First Week of Classes

This past week was the first week of DownLine classes.  DL classes are Monday nights, Wednesday mornings, and one Friday class a month.  So, my housemates and I had the joy of attending our first Wednesday morning class.  It starts at 5:45 in the morning!  But, surprisingly, it wasn't too bad.  We also had our first EL class on Thursday night.  Overall, I can honestly say I am learning a ton.  Don't ask me for specifics though, because I would have to look back over my notes.  It's just A TON of information to process and remember.

Aww... one day this week

Other happenings this week included Kelly (one of my housemates) finishing a table she built for our house.  It's pretty stinkin' awesome!  And, yes, she built it from scratch, stained the top, painted the bottom, and put glaze over the paint.  There's been talk of Kelly starting her own furniture business.  :)  I said she should name it "Kelly's Custom Creations".  She's one talented girl!

Awesome table!

She did a great job!

Also, on Friday night, all DownLine students went to For the Kingdom Campground here in Memphis (actually Millington).  We ate dinner and then split off into men's and women's activities.  I'm not sure what the guys did, but the ladies had alot of fun.  At one point, we split into groups and had a "purse" scavenger hunt.  We nominated one person to be the runner for our group.  The runner had to be the first to take the item to the front in order to win (pic below).  Needless to say, it got pretty competitive!  At the end of the night, we had a fashion show.  From each group, one girl volunteered to be the "model".  We had to come with an outfit for her from a mixed bag of clothing, accessories, shoes, and wigs.  We also had to write a description of what our model was wearing (pic below).  It was a great night of fun and time to get to know each other.

The girls stretching out for the "purse" scavenger hunt...

All the models for the fashion show...

Orientation Week

The last week seems like a blur.  Most of my time was taken up with orientation for the program and special events to kick off the year.  Each day we met at a different location: Baptist East Hospital, Memphis Athletic Ministries, Urban Young Life, First Evangelical Church, Barnhart, and Network of International Christian Schools.  Each day consisted of different activities, including teaching time, being introduced to different ministries to volunteer with, and helpful information.  At the end of each day, my housemates and I felt sufficiently overwhelmed with the amount of information we had heard.  Overall, it was a great week with a fun ending.  Friday night, we had an EL cookout and time to hangout.  Then, Saturday night, there was a DownLine welcome dinner.  Everyone, who is in the EL program or taking the DownLine Institute classes, was invited.

Our first day!

Welcome dinner pic!

One thing that really stuck out to me this week was visiting the Civil Rights Museum downtown.  I'm ashamed to say it, but I had never actually been inside it.  I'm glad I was the given the opportunity though.  Going through the museum really made me think, and I learned alot too.  At one point, I remember standing in front of an exhibit made to look like a restaurant.  I was standing next to one of my housemates, JaNell, as we watched a video about what it was like during the Civil Rights Movement when African American people staged sit-ins in restaurants.  As we stood there in silence, we watched video footage of white people beating black people for sitting where they were not allowed to sit.  And, it made me sick.  And, it made me thankful that I wasn't born during that time.  And, it made me thankful that one day I'll be home in heaven.  All racism, hatred, prejudice, and evil will be no more.  And, I will worship my Jesus alongside people from every nation and tongue.

Our little family :)

New season and a Redbirds' game...

This past week was a whirlwind of change.  I moved into a new house.  Well, it's new to me.  I started driving a different car.  Again, not a new car, but it's new to me.  And, so far, I'm enjoying every step of this new season of my life.
     

To backtrack a little, I moved into a new house last Monday in order to begin a year long discipleship program.  I am a part of the Emerging Leaders program through DownLine Ministries here in Memphis.  Today, we had our first day of orientation.  And, next Monday, our classes will officially begin.  In addition, my old car (affectionately known as Blue Thunder) has been put to rest.  She didn't die, but she has been retired.  (And, yes, there may be another post about Blue Thunder at some point in the near future.)

Potential name: Gold Magic

To finish out this past week, I went to a Redbirds' game with friends on Friday night.  It was super fun and, surprisingly, not that hot.  Then, on Sunday night, the EL's had a progressive dinner in which the girls' houses cooked for everyone in the program.  It was a fun time of fellowship and getting to meet other people in the program.

Casey, Tracy, and Emily were cheesin'!

Me and Carrie :)

Typical. 

All in all, there is alot of change happening around me.  Friends have moved away.  Others have bought their first homes.  Some have gotten engaged.  Some have gotten new jobs.  I could go on and on.  And, I am so happy for all of these new changes and seasons of life for my friends.  And, not to be outdone, I am beginning a new season as well. :)  In the middle of all this change, I have a distinct feeling that the Lord is up to something in my life.  And, I am trusting that He is going to shape and mold me in more ways then I can imagine over the course of this year.

I love the Johnston's!

Today marks a very important day in my life and the lives of many others.  Dear friends/family are moving away to fulfill God's call for their family in North Canton, Ohio.  And, it has been an incredibly emotional time of saying good-bye, praying for this time of transition for their family, and trusting the Lord's plan in all of it.

Having said all this, it doesn't change the fact that it breaks my heart to see them go.  And, selfishly, I wish things wouldn't change.  I wish I didn't have to see their girls grow up from a distance.  I've thought over the last few weeks about the immeasurable impact Ryan, Debby, Kinsley, and Addilyn have had on my life.  And, I can't help but cry.  God has blessed me beyond words to have met the Johnston's 9 years ago.  We have lived alot of life together since then.

I remember going on my first ever international mission trip to Romania with Ryan and Debby.  Debby and I were on the same crew.  God really spoke to my heart that week and for the first time my heart broke for the nations.  I've never been the same since.  I remember many winter break trips in college to Passion conferences, and God moved in incredible ways in my life.  I remember Rush Weekends, disaster relief trips, and girls' Bible studies.  I remember when I felt the Lord calling me to serve in Africa for a summer.  And, of course, Debby was there to remind me it wasn't ok to stay home just because I was scared.  I'm still learning from the things the Lord taught me in Senegal, West Africa in the summer of 2006.  I remember the Lord continuing to break my heart for the city of Memphis and learning to serve this city alongside the Johnston's.  I remember Faith Walk's and Crossroad's weekends.  I remember meeting with Ryan and Debby and feeling called to go to China.  I remember them being there to pray for me and see me off at the airport.  I remember.

I remember helping paint Ryan and Debby's first house before they moved in.  I remember meeting their first foster son for the first time.  I remember going to the hospital to meet Kinsley right after she was born.  I fell in love pretty fast.  I remember holding Addi for the first time a few days after she was born.  And, I fell in love again.  I remember babysitting all the foster children the Johnston's cared for and loving them like my own.  I remember snow days with the Johnston's, 4th of July's, other holidays, and birthdays.  I remember walking through joyful times and difficult times together.  There are so many, many memories.

Ryan and Debby, I love you guys more than you know!  There has never been anyone else (besides my parents) to love me like you have.  Thank you for discipling me and speaking truth into my life.  Thank you for not being afraid to make me cry or make me mad.  Thank you opening up your home to me and making me feel like part of your family.  Thank you being real and not perfect.  Thank you for being godly and not religious.  Thank you for always being there for me.  I love, love, love you.  And, I'm praying hard for your family as you make this huge transition and start a new adventure in Ohio.  I know the Lord has called you there and has great plans for you!  Get the spend-the-night room ready.  I'm coming to visit soon!

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." 
Numbers 6:24-26

I love the Johnston's!

I'm part of your family.  Kinsley said so.  :)

Summer Cookin'

On Monday night, I tried a new recipe my mom found for grilled chicken, Grilled Lemon and Rosemary Chicken.  It's actually a recipe from Jamie Deen, one of Paula Deen's sons.  It didn't sound complicated or include a ton of random ingredients.  It was really pretty simple.  I didn't think it would taste that great either.  But, wow, was I wrong!  It was delicious, and the chicken only marinated for about 30 minutes.  I can just imagine how much better it would be, if I let it marinate over night.  I will definitely be fixing this again.

Hopefully, you can read it.

It was as good as it looks, if not better!  :)

Then, for dessert, I tried another new recipe for peaches.  It only involved 3 ingredients: fresh peaches, brown sugar, and sour cream.  The recipe recommended adding pecans, blueberries, or other toppings.  But, it was really good without the extras.  You just cut up peaches, mix the sour cream and brown sugar, and pour that mixture over the peaches.  I'm not posting a pic because it actually looked pretty gross.  I tasted great though.  So, I'll spare you and just share the recipe.

Sorry, it's kinda hard to read.  I'm not the best photographer.  :)

Sky VBS

This past week was a little crazy for me!  In the mornings, I worked VBS at my church.  And, in the afternoons, I babysat two of my favorite boys.

This year, VBS was super cool.  I loved the theme, "Sky VBS".  All of the decorations were so cool and creative.  I worked in the missions station for the first time.  Also, for the first time, grades k-2 were in one group for missions.  And, grades 3-5 were in another group.  I was in the missions station for the older kids, and our emphasis all week focused on urban missions.  So, each day (except for Monday), we completed small mission projects to be used in different areas of Memphis.

Preschool hallway decorations

Sanctuary decorations

The four pictures to the right are of the mission projects the crews worked on all week.  On Tuesday, the filled snack bags.  On Wednesday, they decorated labels for water bottles.  On Thursday, they made salvation bracelets.  And, on Friday, they made "no sew" fleeces pillows.  All in all, it was a great week!

 

Jayden loved grocery shopping.

My week with the boys was fun, too.  We would have done alot of fun stuff, but the weather wasn't the best.  So, the highlight of our week was going to the Children's Museum of Memphis.  (Sorry for all the random pics and placement.)

Jaylen checking out his groceries.

Red, White, and Blueberry...

This 4th of July was super fun and hot!  I went out to Buckhead Recreational Complex where my church does an awesome fireworks show every year.  I love it because I usually get to see tons of friends and even some I don't get to see very often.  I tried to take some pics of the fireworks, but I was unsuccessful.  

Two of my favorites!

Then, today, I decided it would be a good idea to make a blueberry crisp.  Sounds good, huh?  And, well, it was.  It was super easy to make too!  

It was delicious, and even better with vanilla ice cream!

Here's the link to the recipe, if you'd like to try it.  :)  
http://www.food.com/recipe/best-blueberry-crisp-80482