Update from the Oregon Front

OK..so I really have no recollection of Thursday except that it happened...and I worked and I went to girls' prayer. Other than that...I think I'm missing a day of memory of life...oh well...

Friday we chilled (what else?; ) It rained and then got beautiful. We had a girl from the Taco Bell day shift over for pizza and Clue. She had mentioned it was her favorite and I was like, "No way! Come play with us!" I thought she and Krista would jell well...they did. It was a good evening.

They are painting the campus a whole different color scheme. The ironic thing is that (according to what I was told by a gal who was told by another gal (in other words this really could just be a rumor)) the colors they are painting it are the same colors that the campus was when they first started out here in the 70s. In the 80s they painted it all to the blue/gray. Now they are painting it back...Also note that they re-painted like 10 years after starting and then went 20ish years without...I guess it's about time. lol.

Here's the "new" library:

I also had some picture taking inspiration on Friday...here's my attempts to make what's in my head appear "on film."

Inspirational Art:

Abstract art:

Yet another shot of the cross:

But did you know that my initials are on the back?

It wasn't me...I promise...lol

So today we volunteered for the Back to School Block party at the church. It was rather odd not having been intimately knowledgeable about almost every area of the block party...lol. We had no part in planning, setting-up, or tearing-down. We just showed up..it was odd. (We did try to help with set-up and tear-down but couldn't really get info so...) We really enjoyed myself. Krista helped Kathy Hammer out by attracting kids to hear Bible stories. I ended up being the "food and beverage cop" ie I stood at the bottom of the stairs and enforced the "no food/drinks upstairs" rule. The fun part was that I got to talk with some people (church people) and they are starting to know me by name etc. It was awesome. I didn't really get to have any evangelistic interactions but as far as meeting more church people goes: it was a success. Lol. So tonight, for the first time in a three weeks, I'm not dreading going to church tomorrow. lol. yay.

When we got home, I had a genius plan: let's go find an advertised yard sale on foot! It was an excursion...so we now know a little more of what's up the road by the college...it felt rather like this area as it was woody and mossy and very steep...lol. Good work out.

I guess that's about all for today. I worked till close tonight (woot!).

so yeah...it's all good in the hood.

Wednesday: Chopsticks and Berries

I did get to work till close on Tuesday night. woo-hoo! So I closed out the week with 17 1/2 hours. eek. But not too bad. I learned a new Spanish phrase from Ivan (16 yr old brother of one of my managers..he works nights) who was rather entertained by Shaunacy (my other manager) and myself trying to learn phrases. (Obviously we were butchering them and then it occurred to both of us that maybe he was misleading us on what he was teaching. But what he taught makes sense with what I know. lol)I learned "Que Tanga Un Buene Deio"...Have a nice day!

We had a good Wednesday. It was my day off...woo-hoo. Krista had a craving for Panda Express so off we went...In honor of the family, we decided to try our hand at chopsticks.

Krista is a natural:

I-on the other hand- would not survive if I had to use only chopsticks...it would take me hours to eat...if I didn't starve first...I'd give up and eat doggy style...lol

After lunch, I went to check out Ophelia's Place. It seems promising. I spoke with the lady who handles volunteers. She said to get my resume in just in case they needed a back-up volunteers or something. I need to revise it a little for this. lol While in the area, I spotted a little shop called "I Love Rocks." I was curious so I explored. Jamin would have liked it...Nolan and Zander too..probably Cy and Jared as well(?)

When I returned, we went berry picking on campus...we are going to freeze them. yay. We were thinking of analogies for blackberries such as "Blackberry bushes are like sin. They lure you in with their berries and then catch you with their thorns." lol

Krista had to work. I attended Wednesday night at church and then dropped by G'ma/G'pa after wards. I had a good visit with them. woo-hoo. I returned home and watched 1/2 a movie with Krista. Oh! and the house was cleaned today (makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.lol)

Tuesday

Let's see here...

I was hoping to work till close last night even though I was only scheduled till 7. They put me in drive through which I really enjoyed but then sent me home at 6:36....so that's work for you...

While I was looking up info online about Big Brothers/Big Sisters here in Eugene, I found a link to another program called Ophelia's Place. Have you heard anything about them? They are a program specifically for girls that offer after school activities/center, small groups, and counseling. Their staff and volunteers are all female. They seem to be big on healthy relationships with female adults and other girls, healthy eating, building self-esteem, not taking junk from guys etc...sounds like a good program. I want to get more information to maybe volunteer with them next school year (they select their volunteers for the school year in the Spring time). They are not faith-based but they sound like something I could really get into. We shall see....

I had the whole evening to myself as Krista and Mikhail went to see a movie I really didn't care to see. They had a good time I hear...so did I. I researched stuff on the Internet (as mentioned above). Spent time with Jesus. Finished my "blog that was more like a novel." I also watched a movie about Judy Garland...it's really sad how our culture or Hollywood or whoever you want to blame take our most talented young people and wreck their lives. It was ironic to find that such a beautiful young woman struggled so much with self-image. Makes me glad that I wasn't a movie star at age 12...lol

Today has mostly been just this and that. Amanda S and I talked on the phone. Good conversation. Krista and I went to Wal Mart. We nearly got trampled going in the entrance by people exiting through the entrance...lol...

anyways...I had better start preparing to get ready for work...it's a long physiological/emotional process you know...lol j/k

Unfading Beauty: A Gentle & Quiet Spirit

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

-1 Peter 3:3-4 NIV

Yes ladies, we have all heard these verses. Probably quite a few times. Perhaps those of you with a more outgoing temperament roll your eyes and groan inwardly at the mention of "a gentle and quiet spirit." Possibly you fear that you would have to deny who you are in order to obtain this unfading beauty. Or perhaps you are the quietest and sweetest damsel ever, but within you rages a sea of emotions always churning. "Gentle and quiet" may be a far cry from what your spirit is like.

It is interesting to me that our English language can be so limited. For example; the Greeks had a number of words to describe different kinds of love. Whereas we use only one word: love. How confusing for us. lol. Do I really love chocolate in the same way I love my family? You get the point.lol. So it is good to take time to do some research into what those key words really meant in their original language. So here we go...it's acually really simple...

"Gentle" (which is"meek" in the KJV) is "praus" (4239). The definition in the Zodhiates Dictionary (hang in there with me...this will all come together) says to look at two other words ("prautes" and "praotes") for the full discussion of the meaning. What I found was rather interesting.

"Primarily it does not denote outward expression of feeling, but an inward grace of the soul, calmness toward God in particular. It is the acceptance of God's dealings with us considering them as good in that they enhance the closeness of our relationship with Him. However, "praotes" encompasses expressing wrath toward the sin of man as demonstrated by the Lord Jesus...This meekness does not blame God for the persecutions and evil doings of men. It is not the result of weakness, and in the third Beattitude it expresses not the passivity of the second Beattitude, but the activity of the blessedness that exists in ones heart from being actively angry at evil..." (NT Zodhiates Dictionary, Pg 1208)

also...

"...Prautes is not readily expressed in English (since the term "meekness" suggests "weakness"), but it is a condition of mind and heart which demonstrates gentleness, not in weakness, but in power. It is a balance born in strength of character." (NT Zodhiates Dictionary, Pg 1210)

Synonyms include words such as: gentle,moderate, forbearing, soft, tender, humility, fairness, expressing an active dealing with others, kindness

Antonyms include: prone to anger, savage, fierce, perilous, difficult, wrath, irritation, anger externalized

So chew on that for a few minutes...

As a side note: I am not including the whole definitions here as it would be a lot. I'm just trying to put out enough for everyone to get a good feel for these words. Also note that I'm not sure how to type out all the squiggly lines and dots that go with Greek words. lol. If you wish to study this for yourself and need help, let me know.

As for the other quality ("quiet"), it is much simpler. The word is "hesuchios" (2272) and it simply means:

"quiet, still. Quiet, tranquil, undisturbed from without."
(NT Zodhiates Dictionary, Pg 715)

I also looked up "spirit." In this verse it is "...the disposition, feeling, temper of mind." (pg 1181)

So this whole gentle/meekness concept is really quite fascinating. It is basically a character trait that trusts that God is working with good intentions toward you. Out of this trust comes quietness and peace. "...He will quiet you with His love..." (Zeph 3:17) "Be still, and know that I am God..." (Ps 46:10a) When we think of someone who is meek, we usually think of someone with "their tail between their legs"...you know really mild...a pushover. But that is the farthest thing from what we are to be. The meekness we are to have is actually a balance. It is on one hand trusting God's intentions despite whatever life is dealing you and on the other hand having a righteous active anger toward sin, injustice, and pain. The third Beattitude is "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Matt 5:5) It's not talking about "mild-mannered little Christians who go to church and just live in some fairy tale world". It's people who understand the reality of their situation, trust God anyway, and yet also have this righteous anger toward sin. Think about the heroes of the Bible. Jesus was meek and yet He went crazy in the temple because they had made it a "den of robbers" (Mark 11:15-17). "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone on the face of the earth." (Num 12:3) But Moses was no pansy! Read up on him and you will see. For example; he broke the stone tablets on which was written the Law in a righteous rage (Ex 32:19).

So how does this apply to me and how does it apply to you?

For myself, I am focusing on cultivating in me a spirit that will trust God and be quieted by Him. At the same time, I am also cultivating a righteous indignation. When my spirit begins to be troubled about provision, I am reminded to trust. God "quiets me with His love." For my fellow singles: several months ago I was struggling with a spirit of desperation. God broke that and gave me a "gentle and quiet spirit." I can trust God's plans for me. He is not "holding out" on me. When I struggle with forgiving people for hurting my loved ones, I am righteously angry but at the same time I can trust God to bring justice. This enables me to do what I need to do which is forgive and bless them. My spirit can be at peace because I know who God is and that He is indeed God. I have found that this is where unfading beauty comes from.

Oregon Front Update

Life is good.

Work is good. I'm being trained on the drive through which is GREAT because it means I'll pick up more hours. I really like my 20 yr old manager...and I'm getting to know people better. I'm having a girl from the day shift over on Friday night to play Clue...I'm excited.

We're not sure if the SMC girls are going to make it down here. They're trying to figure it out. If they do, it'll be this week end.

We are starting to develop a social life. yay. It's been fun although I'm getting tired of being new. lol. Ya'all know how that goes.

The church has a food booth at the fair every year (the fair was last week.) So we volunteered to help out. It was fun and we did get to meet more people from the church. Also we got free tickets into the fair. Therefore, we enjoyed ourselves after our shift. There was a evangelistic booth which really impressed me. On the outside it said "Are you going to heaven? Two question test to find out." I was very excited to see that every time we walked by, each of the three evangelists was talking to someone...and not just the same people...but then the conversations looked in depth as well. It was awesome. I love to watch people with the gift of evangelism in action. I wish I were better at it. (Not that I excuse myself from the Great Commission because "it's not my gifting.") We were talking to Holly (SMC alumni) that evening. She was telling us that there is a ministry that sets up a booth at the fair (in some other city) advertising dream interpretation and positive words. They get all sorts of people in there. They don't pray or share the gospel they just speak positive and interpret dreams. However, when someone says "that was Jesus" or "I need to get my life right" or "I need to go back to church"...there is a evangelistic booth right next door that they direct these people to. It sounds like its an effective ministry.

The church's booth:

Jan and I

I've gone to girls' prayer night at the Smiths twice now. I really enjoy it! Praying for discernment as to whether I'm supposed to be a part of this group. I think I'm going to.

Amy's baby shower was on Saturday. We went. It was good. The church is having a block party this next Saturday giving out backpacks and shoes. We've volunteered of course. We've also volunteered to start helping with Children's ministry. woo-hoo. I also want to do Big Brothers/Big Sisters again...

At Amy's Shower:

Amy & her G'ma, Mother, Mother-in-law, G'ma-in-law

Amy with our gift...yay.

Anyways...I'm thinking that's about it for now.ttyl.

Dress up

So when I used to babysit...the girls would play this "dress-up Barbie game" online...I would always want to play but couldn't because they were or the other children needed my attention....but today I found something even better.....

David's Bridal online will let you create your wedding party....(unfortunately they won't let me save the whole group together)...but...

Krista & Arielle:

Zander:

Stacia:

Dad, Mom, & Brothers:

(Cy, Jamin, Jared, & Nolan all pretty much look the same. lol)

The Night of the Gnat

It was epic...I'm thinking blog-worthy here. Maybe. It was the evening of Tuesday the 18th of August.

I was very elated to be working three more hours than I had been scheduled for. The sun had set and the time for locking the doors and swallowing the key (not really but does it add to the dramatic affect of my writing?) was drawing nigh. I was preparing for lock down. Was everything in its place in the proper increments? Had the smallest shred of lettuce escaped my notice? For the moment, the dining room was spotless. My heart wanted to slow down for a minute just revel in the beauty of "my lobby." I thought to myself, "I'd dare even Dad to find anything to be unsatisfied with about my lobby." But the countdown was upon me. One hour to closing.

He came through the door. My reflexes have become acutely responsive to the slightest sound of the door moving. With the agility of a feline and the friendliness of a dolphin, I looked up to greet my middle aged customer. He announced to me in the most serious of drama that the city construction workers outside were going to kill all of our business tonight.

Despite my keen focus upon my lobby, I had noticed large vehicles with flashing lights outside of the building. I had excused it as a tow truck in the parking lot of the next door Dari Mart. Upon closer scrutiny, I found it was true. Only the most determined of customers were going to find their way around all the barriers to our fine establishment. I acted according to the proper procedure and informed my manager. Her steel-like stamina began to fray at the thought of being there till 2 am without any business.

Either way, the show must go on and my lobby must be finished by 10 pm. I proceeded to tackle the sweeping, observing a sudden increase of bugs in the dining room. Had I just not noticed how many were in there all night? What I found next was incomparable to any previous experience in my extensive career in the field of Mexican dining.

To my horror, there were swarms of gnats crawling under each door. Also they were hovering thickly around every window. Swarms. It was a plague like the days of Moses in Egypt. I could hear it in my head, "Let my tacos go." Upon informing my superior officer, she immediately brought out the bazookas attacking the perimeter of our building with bug spray. They were swarming everywhere. My skin began to tickle with both the real and imagined bugs upon it.

But the show must go on. My lobby had to be closed by 10 pm. I decided to attack the bathrooms. This is a chore that takes much courage. Fortunately I have the bravery of a lioness. The keys and the dispensers gave me heartache. The paper towels exploded on me and the cleaner resisted spraying. But it was all in vain as I was a determined master.

Once that was completed, I surveyed my lobby. It was nearly time. And then it came. 10 pm. I locked the doors. Valiantly swept and mopped. It was a sweeping like none other. A dance really. Sweep the area into a centralized location and then stomp. I did my best. The lobby couldn't have looked finer.

Mission accomplished.

Note: Obviously, this one is for family and I won't be posting it on Myspace as I don't wish to be sued by my employers. Also this does not confirm Cy's notion that the proper pronunciation of my employers is "Taco Hell." lol

Think outside the bun.

A Test of Faith & a Praise Report

God has definitely been testing my faith in order to grow it. I have a feeling this is only the beginning. As Jared would say "This might get rodeo." Lol.
Last Wednesday night, I talked with one of my night managers about hours. (This is the manager that keeps sending me home an hour early which, in her defense, makes sense because of the amount of business ect...I would do the same in her shoes.) She told me that there aren't enough hours in the night shift to go around. This was extremely frustrating and discouraging. I had been told that I'd get 15-20 hours during training and then "all the hours I could work" after that. Up to that point, I was only getting scheduled 12 hours a week. This was not cutting it. To make it even more frustrating, there were teenagers (ie living at home not having to worry about bills or tuition) who are getting more hours than I. This week I was scheduled 15 hours (better than 12-right?)
By Thursday evening, I had worked myself into a tightly wound yo yo. Was my employer just leading me on? Should I be more aggressive? Was it time to start thinking about a second job somewhere?
I took some time and prayed that evening. Obviously I had to. I clearly felt impressed that God was saying that He was testing my faith, more tests would come, but that He was going to take care of me. He has to test me. He has to know that I trust Him. This is how He builds faith and character in His daughter.
At work, the weeks are scheduled Wednesday to Wednesday. This last week I was scheduled 15 hours. However; this last week I worked 24 1/2 hours! (I want 25 hours a week.) Is that incredible or what? I got called in on Friday to work 4 hours. Last night and tonight they ended up needing me to close the lobby. I worked 9 1/2 unscheduled hours. God worked it all out for me. Is that incredible or what?
They began training me on drive through this week (which I love despite the fact that co-workers say I won't after two weeks...lol). This is great as it means more hours will become available to me because there will be more areas that I can work in. (This was confirmed to me by my other night manager tonight after my expression of excitement about staying three hours later than scheduled and her asking if I liked working or something...lol)
BTW I have met two other night people who speak English as their primary language (it makes a difference in my work morale...lol)(One of which is my other night manager; )
Anyways...bottom line...God is AWESOME and He continues to prove to me that He is going to take care of me. Peace out.

The Redemption of Top Ramen

This goes out to all my MC buddies, college student buddies, poor pastor buddies, and anyone else who eats Top Ramen for financial reasons. There is hope my friends. After four years of Top Ramen, I have no desire to partake of the hardy dinner. However, tonight my sister and I prepared it in a way that was quite delicious.

Behold the redemption of Top Ramen:

We will be trying various ways to make this all-time classic more palatable. Here's what we did tonight:

In a frying pan over Medium heat:

about 3 tablespoons of butter/margarine

balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

ketchup

dried onions

brown sugar

frozen veggies

prepared Top Ramen noodles (minus the Top Ramen seasoning.)

It was yummy to my tummy. (BTW My mom recently taught me how to make the sauce. A Russian friend of hers taught her. I am crazy about it; )

Quick Recap

So let's recap the last couple of days.

Sunday: Went to church. It was good. The whole morning was rather focused on fellowship. I found myself experiencing a touch of the "post-move syndrome"...ie I miss my friends. We went out to the church picnic. It was nice. That evening, one of the girls I had met a few weeks ago came over (Chelsea). We talked and I made her dinner. I am proud to say that for the first time I prepared my guest something other than one of the three: grilled sandwich, macaroni, or chili. lol. I made tortellini with the Russian sauce Mom showed me how to make. woo-hoo. We had a really good time. We have a lot in common.

Monday: I worked. We were undermanned and then slammed. I was up front all by my little lonesome to face the hungry masses. lol. It went fine. That afternoon, Krista and I went to the U of O and rode our bikes...it was fun. We caught a late night showing of Star Trek at the cheap theater with Mikhail, Angela, and Chelsea. I absolutely loved this movie! I was wary of it as I had seen the preview in which a "bedroom scene" was portrayed. Yes, there is a foreplay scene. However, it was comparatively minor. The rest of the movie was great. I did have to shut my eyes a few times as I have a no tolerance for violence (such as a torture scene.) But the plot and the action were great. They stayed close to the old tv shows. I was excited each time a familiar character was introduced. It was one of the best movies I've seen in a while.

Today: I worked. Went to Wal Mart on the way home to pick up some groceries. I'm not sure I will frequently go to Wal Mart on my way home...ie still in all of my Taco Bell glory. One fella thought it cute to say at a volume obvious for me "I'm going to go eat at McDonald's." I wanted to turn around and tell him to stop being such a doofus. But I fained deafness. Anyways...I found peaches at 98 cents a lb..not sure if this is a good deal but I'm excited to have this little healthy treat around...and I picked up hair dye...stay tuned. lol. This afternoon, I made Stacia's birthday gift. I will have to get it in the mail tomorrow.

Krista is home from work. We are both hungry so I must be toddling along now.

I think I am falling in love with my new home

Yes, it is true. It's the inner AF brat within me. I "fall in love" with any home. I have unpacked the last box and I'm all settled. It's such a good feeling. I've moved twice this year (not that this is horrible or that I'm a martyr) but I don't want to move again for at least two years.

We got my wind shield fixed today. It is a beautiful thing. It's like I don't even have a window it's so clear...hhhmmm...that might explain the draft I was feeling...wait a second! J/k

We had dinner with Amy and Toni. They had been invited over here but in the end we had dinner over at their place. It was good. Fun seeing Amy's stuff for her nursery and the colors they are going to be painting it. It will be cute. Her baby shower is coming up soon. I had a revelation when looking at her shower invitation: her last name has changed! I don't know why this hadn't dawned on me before....anyways...learn new things every day; )

On the way home, we picked up Dutch Bros and found a place to park on the UofO campus (sounds way simpler than it is; ). We walked around a really cool old cemetery. I believe it's called Pioneer Cemetery. We looked for Skinners and then bemoaned the fact that they don't bury people alphabetically. The campus is gorgeous and we enjoyed it a lot despite the cry of our bladders. Due to this little issue and the oncoming dusk, we retreated home.

Later we walked around our campus. It is beautiful and already dear to me. The blackberries in the back are perfect right now...lol. We ended up at the cross and spent some time enjoying the area and each other's company.

Yes, I think I am falling in love with my new home.

Late Night Update From the Oregon Front

So much I could write about but it is already 11:19 and I have an appointment to replace the windshield at 8:30 tomorrow morning...

So let me just leave a quick update mostly about work and then post later about deeper matters.

Work is good. I love my job. However, working with the night crew can be frustrating as I am the only one who speaks English as my primary language. oh yeah. Unless they are speaking to a customer or directly to me, they are speaking in Spanish. My night manager is still calling me "you." lol. oh well. I'm hoping to pick up some Spanish through this experience. There continue to be a constant flow of people looking for jobs so I definitely feel blessed. My general manager said that once I'm out of training, I'll be able to work all the hours I can because others (high schoolers) will be returning to school. I'm praying. Last night I had to be reminded that I'm not trusting in my managers for hours (which constitute provision) but in God... oh! here's a perk: old people are awesome. Go out of you way just a little and they want to tip you. lol.

Krista and I are enjoying our home, cleaning, planning meals, cooking, grocery shopping...etc. It's been good. We're settling into a routine. We have been enjoying our chai tea and candles as the weather has turned. We spontaneously had Donna over the other day. That was really fun. It is sad that she and her husband are moving to a new season in life right as we are getting here but nice that our time overlapped for a little.

So yeah... I guess that's about it for now...I have thoughts from my recent trip to SMC Grad and then some devo thoughts....maybe later....