Testimonial

Here's the Story of one of my girls, in her words:

My life before I met Jesus was sad and depressing. I never listened to metal music but a lot of times I thought about suicide. I had no friends, was an outcast, and as a family, we moved a lot. Church wasn't a big think in our family...just something we went to. I saw God as unfair: why could other people be happy and not me?

Then I got locked up and once again I was disappointed. After about a week, I just broke down and started to cry 'cause everyone was nice to me. I fessed up to God: "Look, I'm sorry God, I give up, do whatever you want with me."

In detention I met Kelly. Kelly had a nice calming presnce about her. I was able to trust her and she was actually one of the reasons I didn't want to leave Juvie. I learned that it's okay to be angry but I can't blame God for everything that goes wrong. Me and God have an understanding: life is hard but that doesn't mean I have to put myself in bad situations.

Now I'm more confident. I love myself now and others. School is school, I can deal with it. I don't put myself down anymore, now I try. God is my best friend now. I can go to him for anything: I can whisper prayers or yell them. Now I think I got it too good. I started goign to church regularly...I want to go, it's not something I have to do, I want to. No matter how much trouble you're in, if God wants you, he'll get you. Now I'm going to be a member of a church...for the first time.

My Mind Draws a Blank

Ha ha ha... Laugh all you want and tell all the blonde jokes you want (for those of you who know my natural hair color). But you know the feeling...You work, work, work, and go, go, go, on a big project or something like that and then whatever you were working for happens and the time passes and BAM! just like that life goes back to normal. Then your brain, that was so overworked five minutes ago now has nothing to do...

Tagged

Yes, I've been tagged and I'd just be a poop if I didn't do it...so, here goes...

3Things Me
3 Places I Go All the Time-
1 Subway
2 Work
3 Detention

3 People Who Email Me-
1 Chapin
2 Marvelous
3 Vicki

3 Favorite Places I Like to Eat-
1 Subway
2 living room...cause our coffee table is currently also our dining room table
3 McDonalds

3 Places I would rather be right now-
1 Narnia
2 Fiji
3 Sydney, Australia

3 Projects I would like to get started-
1 I first need a house
2 I'd like to paint the living room in that house
3 Clean out the nooks and crannies

3 People who will do this-
1 um...they already did it...
2 ...and...they also already did it...
3 ...lets see...i doubt that many people read it.

3 TV Shows I could watch over and over-
1 Hell's Kitchen
2 The News...I'm a prude I know.
3 I don't really watch TV

Blown Away

Some days I sit and start a blog and think, "Does anything bad ever happen to me?" Well, if you think that, please do go back to last year's blogs because there were a series of car issues that mostly were not my fault so go on and read because I like basking in the glory right now and praise the Lord for the good (something we don't always do). So yes, bad things happen to me and I sit back and think often that Jesus just needs to come. I choose though, not to dwell on that because I don't think thats what God calls us to do. We need to get up and do something. Anyway...

Before I begin though, I almost feel that all these great things, all these blessings rather, are coming and I'm loosing touch with reality. ...Or let me put it this way, I feel like I'm almost taking it for granted. I hope not and when I think of the possibility I always stop and think about the reality and that usually settles me down.

Today this is my blown away moment blog: After last week's amazing three day deposit total of $2225, I capped off the week...God capped off the week at $2,600 total. Amazing!

So over the weekend and up to this morning, it kept going. Friday one of my girls got out of Juvie. Fabulous enough right? (The more I go in there the more I realize that is not the proper place for kids even though it is a good place.) Last Wednesday when I talked to her she was all about calling me (like a half a dozen other girls that have my phone number and say that) but she actually called me! Totally excited...so I'm starting to build that relationship.

Then on Sunday, Antwionette and I and Don are all at church and there's this Cedar Point trip for the Youth Group coming up and I kinda told my sister Antwionette might have trouble getting the money for it and then after church one of the youth group kids that over heard that said that she'd pay for more than half of it!!!

And this morning <> I'm just hoe-hum checking my email and guess who's online? Okay, none of you will probably know her but she's one of my best friends from Fiji and I think about her tons and she was just there...online! We hadn't talked to each other for...eons...well, okay, since I left. ...Not an email, not a phone call, nothing! Oh my gosh...talk about two people falling off the face of the earth and then landing in the same spot!

Okay, I guess this what I get when I start to expect things from God...Its all coming together for me now.

Striking

So sometimes I like to let myself think that the girls in detention are little mini-me's because I'm in the position to 'mold them for the greater good of themselves and the greater society'. I know, pious and arrogant but some days I need something to make me smile for five seconds (I'm ADD so it really only takes five seconds).

But yesterday it wasn't me at all because I was never like this nor could ever imagine anything like this coming from me so this was simply Jesus.

I was crocheting with my girls from Echo and Fox and right now that's about 15 girls (7 were crocheting). One of the girls was just upset, angry, depressed because her ex-boyfriend who recently got locked up was telling everyone she was a ho (slang for whore, for girls they're hos, a negative term, for guys its playa (player) a positive term). Well, she said she was 'plotting to kill him' but wasn't going to act on it because she knew that would be murder. So I talked to her about how Jesus said hate was a form of murder and we had a little discussion and her tone and attitude changed a bit.

And this is the part that isn't from me because I wasn't like this for a long time...now I am though: She went on to say that she also prayed for him. She prayed for prosperity, health, strength, and long life, and she prayed for his dreams to come true and she prayed all these great things for him...things she - we - would pray for ourselves. And after all this I said to her, "You know that's a real Biblical thing to do...to pray for our enemies and in praying for them, in the end, they may not be our enemies." She understood that point and her anger, by this point, had passed and she was able to let it roll...hopefully that will last.

It is striking because she did this all on her own. I'm not sure if she's a faithful Bible reader but I know that in the past couple of months gave her life to the Lord. What is striking is that I didn't tell her or encourage her to pray for her ex-boyfriend, I didn't do anything, I was just listening to her talking and that is what came out of her mouth. What came out was striking, honest, pure, and holy. It was noble, right, lovely, and admirable. It was definitely excellent and praise-worthy.

"But I [Jesus] tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your father in heaven" Matthew 5:44-45.

"[Jesus speaking:] Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" Luke 6:28.

"On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" Romans 12:20-21.

Brace Yourself Kelly!

Last week, the same as every couple of weeks, we get a balance from our accountant that has all the different accounts listed and their balances. I have had to brace myself for that recently because the number has been negative. Of course I've been praying for this...speaking his promises back to him, but of course realizing every time I am currently not in need and am not yet down to my last penny.

So this week, God smiled. And he's pretty much been smiling in this area ever since I got back from Serve. It's always either when I least expect it or when I'm at my last straw...then it comes. My deposit from today, yesterday, and the day before, has been amazing! It's been exactly $2,600 and it leaves me with only $78 in the negative. That's a number I haven't seen in a while and its a number I'm quite happy with.

It doesn't surprise me...God knows his promises and sometimes he waits until we recite them back so that he knows we know. Kinda like your mom telling you something and then immediately saying, "Now what did I just say?" It tests, encourages, and strengthens our faith when he waits until that moment.

That was a lesson I learned the hard way...a very hard way...in Fiji not so long ago and it was followed abruptly by God saying, "Now if you forget this lesson, I'll have to teach it to you again and it won't be any prettier than this." And in Fiji I waited, knowing God was going to do things in the right time and the right order.

And I waited...and you know what he blessed me with? He blew me away with it by the way...and I get to wake up next to him every morning for the rest of my life. Every time I look at Don, I am reminded that God is the best timing, that God is faithful, even if it takes him a while, and that he will not only not let us down, but he'll blow us away if we wait for his best.

The number may not be pretty, but brace yourself Kelly, God is going to do something. $2,600 doesn't just drop on your doorstep in three days by accident.

Don't forget me

It was Thursday, a couple weeks ago, and I'm talking to our EA who is also a volunteer with the Girls JJM program. We were all excited and talking and I was sorting thru the contact cards from the night before and I ran across five that were all from the same girl.

"...And there are five from this girl why?" I asked.

EA smiled that wonderful smile she has and she said, "Oh yeah, she didn't want me to forget her."

Can you imagine that? There are over 1,300 kids that will walk in and out of the doors of our local detention center this calendar year and that's a lot for the nine of us that go in there every Wednesday (over 144 per person). Its easy to forget one or two ...heck over half of them... but its so important not to.

I think about what that girl said. Not every girl...kid...says "Don't forget me" but as soon as I heard EA say that the first time, immediately what came to mind was, "What happened to this girl that she would say that? Who forgot...or forgets...her to the point or in such a way that she would make a point to tell us something like that?" Most of the kids, when we hand them a contact card, say "What is his for???" (to which I say, "I want to write you a letter, fill this out so I'l remember to").

But to the little angel that said, 'Don't forget me' I say, I have your contact card in my office, EA has it in her office, in her home, in our heart. More importantly, in God's heart.

Big Hopes, Big Dreams

I was recently ignited...put on fire...for this ministry. Okay, again this may sound like yesterday I wasn't ignited and I've been un-ignited all this time but that is just the opposite. Like everything else in life that we are passionate about, there are days we couldn't imagine not doing it any more and other days where we could not imagine doing anything else. Today, and quite a bit recently actually, I have been in the place where I cannot imagine doing anything else.

So this is today's reason: It started this past Tuesday actually. I was talking to ED (Executive Director) and he had me call NDJJM (National Director of Juvenile Justice Ministry)...He's in Fort Wayne, Indiana. ED wanted me to see (and this is a process/project) what makes a good, solid, strong, growing JJ MInistry. So I went ahead and called him that day.

Oh My Gosh! I am now lit on fire! There is so much possibility that I never knew was there. Sure, I read the Manual to JJM back when I started but it didn't make much sense cause I didn't know much about the ministry and the ministry potential. Now that I've talked to him, I am so ready to just grow and see this ministry take off and to enable YFC GR JJM (Youth for Christ Grand Rapids Juvenile Justice MInistry...see why I use initials???) be the best in the country.

I have HUGE hopes...HUGE dreams...and I see HUGE potential for this ministry! Unfortunately, truth be told, JJM Grand Rapids right now has ... deficit too as funding has been low.

So pray. Maybe this is what God hinted at a few weeks ago when I blogged about something big about to happen (see blog on March 31). I can't wait to see this happen. I have awesome volunteers and I want to share this with them and ignite them. We have a Community Support Team for the first time and I want to ignite them too. I know this is too crazy for this world...crazy enough for God's world.

Oh yeah, EA (the same EA - Executive Assistant - from previous posts) got me a T-shirt. It's so cute...its the one pictured.

And yeah, I haven't updated you recently on my 'Not a New Year's Resolution' Resolution. I'm still at it...as full force as ever...well, I'm finding myself doing it about 3 time a week instead of my goal of 4. I'm a little disappointed about that BUT I've lost 11 pounds but gained 1 back...so I'm down 10 pounds total and my weight is steady...not up and down one or two pounds...its pretty much 10 good pounds. I'm totally excited. The work out is still the same: 30 (sometimes 40) min on the Eliptical, the ab machine thing (least favorite part), inner and outter thighs, side sit-ups to work on the love handles, and 40 lbs for the tricepts.

The best part is, I enjoy the food I eat - even breakfast believe it or not! I also get to eat out once and a while (my choice to do that depends more on my wallet than my weight). Don and I slip out to eat our favorite dessert at Chili's more than anything (White Chocolate Molten Lava...white cake 'valcano' with rasberry sause underneith it, white chocolate fudge pudding in the volcano and a huge scoop of ice cream on top of the volcano with white chocolate sauce and white chocolate shavings spilling over the top...DEFINITELY not low cal...but so worth it!). We get it about once every two weeks.