Brad and Caitlin

Making Poop

2012-01-04T20:04:00.012-05:00

I posted on Facebook that I was going to be making poo with my kids on Monday and Tuesday. A few people asked how I would be doing that. I thought I would document the lab with pictures and share. I know there are some home-schoolers out there or maybe future homeschoolers. If you teacher Science you may like it! I tell the other teachers who think that I invented this that I am NOT creative enough. It's called GOOGLE and Teacher Planet. I just modify it to fit my students. It was a high school lesson that I made effective for my 12/13 year-olds.I always put lab materials in kits (trays in this case) for my kids. They would go CRAZY if I didn't. Those crazy kids need organization:) Here are the materials:
Food(Crackers, cookies, lettuce, etc.)
Water
Dropper
Food Coloring
Cup
Utensil (fork or spoon)
Funnel ( I cut the tops off of bottles)
Paper rolled up and taped
Baggy that zips
Knee Higs
Paper towels

Step 1: Students mash food (crackers or chips) in a cup with a utensil. Ask what do you think this represents in the digestive system?

Step 2: Students add water with a dropper. What does this represent? Spit of course! BUT...what is the scientific name for spit? What is the enzyme released in saliva that breaks down carbohydrates? Amylase.

Students funnel the food mixute down the paper tube and into the baggy. What does the funnel represent? (Back of the throat) What about the tube? (Esophagus) The baggy?(Stomach) Have the students knead the bag. This represents the churning of the stomach.

Students add food coloring to represent enzymes, mucus, and stomach acid.

Tell students that the mixture in the stomach is called Chyme.

One student holds the panty hose while another cuts a hole in the bad and drains the chyme.

They will lay the hose on the paper towel. What does the pany hose represent? ( Small Intestine) What about the paper towel? (Large Intestine)

The final result is POO. You can have them cut it open to look at it. My kids are a little young to handle playing with the final results. We threw ours away quickly:)

Slovakia

2011-10-17T19:17:00.004-04:00

In 2007, I visited a country that captured my heart. It's been almost 4 and a half years since I first stepped foot in Slovakia and not a day has gone by where I didn't think about that wonderful place. I met a precious friend, Zuzana, on my first visit. She was my age and our mothers were born on the same day in the same year! Pretty cool! We met because she was in a class that my mom and I attempted to teach English!;) She was such a sweet spirit and we were able to form a friendship that still exists today. On my last visit, she shared with me that she was now a believer in Christ. The Lord is so good! The Lord has used SK to teach me many things about Himself. His faithfulness to the nations. His love of people and culture. He showed me a love for the people of Europe. I've watched the Lord provide the country two more missionaries who love SK as much if not more that I do. I can't help but wish (on a daily basis) that I was there. It's been such a battle. My heart LONGS to be there. I've been blessed with a husband who also loves the Lord and the nations. Together we've been praying about what the Lord would have us do. Slovakia is on both of our hearts. We are searching for ways to go...and soon. Campus Crusade no longer sends STINTers to SK. The IMB has done away with a lot of its 2-3 year programs. Obviously the Lord has his own plans. Please continue to pray for us...and if you know of any ways to go...please let us know!:)

Zuzka and I when we first met in 2007
My Mom and I at church in Bratislava-it was our first encounter with Europe!

Two of my dearest friends who now BOTH live in SK!

2008-Reunited!

My favorite Slovak dish!

In 2010 I was finally able to meet her family! Such sweet people!

Three Musketeer's

Isn't Slovakia BEAUTIFUL?

My Space...

2011-10-05T18:57:00.005-04:00

My classroom feels like my second home. I spend just as much time there as I do at home! I try to make it colorful and exciting for my kiddos. My favorite season of all is fall! I love the colors of fall and all of the creepy critters that we use to decorate for fall. I came in Monday and autumn-ized my room:) I put spiders and spider webs in my windows. I drew on my board. I even got yummy candy to give out. (FOR EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD behavior only)

My Computer Station-cute blue rug is from Ikea:)

Here she is...

My awesome artistic abilities:)

3 Months...Almost

2011-10-04T20:25:00.002-04:00

Sunday will be October 9. This means that on Sunday, I will have been married for 3 whole months! It's been an exciting 3 months. I was hit with the real world in August. HIT HARD. I love my students. However, the first year teaching is stressful for many reasons. Bradley also works about 3 nights a week. Between school and work, we get pretty pooped. However, we are learning to work together to have a functioning home. I married a great man. I know that if I leave the house with clothes in the dryer and clean dishes in the dishwasher. They will be taken care of by the time I get home. I also love that he makes the bed perfectly each day. This makes my first year teaching so much less stressful. I just had to take a few minutes to brag on my sweet hubs:) Please continue to pray with us as we try to follow the path the Lord has for our future. Time is flying by!
One more thing I love about married life...As a child, my mom use to read to me each night before I would go to sleep. I would imagine everything she was reading. I loved it! Well, those times are NOT over! Bradley reads to me each night. We both know that I am slightly dumb when it comes to the Old Testament. We have chosen to start from the beginning and go through it together at night. He reads to me while I listen and picture everything in my head! Just like a child! The Bible is filled with awesome stories and I have a great hubs who is making sure I know the Old Testament! Having child-like moments as an adult is great:) Thanks babe for loving me so well.

The Living Quarters.

2011-07-30T15:20:00.005-04:00

So we are now permanently living in Charlotte! I have a job at Southwest Middle (near SC) and Bradley has another year at UNCC. Our new apartment is literally around the corner from the old apartment complex we lived at with our friends. Bradley and I were neighbors:) I like it because I didn't have to completely leave everything from college. I still go to the same grocery store, pharmacy, gas station, etc. It helps ease the shock of the life transitions a bit. Here is a tour...

Our kitchen! Yes, that is purple track lighting:)

Dining Area..the table was my grandmothers...her dad gave it to here when she got married! It's almost 60 years old:) We re-stained it.

Living Room...Charity..here are your couches!...also the pillows and coffee table are from IKEA..I love that store! and it's only 5 minutes from us!

Our bedroom

The bathroom

I'm a Teacher!

2011-07-30T15:03:00.004-04:00

A few days ago, I received my teaching license. So, I'm officially licensed to teach! However, there is a problem. If you look closely, it says Middle Grades Mathematics..and highly qualified too! That is a lie my friends! I have not taken a math class since my Freshmen year. I definitely do not need to teach it:) I called and the lady laughed at me saying she's never had anyone call and say they had an extra certification. There must be a lot of liars out there:) Surely I am not the first! It was suppose to say Language Arts. I passed the Praxis for it in April and didn't realize it would already be on there. There is another one on its way in the mail. You may be asking why it still says Caitlin King. I applied for it in May and I still don't have my new SS card! Anyone else been through this before? Geeez..what a process:)

Honeymoonin'

2011-07-28T16:19:00.007-04:00

The morning after our wedding, we headed to the airport at 3:30am! We flew down to the Bahamas for a whole week:) We stayed at the Sandals in Nassau. It was awesome! We ate..A LOT! It was a great feeling to eat a 3 course meal and then get up and leave. We loved snorkeling. We went several times and the 2nd time a photographer went with us to snap the pic below.

One day we went to an island to pet and play with some dolphins. We have a pic with one kissing me on the cheek but I haven't downloaded it yet. It was one of our favorite days.

The water was beautiful!

Our favorite restaurant was the Italian one called Casanova. It was VERY authentic. I felt like I was back in Roma.

There were lounge chairs to lay on at night with fire pits. It was very romantic!:)

Israel Highlights

2011-05-31T14:22:00.007-04:00

So I am just now updating my blog! Student teaching was very stressful but exciting at the same time. It is over now! whew! I am searching for a job..prayers please! Here are just some of my favorite Israel pictures. Everyone else that went posted pictures..idk..like 2 months ago!!:)

Riding a boat on the Seal of Galilee was amazing. 70% of Christ's ministry was around the sea. Also, I loved being able to experience everything with my parents.

Riding a camel with my mother! (in a gas station parking lot-HILARIOUS)

The best tour guide is all of Israel. I loved him! He knows God's word inside and out and made the trip even more exciting!

Getting Baptized in the Jordan was definitely a highlight!

This is probably my favorite place of all. This is where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. It was beautiful and relaxing. I could just seen people sitting and listening to Christ.

coming soon...

2011-03-19T21:44:00.002-04:00

whoa!

2011-03-19T21:15:00.002-04:00

wow...what a semester. student teaching has definitely been one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my life. i LOVE my students. however. i dont always love the attitudes that they can get. smacking of the teeth/lips. you know the typical teenage stuff. i had the conversation with my mom the other day saying that im not sure i can ever have a teenager (being dramatic i know!). they make you feel too guilty. i had a student act out very badly in class on thursday. not only did the student become very upset when they were informed that they were in "trouble" but they yelled out saying that i take things too far and that they whole situation was my fault. wow. ouch. sounds like something i told my mom in 8th grade (maybe even 12th:)) it hurt. i felt like a failure. now, many of you veteran teachers are saying youll get over it and im sure i will. hopefully letting things like that roll right off will come very soon! when walking my students to their encore classes after the worst class period ive had yet, a student whispered, "ms. king, are you sure you want to become a teacher? there are some crazy students out there." i said yes. of course. i am so glad that i have the assurance that the Lord has called me to this profession. if he had not, i probably would have peaced out a while ago. but i have no 2nd thoughts! a friend spoke at CRU a few weeks ago and reminded me that God equips those that he calls. so true. i have to tell myself that on a daily basis. if the Lord didnt equip me to do this, i could NOT do this! it is so encouraging to see how the Lord has provided for me in this area and i am even more confident in his ability to provide for all of his children.
i often feel like moses. he argued with God saying, why me! i dont speak well! there is NO WAY that i can do this. there must be someone better! but the truth is the Lord is probably thinking youre right! you cant do this alone! but with me, you can! he wants to provide for us and use us to glorify himself. we ( i mean mostly me!) need to chill out. its not about us but rather about him. Christ. we are hopeless without him. he died an insane death on the cross so spend eternity with us and use us UP for his glory while we are on the earth. sit back and let the Lord carry you through this life! its what he wants!
For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. Romans 14:8

My babies...

2011-01-13T18:30:00.004-05:00

I officially have 300 babies! Yup! and they are all about 13-14 years old! i call them my babies because i love them...i really do. yes they may test me...and push my patience...but i love them. I have truly been called to love these students. For those who don't know, I started out as a nursing major. I was totally set on being a nurse from the time I was in 8th grade. I knew I was going to help save lives. I "sort-of" chose UNCC because of their nursing school. April of my freshmen year I began to have middle school on the brain a lot. It was all I could think about. I would ponder my own middle school experience. Slowly the thought of teaching middle school students crept into my mind. I thought..no way!! I can't do that! I would have to speak in front of people! and get up early!! really early!! (not that nurses don't...i have no idea what i was thinking) During this same time, I was struggling with an illness called pacreatitis. The Lord was really causing me to evaluate my life and what I was doing. He was pretty dang clear:) I heard the calling and changed my major in about 3 weeks. I have never even looked back. I am so thankful that the Lord loves me enough to have a wonderful plan for me. I love my students and what I'm learning how to do. I also LOVE working in my inner city school. Working in these types of schools is the only thing in the world comparable to my passion for going overseas. I never thought I would love anything as much. I would still go at the drop of a hat to any place on this earth but I am thankful to have found satisfaction in the calling the Lord has given me in my home country. I am also thankful that I am marrying a man who spends time with the Lord and listens well to what the Lord says. Bradley has one more year of school and I am praying for a teaching job. CMS threatens cutting jobs all of the time but the Lord is bigger than the economy and I am asking you to pray for an opening this summer for what the Lord has specifically called me to do. I also ask you to pray for clarity over the next year about what the Lord would have us do when Bradley graduates:)

the science classroom! one of the walls is painted like an ocean. another one is painted like a jungle!

I made that word wall!-I am slowly learning the true effectiveness of them haha

The Big Day Details!

2011-01-13T18:21:00.004-05:00

I'm getting hitched on July 9th, 2011!! and it's to my best friend, spiritual leader, and love of my life! I can't wait! If you want to know any details of our wedding go to:
http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/BradleyMorris&CaitlinKing

I'm getting MARRIED!

2011-01-02T00:04:00.005-05:00

YES...you saw correctly!!! I'm engaged! and to the sweetest guy I know! Tonight Bradley took me out to eat at Ishi, a Japanese Restaurant that we went to on our first date in October 2009. He popped the question while we were waiting for our food! I could barely eat I was soo excited! We are planning on getting married in July (hopefully!) More to come!!!!!

random:)

2010-12-08T20:38:00.003-05:00

Last night was our last night of crusade until after Christmas. Here is a pic of me and some of my awesome Bible study girls!:)

SOOOOOO excited about this!! Check out Norm the Niner! He's lookin pretty serious. Check out his left eye! It's gold! We are ready for some 49er football and so are the stores at the mall!

CRU SEMI-FORMAL aka THE SNOWBALL

2010-12-04T13:34:00.010-05:00

Last night we had our first semi-formal for crusade since ive been at UNCC. The Lord has really blessed us with grown and allowed us to fellowship in such an awesome way. It was so much fun to dress up and dance! i loved it! Here are some pics from the night. sweet man!

hussain!

the dancin was awesome!

me and bradley

my girls:)

some of the girls

the djs!

Student teaching one month from today!

happy birthday to my sweet man

2010-11-16T23:27:00.005-05:00

Today is Bradley 21st birthday! He has been such an amazing boyfriend and I am so thankful he was born! These pictures should give you an idea of how crazy cool he is:)

U! S! C! GOOOOOOOOO GAMECOCKS!!

2010-11-08T10:18:00.004-05:00

Saturday, Bradley's family took us to the USC-Arkansas game. It was fun to see the team that my boyfriend loves so much up close. The atmosphere at the games is soo much fun. Sadly, USC got beat pretty badly:( but thats ok..I still thought it was fun!! BTW GOOOOOOO PACK;)

Grace Grace God's Grace

2010-10-24T15:28:00.002-04:00

Do you ever have those moments when you realize just how yucky of a person you are? I mean, if you've accepted Christ as your savior then you are an admitted sinner but geeeeeezzz some days its even more blatantly obvious. Today while driving back to school, Bradley and I stopped at Bojangles to grab some lunch. The drive-up window was backed all the way to the entrance of the parking lot. We decided to go in. The line was just as crazy long inside. We realized the people working still had not gotten the hang of what they were doing:) after waiting 20 minutes...we finally got our food. Backing out of my parking space was special...the line for the drive-up window was sooo long my car was blocked in. FINALLY we make it back to the highway. I take out my biscuit and it is wrong... that was it...i was done...the attitude came bursting out...the p word that rhymes with hissed made its way out of my mouth...Bradley sweetly offers me his food and i reject it! I'm so mad i could feel that lump in my throat like im about to cry...OVER FOOD. REALLY? i mean people are starving..and im missing cheese and you would think the world is ending. well...the Lord spoke to me on the ride on...i was reminded of his amazing love for me. I am such a selfish spoiled person but he still loved me to send his son to take the weight of my sin on his shoulders so that I could have a relationship with almighty God. WOW Is that not AWESOME!!! The whole world needs to hear this message...when was the last time you shared this good news with someone new?

fiesta in my mouth!

2010-10-18T17:36:00.003-04:00

lLast night I decided to make Charity's empanadas!!! They were amazing!!!! My picture looks a little gross because I kinda forgot to take the picture before I started eating..oooppss! They were yummy and it was easy enough for me to take..im challenged in the cooking area!

The Penguin!

2010-10-18T17:30:00.005-04:00

Saturday night, Bradley took me out to dinner to the Penguin. I posted on this place last year! It was on the Food Network! It has really good burgers and fried pickles! We had to wait over an hour though because it is so popular! We thought that if we got there at five we would beat the rush..not so...owell! it was still great!

Back to Middle School!!!!

2010-10-09T23:51:00.002-04:00

This year I'm working at Northridge Middle School. It has been pretty awesome so far. I LOVE the students!! They are bright and sweet and have a desire to make something of their lives. I can't wait to give them my best this year. I am truly learning how I can glorify the Lord through teaching. Each day in school is an opportunity to show the love of Christ to middle school students going through huge changes in their lives. I pray that I will make a difference this year!

loooovvveee pasta

2010-10-09T23:41:00.004-04:00

I just wanted to have a little blog post to let everyone know how sweet my boyfriend is:) yes i know you may be gagging...but...owell;) he gets up early on fridays (when he doesnt have to) just to take me to class so i dont have to walk...he surprises me with reeses...he makes sure i know that im beautiful every day...pumps my gas so i dont have to get out of the car...spends every second he can with me...and sooo much more!!

A couple of weekends ago we had a date night and ate the "love" pasta that i brought back from italy and then watched letters to juliet...pasta in the US just cant compare!!!!

anyways..im sure your sick of reading this but...he is sweet:)

F-U-N Week!!!

2010-09-19T17:45:00.006-04:00

It's the little things in life that make me super happy right now with the way school is. This week was just a fun week here at school. The week started with some of the guys playing frisbee from my 3rd floor window down to the grass.

Later on in the week...my roomie Kaitlin and I went and had pedicures together! (this is a big deal because we hardly see each other this semester because of all the work we've been doing)

The nail salon was crazy nice...they served drinks and had awesome chairs that even massaged your butt:) ....no pictures of me sorry!

Last night...one of my friend's had a cookout because he just bought a house (yay!!) I got to see one of my good friends, Kayla, who graduated in May and is now teaching 2nd grade in Y-Vegas ;) we played the game Quelf which is like the craziest game ever..check it out! I haven't laughed that hard in a while...so yea..a fun week:)

Willy T and Da Cru - "This is Cru"

2010-08-31T23:55:00.000-04:00

Check out this hilarious video/rap some of the guys from CRU created!!

don't do it. just don't.

2010-08-20T10:17:00.002-04:00

To all of the people out there who like to clean out their ears with Q-tips, I would advise you to stop immediately. Cleaning your ear with these things scrapes away the skin cells that have the good bacteria that fight organisms that cause crazy bad infections. I learned this from experiencing one of those crazy bad infections myself. I woke up Sunday morning in pretty severe pain but just took some Advil. Monday morning I was wide awake at 4:30am in TERRIBLE pain. I decided to go to the minute clinic where they informed me that my ear was too bad for them to treat. Next stop, Duke urgent care where they informed me that i had a very bad inner ear infection and put me on antibiotics. Two days later....HORRIBLE HORRIBLE PAIN. Now in Charlotte..I go to the ENT (thanks to Melanie Huffman) The doctor takes one look in my ear and grumbles...he said "follow me" i followed him into one of those scary looking rooms with a table to lay on and stuff and he proceeds to suction out my ear for several minutes and look at it under a microscope. He then puts this thing called a wick in my ear that has to stay for two days and one of my awesome friends gets to pull in out. Once I sat up he sat in front of me and informed me that this "heck of a painful" ear infection was self induced. He then told me that some people don't where seat belts until they are in a crash and this is what has happened to me. I knew instantly what I did. NEVER CLEAN YOUR EARS WITH Q-Tips!!!!!!!!!

whewwww!!!!

2010-08-09T19:19:00.002-04:00

Finally! I have finally been home (Durham) for a full week!!! I slept in my own bed 8 times between May 17th and August 2nd but I am so blessed to have had the summer that I had. I really enjoyed sharing Christ with others and traveling all over Europe for 8 weeks! I just wanted to take a second to share some of the amazing things I experienced this summer. My favorite thing I learned in Rome was how to discern the voice of my Father from the voice of the evil one. It's something I will never forget and obviously will need to use on a daily basis. Some of you may be think...why didn't you already know how to discern the voice of the Lord from Satan...and I don't know why. I know I have never been attacked the way I was in Italy before so I guess the Lord was waiting for this opportunity to really teach me some awesome stuff. Another thing that I want to share is how incredibly bad the entire continent of Europe needs to hear the message of Jesus. Now, I know that the whole world needs to know Jesus Christ but the Lord really opened my eyes to this specific need this summer. There are many places in the world where the people live in need of food, water, and shelter on a regular basis. We often think of these places first when we hear "mission trip" but I would like to open your eyes to a place where the people seem "fine" on the outside. They have food, shelter, and even nice clothes. Their countries are well off financially and can stand on their own. People seem to be fine in Europe. They have what they need, or so it seems. This is a lie. Europe is one of the darkest places in the world. Missionaries in this part of the world see the least amount of fruit from their labor (not that their isn't any-but to our eyes) Europeans have everything...at least they think so. They don't feel the need for a Savior. They can be the god of themselves. I did not encounter 1 student this summer on campus while in Italy that had a personal relationship with Jesus. I shared the Gospel with many students...none of them had ever even heard of having a personal relationship. It made many of them curious but they needs to hear in many more times. There are believers...but not many. I just want to encourage you to remember Europe when you pray for missions around the world. These people are so lost but believe they have everything. We want them to know Christ!

Focus Rome (short version)

2010-08-05T21:42:00.000-04:00

Craziness In Slovakia

2010-07-12T17:06:00.001-04:00

Saturday night we found RC Cola at the restaurant we eat all of our meals at!! How crazy!! Rae and I decided to wash clothes in the washer at the hostel...when we opened the washer up, water poured on the floor..it took our clothes a LONG time to dry!! I kinda like hanging clothes out to dry! :):):)

Magnum Gold!

2010-07-07T21:12:00.001-04:00

I have found the Magnum Gold bar in Banska!!!! These things are the best things on earth and will truly change your life!

Haluski

2010-07-06T19:40:00.001-04:00

Tonight at dinner we had the privilege of eating the official Slovak dish of Haluski. It is potatoes made into tiny dumplings with goat cheese and fat back on on top...Yum!!! :)

Slovakia

2010-07-03T14:36:00.002-04:00

Sooo I am back in Europe for the next 13 days! Crazy! Today I spent the whole day with my friend Zuzana who I met the first time I went to SK in 2007. Zuzana is now a believer in Christ! Praise God! It was soo amazing to sit down and talk about how the Lord has changed her life! I was almost in tears. After talking over Coke she took me all over town. I was able to meet her family for the first time. They were so sweet and fed me some new Slovak food:) well thats all for now!

The Time Has Finally Come!!

2010-06-29T08:53:00.003-04:00

For me to see this smiling face!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bradley has been serving the Lord in Asia this summer while I was in Rome. While it is AMAZING to be able to serve the Lord in 2 different places, I am ready to see this boy!! We had no communication for the first few weeks and then finally some emails but I'm anxious to hear his voice and see his face!! (besides the 20 pics I took with me) I'm praying today that he has a much easier time getting to RDU than me!!! Can't wait to see you babe!!!:))

Ciao Roma

2010-06-23T08:57:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I head back to the states after 5.5 weeks in Italy:) I'm sad to leave but also excited about coming home and sharing about the experiences I've had. The Lord has blessed me with so many amazing conversations and even new friendships with Italians. I have learned many new things about the Lord. I will definitely be updating the blog with final reports and pictures from the project when I arrive at home. Thanks to my mama for posting the pics while I've been here! Can't wait to see you tomorrow!! Happy Birthday daddy!!!

Amazing Last Day On Campus

2010-06-17T20:54:00.002-04:00

Today was my last day at Tor Vergata. It was pretty sad to think my time here is up for now. I had an amazing 4 weeks on that campus. Today I was able to share the Gospel 3 times! It was great! Tonight Aprill and I went shopping and out to eat with two friends, Ilaria and Monica, that we met last week. It was amazing to spend 6 hours just with them. They picked out clothes for us and even ordered our food at dinner. It was so sweet :) I will miss them so much!! Aprill got locked in the bathroom at dinner which was hilarious! Everyone was staring at us trying to get her out. Here are some pics from our night out!

Go Italia!!!!

2010-06-15T20:49:00.003-04:00

Last night I had the privilege of going to watch Italy play Paraguay in a park with 20,000 Italians. It was an incredible experience! Most of the team was decked out in Italian gear. It was so fun to be right there beside them getting emotional with them. It was definitely my favorite experience I've had here and maybe the best I've ever had overseas. I think they really appreciated us supporting them... they took lots of pics of us which is kind of funny :) I actually was asked to do a commercial for Sony 3D TVs. It was HILARIOUS!

Freedom!!

2010-06-15T17:17:00.000-04:00

I am really experiencing the freedom that is in Christ on this trip. Since I became a believer I have known that I was set free from the bondage of sin and death but never fully felt and enjoyed the true freedom that I have in that. I said in my last post that I can be a worrier and try to control certain areas of my life. Galatians 5:1 says, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." How exciting! One of the tings I have been learning is how to know what comes from the Lord and what comes from the enemy. This has helped me tremendously in the area of worry.
The Lord brings:
Abundant life
Conviction
Repentance
Truth
Freedom
Worship and praise

The enemy brings:
Condemnation
Shame
FEAR
Sadness
Despair
Bondage
Lies

When I get to a situation where I'm worrying or obsessing over something I now sit and ask...does worry and fear come from the Lord? Does the shame I feel over a past sin come from God? NO it doesn't:) its important to recognize the enemy! Sorry this post was all over the place but just wanted to share!

A spankin' from the Lord:)

2010-06-13T18:26:00.000-04:00

Yes a spankin'...well kinda...I have just entered, as of 22 minutes ago, the 5th week on project! I can't believe it! I get asked a lot what the Lord has taught me. Honestly it would be impossible to say everything I've learned...its so much! But I can tell you I've grown in areas that I was not expecting. I expected to grow in the are of sharing my faith, which I have, but I don't believe that was the main thing the Lord was trying to show me. I am very comfortable with talking about the Gospel with Italians and its crazy to think a year ago I would have been really nervous. The biggest thing I've learned is letting go of many things in my life and giving control over them to the Lord. I have always been a worrier and it took me coming across the ocean to Italy for me to finally learn how to give Him control. What a peace it brings! Its incredible. I share with people that the first two weeks of project were a spankin' from God:) it was rough letting go but I'm so glad and thankful for His hand in my life. Hebrews 12 says that if the Lord didn't discipline his children, you would not be his child. I am loved! There were many tears shed the first two weeks but I am soooo amazed at the Lord. He is worthy of praise! Some of my favorite verses from Hebrews 12 are:
Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
12:1-2
Wow!! Gives me chills!!

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
12:12-13
I love how he is making what is lame holy!!! I love this stuff!! Also, Hebrews 11 says that having faith pleases the Lord. I'm so grateful for the testing of my faith during my weeks in Italy:)

Market

2010-06-12T12:54:00.002-04:00

Every Friday and Saturday morning, there is a market like 100ft from where I live. This morning I went shopping! It's fun (sometimes) to haggle and get stuff for pretty cheap. Today I did have one man that would NOT budge...nothing worked...even the puppy face and leaving..how sad! Normally if you walk away they will try harder. Not today! BUT I did get a skinny belt and some shoes at a nice price. :) My shoes are so euro and I'll probably get some weird looks in the states but that's ok! I'm babysitting a family tonight so the parents can have a date night. I'm so excited! I love going to a home..it's so nice.
P.S. There are other people on this trip with me..they are just on my regular camera. All blog pics are quickies taken on the blackberry! :)

How many bus drivers do you normally see this relaxed?? :)

2010-06-10T22:17:00.001-04:00

My Average Day In Roma

2010-06-08T21:04:00.002-04:00

During the week I go to my campus from 12:30 to 4:00. I work at the School of Business. It's neat to meet students with that major and talk about their dreams. Today I met two girls who were soooo sweet. We talked about Jesus, and are probably gonna meet up soon to eat Japanese and talk some more Jesus!:) That's what I do everyday...I go on campus and pray for the Lord to place girls in my path to sit down and share with. It's pretty awesome! Italians are generally open to you just sitting down and eating with them even though they've never met you before. BUT it takes a LONG time for them to let you "in." It's still awesome to meet girls even if I'll never see them again... I pray they remember our conversations. This afternoon I went to help 4 year-olds practice English. It was adorable! A family from Tennessee started a family life program in the city. We practiced English with the kids while the Lile's talked and shared with the parents. It was great to support them in their very special ministry!

Personal Space

2010-06-06T21:13:00.003-04:00

So I've been wanting to capture the public transportation system for a while. It's totally normal for there to be 50 people on a bus that fits maybe 30. It's kinda full actually...most days anyway. Some days I'm just like "get off!" But most of the time I just soak in the culture...gotta love how this lady looked right at the camera!

2010-06-06T09:02:00.001-04:00

and excuse my spelling and grammar mistakes!! im super tired when i do these:)

last week

2010-06-06T08:57:00.002-04:00

Last week was a hard and discouraging week. Yea..just gonna be honest. I had very few spiritual conversations and no hearing from Bradley really weighs on me some days. I want to share the Gospel multiple times everyday and some days it just doesnt happen which can be hard to take it. Im still sooo thankful for the ones I have had and Im sure there will be more. Keep praying for that:) I did actually hear from B tues but i missed his phone call..i did get a voicemail though..its HARD not talking to your person for this long...i mean i knew that getting into it but yea...you get it:) This week is looking to be much brighter. The Lord is good! Keep praying for Italians!

2010-06-05T14:24:00.000-04:00

Tivoli

2010-06-05T14:21:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we went up in the mountains to an ancient town called Tivoli. There is a castle there built in 1411. There is a BEAUTIFUL garden called Villa di Este. It was sooo restful and smelled awesome. The people were even sweeter in Tivoli. :) After going through the gardens, I went shopping and got a cute little dress made in Italy.. I'm sooo excited about it! It was a great day away from the city.

Crepes!

2010-05-30T18:07:00.002-04:00

One thing I have come to love in Italy is the crepe. My personal fav is Nutella with rice crispies. You can get them with all kinds of candy and fruit. It's awesome! Tonight we had roomie dinner and my roommates and I went to get dinner and dessert. Here are some pics!

2010-05-29T11:25:00.002-04:00

So it has been 13 days since I have washed ANYTHING..basically... I smell...which I mean isn't a big deal here but for my own sanity...I finally found a laundry mat! The washers are sooo tiny they hold like 2 pairs of jeans...well kinda...we MADE them hold a lot more! :) It is such a great feeling when you can make your clothes smell fresh again!

Romans 1:16

2010-05-29T07:07:00.000-04:00

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation...this week was great! I met a lot of Italians this week. They are incredibly sweet people. Thursday, I sat down with a friend with two Italian girls to eat lunch. We just asked what their names were and then asked what their families were like. We talked about school..politics..the church (big deal here!)..then Jesus..I was able to share the gospel..it was great..the girl that was really good in english was agnostic..she seemed to like the idea of having her own relationship with the Lord..a lot of these people don't realize they can have this. It's so exciting to bring that news to them. I will be praying for her as she processes the gospel:) next we talked to a girl taking a smoke break (everyone smokes here..ill prob be addicted to nicotine when I leave haha) she asked if I had some sort of message to tell..I said yea!!! She said she didn't think she would go to heaven at first..maybe after time in purgatory..I was able to tell her that Jesus took care of everything on the cross..if she would believe that..she was soooo excited! It was great..I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to be here:)

Coloseo

2010-05-28T13:50:00.000-04:00

2010-05-27T09:54:00.002-04:00

Here are some pictures from the week. It has been a good but long and busy week. We've had some good conversations and are hoping to be meeting back with the same Italians for the next few weeks. I can't wait to see what the Lord does in my life and the lives of the Italians. Monday, Aprill and I went exploring. We started at the coliseum and then made our way to the Pantheon. We went through little back roads and spent 4.5 hours learning the city. I definitely feel confident in my ability to use the bus and metro to get around now. The group in front of the flowers is the group of girls that go to my campus. The girl on the far left with blonde hair disciples me while I'm here. :)

Christ!!!!

2010-05-24T17:49:00.000-04:00

Praise the Lord I get to go seek the lost on a university campus for the next 5 weeks! I'm so excited despite the times of rejection and fear that are sure to come my way. The Lord has entrusted ALL believers with taking his gospel to the nations! 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 tells us that the love of God controls us and if we are in love with him, we will take his message to the ends of the earth. We are ambassadors for the God of creation! What a privilege! Pray for me and my team as we enter the battle for the lost on our campuses tomorrow!

funnies

2010-05-23T09:42:00.000-04:00

What I've decided to do with the scary/embarrassing things in this culture is just to laugh. For instance, Italian men are very forward. It doesn't matter how bad you think you look...they WILL comment. Yesterday my friend Aprill and I walked to the internet cafe. One man looked me in the eye and said ooooooh myyyy gaaaaaaaaaaaah!!! Very good!! As creepy as that was, I laughed so hard...his accent in the gah part was hilarious! Now, anyone who has traveled to Europe understands that the buses can be ridiculously packed. I experienced this some in SK but not to the extent I have here. Today my friend and I were riding the bus back from lunch. There were seriously close to 75 people on board and the bus driver was breaking unusually hard and fast and making sharp turns. I was holding on to the bar above my head when he made a sharp turn. I was standing right at the door and almost lost my life!! Haha my feet literally left the ground as I held on for dear life with one arm! Aprill and I died laughing which is another cultural no no :)
It was great fun! Laughter is great!

2010-05-23T08:22:00.000-04:00

Rome Baptist Church

2010-05-22T17:25:00.002-04:00

I really love European food! Obviously I love chocolate filled pastries but it gets expensive! Today I found a bag of chocolate filled croissants! It was like 3 US dollars! I just love Europe! Also here is a pic of the Magnum Bar wrapper...isn't it cute?!? I love the question mark...like is it gold or something to eat?!?! Love it! Ciao :)

2010-05-21T15:38:00.000-04:00

Spanish

2010-05-21T11:24:00.002-04:00

Sooo today I was able to have my first spiritual conversations! It was great fun and great practice for the days to come. Italians are soooo friendly and will talk to you until they have to go somewhere else. I was actually able to use some of my spanish today! A girl that I talked to is actually from northern Spain. She was translating for her friend until I realized that her friend spoke Spanish. I was able to ask her some basic things. Apparently some Spaniards call Italian dirty Spanish haha (Charity:)) I thought you might enjoy that. I was honestly a little surprised with the city when I first arrived (yea I kno!) it has really grown on me in the past 24 hours though! The people make up for all of the grafiti. They literally do not eat anything BUT pizza and pasta like NOTHING else. You can pick up fruit at the market but as far as restaurants, you can expect carbs. AND another thing that surprised me was the pizza. I went in thinking it would be TOTALLY different. If you have eaten at the Italian Pizzeria in Durham, you have had the real thing for the most part. Pepperoni pizza doesnt exist...its just pizza with peppers on it. Another cool thing is the tomatoes on the pizza are legit tomatoes..like a quarter of a tomato! yummy! I had a Magnum Bar Gold today...if you will be traveling to Europe this summer, you must check it out! Apparently it is new. There is a picture of the wrapper coming because I think it is so cute! Well thats all for now! Ciao:)

Cornetto

2010-05-21T07:48:00.002-04:00

This is what I get to eat for breakfast everyday so if I am fat when I get home you will know why! :)

my room

2010-05-20T16:47:00.000-04:00

So here in Rome I share a rom with 3 other girls..one from indiana, one from WV, and one from USC. The pictures posted below are from our room. When I first walked in, I thought there was a mistake because I only saw two beds..then I was informed that bunks folded out of the wall! How crazy! Anyways our view is soo cute! There are a ton of palms here! We went exploring and saw how incredibly ancient Rome is! Everywhere you turn there is an old building sitting right in front of you! Like cool old buildings! I saw where Peter and Paul were imprisoned! Anyways, for all of you who have not been to Rome, the city is COVERED in graffiti. Its actually pretty sad to see the pretty old buildings covered in that junk! Anyways, pray for our team. Satan is really attacking right now causing a lot of us to feel homesick and inadequate...he's angry and we need your prayers!
Be back later!

2010-05-20T14:35:00.001-04:00

ciao

2010-05-20T07:35:00.000-04:00

I made it!! I made it to the eternal city:) I'm super tired but super excited to be here and talk to italians about our Lord! So far, a lot of the buildings remind me of SK but not the personalities. The trees are funny looking:) one thing I've learned so far is not to wait for a car to stop..you just walk right in front of it! Crazy! Well get ready for some pictures... hopefully!

martedi (Tuesday)

2010-05-18T14:38:00.000-04:00

So today has just been more briefing..trying to learn each other's name and stuff like that. There are 12 states represented on this project. My roommates in Chicago are from Texas, Ohio, and Florida! Apparently my accent is the most noticeable though:) Someone said it was pretty which I think is hilarious. I'm getting super excited to leave tomorrow! Rome is going to me awesome! We are going to grow and learn so much. I can't wait to see what the Lord does in me! Keep Bradley in your prayers...he flies out to Asia in the morning! I fly to Rome tomorrow afternoon:)

Chicago (Roma part .5) :))

2010-05-17T15:55:00.000-04:00

Hello!! I made it to Chicago about 9:50 central time this morning! It was my first time flying and moving through an airport by myself but I did it! I was the first one here so I just hung out in the lobby for a while and caught up on some reading. If been talking to Bradley and he's learning a lot about Asian culture..I think he's getting SUPER excited! I met my first team member around 12:30...she is from Texas. We introduced ourselves and now are waking up from a 3 hour nap haha at least there are people here who sleep like me!! Well ill keep u posted!:)
PS
keep praying!

Roma!!!

2010-05-14T21:12:00.004-04:00

Next week at this time, I will be in Rome!! I leave for summer project on Monday! I'm super excited but also a little nervous:) Pray that I will give the Father glory this summer in everything I do. It is my prayer that I will be able to share the Gospel with many Italians. Please keep me in your prayers as I travel and stay in Europe this summer.

Pray for this boy:) He leaves for Asia the same day I leave for Italy...pray that the Lord would use him up for his glory this summer!

Lately...

2010-05-05T01:30:00.005-04:00

Sooooo, I haven't posted a lot lately thanks to school..but I thought I'd share what has been going on in my life recently...tonight we had an end of the year party at CRU. It was a retro party so there were many different decades represented. I didn't dress up :( mainly because I didn't have anything and I am a poor college student who cannot afford to buy anything haha..The party was lots of fun and there was food and Karaoke involved!

Bradley (he's gonna be leaving for Asia soon so keep him in your prayers:))
Bradley singing Stand By Me (boy can sing!)

So...this is what my life has looked like in the past couple of weeks...studying..eating..lesson plans..eating...studying...yea life is GREAT right now;)

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people talk in places they are suppose to remain silent..you can clearly see the QZ (quiet zone) sign hanging above their heads yet they continued to talk...grrrrr

I'm sure you have totally enjoyed this post;)

From my Blackberry....

2010-04-15T19:59:00.008-04:00

I was going through the pictures on my phone today in class (yea I know I'm suppose to be paying attention-but some profs. are just SOO boring!) I decided to post some of my favorite pics that I found. This year has been amazing. I have been through some tough stuff but the Lord has really brought me through it all and provided me with great friends along the way. Here are some of the "lost" pictures from the year:)

We spend a lot of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights staying up late with friends watching movies or playing games. This really captures what happens when it has been a long day!
Kaitlin and I when we went to see Avatar in 3-D (not our idea but it wasn't bad)

we went t0 an old school bowling alley last fall...I had never seen anything like it in my life( you have to write down the scores-who in the world know how to do that!!)

The weekends that I am home in Durham, my precious little baby dog sleeps like this in my room until i wake up:)

rushing the court when we beat Temple

My 21st

2010-04-15T18:14:00.006-04:00

Last Wednesday, April 7th, was my 21st birthday! There was Olive Garden, triple chocolate pound cake and awesome friends involved:) My roomie Kaitlin had a little surprise party for me after eating dinner at Olive Garden. Kayla, who is doing her student teaching back home this semester, made a special trip to come visit me. I love my friends! Here are some pictures from my great day.

Kayla
My brother, from the Middle East:)

Bradley and me

i love my girls!:)

Hiking

2010-04-02T23:41:00.009-04:00

This morning, Bradley and I went hiking in Kings Mountain. We having been looking for places to go hiking and Crowder's Mountain State Park is only 40 minutes away from UNCC. Honestly, I thought the hike wouldn't be too hard since we were only in the foothills but I was mistaken:) It was a fun but challenging (at the top) hike. It was beautiful at the peak! We had a little picnic when we got to the top. We also had decided to both pick a passage of scripture to spend time reading together. Bradley picked Psalm 145 which was awesome to read and meditate on while being out in the Lord's creation. I picked the crucifixion and resurrection story in Matthew and Romans 3:) Easter is a time when I am reminded just how incredible the Gospel is. We are able to have complete righteousness by having faith in what Christ did on the cross. Every move I make should reflect this truth. It was an amazing time and I can't wait to do it again!

Psalm 145

1I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.2Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.6They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.7They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.9The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!11They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works. 14The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.15The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.16You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.17The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.18The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.20The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
21My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Leadership 2010

2010-03-28T18:29:00.003-04:00

This weekend our leadership tream went to Ridgecrest Conference Center in Black Mountain. It was a fun weekend but VERY tiring. We got a lot planned for the fall after SEVERAL hours of meeting. Last night we went to the Early Girl Eatery in downtown Asheville..very yummy! I had to parallel park in d-town Asheville and it took me 15 mins!! (never have to do that anywhere) It was incredibly embarrassing! I also embarrassed myself later when I saw Clayton King walking through the conference center. I was so overcome with excitement that I shouted his name out across the hall and freaked out all of my friends! He did come over and speak to us though! He said he would love to speak at UNCC sometime! We will definitely be inviting him:) This weekend our emcees started off each session with a What's Hot and What's Not segment. The first one they did was about leading worship. They would go tell worship leaders what was good to do and what was bad to do. At first they were saying things like, using brevity when speaking. Then they talked about picking songs that are up-to-date. We thought they were going to play a serious video about this last point and they played this:

(please click and watch!!) This is what is NOT hot:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-NOZU2iPA8

Satisfy me Lord

2010-03-15T00:59:00.010-04:00

Last Saturday I traveled to Panama City Beach with 10 other Charlotte peeps. We drove over 10 hours! It was an AMAZING time. Our group alone saw 3 people come to Christ and shared the Gospel with MANY others!!!! Praise God!! This was such a learning experience. By the end of the week, I was completely cool with walking up to a group of girls by myself!! (not the case before we left:) ) There were over 1200 college students that came to the conference! We completely saturated the beach in the name of Jesus! At the end of the week we learned that over 421 people accepted Christ and over 3,000 had heard the Gospel!!! It was definitely an unforgettable week:) I would love to do this everyday for the rest of my life. Can't wait for ROME!!!!

arm bands that let us all know we were with CCC
camera man wanted a pic right after we got out of the car after driving 10 hours!

beach Sunday morning

Charlotte girls

The group!

beautiful sunset

at worship

Panama City

2010-03-06T16:30:00.000-05:00

Right now some of my friends are headed down to Panama City, FL for our spring break. We are suppose have a week full of evangelism on the beach. I would like to ask you guys to pray for us and the hearts of the people we will meeting this week. We are packed like sardines in the car right now but we are SUPER excited for the break.

The Penguin

2010-02-27T00:49:00.005-05:00

Soooo my friends from the Charlotte area have been enlightening me on the many cool restaurants around town. Last Wednesday I was able to get the Gary's Barbecue experience in China Grove. This week, one of my friends had the idea to go to the Penguin drive- in which is in Charlotte.The diner has been on the Food Network's "Diners, drive-ins and Dives" which is pretty neat. It is super old and I don't think they have done much too it since 1954. They have fried pickles and amazing burgers. If you are ever in town...check it out!!

wanna read something awesome?

2010-02-14T13:07:00.003-05:00

My mom and dad gave this book to me a couple of weeks ago. They said they had received it for free. I thought it looked pretty interesting. I could not put it down once I started reading! It is full of amazing stories of how the Lord is working in Asia. Check it out! K.P. Yohannan is awesome!

College :)

2010-01-30T15:41:00.008-05:00

This week was a reminder of why I love college and UNCC:) Minus Wednesday night of course ( I woke up extremely sick and I am STILL recovering)

Here are some of the reasons I love college:

Basketball Games (we beat Temple!!)

got there early to get decent seats

yes, even idiots who build fires on their balconies entertain me (it's a good thing my dad got me a fire rope!)

Sundrop-It just isn't as abundant in the eastern part of the state

hmmmm:)

friends:)))

I will be spending my summer in......

2010-01-23T20:56:00.003-05:00

ROME!!!!!!!

I just found out tonight that I will be spending the summer in Rome, Italy. It will be an amazing adventure. I'm excited to see what all the Lord is going to teach me. Please continue to pray for me as I begin to raise support:)

Let the nations tremble!

2010-01-16T15:54:00.002-05:00

The Lord is king!
Let the nations tremble!
He sits on his throne between the cherubim.
Let the whole earth quake!
The Lord sits in majesty in Jerusalem,
exalted above all the nations.
Let them praise your great and awesome name.
Your name is holy!
Psalm 99:1-3

I applied to go on Summer Project this summer with Campus Crusade. I applied to go to either, Rome, London, France, or Sweden. I ask that as I am waiting you would pray with me that the Lord would send me exactly where he would have me go, even if it is here in the states. I'm willing to go anywhere or stay right here as long as it is the Lord's will. I'm super excited to see where he sends me. He has called us all to go and tell the nations his Gospel:)

For You I Sing I Dance...WINTER JAM 2010!!!

2010-01-13T11:48:00.013-05:00

Sunday afternoon several of my friends and I went to Winter Jam. Winter Jam is a Christian music tour that comes around every year with some popular artists. Some of the artists this year were Third Day(my personal favorite), Newsboys, Tenth Avenuue North, Newsong, Fireflight, and Sidewalk Prophets. At first I really didn't want to go because I knew we would be getting back late and I had an early class Monday morning. My friends pretty much dragged me there. I am so glad they did! It was four hours of praising and worshiping my Savior! It only cost $10! We had to wait outside for a couple of hours to make sure that we got good seats. There were close to 15,000 people there. Samantha brought mad gab cards so we could play in line. It was cold!
Here are some pictures:

me and sam

me and bradley

Tenth Avenue North

Newsboys

Third Day!!

His prayer for us...

2009-12-28T21:17:00.004-05:00

Over the past semester I have been extremely stressed with school and changes involving relationships with significant people in my life. The Sunday school answer for dealing with stress a lot of the time is to open up God's word and pray. BUT....I have learned over the past few months that reading and praying can be be some of the hardest things to do when you are stressed and even sometimes frustrated with God. It is easier just to find something else to do that will divert my attention away from the bad situation. Leading a Bible study this semester was a good way to make sure that I was spending time studying the Word but I don't want my relationship with God to be forced. I desire to desire God. I know that my being reluctant to spend time with the Lord comes from my sinful nature and the evil one. A lot of the time I ignore the fact that there is someone out there that hates when I spend time with my Creator. Someone who wants to see me fail and make bad decisions. I have found myself begging God for protection at times. Satan can cloud my thoughts with lies and desires that are not from God. There is one place in scripture that I have turned to over and over again this past semester as I have been battling school, relationship struggles, and Satan. What better way to pray than to pray like Jesus did for his disciples (us!) in John 17. Jesus had given his disciples a message to share with the world. The time had come for Jesus to be glorified through his death and resurrection so that He could glorify his father. Jesus asked God to protect his followers because he would be leaving them soon. He was going to be with the father and the disciples were going to be staying in the world. Jesus knew the world would hate his followers and prayed specifically for protection from the world and evil one in John 17:15. I have found myself praying this chapter over and over again this semester. God didn't take his followers out of the world. He left them here to tell the world the amazing news of the Gospel. You may be wondering why I am writing about this because I am definitely not a Bible scholar:) but I just wanted to share something that has helped me push forward in challenging times. We have been commanded to take the Gospel to the ends of the Earth (Matthew 28) and we have also been promised that the world will hate us. Praying the words of my Savior seems like a good way to take on this life...

A CRU Thanksgiving...

2009-11-25T18:54:00.004-05:00

Sunday we had our annual Thanksgiving dinner for CRU. It was delicious and a good number showed up considering it was Sunday and a lot of people had tests to study for before the break. Josiah's parents let us use their house since none of our apartments could hold all of the people.We had some very good food and were very surprised at what some of the guys brought. Who knew they could cook so well?!

Sara, Kaitlin, and me

The group

Hello Christmas Tree!

2009-11-25T14:48:00.005-05:00

Monday night, Kaitlin and I decided to put up our Christmas tree. We found some really nice guys to help us put it up! Last year we had A LOT of difficulty trying to get it up and lit ourselves. NOT THIS YEAR!! It was easy and we had tons of fun decorating it. Kaitlin's cousin was nice enough to give us her old pre- lit tree last year. It's huge and we love it!

The Guys at work
Our beautiful tree!

Bradley and I

Kaitlin and Brian

CRU Community Groups

2009-11-20T00:26:00.003-05:00

Campus Crusade on our campus has community groups for freshmen and upperclassmen. I have had the privilege of leading a freshmen ladies Bible study on Thursday nights at 5:00pm. It has been amazing. I get to spend time in the Word with some awesome girls every week! Last Thursday we had them all over to our apartment for dinner. We had a blast eating and playing catch phrase. I love these girls and I am so glad I have had the opportunity to spend time studying God's Word with them!

Kaitlin's Birthday and Halloween

2009-11-06T14:39:00.011-05:00

October was a crazy month for me! I have been so busy with school. We have been having a lot of fun events with Campus Crusade. Last weekend we went to a corn maze and had a bonfire afterwards. We had a ton of freshmen go! On Halloween we had a party with snacks, games and scary movies at mine and Kaitlin's apartment. It was tons of fun! On October 25th Kaitlin had her 20th birthday. I threw her a birthday party because she is so awesome:) There were caramel apples and a pumpkin cake! I have known Kaitlin since we were about 6 years old. We grew up right down the street from each other. We would ride bikes and play in the woods. We reconnected our senior year of high school and decided to live together when we found out we were going to the same college. This is our third year living together and she is the best roommate EVER!!

hayride to the corn maze
Kayla and Scott

Kaitlin, me, and Lydia (I was a plumber...there is plumber gear in my pocket:)

boys never grow up;)

The Cat and the Hat

Brian's 49er pumpkin

Kaitlin and her awesome cake!

People in Campus Crusade are amazing.

THE CAKE

Banking 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway!

2009-10-18T14:07:00.010-04:00

Yesterday a few friends and I went to the Nascar race in Charlotte. It was so much fun! We were able to see Fee, Toby Mac, and Mercy Me. I LOVE watching races even though I'm not the stereotypical race fan! It is such an adrenaline rush to watch those cars go flying by. It was really neat to see these Christian bands share the Gospel in a very dark place. We had a great time and here are some pictures...

Mercy Me (Energizer was there and that is why the goofball in this picture has bunny ears!)

Toby Mac

pit road..I've never been on the track before so that was really exciting!

Kaitlin and I freezing to death in turn two:) We LOVED every minute.

It was exciting to see my favorite driver race! Sadly, his transmission went out and he just couldn't catch up.

BUT!! my other favorite driver (look at that face!can you see why I like this sport?) Kasey Kahne led for 67 laps!

After an intense battle this loser won..haha just kidding (kind of)

Group Picture from Fall Getaway

2009-09-27T18:42:00.000-04:00

The group from UNCC at Fall Getaway '09 (minus a couple due to sickness:/)

Fall Getaway!!

2009-09-27T14:58:00.000-04:00

Kaitlin and Kayla
Kaitlin and Caitlin :)

most of the UNCC girls

some of our beautiful new freshmen girls

Catlin, Jessica, and Alisha

Random Craziness!

This weekend we went to Fall Getaway at Camp Thunderbird on Lake Wylie. It was AMAZING! We spent the weekend learning about the Old Testament and where to find the Messiah within it. We all learned so much! We all spent the weekend praying and recognizing what the Lord is stirring our hearts about. Do you know what he wants you to do and just need to take action or are you waiting upon the Lord with patience for him to tell you where to go? We all fit into one of these two scenarios. For me, TIME TO TAKE ACTION:)

Tuesday Nights @ 7

2009-09-23T01:18:00.001-04:00

Brother and Sister!

Name Tags

Chubby Bunny -takes me back to Stupid Shay Games:)

The New Student Union (view of the inside from our room)

Practice!

View from our room! ( view of outside from our room-new side of campus)

Our weekly meetings are every Tuesday night at 7pm. This year we meet in the new student union! It is huge! Tonight a man who serves in East Asia with his family through Campus Crusade came to speak about the importance of taking the Gospel to the nations. He has been serving there for 12 years! It was a message that everyone benefited from no matter where the Lord is leading them.

This weekend is Fall Getaway! We have over 20 freshmen going with us! Pray that the Lord will do great things in all of our lives this weekend.

Psalm 67

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us,

that your way may be known on earth, and your saving power among all nations.

Let the peoples praise you O God; let all the peoples praise you!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity

and guide the nations upon earth.

Let the peoples praise you O God; let all the peoples praise you!

The earth has yielded its increase;

God our God shall bless us.

God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!

Fun Weekends :)

2009-09-12T18:04:00.000-04:00

Samantha

Lydia

We've tried to plan things on the weekends for people to do since a lot of people leave and we are poor...haha soo we've played capture the flag and ultimate frisbee the past couple of weekends. It's been a lot of fun! I'm not good but it's still fun to play and laugh... here are some pictures:)

First Few Weeks...

2009-09-09T00:48:00.000-04:00

Volleyball Wednesdays

Intense discussion at the Belk Tower:)

Pizza Party

I don't have a lot of pictures..mainly because I forgot to take them:) But here are a few from the pizza party. You can see the people from India in some of these pictures. They liked our pizza and ice cream! haha They are grad students from Mumbai. They were so much fun and some discussions about Christ were initiated. It really was a great time. We also have volleyball every Wednesday afternoon.

UNCC is growing bigger and bigger every year. It is the 4th largest school in the state. Over 6,000 new freshmen came in this year. This is a huge mission field and we believe that God can do great things. Please pray for our ministry.

O Lord God almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you. Psalm 89:8

Forty-Niner New Year

2009-09-09T00:34:00.000-04:00

I'm finally getting to post about the start of the new school year! It has been a CRAZY past few weeks. All of us on leadership for campus crusade are excited to see what the Lord has done. We have been praying as a team for a while now that campus crusade on UNCC's campus would be exactly what the Lord wants it to be. We want to use our ministry to glorify God no matter how big or how small. At the end of my Freshman year there were only about 20 people attending the weekly meetings. We spent most of my sophomore year evaluating and praying about what the Lord would have us do. After months of praying and planning God has allowed us to see some of the harvest:) For the past few meetings we have had close to 100 people coming to our weekly meetings and close to 20 people attending each community group. It may not sound like much compared to some of the other crusades in the state but we are SUPER excited and blessed. We are so thankful that the Lord has allowed us to see growth. Thanks to all who have prayed for this ministry!

Butt to Butt

2009-07-28T23:32:00.000-04:00

My dad always jokes about the way my dog (little ann) sits with me on the couch. He says his little girls are sitting "butt to butt". Well Sunday night he captured it on camera.

Beach

2009-07-28T23:20:00.000-04:00

Last week my parents and I went to Emerald Isle. My family has a trailor in Salter Path. We ate and relaxed a lot! The last night we were there, there was a storm that left a beautiful rainbow! Also, check out the way people are re-decorating their trailors!

Bringin' in the Freshies!

2009-06-12T03:33:00.000-04:00

The cowboy relay race!

Kayla posing by our table (before the mad rush!)

The cowboy hats for the relay!

Our board!

Yesterday was the start of several freshmen orientations called SOAR. Each SOAR session has a Niner Night were the future students come and play games and take a look at potential organizations they can be involved in. Sooooo..of course CRU is going to be there! We love Freshmen! We had several people sign up to receive information. Our table was complete with music (Hillsong and the Elevation Church band!) and cookies! We also had a cowboy relay as our game. It was a great night and we hope to see these Freshmen at CRU this year!

Megan's Wedding and Myrtle Beach!

2009-06-09T17:54:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Kaitlin, Kayla, her mom and grandma, and I headed down to Myrtle Beach for Megan's wedding. Kayla's grandmother took us to two shows at The Carolina Opry. They were amazing! We had our picture taken with a group of tap dancers that were on America's Got Talent called "all that". Megan's wedding was BEAUTIFUL and sweet:)

2009-05-05T20:51:00.000-04:00

So I have the cutest cousin in the world! His name is Ryan and he is about a year and a half. His mom (my cousin) Ashleigh just sent me some new pictures of him so I thought I would share them with you!

Elevation Church is AMAZING!!

2009-05-03T21:45:00.000-04:00

Today we rode the party bus to Elevation. The church provides the bus to pick students up on campus in case they don't have a car or want to save money. Its a British double-decker bus. It was a blast to ride for the last time before everyone leaves for the summer.

the end is coming:/

2009-05-03T21:37:00.001-04:00

The summer is coming which means we only have a short time left with everyone in Charlotte. We have been spending as much time as possible with each other! Last Tuesday we had an end of the year cook-out. There was food game and dancing. Some of us didn't even get to bed until 4:00 am.!! Megan (far right) is graduating in this week and is getting married in a few weeks! We will def. miss her!

2009-05-03T21:13:00.000-04:00

In the beginning of April, a few of us from CRU went to a leadership conference to prepare for the fall. We got a good amount planned and are super excited! This is the group of 8 that went. Four girls and four guys!! It was a great bonding experience:)

Hello!

2009-05-03T21:00:00.000-04:00

Hey! I'm Caitlin ! Glad you're here. I made this blog to report on whats going on in my life. I also want to use this blog to show how the Lord is molding and making Campus Crusade for Christ at UNC Charlotte. All of us involved in UNCC-CCC are very excited to see how God is going to use this ministry! Thank your for visiting!