Time is going by fast, too fast February is almost over. Well not really I guess but it seems like it! One thing that I am excited about the next several weeks going by fast is it means soon i'll be in Mexico! It's become almost tradition for (part) of our family and church. We first got started through friends of friends who knew some Missionaries down in Mexico and they as a family went down there about twice a year. They told us about there trip and experience and what they did down there, and before you know it we had a sign up for a trip down to Mexico. And this march will be our 4th trip and we now know and love the missionaries Mar and Chacho they are like a part of our family as well as our church family! They are two of the sweetest most God fearing people you will ever meet! You can't help but be happy when you are around them! Especially Chacho he's got a great sense of humor and is so open you can talk to him about anything, And Marc is much more quiet but so sweet! We call this week the  "Beyond the Walls" week, in other words this meaning going outside the walls of the church to serve. And my goodness if you want to experience serving Matamorus Mexico is the place to do it!We do Vacation Bible Schools while we are down there giving us the opportunity to first off minister to the kids but also in several ways minister to the parents as well!I am excited to get back and see the Mission and everyone down there who has become like a second family!

My adopted Grandparents

You ever have those moments when you something happens and you are suddenly thankful to God for putting certain people in your life? People who constantly bless you and you don't even realize that you don't know what you would do with out them. I've had that realization with at least two people in my life, first off is Jerry Wilson. Jerry's in his seventies and has enough character for about 4 people at least!He's known for his nicknames, if he's known you longer than fifteen minutes he's gonna come up with some  kind of way to remember your name and sometimes he will change it every so often like with me I never know which nickname I'm gonna get! He's also one of those people who has a solution for everything, and also always has something to say about everything. He's turned into the crazy Grandpa I never had. My dad's dad died before I was born and I only saw my other Grandpa about once every two years until he passed away when i was about 10 so I never really got to have that connection. And so I'm thankful to have him in my life! He's a constant blessing not only has he been that Grandpa figure for me but he is also the reason I live where I live, why my dad has a job and why I have my friends and certain people in my life. The second person I'm very thankful for is Mary Boyce, also known as "Miss Mary" she is my inspiration! She is amazing, she also in her seventies and goes to my church.She has a heart the size of Texas! She always comes up and gives me a hug and will just sit and talk to me for hours. She touched my heart when she told me that since she had never had a granddaughter, she wanted me to know that she thought of me and her own granddaughter!Nothing compares to that! We go to Mexico every spring break and due to our large groups we've had to on occasion, walk across the border and miss Mary even after having surgery on her foot only six months before walked across the border and back every day for five day straight! She impressed every single one of us!She also comes every Wednesday night and helps with AWANA, all the kids love her!I am so thankful to not only know these two great people, but to have a certain connection through the body of Christ and call them my "Grandparents"!

Missing them

So this week has been a little bit crazy and I am getting "homesick" for my Chrysalis family! No other place other than with my biological family, do I feel so at home. I know I've talked a lot about this before but it is kinda a big deal to me. I've met a lot of people I knew would have known and experienced God's love in a way I never had before. I definitely think there is something to say for that. There is a sense of trust and love between everyone, we all pitch in to make things happen, were all there to pick each other up, we are a family. I've been to a lot of camps, retreats, and even another encounter but this almost has it's own Genre. I've always grown up in a Christian home my parents are great examples of what Godly parents should be. My dad is a Pastor and my mom is Teacher/Momma they have been married for 39 years and are still going strong. My point is, this isn't new for me I accepted Christ when I was 6 and got baptized when I was 9. I have strong beliefs and great great people who taught me those. Yet there is so much to learn about Christ and his love. Chrysalis gives you the opportunity to see what it is like to serve others. It changed me way more than I expected, It's a great ministering tool! I have been on 3 trips to Mexico and I was touched each and every time. And I hope I can take what I learned from my experience at Chrysalis and apply it to every area of my life. To serve, mentor and ultimately  to have a strong foundation in my faith for Christ.Like they say your house will fall with out a strong foundation to support it.

Hopes and Prayers

These past couple weeks I have been and really the whole family have been blessed over and over. Since all 5 of us girls and my dad have some kind of chronic illness that we really don't know what's going on but in other words it's causes us to have an intolerance for certain foods, for some of us it's just wheat others it's wheat, dairy, vinegar, corn, potato's  xanthum gum, peanut butter, the list goes on and on!And my oldest sister was the first to show signs for some reason it doesn't hit until about high school and for one of my sisters she didn't start having problems until her freshman yr in college so it was later on for everyone but me, mine hit at about 13, don't know why it just happened. But we have all been, for years going to different doctors, trying different medicines and have all been tested enough for about 5 people each. I spent about two months last year going to and from Kansas City hospital, doing test,and scopes and getting diagnosed with something  that really didn't get us any closer to finding a solution.but  somehow my sister came across a doctor in Oklahoma City who has had patients with similar problems, and has gotten them to the point where they are not only feeling better but also eating!He told my sister that in 6 months he thought he could get her to the point where she could eat anything she wanted.My sister has been going there for about 2 months now and has gone for literally not even being able to eat meat or corn, potato's or vinegar without  being sick for weeks , to the point where she can now eat a bag of chips a couple fruit snacks so dairy free ice cream and the list goes on!So this week is another big step it the pursuit of food!I am sending in my stuff to this doctor and hoping and praying that this doctor is the miracle our family has been praying for and hoping for for the past 4 years!

x

So it's just at the beginning of the year. I am still writing "2012" every time I go to write on homework or an assignment! Talk about Auto-pilot, although a new year and fresh start gets me excited! And there's a side of me that cringes, only a year and a half ti'll i'm finished with High school and i'll be 18 sounds exciting but it'll bring new responsibilities. Which I am excited about it's just intimidating right now!I started driving and kinda had a flash back of all the many times i had watched my older siblings go through the very same process and thinking to myself "It's gonna be forever ti'll I'm in that position" hahaha..ha. And now it's already here! the older you get the faster time goes by. But being the youngest is nice I enjoy having lots of older siblings to go to and talk to! Like my sister came home from college this past weekend just to visit! And especially since my brother was gone for the weekend, I was so thankful! I do not like being an "only child" I wanna cry for everyone who is! Anyways Liz came home and we just kinda hung out! Making cookies in a very unique Messer way, no recipe! Part of the fun though right? We put on some music pulled out the peanut butter and some nutella and we sat there staring at our concoction for several minutes before we got brave enough to try to cook them. And go figure they were delicious! I guess it just goes to prove that even when things don't go exactly  as planned they can still turn out!