Christmas List

It's that time of year when the tree is up and the presents start to appear. Let me first just say, I LOVE Christmas!! The older I get the more I love this holiday and the crazy thing is it's not because I get bigger and better gifts (I actually get fewer and smaller gifts). I'm pretty sure I love this holiday because it's all about Jesus! It's all about celebrating the gifts we get because Jesus came into the world on that fabulous Christmas so long ago.
Well with Christmas celebrations come a Christmas list...which my family has asked me for more times than I can count (we send list to the extend family too). This was the list I sent them:

Dear Family,

This year I want gifts that give back. Christmas isn't about me, its about giving, so I want the gifts I receive to be gifts that also give. Here it is:

1). TOMS- I LOVE TOMS!! I have 4 pairs already but they have so many different colors that I would greatly recieve new pairs

2). Sponsorship money- I support a little girl in Guatemala and would love for you to partner with me to provide school, food, clothes and the gospel to her for yet another year =)

3). A Camera- I am looking to upgrade my camera...which isn't neccessarily a giving-back gift...but its my selfish gift of the year. so money towards this would be great

4). 31Bits- my new favorite jewelry. Women in africa make these beautiful yet simple pieces of jewelry

Thanks in advance =)

Love,

BigOne

(blog friends...thats my family nickname...don't ask)

My grown up Christmas list is ever evolving and honestly not about me anymore...I would rather give gifts and watch people open them than recieve a bunch of gifts. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Fun Friday #3

WOW!! Fun Friday #3 was filled with LOTS of laughs, smiles and joy. Here is a recap of the day:

1). Saddleback Student Ministries Christmas Party= 30 coworkers, 2 train rides, 2 metro rides, lunch at The Hard Rock Cafe on Hollywood Blvd, and an afternoon viewing of Tron. It was great to hang out with coworkers that do different parts of ministry and celebrate Christmas =)

2). Hanging out w/Jessica and Hope= a Costco shopping spree, dinner, getting lost on the way to Green Earth Coffee, hanging out at Green Earth Coffee and then a fun evening at my house, for which Phil joined us. I LOVED hanging out with these girls!! They are my coworkers and friends and nothing brings me greater joy than deepening friendships and quality conversations =)

Welp there you have the shortest recap possible =)

Monday Mayham =)

Sunday afternoon I decided to finish decorating our family Christmas tree by myself. I was a little tired of waiting for my sister to come home and do it next week. And if I'm honest, one of my small group girls started it last week during "hang out" time, so it looked a little funny only being half-way decorated.  Anyways I found this precious ornament and thought I would share a piece of my past with you all:

Made with love for my parents (I was in preschool)

Fun Friday #2

Well Fun Friday #2 has crept up on me and left me with some friday "to do" list instead of friday "fun" list.

The "To Do" list went a little like this:

Work for a couple hours 

Finish cleaning out my room

Wrap Christmas presents

Run errands

Well have about 3 hours at work and 2 hours home/apartment looking, my room is still not cleaned out or organized and I have no presents wrapped. My room not being organized is driving me crazy!!!! I am tempted to stay up tonight and finish just to save me the stress of having a messy room all weekend. My errand running is halfway completed...I just need to find an ugly Christmas sweater (or make one) and get some secret santa gifts. So its 10pm and I realize that most of my "To Do" list didn't really get finished and my friday wasn't as "fun" as it could have been but I did get to see an awesome Christmas play tonight.

Saddleback Church put on a play called "The Gift" this week and tonight I got to experience it. There was incredible dancing, beautiful singing and a joyful message of hope, peace and love. The audience was told the Christmas story in a fun and light way which I have to admit brought tears to my eyes (i'm not normally a big crier). I loved every minute of it and was in awe of the talent we have at Saddleback. God has blessed us immensely!

Welp that wraps up friday...a little boring...but i'll be honest I LOVED today! Maybe because organizing and cleaning are my gifts, or maybe because I was reminded just how incredible the story of Christmas is...whatever the reason today was a "fun friday" after all =)

Monday Mayham

Mondays are officially Monday Mayham which means mondays I will be posting some randomness...maybe a picture or two...maybe a favorite song...maybe some life stories...who knows what will show up =)

Today is a picture. This one is me and my little sister on our summer vacation to Palm Springs. Sometimes my mom makes us take pictures with the randomest items...this one however was all our doing and concluded with a water fight. 

Fun Friday

It's been a while since I've sat down to share my life journey, so here's the update:

November I went to see my sister at Sonoma State (see last post). It was an incredible trip filled with laughs, new adventures, sleeping on deflated air mattresses, and of course some happy tears. I loved every minute of this trip...and I'm a little bummed that it was my last trip up there. Danyale graduates in just 2 weeks so i'll never have a reason to go "live the college life" for a weekend =(

Thanksgiving left me pondering life and just how incredibly lucky I am. I know thats a phrase I say often but this Thanksgiving season truly revealed to me some incredible things to be thankful for. It really hit me that God CALLS us to be thankful in all things. He doesn't just suggest it, or say maybe you should be thankful he CALLS, or should I say demands that if we are followers of Christ we are to be thankful. So I spent a lot of time th past couple of weeks observing my surroundings and the little things I can be thankful for besides my friends, family, and a great job.

Now on to the fun stuff. I have officially assigned fridays to be FUN FRIDAYS!!! Today I enjoyed a day off by heading to Mt High (the local ski resort) with some friends for a couple hours of snowboarding. It was exercise, and it was incredible! I think there are weeks that I forget to take time to just have some fun. So Fridays will be my "Fun" days. If you have any suggestions on activities for me to do...give me a holler =)

COLLEGE SHOPPING

WOW its been over 7 years since I went college hunting and looking back I realize I had NO control over where I went to school. Sure my parents let me pick to a certain extent and sure I got to go all over the place for college preview days but still in the end I didn't go to my favorite school. If I would have the money I would have headed straight to The Master's College in Santa Clarita, Ca. It was beautiful and had the feeling of home. Jesus had another idea....he dragged me to Concordia University in Irvine (who happened to offer me a lot of scholarship money) Up until the day I got there, it felt like I was settling, but knew I would be there all 4 years no matter what. Well it was the most amazing 4 years of my life so far. There were ups and downs, highs and lows, but I wouldn't be who I am today if Jesus wouldn't have dragged me by my feet to that lovely campus on the hill. I met my best friends, got the best education, and had great life changing experiences.
Well today I get to embark on the college hunting journey with my "little sister" (my neighbor, Emily). I am taking her and her sister up to Northern California for 4 days of fun, adventure and college tours. Emily is a sophomore but is setting her eyes on finding the right college sooner rather than later. My sister, Danyale, goes to Sonoma State in Rohnert Park so we are staying with her, which the girls are super excited about. Its going to be an adventure of memories, laughs, and learning. I'm super stoked to be able to have an opportunity to shed some college light and joy into the lives of a younger generation. My college career was guided by a great mentor, friend and family member (my cousin). And just as she encouraged me, stretched me, and even helped me with the occasional essays, I hope to do the same for my "little sisters/neighbors" So here we go...a 1 hour plane ride, a 1 hour car ride and we'll be on our way to Berkeley and then Sonoma =)

wish me luck =)

Reflection

Reflection.
This word means so much and has so much weight attached that I often find myself avoiding it like the plague. I'm a deep thinker,  and processor but not an intentional reflector. Today however I found myself spending a lot of time with Jesus reflecting. For the first time in a while I had a full day off with no responsibilities. Normally a day off for me means running errands and doing favors for family or friends, like picking up neighbors from school, or putting in some hours at other job places but today was much different. I started by reading the book of Philemon which is all about conflict resolution. Let me just say it was incredible! My eyes were really open to an inner conflict I've been having with myself that I didn't think was a big deal. Turns out it really has been effecting me and my attitude towards people. So I've spent the day reflecting on the words of Paul and how I can change my heart to reflect Jesus. During this time I took a little trip to the Irvine Spectrum to purchase a new pair of TOMS (i ended up buying 2 pairs). The Spectrum is an interesting place, filled with searchers. Searchers, seeking the perfect pair of jeans, the perfect afternoon snack, the perfect significant other and perhaps the perfect puzzle piece to their broken heart. While there today I found some boys searching for help to save our ever changing and diminishing world. They are part of the organization called Green Peace and they are passionate about our world. Now I'm not a "green" person but I do believe in helping our earth, so I stood there and listened while they poured out their passion and then I shared my passion. I told them I would donate to their cause but I also told them that it was because I believe Jesus doesn't want our world diminish before he comes. He wants the rain forest to stay health. Homes should not be taking over our jungles. I also believe creation SHOUTS praises to Jesus and that is just why I love the rain forest, the jungles, the diversity of people in this world. So as a reflection day I thought about these boys and their passion and how my passion for Christ could unite with theirs...which means maybe I'll go to one of their meetings and check it out. Maybe I'll volunteer to help them clean some beaches or do other service projects and then hopefully I'll be able to truly share Jesus with them. Anyways I kind of digress.
After reflecting and spending time with Jesus I was brought to my knees in awe. this past month I have been richly blessed. Not in money or in time but in passion. I am seeing my passion come alive and be used in my job. My heart is overflowing as I watch people turn to Jesus and in that my inner conflict is being resolved. I wrestle with doing what God wants in my life vs what I want but I realized today what I want is what God wants. I want hurting people to be healed. I want the lost to be saved. I want poverty to end. My heart of the people of Guatemala is still heavy and so is God's. He wants those people to have homes and hearts that beat for Him.
Reflection: powerful, meaningful, needed in my life!

Beautiful =)

Last week at our HSM services we gifted a song to each student that attended a service. The girls were given the song "Beautiful" by Bethany Dillon. It's a song that actually touchs my heart and brings a smile to my face. Bethany talks about wanting to be beautiful from the inside-out. And that is my prayer for all of our students. I hope that every girl in our ministry realizes they are BEAUTIFUL on the inside and thats what matters the most. Its not about what clothes you wear or how much make-up you cake on, its about what makes your heart beat. Its about where your passions are and how you use them to bring glory to God. because God thinks you are perfect and beautiful in every way! Here is the song that I love so much and hope every girl can be real like Bethany is in this song.

"Beautiful"

I was so unique 

Now I feel skin deep 

I count on the make-up to cover it all 

Crying myself to sleep cause I cannot keep their attention 

I thought I could be strong 

But it's killing me 

Does someone hear my cry? 

I'm dying for new life 

[Chorus]

I want to be beautiful 

Make you stand in awe 

Look inside my heart, 

and be amazed 

I want to hear you say 

Who I am is quite enough 

Just want to be worthy of love 

And beautiful 

Sometimes I wish I was someone other than me 

Fighting to make the mirror happy 

Trying to find whatever is missing 

Won't you help me back to glory 

[Chorus]

You make me beautiful 

You make me stand in awe 

You step inside my heart, and I am amazed 

I love to hear You say 

Who I am is quite enough 

You make me worthy of love and beautiful 

Part of Revival and Change

Authentic

Miracles

Indescribable

Life Changing

Undeniable

Unforgettable

Redeemed

Revived

Alive

These past couple of weeks have been all of those words and so much more. I have been blown away by what is going on around me and in my life. God is transforming the world through his love and mercy and its incredible to be a part of that. Here is a little glimpse at what God is doing:

1). Four months ago I was hired part-time at Saddleback Church as an admin for the high school ministry. I have LOVED every minute of it and couldn't be happier. Well about 2 weeks ago that all changed...I have now been offered a full-time position on the team as an admin and coordinator!! I've always wrestled with God about going into ministry especially since I went to school to become a teacher. My plan was to teach in the inner city and change kids lives from horrible to incredible. I wanted to show them how much they are loved despite their economic and family situations. I guess God had another plan and I can't tell you how easy this transition has been for me. I will sign my offer letter on Thursday...God is AMAZING!!! I am so excited and overflowing with joy and peace. I can already see God using me and setting my heart on fire =)

2). About 6 years ago I invested in time, energy and love into a friend of mine. I was a senior in high school and didn't think that God was really using me in my friendships. I spent a lot of time with a certain boy and wanted him so badly to know Jesus. I saw a lot of potential in him that others didn't see. When I went to college we lost touch except for the occasional facebook message or text message. However it didn't matter how distant our friendship was, I still prayed that he would come to know just how great he was and how loved by Jesus he was. Well 4 months ago I got a letter from him saying he had accepted Jesus. It was a long letter with lots of thank you's and an incredible story. We recently met up for church and hang out time. He has an unbelievable story and the joy of Christ is beaming from his face! I am so proud to call him my friend and amazed at how a seed planted 6 years ago has taken root in his life =)

3). Students. I am surrounded by high school students almost daily! One of my favorite parts of my new job is getting to see lives transformed, healed, and set on fire. Students are stepping up and leading friends and family to the big family of Christ. I have 12 girls that I mentor and hang out with on a weekly basis and wow is God changing them!! They are so eager to learn more, to grow more and to DO more that it is encouraging to me. Their conversations are so heart-felt, genuine and sincere. These girls don't just want to attend church on the weekend, they want to be the church during the week too. I am inspired by you girls!!!!

4). Friendships. I am never more amazed than when God uses my friends to teach me lessons. My friendships have changed a lot in the past 2 years. I have grown to realize exactly what I want out of friendships and the type of people I want to call my friends. God has shown me that I want friendships centered around Christ. I want to be able to talk about God and debate about God. I want to be loved in a friendship. I want our morals, values and lifestyles to be the same. Lately God is teaching me to really examine my relationships and maybe start focusing on some key ones instead of others. I LOVE the messages I'm being taught through my different groups of friends...they are transforming me and shaping me into what I am meant to be TODAY.

Faithful

Never Failing

Unending

Loving

Transformation

Dedicated

Hearts are being broken and Lives are being changed and I'm excited to be on this journey, watching, participating, mentoring and rejoicing =)

Disneyland

Okay most of you know that Disneyland is one of my favorite places to go. I love the rides, I love the employees, I love the atmosphere and I love watching tourists. Its a place I can go to often and not get sick of. This week I have gone twice so far and plan to go again Sunday and Tuesday, which will make it 4 times in 7 days. The past couple of times I have noticed some things that make me love it even more.

1). Peacefulness- although Disneyland is loud it is somewhat peaceful. The music is always uplifting, employees always have a smile on their faces and if you stop and listen long enough you'll hear quiet. I know it sounds crazy but its true. Stop and sit on a bench. Sit without talking and just listen. Its amazing!

2). Diversity- One of my favorite "hobbies" is people watching. People watching at Disneyland is incredible! It is so beautiful to hear so many different languages all at once and then to see people from all over the world enjoying a common place. The diversity in families, friends, rides, shows, and employees is far greater than anywhere else in the world. If you pay attention to the employees name tags they say where they are from. Some of them are from other parts of the world, some are from my home city of Lake Forest. How cool is that!!! People from all over the place working together, playing together and having fun together. That is how God meant it to be!!!

3). Joy- Disneyland is a place that makes me forget about all the craziness in my life and just focus on having fun. I truly find so much joy in going to Dland that I really turn into a child again (and according to one of my bosses I am a 5 year old trapped in a 24 year old body). I experience so much joy just watching people laugh on rides, smile when they see a princess or scream with excitment when the fireworks are displayed. It makes me think "if being at Dland brings me this much joy how much more joyful will I be in heaven?" I mean truly I am excited to go to church on the weekend and to work for the church during the week and a lot of my job brings me much joy. I am joyful when I am serving the Lord but I am not always joyful in my daily life. But Dland brings me joy and puts a smile on my face and that is what God wants from us. He wants us to be as joyful in Him and His creation! So thats what I am pursuing this month, to have joy for God like I do for Disneyland =)

All of that said I learn lots from Disneyland. Its not just a fun place to go with friends and family but its a place to learn some great life lessons and to get a reality check.

He is Jealous

I was recently listening to a song by David Crowder that really got me thinking. There is a part in the song that goes like this:

he is jealous for me

loves like a hurricane I am a tree

bending benethe the weight of his wind and mercy

I think the concept of God being jealous for us is so hard to grasp!! I mean how can a God that is so powerful be jealous of me. He has the power to snap me into place. The power to pick me up when I'm on the wrong path and yet he waits for me to choose to follow him. He looks over me and becomes jealous when I spend time on facebook or twitter or shopping instead of spending time with Him. I think of how I get jealous of other people and how much more is God jealous for me. And not just portions of me but ALL of me. It really is remarkable and lovely!

FAMILY

Family is the greatest earthly gift God could have given me/us. My family is my everything! They are my best friends, my support system, my accountablity partners. They are incredible, God fearing, perservering people. And it took me way too long to realize that! I have always loved and appreciated them. My sister has always been my friend but it wasn't until the past couple of years that she became my best friend. Four years ago my family started to change. We lost my grandpa, my cousin, and my cousin's daughter all within 7 months and it was a HUGE reality check for all of us. Life is short and you never know when its your turn to go live with Jesus. I think we all at some point or another wish we were with Jesus already but when you loose someone at a young age your perspective changes a little bit. You understand that God created your family to be a community, a strong force and example to the world of what God's family looks like and acts like. There are so many broken families in this world and it breaks my heart. They are not just divorced parents but its uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, parents, children....all not connecting, all not uniting for a common cause. They are hurting, separated and living their lives alone. None of this is how God intended it to be and yet sin enters our lives and tears us apart. It has become my prayer in the last four years that no one would ever have to go through what we have been through in order to turn their families back to God and back to each other. I pray that people would lean on family when there isn't a crisis. That they might treasure their family for everything it is and everything it could be. My family isn't perfect....or anywhere close to it, but we are united. Our ties together are growing, and everyday there is more of a desire to all be together....extended family and all.

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!! I would do anything for each memeber....even if it means affending them to take a step forward in healing. They are amazing and God is doing great things =)

Life back home

A week from today I was making my 17 hour journey back home after being in France for 3 weeks. The journey home was filled with exhaustion, excitement, anticipation, and reflection. After three weeks of learning, walking and lots of doing, I was emotionally and physically drained. I had learned so much about the church history of France that my heart was broken for the Christians that lived there. Their hearts are so torn and their job as a Christian is so tiring that even thinking about it now drains me. They face a lot of trials that a Christian in the U.S. doesn't even think about. Buildings for example are not easy to come by and its not just finances that keep churches from purchasing a building, its the mayors that won't accept them into their town, its the government system that oppresses the church. France is filled with spiritual oppression which really made me think about just how blessed I am to be living in a country that embraces every religion. I mean, as I am writing this I am sitting in my office at church which covers acres of land and offers just about every kind service you could ever imagine. Churches like Saddleback don't exist in France. I had also just spent three weeks away from my family and the comforts of home. I had to share a bathroom with 7 people. I shared a room with Cami, Adrianne and Mandy and slept in a bunk bed. So on the plane ride home I was so excited to get back to my house and just relax on the couch all by myself. I am definitely a person who needs alone time to think and process events on a daily basis.
Physically I had walked more than ever!!! We climbed about 50 stairs a day through the metro and walked about 8 miles or more everyday. It was a great way to get in shape but I will admit by the end of three weeks I was ready to get in my car and drive =)
I've had a week now to adjust to life at home again and reflect on everything I have learned in the last month. It was an amazing trip!! I can't even begin to express how much I learned and grew because of the contacts we had in France. I have been inspired, stretched, and motivated. God also confirmed while I was there why I am now sitting at a desk inside the High School Ministry office at church. This is where my heart is! I am serving not only my coworkers by doing task like answering emails and phones or hanging Nerf guns on the office wall, but I am serving students. Students who might now have great role models at home. Students who need Jesus, and it is fabulous!!

Paris (a little late)

So I wrote this blog post while in Paris and wasn't able to post it. I'm going to take a couple of days to post old post I wrote and never posted and then I'll update you all on the end of the trip and life now =)


France is a place that continues on the cycle of “move 2 steps forward 1 step back.” They are a country with so much history that it is hard for them to move into the present and think about the future. Lives are centered around the France of the past. People are either moving away from the church or are deeply consumed by the Catholic Church.
The past week has been a huge learning experience for me. I have loved the city of Paris and its people. The buildings are incredible and tell such amazing stories of what life in France use to be and what the values were. Kings had HUGE chateaus; bigger than anything we see in the U.S. Churches were architectural masterpieces. The streets are cobblestone; the parks are outrageous and filled with water fountains and stunning flowers. There are cafes and pubs lining the streets and always filled with people. Life here is very different and yet very similar to life in California. People are busy, and driven by money. One of my favorite things here happens around 5 o’clock. As everyone is getting off work the café’s and pubs begin to fill. People take a break from the chaos of life and grab a cup of coffee or a beer with coworkers before heading home for dinner and family time. I love that Parisians know how to take a break to build relationships. The people here are way friendlier than I expected and actually want to help you. The other night we were at a restaurant that was run by an older women and her husband (a ma and pa kind of joint), and they were helping us learn French by showing us how to write different words and say them. It was really neat that they cared to take some time with us so we could go other places and order food =)
Okay so on to what we have done so far. Ours days are long and busy. Monday-Friday we have French class from 9-12 at the church we are connected with. Then 12:30 everyday is lunchtime, which is the biggest meal of the day here. They normally eat for lunch what we would eat for dinner. MarieFrance is our cook and we LOVE her!! She is full of energy and a wonderful lady (she is about 32). MarieFrance is an excellent cook and has been making us meals from different parts of France. We’ve had a lot of chicken, a fish dish, ratatouille and some other wonderful dishes. The afternoons have been different each day. We have visited the Louve, Notre Dame, Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, and Monet’s garden in Giverney, a Lebanese church, Marie Antoinette’s village and the Arc de Triumph. My favorite place so far would have to be the gardens at Versailles. They stretch over at least 100 or so acres and are absolutely beautiful. There are tons of different water fountains; flowers and even a little lake that you can rent paddle boats on. It was breathe taking how vast it was and to think that King Louis lived there was even more incredible.
Aside from tourist things we have learned a lot about the religious population and culture here in France. The majority of the people are catholic or nothing. There is a large group of witch craft happening. The evangelical church, which is what denomination the program we have connected with is, is considered American and not realistic. Parisians are open to Christianity but not to the church. Church history runs deep here in Paris, so the thought of attending church is often tied to the rituals and history of Catholicism. The fantastic thing though is that the Evangelic pastors in Paris and the surrounding suburbs are now joining together because of Pastor Michele to spread the “modern” Christian church. Side note, Pastor Michele is the pastor that spear heads a church in the city of Clamart, which is where we are staying. He is also the pastor for the 9 month program called Cijeim Force, which I will explain later. Michelle is an amazing man with a heart to change to the people of Paris. He is also working on connecting with churches in the United States so that we (the church in the U.S.) can partner in prayer and missionaries for the communities of France. It is really empowering and motivating to hear him speak and tell of his dreams for this country.

That’s it for tonight….there is a lot more to tell but it is super later here so its bedtime =)

We're here!!!

Bonjour
we arrives in Paris yesterday (the 10th) around noon after a 10 flight from salt lake city. It was a long travel day but a good one. Cassidy lost her luggage however it was delievered to our this morning so all is good. Our house is 2 stories with the smallest rooms ever. Cami, Adrienne and myself are in one room with 3 bunk beds and a dresser. The bathroom is big but we have to hunch over to
walk because it's at the slant of the roof. The other room in our house is where 3 ladies from Texas are staying. Cassidy, Daniel and Cohen are in a house down the street that is normally the boy house.
As far as our schedule goes today we are at church now and are about to leave for a picnicin the park. Later is the world cup!!
That's all for today. Love you all!!!

Goodbye California, Hello Paris

Hello!!!
Tomorrow I embark on a three week journey in Paris with one of my best friends, Cami, her sister, Adrianne and their youth pastor and wife, Daniel and Cassidy. We are setting out to learn a little french, hang out/network with Pastors and youth in Paris and of course tour the country of France!!

So I leave tomorrow July 9th and will return July 30th. I'll hopefully be able to keep up this blog so everyone can know our stories and experiences in France. If you want to get a hold of me while I am gone feel free to email me or comment on the blog. My email is Alaina_Hart@hotmail.com

I Love You all and will Miss Everyone (and watch the Bachelorette of course),
Alaina