Creepy.

Check it:

http://www.salkeiz.k12.or.us/schools/claggett.htm

http://www.campusactivism.org/displayschool-18204.htm

Weird.

White Water Pictures!!

This is my crazy family on the Ocoee.




Yeah, it was awesome. :)

Wow.

I'm actually home.

I got home yesterday afternoon, and I've been unpacking, cleaning, and sleeping since. Right now I'm trying to write a nice summary of the summer (obviously it isn't going very well, since I'm "taking a break")--I hope to have that done tonight sometime. I hope.

More later.

The Wendy Lady

Do you remember, in Peter Pan, how Wendy took care of the lost boys? I feel like I've gotten to do that today...and I loved it.

This morning I went fishing with 9 boys and 2 girls from the Village. Mr. Tyler (a very active volunteer) needed a female chaperone, so I tagged along. I've only been fishing once in my life, and I was a very little girl...and I didn't really do much. I didn't really do much in the way of fishing today either, but I was very busy baiting hooks, untangling line, counting fish, dodging poles, watching boys, holding little ones, chiding the careless ones, and encouraging the doubtful ones. I got to play "mom" for 11 kids from age 4 to age 15, and I enjoyed every minute. I feel very much like the Wendy lady, caring for my Lost Boys. I just wish they were truly mine.

Per Request

Renosational

Yeah, I just made that word up. [Renovate + Sensational] Or maybe it could be Sensavate. Or Renosate.

Every year I get the itch to completely redo my blog. 2003 I completed its first draft. It was purple, if I recall correctly, and I had just about every nifty trinket you see in the side bar --->. 2004 I changed the color scheme (bright blue), added my own sunflower picture, and polished the code a bit, cleaning things up and making them a bit more functional. 2005 I've added a bit of online elegance. The color scheme is a little more naturale, the format is professionale, and the layout is... well, I can't think of anything that rhymes with the last two adjectives, so I'll just say that I really like my latest changes. :D

I've also managed to give Outside In a whole new look, including a table of contents! Next semester I'll be writing many, many more peices that I hope to put online; I needed a little more order and organization. I am temporarily satisfied. There are a few more things I'd like to do, but I won't need to do those until I have more content.

As you surf the renosational kingdom, please let me know if you find any broken or misleading links, or if you have any suggestions on how to further improve the place.

Enjoy!

White Water, Wounds, and Wonders.

It's simply amazing how intricately God created our bodies, how so many muscles work together in harmony...until we go and do something crazy (like white water rafting). Who knew that muscular discord could be so very painful?

Yesterday Natalie and I joined my family on the rapids of the Ocoee. This was my third trip down the river; it was Natalie's first. In fact, Mom and I were the only ones of our group that had ever gone white water rafting! Man, what a trip!

Mom and I sat in the front of the raft, Dad was behind me (thanks for the knee in the back, Dad: it was nice to have a back rest for the slow parts of the trips!), Haley (a friend) was behind Mom, Natalie behind Haley, Ashley behind Dad, Jenni behind Ashley and beside our river guide... Danger Dan.

We all stayed in the raft except for when Mom and I and Ashley jumped out for a quick swim, we worked together to navigate the rapids with surprising almost dexterity, and we only got stuck once, but the most glorious part of our trip had nothing to do with us. Our river guide was the leader of the trip, so we got to watch him orchestrate the rest of the rafts and their guides. We also got to play cleanup: staying in the back, waiting for the stragglers, picking up stray paddles, and rescuing "swimmers." Between me and Ashley, we rescued three people (to be fair, we did most of the work, but everyone else did help)! Ashley was able (with help) to pull a young boy at least 1 1/2 times her size into the raft... Go Ashley!! After we returned the poor boy to his raft, and nearer to the end of the trip, it was my turn to shine.

[I need to backtrack here... hang on!]

On the bus ride to the river, I sat next to a young man of Egyptian descent, Kareem. Through small talk I found out that this was his first rafting trip, so I pulled out my older-sisterness and convinced him that he was going to have a blast. I also got to encourage him to pursue the dreams that he shared with me. All throughout the trip I watched for him, and shot him an encouraging smile and a raised-paddle salute. He returned both, every time.

[and now back to the regularly scheduled stream of thought]

Near the end of the trip, we saw that the Egyptian dad and daughter were stranded at some rocks on the side of the river, just past a rapid. We slowed down as best we could before we went over the rapid, and then paddled against the current as hard as we could and harder. My arms were shaking, and I was ready to give out; I prayed for strength and the next thing I knew, I had coached the girl to the side of the boat, and had her in the boat. Mom and I had to coax the dad to swim out from behind the rock and join us, but we got him in too. His knee sported a few mild gashes, but other than that, nothing but pride was harmed.

Back on shore, I checked in a couples times on the different family members that I had met. The last time that I checked in with the dad and daughter, I asked about their overall wellbeing (no broken bones, etc), and asked if the trip was worth it. The dad assured me that it was, thanked me most heartily for my concern, and blessed me for all that I had done.

I had so much contact with that family, I can't help but wonder what God was up to. Maybe one day I'll find out.

Bruised, but Blessed

Callous-crusted heels; unfiled, peeling nails with chipped two-week-old clear nail polish; a very faded flip-flop tan hidden under a lingering layer of dust...and other things.

Many days my poor feet come home rather weary of walking, and they announce their disdain of their job with every step. Some days I'm inclined to complain just as bitterly as my feet.

I have eleven days, twenty hours, and thirty nine minutes left as the summer missionary to Knoxville. I have been here since June 6. I've walked the entire Village at least twice, rewalking certain bits several times. I've chased, comforted, consoled, and chided every imaginable kind of child. I've learned to step up and be useful even when I don't want to be. I've learned how to stand up for my kids, my coworkers, and myself. I've dealt with little kids' (and some little adults') sinuses, lice scares, headaches, bruises, and downright exhaustion all while I myself am suffering the same complaints. And you know what? More and more often I catch myself complaining just as often and as loud as they do.

It's time I stopped thinking about myself so much. I am on the verge of something---I can feel it---something beautiful, something somehow draining and yet energizing. I have tasted and I've seen some of the precious moments God grants to His hardworking, self-sacrificing missionaries. There is one thing still holding me back from the full flood of those moments... and today I've realized that thing is me. No missionary can give every bit of her heart away if she is nursing one part of it, the selfish part that is constantly bemoaning life's necessary irritations.

And now, instead of bemoaning the loss of the time that it took me to figure that out, I am going to rejoice in the fact that I have the rest of my life to learn how to be grateful, even for the bruises on my feet. After all, those pedicure-less, calloused and bruised feet are unbelievably blessed.

"Learning to Waiting"

Hey guys, here's an article a friend of mine wrote... I was thinking about writing something very similar, but since she beat me to it, I'll give her first dibs:

Single Minded Week of July 31 - August 6, 2005

"For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay."Habakkuk 2:3 NASB

Sometimes I'm in such a hurry I struggle with the 30 minutes in the waiting room at the doctor's office, the 3 minutes for a bag of popcorn to pop in the microwave, or even the 30 seconds for the light to turn green at a stop light. I can't imagine what it must have felt like to wait for as long as some did in the Bible, like Abraham, the nation of Israel, Simeon, Anna, and even the disciples. It is in studying the lives of those God used throughout the Scriptures I see what it means to truly wait and how valuable it is to learn to wait on God.

These amazing people of the Bible can teach us a valuable lesson in learning to wait. It's a hard lesson, but if we can learn it, perhaps the waiting that is inevitable will be easier to face.

Have you ever asked God, "Why must I wait?" "Why must I wait for the phone to ring?" "Why do I have to wait so long to meet the right person?" "Why must I wait so long for my prayers to be answered?" Unless you're dead, the answer is probably yes. In the midst of circumstances we don't like and can't control… it has become natural for us to ask these questions and to wonder if our waiting is in vain.

But waiting is sometimes a lot more than just "waiting". It is in the waiting our character is revealed. It is revealing to others and to God who you really are and who you honestly trust.

In Habakkuk, Chapter 2 we see that after God served His own purposes by the prevailing power of the Chaldeans, He tried the faith and patience of His people, and was able to distinguish between the hypocrites and the sincere among them.

God has an appointed time for His appointed work, and He will be sure to do the work when the time comes. It is not for us to anticipate His appointments, but to merely wait His time. We can be encouraged in knowing that we won't be disappointed of it, because it will come at the time appointed. Nor should we be disappointed in it, because it will fully answer our expectations. Even if we have to wait… it will come. It might tarry past our time, but it will never tarry past God's time, because His time is always the best time.

"As for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me."Micah 7:7 NASB

In a world of the fast and furious we can easily find ourselves looking for a quick answer to our troubles. We turn to our friends, our family, therapists, drinking, possibly drugs, food, sex, whatever it is that we believe will make us feel better – either by telling us what we want to hear or making us feel a certain way we desire. It's hard to accept that in "waiting" we can find the answer. And for most of us, we just don't have the patience for it.

In Micah Chapter 7, verse 7, we see that Micah saw no safety or comfort in anything else but in looking to the Lord, and waiting on God. Micah lived in a sin-immersed culture much like us today. In our world and in his, there are few people who can give us confidence or compassion… so one can only look to the Lord. The lesson here is that when we are under trials, we should look continually to our Divine Redeemer, that we may have strength and grace to trust in Him, and to be examples to those around us. Instead of seeking our answers elsewhere in the world.

Are you starting to get a clearer picture about learning to wait? It's not about us! It's about God's purpose and how He wants to use us in this amazing story He is writing.

And yet, there is still something in this for us. He loves us so much and if we are willing to wait on Him – especially in the tough times… He has so many wonderful blessings for us.

The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.Lamentations 3:25 NASB

The book of Lamentations was Jeremiah's lament over the destruction of Jerusalem. He wrote the book after he had walked among the rubble of the city. The walls were destroyed, the temple was burned down and the Babylonians had ransacked the city and killed many. Imagine for a moment what it would be like to walk the streets of your city after a tornado had destroyed every building that was standing. This is what Jeremiah was feeling. And yet in the midst of the heartache he spoke of God's faithfulness.

In the midst of the destruction Jeremiah affirms God's faithfulness. Why? Because God did exactly what He said He would do. He told the people that His patience was wearing thin and judgment was right around the corner. This act of judgment showed that God meant what He said.

Jeremiah also recognized the Lord had also promised to keep a remnant. Jeremiah knew the only reasons there were any survivors at all was because the Lord had promised to preserve the nation. They all deserved to be destroyed for their fickle faith . . . but they were not all destroyed. God kept some of these people alive so the nation could continue. This remnant was not made up of people who deserved to be saved . . . they were people who were saved because of God's promise and for no other reason.

When we are going through the tough times we need to remember these insights of Jeremiah who even in the rubble of difficult times, knew God to be faithful. God doesn't forget His promises. He will still provide for us. He still stands with us. He will indeed give us the words to say and the strength to stand. He is still working for our good. He still loves us.

His commitment to every child of God remains undiminished. . . even though circumstances may make us wonder. All He asks is that we learn to wait and in His time, He will answer.


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Author's Bio:Michelle Sanders makes her home in Nashville TN with her dog Shelby. She enjoys serving as a volunteer at her church, Cross Point Community Church, singing as part of a prison ministry team, and spreading the good news via international mission trips to Kenya, Uganda and the Dominican Republic. Michelle is an aspiring writer who prays God will use her to share His hope and truths to those who are hurting and in need of love.

'Single Minded' Copyright 2002-2005 © Michelle Sanders.
http://www.studylight.org/col/sm/