Interview Update

So I had my interview on Friday. I think it went well. I was interviewed by 6 people (principal, vice principal and counselors) so that i wasn't expecting. They said they would let the candidates know sometime this week. So until then, I just wait.

I do have a five week contract grading WASL tests though, so that is good.

I will let you all know if I get the job or not.

Job Interview

If you read this today, Friday March 24th please pray for me. I have a job interview at 2:15pm for an office position at a middle school in Tacoma. Please pray that I do what God wants me to do, and not what I want to do. I'm still struggling with whether to move to CA or stay here. So if God wants me to move, then I believe he'll just shut the door on this interview. And I believe if He wants me to stay he'll open the door wide.

UGH...I hate interviews!

I will post later tonight how it went. Thank you all my prayer warrior friends.

PBR....

....the toughest sport on dirt!

I'm not much of a sports watcher. I don't get into football, basketball, and baseball; however, you bring around the boys of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) and my eyes light up like its Christmastime. So most of you are thinking...she's just watching because the cowboys are cute and they look good in their wranglers. Well yes, that is one reason I watch :) However, I truly love the sport of bull riding. It is fascinating to me how a man can get up on a mean nasty looking tough bull week after week and ride for eight seconds. The get dumped on their heads, knocked off on their keisters, and who knows what else happens...yet they dust themselves off and away they go again. Our family has been watching bull riding since I was a little kid, going to local rodeos to watch one of my uncles ride. It's in my blood!

Working for KMPS I get tickets into events that we are working at, so we were set up at the Tacoma Dome on Sunday for the PBR. We sat in the "Built Ford Tough Tailgate Section". Which means that we were directly down from the shoots (where the riders come out) with a clear view of all that was happening. We had great comfortable stadium type seats. AWESOME! The cool thing about watching the rides on Sunday is that you get to watch the final round of 15 riders that were the best from Saturday and Sunday...so about 3 hours of bull riding.



This is Sean Willingham who beat everyone to take home all the money yesterday.



This is Jody Newberry who took second.

The way the PBR works though is by a points system, so even though these two came in first and second the top spot in the Ford Series is Adriano Moraes, a bull rider from Brazil, who is absolutely amazing.

The best part? As we were leaving ALL the boys were walking around signing autographs, and since we were already down on the concourse where they were walking I just stayed right were I was and got an autograph from every single rider who came out. It was cool. If you have never watched the PBR, check out the OLN (Outdoor Life Network) station and check it out.

Congratulations to the Burns Family

Welcome to the world Guenevere Grace Burns, born to friends Chris and Jenni Burns this morning at 7:02 am. What a beautiful name they have picked for such a beautiful gift from God! Congratulations goes out to the whole family, and I pray many blessings on Guenevere and guidance and protection throughout her life.







This is a family picture of the Burns with their two little boys. I'm sure if you link to the Burns (located in my friends section on the right) they will have pictures of Guenevere Grace soon.

Disney Cruise!

I'm so excited, I'm so excited....

I am headed to Port Canaveral, Florida in July to join up with my best friend Susana and her family for a vacation on the Disney Cruise Ship, Disney Wonder. We leave July 9th and return the 13th. We will be visiting Nassau, Bahamas and Disney's Castaway Bay. We will be seeing lots of Disney theatre presentations, swimming in the Mickey pool, and eating 24/7!

Whoo Hooo! Now, I just got to figure out how I'm getting to Florida!!!!

Attitude!

So, I was required by the State of WA to attend a mandatory class to explain unemployment benefits and to encourage you in your search for a new job/career. I was supposed to take this class in February; however, with my trip to Asia I had to put it off for a month.

I have to admit, I went in with a terrible attitude. Thinking, "WHY??" I know how to job search, I know about unemployment benefits, I didn't like the lady who answered the phone and tried to help...the list goes on. So instead of being encouraged on how to search for a job, I left knowing that I needed to search my heart concerning my attitude towards the whole thing.

I am not above others. I have nothing more than those that are in the same boat as me with unemployment. Why do I think myself above these menial classes? Is it pride? Ouch! What I do have is Jesus Christ living in my heart, but was He evident today? Probably not and for that I do ask forgiveness.

My faith level has increased since being unemployed, as I am relying solely on God and his provision in my life. However, my attitude sometimes needs a little adjusting. Just as people go to a Chiropractor for regular adjustments, I find I need to go daily before the throne for my attitude adjustment. Thank you Jesus that I am mature enough to recognize the bad attitudes and snottiness that can come forth, and thank you that you forgive me and show me how to move on and which road to take.

I am still praying for open doors and direction during this time in my life. At my current "Y" in life, do I go to the left or go to the right? What is down each path waiting for me at the end? Have I hesiatated too long at the Y? Did God nudge me one direction, and I just didn't pay attention? Thank God, He is there at the Y making sure I make the right decision. And you know what? Even if I didn't make the perfect decision, I serve a God that can make that lesser decision the best for me life. What an awesome God. I firmly believe that the direction to take is coming soon.

Thanks for listening, or should I say reading.

Project Runway Winner

Ok....Marcie do not read any further if you haven't watched the finale of Project Runway!

So the three had their final runway show at Olympus Fashion Week last night! Debra Messing from Will and Grace was the celebrity judge...she is so cute! The collections were absolutely fabulous...ok, maybe Santino's wasn't fabulous. He decided to play it safe and didn't show much "Santino" in his work, which meant he was asked to leave the runway.

My favorite of course was Daniel's! Did you see the white coat he made...fantastic. The thing I liked about his collection was that it was so versatile. There were coats, pants, evening gowns, etc...a little something for everyone. Alas...my fav didn't win....but he was offered a job by Michael Kors...impressive.

...so that means Chloe took home the Project Runway Title. She did excellent work. She focused mainly on evening gowns, as she said that it was her fantasy to create evening gowns. I liked most of them, but not all of them.

Congratulation Chloe on a job well done!

So...just a quick note to ask, "Why do we have SNOW falling on March 9th?????" It is looking like a blizzard at my house, what's up with that?

Project Runway

Ok, I admit it...I am a Project Runway junkie. I started watching it last season and continued through this second season. If you haven't seen it, it airs Wednesday nights at 10pm on Bravo TV. It is a fabulous design show that auditions thousands, narrows it down to 16 designers for the season and then eliminates them all to get to the final 3!!! Along the way, they are asked to create designs for various competitions....a My Scene Barbie Doll, outfit for Nicky Hilton, a dress for model Iman, an outfit made out of all flowers. These people are simply amazing.

Anyways, the finale is on tomorrow night. The final 3 had to create a wardrobe of 12 outfits and they are showing them at fashion week. So who do you think is going to win? I really want Daniel V. to win; however, I think Santino might sneak through and take the prize.



Daniel V. is my favorite and I hope he wins...here is his Bio:

Daniel, a recent graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, has traveled the world over in order to broaden his fashion technique and cultivate his talents as a designer. From fashion seminars by Li Edelkoort in Florence, Milan and Paris to working at Gorland/Ittiere in London, Daniel has been a committed globetrotter in order to find his place in the fashion world.

His efforts were rewarded when he was chosen as one of two students from F.I.T. to participate in Milan’s international design competition Milano Studia la Moda in November 2004. He also received critical acclaim when critic Emilio Cavalini chose Daniel’s design for his own window display during the Pitti Filati 2004/2005 Trend Show. Daniel then returned to the United States to gather more experience working alongside fashion designer Sari Gueron as an intern for the spring ’05 season in New York City.

Though designing is Daniel’s principal passion, he has also achieved professional status as a dance instructor/choreographer as well as being a competitive national gymnast for 12 years. Daniel’s zest for life continues to expose him to new ideas and people, leading him to the cast of Project Runway. When he is not designing, Daniel intends to continue pursuing other interests such as learning the violin by the time he’s 25 and learning to surf before age 30.



Santino isn't my favorite because of his attitude and comments to the other designers; however, I do think he is talented. And when he isn't trying to shock the world he has some great designs. Here is his Bio:

Santino Quinto Rice was born and raised in St. Charles, Missouri. At 17, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a fashion designer. Santino graduated from The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. School helped him organize his thoughts; however the hands-on experience he gained from working in the fashion industry was his move valuable education. While still in school, Santino began assisting acclaimed artist/designer Tony Duquette. This experience was one of the biggest turning points in Santino’s life. The knowledge he learned from Duquette was invaluable.

With a love for the process of making things, Santino was adamant on learning everything he could about dressmaking. Santino became skilled at all the technical aspects of garment construction. When designer positions were not available, Santino could easily keep afloat financially by taking other positions such as “cutter” or assistant designer, due to his knowledge and experience. Working behind the scenes at many Los Angeles fashion companies, Santino became indispensable to other designers. He continues honing his craft to prepare for the day when he establishes his own label.

Santino is constantly looking for something he has never seen before. Known for bringing an exotic and handcrafted touch to his garments, Santino believes in the concept of infusing worth and importance to a garment, he does this through handwork and various finishing techniques.



Chloe, what can I say? She is cute and she has great designs. I just like Daniel V. better. Here is a condensed bio (as it was extremely long...)

Chloe Dao, a Vietnamese born in Pakse, Laos, is living the American dream. Born the sixth child of eight girls in her family, she emigrated to the U.S. with her family in 1979 and settled in Houston, Texas.

By the age of ten, Chloe saw her first episode of “Style with Elsa Klensch” on CNN and knew she wanted to be a fashion designer. She majored in marketing at the University of Houston, but after one year in college she realized her childhood dream of becoming a fashion designer had to be fulfilled.

Inspired by her mother, a successful business owner, Chloe began her pursuit of becoming a designer and enrolled in the fashion design program at Houston Community College. After one semester, she took a week vacation to New York City that turned into an eight-year career.

In 1992, Chloe enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology with a focus on pattern making. Before graduating, Chloe worked with Madame Rossuel, a costume couture shop where she was first exposed to couture details and techniques, the art of window displays and the management of a sole proprietor business.

Hindu Parade

We were in Singapore during the last few days of the Chinese New Year celebration. During this time there are numerous parades for all different sorts of activities and religions. We were headed out from the YMCA where we were staying, and saw this Hindu parade going by. All the men were carrying these enormously heavy contraptions that were attached to their bodies with needles and bolts. There wasn't just one or two in this parade, but tons and the parade was still going on when we got home in the early evening.






Again, another man in the Hindu parade. It is amazing that they believe that they need to go through so much pain to worship their gods. Isn't it nice to know that we don't have to go through this physical pain to be close to our God? The only pain we need to go through is the death of our selves daily as we pick up our Saviour's cross!

Lunch with the Monks

Carol, Myself, and Harrison during our lunch with the Buddhist Monks at Bright Hill Temple in Singapore.


We had the opportunity to eat lunch with Buddhist Monks during their Blessed Day. What a God divine opportunity we had....this is a group of us listening after lunch was through.


Laura and Melissa...great girls!


This is a giant Buddha that is located at Bright Hill Temple. This particular temple is one of the largest in Singapore. It actually has five different temples on site, which start at the bottom of the hill and go up, each supposedly more holy than the next. This particular Buddha is quite large, and was new this year. While at this same temple we had the opportunity to watch a Buddhist funeral. Very sad knowing that the are not going to Heaven!

Pastor Christopher

This is Pastor Christopher Nanda and his wife Molly Margaret, who we all call Mommy Margaret. They were our hosts while in Malaysia...great man of faith!

Futbol Anyone!

While in Malaysia with Christopher he took us out to a big field to play soccer. He plays regularly with a bunch of locals...which I am sure is his way of ministering to people as well as having fun.


Not a great close up picture; however, if you see any flash of white skin...that is us! The boys had a great time playing soccer, while the rest of us watched the bats flying around and wondering if any of the cobra snakes in teh jungle behind them would come out and get us!


You always watch those movies where you see piles of people in the back of big trucks and wonder how they can fit anymore in the truck, and is it really safe. And you think to yourself, "I hope I never have to ride in one of those!" Well...we did! This is how we got to the soccer field, all of us piled into the back of a big truck and away we went.

Sunday School in Singapore

While in Singapore, we were able to have Sunday School for a local church. They sent us all the materials before we left for our trip, so the students had time to prepare. They all did a fantastic job!

There is a song called, "Jesus is my Superhero!" and they did a dance to it. Very good job done by all...especially Chandler who got to fly like Superman!


This is a group shot of the kids in their Sunday School Class!


This is one of our first year students, Melissa B, telling a story about storms (those are storm makers behind her), and how they make lots of noise and at times the lights even go out; however, with Jesus we never have to be scared for He is our light at all times. Way to go Sista!


This is some of our guys playing soccer with some of the kids and adults after church.

Some Fun Times Too!

Of course we have fun times in the middle of mission trips. God created fun right alongside the times of ministry!


This is me having some fun shopping in the Chinatown part of Singapore. I don't think those sunglasses are really quite right for my face what do you think? Of course I bartered for a new pair...$5!


This is a picture of Jonathan, Jessica, Katie and Myself getting ready to luge down the hill to Sentosa Island in Singapore. It is a combination of luge and go carts...you sit down and control the luge with the handle bars. Very fun...a little slippery as it had been pouring just a few minutes before we got on!

Village Children

We visited a village while in Bali, and had the opportunity to give each child that came out a toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss. Then one of our young ladies, Nikki, gave a lesson on how to properly brush your teeth. Going to a dentist in a third world country is not really a priority for these people, so any help they get is a blessing. They loved all of us taking their pictures...especially the boys (now how does that differ from boys here in the US?)



These girls in this picture gave us a little demonstration of how they dance. It was very beautiful and poignant. However, it was very sad to me how they were dancing when I learned later a little bit more about the dance. I was told by one of the people that took us out to the village that the dance is a dance that the girls learn as children, so that when they get older they can dance in the temples. So more or less it is how they worship to their gods. It was very sad to me, as I see worship as a freedom of my love for God, and their dance was very regimented and controlled.

Praying for Students

Here are some pictures from our trip, as I promised



This is a group of our students praying for the Bible College Students in Bali, Indonesia. These students come from mostly Hindu and Buddhist backgrounds, and once saved usually rejected by their families because of their new faith. They attend the College for one year, and then are sent to remote places in Indonesia to church plant and become a part of the community, learning how to share Jesus to those people. We have a lot to learn from these students.



This is Dustin, Kim, and Ashley leading worship at the same Bible College. It was weird to hear familiar worship songs, and then hear the words in a foreign language. I could never sing the songs, because my brain couldn't disassociate what I was hearing from what I knew.

I Corinthians 13

A great devotional mechanism that my church, Puyallup Foursquare, uses is S.O.A.P. Which stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. We corporately read through the Bible in a years time, and part of our reading came out of I Corinthians today. I just wanted to share with you what I got out of it, and pray that it helps you somewhere in your Christian walk.

S: I Corinthians 13:8a & 13, "Love never fails. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

O: Love is the grandest of all--loves saves, by the blood of Jesus Christ. Love heals--by the stripes of Jesus Christ. Love overlooks and understands all--by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.

A: If love is the grandest factor--and not just a mere emotion--why is it the hardest thing to achieve in my life? Why is it so hard to love family that seems abnormal--but in truth just needs that extra dose of love? Why is it so hard to love those friends or acquaintances that God has given me--but in truth just need an extra dose of love? Why is it so hard to love the lost, the blind, the seeking--when in truth they just need to see love, perhaps for the very first time in their life?

Is it selfishness that keeps me from loving as I should? Is it laziness? Is it pride? Do I feel as if I give love--but in reality it is superficial? What questions to ask, and to truly search my heart expecting God to answer!

P: Lord, thank you that the greatest "emotion" is love and that You give it so freely and to those who are unworthy--me being one who is unworthy of such love. Yet You look to the heart and see what is truly there--what is truly the lifeblood of our lives, our very souls! I pray that when You search my heart that You would find love--not just for You, as I love You above all things--but love for family, friends, church members, and more importantly the lost, the blind, the deaf/mute, the seeking! The ones who You want to bring into Your overwhelming love. I pray for divine appointments to reach out and love people. Just because I am no longer on the "mission field" in SE Asia, I am still on the mission field of God's eternal quest to share His love, mercy and grace to lost and hurting generations. Shame on me if I miss any opportunity to share the Love of Jesus Christ! Love never fails!

Home Again

We finally got home on Saturday morning to the airport about 8am. We were supposed to get in on Friday night; however, our plane was delayed in Hong Kong for an hour and a half due to bad brakes. Thus we missed our connecting flight from San Francisco back to Seattle. So all 24 of us were put up at the Hyatt Regency and were provided a nice dinner at their restaurant.

A couple of more side notes about our trip:

1. A Hindu cab driver was saved at a cell group in Bali that one of our groups attended while there!

2. While at one of the orphanages, some of us were able to pray for healing in a couple of the children, and saw that they were healed of their infirmities.

3. Worshipping in other countries, in other languages was great and also made us realize that we all serve the same God all over the world. It makes us get out of our small American minded way of thinking.

I am still getting used to the time difference back at home; however, I am doing fairly well. I made myself stay awake all day Saturday so that I wouldn't totally be out of whack! It is good to be home though!

Blessings and many thanks for all the prayers!

Last Night in Singapore

Hi all, we are back in Singapore and we head home tomorrow Friday the 24th. We leave at 5pm, and get to California at 5pm...weird!

We've had an awesome trip so far (because it truly isn't over, even in the fun times). We prayer walked Singapore, and went through temples and mosques. It is always an experience to go through the Buddhist and Hindu Temples and know that these people are so lost, and only Jesus can save them. We went to Bright Hill Temple where it was the "Blessed Day", which meant hundreds of people were in the temple praying along with the Buddhist monks leading. We only meant to stay about 90 minutes here; however, God had other things in mind. On this special day, the temple serves free lunch to the people that come in and pray. We walked in (and a bunch of white people are pretty obvious in an Asian culture), and somehow God divinely settled it that we were able to eat in the area that the Monks ate in, and at the same time. Talk about amazing! They wanted an opportunity to talk with us afterwards, which we did, and a few of our teammates prayed for them. Imagine the seeds that were sown that day!!

We then headed over to Malaysia where we met up with Pastor Christopher Nanda and his family. This was a great time of simply ministering to him and his family. He and his son were falsely accused of rape a few years ago, and it has greatly affected all of their lives. However, 4 of the 5 cases have been thrown out and they go back to court for the final one in the next month or so, which we are praying will be thrown out as well. We spent three days at the Nanda house with Mommy Margaret (his wife) and his daughters Veronica, Jessica, and Sharon and grandson Benjamin. It was wonderful! We cleaned, painted, cooked, did laundry anything to just bless them as a family and to let them know we loved them.

Christopher then took us to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysian Capital) where we looked around and saw the tallest twin towers. Then we tried to have our day of fun with them, but the water parks we went to were either under renovation or closed because they were cleaning the pools. So went to this jungle (I mean jungle), and hiked up to these waterfalls where we went swimming and fall sliding! The only weird thing was the tiny fishes that kept biting out toes!

From there we headed back to Singapore in order to catch a flight to Bali, Indonesia.

We went to a bible college, cell groups, and orphanages. It was great! I'll write more later. And yes, some of us even went surfing in the famous Bali waves (not me!) We were in Bali for 8 days.

Headed back to Singapore yesterday to finish up the last few days...the last day or so are always our fun days! We went out to Sentosa Island today...


...went down to the beach via a luge...way fun...spent a while swimming and then headed back to do whatever we wanted for the rest of the day. Then tonight we are headed out to Singapore Hard Rock Cafe, for our last big meal together!

I will post again with more details and more personal pictures once I get back. Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support.

Blessings! And remember, that it doesn't take going to a foreign country to be a missionary. God can and will use you right from your own backyard.

We've Landed

Good morning all! Actually it is still Thursday back in the states, but here in Singapore it is 6:30 am. We arrived early this morning at about 12:30 am and slept in the airport. We are waiting for the MRT (Subway) to open so we can make it to the YMCA where we are staying while in Singapore.

It was a long flight. We flew Seattle to San Francisco, then San Francisco to Seoul Korea (11 hours). And our final leg was 6 more hours. So yes we have been in airports or airplanes for over 30 hours. Needless to say, we STINK!

We will be prayer walking through Singapore today and tomorrow and then having a church service for children at a church in Singapore on Sunday. After lunch Sunday we are headed over to see Pastor Christopher in Malaysia.

If I get the chance, I will get on and post again. If not, I will tell you all about it once I arrive home (at least after the jet lag has passed).

Love you all and remember to keep praying for us.