cheers to summer.

wow. it's been a long time since I have updated this thing... but here I go:

this summer has been crazy. Between some awesome trips, I was given rad opportunities to encounter so many incredible kids. Blessed by every circumstance, the childlike faith that each and every kid had was probably one of the most inspiring things to witness and be a part of. Whether it was their willingness to ask questions, or just their passion to be honest with each other despite what the others would say.. it taught me so much. So often in life we forget how much people relate to weakness; always feeling the need to be strong, we hide the fact that we are weak therefore the lords power isnt able to shine through clearly in our lives. Seeking this lord is one thing, but recognizing his faithfulness amidst brokenness is another. Really dwelling in the Lord is something that has impacted my summer more than anything& tasting and seeing that the lord is good [pslam 34] has made me more grateful than ever.

now is when I wait. waiting for what you may ask? waiting for college. This summer the Lord has been preparing my heart so much for leaving, and now that all of my friends have left, enjoying college, and becoming best friends with the semester system, the quarter system and I are not on very good terms. cheers to patience. Patience in the Lord's timing for things, patience for what HE has prepared for me in seattle, and patience in the friends he has for me there. If you know me, I'm not usually a patient person, so this is huge and definitely a transformation haha.

^^^
last thing: one of the weeks spent with kids this summer was spent at hume lake. Being able to counsel 7 amazing 8th graders with a passion for the Lord was a great end to my summer& Each and every heart that I was able to pour into blessed me in ways I cant even describe.weird how time flies, feels like yesterday when I was in the meadow.


full house @ hume? click here

new beginnings

SO I graduated from highschool
pro: said the pledge of allegiance for the ceremony

con: the fact that I wont be with a lot of these people ever again. it's been an awesome experience that I am beyond blessed for. God showed me a lot of what it means to really embrace moments. embrace the single breaths that we have each day and use it for his glory because we never know when they will end. life is just a breath---we can choose to live it well or not.

summer is going fast already. As easy as its been to just coast through it so quickly, Ive been encouraged so much to make it an effort to make everything purposeful even when somet hings [like laziness], in summer, seem to lack purpose.

since this is a blog about joy... thought it'd be appropriate to say that I have been so encouraged to consider trials, worries, doubts, anger, frustration, & basically everything as pure joy. not just happiness, or a joy that displays constant smiles, but one that is fully satisfied in where jesus has placed me in life. 'Consider is pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of any kind' [james 1:3]-----thanks megan. :)

"Becoming the beloved is pulling the truth revealed to me from above down into the ordinariness of what I am, in fact, thinking of, talking about and doing from hour to hour."
— Henri J.M. Nouwen

blessed for people. jesus is so faithful

DWELL on this.

"Tent wasn't good enough, the temple wasn't near enough, so Jesus took on human 
flesh and then brought HIS temple inside of US. this is a God who keeps getting closer 
to HIS people. the bible isn't a search of humanities quest of God... it's a record of 
God's quest for Humanity." 




Jesus made a permanent decision to DWELL in us every single day, yet it becomes a daily struggle to give him even an hour. Recognizing, especially with that quote, that we are chosen gives me even more reason to love HIM... and not just LOVE him with my words, but with my life that can overflow that love to others every single day.


another quote thats just too good...


"There's a creator and theres a creation, and they are fundamentally distinct. God is the 
designer;creation is the designed. go is the definer; creation is the defined. God is independent, 
while everything God made is dependent upon him. apart form the creator, creation cannot exist; 
apart from creation, however, the creator does exist. Thats the ultimate difference between 
creation and its creator. creations needs the creator; the creator does not need the creation."


some more verses im super into: [this is becoming a quote-sharing sesh]


matthew 10:39- 'if you cling to your life, you will lose it, but if you give up your life for me, yo uwill find it.'


galations 2:20- 'my old self has been crucified with Christ, it is no longer i who lives, but christ who lives in me so i live in this body, trusting in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.'


thats how ive been encouraged lately :)

music.of.MAY.

Super pumped about the newest additions to my itunes library.. so i thought id share!

"Glorify", Ivan&Alyosha: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO6htelTh0I

"40 day dream", Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e46GBxmoeU

"king of All Days", Hillsong United: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n3NLkCe0eQ

also: "like an avalanche" by them.


"Hopelessness Blues", Fleet Foxes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HHgedNNQco

"I will yet Praise You", Foothill Worship (itunes, no vid)

"For You", Peter Bradley Adams: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbKX0mb8MGo

"Sleeping Sickness", City & Colour:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4EPWD7A87A

neon gratefulness

I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I yearn for, things I seek.. noticing that as life goes on and on I realize more and more that I love jesus, but I also love a lot of other things too. How easy it is to desire jesus to consume my heart, yet so many other things take over that. SO, lately I have worked on recognizing blessings that remind me of the need to be grateful; therefore switching my motive in life to something that I do for jesus out of thankfulness rather than for myself out of selfishness.

want to know what I'm grateful for at THIS moment?

I am grateful for people. Earlier this week, got to experience a birthday party that made me recognize how much more thankful i should be for the people that he has thrown in my life.

i like neon, and I (in 2 weeks) will LOVE  adulthood. heres a few from the night :)

May ONE.

May first is a huge day for seniors.

*YES it marks the 1 month and 8 day mark (im not counting down or anything) till graduation, to which I will be doing the Pledge of Allegiance at. (already practicing)
**BUT college decisions are due and my decision was made...

got my umbrella cause Im going to SEATTLE PACIFIC!

you might be thinking to yourself:
1. ew rain
2. ew cold
3. ew gloomy

i say:
1. umbrella.
2. excuse for a north face jacket that I could never wear in California (awesome)
3. gloomy shmoomy.

so pumped for the community @ this awesome school, and for the people God will put into my life during this new chapter.

shout out to:
PEPPERDINE (mac, jackie, mads)
VANDERBILT (allie vk)
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA (krisssti)
GEORGE FOX (chloee)
POINT LOMA (kenz & nat)
APU (domm domm)
POMONA COLLEGE (marie!)

wooot woot. ayo

super S(T)OAKED about SPRING.

Who found 3 mini super soakers in the back of their car? ME.

started spring break out with some shooting using cameras & water-guns-- heres a glimpse.

after the fun, i lost some wisdom:

best supporters ever.

SLAM

Shake the dust from Anis Mojgani on Vimeo.

as much as Id love to call it my bucket list, it's really unofficial so ill just call it 'the list of things that I really wish I could do'

here are a few of them:
1. go on a dog sled in Alaska with Marie Helmy (ayo)
2.  ride an ostrich (wait but actually)
3. marry a youth pastor (ha, yep)
4. and, inspired by this guy to do slam poetry.. (sick right?)

anyways. ill add on to this more in about 27 hours when I'm sitting on a couch looking like a chipmunk because I will have just gotten my wisdom teeth out and I wont have anything else to do. ha perfect.

inspired by DV.

shout out to Destinee Valadez.. a star Oaks Christian Student (haha love her), for winning a trip to Uganda by having a heart to serve, and a willingness to make a difference! 


I'm on a mission to raise money for an awesome cause: please read!

God's given us one life, Why not use it? Life is but a breath, why not live it fully? Im encouraged through invisible children to look beyond myself and help a cause that is so necessary, with your help that can flourish even more. If you are looking at this page, please simply pray for these kids, these lives that are in danger and if you feel compelled I would love a donation. thank YOU. :) [haley.downey]

Thank you for supporting me as I raise money and awareness for the thousands of children in central Africa who have been abducted by Joseph Kony and his rebel army. The money I raise will fund The Invisible Children Protection Plan -- a strategy to protect innocent people from the brutal violence of the LRA.

I will be participating in Invisible Children's national awareness event called 25, on April 25th. Thousands around the world will be silent, using our voices (by not using them) to speak out against this 25-year-long war.

Please donate and tell others about my page any way you can: Facebook, Twitter... or even word of mouth (you remember what that is, right? Phone calls. Knocking on doors. Whatever you've gotta do.)

And join me on April 25th, wherever you are, in staying silent for 25 hours. Together, we will put an end to 25 years of war. Sign up at www.invisiblechildren.com

heres my page!you can donate here: http://ic.stayclassy.org/member/ic-fundraising?fcid=61617 

baby got ukelele.

brilliant. cant get over the guys in the back.

beginning of the end

hit up San Diego with an awesome group of people that I'm honored to call 'family'.. I've been @ Oaks Christian for 7 years and I cant believe it is coming to an end, but what a great trip to end the year :) I'm so blessed for people, really.

BUT HEY--> there is still PROM & GRADUATION.

maybe this will be me? --> 

it WAS his...whups.

silly story. probably a joke, how embarrassing.

looking up ^

random epiphanies  are my favorite

actually, i think I just enjoy saying the word 'epiphany' rather that what the ephipany really is.

OK ANYWAYS. I walked into Starbucks the other day, slightly distracted by the new oversize cups of coffee they sell and the guy that looked like Kobe Bryant, and as I continued walking I looked up. Wow, I know, big whup, but i recognized what the ceiling looked like. I go to this Starbucks every week and I was honestly shocked by what the whole half of the room above my eye level had appeared. it looked kinda like this  -->

  <-- ok, maybe it looked like this

but long story short it made me realize how constant our eye are focused on whats ahead, rather than whats up. I am constantly worried about what the plan is for our life, looking ahead, but do we ever just stop and look up; therefore, recognizing the beauty above and the greatness that comes out of it?

challenge: look up when you go to starbucks...

ok but actually, recognize Jesus day by day, admire him, look up, he's greater than we think he is.

DANG. my friends are beautiful.

DONT YOU LOVE it when you get to use your friends computer... then you raid their iphoto... then you find some precious gems?

here.YOU.go.

silly.

you can have GUATEVER you like. [guatemala.2011]

SO... I just recently got back from a missions trip to Guatemala.. So pumped in the beginning, I was ready for fun fun fun; however, it took getting there to realize that that was not the purpose of the trip.. Recognizing that 'fun' was destined to happen was one thing, but my heart and intention of being there was completely changed once I arrived.

Working @ a health care site was my job for the week. Seeking to serve the people of 'Magdelena' and 'El Gorrion', children who were ill, arrived one after another at a health clinic. Working 2 days at the clinic, one day at an old folks home (the word 'folks' is hilarious), and one day at an elementary school was incredible.

Journaling one day, I realized something that has never come to my attention so much in my entire life... the sense of being ENOUGH.. what is really enough for us? along with this concept, comes satisfaction. Looking around me one day I saw dirt, shacks, and dying dogs... unsure of how that could bring joy to anyone I got so sad thinking that people live in this area every single day. Sick families, lack of food, and overpopulated houses were the epitome of these two cities.. yet a joy from every person I met was unbelievable.... Made me reflect, on the fact that I am never satisfied, America is never satisfied.. we need new shoes, we need this we need that, when do we stop?... Not trying to pull the cliche "these people have nothing, but yet they have so much joy in the lord".. but in reality these people of Guatemala are completely satisfied with their situation. When is God enough? in these peoples lives, it was.

Thats just a glimpse of my experience, but I was overall beyond blessed...

a-b-l-e.

I have recently been looking at Ephesians 3, and what has caught my eye every time is verse 20, "Now all glory to the God who is able"... this sense of being able, another way of recognizing God as powerful is something that has changed my view on situations where I doubt. Not only did I find myself doubting God, but also myself. Doubting the fact that I trust in a God who is more powerful beyond what I can bear, is something that should FILL me. Think about it, ALL GLORY TO THE GOD WHO IS ABLE... recently facing death in my life, and trials that I had never imagined myself facing, I have been banking on the fact that the God I worship is able to control, able to protect, and able to love me despite trials. heres the rest of the scripture...


"I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. ¹⁷ Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. ¹⁸ And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. ¹⁹ May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. ²⁰ Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."

Dance Onederful

So, this year I decided to be THAT girl who took a dance class a oaks... it was the best decision I've made...

some call it 'beginning dance' or 'dance one'... in my case, I call it dance ONEDERFUL.

mandi,me,brittani,casey,lauren,jordan, carly

barbies**

j,h,m.. & our pretty friend mccartney.

murrr- love her--buddies since 3rd grade.

meet KATE.

 Today was my new cousin 'Kate's' baby shower.

-got all creative and each guest designed a onesie.. SO fun, SO unique, brought everyone SO much joy.

love my family.

weird, yet AWESOME names.

 So, Ive noticed that every time I have gone to jamba juice, the lady/guy at the cashier has had some of the most unique names ever... SOME of my favorites

**decided to look up the names under 'google images'  and these were the pics I got...

<---Quilla

                                                                                                    Racil --->

<--Teagan?







***this was a pointless blogpost.