Moving, Moving, Moving

Wow. Conferences are flying by. We are currently in Columbus, MS. It seems as we get to know people we quickly have to move on. But that's the path that God has placed me on. And what a journey it is.

Last week we were in Waycross, Georgia. While there I got to know a number of children in our children's club. It was a very neat group of kids and very eager to be there. I also enjoyed the chance to get to know the Pastor's family. One of the blessing from last week was walking through Wal-Mart and hearing my name. It was the pastor's daughter with her mom doing some grocery shopping. I realized how normal it had become to go into a store and expect that no one would know you. But oh how refreshing it was to hear your name called and it was someone you knew.

God is good. And He blesses in BIG and small ways. He LOVES us and ALWAYS will.

Snow was another bonus. We traveled through snow in Alabama. I love seeing snow because it reminds me how God can transform things in ways we can't imagine and how He washes our sins away and makes then whiter than snow.

This is our 6th conference of the year and it starts tomorrow!

Health Update

I thought I'd get to this update sooner but life on the road is fast paced. Well over December I had a number of doctor's appointments. I have e-mailed an update on my health that is more detailed than what I will post here on my blog. So if you'd like the e-mail please let me know your e-mail address and I will add you to my e-mail update list.

I had laryngitis/hoarse voice that was caused by an esophageal reflux. I was also told that I have degenerative arthritis in my neck.

Please pray for me as I'm back on the road. As a team we are trying to exercise more while trying to last through a 9 conference stretch. We actually are booked for conferences until the end of May/beginning of June with the exception of one week. But the 9 conference stretch is 9 THIRST Conferences back to back which basically means that we will be arriving at a new church every Friday and setting up on a Saturday to start Sunday and then pack up Wednesday evening.

The Lord is my strength. He shall supply for all my needs. The Lord is the lover of my soul. These are some of the things that I try to frequently remind myself of.

A verse that I have frequently thought of so far this year is

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not unto thine own understanding in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.

Quick Update

I just made it back to Wisconsin this morning. Time surely does fly. One thing that I find hard to do is prioritize. When you have so much to do its hard to know what comes first. So here's a quick update.

I spent Christmas at home in Hawaii for 2 1/2 weeks. My Christmas gift from my AMAZING team. I had 4 doctor's appointments while I was home. I'm trusting God in all of this. I'll let you know the results, hopefully soon.

Please pray that I will keep God the first and foremost priority in my life. That I would continually trust Him in every situation. And would bring Him glory in all I do and say.

I got to see a lot of family. That was a special blessing to me. A lot of my cousins have kids of their own now. I can play "auntie" now. I love that.

Well I got to go. Priorities first.

A bunch of pictures from El Salvador

This is a picture of me and two of the youngest girls at the home. I'm holding Kimberly and the other girl is Paola.


My Alabama friends that I travel with: MaryBeth and Jonathan. The volcano behind us is an active one.



Luke Johnson is our team's Youth Revivalist and this is while he was hanging out with some of the teenage boys one afternoon.

This is Christopher. I think he is 8 years old. He would give me a hug everytime I saw him. This year he is in a new house with the older elementary age boys.

Our team with many of the kids from the home. Not all of them but most of them. It was a great week. Can you find me? Lol. I was told I look El Salvadorian.

El Salvador Trip 2009

First off: Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU, Gracias, Mahalo to all who prayer for me and my team while we were in El Salvador. And thank you to all those who supported me financially to go to El Salvador for a week (I'm still working on writing thank you cards to you and I'm sorry if you got two or none I'm having a hard time keeping track of which ones actually made it to the mailbox).



We departed the airport in Chicago Saturday November 28th at 2 in the morning. We spent a week in El Salvador and arrived back in the United States Saturday December 5th before 2 in the morning.

Our team was able to minister to the Shalom Children's Home. We helped with a lot of physical labor on the property. A few weeks before we arrived a hurricane came through El Salvador. I believe it was Hurricane Ida but don't quote me on that one. Our team was able to do a lot of painting, built a new gate by one of the houses, cleared fallen branches and trees from the hilltop behind their office building, cleared debri from a mudslide that took out part of their fence, decorated their church for Christmas, and other things I cannot remember but I know there were more.

Last year our team was able to come to El Salvador and help at the Children's Home. A lot of the children remembered me, by name. It was an amazing experience. Last year I played soccer with the 8 to 12 year old boys. It was very neat when I saw them because they ran out to meet me while we were touring the Home. I was sad that I wasn't able to play much soccer with them this time. We had a lot less time to play with the children this year because of the amount of work they needed help with at the home.

One day while we were hauling a lot of branches some of the teenage girls were calling for me to come over. I told them "no puedo" which means I can't. They asked "why" and I had to tell them I was working and I wasn't allowed to leave what I was doing.

This year I was able to spend time with one of the girls at the home. She is usually shy but I was able to befriend her. I heard her story when I got back to the states last year. I knew I wanted to meet her on this trip. The first day I saw her I told her "hello" and said her name. I think she was a little surprised that I knew who she was. But from then on she said hello to me every time she saw me. She was a great helper and by that she was an encouragement to me. She didn't look like she had a lot of friends but yet she still had a joy in her life. She was an example of serving regardless of being thanked or appreciated.

I plan to share more about the trip, but this is all I have time to write right now. The next time I get a chance I'll share about the church we were able to minister to on Sunday.

No I Haven't Forgotten

I know I said I would update my blog soon about El Salvador but it's been so busy. I'm now at home in Hawaii visiting my family and enjoying my Christmas gift from my team. Thanks guys! Love ya tons!

I'm trying to go through my pictures to pick out some good ones before I start my post. So much happened in El Salvador in a week. Well...I promise I will do my best to write a post about El Salvador. Soon. I hope. :)

Thanks for reading this post anyways.

Shawntay

5k, Thanksgiving Day Run, Niles, Michigan

The race went really well for Joanna and I. We finished together. Our time was 31:22, yes both of us got the exact same time. Josh ad Reuben ran the 5k as well Josh's time was 25:28 and Reuben's time was 24:31. Susanna ran the 10k and her time was 47:59. She didn't do as well as she wanted to but came in less than a minute after the person she was trying to beat.

The team I traveled with showed up to the race before they headed to their Thanksgiving Day meal at our Team Manager's house. It was awesome. They didn't see us start because they were late, but they saw us at a corner and I think it was about half way. Joanna and I were really tired so it was a big encouragement. Especially to me. They ended up going to another corner and some of them even ended up running with us a little bit. Well toward the end of the race Reuben ended up running with Joanna and I and pushed us to finish strong and at a sprint. Well Joanna and I got to finish really well.

Joanna and I took a walk around the YMCA to warm down and then we rushed off to try to get back to the finish line to watch Susanna finish. Joanna and I waited for her before the finish line and then we ran with her till the end. Joanna ran on her right and I on her left. We pushed her and encouragement her till we could run no longer with her because of the chip timers we were using.

Susanna and I now have goals for next year's Thanksgiving Day Run at the YMCA. I want to run the 10k with her so we have a year to train. Our goal is to train for the top of her age group. To come in first for Susanna's age group, we need to run the 10k at 42:15. As a long term goal I jokingly said that we should do the Honolulu Marathon one day. Who knows it could happen. God has been making my dreams come true so why not dream big. My grandfather has run in marathons before so I have it in my blood I just have to find it and train it. :)

PS- One of the big things that God is still teaching me is: When I become who God wants me to be, everything else will fall into place.