I think I am going to do a series of bios on my students
because six-year olds are really funny. Well, I find them to be really funny.

Let me preface my first bio by saying that I never realized how many rhinestones are on little girls' clothing until I met this child. I have a boy in my class who is obsessed with collecting what he calls "jewels" or "crystals." These are really just rhinestones that have fallen off a girl's Hannah Montana shirt or iCarly bling jeans. Today we had an award assembly and you would have thought he was in jewel heaven. The entire first grade was in the gym which means these "jewels" were in abundance. Unfortunately, Ms. Wade is probably known as the jewel thief. I took all the jewels he had collected away from him, in effort for him to sit still. If you know any first grade boys, you know that this was a failed attempt. They are wired to fidget and move 24/7. I think its genetically impossible for them to sit still. I always get amusement from these never-ending jewel quests (i.e. a trip to the bathroom, group time on the rug). Anytime he sees something shiny on the ground, he asks if he can check to see if it is a jewel. Its like he has a radar for all things that glisten on the ground. So as much as he might misbehave, I have a soft spot for this insane jewel fetish.

Edit: Perhaps this is because I had a used staple collection in kindergarten. I would collect them during naptime instead of sleeping. My favorite place being right beside the teacher's desk.

sometimes i feel too human.
mistakes are all too familiar.

i am finding God to be a mysterious being, the searching
only giving way to small glimpses. i see
him in his creation: in the shades
the sun portrays, in the face of poverty,
in the sound of muffled laughter, in the unknown.

there's a sense of freedom and fear. this life only
limited by myself getting in the way.

Lord, grant me the grace of wonder. surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of Your universe. delight me to see how Your Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not His, of the Father through the features of men's faces. each day enrapture me with Your marvelous things without number. i do not ask to see the reason for it all; i ask only to share the wonder of it all. amen. -joshua abraham heschel

beach reach
i have found that knowing about things and experiencing things are completely different. in fact, i have never felt more uncomfortable in my life. satan is very real. satan is also very powerful. we talked about spiritual warfare a lot before we left arkadelphia, but i never imagined encountering such a strong dose of it while being down in panama city. satan attacked our thoughts and our bodies. i never understood how powerful prayer could be until i was praying against satan, praying for peace.
on the first day of pancake breakfast, i encountered a holylist. also the whole motive behind this trip was to show love to complete strangers, but i did not quite know what i was getting myself into at the time. she began to ask questions about our intentions for the week and i began to explain. once she realized that we differed on several key beliefs, she began to belittle and attack my faith. what is interesting to me now is how i did not waiver in my faith. instead of being frightened by her words, i became more secure.
i was overwhelmed by the power of specific prayer, prayer for unreasonable, illogical things. in order for you to understand everything that happened, you must know how beach reach works. there are three parts to beach reach: street teams, van rides, and prayer room. when out on street teams, i discovered the lack of value people have for themselves and others and it broke my heart. i can only imagine how much it hurts God's heart since they are his creation. girls were extremely defensive when we approached them and to be honest, i don't blame them. i began to pray for instant trust from girls on the street, that i would be able to love them. this is where gina comes into the picture. she was standing with her friends in the parking lot of spinnakers, a nightclub down there. she was upset because of the name-calling she encountered in the club. i had the honor of loving her, genuinely loving her. we talked for about twenty minutes, but then her free van ride came. as i prayed that week for gina, she was able to run into more beach reachers. it was truly amazing to see how we are all a different part of the story. the body of Christ was made real to me.
i felt closer to God in panama city. sometimes here i become too dependent on myself. i figure i have it all together and do not completely rely on God. there i had nothing together, except God. as of right now, i am striving to restore that necessity back into my life. it is easy to become compliant with routine and the security we put into our everyday lives. i wonder what it would be like if i really did trust God for my needs, instead of always being so secure in my ability to meet them.
i have a million more thoughts i could share.
this verse has been on my mind as of late.
the Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
psalm 29:11