We Revolved!

And once again I wait a ridiculous amount of time to post on my blog and I now have way too much to write. Will I ever learn? Let's hope so!

This has been an extremely busy week (as you can see by my lack of posts) and I have a million things running around in my head. I honestly feel like I hardly have time to breath, and I'm not really enjoying it. Its just that time of year, though, so I need to push through...and I will.

I really have a lot to share with you all, and I REALLY want to (honestly, more for me than for you, sorry. I have been so busy I haven't had a chance to really talk to anyone about things that are on my mind and my heart...which means you guys will get it soon! Be afraid...be very afraid...). Anyway, unfortunately its getting late and I don't have time to write everything I want (need) to. I do, however, have time to tell you about the Revolve Tour that several teens, leaders and I attended this weekend. (Okay, so I know there are other things I could talk about, but Carisa requested a Revolve post, and well I just can't say no to her!). :)

Revolve is a 2 day concert/event specifically seared toward teenage girls; challenging and encouraging them in their faith. Its basically Women of Faith for teen girls. Imagine 10,000 teenage girls in one auditorium. Scary? You have no idea...

We attend Revolve every year, usually making it a fun get together for our God's Girls, past and present. This was our 3rd year attending, and honestly I went into it with some reservations.

First, in the past 2 years there has been a lot of focus on having the right look. All of the speakers and singers on stage were dressed in the latest fashions with their hair and make up perfectly done. And other than Natalie Grant last year (who had just given birth to twins), not a single girl appeared to be larger than a size 4. This didn't seem to fit with all the talk about God loving you exactly how you are and finding your true identity in God, not the world. Many of the women on stage seemed to be conforming to the world.

There also seemed to be a big focus on relationships. I will never forget Tammy Trent's testimony at Revolve the first year, it spoke to my heart in a way few things ever have. I also remember Jenna Lucado's talk last year about fathers and the Father's heart for His daughters. Unfortunately, those talks were exceptions rather than the rule. Well, the lone guy speaker, Chad Eastham, is always memorable, funny and speaks truth. Still, the rest of the talks always seemed to follow this formula; "I was born, I went through some rough stuff, I accepted Christ, I met my husband and we are living happily ever after". I really felt like we were setting our girls up for some serious disappointment with that one.

And finally; I REALLY don't want to downplay the pain and struggle that women face when they struggle with anorexia or bulimia...but if one more skinny girl talks to me about her food struggles, I think I might scream.

So, I went into the Revolve not expecting much and actually pretty convinced that it would be our last year. Praise the Lord I was pleasantly surprised!!!

First, I couldn't even tell you which of the women were wearing makeup and which weren't. Some wore their hair in a pony tail, some down. They looked nice, but not overdone. It was as if they had gotten themselves ready instead of having a makeup artist do it. It was such a wonderful difference! They were all dressed nicely, but not necessarily in the latest fashions. I could actually believe that their outfits came out of their own closets instead of a wardrobe room.

Second, several of the speakers were single!! In fact, I only know that because they weren't wearing rings...there wasn't even one talk that involved relationships or "living happily ever after". The talks were all about the heart. God's incredible love and desire for your heart!!

Chad did talk about boys (that's kind of his role on the tour), but he did it in a way that spoke to the heart of each girl, not just her actions. He's always been good at that and this year was no different.

And this year no one talked about their eating disorder!! There were references to that being a possible struggle for the girls, but the focus was on God, not the struggle.

Of course, me being the horribly opinionated person that I am, I still didn't think it was perfect. The cost of everything boggles my mind. I question how all the commercialization of the event is honoring to God. I don't understand how an event that is focused on trying to get girls to see God before boys can have faint inducing boy bands perform. There are entirely too many pop culture references, and almost none of them relate to our girls. The event is very focused on suburban teens, although not so much that our girls don't love it.

All that aside, though, I think this was the best year yet.

Another thing that made this year so much fun was having so many former God's Girls there that are now teens. It was almost like a reunion with them. Revolve is designed for teen girls, but since Carisa and I lead the pre-teen girls Sunday School class we usually focus on the preteens that go. This year, though, I came to a revelation. For the most part, Revolve is over the heads of our preteens, but our teens are really starting to listen. It was really exciting to watch the teens tune in, and even more exciting to hear their thoughts on things afterwards. Several of them really felt like things that were spoken went straight to their heart.

The preteens were a different story. They spent about as much time in the bathroom during the talks as they spent in their seats. They did have fun, though, so it wasn't a total waste. Still, it was more than just fun for a lot of our teens, which is so exciting.

Realizing this led me to go ahead and decide to buy tickets for next year (you get the best price if you buy them at the tour). While Revolve isn't perfect, it does a pretty good job of reinforcing the things we teach the girls at God's Girls. So, if nothing else, its an amazing reminder that what we taught them wasn't just for the year or two that they were God's Girls, we are talking about their whole lives.

It's also really good for the girls to be in a place with 10,000 other girls who want to live their lives for Christ. In our neighborhood, these girls are often the only ones in their family/school/block trying to live for Christ. At Revolve, for once, they don't feel so alone, weird or out casted. Its a really great encouragement for them.

Revolve was a bigger deal for me this year because of Linda and Bonita. Linda is growing up (big time!) and is already being faced with a lot of choices that I have no control over. She literally has countless boys chasing after her and choosing to follow Christ is becoming harder and harder. I am SO thankful for the friends she has chosen at church, but she still is the one making the choices. I saw her listening and really paying attention this year at Revolve. There was a lot said in talks, in the dramas and even in the lyrics of many of the songs that I am praying will resonate in her mind as she faces challenges I can't even begin to understand. And Bonita; she is coming up right behind Linda. She isn't quite as physically developed as Linda (yet), but I believe that Linda's choices will have a HUGE impact on what path Bonita will follow.

Plus, I really enjoy having all the God's Girls together, they are a wonderful group of girls. Revolve is kind of like a yearly reunion for us. Based on this year, I will focus on inviting as many teens as I can and only a select few of preteens. The tickets are too expensive for girls who are only there for the concerts.

I came home from Revolve relieved, thankful, and hugely burdened. There is so much going on in our church with teen girls getting pregnant and my heart literally started to cry out for these girls. They have to stand strong in ways that none of us can understand. They have internal and external pressures that I can't fathom. They will not make it if they don't trust in the strength of Christ. I literally cried for their hearts, knowing that my tears were expressing the heart of their Father. They are beautiful and so loved...but God will continue to work to develop perseverance in them, and that will not be easy.

In all, the money and time spent was well worth it. God will complete the work He began in them...

And, we had a lot of fun. :)

We're in New York!!

I only have a few minutes to write but I wanted to let you know that we are in the Bronx, NY on our teen mission trip and so far things are going well. There are definite moments of frustration with teens complaining or not wanting to do what we ask, but there are also amazing moments where you know God is here and He is working. So, overall I would say that this trip is going great!

Here is a general break down of our daily schedule:

8:00 a.m.- Breakfast

8:30 a.m.- Quiet Time

9:15 a.m.- Morning prayer and worship together

10:00 a.m.- Head off to our morning ministries. We are split into 3 different groups and each group does something different each day. We have been to a senior center, prayer walking the neighborhood, doing some light construction or simply asking the Lord where to go and then following His lead (that's been my favorite so far)!!

12:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00 VBS prep

2:30 p.m. Head to the park to do VBS- after VBS we usually hang out with the kids and play at the park for a while.

6:00 p.m. Dinner

Each evening has been different. Our first night here we served dinner at a Homeless Shelter. We had an early evening on Monday night, with no ministry scheduled. Last night we went to the Brooklyn Tabernacle for their weekly prayer meeting. It was INCREDIBLE!! Hundreds of people from all walks of life coming together and just praying. The Holy Spirit was there and we all loved it.

Tonight will be another early night with no ministry planned, and tomorrow night we will be having a cookout for the neighborhood we are staying in.

We end every night spending time in small groups and then worshiping together.

Our focus for this week is listening to the Lord, and I have to admit; I was skeptical that the teens would really get it. Some of them still don't get it, but many are hearing from God loud and clear and its AMAZING!!!

The one struggle we continue to have is distractions. We are very unified as a team, which is amazing, but we also get distracted from the ministry and focus on fun a little too much. So, please be praying that the enemy will not be able to distract us from what God wants to do!!

We are heading back to Philly Saturday night. Friday we will spend the morning doing ministry and then Friday afternoon touring the city. Saturday we will clean and pack and then head to the city for a special surprise before we load into the vans and head home.

We're half way through the week...we'll see what God has left for us!

(Sorry there aren't pictures yet, that just takes too long. I will post some when we get back).

Good Things are Happening too!!

In the midst of all the chaos going on (please keep praying because this isn't going to end soon), there are a lot of really great things going on here in Philly.

The most exciting, and most fun for me is Reading Rocks. We started our 4th year of Reading Rocks (at least, I think its been 4 years...) last week and this summer is by far the best one we have had yet! In fact, on Tuesday we had 34 kids show up! You can go to the Reading Rocks page on our website (which is linked above) and get some general info on what it is and how it works. I will try and post a more detailed description of it when I get the chance (or I'll just copy and paste Carisa's posts on How Reading Rocks Works...we'll see how lazy I get, hehe). Basically, the kids come in and read books for an hour, earning points which leads to prizes...and everything culminated in an awesome party in August!

One of my favorite parts about Reading Rocks this year has been our teen tutors. Trust me, I have not said that in past years. This year, though, we have some really awesome younger teens who just last year participated in Reading Rocks and are now serving. Its been so great!!

(recognize that teen?!? I'm still not over the fact that she is a teen!!!)

I would have to say that my favorite part about Reading Rocks this year, though, has been Carisa and Shannon. Carisa developed Reading Rocks and she and I have worked together over the last few years to tweak things here and there and try to make it better. Little did we know that what we really needed was Shannon!! This year we have made a lot of really great changes and the three of us have each taken our own role in Reading Rocks, and so far I feel like we are working together like a dream team!! I LOVE working with other people, especially other women (most of the people I work with are men...who are amazing...but they don't quite get me, haha), and especially women I love and respect; so this team is just amazing!! Laurie, another woman on staff that I love and respect, is working with us as well, though she is away for 2 weeks and we miss her!

I mentioned before that last Saturday we also had our annual Block Party. Well, the fruit from that has been incredible! Literally almost half the kids at Kids Club this week were new visitors from the Block Party! We also had a ton of new people at church on Sunday, and at Teen Club last night!! Praise the Lord! I was SO excited when I left Kids Club on Tuesday night with so many new names and faces!!

And finally, Wednesday my roommate Jen and I took a group of 14 teen and preteen girls on an overnight camping trip. Any of you who know me are probably a little surprised, and that's okay...I am too. I am NOT a fan of camping! However, I am a fan of hanging out with awesome teens and getting out of the city, so I decided to go (well, that and they had to have at least 2 leaders go...and there are only 2 teen girl leaders so I didn't have much choice, haha). When someone asked me how the trip went, I responded; "terrible and amazing". Amazing because we had a lot of fun and all the girls were really open and honest about what was going on in their lives. Terrible because a lot of them have some really horrible things going on in their lives.

We spent most of the day Wednesday laughing in the pool, jumping on a trampoline and playing cards. We laughed a lot and all really enjoyed each other. We spent most of Wednesday night pouring out our hearts. As I listened to each girls story, I found myself saying several times, "Lord, I don't know how much more I can listen to". But, they kept talking, so I kept listening. It was incredible to see the honesty come from these girls, and the love and compassion they were showing one another. We all went to sleep exhausted; physically and emotionally.

I didn't get to stay too long on Thursday (I had to leave early to get back in time for Reading Rocks), but I was there for some more intense sharing, crying and praying. It was amazing and terrible all at the same time. I will tell you that I have the privilege of working with some of the strongest and most beautiful girls (soon to be women) in the world. I found that as I listened to them talk, they gave me strength. God is doing amazing things. I can already see the beauty forming out of the ashes. Thank you Lord.

I can honestly say that with everything going on, I have a million questions, and about 3 of them actually have an answer. With that, though, comes Jesus. I can see Him everywhere, working in the midst of even the hardest circumstances. I don't have any answers, but I have Jesus.

I am starting to feel a little overwhelmed (did I mention that I am also leading an AIM trip in 2 weeks, organizing the Teen Leadership Camp in 3 weeks and trying to prepare for the mission trip that is only 5 weeks away; with God's Girls squeezed on the middle?!), but all of that is just constantly taking me back to Jesus. His words, "I will never leave you or forsake you" are really taking root in my life right now.

Class of 2008

Graduations in Philly are by far my favorite occasions to celebrate. Puerto Rican day is a lot of fun, Fourth of July is usually exciting as well, but nothing compares to graduations. Around here ALL graduations are cause for a HUGE celebration. There is no difference to the amount of time, money and energy spent celebrating high school graduations than kindergarten graduations. Every graduation is a BIG deal, and I love it!!

In Philly you will be a part of 4 graduations...kindergarten, 5th or 6th grade (depending on your elementary school), 8th grade and then high school. I have been to at least one of each of these ceremonies (except a kindergarten one) over the last 2 days, and I can assure you that the level of excitement is consistent across the board...and its awesome. At each one I felt like I was at a mini prom or wedding as everyone was dressed in their best, with hair and nails done to perfection (for the girls), and some of the sharpest suits I have ever seen on the guys. You don't just look nice, you look red carpet ready.

My favorite part is that graduations are truly a celebration. The schools try to keep some semblance of tradition, but friends and families are not daunted. Their pride and joy over the accomplishments of their children can not be contained, nor do I think it should be. The great part is, everyone is like this, so no one is bothered by anyone else. When one family screams uncontrollably for their child, everyone else just claps along, waiting for their turn. If you push in front of someone to get a picture of your child, they will gladly move out of your way knowing they will do the same to you in a few minutes. The whole auditorium is filled with joy, and its amazing. (Of course, there are some exceptions cause there's always someone who tries to mess it up). There is a camaraderie in the room as all the families understand what an amazing accomplishment it is for their kids to graduate, and that produces a shared respect as families look around the room and understand each other. They all understand the obstacles their children have overcome as well as the hard work each of them have poured into their kids. And because of that, everyone is excited for everyone else.

I really think that graduations in Philly are a glimpse of what heaven must be like when you first get there. You arrive, dressed fabulously, looking around at everyone else who persevered alongside you while family members who arrived long before cheer, knowing the amazing road ahead for you. Okay, maybe that isn't what heaven is like, but its a fun thought. :)The first graduation I attended yesterday was for Jones middle school (an 8th grade graduation). Several of our teens attend Jones and I got to see 8 of my favorite teens walk across the stage and prepare for the next step in their lives. One of the teens, J, received 3 separate awards for his improvement in grades, behavior and attendance and the teachers could not stop gushing about how far he has come. Another teen, T, received an award for excellence in leadership and athletics and as I held her 2 little brothers in my lap, I cheered (okay, and cried) along side her mom, both of us understanding that this graduation means so much to their entire family. I was so excited to see so many familiar faces at this graduation. Here are the pics I snapped of the teens that I knew from church:














After the Jones graduation, I headed to the Kensington High school graduation to see M finish out High School. She received an award for excellence in English and while she didn't seem to think it was a big deal, I know just how rare women like her are, and I'm so thankful that she is a role model for Bonita and Linda.


The final 3 graduations are especially significant to me, and I have to admit, MANY tears of joy were shed from my eyes over the last 2 days over these final 3 graduations.






Bonita graduated from 6th grade, Luis graduated from 8th grade, and Zuley graduated from HIGH SCHOOL!! I am SO proud of them!!! Zuley is the first in her family (but certainly not the last!) to finish high school!! Here are Luis and Zuley showing off their diplomas:



Quick side note: for the first year since the kids moved in with me, ALL of them passed (Bonita, Linda, Dario, Luis and Zuley), with no summer school!! Next year will be Kiara's 8th grade graduation, and the year after that (Lord willing), will be Dario's high school graduation!!!

Finally, I just had to add this picture in, because it captures these 3 loves of my life so perfectly. Notice Dario appears to be loving on Bonita, but (if you look at his face), you can see that he is actually trying to squeeze her as hard as he can. Bonita has a priceless look on her face as she tries to smile for the camera, but can hardly breath because her big brother is torturing her. And if you look closely, you will see that Luis snuck himself into the background of the picture...which he did completely on purpose. He is the mischievous one. :)

What a weekend

I had a very very busy weekend! It started with Bonita's birthday celebration Saturday afternoon. We took her to lunch at the restaurant of her choosing, which turned out to be Red Lobster. (I told the kids that I would do something big for their 13th birthdays, which is why Linda got a sleepover this year. Next year will be Bonita's big party).

From there we were supposed to get L to her surprise birthday party at the church. We had a few hours to kill in between the two, so we all hung out at my house with the kittens.

We finally headed to the church to surprise L for her 16th birthday. She didn't suspect a thing and was so surprised! It was a really fun time and she was really blessed.

After the surprise party, my friend Chris decided to have a sleepover for the teens at her house. But, she wasn't going to be home until after midnight. Jen and I decided that it probably wasn't a good idea for the teens to be alone in a house all night, so we went to the party. :) (I didn't have my camera, so no pictures).

Bonita and Linda were invited as well as J, another preteen who is about to be a teen. It was really exciting to see the older girls mixing with the younger ones.

Jen and I left around 3 a.m. to go home and take care of the kittens. Unfortunately, the news after we left was not good. Apparently Linda and Bonita were acting up quite a bit and really frustrating the other girls (Chris was asleep and unaware of what was going on). It made me very sad to hear this, but I wasn't completely shocked. Bonita and Linda face such a battle (and they aren't the only ones). They know how to act, but whenever I am not around they don't always think to act right...cause at home they get away with a lot more...and are influenced by very different things.

The encouraging thing was what the teen who told me about Linda said. She was telling me how the girls were acting and she said, "I don't think they knew that we don't act different outside of church". How encouraging!!! I talked to several of the older girls after the sleepover and they all said it really showed them that they need to be focused on being role models and examples for the younger girls, as well as spend time with them and mentor them. So, while I was disappointed in how the girls acted, I'm excited that other teens are stepping up!!

Okay, and finally....the surprise you have been waiting for...



















I got a van!! One of the families here in Philly got a new van, so they gave me their old one! Its perfect for getting around the city with tons of kids! I won't be taking any road trips in it, but with gas prices, I won't be taking many road trips anyway.

Thank you Jesus!

Its Beautiful!!

Spring is definitely here and the weather is beautiful!! Today is a day I should have used to catch up on work and clean my house, but instead I decided to go on a picnic! So, I and several of the teens from church headed up to one of the state parks and spend the afternoon playing frisbee, picnicking, walking around and laughing a lot. We took a ton of pictures as well (they really like having their picture taken). :) I added them to my phanfare site, so check them out!

Tomorrow will be a very busy day. I have Sunday School and church in the morning. We are trying something new in Sunday School tomorrow...it appears that the weeks that I am not in the class; Bonita, Linda and Monique are very talkative. However, when I'm in there they don't talk much. So, tomorrow one of the other Sunday School teachers is going to come and ask me to help out in her class, so we can continue to test this theory. If it turns out that the girls are again very talkative, I will probably find a new Sunday School class to be a part of for a few months. So, we'll see! :)

At 2 I am taking Pedro and several of his friends roller skating to celebrate his 13th birthday! Finally, at 6 we have a talent show at church, and Bonita and Monique will be performing a dance! The last talent show was so much fun, I'm excited to see how this one goes!.

Teen Sleepover!!

For years in our teen ministry (at least since my involvement with the teens) there has been an awesome community among the guys and little to none among the girls. I have been praying for years that we would see the growth among the girls that we have been seeing in the guys.

Well, recently God has been answering that prayer in a big way!! Many of our teen girls are seeking God with all their hearts and growing incredibly. And as they grow individually, they are growing as a community of sisters as well. Its so wonderful!

On Tuesday night after Kids Club I had a sleepover with several of the girls at church (they are on Spring Break), and we had SO MUCH FUN!! The girls stayed up pretty much all night laughing, talking and doing each others' hair.


I expected them to want to go home pretty early the next day, but none of them wanted to. So, we got up (most of us pretty late since we stayed up so late) and went to lunch together. After lunch I had work to do (this was the one day that my AIM computer actually worked) but the girls still wanted to stay, so they hung out in my living room talking and laughing while I worked. It was great!!! The girls range in age from 13-18, yet they all got along and had fun together.

That night we headed to Jen's parents' house for a barbecue and to talk with a missionary from Kenya. We had a really great time there as well and left really encouraged.

I didn't drop the last girl off until midnight, meaning that we had all spent over 24 hours straight together. The crazy part is, they all want to do it again as soon as possible!! :)

God's Girls

I only have a few minutes to write this. My friend Jacqueline is visiting me (we have been friends since 10th grade and she and her husband are wonderful supporters of mine). We are having a BLAST!! I forgot how wonderful it is to have someone to talk to during the day!!!

I wanted to share quickly about God Squad tonight. Tonight I had one of the best small groups ever, and I'm still so excited!! While the topic of the group started with "What are some things that make you question God", we quickly traveled to how difficult it is to be a woman of God. We spent a lot of time talking about what the world says about us as women and what God says. This is obviously a topic that I am passionate about, so that made it very exciting to me. But, the best part is that there were 3 God's Girls in my small group tonight and they helped me teach!! They shared some of the things that they learned in God's Girls and really helped the other teens understand the truth. It was SO GREAT!!! I feel so blessed to be a part of these girls lives and so blessed that God provides such encouragement to me!!

Please be praying for the rest of the girls. We have been talking about trying to do a God's Girls for the teens (the ones that didn't get to participate in the preteen class). Tonight reminded me of the need...now I need God to find the time and resources.

Boring Game

As you can see by the final score, this wasn't much of a game. Still, we had fun!

Usually on Wednesday nights we have Guys Basketball/Prayer and Girls Craft/Prayer, however tonight we wanted to do something special. So, we took the guys and girls that come regularly to the prayer groups and invited them to a Sixers game. We had a blast hanging out, dancing to the music and cheering the Sixers to a pretty sweet victory.
I don't have much else to update. My friend Jacqueline is coming to visit me tomorrow for 5 days!!! We have been friends since 10th grade and she and her husband are huge supporters of me here in Philly. She was actually supposed to visit me in the fall but then got mono and had to postpone. She has been in San Francisco for the last several days visiting our other friend Elisabeth who does inner city ministry there. I can't wait until she gets here!!

And a quick update on my door...I STILL haven't gotten it open!! I tried several times to get it open and have been unsuccessful. I tried knocking the door knob off, taking it off the hinges...its still locked and closed. I did make the hole bigger so its easier to get in and out of. :)

There have been several times today when I wondered if that really happened...and then I go to my room and see a giant hole in my door. Yes, that did happen.

My Philly Family

Church was so much fun yesterday! Dario came!! On his own!! He even went to Sunday School and seemed to enjoy that. I REALLY love him and the man that he is becoming and I loved having him at church. Unfortunately, I had a meeting after church that lasted way longer than I thought it was going to, so I didn't get to spend a lot of time with him after church, but I think he is coming to God Squad tonight. (Luis didn't come to church because he was doing something with his mom. He did come to Teen Club last week, though, and is planning to come to God Squad tonight, yay!).
Dario wants to get his drivers' license so I think I'm going to help him with that. He's actually a very good driver (I've taken him several times), but the written test is going to be a challenge. I know he can do it though!

Today has been a little less exciting. I spent my morning at truancy court again, this time with Linda. I was actually pretty proud of her by the end. Turns out she has already gotten herself into an after-school program at her school (her last report card was BAD!) and has been going every day...and her teachers said that her grades are improving. Also, the truancy summons was actually in regards to her attendance troubles last year (remember when I had to go to their house in the mornings and make them go to school??). This year, she only has 4 unexcused absences, which is really great. She does have way too many tardies, and so she still had to face punishment. But, the judge was very impressed with how far she has come on her own (the fact that she went to and passed summer school last year helped a lot as well).

So, Linda received almost the same "sentence" as Bonita. Linda is on daily report, has 37 hours of community service (Bonita has 35), and she can't miss a single day of school; nor can she be late AT ALL. That part will be a challenge for Linda, but she can do it. I am proud that she at least goes to school...but we all know she can do better.

I have been struggling a lot recently with all this, mainly because Linda's grades were pretty good when we had after-school, but they have dropped considerably since after-school ended. However, seeing her take responsibility for herself and her grades and asking for help herself (from someone other than me), has made me realize that God is still in complete control. And, has made me even more proud of Linda.

Bonita and Linda both have to go back in 30 days, and if everything is completed then their case will be closed. Linda and Bonita will both serve their community service at an after-school/enrichment program at Linda's school; which is good because they can keep each other accountable. This is the first year that they have been in separate schools, and I don't really like it...they are good for each other.

So, it wasn't a bad ending, but not my favorite way to spend the morning. I am still in high gear getting ready for Kids Club tomorrow night (I have no lesson plan or ideas, haha) as well as trying to keep up with everything else. I think this week is going to be busy mostly because its a new routine, but once I get into this routine I think I'll be okay. I'm excited about God Squad tonight and spending some great time with the teens.

I'm also shopping around for a van!!! I will lose my current car in June, and I have recently been overwhelmed with my need for a mini van in the city. I average 7 kids in my car on Tuesdays, same on Wednesdays and now I have at least 3 teens with me on Mondays and Thursdays...and Sundays it can range anywhere from 2 kids to 9. Plus, these "kids" are quickly growing up and few are actually "kid" sizes. Needless to say, my 5 passenger Volkswagen Jetta is pretty much cramped all the time. And obviously, its not the safest way to travel. Whenever possible I try and shuttle the kids in shifts, but that isn't always possible. So, I REALLY need a van to get me and these kids where we need to go!! I have been saving money for a while and I'm in the market. I want to take plenty of time to look around...and always leave the door open for God to simply provide me with a van. :) So, I'm not in any hurry, yet, but please be praying that God would show me the right van to get...I've never done this before and I have the huge potential to mess it up. I don't want to mess this up! :)

My Hair is GONE!!

Okay, so its not completely gone, but a good portion of it is. 10 inches in fact. Actually, more than that after it was styled and such. I am still getting used to it...I think I like it.

T (one of the teens) and I both have (rather, HAD) VERY long hair and we both agreed that it was time for a change. So, we decided to cut and donate our hair to Locks of Love. For those of you who don't know what that is, Locks of Love takes hair donations and makes wigs out of them and then donates those wigs to cancer patients who had lost their hair to chemo. I have donated before and never regretted it, at least not in the long run. I have to admit, though, its quite the shock at first.

So, this morning T and I got up and went with Joy to her cousin's house (about an hour away) to have her cut our hair. We were both very nervous. Our original plan was to cut only 8 inches, but we decided to go for 10 once we saw how long our hair really was. In no time, our hair was gone. Generally you get one pony tail of hair from each person. However, Tina and I both have so much hair that we were actually able to part our hair down the middle and make 2 pony tails each!! I couldn't believe it!!My hair didn't seem too short to me at first, but my curls quickly kicked in and shortened it significantly. When my hair was really long, the curls were weighed down and my hair was barely more than wavy. As soon as the weight was gone, the curls came back!! So, now I'm also getting used to shorter, much curlier hair. I'm not complaining though, I feel very blessed to have my hair (thanks mom!). I may have to straighten it for a few days so I can get used to the length and then slowly reintroduce the curls to my system. :)

Okay, I know you're all dying to see the pictures...so here you go!!!

Me and T before the cutting began:

Here is my hair before:

And T's hair before:

10 inches of my hair!!!

T's finished product. How beautiful is she?!?

This is my hair after. It doesn't look so short here, but the curls hadn't quite set in yet...

And the finished product:

Trust me, my hair is even shorter now that it's dry...and very curly! Overall, we were both very happy and had a lot of fun.

After out haircuts, we all headed out to eat with Joy's grandma. From there we did a little shopping. T needed some new clothes, and we had some gift cards donated for her, so we took her shopping. It didn't take long for her to find some things that she needed and then we headed home. We were in a rush when we dropped her off so I didn't get to see her family's reaction to her hair, so I can't wait to hear all about it tomorrow at Sunday School.

Tomorrow afternoon I will be heading out of town for a few days for our Winter Staff Retreat. I am really looking forward to a few days out of the city. We are staying at a retreat center that has a gym, so I am hoping to keep on track with my running while I'm there. I also have a lot of Kids Club prep that I want to do as well; and hopefully I will be able to do it without my phone ringing off the hook! :)

I'm also hoping I can get used to my hair before I have to go out in public. :)

Santa!!!

We just got back from taking our pictures with Santa...and I just have to show them all to you!! They are (in order), Tasha, Monique, Joey, Eliza, Raheem and Jared. We had a blast! Stay tuned for more pictures later...tonight I'm having a slumber party! :)

Let it Snow!!!

I finally did it!!! I have been trying for weeks to get a picture of me with all my god children, and tonight we finally took it!! I want the picture to be my Christmas card this year, so you will be getting one in the mail soon! (I have some non-crazy faced pictures to choose from as well). :) We had fun taking the picture though, and I even got Dario to pose with me!!

Can you believe how tall he is?!? He just turned 17 and I still can't believe how grown up he looks!!!

I had originally want to take the picture outside, but I couldn't get everyone together until 5:00, and by then it was too dark.

Today was also our first snow of the year! Yay!! It was just enough snow to put a beautiful white coat over things, but not enough to get black and yucky. It was so nice! The kids enjoyed throwing snowballs at each other, so not only was it beautiful but it provided a lot of laughter. I'm not usually a big fan of snow, but this was a great snow day!!

I also meant to write last night...that I love Family Night!!! We had huge Family Night at church last night and it was wonderful! Last month we had a big Family Night, but we were giving away free food, so we kind of expected it. Last night was just as big as last month, but no free food giveaway. I spend Family Night with the kids, and I had a blast last night. There were a few kids that felt it necessary to run and show me every individual ticket they earned while playing games. It made me smile every time. :)

Wednesday is my early night, so I am looking forward to eating oranges (my mom sent me a huge box full of oranges!!), drinking tea, watching Criminal Minds and getting ready for the Kids Club Christmas party. That's pretty close to a perfect night for me. :)

Yay for the Weekend!!!

I had a GREAT weekend!! It was insanely busy, but great!! First, on Friday night we took a group of 30 teens, pre-teens and leaders to the Revolve Tour, which is basically Women of Faith for young women. The event was Friday night and all day Saturday, and it was amazing! The speakers were wonderful and all have great messages. We also got to attend concerts given by christian rap artist KJ-52 (whom all the girls are in love with), Aiesha Woods (who is my new favorite Christian artist) and Hawk Nelson. They also had a great drama team and so much more. We all had a blast and learned a lot. It was wonderful!! Other than every speaker being a size 2 wearing skinny jeans and knee high boots with perfect hair and makeup telling the girls that looks don't matter, I loved the event! (Well, that and every woman's story ended with "then I met my husband and we lived happily ever after).Friday night I also had almost all of the girls, about 22 of them, sleepover at my friend Chris Fisher's house. I was going to have the sleepover at my house, but Chris' house is a bit bigger than mine so I took care of all the details, but we invaded Chris' house. That was also a ton of fun...and a little bit insane as well. :) Overall, the girls had an amazing weekend, which means that I had an amazing weekend. Linda even won a KJ-52 cd, and Monique touched his hand!!! :)
It was especially great for me to have Monique, Bonita and Linda there. As I listened to some of the talks and looked at my girls (who bravely sat next to me knowing that I was going to embarrass them...which I absolutely did), I had to hold back tears. They are SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Bonita was about to explode all week she was so excited (she is so cute! when she gets excited about something, she can't sleep and just thinks and talks about it all the time!). When we finally got to Revolve, it was everything she wanted it to be and more. She LOVED it!!! Linda had been last year, but had an amazing time once again.

Yesterday turned out to be just as good as Friday and Saturday. First, Sunday School went really great as we followed up with the things we learned at Revolve. I think the girls are really starting to get things that we have been telling them for years...and they seem to be enjoying it!! After Sunday School, I skipped church (whoops!) with several of our teens (ahh!) to head to Center City for a college fair. About 15 of us visited the fair, talked to tons of different colleges and talked to some financial aid counselors. It was a little overwhelming for some of them, but most had an amazing time!! Several of them think they really found the school they want to go to, which now gives them motivation and a goal to reach for. I was so excited!!!! Praise the Lord!!!
(We asked a random girl at the college fair to take this picture...I hope she isn't going to school for photography!)

After we spent a few hours talking to colleges we went to lunch and I had some AWESOME conversations with the girls. Ironically, it was with the girls that hadn't gone to Revolve with us, but we talked a lot about things from Revolve. God is doing some GREAT THINGS!!!!