Colombia

You may or may not know that I’m going to Colombia (the South America one) in a couple weeks.  I’m not writing this because I have to give reasons why I’m going or to convince everyone that I’m a good Christian.  I guess I’m sharing because the Lord has been teaching this white American mid-20’s girl about foreign missions, a little something that has never happened before recently.  So let’s chat.

There was a time in my life when I let certain articles that I would read or certain people’s opinions make me believe that short-term missions weren't effective.  When I hear that, I just assume I’m out of luck because up until this point in my life, God hasn't called me to go overseas for a long period of time.  If you set aside the fact that God loves PEOPLE, little week-long trips such as this one don’t matter much. The typical short term trip to another country goes like this: a group of really rich Americans (because we are) head over to an underprivileged country, play with some kids we will never see again, those kids love us, we maybe fix a house or build a new one, we observe how dirty and poor everything is, and we return home to be changed for a couple months.  Sometimes we even get rid of some of our junk because we feel “too American” and rich and now it’s time to go live in the ghetto because Jesus has changed our standards on how we should appreciate our “stuff.”  These are the short term effects of a short term mission trip.

But that’s when we set aside the fact that Jesus loves PEOPLE.  This includes a white American mid-20’s girl and a Colombian child who don’t speak the same language.  Our skin is different, our culture is different, our standard of living is different, but we are loved the same.  I have an obligation to speak and show the Gospel.  To the nations that I get a really sweet opportunity to visit, and to my neighbors on Myrtle Drive in Rock Hill.  Sure we’ll fix up a yard or paint a house while we’re there.  We’ll play soccer with some kids. We’ll come back loving hot showers and looking at our lives as though we've been blessed with more than we could ever ask for, because that’s true.  But that’s not why I've been called to a mission trip overseas.  Jesus has been changing my heart little by little for foreign missions in a way that I've never looked at over the past year or so.  He wants me to care about the nations because He does.  He cares more about the souls of the few Colombians we’ll meet WAY more than we ever will and He wants the 6 of us to go.  He wants us believers to say yes to the nations from our couch in America by giving or praying, and if we get called to GO, then even more yes.  I’m going to Colombia because if I say I love Jesus then I have to love my neighbor, and I don’t get to choose who that is.  Those who are fortunate enough to give their life to serve overseas for several years are awesome, but they aren't the only ones who are called to love other countries.  I've been given this 8 day opportunity, so I’m taking it.  Not for a pat on the back, not for an extra batch of rewards in heaven, and nothing good that may come of it will be to our credit. I don't want God to change the way I view my stuff.  I want him to constantly be changing the way I view other people because they have souls, they're loved just as much as I am, and they're far away without the Gospel.

Also, the temperature will be in the 90's the whole week, so, that's reason enough to go. See yall in a week. 

quote of the day

Youth Council meeting.

Alex: "OH I have that tumbler too!"
Jeremy: "What's a tumbler?"
Julisa: "It's this cup."
Jeremy: "Oh black people don't do that."

quote of the day

Sarah: "I thought, 'I'm fat and ugly!' And then I took a nap."

Sarah (completely separate conversation from above): "My back muscles hurt from trying to throw up."

2013 Cute Quarterback Showdown

This Sunday, the AFC and NFC championships go down.  It has been a long NFL season for me, a Panthers fan, and I couldn't care less who wins the Super Bowl if it's not Super Cam.  With that said, it's important that I still write about sports.  It's even more important for most of my friends (who are girls and care nothing about football) that I give you this:

(1st Annual) The Cute Quarterback Showdown. Will it be the Falcons or the 49ers? The Patriots or the Ravens?  Let's take a LOOK.

Matt Ryan vs. Colin Kaepernick

To quote Jermaine Dupri: "Welcome to Atlanta where the players play."  Matty Ice is the Boston College grad who got picked third overall in the 2008 draft.  He doesn't know what it's like to not be in the playoffs, but hasn't gone to a super bowl.  He's the good ole American boy type, stays mostly out of the media (trouble), and has no visible tattoos.  Now on to Kaepernick.  This guy came out of nowhere (literally, he's from Wisconsin) and straight stole the starting QB spot from Alex Smith. He was an even better baseball player in his day and was recruited by the Chicago Cubs first, but chose football.  Smart move, pre-Super Bowl champ.  I guess the entire sleeve of tattoos on both arms hasn't taken away a bit of his arm strength.  If it's a tight game, I call Colin's number to get that rushing TD.  If it's a Friday night, I just give Matt my number.

Tom Brady vs. Joe Flacco












If you are a human, you've heard of Tom Brady.  If you're a sports fan, you're tired of him.  If you're a male, you're jealous of him.  And if you're a super model, you've dated him.  Let's look past the fact that when you google image Tom, you get more pics of him in scarves than his #12.  The dudes got major game.  That's why he's got Super Bowl rings for days.  It's also why he'll beat the Ravens on Sunday.  Joe Flacco aint half bad either.  Looking past the fact that purple really isn't anyone's color and ONLY Maryland natives will ever pull for these birds, I would want him as my QB.  But not more than Tommy fresh.

To make this post more reliable and less like an episode of the Bachelorette, I pick the 49ers and the Pats to finish out the road to Super Bowl Sunday.  The Niners are too good and the Ravens just aren't good enough.  I'm not sure the last second field goal win in Atlanta will get them through another game.  Maybe I'm wrong about these game predictions.  But if I'm wrong that Matt Ryan isn't the HANDS DOWN winner of (1st Annual) The Cute Quarterback Showdown, I don't want to be right.

Incase you missed it

Just some highlights as they relate to nothing, really.

 Movie Review: Les Miserables. The Christmas day debut movie/musical/cry fest was fantastic. That goes for the cast as well, however, maybe they casted it so that Joe Smith citizen would go see it. I think they could’ve found more musical talent and it would’ve been just as good (if not better) than hiring all the hotshots to give their best go at it. Do Wolverine and Cat Woman have great voices? YES. And not that I know that much about the pool of musical talent available (let’s be honest, I think Glee kids are crazy talented) but maybe some better voices with just as pretty faces are out there somewhere? I did cry when Anne busted out “I Dreamed a Dream” because it’s ridiculous and death was looming. I’m pretty sure I heard a few sniffles from the male audience as we left too. So bravo, Mis.
Side note to Russell Crowe: stick with action films. Love you though.

 Football Review: The Miserables. The BCS National Championship game turned out exactly how none of us planned. Of course we all expected Alabama to win, but we at least expected Notre Dame to give themselves a fighting chance. I don’t think anyone would argue that it was a pretty big embarrassment given all the hype that Notre Dame was given throughout the whole season. Eddie Lacy for Alabama rushed for 140 yards and McCarron threw for 264 yards, right past the apparently best defensive player in the country, Monti Te’o. A game like that just isn’t good for ratings either, as I was probably in the majority who stopped watching it at halftime. Not the best way to end a pretty good college football season when even I gave Notre Dame the benefit of the doubt. Oh well. They dreamed a dream.

 TV: Pretty Little Liars. The winter premiere of PLL debuted this week, giving various tweens and 20-somethings purpose in life once again. This review will be short, as ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENED. We are no closer to finding out who the total A is, who killed Allison, how many teenagers Aria’s Dad actually hooked up with, and why Spencer even thinks #Toby is cute. I’m going to need the writers at ABC Fam to kill some storylines, or kill some people off, and let’s move on. Too many lies inside of lies inside of secrets inside of hot tubs. Straight Inception crap.

 The issue of BBQ: After extensive research, Kansas City BBQ is better. But let’s not compare apples and oranges, folks. It’s just different. It’s all about the sauce out there, which is cool. Here in SC, sauce is one of those “it’s on the table if you need it” type deals and it’s really all about how it’s cooked, which is also cool. Don’t assume I’ve been brainwashed or question my salvation. Just trust that I know good food.
Note about the Midwest (and anywhere other than the south): When you fire up the grill (say on July 4th for example) put some hamburgers and hotdogs on it, and go out on the lake….this is called a “Cook-out.” Others call it a “ Barbecue.” This isn't right. BBQ is a type of food you eat. A cook-out is an event (can also be a restaurant). The south will always be right on this.

quote of the day

Talking about what we're all doing for Christmas....

Nicki: "We'll be visiting the unreached people group known as the Williams family."

Come Back Soon

I believe that everything happens for a purpose.

Not because I read it on a coffee cup or a Christian bookmark.  Not because I just believe that sentence so that I don't have to face reality.  If I believe that God is the author, creator, King of everything, then I believe that there is a grand purpose for everything. And that doesn't necessarily mean the same thing for me and for Him.  I think He sees the big picture and I only see the 75 or so years that I get of my life.  I haven't really said much about last Friday's news, mainly because how do you even process something like that?  When all you hear in the news lately are shootings in schools, movie theaters, malls, football stadiums.  Do I think our gun laws could stand to be looked at? Absolutely, let's look into it and see if something can't be changed so that everyone isn't running around with a rifle in their hand.  Maybe the media needs to chill out and in some cases stop idolizing violence in our country.  I mean I agree with some of that stuff and if something, anything, can be done to get it under control then I say let's go.  But what happened in Connecticut wasn't a gun law's fault.  It wasn't the media putting fun ideas in people's heads.  What happened was a result of anger and hate.  Not much we can do about that one outside of Christ.  

Why does a God who loves us SO much allow stuff like this happen?  I have no idea.  I don't know why He thinks I deserve a bed each night, food to eat everyday and people who love me either.  My only thought is that sin is huge.  It effects everyone, it's in everyone, and it will never leave us until we leave this life.  There has to be something more than these few years full of pain and crazy that we get.  We had to have been created for something greater, because God loves us SO much.  He won't leave us alone to all this.  But until then, He's all we've got.  

"So we groan in this great darkness
Are we alone in this great darkness?

If nature's red in tooth and in claw
Then it seems to me that she's an outlaw
'Cause every death is a question mark
At the end of the book of a beating heart
And the answer is scrawled in the silent dark
On the dome of the sky in a billion stars
But we cannot read these angel tongues
And we cannot stare at the burning sun
And we cannot sing with these broken lungs
So we kick in the womb and we beg to be born
Deliverance!
Deliverance, O Lord!"

-Andrew Peterson, Come Back Soon