one more week!

It's flown by so fast but at the same time I feel like I have been at Pine Cove for forever!!! Crazy... I have grown closer to these seven others girl than I have with a lot of my friends back home and I've only been with them four weeks! The thing on my mind lately is the beauty and joy of community and fellowship. For some reason, I have made it up in my mind that I can only be intentional with my relationships. But I have come to realize that I can have these relationships with people back home, and especially as I leave for college. Right now, I am overwhelmed with how much I have learned, am learning, and will learn. My prayer is that as I leave here and have some time to process everything that has happened the past five weeks, I will be able to retain everything I have learned and apply it. I am so excited to let Christ take control of my life and stop trying to control it myself. I have been able to live the past five weeks not worrying about what comes next- I know that when I need to know something, I will be told. Otherwise, I don't need to know! In the same way, I need to trust that God will reveal Himself to me when I am ready and knows exactly what I need and will provide it to me. I could go on forever about all the lessons I've learned!! But it would take SO long to type it all out and you wouldn't ever finish it! Most importantly, I know I need to form habits on the things I've learned so that they can become character traits pushing me to be more like Christ.

How good is His love, great is His grace, deep is His mercy, and perfect is His live.

Until next time,
Kel :)

Baby Ruth weeks 1 and 2!

So I have officially completed the first two weeks of a five week program called Baby Ruth at Pine Cove Christian Camps. The purpose of the program is to teach young women humility and service and to grow in your relationship with the Lord before your first year of college. I knew that I was getting into a program that would be the hardest five weeks of my life and I knew I would be cleaning a lot but still I did not know what I was getting into... I quickly learned that Spic ‘n Span would be an extension of my left arm and it is now flowing through my bloodstream from inhaling so much of it. I have also come to the realization that I will probably be able to clean my college dorm bathroom really well!! 

The reason I love Pine Cove so much is because the Lord’s presence is just so present here. Everyone here wants to know Christ and wants to seek Him and His love is flowing through everyone. Even when I am so tired and don’t think I can pull one more weed or sweep one more porch I still somehow look back at the day and feel joyful and know that that is only because the Lord was with me and He always is with me. He provided the energy and the strength to keep going. Even when I think I am physically unable and I have no energy, its Christ in me that pushes me through. Yes, I am struggling with having a positive attitude while I’m cleaning sticky tape stuff off doors and that is something I need to work on but I know that doing all of this is teaching me how to serve without expecting anything in return. A lot of times I catch myself expecting something in return when I serve. Whether thats a simple thank you or they serve me in some way. How selfish!! The point of service is to let go of the pride that I have and take on Christ’s humility and give whatever is asked of me. Service is humility and humility is service.

The hardest part of this program has surprisingly been the bible studies. While I am so so excited about them and I am learning so much it is extremely intense and hard to be a part of. The challenge is that we have a lot of “homework” that must be completed before the next time we meet but theres not a lot of time to do that. So we have to find and make time. While we are sweeping we discuss the topic. At meals if we somehow have extra time we have learned to pull out our bibles and read over the passages we are looking at. Thankfully, we get two hours (one a day) to study as a group without interruptions but sometimes its not enough so we have to use the time we have in the day while doing other tasks to make sure we all agree about what we are studying. Something I was not expecting was that there’s no time for a quiet time. There is no allotted time for us to sit down for 20 minutes and it be just me and Jesus-journaling, reading, praying, worshipping, etc. It’s go go go and the only time we sit down and open the bible and learn from it in a leader-student setting is twice a week. We aren’t allowed to get up early to have our own quiet time and we have a certain time we have to be in bed with all power sources off and by the time we are ready for bed it’s that time. And so again, I have learned to make time and find time. While we are in the car for five minutes driving somewhere (I never know where or how long!) or I finish a meal early and I pull out my journal for a few minutes. While I wish I could get up earlier and have a quiet time, this is definitely preparing me for college. I know my schedule is going to be so busy in college and I will be so tired in the morning and not want to get up early. Now, I have learned the discipline of making time and I know what that phrase means! And I also understand the phrase it was the hardest and best five weeks of my life..

On top of that, I set a goal for myself in about early May to memorize the book of Colossians. Why? I have no idea. Something was tugging at me and it was constantly on my mind and the more I thought about it, I just realized that it was something that God was asking me to do. I always say I want the word to be living in me and I want it to be a part of me but I only have bits and pieces memorized. So having Colossians memorized is truly having the living word IN me. Your prayers for that would be much appreciated. I have memorized chapter one and four verses of chapter 2 so I have a lot to go! 

I can feel myself changing but I’m not sure exactly how or what. I cannot wait to see what God has to teach me and I know He has a lot in store. I am exited to leave this place a renewed individual ready to admit struggles, failures, strengths, and joys to my closest friends and enjoy a closer fellowship with them, based on the love of Christ.

How good is His love, great is His grace, and deep is His mercy and perfect is His life.

Until next time,

Kel :)

Whats Next?

So the bike trip was GREAT! If you go to France I highly recommend doing a bike trip. My mom and I were with the Duvine company and I loved our guides. I was able to see parts of France that I would not have seen otherwise. We got to back from small towns to small towns taking mainly cute backroads that passed by stunning scenery with lots of vineyards or lavender or wheat fields. It was absolutely gorgeous! It was a lot of biking but I did enjoy it. Plus at the end of the last two days when it was uphill I just got in the van :)

And since I've been back, I've cleaned my room, took the car to be washed, been to the bank twice, took my younger brother Logan to Plano for a soccer game, dropped off a graduation present in Plano, went to Frisco with my other younger brother Pierce to go to the doctor, drove up to Addison to go pick up my Immunizations form and diploma from my high school, made a grocery store run, watched the Mavs play an AWESOME championship game with Luke at Snuffers, had dinner with Katelyn, laid out with Shelby (love you!), made breakfast with Rachel, and had dinner with Carrie and Catherine. BUSY! And packed in ten minutes for the plane ride to Nashville tomorrow morning. Which, speaking of, I'm so pumped for. I get to meet my roommate! And get to pick classes and stay in a dorm and be on the campus of my soon to be college!!! Wow. I cannot believe it's actually here. I don't feel old enough to go to college. And yet at the same time I feel too old to be in high school. But I guess that's what freshman year of college is. Kinda like freshman year of high school...

So, so far the staying calm and taking things slow hasn't been successful. If you re-read the above section you'll see why. However, the blogging has actually been really helpful in taking a breath and slowing down and thinking about what all I have done. I realize, wow I have really not stopped to thank God for all the blessings I have in my life, and it helps me see God in the most simple ways. Even ways that anyone else wouldn't see. It reminds me that God is in everything! And I so I look for Him in everything. In catching up with the old principals while picking up my diploma, having encouraging and enjoyable conversations with good friends who love me and I love, biking through a dirt road passing cherry trees, driving down Hillcrest getting groceries for my mom so I can have a tasty steak dinner. Even though that might seem extreme and you might think, really? How is God in that? Because He is there. His presence is there. He is the one that gives me breath to wake up every morning. He's the reason I can love my friends and family so much and always want to be there for them. He's the reason I can live in such a nice house and have such wonderful food and go to such a great school and study what I've always dreamed of studying. He is the reason that I can love and forgive instead of being mad at someone I have no right to be mad at but at times I think I do have that right. He is the reason I am able to live my life with joy, because I know He is there and I know He will always provide. Maybe I don't have all the answers but I know that He will give me all the answers I need, even if sometimes I think I need more.

How good is His love, great is His grace, deep is His mercy and perfect is His life.

Until next time,
Kel :)

Biking Tour in Provence!

Wow! I cannot get over how beautiful this country is. Everywhere I go I have to stop and look around! And I can't stop taking pictures so my memory card keeps getting full so I have to go through all the pictures and delete some. (I can't download them to my computer and delete all of them because my mom didn't bring her computer so when we get home she's downloading them).

So day two in Paris was by far the busiest day we spent there. After breakfast (and really good coffee) we went to the Eiffel Tower-HUGE line, but we moved over to a really short line and thought we were so smart but realized it short because it was for tickets for walking up the stairs instead of using the elevator... And we chose to just take the stairs since the line was shorter. And honestly it really wasn't that bad! We didn't go to the very top just the first and second levels and the views were unbelievable! My favorite was overlooking the park in front of the eiffel tower.

By the time we got back down it was already time for lunch so we went to a cafe called Cafe Constant which was mentioned in the Paris travel book we bought (by lonely planet it was really good so if you need a travel book use one made by them). It was quite yummy. Then we headed to Palais Garnier only to find out that we missed the tour by ten minutes...so we were told to go back the next day. So we went to Eglise Madeleine (beautiful) and walked down the street to Place de la Concorde and then headed to Musee D'Orsay but stopped at a cafe across the street to have some coffee :) and eat a snack we bought at Laduree- a patisserie (snacks/sweets/baked things place). Of the museums I went to I liked D'Orsay the best. It's in the building where a train station used to be so it was just very cool and I liked the artwork there as well. After that we walked across the street and sat in the Tuilleries garden. Then we headed to the Seine and did an hour long boat cruise and ate dinner at Cafe Madeleine. So maybe it doesn't sound like a lot...but after a really long travel day and a busy day the day before it was very exhausting!! The rest of the stay in Paris consisted of Saint Chapelle (ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!), Opera Garnier (also really really cool!! and interesting), Versailles (that was exhausting in itself....so much to cover-we only saw half of the palace and not even half of Marie Antoinette's buildings), Arc de Triomphe (lots of steps) and Sacre Coeur (even more steps!).  Here are some pics...

And so now I find myself in a small town outside of Avignon and its SO adorable. All the streets are small and winding and hilly (just like the movies) and theres beautiful views every where (of course). Today we biked 33 km and it started pouring down rain right in the middle which was nice cause it was a good cool off! Our guides, Jen and Greg, are so sweet!! Greg is french but speaks english fluently and Jen is English but also speaks french very well. There are 7 other people in the group and they are all very friendly and a fun group. And I am the youngest by 6 years... There's going to be lots of wine tastings and theres wine at every meal and before every meal we have wine as a group and talk about the next day and ask questions. I tried a sip of the red wine and the sparking wine and the nicest way to say it is... I do not find it appetizing at all! A little too tart and bitter for my likings. I'd rather have hot chocolate. Or coffee from Paris :) 

Writing this blog has made me stop and think back on what has been going on and reflect on the different things that I have subconsciously learned and taken from all the experiences. Being in a foreign country surrounded by a language that I kind of know, put with group of 7 (plus two guides) other people that I've never met before, lots and lots of walking and metro riding, and now around 20 to 25 miles of bike riding each day, has put me out of my comfort zone and stretched me. The moment that I have had to trust God the most was trying to catch the train from Paris to France. We specifically booked the 5 o'clock train so we could have some extra time to go see what we missed (arc de triomph and sacre coeur). We knew we had to be back at the hotel to pick up our bags at 3 because the metro ride from Paris to the airport was going to take at least 45 minutes and then we had to pick up our tickets and find where the train was. This was going to give us plenty of extra time. But Sacre Coeur took a lot longer than we anticipated... long story short we didn't get back to the hotel until 3 30 and my mom is in a panic. We literally RAN to and through the metro station to get to the different stops (me with two bags and a backpack and my mom with a suitcase). Then the RER (the really long ride to the airport) stopped at one stop for somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes instead of 30 seconds. We finally got to the airport (the LAST stop) at 4:45. We sprinted up the steps, as fast as possible, and tried to get through the gates with our metro tickets but it was not letting us through for some reason... Almost crying, my mom is running around trying to figure out what to do. Finally, she asked a random guy walking by to let us go through with him and thankfully he did (Later we figured out that our metro tickets only covered certain areas of France and it didn't cover that section). Then sprinted to where we had to pick up our tickets and had to wait in a line.. the train was scheduled to leave at 4:57 and it was 4:55. As soon as we got our tickets we sprinted to the steps and found the train and ran along side it trying to find which car was ours. Once we got to our seats and sat down we both just sighed in relief (just to show you how exhausted we were- while watching an episode of LOST-best show ever- we both cried twice... because Jin "died" and Penelope found Desmond-season 4). On the RER we both did not think we were going to make it. It was already expensive to be in France and the bike tour was expensive and the tickets on the train were non-refundable. A million things were going through both of minds and praying that God would give us enough time to make it. And He did! Had we not made it...that would have been a completely different experience! I am definitely so thankful that we were so blessed to afford everything and not miss the train!! I am looking forward to the next four days of biking through such a beautiful country that I have already fallen in love with :)

How good is His love, great is His grace, deep is His mercy and perfect is His life. 

Until next time,

Kel :)

FRANCE! Travel+Day 1

So I had my first ever experience with ambien on this flight.. Since it was a six hour time difference, my mom and I took ambien to make us sleep on the flight to adjust to the time change. While it did make me tired, I could not fall asleep!! It was no fun :( I did enjoy the Justin Bieber movie though! I was thoroughly surprised. I will admit that I do like Justin Bieber. I'm not a crazy fanatic or anything but I am a fan :) Anyways, so the plane ride was long and rough and my ears hurt SO BAD because I have had this really weird and annoying stopped up nose that won't go away :( but still it was all worth it!! Finally being on the streets of Paris is incredible. After struggling to buy a metro ticket and figuring out which metro to take and when to get on and off, we walked up from the metro onto the streets and I don't think I stopped smiling the whole time we walked around trying to find the place to pick up our "Paris Passes". It is absolutely beautiful!! The architecture is gorgeous and so unique. My mom and I totally looked out of place walking around the streets with our suitcases-we even stopped at a little cafe with our suitcases and I got my first practice speaking french. Being surrounded by the french language is so so cool and exciting because I absolutely love the language, but it also can be overwhelming-mainly when we are confused and don't know exactly how to say in french what we need. But for the most part, my mom knows the language very well and I've even been able to communicate some! It is so exciting. I can check one item off my bucket list now :)

So after checking into the hotel we headed over to Ile de la Cite and walked around Notre Dame and the Concergerie. Unfortunately Ste. Chapelle was closed by the time we got to it so that will half to be another day!
                                 Notre Dame:

Concergerie:

Next we got onto a double decker bus and just drove around Paris- saw the different art museums, the Eiffel Tower, drove down Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomph, Galleries Lafayette, and got off at the Louvre where, of course, we saw the Mona Lisa, some Botticelli, and some Giovanni. And lots of other names I don't remember...

Something else exciting- while at the Louvre we were trying to figure out where we were and a worker walked by so I stopped him and asked him where we were. The first thing he said was very good french I am impressed! I felt so honored :)))))))) all I said was four words though... but still. I was so happy!

One of my favorite things so far that I have noticed is how relaxed everyone is. There is no hurry (except trying to catch the metro). A usual meal takes at least an hour and a half. You just sit and enjoy the food and the atmosphere and the company you are with. I feel like in America we want everything now and as quick as possible. We lose our patience just because the waiter didn't come quick enough or bring the bill when you wanted. This also leads to our constant impatience with our family and friends. We don't enjoy the meal as much as we could if we would just take some time to really BE with the people you are eating with rather than just simply eating and going. So much more enjoyment comes from bonding over good food :) Even though its only been one day, I have loved the relaxed feeling of everything. I am hoping that when I get back I will have learned some patience and it will stick with me!

And of course, like I have already said, I just love Paris! I love looking at it! It is so so beautiful. Every building is breathtaking. There's cute little shops and bistros everywhere-so no need to worry about where to eat, its really easy to find something good. (and the coffee is amazing!)

I am so blessed to be able to be on this trip right now! I can't believe I'm actually here and I get to experience so much of France. I pray that it's not just all fun and games but that I still see God's amazing goodness and his beautiful nature through it all!

How good is His love, great is His grace, deep is His mercy, and perfect is His life.

Until next time,

Kel :)

Wilderness 2011

So, first blog post ever. I am starting this blog to write about everything that is going on in my life this summer. Worked at a school trip, going to France, college orientation, working at Pine Cove as a Baby Ruth, and everything else that goes on with my music as well as my upcoming college experiences.

The reason I named my blog "Singing in the Rain" is because first, I didn't want to do something boring! And also, I want to remind myself that even though there always will be hard times and battles to fight, I know that it is all according to God's plan and He calls me to take on suffering with joy and remember that my sufferings are nothing compared to what Christ has faced and conquered.

This past week I was in the beautiful Ozarks of Arkansas. And I never forgot it... I was woken up at 6:30 in the morning by a bull horn proclaiming "Good morning! It's another beautiful day in the Ozarks! Everybody up, everybody up!" While this was true, it was not the kind of alarm I would choose. The trip was amazing but also extremely exhausting! The activities consisted of a day of setting up boy scout tents, a 12 mile hike, river rafting, and a 4 mile hike with some repelling and rock climbing. The reason we set up boy scout tents was because we were blessed enough to stay at the boy scout camp place. What I found out at the end of the week was that no other school in the nation is allowed to stay there. Trinity Christian Academy is the only school that they trust to take care of the grounds. So in return we set up all the tents before the boy scouts show up.

Here's me and some other girl counselors on the trip :)

The trip was a completely different experience than I had ever had. In the past, I've always been the camper- at pine cove, at vacation camps, school trips, etc. But this time I was a counselor. Instead of it being all about me, it was all about the eighth graders. I was the one attending the "meetings", cooking food and serving the plates, giving advice and encouragement instead of receiving it. I have always dreamed of one day being a Pine Cove counselor and the wilderness trip taught me how big of a responsibility that is. Do I have any knowledge that is worthy of passing on? Do parents really want to trust their kids to my personal beliefs and opinions? Am I ready to be a leader and be an example to younger girls who look up to me? I have so much to learn and I hope that one day what I can share what I've learned with younger girls going through the same things that I went through.

And so, I returned from the 7 hour bus ride physically tired, emotionally stretched, and spiritually tested. The keens saved my life as well as my feet from horrible blisters and the poncho kept me somewhat dry as well as kept my clothes damp instead of soaking. I learned that Texas really is the most humid state in America. I learned that there is nothing an eighth grader adores more than a high school senior. I learned that God reveals Himself in more ways than just through older mentors-sometimes the mentors learn more from the mentees. I also learned that there is nothing more refreshing than your own pillow, bed, and family after sleeping on a wooden plank for five days. But most of all, I learned that God's glory can be seen everywhere, in everything, no matter how big or small, loud or soft, whether standing or sitting.

How good is His love, great is His grace, deep is His mercy and perfect is His life.

Until next time,
Kel :)