More words of wisdom

We pray not so our will will be done in heaven, but that Gods will will be done here on earth

My biggest fear is fear of people!!!!

What are the things you wife/husband will hate about you in the future?

Deal with the past before it deals with you

Action=reaction

You will never become a better person, you will only become a new person!

The moment you step out of this school for the last time you need to start thinking on your own and making your own decisions

Fear of man prevents the truth

 

You have no right to expect things from your partner. You are responsible for your own character and fulfilling the needs of the other.

Headship is not dictatorship, but the loving excersize of divine authority under the lordship of Jesus Christ

If you want your man to be a leader then help him! Don't control every situation and encourage him. 

2 people to please in a relationship.... God and your sig. Other

Give me five: faith, family, finances, free-time, frustrations
Second five: friends, future, feelings, frictions, fantasies

Are we depending on the externals or eternals? The artificial or the real?

Diff between lust and love.... LOVE WAITS! lust wants it now!

What do you like at home?
What do you dislike at home

A seed needs to find soil, grow roots and sprout... You will come home and change over time!

It seems like all the information people gain doesn't turn into transformation 

What are your needs? 

Ask: who Am I ? What do I want in life? What are my goals in life?

There are no black and white answers on colorful questions

Make deep roots!!!

Cock-a-doodle-do!!

So 4 more weeks left of Bible school!! Wow, heading into this I thought 10 weeks was going to be soo long. Boy, was I wrong! I am kind of wishing that it was 12 weeks long haha cause I am still excited to go home and apply all my knowledge and head back into reality but I could totally use 2 more weeks here =]. This past week was my favorite by far! Our speaker, Eis, was so real with the students and spent lots of time with us! I asked him MANY questions!! I was sad to see him leave, he gave me a hug and told me to never change =] It really motivated me to stay focused and finish off with a bang! His lectures were based out of 1 Peter. He addressed relationships, fear of man, and so much more!! It was the first week where we didn't mind that the lecture went for more than an hour. He is from the Capernwray in Austria and has a killer accent! He really affected us all.
The highlights of the week were:
-Petting a rooster for the first time! The 2 oldest girls in Joe's family came walking in one night with a rooster that they just bought. Those things freak me out so much but I conquered my fear and ended up touching its Talon (SP?...the red thing that dangles from its throat =P). I was good until it squaked...I ended up running out of the room screaming haha. I am still very proud of myself though!
-On Saturday we had a movie night. We watched the movie 'To save a life'. Recommended to ALL (forgive the acting quality...). It touched me so much! I was holding back tears for half of the movie and I never cry in movies! It just really touched me and showed how much people judge without realizing the affects of it. I want to focus more on accepting everyone, as God's beautiful creation. But I want to do this out of Love instead of pity!!! I walked out of the room so shocked. It made me realize how I have been out of reality for a while and I have forgotten about all the issues that go on in the world! It was a good wake up call =] Motivates me to make a change!!

Today for church we ended up going to an English speaking church!! It was a lot bigger than the churches we have been to so far but it was a hoot! So much laughter =P It is really neat to see my peers lead a service! My group led fellowship time tonight. We went down to the beach and played 4 on a couch for an hour! Such a fun game =] and then we headed back up to the conference hall for communion and played the game 'Step into the middle' (sometimes known as step over the line). It was a game that really touched me and put me out of my comfort zone. What you do is for every question that is asked, if you answer yes you have to step into the middle (or over the line). The questions consisted of 'do you pick your nose when you are alone?' to 'Have you done drugs?'. It was really embarrassing at some times and really hard to reveal some truths that most people don't know! This week I have been challenged to work on being more real and accepting of my emotions and sticking to them! So this game really forced me to answer honestly and fight the fear of man. So good!! haha
Also, this coming week is 'no make-up week'. This will also be a challenge but will be a great growing experience.

I am also trying to get back into journaling. I am learning so much here but I can't store it all at once in my mind and so by journaling I hope to clear out some things that may distract me or stress me out! So far so good =] I have missed it!

I hope God blesses you this week! Love you all!

Monkey in a Jar

Ever wondered how to catch a monkey? It is known that if you place a bottle with a wide base and slim neck into the ground and fill it with nuts, you will catch one. How is this so? Well, the monkey will smell the nuts, stick his hand in the bottle, fill his grasp with nuts, and then try to pull his hand out. One dilemma, he was able to fit his hand in the bottle but now that it is filled with nuts it's too big to pull out. For some reason, when hunters or danger comes, the monkey doesn't let go of the peanuts. It is horrified but will not let go!

Is your hand stuck in a bottle right now? What is keeping you from turning away when danger or bad influences come. What are you holding on to that keeps you in the threshold of sin? Let go! Don't be a monkey. Run to God and he will give you more than you could ever need!

Please Pray

So one of my roommates left this morning at 7:30 to fly back home. She has been in a constant battle of missing home and not dealing with issues back there and so she finally decided to just go home. Many of us don't know what to think about this decision, we all believe it would have been best for her to stay here, but we know that God will work in her wherever she goes!

I ask that you pray for her, that she will work on the goals she has set and that she finds a church to attend.

THANKS!

Joy & Peace

Wow, I can tell that the lectures this week will be my favorite so far!
We have a new speaker here from Austria (he is a speaker at the Torchbearers school there...Taurenhoff).
His name is Eis (pronounced 'ice') and he is so real. He asks us the tough questions and shows us brutal pictures of Christians being persecuted for their faith. We all need to see the brutal reality of our brothers and sisters and Christ and we need to spend time EVERYDAY praying for them. We take our safety for granted. We need to live radically for God, just like those who face the risk of death everyday to serve God.
Eis' lectures have brought up so many hidden emotions that I never have spent time to deal with them so I ask that you pray for me as I start to depend on God's guidance and wisdom!!

This week will be a great week =]

PS my favorite combination of emotions right now is Peace and Joy! Reading the Bible and praying always gives me a sense of peace in my heart which ends up turning into Joy as I go through my day with God's word circulating in my mind!! He blesses me so much every day, especially when I turn to his Word, and it makes me want to shout for Joy!!

"Running deeper and stronger, joy is the quiet, confident assurance of God's love and work in our lives-that he will be there no matter what! Happiness depends on happenings depends on happenings, but joy depends on Christ" - Christine's Bible =P

Mid term break is over!

Now that I have reached the middle of my schooling ihave decided to pass on some knowledge to you! The following sentences are ones that have stuck out to me and really touched my heart.I really hope they touch your heart as well!

Here we go:

The commandments aren't just laws given by God, they are evidence of his character. God would never breaK the commandments so why should we?

Knowlege- things you have learned
Wisdom- acting upon this new knowledge

All girls are the same... We ALL think that others are prettier. Be yourself! Chances are, if you were to become like the other person, you wouldn't be as pretty( you would be fake!!!)

Don't spend time looking for mr. Right, spend time working on mrs. Right

Our hearts have a special place for God, only he can fill it and make us whole!

There is a danger of stuffing all the knowledge in your brain without realizing who, why and what it is for! Praise him!

Eveyome in the world worships, this isn't the problem. The problem is WHAT they worship!

Tear apart the statistics about Christians! Prove them wrong!

Forthe sake of those you love and for the sake of God, SET DOWN YOUR BAGGAGE! so that you will have room to embrace those people to be open to God... Trust him!

The man you are dating is someone's future husband... Whether he is yours or belongs to someone else, respect him!

Most women come out of marriages complaining that her husband was not a spiritual leader in the home. Find a godly man!

You can be a tremendous influence to the men in your life, be an encouragement!

Grace=gift with working for it
Mercy= gift of saving from consequences

I can't, but he can

If Jesus is the light then he can only work & shine in darkness

I cannot change my past but I can enlarge my future!

Who are you when you are in the dark? How are you when you are alone? This is what counts!

People in the world aren't bad, they are "dead" spiritually

Love = sex ... The way the world thinks today, thinking and reasoning without God

Set goals for direction, without them you can head into chaos

Know who you are in the eyes of Jesus. Stop pretending to be someone you aren't 

It's important to listen to the desires in your heart if they honor God

We can't always blame the devil because it is always us and our own decisions

How are you protecting yourself from sin?

Life is 10% what happens and 90% how you react to it

Be careful of what you fill your tank with, don't let it become full with junk

Before you follow Christ you are a slave under death. Become a slave of Christ! 

We tend to decorate the truth of Christianity for the worlds eyes

Being a servant is temporary but being a slave is permanent. Don't run away from your master, Jesus Christ

The world is not our audience, God is! Care about what he thinks about your performance, not what others think. Please God.

You cannot serve both God and money, impossible to have 2 masters

Where your treasures are, your heart will follow

I HEART GRANADA!

BEST ICE CREAM EVER!
I have been craving it so much while being in Spain

We met the guy in the grey shirt in his store while
shopping around. He invited us to dinner (mostly
because he wanted to go on a date with Rachel..on the
right) and so we tagged along for safety and he brought
one of his friends! So neat to be shown around by locals =]

The fountains in Granada are gorgeous!
This was in the Alhambra (more pics of it on facebook!
A MUST SEE!!)

Cobble stone everywhere! Tip: wear
thick soles on your shoes!!

We passed this fountain many times on the way
into town and on the way back up to the hostel!
(I wanted to stand in the water for the picture but
it ended up being waaay too deep...good thing I
didn't just jump right in!)

BEST FOOD EVER! We ended up having Doners
for a majority of our meals haha so delicious though!
These ones were by far the best...it was in a pretty
east indian restaurant

We ended up arriving back home in Alicante at 4:30 am
but the first tram didn't start till 5:45 am so we sat
on these steps, waiting till the station opened up!
A girl walked up to us and it ended up being someone
Rachel B. knew! she sat with us and talked for a while

MORE PICS ON FACEBOOK!

HOME SWEET HOME! and the computer fast is finally over =] I had the BEST weekend of my life! haha
A large group of us ended up going to Granada (a 5 hr bus ride south) for travel weekend. We all ended up splitting up for most of it (10 people slept outside every night...how crazy is that!?).
Rachel K. , Rachel B, linnea, Heidi, Christine and I stayed in a Hostel right beside the Alhambra. It was on top of a hill but the walk up is amazing...you go up this long stone path that is lined with little streams, benches, old fashioned lamp posts, HUGE trees and lots of founatins. A great walk to start and end your day =].

The hostel was really nice, great location! It was cool to learn that the original property the Hostel was on belonged to the King and Queen when they were alive! The owner was a bit grumpy at night when we first arrived but after that she was a great help. I roomed with both Rachels and our room had one bunk and another single bed. Our bathroom was the same size as our room (HUGE shower). It was a very quiet hostel but overall a great first experience staying in a Hostel. Makes me confident about the ones in Italy! =P

We did most of our shopping in the old Silk exchange District. There were soo many shops in all the alleyways. I ended up buying a few things for my family and myself but just enjoyed 'shopping with my eyes'. I LOVED the pottery there! So vibrant and colorful. In one of the shops we ended up talking to an older Guy named Dani. He was so happy that we were from Canada! And apparently my eyes mean I will have too many riches haha and so I said I will come back and buy everything in his store =P In a different shop Rachel K. ended up talking to the owner and he ended up inviting us all to dinner!! There were 6 of us girls and then he brought one of his friends. We walked across Granada to the other side of Tapas! (finger/snack food =] ). So much fun so get out at night and feel a part of what people our age do there! It was only 2 euros for the drink and then unlimited food!

It was a very relaxful but busy weekend. We didn't really make any plans,except for seeing the Alhambra, so we just walked around and went on random adventures! We ended up talking to soo many people there and finding out where everyone was from =]. I am LOVING this culture! I could stay here for a year...I am finally starting to adapt here and my spanish is coming along! haha I used everything I knew over the weekend =]. I really don't want to go home haha. The Alhambra was amazing! We spent around 3 hours there just walking around the gardens, in the castle, and also in the Palace. The architecture was incredible...handmade tiles and stone carvings every! It is amazing to think about what took place there back in the day. We also walked to the old muslim community and saw the Muslim Bath House. You couldn't see exactly where the bath was but it was neat to read about it!

I was excited to head back to Rio Vida but overall it was a great experience! I LOVE TRAVELLING! =P
This experience has really made me grow in confidence and also independance.

We took the bus home at 11:30 pm Saturday night and arrived back in Alicante around 4:30 am. Unfortunatley the first tram didn't start till 5:45 so the station wasnt even open yet. We sat outside on the stairs for an Hour and ended up meeting this girl that Rachel B. "knew". She approached us to ask us what time the station opened (she asked in spanish but then heard us speak english so she scrapped the spanish) and ended up sitting with us to wait. She lives in the exact same place as Rachel B. and her mom works at the camp Rachel worked at. It was such a God moment because right before it happened we were praying to God and saying how he puts things together for the benefit of us and 'POP' Annie shows up =p. It was neat.

We got back to the school around 6:30 am and I went straight to bed!

What a great weekend =]

Granada, here I come!

I have to break my fast for just a minute. Travel weekend starts tomorrow!! I am going to Granada with a group of others and I am so excited =]. I leave tomorrow and get back on Sunday at 430 am (brutal!! Haha). I LOVE traveling. This past weekend we went to a moorish village tucked away in the mountains called Guadalest. The only way to access it is through a tunnel through the rocks. It was the last moorish village standing since it was so hard to enter the tunnel ( due to guards with guns =p) but eventually the spaniards overtook it. I damaged tendons in my right foot last week in beach soccer so I was pushed around in a wheel chair ( such a humbling experience!) by my lovely friends. This weekend I will be on crutches so pray for me! =p

I hope everyone had a great valentines day! The guys here threw us girls a v- day dinner. They kicked us out of the dining hall area during free time to decorate. We weren't allowed to see it till later that night... It turned out to be amazing! Flowers, cut out hearts, candles, and poems for every girl on their place setting. It was fun bonding with other girls as we all got dressed up =]. the boys also sang to us and served us dinner haha it was very cute.

This weeks lectures are on creation science. It is soo deep and overwhelming! It makes me excited to learn how to defend my faith! =] I especially liked the debates about abortions. It has showed me how beautiul the creation process is of a child and how there are over 17 examples of evidence of God's handiwork in the process. It is so beautiful!!  

Anyways, back to fasting! See you all next week =] 

Spanish hospitals

My team got gold!! Go Italy! Unfortunatley during the first five min of the final game I came in contact with a 6'4" guy and ended up damaging tendons in my right foot. I ended up going into shock and so I was rushed into the emergency at the hospital. It was awesome to have some bonding time with the director, Joe, and my friend Heidi!! Joe and I ended up talking to a couple from England ... It was neat to speak to someone in English! =p all in All it was a growing experience . I didn't get any sleep last night though because I had to keep my foot elevated and I'm not a back sleeper but I made it through all of the lectures today without sleeping =] pray for me! I go back on Monday to have a further investigation. Keep ya posted!

PS I am hitting up Guadalest tomorrow in a wheelchair! Haha

Bus tickets and hostel is booked for Granada!!!
Paranoid about the hostel but that is okay =]

Travel weekend, here we come!

GO TEAM ITALY!

We played 5 games today (50 min of soccer!!)
It was SUCH a Blast =] I got so tight with my team.
We are undefeated ... 5 wins & I scored 3 goals (tech 4... My penalty kick was going in but someone stopped it and that's not allowed haha)
we finish off on Wednesday with 3 games & then semi finals & finals!

I ended up getting a kick in the shin and so now I have a huge goose egg haha and a killer bruise and on top of that I sprained my toe... All worth it though! Victory pain! =p

Team Italia!

ANOTHER DAY IN THE SUN! I am so fortunate!

We had our church service early this morning thanks to a wedding Joe had to go to! =p After church I sat outside for an hour with some other girls getting a head start on our reading! I started to burn hardcore so I went in for some water. I had to fill the coolers up & when I walked into he kitchen our cook, Dora (who doesn't speak English), tried to communicate with me that she worked with the Salvation Army in Alicante for 5 years. It was so cute! Haha

After lunch Kim & I started to make team jersies for the beach soccer tournament starting tomorrow! We are team Italy! There are 9 teams of 4 people and we play 10 min games with a halftime =p. I am pretty excited... Spending the whole afternoon at the beach! It goes until thursday. Hopefully all my running ha payed off! I'll have to post pictures of my teams uniform but here is the anthem I made up (to the tune of the Italian song 'It's Amore' or something haha)

when the ball hits your thigh
you will scream & we'll sigh
it's amore

we will score and we'll shout
MUAH (do the Italian kiss motion with fingers to lips then raise to the sky)
it's Italy

we have God on our side
he's our strength an our guide
it's amore

we play fair we play nice
don't be sad when we score twice
it's Italy!!!!

Then we yell.... PIZA!

It shall be grand =]
So I am doing my computer fast next week since my parents will be in Hawaii then!

Wish we luck tomorrow!(apparently every year there is atleast one person who breaks a bone =p)

PS I am watching the superbowl at midnight tonight! Going to be a blast =]

Pics

Boardwalk at night! This is what I see
when I go running at 8 every night =]

This is the supermarket area!! This is where I go when I
need food from the Mercado (in the background) and go to the
cafe (cafe Seis..on the right)

My lovely drink =] Had to buy 2 of them!
It is kind of like a hot chocolate using steamed milk.
The waiter speaks english..learned it by being in
England for 3 years for schooling

pretty light fixtures that don't give light =P

BRUNCH! Dora, our chef, is soo good!

my home for the past 3 hours =]

CATS ARE EVERYWHERE!
There is this cat lady who leaves cat food on the ground at night
on the way down to the beach

?

I AM A PIG! I have a habit of buying a bag of cookies/goodies planning on having them for snack during the week and I always find myself finishing off the last cookie before the end of the day. What is up with that!? Thank goodness I am running every night! =p

Rejoice in Fridays!

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY!

We finished up our lectures on worship and Peter! haha All this information is getting so intense...I feel like I don't have enough time to process it anymore! It is crazy.
The sun decided to join us all day today so I spent my free time down at the beach with Leanne (from washington!). We laid out for a bit and some others ended up coming down (2 guys brought a kayak and went soo far out...couldn't see them anymore!) and it was a blast.
The past two nights I have been going to a cafe near by with some girls for some REAL mochas and whatnot haha. SOO YUMMY! and so cheap! The waiter there talks english and I asked how he is so good at it. He went to school for 3 years in England and then came back here. I love meeting people who live here =]

This weekend is a free weekend and so I have no set plans yet!! I do know I will be at the beach a lot =]
And I have to work on my book report! Keep you posted =]

PS. I am fasting from my laptop from monday-friday next week

LOVE YOU ALL!

Thursday, once again!

I always seem to postpone blogging till thursdays!! How weird.
So this week has been pretty stressful. I have had to read 25 chapters in Isaiah and do a summary (due tomorrow), lead a Bible study (on song of songs), work on a book report, type up all my notes (I have been in 56 lectures in the past 3 weeks!!!...I have filled up a full notebook, I need to get a new one this weekend),and I fasted today and it was a struggle smelling all the yummy spanish food..I was praying hardcore all day! =P
My Bible study was pretty good! We looked at the book Song of Songs and talked about how to become Mrs. Right instead of wasting our time looking for Mr. Right. We all shared what the book meant to one another and it was neat to have some girl-chat time =]. We also have to memorize weekly verses and so we recited them during our Bible study..it was Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.
Next week we are starting a soccer tournament! I am on team Italy with 3 others. we have to come up with a cheer and jerseys. I am excited for some intence group bonding time, being outside at the beach for the day, and just having fun!
I cannot wait for the weekend where I can sleep in as late as I want!! Lately my room has been staying up pretty late chatting about random things. I feel like we are all getting even tighter now!
For travel weekend (Feb 17-19) a bunch of us are going to Granada! I figured that I only have 2 days to travel and I want more time in Barcelona so if I go on the weekend I will never go back a second time. I will save it for another time when I can spend a week there!

Hope everyone had a great week!
Pictures and more blogging soon to come! (hopefully =P )