Nicaragua Snapshot

Here’s a snapshot summary of the Fusion Student Ministry trip to Nicaragua.

Lesbia- our translator

Luis- he’s more than a bus driver

Sleeping in hammocks

Spreading the word about VBS in Aduanas Dos

Sickly dogs

Trash everywhere

The Perkins’ Oasis

Planting trees

Sweating in places we didn’t know existed

Playing Celebrity

“Act like you’re making bread.”

“It goes down twice.”

“It’s when you hit someone with swag.”

Kellie- the trip hair stylist

The daily 15 challenge

VBS two afternoons

Seeing old friends, making new ones

Using the local bathroom

Andrew bonding with the kids

Roger and Elijah rocking at translating

Playing hackie-sack

“Use your feet!”

Playing soccer with the kids

Hiking all over the mountain side to invite students to camp

Helping Pastor Bismark move his house

The girls go teal

Happy Birthday Madi!  Cake and fireworks

Beans for breakfast

“For the experience!”

Staying at Campo Alegria for 2 nights

The volcano Ometepe

Bugs in the bed

Kids waking up at 5am

Karina sneaking up on Rebecca

Body Parts

Lisa and Sammy playing Knight-Mount-Chariot

Swimming in Lake Nicaragua

“For real, for real.”

A united church service

Shannon’s challenging message

Praying for the students

Pastors standing arm in arm

Tearful goodbyes

Flat tire?  We don’t need a jack.

Souvenir shopping at the Messiah market

Zip-lining 

“Upside down!  Upside down”

Monkeys in the trees

Lucy- the monkey with no modesty

Mermaids and Sasquatch

Pizza in Granada

Cold drinks

The guy who carved maracas

Haggling and buying hammocks 

Hannah and Jennifer’s “singing”

Sharing awkward moments from the trip

Growth

While on vacation with the Jarrett's several months ago, Kevin made a grocery run and came back with a flower kit for me.

Corey and I aren't plant people.  My grandma gave me a tree as a wedding gift.  It was supposed to be easy maintenance- plant it in the ground and let nature do it's thing.

We killed it.

We planted new grass in the front yard of our house in North Carolina.

I drowned it.

And Kevin comes bounding back to the condo with bulb, soil, and pot in hand.  "What am I going to do with this?" was my first (and really only) reaction.  The flower kit sat around our apartment for months.  During the move to our new home, it was thrown in a box.  After all the unpacking, Corey opened the kit.  The bulb had already started to grow and the growth was completely white.  We feared the flower was dead before we even started.

But as the weeks went by, healthy growth slowly began.  The stem turned green and began to stretch out of the onion looking bulb.  Each morning I noticed the plant getting a little larger.

Then it grew like crazy!  Every day it seemed to grow several inches.  The last few days, green became red and the flowers finally bloomed.

I've found great joy in watching this plant go from a hard ball of earth to a radiant flower.  The growth I witnessed made me want to water it more, to make it grow bigger and faster.  I resisted because the kit gave specific watering instructions.  I knew it needed enough water to grow, but too much water would be counterproductive.

What a beautiful picture of ministry!

1 Corinthians 3:5-7  After all, who is Apollos?  Who is Paul?  We are only God's servants through whom you believer the Good News.  Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.  I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.  It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering.  What's important is that God makes the seed grow.

We can plant the seed and give it what it needs to grow, but only God can cause the growth.  We can't control how fast or how much it grows, but that isn't of our concern anyway.  We are simply to create an environment of growth and get out of the way so God can do His thing.

God, help me to be a better gardener.

Life Awards

I have decided that two Life Awards should be awarded to:

1- Those who regularly have to wake-up before sunrise.  On Sunday mornings when my alarm sounds, I can hear the mid-night critters as they continue with their moon songs.  The darkness envelops me and draws me back into dreamland.  I practically have to use a crowbar to get my body out of bed.  The bathroom light is painful and a shock to my system.  Sunday mornings come too early. 

To those who get up every day before dawn, I raise my glass.  I don't know how you do it.

2 - Those who have ever made deviled eggs.  We are hosting a neighborhood get together and I thought deviled eggs would be a nice, easy addition.  After attempting to peel off a few shells, I about gave up.  What a pain!  The end product is certainly yummy, but I'm not certain if my work is worth the pay off.

To those who make deviled eggs for yearly parties, I salute you.  Never again will I carelessly pop a deviled egg into my mouth; I will savor every taste knowing the effort you put into it.

Out of the Blue

During the month of March, our students at Southern Hills carried their Bibles around with them everywhere they went as part of our "The Book" series.  This simple act had tremendous impact not only on the students themselves, but those around them.  Teachers, friends, parents- great conversations took place because the students were willing to do something radical.

To conclue the 1 Month Bible Challenge, last night the students were challenged to take a New Believer's New Testament to school and give it away.  Sixty-one Bibles were taken!

Isaiah 55:11 says, "It is the same with my word.  I send it out, and it always produces fruit.  It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I sent it."

Please pray for our students as they step out and share their faith.

We serve a faithful God.  I can't wait to hear how he moves!

I was wrong.

Alright, I give.

For years now I have used two words that people have frequently brought to my attention as inappropriate.  At different times these two words used to be a staple of my vocabulary.  I use them both infrequently now, but they still make an appearance from my mouth from time to time.  And if I were honest, I almost always get a look or concerned comment.

To reveal my excuses for what they are- The word I use more frequently is "retarded."  I use this word as a means to express my dislike of something.  I thought I could use this word because I had a down-syndrome relative.  I figured I was among those who had every reason to be offended by the misuse of this word, yet I wasn't.  So I used it freely.

This morning I was convicted.  As I ate my cereal and caught up on blogs, I read this article.  I don't know why this confrontation was different from the rest (especially considering that it was totally impersonal and not even directed at me), but I have a guess.

I just started meeting with a close friend to intentionally discuss our lives, pray for each other, and hold each other accountable.  Before our first meeting she suggested setting goals for ourselves that we can help each other with.  I was wrestling with what goals to set, because I wanted them to be real and realistic.  I decided I would create a list of 10 attainable goals, but I only had a rough idea for a few.  So I began to pray and ask God to reveal to me areas where I need to improve or be more intentional.


So I'm reading this blog and slowly my actions come to light when BAM!  "And it will also cost you the friendships of those who struggle with being gay.  Like me."


I wish I would have seen the folly of my thinking years ago.  Just because I may not be offended doesn't mean it's not offensive (DUH Nicole!  That's what you've been telling students about cursing...).  It's time to clean up my mouth.

K1 P1

I have tried 3 times to learn how to crochet.  I simply can't do it.  I can't keep a constant tension and find my projects getting smaller and smaller as my stitches get tighter and tighter.

Knitting, however, is another story.

Elizabeth Vahey showed me how to knit just once and it stuck.  Video tutorials for special stitches are the same; I view them once and know it.

Knitting just makes sense.

When I first started knitting, I hated it.  Projects take for-ev-er!  My first project was a leg warmer (yes a leg warmer.  I haven't made one to match it yet.)  It took me several days to complete and when I was done, I wasn't sure if I would knit anything again.  My other crafting endeavors are typically start-and-finish projects.  Would you like a custom fit hemp necklace?  Watch this movie and I'll be finished when it's over.  A fancy scrapbook page you can frame?  Give me 45 minutes.  A purse?  I'll have it to you tomorrow.  A knitted scarf?  Give me a few WEEKS.  I'll be halfway through a project and start thinking about 3 other projects I'd like to do, with no end in sight.  Frustrating.

*Disclaimer* I know someone who crochets and can make a hat in an hour.  It takes me MUCH longer.  I don't know why it takes me so much time, but the simple fact is it does.

But knitting has grown on me.  I can knit while watching movies I've never seen before, something I can't do with my other craft mediums.  I can take knitting with me in the car on long road trips.  It's easy to bust out my needles at a coffee shop.  It provides me with time to think about the person I'm knitting for; each stitch is a prayer just for them.  Knitting, for me anyway, really is a labor of love.

Inspiration Strikes!

I have a tendency to see a great idea and think, "I want to do something like that!"  Ideas that surprise people and provide them with a story particularly inspire me.  Like this one...

Here's a old city bus that someone transformed into a public library.  How clever!

Don't you want to visit this place?  I want to browse the "shelves" and find something unique.  I want to sip on my mocha as a I read from the bus seat and observe those who come and go, those who choose to take a peek inside this refurbished, re-purposed, rejuvenated nook and those who choose to pass on the experience.  I want to be apart of this small grand idea.

What ideas have inspired you lately?

(For another bus story, check this out.)

Be real. Be alive.

The Canfield Fair is a pretty big deal in my hometown and growing-up, it was a yearly tradition for our family.  Even though every year was pretty much the same, something different always happened.  One year I held the record for longest free hang at the Marine station.  Another year I remember attending the 4H dance.  One year my boyfriend sang karaoke.  When we were a little older, my brother and I walked the fair alone once and I remember some hick high school bullies throwing mulch at us.

My favorite memory of the Canfield Fair was one I shared with my dad and it's probably my favorite childhood memory of my dad.  

The Omni was in our family for longer than I can remember.  When we finally took it to the junkyard, miraculously still running without a problem, we made a scrapbook to commemorate it.  In it's last years, the Omni was dad's work vehicle.  Covered in construction dusk and full of tools, he and I were in the car alone.  It's one of the only times I can remember when it was just he and I.

Fair traffic was horrible and almost unavoidable.  Sitting in the bumper to bumper, stopped traffic, waiting to get into the fair, my dad and I began to play.  Dad found an orange construction vest and a hard hat for me and one for himself as well.  He joked about how everyone needed to get out of our way because we were in such a hurray to see the sights and eat the food; how we were in a state of fair emergency.  He put his orange rotating construction light on top of the car and starting "yelling at" the traffic director.  I giggled and giggled.  Of course we looked like fools in our little Omni, orange construction outfits, and flashing light.  And of course it didn't get us to our parking spot any faster.  But it was fun and silly.

My dad was alive that day.

This weekend I attended the National Youth Workers Convention and one of the speakers briefly touched on the importance of being real and alive.  Immediately that time with my dad came to my mind.

I want to be remembered for the times I laughed so hard I cried and I cried so hard I laughed.  I want these times to be rampent, part of my every day.  

I want to live life alive.

Halloween Stage

For our Halloween service, we went all out in Fusion (our student ministry at Southern Hills Christian Church).  A few spider webs here, a giant spider there, some hanging clothes, a BUNCH of pumpkins, eery lighting, and VOILA!

(As usual, the pictures don't do it justice, but you get the idea.)

The orange "string" is actually marking tape, available at Lowes or Home Depot.  This was part of the preexisting stage design, but added a lot to the Halloween decor.

Corey and I continue to enjoy the pumpkins as we take them home and roast the seeds.  Yum!

Tis the season...

I love Halloween.

I like getting candy.
I like giving candy.
I like the themed party foods.
I like the decorations.
I like the crazy games.
I like the music.
Fall weather seems to drain people's joy and Halloween provides a boost of excitement.
But mostly I love dressing up.

I start thinking about my costume the night of Halloween... the year before.

Last year, Corey and I teamed up with a group of our friends and patrolled the streets in Elizabeth City as Batman characters.  We were stopped several times by parents and asked to pose for a picture with their son who also donned a batman suit.

This year we've had lots of ideas, but none have come to fruition yet (partially because it's hard to top last year and partially because we have no plans or people to plan with).  So if you're looking for some fellow Halloweeners to share in the festivities with, let us know!

At the Circus

This past Sunday in our children's program we finished a circus series titled "Under the Big Top."  To create a tent look, we used plastic table cloth, tacking it into the wall and ceiling.  We feared the kids would demolish it, but as you can see it held up fairly well over the 8 weeks.  We gathered some props from around the church and from a few friends (yes, that is a unicycle that one of our volunteers can actually ride!).  We created a concession stand out of 2x4s and once used coroplast.  Coroplast doesn't hold paint well (you can scratch it off with your finger nail), but it was a resource we already had and could reuse.

The table cloths to the side of the stage proved difficult to hang and stay in place because we couldn't affix them to a cinderblock wall.  Eventually we gave up fixing them every week, but no one seemed to notice and they still looked ok.  We bought a few clown like hats at Target and used them to display the interactive elements, juggling scarves and balls.  We also had Buddy Walking boards and put those out for the kids to play with.

I always consider costumes as part of decorating the stage.  Dressing the part adds so much and completes the look.  Corey was the ring master.  Occasionally we had a clown, juggler, lion tamer, and once we had a guy on stilts.  It was a great series, but on to the next! 

Silly Husband

Lounging in the living room, Nicole lets out a sigh.  "I want to blog, but I don't know what to write about."
Without hesitation Corey responds, "Write about your husband."

Uhhh... ok...

My husband is a goof.
Most people don't see this side of him, but I do.
When we're alone, he dances.
He makes ridiculous faces.
He sings.
He gets loud.

He laughs.  A lot.


Corey and I made the 10 hour drive from Georgia to North Carolina on Tuesday.  When I wasn't sleeping, we were laughing, at ourselves and each other.  No matter what we're doing, when we're together we have fun.

I'm glad Corey can be totally himself with me.  I wouldn't have it any other way and I love him just the way he is.

Yum yum yum

I'm not big on cooking.
I can cook (sorta); I just don't like to.
First- It doesn't come naturally to me.  (A pinch?  A dash?  Those aren't measurements!)
Second- I don't find joy in it.   Cooking is more of a chore for me.

Lately I've been cooking more and more, learning how to experiment, and I'm slowly coming around, but I'm by no means a chef yet.

Baking on the other hand- I LOVE to bake.
Cooking is serious business; baking is a child's game.
I love the way it makes my house smell.
Even though it makes a mess, it's a fun mess.
And baked goods are easier to share.

But baking isn't healthy.  Take this snack mix I just made.

It's sooooo good and soooo bad for you!  A whole stick of butter, karo syrup, and a cup on brown sugar coating an already sugary cereal.  Toss in some M&Ms and it's a sugary rush on it's way to diabetes.  

Baking doesn't sustain life; it puts you in a coma.

Yet I made a special trip to Wal-Mart to get the ingredients and haven't given a thought to what's for dinner.

Music that bonds

I pumped up Matisyahu before the "One Day" video was even in production.

I was jamming to Mumford and Sons before they were editing "Lion Man" for the radio.

I had Adelle on my playlist way before she was featured at the VMAs.

People often brag about knowing bands before they become popular, but honestly I couldn't care less.

It's not that I seek out to find the "next big thing" before anyone else.
It's a proximity hazard.

My college roommate Sam is a music connoisseur and has this unnatural talent of finding obscure music that eventually sweeps the nation.

While rooming together, I loved how she would introduce me to new bands.  When we visit, one of the many things I look forward to is scrolling through her new music.

I miss dancing to Indi music together.
I miss the many ways she remixed "Survive."
I miss cruising with the windows down (not by choice; her AC was broken) and listening to her newest discovered jam as loud as her speakers would permit.

I miss my Mantha.

Robot Repair Shop

Our previous series in All Stars was titled "Dr. Tomorrow's Robot Repair Shop."  Here's what the stage looked like!

We took apart a computer monitor and a TV/VCR combo.  I filled this metal cart with the internal parts and put the empty screen shells next to the cart.  The flat screen monitors displayed videos of a dancing robot and the matrix (green falling numbers).  The styrofoam head can be purchased at hobby lobby.

I made the gears with leftover insulation foam board from the Heroes series.

I filled glass jars with odds and ends: colored blocks, batteries, wires, ping pong balls, markers, etc.  On the table we also had a magnifying glass, rubber chicken, work gloves, box of foil, cordless telephone, lamp, and duct tape.  The chalkboard was covered in random math equations and the dry erase board had the "plans" for the exo-suit we created for the skits.  On the wall I taped random robot blueprints Corey found online.  

It was a great series and the kids loved Dr. Tomorrow and his assistant Gasket!  Check out a video of highlights from the series on the Southern Hills Facebook page!

MDTA

-Missing Due To Action-

It's officially official- I'm staff at Southern Hills Christian Church!!!

My title is Youth Intern and I am working with the Fusion team ministering to middle and high school students.

For the past four weeks I've been insanely busy helping prepare for the kick-off of our Wednesday night programs and Life Groups.  This past Wednesday was our first FUSION service and it went great!  Our team put in a lot of planning and it went off without a hitch (well, with the exception that we went over 15 minutes, but so did the adults so we could get away with it).  The Youth Pastor said he believes it was the smoothest Fusion service we've ever had!

We have two more weeks before our Life Groups begin.  I know God is going to do BIG things through our volunteers and in the lives of our students.  I can't wait to see what He has in store!

What I Learned at Consumed

Southern Hills partners with several other churches in the area to plan a convention for our middle and high school students called Consumed.  The purpose is to connect students from different youth groups and to challenge students spiritually.  Here's a summary of what I learned while at White Water Express in Tennessee with 300 teenagers.

Drinking water is a must.  Showers are not.

Nothing refreshes like white water rafting.

It doesn't matter who is behind the weapon, a veteran paintball-er or a newbie, it's going to hurt when you get hit.

Accept the fact that you will get hit with a paintball and you will be much more beneficial to your team.

The key to victory is to get out of the bunker.  (I think there is a church/evangelism metaphor here...)

A rope between two trees will entertain a crowd for hours.  As will a ring attached to a string and a hook on the wall.

Mission trip or not, be flexible.

In Silent Football, the proper term is "thwack."

You may get one point for failing to thwack when thwacked upon, but disrespect the Game Master and your in for some serious trouble.

Ghosting works best when the person is actually moving.

Inescapable heat, body odor, stuffy disheveled cabins (Did a tornado come through our room?  No?  Then how did your bra get in my bag?), and overcrowded meeting rooms will not prevent God from showing up.

What I Learned at Camp

This past week I was at Woodland Christian Camp chaperoning the Drama and Music Camp for 4th through 6th graders.  It was an amazing week!  I was the cabin mom for six outstanding girls, had a great cast for my skit, and worked with a great team from Southern Hills.  Here are some things I learned (or re-learned):

Kids can act!  (Encouragement and praise beside direction helps.)

Expect a lot and you will get a lot.

Little things make a big difference- like glow sticks, hugs, watching a dive at the pool, sharing a kind word, sticking up for a friend when no one else will, being a shoulder to cry on, a cup of caffeinated soda, a nightlight.

Balloons and glitter make unplanned free time fun.

Bee-stings hurt!  For real!

The "George Washington Pool Hairdo" never goes out of style.

Hide and Seek in a camp cabin is possible and a blast!

With a group of girls there are three bed times: 1) lights out 2) everyone to their own bunks 3) no more giggling.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  A coconut is not a fruit of the Spirit.

Time Set

Our last series at church was titled "What a Difference a Day Makes."  For the graphics and stage set, our creative team focused in on the time aspect of the series.  We made abstract triangle columns that we saw on this site, added fancy lightening and VOILA! the stage was set.

Ok, making a 16 foot by 12 foot clock was not that easy.  But it was worth it!  I thought the abstract triangles and larger-than-life clock gave the stage an "Alice in Wonderland" feel.

We removed the center of the clock and placed it two feet in front of the rim to give more depth to the set.  This also allowed for band members to enter the stage from the back through the clock.  A lamp was placed behind the center to light the rim.  At times the rim was also lit with stage lights for more affect.

For the next series, we are simply removing the clock and adding another column of triangles in its place.

How we made the clock- The clock is made up of 3 layers of alternating insulation foam board.  (Remember to use foam board glue!  Other glues will eat through your project.)  Once the glue cured, we stood the giant sheet up and I finished the clock with it standing.  I projected the image onto the board, traced it, cut it out with a saws-all, used high-gloss paint, and filled in the seams with caulk.  The center is mounted to the floor with spare 2 x 4s and the rim is secured to a giant wall we have near the back of our stage.  When we removed the clock, it was cut into manageable pieces that will be recycled for future sets.

How we made the triangles- Melissa made the triangles out of coroplast, or sign board.  We planned to hang them from fishing line, but the triangles were too heavy.  So Kevin and Andrew fixed them to 2 x 4s that are secured to the ceiling.

Mistaken Identity

I'm browsing the shelves at a store when I a stranger approaches me.
"Can you tell me where I can find the ___?" they ask.
I turn my gaze away from the product I'm inspecting and give them a puzzled look.  "Excuse me?" I politely reply because I didn't catch their question the first time.
"O I'm sorry.  Do you work here?"
"No, I'm afraid I don't.  But what are you looking for?  I might be able to help."

Has this ever happened to you?

It happens to me.

All the time.

The most recent time was at Hobby Lobby.  A man approached me as I was kneeling in the clearance aisle sorting through a bin of beads.  This is understandable and a simple mistake, but I don't get it when this happens at Wal-Mart.  Am I holding a price scanner?  Do I have on a name tag?  Do you see me wearing khakis and a blue shirt?  No.

I don't understand why this happens to me so frequently, but I appreciate the opportunity to help and serve other people.