Praise the GOD who Heals!

Jake's surgery went perfectly, and he is doing well!!

Thank you so much for praying! I got to see him last night at the hospital and he was able to open his eyes every once in a while and talk a little too. I told him that I've been talking to hundreds of people all over the world who have been praying for him... and even though he probably wont remember it, I know he felt God's love in a huge way. He is in a lot of pain still... but doing as well as possible. Check out his Mom's blog for better details...
http://averyjerijournal.blogspot.com/

We had an AMAZING response up at the chapel for Jake's Prayer Vigil. Thanks to all who came out and also to everyone who prayed on Jake's behalf. Our Lord heard your words!!! And He has been faithful!!!

Please keep praying, for this is not going to be an easy next few days and weeks for Jake. He is still in a lot of pain, and on lots of drugs. Pray that God gives Jake as little pain as possible! Also pray for Matt, Jeri and Jenni (his parents and sister). They are of course, exhausted and drained. The Lord has sent them peace and his prefect Love through the body of Christ, and once again, I have been amazed.

Lifting Up Jake & other news

Jake Davis is one of the most incredible people I've ever met. He is loving, a peace-maker, kind and generous... and he is only 17 years old. Today, Jake is having heart surgery... and I will be on my knees to our God. PLEASE join me in praying to our heavenly Father on his behalf.




Oh Loving Lord of all Creation...
I ask you to move today
Move in Jake's life oh Lord
Protect him and
Heal him oh God
Take the surgeons hands and make them perfect
Send your Spirit of God...
and bring PEACE and comfort to the Davis family
Send your Love
Your perfect Love
Your never ending Love
and show us your GLORY dear Father!

I trust in you my Lord and my God.

In other News...
I am flying to Charleston, SC in 3 days for Celeste's wedding..... Ahhhhh. How did Christmas come so soon? I'm really looking forward to seeing my friends, especially Celeste. Marissa wont be there.. and that makes me sad, but I know it will be an unforgettable weekend.

I am sad that I wont get to be with you on your 25th birthday Katie my sweet friend. I will miss you so badly over the break, oh my dear heart friend.

I found out that I can't have my dog Koko here in Houston. Tricia, the lady I will be living with, is allergic to dogs... so I will have to wait until I get my own place in August to bring Koko home. I guess it's just not time yet.... and I'll have to wait. I miss my sweet baby girl. :(

YIA is coming up fast and I'm still working on my class. I'll be teaching this class in front of over 200 teen girls throughout 5 sessions. Please pray that the Spirit will guide me and send me the words and inspiration that I need.

Pray for Jake.
Love you my friends.

Photo Shoots

I absolutely Love Photography.
Just something you should know about me.







I've been working on a project for the new youth rooms at our church... and it's been so much fun. Yesterday I took some of my teens to a park and took some photos of them on the playground. Those will be in the "Back Yard" themed room. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. It was such a blast. I am doing this two more times next week with different teens and on different themes.

I am so crazy about these kids.

How could I not love them?
They are so amazing!
I Love, Love, Love them.

Also, I think if I could,
I'd love to be a photographer when I grow up.

The End.

Ready or Not?

Did you know that I have the best job in the entire world?
Well... I do. I surely love it. I had a really great moment today with the juniors, and then the SAME moment again later with some of the 7th grade girls. Crazy! In Bible class this morning, we were talking about the moment we decided we were READY to follow Christ, and get baptized. So what happened was, some of the teens said things like, "I didn't get baptized for the right reasons" and "I think I should have waited until now to get baptized because I understand more"... and my heart went out to them. I felt like I really needed to speak up and so I did. I told them that everyone has a different "story" and that they should'nt compare what they knew THEN with what they know NOW, and discredit their decision. Basically I told them that even though they see more and understand more about God now, that doesn't mean they weren't READY to follow Christ back then, but that they are just growing and maturing! It was a really cool moment because I think most of them had been feeling like their conversions were shady... and maybe that they could have done something "better"... BUT THATS NOT THE POINT!! Deciding to follow is being READY! His GRACE is SUFFICIENT! We talked about that for a little while and it was good. SO... then tonight, when I was at the 7th grade Christmas party, I was sitting with about 8 of the girls, and the conversation somehow shifted to the same subject! I felt like I needed to ask them, so I said, "How many of you girls have ever thought that maybe you weren't really ready to get baptized?" After I said that, almost all of them raised their hands. I asked why and they all said the same things that the Juniors were saying earlier. This gave me another opportunity to empower them and let them know that their cognitive decisions to FOLLOW GOD was the only thing they needed! I told them that they were just maturing, and that all they needed to know was that they chose to follow God, and that God's grace has saved them! It was really awesome because I think they all really needed to hear that, and really got it.
I love my job.

Dear Lord please bless my kids. Speak through us and give us wisdom to share your words with them! Thank you for your PERFECT Grace and Mercy. We are so imperfect and we need you more than life itself.


Ok... So can I just say... I MISS YOU KATIE!! I get to have dinner with my sweet girlfriend Katie tomorrow... and I'm so very excited. She is joy to my heart and I can't wait.

I'm doing a photo shoot tomorrow also... for our new youth center... and I'm pumped. I secretly wish I had a photography buisness. It's my favorite hobby. Just fyi. And I promise to post a few of the favs. No worries.

13 Days until Christmas break... and Celeste's Wedding!! Yessss!
Can you please pray that I get to bring my Koko home to Houston after Christmas? I miss her so much. (she's the cutest chocolate Chihuahua you'll ever see. For real.)

Thanks for reading. Love you.

Sweet Sugar Land

So... I have not been the best blogger. whoops :)

Just to catch you up, I am now living and working in Sugar Land, TX. I am one of the resident youth interns at First Colony Church of Christ along with a great friend... Travis. We were hired to work here together with an specific purpose in mind. Travis and I have a desire to write curriculum for this generation, to speak to them and challenge them in a new way. We want them to see why they NEED Jesus, and then help cultivate a passion in them to begin spreading that fire. We've been working here now for over 3 months and we've already had some amazing twists and turns. I can barely believe we've been here for that long already.

When we first moved here, we kinda jumped head first into ministry. We planned and ran the FCYG (First Colony Youth Group) Fall Retreat, which was truly an answer to many prayers. The retreat was so awesome, and all the glory is the Lord's. He used our talents and words to speak to the teens and their parents in a really beautiful way. I wish you could have been there. I've never been so proud to be a part of anything as I was that weekend.

Since the retreat, I've been working on a new curriculum for girls only. GRG (Girl's Reflecting Glory) is a girls conference that was started her at First Colony about 5 or 6 years ago. The conference is usually in Nov. but we had to move it this year due to construction on our building. I have been writing a curriculum for a retreat that will be put online so that churches in the Houston area can take it and use it for their own personal girls retreat for this year. The big conference isn't until NOV. 2009, so we've got a lot of work to do for that. I've really, really excited about it.

On a more personal side, since I've moved to Houston, It's been a struggle finding friendship. Of course, leaving Harding was a big transition, and I know it takes time to make new friends... I guess I didn't realize how there would be such a smaller pool of people to choose from. I HAVE found some really great friends here though. Katie :) is my dearest friend here in Htown. I adore her joy for life, and would hang out with her 24/7 if she'd let me. Then there's Jamie. Jamie is also a very dear friend, whom I love to spend time with. He is a comfort to me. Jamie and Katie have been my sanity most days. I thank the LORD for them.

I'm looking forward to Christmas break because I will get to see all my BEST FRIENDS (minus Marissa who I miss terribly and is in Rwanda) when I go to Charleston for CELESTE'S WEDDING!!! Yes!! Also, I'll get to go home to TN and see the fam... and my puppy! :) Then I will be going to YIA (a youth rally that I grew up going to) with my former church in Memphis where I will be teaching a class!! So exciting!!

This post will have to serve as my catch-up post. Hopefully from now on I can write about more specific, light hearted things as well.

20 days until Christmas :)
16 days until Celeste's wedding!!

Love.