Hi everyone,
Today we officially finished training for our drama! We are now ready to perform them in Ecuador! whoohoo!
As I was up on the forth floor of the hotel around noon, I heard music being played down at the center of the hotel. Being my curious self, I went four floors down towards the lobby and people on the trip were playing worship music. We had a guitar and flute going. It was really neat worshiping right in the center because other guests in the hotel would walk by appearing really intrigued. As time passed by, more and more people from the trip joined the spontaneous worship. A leader talked about how when we worship God, we worship in spirit and truth. And so he suggested that instead of singing the actual verses of the song, we would make up our own words, our own song to God. We sing whatever we feel in our heart. Would you rather have someone sing you a song written by someone else or a song that they wrote for you? I'm guessing that the second choice is the more favored one. In the same way, God's probably like that. Even David poured his heart out to God by writing songs to Him (look at psalms). This was a unique experience because I'm used to singing songs that were written by Christian artists rather than singing by pulling words from my own heart and making my own song to Him. (ok i really don't know if that makes sense at all...it's late)
At FUAGNEM, we had youth revival. As I mentioned earlier, I am one of the four people picked to share a message. I was SO NERVOUS speaking in front of 350-400 people. My palms were sweating, my voice was trembling and I could feel my hands slightly shaking while holding my flash cards. I would keep reminding myself throughout the day that God gave me the message to give to others and that my words are actually His words. That I can do all things throuh him who strengthens me. that even though I'm weak, He will still use me. Even through I was nervous I knew that I just had to because if I can't handle the little things God gives me, how can I handle the bigger things? Thank God for my loving teammates who prayed for me before I spoke and for a dear team leader of mine who let me practice in front of her a couple times. Also, huge thanks to Abby who was the first to know about this and cheered me on. but anyway..... I DID IT :D!!! even though I made some mistakes and actually admitted that I was nervous, the people on this trip are so encouraging and just continued to cheer me on. After I spoke, people would go up to me and tell me that my message really spoke to them and encouraged them. One girl even told me that she was struggling with fear and was looking for a specific verse that talked about it but she couldn't find it. but then i just happened to include it in my message! coincidence? more like God's perfect timing. Even though people on my trip may feel encouraged by the message, I think I feel even MORE encouraged by their words knowing that God actually used me to encourage others. In a way, it was good that I was fearful of sharing the message God laid on my heart because I was forced to trust God to give me the strength and confidence. I'm taking over fear one step at a time. baby steps, people!
GUESS WHAT!!?!?!? I'm flying to ECUADOR tomorrow!!! :D SO EXCITED!!! Man, it's going to be great. can't wait to just love on people! well it's 2:33 am, so off to bed I go! Thanks for all the prayers and support! hope y'all are doing well!
love,
michelle
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Day 4
Hello!
Today consisted of a training for our drama for the entire day with mini breaks in between. It's a long process but it's slowly coming together and I can't wait to see the more final and polished product. We also had training where we reviewed some spanish, learned a spanish song, and talked about the culture and customs of Ecuador.
At FUAGNEM, the topic was on modesty and why it's important to be modest. How you dress says a lot about who you are. It was really cool because you get to see the guys' perspectives on it. The guys put on a fashion show of what NOT to wear for girls. It was entertaining but trust me, you do not want to see pictures. After that, some girls put on a fashion show on how to dress modestly and still look decent. Each FUAGNEM is a blast. There is so much freedom in worship, I love it! People lift their hands up high, jump, dance. It reminds me of what my Sunday School teacher once said (shoutout to jimmy!). He said that sometimes when you worship, you just gotta move because when you move, your spirit moves a bit too. And we shouldn't be afraid to worship freely or worry about what others think. I mean if you really know God, who He is, and what He's done for you, how can you not worship Him with all your heart? This has definitely been convicting my heart a bit. I really do love worship because it's when you can get totally lost in God's presence. But sometimes (scratch that, a lot of times) I hold back even though every inch of my body wants to worship God to it's fullest potential. I can easily do it by myself in my room but when I'm in the sanctuary at church it's difficult because I tend to worry about what others think of me. It's hard, but I'm learning.
Today I did my first tuck in for the some of the student girls. Each LIT/leader is assigned a different room every other night to visit the students before they go to bed. This is so that they can talk about their experiences, share what they've learned with each other, and pray together. It was lots of fun and I really do like the girls on my team this year (:
oh and GUESS WHAT! I'm speaking tomorrow.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. so nervous. alright, well time for me to go to bed! buenas noches!
con mucho amor,
michelle
Today consisted of a training for our drama for the entire day with mini breaks in between. It's a long process but it's slowly coming together and I can't wait to see the more final and polished product. We also had training where we reviewed some spanish, learned a spanish song, and talked about the culture and customs of Ecuador.
At FUAGNEM, the topic was on modesty and why it's important to be modest. How you dress says a lot about who you are. It was really cool because you get to see the guys' perspectives on it. The guys put on a fashion show of what NOT to wear for girls. It was entertaining but trust me, you do not want to see pictures. After that, some girls put on a fashion show on how to dress modestly and still look decent. Each FUAGNEM is a blast. There is so much freedom in worship, I love it! People lift their hands up high, jump, dance. It reminds me of what my Sunday School teacher once said (shoutout to jimmy!). He said that sometimes when you worship, you just gotta move because when you move, your spirit moves a bit too. And we shouldn't be afraid to worship freely or worry about what others think. I mean if you really know God, who He is, and what He's done for you, how can you not worship Him with all your heart? This has definitely been convicting my heart a bit. I really do love worship because it's when you can get totally lost in God's presence. But sometimes (scratch that, a lot of times) I hold back even though every inch of my body wants to worship God to it's fullest potential. I can easily do it by myself in my room but when I'm in the sanctuary at church it's difficult because I tend to worry about what others think of me. It's hard, but I'm learning.
Today I did my first tuck in for the some of the student girls. Each LIT/leader is assigned a different room every other night to visit the students before they go to bed. This is so that they can talk about their experiences, share what they've learned with each other, and pray together. It was lots of fun and I really do like the girls on my team this year (:
oh and GUESS WHAT! I'm speaking tomorrow.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. so nervous. alright, well time for me to go to bed! buenas noches!
con mucho amor,
michelle
Monday, June 27, 2011
Day 3
Hello everyone,
Today we had all the students arrive in the Miami International Airport and my responsibilities were to wait at gates and greet the new students coming in. It was fun to see the relieved, yet excited faces on the students when they spotted us waving in our bright lime green shirts. My shift was 6 hours long, from 10:30-4:30. All the students are just buzzing in excitement and I can't wait to get to know them better.
After my shift, we had dinner and had our first FUAGNEM. What's FUAGNEM? It stands for "fired up and going nuts every minute". At FUAGNEM, there is worship and a message. Tonight was about what it means to be a Christian and Susie (speaker) calls it "big birtha". It's to make sure that we have all confessed, repented, and made Christ rulers of our lives. Just because we say we're Christians does not always mean we are if we have not given our hearts to Christ yet. At the end, we all sang "happy birthday" to ourselves haha. Tommy Bailey leads worship for us and worship is just mind blowing. I can really feel God's presence and I keep tearing up at every worship that we've had so far. It's amazing seeing everyone worshiping God with all our hearts. With our arms lifted high, hearts lifted high, praising the God on high. Oh man, the passion in the room is overwhelming (in a good way).
Even though I'm a LIT and LITS technically don't participate in dramas, I requested to be in it this year because it's so much fun being apart of such a powerful drama. Plus, it's better than watching on the sidelines, at least I think so. The drama is based on the gospel and it is called "The Toymaker and His Son". The toymaker is God and the toymaker's son is Jesus. They create the earth and the trees in the garden of eden (mimes). Adam (the prince) and Eve (the princess) are also created by God and when they sin by eating the forbidden fruit from the forbidden tree, all goes downhill. They are separated from God and Jesus. The evil magician represents Satan who deceives, lies, destroys. There is also a spanish dancer which represents Mary who gives birth to Jesus. There are also other toys and they represent us. They have freewill and can choose whether or not to follow the toymaker and his som (God & Jesus). In a nutshell, God heals, forgives, loves, and wins in the end. Jesus rises up from the dead and no longer is there a wall separating the toys from their creator. We had auditions today and I was cast as a cat! That should be fun. I basically work for the magician and beat up the toys haha.
Well, off to bed I go. Once again, I'm sorry for all the grammar mistakes and if it seems like all i do is ramble. i don't really reread what i post because I don't really have that much time on the computer. ok well, Good night (:. and good morning/afternoon to you depending on the time of day you're reading this. Miss y'all!
In Christ,
Michelle
PS: I am thankful for my dear mother who gave me encouraging and comforting words to me yesterday while I was feeling a bit anxious and home sick. and yes, everything is much better now (:. I'm really getting the hang of all this (as in being a LIT)
Today we had all the students arrive in the Miami International Airport and my responsibilities were to wait at gates and greet the new students coming in. It was fun to see the relieved, yet excited faces on the students when they spotted us waving in our bright lime green shirts. My shift was 6 hours long, from 10:30-4:30. All the students are just buzzing in excitement and I can't wait to get to know them better.
After my shift, we had dinner and had our first FUAGNEM. What's FUAGNEM? It stands for "fired up and going nuts every minute". At FUAGNEM, there is worship and a message. Tonight was about what it means to be a Christian and Susie (speaker) calls it "big birtha". It's to make sure that we have all confessed, repented, and made Christ rulers of our lives. Just because we say we're Christians does not always mean we are if we have not given our hearts to Christ yet. At the end, we all sang "happy birthday" to ourselves haha. Tommy Bailey leads worship for us and worship is just mind blowing. I can really feel God's presence and I keep tearing up at every worship that we've had so far. It's amazing seeing everyone worshiping God with all our hearts. With our arms lifted high, hearts lifted high, praising the God on high. Oh man, the passion in the room is overwhelming (in a good way).
Even though I'm a LIT and LITS technically don't participate in dramas, I requested to be in it this year because it's so much fun being apart of such a powerful drama. Plus, it's better than watching on the sidelines, at least I think so. The drama is based on the gospel and it is called "The Toymaker and His Son". The toymaker is God and the toymaker's son is Jesus. They create the earth and the trees in the garden of eden (mimes). Adam (the prince) and Eve (the princess) are also created by God and when they sin by eating the forbidden fruit from the forbidden tree, all goes downhill. They are separated from God and Jesus. The evil magician represents Satan who deceives, lies, destroys. There is also a spanish dancer which represents Mary who gives birth to Jesus. There are also other toys and they represent us. They have freewill and can choose whether or not to follow the toymaker and his som (God & Jesus). In a nutshell, God heals, forgives, loves, and wins in the end. Jesus rises up from the dead and no longer is there a wall separating the toys from their creator. We had auditions today and I was cast as a cat! That should be fun. I basically work for the magician and beat up the toys haha.
Well, off to bed I go. Once again, I'm sorry for all the grammar mistakes and if it seems like all i do is ramble. i don't really reread what i post because I don't really have that much time on the computer. ok well, Good night (:. and good morning/afternoon to you depending on the time of day you're reading this. Miss y'all!
In Christ,
Michelle
PS: I am thankful for my dear mother who gave me encouraging and comforting words to me yesterday while I was feeling a bit anxious and home sick. and yes, everything is much better now (:. I'm really getting the hang of all this (as in being a LIT)
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Day 2
Hi Everyone!
I arrived in Miami yesterday and didn't get to our hotel until around 10. It was a pretty long and tiring day because my flight kept getting delayed and pushed back haha. But despite that, I was able to get some much needed sleep on my flights. My favorite part of flying is looking out down the window as we descend lower and lower from the sky. Everything looks so small from up high, but as we get closer and closer to earth, everything seems to increase in size. It starts from seeing the clouds to seeing mountains, valleys, lakes, to buildings and houses and then to seeing cars buzzing on the highway like little ants. I don't know why but it kind of gave me a glimpse of how God sees us. Seeing the entire world (except in my case, a small piece) and looking at is similar to looking at a dollhouse. All the little details seem insignificant and small but they're not. In this way, although there are so many of us (around 6 bill), God cares enough to know every single detail about us, no matter how insignificant they may seem to us or others. He knows our desires, our weaknesses, our strengths, our hearts. I think that's pretty neat.
My roomies so far are pretty cool and everyone on this trip is very nice. I also got to see some teammates from last year which is so exciting. So this year, as I mentioned, I'm a LIT (leader in training) and I'm pretty darn nervous. I honestly don't know how to be a leader. I guess this is where God comes in to guide me haha. prayers would be appreciated, thanks!
Every year, before we fly off to the country that we go to minister to, there are 2 people that give a short encouraging message the night before. And yep, you guessed it, I'm one of them. So this makes me even MORE nervous. speaking in front of about 350 people....oh man. haha. but I know that it doesn't matter how i do as long as i deliver the message that God wants me to deliver.
So this morning, we had breakfast, worship, and a message. The message was about the book of revelation. (I'll explain a bit more later here because i have to go)After the message we had training where we learned how to communicate more effectively with teammates and learned a bunch of rules regarding safety, health, and etc . That's basically it so far. Thanks for reading! Sorry for the grammar mistakes, the non fluidness (yeah i'm pretty sure that's not a word) and hopefully it wasn't too boring and made some sense haha. i promise my posts will get more exciting once i'm in Ecuador. Well, time for some more training. Hope y'all are doing well.
Love,
Michelle
I arrived in Miami yesterday and didn't get to our hotel until around 10. It was a pretty long and tiring day because my flight kept getting delayed and pushed back haha. But despite that, I was able to get some much needed sleep on my flights. My favorite part of flying is looking out down the window as we descend lower and lower from the sky. Everything looks so small from up high, but as we get closer and closer to earth, everything seems to increase in size. It starts from seeing the clouds to seeing mountains, valleys, lakes, to buildings and houses and then to seeing cars buzzing on the highway like little ants. I don't know why but it kind of gave me a glimpse of how God sees us. Seeing the entire world (except in my case, a small piece) and looking at is similar to looking at a dollhouse. All the little details seem insignificant and small but they're not. In this way, although there are so many of us (around 6 bill), God cares enough to know every single detail about us, no matter how insignificant they may seem to us or others. He knows our desires, our weaknesses, our strengths, our hearts. I think that's pretty neat.
My roomies so far are pretty cool and everyone on this trip is very nice. I also got to see some teammates from last year which is so exciting. So this year, as I mentioned, I'm a LIT (leader in training) and I'm pretty darn nervous. I honestly don't know how to be a leader. I guess this is where God comes in to guide me haha. prayers would be appreciated, thanks!
Every year, before we fly off to the country that we go to minister to, there are 2 people that give a short encouraging message the night before. And yep, you guessed it, I'm one of them. So this makes me even MORE nervous. speaking in front of about 350 people....oh man. haha. but I know that it doesn't matter how i do as long as i deliver the message that God wants me to deliver.
So this morning, we had breakfast, worship, and a message. The message was about the book of revelation. (I'll explain a bit more later here because i have to go)After the message we had training where we learned how to communicate more effectively with teammates and learned a bunch of rules regarding safety, health, and etc . That's basically it so far. Thanks for reading! Sorry for the grammar mistakes, the non fluidness (yeah i'm pretty sure that's not a word) and hopefully it wasn't too boring and made some sense haha. i promise my posts will get more exciting once i'm in Ecuador. Well, time for some more training. Hope y'all are doing well.
Love,
Michelle
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Greetings!
Hi everyone!
My shirt for Ecuador & the Galapagos came in the mail! YAY! I am so excited! Thank you for all the financial help, prayers, and or encouragement. I am truly blessed by all of you. I will have access to internet for 15 minutes each day and so I will do my best to post on here each day so that you all can keep up with me. I have been connecting with some of the members who are on my team this year. Five people who were on my team last year in Guatemala are also on my team this year. I can't wait to see them all and meet all the new and unfamiliar faces. Every inch of my heart trembles in excitement. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us in Ecuador. I ask that you continue to keep my team and I in your prayers. Once again, thank you so much!
Love,
Michelle
PS: I bought LOTS of bubbles, stickers, some coloring books, and toys to bring over to Ecuador. I've also strung a lot of bead bracelets and wove some string bracelets to give away on this trip. Seeing these things each day are wonderful reminders of what is to come in TWO WEEKS (oh snaps, so soon!).
PPS: I forgot to mention that I'm a LIT (leader in training) this year. This makes me apprehensive but I know that it will be very rewarding (:.
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