Understanding Children

Conference by Wess Stafford

DL Moody- "If I had my life to do it all over again, I would spend it educating children."

In an upside down world... the little ones are big in God's kingdom.

*Everytime a child is mentioned in scripture, God is doing something big... Abraham-Isaac, Miriam- Moses, Eli- Samuel, Josiah, Jesus, little boy with fish and loaves,...

*Satan attacks when people are small... battle over the unborn whether poverty or convience.
Matthew 18:10

*Every child that comes into our path is a divine appointment. 
*Like wet cement, children are so pliable.  All it takes is a moment to change a child's life.


A critical time- Children ages 5-18 (George Barna)
"If you want to shape a person's life... whether you are most concerned about his or her moral spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, or economic development... it is during these critical eight years that lifelong habits, values, beliefs, and attitudes are formed."

Bridge Building

notes from Beyond Enough Conference...

Going the Extra Mile to Build Bridges
by Julia, Brooke, and D'Arcy

Myths about Bridge Building

1.  Building bridges is comfortable
2. Building bridges will change people
3. Success is guaranteed
4. Building bridges is easy and quick
5. The problem is everyone else
6. You can delegate and not be involved
7. One construction method/material to be used
8. Building Bridges does not require homework
9. The bridge will always go in the direction you want
10. Building bridges is convienient
11. You are totally in control of this process.
12.  Building bridges is cheap
13. This isn't going to be worth it
14. The bridge benefits me alone

Jesus' foundation was to do the will of His father
*Am I doing this because it is ithe will of my father?

Implementation of Bridge Building

• with a team
• have grace when abandoned halfway through
• open handed surrender
• long term goals- not our ideas but God's
• gain empahty for others

Truths of Bridges

• beautiful
• strong
• connect
• depict a culture or area
• all unique
• commintment of time
• once they are build you can go farther easier
• not build by one

"It only takes a spark"

As I sit here in my living room on this Sunday afternoon, my entire house reeks of campfire smoke and there is billowing smoke all around. Every few minutes one of three yellow emergency helicopters fly over with buckets attached transporting water to much needed hot spots. Thankfully my house at this time is safe and sound but Molokai is being burned to a crisp.

When I was a small child there was a song that we sung at church that went... it only takes a

spark to get a fire going. This is a vivid reminder of how something so small can do so much. The cause of this fire is unknown at this time but more than likely it started with something very small and insignificant. Whether a match or a camp fire, 2500+ acres have been burned. What an impact!

We as Christians are called to have that kind of impact on our communities and world. Setting our world on fire for Jesus. It is really hard to cover the light that fire produces at night whether by candle or a brushfire. Last night it was such a sight on how much of our island was on fire... areas that couldn't be seen during the day. But as soon as the sun went down the fire lit up the night sky. I sat out in my backyard perched on my neighbors rock wall watching the mountain glow. This was a great reminder to me that we need to shine Jesus especially in the dark of night.

Please be praying for safety for all the fire fighters, emergency crew, helicopter operators, and people that are helping keep people's houses safe. Pray that the wind would die down and that God would send some rain.

A relaxing evening

Ever have that moment when your body is so relaxed it doesn't feel connected... a perfect peace where there is not even a thought going through a normally chaotic brain???? Well for the past hour and a half, I have been in complete relaxation mode as I received a full body massage (including feet)!

For my 30th birthday, one of my friends and co-workers who went to massage school gave me an IOU for a massage. With a mix of emotion (apprehension, excitement, nervous, etc) we scheduled a date and time. As I am not a huge touchy, feely person, this was stepping outside of my comfort zone just a bit (especially the foot part as I normally don't like my feet messed with). After remembering my 100 things list and my goal to be daring and try some new things... I put on a new emotion and jumped in!

OK... now that the massage is pau and I am sitting here letting the rest of the oil soak into my skin, I have to say that it was SUPER AMAZING! I am truly blessed to have such a friend with amazing hands. And boy am I going to sleep well tonight!!

100 Things to Do

As the big milestone of completing 30 years of age is just a couple of days away, I have been pondering what I would like to do in my lifetime...
Life is full of goals, dreams, and aspirations! In some of my spare time this summer I have put together 100 things that I really want to do at some point in this life that God has given me! So here goes...

1. Serve God where ever He leads with a content heart
2. Learn to salsa dance
3. Fall in love and get married to my best friend
4. Adopt a baby
5. Write a book
6. See the statues of Easter Island (Chile)
7. Run 5K –June 20th, 2009

8. Run 10K- December 19th, 2009- Molokai, May 15th, 2010
9. Run Honolulu Marathon- Dec 11
10. Visit the Pyramids in Egypt- Sept/Oct 2011
11. Go camping under the stars- Lake Alatoona,GA Mom reminded me that this is what we did for my 2nd birthday! LOL! July, 1981
12. Learn sign language
13. Go to Grand Canyon
14. Learn to play guitar
15. Bake a cake from scratch
16. Ride in a hot air balloon-Luxor,Egypt 2014
17. Learn to tap dance
18. Tour the Galapagos Archipelago
19. See the Northern Lights
20. Ice Skate in New York
21. Visit Times Square
22. Try a new restaurant- GianFranco- 12/30/09 Snoqualmie,WA
23. Take a bubble bath by candle
24. Visit the Acropolis in Greece
25. Walk on the Great Wall of China
26. Go to Disneyland (California)
27. Visit the Golden Gate Bridge
28. Climb View the Statue of Liberty
29. Read JRR Tolkien Boxed Set
30. Visit all 50 states
31. Play a new game
32. Have ice cream for lunch- July 2nd, 2009
33. Go on a cruise
34. Go to Bora Bora
35. Read the Chronicles of Narnia- Summer, 2010
36. Spend a whole (non-sick) day lounging in bed and not feel guilty
37. Get a Master’s degree- graduated Dec 20, 2014!!!
38. Help on a Habitat for Humanity Home
39. Donate Blood- Elon College 2001
40. See a broadway play- Cats, Les Mis, Miss Siagon, -London, 1999
41. Get a foot massage- August 19th, 2009
42. Sleep in a castle (or own one!!!)
43. Watch the ten greatest American movies of all time - Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Godfather, Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, The Wizard of Oz, The Graduate, On the Waterfront, Schindler’s List, Singin’ in the Rain
44. Be in two places at once- June 13th, 2009 NC/SC border

45. Raise a happy, healthy child
46. Create a home with an inviting, joyous, comfortable loving atmosphere
47. Be a Proverbs 31 woman
48. Go on a safari
49. Ride a camel- March 10, 2014
50. Throw a party- Sept. 19, 2009- Bri's baby shower
51. Visit Biltmore Estates
52. Get a new hairstyle
53. Be spontaneous- drive with a student driver ;)
54. Watch turtles hatch and run for the ocean
55. Get a full body massage-August 19th,2009
56. Visit Marcus in Sweden (May 2014)
57. Go bird watching- alot of fun with preschoolers!
58. Build a deck
59. Go to a concert of a favorite artist- Third Day, Toby Mac, Brandon Heath- June 13th, 2009
60. Jog at sunset
61. Be a spectator at the Olympics
62. Stop worrying- finally came to the conclusion that worrying tells God "He is not big enough to handle!" July,11
63. Learn to live in the now
64. Exercise every day
65. Read God’s Word everyday
66. Hike part of the Appalachin Trail
67. Dance in the fall leaves- Oct 2009 CO
68. Visit Niagara Falls
69. See how chocolate is made at Hershey’s, Penn.
70. Sing Karaoke- Perth, Australia
71. Cruise Alaska
72. Get a tattoo
73. Enjoy a sunrise
74. Complete Daniel study by Beth Moore- Dec 29th, 2009
75. Try a new drink- Bad Santa- 12/26/09
76. Tour the east coast of Australia
77. Visit Folden’s in Ecuador
78. Create a masterpiece- as mom reminded me that everytime I work with a child I create a masterpiece
79. Get down to my ideal weight
80. Break a rule- Tulalip, WA - not telling what rule! ;)
81. Attend a child’s t-ball game- Saturday, February 26th, 2011
82. Kayak at dawn
83. Get an ice cream cake- July, 2012
84. Make a new friend- Jeannie Poly- June 14th, 2009
85. Publish a short story
86. Spend a weekend in a cabin in the mountains- Snowmobiling in WA
87. Try a new food- Crab Ravioli- Dec 2009
88. Watch a new musical- Mamma Mia- July 21st, 2009
89. Go fly a kite- August, 2009 with some of my preschoolers
90. Visit a museum- Korean war museum
91. Paint toenails with friends- Sept 17th, 2009 - THANKS RACHEL!
92. Ride a roller coaster and scream at the top of my lungs- June 13th, 2009
93. Make and send a care package
94. Climb a rock wall- July 2012
95. Spend $100 on a good cause
96. Refinish an antique
97. Decorate an outrageous cake
98. Have a fondue party- April 2010 @ The Child's
99. Cook a new recipe- Vegetable Quiche- (aka Quiche Cakes :) Sept. 16th, 2009
100. Play Twister

A summer of lessons

Who would of ever thought that over the span of six weeks you can learn so much that you actually feel less intelligent than before that time period?

This summer has not only been filled with many great adventures but also many moments of growth both physically and spiritually.

Lesson 1: "Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!" Psalms 126:5 After endless hours of spending time in God's word this summer, it is a reminder of how precious of a gift life is and how we need to treasure each day God has given us. So many times we live in the past or in the future when we are called to live in the present moment and not worry about tomorrow.

Lesson 2: Life is too short to be BUSY (Being Under Satan's Yoke)... This four letter word has been out of my vocabulary for a while because busy is only a state of mind. You have two choices... 1) come to terms with the fact that we were not created to be Superman (or Superwoman) and we were created to rest at the feet of Jesus doing what He has called us to do with a happy heart or 2) live a life being BUSY allowing Satan to steal your joy and take away those precious moments that are God's gifts. And just remember Jesus only had 24 hours in his day as well.

Lesson 3: Children are truly a blessing from the LORD. After spendng several days with friends and their children I can say that I have truly been blessed by their sweet innocence that God has given to them. There is a reason that they are so close to the heart of God.

Lesson 4: Goodbyes don't get any easier even after 9 years. It still tugs at my heart strings to board the plane back to HI not knowing when the next time will be that I get to see these amazing people. (For all of you reading this that are praying that God moves me back to NC just know there are some pretty amazing prayer warriors in HI as well... so ultimately it comes down to God's will!)

Overall it has been a great summer. I enjoyed seeing so many friends and family members that I haven't seen in years.

Summer of 2009

This summer has been one of new adventures, family and friends, and starting new chapters in my life. Two days after school ended I hopped on a plane and flew 6000 miles to NC to spend the summer with family. With one more week before I head back to Molokai, I thought I would do an update on things I have done...

*Went to Carowinds with Julie and saw Third Day, TobyMac, Hawk Nelson, and Brandon Heath in concert plus rode LOTS of roller coasters!
*Ran in my first 5K... it was 95 degrees and 90% humidity! Argh!
*Mom and dad went to Germany, Austria, Czech republic, and Switzerland
*went to the zoo with my brother and sister in law
*went to lunch with a friend from Cali and a friend from NY
*spent the 4th of July with friends and family at Burlington City Park watching a concert and fireworks.

When I get back to Molokai and I will post picts but as for now I will sign off.