Chinese Festival

This past week/weekend, our family celebrated a new holiday. Chinese New Year! Since we have Charlene in our family now, we thought we would celebrate one of her biggest holidays with her. So, when mom found out that there was a New Year's Festival at the State Fairgrounds, we jumped on it. Mom, Dad, Charlene, Mrs. Freeman, Kevin, Matt, Nicole, and I all went Saturday morning. I was cool getting to see a different culture and their customs. Though we didn't stay long, it was still fun and definitely a different experience.

Matt, Nicole, and I :)

Dad, Mom, Charlene, and I :)

Charlene and I next to the Stamp :)

Dragon Dance

After the Festival, all of us went out to eat at a Chinese resturant, where we ate and talked for almost two and a half hours. I love time spent with friends and family, and a sometimes a different culture too! :)

New Lessons Learned Everyday

This past weekend, I was able to go on my youth group's annual ski trip. I looked forward to this since the last ski trip last year. I LOVE skiing. The anticipation that comes when riding up the lifts to the top of the mountain and the rush when flying down the slopes is something that I personally enjoy! But this year was a little different.

This year, our church paired up with North Wake's youth group (we also go to summer camp with them) and Dr. George Robinson came with us and preached 3 times. Before the trip, I heard he was going to preach on the story of the Bible. Like others who have grown up in a Christian home, I have heard the "Story of the Bible" multiple times, and have even found myself becoming apathetic to it. But this weekend changed some things.

Dr. Robinson told the entire meta-narrative (thanks Mr. Beaver and Mr. Ridlehoover) of the Bible in the first 3 chapters of Genesis, and then related it to passages in Matthew and Revelation. Oh my goodness. Things made COMPLETE sense. And it was understandable. Even when it was 9:00 at night after I had busted my butt on the slopes and ached all over. I understand that God had planned things, even the little details, since the very beginning.

This ski trip was more than just a trip of going down slopes in the freezing cold. It was a trip that opened my eyes to the bigger picture of the Bible. My apathetic mindset was shattered. I'm not saying I'm never going to be apathetic again, but I see that God's plan was and is still in affect.

Others can read this story at www.viewthestory.com

Sometimes God's Plan is Different

New Year's Resolution #1: Listen for God's plan and not my own.

A few weeks ago, my school announced the over-seas mission trip they would be offering this summer. This year, they will take a group of high school students to Port au Prince, Haiti, to work with orphans and those still affected by the earthquake that happened a few years ago.

I decided to go to the informational meeting to see if this is something I would be interested in. I started reading the packet and was captivated by the oppurtunity. I thought this is what God wanted me to do this summer, and I thought I knew His plan that very second. Let's just say, I didn't really pray about it much or really listen to see if it was His plan, I just satisfied myself and said it was.

My plan was to use my Christmas money to make the deposit that was due the day I returned to school after Christmas break. Well, things didn't go according to MY plan. I didn't recieve even half of what the deposit amount is. Now, I am not saying that I recieved bad gifts, not at all. I was very blessed this Christmas with the things that I did recieve. But I think this was God's way of telling me that I didn't give Him time to speak to me.

As hard as it is to grasp, I believe that it is God's plan for me to not go to Haiti. And sometimes He has to use extreme ways to get me to listen. I honestly don't know what God has in store for me when it comes to the mission feild, but I have learned that I need to give Him more time, and look to Him for answers on these crucial things and not myself.

All in all, those of you who I told that I had the oppurtunity to go to Haiti, I am not going. But I am okay with that. God has bigger plans, and I am going to start listening to Him instead of myself.