Mariah Carey's Pitch

I told you that last one may not be my last update. ;)



I watched this and justed wondered.. how did she do that? Like she made it go straight down!

Anyway, it gave me a good chuckle and I thought I'd share the laughter.

Much Love

11 Days Out

This will probably be my last update from the States. (Maybe not)
At this time in eleven days, I will be in Honduras. It seems so crazy to me that it's already that time again to go back to the country that I fell in love with so much. This trip has crept up on me, that's for sure. So, here are some things on my mind about this trip.

- I almost decided to just go for a week to Honduras, and then come home with the group instead of the three and a half weeks I had planned to go. I prayed and struggled about this for a week or so, just wondering whether this was what God wanted me to do or something I just decided God wanted me to do, and if this was the time to stay for so long. After talking to a few about it and getting mixed reactions, I decided to stay the extra time. I knew God would use me whatever I decided to do. And that would be extra time to spend with my Ashley who I haven't seen in seven months (oh, and I'm seeing her Friday! Yay!), and with my Sam since I won't see her until sometime in October. I know I'll have a blast once I get there and thank God that I decided to stay.

-Delaney had been keeping a huge secret from Sam and me for the past two months. She told us on Friday night that she's going to Honduras and staying the whole time I'm there. (Another reason that I want to stay for the longer period ;]) She and Donna had been keeping it a secret from us, but I'm glad she finally told us! Goodness gracious..

-I'm starting to wonder if the kids I met last year will remember me if we meet again (Which I'm hoping and praying we do). I mean, they have tons of groups come in each year to see them. Why would they remember me? So, hopefully they will.. Even if they don't remember me, I can't wait to see their faces. They have a special place in my heart even if we did only get to know each other for a day or two.

-I'm excited to see our group work together. This group is much younger than last year's group. I have about eight friends who are either a few years younger or older than me going on the trip. It'll be different, but I know we'll have a blast and be Jesus to the people of Honduras.

We leave on June 8th and the group comes back June 15th. My brother, Delaney, another friend, Ashley and I come home on July 3rd. And Miss Sam comes back in October. So, if you remember, please pray for safe travels and that we are able to do what we plan on doing, and more. Thank you so much for supporting us on this mission.

If you want to read about what the group is doing while we're in Honduras go to http://www.gcchondurasmissions.blogspot.com/ . I'll probably blog every once in awhile after I'm at Casa, so make sure to stop by :)

Much Love

God's Family

I'm afraid we've become a people who are too afraid to share what's going on in our lives. I'm afraid we're too scared what others may think, so we put on our 'happy' or 'christian' masks to make people think everything is ok when in reality everything is spiraling out of control. I've done this time after time, and I get so tired of putting on a show.

We can't live life like this. We weren't designed to live life like this. God created us for something better than this. God created us for community. God created us to share with one another. This was God's intention for the church.

The church is a family. God's family. God's community of believers. We were made to open up and listen to one another. We weren't made to function by ourselves and look out for ourselves. We were made for each other.

If a person is just watching over their own needs and not caring about others, they just have one person looking out for them. But if a community looks out for each other, they have many people looking out for them. Can you not see how the second person would be so much better off?

I'm ready for us to be a family. I'm ready for the church to look out for each other, and invite others into our family. God is thrilled when His family grows. I know all these problems won't go away. They won't go away until God's Kingdom comes. But living life where we help one another, and we're there for one another, and we care for each other's needs -- that is a rich and fulfilling life. That's the life God wants for us.

And sometimes I do see a glimpse of what God wants his family to look like. I just wish that glimpse could turn into what I see all the time.

We were made for each other. That's what God wants his family to look like.

Love You Ellis Family!

Three years ago our church got a new youth minister (and wife and kid ;]) from Panama City, Florida. Why they would want to leave Florida? I still don't know. But he came and I pretty much decided that he and his family were the coolest thing since sliced bread. Seriously, what they talked about what was always something new and exciting. They were just such a nice breath of fresh air.. and have been for the past three years. And then last year they had another little one who is also the coolest thing sliced bread. (Oh, and sliced bread was the epitome of cool until this family came along) I've been able to watch their girls, Emma and Chloe, grow up which has been such a blessing. With parents like theirs, it's just in their genes to do great things when they get older. ;)
And we've had some good times, too. Like guinea pig pee is poisonous, Dana and I tackling and wrestling each other, pulling pranks on the old ladies, slipping on their kitchen floor and getting cheesecake all over me, knocking heads together, youth group trips, church camp, and convincing me that there are nuts in everything.. including water. Good times.. Good times..
Over the past few year I've been able to develop amazing relationships with Adam and Dana. They are people that I know are always going to be involved in my life no matter where we are geographically. They were and still are a God send for me. They have blessed my life so much. I know that if it weren't for them and the time they invested in me I wouldn't be where I am today in this walk I'm on with Jesus. They have taught me so much, not just through their words, but their actions, too. They have helped me see what's going on in our world beyond this small town I live in, how the Kingdom of God can break through now, looking out for the poor and oppressed, how God wants us to be a blessing to the world around us because He's been a blessing to us, that love wins every time, how God wants us to show grace even when it's not the easiest thing, and the list could go on and on. I have learned so much from them.
And now they have an amazing opportunity to bless a church in South Carolina. They'll be leaving sometime this week and I can't wait to see how God uses them there. Though I am a jealous person and I'd rather just have them all to myself, I guess I should share the blessing. ;) Well, and now I have a place to stay when I want to go to a beach! (Which they will be seeing me soon.. maybe sooner than they'd like. Too bad. I'm in their lives forever now. :]) But I'm excited to see how God will use them next. The church in North Augusta is extremely lucky to be getting apart of my family. So, they better be good to them.

Adam, Dana, Emma & Chloe-- You're always going have a special place in my heart, and I know we're going to be friends for the rest of the days until Jesus comes back. You're time here has changed my life in so many ways, I can't even begin to tell you. I don't think you know how much of a difference you have made while you've been here. I'm so grateful for all you've done, and I'm excited to see what God has in store for you in the future. And if you didn't know, I consider you guys family now. So who knows, maybe I'll move to South Carolina or something. :)
I love you guys so so much. Thank you for everything.

This Thing

OK, So Dana didn't tag me, but I know she, and all of you, want to learn more about this girl :)

What was I doing 10 years ago?

I was all of 6 years old.. doing what 6 year old ornery girls do. Living in too small of a town.. bugging my thirteen year old sister, getting into chaos, loving the end of my kindergarten year.

5 things on my to-do list today: (today is almost over, so tomorrow)
1. wake up
2. get through a horrible day of school
3. pack for Alabama
4. see Sayesha get voted off American Idol
5. try to get some homework done before I leave town

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. sour patch kids
2. mint oreos
3. clementines
4. cookie cake
5. whatever I can find :)

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. move myself and a few certain others to Honduras (by force, if necessary)
2. start a children's home
3. buy a house, I suppose
4. help with something that's going to last longer than just this life
5. i think that's enough

5 bad habits:
1. I'm a coke addict. No, not the drug, the beverage. I drink it too much.
2. I get on the computer too much
3. I'm a teenager. I think that's a bad habit in itself
4. Impatience
5. Not liking/wanting change

5 places I have lived:
1. Fairmont, WV
2. Belpre, OH
3. Vienna, WV
4. Honduras. OK, that's just the future
5. NA

5 jobs I've had or have:
1. slave
2. maid
3. student
4. people pleaser
5. you tell me. i've been it all :)

5 people I want to know more about (you're tagged!): Sam, Rachel, Ashley, Maria and Adam

Go! Go! Go!

Happy Mothers Day!

Warning: This may turn out to be long and hard to follow because I'm feeling totally scatterbrained.

First off, is the holiday that is occurring tomorrow "Happy Mothers Day" or Happy Mother's Day"? I must know. It bugs me.

Anyway.. now I'll begin on the sappiness.

Over the past few years I've started another family. I've started adopting more and more people into it. And overtime I've gained some little and big sisters, big brothers, aunts, uncles, tons of moms, a few dads and even a couple set of grandparents. It just won't stop growing, and I love it. I'm pretty sure, last I counted, I have around 15 moms. And some of them would rather be big sister or aunt figures, but nope, they're my moms. And I love all of them. I've developed such amazing relationships with these women. They are such Godly women who show me Jesus every time I'm blessed to be in their presence. I couldn't have asked for any greater examples of Christ in my life.

And though I love all of them so so much, there's one special lady I love even more. The woman who has dealt with me long before my adopted mommas came along. :) My mom is an incredible woman. I can't put into words how much I appreciate and love everything about her. And though many girls swear they will never turn out to be like their mothers, I hear from others and see myself that I am turning into my mom.
Some things my mom and I have in common?
Our laughs, the way we talk to animals as though they had any clue what we were talking about, worrying about everything, being a perfectionist, being down right silly, singing and dancing like crazy people when no one is watching (ok, her anyway), crying at the littlest things, trying to make others happier and laugh, loving children, and the list goes on.
I thank God for blessing me with someone as great and wonderful as her because I know I don't deserve it.

Mom- thank you thank you thank for putting up with me the last 16 years :) You are one amazing woman and someone I'm trying my hardest to be more like. You are Jesus to everyone you meet. Thank you for being such a loving and caring mother even when I sometimes wish you wouldn't be. You are the coolest chick around. I hope I can be as good of a mom to my kids (which will be way in the future) as you are to me. I love you more than words can describe.

I thank my God every time I remember you.

Michael Monkey

I'm having to do this poetry folder for English (which serves me no use, but that's not the point), and Tiffany showed me this poem. It made me laugh a lot. So, I thought I'd share it with you all :)

Michael was a monkey, and a lonely chimpanzee,

Trying hard to find a lady chimp to share his tree;

There was but one hiccup in this quest to soothe his heart:

Every time he talked to monkey girls he’d start to fart.

“Hello, how are you?” he’d say, “and how’s your Dad and Mum?”

Suddenly a trumpeting would issue from his bum;

He’d go red and she’d turn green then run away to boot,

Michael farted loudly – like a fifteen-gun salute!

Once he went out dancing with a cork jammed up his date,

Everything went smoothly, and he met a nice primate;

When he got a kiss the pressure rose, the cork let fly,

Flew across the dance floor and took out the drummer’s eye.

Even when he used to sit in school it had him beat,

If a female smiled at him, he’d lift up from the seat!

All the chimps would chuckle, even stern old teacher laughed,

Ever after Michael bore the nickname “Hovercraft.”

Then one day he found his love down at the swimming pool,

Standing waist-deep in the water looking really cool;

Michael waded up to her and looked into her eyes,

Everybody watched two sets of bubbles start to rise.

All the chimps then laughed and sang, and cheered the pair en masse,

Then they had to clear the pool, because of all the gas;

Even at the wedding when the marriage vows were said,

All the guests looked funny with a gas mask on each head!

So they lived quite happily, a chimp and his new bride,

“Flatulence Forever” was the sign they put outside;

Right next to the other sign, that told the folk who came:

“Visit us, you’re welcome here, but please – No Naked Flame!”

Fun Evening

Last night, I had a very close call. I'm deathly allergic to nuts, which we've known since I was about four. And the doctor told me the reaction would get worse every time. I've been extremely careful with all of that, to say the least.

But the nuts crept up on me last night in form of an oatmeal raisin cookie (which was quite good until I realized it had nuts in it!) I had eaten half of the cookie before I realized it had walnuts in it, and I've never actually eaten a nut before. I've always realized that there's a nut in my mouth before I digest it. But not last night.

So Sam and I rushed to my house after I searched and found no benadryl in my purse. Can you say 50 on Grand Central? Yeah, Sam loves me that much. Anyway.. I ran in the house, in the process breaking my flip flop, and yelled to my mom while they were having small groups, opened up the medicine cabinet and threw an empty benadryl container. (Sorry if I hit someone.) I finally got some benadryl, and by the time it was all over I had 75 milligrams of it. (I'm still a bit drowsy :]) We sat around talking and such for awhile as I drank lots of water, but then for the first time ever I started getting hot, and itching uncontrollably and I thought my eardrums were going to burst. It was scary to say the least, I cried and told mom we had to go to the hospital. So Katie stabbed me with my epipen (which was the first time I had to use that, too) and we went on our way.

We sat in the waiting room for about half an hour and some amazing people showed up to sit with me and wait. While I was waiting, I went to the bathroom and picked up my shirt, and my body was pretty much one big hive. It would've been cool if they didn't itch so bad. Anyway, they started looking at me and moved me to a bed. Then I got an IV with some steroids to help the swelling go down since I was swelling like everywhere. After being in there for about an hour, they finally started kicking in and making the swelling go down. And now I'm finally back home.

I woke up this morning and I'm not one big hive anymore. The doctor said I might have the rash for a few days, but it's all gone, too. :) I have to take benadryl for the next few days and some more steroids, too. Woo!

So, today I'm thankful for Katie being there and stabbing me with the epipen. I'm thankful for everyone who called to see how I was doing. I'm thankful for the prayer warriors asking everyone to pray for me. I'm thankful for my parents dealing with this whole nut thing so well. I'm thankful for Sam speeding down Grand Central to help save my life :) I'm thankful for Sam, Rachel, Donna, Heather and Katie coming and seeing me at the ER. And most importantly, I'm thankful for being alive more than usual today.

God's not finished with me yet. :)

Unworthy..

Friday evening was a night that will go down in the Spivy books. I came home and got on the computer(surprise!). The basement smelled damp, so I turned on the light. I soon discovered water had come into the basement and the sewage system had backed up. Mom, Dad and my sister were at the movies, but I still thought I should tell them what was going on. Dad soon came home and we got it cleaned up, and today the plumbers came and fixed it. I've decided I would do great in that business. Anyway.. that story is not the point of writing this post.

What happened Friday, oddly enough, reminded me of a family we helped in Honduras. A single mom was raising her seven children and lived in a 'house' where every time it rained (which while I was there was every day) sewage from the house on the hill above them came through their 'house'. The youngest child was at the hospital with pneumonia because of this frequent occurrence. Our group ended up building a new home for this family with enough beds and hammocks for every person.

As I cleaned up my basement, I asked God to be with that family and all the other families who are still living in conditions like this. Remembering this story reminded me that I am so blessed to live where I am and have the things that I have. Like indoor plumbing and running, clean water that may have some problems sometimes, but it's nothing compared to living in sewage. I'm thankful. I'm thankful for the fact that if our sewage system backing up and making our basement a little damp is the worst thing that happens to us, I do believe we're doing very well. I don't know why God decided to place me here with these gifts instead of living in Honduras in sewage, or Africa with unclean water where thousands of children and adults die of AIDS every day.

I feel like such a greedy person having all these things while other people live in such horrible conditions. I know I'm so unworthy of all these blessings. But I'm thankful for them, and I all too often take them for granted.

God has blessed us. Remember to praise Him for all the gifts He's given to you. Ask God to be with the poor and oppressed, and how you can help make His dream become a reality. Where people don't have to live in sewage and have unclean water. We can change this world into what He dreams of it to be.

Much Love

Anna the Story Teller

So, I've started a few new habits.. I honestly have no clue how they got started, but they're just a bit ridiculous.

Here are just two of them.

1) I say speaking of.. to things that have nothing to do with what I'm about to say.
Example: (Sam will be the person I'm talking to. Thanks Sam ;])
Sam: I saw these cute ducks the other day. I wanted to dye one pink and keep it forever.
Anna: Speaking of ducks.. did you try that macaroni and cheese?

Seriously, no clue how that one got started, but it keeps things interesting.

2) I like telling things that happen to me in stories now. If I need to tell someone something, I say "This story is called 'Anna has gone to the DMV twice and has yet to take her driver's test' "
Then, I go into my story if the title doesn't sum it all up.

Yep, that keeps things interesting too. ;]

Alright, that's all from this end for now..
I'll seriously update about better things soon.

Much Love