who am i? my life story, up to this point

A few days ago, I was reading MckMama's blog and she had written a post that outlined the highlights in the history of her life. I really liked the idea, so i have decided to follow suit and am going to replicate my own version of the same thing. sooooo, here goes... who is Amanda?

In the beginning of October 1984, i am born. I was the third child born into our small family and the first girl. My dad had prayed for a little girl, and has never let me forget that I was the answer to that prayer. My family was in the process of growing again after the 13 years that separated me from my older brother, the second born, and not long after my birth, my little brother Dan made his arrival known.

Just before Dan was born in the spring of 1986 I fell on the road and landed on my chin while running with my hands in my pockets at 18 months old. We didn't know it at the time, but that fall left me with a whiplash that later on had some serious repercussions.

Dan was born in July 1986 and i was 21 months old. This is my second earliest memory, as falling on my chin was the first. I remember them both clear as day. And I remember that my dad didn't want my to hold little danny... wonder why... haha

December 1986, i got my first baby doll and named her Katie.

The first rememberance I have of inviting Jesus to live in my heart was at this time as well. Some may think that's too young, or that i cannot possibly remember well enough, or have comprehended what i was doing, but i disagree. I was well aware of what I did, and was very intentional about it :)

June 1987, my oldest brother Rob, graduated from high-school and joined the Navy. He boarded a bus to Florida for nuclear training and I remember being sad for the first time in my life. He was my best bud up to that point.

January 1989, the first Bush became president and my older brother Jay was a senior in high-school. I convinced my mom to let me cut my hair short and began kindergarten that fall... successfully starting a brand new generation of gradeshoolers just as my mom was finished with the first!

October of both '89 and '90 I refused to smile for school and/or family pictures, claiming i was "sad that Robbie was gone" or "i could hear baby Katie crying."

The next fall, 1991, my mom convinced me that it would "make Robbie happy" if i smiled for my school picture... and so I did.

My grandpa died in 1991 when i was in first grade... i'm sure i was sad at times between this moment and when rob left for the navy, but those are the two times in my young life I recall being changed by that feeling.

1989-1992 I attended public school and upon finding out that I didn't know how to add, my mom decided to homeschool me for awhile so that I would catch up.

As with many homeschool families, I went back and forth between skipping grades and then not. My younger brother did in fact skip a grade, but as time went by my parents let him stay back where he belonged as it was just too much pressure for such a youngster :)

I stayed right on track with my schooling for the 6 years we homeschooled.

Summer of 1992 Barney and friends came out on pbs and i was almost in 3rd grade. Completely unacceptable for someone of my age to enjoy such a juvenile show. I loved it.

Late 1992 my brother Jay met Kathleen. They were engaged early 1993 and married that June. I was a junior bridesmaid.

Later that year, I began having some serious health problems. I would black out on a regular basis, many days up to 30 times. I had appointments and neuro scans and ekg's and eeg's and everything else you could imagine. They could NOT figure out what was wrong with me.

When my first niece was born shortly after my 10th birthday in 1994, I was not even allowed to hold her standing up, because everyone was afraid i would black out and fall over. I began taking iron, and for a time, that seemed to help. But it was only a band-aid.

Summer 1995 rolled around and I made my first plane ride. To SanDiego, California for my brother Rob's wedding to Dyan. We found out after the wedding in July, that they had previously eloped April 13th in Hawaii (as that was where they both lived at the time) and were consequently 8 weeks pregnant at the time of the wedding in July... with TWINS!

The doctor visits continued until finally I saw an allergist and everything fell into place. It turned out I had many environmental allergies which were causing my equilibrium to be completely off balance, and as a result of the whiplash i sustained at 18 months, my body could not adjust to the changes.

I started seeing a chiropractor regularly at age 10. After just a couple months of treatment and beginning allergy shots, I was completely normal!

*please, no snide comments regarding that last statement*

This is kinda where things start getting blurry, I don't remember much from age 10-14, but I'm going to highlight what I do.

In 1996, my family decided to make a move to a new house that would allow my grandma and grandpa to come live with us. As we made this transition, it was very hard for me... in almost every way.

I lacked friends because we moved, and because I was homeschooled, making new friends was near impossible. I did however, manage to make a few, and survived the next couple years. By the time i entered 8th grade in 1997, my mom had taken a position as a part time secretary at a local church and my studies became more than either of us were able to keep up with. Nothing being wrong with any of it, or homeschooling in general, it just became clear that I needed to enter into a school where I would have more available for my education.

Beginning of 1998, my younger brother and I entered a small private Christian school not far from where we lived. Most of that year i spent friendless, as I felt very insecure about myself and the idea that others would like me or want to be friends with me was foreign. Where in the world did this thinking come from? I still haven't figured it out, except that maybe i was a normal typical teenager? Ha!

Yearbooks came out a month before school let out for the summer and I made an effort to both pass mine around as much as I dared as well as sign others. One girl, named Beka, signed my yearbook and stated that we should "get together over the summer." the highlight of my year.

We did hang out that hot 1999 summer and we quickly became good friends. All while eating bologna and potato chips on the beach and getting sun burnt...

Fall 2000 came, and i entered 10th grade more confident than ever because, now, I had someone who wanted to be MY friend. We spent the year coming up with inside jokes and watching eachother move through the growing pains of teenhood.

2001, she had a boyfriend, and in my desperate attempt to keep up, I befriended a certain boy. Although we never dated, the thought had crossed my mind, but always in the back of it there was a nagging voice telling me to stay away. I unfortunately pushed it aside far too many times and ended up hurting myself a lot.

In march 2001, I got my driver's license. woohoo! Freedom! well, not so much, but in my 16 year old mind it was.

Later on that year, my dad received his third diagnosis of cancer. This one being far worse than the previous times. In 1998, he had one of his kidneys removed due to kidney cancer and he also had a small surgery on a patch of skin cancer. This time though, it was lymphoma. Virtually a death sentence.

My parents sat down with me just before my senior year of school began in September 2001 and told me the news. I have tried very hard to speculate and come to conclusions about what happened that year, trying not to blame my lack of emotion on anything... but the only thing I can come to is that I completely blocked out that there was anything wrong at all. I really don't remember anything about his cancer...

It was the worst year (as a whole) of my life to date. I have since had hard times, but that was all in all the worst year I remember.

I began dating a guy in the beginning of 2002. One that I thought i would marry. In fact, when summer rolled around, I was graduated and he had a year on me, he bought a ring. However, as I began to weigh in all the facts, realizing that a proposal was imminent, I freaked out. I realized that I was 17 years old, in a first-time relationship and was allowing myself to leave nothing hanging in the balance. My future was set if i stayed with him. I would be married by 19 and surely have a child shortly thereafter... factoring in many other things, I felt highly unprepared to take all that on. I broke up with him just 8 months after we started dating.

Thanksgiving 2002, I flew to Hawaii to visit my brother Rob and his family. Dyan and their 3 kids. Up to that point, I had never been anywhere tropical, and now, having travelled quite a bit, have still never gone to a more beautiful place.

Upon arriving back home, I had a mess to deal with. The friends that I had built my life around before, during, and after my breakup, were proving to be less than a good influence. A few well-remembered mishaps sent the entire lot of them out of my life. I chose to lose them all... and I chose to be alone. I had noone for that time.

It forced me to a place with the Lord that I had not known. I began hearing his voice and understanding who he was in my life. I felt called to attend a Bible school for a year.

In the meantime that year, 2002-2003 I worked at a more high end photography studio initially as just a type of assistant for any and all jobs, which turned into a position that I loved more than any job i've had since (save my own photography business) I worked on all the production work, so basically everything that happened with the pictures after they were taken. I loved that job and would have loved to stay on, but it just wasn't the right thing for me at the time. There were also a lot of things going on that I didn't catch onto because of my age... all in all, I am glad to have had the experience, but would not want to go back and revisit.

In August 2003, I moved into the dorms of this Bible school, and my life changed forever. I made a few good friends there and my life with God changed. Looking back, I regret having allowed myself to participate in all the surrounding drama, but realize that God was truly there... and I wouldn't trade that.

Christmas 2003 marked our second trip to Hawaii as my brother was still stationed there. What an awesome break to go somewhere that beautiful and tropical in the mid winter. As it stood, I still wore a sweatshirt the entire time I was there... people think i'm nuts, but what can I say, once I get cold, it's hard to get warm again!

January 2004, we arrived back to snow and ice, my core temperature was barely back to normal. Within days of returning I received a phone call one saturday morning that resulted in my heroic fall off the top bunk whereupon i broke my right foot. I swear, I never thought it would ever get back to normal. I quickly forgot what it was like to walk without pain, that thought that i would never be able to walk fast or run again. And just in case you didn't put two and two together, ice and crutches and living on the 3rd floor with no elevator... not a good combination.

I had planned to attend the Bible school for 3 years, but when we let out for the summer months in April 2004, I realized that I was either going to a) start making a ton more money than I was or b) live at home instead of on campus. When my request to live off campus was denied, I decided that I couldn't go back and started thinking about my next move.

I heard about a job at the local ADT office and decided to apply if only just to make some money while I figured out what to do. I was hired in June 2004 with the understanding that I would not start until mid-august as I had taken a 6 week position at the summer camp I went to as a kid. I spent the better part of that summer with girls of all ages and making new friendships and learning lessons (some harder than others)

August 2004... ADT began, and my life consequently came to a halt. I am not one to complain all that often, but I hated that job. I liked it at times but all in all, it was just awful. I finished up there just 8 months in and continued working at a photography studio much like Sears or JCPenney. I worked 3 Christmases there and have vowed to never work in the mall during Christmas again.

During this time, I began taking classes at the local community college... I spent 3 consecutive semesters there studying graphic design and taking a couple photography classes as well.

2005 I worked another summer as a camp counselor, this time shifting camps in between. I was burnt out by the end of the summer and in September I began my first nanny job for a little tiny 3 month old baby. He's not so little anymore :) His name is Samuel and both him and his family became a very precious part of my life. I look back on those days (although scattered with sleep hell and meltdowns from ahem both michelle and i :) with fondness and am so glad to have those memories.

When summer 2006 rolled around, I began to feel as though I couldn't do the same thing for more than one year at a time... it seemed to be becoming a pattern... and i didn't like it! Yet, I changed things again... I started by taking the entire summer off. it was GREAT!

September 2006, I began working part-time as a teacher's assistant at a local pre-school. I was also selling jewelry for a time and had a lot of fun doing the parties and other such things that go along with that kind of business. I learned an awful lot about running a business, and while I'm no longer doing that particular venue, I am so glad to have had the experience. it's helped me a lot as I've started my photography business.

In Feburary 2007, my life took a turn and changed for what would turn out to be (in my opinion) the most changing experience of my life. I met Maureen, who is the mom of the kids I now take care of full-time. Within the first night of meeting, she had already asked me to come work for her, and I felt from the very beginning that it would be an amazing experience.

I began working for them in June 2007 and although it took me a few months, I soon bonded with their family and now feel as though they are a part of my own.

In July 2007 I travelled outside to country (to somewhere besides Canada) for the first time in my life. I ended up having my passport stamped in both Dubai and India that summer! If Dubai had just been a layover, I would not have considered myself to have actually been there, but seeing as how I was there for over 48 hours and in a hotel most of that time... I was there. Due to unforseen circumstances that trip was the most stressful time of my life and I ended up having some serious physical repercussions as a result of that stress... my hair began falling out in large quantities.

Soo, in September 2007 I chopped it off. Looking back on the pictures, I can see why noone else really noticed... but man, did I. It was awful. It finally, a year and a half later has gotten back to pretty much normal and I'm tempted to try growing it out once again. Note to self for future - don't get stressed out!

As fall began to set in, I realized I needed an outlet for my creativity. I took a drawing class (and two others that I can't remember haha!) and also started this blog. I remember sitting down to try and start it and having no idea what to write... that didn't last long!

The year moved on, and soon, 2008 rolled around. I was so inspired by all the beautiful pictures I saw on other people's blogs who didn't seem to be a whole lot different than me and decided to pick up my digital rebel again. Would you believe that still at this time, I was sort of embarassed to carry it around. And in all honesty, that's the real reason I bought a Canon digital elph just a year after purchasing my rebel.

I had that rebel for over 3 years before I started putting it to use. I wanted originally because I have always loved photography... but it seemed the more i learned about photography the more I realized i didn't know. Normally, I would tell anyone else who said that to me that they were crazy and to go for it. I mean, how in the world will you ever learn if you don't pursue it!

January, February, March 2008. I baked, and began the lovely art of capturing my confections. Then, mid March, Michelle came to me again and insisted that I take some pictures of her while she was still pregnant with the Queen Bee. I honestly did not want to do it... but she talked me into it. And knowing how artistic and creative she is herself, I went along with it. And this was the result.

I couldn't have been happier... it didn't take me long to start thinking that I wanted to get better at this. I knew i still had a lot to learn... so why not just learn it. Then, long about May, I bought my first real lens.

Lest this become the story of the last year and how I became a photographer, I am going to wrap up the rest of last year and save the future for, well, the future. Who knows what it will hold.

My best friend from high-school got married in May 2008 and I travelled once again out of the country, but this time to Mexico.

January 2009, I am learning more and more every day about the things I love most. I am growing into a more understanding and (hopefully) patient girl. I am learning that loving people is not always easy... sometimes it's just what you do. I am becoming more confident in the talent that God has given me. I am hopeful that my future is sustained only by my reliance upon the Lord. And I am hoping that I will never think that i've figured it all out...

That's me :)

"exchange" the movie

I've mentioned in previous posts that while I was in Mexico I performed a drama with about 8 other people. It was called the Exchange, and since coming home, we've had the opportunity to perform it 3 more times.

I FINALLY was able to get a hold of the video... I tried recording it myself (well letting someone else record it with my camera) like 3 times and somehow it always got messed up!

This is actually a better recording than I could have done with my camera, and because this particular performance was at my church, the lighting was very cool.

Unfortunately, it is a quite dark recording, so it's hard to see a lot of what's going on and because it has to be low-res to upload you can't really see our faces.

But I still get chills everytime I see it... It's very powerful...

I don't "feel" God

Before I went to Mexico, I did a lot of thinking about what I expected to get from the trip. I knew that it would be a great time with a lot of people I was close with. That we would get to reach out to the people down there and pray with them, share with them... etc.

But what I was unsure about was how my emotions were going to react.

Last year I went to India.

It was my first time *ever* travelling internationally, and I was helping to orchestre the travel plans for 19 people.

Hmmm... that doesn't sound like a relaxing time.

It wasn't. In fact, we ended up having serious travel problems that all began with our very first flight being cancelled.

It took us 105 hours to travel what should have taken about 40.

By the time we got there, I was so unbelievably stressed out that I didn't know how to react to anything. Add in the culture shock and I was a complete mess.

Don't get me wrong, my experiences were amazing, and I saw God move over there through us and others in ways I'd never seen before.

However, my emotions were going NUTS! I was a ball of stress... my hair started falling out (literally), I barely slept... I was a mess.

So my first extreme missions experience was just that. Extreme.

It occurred to me shortly after coming home from India that although the trip was unforgettable and really great, I never wanted to do that again. Specifically, I never wanted my emotions and stress levels to get that crazy.

So when I began to think about Mexico and what it held, I started to think about how I was going to deal with the reality that I am very much led by my emotions. I needed to chillax and take some time to recognize that I don't have to feel everything to make it real.

You see, I'm the kind of person where even if i hear someone tell me something a hundred times, I still may not believe it. It sounds pathetic, but I need that constant affirmation. I am learning to deal with it, but it can cause some real insecurity.

Therefore, I have found that when I am not having an emotional experience, I tend to disregard the power of our extraordinary God.

I knew that this was a problem for me, and I specfically decided that I was not going to put God in a box.

I had to realize that whether or not I felt God moving or not was irrelevant.

He still lives and moves among us.

I have never seen God.

I have never seen an angel.

I have never seen a demon.

But I have seen this.

Cancerous tumors physically shrink.

Hair grow back on a lady who had bald spots all over her head.

A little girl who couldn't walk because of a tumor get up and start running all over the place.

Broken hearts healed...

It brings tears to my eyes when I think back on these things... I am seriously tearing up as I write...

My point is this.

God doesn't fit our view of Him.

He's most defintely not hiding Himself from us... but sometimes the places we are looking are too limited...

I see God everyday now.

But I still don't "feel" Him.

I don't know about you, where you're at, what your situation is. But I know that in my life, I've found that when I ask God a question, or for Him to help me with something... the answer isn't how I would always imagine it to be.

I don't hear a booming voice from Heaven...

I don't get this crazy emotional entranced experience where I have a "tada" moment and suddenly know what to do.

Sometimes, the answer comes from someone else's mouth... or a thought that comes to mind...

God is always there...

But he's not always a "feeling"

I'm learning how to see God everywhere I go and in all the things I do. It's amazing to me how much I limit myself and God in everyday life.

Just because I can't feel Him... doesn't mean He's not there.

A letter to American Airlines

Dear American,

Recently, I've had the chance to fly with you from Chicago to Buffalo on the last leg of my trip back from Mexico. I would like to share with you my observances, and suggest a possible change in your travel accomodations for the future.

I am aware that flight *** was an intercontinental flight, and there was no real foresight that there would be international travellers boarding. However, when 18+ people are coming from a connecting international flight, I vote that majority wins and the flight is automatically considered "international."

While in Mexico, I aquired a bug of sorts (some refer to it as a parasite, but as the days have worn on, I am more and more convinced that my friend Kyle is no more than a waning bacterial nuisance on his last legs anyways.)

Here in lies the problem. BEFORE I actually discovered that Kyle was only a passing phase, I had to experience some serious one-on-one time with him. Meaning that I spent about half of my flight from Chicago to Buffalo in your airplane bathroom.

This letter is in no way a complaint about the bathroom or the services I received aboard your craft. It is simply a way of bringing something I feel is important to your attention.

During my time in that airplane bathroom, it happened that the "fasten seatbelt" light went on. Not once, but twice. However, I was unable to do so. Therefore, I kindly suggest that you install seatbelts into your airplane bathrooms. This would alleviate the problem that occurs when someone is using your one and only cabin bathroom the majority of the trip and the flight attendant is getting annoyed that "people aren't staying in their seats."

Please consider my idea, if not for practical reasons, then as a safety precaution. After all, it wouldn't be good for someone to have a case of the "igottagonows" and feel unsafe doing so, resulting in "staying in their seat." That could be a problem.

Thank you for your time and I hope to be flying with you soon, with my toilet belt securely fastened.

Sincerely,

the story of otis aka kyle

You've probably heard the saying, "what happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico."

But you've most likely not heard the saying, "what gets eaten in Mexico, stays in your stomach."

fairly lame attempt at coming up with a new little ditty, but there is a point (and what's more, an actual tale)

The hotel i stayed at in the mex was right next door to McDonald's. I'm sure you remember my previous encounters with meat at McD's rendering my appetite for the stuff completely nill. I refuse to eat meat there... especially in another country.

However, the vow only extended as far as meat. I still stop by for the occasional fry or shake or whathaveyou. The last day of the trip, I found myself at your local mexican mcdonald's sharing a McFlurry with noneotherthan Alicia. We actually shared the mcflurry...

That night we flew to chicago whereupon arriving found ourselves in desparate ifidon'tfindabathroomRIGHTnowit'sgonnabeaseriousproblem mode. This lasted for the remainder of the trip, and so kindly toned down just as i was arriving back at my house... when I finally had anything i could possibly need accessible. that's how it works right?

Anyways, Day 2 of being home rolls around and while the frequent trips to the b-room aren't occurring quite so frequently, I had pain that would suggest there is more going on than just a little indigestion.

Enter the idea of a parasite.

I decided along with Alicia that if either of us did indeed have a parasite, that it would HAVE to be named. Thus the quest for a name began. The first one that popped up was Otis. However, my ornery neighbor's last name is Otis and I didn't feel right about having an "otis" living in my stomach.

So the search continued... and along came "Kyle." A nice, normal sounding name... the kind of name that says,

"I really want to get to know that Kyle." or "Man, Kyle is so cool, i can't wait to hang out with him!"


Let's say someone asked me to go out on a friday night, perhaps to the drive-in with a bunch of people...

unknowing person: Hey Amanda, would you like to go to the drive-in tonight and see the brand new batman movie?

me: Oh yah!!! that sounds like so much fun... but is it ok if Kyle comes along?

unknowing person: Heck yah! Who's Kyle anyways?

me: (i pat my stomach) He's my new buddy

unknowing person: Ooooohhh I see... you're... pregnant???

me: No silly! I'm not pregnant! But I AM eating for two... Kyle is my parasite!

Thus ends my status as a normal human being.


HAHAHAHAHA!!! I can't stop laughing about this!!!

So much of Mexico seemed so normal to living here in the US, but let me just say... it IS IN FACT possible to eat at the "wrong" places down there. I'm sure I could have been more careful about not eating ice, brushing my teeth with bottled instead of tap water, going with my gut and not eating certain types of goat cheese... YAH.

Anyways, I'm confident that whatever the case might be, I'll be just fine. I may end up going to the dr just to make sure i'm alright if this persists, but it seems to be working out ok... But it sure does make for great blogging material *ha!*


(***please note, in every attempt to remain PC, I am sure that this post crosses certain people's limits of propriety. I apologize profusely if you or someone you know is named "Kyle." This post is in no way a reflection of how i feel towards anyone with that name***)

How was Mexico?

***Note: this is a request from me to you :) If you lack the time/energy to read all of these posts about my trip to Mexico, I am asking that you please choose to read the Ministry post. This particular post encapsulates the most important aspects of the trip and it is my hope that through reading it, you will be encouraged and your faith will be built!***


Well thanks for asking! I'll go right ahead and tell you! And while I'm at it, I will inundate you with pictures :)

Is it actually possible to put up too many pics? If you don't know the answer to that question, then you are about to find the answer for youself. I'm going to do my best however, to put them in some semblance of order so that they make sense... and they don't just look like a huge blob.

The way I decided to do that after some *careful* assessment is just to post multiple times on different topics. Wow, I'm a genius huh? Trust me, you'll thank me for it!

I've posted this as a sticky post so that it serves as an "intro" of sorts... so if you keep coming back to see the rest and they're not there... it's because you just have to scroll down a little :) Have fun looking! And if you have any questions about the trip, please leave them in the comment section and I will answer in a later post.

Fun times!

Our primary focus in Mexico was on missions work. However, a team that is not bonded cannot be as effective as a team that is! And boy were we bonded :)


There were so many nights that we were up way past a decent and ordinary time literally laughing so hard I thought I would pee my pants! It's so cool because most of the people on this trip are people that I see on a weekly (or more often) basis. I am SO happy to have gotten to know them so well and am already missing seeing their faces every day!

Right after we arrived in Morelia on our way to the church to meet the rest of the team who arrived a day earlier than we did.

A lot of times before we held an evening service there would be down time... have you ever heard the saying, "Hurry up so you can wait?" That's what we're doing here HA!

These pictures of the kids are getting thrown in here because they were taken during downtime also. We met so many kids down there, and even though there was a language barrier, we were still able to communicate in other ways. We would make up hand games and often there would be kids that remembered us asking us to come play with them when they would spot us in the crowd :)

This was supposed to be simply a picture of my orange shoes... alas it is not. It actually turned out to be one of my favorites though, because yet again it's such a classic representation of how crazy we all were and the fun we had together!

Time for team pictures! We took a good hour taking team pictures this day and I was SOOO glad that we did. There were multiple different set ups that we did and it seriously satisfied my cravings... my inner photo cravings that is :)

This was my very favorite of everyone! It's not the best shot where you can see everyone's faces but it was just so cool

This one however, is my favorite from the WHOLE TRIP. I had the idea in my head to do with the whole team, but they weren't up for it... so I got the girls together and we had one of the guys take it. He kept telling me it wouldn't work and I was just like "JUST TAKE THE DANG PICTURE!" and it was so worth it!!!

my artistic side of the trip :)

I've been challenging myself to see the art in everything recently. More often than not, I set out with my camera with a specific mission in mind. And I usually stick to it really well. Unfortunately, often times my mindset is not on deviating outside the box. This may sound surprising, but honestly I'm the kind of person who likes to have a plan and then stick very closely to it. So if my plan is to BE creative, then I most certainly will be... however, I want to change that, and let my plans carry me to whatever beauty is around me AT ALL TIMES.

So these are some practice in that area. Most of these were taken during times when you wouldn't expect to find something beautiful... just me walking along taking it all in. I wonder to myself, "how can i capture what I see right now in a 4x6 size rectangle and still make it interesting?" Well here you have my attempts to do that from Mexico...


This is one of the first pictures I snapped after arriving. Our hotel was so beautiful in every way. I mean seriously, it was a Holiday Inn Express... I wasn't expecting too much... especially since it WAS Mexico after all... well i was pleasantly surprised. The feel of the sign our room number was on was the feel of the whole hotel. Very tropical and bright... LOVED IT!

This was a supporting beam in a traditional Mexican restaurant we ate at... The architecture was very cool and I just loved the gourds hanging from it.

Truly, it would be a crime for me not to have a few pictures of flowers... and unfortunately, that's all i have... a few! I was surprised to find that there was more fauna than flora. In fact, the most beautiful flowers I saw were at the prison we visited... where I was not allowed to have my camera. We weren't allowed ANYTHING when we went in there. I literally only had my clothes on, nothing in the hair, no jewelry whatsoever... it was crazy. but yah, that's where the flowers were the most beautiful, DRAT!

I took this one through a fence and wasn't sure how it was going to work out, but I was quite pleased :)


This is my very favorite angle for tree pictures... i kind of wish though that I had used a smaller aperature though so that I could have gotten some more detail in the leaves. They were really cool.

On Monday we went to Patzcuaro to go shopping. There were all kinds of markets in the streets. Fruit and vegetable markets, handmade stuff, pirated dvds... and fish.

My nose has not failed me. No it has not. We rounded the corner and my nostrils were invaded with the smell of dead fish... for some reason I like this smell.


Opposite the dead fish market was this bundled wood... i thought it was cool :)


Then for the best part... the fruit! Oh the fruit down there... what a shame that we didn't eat any of it. Actually not really a shame. The true shame would have been when I brought home a pet parasite living inside of me that I ingested at the same time as one of these lovely fruits.


However, if i had indeed brought a parasite home with me... I would have given it a name. I don't believe that I have a parasite... but that's an unconfirmed report. I have yet to recover fully from the onset of some severe intestinal problems that reared its head on the morning of our arrival back in the states... but it's getting better. I'm sure you wanted to know that *wink*

Ministry

We were able to hold 7 services in the 10 days that we were in Morelia. I honestly had no idea what that would look like before we went down, and it kind of made me a little nervous not knowing. However, I can say without any hesitation that if I were only able to do this kind of ministry for the rest of my life, that would be ok. It was effective, powerful and completely life-changing.




We went to three different towns surrounding Morelia. Charo, Huandacareo and Santiago. In each of the towns we held 2 services over the course of 2 days, and we held one other service at the prison in Morelia. Since it was dark out at the time of most of the services, I only have good pictures of the ministry time from Charo. So all of these pictures are from that town and the second night of minstry.

I received an email today from Tim, one of the team members that included a detailed account of MANY of the healings and miracles we experienced and saw while there. So as not to overwhelm you with the account, I have decided to include only the testimonies from Charo.

Here they are... please take the time to read through them. Even for me, reading them through again has built my faith in the power of God... it's truly amazing what He can do if we only ask...


"A man came up for prayer and coughed up a fishbone he had stuck in his throat for 2 weeks. He was planning on getting it removed at the hospital."

"A woman came up for prayer for diabetes/high blood pressure. God touched her, and she felt like a movement in her stomach. Her husband came up and received prayer. They were planning on a divorce after 20 years of marriage, and God reconciled their marriage in that moment."

"A woman came up for prayer, and it was discovered she had a spirit of infirmity. She was prayed for on Friday with limited results. Sunday she came back and was delivered."

"A man received prayer for middle back pain. He was wasting his money on drugs and alcohol, and was led in a prayer of repentance for wasting God’s resources. After that, the Holy Spirit healed his back immediately!"


"A man brought some team members to his house, where his mother was on her deathbed. When they arrived, she was in the fetal position on a bed, could not talk, and could not move her arms. She was paralyzed on her right side from a stroke. When they prayed, the atmosphere in the house immediately changed, and she was awake and alert. She was able to have limited movement in her arm. Two days later, some of us returned to her house, and she was awake and alert, and had no more paralysis. We prayed and spoke life to their home, and she started smiling, laughing, and even talking! She asked for several team members to sit on the bed, and she was holding their hands and full of the joy of the Lord. She started to hold herself up in a sitting position, and did not want us to leave. Her son was a very angry man, and he was baptized in the love of God. When we left, the son was laughing, smiling, and hugging all of us (he was intimidated by us before), and the woman was full of joy and sitting up in bed!"

"On Friday in Charo, about 10 people gave their lives to the Lord after the outdoor service. On Sunday, an additional 10 or more people received the Lord!"

"A man received prayer who had a wounded and badly infected foot on Friday. He was in much pain every time he walked on it. On Sunday, he came back and with joy told us he had walked a mile to get to the service that day, and had no pain at all in his foot."


A few days after we had visited Charo, the pastor came to see us at the church. His name was Pastor Reuben and he gave us the testimony of what was happening in that town as a result of the team coming and God moving. His church (which only had about 20 members) had more than doubled in a few days time. Over 100 people had come to a saving knowledge of Jesus! He had more people to visit and disciple than he could handle, and he told us that in those 2 days of minstry, there was more work done than in the 15 years he had been working in that town! The Lord is faithful to those who sew their lives into His work!

This lady was one of the people that I made a special connection with. God touched her emotionally and spiritually and healed her on the inside. She recommitted her life to the Lord and I was just so moved by the change that was happening inside of her.

I am so thankful to have witnessed all these miracles... in lives and in people's bodies. Truly unbelievable. My very favorite testimony of healing happened our last night there in Santiago. There was a lady with brain cancer and she had horrible pain as a result. Also her hair was falling out in large patches. The hair wasn't falling out because of chemo but as a side effect of the cancer. A few of the girls were praying for her, and that God would heal her, and she felt the pain go away and when she was feeling her head, she noticed that there was hair where there hadn't been. I SAW IT! It was completely BALD in like huge 3 inch patches and HAIR WAS GROWING THERE! By the time we left, the hair had grown to almost 2 inches long in those spots!

I know that it is unusual to hear about this kind of thing... especially here in the States. I hope that reading this (no matter where you come from) encourages and builds your faith in the miraculous. God is in the business of changing people's lives, and He can change yours too... All you have to do is ASK...

The Drama

To the best of my ability, I avoided drama as much as possible on this trip. For the most part I was successful, however, there is a slight exception...

Storyteller

That's right, we had been practicing our dramas for literally months before this trip and were finally able to perform them multiple times while there. This picture is of the entire Storyteller crew...

Storyteller is a powerful drama that outlines the characteristics of 5 major problems in many people's lives.

This one shows Fear and Anger.

The other 3 are Malady, Greed and Anxiety.

(Greed and Storyteller during the parable of the man who is forgiven much and then will not forgive those endebted to him)

Then we have our Storyteller, who is representative of Jesus. He tries all throughout the drama to show them how to give their pain and troubles away, but they continually push him away.

(Anger and Malady)

Finally, Storyteller takes on all of their troubles and they take on his countenance... Consequently, Storyteller dies...


Buuuuuut! Since this is a story about Jesus, we all know that he comes back to life! And when he does, he sends out all the characters who have taken on new names into the crowd where they call everyone to join in on the chorus... come follow me! come follow follow! Follow me! Come follow me!

If you don't know the actual music that goes with that, then I'm sure it doesn't sound exciting, but let me just tell you that almost every time I saw this drama performed down there I got chills... and i'm not a chills kinda person. It was especially moving at the prison that we visited...


Now, onto the second drama.

The Exchange

(3 of the demons and Satan to the far right. I was also one of the demons, but since I was taking the picture, i unfortunately am not in it!)

I think that the title is pretty explanatory, but I will detail it out a little more than that ;)

It starts out with Jesus coming onto the scene and creating Man and Woman. He shows them all the good things He has created, and then tells them that He loves them.

Enter Satan.


He comes in and tempts Man and Woman with the forbidden fruit. They eat it and then the whole drama takes on a techno disco evil turn. The demons are activated and move to creat a wall between Jesus and Man and Woman. They block every attempt for them to come back to Jesus.


After a short time of that, Jesus breaks through the "demon wall" and goes over to Man and Woman where he takes their chains off and puts them on himself. The demons then see Him in his weakness and proceed to beat him up completely... to the point of putting him on the Cross.

(as a side note, I am NOT i repeat NOT this evil in real life. it's all acting... *grin*)

Well you can all guess what happens after Jesus is on the Cross... ope ope you got it! He comes back to life! And when he does he pretty much demolishes the demons and then has an all out hand-to-hand fight with Satan. You wanna take a stab at who wins?

After the defeat of Satan, Jesus goes over and then makes the triumphant end with Man and Woman.

These dramas were one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. They were able to open up the hearts of the people and were able to communicate the gospel message in a way that nothing else can.

I hope that every time I get to go on a missions trip from here on out, i will be able to be with a team that can perform dramas... and a team that can do them as well as this one did!

stuff about me *times* 50 (autopost)

1) I love to travel
2) i've only been to 5 countries...
3) so far
4) I am a fanatical picture taker
5) it makes me feel more alive
6) I don't always brush my teeth at night...
7) I use toilet paper to blow my nose sometimes
8) i like lists
9) but I don't like making them
10)i love to eat pomegranites
11) but they are out of season since I discovered them
12) i don't always capitalize...
13) and I do that on purpose
14) i'm very analytical
15) and I think about too many things that i shouldn't
16) but somehow coming up with this kind of thing isn't as easy as I think it is
17) i learned how to military time
18) when i worked at ADT for a year
19) i love music
20) lots of different kinds...
21) it keeps things interesting
22) that's why i like ipods... or mp3 or what have you
23) sometimes i think there is such a thing as music ADD
24) you know what i'm talking about...
25) when you go from song to song and don't find but one out of every 20 that you might just listen to all the way through
26) i prefer internet explorer to mozilla
27and I have no good reason for it
28) i always want to make new things
29) but my ideas get so mashed together it's hard to figure out which thing i want to do first!
30) i love to bake
31) but rarely have time these days...
32) i'm trying to learn how to live healthier
33) without exercising :)
34) I love my family
35) but sometimes I don't like them
36) I don't like roller coasters
37) they make me feel like I might simultaneously throw up and pee my pants at the same time
38) I love when people tell me i'll have no problem finding someone to marry
39) but hate that they're already married and have nothing to worry about!
40) i don't understand politics
41) but i try to stay in tune with important stuff
42) I like the number 15
43) maybe because I liked being 15...
44) it was my favorite year
45) i like the way jewelry looks
46) but usually don't wear it myself because it makes be uncomfortable
47) I like LOVE thunder and lightning storms
48) i wish that i didn't have to actually budget my time as much as i do
49) when I sleep i like the air to have a slight chill
50) that way I can burrow

should I keep going?

Here Kitty Kitty! (autopost)

I'm here baby! You can't get rid of me that easily now can you? I was just thinking about all the things I'll miss (but probably won't have time to miss!) while I'm down here in the land of sun... you know the one, that planet that we see in NY only 30 days a year? You remember it don't you?

Anyways, to the point of the post. I have two little kitties that I am missing a lot. They are good little cats. Here i'll tell you a little more about them.

Carina came to live with us the fall of 2001. She was a present to me because we were going through a rough time in our family and my mom thought that she would help me to be happier. Well she did. I took her with me everywhere for the first 5 or 6 weeks that I had her. She went to school with me and stayed in my car (I had a little litter pan for her and food and water... i wasn't like evil or anything, besides I think she actually liked it)

I even took her to see Monsters Inc at the movies one night. That was really hilarious. I was with a group of about 10 or 12 people and she was sleeping (like kittens do) so i put her in the front pocket of my hoodie and carried it over my arm. Noone could tell. About half way through the movie, she woke up and sat on my lap attentively watching the movie. I've never seen behaviour like this from her since.

You see, somehow she got it into her head that it's ok to be scared of EVERYTHING. Shortly after our honeymoon period, she recessed into my Grandma's apartment and conveniently lived there for approximately 5 years. The only times she would venture out would be to
A) go to the litter pan
B) eat (whilst someone was stroking her)
C) get her treat at night before my Grandma and mom would go to bed.

Rotten cat.

I loved her too much i guess...

She learned the ways of evasion and persuasion. She is an expert at avoiding capture... and has learned that if she stops eating for enough days in a row, she will eventually get someone to have pity on her and stroke her back while she finally eats. In fact, before her best friend Scamper (heretofore known as *Ralph*) died two summers back, the two of them had complimentary eating disorders. Carina was anorexic and actually lost quite a bit of weight. She absolutely REFUSED to eat unless someone was petting her. And her deceased counterpart was bulimic. He would scarf his food so quickly that he would daily puke it back up. We tried to prevent this from happening by rationing out the food, but it didn't matter how much over how long of a period... at some point he would find it in himself to toss it all up. Consequently, Ralph was actually very sick... thus the reason he is no longer with us :(

Enter Sophie.

AKA "Quintessa" standing for the "5 S's" Sophie Stegasaurus ShapeShifter Slakes. That's right folks.

We thought that since Carina had always been overshadowed by Ralph in his alpha cat role, that bringing a kitten in would cause her to "step up" as it were and claim her territory. Quite the contrary occurred. Sophie came in and quickly made it clear that THAT was not happening. She dominated from the very beginning. In fact, she has taught Carina some good habits.

For instance, eating.

Yes, Carina eats now that Sophie has come on the scene. She still begs for the occasional back rub while mauing down on her kibble but for the most part shows forth a good appetite.

All my life I have wished to have an animal sleep with me. Whether it be a cat or a dog... um, yah, I'm gonna stick with those two because as I tried to think of what else I would want sleeping with me... there weren't any animals that actually came to mind. HA! Over the years I've had a total of 5 cats and 0 dogs. The latter will remain that way too. I have come to really dislike dogs. Actually let me clarify. I don't mind them. As long as they aren't mine, and as long as they don't LICK me. I HATE THEM LICKING ME!!! Well I finally have a cat that sleeps with me. She's pretty much adorable. But I am so allergic to her as I have indeed mentioned before.

I'm at the point where I seriously think that I will have to ban her from my beddie... it's sad I know... But I can't sacrifice my days (and eyesight) for a warm fluffy being in my bed. There has to be a better way :(

So now you know about my cats. Everytime I write something about them I feel more and more like a catlady. Could this be me if I don't find a husband ASAP??!?!?!?!?!?!!!

Something MUST BE DONE!!!

Monday Mish Mash (autopost)

I saw this meme on someone else's blog (honestly can't remember who exactly) and I thought it was cool/fun/a good way to come up with more posts for while I'm gone!

So here we go, I will now write down all the things that are mishing and mashing through my head right now.

- If I'm hungry, then I should eat good food. But I'm not actually hungry since eating fast food for the first time in like 2 weeks... I feel that I should counteract it somehow. So I am eating blueberries.

- My laundry is severely overdue and I'm so glad I finally got the chance to get it done. It's been in my car for three days while I try to find a washing machine! (at least one I don't have to pay for)

- I just realized that my last bullet was in "real time" and since I'm posting as "future amanda" right now I need to keep this in context!

- I currently have 168 posts on this blog... hmmm should I start on a 200th post so that when it rolls around it will actually be worth reading?

- Do I need to start getting people to sign a release so that I can publish their photos on the blog?

- I found my name listed in an ancestry from the 1920 Federal Census. It says that I was born in 1880 in Savannah Georgia along with my brother Rob and we were both apparently "lodgers"

- I don't like how many times my name pops up in google

- why does my car get such crappy mileage when I have the bike on it?

- When the kids yell for me and ask me to split up their fight, how come none of them listen to me? I told them it's pointless for me to come in and yell if they're not even going to do what i'm yelling for them to do... they looked at me blankly and went back to fighting. I walked away.

- bananas naturally split into three parts if you push your thumb (or any finger really) up the end of it. I find this fascinating... and we call them "banana sticks"

- consequently the banana peels are now called "banana jackets" did you ever think that the man with the yellow hat on curious george looks like a banana? i have...

- I would like to know why my laptop only connects to certain wifi networks. It drives me freakin NUTS! Although, if it actually connected at my house, or the house I work at I would spend a whole heck of a lot more time blogging... haven't decided whether that's a good or bad thing yet...



If you have any answers to my questions feel free to answer. Or not...

Hopefully "future amanda" will be posting FOR REAL and you won't have to deal with these crazy ramblings for much longer

future amanda, in real life!

Well I'm here, obviously in Mexico. I want to try and NOT say that over and over again, because i'm sure if you read my blog at all you are well aware of this.

As per my previous post (the 4th of July one) I had said that I would be trying desperately to get online so i could share pictures... however, if there is a "biggest moron of the year" award, then I would surely get it. Please continue reading to find out.

If you're thinking you're smart and are sure you have figured out WHY you won't be seeing any of my pictures until I get home, you probably ARE. I'm the dumb one here. I forgot my card reader. Rendering all my pictures bound to their original home in the camera until I reach my lovely place of residence in NY.

However, with that said, I DO have pictures from some other cameras :) There are ups and downs to having 1 of 3 laptops out of a group of 20 people. One of the ups is that I get to upload all their pictures... it's also one of the downs lol!

This is the back of my team shirt. They are so cool, they look like softball shirts and people thought we were a travelling softball team the whole time we were travelling.

Today we went to Charo which is a smallish town down here. We went to the site where the local church is planning to build and prayer walked all over it. Joshua 14:9 says, "The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly." And we were believing that for the pastor and his family and his church.

Later on, we went to the actual church (where it is now) and we practiced our dramas, ate lunch and then went out into the town walking door-to-door inviting people to the service that night and then sometimes praying for them. It was a powerful set-up for the outcome that we had for the service.

Here's a notsoextraordinary picture of myself... but there's a lot going on in it so that's why i picked it to go on here. You get a little feel of the town we were in and some of the people around me.

The actual service itself was incredible. It's one of those things where I forget how powerful God really is and how he can use ordinary people to do extraordinary things. With everything we did today, and as uncomfortable as I felt, I couldn't help but see how God was working in people's hearts. We did 3 dramas, which I'll talk more about later probably. They made such a huge impact and by the time one of the other leaders preached a message, the people who wanted to receive healing and/or Jesus into their hearts was phenominal.

I was able to pray for two different people and it was just amazing to watch God work in their hearts with no thanks to me... I was seriously at a loss for what to say... my mind was blank and it was like i forgot how to pray. But God was still there and I can't explain the way that feels.

I am so glad to be able to get on here and write these things down. It's so good for me to have a sort of journal like this because I don't know if I would ever write it down any other way :) Tomorrow we are going into one of the mountain villages... extremely poor and under-privileged... I'll use my other camera tomorrow too so that I can get a few shots that I can actually upload at some point before I come home :)