Let's Do This

"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1

I can't believe the time has come. Three months ago I graduated college, I've endured a summer of 80+ screaming American children, and now I embark on a journey across the world. When I arrive in Denver, the new chapter in life begins. The pages are blank, waiting to be filled. This moment feels so incredibly surreal. I leave an amazing family and a handful of wonderful friends behind, but I turn to an awesome group of people who I will serve with in China. I am so flipping excited to FINALLY meet Deb, my CTF counselor! AND my teammates...AND everyone else going...AND my students...AND my colleagues...AND the random Chinese people! God has guided every step thus far, and I BELIEVE Deuteronomy 31:6 "So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."

We got our team and school placements about three weeks ago. I was placed in Beijing with a team of three others and two team leaders. Then, this past week as I have been preparing to leave and pack I was informed that the school in Beijing (a very prestigious private school) denied me because of my lack of work experience. :( ELIC placed me there because they knew I had a background in education, and didn't think it would be a problem. They haven't had this issue before. It is not even the school, it was the Chinese officials. So God spoke loud and clear through the Chinese officials and ELIC transferred me to Taiyuan, Shanxi. It is a city 3 hours west of Beijing. Though it was hard to "take in" this news at first, as Deb and spoke more about it we both realized this is a better opportunity for me in so many ways. What is incredibly cool is that it is just MORE confirmation that God is putting me EXACTLY where He wants me! So, instead of Beijing--He wants me in Taiyuan. Probably so I will actually try the REAL Chinese food and not just settle for the Western food they have in Beijing. ;] Taiyuan is the capital of the Shanxi province and is still pretty large (about 3 million in population). Nothing like I'm used to in Spartanburg (280,700).
The darker gray picture is of China. The lighter gray picture is of the Shanxi province and the yellow shade shows where Taiyuan is. Just a small idea of where I will be in regards to the whole country. :]

My team consists of 4 other girls: Felicia, JoLyn, Stephanie, and Florence; and 2 team leaders: Tanya & Susie. I am PUMPED about the team, the placement, the whole opportunity and CAN NOT wait to see what God has in store!

I am sad that I won't be with the Beijing team, as I have gotten to know a couple of them, but I know I will be visiting them regularly. They are going to have a great time and experience there, I can't wait to see what God is gonna do in all of the teams!

I can't believe I was able to pack a majority of my things in 2, 50lb. bags. I will also have a carry on and my book bag that will hold my lappy. :) Mom still has to send a box of different things behind me, but they are things I can wait for.

I wanted to try and post my teams pictures, but since they transferred us last minute everything is all not how it is now. :) If I can get a quick picture of my team during training in Denver I will try and post it on here as one last post before we head to China.

Which brings me to the last thing...wanted to let everyone know the dates and times of departure and arrivals so you could keep the entire CTF clan in your prayers! Please pray for safety and protection for all of us as well as our baggage! We will be taking numerous different flights so we've gotta pray nothing gets left behind or on the wrong plane! :)

My flight from Charlotte leaves on the morning of the August 10th. I'll arrive in Denver to meet my team, and we'll all train together until the 13th. We leave VERY early on the 14th from Denver to LA to catch our flight to Seoul. Then we will fly from Seoul to Beijing, putting us there on the evening of the 15th. We will have about half a day of "sightseeing" before we head to Qinhuangdao for 2 weeks of in-country training. From there we will head back to Beijing to meet our school officials and take buses or vans to our school in Taiyuan to get settled. I believe school starts in September sometime. :) Your prayers (or for practice..."your thoughts") are definitely appreciated! I will do my best to keep everyone updated on the journey. I know I will not be able to blog here on blog spot, but I am hoping to maybe use shutter fly. If not, I definitely have my email address. :)

LET'S DO THIS! (It's gonna be our teams motto...;])

Rufus, Edisto, and One Month To Go

warning: this will be long. go ahead and recline back with your ice cold glass of diet doctor pepper. :] it's going to be a long [and good] read.

i will start off with the visit from Rufus Lynx, the mascot for the Charlotte Bobcats. he came to visit with the kids: dancing, shooting hoops, and signing autographs. the kids really enjoyed it. Rufus would also pull some of my counselors to dance and shoot hoops with him. of course the kids chanted "Miss Aly!" when he was "surveying the counselors" in a shooting match with him. another counselor snapped a few shots of the awesome competition. he wanted me to shoot the ball from the foul line but with my back turned to the basket. i tricked him out at first [because his back was turned to me] and turned really quick to shoot it. definitely air balled it. guess that's what you get for cheating. well since i missed it, Rufus and i sat on the line to "meditate". i guess so i would make it the next time around? a second attempt [this time with no cheating] had me BARELY missing. although in the picture it looks like i made it. it's a shame i can't lie to you people. :]

camp is going really well. always a new adventure each day, but it keeps me on my toes. with 80+ kids each day, i am honestly surprised i know a majority of them by name. especially since i don't necessarily work closely with them. i will be honest and say i have yet to learn the names of my little, quiet girls who never get in trouble. the other day i was checking the kids in and when this one little girl came up to me i said "hey sweetie, is this your first day?" she gave me this look like i was an idiot and said "uhm, Miss Aly i've been here all summer." OOPS! definitely trying to pay more attention to those sweet little girls who give me no trouble. half the time i forget they are even there. i'm so busy having to discipline those typical trouble makers. here i am enjoying a day at Monkey Joe's with Vangundy & Sam. i realize this is the second time i have posted a picture of those two. making a mental note to take MORE pictures of the OTHER kids! :]

moving on. relaxed on Edisto Beach with the family for a week. enjoyed every second of it! [who wouldn't?] we were also joined by extended family from Mom's side, so it was different but a nice change. these photos will be sufficient in explaining the vaca. :] oh and sister #2 [Lindsay] got engaged! whoop! whoop!

all i did.

big family photo

shad and i beasted the kayak one morning :]

auntie dina [mom's youngest sister], me, mom, and shad

jlas :]

playing with declan

turvy twins! :]

the fam at our beach house :]

after an amazing week of R&R, it was time to get back to the grind. soon after returning from Edisto, i got the "green light" to book my one way to Denver! :D God is AWESOME and SO incredibly faithful! most of my prayer at the beach was that i would have enough money raised to be able to book my flight. He [as always] met my need and I believe He will continue to do that as i finish preparing for departure. we serve an AMAZING God! really.

less than a month. A MONTH! it is SLOWLY becoming more real to me, and i think excitement is starting to creep in. [that's a GOOD thing!] it also hit me pretty hard one night this past week that i will be away from my family for 10 months. they won't be at an "easy" reach. i can't explain the pain i had inside that night. at that moment i didn't think i could do it. i didn't think i would be strong enough. all works of the enemy trying to fill me with fear. i had to [and will CONTINUE to have to] remember that God knows what He is doing. i am praying and begging Him to move BIG time in me while i am over there. it overwhelms me thinking about what He could possibly have in store.

i hope to soon find out my finalized team and placement. i think that's when it will really begin to sink in. especially since i will be able to contact my specific team members. the entire CTF clan has been shooting emails back and forth playing "get to know you" games which has been a lot of fun. makes meeting them [whether they are on my team or not] more exciting.

$$ is still pouring in from all directions. God is so faithful! it is my prayer that He blesses all you who have given! THANK YOU!

i guess now it is time to bear the "bad news". i received confirmation that China has blocked all blog spot access. therefore i will not be able to blog from here while i am there. [major bummer, i know] i am contacting a friend who is already over there to see where [and how] i can start a new one. regardless, i will still have my email [aly.decken@elic.org] and my monthly newsletters will be sent out. i am currently putting together an email list to send weekly emails to you all as often as i am able. if you would like to be added to my list, please just shoot me an email at the above address and i will be sure to get them sent to you! :)

hope you enjoyed the update. [and ice cold diet doctor pepper, for those of you who enjoyed one]

oh and i apologize for how bad the beginning of this post looks. in the preview it looked very pretty and organized, but when it officially posted it looks like what it does. i was in no mood to fix it, so that will have to do. i promise though, it looked real pretty when i originally typed it out. :]

zai jian [goodbye]

Life Update

WHEW! What a CRAZY three weeks it has been. I honestly do not even know where to begin with updating. :]

Of course, as many of you know, camp began three weeks ago. It has been a whirlwind as we have gotten into the swing of things. The first week was crazy hectic as me, my staff, and the campers had to get used to the different daily schedules. That week gave me a good glimpse into what I would be dealing with this summer, which was both good and bad. (Always is, right?) I am blessed with some amazing counselors, but I have found that a couple are going to need a little more guidance and push. The kids are great [DUH!] and really seem to be enjoying camp. The first week was really hard for me because I had to be the "harsh" person and lay down the law to the kids. This new position is hard in general being that I am doing more "behind the scenes" stuff and not getting as much "play" time with the kids. As the weeks have gone on, I am finding time to spend with each of them throughout the day.

Last week we had Party Pets come and show us his animals. He had all kinds of different critters from turtles to lizards to rabbits to SNAKES! The kids had a great time getting to hold or pet/touch each one. The guy had two snakes that he would allow the kids to wear as a necklace and a belt. That day I had over 80 kids, and pretty much all of them wanted to line up to try on the "snake belt". I stood there next to Mr. Greg taking picture after picture of each kid with the snake belt. Much to my surprise, by the time the last kid got to try on the belt, Mr. Greg decided to ask the kids if they think I should wear the "snake belt". OF COURSE the kids screamed YES! [Would they be kids if they didn't?] So, I had this huge snake around my waist. Mr. Greg also took his albino snake and put her around my neck for a "snakelace". Cool, I know. I cringed the whole time, not gonna lie. One of my counselors grabbed my camera out of my hand and took an awesome picture [sarcastic]. I debated on whether or not I should share it on here because I look horrible in it. However, I felt like no one would really believe me...so here it is. :] (Please excuse how horrible I look, thank you. HA)


Hottie, I know. :] As the third week of camp is in full swing and comes to a close, I am finding things to be a bit easier. My staff as really come together and overcome the awkwardness of not knowing each other. It has been frustrating with a few, [as I mentioned above] but I am learning how to approach them with love and patience. Not easy when I feel like they are just another one of my 6 & 7 year olds. :/ My assistant director is amazing to work with, and I am even learning how to encourage her to take a deep breath and not allow the things that pop up randomly throughout the day to stress her out. Being site director is tough and parents are not always the nicest beings on the Earth. [I am now REALLY grasping what teachers mean when they say it's always harder to deal with the parents than with the kids.] It's unbelievable some of the stories I have from conflicts with parents, really. So sad, too. Regardless of the incredible amount of stress this job brings, I am having fun. Funny, huh? It's cool to be on this side of things organizing activities and all for the kids. I have always been used to "playing" with the kids. Hence the reason of why I was always the "player". :) Now, I get to be the "teacher". Sort of. :) Sharing my days with my CTF (China Teaching Fellows) counselor/advisor, Deb, has been fun too as she ALWAYS tells me that I am definitely being prepared for what China will hold. Over there...CHANGE is INEVITABLE. I mean, change happens everywhere, everyday. BUT...well let's just say China will be interesting for someone who apparently doesn't get along with change AT ALL. [I am getting better though, as this summer has shown.] These two little boys are my BOYS! :) I had them last year when I was a counselor. It was exciting when I saw them back again this year! This is Sammie (blue) and Jake aka VanGundy (white). Some of you might remember them from seeing pictures last year! :)

Enough about camp. :) Outside of camp I am continuing to raise money for China. As of now, I have 22% raised! Our Father is SO good! I recently spoke at my parents church, and I was really nervous but God took over and spoke through me. I felt so loved and supported that day, it was very encouraging. It is overwhelming sometimes to be at camp all day and come home knowing I still have so much to do with fundraising. I am praying and begging the Father to open up more doors for speaking opportunities, and to speak to the hearts of people who have received my letters. I KNOW He will provide, but it is hard to wait. I have less than two months...TWO MONTHS and I am leaving the country. WOW! It has really been hitting me lately as I am spending time with my family and I think about how I won't see them for 10 months. I know it will be harder than I think, but that's where relying on JC will come in. :) [He is already teaching me how HE is ENOUGH! -from last post-] I know I will make new friends in my teammates and colleagues, but that doesn't make leaving my friends here in the states any easier. :(

This past weekend [Father's Day weekend] I took a much needed short vaca to Central to visit with Paige. It was nice to get away and forget about camp and China for a bit. We crossed more stuff off the "list" like running to Ingles (3 miles), which proved to be relaxing for me and hard on P. :) Ran it in a bit over our time from the 5K back in April, so it wasn't bad. I feel like my next visit to Central we'll be able to run to Ingles and BACK (6 miles). :] We played more games of Phase 10, one of which included little Eden [Paige's 6-year-old niece] who made the game more challenging since we were so used to only playing with two people. Of course we went to Chick-fil-a and went to see The Proposal. GREAT movie! I recommend it to anyone who wants to have a good laugh. I would definitely see it again. One of our friends from SWU got married [the whole reason I went up there] so I painfully endured that wedding and enjoyed dressing up, strawberry granola bars and cake, and pineapple punch. [sarcastic] Another fun weekend spent with my "old college roomie". Before I knew it I had to foller my sissty back home for another week of work. :D Coming back to camp this Monday proved to be harder than I thought. I felt so "out of place" being gone for the weekend, even though I had only missed one day of camp. I enjoyed the break way too much. :)

Father's Day was spent at home with my Dad. :) Just me and him. Mom had meetings in Greenville, Shad was at camp, Linds is still in KY, and Joce and Wats were visiting with W's Dad & G-pa. I enjoyed the time with just me and Pappy. I got a great adjustment, watched a good movie, and took in a pretty good nap. :)

That about sums it all up, I think. During the time I have typed out this blog one parent and my boss have called. The parent was freaking out about her daughter's DS she let another kid borrow. They know it's their responsibility when they bring it each day, but you always get parents freaking out. So, already I have something I have to deal with in the morning. :/ Awesome. My boss was calling about moving one of my trouble maker boys to the older camp. She wanted my opinion, but I was clueless. I didn't want to lose the boy but he is causing too much problems with other kids, and is suspended for the rest of the week. We will see what happens.

Getting close to bed time, I must retire. What an old foggie going to bed at 9:00. I need the sleep though. 80+ screaming kids tomorrow for a field trip to Monkey Joe's? Yeah, I need all the sleep I can get. :) Three more days and it's BEACH TIME. Edisto here I come!

Until the next update...

HE is ENOUGH

well i WAS on a roll with this blogging thing. oh well. a lot has happened in the past two weeks. i'll do my best to do a recap...

i went to field day at east end which was a blast. pretty sure it was the best way to spend my last day with those kiddies. the boys were way more competitive in all the events, it was adorable. we had a tug of war competition for all of first grade and i am proud to say we hold the runner up trophy. they pulled with all their might and came up short of the winners trophy, BUT i was proud of them. :] the first couple of pictures were my attempts to capture the fun moments. that afternoon was their "blast off into reading" party. each student was presented with a certificate for the amount of books they read during the "blast off", and the student with the most got a trophy. of course, my girl Sasha won reading 100 books. :]

after that came training for camp. there will be no pictures attached because it was obviously not something i wanted to remember forever. HA. i have taken on a new position this year, camp site director. it is a lot more than i bargained for. this is the same summer camp i worked at last summer, only then i was a mere counselor. there were a handful of days i had to be "director" to fill in for my boss, but i did not have to do all the behind the scenes stuff. needless to say, i felt like i had taken on too big of a role. but once i began to get a few things organized i realized that this job will be a great experience for me. i was informed i have 100+ kids that will be attending this day camp, and less than 10 counselors for the first week. i have a plan and have organized the first day, so BRING ON SUMMER 2009! i am going into the first day without knowing a few things, but i am praying parents won't begin to freak out leaving their kid with an inexperienced site director. we all have to start somewhere, right? i'll do my best to post about the first week. i know that will be one crazy fun blog for you readers out there. :]

a weekend of hanging with my sis and bro in law was nice and relaxing before it was time to head back to the 'burg for one last week.

on monday, my "old college roomie" and best friend, paige drove up to visit so we could cross "trip to spartanburg" off our list. i got to show her the beautiful sights and sounds of spartanburg, which took all of 15 min. we had dinner at wade's the first night with kim day [she paid because she loves us poor college grads] and then paige insisted kd give her a tour of downtown spartanburg because it was apparent that i was not "up to date" with things around 'burg. :] for the rest of her visit we swam, ate chick-fil-a, watched home videos, played games [sucaAHHHN & phase 10], learned how to cut watermelon, ate at the beacon [because "everyone has to experience it"] and best of all laughed until our sides and cheeks hurt. one night after an intense game of phase 10 somehow we got into the discussion of lost (the tv show) and from there it's history-i am officially hooked. i convinced paige to stay one more night and was really trying to extend it, but i failed. least i got her to go to lunch TWICE in a tee and jeans :) it's a shame i didn't capture those moments, but that's typical of us. our picture taking is always awkward, therefore we never take any. during spring break this past spring we went to the beach and got MAYBE three pictures out of it? the picture attached is the best one we have, and it was from forever ago. regardless of our lack of pictures, it was fun to spend time with "P". hard to say goodbye, but we have plenty of other things to cross off our "list" before China beckons.

after paige left, i had a desert date with a handful of swu friends in downtown greenville. we met at coffee underground to share various deserts and catch up. it was great getting to relax and visit with these five kids: mel, chen, adam, rome, and mark. chen taught us a few words in Chinese, as i struggled to pronounce them trying to learn the native tongue. after cu we decided to go to the park to throw the frisbee around. it was obvious the boys were better at the frisbee throwing than the girls, but it was still a fun time to share together. while there i bumped into another fellow alumni from swu and enjoyed being able to catch up with her and her boyfriend. once it got dark we walked the bridge at falls park and eventually found ourselves sitting on the patio of a little cottage style restaurant. we had a bit of a "round-table discussion" which lasted all of 5 minutes before a waiter began to move the tables. we noticed he was just moving them to another part of the patio, so instead of leaving we got up to help him move the iron tables and chairs. he seemed so incredibly grateful to us. [he not only kept saying thank you he was drenched in sweat, so we knew he was appreciative] once we helped him it took not even 10 minutes to get everything moved, and he told us we could sit and stay as long as we wanted. so, another round table discussion began. but not before the gentleman came out with free sweet tea for us! of course everyone else got tea, but i had to be the "yankee" and ask for water. :] i will say i tried the tea, but like all the other tea i have tried...it was gross. as we ended our eventful evening, i couldn't help but thank my Father for these friends. i am not sure when i will see them again since they will be heading off to travel for ministry teams and i will head to rock hill before departing for China. saying goodbye was hard, but i pushed through it and grabbed each of them in a big hug.

as the week rounded out, i found out my thumb drive died. (if that can even really happen) meaning i lost my entire list of people i sent a support letter to. i had to start all over again from scratch because the intelligent student teacher of the year i am never saves anything in two places. i lost my first support letter, all my student teaching stuff, the organizing i had done for camp, all of it. despite the momentary panic, i gave it all to my Father. it was exhausting to start all over again, but He gave me the strength to get through it.

the past couple of days have been hard. maybe because more change is right around the corner. but whatever it is, i am learning to REALLY know what it means to give EVERYTHING to my Father. to let it sink DEEP in my heart that HE is ENOUGH. period. the things of this world are only temporary, but He is FOREVER. i have not been putting my Father first lately and because of that i have felt empty and useless. since my highest love language is physical touch, i seem to "do best" when there is a physical person here to hang out with. i struggle sometimes with spending time with my Father because there is no PHYSICAL touch involved. i am learning that He knows exactly what i need and sometimes when i feel i need that physical touch, it's only because my Faith is weak. and it's in those times when i just cry out to Him, begging Him to just be enough for me. because all that matters is who we are when we stand before Him.

ps-first of all, i am not sure "ps's" really exist in the blogging world. if not, oh well--maybe i've started a new trend. :) anyway, i apologize for the two different fonts. for some reason it just changed in the middle of my post and i am not able to get it all to be one font. it's pretty frustrating. anyway, if you noticed i'm sorry. if you didn't then...well now you probably do. :]

purposed to be a masterpiece

for Christmas last year (2008) my parents bought me the costly call books 1 & 2. as i read the amazing stories in the first one, i was in awe of how bold those people were. in the midst of horrifying events they boldly claimed the Truth of the Father. even if it meant their death or disconnection with their families. i remember talking to a friend about it once on a chick-fil-a date. i told her that i would hope i was that bold if i was ever placed in that that type of situation. she agreed. the stories amaze me.

i recently finished the first book and picked up the second one today to read the introduction. i was not planning on reading the first story today as i knew i had Chinese to learn. curiosity got the best of me and instead of grabbing the book i NEEDED to read, i grabbed the costly call book 2 instead.

the first story blew me away and i will forever be changed. seriously. it was the story of DeWei, a Chinese (how ironic?) man who knew and believed in the Truth. he was a successful business man with a wife and 12-year-old daughter. he "thought the world was in the palm of his hand" as everything seemed to be going his way. up until that point he had only heard of persecution of Believers from other people. then one day he was attacked after work by muslim men, and another day they threw bricks at him and his wife as they were leaving the mall. he then began hearing about churches being burnt down while people were inside. DeWei said the days and weeks that followed became increasingly violent until the worst came. a large group of muslim men broke into his house one night while his family was sleeping and attacked him, his wife, and his daughter. they beat his wife until she was unconscious. they broke both of his legs and knocked him unconscious but he woke up to the sound of screams only to see his baby girl being raped by each of the 12 men. he tried to get up but couldn't because of his broken legs. when the men noticed they knocked him out again only to wake up this time with a shattered chin and broken arms. he was helpless and had to lay in his own blood watching his precious daughter being molested and then beaten to death by the men. as the group of men left one sneered at DeWei asking him "where is your Savior now?" as the police came and took him and his wife to the hospital where they were for almost 3 months he found out he had 32 broken bones and 47 lacerations while his wife had 9 broken bones and 26 lacerations. DeWei was furious at the Father and questioned why He took his little girl. he went to counseling with his wife at their church to work through their pain, but he was still angry. it took a year for him to heal and forgive those men of what they did. he didn't fully heal until one Sunday morning when the Father clearly spoke to him through that mornings message.

it was simply titled "purposed to be a masterpiece" with ephesians 2:10 being the scripture verse. 2:10 states that Believers are the Father's masterpiece. as the message went on it was explained that all the famous painters in the world could create whatever they wanted on their canvas and use whatever colors they chose--whether they be bright reds, blues, oranges, and yellows, or browns, greys and black. the canvas has no say as to what colors are to be used. that is left up to the master artist. just like in that analogy, the Father (Master Craftsman) has the same right to choose what colors to paint into our lives to make us the masterpiece that He desires. there will be bright colors (the good times in life when things are going well). and there will be times when the Father will use dark colors in our lives (tragedies, sickness, and persecution). He does this in order that we might be His masterpieces, used to bring honor and glory to His Son.

DaWei was completely healed by the Father after hearing that message. after a while he went back to work, but another muslim man set fire to one of the rooms in his business. he decided to not press charges and refused to testify against him. after a year in prison the man came to DaWei telling him he was sorry and would repay him for the rest of his life. it was then and there that DaWei was able to share the Truth with him and lead him to believe. DaWei gave him a job at his hotel and instantly became good friends with the man, becoming "Uncle DaWei" to the man's daughters. something only the Father could do...a Chinese man uncle to a Javanese family. all doing it by painting dark colors on the canvas of his life.

so i know this is lengthy but to grasp what i grasped without having the real story in front of you, i had to give details. it brought a whole new meaning to how i viewed life. i'm not even sure i can explain it being that it is so late. but DaWei said it best..."Yahweh Himself does have the right to paint any color into my life that He wishes. i am not asking Him to paint dark colors in my life. however, i am telling Him that if He needs to put more dark colors on this canvas, He is free to do so. i just want Him to be pleased with this canvas. i truly want to be a masterpiece for my Father."

dang. i'm speechless. really. my deepest heart's desire is to be a masterpiece for my Father. going to China and experiencing EVERYTHING new is a part of what he is painting on my canvas. there will be bright colors as well as dark, but it will all be a part of His plan for the masterpiece He is creating.

for we are the Father's masterpiece. He has created us anew in His Son, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10

a fab four reunion

so friday night, after over a year of being separated, the Fab Four (keshia, kendra, aly, and christine) reunited for a random night of reminiscing the years spent at spartanburg methodist college.

it was a fast paced night as it always was with the Fab Four and here is what went down:

• quick visit with Kim Day
• dinner at boot's and sonny's (a local hot dog joint)
• soccer and frisbee at barnet park
• 10 frames of bowling at paradise lanes (formally known as shamrock lanes)
• arcade games
• ice cream at bruster's
• "good game, pat"s on the tennis courts
• ding, dong, ditch at kim day's
• fresh, hot donuts at krispy kreme
• elongated goodbye's in kim day's yard

by the time we hit the tennis courts it was 9:30 and i guarantee you we were ready to go to bed by then. back in the smc days 9:30 is when we were just getting started. :] boy how the time has flown. it was great to see that chris and i were still the "crazy" ones trying to coax kesh and ken to join in on random things...like skipping, boob tags, and pony rides. man the mems i have with these girls. i loved how it had been so flippin long since we had been together, yet after we get through the first 30 minutes of awkwardness (thanks to no one other than queen awkward herself...ME-ha) it was like sophomore year never ended. the bond between the four of us has never been broken no matter the distance. i hated how fast the night went, especially the goodbye at the end. of course, we delayed it like always. kesh had to break it and just decide to leave. i mean, she is the oldest. the rest of us "young ens" always followed by example.

the entire night was captured on film. we had five cameras out snapping photos or taking videos. it really was a great reunion. here are a couple of "then" and "now" pictures just because they are hilarious to see.

i'm FAR from normal

well i never thought this would happen, but here i am less than a week and i'm posting again. heart attack, i know. hope you all are able to catch your breath. :)

just got in from "the spring" (Newspring) in greenville and really amazed at how the Father works. like, really. i am in awe of how He has worked in my life and in the lives of others around me. Perry shared four words (rhyming words too) that relate to when the "brook is dry" (1Kings 17:1-8).

1-Invitation: the last thing the Father calls us to be is normal. [i smiled when Perry said this because I KNOW i'm FAR from normal :)] follow Him and He will show you things that are not ordinary, and you will experience things that are not ordinary.

2-Desperation: when "the brook is dry". after you follow His will for you and you come to a dry place, pretty much everyone will call out in desperation to the Father. "why is this happening when you told me to go here?" "where are you now?"

3-Revelation: it always seems to be during the hard times in life when we hear the Father speaking to us. in those times of desperation we cry out to Him, desperate for His touch. even though we were doing what He said, sometimes He will cause the brook to dry up to get our attention. again, we listen to Him and hear what He has to say.

4-Celebration: when you realize the brook is dry, when you finally call out to the Father in desperate need of Him, when you listen to Him, there is cause for celebration. yes, the time may be tough and difficult but..."when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy".

Perry shared the vision of Newspring and what would be happening at the greenville campus. long story short, they are moving from a permanent location to a portable location in greenville but they are not weary. they believe the Father will pour out more blessing on the fact that the greenville campus will be able to hold more people!

as we drove back from greenville i couldn't help but be super pumped about what the Father was doing at Newspring. yes, my heart broke a little knowing i will not be able to be a part of most of it considering that in two weeks i will be in rock hill and then at the end of the summer i will depart for China. however i know the Father has great things in store for Newspring and for me, even if that means i won't be able to attend on a weekly basis.

i also thought about the story in 1 Kings about Elijah and the brook and how it related so well to my life right now. i talked about it in my last post about walking through this "birthing place". well, the brook is dry right now. i am in a new phase (chapter) in life where things are kind of just at a standstill. for the next three weeks i have not a darn thing planned. no job, nothing. and while i had such a hard time adjusting to that fact until a couple days ago, i now know and believe the Father had it planned this way since the day i was born. the two months i will spend in rock hill as a camp director will be another learning and growing experience that i will hold dear to my heart. then in three months, the Father is leading me to China where i believe i will see so many things happen to me and the lives around me that are definitely NOT ordinary. all for the Glory of the Father. tonight my excitement for China kicked up not only a few notches, but A LOT. as well as being in spartanburg for three weeks and then rock hill for two months. big things are about to happen, i can feel it.

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

the smell of fresh new pages

yup. it's official. i stink at updating this. :) i mean, it's not like i am crazy busy right now. but oh well. here is a quick update for those of you who read this.

graduated a week ago. weird feeling, not gonna lie. day was definitely bittersweet, mostly bitter than sweet. balled my eyes out during a couple goodbyes and drove away never looking back. story of my life. here are pictures of me and the rents, g-rents, and sibs on the "big day". i feel like it was a bigger deal to everyone else graduating but me. maybe it didn't hit me yet (and still hasn't, really) or maybe i was just ready for it. who knows.

it was extremely hard adjusting to this new life back in spartanburg, for now at least. everything in me wanted to be back at the apt. it was change and that is the death of me. someone very wise told me "you are turning over a new leaf al, this is just the start of something new. you will have to do this again when you come to rock hill, when you leave rock hill, and then when you leave for China." (words from big sis, j) she is right though. this is only the beginning of adjustments i will be making throughout this summer.

i have realized that right now i am walking through the "birthing process". the Father has simply asked me to stop asking questions and just grab on to His hand. my place of enlargement is on the other side, but right now i have to put my complete faith and trust in Him. it really is hard. sometimes i feel like i am in a dream, and when i "wake up" from that dream my heart feels so heavy and i get so emotional. in those times i just beg to be comforted. i have no idea what China will hold. when i think about it i flip out because it's going to be such a HUGE change. like, i really can't believe i am going to be in China in less than three months. it really has not hit me yet.

these fresh new pages of life smell incredible. (you ever smell the pages of a new book?--if not, you should) i have closed one chapter and i am in the process of embarking on a new one. the pages are BLANK! just thinking about it is exciting. pretty soon those pages will be filled with Chinese characters and the adorable faces of the little ones i will be molding. :) yet, while it is exciting i am still wrestling with doubt and fear. can i REALLY do this? will i REALLY be able to handle the culture difference, the new people, new job, new place? am i still going to stay in touch with friends in the states? am i going to end up staying there longer than 10 months? will i change so much that it will just be way more awkward than it already is when i "come back"? questions that run through my mind everyday. those of which i have to constantly push aside and beg for peace and strength. i KNOW this is what i am supposed to do. it's just overwhelming to think about sometimes.

i was driving back from a short, random trip to the mountains of montreat and thought about my college career. i feel like i ended it it pretty well, but i knew i didn't want to end every chapter in the same way. so, i reminded myself that China is going to be a life changing experience. i have to make the MOST of it and the BEST of it. if i concentrate on all those questions i posted above...i'm not completely trusting the Father. i have to remember what He says..."Stop asking questions and just grab on to my hand."

it is difficult, and it will be. i am so used to having a physical best friend by my side throughout the past handful of years. though they have been different "best friends" throughout the years, my eyes were certainly opened to a lot. but for the first time EVER i will be embarking on a journey with only my ULTIMATE best friend by my side...JC. i am nervous about making new friends because i feel like i am never really "good" at that, but the peace that comes with this decision comforts my fears. with every new season comes new friends, and you still get the chance to keep the old. reminds me of that girl scout song i used to sing when i was in brownies. (yes, i was in brownies--STEP OFF!) i won't type the lyrics because if you don't know them then consider yourself LUCKY! :D i already miss my friends while i momentarily reside in spartanburg and enjoy the BUTT LOAD of downtime, and it hurts to be away from them. but i am slowly learning that i am being prepared for departure. somehow my story is a part of His plan.

the closing of a chapter

i am really bad already at updating this. i have a good excuse though. i wrapped up student teaching, grabbed the student teacher of the year award, and have been in the process of graduating and getting set for China.

it is hard to believe student teaching is over. it flew by so quickly and even though i looked forward to the last day, leaving was one of the hardest things i have done recently. you know, besides signing my life away to China. my kids and teacher made a scrapbook with pictures and letters they wrote me. it was adorable and brought tears to my eyes. this particular group of kiddies will always have a special place in my heart. i recently went back to visit and the look on their faces when they realized it was me was priceless. i was tackled for hugs and pounded with questions. some asked "are you back for good?", "how was your trip to China?", "are you staying for recess?" :] i was honestly speechless and i couldn't stop smiling. this little group of first graders stole my heart. here is a picture of me, my teacher, and the kiddies during our field trip my last week with them. aren't they adorable?

ok so about this whole "Student Teacher of the Year" award. never in a million years did i expect to receive this award. like, seriously. if you only knew the ongoing joke paige and i had for the past year. it's absolutely hilarious, but such an honor. i really gave everything i had into these kids and teaching them. i always remember semesters/years prior to the "student teaching" semester and how freaked out i was about it. i never thought i would make it through, but check who is graduating in two days. yup. five years later i finally receive that diploma dad has wanted me to grab since i started five years ago. :) i was completely suprised that i won the award. my best friend and roomie, paige, knew all along i had won but wouldn't tell me--she went so far as to show THE MOST excitement i have ever seen come out of her little body, but she refused to spoil the surprise. props to the roomie for throwing out all kinds of curve balls to divert my thinking elsewhere. she even went so far as to telling me that one of our other student teacher friends won. i bought it all. unfortunately when we walked into the building to find our assigned seats another friend showed me what i had won in the program. she would have surprised me completely had that friend never spoiled it because i definitely do not read programs. :) i remember calling paige a booger and laughing so hard because it was hilarious one of us actually one the award. then all her lies, all her diversion stories, everything started to come together. i know, i'm a genius. lol paige did tell me there were more suprises but i figured it had to do with the kids at school. well, as i walked off stage from receiving my award i heard dr. locy ask my parents to stand. when i looked up my jaw dropped. i had NO idea they were there! AND what makes it better...they knew all along too! my mom seemed short with a phone call i had with her the day before, so when i saw them afterwards she said "i couldn't spoil it for you al!" :) oh and by the way...i totally was awkward on stage, don't worry. i walked up too soon and ended up standing up there next to dr. locy as he read the biography that paige so lovingly wrote. mrs. batten told me i was the first student teacher to ever do that, and i told her that you can't expect things to be normal with me around. :] here are some pictures of that day too. one of me and the rents and then with paige aka summa cum laude. she got some BANGIN BLING that day. :p

it's been a week since student teaching has ended and i have enjoyed the break SO much. it was well deserved, i think. :) i was busy finishing a portfolio for teacher certification and putting together a support letter for my journey to China. still working on both as i have done MORE relaxing and resting than anything else the past week. :p i am also trying to spend a good bit of time with everyone as i complete this chapter of my life. hard to believe i graduate in two days. i will wake up tomorrow and say "dang, dude--you are graduating tomorrow morning". it's unreal, it's bittersweet. i'm ready to graduate--no doubt about it. i'm just not ready to pack up and say goodbye. life is about to change big time. i am still in the process of getting prepared for China...i just hope China is getting prepared for ME. :D

china bound

it all started in the fall of 2007 when a representative for ELIC (English Languaged Institute of China) came to speak to one of my education classes. i honestly can not remember the extent of everything she said, but i DO remember taking a packet of information with me. as i walked out of class i think i jokingly said to a friend "i'm going to China to teach after graduation". those who know me know i am not serious. like ever. as the semester went on i thought more about it and thought maybe it would be a cool idea. when i went home that Christmas (2007) the idea did not settle over well with the parental units so i figured i was being "overdramatic" (my mother would definitely agree) and let it go.

the next semester came and went. it was still on my mind but i dismissed it--never really pursuing that interest. i would continue joking about it with friends and most would just laugh along with me not really knowing that in my heart i was kinda being serious. summer 2008 came and went with not much more thought--still the joking tone i am famous for. one friend would always shake her head when i would mention the China idea and say "Aly, you are not going to China. there is too many people there and it is scary."

then, senior year arrived. i thought it would come wrapped up in a perfect, cute little package with a big pink bow. ha. i had another thing coming for me. incredibly hard changes to push through and God really revealed Himself to me. as senior year started i began to become mentored by Kelley, a missionary who is currently missioning (a new word--per me) on SWU's campus. i finally opened up my heart about going to China and how i thought it would be cool. you must understand, up until this point (first semester of senior year) i really hadn't prayed much about it, it was all really just a joke--but it always found a way back into my heart. i would be on this "China kick" for a while but then something would happen and i figured i oughta find a job in the states.

anyway, i digress. in november of 2008 SWU held their annual missions conference and i attended one of the regular chapel services with my best friend, Paige. throughout the conference Paige and i would attend the regular chapel services because we had to get the credit. however i remember one time leaning over to Paige during one of the video clips they showed before the speaker came out saying "this is going to make me want to go to China again". P just shook her head and smiled, but probably hated the fact i brought it up again. :) i remember thinking "God is China something you really want me to do?" Shortly after that, during the video on the big screen, a HUGE map of China appeared. i thought "seriously?" dang. i looked over at P and smiled. i can not remember the gentleman who spoke at this particular chapel (for all i know i could be mixing up the chapels and thinking all this happened in one--regardless this happened during the missions conference chapels) but i do remember him saying "sometimes you just gotta put your "YES" on the table and let God take it from there. i think at that point i was wrestling with wondering if this was really a "God thing" or an "Aly being crazy thing". however in that moment (and still to this day) i thought "dang, Aly everything in your life starts out as a joke". previous example: i originally transferred to SWU because fall break was for a whole week (not many universities offer that luxury) and there was dr. pepper in the cafe (obviously meaning UNLIMITED supply of DP). so, that night in my little room i prayed and said "alright God--YES--China--whatever that means--YES".

right before i left for Christmas break (2008) Kelley and i looked up different organizations and printed out all the information for me to take home and look over with the rents. i remembered ELIC and applied for another packet of information to be sent to me over the Holidays. well, none came. this past Christmas was probably the BEST i have had...like EVER. my family and i went through a horrible ordeal, but God performed the greatest miracle of all and my Daddy came home safely to us! i remember talking to Paige about it after the new year and telling her that i was pretty sure China was out now. i grew so much in my Faith during those two weeks but could not imagine myself on the other side of the world.

my last semester of college began which proved to be the hardest of my entire college career (student teaching). i still had not heard back from ELIC or CTF (China Teaching Fellows) so i figured it was a "sign" and i could move on. boy was i ever wrong. Kelley made a quick phone call (it had to be a God thing) to see why i never received my packet only to find out the organization had switched offices and a lot of the information had gotten lost in between. so, they sent out the packet right away. i received it, talked to Deb (a CTF counselor who also taught overseas), and the desire in my heart grew larger. i began to take the steps for the application process and soon found out i was, indeed, accepted into the program! the decision was then left up to me. i had been communicating with my family occasionally about this but always got the feeling that they just did not want me to go. i began to pray for my "neon sign" and beg God to show me if this is what He wanted. job leads for teaching jobs around South Carolina were not looking too promising, so i was desperate for an answer or some kind of confirmation. i also prayed that my family, especially my parents would have a peace about whatever happened.

push comes to shove. i realized that God had opened this door to China for a reason. so-i started to pray that i would sign the contract on April 17th. i prayed that if God did NOT want me in China that He would throw up some kind of road block. it was the hardest week of my life. i practically lived in James, especially James 1. late thursday (16th) night and early friday (17th) morning my Mom was up crying in her bathroom praying. all day on Friday i prayed and begged God to show me something. i knew i was signing it, but i begged Him to show me. Mom had left a message that morning telling me God spoke to her and she wanted to talk to me. i called her back on my way home from school and she asked what i had decided. i said "no Ma, what did God tell you?" she said "well, God told me yes." at that moment i started to cry and i could not breathe. God had straight up confirmed it in my heart that China is where He wanted me. the story goes on, but reader's digest version says "God wants me in China". why? i have no idea--we'll see when i get there and i'll be posting updates along the journey.

most of the weekend i was floating on cloud 9 in awe of just how AMAZING the God i serve is. He really shows up. and He has done so in my life in the past four months. the sunday following the confirmation is when it hit me HARD. it is going to be a HUGE change (bigger than anything i have ever experienced) and it will be the hardest thing i will ever do. i fully believe that it will be the most rewarding experience, despite the hard times, because i know i will be in the center of God's will for my life. besides, even though this filipino and change do NOT get along...i have gotten over a LOT of change lately. whats a bit more?

as with most jobs, i had to sign a contract/commitment stating i was going to serve in the People's Republic of China. with Paige and another friend, Jenny, by my side i signed the commitment form. luckily Jenny snapped a few photos for all to see. definitely a night i will never forget.

"Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you...So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him" Genesis 12:1-4