Strange Dreams...

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!!!

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...

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!!

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!!

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!!

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!

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!!