For Amers...Caption Contest

So this is the chosen shot of the day...
I thought I'd be fun to have one of those caption contests here! So write a caption for this photo and post it and I'll pick a winner! The winner will get a very special prize!!!

For the joy of Russia!!!

So I'm coming to you asking for prayers for my brothers and sisters who currently are somewhere over the ocean on their way to spend the next few weeks in Pushkin, Russia. This team will be teaching English and sharing the gospel with as many as 45 students coming to the English camp.

Here is why this is close to my heart...

1) Because people are close on God's heart, so they should also be close on ours. Some of these students have been around for the summer teams for years on end and a few of them even came out to Arizona last year. God is working here! Pray these students want to take more steps towards Christ! How cool would it be in heaven to be able to meet someone you could be praying for now?!?

2) The people on this team are primarily staff and students involved with the Navigators in both Arizona and California. What a cool opportunity for God to stretch and grow each of the team and encourage them to trust Him above all.

Along with that, the woman who has discipled me this past year is on this team as well... Sarah Short has been nothing less than a prayer warrior, mentor, encourager, challenger and amazing friend to me in my senior year at ASU. I just served one week with her at a Christian music festival called spirit west coast (you can read more about it on her blog here), and now she is off to spend two weeks serving in Russia. Though commiting her summer to God, she has lost much financial support this past year due to the economy and her funding increased. Here is a copy of prayer requests she wrote in an e-mail both for her and for the trip...

--For travel safety for our team & for unity amongst our team. Pray that the Russians would see Christ through how we love and relate to one another (John 17)

--Pray for us as we teach English—pray that the classroom discussions would draw the Russians out and lead them to ask deeper questions about life.

--Pray for the evening personal belief discussion—pray that the students would take an interest in attending these optional sessions and for them to seek truth.

--Pray for the gospel to advance in Russia; we want to be instruments for God’s use, so pray that we would know and follow His leading.

--Pray for spiritual protection during this time.

--For me personally, would you pray for my energy to press on? The last 3 weeks have been intense, and I don’t want fatigue to be a hindrance. Pray that I can engage deeply with people and know God’s strength.

Would you join me in praying for this Russia team? Also, please pray for my friend that God would be faithful in providing her fundraising so she may return to ASU in the fall on time and serve other women just as she served me this past year. Your few minutes spent praying for God's joy to be spread in Russia are not in vain! God won't give us the nations unless we remember to ask! Thank you for YOUR hearts following after God's! Press on dear friends!

"I have stilled and quieted my soul..."

REST IS...

...a challenge for me.

It is something I've always been bad at doing and yet I see such a grand benefit in it. Sometimes I feel guilty resting knowing how much needs to be done, and yet by taking the time to rest I can accomplish what needs to be done both more efficiently and cheerfully. Both of which are important. So today I took some time aside for me and God...I feel able to function again. Rest has always been challenging for me, but as a good friend reminded me maybe I should be thanking God for this time instead of wishing for it to fly by. Only 11 more days in Texas until I leave for training and then come back full force to raise funds for the next year. Please pray in this economical time God will already be stirring hearts who have a desire to back God's work that I'll be blessed to have a part in next year through the Navigators. Maybe start praying how you can be trusting God with your finances through giving in general, even if not to the Navs, as many people are shying away in a time they could trust God the most. My prayer for each of you is you can run away with God and rest sometime soon...He's waiting.

Nav Year in Rewind!

This is the video I put together to celebrate the 08-09 school year for the amazing ASU Navigators...enjoy. (It is in two parts)

my apologies...

I'm sorry to hear the photos didn't show up on the last Texas post, so sorry if I left any of you hanging, but I made it back alive!

It's been a long few weeks with finals, then graduation, then Spirit West Coast and now back in Texas...here are two of my favorite pics from SWC to hopefully make up for all that were missing from the last post!

movin' to Tejas y'all...

I thought to keep myself entertained as i head back to Texas, I'd share my journey with you guys!

It all started when I got back from the Navigators Summer Mission Program at Spirit West Coast on Tues...

It was a sad sight to see empty condos!

After 3 hard days the room was finally cleaned out!

I think the puppy was really sad to see me go!

She wanted to come to Texas, the happy heart state, with me!

But Tom Tom and I headed out alone...

We went through a 2 hour lightning storm! How cool to see God work as I was driving.

New Mexico...land of enchantment....I still don't buy it.

Getting closer to home!

It's starting to get dark...

I felt like reaching 85,000 miles was an accomplishment!

Finally! Texas! Home for the night in El Paso.

SNL and Bedtime!!! Goodnight!!!

On to Frosty Weather...

Nature's first green is gold

Her hardest hue to hold

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

I think Frost was on to something as he discussed the reality of items of gold eventually having to go away. I've spent four years in the desert as a maroon and gold Sun Devil and today was officially the last day of the graduation festivities. When Frost spoke of Nothing gold being able to remain, he spoke of innocence and beauty being corrupted by the world. As I reflect on my time here at ASU, I can't stay here in the Maroon and Gold. I have to move on. It's an amazing thing to know the God of the universe has a plan for me that requires me walking in faith towards the treasure He has for me. I like that the treasure is not necessarily one of gold and wealth (i always was more a fan of silver anyway ;p), but a treasure of His love and glory and hte ability to share that truth with others. I look forward to these nest two years. I feel odd in the fact it is all actually over. In my graduation ceremony I keep trying to tell myself, 'alicia, you are the one he is talking about...this speech is for you. It's all over now. No more school.' And yet it still hasn't truly sunk in. I think when I am on campus ministering in the fall and yet not having to go to class it all may finally sink in. But for now I feel lost in the present. I know I am packing up the condo I have lived in for two years and leaving for Texas in just over a week, and yet the thought of having my diploma and being done forever is just a weird feeling for me to grasp my head and heart around.

plus, i always look for a time to insert a Frost poem. :)

Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city.

Acts 18:9-10....good stuff!

This has been my prayer for my friends remaining in Arizona through the next school year. The past couple of days, I've accepted it as a prayer for myself as well. I;, really no good at remembering to pray for myself. I was offering up peace from God for a friend so she wouldn't have nightmares tonight, and I remembered it has been a few days since I've really talked to God about everything I'm processing with graduating and moving on. In some ways, I feel like if I don't talk to God about it, it's not all really happening! But I know that's not true.

I'm freaking out about moving on...the details of moving and selling things and giving things away as long as the crazy drive back to Texas...it can all be overwhelming, but considering I still have 3 finals left I don't really have time to focus on it all right now. I've been thinking a lot about Paul as I just re-read Acts this semester. i think of how his heart longed to visit places he had been and yet God called him to move on. I know next year and even over the summer I am going to long to be back in the desert, but God has told me to move on and trust the plan He has made for me. If I'd been asked even a year ago if I thought I'd be doing full-time ministry with the Navigators after graduation I'm pretty sure I'd smile a little and have said no. But look at God's ways! Praise Him they are much better than mine. But it is scary sometimes to move forward.. the first step is always so scary.

As Jason reminded me it's like driving at night...you can only see as far as the headlights go, but you can make the whole trip that way.

Will you pray with me for a community of heart friends and authenticity next year? Pray for a few girls I can really invest in and pray for me to be able to use my love for art for His glory? Also, please pray I can be a good steward of my time, both in serving and resting next year. I know when entering new situations I tend to go all in and forget about myself and my need to rest. Speaking of which...I need to pray. For me for once...it's time I stop forgetting and recognize my father is waiting.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Mental Block

I haven't blogged because frankly I don't feel as if I have much to say lately. It's how I feel about most of my life right now. I feel a mental block. Emotions have been flooding over me this past week as I've had a lot of "lasts." Last SALT meeting, last day of class, last Nav Night, last cut from an art project for a grade (hopefully...i still have a week until my project is due!), last discipleship meeting, last time fountain hopping....a lot of lasts. I'm excited for next year and the "new thing" God has told me He will be doing, but I can't help crying while I thank Him for the old things I have and He has blessed me with while in the desert these four years. My first Navigator meeting I walked into the room and met a lot of people. The first worship song we sang was "Blessed Be Your Name." There is a line in the song that says,

Blessed Be Your name When I'm found in the desert place.

You see, it was at that time God put a peace in my heart I couldn't then describe. 
For the first time I realized I was in the desert.  I was in a place God needed
to humble me and let me have His name be blessed and not my own.  He needed me
to praise Him for who He is.  And through the process, God has given me great
gifts found in amazing friends to encourage and teach me along the way.  As I
was reaching out in the desert, I thank God for His hand already being there
ready to grasp mine and help me up.  I'm ready to leave the desert.  But the
tears may still come as I move into the "new thing" God has in store.
To all my friends in the desert with me...thank you.

Good Friends....

...are good for the soul.

Post #401

What an amazing week spent focusing on Christ and what he has done. When we realize it is His blood that continually covers our sin, it is amazing to see the unity and love that erupts from being around other believers. On Friday we hosted a prayer labyrinth in the Secret Garden on campus. The idea was stolen from my CBC family, altered in 2005 for my Dutch family, and re-altered back to English for my Sun Devil family. It was a sweet thing to see other students and faculty walk up and enjoy spending time with Jesus remembering all He has and is doing for us.

Saturday the Servant and Leadership Team (student leaders in the Navigators) drove up to Sedona and went hiking in the rain. My heart remembered bush walking in New Zealand through the creek as we walked by the greens. As we jumped over rivers and climbed off the path I thought of Colorado which God used to change my heart back in 2002. And as the rain soaked us to the bone, I remembered Holland and all the people who yearned for a break in the rain and yet needed the cleansing it brought more than they even realized! Then my heart wandered to the present and thought of all it is leaving soon. These friends and family and the home I've come to know in Arizona these past 4 years. I can't believe it's been that long! Don't tell my friend Sarah because I do still LOVE Texas, but I don't dislike Arizona as much anymore. You could say it's grown on me (though I'll never admit it in person!) By being away from water and lakes, I've just learned to appriciate it more.

Then after Sunday morning service, my heart was reignitied as we discussed the meaning behind two new paintings in our prision ministry. I want to serve God through art. I want the nations to proclaim His glory! We had an amazing lunch with 17 of us today, but my heart still yearns for more. Just a little more time in the desert. I'm trying to soak it all in.

As a few of us did in Sedona across the canyon, my heart cries out to God in Praise for what He has done; for the sacrifice He has made; and for the love He is currently showing me through the midst of it all.

One month and two days until graduation...Eeeeeek!

run away

There is one spot at ASU that I claim for my own. On a campus where 80,000 people can be surrounding you on a given day, I like to run away every now and again. There is a bowl shapped area of grass by the music building on campus. Maybe you don't understand how special that last phrase was. There is a place of green grass. Lusish, beautiful, vibrant green grass out here in Arizona! In the desert is a small place of green grass! (got it yet?) Anyways, on this rare and beautiful patch of grass you will find a tree. It is perfect for leaning on and due to the bowl shapped land, this place blocks all others out fo view. And just for a little bit, you may believe you are the only one on the campus.

This sanctuary is one of my favorite places to talk to God. No one else is around to influence, just me and my Lord. Needless to say, class was cancelled today and my spot and I were reunited for one glorious hour. I think God wanted to chat. I like that.

The Office Visits ASU

yea!

Alicia,

Congratulations! The EDGE Corps Director's Team would like to officially invite you to join our 2009 EDGE Corps Class!

D300!!!

Here are 2 of the first 10 photos I took with my new camera! The first is just a moment of "ah" God gave me as i looked through my camera's lens the first time! Kinda a cool initiation as I want to use my work to serve Him! The second is a flower behind my neighbor's house. So pretty!

the stem of echoes.

We walk together, footsteps echoing through the trees
Our steps possess the same rhythm,
Though the reason for which they beat does not align

One step in line with the others sounds the same
The same as one step marched to the beat of the heart.
The mind tells the foot to move,
The heart tells it where to go
The path moves along in its own way.

Thus, the mind, heart, and path venture together,
The destinations may vary,
But only one leads out of the forest.

Thanks be to the creator above...

see the clouds? and the little lake? and the perfect spot for me to talk to God?

Yeah, perfect weather for the hour I sat here...just enough refreshment to help me get through the bad news a phone call brought later on. But thanks be to the sovereign Lord who knows what he is doing in the midst of our confusion and trials.

2 Cor. 1:3-5

car wash

There are some things that will always and forevermore remind me of my home and family in Texas.

Two of them I am accomplishing today.

The second is grilling. At Bible Study tonight we are throwing some burgers on and grilling out! Every time I lite up the grill I can't help but thinking of our backyard.

The first thing is washing and waxing my car. I tend to take an extra long time on my car as I think back to the garage and just exactly how my dad taught me to do it. You crank up the beach boys or other oldies and go at it. You put extra time on the side of the car being sure to wash around the decorative edging. You dry the car quickly so the sun cannot streak it. You wax everywhere and be extra sure you removed it all. You wipe down the leather, vacuum out the interior and clean the console. You Windex the windows and at the end you take a step back to admire your work.

Then comes my favorite part as a child, rinsing out the sponges. You get to fill the sponges with water and step on them to squish the soap out. When I was younger I used to sit in the bucket pretending I was on a ship as the hose water flowed around me. I got to spray down the driveway and dad to finish cleaning up the work site sometimes. Some may call it child labor...but their just lazy! It was bonding with my pops and learning how to take care of the possessions God is lending to me. So here's to my little car that is outside shinning and a little more happy! And here's to my parents who taught me responsibility!

25 random things

Paul tagged me on facebook so I figured why not!

here are 25 random things you may or may not know about me...

1. I judge movies based on the fonts of the opening credits...you can thank 4 years of high school journalism for that one!

2. When I photograph people, I make up names and stories for their lives

3. I have a small collection of license plates from different states in hopes of one day opening up a poetry/art cafe somewhere, someday

4. Though I am technically an art major, when I draw...my stick figures are deformed.

5. I will probably take Flintstones vitamins over adult ones for many more years

6. I secretly want to quit school and become a pool shark.

7. I love traveling and airports...I think it's because I like to watch people so much.

8. I have a photo series of church signs and kids on leashes.

9. One of my favorite jobs i've ever had was working for Santa and getting to dress up as Bumbles.

10. Sometimes I go on long drives just to rock out to Dutch techno.

11. I'm self-conscious about my toes because my sisters used to call them short and stubby. Link this with why I love squishing my toes into sand to bury them so much!

12. I currently have 7 different styles/colors of duct tape in my room.

13. The only vanilla I like to cook with is Watkins original double strength vanilla.

14. I tend to stop saying one thought and jump to another before finishing a sentence. This annoys some of my best friends a lot!

15. If someone touches my ears I tend to have a Chuck Norris type reflex I cannot stop.

16. I'm not a big fan of chocolate unless it is in the form of mini snickers or ice cream...Sour Patch Kids; however, are a quick way to get to my heart.

17. One of my dreams is to purchase a cake from Charm City Cakes, but I fear I couldn't come up with a worthy enough idea.

18. I used to be able to stare into the sun for 5 minutes straight as a kid, and now I have a stigmatism...go figure!

19. If my sheets aren't clean before bedtime, I will stay awake longer just to watch them then go to bed dirty.

20. Sometimes I buy movies based not on if I love them, but if I think friends would watch them with me.

21. When I played softball in high school, I used to illegally wear a cross necklace under my uniform just to remember why I played.

22. I've only been skeet shotting once, but I fell in love with the sport!

23. Texas-shaped cooking objects make my heart happy,

24. I've seen two armadillos in my life and both were right after my grandfather's passed.

25. When I went skydiving, my chute didn't open...luckily the reserve chute did!

Bonus fact :: I secretly die inside every time someone thinks my Holland flag is French or that Dutch is the same as Deutch.

it's all happening...

I applied for graduation today. Paid ASU 40 bucks and freaked out just a little. I graduate from college in less than 4 months...when did this happen?!?!?!?

movin' to the country...gonna eat a lot of peaches

I'm really perturbed at the people from Bayer Health Care. For years I've been buying the same daily vitamins and enjoy knowing they would never change. They changed!!! I cannot stand the injustice! Who would add peach into the Flintstones mix?!? Was grape, orange, and cherry not perfect enough? Why must people always try to change things that are great as is. The peach flavor tends to infect the greatness of the rest and my morning vitamins just aren't the same.

Peach flavors should be reserved for cobbler and summer days, but not in my vitamins. Please Bayer, correct this wrong!