Beth

Lord thank you for this day, you have made it…wisely.  You provide energy to go through our day, through food, music to worship you, through the sunshine to see that also brings us nourishment.  Thank you for my job that I can see so many different people that are trying to make a difference in the public education system.  I love the people that are in my life.  I yearn for your love , you are my life…

Today I met a nurse who too thought he was called to missions and God has shown him that he needed to be a missionary wherever he was…he told me he was scared of money and now he is on his way to being a millionaire.  Crazy! 

I realize that I may be a woman of few words.  Please pray for encouragement in my life.  So far it is showing up in peculiar ways, through friendships.  I always thought I would see it in this blog, through my family, through going on a mission trip, little do I know that God has other  plans.  He always does…

I got my shots tonight for Uganda…all covered through my basic health care at the County Hospital.  Living by faith and not sight has really been stretching for me.  In more ways than one, through relating, through Uganda, and through my job…I only ask that God will show himself to me and prove he is bigger than all of these things. 

beth

Today was cute.  I laughed at Trader Joe’s labels to myself, something about specific eggs that involved a rooster, saying, “We don’t actually know if hanky panky was involved” (I LOVE that place), had exactly 17 in cash and my groceries came out to $16.90, AND my car made it to Hayward and back.  This week was my first week after my long term assignment at Concord High finished.  I was at Highlands Elementary in a 2nd and 3rd grade resource class.  I am not a fan of resource as much as I am with severe handicapped because of Cappernaum Young Life.  Yet, I am open to new things and am learning, such as humility, bc I miss Keiko’s class.  I miss my routine and just getting to know the students from her class (I was there since the beginning of the year!).  I am still waiting to see about Uganda.  We shall see.  I learned that my parent’s house got broken into, and their computer and digital camera were stolen.  Can you say-opposition? The computer has a warranty though-whew!  The digital does not.   bum deal fer sure.  

Things I love lately:  worship music, dsl, my house, my parents, wool socks, down comforters, Trader Joe’s, hikes with Keiko and the dogs on Mt. Wanda, tye-dyed dishwashing gloves from the dollar tree,  Barlow Girl, Ellen and Allison from The West Wing competing against each other, Shelter and 7 Pillars peeps… 

I just thought I would blog something about how I came to grow a passion for Africa.  I met David Suseblime at my church, who was born in Uganda and toured with the african children’s choir for several years.   I read on someone’s shirt on a river rafting trip the words:  “Invisible Children”, went on the internet, found out about the war in Northern Uganda, one of the most neglected conflicts in history.  A million people have been misplaced, and many recruited at a young age to fight against their government in what is called the Lord’s Resisstance Army.   Great news in July 2006 is that there has been a cease-fire, ending the bloodshed toward the children and anyone who is not in the resisstance. 

My heart is in a place of needed healing to see the world and share it with others.    I also have a roommate that has recently gone this past summer and felt a breakthrough in her life in areas of worship, relationships, and leadership.  The people there are amazing and I wanted to get a glimpse of what God is doing in a culture very different from my own.  So far certain details are leaving the 15th of December and coming back after Christmas.  I have to get funds and shots, which already is a blessing since I obtained healthcare through the country due to an emergency room visit last month, forcing me to get some kind of coverage…so we will see. 

I hope that you can join with me in asking God to provide the necessary healing and peace on behalf of those experiencing the corruption in their midst. 

“Where you live should not determine wether you live.” -Invisible Children

Important links:

 www.Invisiblechildren.com 

videos: 

global night commute (protest): 

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=644302331

gnc montage:

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=834078201

Q & A about Northern Uganda:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3514473.stm

Making Poverty History, sign a petition:  www.ONE.org

  Vesuvious…is a word that my coworker uses when she needs to vent or erupt, like the volcano, Mt. Vesuvious.  My much needed prayer concerns my mother.  Ever since last week she has been having very high moods.  She needs support to “come down” and be at rest.  Thank you! 

Cool stuff:  My roommate is going on a 3 week mission trip to Uganda, others are taking youth to camp Woodleaf this week, and I will be hopefully getting a new car.  Crazy times!  My friend’s mom is willing to pay for the car so I can make reduced payments to her.  Isn’t God good? 

More stuff:  (1) going to music concerts and (2) going camping.  I just signed up to volunteer usher at the Concord Pavillion and get to see free shows.   So far I have seen awesome performing by Damien Rice and the Goodoo Dolls.  Tomorrow I will see Il Divo.  I have met some interesting people who do this, (almost a carney feel, haha).  Hey who wouldn’t want to see free music if all you have to do is stand up and show people to their seats?  I might also see Journey and Sheryl Crow!  Madness!  My church is also going togo camping this July! It will be 3 days but I think it will be fun, campfire, smore’s, hiking, tents…no showers, dirt, ahh…

feel free to make a comment! -Beth aka breath

Just keep swimming…

“Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23 NIV

DONUTS ARE EVIL.  Just kidding.  They are REALLY yummy though.  Especially on a long commute to Hayward at 7 in the morning. 

Seek and you shall find.  Ask, and it will be given.  Knock and the door will be opened.Matthew 7:1

“I love food. Without it I would surely die.”-Dr. van der Vinne (my women’s psyche teacher)

“Vhut a wrat wrace!”-my sociology professor

     …you’ll remember.  A day that I recall with my dad in the car, listening to KFOG after church (when I was still living at home), we were listening to Natalie Merchant’s “These are days.”  It is beautiful lyrics when you are in a dark place…

“these are the days that you might fill with laughter

until you break

those days you might feel a shaft of light

make its way across your face

and when you do

you’ll know how it was meant to be

see the signs and know their meaning”

Other times I felt this kind of light was during transitions like graduating,which I am looking forward to.

  This is an attempt to CONNECT with those around me because as we all know the computer is a widely used tool/medium that is fun and different.  I feel the need to have something like this to just kind of be available somehow.  I am living here in my hometown, instead of trying to run away, (which is always the case) so I can achieve my degree and credentials for elementary teaching.  I am learning to see my world objectively and rightly.  It is a lot of work, this processing.    I never intended on running away, but I did and now I am back and wanting to stay for a lttle while….

Whas it Dorothy that said in “The Wizard of OZ?”

“Don’t go looking to far for your heart’s desire because if it isn’t in your backyard, it wasn’t there to begin with.”  Thanks Aunt Judy for that quote.   

Demographically speaking, I left for only a year and did ywam.  Keeping in connection with others is nearly impssible so I came up with this and we’ll see how it goes.  I went to places like Africa (an amazing place), Mexico, and even Spain!  But if you want to see the whole world in one city, you might as well go to Los Angeles!

So here is my web log, aka BLOG, that will just be a little bit of Beth, (not too much) I hope that you like it! Warning:  DO NOT GO TO BLOG.COM, there are a lot of unsafe pictures on their home site.