Photos from our Christmas party for the young adults at church~

I got to housesit for one of the lady's at our church this weekend- what a blessing! She had two little pups- this one is Douglas Fir, also called DUG or duggy fresh! I absolutely fell in love- he came to work with me all day saturday and did great! He greeted all the customers while sitting in my chair. They loved him! It was so neat to see him brighten people's faces- esp. Jon, an older gentleman who is a veteran and comes in everyday to get coffee and read Grudem's Systematic Theology & Judy, one of the high schooler's mom's who has battled cancer for years.

Risa and I loved staying at the house- just a night to get away, have fresh brewed coffee from Seattle! (she owns a coffee kiosk in town and use to live in seattle- she ships her coffee over- that's right, we seattlites know our coffee!), and a cozy bed!

Other highlights:

-Staff Christmas Party on Saturday- pupus, white elephant exchange, thanksgiving, and prayer- i'm so thankful for the staff here- how they love Jesus and have been so faithful.

-Double date with Adam and Ellie- they got married in March and jeff and i just lOVE them! They are such blessings in our lives. They had us over for dinner, decorating their cute ohana and then Adam made the BEST hot cocoa ever (we're both lactose intolerant;) and we drove around to look at the Christmas lights (or lack thereof ;)

-Robin Jones Gunn and her husband just arrived today! She called me- we're friends!!!! I'm so excited that they're here!

-ONE WEEK TIL I'M HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Lord is so gracious and worthy of praise. I have loved seeing Him heal hearts this year- including my own. He truly will never leave us or forsake us. He is with us always. He is the Great Redeemer, Provider, and Father. He is HOPE. Love came down- God is love. This is the One we celebrate!

Can you imagine the joy the people felt when the words were spoken, "you shall call him Immanuel, God with us" so many years ago- this is the Messiah they had waited for since the fall of man! Finally- he is with us. always. forever. never leaves. in our hearts. on the throne.

Please continue to pray for katy- they know where she is and who she is with now, but wants nothing to do with her mom or coming home. Thank you for your prayers-

Recipe for Homemade Hot Cocoa (esp. for you cait!)

-milk (or rice milk)

-cocoa powder

-nutmeg

-sugar

-vanilla

-cinnamon

-peppermint

please pray...

one of our high school students, katy, went missing yesterday morning at 10am. We don't know where she is, although she may be with her boyfriend somewhere in Paia. I guess he lives in communal living....her mom, Melissa, is taking it extremely hard. Please pray that they will find her, peace for her mom, and safety for katy. Thank you so much.

I can't believe it's Dec. 8th already! It's flying by! This weekend was really fun- and full! On Saturday I had the day off of work from the bookstore (what a treat!) so Lisa, Risa, Leslie and I went to Jori's craft fair and then laid out at Kawakapu- I can't get over at how beautiful Maui is- how majestic is our Lord! Truly His creation SHOUTS His praise!

Then we stopped for lunch and the girls got their Diet Pepsi- the 2L was cheaper than the normal one, so naturally they got the 2L! haha I love this photo- yes, it's official, my roomates are all addicted to Diet whatever (as KK says ;) Christy left a great legacy for us!

Then we headed over to KAM 1 (one of the beach's) for Jeff's birthday! Jeremiah cooked tri-tip for him! (i told the interns on wednesday when we had steak for lunch from our pastor that I feel like a man when I eat steak- like hair grows on my chest! We rarely had steak growing up- and it seems like such a treat and a man's meat to me- esp. when people eat it still bloody!) I love that Risa's dream meal, one she would have if it were her last meal on earth, is steak.

Naturally, we put a little game of volleyball together- look at these two! (also, we won!)

On Sunday, i took Jeff on a picnic dinner for his birthday- it was so fun! I got some martinelli's to celebrate the occasion! (That was always our celebration drink growing up)

This morning we went over to the Spencer's for breakfast- he is one of the elders at our church. OH! I so cherish our time with Mark and Jori- and oh how i treasure her food! She is an amazing cook! This morning we had homemade acai bowls- my absolute favorite thing in the whole world. In my ideal world, i would wake up to this every morning :) I'm so thankful for them- i would love to one day have a home where we invite people over all the time and share meals with them. It's such a blessing to us- what a treat! We also had french press coffee:)

Here they are! Acai smoothy mix: frozen acai packets, apple juice and frozen banana.

Then top it with granola, honey, coconut, strawberries, blueberries and bananas.

What an answer to prayer! One of the elders at our church donated a running van to us interns! It doesn't need water poured into it to run, it has a radio, working breaks, and it's clean! Praise the lord!

Ministry is going well- please pray for Amy and Brandon. Amy had surgery last week, so is resting and trying to recover. She's in a lot of pain and it's going to be a slower healing process than they thought. Please pray for healing for Amy, and peace for Brandon- two jobs, 3 little kids under the age of 5, and he's speaking in big church this sunday.

This week I had small group but only jade could make it, which turned out to be a huge blessing. It was so great to have a heart to heart with her, hear how she is, and what struggles she has. We got starbucks, drove through the lighted trees at Wailea and went walking on the path at Wailea. I love hearing these girls share their struggles with me- and being able to love on them and remind them of God's love and truth- they are not alone! God is with them- and I'm thankful for the opportunities I have when I hear of struggles they have that I've had in the past, or still do. What a privilege it is to see God's hand at work in my trials- how he uses us to comfort others.

Yesterday, I took Sissy out for breakfast to this cute french bakery- she turned 17 yesterday! I asked her what she was hoping for or excited about in this next year, and what she said melted my heart:

1. looking forward to college and praying she'll be ready

2. that she will fall deeper in love with Jesus

Amen girlfriend! That's what it's all about!

Brandon and I are also getting ready for winter camp- More than Conquerors is our theme this year

based on Romans 8:37 "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us"

here's our inspiration ;)

Other things:

1. I've been able to skype with one of my best friends Renee two times in the past two weeks! That's HUGE for us! haha we are queens of phone tag- today i got to see kimmy and her boys, anna and mama o- how sweet! My family in california- love you guys!

2. Christmas parties galore! Tonight for Rise, Saturday for Staff Christmas, and next tuesday for our girl's small group!

3. If I could I think I would get all of my food supplies at Whole Foods! IT'S AMAZING! Also, i love drinking water out of glass bottles- so classy ;)

4. 12 days til i see my beautiful parents!!! HOME SWEET HOME!

5. I love Psalm 119, and was encouraged by this verse this morning,

Ps. 119:31-32 "I cling to your testimonies, O LORD; let me not be put to shame! I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!"

Run- not merely walk, but run towards the Lord, running in His ways which are best and good! When HE enlarges our hearts- sets our hearts free- notice it's His working in us- he has set my heart free so I can run in His ways and cling to Him! Those who believe in God will not be put to shame (romans 9:33b). In Him is life, light and salvation and grace.

I've been reading from my NASB bible lately- the one I've had since junior year in high school- it's big and all marked up- it has tear stains all over, esp. the psalms- it has moments noted of a verse really speaking to me. Sometimes it's just so good to go home in a sense- to read from one of your bibles that you had for a long time. My bibles are the most important earthly treasure i have- i feel like they're part of my heart, my map for life, my light unto my feet. I'm so thankful the Lord has blessed us with his word- so true, so faithful- our sword.

6. Lately I've been thinking into the future and really having a dream of mine pressed on my heart- the Lord is telling me to leave it in His hands and really pray for it- even though it seems impossible to me. Actually, there's 3 dreams I'm praying for! I'm so thankful that nothing is impossible with our MIGHTY Lord, and that He gives us desires to progress the kingdom of God- what a jOY that we can be apart of His plan! I will share them with you one day- maybe sooner than later :)

November at a Glance

I can't believe it's almost December! This month has FLOWN by! Sorry I haven't been keeping up on blogging- hopefully December will be a bit slower, but I have a feeling it's going to be even busier! The days are already filling up.

Here's a glance at November!

Girl's Sleepover= CRAZY! Lisa and i put a girl's sleepover together. What do you do at a sleepover? Well! The game of spoons, I have never, worship, dancing, eating and of course TPing! The girls loved every moment of it! I had never TPed before, so I put it on my bucket list for this year- ooo eee! it was an adventure. Lisa also spoke on beauty and what it means to be made by our loving Father. (also, note to the wise! When you prank the boys, be expecting revenge! We were water ballooned and woken up with shaving cream EVERYWHERE!)

Hello Fall! Cassi, a senior, came over and we made 14 loaves of Mama Joy's famous pumpkin bread! So yummy~

Big Beach Days- love this quote from our friend Dave Case:

Me: How ya doing Dave? (as we're floating out in the ocean)

Dave: Oh man Alyssa, i'm doing great! It's November and I'm still in my swim trunks, floating out in the ocean! I'm just doin' great!

We had our annual Progressive Dinner for the high schoolers- we hop around to 3 different homes, eating a different course of the Thanksgiving meal. At each house we gave a devotional on what to be thankful for. The kids loved it! This year we put a twist to it and had them all bring something "roll" on- ie skateboard, etc.

These are my beautiful small group girls! I had them over last Monday and we made Turkey cupcakes and wrote turkey hands of thanksgiving to our pastors. I just ADORE these girls! I am so very thankful that God has blessed them into my life- they are just a JOY to be around and be able to pour into.

Thanksgiving Eve Service at church- aren't my roomates stunning!?

Thanksgiving! Starbucks coffee, cinnamon, gingerbread, bible, Honolua Bay, watchin' my beau surf, RISE gathering, celebrating with my Maui Family- the Smith's :) Children laughing, homemade apple pie, Texas bourbon yams (haha- not quite cooked all the way!), stories, spending the night in Brody's bed (how can a 5 year old have a bed that is 20 times more comfortable than mine!? it was INCREDIBLE!), waking up at 5:15am- 3 kids under the age of 5 + one mommy + me- our mission- black friday shopping! SO FUN! Heart to heart with Amy

Lavendar Farm- lavendar coffee, lavendar shortbread, fog, fresh air, dreams shared in our club house, Wendy's- thank you Tarpy family for letting us use your car!

I have so much to be thankful for- my heart is overflowing! I wrote a list of things I am thankful for and it was amazing how I actually had to stop myself or I could have gone on for hours. God is so faithful- so true. His Word is true, His promises are faithful, His love is intimate, and His way is righteous and good. I am so thankful for HIM! And for all of His blessings, especially the family of God-

i would just like to say that i've been misled all these years!

Kalani (one of the worship directors at our church) and I were talking about the movie Pollyanna- his favorite movie. And I beared my heart to him, saying that I always love eating graham crackers with mint choc. chip ice cream now because she does while she's in the kitchen talking to the servants. He gave me the strangest look, asking which part of the movie and then said, "alyssa, it's shortbread. And it's not mint chocolate chip ice cream. It's sherbert."!!! All these years I thought I was having a Pollyanna moment when I ate graham crackers, and come to find out it's only with shortbread and sherbert!

On Sunday Risa and I walked into our condo and there was Christmas music playing, our Christmas tree was up and the garland was all around the window! Thank you Lisa for making our apartment so warm and cozy. Now, this may sound CRAZY to you- it's only November and we haven't even celebrated Thanksgiving yet! (Which, I am so excited about!) But we decided since we're leaving earlier in Dec. to go to our homes, we would kick off the Christmas season early. And now I'm slowly getting into the warm holiday season- I read my bible this morning under Risa's homemade, warm and comforting crocheted blanket (I love it so much I want to make one!) and am now listening to Josh Groban's Noel CD. I love this season so much because it means i get to go home and be with my parents soon. I have been away from home the past 5 years (how time flies) so Christmas season is so special to me. However, it does make it harder- i miss my parents so much. And even seeing our Christmas tree up in our room makes me really miss Washington and all the evergreen trees and mountains.

And then I go out of our cozy home and go running in the blazing Maui sun! haha I love it- i wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm thankful for the warm weather and gorgeous ocean (kai in hawaiian) but can't wait to be back home too for the short week in December!

ALSO! GOOD NEWS!!!! (did i already post this on my last blog entry...hmmm...i should check into that!) STARBUCKS RED CUPS ARE OUT!!! I look forward to this day every year- it took me by surprise this year; it seemed to come so quickly! And with red cups comes the holiday drinks, including their Gingerbread Latte! I'm just counting down the days til the goodies come in- gingerbread here i come!

Now doesn't that look so yummy!!!!????

I've been pretty wiped out the past two days. It just seems like life is crazy busy and doesn't slow down. We have Thursday off though for Veteran's day, so I'm really looking forward to that. Hopefully it will entail a long paddleboarding session, some book reading, and sweet rest.

Also, I really miss my parents. There's just something so sweet and precious about your parents. I hold them so tightly in my heart. Lately every time I think about my daddy, tears come to my eyes- I just so love him and am so thankful for his tender heart and how he has always loved on me and pursued spending time with me. And how I love my mama- there's nothing like a mother-daughter relationship. I'm so thankful for her wisdom and how she is a woman of truth and has such a servant's heart. And for her creativity! When I shared my testimony on Thursday night for youth group, I told the kids how blessed I am to have the parents I do- for how they love and follow Christ- how they've taught me how to follow Christ and how they so love and pour into me.

Sigh...on a funny note! (And embarrassing!)

Sunday Risa and I were driving home from church and decided to go through the McDonald's drive thru for a DC. (Diet Coke) She was sharing her heart and then all of a sudden I got a bloody nose! I haven't gotten one of those in so long- we looked frantically through our purses and car for any tissue or napkins- nothing. All we had was a straw wrapper, so I did what I had to- and stuck it up my nose! Oh yes, little glimpses into my life- i'm thankful for moments like that. God has a sense of humor for sure!

Thankful

Hello NOVEMBER! I LOVE november! I think nov & dec are two of my absolute favorite months (along with july and august).

I came down with a bad cold last Wednesday after ru

mmaging through the children's resource room with Martin trying to find hoedown wear. It went from a soar throat, to a runny nose, to a cough and now it has settled deep within my lungs and chest. It's a bit tough to breathe- i'm thankful i could go to the doctor's today and just rest.

And as odd as this may sound, i'm actually thankful to be sic

k right now- i mean if i chose a good time, now it is! Being sick kind of reminds me of fall :) I've fallen in love with Safeway's homemade chunky chicken noodle soup- i can't get enough of it. I can cuddle up in blankets and read all day and tonight I watched Char

lie Brown's halloween with Risa.

Being sick also has made me quite sensitive and teary eyed apparently- i was walking through safeway today and tears almost came to my eyes when i saw them putting out the Christmas goodies! And they have Soy hot chocolate! Next pay check I will treat myself to that delicious mix. Christmas goodies means that I get to go home soon and see my wonderful parents! And mama said yesterday that my grandparents are coming to our house f

or Christmas this year!!!! I'm so excited- I haven't seen them in over a year.

My mentor Jeri was really sick last week and encouraged me by her exa

mple of asking the Lord "Lord, what do you want to show me while I'm sick?" Because it is a trial

, and the Lord always works through trials. So I've been trying to be conscious of that too- yesterday morning I was thankful to just spend time praying for others. That was my prayer request the night before- I love how the Lord answers our prayers! I am realizing how selfish I often am, and i so want to be other's- centered- to truly deny myself and put them above myself. How do I do that? That's a prayer on my heart as of late.

Here's a recap of this past weekend:

1. Hillbilly Hoedown Extravaganza- wonderful! It was a hit! The best part though, that i will forever hold in my heart as the BEST hope chapel staff moment ever was when our two wild pigs got lose and the pastors all ran out and chased them all over the parking lot. Jen: "How does one catch a pig!?" Lots of kids came and had a blast. Hay rides, animal zoo (ducks, pigs, bunnies, fish), face paint, bobbing for limes, bean bag toss, dart board, BBQ, line dancing, bowling, All Purpose Peanut Butter skit and the gospel- 2 Cor. 5:17. I was so thankful that we could do the event and that kids came- and for all the leaders who helped. I truly loved every minute of it!

2. Trilogy Cruise with the Interns- Craig, Jake and Janna gave us an intern appreciate day on the Trilogy- Capt. Chris' new boat that they just sailed from Portland. IT WAS A BLAST! Snorkeling, swimming, sun bathing, heart to heart with Craig- my favorite quote of the day was when Steven, Risa and i were lying on the roof of the boat-

Risa: "Oh sun, come kiss me!"

me: "I love sunkisses!"

Steven: "it's more like a sun make out session..."

3. Working in the bookstore Saturday- jeff and I made beards for Kalani's nativity scene- what a hoot! He's making a nativity scene out of the world globes in the bookstore- it was fun to be creative!

4. Halloween- although I was sick, i still got to dress up as the ninja turtles with the girlies- love my roomies! Lisa is so creative- she made them all by herself!

I feel like my heart is so full of thankfulness right now- which is such a gift from the LORD. He is so good and is so faithful. I'm thankful for this time to be sick and reflect on His precious love and care. Psalm 121- not only is God all powerful (my help, maker of heaven and earth) but also gives tireless care- He guards my coming in and going out now and forevermore.

Just things...

1. Praise the Lord! I ordered the right hot dogs! And I gave in and had one while we were at the beach...ah yes, i DO like hot dogs and the fact that they're green before they are died the color they are doesn't really affect me anymore...still delicious with a bit of mustard.

2. When you do a BBQ at the beach, remember to take the buns and dogs out of the ice chest to thaw out before you BBQ...i'm realizing i'm really not good at these BBQ's! How many have i done for a high school event and still forget something or mess it up somehow!?

3. You have to cherish small things...we went to Whole Foods on Saturday- WHY HAVE I NOT BEEN THERE YET?! and they had soy yogurt- of which i bought the biggest tub! I was so excited! Today for lunch i had vanilla yogurt with apples, blueberries and honey- almost like the amazing greek yogurt Brooke and I fell in love with in Santorini. Thank you lORD...i love little moments like that.

4. I love bike rides! I am so thankful for my beach cruiser and that i can cruise Kihei without a car...i've always wanted to live somewhere where i didn't need a car. Now I would just like a cute little basket in the front and some fake pink gerbadaisies.

5. I'm reading "The Air I Breathe" by Louie Giglio and I can't put it down! It's all about worship and how WORTHY our Savior is...i feel like i could read a chapter a day for the rest of my life.

6. On my Fall To Do list: go to the pumpkin patch- check; drink as many pumpkin spice lattes as possible- check; carve pumpkins- check; chili and cornbread- check; make carmel covered granny smith apples with the girls- TBA!

7. I miss my parents and home...fall seems so inticing and how i would love to be cuddled up in a blanket on my couch with my papa watching the UW game and to sit and sip coffee with my mama and have a heart to heart.

8. Green sea turtles can live up to 80-100 yrs. old! They're green because of all the algae they eat; the boys have bigger tails; their shells weigh 1/4 of their weight, of which they can reach up to 500 lbs! I sure wish I could swim with one :)

9. I have been dreaming of going back to Greece and Israel while I've been reading through Acts...perhaps one day....sigh. I would love to go there for awhile and learn as much as possible and write bible studies there- i would love to be in Israel during Passover and do a real Sader.

10. Dreams...it's never too late to dream- nothing is impossible with the Lord!

11. My plane ticket for Christmas is bought! Thanks mama- you're the best!

12. Tears streamed down my cheeks this Sunday as our Men of Integrity led worship- seeing the men raise their hands in worship for our King was so beautiful- and the little old Phillipino man who played clarinet won my heart.

13. Purpose of prayer: intimacy with our Lord & causes us to have a childlike faith- full dependence upon Him.

hot dogs

Today on my "to do" list was to do the Costco Order for our hillbilly hoe down extravaganza! The Costco order is my LEAST favorite thing i do as an intern- it takes forever, i can never find what I need and I always mess up the order somehow! Well i had to order hot dogs today- cuz those are real jank for our hillbilly night ;) (No offense to those who enjoy hot dogs- which i found out the other day are originally GREEN before they die them!) Anyways, I always order the wrong hot dogs, so I finally just called Costco and asked the lady-

me: "Hi, my name is Alyssa and I'm calling from Hope Chapel and placing an order. I need hot dogs but I'm not sure which ones to get. I don't want big ones...and i don't want little wieners"

silence

we both start cracking up!

Costco lady: "Oh man, i don't know! i'm in the same boat as you! Hot dogs...so confusing! Let me send you over to someone who knows"

then proceeded me explaining my predicament all over again.

Oh man, yes this is my job...looking up hot dogs, deciding how much 5lbs. of meat is... i never knew there were so many varieties of hot dogs!

Peculiar Treasures

On Thursday I was in the office around lunch time, and somehow I was the only one there. Three people walked into the office, so i asked if they needed help and they asked for our Pastor. I went back to get him, all the while thinking the woman looked familiar, but I'm sure she's just a lady from our church. Then when we came back out it hit me! It was Robin Jones Gunn! She is my favorite Christian author and wrote the Christy Miller Series, which I read when I was turning 15 yrs. old. The Lord used her books to really draw me close to Himself- it was through those books that i realized that christianity is a relationship with God- I saw what it looked like to live out a life in love with Jesus and how to walk in His ways. I LOVE those books and recommend them to all my high school girls to read.

I could only dream in my wildest dreams of meeting Robin- and sure enough I did! I told her my story and she began to cry. She explained to me how her husband use to be a youth pastor and she was working with the junior high girls. The girls were reading all of these erotic romantic fictions, but she didn't have any books to recommend to them so she began to write the Christy Miller Series. She would wake up at 3am 3 days a week, since there kids were still really young then. And then she would read a chapter a week to her girls and they would tell her what they liked and what needed to change. It took (i forget) 2-4 yrs. to write and 12 publishers until it finally got published. Her verse that she had up in her kitchen window at the time was Psalm 102:18,

"Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD"

Robin: "Alyssa when were you born?"

me: "1987"

Robin: "they were published in 1988!"

Doesn't that just give you goosebumps! The Lord is so faithful to His words- I came to praise the Lord- i was that generation- and tons of other girls my age.

What a blessing it was to meet her! She was so down to earth and sweet. It was almost as if the Lord was telling me, "Alyssa, keep dreaming big. Truly, those who delight in Me, I will fulfill their desires" Anything is possible with the Lord- may your will be done Papa!

Hello Fall!

This past Saturday I worked in the bookstore and then we celebrated fall! (see, here in maui- since we don't really have seasons, you just have to create them :) Just soakn' it up!) Oh my goodness- I LOVE FALL! I think it's my favorite season (well, no, summer is...then fall) Anyways, since my lovely roomates waited for me to get off work, we couldn't make it to the pumpkin patch upcountry, so of course we did the next best thing...walmart! haha ah yes. We drove into town and picked out our beloved pumpkins, as well as apple cider and candy corn. (You HAVE to have candy corn! I love it because it reminds me of my mama- we never had candy growing up, but we always had candy corn during October and jelly beans during Easter)

We had a bunch of people over- two new girls (yay! praise the Lord! I love seeing the Lord bring new people to Maui and being able to welcome them and love on them.) and carved our pumpkins, baked the seeds, ate pumpkin pie, and just hung out. Haha- carving the pumpkins was amazing! Risa did "808" for Maui- the area code. "808 all day" Lisa carved an adorable girl face with eyelashes, and a heart in the back. Jena and Dave carved a funky pumpkin with geometric shapes! I love them! They were just going at it- and Jeff and I carved a sea turtle, or "honu" in hawaiian.

I'm so thankful for my friends here in Maui- i love the emphasis on community and family, or "ohana" here. Man, and i just can't praise the Lord enough for the body of Christ. What a BLESSING to be apart of the body- to grow, learn, encourage, pray for, speak truth and walk life together in Christ. Thank you Jesus. He is so gracious and faithful.




Also, for those on the mainland- please wrap yourself up in a blanket, put on a football game, and eat chili and cornbread for me! (and go for a brisk walk through fall leaves)

does anyone know how to shrink the header photo!? i love this photo- but it's way too big!

I was looking through my photos from my time at Master's trying to find a photo- well, really just my photos from Greece. I miss that time! I love now- and the season God has me in. But I so treasure my time that I had at Master's- the teaching, discipleship- being surrounded by people who genuinely LOVE and cherish our Papa. The Lord blessed friends into my life there that i will have for my lifetime- ones that truly sharpen me. I'm so thankful for that season of my life. It's melancholy to think it's over...oh how fast time goes by.

sigh...

I'm realizing more and more through reading through Luke about prayer- pouring our heart out to Him and giving him my requests and petitions. Ezra 8:22 says,

"The hand of our God is for good on all who seek Him..." God loves for us to seek Him! That amazes me! And over and over in the old testament and new, it talks about how God hears our prayers and answers- I keep thinking about that today- He wants me to run to Him and tell Him my heart and ask Him for what's on my heart- He will answer in HIS perfect way! Sometimes, I'm realizing, I don't want to ask because I'm afraid of what the answer will be! But why? He is good and is good to those who seek Him. And although the answer isn't always what I want, or the easiest, it's always always always BEST and GOOD.

I almost wish I were 90yrs. old- on my front porch, in my rocking chair, crocheting blankies for my grand babies- so I could be that much closer to the Lord- so intimate with Him- and so wise! I wonder what it was like to be Solomon- being the wisest man in the world and through all the ages- I'm thankful though that i can run to the Lord and seek His wisdom. I was reminded today that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge- "just keep seeking His face Alyssa, and He will give you the wisdom you need"

There's a lot I need wisdom for right now- He is faithful to give it. May my heart be open and soft to receive it!

the first weekend in oct.

Lisa and Alex- on our walk to the coffee shop

YAYA!

Sissy and i at the Fair

Gettin' down to oldies music!

Sorry i haven't written in a bit- this past week was CR-A-ZY with the maui county fair! This was the second year our church was able to have a booth at the fair to raise money for tweens and high school winter camp. We sold Baja tacos :) I think we did pretty well as far as raising money goes- there was one guy there who was selling marshmellow guns and he made $18,000!!! That's the ticket- the simplest thing is what does best. haha I was telling my mama this and she said "man, i would buy that!"

I wish I had the right words to describe the maui county fair- it's magical really! Everyone on the island comes out. If you want a real taste of Maui life- just come to the fair :) There are funnel cakes, malasadas (so yummy- fried dough with sugar), poi mochi (fried- tastes like bubble gum!), chow fun (noodles), lau lau (pork wrapped in tea leaves), & frosty pog (pog juice blended with sherbert- so yummy!). The kids LOVE the rides and the petty zoo (5 animals :) All the high schoolers submit their artwork- that's my favorite part! Also, the outhouses are really pretty nice- whoever put the set up together was a genius, separating men and women outhouses! Great idea- must have been a girl in charge of that one;)

Serving in the taco booth was so fun this year! On Sunday Brandon and I were in the kitchen preparing food at 7:30am (and didn't get home til 1:30am- it's a looooonnnnngggg day!) and found out that our chef wasn't coming til later that night! On the way to the fair, I just prayed and asked the Lord to amaze us with workers and help- that He is the mighty God and if Gideon can win the war with only 300 men- God can certainly provide us with the strength and help we need! And HE TOTALLY DID! Two people came to the early shift, not realizing they had signed up for a later shift. And the kids just stayed the whole day, helping out and serving with such servant's hearts. Two of the parents came down to drop some food off, and then ended up cooking the whole day- what blessings! I was amazed at God's work, and at the body of Christ.

Here's some photos of our time- and some of our surf trip to the westside on monday!

a glimpse into last week~

-last thursday for the furnace we had the kids write down what their first impressions were of the furnace and what they think of when they think of the furnace. This was our favorite one that gave us a lot of laughs:

"a furnace reminds me of a death trap. But God saved Meshak, Reshak, and Abendago from it. Proving God can save us from anything. Even the eternal furnace, hell." HAHA Reshak! so great!

-I tried honey in my coffee and I liked it! For some reason I feel like it's a lot healthier than sugar- and for sure healthier than sweet n' low and equal and splenda!

-Risa and I found a new favorite spot in the church to steal away too this afternoon- I can't tell ya'll (the texans and georgian are wearing off on me!) where, but let's just say i felt like a little girl in the boxcar children books, or a character from Sandlot going to the secret tree house! We get a big cup full of animal crackers from the children's building, and go there and have girl talk. I LOVED IT! And i love her- what a blessing! I am so thankful for this season- when else am i going to be able to live, work, and serve with someone, let alone one of my best friends. What a blessing!

planning an event with brandon...

me: "BRANDON! can we do a hoe down?! i really want to throw a fall party for the high schoolers- line dancing, two step, hay rides, bobbing for apples, face paint...."

brandon: "that's not my ideal event, but okay alyssa...let's see how to work this."

me: "K, well, martin and ryan can do the dancing, jena can do face painting, hay rides in your truck. Maybe the O'briens can bring their horses for rides?"

brandon: "I'll catch a goat!"

me: "a goat!?"

brandon: "ya yea...it can be our mascot for the furnace. We can keep it in the youth room in a cage"

me: "how bout we give it away as a door prize!?"

brandon: "the kids wouldn't know what to do with it."

me: "True..." (i'm thinking of cleaning up after this goat- poop...smell...hmmmm...)

me: "okay, so it's going to be so fun! we can have the horse rides, and dancing..."

brandon: "we can do cardboard surfing behind the go cart"

me: "haha- what!?"

brandon: "and we can have skating behind the church- you know, harvest skating"

me: "let's save the skating for the skate park event!"

brandon "i don't think we should call it a hoe down"

me: "oh yea, i wasn't going too...a fall party? fall frenze?"

brandon: "what about a red neck theme!?"

me: "hmmm....."

brandon: "red neck night-red neck extravaganza"

me: "hmmm....fall frenze?"

brandon: "red neck"

me: "fall frenze"

leslie: "red neck hoe down"

yeah!

brandon "but red neck is more cargo theme..."

me: "hillbilly hoe down"

brandon: "but i really want to say extravaganza"

me: "hillbilly hoe down extravaganza"

done! and we're off....

This past weekend

OH MY GOODNESS! Risa introduced me to Melona Bars- only the best thing you will ever put into your mouth! They're ice cream bars, melon flavored and they're INCREDIBLE!!! Here's us in our kitchen all enjoying them :)

On our Sunset Cruise- it was beautiful and so fun to hang out with all the Rise people. However, apparently I did not get my Grandpa and Grandma's good genes (the avid fishermen in our family! Or I guess I should say, avid fisherman and fisherwoman :) I definately get sea sick...ugh. After talking for as long as possible, I went to the back of the boat and laid down- but it was so wonderful! There was another girl really sick, so we just sat there together and talked, and then Dave and Steven serenaded us with the guitar as the sun went down :) Haha I loved it- also, I thought of Jonah and the crew on the boat- how they were in the middle of that storm. How awful that would! Not only would you be so incredibly sea sick, but also fearing for your life...anyways! here's us girlies after the boat ride-see, the ginger pills and dramamine and gingerale kicked in after all!

Monday night the Atlan's took me out to sushi for my birthday- so delicious! The best was the dynamite shrimp. They are so sweet! I just love these girls, Amanda and Kayla. Kayla is such a comic relief for me! ha A month ago or so we were at youth group and I was talking to a couple of new girls when Kayla came in and dramatically grabbed my arm, and as she pulled her shirt down she said, "ALYSSA! I was getting into the car to come here and my pants ripped- right down the zipper! And I am wearing my star panties!!!" haha make my life Kayla! i love her!
Leslie made my mama's famous strawberry cake- so delicious. It was a bit different than my mama's- she made it using an old fashioned mixer- the one you have to turn to mix! Crazy girl! yum it was so good! Thanks for the ingredients mama!

Yesterday Jena and I decided to do life journaling for our devotions every day- it's a bible reading plan where you read different passages each day, eventually reading through the bible in a year- you write a verse that sticks out, observe it, apply it and pray about it. All the interns wanted to do it too- I'm so excited! I read Ezek. 38-39, Ps. 145 and Rev. 20 today- it was amazing to see how they all coorelate.

"On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, i will meditate" Ps. 145:5