You know you spend a lot of time with kids when...

I was looking through the pictures on my phone and noticed that most of them had something to do with children's ministry. It gave me a good laugh, and I decided to write about it. Instead of clean. :) Cuz I miss blogging. But mostly cuz I love kids.

So. You know you spend a lot of time with kids when.....

Tickets fall out of your jeans when you pull them out of your drawer. More than once.

You find yourself listening to children-oriented worship songs. And making motions to the songs. 

Along with the above, the recommended videos on YouTube for you are by "Hillsong Kids" and "Lava Lava Island VBS" and "KidsRealm Praise and Worship." 

You find a picture of yourself like this on the front of the church program one Sunday morning.

You could (and do) spend hours in the children's section of your local bookstore.

You go to your little brother's school carnival and venture into the basket raffle room. You panic and most of your tickets find their way into the "Crayola" basket.

You start collections for potential crafts/projects. And your husband makes fun of you. 

Every time you read your Bible, you find yourself adapting it to kid friendly language. For yourself.

You say something silly/dumb/off-topic/absolutelyjustplainridiculous and people excuse you because - "Oh, she's the children's ministry person." (This is my favorite :) )

You spend more than 4 hours perfecting the "Baby Moses in the Bullrushes" snack craft. And still have one in your fridge after a month. (so. much. sugar.)

VBS becomes the focus of all random Google searches and the source of all procrastination right about... now.

You find hardened slime on your shoes. And you write a blog post about it.

You have a drawer in your tiny apartment filled with activities/ideas for when you babysit there. [ Esterlings...this needs to get used again soon!! :) ]

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Matthew 19:13&14

the balancing act.

It's funny how life blows up in my face sometimes. After becoming engaged to an amazing, God fearing man (YAY!), it seems my life is booked up until the day I get married, (January 5th!!), well, actually... a week after I get married. :)

I have definitely learned a few things about God, girls, and guys in my short month of being engaged. So, here we go...

Lessons Learned After 1 Month of Being Engaged:

1. Life is a balance. Between classes, homework, God, work, girlfriends, Noah, Mom&Dad, family... It takes planning ahead of time to ensure that I have a godly balance of all of the above.

2. It's easy to go extreme. Either being so involved in each other's lives that we bypass opportunities God has placed in our lives, OR being so involved in other aspects of our lives that our own relationship begins to suffer. In order to find balance, God needs to be the focus ALL the time.

3. God is the love of our lives FIRST.

4. Noah and I are very different. Communication is key. If I think he knows what I am thinking... I am wrong.

5. I don't always have to be right. and I don't always have to win. (Although I really like to...) (I'm still working on the second part of that.)

6. I have realized how extremely blessed I am by the friends and family that surround me. I wouldn't be where I am today without them.

7. God's timing is perfect. He is in control of all things - even time. His timing - from school assignments to meetings with friends to a call from my dad - is perfect.

8. Being humble enough to accept correction and learn to grow from mistakes is a beautiful thing. And something I need to work on.

9. Don't fist pound with my left fist. It will leave a mark.

Noah and I have spent many hours the past few nights trying to unravel what it means to live a balanced life for Christ. We both so desire to live full lives for Christ, but how to keep Him our focus through the craziness..

I'm not sure if we ever concluded anything - but we did realize that the balance begins by making alone time with Him a priority. Marriage is meant to bring glory to God, and the beautiful part about that is that we can't do it alone. I am clinging to Colossians 3 during this fun, but chaotic, time :)

You are a blessing to me. Thank you.
:)
<3

"And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, tow hich indeed you were called in one body. and be thankful."
-Colossians 3:14-15

If you have any words of advice, we would love to hear from you:)

the proposal.

The question I have been asked the most since becoming engaged has been, "So, when is the big day???"

Well, we are not sure yet. We are praying about a few dates right now, however, when we know.. you will too:)

The second-most question I have been asked is, "So, how did he do it??"

Honestly - It was perfect. I can't imagine how the whole thing could have gone off better. First of all, I had no idea it was coming. I love surprises... so that made it special. Second of all, he was (and is) man enough to talk to my dad before asking me. I love it. That's the way it should be. Supposedly they had a good talk, but I am mostly thankful Noah got out of there alive. :) Jenna Schick kept me occupied during the time Noah was at my house. She, and so many more, of my favorite people all played important roles throughout the next few days.

That brings us to Leap Year Day. February 29th, 2012. Noah gave me a clue before I went to my lab that day at 330. He said I could start my scavenger hunt to find out where we would eat supper after class. I was antsy the whole time.

It took me way too long, but I finally figured out the first clue led back to my room. I went there, only to find a second clue - which led me to Dave Getz at the Coffee Hound. (I didn't know this until later... but they had come up with this last minute to stall me because I was let out of class an hour early!!) I ended up playing a 45 minute game of War with Dave... which was very fun, however, I was starting to get grumpy because I was so hungry. The next clue took me to Taco Bell, and then to Jacob's Well during our weekly prayer meeting. From there, I was instructed to call one of my best friends, Addi Maurer. Her clue led me to Olive Garden. I loved to be able to see/talk to some of my favorite people and go to my favorite places in Normal. Seriously... the best. proposal. idea. ever. And think about how much thought went into all of this!! Amazing.

Between Addi and Olive Garden - my phone died.

And our conversation went like this:
Addi: are you excited for tonight??
Kelly: yeah, I am mostly excited to eat! I am SO STINKING hungry!
Addi: BUT...
*phone died*

What she was going to say may have ruined the whole surprise, so it's a blessing in disguise that my phone died when it did ;)

When I arrived at Olive Garden*, 2 hours after I started the hunt, I was thinking something was up. But I still wasn't sure. So the first  thing I told Noah when I saw him was, "Well, now you can't use this when you propose to me!" There was no reaction from him, and all he said was, "Yeah, I guess you are right.."

About half way through the meal, Noah knelt down on one knee...

...but I don't remember what he said, because I was too busy saying over and over, "Are you serious? Are YOU serious? ARE you SERIOUS?"

Then he asked me to marry him...

and I said yes.

Thanks to Steve and Hannah for hiding and taking pictures of us:) Noah seriously outdid himself that night :) Noah and I met while passionately serving Jesus, and I am so excited to continue to serve Jesus with him for the rest of our lives <3 I am so blessed. Truly blessed to be engaged to the Jesus-following man of my dreams. Here we go!!


(and yes.. that is my super-cheese face :) )

*A big thanks to Olive Garden as well, the manager bought us our whole meal - appetizers, entrees, and dessert! The cherry on top of an unforgettable evening.

white chocolate mocha or vanilla latte?

I was having one of those really awkward nights at work. Everything that came out of my mouth was just… awkward. The people I was working with noticed, my manager noticed, and I am sure all my guests noticed as well. I was dubbed 'Spaz' for the night. For example, as I was setting more bread down at a certain table, this is what came out of my mouth: “These are littler rolls, so that they won’t fill your tummy up too much and save room for dinner and dessert if you get some and you really should!” Um. Awkward. I just couldn’t stop. I was on a roll.

Later in the night, I had a table of 2 middle-aged couples. As I greeted them and began to take their order, one of the guys said, “Hey, we have been trying to figure out why you are glowing. Is it a boooooyyy? Or did you do well on a test?”

What?! I was so stressed about a zillion different things… and I was glowing?! All I could do was look at him. “Really, what is it? It has to be a boy..” he said again. The whole table was waiting for my answer, and I had no idea what to say. 
So this is what comes out of my mouth: “Well.. I'm really stressed right now. I don't know, I guess... Well...I don’t know if you believe in this kind of thing.. but I just really love Jesus!”

The guy's mouth fell open. His wife chuckled. The guy tells me that was the last thing he expected me to say. Those two couples were believers, too.

Wow. Talk about a humbling experience. Even when I am so stressed about life that I forget to breathe, Jesus is able and wants to shine through me. 

Something I took away from that experience was that in that moment, I had a choice. Whether or not to scoff it off and say, “oh nothing..” or use the moment to unashamedly speak Truth.

Hard decisions. The fork in the path. The moment the rest of your life depends on. A choice. Left or right. Ranch dressing or French?

Whatever you want to call it – the implications are the same. It’s the time in my day when I can go right, left, straight, backwards, or just sit.

I have had to make some hard choices in my life. To quit playing violin.

I have made easy choices in my life. To eat a granola bar for breakfast.

I have made choices I regretted. To run away from home when I was upset at my parents. In the snow. Barefoot. No coat.

I have made choices that God vetoed right away. To do mission work in Africa instead of attend college.

*But all of these have something in common. I moved. I acted on my choice.

To choose is an action verb. One cannot call something a choice without acting on the choice that they made. In my life, I have been blessed when I make a choice and move towards that direction that I feel is God-honoring. Every time. Even if it turns out to be the wrong choice.

Sometimes, I make a choice that I am 10000000% sure is the right choice, and just as I start moving towards the door, God slams it in my face. But I moved. So He COULD slam the door in my face. Otherwise, I would have sat in the same place for months and maybe years before I gained enough courage (or impatience) to move forward. And all that time is lost. Lost in worry, confusion, fear, doubt. Movement takes faith. He knows it’s hard. He’s been there.

Moving forward. Closer to God. All the time. Sometimes, He has to nudge me the right direction when I get sidetracked. Sometimes, He has to shove me.

I love the story of the two criminals on the cross next to Jesus. (Luke 23) They had so much in common - they were both sinners. Both condemned to die. Both on a cross next to our Savior. Both heard what Jesus said. Yet, only one changed. Jesus gave each of them the opportunity to choose life over death.  But only one actively accepted Him. Jesus loves us enough to let us choose.

I just love Jesus. And I love that He gave me the freedom to choose.

the beginnings.

During breakfast on Friday morning with some amazing friends [Jill, Brandon, and Seth], Brandon commented that I should start a blog. (after I had disclosed to them a particularly embarrassing moment). I told him if he came up with a clever name, I would begin blogging.

..And this is what he came up with. alass&alaugh. Kinda like alas and alack. (it took me awhile to get it). So.. sure. Why not? I'll start a blog.

In my opinion, it is critical for everyone to journal [or blog] in some way, shape, or form. The little things that happen everyday that make us thankful, excited, or passionate about life can be lost so easily in the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. As my pastor says, "life conspires to dull us to sleep." A journal [or blog] definitely helps me to keep God the focus, and keep me thankful for the little things.

This past summer, I was a site director for Camp of Champions USA. I had worked as a counselor for 3 summers before that, so I knew Camp pretty well. About halfway through the summer, the Lord convicted me to begin a journal that the female staff could write in when something small, or big, happened that reminded us in a small, or large way, of God's glory. It could be a short story, a verse, or a quote that was inspiring.

Here are some of the journal entries, and I think it is a good way to recap the summer:

(for obvious reasons, i am going to use one letter for the child's name.)

*Jeremiah 1:7 - But the Lord said to me, "Do not say 'I am only a youth;' for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afriad of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.

*After 1 day of being at camp, K and T had a family meeting with their mom. They unanimously decided to come to camp the rest of the summer. They do not go to church regularly, and don't know much about "this Christian thing." PRAISE JESUS they are here!

*Today, M walked up to me and said, "I prayed for your mom today. I really want her to feel better." She is not even in my group this week. I had shared that prayer request once last week.

*After fighting earlier in the day, I saw a brother helping his younger sister learn how to rollerskate.

*K wants to talk more about Jesus!

*In my speech class at night, L's cousin is in my class. She told me how much L loves to come to camp, and that his family can notice a difference in his attitude at home during camp.

*God does not call the equipped. He loves to equip the called. That is His specialty. For example: Moses, Gideon, Daniel, David, Joshua, Joseph, Me...

*Randomly, in the middle of a human pinball game, B came up to me and asked, "How do I accept Jesus?" We had a really great talk!!

*After a long and intense prayer time with God a few weeks ago, I feel called to children's ministry. God has revealed so much to me about camp and ways to serve this summer. I have decided, even though I'm only a sophomore in high school, that I want to major in Children's ministry in college. I am so grateful for this camp.

*T accepted Christ on Wednesday! While praying, in his prayer voice, T says "thank you, God, for writin' the Bible!"

*While in line for carpetball, O was reading his Bible. A few kids cut in front of him in line, and when they realized it, they asked if he wanted back in line. He said "nope! I got the Book!"

___________________________________________

These are just a few of the ways God worked this summer. It was incredible to see the growth of the kids throughout the entire summer. I am so amazed at how faithful God is!! It continues to happen: I shouldn't be surprised by it, but I am. He carefully places little nuggets of truth and grace throughout our days for us to notice. To keep us awake. To keep us passionate. To remind us He is there. To change us. He loves us that much.

So, the goal of this blog? So that I will take time to notice the nuggets, and actively thank God for them.


(a big thanks to Brandon Wiegand. you are a star :) )