Biggest Fan: Amie

Today, I would like to introduce you to a member of the "Three Musketeers", a fabulous woman of God, and a great friend.

This. Is the beautiful, talented, and completely wonderful Amie.

Don't be alarmed by the gun and busted CD in the picture...she's really quite tame.

This gal is one of the most awesome, amazing, sweet, caring individuals I have ever met. 

Seriously. I don't think there are enough adjectives in the world to describe just how wonderful and amazing this woman is.

We met at the beginning of my freshman year of college, and together with her now fiance, became the Three Musketeers. She encouraged me to audition for Chamber Singers again in the spring, and we had the privilege to sing together during her last semester at Westminster. She loves music so very much and it's not uncommon to hear her bouncing around the house humming a tune, singing a song, or otherwise having a crazy dance party on her own (oh, did I mention she's also my roommate?!).

I can't tell you the number of nights I've spent sitting on the floor with her, both of us a weepy mess, and still attempting to converse. Or even standing in the kitchen, doubled over and unable to breathe because of something that probably won't be funny in two years, but certainly was in the moment. She is a strong prayer warrior and loves Jesus with all her heart, and she shares that love with everyone around her. All she has to do is say hello, and suddenly your day feels a little bit brighter because Amie has sent some of her sunshine your way. She is engaged to one great guy, and I am so excited to see how they continue to grow together as an engaged, and then married couple. Sometimes she doesn't know what she's doing with her life, if she's going the right direction or if she is really up to the challenge of being a Navy wife. Amie, you totally are. You are so strong and you bring comfort in times of heartache, I know you are going to be a huge blessing to everyone on base when you arrive.

It's such a great thing to have amazing friends in - Amie is one who I'm going to keep around, whether she likes it or not! :-)

My dear Miss Amie, you are an incredible blessing in my life and I cannot wait for our friendship to blossom and grow even deeper as we get older! (You know we're probably going to be those old ladies in the nursing home laughing at something completely stupid). I LOVE YOU!

umusa nekuthula

 

As the time to go to Swaziland gets closer, and the months move more quickly, I am continually reminded of the purpose for this journey. Ten years I've been ready to go, and ten years I've waited for an open door to go to the continent of Africa to minister to the children who have been abandoned by a disease that was not their fault. 

I am saddened by the circumstances of these children, but at the same time, I cannot wait to go and show them hope and love. I received a note from a friend today that said "As you will soon learn, Swaziland is a beautiful country full of beautiful people who are in desperate need of God's love and His mercy." Her note truly encouraged me and reminded me of the reason I desire so strongly to go.

 One way I keep feeling the blessing of God on this endeavor is through the support He continues to bring in. I received an update today, and there were donations sent on my behalf that I was not aware of - combining these new donations with another just received today, I am $135 from the total support that I need to go to Swaziland in February!!!!!  There are not sufficient words to express the joy in my heart knowing that I really do get to go and touch the lives of the kids at the Mkhombokati carepoint.

Now as I write, a song is running through my head, the first part seems especially pertinent:

How deep the Father's love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give his only son

To make a wretch his treasure

Wretched. This is what I am. Without Him, I cannot love, I cannot live. Yet, he places desires deep within my heart, and asks me to wait on his timing. He asks me to trust that when his plan comes through, that it will be better than I ever could have imagined. And it is. He takes me in my mess, my wretchedness, and blesses me beyond words. He places joy and passion in my heart to do what He has called me to do, and walks with me through open doors. I am still struggling to comprehend his love for me, and that He would choose to use me to bless the children in Swaziland. I'm humbled and honored by this opportunity.

If you'd like to keep up to date with what's happening with our team, check out the website for our mission at www.swazilandmission.com/. Your continued prayers and support are highly valued.

Umusa Nekuthula (Grace and Peace)

 

I Hear (Wedding) Bells

Amie and Josh at the Josh Wilson concert last week

These two lovebirds, Amie and Josh, are two of my best friends in Utah. Seriously. You'll be hearing more about both of them in the coming months because....GUESS WHO'S GETTING MARRIED?!?!?! They are!

Josh had me in on the whole plot for the ring and the proposal, and I got to be sneaky with Amie, who is not only one of my best friends, but also happens to be my roommate! Josh would tell me things about plans he was making, and then I'd hear from Amie about how she was freaking out because Josh had just pushed dates back again...and all I could do was smile, laugh inside, and attempt to convince her to keep appointments, or stop crying. :-)

I am so honored to be part of their special day, and was so excited when shortly after being proposed to, Amie took me downstairs, knelt (proposal style), and asked me to be her Maid of Honor! What a great honor to walk the wedding road with a pair of great friends, and one fabulous roommate. Next weekend, you'll hear about our adventures in dress shopping, wedding talk, and venue appointments!  Get ready to hear about wedding stuff non-stop for the next 6 months! Hooray!

And if you're interested in the proposal story, you can read about it here, on Amie's blog!

Phoenix Wrap-Up

This weekend was very interesting. I experienced a new place, and new people, great food, good conversation, and differing opinions. Though Phoenix was full of great buildings with stories to tell, the city itself felt very deserted. I expected that it would be a little more bustling, especially since it's the home of ASU. But whenever we'd go out on the streets, it would be fairly empty. In Salt Lake, there are people and cars moving from place to place. Buses and TRAX are transporting people, and everyone is going somewhere. In Phoenix, I didn't even see many cars unless I was on one of the streets farther from my hotel.

NCHC was a great experience, I learned new things, and had great conversations with my peers. Our session on newsletters went really well, and I feel that it was helpful for colleges looking to improve their newsletter program or to start a newsletter. I felt really good knowing that things I had to say could help these programs communicate more effectively to their audiences of students, faculty, alumni, donors, and college/university leadership.

Phoenix was not what I was expecting. It was much more quiet, and afforded much more personal time than I had anticipated. Sessions I attended were well done, but that is not the case for many of the sessions attended by my peers - some were awkward and poorly done, while others were very thought-provoking and had us talking for hours afterward.

Moral of the story: Phoenix is bad, NCHC is good. :)

Phoenix - Day 3 - in Photos

There are a lot of these in the city

Water features are everywhere...in the desert

The beautiful Fransiscan church I mentioned yesterday

Mosaic mural on the walls of the Convention Center.
You can see the skirt I wore today in one of the mirrored tiles. :-)

These "Phoenix Point of Pride" signs are all over

statues outside the Herberger Theatre Building

Our hotel (and conference location) from 2 blocks away

See the mist coming from the overhang?

Listening intently to the questions and comments at our newsletter session

We spent the evening inside the Arizona Science Center (like OMSI or Clark)

Elizabeth sorting blood platelets inside the heart

0 of 173 people are like me! :-)

Phoenix - Day 2

See, I told you I'd blog every day. :)

Well, technically right now I'm supposed to be wandering around the "Arts District" of Phoenix to read the city. It's 93 degrees, dry, and not a cloud to be seen. So - I'm sitting in my hotel room with my roommates blogging about the day so far.

City as text turned out to not be what we expected, and we didn't understand how to look at our environment in the way they wanted us to. The so-called "Arts District" wasn't really "artsy" - in fact, there are far more artsy things around the hotel than in that part of town. just across the street from us there is a beautiful Fransiscan church, a theater, Arizona Symphony/Opera building, and some public art.

One thing that has really struck me about Phoenix is the architecture. All the buildings have something different to say, and they say it in a completely individual way. Even the buildings that look alike because they're part of the business sector have different materials and styles crafted into the building. There are so many places here with a look of old history - like they have seen much and could tell great stories. I wonder if that's what is supposed to be happening this afternoon with the City as Text experience - to find the stories and the history of this place. Honestly, I feel that I've gotten more out of the experience just by observing and snapping pictures than I did with explicit instructions about how to go about reading the city.

First impressions of Phoenix: Full of history, Mixture of old and new architecture, HOT.

Tonight we went to the opening Plenary. The topic was the current debate about the Arizona Immigration Law (SB 1070?). The panel of speakers came from many different realms - Business/Law, Law/Journalism, Hispanic/Chicano Education, Education/Activism, and Medicine. I didn't know much about the Arizona immigration law, so the discussion fostered a lot of new questions and knowledge for me. I was impressed by the level of understanding each of the panel members possessed, and most of them were great speakers (one in particular had a hard time reading from his notes, but spoke great when allowed to think on his feet). The interactions between each of the panel members was also amusing to watch. One woman made her dislike for another panel member quite obvious in her body language each time he spoke. At the end of the night, it was agreed upon by all of the panel members that there must be some kind of immigration reform in this country - though not all agreed on the purpose or method of that reform.

Following the plenary was dinner and then the student party. The contingent from Westminster went to the party, and  then decided that we would be better served hanging out on our own, and headed back to our rooms (there was dancing in a circle, and I detest dancing in a circle...gross). I went to check out the fitness center and work out, while my roommates crashed on our beds.

The first full day in Phoenix, general day 2, was full of interesting experiences and new ideas. I'm looking forward to what the rest of the conference will bring.

Phoenix - Day 1

I'm going to try to blog about NCHC each day. There isn't a whole lot to talk about today other than the plane ride and hotel.

We arrived in Phoenix tonight at 9:30pm, where even late at night it managed to be 89 degrees outside. The forecast for the whole weekend is low 90s through Sunday. Eew. I'm not cut out for hot weather...
Our taxi ride to the hotel was ridiculously expensive. We were at $8 before even leaving the airport grounds!

By Sunday morning maybe I'll have a good enough feel of the city to get a bus/lite rail to the airport. Seriously.
Since Arizona doesn't observe daylight savings, I'm back on the same time as you Oregonians! Tomorrow morning will come quickly so that's all for tonight.

Check back tomorrow for observations about the "City as Text" workshop!