Home at Last.

"LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH."

This was the theme of my whole summer for sure.

I seriously am nothing short of amazed at how God is still teaching me through that since I've been back in Tennessee.

My last week in Tahoe was definitely a week to remember.

Sunday.. we had our Lake Baptism service that only happens once a year.

12 Baptisms were done. 10 being BIGA kids :) PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!

It was such an encouragement to see, and to remind us that we are planting the seeds for the future missionaries. One of the older missionaries from the past got to baptize many of her kids. WHAT A TESTIMONY. I can only pray for that opportunity one day.

We spent Sunday afternoon jumping off rocks into Lake Tahoe. lots of last fun team time.

Monday, we spent out on the boat. Some people from the church took us out for our last day off. I have to say I don't think I'd ever get tired of seeing the mountains all around me, and clear blue water from that view.

Tuesday, was a somewhat rough day. Reality began to hit as it sank in that this was my last week with my kids, and I found myself that night on the third floor of the church just pouring my heart out to God. This place became so familiar throughout the summer, as most of the time, it was one of the only places to get away, and be still in the building. I was dreading Friday so much, but chose to continue and make the most of the time I had left.

Wednesday was a busy day as we got ready for our summer musical. This is what we had been preparing for all summer. It was SO good to see it all come together as well as it did, and to hear all our kids singing about the story of Joseph, and how God provided :)

Thursday we took all the kids to the beach. What seemed stressful walking them all down on the way down from the church ended up being a lot of fun. That night, we all had our staff dinner at a Church member's home and went out on the dock after to share memories, talk about the summer, and share in the Lord's supper together. I held myself together quite well until we started singing the BIGA Club theme song, which is "LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR MIND AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH." I absolutely fell apart. Stood there in awe just reflecting on the summer, and letting it sink in that I had one day left with the kids that I had invested every inch of my life in for the past 10 weeks.

Then came Friday. way too fast.

I started the day off so good, feeling so strong.

and as I made it down to the playground with all the kids,

one of my teammates came up and told me how Seth (probably my favorite kid from this summer, if that's allowed) had told her that he wanted Miss Megan. Obviously three year olds are constantly giving away so much love, but to hear that from his sweet little mouth, I can't tell you what it did for me. The tears started flowing as I ran and tackled him and squeezed the life out of that little angel.

The rest of Friday off and on had its weak moments. but for the most part, I LOVED my last day with them. it ended exactly how I wanted it to... until that afternoon came in Aplus.

Leslie, my team teacher for the summer runs down and says, Megan, Seth's dad is here to pick him up. I grabbed his brother's hand and walked probably as slow as I could up to the building. I squeezed both of them SO hard, and held every emotion in that I was feeling. (I squeezed Seth so hard that he told me I was smooshing him.) :)

Watching him walk up the stairs with his dad was definitely the hardest moment I had all summer. But also bittersweet. He has come so far with me this summer, as far as opening up. Going from a shy little boy, to an absolute goofball.

I have to tell one story from Friday. Lucy, a little girl who came to my class Friday for the first time at lunch time ran up to me FULL of excitement. She said "Teacher, teacher.. I have a fortune cookie. Listen to what it says!" I bent over to read it for myself, waiting for her response, and she said it says, "WILL YOU scratch my back?!" haha. I won't forget that story ever, and brought the piece of paper home with me as a reminder :)

Saturday morning was another tough one. But I could definitely feel all the prayers that were prayed for us that day. Telling my team bye was incredibly hard, as expected, but after I left them, I was able to be strong for the rest of the day, and at peace, for where God was sending me now.

Since I've been home, I've done so much thinking about the past summer.

First off. I KNOW I WILL return to Tahoe someday. God has put that city in my heart, in my blood, in my life, and I know it's for a reason. My life won't be complete without seeing my three year-olds sweet faces ever again.

Yesterday at church we read from Psalm 63.

¹ O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

² I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.

³ Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.

⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.

⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

I don't know that there is a better passage to describe my feelings right now.

My heart hurts to be away from Tahoe, but I have such a hunger for God,

and a need to keep growing. The verse that says I have seen you in your sanctuary and beheld your glory.. There is not a better way to describe my summer. 2 new decisions were made for Christ in my last week there that were made public!

I saw God this summer, and I wouldn't have changed any bit of the experience. Not even for a second. :)

Week Nine. NO WAY!

I really, really, really can't believe that a week from tomorrow I have to tell my kids bye for the summer. Sitting here right now thinking about it makes me so sad.

I told two of the older girls goodbye today, and got a glimpse of what it's going to be like. 

It was rough, to say the least. I'm not good at goodbyes and after this past May, they don't bring back good memories at all. These kids, these people, this place has stolen a piece of my heart and I'm not ready to leave it all behind for now.

Last week was a ton of fun with my kids.

I am so blessed to have been paired with Leslie to teach three year olds.

We rode water slides with the kids on Water Day together, and then on Messy Games dug for "worms" in pudding with our faces for our kids, and let them paint our faces with pudding, whipped cream and sprinkles. It ended up being so much fun, and days that I probably won't ever forget. MY GOODNESS, I LOVE MY THREE YEAR OLDS!

Saturday. we had a nice short staff meeting, and got our last lesson plans checked for the summer. Sunday. some of us went to lunch with our supervisors. It was alot of fun. They are constantly wanting to get to know us more than just them being our bosses, so time with them laughing and relaxing was really great. Sunday night. We went camping.. Lake Tahoe style. 

Some of the girls had been wanting to go and since it was our last free weekend, we decided to go. It was so nice to spend a night in God's creation, laughing our heads off with friends :)

Monday morning. our last Monday off. we woke up to a pancake breakfast made for us fireside by the wonderful youth pastor here. We headed to the beach for our last day of getting sunburnt. This was a different beach than usual, and it seriously looked like the Caribbean. The water was so beautiful, and just reminded me of how fortunate I am to be spending my summer in such a beautiful place.

Monday night I took up my first Tahoe babysitting job. I went with another missionary because there were four kids. The view from the house we went to was breathtaking. The house was lakeside, and it made for good viewing once we put the kids to bed :) That night, the mom had alot of questions for us about what we did, and what we were learning this summer. It was a really neat experience to be able to share since it wasn't apparent if the lady was a believer or not.

Tuesday began our second to last week with our kids. 

pretty good day with the kids, and i'm getting to teach kindergarteners in the afternoons this week. 

Wednesday. we got to take them on a field trip to Kids Zone nearby.

It was a small children's mueseum, and needless to say my kids loved it.

I enjoyed watching them have fun.

Today was a good day. The other teacher was gone on a field trip with the older kids, so I had a different missionary than normal teaching with me, but she did a great job helping :)

However, it has hit me. I HAVE FIVE DAYS LEFT TO SPEND WITH MY KIDS. 

That is absolutely crazy! As I had one of my kids sitting with me today in timeout, after talking to him about what had gone wrong, I asked him to come and sit in my lap, and I got all teary-eyed sitting there holding him, thinking about leaving this place. The same thing happened Sunday, with Camille, my little friend with cerebral palsy. 

At the same moment, I tried to make Jett's little small three-year old mind understand how much God loves him. It sounds crazy because I'm finding out more and more every day that not even I have any idea how crazy he is about me! His mom has some problems, and I hate it so much for him. I explained to him that I have to punish him when he doesn't listen because I love him, and then I asked him if he knew how much more than that God loved him. He kept telling me over and over again how much he loved his mommy, and I explained as we watched the birds hopping around that the same God that made those birds loved him SO much. One minute I was upset with him for not listening, and the next I was having a heart to heart conversation with him. Moments like that make every annoyance and frustration my kids may bring completely and totally worth it.

Another God moment from last week.

I had an opportunity to share Christ with a little 5th grader in my afternoon class. 

She asked how I knew that God loved her after I wrote her a note that said God loves you.

I explained that I knew because he died for me, and after asking how we knew that was true and questioning some more, I told her that I wouldn't have come across the United States to spend my summer out here for no reason at all, but that was the exact reason I was here. This moment remains so near to my heart, as well as this child. After talking to some people, I figured out that what she was saying was a direct result of her mom. I ask that you pray for Alexsandra, and that she will cling to the seeds we have been able to plant in her life.

I feel like I'm at a really low point tonight. The whole single digit countdown thing has got me down big time.. (Even though a cute little boy at BigA today from Memphis made me miss Tennessee a little bit). I have so much on my mind. I am having to remember everything I've learned all summer about trusting God this week. I'm honestly dreading going back and making this huge change in my life that is known as MTSU. I know God has a plan for me there, and Im just having to seek that out so much right now. 

So..

Pray for strength for the next week saying bye. It's going to be one of the hardest yet.

Pray for peace about returning to a new life at home.

Pray for strength to hold on to everything I've learned this summer, and not let that go.

Thank you for keeping up continuously, and the next time I update may be when I'm back at home. Tahoe City. Summer of 2009. will NEVER EVER be forgotten. Praise God!

I'll close with a song that is on my mind right now... 

Third Day. Take My Life.

How many times have I turned away
The number is the same as the sand on the shore
But every time You've taken me back
And now I pray You do it once more.

Chorus:
Please take from me my life
When I don't have the strength
to give it away to You Jesus

How many times have I turned away
The number is the same as the stars in the sky
But every time You've taken me back
And now I pray You do it tonight.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Im on week five on Big A Club. It is SO hard to believe.

This summer has went by WAY too fast, and Im not ready for it to end. 

The past week has been good, but so eventful. 

The fourth of July was AMAZING out here. 

Seein

g fireworks out on the lake gave me even more of a reason to fall in love with this place.

That Sunday I was able to get some much needed relaxation and then go to LivingStones in Reno for church that night. Worship there is always such a blessing!

Monday. the girls and I got to lay out on the beach most of the day.

and finished the night out with Marlise. a church member. coming to cook us fried chicken for dinner. Southern Comfort Food is always a blessing out here :)

Tuesday began another week of BIG A. Even though these are usually are biggest days, and toughest.. I love Tuesday mornings. getting to see my kids for the first time since Friday, and being tackled about 50 times by three year olds... doesn't get much better.

Tuesday was fantastic food fun. fun, fun, fun.

Wednesday brought on an eventful but super fun day.

Since all the other little kids got to go mini-golfing this day, and we didn't because I have the youngest.. we got to do an Easter Egg Hunt this day. Needless to say, my kids absolutely loved it! It was precious, and more space to move around in the church allowed us to get to play with shaving cream that day as well. Very fun for them!

Thursday. I got to go to Wild Island waterpark with the older kids. Big A Club takes three trips to Wild Island in the summer, a

nd they divide it up so that the missionaries all get a chance to go. I always work with the little ones, so spending time with some of the older kids was a lot of fun for me. Forrest, one of my new favorites is 14 years old, and has Aspergers. I was able to spend quite a bit of time with him this day, and his reaction while we were going down water slides together was absolutely priceless. I wouldn't trade that moment for the whole summer.

We all have an hour of wave pool duty during our time there to watch our kids. I was dreading this time all day, but it ended up being a lot of fun. and I got to hang out with some of favorite boys in the deep end ridin waves :) As if this day couldn't get any better.. 

I had told my parents that I would be in Reno at Wild Island when they landed in Reno. They used their GPS system and showed up outside the gate when we were lining our kids up without me expecting it. Supposedly, my reaction was priceless, and I have to say.. I was pretty stoked to see them! I ended up getting to ride back to the church with them since 

there was extra help on the field trip. I finished up the afternoon at Big A, and we went to Brian and Ruth's house for dinner. Our team has come to love this couple so much over the summer, and we love spending time with them. Not to mention, the AMAZING food :)

Friday wrapped up a busy week. My kids got to do pottery painting today which they liked alot.

Friday morning my parents got to come see our opening ceremony and meet a lot of the kids I have poured my heart out to over the summer. That was really neat, and I think they enjoyed their time with my children and my team alot :)

Friday night, we were slow at Parents Night Out and I got let go early to go with my parents. I spent the night relaxing in the hottub

 with my sister catching up on the past seven weeks, and got to bed early that night. thank the lord! At 5AM the next morning, we were Yosemite bound. 

We spent Saturday driving around just adoring God's creation. It was alot of fun, and the sites to see were incredible. After a long day we drove to a town called Mariposa, California and called it a night. The next morning we were up and at it again and on our way to San Francisco. Having family devotion on the way in the car was good as always, and I loved being able to share a little bit of what God has shown me this far with my family :) San Francisco was a ton of fun, but it makes me appreciate the slow country life after being there three days in two weeks. haha. Monday morning, we headed back to Tahoe City after staying in Vac

aville Sunday night. Kaitlin and I got to parasail over Lake Tahoe, and i loved every minute of it. The view was absolutely beautiful, and I think I can officially say that I've gotten to do everything out here that I want to for the summer now :) I took my family to a lakeside restaurant for lunch, and then we did a short hike to finish off their time with me. Saying bye to them again wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done, but three weeks is gonna come way faster than I want it to!

I knew it would be hard taking everything I've learned this summer and applying it to the real world, but my parents coming out here gave me a huge chance to start doing that. I realize I still have a lot of growing, stretching and toughening up to do before I fly home, but God is definitely at work still, and it absolutely amazes me. 

Today, we started week 5 of BigA. Absolutely unbelievable.

The numbers of my three year old class today was 24 children! 

If that's not incredible, I dont know what is. 

This is the biggest number that we've had, and while its such a blessing..

It was a tough day to say the least. When the numbers are bigger, we have to be more careful,

and everyone seems tense. It's those days that I learn so much more about who God has made me, and how much more he can do through me than I often think. I learn to rely on him for absolutely everything, and that he REALLY can do anything. And as if i haven't learned enough, It's not about me at all. 

So.. Here's to a week of Water Day, and Messy Games Day, and hopefully more love than I've ever given away. Time is running out so quickly and it breaks my heart every time I think about telling my kids bye. Pray that God will ease that situation, and allow me to have the energy to give 110 percent the rest of my time here :)

Be Blessed, and thanks for keeping up with me all summer!

He must increase. I must decrease.

Tuesday began week three of BIG A Club.

Really? Time is flying by way too incredibly fast here.

Tuesday morning began an incredibly eye opening experience for me.

I was sitting in my music class with my kids and we learned a new song that day for our musical.

The words are "It's not about me. It's all about you, Lord. It's not about me. It's you I want to please. It's not about me. It's a

ll about you, Lord. It's all about you. You are my king. I'll go anywhere, anytime, do anything. Whatever you ask of me, that's what I'll do. It's all about you. He must increase, I must decrease. All myself I put aside."

As I was sitting there with my three year olds, and our numbers kept getting bigger and bigger for the day, I couldn't help but to be completely humbled. 

HOW ABSOLUTELY AMAZING IS IT WHEN GOD SPEAKS IN THE MOST UNEXPECTED, BIZZARE WAYS!

I laughed at this moment with Debbie later on, because we had 22 kids in my class that day after that. May not sound like a big number, but 22 three year olds is alot! We made it through the day, and instead of being afraid at big numbers like that anymore.. I see it as time for these children to hear about Jesus. I am constantly learning that I am much more capable of what I thought when I first came here.

Our numbers after that were 17, 16 and 9. Fridays are always low. but the other three days. 

WOW. God is up to something. We haven't had numbers that big since I've been here, including Carnival Day. 

Frisbee hat parade was a hit among my class:)

Wednesday started off well. We had a really good team devo this morning, and I was able to open up and share with my team how I had seen God at work this week. Much different than when I was at home, I haven't been very emotional since I've been here. BUT on Wednesday, as I began to pour my heart out, the tears came right along. Sitting back and watching what God is doing here, and how he is changing me is so incredible. Today was a great day with my kids. Even with 17 of them running every direction at once :)

Thursday. 

My kids got to play with the parachute today during Rec and I absolutely loved watching them. Three year old recreation is a tough one to plan, but this was definitely a hit. I have some ADORABLE pictures from this. One of the highlights of my day was Rory Buckton on the playground. This kid has the potential to make me smile pretty much anytime. As he went through his whole family telling me their full names, I told him my full name. He answered with, "That's a weird name for a beautiful girl." I asked him for a hug right after, and he said, "No, but you can have a tiss." He might be one of the most precious 4 year olds I've ever seen.

In my Aplus class this week, I had preschool. Tuesday was kind of a disaster. They have TONS of energy, and very little attention span. It's weird how fast Im learning to adapt for that though. Thursday I taught them again, and it went VERY well. We went on an imaginary hayride outside and I think I enjoyed it more than they did. Acting like a complete goofball, using my extreme imagination, we rolled in the mud with the pigs, milked the cows, and one boy even threw a rabbit across a field. :) I laughed alot during this, needless to say. 

It really is awesome to see how much more confidence the Lord has given me when Im teaching these kids. Instead of being intimidated by it, it makes me excited now. I see it as an opportunity.

Thursday night, we had staff meeting so we could have the weekend off. 

Usually these are long and not so fun, but it wound up being not so bad. 

We sang our musical songs as a team f

or Debbie to prove that we know the words to teach the kids, and I seriously died laughing. Hearing the class by class updates was really encouraging, and I love seeing how our team is progressing. These 13 girls who were complete strangers are nothing short of my Tahoe family now. I love them so much and it seems we keep growing closer and closer every day. 

We were reminded how little time we have left here, and everytime I hear that, it seriously breaks my heart. Im not ready to leave Tahoe, but Im pretty sure that time will never come.

Im falling in love with my class more everyday, and the people of this community constantly win my heart over :)

Friday. The end to a GREAT week.

Long day, as every Friday is, but still a blessing :)

Nerd Day. Once again, these themed days are more fun for the staff than the kids sometime I think. haha. 

Our bible story today during Big A was a huge encouragement.

Called, "The Man who Remembered," it was about remembering to Thank Jesus.

After I finished telling the story, and asking questions, getting the kids involved, 

one of my little girls who has been to BigA twice asked me if I could tell it again.

I was so excited! Of course, I told it again, and my kids seemed to remember alot from the first story. Moments like these are HUGE blessings :)

Debbie showed me a video today of

 my baby, Seth, jumping on his bed singing one of our songs from our musical. I seriously was cheesing the whole time, and ran to hug him right after.

Its moments like these when I realize that when I go to bed on Friday night absolutely wasted of energy, that its completely worth it. 

 

As I said in my previous entry, his family is Jewish, and they are listening to their CD about God's love at home! :) Not only that, I try every day to get him to participate in music, by dancing with him or telling him to sing and he NEVER does. I was seriously blown away when I saw this. The video is absolutely precious, so Im going to share it with you guys.

Go to..  http://sharing.theflip.com/session/dc4c887c0a22106f1026c338625a155a/video/4888829

to watch it. You HAVE to. 

I keep telling my team that Im going to have a whole wall in my apartment of Seth Rosen. If anyone asks, I have a new love, and its this kid. He melts my heart every day. 

I asked him yesterday if he wanted to go to Tennessee with me, and he said yes. Too bad he has no clue how far away that is. Another precious thing his dad told us.. He came in his Dad's office the night he was singing his songs

 and said I have songs in my bellybutton. Push it to hear them. :) :) I think we'll all never forget that quote.

In afternoon Aplus on Friday, the numbers were really low because of the holiday.

Most of the missionaries got to take on the task of sealing the wood all around the church. 

If only you knew how much there is to do, but its all about the kingdom. and of course, we made it fun. For all those people that say we're not suffering out here. I have pictures to prove it :)

                                 

Reilly and I with our raggedy ann dolls. When I showed her mine, her reaction was priceless.

Compared to last week, everyone on my team is healthy again which is a praise.

But it seems like a lot is going on at home with some of our teammates. 

Pray for their families health and safety and peace for them to be able to focus on the reason they are here.

Pray for humility for me, as I seem to be learning and seeking that so much lately.

Pray that I continue to really take advantage of my time here. It's running out so fast!

Tonight we are celebrating the 4th with team time on Commons Beach on Lake Tahoe watching fireworks. Should be a good time :)

Mom, Dad, and Kaitlin are coming out to visit next weekend. Pray for their safety.

Im SO excited to show them around up here. and to go parasailing with Kait out on Lake Tahoe :)

I'll leave with the quote of the week..

"Love and Serve. Go and Tell. Follow Him."

I pray that this is 

One month down. Are you kidding me?

OHHH MAN. everytime i get to the end of another week,

its so hard to believe.

Saturday marked a month since I've been here, and it does not even feel close to that. 

It feels alot longer, but it has absolutely flown by.

A week ago, Saturday, at the update of my last blog..

We had a really long staff meeting for the next two weeks.

It wasn't the most pleasant thing I've ever sat through, but we had alot to get ready for.

We took it easy that night after getting 2 weeks of lesson plans ready, as we're coming to appreciate our weekends and every free moment more and more the longer we stay here. 

Sunday was Fathers Day, and we helped with the luncheon after church, 

and enjoyed fellowshipping with the people of the church that I am coming to love more and more the longer we are here. 

After a bike ride that afternoon, we went to one of our kids houses for the night.

THIS WAS SUCH GREAT RELAXATION.

The family was gone for the week, and since we were dogsitting, we were invited to come and spend the night away from our crowded dorm rooms, and enjoy their hottub :)

This was just a little bit of heaven, Im pretty sure. haha.

After a wonderful, wonderful night there with a few of the girls..

we got up Monday early to get ready to go out on the lake with one of the men who comes to bible study at the church. He is a recovering alcoholic with a lot to learn, but a lot of fun also.

He took us out on the boat on our day off that day, and we had a BLAST. to say the least.

I attempted wakeboarding, but in water that felt like negative ten degrees, didn't have too much luck, even though i did get up once!

We ate lunch lakeside at a nice restaurant, and got a chance to drive BRAND SPANKIN NEW sea-doos out on Lake Tahoe after that. The boat owner knew some locals that had sea doos that were going to rented out that needed hours on them. Needless to say, we were more than happy to help. This was probably one of the funnest moments since I've been here. 

We finished up that day, completely relaxed, by laying out on the beach by Lake Tahoe, about a mile from our church. The weather has been PERFECT the past week or so. About 75 degrees during the day with the prettiest, clearest skies I've ever seen. DEFINITELY YET ANOTHER BLESSING ABOUT THIS PLACE.

Tuesday began another day at Big A. 

Although it was kinda chaotic getting back in the swing of things, it ended up going pretty good.

A HUGE blessing I witnessed this day was when a little boy who wasn't too excited to be at Big A the week before showed up with a smile on his face this day, and his mom told me he had been singing the songs from our musical that we were learning, at home. PRAISE GOD. 

Sometimes I think that I have less of an opportunity to share Christ because my children have such young minds. BOY, IS THAT WRONG OR WHAT?!

Wednesday. our first field trip with my class!

We went to the fire department down the street for a tour, and lunch on the beach.

Even though my three year olds were worn out from the walk over, and pretty fussy, it ended up being a pretty good day.

Thursday. CARNIVAL DAY!

The biggest expected day of Big A for the summer was a hit!

I ran the penny toss station, and enjoyed playing along with each and every kid there, and being able to encourage them along the way.

We had 171 kids that day which is 5 short of the most that they've ever had. 

YET ANOTHER REASON TO PRAISE GOD, LOOKING ON THE PAST WEEK.

Friday. Hello another 14 hour day!

My three year olds were angels this day. I was talking with the other teacher and we were overcome with thanksgiving. Our kids behaved so well, and it really hit both of us really how happy we are to be teaching the children that we are this summer. I really really really don't know what I'm going to do when I have to tell them bye, so I'm trying to enjoy every moment. 

A specific prayer request for my class.

Most of the children's families that come to our program are not Christians. 

However, one boy in particular has won my heart for sure already in the little time that I've been there. Seth Rosen. He wasn't at Big A all last week, and Friday when he showed up, Im pretty positive that my face lit up the room. He is absolutely precious, and I've already bonded with him so much. I was informed last week that his family is Jewish. It has been such a blessing to get to know my kids parents, and build relationships with them. I met his dad Friday and after getting to tell him how much I adored his son just sat and talked for a minute. Pray that I am able to show Christ to this family who has come to mean SO much to me. 

After a long night that ended at 10 pm after Parents Night Out, 

we packed our bags, and crashed, only to wake up at 430 AM to head to San Francisco!

We had all been excited about this weekend, and it was a ton of fun to be able to see so many places in just two days. I cant wait to go back with my parents in about a week and a half!

We got to visit the Full House houses, Alcatraz prison, Golden Gate Bridge, the Pacific Ocean, and just the whole San Francisco bay. It was wonderful to get away and bond more and more with the girls.

One of the coolest experiences of this trip was the fact that Sarah and I rode in the Captains deck on the ferry on the way back from Alcatraz, and actually drove the ferry into the bay. Its a long story, but we wound up getting connections. This summer has provided so many firsts for me, and I absolutely love it!

One of the not so cool experiences of this trip. Sarah. the girl who has become my bestfriend out here pretty much, who I spend ALOT of my time with wound up in the emergency room Sunday night. She was having extremely sharp pains in her stomach, so we stopped on the way home and took her in. The diagnosis was never really clear, but I enjoyed being able to be there for her, and take care of her when she needed it SO much. She has been resting all day today getting ready for the week, trying to get better. Continue to pray for her as we all need 100 percent health to survive the weeks out here. Our God is the ultimate healer.

Because of that, we got home at 330 this morning, and we all enjoyed sleeping in today on our day off. We spent the afternoon laying on the beach, and came home with a pretty good sunburn. Im determined to get sun while Im out here! haha. 

God moments this week:

Little David's mom telling me he came home singing our songs. 

In other words. God knows what he's up to here. I do not.

Reading through the story of Abraham and Genesis still..

I was reading about Lot's wife and how when she looked back she became a pillar of salt.

I NEED TO FOCUS ON THE HERE AND NOW.

I seriously dread telling the people of Tahoe bye, and there are probably some things I could've wanted to change since I've been here. BUT none of that matters. What matters is right here, right now. and being all that I can be for my purpose here.

Im going to end this with Debbies infamous quote.

"LIFE IS NOT ABOUT ME. LIFE IS ABOUT GOD. LIFE IS ABOUT GIVING MYSELF AWAY DAILY TO THE HIGH GLORY OF GOD."

Will I ever be able to completely grasp that?

MANNN. Im doing my best.

HERES TO ANOTHER WEEK OF BIG A.

LOVE, and more than I can imagine.

Welp. Another week has flown by in Tahoe City.

As I said in my last post,

Sunday night I went to a church in Reno for their worship service.

It was AMAZING. and I really felt God teaching me about trust that night, and all this week, really.

Monday was a tough one this week.

I had preschool in the morning from 845- 1.

My children were WOUND UP this day to say the least.

Driving me to almost tears, 

In the midst of it all, one of my favorite little guys,

ran up to me and said, "I wuv you."

What an eye opener. Even though that didn't fix what was going on at the moment,

when I look back, I see that as a reminder of when things aren't really going our way,

Jesus loves us so incredibly much, and oh, how much I am learning that this week.

I finished off Monday with work projects and our first staff meeting that ended at 9PM. 

LONG DAY, FOR THE THE BEGINNING OF A LONG WEEK.

Tuesday was a COMPLETE turn around.

Our Devotion that morning was on our own, and it was really really great for our team just to spend time encouraging one another and sharing what God is doing in our lives.

aaandd From that, we decided to start studying the Book "Crazy Love" together as a team.

I am PUMPED for this. :)

That morning, Leslie and I moved mulch on the playground.

The way I described this to Debbie is such a good experience.

You probably think I'm crazy, right?

No. Im learning to see opportunities like this as a chance to advance the kingdom.

Im working for HIS building when Im raking endless loads of bark, and scrubbing walls.

ITS NOT ABOUT ME. IF ONLY I COULD CONTINUE TO GRASP THAT MORE AND MORE.

Tuesday afternoon, I had preschool. Much better than the day before.

I got relieved from that for my personal conference with Debbie.

DUN DUN DUN DUN.

I had been kinda nervous, but excited about this at the same time.

We each have one on one meetings with her to talk about just life in general, and how our experience here in Tahoe is going.

It really allowed me to open up to her about more than I ever planned on,

and see a Godly, amazing, woman's perspective on it. 

She set me straight, and told me so many things that I needed to hear.

I am seeing her straight-forwardness as more and more of a blessing every day.

Tuesday night, our dinner out at someone's home got canceled. 

I see that as a blessing, seeing how we all definitely definitely needed the rest.

Wednesday...BIG A CLUB BEGAN!

this is our summer program for tuesday through friday from now until august.

I got to officially have my own class of three-year olds, which I already love so much.

The first day went absolutely fabulous, and it was pajama day, which ended up being more fun for us than the kids i think, haha.

Wednesday afternoon, I started teaching my Aplus afternoon class of first and second graders.

I only have them for a week and then I change grades, but I really enjoyed it.

Im falling in love with the people of Tahoe City more and more each week.

Thursday. another tough one.

my three year olds were great this day again. they are PRECIOUS.

and Crazy Hair Day was a ton of fun also!

BUTTTT. Satan always tries to trip us up when everything seems to be going right, Right?

I heard some harsh comments that I probably needed to hear, but didn't like it at all.

This made the afternoon a little rough, but at the same time, God is teaching me to toughen up.

Which is what I have been praying for.

THE DAY WASNT OVER YET.

I was doing usual playground supervision, waiting for the day to finish up,

and saw a little girl who I hadn't met yet. When I got closer, I noticed that she had two hearing aids, and later, I found out that she had a twin brother too! What are the odds of that?

I showed her our similarities, and it seriously made me so happy to be able to show her that she's not alone :) When her Mom came to pick her up, I got to talk to her for a little bit, and start building a relationship with her. IS GOD IN EVERY SITUATION EVEN WHEN I DONT SEE IT, OR WHAT?!

Friday. 12 hour day, here we come!

Today went exceptionally well. My little ones wrapped Leslie and I (the other 3 year old teacher) up as mummies during recreation, and when we asked if they could help us get out, Jake said, "NO!" It made us laugh. Our kids made Joseph coats and we paraded around the building showing them off. I totally think that my kids are the cutest here! :)

My last day with my first and second graders was good, and I love spending time with them.

Parents Night Out had low numbers tonight, but made for a good break for us. 

At 10PM, after cleaning the building for Sunday, we called it a week, and headed to bed.

Today, we have a staff meeting at 11. and Lesson Plan checks for the next two weeks.

Since Im all done, Sarah and I are planning on heading down to beach and relaxing today, 

and possibly dinner out with the team tonight. HOOORAYYY.

So. the past week. im learning to lean on God more than I ever have, and find everything that I need in him, including my identity. and to not take things so personal, no matter what it is. 

PRAISE GOD for another overall fantastic week in Tahoe. 

Mom and Dad come visit in 2 weeks.. Im sure I'll be glad to see them by then :)

update already?

"anything that we are tempted to love more than God has the potential to be your God."

WOWWWW.

i didnt expect to be updating this soon. 

however, i am learning SO incredibly much about abraham and the life that he lived.

abraham was willing to give up his SON. really?

i cant even imagine. 

we drove an hour into Reno, Nevada tonight to go to a contemporary worship service. 

it WAS SO COMPLETELY WORTH IT.

God is teaching me so so much. and im learning to lean on him, and trust in him. 

WITH EVERYTHING I HAVE.

ill be completely okay if it never ever ends.

Until next time...

-Megan

Seventeen Days Already, Really?

Just as I imagined.. once our weeks start here. 

There's pretty much no stopping until our day off.

So much has happened in the past week though,

and I'm falling more and more in love with Tahoe City everyday.

Saturday afternoon we had our first afternoon off since we'd been here.

Some of the

 girls made the hour long drive to Reno to get our groceries,

and some of us stayed in town, and didn't know what to do with ourselves with so much free time on our hands. So. after getting out and getting something to eat, Craig, the youth minister here asked us if we wanted to go

 hike, and we MIGHT see some snow.

After some convincing, 5 of us girls ended up going. 

It ended up being one of the funnest experiences since I'd gotten here for sure.

aaandd I saw and played in the most snow I think I'd ever seen.

Here is a video at our attempt of a 5 person sled :)

Needless to say, God really does have a sense of humor.

Coming to California, I figured that I was about to be burning up everyday,

and getting the best sun tan of my life.

The temperature hasn't been much over fi

fty degrees yet,

and night time is freeezzingg.

Apparently that's only supposed to last a couple more days though, and then WARMTH!

Sunday, I got to help out with Camille at church.

She is a little girl who is almost two years old with Cerebral Palsy.

This was SUCH a blessing. Everytime I seem to need that extra bit of encouragement,

or reminding that I'm here working for the kingdom, this seems to

 do it.

She is an absolute angel, with the most precious smile I think anyone's ever seen.

One of my teammates and I are taking turns working with her during church

 each week.

I am praying to be able to build a stronger relationship with this family over the summer :)

Sunday afternoon, Sarah and I went trail running with Pastor Dan and his daughter Dannie.

This man is 63 years old, and could probably outrun me if he tried.. such a motivation.

We ran about 6 miles up into the mountains, and halfway through stopped at an overlook of Lake Tahoe. God's love through his creation is written all over this beautiful place.

This was such a good experience, and Sarah and I both really enjoyed it.

Monday was more orientation.. yes, still..

Haha. I figure it's important so I'm hanging in there.

Monday night we got to relax a little and Sarah and I made dinner for the team :)

Tuesday was My Morning Out. like Mothers Day Out in the South. A little bit crazy, but good at the same time. I spent time with a little boy named Jody. He is a special needs child with TONS of energy. I chased him arou

nd for 3 hours, and was absolutely 

beat, but even more blessed. 

I had been praying for some families in the area to minister to that had children with special needs. God answered that prayer times about four. haha. Tuesday afternoon, I was absolutely beat, and actually started dozing off in our seminar. OOPS. Tuesday night, we had 

dinner at a couple named Kelly and Aaron's home. It was alot of fun, and we enjoyed spending time with them. Aaron came in from outside at one point and said I think some kids said they saw a bear.. in about 10 seconds all 13 of 

us were out the door running down the street. 

This picture is a little blurry, but its proof!

We DID see a bear in the neighbor's backyard, and now thinking about it.. 13 girls running after it wasn't the brightest idea.. but it was fun :)

Wednesday. I worked with a group of Charter School kids who are already out of school so they have been at our program all day. What I thought was going to be one of the longest days of my life ended up being a ton of fun. These kids have SO much energy, but I've never enjoyed running around playi

ng tag, acting like a kid again, so much. However, from this day, I'm learning to be a little sterner with the kids to make them listen.. that didn't take too long. haha. 

Thursday, we spent the morning working on our lesson plans to get ready for NEXT WEEK.

Our summer program begins next W

ednesday, and apparently that's when everything will be even more extreme than now. PRAYERS FOR REST AND ENERGY WOULD BE GREEAATTTLYYY APPRECIATED :) In the afternoon, we did some work projects around the church and Leslie and I had to go and stomp the dumpster down. What seems disgusting, we found entertaining. haha. (Pictures below) Thursday evening, we went to a couple named Bill and Helen's house for dinner, and they took us on a little hike afterwards. The view was abso

lutely beautiful, and gave us time to stop and think about just how amazing our creator is once again.

Yesterday, I had to open for our morning program. 

Needless to say, 655 comes REALLY early here. It ended up not being too bad though,

and the fact that my first kid didn't show up until about 730

, allowed me to spend some time in the word and start my day off right :)

We had personal growth time with Debbie after our morning devo. I am starting to enjoy these times so much. It forces us to open up about things we never thought these "strangers" would ever know about us, and is really truly a time for us to reflect on ourselves, and just GROW.

I spent the afternoon with my precious preschoolers, and then onto Parents Night Out where I helped with 1st and 2nd graders until 10 PM. 

VERRRY long day, but I never seemed to run out of energy. Maybe that prayer begging for it at the beginning of the day helped out :)

Its so crazy to think that I've already been here 17 days, and SCARY to think how little time is left. As I put it when I was talking to a family this week, 17 days ago these strangers and I became family. Our team is growing closer and closer, and I'm learning to love these girls so much. I'm learning SO much about God's love lately, and my biggest struggle seems to be learning how to love him back. What's hitting home for me is that when i learn to really love God with all that is in me, I will be able to love my teammates, my children, and their families just that much easier. 

So some prayer requests would be. LOVE. and more than I can stand of it. and ENERGY. next Wednesday will be here fast, and I have no doubt that I'll make it. but only with Christ's help on somedays Im sure. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll write again before too long. :)

The Tahoe Family

I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU.

Here we are, at the end of our first full week.

And that it has definitely been.

 

We’ve been doing orientation still in the morning,

And working with the kids in the afternoon.

 

Just as I thought, we’ve been on the go since pretty much Sunday night.

Monday, Wednesday, and last night, we had dinner at some of the church members homes after the kids left in the afternoon.

Tuesday was preschool graduation, and tonight is Parent’s Night Out, which means we have kids until 10 pm.

Today is going to be a long one, but full of blessings I’m sure.

 

Wednesday, I found out I’m teaching 3 year olds for the rest of my time in Tahoe City. J Needless to say, I am thrilled!

Until Big A (our main summer program) officially starts, we’ve been helping in different classes each afternoon. I don’t think it was coincidence at all that I was in preschool that day. Those boys and girls are some of the most precious children I’ve ever seen, and I can’t wait to be able to spend the next 8 weeks investing in their lives!

 

This week has had its ups and downs, but without a doubt, I am still learning SO much. I keep hearing over and over again that everything that is happening is a result of serving. (Being tired, feeling somewhat discouraged, questioning certain things)

 

I ask for your prayers that I continue to seek God in everything. Debbie’s goal for us is to be able to see God in everything that we do, and I WOULD LOVE to be at that point. The past month or so, I’ve felt like something was working against me as I prepared for my time in Tahoe City this summer. For SOME reason, I figured all that would stop as soon as I got here. Boy, was I wrong!

 

The good news is that I’m learning so much to trust in God in everything. To explain this, I’ll use an illustration I heard in devotion one morning this week:

 

Since I’ve been here in California for the past week, a couple of my teammates and I have picked up rock climbing. Not like a rock wall, but finding huge rocks and jumping around, exploring. I’ve always known that I was adventurous, but these two girls just feed that J Anyway, One of our supervisors was rock climbing with Debbie, our director. There was a big step onto a steep, wet rock. Debbie kept insisting that she trust, and take her hand to get to the next step.

That is exactly what I’m learning to do in my walk with Christ. I may not know exactly what is ahead, but one thing I do know is that he will never leave me nor forsake me, and he is going to continue to change my life this summer, one step at a time. I just have to trust.

 

Anytime I feel like I’m being worn down or tired, and I spend time with the kids here, my outlook completely changes. It’s not about me at all. And I am so incredibly blessed to be here. These children make me so happy!

 

We’ve been taking personality tests this week to figure out how we deal with conflict, and to better understand our teammates. This has been such a cool experience. It is helping me to understand myself so much better, and why I do certain things that I do, but also why I do or don’t get along with certain people. It’s made me be able to see people’s reason for doing certain things that they do, that I don’t always understand.

 

A funny story along with that is that Sarah, one of the girls I’ve gotten closest to here, is that, I know exactly why that was happening. Our personality types are IDENTICAL. God has definitely blessed me with some amazing friendships already, and I’m praying for that to continue, and our team to continue to become more of a team.

This is so scattered, but I just found out I will be getting to help watch a little girl here at the church with cerebral palsy. Can I tell you how excited that makes me ?!

This past week I've kinda missed my children from last summer, and have been praying for someone with special needs to minister to here. YAY FOR ANSWERED PRAYERS :)

 Anyway, last long day for the week begins NOW.

Time to get ready.

I’ll write when I get time again. J

I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

SO MUCH HAPPENS EVERYDAY HERE.

im not complaining at all though :)

i feel like i have SO much to say just about the past two days.

i am being more and more reassured every minute that I'm here, that I'm exactly where God wants me. I never really had doubts about it before I came, but I am so sure!

Yesterday. Morning, we did more orientation. Everything is starting to make more sense,

and I am so excited about starting to work more with the kids next week.

I was assigned to afternoon preschool yesterday. I HAD SUCH A BLAST.

I love preschoolers so much. I can be a complete goofball, and they LOVE it.

I've never pushed so many kids in a short amount of time, heard so many "push me, push me's" in my life, and never once thought about being tired, (even though I started to get that way.)

They have such a joy, and I LOVE being around it.

For our morning devotion yesterday, Debbie told us her testimony.

It wasn't anything she's been through that was so incredibly moving or anything, but I just LOVE listening to her talk about Christ. She has this passion that is truly contagious, and I love being around it. She emphasizes all the time how much she just takes one day at a time, trusting God in faith. She is one of the most content and joyful ladies I've ever met, and it is SO encouraging. 

Last night, we got to get out.. WOO HOO!

We went to a couple in the church's house for dinner.

They were some of the most genuinely sweet people ever.

It was such a blessing, with DELICIOUS food! :)

Today.. to describe it in one word would be INDESCRIBABLE.

Sarah and I went for our morning run, after some much needed sleeping in a little later than normal:) On the way back, the altitude kinda got to me.. but I was glad I did it.

At 930. We began.. all 13 of the missionaries.. to give our testimonies.

The moment I've been so nervous about turned out to be a HUGE HUGE blessing.

The only way I can describe what we all felt was completely humbled, and realizing that God had placed all of us together for a reason. 

Walls came down, and 11 girls that were strangers 5 days ago suddenly became like my bestfriends. We all cried our eyes out as each of us just spilled our hearts out about how God has changed us inside and out. I am that more excited to be surrounded by so many girls that are so in love with Jesus Christ for the rest of the summer.

This also provided a moment for me to completely connect with one of my teammates.

We share so many of the same struggles, and were able to completely relate, and just talk through it all. I see this as nothing short of a blessing. :)

Tonight, after a fun night with the girls, and dinner,

We walked to downtown Tahoe which is only like a block from our church,

and is more like a strip of buildings. 

It provided for more girl time though, which is always a blast!

After finding the rest of our team on the beach, the two Sarah's and I decided to hike to the cross for sunset..

Even though it ended up being cloudy, it was still pretty awesome.

We literally sat and stared out into creation, and talked about God for a good while.

I love those girls, and have SO much fun with them! 

Tomorrow brings our first day of actual church here, and a tour of LAKE TAHOE.

Full of more blessings I'm sure..

Until then, bedtime and rest from a long, emotional, but ABSOLUTELY BLESSED day :)

-PSALMS 37:4-5

Hit the Ground Running.t

I debated on whether or not to do one of these..

UNTIL. I got here and realized how limited my time is going to be.

Right now, we have more free time than a week and a half from now..

So. this is the best way for me to update.

As Debbie says, that time is called "After Christ."

and everything will change. :)

We landed in Reno/Tahoe yesterday afternoon and I don't think I've looked back since then.

Meeting ten new girls plus all the staff I'll be with all summer was quite overwhelming yesterday,

but its crazy how much fun we're already having together. 

I found a running partner to keep me in shape out here, and our run this morning was such a wonderful start to my day. We went down to the lake which is about a block from our church, and it was BEAUTIFUL. at 6 am, about to die from running in this high altitude, I couldn't help but stop and thank my Jesus for making such a beautiful picture for me to start my day with.

I can't help but think that it is times like these that will help me get through this summer, 

when all ten of my girl teammates are driving me crazy.

((I don't see that happening anytime soon though!))

Some things I've had to get used to already.

Living in a room the size of my dorm with 7 other girls. 

-So far I have no complaints about this.. I love my roommates :)

Talks of bears breaking in everywhere. I cant wait to see one!

High, High altitude!

Now on to the reason that I am even here.

Jesus has been opening my eyes to my fear lately, and how much it can control areas of my life.

I'm working on that so much, and as soon as I do..

I see that we are giving our testimonies later this week to our team, 

and I'm teaching my first lesson on Monday morning to 1st and 2nd graders.

Speaking in front of people is something that intimidates me a whole whole lot,

but not this time. I'm giving it to God, and realizing more and more that everything I do here,

is for his glory.

((Even my daily chores for the next ten weeks))

We got to work with some of the little ones today,

and I realized the reason that I am here once again.

To bring them, their families and the people of this community to know MY JESUS.

the one that gives me his undeserving grace everyday, and changes my heart and life all the time. 

So, even though I'm just getting started on this journey..

JESUS. come. continue to reveal yourself to me. more than ever before.

READY OR NOT.. TRANSFORMATION, HERE I COME!

:)