Well it has been quite a while since my last update. I haven't really had much to update you on. I've just been settling into the everyday life of a teacher in a new city! We are having so much fun in Room 104!! I have such a fun group of kids!! I am constantly getting a good laugh with them! :) I am learning so much as a new teacher. Some lessons have been a little harder than others, but that is expected! I am so blessed to be working with the people that I have behind me. My team teacher, Katy, and I work so well together. It has been such a blessing to learn from her!
This last week was a very tough week for me. I have done a pretty good job of settling in and keeping myself busy to keep myself from being homesick. On Thursday my Daddy had a his 4th heartcath done. It is very hard being so far away from home when things like this happen. I am grateful that the faculty and staff at WCS were so encouraging and supportive of me on Thursday as they knew it was a tough day. Good News! Daddy didn't have to have any new stints put in, the place of concern was actually old scar tissue, not a new blockage! This was very good news!
As you know, I have been living with my TX parents since I have been here. Calvin and Margie were my house parents when I was the youth intern for the last two summers. They have been gracious enough to allow me to stay with them for my first couple of months here to allow me to get settled in and financially stable. Well.... the Lord has once again provided so much for me. There is a girl that works at WCS with me that happened to be looking for a roommate right about the time I was, and we have been able to find a really nice apartment together! Tomorrow is the big moving day! I am so excited because I will be so much closer to the school. What used to be a 25 minute drive to the church, has quickly turned into a 35 minute drive with Houston traffic. So, I will now only be about 5 minutes from the school!! Super excited to be able to save some in gas.
But the Lord wasn't done providing. The young marrieds class at Westbury has literally completely furnished our apartment! A friend of mine sent out an email saying I was in need of a few things, and literally not even a week later I have a completely furnished apartment! I am so blessed!
I'll do another update this weekend with some pictures of my new living quarters! Feel free to private message me and I will give you my new address!
Thank you all for your prayers, phonecalls, and letters in the mail.....they make me feel so loved!!!
Miss you all!
Hollyann
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
I am still alive!!
I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to update, but things have been beyond crazy to say in the least!! Let me being by saying that my plans aren't always the Lord's plans....but thank goodness, because he knows so much more than I do about my future!! It has become so evident to me over the last four weeks, that WCS is where I was meant to be. I have 27 of the most adorable little 2nd graders. Of course, I am blessed to be in a smaller school, so I get my students 14 and 13 at a time. If you're a teacher...you know how big of a blessing this is!! My life has been a literal whirlwind since school has started, but frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way! The Lord has been so sweet to give me peace in the last month. I really struggled with being here at the beginning, but I am 100% confident now that I am where God needed me this year. I love my school, my coworkers, and my students....ya'll they have to be the most adorable little children!! For all of my folks back home, you will be pleased to know that my students say ROLL TIDE very well....and with a cute southern accent too!!! We have had so much fun in Ms. Borden's room in the last 4 weeks! I have made so many sweet friends with some girls my age that I work with. If you know me at all, this is a big deal!!:) Several of the families at Westbury have adopted me into their family, and so I am staying busy and entertained!! We have parent meeting night this Thursday, and I am so excited about this! I am honestly in awe of God's providence as I read my last post. I remember being so self conscience about being a first year teacher, but the Lord has been so faithful to build be up with confidence. Please continue to pray as I am still settling into my new life here! I still miss my family and friends back home like nobodies business!!! But I also have a peace that passes understanding in knowing that no matter how tough it is being here, I am where God intended for me to be...I don't think life gets any better than that...fulfilling a purpose you were meant to fulfill...so blessed, and so thankful to have you all in my life!!!
Until next time...
Hollyann
Until next time...
Hollyann
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
One Day at a Time!
Well guys, I have officially reached the part where I can either get REALLY stressed out, or just take it one day at a time! I wish I could say I wasn't stressing over some things...but you know...it happens. I wanted to quickly update you guys on a few things. Since I last updated I was able to meet my team teacher, Katy Shirley! WCS had a Summer Social, so I was able to meet a few of my students and their families! I have met and worked one on one with a student that has special needs...and of course, I have been doing A LOT of decorating! I started my first day of inservice today as a new employee! I was so anxious going into today, but the Lord was so sweet to calm my nerves and give me an extra boost of confidence and boldness as I met my new colleagues! (seriously, I felt like a Kindergartener on the first day of school!!!) Today went really well, not much to update about because I was in meetings ALL day long!!!Tomorrow will be full staff inservice, and we will leave Thursday morning to go to San Antonio for a conference!
So...here are the items I am asking for you to place on your prayer list for me in the next two weeks!
Hollyann
So...here are the items I am asking for you to place on your prayer list for me in the next two weeks!
- I am feeling very anxious and intimidated with being a new teacher and all that goes along with that!!
- Please pray for safe travel to and from the conference in SA.
- I have Meet The Teacher/ Orientation night next Tues. and school starts next Friday!!
Hollyann
Monday, July 16, 2012
My Life....Your Way...
The title of this blog is the only way I know how to sum up the chain of events that have taken place over the last 9 days. My family and I have beckoned the Lord's favor on my life for a very long time, more specifically since this Spring, when I graduated college. Little did we know the emotional journey we would all too soon face. In short, as many of you already know, I have spent my last two summers as the youth ministry intern at Westbury Church of Christ. This past April I was invited back to Houston for an interview at Westbury Christian School.Of course I fell in love with the school immediately, and it was a major plus to already know the majority of the administration and staff of the school. I was offered a contract and given 7 days to sign it. Let's just say, those were the longest/hardest/most stressful 7 days...In the end, I declined the offer due to the retirement laws changing in the state of Alabama. Currently teachers can retire after 25 yrs of service, starting Jan 2013, they will not be eligible for retirement until the age of 62!...Not knowing where the Lord will take me over the next 40 years, I decided to stay and get a job in AL in order to be grandfathered in to the current retirement plan. After declining the position in Houston, I embarked on a very long journey to find a job in the state of Alabama. I applied at well over 150 schools, visited well over 75 of those schools. I had very little luck in even getting the principals to call me back!! I was fortunate to have 3 very good interviews...some of which I was very hopeful would result in a job...Unfortunately, due to the wonderful state of our country's economy.. (please excuse the sarcasm)...the State has cut the education budget, and so few positions are available!! I am BEYOND BLESSED to have so many people standing behind me, and helping me find a job. Leading up to this past Thursday, I had no luck in my search, and frankly I was at my wits end in trying to find a job! Out of the blue, I received a phone call from Greg Glenn, the head of Westbury Christian School. He offered the position to be AGAIN...the trick was that he would need to know within less than 24 hrs or he would be offering another teacher the contract. Yes, I was a HOT MESS! I have never felt more pulled in 50 different directions! Our family is anxiously awaiting the arrival of my niece or nephew (we find out Wednesday!!), and it was going to be very tough to leave my family in such a monumental time in our lives!...But after much prayer, I felt like the Lord was clearly reopening a door for me, so I accepted the position at Westbury on Friday morning! On Saturday, Mom, Dad, and I sat down and started making plans for the big move (uhaul rentals, hotel reservations, gas budget, etc.) As I was driving to church Sunday morning I was emotionally preparing myself to say goodbye to all of my friends and family that I have known my entire life at Greenbrier...It was when I pulled into the church parking lot that my plans and security in my decision came crashing down. After praying for so long for a job in Alabama and not having any luck..you would know that there would be an amazing offer come up AFTER I accepted the position in Houston. I have never felt more torn, than I was last Sunday. Torn because of my family, finances, and so many other reasons! But to make this VERY long story very short...the Lord made it very clear to me that he needed me in Houston. Looking back I am so thankful that the Lord granted his favor on me in providing this job. So, due to my family's crazy schedule, this last weekend was the only time that my parents could help me move all of my things to Houston...Let me interject here that I feel once again BEYOND BLESSED to have so many people standing beside me, praying for me, and supporting me. I want to publicly thank all of you who sent me a Facebook comment, message, email, text, phone call, and even all of the wonderful visits I recevied! It meant the world to me to see how many people I have in my corner! After many tearful goodbyes, Mom, Dad, and I packed everything up and hit the road last Thursday afternoon. We drove all 12 hours to Houston, TX in blinding rain!! But thankfully we arrived safely in Houston Friday afternoon. I am so thankful that Mom and Dad were able to be here with me as I made this new transition in life! Mom was able to spend several hours with me in my new classroom ( many pictures to come soon!) This was such a sweet time for us to visit, and enjoy our last few days together before they headed back home without me. As for the goodbyes....well let's just say it wasn't easy!!
I am so thankful to have the best parents in the entire world! I know it wasn't easy for my parents to drive their little girl halfway across the country and leave her there...but they did everything in their power to make this such an easy transition for me!! Please continue to pray for our family, as this new lifestyle will take some time to readjust!! As for the title of this blog...My Life, Your Way...this is my new motto! One week ago, I never would have thought I would be sitting in Houston, TX typing this blog entry...but my family and I have been through an amazing journey that has I believe has taught us all so much! Though we don't always understand His plans, He holds our future in His hands! And for control freaks, like me, it is hard sometimes to take a step back and allow the Lord to lead...but as I was sweetly reminded, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
In a few more days, I hope to have my classroom looking a little more like a classroom and can't wait to share some pictures with you!! Thank you all for your prayers and support!! It means more than you will ever know!!
Until next time,
Hollyann
I am so thankful to have the best parents in the entire world! I know it wasn't easy for my parents to drive their little girl halfway across the country and leave her there...but they did everything in their power to make this such an easy transition for me!! Please continue to pray for our family, as this new lifestyle will take some time to readjust!! As for the title of this blog...My Life, Your Way...this is my new motto! One week ago, I never would have thought I would be sitting in Houston, TX typing this blog entry...but my family and I have been through an amazing journey that has I believe has taught us all so much! Though we don't always understand His plans, He holds our future in His hands! And for control freaks, like me, it is hard sometimes to take a step back and allow the Lord to lead...but as I was sweetly reminded, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
In a few more days, I hope to have my classroom looking a little more like a classroom and can't wait to share some pictures with you!! Thank you all for your prayers and support!! It means more than you will ever know!!
Until next time,
Hollyann
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
New Beginnings...
This blog has been utilized for me to be able to journal my way through my internship in Houston the last two summers. I have reluctantly decided to reopen my blog as a log of my new journey...as a TEACHER! The Lord has really been at work in the last few months...after many many ups and downs, my job search has finally come to an end! After much prayer, I have accepted a 2nd grade teaching position at Westbury Christian School in Houston, TX! I am very excited to see what the Lord has in store for me in Houston. While I am very excited to embark on this new journey, I am very sad to be leaving my home and family! Please keep me and my family in your prayers as this change is happening very fast. Mom, Dad, and I will be leaving Alabama this Thursday, to arrive in Houston on Friday. I know many of you are wanting to know how everything came about and what all happened. I promise to take some time in the next week to let you in on how the Lord is working. However, this week I am enjoying every last moment I can with my sweet family! I love you all and I can't wait to see where the Lord is leading me!
"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord...plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans for HOPE and a FUTURE." Jeremiah 29:11
~Hollyann~
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Last week in Houston
Here are a few more pictures from my last week here...also I am going to post a few videos from camp...be sure to scroll to the bottom and pause the music so you can hear!:)
Ok, here is a video of Cabins jack and Jill at PT with Bob (this is a camp tradition..) Pay close attention to the video at the end. What you will see is each of the boys proposing to the girls...and the girls answering with their number (roll call)...Me and the Jack counselor bring up the rear...listen to what he says!!
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| Cars 2 Lunchbox for my gift!!!! |
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| Water Party for my going away! |
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| Rachel, Abby, and myself raided Walmart really late one night...and took some crazy pics! |
Camp Bandina 2011!
I can't believe this summer has come to a close so quickly!!! It seems like just yesterday Ellen and I came blazing in to get ready for WCS graduation! We just returned home this past weekend from Camp Bandina in Bandera, TX. Oh my goodness, this week was absolutely AMAZING! Let it be said that on the way to Bandera, we blew two tires!!..I know you are wondering, 'what in the world is the deal with their tires?' Luckily, this was not tires on the bus, it was on our trailer....making it alot easier to change! What should have been our 4 1/2 hr. trip quickly became a NINE HOUR trip!!! But all matters is we got there safely!
I have attended this camp for the past three years...but this year most definitely tops them all! Our theme this year was Intentional Decisions. All week we were encouraged our kids to look at their lives and evaluate the decisions they make and how they affect their eternity. We shared so many laughs all week long! But most importantly we shared so many victories with 16 NEW BROTHERS and SISTERS IN CHRIST!! How awesome is that?!!!
We returned home Saturday afternoon...VERY EXHAUSTED! Sunday night after church we had a family night...this acted as my going away party!..It is still so crazy to me that this summer is almost over! What an amazing summer it has been! It has been pretty difficult coming to terms with the reality that this season of my life, with these amazing kids, is coming to a close. They have changed me in ways that I never thought possible. I will forever be grateful to Westbury Church of Christ for allowing me this opportunity to play such a big role in the lives of their teens. They have been so hospitable to me, and have met every need I have had! I am so thankful that God saw fit to place me here, and bless me with such amazing friendships.
Please continue to pray for me as I journey into my Senior year of college....my life is about to hit a big wave of changes all at the same time! I know there are many exciting things on my horizon!
"For i know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, Plans to prosper you, not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
I will leave you with several pictures from Camp and the past week. I will try and post some video footage I have from camp...just for a few laughs!
Love you all!
Hollyann
I have attended this camp for the past three years...but this year most definitely tops them all! Our theme this year was Intentional Decisions. All week we were encouraged our kids to look at their lives and evaluate the decisions they make and how they affect their eternity. We shared so many laughs all week long! But most importantly we shared so many victories with 16 NEW BROTHERS and SISTERS IN CHRIST!! How awesome is that?!!!
We returned home Saturday afternoon...VERY EXHAUSTED! Sunday night after church we had a family night...this acted as my going away party!..It is still so crazy to me that this summer is almost over! What an amazing summer it has been! It has been pretty difficult coming to terms with the reality that this season of my life, with these amazing kids, is coming to a close. They have changed me in ways that I never thought possible. I will forever be grateful to Westbury Church of Christ for allowing me this opportunity to play such a big role in the lives of their teens. They have been so hospitable to me, and have met every need I have had! I am so thankful that God saw fit to place me here, and bless me with such amazing friendships.
Please continue to pray for me as I journey into my Senior year of college....my life is about to hit a big wave of changes all at the same time! I know there are many exciting things on my horizon!
"For i know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, Plans to prosper you, not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
I will leave you with several pictures from Camp and the past week. I will try and post some video footage I have from camp...just for a few laughs!
Love you all!
Hollyann
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| Cabin Clean Up!! |
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| One of my most influential mentors...Bob Owens. |
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| Cabin Jill....BEST CABIN EVER!!! |
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| Some of my girls ready for my Girl's class. |
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| Cabin Jill cheering on Cabin Jack in the football game! |
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| Jack and Jill Family....BEST FAMILY EVER!! |
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| Staff whooped Camper booty in volleyball! |
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| This kid was ME for Hollywood night!! ...I was Taylor Swift! |
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Here Comes The Sun.....
Disclaimer: this is gong to be a long post...so hang on!!
I can't believe it has already been a week since we summitted Mt. Shavano!Last week was such an incredible week for all of our kids. We started our two day travel on Friday, July 8th. We traveled all night, and stopped in Amarillo to swap drivers Saturday morning. As we were exiting New Mexico we blew a tire!! If you have kept up with this blog at all...you know that this seems to be a recurring theme with any trip we go on!...so we were stranded in a podunk town for about two hours!...We finally got the tire fixed and back on the road....until we needed to stop to get fuel...which presented another issue! Apparently when the tire blew, it blew the fuel line off as well!! So we were stranded once again in Pueblo, CO for another several hours!...BUT we did eventually make it to Twin Lakes, CO!! We spent Saturday afternoon getting our gear and packing our backpacks. When we woke up Sunday morning we had worship on the point overlooking Twin Lakes (AMAZING view!)..then we loaded up and headed off to our rappel site...bear in mind that rain/tstorms is in the forecast for everyday we are there! Rappel day went awesome! We did have a little bit of rain while we were all trying to get down the mountain...and I will be honest to tell you that I was a little uncertain of walking down the side of a cliff that is slippery from rain!!...But our kids did amazing! It was so precious to watch them encourage each other as they took that leap of faith right on over the edge of the cliff! We finished rappeling and got back to the barn to load up our gear and start our trek to low camp. We had to drive to the trail head of Shavano, so our low camp wasn't too far from the bus the first night. We finished up dinner and devo just in time for the storm of the century to blow in!! Oh my goodness..I was terrified! Of course, I'm sure the storm seemed magnified by the time the thunder vibrated off the surrounding mountains, but it was still very scary!
Monday morning we got up and packed all of our gear up to start the hike to high camp. This day is the day I always dread the most! For several reasons: 1. It is a hard hike, 2. You aren't acclimated yet, 3. It is a very physically strenuous day! Our kids stayed positive and did an excellent job on this hike! And just about the time we all started to get tired, and whiny...we stopped for what the guides called a 'quick break'....then as we got up to put our packs on, they announced bathroom areas and said the beloved.." WELCOME TO HIGH CAMP!!" We got set up and settled in to our new camp sites...this is where we stayed the remainder of the trip. We were awaken Tuesday morning to the glorious scent of pancakes and spam!! Oh my goodness, if you are like me, this sounds disgusting...but let me just tell you that is the best meal ever!! Then we were released for our solo time..this is a perfect 3 hours of alone time with you and the Lord...this alone time never ceases to be the most amazing time for our entire group! The Lord always shows his faithfulness in this time that we have..our devo on solo night was full of incredible stories, alot of laughter, and even tears. We spent the remainder of solo day playing mindless games and telling silly stories before we went to bed early anticipating the summit hike. We all went to bed with a knot in our stomachs...we knew if we woke up in the morning and it was raining that we wouldn't be able to summit...this would have been a very harsh reality to have to swallow after hiking so far. It was kind of funny, because I could hear the girls in the tent next to me chanting prayers to God, begging him to hold the rain!...and as always, he was so faithful! Not only did he hold the rain off, but he gave us the most beautiful day!! We got up at 2 am to start our summit hike. Thankfully, it wasn't too terribly cold and the wind was not howling bad at all! Our summit hike was absolutely amazing..we would stop periodically to look at the stars..and then to watch the sun rise...sheer beauty. Let me tell you, this was my fourth mountain to summit...but I have never felt more accomplished than to summit Mt. Shavano, 14,229 ft! One of the things that TEAM Ascend does that I LOVE...is they have each hiker find a rock along the way. This rock represents a sin, burden, problem, or whatever the student needs it to represent...and then when we reach summit, they have some time to pray over their rock and then toss it over the edge of the mountain, never to be seen again. So in our final devotional, they give everyone the opportunity to share what their rock represented. At the end of this night, there was not a dry eye in the room! I sat in my seat humbled to sit and listen to these students that I have come to love so much...get it. I listened as they finally started to grasp the concept of redemption and community. They were loving on each other as they struggled, they reassured each others insecurities. It was just beautiful to experience. I am so thankful that the Lord saw favor on me and allowed me to experience this with this group of students!
Sorry this was so long! I will leave you with some pictures!
I can't believe it has already been a week since we summitted Mt. Shavano!Last week was such an incredible week for all of our kids. We started our two day travel on Friday, July 8th. We traveled all night, and stopped in Amarillo to swap drivers Saturday morning. As we were exiting New Mexico we blew a tire!! If you have kept up with this blog at all...you know that this seems to be a recurring theme with any trip we go on!...so we were stranded in a podunk town for about two hours!...We finally got the tire fixed and back on the road....until we needed to stop to get fuel...which presented another issue! Apparently when the tire blew, it blew the fuel line off as well!! So we were stranded once again in Pueblo, CO for another several hours!...BUT we did eventually make it to Twin Lakes, CO!! We spent Saturday afternoon getting our gear and packing our backpacks. When we woke up Sunday morning we had worship on the point overlooking Twin Lakes (AMAZING view!)..then we loaded up and headed off to our rappel site...bear in mind that rain/tstorms is in the forecast for everyday we are there! Rappel day went awesome! We did have a little bit of rain while we were all trying to get down the mountain...and I will be honest to tell you that I was a little uncertain of walking down the side of a cliff that is slippery from rain!!...But our kids did amazing! It was so precious to watch them encourage each other as they took that leap of faith right on over the edge of the cliff! We finished rappeling and got back to the barn to load up our gear and start our trek to low camp. We had to drive to the trail head of Shavano, so our low camp wasn't too far from the bus the first night. We finished up dinner and devo just in time for the storm of the century to blow in!! Oh my goodness..I was terrified! Of course, I'm sure the storm seemed magnified by the time the thunder vibrated off the surrounding mountains, but it was still very scary!
Monday morning we got up and packed all of our gear up to start the hike to high camp. This day is the day I always dread the most! For several reasons: 1. It is a hard hike, 2. You aren't acclimated yet, 3. It is a very physically strenuous day! Our kids stayed positive and did an excellent job on this hike! And just about the time we all started to get tired, and whiny...we stopped for what the guides called a 'quick break'....then as we got up to put our packs on, they announced bathroom areas and said the beloved.." WELCOME TO HIGH CAMP!!" We got set up and settled in to our new camp sites...this is where we stayed the remainder of the trip. We were awaken Tuesday morning to the glorious scent of pancakes and spam!! Oh my goodness, if you are like me, this sounds disgusting...but let me just tell you that is the best meal ever!! Then we were released for our solo time..this is a perfect 3 hours of alone time with you and the Lord...this alone time never ceases to be the most amazing time for our entire group! The Lord always shows his faithfulness in this time that we have..our devo on solo night was full of incredible stories, alot of laughter, and even tears. We spent the remainder of solo day playing mindless games and telling silly stories before we went to bed early anticipating the summit hike. We all went to bed with a knot in our stomachs...we knew if we woke up in the morning and it was raining that we wouldn't be able to summit...this would have been a very harsh reality to have to swallow after hiking so far. It was kind of funny, because I could hear the girls in the tent next to me chanting prayers to God, begging him to hold the rain!...and as always, he was so faithful! Not only did he hold the rain off, but he gave us the most beautiful day!! We got up at 2 am to start our summit hike. Thankfully, it wasn't too terribly cold and the wind was not howling bad at all! Our summit hike was absolutely amazing..we would stop periodically to look at the stars..and then to watch the sun rise...sheer beauty. Let me tell you, this was my fourth mountain to summit...but I have never felt more accomplished than to summit Mt. Shavano, 14,229 ft! One of the things that TEAM Ascend does that I LOVE...is they have each hiker find a rock along the way. This rock represents a sin, burden, problem, or whatever the student needs it to represent...and then when we reach summit, they have some time to pray over their rock and then toss it over the edge of the mountain, never to be seen again. So in our final devotional, they give everyone the opportunity to share what their rock represented. At the end of this night, there was not a dry eye in the room! I sat in my seat humbled to sit and listen to these students that I have come to love so much...get it. I listened as they finally started to grasp the concept of redemption and community. They were loving on each other as they struggled, they reassured each others insecurities. It was just beautiful to experience. I am so thankful that the Lord saw favor on me and allowed me to experience this with this group of students!
Sorry this was so long! I will leave you with some pictures!
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| solo time |
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| here comes the sun! |
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| my girls at summit |
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| getting ready to hike off! |
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| Summit of Mt. Shavano -14,229ft! |
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| Rappel site! |
Friday, July 8, 2011
Prayer Request...
Well, the time has finally come for us to head off to Colorado and climb Mt. Shavano! We are loading the bus this afternoon, and we will drive all night to arrive in Twin Lakes, CO tomorrow late afternoon. I am asking for you to be in prayer during this week. I have several things on my heart that I am asking you to bathe in prayer!
1. Safe travel (it's a long drive!...also for no more blow outs!)
2. Weather ( as of right now, the forecast is showing storms pretty much everyday that we are on the mountain!
If it is raining on Wed., our summit day, then we will not be able to summit...and it is also very miserable to be cold AND wet! So please pray for good weather!)
3. Our hearts (We are taking 6 boys and 7 girls. I am asking you to be in prayer that God reveals himself to each of us in a way that we have never experienced before! It is my prayer for each of our hearts to be broken very early on this journey, so that he has plenty of time to show us his majesty!)
I am so excited about what is to come this week! I know that God is sovereign and he will bless our week, rain or not. I know that he has a purpose and plan for each of us going on this journey. Who knows, he may need us wet and cold to be able to break us down completely! I can't wait to see all that the Lord teaches us while we are on this mountain. We will start climbing Sunday, summit Wednesday, and come off the mountain on Thursday, so please keep us in your prayers as you go through your week!
Just a quick update on life here in Houston! I was given the privilege of going to OK for the weekend with Steve and his family! Oh how much fun it was! We visited the Oklahoma City Memorial (where Timothy Mcveigh bombed the federal building), a Cowboy Museum, I had PORK BBQ!! and homestyle fried food!! It was a great weekend full of lots of fun and laughter!
We came home Monday just in time to make it to Hermann Park for the fireworks with the Houston Symphony...A-MA-ZING! The rest of the week we have been training and stuff to get ready for trek, we cleaned out the bus and got it all clean....and I FINALLY got to have a girls night!!! The schedule this summer has been pretty crazy, so I haven't been able to have a night with just my girls because our schedules weren't working out! We had so much fun watching The Little Mermaid!! I love that these girls never get too old to watch Disney Classics!!
Anyways, I love you all and I thank you for your prayers! The next time you hear from me will be after I have summitted Mt. Shavano!!
1. Safe travel (it's a long drive!...also for no more blow outs!)
2. Weather ( as of right now, the forecast is showing storms pretty much everyday that we are on the mountain!
If it is raining on Wed., our summit day, then we will not be able to summit...and it is also very miserable to be cold AND wet! So please pray for good weather!)
3. Our hearts (We are taking 6 boys and 7 girls. I am asking you to be in prayer that God reveals himself to each of us in a way that we have never experienced before! It is my prayer for each of our hearts to be broken very early on this journey, so that he has plenty of time to show us his majesty!)
I am so excited about what is to come this week! I know that God is sovereign and he will bless our week, rain or not. I know that he has a purpose and plan for each of us going on this journey. Who knows, he may need us wet and cold to be able to break us down completely! I can't wait to see all that the Lord teaches us while we are on this mountain. We will start climbing Sunday, summit Wednesday, and come off the mountain on Thursday, so please keep us in your prayers as you go through your week!
Just a quick update on life here in Houston! I was given the privilege of going to OK for the weekend with Steve and his family! Oh how much fun it was! We visited the Oklahoma City Memorial (where Timothy Mcveigh bombed the federal building), a Cowboy Museum, I had PORK BBQ!! and homestyle fried food!! It was a great weekend full of lots of fun and laughter!
We came home Monday just in time to make it to Hermann Park for the fireworks with the Houston Symphony...A-MA-ZING! The rest of the week we have been training and stuff to get ready for trek, we cleaned out the bus and got it all clean....and I FINALLY got to have a girls night!!! The schedule this summer has been pretty crazy, so I haven't been able to have a night with just my girls because our schedules weren't working out! We had so much fun watching The Little Mermaid!! I love that these girls never get too old to watch Disney Classics!!
Anyways, I love you all and I thank you for your prayers! The next time you hear from me will be after I have summitted Mt. Shavano!!
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| Cowboy Museum Dressup!! |
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| Jake and I ready to take pictures of the fireworks! |
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| My girls at movie night! |
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
It is HOT!
Wow, what an incredible week this has been! Westbury just had their VBS this past Saturday. We all worked so hard, and it went so great! We all had so much fun with the kids!!
A couple of posts back, I asked you to pray for my Daddy's health. So here is a quick update on him! Last Friday he went in the hospital for a heart cath and everything went very well! The put in two stints for two blockages: one was 70% blocked and the other 75%. He is now at home and recovering very well! Thank you all for your prayers! I know he felt each and everyone of them! we serve a Faithful God that hears his childrens' prayers and gives us the desires of our hearts!
This week we have gone into full training mode for Trek! We leave in less than 2 weeks. This time next week we will be getting rest for summit the next morning! I am very excited about Trek this year! Thankfully I do not have as much anxiety as I did last year! So we are running/walking everyday in order to get our bodies in somewhat good shape to be able to beast up Mt Shavano (14,229ft)!!
This week has been a bit slower, we are all trying to take a BIG breather...because the month of July is going to be CRAZY!!! I am leaving Friday to go to Oklahoma with Steve and his family! I am super excited to finally meet my other meant-to-be- sister Kristin!:) I know this will be a fun and refreshing trip for all of us before this month takes hold of us!
Thank you all for your constant prayer and encouragement! I love hearing from you all! I will leave you with some pictures!
A couple of posts back, I asked you to pray for my Daddy's health. So here is a quick update on him! Last Friday he went in the hospital for a heart cath and everything went very well! The put in two stints for two blockages: one was 70% blocked and the other 75%. He is now at home and recovering very well! Thank you all for your prayers! I know he felt each and everyone of them! we serve a Faithful God that hears his childrens' prayers and gives us the desires of our hearts!
This week we have gone into full training mode for Trek! We leave in less than 2 weeks. This time next week we will be getting rest for summit the next morning! I am very excited about Trek this year! Thankfully I do not have as much anxiety as I did last year! So we are running/walking everyday in order to get our bodies in somewhat good shape to be able to beast up Mt Shavano (14,229ft)!!
This week has been a bit slower, we are all trying to take a BIG breather...because the month of July is going to be CRAZY!!! I am leaving Friday to go to Oklahoma with Steve and his family! I am super excited to finally meet my other meant-to-be- sister Kristin!:) I know this will be a fun and refreshing trip for all of us before this month takes hold of us!
Thank you all for your constant prayer and encouragement! I love hearing from you all! I will leave you with some pictures!
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| Teens at Discovery Green Park |
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| I climbed a tree and got stuck! |
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| VBS! |
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| The best Bible Story crew EVER! |
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| Spongebob!! |
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Praise You in This Storm
The title of this blog was the theme for Model City Missions 2011 in Anniston, AL! What an amazing week this was! Our kids were able to serve God by serving the people in the Anniston community and those affected by the tornadoes in the Webster's Chapel community. I'm pretty sure we have more stories about the travel for this trip than for the entire week! We left last Sunday morning to make our journey to Bama. We were making such good timing until we rolled into Alabama and blew a tire! But as always, our God was so faithful to protect us! 1.Noone was hurt when the tire blew! 2. It blew right by a tire store! We were able to take the bus to this tire shop and take a supper break while they fixed the tire! Over the course of this amazing week our kids were able to work with younger children at a kid's camp, visit elderly people in a nursing home, participate in a prayer walk, and help with Tornado Relief in Webster's Chapel.
For the most part we helped two different families in Webster's Chapel. The first house we worked at was owned by an elderly couple. Both the man and woman were killed in the tornado. Their house was picked up off of the foundation and thrown across the street in the woods (we were only able to find half of the house). The children of this couple have been too traumatized with losing their parents that they have not been able to go back to clean up the site nor look for any salvageable valuables. So we did it for them. We found so many things such as shoes, old pictures, and homemade quilts!It made it so surreal to find so many things that I know would mean so much to me to maintain my parents' memory. The other family that we helped lost everything. We helped a lady named Paige. Her parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and brothers ALL lost everything they had in this storm! So we went and helped clear off the lot so they can start rebuilding her home here in the coming weeks. This site became a BIG blessing for our kids, because Paige actually stopped by to meet us! The teens were able to see her raw helplessness. It was a amazing to watch the teens surround Paige and love on her and pray over her. Once she left it was as if a whole new group of kids had shown up to help work. You could tell that by meeting Paige, it gave meaning and a purpose to what they were doing.
I have to tell you it was HOT this week! So it made any and everything we did that much harder to stay motivated when we were so exhausted by the heat! It was such a blessing to see God work in so many ways.
The time came for us to head back home yesterday. I will have you know that if we didn't get an hour down the road and blow yet ANOTHER tire..then I am not sitting here! Unfortunately this stop turned into about a 2 1/2 hr stop because we left so early that noone was open to help us! So after hitting every traffic jam for Alabama to Texas, we finally made it home at about 10:00 PM last night!
This week was full of worship, service, laughter and tears. But more importantly God was glorified by the selflessness of these kids! It was such an honor working alongside them! I will leave you with several pictures of the week! Love you all!
For the most part we helped two different families in Webster's Chapel. The first house we worked at was owned by an elderly couple. Both the man and woman were killed in the tornado. Their house was picked up off of the foundation and thrown across the street in the woods (we were only able to find half of the house). The children of this couple have been too traumatized with losing their parents that they have not been able to go back to clean up the site nor look for any salvageable valuables. So we did it for them. We found so many things such as shoes, old pictures, and homemade quilts!It made it so surreal to find so many things that I know would mean so much to me to maintain my parents' memory. The other family that we helped lost everything. We helped a lady named Paige. Her parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and brothers ALL lost everything they had in this storm! So we went and helped clear off the lot so they can start rebuilding her home here in the coming weeks. This site became a BIG blessing for our kids, because Paige actually stopped by to meet us! The teens were able to see her raw helplessness. It was a amazing to watch the teens surround Paige and love on her and pray over her. Once she left it was as if a whole new group of kids had shown up to help work. You could tell that by meeting Paige, it gave meaning and a purpose to what they were doing.
I have to tell you it was HOT this week! So it made any and everything we did that much harder to stay motivated when we were so exhausted by the heat! It was such a blessing to see God work in so many ways.
The time came for us to head back home yesterday. I will have you know that if we didn't get an hour down the road and blow yet ANOTHER tire..then I am not sitting here! Unfortunately this stop turned into about a 2 1/2 hr stop because we left so early that noone was open to help us! So after hitting every traffic jam for Alabama to Texas, we finally made it home at about 10:00 PM last night!
This week was full of worship, service, laughter and tears. But more importantly God was glorified by the selflessness of these kids! It was such an honor working alongside them! I will leave you with several pictures of the week! Love you all!
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| Memorial for the older couple that died. |
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| Site where their home used to stand. |
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| The boys moving this big ole log! |
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| Prayer Walk |
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| Cleaning up Paige's property. |
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| Westbury crew at Oxford Lake. |
Friday, June 10, 2011
Following His Directions....Getting Blessed!
This week, the Lord has led me to Psalms 119..what a journey this scripture has taken me on! I'll leave you with the part that spoke to me the most...I encourage you to read the passage in its entirety. The passage considered to mark the very center of scripture holds some of the most encouraging lines!
"You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You're blessed when you follow his directions,
doing your best to find him.
That's right—you don't go off on your own;
you walk straight along the road he set.
You, God, prescribed the right way to live;
now you expect us to live it.
Oh, that my steps might be steady,
keeping to the course you set;
Then I'd never have any regrets
in comparing my life with your counsel.
I thank you for speaking straight from your heart;
I learn the pattern of your righteous ways.
I'm going to do what you tell me to do; " Psalms 119: 1-8
Now, here is a quick synopsis of my past two weeks in Houston! I have been to countless numbers of graduations and graduation parties!! Oh my goodness, I have no desire to attend another graduation ceremony until my own next spring! Speaking of my graduation...I took the PRAXIS this past week. (This test is a standardized test I have to take in order to be certified as a teacher)...I PASSED!!! I am so excited to have this past me!
I have enjoyed water balloon fights, slip-n-slides, movie nights, VBS workdays, SYS area wide,an Astros game, and some nice R&R by the pool! I have spent most of my time in the office with Steve working on stuff for Camp Bandina in July. I have also spent a good bit of time working on building a mural to advertise for our VBS.
This Sunday we are heading off to Alabama!!! That's right, I'm headed back home for Model City Missions 2011! I am so excited about this week! I know the Lord has a lot in store for all of those involved in this amazing week of service! It is so comforting to me to know that the Lord has ordained for every student that will come from all over to participate in this work camp to be changed. He knows everyone of them by name, and He has a purpose and a plan for everyone of them. I love that He saw favor on me to allow me to be apart of watching them fulfill His purpose in their own lives.
Please be in prayer for our safe travel! Pray that God rocks our world in Anniston, AL.
***Also, a quick prayer request! Most of you know the problems my Daddy has with his heart, well we have some more blockages...so he will be undergoing a Heart Cath on June 24th. Please pray for Dr. Salame and his team as they operate on him. It is difficult being so far away when this is going on, but I know the Lord has a purpose for everything!
I will leave you all with some pictures from the past two weeks!
Love you all!
"You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You're blessed when you follow his directions,
doing your best to find him.
That's right—you don't go off on your own;
you walk straight along the road he set.
You, God, prescribed the right way to live;
now you expect us to live it.
Oh, that my steps might be steady,
keeping to the course you set;
Then I'd never have any regrets
in comparing my life with your counsel.
I thank you for speaking straight from your heart;
I learn the pattern of your righteous ways.
I'm going to do what you tell me to do; " Psalms 119: 1-8
Now, here is a quick synopsis of my past two weeks in Houston! I have been to countless numbers of graduations and graduation parties!! Oh my goodness, I have no desire to attend another graduation ceremony until my own next spring! Speaking of my graduation...I took the PRAXIS this past week. (This test is a standardized test I have to take in order to be certified as a teacher)...I PASSED!!! I am so excited to have this past me!
I have enjoyed water balloon fights, slip-n-slides, movie nights, VBS workdays, SYS area wide,an Astros game, and some nice R&R by the pool! I have spent most of my time in the office with Steve working on stuff for Camp Bandina in July. I have also spent a good bit of time working on building a mural to advertise for our VBS.
This Sunday we are heading off to Alabama!!! That's right, I'm headed back home for Model City Missions 2011! I am so excited about this week! I know the Lord has a lot in store for all of those involved in this amazing week of service! It is so comforting to me to know that the Lord has ordained for every student that will come from all over to participate in this work camp to be changed. He knows everyone of them by name, and He has a purpose and a plan for everyone of them. I love that He saw favor on me to allow me to be apart of watching them fulfill His purpose in their own lives.
Please be in prayer for our safe travel! Pray that God rocks our world in Anniston, AL.
***Also, a quick prayer request! Most of you know the problems my Daddy has with his heart, well we have some more blockages...so he will be undergoing a Heart Cath on June 24th. Please pray for Dr. Salame and his team as they operate on him. It is difficult being so far away when this is going on, but I know the Lord has a purpose for everything!
I will leave you all with some pictures from the past two weeks!
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| Joshelyn's Graduation |
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| Some of the teens at SYS area wide! |
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| VBS Mural |
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| VBS workday! |
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| Slip-n Slide! |
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| Water party!! |
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Jogging with the Lord...
"I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalms 16: 7-9
I have made it my goal to start jogging and getting back into shape while I am in Houston this summer! I have only been at this new task for all of three days, and I am already feeling Satan pulling at my edges! He is doing this through lack of motivation and planting excuses in my head!! My original plan was to get up every morning around 6:30 and go for a jog to start my day off....well for those of you that know me, you know this plan never came to fruition! I can't seem to force myself out of bed when I have another hour to sleep before I have to get up for work! So, I decided to compromise with myself... .around 7:30 PM the humidity isn't so bad, so it is bearable to get out and go running. The only con to this is sometimes my schedule does not place me at home around 7:30ish. Anyways, this time I have alone with the Lord has really proven to be a solid, peaceful time! As I was studying the other day before my jog, I came across Psalm 16 (the passage above). "With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken", my new motto. As most of you know, Holly is SEVERELY out of shape!! So there has come many times when I have been jogging that Satan starts feeding me these lies: "Oh you've run long enough", "It's starting to get dark", "Your heart is literally about to beat out of your chest, STOP!", or "uh..yea...you're legs are seriously about to splat into a puddle of jello!". I have found, however, reciting this scripture and demanding Satan leave this sacred time I have with the Lord has been truly reviving! I find myself talking to the Lord....OUTLOUD! I know these TX people are thinking, "Where do these crazy people come from?!" I caught myself the other day saying, "Lord...you see that STOP sign up there?..ok, I'm not stopping for a rest till WE get there....so you better be picking up your pace, because I'm slowing down!"...hahaha..don't you know how much the Lord is entertained by our stupid complaints!! He quickly reassured me,
"With me at your right hand, you will not be shaken!"
I am so thankful to serve a faithful God, and God that takes time out of running this crazy world to go on a jog with me!....ah..I think I am in love:)
P.S. things are great here in Houston! I will try and update on what is going on here sometime next week...not much is happening right now while the kids are taking finals and finishing up school!
Love you all!
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalms 16: 7-9
I have made it my goal to start jogging and getting back into shape while I am in Houston this summer! I have only been at this new task for all of three days, and I am already feeling Satan pulling at my edges! He is doing this through lack of motivation and planting excuses in my head!! My original plan was to get up every morning around 6:30 and go for a jog to start my day off....well for those of you that know me, you know this plan never came to fruition! I can't seem to force myself out of bed when I have another hour to sleep before I have to get up for work! So, I decided to compromise with myself... .around 7:30 PM the humidity isn't so bad, so it is bearable to get out and go running. The only con to this is sometimes my schedule does not place me at home around 7:30ish. Anyways, this time I have alone with the Lord has really proven to be a solid, peaceful time! As I was studying the other day before my jog, I came across Psalm 16 (the passage above). "With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken", my new motto. As most of you know, Holly is SEVERELY out of shape!! So there has come many times when I have been jogging that Satan starts feeding me these lies: "Oh you've run long enough", "It's starting to get dark", "Your heart is literally about to beat out of your chest, STOP!", or "uh..yea...you're legs are seriously about to splat into a puddle of jello!". I have found, however, reciting this scripture and demanding Satan leave this sacred time I have with the Lord has been truly reviving! I find myself talking to the Lord....OUTLOUD! I know these TX people are thinking, "Where do these crazy people come from?!" I caught myself the other day saying, "Lord...you see that STOP sign up there?..ok, I'm not stopping for a rest till WE get there....so you better be picking up your pace, because I'm slowing down!"...hahaha..don't you know how much the Lord is entertained by our stupid complaints!! He quickly reassured me,
"With me at your right hand, you will not be shaken!"
I am so thankful to serve a faithful God, and God that takes time out of running this crazy world to go on a jog with me!....ah..I think I am in love:)
P.S. things are great here in Houston! I will try and update on what is going on here sometime next week...not much is happening right now while the kids are taking finals and finishing up school!
Love you all!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
I'm HERE!!!!
My sweet friend Ellen took off work to help me drive the long drive! Thankfully, our trip was for the most part uneventful! The only glitch we had was my GPS dying!! But, thanks to my wonderful sense of direction (for those of you that actually KNOW me, you are rolling the floor laughing at this point!) we made it safely to Houston! We pulled in around 5:15, jogged in the house, quickly said hello to Margie, and got started unloading. I would like to say that we had the car unloaded within five minutes, and I was completely unpacked and settled in within 20 minutes!! Impressive right?! We quickly threw on a dress, and somewhat pulled ourselves together and headed out to Westbury Christian Schools graduation! Graduation started at 7:00, so we needed to be there by 6:30 and I live 20 minutes away from the church (I'll let you do the math!). This was a very fun night! I was able to surprise several of the kids that night!
Then on Saturday, Ellen and I spent the morning together. We ran to David's Bridal to try on some bridesmaids dresses, and then went and had lunch before I took her to the airport. I then attended on my students graduation parties! It was a crawfish broil! It was a very interesting experience!!
I am wrapping up my first Sunday here! I attended another graduation party tonight where we played water balloon volleyball! As you can tell, I have been very busy!! But I am loving every minute of it!!
Tomorrow we are all going to play paintball!! This should be another interesting experience!
Ok, sorry this was so long!! Just wanted to kind of update everyone on what I have been up to my first couple of days here!! I love you all and I will leave you with a few pictures!
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| Me and Ellen at WCS graduation |
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| Cody teaching me how to eat crawfish! |
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| Me and some of my girls after water balloon volleyball! |
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
TWO Days!!!!
Oh. My. Goodness. I only have two more days to wrap everything here in Alabama! Thankfully both of my professors are giving me my final a day early. I finished one last night, and I will complete my last final today! SO thankful for this!! I will now have Thursday to spend here at home tying up some loose ends!
On the agenda for tomorrow:
This will probably be my last post until I am IN HOUSTON!! So, for all of my Houston people, I'll SEE YOU SOON!
I love you all and thank you for all of your support for my journey!
Unitl next time,
Hollyann
On the agenda for tomorrow:
- take my car to be rotated and balanced
- get the oil changed
- pack, then pack my car!
- got to Jake's graduation
- SLEEP
This will probably be my last post until I am IN HOUSTON!! So, for all of my Houston people, I'll SEE YOU SOON!
I love you all and thank you for all of your support for my journey!
Unitl next time,
Hollyann
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Countdown Begins!!
We are officially one week and two days away from my departure!! I am so excited to get this summer jump started! I know the Lord has got some great plans for this summer! I am just ready started fulfilling those plans! Please be in prayer as I finish up this last week of school and get ready to head out on this incredible journey!
Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth— he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 33
Have a Blessed week!!
Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth— he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 33
Have a Blessed week!!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
April Update
Oh my goodness! This has been a CRAZY month! I thankfully finished up my Spring semester in school. So I have had two weeks off to enjoy my freedom before my May semester! I don't know how else to describe this past week other than utterly insane. The devastating tornadoes came right through my small home down, leaving nothing but debris and fallen trees. It has been absolutely breathtaking to see all of the damage this small town has undergone. Last Wednesday, April, 27th was the day it all hit!There were two bands of storms that came through. Wednesday morning at about 6:30 AM there was a tornado that came through Ohatchee. This storm hit my family. Thankfully we have minimal damage to the house. A tree fell on one of our cars, and a trailer that my dad owns. We also have about 40+ trees down, or i guess I should say, completely uprooted. So needless to say, we spent all day Wednesday trying to clean up our yard and clear our driveway so we could at least get in and out! All the while knowing there were MAJOR storms coming through that night. So without power AND water, we all settled in to our home safely and waited out the storm. Not knowing this storm would completely wipe out half of our town. All we could do is sit back and watch as the storm came through and then sit back and wait to hear about all of the damage. Alabama took a big hit; this storm claimed over 250 lives. Thursday we went out to some of the main sites that were hit to try and help those that we could. It was so overwhelming trying to help people salvage what was left of their already struggling lives! It was so powerful to hear some of the survival stories; and at the same time just as sobering to hear the horrific stories of those who had lost their lives. We have a lot of work ahead of us to clean up and pick up all of the pieces of our town! Please join me in my prayer for those who have lost so much.
Today I celebrated my 21st birthday! My family took me out to dinner last night to celebrate. It was a night full of fun and laughter. (which pretty much happens anytime you get my family together!) I came home from my night class and my sweet mother had fixed me my favorite homemade apple cobbler...yum!! Concluding this amazing day, my wonderful kids from TX made me a video for my birthday!! I will post it soon so you can see it!
Quick internship update: I finish my May classes May 26th, so I leave May 27th to head that way! As of this writing we are 22 days away!! I am so excited about seeing my family there and I know the Lord has so many wonderful plans in store for us!!
Until next time,
Hollyann
Today I celebrated my 21st birthday! My family took me out to dinner last night to celebrate. It was a night full of fun and laughter. (which pretty much happens anytime you get my family together!) I came home from my night class and my sweet mother had fixed me my favorite homemade apple cobbler...yum!! Concluding this amazing day, my wonderful kids from TX made me a video for my birthday!! I will post it soon so you can see it!
Quick internship update: I finish my May classes May 26th, so I leave May 27th to head that way! As of this writing we are 22 days away!! I am so excited about seeing my family there and I know the Lord has so many wonderful plans in store for us!!
Until next time,
Hollyann
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Summer 2011
Wow...I can't believe we are already within two months of another awesome summer! It's about that time to get this thing back and running for SUMMER 2011!!! I can't even begin to express to any of you how excited I am about this upcoming summer! The Lord is already working in some pretty amazing ways, and I can't wait to see all that he has in store for us! I am super excited about taking this journey with you all again!!!
More to come soon, so stay posted!
Hollyann
More to come soon, so stay posted!
Hollyann
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Home....but heart broken...
Well folks, this will be the last post...I have been home now for a little over a week. It is great to be home, and see my family and friends that I have missed....but Oh my heart won't let go of my kids back in Houston.
I got ALOT done my last week in TX! Steve and his family went to CO for vacation, so it was my personal goal to get as much as I could done, and surprise Steve when he got back! OH BOY was he surprised! I busted my tail! I completely cleaned off his desk, and straightened up his office. My next project was to hang the pictures with the Tshirts I decorated the youth room with. Last but not least, I painted the hallway leading into the youth room. WOW was this a BIG job! So big, I even pinched a nerve in my neck doing it! But it was cool being able to surprise Steve with all that got done!So my last Sunday in Houston, the kids threw me a going away party. Oh my, it was too sweet. Some of the girls put together an AMAZING scrapbook! This isn't any ordinary scrapbook...this thang is VERY well done. I know they had to have spent countless hours working on it! And they will never know how much it means to me! As a matter of fact, I look at it every night before I go to bed! BUT....that is NOT ALL! They wrote me a song!!!...and they sang it to me at the party. Oh thinking back to this night just brings tears to my eyes! Once all of the sad goodbyes were said, we took it outside to the courtyard for a fun-filled evening with WATER! So many memories were made in this night alone. Pulling out of the parking lot that night was probably one of the hardest things I have done in a long time!
But every good thing must come to an end...so I am now back home. Everything that I do, I'm always thinking, ' I wander what they are doing right now' or, '__ would love this!'. I even caught myself talking to myself in my car! Each of the kids chose a song on my Ipod, and we listened to it anytime they were in my car. So of course, I listen to those songs ALL the time! But one particular night I was coming home from work just a singin' to the their songs, and then I started having conversations with them! Thankfully my cell phone rang, helping to realize how insane I had gone!
So, for the time being, my prayer is that the Lord will start to heal my heart. I need my joy restored! I am having such a hard time finding happiness in anything that I am doing. I start back to college next Thursday, so hopefully I will get busy, and it will help to get my mind on other things. In the meantime, please keep me in your prayers as I am still adjusting to my life back home. I am leaving you with some pictures of my last days in Texas.
It has been a fun summer, and I have enjoyed taking this journey with each you! Love you all!
I got ALOT done my last week in TX! Steve and his family went to CO for vacation, so it was my personal goal to get as much as I could done, and surprise Steve when he got back! OH BOY was he surprised! I busted my tail! I completely cleaned off his desk, and straightened up his office. My next project was to hang the pictures with the Tshirts I decorated the youth room with. Last but not least, I painted the hallway leading into the youth room. WOW was this a BIG job! So big, I even pinched a nerve in my neck doing it! But it was cool being able to surprise Steve with all that got done!So my last Sunday in Houston, the kids threw me a going away party. Oh my, it was too sweet. Some of the girls put together an AMAZING scrapbook! This isn't any ordinary scrapbook...this thang is VERY well done. I know they had to have spent countless hours working on it! And they will never know how much it means to me! As a matter of fact, I look at it every night before I go to bed! BUT....that is NOT ALL! They wrote me a song!!!...and they sang it to me at the party. Oh thinking back to this night just brings tears to my eyes! Once all of the sad goodbyes were said, we took it outside to the courtyard for a fun-filled evening with WATER! So many memories were made in this night alone. Pulling out of the parking lot that night was probably one of the hardest things I have done in a long time!
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| pictures with t-shirts |
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| hallway that i painted |
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| the girls showing me the scrapbook |
But every good thing must come to an end...so I am now back home. Everything that I do, I'm always thinking, ' I wander what they are doing right now' or, '__ would love this!'. I even caught myself talking to myself in my car! Each of the kids chose a song on my Ipod, and we listened to it anytime they were in my car. So of course, I listen to those songs ALL the time! But one particular night I was coming home from work just a singin' to the their songs, and then I started having conversations with them! Thankfully my cell phone rang, helping to realize how insane I had gone!
So, for the time being, my prayer is that the Lord will start to heal my heart. I need my joy restored! I am having such a hard time finding happiness in anything that I am doing. I start back to college next Thursday, so hopefully I will get busy, and it will help to get my mind on other things. In the meantime, please keep me in your prayers as I am still adjusting to my life back home. I am leaving you with some pictures of my last days in Texas.
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| the whole crew at the water party... |
It has been a fun summer, and I have enjoyed taking this journey with each you! Love you all!
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