What makes us who we are?
Eyes?
Hair?
Gender?
Race?
Who will you love?
Who will you trust?
Where is home?
What hardships will you face?
What hardships will you overcome?
What makes you happy?
What are your passions?
If you could do it all over again...
What would you change?
Relationships?
Direction?
Choices?
What experience would you relive?
What will you achieve?
What will you be remembered for?
Don't drop your arms!

-from Unwinding Cable Car by Anberlin

See You at the pole was yesterday! My homeschool friends and I met at the city hall flagpole again this year. While we were praying there was some kind of meeting going on inside the city hall. Then a bunch of city workers started filing out of the building. One lady came and asked if she could join us, and even prayed out loud. I think it's awesome that we can be witnesses by doing something as simple as syatp!

A couple months ago our youth group took a missions trip to City on a Hill in inner city Milwaukee. If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know this is my second year going, but this year was as much if not more life changing than last.

We participated in service projects again this year. We split up into groups and each group had a different organization they went and served at. The group I was in went to Family House. Family House is an organization that owns about 6 houses on one block. They house people in need, anyone from kids to the elderly. Part of our group played games with the kids, the other part, including me went and helped at the administration office. We did all sorts of stuff like cleaning and organizing supplies.

On Saturday we hosted a big family BBQ at the City on a Hill grounds. Everyone was invited. We all got to pick our "job" for the day, I chose to serve food. Other people did games and crafts. They had a band come in and do a concert, then it was the short term misisons teams turn to take the stage. We did puppet skits, the wordless book, games, and songs. They had almost 500 people show up throughout the day.

The biggest and most life changing event of the week was the 40 hr poverty simulation. During the 40 hrs we actually lived on how much $ the people in inner city Milwaukee live on. Now I can't tell you all the details because I don't want to ruin it if you ever decide to go (I highly recommend you do), but I can share some of the emotions I was dealing with. I felt somewhat depressed, and totally inferior to the rest of the world. It was disheartening to walk around all day wearing dirty, stinky clothes, begging for food, just trying to get through another day. The one thing I hated the most about being poor and essentially homeless was how people wouldn't even look you in the eye when talking to you, they mostly ignored you. It was so humbling to have nothing and to have to depend on God to provide you with the stuff we usually take for granted like food and shelter. God really messed with me over those 40 hrs. He gave me a new sense of compassion and empathy toward the poor. I lived like that for 40hrs, I can't imagine having to live like that every day of my life. You can never truly understand what being poor is like until you've experienced it for yourself.

During the poverty simulation we also did street witnessing. My group went down to Johnson park to do our outreach. I talked to this one older man named Yanni for quite some time. He told me a story that just broke my heart. About a month before he had been mugged by a group of teenage guys. They broke his right arm in 2 place, he had to have surgery on his other arm, and he was badly bruised and beaten. All for $14 and a watch. After he told us his story we offered to pray with him and he eagerly accepted. That same day we talked to a bunch of kids about Jesus. We even told them how they could have a relationship with him. It was so much easier street witnessing this time around, because we were poor just like them. It was easier to relate to them and understand what their going through.

I will NEVER take anything I have for granted ever again. By going on this trip I've learned not to be judgemental of people, even if it's subconsciously. I have a lot of compassion for the homeless and poor now. This trip has changed my life enormously! I will never forget it or go back to the way I was before it.

If you are considering going on a short term missions trip I would highly recommend going on this one. For more info go to http://www.cityonahillmilwaukee.org/missions/trips/default.asp

Have you hit rock bottom? I think we all have or will at one point. Sometimes we just need to step away from our problems and look at it from God's perspective. As soon as we take our focus off our problems and onto the majesty of God our problems don't seem so big. They don't look like mountains anymore, only lil anthills.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."(Romans 12:2) This is one of my favorite Bible verses of all times. In this verse we are called to be different from the world. We should be so different that the world sees us and wonders why we do what we do. According to this excerpt the only way to be different is to be"transformed by the renewing of your mind." How do you achieve this? By spending time with God, knowing him and his will. The more time you spend on your knees praying and seeking Him the more you will change and become like Him. So be radically different from the world, it's what God calls us to!!!

2008 is right around the corner. Many people are making resolution for the new year......lose weight, eat healthy, kick the bad habits. What's yours gonna be? How about read your Bible daily, pray more, or strive to get closer to God. Just a thought to kick off the new year. :)

Youth convention rocks!!! It was in GreenBay this year. It was so fun! There was a band from Fort Myer's Master's Commision in Florida, called Interface. The speaker was Ron Rhoads.

One of the things we did during our free time was bowling. I was a lil skeptical at first, but it ended up being a ton of fun. We even got bumpers! I can't bowl without them. :) It was amzingly fun, and I even won a game!

One of my friends and I went and bought some Monster energy drinks, and drank them right before service. We were so hyper! She even started twitching, she was so hyper. :) Everyone who went got along and had a ton of fun together.

During the worship services I went to the front, and I was right up against the stage! It was sweet. I was worshiping God while rocking out. How fun is that! As I mentioned in a previous post singing worship song is one of the easiest ways that I connect with God. So that helped me grow spiritually.

Ron Rhoads was a great speaker. One night he talked about when Jesus fed the 5,000 men. He talked about how the boy, who's sack lunch was multiplied, and how he had to give up all he had. Not just some of it, ALL of it. Then during his alter call he had people give God their "sack lunch." It made me realize that living for Christ isn't a half hearted ambition. You have to give your all. Give up all your ambitions and dreams, and give him everything!