30 even though it is our sleep in day and came down a few minutes before 7. I ate some breakfast and have just been writing. When I got up I saw all the snow, but when I came down I was shocked. By the soda machine where I was standing I looked out and the snow was almost eye level. Ugh. There is so much snow. Just a few days ago we were seeing green grass all over the place. Oh well, I guess having multiple feet of snow on the first day of spring is just how it is.

This week I am going to be praying for Japan. There is so much going on over there it is hard to know where to start. I will pray for the stability of the nuclear plants and for the safety of the people. Most of all that God would use this to bring some to Himself.

Just another week

Sarah Wennersten

March 7-13, 2011

Week in Review 21

This week started out kinda low and heavy but ended high and light.

Monday we had an Israel test on lessons 7-9. This was our last smaller test until the big final before going. We have to pass to get to go to Israel, I know I will pass. I started memorizing a few verses a day of Philippians 4 this week so I would have it all done. But this weekend I fell behind on the last little section. I will nail that down in the next 1-2 days and then have the next 3 weeks to get all of Philippians perfect.

Tuesday for SWEEPS I am doing “Joshua Jobs” which basically means I help out with random Joshua related stuff. But instead of doing that Josh and I were sent down to High Adventure to help with the Charter School PE class. We ended up doing the climbing with them. It had been a long time. One exciting thing is that as I was putting up one the ropes it came undone and fell. Yea. Now I had to climb up the wall with the rope and reattach it. Jordan and Danielle work the PE class but Jordan is not trained in HA. So while Josh and Danielle started sending kids up I strapped on a harness, gave Jordan a quick lesson on how to make sure I didn’t fall, and started climbing. The belay system is great because as long as you keep the slack in and don’t let your hand off the break rope you can catch anyone’s fall. Plus Jordan is a strong dude so he could have held my weight even without the bar. Of course I dropped the rope on the more challenging wall but I made it quick. Once to the top I had to figure out how to cling to wall while getting the rope through the pulley. I was on the pulley for the course next to the one I was working so I was parallel on the wall to where I was connected. Once I got the rope through I put it in my mouth and preceded to let go of the wall and swing a great big swing back on the other course. I soon realized having a rope in my mouth while descending down was not wise so while Jordan was lowering me I was wresting with the rope. It was exciting. Jordan did an awesome job for his first time. So we got the connecting rope through, strung the big rope up, and then I started belaying kids. I miss working High Adventure, working with rope and heights. We got done there really early and we got a ride back to the building. So by around 2:30 I was back reading my book and getting ready for KP. I almost forgot I had KP, that would have been bad. I do really enjoy working in the kitchen for the most part. Ever since High School and working with Mr.Voges on Heritage Dinner and Graduation I have loved it. Wednesday night we had speaker but I don’t really remember anything except the speaker saying “in conclusion” 40 minutes before saying “in conclusion” again and then 10 minutes later saying  “in conclusion” again and then it ended. I had a really hard time following the speaker this week. I didn’t really get where he was going and just didn’t track. I feel kinda bad, but then again I have gotten so much from the speakers this year that having one or two that I don’t connect with isn’t bad.

Wednesday was just another day. We had lunch KP and then book discussion. For book discussion we spilt up into groups for an hour. That was way to long. “The Cost of Discipleship” is good but thick and kinda dry. I find I don’t follow it very well and thought I was just reading the same page over and over again for the first whole section because it was so repetitive. I guess it is a translation which is part of the trouble.  So I haven’t been getting much out of the book or book discussion this time around, but I have gotten some, it’s just taking some digging. That was another big part of the issue. I don’t have time to dig. We have so much going on here that you have to kinda pick and choose what you will really invest your time and heart in and what you will just get done cause you have too. I feel like I have no time to soak anything in. The main reason for my lack of time was my portfolio that my parents and I have been working on for the SDCC scholarship. I knew that up till Israel I would be spending every second of free time working on it. This is why I felt low and heavy all week. So much to do, so little time. More on that later.

Thursday I woke up with a sore throat and had breakfast KP. Yippie. After speaker we had some time to chill before lunch so I came in my room and began working. I told my roommate how I would be spending all my time on the portfolio. She looked kinda sad and asked if it was worth it. If it was worth missing out on the Joshua experience just to work on this college stuff. I gave the reason that I can get lots of money for college. But I really did think about her words and was feeling really down. Thursday afternoon I had the whole afternoon so I finished up a package for my grandma for her birthday, did laundry, and walked down to the post office. After that I went to the DeLaRosa’s to work on my portfolio and scholarships till Pause. When I got on the internet I checked my Facebook and had a message from Mom. It said that we didn’t need to do the portfolio. It was really vague so at first I wasn’t sure. I checked my email and there was more detail there. I had expressed to Mom what Julie had said that morning about missing out on Joshua. Also I thought of how what we were doing was above and beyond, no one else was doing a portfolio, so it didn’t need to be so huge a thing. So Dad called SDCC just to see if they would accept a portfolio. And I guess they said that they have so much planned for the scholarship day that a portfolio was unnecessary. Wow. What a relief. At the same I was kinda disappointed not to finish such a cool project.  We had been putting so much time and energy into this thing, especially Mom, and now it was just over. But now I have so much more time. All I have to do is the Joshua homework and some essays. I feel so free and light. I can relax a little, enjoy my time here, and live life. Pause was good. Simple and short. I went up to the Mulls with the DeLaRosa’s cause Mrs.DeLaRosa was sick. We had sushi and curry for dinner. So good. The Mulls didn’t get there until around 6:30. We played some Apples-to-Apples and just chatted. I was getting frustrated by how nothing was getting planned for Mock Rock. I feel like ours is going to stink because no one is really getting on it. I am so used to planning things from the dress up days in high school. But I don’t want to be bossy. So am trying to organize more from the back and encourage the others to get on the ball. We left pause around 9pm which was super early. Mr.Mull had to be back down at the fire station the next day so he needed rest.

Friday after lunch we had deep cleaning like we do every week. I went in and was put on organizing the pantry area. I was able to do a lot in there and really straighten up. When I was done I went to go get another job to do but let go. What a blessing. So I went to my room and worked on stuff till 2:45ish when I went down to the post office and sent some more packages. I had to be at work at 3:30 and I had almost 30 minutes to kill. So I went to the clothing store, bought an 8$ t-shirt to use in Israel, and then sat at a table in the sun looking at the lake. It was great. This weekend was only a three day weekend and I was in the bakery. Becky and I had a good weekend working with soon-to-be-married Ashley. Saturday we made 8 different kinds of cupcakes for hundreds of people.  I was on frosting duty and made those 8 kinds of frosting like nobody’s business. We got out around 9 and I decided to go to my Pause families house. So I didn’t accept a ride, but part way there Paul Greg Quinn stopped and said he would totally drop me off since is right up the hill. So we all drove up there and then he and the others waited for me while I went to the door. My Pause family had already turned in for the night so PGQ gave me and the boys a ride the rest of the way up. I took a nice shower and then went to bed.

Today, Sunday, was decent day. We had to be at work at 7am, which according to our internal clocks was really 6am because of the time change. Everyone was tired. We baked a little but mostly worked on deep cleaning the kitchen. We worked till 2:30 and then Ashley gave us a ride up after stopping to mail one more package. Once at the building I took a nice shower, sat downstairs on the couch, enjoyed the view, ate a bread bowl and other baked goods for dinner, while listening to a John Piper sermon. I then proceeded to eat lots of sunflower seeds while listening to anther JP sermon. It was a good little “church service” for myself. Then I did a load of laundry, had a bowl of cereal, talked with some gals, beat on a drum a little, and now am going to turn in for the night. Maybe I will crochet a little... it’s been a long time. I feel so free without the portfolio hanging over me! It’s great!

This week I am going to pray for Japan. The tsunami that hit there just reeked havoc. I have some good family friends: Adrian and Mr. Frye who will probably be heading over there for relief efforts. God bless them and all others who go to help. Hundreds are dead, many more wounded. I can’t imagine the devastation. I pray that God will use this disaster in some big way to bring many to Himself.

WIR 20- LA Trip

Sarah Wennersten

February 28-March 1 , 2011

Week in Review 20- LA Trip

I don’t know how I am going to write down everything that happened this week...

Monday began the drive down to LA. I road in the back seat with Jarod and Grant again. When we got to LA our first stop was a Buddhist temple. I felt like I was in China. We got to tour the temple and hear a little about what they believed. At the gift store there was a tiny little white puff ball dog. When I picked it up I hardly knew I was holding anything. After that we got to the church where we would be staying. It was an older building and kinda creaky. The girls stayed upstairs in two very small rooms. After we were settled in at the church we loaded up and went to eat dinner. We ate at a Nicaraguan restaurant. The food was very similar to what we had in the Dominican. I ended up sitting with a bunch of boys so the evening was not short many jokes and laughs. After a fun dinner filled with many laughs we drove through skid row. Skid row is the section of LA where the majority of the homeless population are pushed for the night. There were tons of tents lining the streets and even more people just lying on the ground with their grocery cart beside them. It was a sad sight to see. (lady in window on way to dinner, bubble gum at dinner, creep statue at dinner)

Tuesday: Tuesday we jumped right in to some ministry. We went to the LA county food bank and did work. I was on the job of sorting food. We had to look at expiration dates and the condition of the donation. Anything not up to standard had to be thrown out. It was hard to throw so much stuff out, especially when it was stuff I would have used. But the state has certain regulations. Then we got to go and take our first shower. A lot of girls didn’t actually shower because we felt so clean. I just washed my hair in the sink. Plus the showers we kinda community style. After that we went to the Self Realization Fellowship. We sat in their sanctuary and talked with one of their ministers for a long long time. They are kinda a shoot off from Buddhism, their main leader having claimed to bring Buddhism to the western world. After that came dinner at a pizza place. I ate a lot since it was all-you-can-eat. Actually this whole week I ate a lot, we just had good food. After that we went off to our first night of evangelism on the Hollywood boulevard. Kyle McCuely was my partner. When we went to give each other a handshake/high five we overshot and hit each others forearms, them we undershot and just barely hit finger tips, then we landed the handshake. So from that time on we had a handshake that we did every time before we went out and evangelized. We were walking around feeling kinda awkward because of how unnatural it was to try and strike up a conversation when everyone was so busy. We decided it was best to find someone already sitting down, instead of trying to stop someone on the street because that is just socially weird. So we went to Starbucks and scooped it out. We went in and got coffee then I went to the bar and asked if I could sit by this one Korean lady. She said yes and then I started talking to her about the book she was reading. Then I was just honest and said “hey I was going around tonight wanting to ask people and get their opinions on what they think about God”. I found that that was the best way, be honest. So we talked for a quite a while until her friend came. Turns out the daughter of a Korean diplomat and has lived all over the world including Sadi Arabia. I thought that was so cool. Then Kyle and I both went out and began a search... a search for a particular persons star...and after asking a few people and staring at our feet for awhile we found it. There he was... just sitting there... Chuck Norris! I mean, it is still on my bucket list to actually meet him, but seeing his star on Hollywood boulevard is still pretty cool. After walking around a little more looking around we went to the main mall area to try and find someone else to talk to. We went up a few floors and then I saw a guy sitting by himself looking out over all the activity below. So I sad “that guy” and we walked up and asked if we could sit down. That turned out to be a great conversation. We was from Puerto Rico and had an interesting theology. We didn’t actually get to talk too much but it was still very interesting to hear his story. Basically he believed the Bible was not complete. He heard a theory of how there was actually 17 years between the time Jesus started his ministry and was crucified. He drew our attention to the two Egyptian gods on the wall and told how they created humans. It’s hard to explain how this guy worked. He seemed very set in his beliefs, and yet very easily swayed. He has traveled all over the world and has been searching for answers. I hope we were able to give him some of those answers. That night after debriefing I did the audio blog which was kinda cool.

Wednesday: Wednesday our van group (Rich, Kelsey, and Karrissa) got to sleep in a little bit. Then we got up, had breakfast, and were put into groups of four and given some money. Then we went out into the surrounding community to do some service-evangelizing. Basically we walked around, talked to a fisherman who was a Christian and had a cool dog who helped him with his wife and mothers death and asked people if we could help them with anything. We didn’t get to help anyone but had some good conversations. We went into a little bookstore which of course I loved. I got a couple books and the boys to talked to one employee and then I and the boys talked to another right before we left. She has fallen away from the faith. Since we had one chunk of money for all of us we tried to go to the same place. BUt Josh ended up getting food at a little Asian place which was nice cause he got to talk to the lady and then we all went to Little Caesars and got two pizzas. We then walked over to a little donut shop and got drinks and ate there,  finishing off the meal with the best old fashion donut I have had in forever. We had one full pizza left over so with a few minutes left on the clock before we had to be back we went on a search for homeless guy. We made it to Echo Park and saw a dude. So we went up gave him the pizza and had a great conversation. He was a believer and “didn’t have anything if it wasn’t for God”. He was cool. After that we all loaded up and went to the Dream Center, a giant church. It’s purpose was the be the way a cross-cultural church should be. They ministered to so many people and did so much community service. THe fisherman we talked to earlier in the day was actually helped out a ton by the Dream Center. With the Center we went out  following big trucks to different neighborhoods. Then we unloaded tons of food and handed it out to the big crowd of people. It was so cool to hand out bags of food to the line of people filing by. During that a lady passed out and was taken by ambulance to the hospital.  After that Rich took us on a little adventure. We got to go to a little Latino shopping area with lots of little shops. I got a cool headband things and a bracelet. Then he bought us chips and salsa and then we went and got coffee. It was great. After that we had about an hour of time at the church in which I had a good Bible study time. Then we all loaded up the vans again and went to Tommy’s, an outdoor burger joint. The chili was disgustingly oily. Then we went to the Griffith Observatory which overlooked LA. It was so cool to see LA at night like that. Inside was a bunch of displays about the solar system. I really enjoyed it.

Thursday: Thursday morning we got our second shower of the week. And thus, this was my first ever community shower. It really wasn’t very bad at all. It felt so good to be clean. Then we went to I-Hop and had a great breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns, and pancakes. I love breakfast so much. Then we went to the Museum of Tolerance. It was a powerful place focusing on the Holocaust but also hitting on other abused people groups like women, African Americans, and others. At the beginning you got a little card with child on it. Throughout the Holocaust experience you followed what this kids life looked like. The Holocaust display was set up to where you walked through and stopped at different TV’s in little sets and listened to an audio recording. The sets were very real. At the end you came to a dark room with barb wire and gates leading to the concentration camp. As you entered in you came upon two hallways, one said “women and children” the other “able-bodied”. As you walked down the concrete hallway you came to a “gas chamber”. We all went inside the concrete block room and sat down. Here we witnessed on the TV’s more the atrocities which happened during this horrible event in history. After the museum we went to have dinner at an Indian food place. Oh man did we ever eat. The food was soooo good. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet of goodness. We were in a high-rolling place in LA and the restaurant was one of the best. The thing I ate the most of was probably the fresh mango. It was cut in chunks and the flavor was amazing. The curry was good too but not spicy at all. We all ate so much. After that we went to the UCLA campus. The place was amazingly large, I could hardly believe it. First we went on a search for a bathroom and ended up at the basketball arena. Funny enough the UCLA women were playing the Washington Husky’s. The bouncer dude was kind enough to let us in to use the bathroom but then we had to leave. Kyle and I ended up walking so much. We found a map right was we were about to leave and discovered how big of a loop we had made. We ended up going way out of the way into where the fraternities and stuff were. It was a good night. Then we all met a little shop where we got legit ice cream sandwich for $1.50. They make the cookies themselves and put a ton of ice cream on. I couldn’t fit my mouth around the thing. I got chocolate chip cooky with mint chip ice cream. So good.  After that it was back to church for another night of limited sleep.

Friday: Friday morning our group rose at 5:00am and left at 5:15 for the Midnight Mission. This was a soup kitchen which served hundreds of people. I was really wanting to serve food to people on the line but was put on another task and soon all the spots were taken. I was really sad but then God in His way gave me something better. I just wanted to interact with people and I got that, even bigger than standing behind the counter serving food. My job was to stand on the same side of the counter as the homeless and hand them a fork and napkin and drink. I got to be right up with them. I’m not sure what it was but I think God was able to bless some people through my smile. I greeted each person with a “good morning”and just smiled. It seemed to bless some of these people, maybe because they are not used to be treated like real people. I just had a great time talking with them and serving them. After breakfast was over I got to help with food prep a little for lunch and then we all went on a tour. All the guys who work at the mission are in the year long alcoholics program. Our tour guide took us on a thorough tour of the whole place. We got to see the upper stories where a little over a hundred men live as they go through the alcohol and drug addiction program. He even took us the roof where no other group has gotten to go. We saw some little apartments where men can choose to live for one year after the program to help get them on their feet. We looked out over a street filled with the homeless and looked up at the skyrises and rich part of town. All in the same view, amazing. When we finished there we went to downtown LA among the big skyscrapers. Since we were in Rich’s van we got to go have some fun while we waited for the other groups. Some people stayed in the vans to sleep but a small group of us went with Rich to get coffee. It was so nice to sit in the sun, drink a coffee, and watch the water fountain thing. When the other groups got there we were sent on another evangelism assignment. We got with our group of four again and were given 40$. We had to go out and find a homeless person to take to lunch with us. The first guy we asked said no but then a dude who overheard us asking came up and asked if he could come with us. He was not all there. He wanted to go to this little Chinese place. It was super creepy and awkward because Cheryl and me were with him alone for a few second and he said “ I don’t usually talk to girls, I sure like to look at them though”. And he was just super...bleh. He talked the entire time... about himself. Soon Josh tried to turn the conversation to God but he just went on. Then Josh decided it was time to leave. As we were trying to leave he just got louder and louder. Soon we were out. Cheryl and I just walked out and then Josh and Jon left. We were discouraged because we had just wasted 30$ on a completely fruitless conversation and bad encounter. We walked around again with our 10$ trying to find someone else. After quite a long time we came upon a man and asked him if he would like some food. So we went to Subway and got him a sandwich. This time was much, much better. He said he was a Muslim but in talking to him we decided his beliefs more coincided with a Jew. We had a really good, long conversation with this guy. We then started heading back to the vans but then a hazardous materials fire truck started honking at us. We looked and saw Mr. DeLaRosa waving from behind the wheel. He pulled over right across the street from us and we got to go and see him and see the truck. It was so cool to see my Pause dad in his element like that. We then headed back to the vans and drove to a farmers market at the Grove. We were each given 9$ for dinner. I went with a couple guys walking around looking at stuff and enjoying the market. Soon I found Eric and Andrew M sitting at a little shop getting food. I sat with them and then decided to piece together my meal. So I went to one of the larger fruit stands and got an avocado, giant mango, flat of blueberries, and container of almonds all for $9.68  I went back and sat with the boys and was given a glass of water by the shop owner. This lady was so cool and really knew how to take care of a customer. She took such good care of the boys, and me. Her name was Willow, which is what I want to name my first daughter. I was full on the avocado and mango and blueberries. I couldn’t finish all the mango. Soon we all met back together and were sent out for more evangeism. Kyle and I walked around a bit and then spotted an older couple and went and did the same “can we sit with you, can we ask you a few questions” drill. But this one didn’t turn out so great. The man replied very quickly “I’m not religious” and then the lady snapped “ thats a very personal questions”. Basically we told to beat it, that people don’t like being asked about God. Oh well. So we walked a little more and then stopped and talked to a young kiosk owner. He was Hindu. We didn’t talk for very long. Then we went to a three-story Barns and Noble but didn’t talk to anyone. Soon we back out on the street in the outdoor mall. As we were walking we came across a kiosk selling hair straighteners. One of them was super tiny and I jokingly talked about how it would be perfect for my hair. Then kiosk dude came over and boy did he try to sell me that. I turned the conversation to him and where he was from because he sounded Israeli.  And sure enough he was from Israel. I tried to talk to him about Judaism but all he wanted to do was flirt and sell me the straightener even though I didn’t want it. The asking price was $175. It was on sale of $80. But my mother taught me well and soon the price was down to $40 with me even really trying. He was such a big flirt, even with Kyle right there, “How old are you? Do you have a boyfriend?” Ugh. As he was showing me something he saw my ring and asked with a surprised look if I was married. I explained to him how I was going to remain pure until my wedding night. He said “well I am not a virgin. I can’t be with this job”. I really wasn’t going to buy the thing even after he gave me that amazing deal. Then I said “I’ll make you a deal. I will buy this straightener if you will talk to me about Judaism”. He said yes. So I bought it and then we spent a few minutes shy of two hours talking. It was insane. By the end of it he was full on trying to convert us to Judaism. He said that Jews call us “mistakers” he said we are fooled and mislead. He didn’t get how just because one man came and did some magic tricks that we throw all the Old Testament laws out the door. He even said we did not follow the same God because we did not follow the law. It was strange because he was so hypocritical. He bugged us about changing the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday when he himself worked Friday night and Saturday because it was the time he could earn the most money. He talked a lot about the food laws and about eating milk and meat together and eating pork. We tried to talk about how it is impossible to follow all the rules but he said it is just about trying your best to follow those you can. That God understands your lifestyle and what you follow is kind of up to you. He got very passionate at the end even though he said himself he wasn’t really religious. He would get super passionate and then say “thats what Jews in general believe...”. It was so interesting and hard to hear. He was 19 but looked way older and his family had only been in the US for a year and half  so we did talk about Israel some. Soon it was time to leave so we had to break off conversation. He asked us multiple times “so what are you going to do now after this conversation? Are you still going to eat milk and meat together?” It was intense but really good.

Saturday: Saturday we went around the church and picked up trash all around. Then went to Dream Center again. Every Saturday the Dream Center does their “Adopt a Block”. Basically they go out to different communities and hand out food and go door to door telling people about the food and the bus that will pick them up for church on Sunday. I was with Josh and Kyle as we went door to door. Our first encounter was not so positive. We were in the projects in the hood. We talked to three guys who sitting outside one of the houses. We asked if they needed anything done around their house of if we could help them out. The one guy who did the talking was going “weed, weed, weed. How bout some weed? Can I have that?” We said no and then he looked at me and went “How bout her? Can I have her? Look sit right here I have so much to say.” My stomach started to make it’s way into my throat. But the boys were awesome. I saw them both tense up and take a step forward and say “no”. We ended the conversation and moved on. We continued knocking on doors in the very poor housing situation. We got to talk to a few people but only one or two really responded positively. We didn’t get to help anyone with anything around their house but did get to invite them to church. After that we got to take our last shower and then went to the Santa Monica Pier from 4-8pm. This was our most unsuccessful evangelism night. Everybody was tired and worn out. We went a hundred miles per hour all week with no rest or personal time. We walked around, talked, and just kinda looked at stuff. I guess one positive thing was that we had some good Christian fellowship  and built each other up. We hooked up with one other group and went to Bippo di Beppo, an Italian restaurant. We were all ready to eat some good food not with 60 other people. Not that eating with the whole group is bad but it does get old after a while when that is all you ever do wherever you go. So the four of us got full on pasta and lasagna and garlic bread. I needed that. We went to McDonald’s to get some ice cream and decided to talk to a guy at the bar and approached him how we had been. But it was a fail. Turned out he was on the phone and speaking another language. Soon he got and left and we were left sitting there. Around 8 we left for the church, debriefed the week, and then Tyler and I wrote the blog for the day.

Sunday: Saturday morning we packed up and left the church by 7am. We then drove to a huge African American church. We all had such a good time at this place. It a bumpin‘ celebration of God’s blessings. The singing was awesome with lots of clapping. The preacher was all pumped up and talked up about rejoincing and celebrating in the hardest of times just to prove to the Devil that he has no power over you. The sermon was delivered with much passion and the dude would randomly start singing. The piano would land on some notes after each sentance he said towards the end. Soon he was shouting to everyone who had pain or trouble to get up and celebrate. The band broke out in this sweet jam. People were clapping and dancing. There were these cute little old ladies dancing in the front. There was giant camera that went around showing different people in the crowd all during the service. The choir was huge. I really enjoyed the service. It was hours long, but we left early, right before communion. I was so sad. I wanted to celebrate the Lord’s Table. We had to get going though. We were supposed to eat a big brunch at Hometown buffet but they kinda messed so we were given 20$ per four people to get food. I went with Kyle, Richi, and Joe to target and we got breakfast burritos and a small pizza. Then with 15 minutes before I had to be back at the vans I went to the bathroom, hurried to the shoes department, picked our shoes, tried them on, found my size, got shoes laces, bought the shoes (for 9$. Yeah!), found the boys waiting for me which I did not expect, and then had 5 minutes to make it back to the vans. I felt very accomplished for having bought new shoes in less than ten minutes. I needed them badly because my other pair was falling apart and the sole was mostly separated from the shoe. Then we loaded in the vans and drove back to Hume where we ate an amazing breakfast for dinner meal, cleaned the vans, took a very long showers, and went to bed. 

All in all a very good, but very tiring week. The only thing that could have made it better would have been some time to be in the Word. We spent the week telling others about God but not getting time with Him ourselves.

This week I am going to pray for Puerto Rico. Since we met the guy who was from there it is on my heart. It seems to be a country that is sliding downward like every other country. I don’t think Christianity has a big influence there. I will pray for those who live there that their eyes will be opened and that they will experience God’s love.

WIR''s 18+19

Sarah Wennersten

February 15-21, 2011

Week in Review 18

This week was long. It started on Tuesday with SWEEP’ing in SS. Wednesday we had book discussion and then it happened. I chopped all my hair off...again. I like the cut. It’s super cute and spunky. It felt so good to have it short again, although I think I am going to grow it out again.

Thursday was the Valentines Day dinner. I was originally going to be a server but got switched to babysitting. Then I was supposed to babysit for the Geers but got switched to the Ferreria’s and the speakers(Jeremy and Jerusha Clark) two girls. It was a pretty good night. It was so great to get to know the Clark’s kids. They were 9 and 7 and just great girls.

Our speaker this week was Jeremy and Jerusha Clark, a speaking team. I didn’t really like them all that much at the beginning just because it all felt very planned and practiced. But then on Thursday they taught without a bunch of notes or anything just kinda off the cuff. I loved it. They talked about relationships and it helped me so much. Their talk was eye opening and freeing. I thanked Jerusha in tears afterward. I also bought two of Jerusha’s books which I am excited to read.

Friday began a four day weekend working Program. I worked the tube run Friday night, skate window/broom hockey reff Saturday, tube run Sunday, and then odd jobs Monday. Saturday I refereed 34 rounds of broom hockey. It was great. I was reff’ing with Andrew L. from about 11 to 5:30. I was pretty tired. Sunday I worked the tube run all day doing the hook up. My lower back was pretty sore as was the rest of me. I am pretty good at catching the hook and hooking the tubes on which is why I had that job... but what made it hard was that the tubes would get stuck in the walk way up to the hook up. So I had to, while watching my back to make sure I didn’t get hooked, reach behind the person and then yank their tube free. It took a lot of strength and drained a ton out of me. After dinner when I was doing hook ups it was super icy. Just a solid sheet of ice right where I was working. So I was holding onto people, catching them, and pulling their tub. I had so many people slide into me. There were some potentially awkward moments but I didn’t make it awkward so it wasn’t. It was just such close quarters that it was a little uncomfortable at times, but I was so concentrated on keeping them and me away from the hooks and safe that I hardly noticed. Also Sunday night was the Box Sled Blitx. This was the first time I had ever seen this. I got to help build the jump and then was stationed on the run with a tub in front of the crowd. My job was to get in the way of the flying box sleds full of people and keep them from hitting the crowd. I only took one pretty good hit, other times it just brushed me. I really enjoyed that, and had a great view. Monday, today, was interesting. We met at 9 and then did small jobs till lunch. The best part was breaking up the box sleds and putting them in the back of the big green truck and then riding it to the dump. On the last run a bunch of us almost fell asleep we were so comfortable. Then half of us were sent to help with HA and the rest of us sorted the Legends closet. We sorted all the broom hockey stuff and made it look good. Then we worked for a while on fixing shin/knee pads. I was  little frustrated during this time. It was just hard to be working with people who were being super lazy. I getting discouraged by some of the students attitudes and lack of motivation. But we were out till almost 1am last night, and I have to remember that I am a morning person and most aren’t. I just think there can be a difference between working tired and working lazy. Besides that and some silent tension in the room today was good. I said goodbye to the Clark’s girls and Jerusha at lunch. Then Chen-Chen and I came to the De La Rosa’s house to work on stuff. I love my Pause family.

The Dominican Republic

Sarah Wennersten

January 23-February 6 DR, 2011

Week in Review 16

We just got back from the Dominican Republic. That still doesn’t sound real, but it’s true. I had an amazing time in the DR and learned a ton. For this WIR I am going to mostly just copy my journal because I kept a pretty good record of everything that happened.

1-24-11

Right now I am sitting in the sun, drinking a Coca-Cola, and watching my classmates roam around and relax in the Dominican Republic. Yesterday morning at 8am we all loaded up in vans and headed to LA. I was in the 12 passenger van with Karissa. I was in the back row with Jerrod and Grant, we had a great time. On the way down the hill I was in an amazing mood. I am just so free. I am excited for my single life and ready to live. As we were driving I was imaging my life and all the col stuff I could do. We were playing great, feel-good music and some love songs. My heart was light and I couldn’t get the smile off my face. I am so free from worry. There is no one I am trying to impress, no one whose attention I am trying to get.

We made it to the church in the late afternoon after stopping in Bakersfield to eat lunch. At the church we loaded into two big blue buses and made our way to the airport. We got there at 6pm, got through security, and then chilled till 8:30 when we loaded the plane. In security I got screened by on of the new full-body scan things. It went really quick. Our flight left at 9pm and got to New York at 5am NY time. So it was 2am our time. We were all tired. Then our flight left at 6am and we got to the DR around 1pm. All the customs stuff went really smoothly. Soon we were outside being given sack lunches by the Students International staff. Then we loaded in vans and began the drive to the compound. In a lot of ways the DR is like a tropical Mexico. Like Mexico minus all the bad stuff and connotations that go along with it. The culture is great. I really like it here. We have until 6pm to just relax. Now I am laying in a hammock in the shade. The compound looks like a resort. Our rooms are pretty nice. 2 showers and 2 toilets per 10 girls. The grass is groomed with lots of trees scattered around. You can see coconuts in the trees. This is just so perfect. There are people playing catch, others reading or just sitting, and little pockets of people all talking. This is gorgeous. We all feel like we are on vacation in a tropical, Caribbean paradise leaving winter behind us. Hard to believe that just yesterday we were in the snow and cold. Now we will be experiencing a low of 60 degrees and 100% humidity.

I am excited to start work tomorrow and the Physical Therapy site. I get to serve people with real needs and enjoy some rest from the normal Joshua program. I needed this. God you are so amazing and so amazingly good to me.

It’s interesting. There are actual flushing toilets here but you have put your toilet paper and anything else not from your body in the trash can. So that is similar to Mexico except these flush and are pretty nice.

I am getting bit my annoying little chiggers (later found out they were no-see-em’s). They bite you leaving a pin prick drop of blood. You don’t feel it most of the time...just find blood smeared random places.

Life is pretty good right now. The smell of the tropics is wonderful, I am comfortable in this hammock, I’m in love with my Savior and Creator, and I know people love me.

My mind just went to the thought of all the things that could happen to ruin this happiness. But no matter what I believe I have found true joy, so that no matter what happens or how unbelievably sad I may get I will know God is in control, he has my best in mind, and he loves me. So I think I need to just enjoy this and soak it up.

It is so encouraging to look back in my journal and see thoughts and things I wanted to change that are so a part of my life now. I am very encouraged by the growth in my life. Praise God.

It’s like a jungle here.

1-26-11

Yesterday was our first day at our sites. At 6:45 we met in the chapel, read a Psalm, went to quiet time till 7:30, had worship and a message till 8:15, went to breakfast, and then loaded in the trucks at 8:55. That is our schedule every day. The trucks are really cool, they remind me of old army trucks. There are benches along the sides and big roll bars around the top. We dropped the boys of at the baseball field about 10 minutes away from the base and then drove one more block till we reached the Physical Therapy site. The building is actually really nice, it’s very clean and modern by Dominican standards. Not to say that Dominican standards are bad, but it’s a third world country in the  tropics, so it’s pretty chill here.

As soon as we got there, Dan, the physical therapist, had us using the ultra-sound machine and doing massages. The four of us Andrew, Julie, Marissa and me mostly just followed him around. Dan is a really cool dude. He is very built, is married with 2 kids, and is a good teacher.

Yesterday and today were pretty much the same as far as our work day. We got there, assisted with small stuff, had lunch from 12-1, and the left at 3:30. From 4-6 we have free time which I have spent just reading, writing, and relaxing.

Last night was one of the funnest times I have had in a long time. After dinner we got to learn how to “Meringue”. It’s a Dominican style of dance. The guy who was teaching had to do so through an interpreter. He was so funny. We started out getting in lines and spreading out. Then we had to put our right hand in the air and our left over our heart. then we had to slowly turn in a circle with our eyes closed. I’m sure we all looked ridiculous. After doing that tons of times he said to get a partner. Of course all of us immediately started looking for someone of the same gender. But then he said “no hombre y hombre o mujera y mujera”. We were all wondering if that was ok. It was an awkward moment as guys and girls got paired up. We had to put guys left and girls right hand together like a high- five and then the guys put their hand around the waist and girls hand went on the shoulder. Classic dance pose. I’m thankful Eric asked me because it was completely un-awkward and just pure fun. This was technically my first time dancing with a guy, besides my Dad and cousin... and the 60 year old millionaire... but I don’t really count that one cause we were a foot apart. So we started out just doing the same little circle by slightly moving the feet and hips. The dance is very smooth no jumping or anything. After doing that awhile we added a twist. So we worked up to a twirl for the girl and then a twirl for the guy. Then the really fun part came. After the guy twirled he would then twirl again but bend over and go under the girls arm with his arm behind his back. Then the girl did the same. So by the end we were going: slow step, girl twirl, guy twirl, girl twirl, guy twirl, guy duck, girl twirl, girl duck, slow step. Once we got it down we had so much fun. We got fast and could do the moves to the beat of the music. I was just loose and having a great time. We did that for a long time and then the whole group got in a huge circle. This was fun. The guy instructed that some of the boys were to go in the middle and pick a girl to dance with. But one thing... the guys had to go out dancing and then “fish” for the girl. The guy in his funny way and in Spanish told the boys that they had to “get into it”, no “weak” fishing. So the music started and some of the boys quick stepped their way to the middle. Jerrod went out there and “hooked” me. So I danced my way out with the other gals, we did the Merengue, and then danced off. It was the funniest thing. Boys were going crazy and just being goof balls. Some of the boys got the staff ladies which was hilarious. We all stood in the big circle and clapped and laughed. After the song the guy made all the boys who didn’t go out come out. Then they got to dance with all the girls who didn’t get asked. We really did dance the night away. After that we played a crazy cup game and got to try coconut milk and coconut candy. It was a great evening filled with good, clean fun. I loved it.

The food has been really good, very... real. We have had fresh pineapple and papaya, so good. We have had amazing pancakes, fresh pineapple and guava jam, good spaghetti, great eggs and hash brown things, and some yummy sandwiches for lunch which we pack in the morning and bring to our sites.

At night I haven’t been sleeping very well because it’s been so cold. The weather we were told wasn’t exactly right on. It’s been very cold at night, the humidity has been next to nothing, and it hasn’t rained once. One thing held true though... lots of sun.

1-31-11

I have so much to write about. Thursday the 28th was an interesting, fun, and slightly awkward night. It was “dinner in the community” night so each of the sites went out with their site leader to experience a meal in a Dominican home. But our site had the best time I think. Dan took us to a poorer Dominican lady’s home. When we got there we all sat on the chairs and couch until the food was ready. Then the 5 of us sat at the table and ate. It is just the culture that they give whatever they can to their guests and don’t eat until you are done. The most hospitable culture ever.  We had fried plantains, fried salami, and fried “squeaky” cheese. When we were done eating the lady taught us how to dance. When Dan said that she was going to teach us we all looked at each other and went “oh,no”. So this lady in her 40’s-50’s starts dancing with her son who is in his 20’s. The dance was just the Merengue but without the fancy duck. Then they showed us this little 3 step dance like the Merengue. The interesting thing was that the mother and son were gettin’ pretty down and dirty. They were all up on each other. But it wasn’t bad... the dancing is so different here than from American dance. The way dancing is viewed in our culture is so dirty and sexual. But here it is not so much that as it is very cultural and fun. So then the lady came and grabbed Andrew and the son... well, guess who got lucky. Julie and Marissa literally pushed me forward saying “someone has to be the sacrifice”. So I danced for most the rest of the time with a 20 year old Dominican guy who had a son. He didn’t speak any English so it was interesting. We would make eye contact once in awhile, smile awkwardly, and then look away. Then I danced with Dan a little while one the other gals got the son for one song. Overall it was a really enjoyable evening. It was really cool to see how after a meal you don’t sit and watch TV. Instead you dance. Good, wholesome, fun, non-sensual dance.

Friday morning I woke up feeling kinda sick. Just a sore throat and general gross feeling. Nothing to much to handle though. Friday night we had a bonfire. We all sat around a giant, super hot fire and sang and worshipped. It was a good night. I went to bed pretty early cause I wasn’t feeling good.

Saturday we got to sleep in till 8 when we ate breakfast. We left at 9:00 for a day of fun. We drove about 30 minutes up a mountain and then hiked about 30 minutes down. Then we came to what we had been waiting for... the most gorgeous waterfall ever was thundering before us. The main fall was probably 100 or more feet high and there was a big pool at the bottom. The area was filled with giant rocks and boulders. There were smaller pools and places where water cascaded down a ladder of rocks.  I climbed around a little when we first got there and then I went swimming with a few people. The water was super cold and took my breath away. I couldn’t imagine going to a place like that and not going in all the way. Chen-Chen and I were the last ones to get out. We decided to try and swim closer to the falls but as soon as we started getting close the current was crazy strong and pushed us away. After that I walked/climbed bare foot to the lowest pool by the big drop and found some sun. The whole area was like a big bowl so there wasn’t a ton of sun by the falls. I found a really pretty spot and enjoyed sun bathing and hanging out. We ate lunch there and just relaxed. On the hike down my knees were not doing too great and were very shaky. So the hike back up was also very difficult. It was very steep and took about 30 minutes of non-stop hiking. Being kinda sick on top of it didn’t help. I think one of my favorite parts of the waterfall was climbing and walking around on the rocks barefoot with my hiking boots strapped onto my backpack. It just felt right.

*Ok, so I am laying in the upper hammock right now and this group of little boys has been running around playing. One of them with really pretty brown eyes just ran up to me, put his cheek against mine and gave me a really long sweet hug. Then he started swinging me and then ran off. That was really neat. There is a little girl following the boys around. Reminds me of myself when I was little.*

After the hike we went back to the base for a few hours and got cleaned up. Then we went into Jarabacoa and went shopping. We were split into groups with one of the interns leading us. I felt a little cheated because our girl had only been to the city once and didn’t really know anything. Jarabacoa is not a tourist town so there wasn’t very many little stands with unique stuff. We went into stores that sold a lot of stuff you can get in the US. So I was a little disappointed but it was still fun. I got a tea set, a ring made with the blue stone only found in the DR, and a little wooden mug. All of us ate dinner together at a little restaurant in town. It was served buffet style but not like in the US. We all went through the line once and then could go back for seconds. But once the food was gone it was gone. No endless supply of food that ends up getting thrown away. It was good, good not to waste. The meal consisted of rice (white and yellow), beans, 3 kinds of chicken, and two kinds of salad. I really like rice and beans.

2-3-11

Sunday we got to sleep in again. We had class that morning and then after lunch we went to church. Church was really good. It was a fairly large church for the DR. The singing was very lively and active. The pastor gave a great message from Philippians. Kate, a gal who works down here and who is engaged to Christian who works at the PT site, translated for us. I found that I concentrate better listening to a Spanish and English sermon. Overall I really enjoyed experiencing the culture of a Dominican church.

Sunday night was not such a good time for me. During church I started to feel worse than I had all weekend. By the time we got back to the base I was feeling like I had a fever. The first time we checked my temperature was a little high for me but not bad. Ten minutes later I was at 100. And then it kept growing. I was so cold. I was just shaking and shivering but sweating at the same time. My whole body hurt. It was terrible. Only one person really cared and helped me out. Danielle was very nice and gave me her extra blanket and even brought me dinner, though I couldn’t eat much. I was really hurt by the fact that the staff never checked on me when my temperature rose so quickly and just blew it off telling other students it was heat sickness even though they never talked to me or saw how horrible I was doing. So I was upset about that and was going to talk to them but after a day or so I realized my motives were not all good for wanting to talk to them. At first I had been telling myself it would be good to tell them that it hurt me and stuff. But then I realized the real reason I wanted to talk to them was to convince them that I was truly sick, because I was. The real reason was because of my pride. I couldn’t stand to see my reputation hurt like that. I wanted them to know I was strong, that I don’t fake things like that. Once I realized that I made myself not talk to them but just to trust God. The passage came to mind about how it is a good thing to take unjust punishment without complaint or defense. If I really trust God then I can trust Him to take care of my reputation. About 3am that morning my fever broke and I was able to go to work Monday.

Monday started our last week of working with Dan in Physical Therapy. Working there is becoming “normal” now. I discovered from working here that I really love doing massage. The true skin-on-skin lotion massage is so much different than just rubbing someone’s shoulders. It is relaxing for me and very enjoyable. So now along with being a personal trainer I am going to pursue being a masseuse  as well and expand my customer base.

Monday night was neat night. It was called the “foot washing/ servanthood challenge” night. We had a great time of worship and time to pray and then we washed each others feet. We had partners so I was with Kaylee. When we were dismissed to start washing Kaylee and I just sat there and prayed. We both sat facing each other, holding hands, praying silently out loud for each other. Then I went and got the basin and we washed each other’s feet. When we were finished, as part of the servanthood challenge, we tore the rag we used and tied it around each other’s wrists to wear the rest of the week. It was a reminder of service. There were a lot of tears shed that night. One thing that really touched my heart was when I went up to Emily Harer and we just collapsed in a hug. We were both just crying. I prayed out loud for her and then she for me. She said I was an example of a godly woman in her life and really thankful for me. It lifted my spirits as the last couple days I have been feeling a little down. It is encouraging to hear that I am still making an impact in my classmates’ lives even though I don’t have any “best friends”. I think it is because I am not in a tight-knit closed-off group that God can use me to reach others.

2-4-11

Wednesday was a normal day at work except that we ate lunch at the park in town. Wednesday night was our outreach night. We had some training, blew up balloons, and ate an early dinner. I was doing the “carnival” outreach in Mata Gorda and got to play with kids, watch 2 skits, listen to a message in Spanish, and then pass out balloons during the games. I think my favorite thing was dancing with some the girls. We were dancing a little and then I went over and grabbed these two Dominican girl’s hands and brought them in. We held hands and danced and had a good time. After that we walked around with our arms around each other. One of the girls especially seemed to like me and the attention. I’m glad I got out of my comfort zone a little. After that we came back and had donuts and then had book discussion on “The Shack”. I really, really like “The Shack”. Of course there are some interesting theology points but it made me think. I think one reason I enjoyed it so much is because I feel I have experienced some of that closeness with Christ. When I am sitting looking at creation I think of Jesus as right there beside me and I talk to him like I would anyone (except for thanking Him for making it, cause I can only tell Him that). When I am in deep sadness I can feel him holding me close. The book made me happy and made me rejoice in the presence of God in my life. Thursday at work an older man came in again who really liked Andrew. When he would came in he would say “Mi gringo! Mi gringo!”. But Thursday and Friday Andrew didn’t come in to PT, he went with volleyball. So I helped the guy with his exercises and he really liked me. Thursday he gave each of us girls 500 pesos. And as he was leaving he gave me a hug and air-cheek kiss and said “linda,linda,linda” which means “beautiful”, or “beautiful one”. And then today, Friday, I was helping him out again and he stopped and held my chin in his hand, stroked my cheek and said the “linda, linda” thing again. It was funny and slightly awkward. Another interesting thing was a guy who came in with an external fixator on his thigh. His leg was a disaster, broken in tons of places. On top of that it was not put together right and now his leg is 3 inches shorter than the other. You can’t tell where his knee is it’s so swollen and it’s been like that since September. The external fixator is basically a big piece of metal and plastic holding 7 long screws in his bone. It is sticking 4-5 inches out of his leg. The chances of him walking again are slim. It’s especially sad since this would never happen in the states. His leg is no where close to being healed. There is still a chunk of bone floating around not screwed in.

2-5-11

One day last week we went to the river for lunch. We went to a really cool spot at the end of the road where two of the rivers connected. Yesterday, Friday, was our last day at PT. Rosy was sick and Christian was at school and Andrew was at volleyball so it was just us girls and Dan again. We had the opportunity after lunch to go to the river but we decided to stay which was good because a ton of people came into the clinic. I really enjoyed my time working in the PT site. I learned a lot. One really funny thing was when we were playing with the electro-therapy machine. First, we put it on my quad. Dan had to hold my leg down because it will make your leg spring straight out. So I was sitting there and as we turned it up my muscles started to contract and flex and unnatural amount. It looked pretty cool. Then we put it on our forearms which made our fingers freak out and bend weird. It was impossible to move them. Then Calen came in from baseball and we had some fun with him. We put it on his abs, quads, lats, and triceps. His triceps were my favorite because it made his arms straighten and go back and then his hands curled back. It was great. Friday night began the dodgeball tournament. My team is pretty good. Mostly we are just trying to have fun. I did pretty good considering how longs it’s been since I’ve played. Also on Friday night we had a banquet wrapping up our trip. We drove out to a beautiful spot on the river, had a great meal, took pictures, and then came back. Then we watched a wrap-up video and each site and site leader went up front and the leader talked about the students. It was a great to hear what a blessing we were to the staff here. Tonight we finish the tournament. We are all tired though.  Today was a good day for me. We got to sleep in and then I got to go to the coffee plantation. I really enjoyed the plantation and seeing the whole process of coffee making. I bought almost 5lbs of coffee to send as gifts to my family.  After the plantation today we came back and  I went on a walk with some people to a small store in the nearby community. Then I took a nap and have been sitting on our front porch in a rocking chair writing and thinking. Good relaxing day. Other people today went on a really intense hike and others went white water rafting. I’m so glad I got to have a relaxing day before starting the trip home in the morning.

2-8-11

Saturday night we finished the dodgeball tournament. We came in second place and fought a good fight. I pulled something in my right side and arm from throwing though. As soon as it happened my hand started tingling and I knew. Then we played a couple games with all the teams combined which was fun.

Sunday began the journey home. We left around 9 and went through the very strange check-in process at the airport. It as confusing. I stayed awake for the first flight to New York but then took a nap on the second flight. It was late at night for us even though it was just really later evening. Going through all the customs and immigration stuff went really quick because we were in such a big group. By the time we got to the church where we were going to spend the night it was midnight. So it was 4am on our internal clocks. I woke up every hour. We were up at 6am and on the road by 7. We made it back to Hume in the late afternoon, had dinner, and then had speaker. I was in bed by 8:30, it was hard to stay up that late. This morning we got to sleep in and didn’t have to be anywhere till 10 when we studied for Isaiah, had OT class, had lunch, crammed for Isaiah, took the Isaiah test at 3, had dinner, had speaker, and then I have been writing this very long WIR ever since.

This week I am going to be praying for Germany. My brother is going to be going there for a few days in March to learn how to fire an AT4 rocket launcher. Germany is very, very liberal. In general it has no heart for God. I know some people who were missionaries down there for a long time and heard a lot about the struggles there. It is very difficult to witness there. I will pray for church that is there that it will continue to be strengthened and will grow. And also for believers who live there as their is some persecution and hardship. Also the schooling system is terrible so the next generation is getting nothing.