Amazing story

Ok so this week was pretty amazing. On Sunday I went up to Fortress for Sunday Jam and the youth group that was visiting this week was already there. We left and picked up kids and had lunch. During lunch one the adult volunteers cell phone was stolen. Now this lady, Lisa, was so amazing about her phone being taken. She didn't even complain. I think that if my phone had been taken I would have wanted to say something to someone about it and I wouldn't have been the happiest person but Lisa didn't really say much at all about her phone being taken other then that she would like it back because it had some pictures of her dad on it. Well the week went by and still no sign of the phone but on Wednesday a little boy said that he had stolen the phone. Lisa asked him to bring it to her on Thursday and in return she would have something for him. I don't think this would have been my first reaction. I think that if the child had told me that they had my phone I would have gotten mad and asked to take to his mom/dad. Well Lisa waited and on Thursday the child said he forgot the phone. Then when questioned about it he said that a guy broke into the house and stole the phone and took it to China. Here is where it gets interesting. We told the child he couldn't go on the filed trip and he stayed with us at Fortress. We called his mom and she was going to come up and have a talk with him and see if she could figure out where the phone was. Now this is the amazing part. I am still not sure how it happened but I girl came running up and said she had found the phone in her bag. It wasn't there the night before and now it was. We don't know how it got there or if the boy had taken it and returned it. Lisa was so thankful. She gave the boy a Bible just because she got her phone back. I learned a lot from Lisa this last week. I learned that sometimes we just need to love even when we don't fell like the person needs to be loved. Lisa loved this child even though he had taken something from her. To me that is amazing. She almost had me in tears when she was talking to this child about how much she loved him even though he might have taken her phone. She had a smile on her face through the whole thing. I hope that I can show these kids love like Lisa did.

The weekend! :D

I am so glad it is the weekend. I took this weekend to just chill and do a whole lot of nothing. It has been AMAZING! My host family is out of town this weekend so I have the house to my self. To be honest it is a little freaking at night. There are a lot of windows and the house makes some weird noises that I am not used to. I guess when I am here and down stairs there are other people here so it is always loud. Last night I was alone and it was quiet and the dogs kept freaking me out. They were barking at the reflection of the tv in the window but it was really dark outside so that was a little weird. I know it was just me being a girl but still.

Anyway it has been nice being here alone. I haven't gotten much done that I wanted to get done but I think it has been good so far. Today I watched like 5 or 6 episodes of the mole. Then I got up and did the dishes and worked on my lessons for next week. They are almost done. I just need to go over them again and print them. But I think I have gotten some much needed rest this weekend. We all need to take time to just sit and be and that is what I have done this weekend. I did go see two movies yesterday. They were both very good and it was fun. I am excited about next week and already looking forward to next weekend. My mom is coming to visit me. It should be fun. Anyway I will try to post more later but for now I am off to dinner with a friend and then coming back to hang out and swim! :D

My Week so far

Well this week has been a little different than the other weeks. I have been in charge of the preK because the lady who is in charge has been sick and her aunt has been in the hospital. It has been a really good week considering that I have been in charge. It was fun. I really liked teaching them. I was nervous at first but it went really well. I don't have much time to type and I am really tired so I am going to call it a night. I will say that I am looking forward to some much needed rest this weekend. I will post later this weekend about my trip to my uncles house last weekend and post pictures with it but for now I am out!

Joy

Ok well I don't have much time to blog so I will keep this short and sweet. I was just sitting here thinking about the kids that I am working with. They really are pretty amazing and I could learn so much from them. Today I worked with the youth group that is visiting from Alabama. We learned a lot about the neighborhood and how it has changed over the last few years. Well the lady talking to us talked about the drive by shootings and other things that go on in the neighborhood. One thing that she said really stuck with me. She talked about Fortress being a safe zone for a lot of these kids. Fortress is somewhere they can come and not worry about someone coming in and hurting them but once they step out the door it is a totally different world. It is more of a war zone. To me I don't think it is that bad but I think that most of the people we talk to aren't that bad of people in fact they are pretty amazing. I also think that some of the people I have talked to about the neighborhood have sugar coated things to make it seem not so bad. I have walked these streets and talked to some of the people. To me it doesn't seem that bad but I wouldn't go down these streets alone or after dark. Then I think about how this is the neighborhood that the kids that I work with come from. It is full of prostitutes, gangs, and drug dealers. Yet they come everyday to Fortress with a smile on their face. How amazing is that? They set aside everything that is going on at home and in their neighborhood and for a little while they get to just be kids. Their are days when I don't want to be at work but after today I am reminded that it isn't about me. It is all about God and showing these kids that there are people out in the world that do care and that not everyone is a bad person. So I challenge you today to try to have joy in every situation that comes up and remember there is always someone out there who at least understands what you are dealing with or has dealt with something far worse. Choose to have JOY today in all that you do!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

¹⁶Be joyful always; ¹⁷pray continually; ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus

New car

My new car! :D

new car and an up date on life

Well today I went with my parents and we traded off my car. It was a bitter sweet moment. On the one hand I was sad because I had a ton of fun and memories in my old car but on the other hand this car is amazing. I love it so much. I think I will have a ton of fun in this car. I tried to post some pictures but blogger is not letting me so I will have to do that tomorrow when I am at home and I have a better internet connection.

Fortress is going well. This week was short and great. We have now completed 4 weeks of program and we have 5 more weeks left. Ramon (my boss) calls this next week hump week because after this week we will be on the down hill slide. Everything is going really well. I love being back with preK. It is amazing and so much fun. These kids are so sweet sometimes. This week on Thursday the elementary went to a skating place and we all skated. I tried but wasn't all that great and I fell down at one point and this girl fell with me. We both looked at each other and just started laughing. It was a fun moment. Then this other little boy named Keon was trying to dance to the music and skate at the same time but he just wasn't all that coordinated and fell ALOT. It was really kind of funny. He would laugh and then get right back up. Then this lady came with her two kids and I think the little one was about 3. He was so cute. He would follow Keon around and just do what he did. The boy wasn't on skates but if Keon fell he would fall on purpose. I had so much fun watching them.

Well that is a little bit about this last week. I am hoping that next week is just as amazing as this week was. I am home this weekend and this will be the last time I am home for the summer. So that should be fun. For now I am out. I hope to post some pictures soon so be on the look out for that. :D

a restful weekend! :D

Last week was so fun to have the Highland girls there. I think it was the best week so far. Then I got to come home on Thursday night. :D This weekend was our long weekend and I had 4 days off. Today is Monday and I will be going back to Fort Worth later tonight.

Friday I did pretty much nothing. I ran some errands and did some things that I needed to do. Then I went to work and did a courier route. Then came home for dinner. My grandma (dads mom) has been here all weekend so that has been fun.

Saturday we got up and went over to Rising Star to the plant shop. I bought some Texas star hibiscus plants. They are small now but I hear they get really big and pretty. We shall see. We met up with my great aunt (grandmas sister) and then went over to Brownwood to eat at underwoods. It was a fun day with family. After lunch we went to the cemetery to see my step great grandmothers grave. Then we headed home and I went to Abilene to babysit. That was fun and when it was over I came home and we had dinner and shot off fire works. That was so fun. We took pictures that I will try to post later. I would do it now but I don't have my camera cord.

Sunday we went to church then lunch and then I hung out with some friends. Then went back out to the country and watched Mall Cop with my parents and grandma. It was funny.

Monday I slept in till 11. :D I don't get to do that too often. Then later today after I eat lunch I will go to work to do another courier route and then do another route to Fort Worth so I get paid to go back. :D Well I should go for now. I have had a great weekend. I hope yall have too.