Love...redefined. (contents of this post not suited for young children)

Summer is almost gone, can you believe it? Where oh where did the time go?! Yet as we sadly wave our summer goodbye, we welcome in the new semester with eagerness and a longing to see each other again, and this makes the heart yearn for the fellowship of the brethren. I am particularly eager to see you all again, for I am bursting to share with you what I have learned this past summer. Also, this monsoon season in Korea has been no joke, as you can see from the picture.

As some of you know, I have been rather uncertain as to what I want to do with my life, be it going into law enforcement, teaching English, or becoming a plastic surgeon, I really was not sure as to what i wanted to do.

However, this summer has been eye opening for me into the underground world of human trafficking and just how prevalent this abomination is. Do you know how many slaves there are in the world this present day? 27 million. This is more than the Trans-Atlantic slave trade has seen! Many of these people are forced into prostitution, and sickeningly, a large number of these people are taken into captivity when they are but children. The countries that are the most involved in this ugly trade? Thailand, Cambodia, Moldova.. but i was shocked to find out that South Korea is up at the top 5 in human trafficking.

This Friday, I had the privilege of seeing the world premiere of the documentary Nefarious: Merchant of Souls. It was an hour 45 min well done film showing the hidden world behind the red light districts and the karaoke clubs and underground bars: it showed the testimony of women who have been rescued from lives of entrapment in sin and destruction and gave hope, sharing success stories and experimental legislation in Sweden that has proven surprisingly effective in discouraging human trafficking.

Then today, Sunday, the director of Nefarious, Benjamin Nolot, spoke at the church I am attending, addressing the issue at heart here: at the root of this abomination, is a twisted view of love. He compared God-given love with human self-centered lust, and contrasted where each will lead to, ultimately. It all goes back to Romans 1 (nod at Charity): ..."they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." (Rom 1:25)

By focusing on the creature, mankind, "people have lost the vision of the supreme ethic of love. In pursuit of carnality, we have redefined love to fit in with promiscuity." (Benjamin Nolot). This so accurately depicts the culture in which we live in! This culture is so warped that fashion idols that kids look up to such as Angelina Jolie say things like "I doubt that fidelity is absolutely necessary in a relationship... we make sure that we never restrict each other." What is this?! This is the world we live in today.

Yet in this world marked with lust, God is still full of love for his children. Nolot shared a story of a middle eastern girl being kidnapped into the sex trade industry at the young age of 9, never before having seen or heard of a Bible. 4 years later, she was rescued and without ever having heard of Scripture before, she had written on her wall in the brothel a verbatim transcript of Psalm 27:1-7.

¹The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

²When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.

³Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.

⁴One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.

⁵For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.

⁶And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

⁷Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!

Praise the Lord, He is worthy to be praised indeed! When i read this psalm, my heart just broke, knowing that we can never fully grasp how much the Lord loves us, and desires us to be saved.

There is a rap song done by a christian artist, Mickey Cho, that paints a realistic picture of what is going on behind the veneer of our society. Check it out here.

I apologize for the graphicness of this post: it is something that the Lord has laid upon my heart, and I wanted to share this with you all, so that you can all pray with me, that the Lord will see it fit to mark our society with a culture of Love.

Surprised by God

Hi, Tribe.

Yesterday I was thinking about how often we are surprised by what God does and consider His interventions to be a bit abnormal. Here are just a few examples:

• Parting the Red Sea . . . after hardening, softening, hardening, softening, and hardening Pharaoh's heart.
• Holding the universe together while "the sun stood still" as Joshua fought Israel's enemies.
• Speaking to Balaam through his donkey.
• Sending Jesus to live on earth among us, die, and rise again.
• Redeeming sinners.
• Sending Paul to Rome as a prisoner.

We could all come up with even more wacky and bizarre circumstances in which God intervened. But after I was thinking about those interventions, I kind of thought, "Well, they are strange, and they aren't what we would do given sovereignty of the situation, but they accomplish His purpose." And then I got to thinking that maybe those unconventional interventions are . . . well, God did them, so they are abnormal to us, but they are how He works, and therefore, in a sanctified sort of way, common.

But I am still surprised by God. I am surprised at how He continues to use painful circumstances in my life for His good pleasure. I am surprised at how in spite of the summer church craziness, He is beside me. I am surprised at how He has provided friendship for me in an unexpected form. (And just sayin', I have the best cousins in the world, and their names are Natasha and Isaac Lining!!)

Just wanted to share that with you all :)

Another VBS Update :)

So last week Caleb gave a wonderfully detailed account of our week working at the VBS in the desert! I won’t bore y’all will everything all over again, but there are a few things that I feel led to share both to update Caleb and for all of you to be encouraged by such an awesome God that we serve. I will limit myself to the story of one little girl in order to do this, although there are many stories I could tell!

As Caleb mentioned, this year’s VBS was a challenge as far as the 5^th-7^th graders were concerned. My co-teacher Erick and I felt like it was just one spiritual battle after another trying to get through to these kids. Several of our boys in particular had absolutely no respect for authority or rules and were nearly uncontrollable in a classroom setting. By Wednesday night we felt completely defeated…I was truly on the verge of tears and felt like I had completely failed my pastor, the kids, and God. But after talking to Pastor Stephen, we had a foolproof plan…even if it killed us and the kids, they WERE going to hear and know the Gospel message goshdarnit! As Caleb described before, we were going to do this in the most unconventional way possible: feed them salty crackers, have them run a race, and then trick them into drinking salty water in order to demonstrate to them the desperate importance for a “living water” that will cause them to never thirst again. Cool plan right? Well, we thought so.

Until the next morning. All was going smooth, right up until the kids drank our salty water. One little girl, Taylor, comes running up to me instantly and shakily sputters out, “I…I….I…I’m ALLERGIC TO SALT!” Crap. I take her by the hand and down to Pastor Stephen’s office, asking her questions about the severity of her allergy and who we could contact in case of a reaction. But all the while my heart was sinking. “Seriously Lord,” I prayed. “I just want one child to know Who You are…and now not only have we lost the attention of the entire class, but I will be responsible for killing a kid.”

Ok, so maybe I overreacted a little bit. But you have to understand that after a week of complete frustration and banging your head against a brick wall, this one little thing on our last day seemed huge. However, the thing I neglected to realize was that despite Satan’s best attempts to bring us down and distract a group of children from knowing their Saviour, God had a perfect and incorruptible plan. He was in absolute control.

So Taylor ended up being fine, and the morning went on as planned. I took the girls into a separate room and we enjoyed some awesome “girl time” of digging into the passage about the Samaritan woman at the well. I had their full attention and they seemed to really connect with what I was teaching them! Praise God!

Now here’s where my story gets REALLY cool! I had been watching Taylor carefully all day (mostly to make sure she wasn’t dying), and I noticed that she seemed a little more quiet and introspective than the day before. She had told me earlier that she had never gone to church before and was interested in learning more about salvation. After our family fun open house night on Friday (wish you could have been there, Caleb!!), Taylor came up to Pastor Stephen alone and asked him if he would teach her how to accept Christ. She came to know the Lord as her Saviour that night in the foyer of my church. The very next Sunday, she and her mom and stepdad were sitting in the service and were welcomed warmly by First Southern Baptist!

Yesterday in church, we had a prayer service. Taylor’s mom stood up and shared an interesting story of her own. A few weeks back, Taylor’s mom had been trying to raise the money to fly Taylor out from Oklahoma where she lived with her dad in order to spend some time with her. Her dad is non-Christian and does not take Taylor to church. Well, just before VBS, Taylor’s mom unexpectedly received a $600 rebate from the online classes she was taking. Completely stunned, she bought a ticket and had Taylor get on an airplane out to CA! Taylor quickly became friends with a military family on base who attends our church and have a daughter her age. This other little girl asked Taylor to come to our VBS as her friend (in order to receive a special prize).

Oh my goodness! I was so overwhelmed as I listened to this story in church yesterday. Here I was all week of VBS, having my pitiful little Jonah moment, complaining to God about how frustrated I was that the kids had such hard, unrepentant hearts and everything felt like such a battle. When all along, even despite potential salt poisonings, “duck suicides,” financial hardships, and everything in between, God had a plan that this one sweet little girl would come all the way from Oklahoma to hear the message of Christ and become saved by His grace. I am so humbled today, thinking about how God’s plan for each of us is so perfect and that He is always in control even when we feel like we are walking in the dark. He will go to great lengths to make sure that everyone gets the chance to know Him and trust Him. I feel so privileged to have gotten to see this important chapter in this girl’s life unfold in such a powerful way. All praise and glory goes to God.

VBS: Please read the post

This is a song that all the kids liked during our VBS...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1En9OT53XrY

Random Rhi-isms.

Hey everyone, its been really neat to read about all of the summer adventures everyone is having and the way that the Lord is working in each of your lives. I'm not sure I have much to say, but I will try. So, here goes.

1. I love summer. The heat, the break from school, the laughter, the friends, and most importantly time with Jesus =).

2. I seriously have a problem ordering pizza. It happens pretty often. I'm kinda actually getting to know the delivery guy. Maybe a little too well. Once I was having a bad day and openly expressed that to the pizza guy and then was like "but you know what, God is so good, because this is what He showed me today." Pretty sure the guy thought I was nuts. Because I haven't had that delivery driver since that incident.

3. Philippians 3:12-17 "Not that i have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." This verse has kind of been the theme of my summer. Donna and I talk about it in the office quite often and it seems like its often brought to my mind as well. God is teaching me that I am not going to be perfect. I will mess up. But God's grace covers me and I should strive more and more towards holiness rather than being discouraged.

4. Amy is a wonderful roommate. She challenges me to think deeper and truly seek God's view of things. I am so blessed to have her in my life. We have lots of fun and the room is always crazy. Always. Donna has been a huge blessing as well. She teaches me so much about Biblical womanhood by her example. Since she sees me 6 out of 7 days a week, we are able to talk about many different aspects of life as they come up and the Biblical perspective through which we are to view life. Her kindness and love for the Lord encourage me. I am so very grateful for her and her investment into my life.

5. God has shown me how patient and wonderful my friends truly are. Towards the beginning of the summer (estimating about 6 weeks ago from today) I was having some health issues. My doctor had prescribed something to me (it pretty much was not optional either) and it was making me extremely sick. I was constantly tired, sore, dizzy, nauseated - and those were just the physical symptoms. The emotional symptoms were even worse. I am pretty sure I was NOT a fun person to be around at all. But my friends showed me grace and were always kind to me through this. I learned a lot about depending on God and not reacting sinfully no matter how I felt. I am starting to feel more like myself again though as I am starting to adjust to the medication.

6. Random adventures. As Weston said already, we definitely have a lot of these. This summer has been all about actively creating fun things to do rather than waiting for the fun to fall in our laps. Last night, for instance, we went to the farmer's market in downtown Newhall (super fun) and bought the ingredients for salsa. We then took over Harrison's apartment and made salsa. It was really good. Only I got jalapeno in my eye. That wasn't so fun. But the rest of the time was great! Also, I want to make a pinata sometime this summer. Hopefully I can talk Weston and Harrison into helping me since I would have no idea what I am doing.

7. Placerita. Where do I begin? I am truly starting to love that church more and more. I am learning so much about the importance of studying God's Word and living it out. I have met some wonderful people and am beginning to form wonderful friendships with them. It is so fascinating to hear about what God is doing in other peoples lives and seeing their responses to it. I am not helping with KidsFest but I have enjoyed getting to know some of the church members. Oh wait, I did get to help out in the nursery last Sunday. Three words. Rhi LOVES babies <3.

8. JAG. I have been obsessed. Paul knows....

9. Working in the financial aid has been very fun. They are world class decorators in that office, I am telling you. They are in the wrong profession. Just kidding. They are brilliant at what they do as well. But seriously, Donna's birthday was last month and the decorations were FANTASTIC. She has a side business of reselling books for people on Amazon.com (if any of you have any book you don't want, bring them when you come back and she'd love to sell them). Ninety percent of what she sells them for go to the person who wanted to book sold and the remaining ten go toward missions. That being said, Donna loves amazon.com. So the theme for her birthday was "amazon" and let me tell you it was a JUNGLE in the financial aid office that day. Her desk was covered with fake trees (and real bananas) and amazon logos hanging from the ceiling. Gary's birthday was also last month and his office was decorated as the Oval Office. Equipped with the "President of the United States" seal rug. Actually, that part is still in his office under his desk :p.

10. Lately I have been really grateful to our military for all that they do. They are in my prayers often and I'd appreciate it if they were in yours as well.

11. You guys did a great job picking my new computer. So far I haven't had any problems. Well except for one HUGE problem that no one seems to know how to fix. When I use G-talk on my work computer, the heart symbol comes out PINK the way I like it. But on my laptop it comes out red. I wish someone knew how to change it.

12. Well, I guess this is about as much Rhi as you all can take. I am not sure I have said anything that interesting I mostly just typed my thoughts and what I've been doing this summer. I guess I kinda mostly just rambled randomly. But I suppose everyone is used to that by now... Anyways, miss you and praying for you all =)

10 Reasons Why I've Been Enjoying My Summer . . .

1. I get to be around my Natey Boy! His latest: “Ticky (my nickname) close your eyes! Let’s play a game.” Me: “Not right now Natey I’m cleaning the kitchen.” Nate: “Close your eyes. Just close them. Now!” Me: “What is it you want to play Nate? I don’t get it.” Nate: “Remember? The Macky Johnny game?” Me: “What???” Then I think about it for a while Macky Johnny . . . “Oh! You mean Marco Polo?” Nate: “Yes! That’s what I mean!” Me: “You’re a dork! You goof ball. . .” then I continue laughing for a while. All of the sudden it dawns on me where he got Macky Johnny from. What a good little Master’s student he’d make! I was then lost in fits of laughter for a couple of minutes.












2. People here have the right view of marriage. This made me laugh really hard too. I reeeaaaallllllyyyyy LOVE this t-shirt. The funny thing is I’d actually wear it. You in Northern CA may have Tractor Supply stores near you. I found this t-shirt there. I’m sure people in the store thought I’d gone off my rocker when I couldn’t quit laughing.






3. I get to train dogs this summer. The one I picked up on Sunday is horrible. But, Lord willing it will have a heart change and turn in to a nice dog. If I actually start to like it, it’ll be a job well done. The puppy I had last week is a doll. Just love him to death. I’ve dreamed of a Great Pyrenees for a few years now and I have to watch my attitude when I think that I still don’t have one but have so far convinced two people to get one. I am happy that I am able to train this little guy though. I gave him to his owner on Sunday and then get him again when I’m done with the Boxer. A month of German Boxer and then back to this baby!



4. I was able to do VBS 2 weeks ago. I was the teacher of the 1st and 2nd grade kids. It is so sobering to think that at least 5 of these kids don’t go to church and don’t have the gospel shared to them on a regular basis . . . I could seriously get depressed about this, but thank God for His sovereignty. I had 26 kids (way too many for one group) and wasn’t able to personally connect with them which was too bad, but that’s ok, as I said before God is sovereign over it all.



5. I get to do Brazilian Jui-Jitsu 1-2 times per week. This is because I only have so many classes for the summer, but I am enjoying it sooooo much! After being thrown in the pool by a mere eagle scout and squinty eyed fellow I decided I must go get some real training! Hahahaha! Just kidding! I’ve been wanting to do this for a year now and just wasn’t able to because it was not really appropriate. However, we found an amazing academy with an amazing teacher and there are a couple of other girls there for me to grapple with :)


6. I get to live out in the country. No street lights shining in my face when I’m sleeping. I can go outside and no one is watching me. I can talk to squirrels and birds and no one looks at me like I’ve lost my noggin. I can watch calves grow up, laugh at the kids down the road, look out for colts when we’re driving into town, make a game of finding fawns in the grass . . . I can look into the wind and breath deeply and people don’t ask me if I’m ok. I can rejoice in the rain and take a walk in it and everyone understands.


7. I am setting up an area on my balcony to do school in this fall. I’ve got potted plants and am hopefully gonna find a deal on a patio chair that I can sit in. So far, I am just busy helping my plants survive through the heat of the summer, but I guess everything takes off again in the fall when it cools down and we start to get rain again.


















8. FOOD. My family understands what good food is. They understand what is precious about sitting down and having good conversation over a cup of coffee. Whether in a sad, rejoicing, or just normal everyday situation, first we have coffee. Desserts are REAL chocolate. Main meals stick and don’t leave a bad aftertaste or a fatty feeling in your gut when you’re done. We eat a little chicken, a little pork, and a lot of BEEF!!!!!!! Yes, yes, yes!!!!
















9. Bird watching. We have tons of birds here. There's cardinals, finches, sparrows, swallows, and I don't know what else. Tons of them though. We keep bird baths filled and they keep coming. Up on my porch I've got feed and so at almost any given time I can look out the window and see some pretty little fellow eating from there.








10. Water. It is so hot here. It's humid and muggy a lot of the time. We have been taking advantage of the rivers around here. Also any other water we can get ahold of such as water balloons, water slides, sprinklers, etc. Funny thing, I'm not a great swimmer, yet water brings me such joy! (You getting cold backs just thinking about it some of you?)





As always, everything really does go back to Romans one. We need to be thankful for all of the blessings God has given to us. I'm a romanticist at heart and so the little things are what intrigue me, maybe you aren't and the whole picture intrigues you more. Either way, Romans 1:20 talks about God's creation and how He is seen in all of it. Creation is His masterpiece and in it He is reflected. We are the ones who miss it, suppress it, and refuse to acknowledge Him in it. We change it to something grotesque and do not glorify God because of it. I'm working on looking at all of the little blessings and enjoyments that I am finding this summer and seeing God's hand in it all "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." Creation can't show us salvation, but having the gift of salvation, we can see God clearer through enjoying His creation - His handiwork.

The Declaration of Indendence

The Unanimous Declaration
of the Thirteen United States of America

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

VBS: How I Saw It

I will try to recount my experiences in Yucca Valley as best as I can, but first I need to say a few things. In the next few days if you want to get a hold of me in any way, you will have to do it by phone. I will not have a computer at my use consistently for about at least two weeks. So if any of you don't have it and want it, my cellphone number is (661) 644-9071 and I can get calls and texts on it. Actually, I think that is all I need to say. Now I will recount my time in Yucca Valley.

I think I will start by setting the scene and then describe some of the important characters. The setting is a place called Yucca Valley, it is close to the middle of nowhere and yet in some ways you might forget that that think that you are not to far away from somewhere. It has a ton of "trees" called Joshua trees or Yucca plants, and they look like they could have come right out of a Dr. Seuss book. They also have a lot of rock structures that are similar to those in the "Cars" movie.

Now I will describe some of the people that are a part of the week's story. As I describe them you will notice that there are not any physical descriptions of the people. That is because I often fail to notice and accurate physical description of people, I am better at describing what people are like, so that is what I am going to do.

Me (Caleb): No description necessary.

Anne: No description necessary.

Pastor Stephen Jones: He graduated from the Masters College and Seminary. He was my 5th and 6th grade Sunday School teacher (keep that 5th and 6th grade on the fore front of your mind, you will see it a lot). Personal Story: I would not be the person I am today if it was not for him. Even though I believe that I was saved at a young age, it was not until the 5th and 6th grade, in the Sunday School class, that the Bible started to become real to me and I wanted to know more about God and what the Bible said, and that is because he made the Bible seem real and really taught me that the advents really happened. Description (cont.): He became the pastor at a small church called First Baptist Church of Yucca Valley a few years ago. Things have not been easy for him but he is a man of God and he has seen in small ways God blessing him. He is kind and caring and puts others first.

Natalie Jones: Stephen's wife. They met at Masters and became good friends and then started dating and then got married. They have been married for about 10 years and when they were dating and newly-weds people thought that they were bother and sister. She was my Co-Sunday School teacher when I was in 5th and 6th grade. She is the mother of 3 kids: Dillon age 5, Heida age 3, and Abigale age 4 months. She a lot of energy, for being a mother of 3, and has a big heart to reach out to the young people in the community.

Isaiah, Dillon, and Ezra: These three are brothers who were at VBS last year and this year, I got to know them last year. I don't know if they are saved or not, but I think they go to church sometimes. Isaiah is the oldest and wants to be a leader but he is unsure of himself, but he acts like he is cool, he reminds me of myself. Dillon is the middle wild child, he is crazy and has a lot of energy and people follow him, almost blindly because he has a personality like that. Ezra is the youngest and the smallest but that is not how he sees himself, his favorite color is green and he sees himself as the Hulk, but he loves and looks up to his older brothers.

Erick: He just graduated from high school and worked with Anne during VBS. His mom worked during VBS as the 1st and 2nd grade teacher. I believe that they have been going to First Baptist for a long time, but I don't remember them from last year. He was very creative and full of energy and really good with kids.

Lila: Last but not least: I worked with Lila last year, we had the 5th and 6th graders and we felt like fish out of water (It was our first time ever doing anything like that.) She has a heart to reach out to kids, but she feels like she can't do it. She does try, but she feels like she is not qualified to do it. She sometimes thinks that she is to old to figure this whole "working with kids thing" down.

Day 1 (Saturday 06/25/2011): Pastor Stephen picked me up from Canyon Country. We had a good long conversation and car ride. We made it to Yucca Valley and we do some grocery shopping for a picnic the next day. Then we got to his house, which is where I stayed, and we got settled in.

Day 2 (Sunday 06/26/2011): We went to church and I got to see some of the people again from last year, meet some new people, and met some of the older people for the second time (if you know what I mean). It was nice to see Lila and Anne again. Then the Jones and I went back home and prepared for the picnic. We picked up two kids (high-school) who go to the church and left. There only one other family showed up, a marine family (which is common, there is a good amount of marine families that goes to the Jones' church). There is a marine base in the desert because it gives the people a good idea of what it is like to be in the Middle East. After the picnic and dropping people off, we went home.

Day 3 (Monday 06/27/2011): Stephen and I set up for the VBS and got a bunch of last minuet things done, and Anne got her classroom ready (sadly it was not 5th and 6th grade proof). That night I went over to Anne's house and had dinner with her and her parents (her sisters were not there). We had a great time! After dinner, we went to a view point where we could overlook a whole valley and watch it light up as the sun was setting. Then we went back to her house for dessert and tea. Then it was late so I had to leave. But it was a great time, we talked about everything, and we could still be doing it right now if there was not other things that we had to do.

Day 4 (Tuesday 06/28/2011): The FIRST day of VBS! Last year VBS was 5 days long and I was with the 5th and 6th graders. This year the VBS was 3 days and I was put with the kindergarteners with Lila and Erick's mom. Lila and I work really well together so we had fun, but the first day seemed to be a disaster. It seemed like we were doing badly, though in hind-sight it went quite well. Erick and Anne with the 5th and 6th graders were doing badly. They were having kids that were not paying attention and committing "duck suicides." (Ask Anne) This year Isaiah and Dillon was in the 5th and 6th grade class, last year it was just Isaiah. I tried to help since I had some experience with them last year, they seemed to like me. They thought of some stuff, and ideas for the next day but...

Day 5 (Wednesday 06/29/2011): The second day of VBS. The little ones did much better and Lila was encouraged. Erick and Anne did not far so well, but Dillon and Isaiah (but mostly Dillon) did better this day. Dillon was the one who needed to improve more. After the whole thing Erick, Anne, Stephen, and I got together to talk about what to do about the 5th and 6th graders. In this meeting we past around a bunch of ideas of what we should do in future years to better reach this age group. Part of the problem is the children's attitude but at the same time there is things that we need to change, like not giving them the same craft as the kindergarteners. Even though we talked a lot about the future we also figured out something to do the next day to get there attention and it was a good thing the pastor was there approving what we were going to do.

Day 6 (Thursday 06/30/2011): The third and last day of VBS and my last day. I was moved to the 5th and 6th graders. The lesson was about the woman and Jesus at the well and how Jesus calls himself the Living Water. So the three of us fed the kids crackers and had them run a relay race in the middle of the desert. This was to make them thirsty. Then we gave them salty water, so that they would still be thirst after they drank the water (as we were during this I was thinking that this is something Weston would approve of). After playing the trick, we gave them good water and broke up into small groups (boys and girls). I wish that Isaiah and Dillon was there but they were moving the next day. In the small groups we were able to get most of the kids attention and share the Gospel to them. Then shortly later in their music time they were given another Gospel presentation, their music teacher was Natalie (who was in on it). If it was not for this, I would be tempted to think that this week as a waste, but since we did do this, I know that it was not. Sadly though I had to leave on this day.

The next day there as a barbeque that was a ton of fun last year. I wish that I could have been there. Please pray for everyone that came to the VBS but especially the people I mentioned and the 5th and 6th graders, like Daniel and Xavier. Pray for Lila and the three brothers, they weigh heavily on my heart.