Enid, OK...Close to the Most Exciting Place on Earth :)

Good ol E-town. My aunt Lyn was celebrating her 60th birthday and it kind of turned out to be a family reunion. I grew up in Enid, OK...lived there from 1 yr old to 15 years old. Had some good times there. It's always kind of weird to go back there though. My dad moved back there a few years ago, so I go back time to time. It worked out perfectly because I'm on break right now from work in Jamaica. My mom & I left last Saturday morning for the 5 hour drive going north on I35. Everyone got together at Nancy & Bob's house. There was Kacy (Kacy Bear), her sis Corey, Nick, Shannon, Lyn & KD, my dad, Jimmy, Pam, Joel, Trevor, Cody, BJ, Vivi & a few others that aren't coming to mind. It was so good seeing everyone, especially my daddy bear! I hadn't seen Vivi in 10 years! I even saw some people from junior high!! Ross Stallings! We ended up playing ping pong till about 5am!! And I am not a night person!! So, turned out to be a fun trip after all!
Now, I'm back in Dallas, spending my last week here till I head back to Jamaica. Some relaxing, swimming, spending time with friends & mommy bear, eating SUSHI!, watching movies, having mother/daughter dinners with my friends & their moms, and getting in some work as well. I had SUCH a wonderful time with my mommy bear!! We have become SOOO close, she's my best friend. When I'm home in Texas we spend all of our time together. Went out on the lake too, was super fun! Lake Ray Hubbard. Terry has a huge boat.
That's about it on my end. How are YOU doing??!! Let me know what's up!! LOVE YA!~
Actually, I wanted to share something out of this book I'm reading right now. Tito let me borrow it, I love it!

The Barbarian Call

Just do whatever Jesus calls you to do the moment it is clear to you. Do not procrastinate; do not hesitate; do not deviate from whatever course of action He calls you to...you are the most fully alive when you are on an adventure with God....to those of you who cannot see the invisible, to those who refuse to believe it exists, the path you choose, the life you live, may lead them to conclude that you are not simply different but insane.

Incredible! These quotes really hit home to me. Lots of stuff going on right now. Glad to know I'm not the only barbarian!!

Heading to Texas for a MUCH needed break

Back in good ol Texas for a much needed break. Looking forward to catching up with friends, relaxing, having some alone time...& then back to Jamaica for a couple more weeks. I'll be in Texas till the end of July. So these pictures are of the first week in Jamaica this summer, in Cantebury. It's a really rough, violent area in Jamaica...Jamaicans don't even go there. But the group that came to serve really reached out to this community. A guy named Carrie truly touched their hearts. He's a young guy in a wheel chair. His hero is Toupac & it just so happens that a lady, Linda, in the group has a connection to Toupac's mom, & she had Toupac's mom CALL him!!! Amazing! This is my new friend, Danielle, who I feel in love with this week at Calvary in MoBay. She's SOOOO precious!! Such a sweetheart! When I told her I was from Texas she said, "that's where cowgirls and coyboys live." 7/13/07 So I'm back in Texas now, in Dallas with my mom. I'm trying to adjust back to driving on the right side of the road again. I keep turing on my wipers when I mean to signal. But it feels so good to sleep in an actual bed, take a warm shower, & not start sweating 10 seconds when I get out of the shower. Little things that I used to take for granted, I'm so appreciative of them! So I went to church at Watermark this morning with my cousin, Jason & Pammy. She's pregnant & showing now, SOOO happy for them! They are expecting a boy in Dec. But I must say, even in this short time (couple of days) I've been back in the states, I don't miss it all that much. Just looking around at the people that live here, the more I feel like I don't belong. It's quite an adjustment coming from the mission field back into a "normal" life in the states, where people get dressed up, put on makeup, go out, etc. So while I'm on breack here in the states I'll be hanging out in Dallas mostly. I'll be going to Enid, OK for my aunt Lyn's 60th birthday that has turned out to be a family reunion on my dad's side. Looking forward to it!I'm thinking back to Jamaica right now, the ongoing trips, praying for them. Jamaica is a fascinating country. So many hardships, rough times, so much history. Slums neighbor an all-inclusive resort. Jamaica is filled with irony. Poverty surrounded by absolute beauty.
I miss our Jamaican staff already!!! I'm praying for you all because I know this is going to be a tough but amazing week in Sudbury!!

Summer in Texas & Jamaica

So far it's been an incredible summer in Jamaica. We've been in the MoBay area, Falmouth, Savanna La Mar, Negril & later this summer I'll be heading down to the Kingston area for some more rural areas. Our staff has been a blast!! Lindsey, Tito, Bri, Rachael, Josh, Dan, Jennie, Matt, & Jen. SOOOOO much fun & they all have amazing hearts for the Lord!! We've been roughing it by sleeping on the floor, no AC, having really diverse groups coming together to serve in new communities here so everything is new to us & Jamaica is so crazy already so it's been stressful trying to figure everything out. But our staff rocks & God has provided everything we've needed.


Got to spend the beginning of the summer in Texas with my fam. Stayed in Dallas & went to Houston to see my bro. Got to spend a lot of time with my friends! As you can see, Sandi had another baby...Maddox! Precious!

This is our new friend Ninga. Funny story behind his name that we made up, it's actually Essa. So, the first night we were at Calvary Baptist in MoBay, Lindsey is getting ready for bed in the bathroom after all of the group is asleep. She glances out the window & sees a guy dressed in all black on the roof, with a machette in his hand headed toward the gir's room. She freaked out & came running back to our room & asked me what color of hat Essa had on earlier, I told her white. She told me there was a guy outside with a black hat on. I got up to investigate & looked outside & there was this guy laying on his stomach in the attack position. He saw us & stood up & started walking toward us, my heart dropped. Then he started waving & smiling & we realized it was Essa!!! So, we named him Ninga. He's been such a blessing! We were histerically laughing. Check out his shirt! He's our security guard at Calvary Baptist Church in Montego Bay this week. His dog attacked me the other night & bit me. :(

Surviving in Jamaica

It's been a busy, stressful, joyful last month here in Jamaica. But it's been fun too! I love this country! And it's been really fun getting to know our staff here. This week we are in Savanna-la-mar (Sav). We have a group of 51 participants (4 different groups) & 8 staff! This Thurday we are going to Negril for the day, can't wait!! 7 miles of beach...here we come! Then I have 1 more trip & then a break! I'm for sure going to Dallas during my break & I may even be meeting up with Bruna somewhere either in Jamaica or another caribbean island. Can't wait!!! Anyway, lots to catch you up on when I get back....like future plans...could be changing!! Exciting though! LOVE & MISS YOU!!!!