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.