check the vid out from Winter Camp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65-JOy4yJ-s

BIBLE STUDY

sorry it's been so long! i have so much to catch you all up on!

The first being that I have officially started writing a girl's bible study!

Yes, it's true. It's been a dream of mine for years and now it's finally coming to fruition. I lead a small group of girls (9-10th grade) on Monday nights, and have noticed that there really aren't that many bible studies for high school girls out there. I love the bible, I love studying it and sharing what God is showing me. I looked back on my journals Monday and saw that God's been laying this dream on my heart for years now. I wrote an outline for a bible study over a year ago, and have played with the idea since. Last Wednesday at our intern lunch one of the men from our church asked us what our passion was and how we can pursue it. It became so very clear at that moment. I expressed how I LOVE the word of God and I LOVE high school girls and have a dream to write a bible study. And looking at the situation, I see that God has given me everything I need for me to write this study- in crazy ways!

1. It's been a desire and dream for years

2. I have been working with high school girls for a while now and have a better idea of what they like, what they struggle with and how I would teach it.

3. I have a small group of girls that are totally open to being my guinea pigs!

4. The LORD brought Robin Jones Gunn into my life, my hero and the author who led me to really have a relationship with Christ through her books. She's encouraging me to write and is here to help me with it.

5. This is my job! I get to spend some of my hours in the office preparing for bible study, studying God's word...

6. When I asked Jade, one of my girls, what she would want to study in bible study, she said, "You know that girl's event you did last July about how God is our Father? That was really good- so something like that"

and that did it for me! The outline I had scribbled out included God being our Father.

Joe (the man at our lunch) asked me, "Well then why haven't you started it!? What are going to do this week to get started?"

OKAY LORD!

So I've started and it's ROCKN' MY SOCKS OFF! I decided to do it about our Identity in Christ- Who Christ is, what He's done, who we are in Him, what He calls us to and how that differs from the world. And the Lord showed me to teach it through the book of Ephesians- one of my favorites :)

On monday we had small group and I made little booklets for my girls to fill out and decorate. They filled out pages that had

-about me

-my personality

-my gifts and talents

-my passions

-my struggles

-What the world tells me i should be

-what I think God tells me i am and should be

I read them the other day and they were so precious! I almost cried- the girls were so honest and sincere. After the study, I'm going to have them go through it again and fill it now knowing who they are in Christ and what He calls them to-

I'M SO EXCITED!

I bought Kay Arthur's book "Discover the Bible for Yourself"- what an awesome tool! I feel refreshed and pumped up studying God's word- what a privilege. I learned about Ephesus today

-it was the 4th largest city in the roman empire

-when the harbor became unnavigable, the city relied on the worship of Artemis for economic survival.

-Artemis was the goddess of hunt, wild animals, fertility and childbirth.

-Ephesus dealt with magic, sorcery, idol worship and were filled with the wealthy.

-Ephesians deals with warfare and our position in Christ more than any other epistle

So I think i'll just use this blog to walk you through all the ups and downs of writing this bible study! I know i can only do it through Christ. May He be known.

In other news-

1. Our office manager cleaned out the cockroach eggs in my office phone the other day. What a gem she is! Also, cockroaches are definately a CON to living in Maui!

2. Always look over new clothes carefully. The other day I was running, and at the end of my run I was stretching a noticed a thread hanging down. I went to rip it off and realized I had the BIGGEST hole in my shorts- right in the croch! Ah yes, what an Alyssa moment...

3. I think Jena and I are going to run in the whale race next Saturday- a 5k....first step to running in a 10k :)

Winter Camp

sorry i haven't been keeping up! things have been crazy! We just got back from our Winter Camp- here's a few photos, more to come shortly! (As well as an update on all that's happening over here)

The exciting news for today though is that MAUI HAS SNOW! That's right folks! CRAZY! Haleakala (our volcano) is snow covered!

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-