Home is...

- snuggling with your new baby niece.
- taking walks with your sister-in-law.
- going to a Ranger game with your family wearing matching t-shirts.
- being picked up from the airport in the church van.
- driving around in a green Honda with Nebraska plates.
- going to Wal-mart at midnight...and then an hour later because you forgot something.
- summer bbqs with friends.
- holding hands in church.
- eating Chicken Express twice in one week.
- praying before dinner.
- Grandma Jackson hugs.
- Rt. 44 Sonic drinks with easy ice during happy hour.
- Buffalo Wild Wings on a Thursday night.
- two triple dates.
- staying up until 2 am talking and laughing with old friends.
- getting a pedicure with your best friend, your mom.
- laughing over old stories with your cousins.
- Singing along to country music on the radio.
- spending 5 days in a row with your childhood best friend, but that's still not enough.
- Pilsbury cinnamon rolls on Sunday morning.
- mom's brisket at a church potluck.
- ESPN on non-stop.
- adopted parents driving 3 hours just to see you off at the airport.
- taking naps with your dad.
- the aching feeling in your heart when you leave.

I was blessed to have 3 weeks of furlough to visit friends, family, and a few places I call home. Two weeks in Arlington, one week in Edmond, and a weekend in Stillwater. It was a great couple of weeks, but also crazy couple of weeks trying to spend time with as many people as possible! Though I came back exhausted, I came back rested and refreshed, feelings that only come from spending time at home. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to have a break and go home, and I wouldn't have traded the last 3 weeks for anything!

Tie-Dye Tuesday

School Holidays=Tie Dye Tuesday! This past Tuesday afternoon, Amber and I got some of the teen girls together for some tie dye fun. Because of all my years as a Gamma girl, I consider myself a tie dye connoisseur, but I had never actually tie dyed a shirt! After mixing up 3 buckets of dye and rolling our shirts into spirals, we were off and ready to go. Once all the shirts we brought were dyed, we were looking around for more things we could twist and tie. The Moads almost ended up with tie-dye curtains in the kitchen, but we restrained ourselves. After the tie dying had died down, we made some pancakes and spent the rest of the afternoon playing Wii. It was a great way to spend a lazy Tuesday off of school.

Three of our tie-dying apprentices.

The finished product.

Connecting

Last weekend, I was privileged to attend a camp on the Gold Coast of Queensland. (I know, right? I could make a career out of going to church camps all over Australia). Five of us Gosfordians set out from the Central Coast Friday morning at 8 am. After over 700 kms, two trips to Maccas, one drunk man insulting customers in the Subway line, and 9 hours of driving, we finally arrived at the camp. It was such an amazing weekend, and I was able to catch up with many people I hadn’t seen since attending Camp Gidawarra in Queensland after Christmas. Also at the camp were two campaign groups—one from Harding and one from Lipscomb. Ironically, I met a second cousin of the Watson-Hawley family from Harding, and played spades with her. I felt like I was back in Mexico! I also saw the Gentry family from none other than good ole Arlington, Texas. Todd Gentry used to be one of the main organizers of Arlington Work Camp, which I attended for 6 years and led one year while in college. I couldn’t believe it as soon as I saw Todd, his wife Debbie, and Tyler. Though we never knew each other well , we all recognized each other and had friends in common. The weekend retreat was filled with great teaching from Peter Randall and awesome singing. Many of the songs I hadn’t sung since I had been here in Australia. I was asked to lead one of the small groups, which met 4 times throughout the weekend. We had a great group of teen and young adult girls who had lots of great insights and discussions into having a real relationship with God. One of my favourite things about the weekend was the gorgeous weather! It was so warm in Queensland that we were able to wear flip flops and go to the beach on the Saturday afternoon. It wasn’t warm enough to swim, but we still enjoyed soaking up the sun and watch the people play ultimate Frisbee. We finally headed back South on Sunday after worship. We left about noon and didn’t arrive back until about 11:30 pm. Though it was a quick trip and lots of driving, I was so blessed by this weekend.

The Gosford crew hanging out at the beach: Anne, Tim, Cam, Me, and Amber.

My lifesaver and co-pilot on the long drive home.

Amber and Peter being Amber and Peter.

We saw a double rainbow while we were driving to Queensland on Friday. We were in the middle of nowhere and could see both ends of it! So beautiful.

Deeper Deeper

Last weekend, I was privileged to help organize and plan Deeper, a retreat for young adult women. I had the idea for this weekend about 6 months ago and started compiling a team to get the ball rolling. Finally after lots of planning, praying, stressing, laughing, eating, studying, scouting, and facebooking, it was June 18 and it was time for Deeper. God did so many amazing things last weekend, that I have to make a list so I don't forget anything! Here is Deeper by the numbers:

125 blessing notes--Anne had a great idea that each person got a blessing box at the beginning of the weekend. Throughout our time together, we were supposed to write blessings or encouraging notes to each other. We didn't open or read them until we left on Sunday. When I got home after the retreat, I was unbelievably blessed by my sisters through reading their kind words.

55 Powerpoint slides--One of the huge highlights of the trip was Sunday morning worship. Amber and Kim worked at creating a prayer concert to prepare our minds for taking the Lord's Supper. We used DEEP as an acronym to direct our thoughts--Dedication, Examine, Empty, and Promise--during this time. We sang songs and read scripture about Dedication. Then, in our prayer groups we read scripture, discussed, and prayed about these words. We also spent some time in silent prayer as well as. We repeated this process for the other three words. After focusing and looking at each of these words, we were ready to partake in communion of homemade unleavened bread and grape juice. This was one of my favorite times I have ever taken communion and I will remember it forever.
33 hands of Nertz--I haven't played Nertz in years (I think the last time was during the ice storm my junior year of college), but it was THE game of the weekend. Though we got a little bit competitive, we still had a blast together.

20 ugly mugs--Jamie scoured Vinnies (the local thrift store) looking for 20 ugly mugs for a mixer game on Friday night. We had to get into groups based on our mugs theme, like Christmas mugs, Dad mugs, Saying mugs, Boring mugs, and then answer a question. Each mug had a shape and a color written on the bottom as well, which made us switch our groups a few times. After switching three times, we found our selves in our Prayer Groups for the weekend.
15 kilos of wood--Point Wolstoncroft has an amazing fire pit with wood benches and a stage, which is one of the reasons I fell in the love with this camp site. On Saturday night, we decided to have a bondfire, which took all 15 kilos (about 30ish lbs) of wood we brought! Who knew you needed so much wood to start and keep a fire going! We had our evening devo, led by Claire, and sang around the warm glow of the fire. Of course we couldn't have a fire without having s'mores!
13 women--We ended up having 13 wonderful women come to our retreat. Our original goal was 20, but with uni exams, work schedules, family visiting, and new babies being born, we ended up with a smaller number for the weekend. But, it ended up being such a blessing! Because we had a smaller group, everyone got to know each other and bond on a deeper level. New friendships were born and old friendships were strengthened.
7 kilometers--Our camp was located 3.5 kms from a point at Lake Macquarie (hence the name Point Wolstoncroft). We decided to take advantage of having such a nice walk so Saturday afternoon, Mel organized a prayer walk. Before leaving our lodge, every person filled out a questionaire about our spiritual walk--what were we struggling with? What did we want God to accomplish through us? What was our spiritual gift? ect. Then, we were put into pairs and given another person's question sheet to pray for our on our walk. Once we reached the point on the lake after our walk, the whole group met up together and was given a new partner and a new person to pray for. It was such a wonderful experience to bond with another person through prayer for someone else! And, to get to pray outside, surrounded in God's creation, just made it better. The Prayer Walk was one of the highlights for me!
4 prayer groups--Through the genius Mug Mix-Up game, we were put into prayer groups for the weekend. The groups met to pray Friday and Saturday night. We also prayed in these groups for the prayer concert and communion service on Sunday morning. I was in a group with Jamie, Claire, and Marcelle, and LOVED every minute of it! It was so nice to be able to share my struggles, fears, and doubts with these women and take them to God.

3 classes-- On Saturday, there were three classes taught by three different people to equip us to have a deeper relationship with God. The first class was taught by Rebecca about having practical faith. Using examples in the Bible and from her own life, Bec reminded us that we really can trust God with everything in our life, if we give up control and take a leap of faith. Jamie taught the second class about Bible reading. She gave us tools to battle distractions while reading God's word, as well as introduced us to different reading plans and versions. I taught the last class of the day on prayer. I used Jesus as an example of why and how we should pray, and then gave different practices, techniques and tips for spicing up our prayer lives. I got so much out of listening and preparing for these classes, and left feeling equipped with tools to implement in my relationship with God.

2 cooks--We were so blessed to be fed so well this weekend by two amazing women: Joy Mowday and Deb Brown. Not only are these two ladies are known as some of the best cooks in Gosford, but they are also my Aussie mums. They planned menus, bought groceries, and prepared scrumptious meals that kept our tummies very full! In addition to serving in the kitchen, they also offered wisdom and insight as they interacted with the girls and participated in the prayer groups.
1 boy--I know we said the retreat was for young adult women, but we made on exception: for Joel! Since he is just a little over 3 months old, we had the pleasure of having him and his mum around for the whole weekend. His favorite parts were the 7 km walk and the bondfire.

I'll say it: The BEST prayer group!
(Claire, Me, Jamie, and Marcelle)

Our bonfire--we made it ourselves!

Enjoying the bonfire.

Blessing boxes filled with encouraging notes to take home.

The halfway point of our Prayer Walk over-looking Lake Macquarie.

(This photo was not my idea)

Rebecca and Anne

My girls: Amber and Jamie

Our beautiful camp at Point Wolstoncroft.

Claire, Tammy, Joel, and Kim in class on Saturday

Birthday Bliss

I'll be honest: I was actually dreading my birthday. I'm not Ashley Prybyloski who thinks their birthday is a holiday (love you Ash), but I do usually look forward to it. But this year, being in a different country away from most of my family and friends, I was kind of hoping that I could just fast forward or sleep through June 3rd. Alas, my Aussie friends wouldn't let me and I ended up having one of the best birthdays ever!
I spent my actual birthday with several of my great friends. I went out to lunch (Maccas, duh) and shopping at Erina with Sara Moad, instead of our usual Thursday bible study. It was so fun to try on clothes and catch up over french fries. Throughout the day, I had calls from Ghana and Japan wishing me happy birthday, as well as more facebook messages and emails than I can count! I felt even more special that people remembered I am a day ahead in Australia and remembered my birthday a day before. That afternoon Jamie Canham came up from Sydney to hang out, which was such a blast! This girl has become one of my best friends in Australia! Despite going to OC together for 3ish years, it took us moving across the world to make us friends. That night, Jamie, Jenn (who also came up from Sydney), Amber, Anne and I went out to see a movie and out to dinner. Being the fabulous friends that they are, they brought along extra diet coke so I could have "refills!" We went back to my house for presents, a sinfully delicious chocolate cake, and games. Gotta love playing Yahtzee and Mexican Train until 1 am.
My birthday month continued last Saturday night. Dan and Mel have been talking about throwing me a Texas birthday party for months, and they succeeded! With the help Joy, Amber, Anne, and so many people, they decked out the ministry centre to show love for my two homes: Texas and Australia. People young and old from the church came decked out in their plaid shirts, hats, and boots. Everyone brought delicious "Texas" food, which included lots of queso and every kind of dip you can think of, quesadillas, bacon wrapped chiles, sopapilla cheesecake, peanut butter pie, and so much more! After everyone had eaten, we all sat down and watched video messages from some of my friends in the States! It was so special! Then I had to break open a pinata in the shape of a cowboy boot. It took me a few tries and I almost severely injured a 2 year old, but it finally came open! After all of the lollies had been gathered up, the lights went out and 2 gorgeous cakes were put in front of me--one was decorated as the Australian flag and one was decorated as the Texas flag! They were perfect, thanks to the professionals, Joy and Mel! The night ended up with Anne and I teaching everyone how to do the Electric Slide. They don't do it in Australia! A few of us have decided that our next major event is going to be a barn dance with bush dancing (which is like square dancing) this summer! The best part of the night was just spending time with all of these wonderful people who have become family. I felt so blessed as each family came through the doors with their country clothes on, a plate of food, and a big hug for me.
I think my birthday spree has officially ended, but it was a great 2 weeks! I am so thankful to have so many loving and caring friends and family spanning the world!

With all my cupcake presents!

Delicious chocolate cake made by Jamie.

The pinata

Wonderfully talented cake creators!

Amber, Mel and Me in our cowboy clothes

Balcony People

I was first introduced to the concept of balcony people by none other than JGray, Sr. Balcony people are the people who watch your life from the balcony of theater. They watch you grow and change from a distance or from a different time. They aren't on stage with you living out the action, but there are quietly taking it all in from a higher perspective. They lift you up in prayer, giving you not only all of their power but also envoking a Higher Power. You may not see them much in real life or ever, but you know they are always cheering you on from the cheap seats.

Of course the balcony if filled with family members like crazy aunts and even crazier great aunts, cousins and moms, and grandpas who have passed away. But it's also filled with people who aren't related to you. These are the people who have chosen to sit in your balcony and love you even though they don't really have to.

I have been blessed to have full balcony for years--a childhood preacher and his wife who are angels on earth, influential professors and deans who pushed me to be better, a high school best friend who kept me sane through that crazy 4 years, an old youth minister and his wife who recognized their relationship with me didn't end because I graduated, parents of college roommates, church family who has known me since I was born. These people, and so many more, all make up the non-family section of my balcony.

I was reminded last weekend of another couple who is in my balcony: Kent and Nancy Hartman. I first was introduced to Nancy as my mom's college roommate when I was in college. Through this connection, I got to know the Hartmans better. They convinced me to go on a campaign to Gosford, Australia which led to this life changing decision of being a HIM worker. After spending a couple of days with them, I was reminded of what an impact they have had on my life. They are so wise about missions, having a deeper relationship with God, and reaching out to others. They inspire me to be a better servant and think on a bigger scale. The Hartmans have chosen to sit in my balcony and take an interest in my life. I know when I accomplish something great or need a little encouragement, I can look up from the bright and stressful events of the stage and see them in the top level. Always there, standing firm.

That's What I Love About Wednesdays...

Wednesdays are one of my favorite days of the week. Here's why: (In list form of course)

1. I don't have as many regularly scheduled activities on Wednesdays. Because these days are free-er, I am able to visit and spend time with members of the congregation. This past Wednesday I had afternoon tea with Tammy Drennan, and her three kiddos: Caitlyn, Noah, and Joel, who are all under the age of 5. They are some of the most creative, fun kids I know!
2. I don't have to cook dinner on Wednesdays! Someone always feeds me before church so I don't have to go home. I have a standing dinner invite at the Mowdays, but this week I had dinner with the Grittens.
3. TREK Youth is every Wednesday night at the ministry centre. We start the night off with time to hang out--playing Uno, chatting, ping pong, listening to music. Then, we have a devotional or break into groups for discussion or prayer. Even though I am usually pretty tired by the time 7:30 pm rolls around on Wednesday nights, I am always re-energized in the next hour and half.
4. After TREK Youth, most of us head to Maccas. I always have the girl car, which means we crank songs like "Hey Soul Sister" and anything by Colbie Callet and sing our little hearts out until we make it Maccas.
5. I love McFellowship after church on Wednesday nights because it's such a mix of ages around the long table at the West Gosford Maccas. You see elders mixing with teens, and just taking the time to get to know each other. There is always plenty of fries and ice cream to share, and the best part is FREE REFILLS!!!
6. I am always exhausted on the 20 minute drive home on Wednesday nights. But as my car drives by the moonlight bay, I am reminded of how blessed I am. I am reminded of exactly why I am here, and I am assured that I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

Caitlyn, Me, and Noah

Literally the funniest kid I know!

More evidence that he is hilarious!
Yes, those are my glasses and my watch.