What i wrote for youth group about Alaska

As I was in Alaska for two weeks it was really cool to see how God really worked in my cabin and in my life the week I was a counselor. I had the privilege of being able to have 5 girls in my cabin. They were 11 or 12 years old, and all unsaved. God really softened my heart toward one of my girls in particular. Her name was Mikayla. when I first saw her I was amazed because she looked so tough. I had never seen a girl look so angry and just sort of an attitude of “I don’t need you, so stay away.” I was really wondering how the rest of the week would go when I saw her and the other girls. All I could think was “I wonder how or if the Lord will use Veronica and I to reach them.” (Veronica was my Co-counselor.)
I was having a really tough time until about Wednesday because I felt like I couldn’t get through to my girls. They wouldn’t really pay attention to devotions at night and when I did devotions on Tuesday I felt like I did a horrible job at talking about Rahab to them. I felt very hopeless because I wanted to just help the girls but I couldn’t, and they didn’t act like they needed any help either. On Wednesday it was Veronica’s turn to do devotions and she decided to tell her testimony. She had an amazing testimony. As she was telling it I was just as enraptured to what she was saying as the kids were because God had put her and her family through so much. She had very abusive parents, alcohol, drug, emotional, and sexual abuse had all happened to her for pretty much her life. As she was telling the kids her story I could see that they could relate to what she said which was so sad because they were so young. They are so little and yet they have gone through so much. For the first time though we had there attention and that was wonderful to see because I could tell God was just preparing me for that night when we would finally start to reach the girls.
After she told her testimony the girls all clamored around me and asked me to tell them my story. My mind started racing because I had no idea what to say all of the sudden, especially after what Veronica had said. I was raised in a Christian home and saved at an early age…I’m thinking “how could my life possibly relate to them??” As I started telling them about how I became saved the Lord laid it on my heart to tell them about something that happened when I was 13 that I don’t talk about very often, but I knew the Lord wanted me to tell them. I also told them about when I rededicated my life to the Lord. It was so cool because they had so many questions. They were so open to the Lord and to knowing more about Him and they had such an innocent curiosity about Him. I just couldn’t stop praising God that they finally felt open enough to talk to us and to ask us questions. That’s when it got hard though because then we started finding out about there own lives. That’s when I heard about the girls and how there dad’s would beat there mom’s when they were drunk, they had been sexually abused when they were 4 or 8, already tried drugs, felt guilty about things they did in the village..Etc etc..and it was heartbreaking. It was so hard to hear. Because for me its been one thing if they happen to me or someone my age because we are older but to hear little, little girls talk about all of these hard things, that they said so “matter of factly,” it was really hard. Needless to say that was a late night, but the next day was really cool.
All of the girls were much more open on Thursday, and Mikayla was the first one to break down and want to talk to Veronica about being saved. That happened in the afternoon then at 12:30 at night all of the other girls decided that they wanted to believe in Jesus. On Friday when I looked back on the week I just was amazed by how blessed I was by God and how he wanted to use Veronica and I. I am so happy that God had those girls for me and he just really showed me how no matter what I am doing He has a plan and He is in charge, not me.

Deet may protect you from mosquito's but we all learned it also can remove your nail polish! Isn't that wonderful???

I am sorry for it taking so long for me to write about Alaska. It's taken me about a week to fully think about everything that happened those 2 weeks, and i have finally figured out how to write it all out. I wanted to thank everyone again for all the prayer and money support. I really saw God a lot while i was there, and i saw Him the most the 2nd week we all were there.

It was good to be there for 2 weeks because the first week God blessed the camp by being "over staffed." The whole team arrived in Kako after flying from Seattle to Anchorage, Anchorage to Bethel, and then a 45 minute flight to Kako on a small little Cessna. It was quite the trip, and i was very happy to finally get there. I think we all were very happy to finally get to the camp, and the Lord knew that we all needed some rest so everything that needed to be getting done at camp was being accomplished by others. I didn't know quite what to expect the camp to look like but there was a lodge and many little 2 story houses that everyone else lived in all year round. Lacey, Sheila, and I all stayed in the basement of one house on 2 twin beds that were put together to be around king sized. Christen and Meagan stayed in another room in the basement, and we all had a fun time hanging out with each other at nights. All of us in the (beige) house were on staff the first week. Basically our jobs were to wash dishes, and clean anything that was dirty. =] It was really nice to see how the camp ran, and how the counselors worked with the children. I will have to write more later but thank you everyone who is reading this!

Saturday at Kako

I SURVIVED!!!!!! Actually today was a wonderful day. We got here in Alaska with no problems, and all of us are trying to survive till dinner is over so that way we can go to sleep. I think we all are in zombie mode..Or at least all of us girls are. We all left the church this morning around 5.15 for the airport. We got all checked in, then went through security to get to our gate. Of course Lacey, Sheila, and I had to stop at Starbucks before we sat down to wait for the plane =] so that was eventful! I got called dangerous though as I was looking for our gate because we were having problems finding c11. When I found it I waved to the group behind me and almost ran over someone… He in return remarked to his wife very seriously that I looked like a dangerous person. Granted I hadn’t had my coffee yet..but I don’t think he knew that. (hehe...)
We arrived in Bethel on time and from Bethel had a short plane ride that took about a half hour long to Kako. I have to say I am now hooked on small planes! For the first time in my life I got to fly a small cargo plane! It was very exciting for me and I am really happy the pilot showed me how to fly it. I don’t think I will every forget the experience! Here is a link showing the kind of plane it is and what it looks like. http://www.chooseyouritem.com/airplanes/photos/292500/292768.1980.Cessna.182.RG.Skylane.jpg

Alaska looks like Washington but It has a barrenness to it that’s intriguing. There is water everywhere...Ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers. All of those just run through the land. As we flew to the camp we basically went over a huge marsh or bog and then passed over a part of the Yukon river. We were between 1000-2000 feet the entire ride so it was wonderful to see more of a close up of the land which does not happen usually in a huge jet=] The longer I am here the more I am happy that I had no presuppositions about the camp before we got here. They have an abundance of people here so there are not things to do for any of us until tomorrow night or Monday. Granted I don’t think many of us are in a good enough shape to do much work tonight because we all are running on around 3-31/2 hours of sleep.
I do have to admit that the mosquito’s are amazing… I have never seen anything quite like it and after looking at those suckers it makes you want to soak yourself in Deet so they stay away. While we are here we are going to try out as many “old wives tales” as possible for how to keep mosquito's away from you. We have tee tree oil, dryer sheets to stick in our pockets, peppermint oil, and I am sure there will be more things I find out the longer I am here.
I think that is about it but I wanted to say thank you again for all your prayers. Please pray that my team and I would all be able to be at peace with whatever the camp or the Lord wants us to do here. Apparently the average sleep a counselor gets a night is 3-4 hours of sleep so I know I will be only surviving through the Lord’s strength next week if that’s where he places me. I know while I am here I want there to be nothing between the Lord changing me to be more like Him so please pray for me to keep that on my mind as i go throughout my day.

Leaving for Alaska...

As I packed tonight i thought about what would be in store the next two weeks. It seems weird to think that i will be gone the same amount of time i was gone on the Europe trip. I wanted to tell everyone thank you, for your prayers for me and the money many of you provided for my trip. I was given over the amount needed for the trip and it was really wonderful for me to see how the Lord provides. I cant wait to go to the camp and find out how the Lord is going to use me these next two weeks! My missions team will be updating what is going on at the camp at www.aflchurch.org/missionteam Thank you all again for everything you have done to help me go on this trip! I cant wait to write about the whole trip when i come home! =]

With love,
Ariell

Something to make you smile...

I will hopefully write about Europe on here when i catch up on my journaling. I am behind in many things but till then i have something funny for you to read! =] Enjoy!

Next Survivor Series

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car
and three kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play two sports and take either music or dance
classes.

There is no fast food.

Each man must take care of his three kids, keep his assigned
house clean, correct all homework, complete science
projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of "pretend"
bills with not enough money.

In addition, each man will have to budget money for
groceries each week.

Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends
and relatives and send cards out on time--no emailing.

Each man must also take each child to a doctor's
appointment, a dentist appointment, and a haircut
appointment.

He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per
child to the Urgent Care.

He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned
house, planting flowers outside, and keeping it presentable
at all times.

The men will have access to television only when the kids
are asleep and all chores are done.

The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn
themselves with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish
shoes, and keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed.

During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure
severe abdominal cramps and back aches and have extreme,
unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down
from other duties.

They must attend weekly school meetings and church and find
time at least once each week to spend the afternoon at the
park or a similar setting.

They will need to read a book to the kids each night and in
the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth, and
comb their hair by 7:00 a.m.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each
father will be required to know all of the following
information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe
size, clothing size, and doctor's name. He also must know
the child's weight and length at birth, time of birth, and
length of labor; and each child's favorite color, middle
name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink,
favorite toy, and biggest fear. He also will know what they
all want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island based on performance. The
last man wins only if he still has enough energy to spend
quality time with his spouse at a moment's notice.

If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over
and over again for the next 18-25 years, eventually earning
the right to be called Mother!

For those of you who don't know...

I am leaving for Europe tomorrow with 18 people from Grace Academy! I am going to be there for two weeks and i will miss a lot of people while i am there! (but i wont miss you too much=]) I will be writing a lot on here hopefully after i come back! Miss you!

The Bar vs. The Baptists

The Bar vs. The Baptists

In a small midwestern conservative town, a business owner
began to construct a building for a new bar. The local
Baptist church started a campaign to block the bar from
opening with petitions and prayers.

Work progressed, however, right up until the week before
opening, when a lightning strike hit the bar and it burned
to the ground.

The church folks were rather smug in their outlook after
that, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds
that the church was ultimately responsible for the demise of
his building, either through direct or indirect actions or
means.

In its reply to the court, the church vehemently denied all
responsibility or any connection to the building's demise.

As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over
the paperwork at the hearing and commented, "I don't know
how I'm going to decide this, but as it appears from the
paperwork, we have a bar owner who believes in the power of
prayer, and an entire church congregation that doesn't!"

I thought this was entertaining=] Hope you think the same thing!

All i have time for are these...Hope you enjoy them!

Wild Cuisine

I love the outdoors, and because of my passion for hunting
and fishing, my family eats a considerable amount of wild
game.

We eat so much wild game, in fact, that one evening as I set
a platter of broiled venison steaks on the dinner table, my
ten-year-old daughter looked up and said:

"Boy, it sure would be nice if pizzas lived in the woods."


Poisoned Coffee

A woman was on the witness stand, accused of poisoning her
husband.

"After you put poison in the coffee, you sat at the
breakfast table and watched your husband drink it. Tell me,
didn't you feel the slightest bit of pity for him?" the
defense attorney prompted.

"Yes," she replied, "I think there was one moment when I
felt sorry for him."

"And when was that?"

"When he asked for his second cup."

Today i asked myself "should a person golf in the snow???"

I laugh when i look out the window and think about what my plans were for this weekend. I guess the Lord just wanted me to get other things done in my life and not golf today. For those who do not know how hilarious the weather was today in Washington..It snowed, hailed, and had blue sky. I got up this morning with plans about practicing music with Bethany and Jenee, going to lunch with Amanda Shultz, take Hannah to the library, then go to 18 holes with my dad to get ready for State! I was able to do all of these things except for the golf part. I had asked my dad this morning what we were going to do with golf today and he said he didn't know because of the weather. This statement was quite a shock to me because my dad is one of those people that tends to golf rain, snow, wind, or shine. I had to learn that the hard way last year so if you look in my golf bag you would see how i keep the hand warmer companies still going because of my large amounts of "little hotties" i buy=] You can really stick those things anywhere, its quite great! Except don't put them directly on your skin you may burn yourself if they warm up too fast...I learned that the hard way also..=] See golf has many character building situations that are essential in my opinion to maturity. Whether or not you agree is up too you. I hope everyone golfs sometime in there life it's truly an amazing experience..Especially in the snow!

Winnie the pooh days..

I love having a window-seat for days like this blustery one. I love sitting out at my window and watching the wind blow through the trees in my front yard. Then watching the skies move by as if in slow motion with patches of blue underneath the gray... I LOVE wind! I am not sure why, but i have always love the wind. I have been fascinated by how mysterious it is=] (I know I am weird.) Psalm 18:10 talks about how the Lord "flew, soaring on the wings of the wind." Matthew 8:27 mentions how the disciples marveled at how amazing Jesus was that, "the winds and the sea obey Him." John 3:8 also mentions how "the wind blows where it pleases." I love these verses, especially the one in Psalms! Wind just shows to me how great God is! He truly is AMAZING!

On a different note though I am not so sick anymore, thankfully. I think i will just be stuck with a cold for awhile now. Hopefully it will go away soon though. Have a Good day everyone!

A new post!

I know I have not written on here for a long period of time, and i am sorry for that. I do not know if too many people actually read my blog..I hope that i can write things that are worth it enough for others to spend time reading. I am mainly sitting down and writing again because i have time. I am home instead of at school because i am sick. I have caught a wonderful sinus infection, cold, cough, etc. I think i finally got sick because God wants me to rest a little bit before i go back to school and tackle everything. That normally happens to people in my family. =] Well, only my dad and I. My dad and I tend to go, go, go until we are too exhausted and we collapse and get sick. :) My mom has learned to recognize these signs and she tries to stop us before we collapse, but it didn't work this time... So because of me not stopping and sleeping i am laying here in my bed, drinking lemon water and periodically sneezing.=] Its a lot of fun=] I try to put something funny on my blog every now and then and the joke i hae to put up is funny, yet ironically sad. Tell me what you think=]

How times have changed

Scenario:
Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into
the school parking lot with his shotgun in his gun rack.
1957 - The vice principal comes over, looks at Jack's
shotgun, goes to his car, and gets his own shotgun to show
Jack.
2007 - The school goes into lockdown, the FBI is called, and
Jack is hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun
again. Counselors are called in for traumatized students and
teachers.

Scenario:
Jeffrey won't be still in class and disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey is sent to the office and is given a good
paddling by the principal. He returns to class, sits still,
and does not disrupt the class again.
2007 - Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. He becomes a
zombie and is tested for ADD. The school gets extra money
from the state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario:
Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his dad
gives him a spanking with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal,
goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is
removed to foster care and joins a gang. The state
psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being
abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom
falls for the psychologist.

Scenario:
Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his
knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him
to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on
playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses
her job. She faces three years in state prison. Johnny
undergoes five years of therapy.