Fiesta Forever!

2008-07-09T15:02:00.003-05:00

Isaiah 1:11-17 (The Message)

11-12"Why this frenzy of sacrifices?"
God's asking.
"Don't you think I've had my fill of burnt sacrifices,
rams and plump grain-fed calves?
Don't you think I've had my fill
of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats?
When you come before me,
whoever gave you the idea of acting like this,
Running here and there, doing this and that—
all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?

13-17"Quit your worship charades.
I can't stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—
meetings, meetings, meetings—I can't stand one more!
Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
You've worn me out!
I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion,
while you go right on sinning.
When you put on your next prayer-performance,
I'll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
I'll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you've been tearing
people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
Go home and wash up.
Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings
so I don't have to look at them any longer.
Say no to wrong.
Learn to do good.
Work for justice.
Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
Go to bat for the defenseless.

The other night I read this passage and it really spoke to me. Basically, God is frustrated with all of the craziness in worship. I related this to the church and how we can sometimes get all wrapped up in meetings, and events that need to be planned. We get stressed, and in such of a hurry that it becomes more about the event than about God. I especially like the part where God says, "When you come before me, who ever gave you the idea of acting like this, running here and there, doing this and that- all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?" God just lays it out there that we have become too busy and that we should just take a break and focus on God. Be still, and know that I am God. God demands our time, so why don't we just take some time out of our day to sit down, be still, and know that he is God.

Viva La Vida

2008-06-27T12:01:00.005-05:00

Have you heard Coldplay's new song "Viva La Vida?" It's a great song that I really enjoy! But there are many explanations to what the song means. Here's one I found on another website:

"If we analyze the lyrics, the song has obvious biblical references and I think it's a song about Jesus Christ.

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sweep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

All catholics should know that Jesus Christ gave the word and he controlled the seas - I think that the line now in the morning I sweep alone clearly means that Jesus Christ was betrayed and had to endure many things alone! The first verse is talking about a decline from wealth and fame to a nobody, just like Jesus Christ experienced on his life! He used to be a king, but he had to die for all human beings..So on a certain way he turned over his kingship (I used to rule the world). Clear reference of someone giving God kingship over his life.

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing,
"Now the old king is dead, long live the king!"
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt, pillars of sand

The line upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand, possibly is a reference to the sermon on the mount where Jesus speaks of a wise man building is house on a rock while the foolish man builds his house on the sand, only to be washed away.

Those days, there were different kings! Ones thought the king was Jesus Christ himself, others thought the king was the Roman authority and other thought the king was the Jewish priests.

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you know there was never, never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world

Jerusalem bells and Roman Cavalry, it's obvious it's a biblical allusion. I think the line Be my mirror my sword and shield, it's a praying to God for strength. Also, the line my missionaries in a foreign field, has to do with the idea of taking the message of God and Jesus Christ all around the world. Finally, never an honest word, meaning the betrayal to Jesus Christ and his subsequent death.

I know St. Peter won't call my name, referring to the fact that Saint Peter denied Jesus 3 times.

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever wanna be king?

This could be a reference to John the Baptist of the New Testament.

In The Book of Mark, John is noted as the one that comes before Jesus to announce His coming to Earth. A lot of people thought he (John) was going to be their Messiah, however he corrected them and told them that it was the One after him that would fill that role. I, also, argue that point because it is said somewhere that John's head was brought to king Herod on a Silver Platter.

Blew down the doors to let me in, meaning when Jesus Christ got furious because they turned the temple into a market!

EDIT: After thinking about it, the line "The old king is dead, long live the king" could be a reference to Jesus being on the cross. All of the people mocking him, and King of Jews above his head."

The person who wrote this really thought out this song. Here's a link to the lyrics in case you want to look at them. I agree with this analysis because the song really does make sense if you think about it along with Christ's life.

Just a random bit from me!

2008-05-12T16:14:00.003-05:00

Why hello everyone! Ha ha...sorry. I've decided to write on my blog for the first time in forever about something totally random! Yay! So I got an email from my Cuban Papi, and I must say that I was super excited! We email a lot back and forth but he hasn't written in a while, so this email was super special. So when I got the email, I read it and wrote him back. I wanted to print the email so I could put it in my notebook at school because the email was so kind with a lot of encouragement in it. So I copied and pasted it in Microsoft Word and it came up with a lot of misspellings. One of the words that was spelled wrong was "abundantly." So I right-clicked on it and it said, "abundantly?". This question mark made me think that it was wrong. You don't need a question mark beside abundantly! The sentence was talking about how God would bless abundantly. There doesn't need to be a question mark! Do you know how I know that? It's because as Christians, we believe that the Lord will provide and bless you! There is no question whether the Lord will provide or not. He will provide!

"The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus."

1 Timothy 1:14

Cuba: Day Five

2008-04-30T20:27:00.003-05:00

Today was a great day! We got to the house church at 9:30 and we headed out to evangelize. The first group went to Eduardo #2's house, while the second and third group went to Santiago de Las Vegas. I sat with Leonel on the bus and we talked some. We also got lots of snacks from Margaret and we talked about eating popcorn! Yay! We went to one of the poorest places I've ever seen in my life. People lived in shacks with tin roofs and there were homeless dogs everywhere. But even amidst the darkness Jesus was at work. We had a bunch of people get saved which was great! We walked around until about 2:00 and then we left to eat lunch. The lunch was SUPER good! We then sat around and talked to Juan Carlos because everyone else was gone. Me, Ashleigh, and Juan Carlos talked about college and school. Somehow we got off on a story about a woman that was really ugly, and she looked like a monkey! (that's what Juan Carlos said!) He said that people called her the monster! Then she got plastic surgery and was beautiful! He said she had a beautiful face, like mine, and a "sexy body!" (this is what he said!) We also talked about a Cuban singer that had plastic surgery, and I won't get into that, but it was HILARIOUS! After that we went to a kids club and we mat a lady that had been waiting for 12 years for the government to give her a house! It was so sad! We then came back to Alamar and at tasty food and I hung out with Juan Carlos and Leonel. Tomorrow is our last day! :(

Cuba: Day Four

2008-04-28T16:58:00.005-05:00

Ok so I haven't written in 2 days which means that I get to write extra! Yay! Yesterday we went to Pinar del Rio and we swam! On the way there me, Juan Carlos Jr., Keren, Diana, Ashleigh, Ashley, and Braden played cards. We had a lot of fun! We got there and we took some pictures and then we all jumped in. It was SUPER cold! Eduardo got in and shivered! Juan Carlos Jr. hurt his foot when he was going to jump off the rock. We all swam and had so much fun! We got out to eat and I didn't have a towel! I stole Maureen's and me and Leonel held each other and shivered! It has been very cold the past two days. We all ate and had fun and then Juan Carlos Jr., Leonel, and I went to the bus to give David and Andres some food. We all talked and got to know each other and laughed! They made fun of me when I would sigh because I was tired. Me and Leonel hung out for a while and I love him! They are all great people. Today, we were the first ones to breakfast AGAIN! We all piled on the bus and went to Alamar where we got assigned our house church groups! It was me, Ashley, Bobbie, Suzanne, Brent, Daisy, and Miriam. All of the people we talked to got saved! Six people! Gloria a Dios! We got finished and had to wait for the bus for like a hour! We thought they left us! We were the last ones back for lunch and it was good! Juan Carlos Jr. gave me a bracelet today also! So now he has my bracelet, and I have his! After lunch we went with Juan Carlos to visit and we ended up sleeping! Ha ha! We then went to a kids group where we sang songs and told our little story! The waves were so big outside that they came up over the malecon onto the street! It was scary! After that Brent, Kevin, and I went with my "aunt" Miriam to her home group and man was it scary! We got there and we had no translator at all! They made Brent say a testimony and they didn't know what he was saying! It was crazy and fun! Then they brought out this thing of tea and Kevin drank it all! After he drank it, Alfredo told us to read this passage first. It was about poisonous snakes and drinks! Ah! It was scary! But in the end, it was all a joke! I so don't want to leave yet! I'm so happy where I am! I love it here and I want to stay forever! I'm so tired! Goodnight! Gloria a Dios!

-Bye the way, these are my journal entries from March when we were in Cuba. We're not actually there now! :)

Cuba: Day Two

2008-04-22T15:16:00.003-05:00

Today was another great day in Cuba. It was a late start for us four girls, three of which had to take a shower!! By the time we got to breakfast we were late! But it was all good in the omelet line! Yay! After we ate, we planned everything out and we decided what needed to be taken. We then gathered at the pool to leave, and found out that we had only one bus. David didn't come and so Andres came to pick us up. Ashleigh, Erin, and I were in one kid's group. Unfortunately, we were split up. So Ashleigh and I panicked because Erin was supposed to tell the story. By the time we got to Alamar, we saw Juan Carlos, Leonel, Daisy, Karen, and even Isaac. It was great to see everyone again and be home. Cristian and Jordan came later with Rosanna. After we got there, we started out lesson. We decided to do the bear hunt first, along with the chicken dance. Everything went great and it was HOT!!! Especially when we went to play beisbol it was very hot. That part was fun also. We were on a totally different field with a kung-fu stage! Yay! Ashleigh got hit in the leg which wasn't fun! Maureen, Leonel, and I walked down to the post office but we had to come back or else we would have had to wait thirty minutes! After that we headed to the house church to eat because I convinced Juan Carlos to take us back. The food was great (as usual)! Then it rained for three hours straight! We had the party outside at first and then we had to move it back inside because it rained. The dance party was GREAT!!! They played Rihanna, Sean Kingston, and Elvis! It was great! I got to dance with one of Juan Carlos Jr.'s friends who was really good! He told me that Juan Carlos Jr. was my boyfriend. The one thing he could say in English was "boyfriend." We also got to play some fun games!! I played one where I had to hold a bowl of merengue while Juan Carlos Jr. had to eat it without hands! I shoved the whole bowl in his face! The bowl stuck to his face as he pulled back! It was great! That was the most fun I've ever had! Once we got home and I took a shower and of course I couldn't get it to turn off! Lucky me! Well it's late! Night! Gloria a Dios!

Cuba: Day One

2008-04-21T15:43:00.002-05:00

Today was a long and hard day that started at 12:47 am for me, and 4:00 am for the others. Of course of all people I'm the one that doesn't sleep, and that rolls around all night long. My aunt snored all night, so that didn't help either. We left at 4:00 am from the airport and headed out to Atlanta! The airport was packed with people moving to their planes. We got all of our luggage in without a problem and we boarded the plane easily. Take off was a little nerve racking, but Erin's laughter and support cheered me up! I seem to have a constant theme for this week. PEACE. The whole time on the planes I prayed for peace; and God gave it. We landed safely in Miami as we hurried to our concourse to meet Magaley. It turns out that the concourse is closed, and we are approached by a police officer with two guns. They weren't just any guns! One of them was a machine gun! It turned out that we were lost, and he escorted us around. His name was Heath, and he loves Jesus! How amazing! We sat and sat for an hour and a half. Magaley calls and says that she had a family emergency but is on her way. She finally showed up, and again they changed the concourse! We had to go halfway across the airport to get to the gate! And, by the time we got there, we had 15 minutes to get all of our baggage checked! It turned out that we all made it and got on the plane without a problem. Our plane was different this time; it was bigger. It held like 60 passengers! It made me a lot better about our flight. We arrived in Cuba at 12:08 pm and we preceded into the airport. We all got through quickly and smoothly. No problems at all! We got all of our luggage and prepared to meet Eduardo at the van. We met them and put our things in the two buses. It was really cool to be back again with "mi familia" in Cuba. Eduardo treated us to a special dinner of Cuban pizza! Delicioso! After we had fun and ate we went to see the Christ of Havana and we prayed over the city. It was a long, stressful day but a fun one. Gloria a Dios!

Strange Dreams...

2008-04-09T19:55:00.002-05:00

Have you ever had a dream that was so real to you it was scary? You lay in bed at night thinking you are somewhere else, in another time. Well lately, I've been having those dreams often. Last night was really the first time in a long time I've had one of those dreams. Now that I think about it, it seemed like a vision. Like I got a second chance to do something, or accomplish something I never got the chance to do. As many of you know, my heart is in Cuba. I left it there many months ago on my first trip there on spring break. Ever since then, I have been dreaming about being there. Smelling the air, feeling the cool breeze of the ocean on my face, and the warmth of hugs and kisses from our brothers and sisters in Christ. I miss them dearly, and to this day I'm already excited about going back. My dreams have been so real, and when I wake up, I get up so happy because I think I'm in Cuba. Then I look around and my heart sinks to find that I'm at home in my bed. Well my dream last night was very bizarre. As everyone knows, our friend Leonel passed away. It happened so fast, and no one got to say goodbye. I dreamed that we were all in the funeral home sitting around. But what was weird was Leonel was sitting there with us. He wasn't dead, or in a casket; he was sitting there. And all I did was latch on to him. I could hear him talk, just like he was really beside me in real life. I sat there and just hugged him the whole time. We all knew he was going to die the next day in my dream. We all knew that we'd have to say goodbye to him. Everyone from the team was there and Juan Carlos, Rosanna, and the kids were there also. It was like everyone already knew what was going to happen. Now back to reality. After we got the news about Leonel, I would wake up in the mornings with wet eyes. I cried in my sleep. I was so sad, so empty. It's funny how you can be so close to a person that you barely know. It was like a family member passed away. But now after this dream, I have peace. I think that this was God's way of telling me that everything was ok. That I got my chance to say goodbye to him. They always say that God works in mysterious ways, and the Lord knows what I need. The whole trip I prayed for peace; and I got it! God is amazing! Gloria A Dios!

Cuba is in Less Than 48 Hours!!!

2008-03-18T19:56:00.003-05:00

Ok so these last few days have been unbearable. I've been so tired and pumped at the same time, it's been crazy! Sunday night I couldn't sleep at all because I was so tired. This is why I try not to think about Cuba because I will get extremely pumped and I won't be able to calm down. These are times when I think I have ADD. But that's a completely other story! I'm still in shock that we leave Thursday afternoon. It feels like just yesterday we were signing up to go on the trip. My how time flies! School is crazy right now, because we have exams the next two days. Maybe that will take my mind off of Cuba. Thank the Lord that I'm not in Mr. Beaver's Spanish class, because he's giving them a SUPER hard exam! I'm going to pray for those Spanish one students! This has totally nothing to do with anything, but our school is probably the coldest school in the world! Our school has that system where at a certain date, the heat will shut off and the air stays on constantly! It's warmer outside than it is inside!! It's crazy and it makes me not want to learn and long for my warm bed. Ok, well here is a video I'd like you to see for no reason whatsoever, just because I say so...Mr. Beaver will appreciate this...

And this!

Random Thoughts from Engineering Class...

2008-02-11T14:46:00.000-05:00

Ok so Mr. Littlejohn is hilarious because we were talking about religions, and Jenna was like, whose the Dali-Llama? She accidently said the Deli-Llama, and Mr. Littlejohn was like, oh he works down there at Subway! It was so funny! Today has been a very long day, and I have decided the my brains stops working after lunch. My class right after lunch is World History Honnors, and so I'm totally dead in there. We were talking about reincarnation and I was like, what's the religion where if you're bad you turn into a termite? And then after I asked that, I realized that it was from the movie End of the Spear...wow...good job Claire...well, the bell's about to ring! Bye!

TGIF!!

2008-01-25T14:30:00.000-05:00

Today has been a seemingly uneventful day. I'm in Engineering right now and we have a substitute. He is pretty much deaf, and we have had him for a sub since like 3rd grade. Our teacher has a sinus infection so we are sitting here doing pretty much nothing. I'm super tired, and our teachers presume to give us a bunch of homework and a test on Monday!! It's simply unacceptable! I mean, the purpose of a weekend is to give us a break from school. Not send us home with more work than we did the whole week! This janitor man just waltzed in and took the fire extinguisher out of the case and wrote something down. I promise you that the janitors own this school. They do whatever they want, they sit around and talk, and they do pretty much nothing besides clean the tables. They held us back in class for like 5 minutes because this kid fell and busted his head on the wall. There was blood and they took him out on a stretcher. Wow, that kid had a bad day. I also have a cold that developed two nights ago and it continues to live on inside of me. The only sounds I've heard today are the constant sniffing and coughing. So as you can see these are the random thoughts that I have had for the past, oh 30 minutes or so. Exciting huh? I don't even know what we are supposed to be doing...I think we are supposed to be researching our topic. I already have mine, so it's all good. Today I sat with Elizabeth at lunch and she was like starving. I had some peanut butter cookies though! Yum! Umm...what else. Oh yeah! We have Saturday Servants tomorrow which is going to be awesome! I'm pumped to wrap burgers while my friend Stacy, aka George Foreman, grills the burgers and hot dogs. It's actually rather quiet in here for once. All of the freshman aren't playing stupid music or laughing about stuff that isn't funny. Half of the class period the other day they talked about their teachers last year in eighth grade and how Mr. Jackson had a heart attack in class. They were talking about the Engineering team last year and how Mr. Little was the best. I wanted to tell them that they didn't even know how great he was as a teacher! Now he doesn't teach, but instead he coaches the Engineering team. So yeah life is pretty boring as you can tell right now. It may be exciting for you to read my life thoughts, but for me it's not all that exciting. So that's about all for now. If I get bored between now and 3:40, maybe I'll write some more! Bye!

My New Favorite Song!!

2008-01-14T20:11:00.000-05:00

Ok so this is most definitely my new favorite song! It's called. "Signature of Divine" by Need to Breathe. I heard this song on the new radio station Shine 96.7, which is great I might add, and it's amazing! Here are the lyrics if you would like to see them.

Cathedrals have tried in vain

To show the image of your face

But we are, by your design

The signature of divine

We’ll always sing your name

Forever and today

Yahweh, Yahweh

Great is your glory when you go before me

Oh, we sing

Holy, Holy

Your ways are lovely. So high above me.

Yahweh

The fortunes of kings and queens

Are wasted chasing what we’ve seen.

Cause we are, by your reprieve,

The beauty framed by your suffering

We’ll always sing your name

Forever and today

Yahweh, Yahweh

Great is your glory when you go before me

Oh, we sing

Holy, Holy

Your ways are lovely. So high above me

Yahweh

Take me, and pull me through.

Cause I can’t move without you.

I won’t leave you alone, you say.

It will be ok

Yahweh, Yahweh

Great is your glory when you go before me

Oh, we sing

Holy, Holy

Your ways are lovely. So high above me.

Yahweh.

Yahweh, Yahweh

Great is your glory when you go before me

Oh, we sing

Holy, Holy

Your ways are lovely. So high above me.

Yahweh

Ancient of Days

Yahweh!

My Church is Amazing!!

2008-01-05T21:30:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how many servants we have in our church. This morning we had probably 20 people come out at 9:30 this morning to make sack lunches for the soup kitchen. We had one of our home groups organize it and it was so much fun laughing and sticking cheese on sandwiches. The people are amazing to come out so early in the morning on their Saturday off, and serve with our church. Our church is so blessed with people who have servant's hearts. I appreciate my church so much, and I'm not saying this just because I'm the pastor's daughter. I'm saying this because it is true. Some people go to church just because it's the right thing to do or because they have to. I go to church because I enjoy it and I look forward to it. Church isn't meant to be a burden. The typical thought of a church is a big southern baptist preacher standing at the pulpit with a bible in one hand and a handkerchief in the other. He's sweating and pounding on the wooden pulpit, a 100 people sitting in the long pews fanning and screaming hallelujah. Hymnals in every pew and pencils to fill out your guest form and shaking the preacher's hand before you leave. Wednesday night church and paying five dollars to get in for your meal, and of course Sunday night church always. Church doesn't have to be this way! It can be fun! No doubt some people's tastes are different, and they enjoy traditional church but not everyone had the same opinion. I attended traditional church for most of my life until a couple of years ago when we started Capstone. I believe that our church has a different air about it as in the feeling is different when you walk in the room. Also, I love that our church doesn't meet in a traditional church building with a steeple. People don't believe me when I tell them that we meet in a movie theater for church but it's amazing! I usually get asked why we meet there and I'm like, it's perfect! We have so much fun, and the environment is so relaxed that it's more of a party with God than a boring 2 hour sermon and Sunday school. I believe that church can be fun! If you don't believe it then I'll show you!

My Revelation!

2007-12-06T09:22:00.000-05:00

Okay so I was sitting in class yesterday totally immersed in this book that I was reading, and I had a total revelation. I just felt this pull on an idea that came to my mind of what I want to do for the rest of my life. I had decided that I felt led to go to college and apply for one of those 3 week missions programs to a Spanish speaking country and work with children. I also want to study abroad and major in Spanish. I love the thought of going to Panama or Peru for a semester experiencing the people and the culture. I love the idea of missions, and as the Cuba trip approaches, I really want to be focused on the idea of doing it for a lifetime. I want to really experience it more than I did on the last trip. I just really felt the pull of this being the thing I want to do with my life! So yeah, anyways, I've developed this relationship with the librarians today because every time I came into the library I set off the alarm...yeah...everytime. It turned out to be a tag in my sweater from Old Navy, but then after I cut it out, I walked out to leave and it went off again...so I checked my pants, and there was one on my pocket. The one thing I always get nervous about in stores is the alarm going off and me getting arrested...scary!!! So I guessed I conquered my fear today!!

Amazed...

2007-12-06T09:18:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I am amazed and appalled at how many people take God's word for granted...I found this passage in Leviticus 19 that says,
"Do not steal."
"Do not lie."
"Do not deceive on another."
"Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord."
"Don't defraud your neighbor or rob him."
"...but fear your God. I am the Lord."
"Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt."
"...Love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord."

Twice by Christina Georgina Rossetti

2007-12-01T11:01:00.000-05:00

I took my heart in my hand (O my love, O my love),

I said: Let me fall or stand,

Let me live or die,

But this once hear me speak (O my love, O my love)-

Yet a woman's words are weak;

You should speak, not I.
You took my heart in your hand

With a friendly smile,

With a critical eye you scann'd,

Then set it down,

And said, 'It is still unripe,

Better wait awhile;

Wait while the skylarks pipe,

Till the corn grows brown.'

As you set it down it broke—

Broke, but I did not wince;

I smiled at the speech you spoke,

At your judgement I heard:But I have not often smiled

Since then, nor question'd since,

Nor cared for cornflowers wild,

Nor sung with the singing bird.
I take my heart in my hand,

O my God, O my God,

My broken heart in my hand:

Thou hast seen, judge Thou.

My hope was written on sand,

O my God, O my God:

Now let thy judgement stand—

Yea, judge me now.
This contemn'd of a man,

This marr'd one heedless day,

This heart take thou to scan

Both within and without:

Refine with fire its gold,

Purge Thou its dross away—

Yea, hold it in Thy hold,

Whence none can pluck it out.
I take my heart in my hand—

I shall not die, but live—

Before Thy face I stand;

I, for Thou callest such:

All that I have I bring,

All that I am I give,

Smile Thou and I shall sing,

But shall not question much.

Air Cubano-English Lit. Story

2007-08-29T19:43:00.001-05:00

The time had finally come. The excitement, the adrenaline was pumping through my veins. My heart racing, my thoughts were scattered on every person, and all my surroundings. I am standing in the Miami airport about to go to a communist country in which no American can go. Where am I going you ask? Cuba is my destination with a passport in my hand and my luggage and I’m set. As we all eat snacks waiting to board the plane, we hear our flight number being called.
We walk down the stairs and on to the runway. As we are walking, I notice how small the plane is. On the side of the plane it says “Air Cubano,” with a little door and a staircase where the flight attendant welcomes us on board. She greets us with a warm hello as we go up the rickety staircase to our seats. The seats are very close together with a smooth blue fabric on them all with little compartments above them. The aisle is only big enough for one person, with one seat on the right, and two seats on the left. I glanced down at my ticket and saw my seat number, and luckily my seat was not by itself. I was two rows from the front and about four rows from the back and when I went to sit down, I gave my father the window seat. I did not want to see us take off or fly over the ocean, since I have never flown over the ocean before. When we sat down I put my book bag at my feet and got out my word search booklet to keep my mind off the plane.
After everyone had been seated the flight attendant shut the door and began to explain the emergency procedures. Wow, that’s a good way to calm my nerves, let’s talk about crashing and what to do if we don’t die! As the plane started up, one propeller started turning but the other one didn’t. When I get nervous I ask a lot of questions, so I turned to my dad and asked, “Why is only one propeller moving?” “It’s okay, it just starts after the other one,” said my dad. I was starting to panic so I decided not to listen to the flight attendant talking about emergency procedures. It’s time to take off, so we buckle our seat belts and prepare to fly. Both propellers are spinning as we pull onto the runway. My dad turns to me and says, “We’re next!” As we start to gain speed my heart drops and all the other sound is drowned out by the sound of the engine.
We get off the ground and everyone claps and cheers, especially the Cuban-Americans in the back. The Cuban-Americans were so happy just to be off the ground because they only get to go back to Cuba every four years. All of the sudden our plane drops down and everyone screams. I grab my father’s hand and my heart jumps back into my throat. All of the Cubans in the back of the plane laugh like it’s a roller coaster, while I’m scared to death! I seriously thought in that moment, on that plane that I was going to die. I prepared myself for the thought of dying and everything that comes with it. At that moment I instantly thought of a verse that we had memorized in church some time ago. It was 1st Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self discipline.” I knew in that instant that God would take care of me and my life was in his hands.
As soon as we landed and we got our bags I ran off the plane and kissed the ground! I was never so happy to be on land ever in my life. Once we arrived at the Cuban airport, we had to go to a special side of the airport in a building for Americans and Cuban-Americans. We could not be in the airport with everyone else; instead it was just us Americans with Cuban policemen. Walking in that building was just scary in and of itself. There were probably about ten policemen, all speaking Spanish, and so we were very confused. The building was small with little hallways with glass openings in the offices. Right before one of the offices was a yellow line that said “pare,” or stop in big yellow letters. The whole building reeked of cigarette smoke and on the wall there were big posters that said things like, “Welcome to Cuba,” and “Cuba is great!”
Each one of us had to walk up to one of the little offices and had the person our papers and our passport. I was to go to the window with my father, but as I walked up to the window the officer said that I had to back up and wait my turn. I should have been allowed to go with my father because I’m a minor but she would not allow it. As I watch my father being questioned, she finally says that he can go, and he asks if he can wait for me. The lady gets mad and says no and she lets him through the door to the other side. She says next and I approach the window shaking nervously. I hand her my papers and passport and she starts typing all of it into the computer. As she picks up my passport she holds it up and looks at me then back at the picture. Continually she stares at me and back at the picture, and I start to get a little scared. Then she handed me my papers and says, “Welcome to Cuba,” and then opens the door.
As I pass through the door and see everyone standing there I pass through security and move on to pick up my bags. My father asks me what happened and I told him that everything was fine and she didn’t ask me anything. He tells me to take my money to the currency exchange and get some Cuban pesos. We probably waited about 30 minutes for our bags to come through and finally we saw our first bag. After we retrieved all our bags we had to leave the airport and look for Isaac and Eduardo, two of our Cuban pastors. We pass through the sliding doors and see a fence with hundreds of Cubans behind it waiting to see if their family is coming through to see them. We pass through the gate to see the bus, Eduardo, David, and Isaac. We all greet each other with big hugs and a kiss on each cheek. Wow. It’s so good to be here.

Blogging...

2007-08-12T20:48:00.000-05:00

Wow...I totally and completly forgot that I had a blog! Wow! I just thought I'd say hi since I haven't written in forever! -lol-

God is Speaking...

2007-06-07T14:25:00.000-05:00

The other night when I was doing my devotional, I was thinking. I had just been really down that week, I was reviewing in my mind all of the stuff that'd been going on over the week, and it just made me even more depressed. Then, in my devotional it had this verse. It was Psalms 43:5 and it said, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." After I read that I was like, WOW!! It was as if God was talking straight to me and asking me if I was okay, and what was wrong. So later that week problems continued to persist. Once again in my devotional one of the verses spoke to me. 2 Samuel 6:21-22 said, "...I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes..." I was then thinking, God is just telling me to go crazy! He wants me to be happy and rejoice in him and not care what other people say! The same thing happened with 2 Corinthians 12:9 when I was feeling like I couldn't do any thing right. It says, "...Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." This just made me feel great to think that I can rejoice that I'm not perfect! Wow! I can rejoice even in my imperfections! That makes me so happy, and glorifies God even more to admit that he is perfect and all powerful! Just thought I'd share some of my week with you!

Pictures of my life! Enjoy!

2007-05-31T16:03:00.000-05:00

It's kind of dark, but we're posers!
Yeah! V Dub in the house!
Wow! Look at this car!
So hot! -lol-
Crocs and a Volkswagen...what could be better?

I don't even know what to say about this one...
We are so retarded...yall' knew that though! -lol-
Crocs! Yeah baby!
Hmmm...contemplating something...what, idk!
Damsel in distress!

Me and my morning buddies!
I love this pic!
My two bff's!
I drew this of my teacher Mr. Middleton, and that is the quote he always says!
Wow...yeah...

2007-05-22T14:14:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a while but I have a great excuse. Life has been so chaotic and crazy right now that there has not even been time to write at all! With school being over, final exams are due, and all of crazy things going on with our church, well yeah, that's all. Let me elaborate on our church situation for a little while. My father is the pastor of Capstone Community Church and we have just recently learned that we cannot meet at AmStar theaters anymore because they were bought out by another large company. Oh, and we have to be out within 30 days...yeah that was great news after the whole dilemma with our trailer being stolen. But all of that is fine now because the police found the trailer abandoned and opened with a flat tire. Actually, the tire wasn't just flat, it was practically in pieces! Our church keeps saying that God blew that tire up! So currently we are looking for a new building to meet in for church! Woohoo! Yeah, we were just looking at a possible place to meet today! So definitely pray for our church in this weird situation. So along with all of that, school got out and I had to clean out my locker, which by the way is full of crap that I somehow acquired over the school year.

A Letter to the Beautiful...

2007-05-08T16:43:00.000-05:00

Dear Beautiful,

You'll never know how much I love you.
Every time I see your beautiful face,
It is always the highlight of my day.
You won't believe how much I've longed to hold you.
How I love how you look when you sleep.
It's just like a masterpiece.
I couldn't begin to describe how big my heart is for you.
How it beats so fast when I see your smiling face.
I know you like the back of my hand.
How your eyes glisten in the sunshine.
Your skin is flawless and radiates beauty.
I can't believe you are mine!
I have you all to myself.
To dwell on your beauty all day long.
You are the first thing I see when I wake up.
The last thing I see before I sleep.
Your beauty astounds me!
How could something like you be made?
Something so great and wonderous.
You'll never know how much I love you.

Forever loving and never leaving,

Jesus

Normal...

2007-05-07T15:56:00.000-05:00

What is the meaning of normal?
We use the word everyday.
Is it blonde hair or blue eyes?
Or people who stay out late.
People who are a certain religion,
Or color or shape,
Or the fact that everyone seems to hate.
"Oh it's okay!"
"Her attitude is NORMAL for any teenager today."
So tell me,
What is the definition?
Will you share it with me please!
I'll give you recognition,
For releaving our frustration,
With this one, little, word.
That trips us up.
And cuts us down.
NORMAL...
What do they say you are?

Trust

2007-05-03T19:46:00.000-05:00

I had a thought earlier this morning to post about trust. Did you know that there is so little of it today in our world? My grandma used to tell me about how her mom would tell her and her brother to go out and play and not come in until dinner. They would go to the grocery store and get things for their mother, walk down the street to the ice cream stand, and go anywhere and everywhere! Now, people can't even let their children go outside without watching them, children can't go trick-or-treating at Halloween because you can't trust the candy people give you unless you know them. The amount of trust is so little in our world today that it is sad. I had a thought about when we were in Cuba, the amount of trust is tremendous! If someone doesn't have enough food for their family, they go to their neighbors and ask for some food. Our translator and friend, Juan Carlos, has a chain connected to his belt loop and into his pocket. One day I asked him what it was, and he said that it was his house key. He told me that only his close friends and family have one, and those are the only people that he will allow them to see it. He took it off the hook and handed it to me, and I was so surprised. I said to him, "You trust me with this?!" He replied a simple, "Yes". I was dumbfounded to know that this man that I had known for less than a week would allow me to basically hold his life in my hand. I had his house key which was one of his most important possessions. I held on to that key the entire day, and at the end of the day I gave it back to him. I asked him, "Did you forget I had it?" He said, "No, I knew that you wouldn't lose it." The acceptance and literally placing his possessions in my hands was amazing. I think that our trust should be exactly like that with God. We should place the key to our life in his hands and completely trust him with everything we have. God believes in us, so the least we could do is return the favor. Asta Luego!

Six Flags and San Juan!

2007-04-29T14:58:00.000-05:00

Hola! Here are the four pictures of Six Flags...woohoo...yeah pretty much! The first one is Amanda looking suprised and weird, and the next one is of Kevin laughing on the bus! He's probably laughing at me and how stupid I am! He had to sit beside me on the way there and the way back! Sorry Kev! (Actually he didn't have too...he made me sit beside him! J/k!) The next one is of me and Jordan! He doesn't ever smile for pictures! That made me mad because he has a funny smile! The next one is of me and Anna! We laughed at her smile in this pictures because she won't show us her teeth because she just got braces! The last one is for my Spanish friends Jose' and Alejandro! This was a truck at our hotel in the mountains! I love you guys! Bye!

I'M BACK FROM CUBA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-04-07T13:33:00.000-05:00

Our Group!!!
This is me and my father Eduardo!

This is me and my brother Juan Carlos!
Rebecca and Wilson!!!!
Aren't they beautiful?

Our little bus!!!!

Pina Coladas without the Rum!
Corbino!
Put the Lime in the Coconut!
Me and Leonel!
Me and Carlos!

Corbino and the Coconut!

I'm so glad to be back in the states with everyone but at the same time i'm very sad to be gone from everyone in Cuba. It was such an awesome experience and I think that everyones lives have been changed drastically over the past week. We had about 80 people get saved over the week, and we experienced God's prescence like nothing ever experienced before. It's funny how you seem to feel God's prescence more when you are in a foreign country. The love for God is undescribable, and the love for people they just met is unforgettable. This was truly an experience that I will never forget. Also, I now have a Cuban father, and his name is Eduardo! I love him so much, and suprisingly he is the best putt-putt player i've ever seen! It was the first time he had ever played and he was great! I also have a brother named Juan Carlos! He is hilarious!!! He laughs like crazy and always knows how to have fun! I love how we felt so accepted and like family to them. You are always greeted with a kiss and a hug and it's wonderful! Corbino (Corbin) had a lot of fun with the coconuts, and Rebecca had a great time with her boyfriend Wilson (the coconut with a face drawn on it) until Corbino smashed him and ate him. Rebecca ate him also...We had so much fun and I definately encourage everyone to go! Here are some pics to highlight the week...

Love is...

2007-03-26T15:31:00.000-05:00

Love is like an ocean, never ending.
Love is like a highway.
You can go to many places.
Experience new things.
And have fun along the way.
Love is like an eternal flame.
Always burning and never fading away.
Love will never leave.
It does not boast or brag.
Love is patient.
Love is kind.
If everything else fades away, love is still here.
Love is always there.
Deep inside your heart.
Love will not awaken until it so desires.
Love should not be aroused until the time is right.
Love can break your heart.
It can make you crazy.
Make it last.
Use it all up.
The cup of love will never empty.
It will never run dry.
Give it out.
Share it.
Tell people about it.
Let them know how wonderful it is.
Let someone know you love them.
Express it.
Give a smile.
A hug.
A laugh.
Shake a hand.
You never know how long you'll be here.
So live it out.

By: Claire Chapman
3/26/07

The Girl

2007-03-22T15:46:00.000-05:00

Day One...
Do you see that girl over there? She looks very focused and unaware. She's reading a book and now she's closing her eyes and bowing her head. She is acting very strange.

Day Two...
Do you see that girl? She's the same one from yesterday. But look, she has a friend, he's reading with her. She is always reading that book, over and over. She must have read it a thousand times.

Day Three...
I've seen this girl many times. At school she keeps to herself and doesn't say much. Just always reading that book. The same old book. Nothing new or different. How can this girl always read this book? Wouldn't it get boring and old?

Day Four...
I studied what the book looked like and I went to the library and found it. It's something called a bible. I'm going to find out what she was reading about. She always seemed to happy and content when she read it.

Day Five...
This book is amazing! I can't believe how wonderful it is! No wonder that girl read it all of the time! This book talks about things that this man did and all of the miracles he proformed! He died on the cross to save me! Wow!

Day Six...
The girl wasn't there anymore. I just don't know where she is! She always sits here on this bench and reads her bible. I don't understand why she didn't come.

Day Seven...
I was looking at the paper this morning and saw an obituary. It was for the girl that sat on the bench. I didn't know her, but she impacted my life. I went to her funeral and met her family. They were very kind.

You never know who you will impact. Just sitting on a bench reading your bible can change someone's life. Someone is always watching you. So when they are watching, let them watch Christ. Be Christ and let them see him through you.

By: Claire Chapman

Christian

2007-03-19T15:44:00.000-05:00

"I'm a christian," or so you say, you don't act like it everyday, you swear you are, you take a test, you aced it because you did your best, you go to church and sing songs but you cuss and swear all day long, what's your problem, what's the deal, everyone knows your not being real, you read a chapter, you said a prayer but all along you know it won't get you there, to a place we call home, or our own, but confessing your sins to the priest won't take you there, what makes you think you can act this way, taking advantage of him day by day, he wants to save you and take you, away from all of this hurt and pain, because of you, he was slain, because of you, the price was paid, maybe if you had just stayed, and listened to what he said, now you stand before him on this day, to learn all your sins and how you disobeyed, you told him you prayed, went to church, and even stayed, but that won't get you there, maybe just a look or a stare, he says sorry my child, you should've found me, and all of your days would be filled with glee,
But this truth will set you free:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the father except through me."
2 Corinthians 3:5-8
So friends, let us prevent this story, stop these people from missing God's glory, and on that day, let us rejoice, because another child has joined the family.

By: Claire Chapman
3/19/07

You should take this!

2007-03-17T20:58:00.001-05:00

Your Birthdate: September 22

You tend to be understated and under appreciated.
You have a hidden force to do amazing things, doing them your own way.
People may see you as strange and shy, but they know little.
Your unconventional ways have more power than they (and even you) know.

Your strength: Standing up for what you know is true

Your weakness: You tend to be picky and rigid

Your power color: Silver

Your power symbol: Square

Your power month: April

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Me So Holy!

2007-03-17T20:32:00.000-05:00

Life is...

2007-03-13T20:01:00.000-05:00

Life is crazy right now...You find that old friends get replaced by the new, you aren't feeling the same thing you thought you felt, you don't want to get up in the mornings, we make up excuses why we fail, we try to do the right thing only to find that it's impossible not to mess up, we realize that people change and so do you, we see that friends that you thought were faithful aren't, you get made fun of because you don't give in to things that others do, you are the only one who aspires to do something big and important, you aspire to reach your goals and find that you are alone, you have relationships that weren't as meaningful to the other person as it was to you, you find your friend doing something that totally betrays you and you tell her and she hates you, people seem to point out your mistakes instead of pointing out their own, you try to better yourself to find that you're making it worse, you trip and stumble but you have to much pride to admit that you need help, you are a total hypocrite and you say that you are a christian but you aren't, you are so two-faced that people can't trust you, you talk about people behind their backs and they get hurt, you spread vicious rumors to totally destroy and demolish every friendship you ever knew, you tell someone you love them and don't mean it, you hurt someone by excluding them and shutting them out, you lose control of yourself and can't admit that you need someone to help pick up the pieces, you are so concious about what others think that you become totally superficial, you betray everyone that loved you and expect them to still love you, when everyone else hates you and you think that there is no where to go, or no one to turn to, then think about this...

Have you ever considered or payed attention to the man that died on a cross for you? The one that had peirced hands and feet just to relieve you of your problems and your sins? Have you ever thought that this man loves you? When everything else fades away and everyone else hates you and ignores you, who's left? Only one thing...

JESUS

Written By: Claire Chapman

Hey!!!!

2007-03-13T16:50:00.000-05:00

Today was a great day! Except for the whole fact that I pulled a muscle in my right leg and have to limp! But I just learned that I have to present a project on the same day that I was going to the ropes course at Clemson and I can't go! :( Well I g2g! Bye!

Hey peeps!

2007-03-03T21:33:00.001-05:00

Well, I just found out that Anderson is the smallest place in the world! Just kidding! I was on the Sound of Light talking to random people and they asked me where I was from and I said Anderson. Well there was a girl named Kaylan on there and she used to be in CYT with me! Ahhhh! It's such a small world!

Hello everyone!!!

2007-02-27T17:06:00.000-05:00

What's up everybody? I haven't posted in a week! I can't believe how fast this week is already going!! Wow! School is crazy! Exam's are coming up and I'm so nervous! I got my passport yesterday! I can't wait to go to Cuba!!!! Wooohoooo! I don't have very much to say, so I will let this picture say it all...

2007-02-20T17:21:00.002-05:00

| View Show | Create Your Own

Me and Stacy's Favoritest Song in the World!!!!

2007-02-18T20:23:00.000-05:00

Wonderful WinterJam!

2007-02-17T16:33:00.000-05:00

Five Random Things About Me! (I was tagged by Chanda!)

2007-02-14T17:45:00.000-05:00

1. I sometimes find myself talking to someone and yet no one is listening

2. When I'm home alone I like to sing really loud and be even stranger than normal.

3. Sometimes I like to laugh randomly or say something weird like cake.

4. I have a fake tooth attached to my retainer and I can move it up and down!

5. When I was in elementary school, I used to get breakfast at home made by my parent's and then I would go to school and have a second breakfast. My parents always wondered where my lunch money went...

And there is the honest truth! Some of those things were things you never knew about me! Have fun and tell everyone!

This is an Awesome Video!!! Watch the bald man! He's Funny!

2007-02-10T19:47:00.000-05:00

Music Video Codes By Music Jesus.com

Snow Day Fun!

2007-02-02T17:02:00.000-05:00

Me and Stacy!

2007-01-30T17:58:00.000-05:00

Some Pics of the WONDERFUL Tailgating and a Movie!

2007-01-15T20:59:00.000-05:00

An Awesome Story...

2007-01-15T17:13:00.000-05:00

Backgroung info: I found this story on The Movement's forum, and a girl was asking people what we thought of her story. She's trying to publish a book of devotionals. Her username is truedog_m_big_sis...here's the story...

Prayer to Your Savior

1John 3:16 - By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrated His own love toward us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Imagine that you’re walking home from school one day. You up your Walkman as you begin to cross the street, not paying any attention to the traffic. Imagine a total stranger is watching a car speed toward you. He tries to yell, but your music is too loud, and the car is too close, so he does the only other thing possible. Right before the car hits you, the stranger dives and pushes you out of the way. Unfortunately, in doing so, this man sacrifices his life. Imagine your shock and confusion. Why would a man jump to save you if you never even met him before? Imagine your guilt, realizing that this man died because of your careless mistake. As the ambulance, police, crowds, and news crews come and go, what else would go through your mind? Imagine going to this man’s funeral. What would you say to his family? “I’m the one he died to save.” What would you say if you had a chance to talk to him?
This is exactly what Jesus did for you. He pushed you out of the way, and sacrificed His life for your mistakes. Think about what Jesus did for you on the cross. Think about the pain and suffering He went through so that you could spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Yes, Jesus is 100% God, but He was also 100% human, and He went through extreme pain! Think of how much you are loved! Jesus died so that you could live. But, Jesus is alive! He wants you to talk to Him. He wants you to get to know Him because He already knows you. He wants you to share your confusion, wonder, shock, thanks, and amazement with Him. Sometimes, when thinking about what He did for you, all you can do is sit there and wonder. Share with Christ how you feel about His substitution. Ask Him why! Sit there and cry awhile. You can never completely understand all that Christ went through, but what you can understand should blow your mind! Pray to Jesus as your Savior, because that is who He is!

What's up?

2006-12-30T21:01:00.000-05:00

My blog feels so empty since I had to change it! I miss my old one! :( Oh well! I can't wait for church tomorrow! We are going to have so much fun! My godparents are coming up from Lexington, and they are spending the night with us after church! Bring on the New Year! Wohoo! I'm listening to Superchick right now, their song "One Girl Revolution"! I love this song because it talks about that you have the right to be whoever you want to be and you have confidence and purity! We represent girls all around! I found a fortune that I got out of a fortune cookie, and it said, "Find a place to stand, and move the world!" I love that fortune because it is actually a good one! I think it gives me and everyone the courage to be bold and change the world for Christ, to try to make a difference in our messed up world we live in! We need to try to change this world and make them be for Christ! We are the future generation! I love you all!

Hey Yall!!!!

2006-12-29T17:53:00.000-05:00

What's up? I saw this AWESOME shirt in Clemson today! And I apologize in advance for the Gamecock fans that I will be offending when I say this but, the shirt in Clemson said, "Thank Heaven for Gamecocks...without them, there wouldn't be any LOSERS!!!!! Isn't that AWESOME!!!! I think it is...sorry daddy! -Lol- Well, I had an awesome day today! I woke up late, 9:30, and yes, that is late for me! I know what you're thinking,"she's weird" and yes I know...you're completely right! But I watched an old movie, and then went to eat at Fuddrucker's and then we went to Clemson and bought some stuff, and then went home! I went over to my neighbor's house to babysit their two little girls, Anna is 4, and Sara is 3! So when they where digging in the dirt for treasure, Anna found a worm! Anna is our little drama queen, so she said to me,"Claire! Oh my goodness! I can't believe it! I found a WORM!!!!" She told it to me like she had just found gold or $50,000! She is totally crazy obsessed with bugs, so she was very happy! :) So Anna and Sara played in the dirt some more and finally had to go inside for dinner! They were SOOOOO dirty! When I went home I rode my bike and I could barely get up the hill! I'm so out of shape! I'm getting ready to go run on the oliptical trainer...if that's how you spell it?! Oh well! G2G!!!! I love you!!!

Hey Guys!

2006-12-28T14:29:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry! I had to change my blog because I also changed my email! So this is my new adress! Yay!