Praise Jesus.  He is good. 

I am so done.  I am completely moved out of my room, checked out, turned the key in, and the only thing left in Towers are my fish in the bathroom.  It's a beautiful feeling.  Mucho kudos to my roommate, RC, Stacy, and Kyle for helping me move.  Now I am camped out next to the fan in the computer lab with Kyle, who is finishing his last bit of work, and lab reports.  He's such a good fiance. 

So where goest I?  To Sweet Home, to clean out a shop to live in it.  I don't know if I will have an internet connection there, but I will be able to use Kyle's up at his house. 

This has been the weirdest range of feelings during the last couple of weeks.  I don't know how much I will miss WBC.  I am facing a frantic few weeks of unpacking, making a yard sale, and searching for work.  Pray for me. 

Everyone else is moving:  Kyle, Stacy, Larissa, Ticky, and the entire campus.  It gives me a reminder of how last year campus was a completely new place when everyone came back, and this will happen again. 

There are very little certainties here.  All I can do is take a deep breath and keep looking forward, trying to overcome my assumptions and gut up for the challenges to come.  I won't be back on campus.  I don't know where I will be.  God knows, and that's supposed to make me feel better.  From experience with trusting God I know that everything will work out much better than I ever could have planned it.  But that doesn't make actually trusting Him any easier. 

I was once a blob of organic matter inside my mother's body, and now I am becoming a thinking adult.  I can't say that I deserve to be so.  But grace permits otherwise.  Here I stand, woman of little, thinking I should have a say.  I am always prooved wrong by God, and am always thankful that it happened that way.   My pride remains the greatest obstacle I have faced, especially since I get it confused with my priorities.  When it comes down to all that factor it, it's amazing that God can teach me anything or that anything in my life turns out ok. 

But it is because of God, his extraordinary blessings, every atom of my body, every friend that has graced me with a smile or a loving conversation, every trial I have despised, and every triumph that I've shouted from the rooftops.  It all works out.  And it is good.

My friend Amber sent me this link.  This is part of the ongoing rage of computer animation that for me started with the little three-eyed green alien lady singing, "I Will Survive".   This one, however, is about cows.  Therefore it is awesome.  Maybe one day I will rank all of my favorites.  "I Like the Moon' and 'Star Wars Gangsta Rap' will definitely be on the list.


Without further ado, COWS WITH GUNS. . .

1. If you could see what the meat from any animal at a zoo tastes like, which would you choose? (You know, like elephant meat, monkey meat, lion meat...)

Hippopotamus-they are such massive veggie monsters, maybe they'd be like beef, except better! 
Spotted Owl-just to spite environmental history of Oregon
Platypus-In memorial of my keychain
Hammerhead Shark- it would make me feel powerful
Beluga- they look fatty and tasty


2. If you could be any character from a book (or book series), who would you be?

Oh, I have read so very many books.  I'll pick a few because I like to cheat on these questions.
Amelia Bedilia
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Anne of Green Gables

A is for - Age: 20 as of May 7.
B is for - Boyfriend/Girlfriend: I have a fiance.  Does that count?  He's better than a boyfriend.
C is for - Career in Future: Mother definitely.  Missionary maybe.  God still has to let me know.
D is for - Dead person you would like to meet: My mom's mom, Diana Johnson.  She sounds like she was an incredibly strong woman.
E is for - Essential item: antacid tablets.
F is for - Favorite song at the moment: Be Thou My Vision
G is for - Guy/Girls you've kissed: 6. 
H is for – Home: In the past, Rogue River, OR, now, Salem, OR, As of May~Sweet Home, OR
I is for - Instruments you play: The Radio? 
J is for - Job title: Student/ Seamstress
K is for - Kill anything: Lots of earwigs.  All earwigs should die.
L is for - Living places: In a Tower like a real princess.  Soon I will live in a shop.  Then I will live with my husband.
M is for - Memory of the day: Dinner was great.
N is for - Number of people you've had a good talk with lately: 2
O is for - Overnight hospital stays: At the tender age of two I had a hernia.  When they operated on it, my body had a severe allergic reaction to the anesthtic and I was clinically dead for thirty seconds.  Very exciting.  But they did bring me back to life, as you probably figured out
P is for - Phobias: Death of those I love, confrontation
Q is for - Quote you like: Check the one I have posted to the left.
R is for - Relationship that lasted the longest: Z : one year and six months.
S is for - Sexuality: I am a female heterosexual, and saving myself for marriage. 
T is for - Time you wake up everyday: 6:00 to 7:20
U is for - Unique trait(s): I twitch, mix up my letters, can wiggle my ears, can peel an orange peel off in one slice, have random hiccups, and I'm short.
V is for - Vegetable you love: Broccolli and green beans.
W is for - Worst habit: Dermatillomania
X is for - X-rays you've had: Just ones they give you for dentist stuff. 
Y is for - Yummy food you make: Mango salsa
Z is for - Zoo memory:  Kyle and I went on one of our first dates to the Oregon Zoo.  Very fun.  We broke rules and drank coffee and took pictures and fed lorries.

First of all, I am going to post these lyrics because they are just funny.  The song is by Barenaked Ladies, and although they have an icky name, they are great musicians and do and re-do a lot of fun stuff.  So here's their song, "A Million Dollars"  If you get a chance to ever listen to them, you should. 

If I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
I'd buy you a house
(I would buy you a house)
If I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
I'd buy you furniture for your house
(Maybe a nice chesterfield or an ottoman)
And if I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you a K-Car
(A nice Reliant automobile)
If I had a million dollars I'd buy your love

If I had a million dollars
I'd build a tree fort in our yard
If I had million dollars
You could help, it wouldn't be that hard
If I had million dollars
Maybe we could put like a little tiny fridge in there somewhere
You know, we could just go up there and hang out
Like open the fridge and stuff
There would already be laid out foods for us
Like little pre-wrapped sausages and things

They have pre-wrapped sausages but they don't have pre-wrapped bacon
Well, can you blame 'em
Uh, yeah

If I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you a fur coat
(But not a real fur coat that's cruel)
And if I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you an exotic pet
(Yep, like a llama or an emu)
And if I had a million dollars
(If I had a a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you John Merrick's remains
(Ooh, all them crazy elephant bones)
And If I had a million dollars I'd buy your love

If I had a million dollars
We wouldn't have to walk to the store
If I had a million dollars
Now, we'd take a limousine 'cause it costs more
If I had a million dollars
We wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner
But we would eat Kraft Dinner
Of course we would, we’d just eat more
And buy really expensive ketchups with it
That’s right, all the fanciest ke... dijon ketchups!
Mmmmmm, Mmmm-Hmmm

If I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you a green dress
(But not a real green dress, that's cruel)
And if I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you some art
(A Picasso or a Garfunkel)
If I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you a monkey
(Haven't you always wanted a monkey)

If I had a million dollars
I’d buy your love

If I had a million dollars, If I had a million dollars
If I had a million dollars, If I had a million dollars
If I had a million dollars
I'd be rich
 


Ok, enough of the randomness that is Barenaked Ladies.  We only have a week and a half left here.  I still don't know where I will be fall semester.  I know where I'll be living this summer, but I don't know where I'll be working.  I don't have a working car, and I don't know if I'll get one.  I don't know much of anything.  So I'm gonna get married. 

Oh, I do know where I will be for the week of August 21-27.  Kyle and I are joining WestTrek for a week hiking in the Wallowa Mountains.  30 miles of Eastern Oregon mountain scenery.  I am quite excited.  Kyle even gets credit for going, which means he will have a day off per week next semester.  That makes me quite happy.  But for the Wallowa Mts, they are beautiful.  We will have plenty of time to explore and research the wildlife of that area.  At the last meeting, which Kyle went to (I was at the Towers banquet) they talked about bears and which ones to play dead around and which ones to try and fight off (grizzlies and black bears, respectivelly).  I'm happy that my future mate has the guts and appreciation of God's beautiful creation to carry around his life in a backpack for a week in a place neither of us have heard of. 

So what's the big deal about the Wallowa Mountains?  Why do we want to go there?  Because YOU are not there!  No, I really do love you, blog reader.     Well, apparently they are pretty and fun.  Here's an excerpt from some random website:

You'll be enchanted by the stately splendor of the Blue Mountains, the rugged grandeur of the Wallowa Mountains, and the spectacular canyon country of the Snake River in Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Located in northeastern Oregon and western Idaho, elevations on the national forest range from 875 feet to 9,845 feet above sea level. Plant life varies from the desert-like countryside of Hells Canyon to the alpine vegetation of the Eagle Cap Wilderness and Seven Devils Mountains. In addition to the Eagle Cap Wilderness, the forest includes three other wilderness areas: Hells Canyon, Monument Rock and North Fork John Day.


Kyle and I will get a chance to bond with nature and more with each other.  We'll still be in our honeymoon lovey dovey stage I imagine, so we'll probably be able to stand each other for a whole week.  It's hard, I know.  If it weren't for all of Kyle's wealth and power. . .Yeah.  (Just kidding, Potito!)  So, that week, don't try to get a hold of us, we will be in the Eagle Cap area.  To find out more about it CLICK HERE. 


For Easter last weekend, Kyle and I made a journey out of it.  We visited his Aunt Deana and her family, jumping on the trampoline and playing Risk.  I'd never played Risk before, so I wasn't sure if I'd like it, but I really did.  And I kicked everyone out of the world and I conquered it.  It's a wonderful feeling to conquer the world.  Then we woke up ExTrEmElY eArLy and drove down to Southern Oregon to visit my extended family, who Kyle hadn't met yet.  Our first stop was meeting up with them at church, Applegate Christian Fellowship.  There was a bazillion people there.  We were blessed beyond belief to get  a parking spot.  Ok, there wasn't a bazillion.  There was only six or seven thousand.  Still, more than I'd ever imagined.  But we did find Mom and Mollie and Carol, along with the Scweps (Dave and Ann) and the Krebs (Michael Julie and Matthew) and Edie and Jen.  Oh, so many people.

The best thing that happened that weekend was that my sister Mollie and I got baptised together.  Both of us had been baptised when we were little and didn't clearly understand what it really meant to have Jesus make a new person out of you.  So we'd been waiting for a weekend when we'd be at church together, and it finally came up on Easter.  Kyle was there, making it perfect.  Also, a family we've known almost the whole time we were in Oregon was there, the Rojas, and the father and mother got baptised together.  It was just a blessed time, surrounded by loved ones and fair weather. 

So, after everyone managed to escape the zoo of seven thousand people leaving one parking lot, we went to Julie and Michael's house and had a great afternoon and evening visiting, eating a massive Easter feast (wouldn't that be a Feaster?) and then in the evening Julie and my sisters and Kyle and I went back down to the now-empty ampitheatre and we took engagement photos.  Julie is wonderful with a camera, and I'm so happy she's my wedding photographer.  Her husband Michael is doing a video, which is way cool as well. 

So, for the next two weeks, everything in my life will change.  I will move down to Sweet Home to live with Kyle's grandma, find a way to fix or get rid of my car Zsa-Zsa, and desperately search for work in the Sweet Home area.  I could really use prayer. 

Last night (you may have caught this earlier)  we had the annual Towers Banquet.  We had it at the Spaghetti Warehouse in Salem, which is one of my favorite places to eat (along with Marco Polo and Olive Garden).  There was many pictures taken and awards given. 

Tomorrow night we have the Secret Sister revealing.  That shall be fun, if a bit late.  I have a feeling that my surprise bridal shower will happen within a week or so.  It has to happen before May 1st,  when everyone will dissapear into their summer places. 

I'm excited.  Bring on the Life!!!

Randomness for your entertainment:

Truth hurts. Maybe not as much as jumping on a bicycle with a seat missing, but it hurts.

Drebin, Naked Gun 2 1/2

"And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three. No more. No less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then, lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it."

Monty Python, Monty Python and the Holy Grail

HORROR FILM WISDOM:

1. When it seems that you've killed the monster, never check to see if it's really dead.
2. If you find that your house is built upon or near a cemetery, was once a church used for black masses, had previous inhabitants who went mad or committed suicide or died in some horrible fashion or who performed necrophilia or satanic practices, move away immediately.
3. Do not search the basement, especially when the power has just gone out.
4. If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which they do not know, or if they speak using a voice other than their own, shoot them at once. It will save you a lot of grief in the long run. Note: it's unlikely they'll die easy, so be prepared.
5. When you have the benefit of numbers, never go alone.
6. If you're searching for something which caused a noise and find out that it's just the cat, leave the room immediately if you value your life.
7. If you're running from the monster, you will most likely trip or fall. If you are female you will.
8. Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, Nilbog (God help you if you recognize this one), the Bermuda Triangle, or any small town in Maine, especially if it is called Derry.
9. If your car runs out of gas at night, do not go to the nearby deserted-looking house to phone for help.
10. When something bad is chasing you, bear in mind that when you try to start your car, no matter how reliable the vehicle is normally, you'll have to crank the engine over many times before it will fire up.
11. People arriving to rescue you generally get ambushed by the monster, so don't rely on them as your only means of escape. In fact, expect to be surprised and delayed by encountering their flayed corpse at some point.
12. Do not call the police as they are either evil and will turn you in or will not believe you and laugh at you. Either way, you must handle the problem yourself.
13. If you are using a gun to combat the all-comsuming evil, it is a good idea to quickly find a new means of defense, because no matter how much ammo you have, you'll run out just before you kill the monster (unless your name is Ash, in which case, you'll never have to reload).
14. If you have defeated the monster, pay close attention to the camera, if it pans away for no apparent reason at all, get the heck out of there.
15. Skeptics are always proved wrong in some horrible, nasty, painful way. Be a believer.
16. If you are a child, don't panic! Monsters only attack overly lustful teenagers. Children can NOT be killed in a movie, only possessed or absorbed. So cheer up!
17. If you've beaten the monster into a bloody pulp and you're sure he must be dead, take the opportunity to dismember, burn, eat, blow up or otherwise utterly destroy him.

The Greatest trick the devil ever pulled, was convincing the world he didn't exist.

The Usual Suspects

I'd like to quit thinking of the present as some minor insignificant preamble to something else.

Dazed and confused

The Naked Gun 2 1/2 slogan:
If you only see one movie this year... you should get out more often!

When someone suggested this to me I was shocked. 

Of course they don't, right?  They're the safe method! 

Well, I had to research it then, and found out I wasn't the only Christian who had ever asked this question. 

Randy Alcorn  did a great job of researching this topic and wrote a book of the same name, Do Birth Control Pills Cause Abortions?   

To see a detailed summary of the book's findings, CLICK HERE.  I was amazed. 

For another interesting resource try Prolife's site HERE.  I was amazed by the results. 

So while trying to recover from my trip to Bolivia, I discovered I had contracted a threatening disease indeed.  It is called ApathydeTareaitis.  The symptoms include a guilt-free avoidance of anything relating to homework, and the ultra ability to come up with ludicrous excuses to not do it.  "It was such a beautiful day. . .yesterday.  How can I work on my paper when the weather was so nice?"  and "I think I really need to download more Webshots for my screensaver.  It's much more important than studying for world thought exams."  Yeah. 

So somehow I have to fight these symptoms long enough to finish off the semester.  I am also searching for a job and fixing to move.  I could use some good work ethic.  Meanwhile, I sit in a computer lab, wishing the scanner compies were open so I could scan my Bolivia photos, which turned out absolutely marvelous.  I love them.  I've never been so pleased with a role of film in my life.  I may need to make a photo blog.  I've got pics of the mission girls and Kyle's family.  There is much I didn't photograph because my camera is a big beast to lug around and I didn't want to be culturally offensive in walking around taking shots like a stupid gringo tourist. 

Reflections on Bolivia:  There was a few things that wound up being important on my trip.  First of all, I got to see what life on the other side was like.  Outside my rich US bubble, there is dirt and flies and sin reeking from every corner.  The cultural attitude is entirely different from my own.  I can't say that I even come close to understanding it after a mere week of walking around town.  Their view of life deals with aspects of life, like poverty, on a daily basis that I will never have to experience. 

I went shopping in the Cancha, which is a massive marketplace with thousands of people, mostly Quechuan women, selling to survive.  Some of them have picked green beans for years, loading them up on a rickety truck and traveling for hours into town to set down a blanket full of them and hope some soul with give five Bolivianos (US equivalent: 63 cents) for a pile of beans.  That's an existance I can't even rightly contemplate because my own is so far from it.  I merely see these women sitting by their blankets.  Some call out to passerby.  Some sip from bowls of soup with mysterious chunks within.  You see their children running about nearby, mostly barefoot but acting like all children act.  However, I have this twinge inside me that says, "these are not like children in the States, that you know.  These children could go home to a pile of plastic and cardboard that is Home, and be beat by a man drunk on chicha that is Father.  What does a kid like that have to look forward to? 

So that's why my future inlaws are so awesome.  They are actively involved in giving hope to girls whose mothers are in prison.  To hear more details about the prison CLICK HERE.  But here's an excerpt from BYM's page to describe the childrens' environment. 

Since they are basically free to come and go, there is very little control in their lives. The Women's prison opens into a typical Latin American plaza. One side contains the Women's prison, another the Men's prison, the third is one of the two major 'prostitution alleys' and the fourth opens up to the bus terminal and main market place. The plaza is the home of prostitution activity, gang hang-outs, glue sniffing youths and many other abhorrent activities. It's certainly not the place for young girls to be growing up.

So, what BYM does is take this girls and give them what they never would in their lives in the prison.  They are nurtured spiritually, physically, mentally, and educationally.  Papa Jon and Mama Linda have incredible spirits.  They are raising a family in all the rightous ways.  It's very encouraging to see that as I marry their son Kyle this summer.  Mama Linda and I did a lot of shopping downtown, many wedding dress fittings, and I had some great talks with her inbetween that and helping her cook. 

Kyle has two younger brothers who I hung out with down there: Joshua and Zachary.  Joshua plays video games and Zachary runs with his dad and has a cockatiel who thinks he's a monkey.  Rosa and Joanna are his sisters.  Rosa is 15 and I stayed in her room, she likes horses and Adventures in Odyssey.  Joanna is six and the cutest thing ever.  She 'knows' everything and is kinda bossy, and likes dresses.  She asked me how many dresses I had, and how many cats I had and how many sisters I had and how many pants I had and how many fish I had and you get the idea.  I think she's going to rob me and is trying to scope it out and see if its worth it.  Kyle's older brother, Ryan, is going to school at Multnomah.  He picked Kyle and I up from the airport so we had a half-sane conversation with him as he drove us back to WBC.  I got the full dose of Baker. 

We did a lot of fun stuff.  We visited the Chapare and played in a pool for hours (swimming is always welcome in the sweltering heat of the jungle).  We stole Joshua's hat and kept passing it around for a good hour or so, and went down the slide and it was all just so relaxing and enjoyable.  We also played the game the Settlers of Catan.  It is a superfun game of conquering things that was made in Germany.  The second time we played I beat everyone into a messy pulp.  Josh, Zach and I all got to start learning the Rubik's cube from Kyle.  We all spent many hour traveling in the trufi together.  Altogether, a great introduction to the family. 

As I saw what being a missionary meant, I really began to think about that being my future.  I had seen how Bolivia was anything but easy to live in.  Everyone speaks a different language that I'd have to learn.  The government is so messed up the US is paradise.  Theivery is so bad that most people have broken glass stuck into the cement of the walls surrounding their houses.  There are a bazillion flies crawling over everything.  There are dirty rabid dogs roaming the streets.  There is no such thing as Aquafina-quality water down there, it's all dirty or tastes funny.  Bolivia has so many more dirty smells than I have ever encountered.

Yet, that is all pettiness.   All can be withstood if the purpose is noble.  Being a missionary is such an incredible sacrifice.  I doubt any place on earth is as easy to live in as the United States.  Most citizens of the world have it so much rougher than us.  We are spoiled wimps in comparison.  There is no way that I can say that I couldn't handle physically or pyschologically or spiritually what it demands to be in full time ministry.  I'd need to roughen up, certainly, and adjust a lot of my cultural mindsets, but I could adapt.  Seeing what the Baker family had become while growing up together as a mission family amazed me.  They live out the great commission in thier daily lives.  How awesome is that?  They go through awful trials indeed, but they totally depend on God for everything that they receive. 

On July 24th I am marrying a man who is going into full time ministry.  I will never be rich.  That makes me so happy, you have no idea.  I read this on Janet's bathroom wall, and it's corny, but it sure works.  "When God is all you have, you have it all." 

I am ready to give it all.  I don't want to be comfortable with my physical possessions.  I want to be in a position to give my life in service in every way possible.  If I have to say, "God will provide" a million times in my life, that's wonderful.  There is much I have to learn, and many trials to endure, and many blessings to enjoy.  There will be much sowing and reaping.  But I know I am ready.

It occured to me that I should blog something.  It took me quite a bit to catch up on reading everyone else's blogs, but I was a good blogfriend, commented, etc. 

So Kyle and I are back from Bolivia, a bit late.  Why are we late?  It's kinda complicated and it has to do with Bolivia's utter disregard for anything resembling customer service.  Our tickets were bought in January.  February 6 LAB, the Bolivian airline, cancelled our flight.  They failed to inform us of this.  When Papa Jon (Kyle's dad) called to re-confirm our flight last Wednesday, when we were in Bolivia, we found out about the cancelled flight.  What followed was a frantic scramble to get different flights.  LAB refused to take responsibility.  They offered to put us on another flight of theirs to Miami, but refused to help with all the flights we'd miss from Miami to Portland.  Luckily, Papa Jon was tough and spent a total of five hours on the phone and three and a half hours in person talking to LAB officials.  They didn't want to pay for the trouble they caused, but because of Papa Jon's perseverence, we finally got a couple of nice Delta flights.  So we came back home, a day late. 

Hello.  I am not dead.  I have just emerged from a week and a half of intense homework and wedding planning. Now I am departing.  I am running away to a foreign country with a tall handsome man. 

Go Here Now!  But make sure you can HEAR it!

The Laughing Cat

He he he.  *snort*