A Journey worth fighting for...

8/24/11
It's 9:30 pm in Amarillo Tx, as I'm Laying on my bed with all of my lights off and window open with only the street light to give light to my room. I stare out of my window watching it pour down rain and I can't help but feel so in awe of Him...Mr Universe (haha he loves that name)! From the lightning strike to the moistened ground .....I love rain!  Who'd have thought that THIS is our amazing God! He provides for us so well!
"You know He is calling you to different circumstances and callings when everything is different and nothing is the same!" my own quote
9/3/11
Today we have officially had Benedetta LaRosa for two weeks!
She is an amazing woman with a great personality! Benedetta or Bebe (is what she likes to be called) is from Italy in a small town near Rome! Tuesday night we sat down in the living room for our favorite show "America's got talent" she had never seen it! As we watched she kept telling us " I can do that!" of course the first time we were all shocked cause here we are looking at these guys do pyramids and climb all over the place like a bunch of monkeys and here she is telling us she could do that! Then as we made shocked looks at her she replied "in Italy!"lol this is her" Italian Humor"  as she calls it! She makes me laugh! My favorite part of the weeks with her is when I go to my life group located at Roasters in Hastings! The first time I took her with me we were 45 minutes early so we had plenty of time to hang! So she got a cappuccino (she loves these)  while I got a hot chocolate (yes I'm strange)! When we sat down she took a sip of her cappuccino and sighed with a smile of happiness and said "I love this place it's so comfortable!" in her Italian accent that I was still getting used to but loved! Bebe+happiness= happy Katie!:)This week I got my license so after school on Thursday I treated Bebe to cappuccino at Starbucks! She also loves sushi! Ha I've never been crazy about sushi neither has my mom!lol so Tuesday we took her to Market street to get her sushi while me and my mom ate corn dogs! No I didn't try any but we took her again Friday and I tried some! Not bad! But only with sauce!lol

Although their has been more good times then bad but also spiritual warfare! I know this is a God thing because I want to be a missionary that spreads Gods word to those who don't know Him! He is preparing me! This situation was particularly hard and made me want to chew someones head off! Yes that sounds bad coming from me but I was so frustrated! Long story short Bebe wanted us to leave  her at home when we went to church, we had to get it straight to her and her dad that she was here to experience our culture and that this was part of it! She has been a good sport through it though! She says she is not good with kids but at the north campus we helped in the Hero land area, by the time the service ended she had a best friend!lol I really think God is placing her here for a reason... It's one of His traps and yu know His traps are  good ones! Please pray for her heart to open up to Him! She needs to hear His soft voice love on her!

As I have already said I got my license August 31st! I made a 90 on my test! This stepping stone means a lot to me coming from the girl who has wanted to drive since we have first moved to Amarillo (5 years ago)!

Psalms 1:1-3
 "¹ Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly nor stand in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
    ² But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law he meditates day and night.
    ³ He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which yields its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper."

9/7/11
This Wednesday was my first big trip by my self! I have a choir group called Crescendo that I go to every Monday! This weeks Monday was memorial day so we moved our practice day to Wednesday! We meet at our teachers house out in canyon! Along the way I got mixed up with over passes and went on one too soon! I then had to figure out how to get back on the canyon E way! I figured out leaving me only 15 minutes late with tons of missed calls, texts, and voice mails from my mom, Dad and teacher! They were all worried but that was nothing I could have stopped! The first Year of driving you can't be on any kind of cellular or electronic devices while driving! Ha I'm not one to be found breaking rules.

9/14/11
Our exchange student Bebe has now been with us 3 weeks and 4 days! She is an amazing women! I can't imagine having to go through half of the things she has to go through! This week her homework has been overwhelming her! She has to read 20-25 pages of a book a day in English writing! So she has been translating every other phrase on google! I can't imagine how frustrating that has to be! I feel for her! Then everybody speaking at 100 mph has to be hard to understand! When we go to the mall she gets on to me for not paying attention because the worker in one of the stores will ask her questions and she can't understand!
She tells me all the time "speak slowly not walk slowly" even though at the time I was juggling a bunch of stuff in my hand and couldn't coordinate all that very well plus unlock the door for her so she could get in from the 100 degree heat!


9/11/11

It's 9/11! 10 yrs ago today our country lost the twin towers and many lives to a terrorist attack! I was only 6 yrs old when this tragedy happened! The teachers told  us all what had happened but if u know adults and how they talk to little kids they talk down to their level! Which seemed like they were saying it was no big deal, when really it was! I soon figured out it was a big deal! At the time I was in Ballet, at the recital they had was a 9/11 themed dance! A very talented little girl not much older than me danced back and forth to those who have fought for our country while a video was being played in the back ground! Hopefully By next year I can get that on here! My parents videoed the dance! It was very special!:)

9/12/11
Today was my first day to be my own taxi driver! Ha! I was out of the house from 11am - 9:30pm! From choir to student council to basketball to a book club where we are reading "mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis" I finally arrived home at 9:30! And to think this kind of day will happen once a month on the second Monday! Ha! I love it though! Driving is fun! I catch myself trying to think of Arron's I need to run just for the sake of driving all the time!:)lol

9/18/11
One year from today I created wild at heart and my oh my has it been a journey! I know it's just a blog, but sometimes it feels like it's a person as well! I think God gives it that! I know all of these post you read doesn't seem like much work but it takes a lot more sometimes! Sometimes I don't have the words coming to my mind to even write which makes it drag on months before I post. Other times I write it, edit it, then lose it because of a technical malfunction! I have learned through these simple mistakes that when the Lord leads you to it He will lead you through it and when it is not His will He will delete it! Ha that's happened!lol
He seizes to amaze me!lol

9/29/11
Today I have finished my 3rd week of basketball practice! I play with a home schooled group in Amarillo called Lady flames. I love my team! They are amazing, positive and a big influence in my life. No matter how awful I did they always tell me positive encouragements....something I am not used to hearing (coming from the girl who has been in public, small town, and private school and has never heard this kind of positivity before). Its not just in Basketball its everywhere through out the home school community. Every where I turn their is a bright and smiling face staring me in the eyes. I am so thankful and blessed to be home schooled.
Deuteronomy 11: 18-20 “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."
3 John 1:4
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth"

9/30/11
Tomorrow we will have had Bebe for exactly 6 weeks. Honestly it has been like riding a roller coaster blindfolded in my home. That is pretty much what life has consisted of lately. :) short and sweetly!

" Id rather people love me for who I am, then love me for what I am not." unknown author

10/1/11
Today has been nothing but tears. As a family we all went to go see "Courageous"! It was an amazing movie that moved me in every sort of direction ever possible. I laughed and cried a lot. Even held my Daddy's hand as he was sitting next to me.:) I'd suggest everyone go watch the movie and bring tissue's when you do (you will need them).

Wild at heart- Welcome to my journaling phase

stepping into the unknown

Hey everyone!

I have been back for a month now, the trip was way more than I could have ever expected and way more than words can describe. Thru the repelling to the traveling to the amazing adventures, God was with me holding my hand and letting me know I was safe thru it all. I was fearless....and taking the traveling all in. "This is an adventure of a life time that will always stay with me...forever!"

First I'd like to start off with one of the most amazing experiences I had that started my trip off with  a BANG!!! The first official day in Australia I got to escape normal life and step out with a group called "Full-on". Full on is a group specificly for people to people and is to show us how far we can really grow by stepping out of our comfort zones. We started our day by talking a little bit about "emotions". They talked about how when your scared you cry of fear and when your Excited you can have tears of Joy. Sounds the same right? Well when your scared or excited your body doesn't know the difference, so what you do is you reset your R.A.S. (Reticular. Activating. System). So instead of being afraid you can be excited!:) Afterwards it was time to take a step off  the edge of a 180ft cliff. So we all got our gear on and headed out. We split up into evens and odds by our numbers that were assigned ( before we left Amarillo). My number was 17 so it was decided that the Odd group be the first group to repel. When it came to my turn the full on leader helped me by guiding me on two ropes...one for him and one for me to control. On the way down the cold breeze spun me around to see all of the pretty mountains surrounding me.... I think that was Gods way of showing off His beautful creations. When we got back I was shown my true strength by breaking a board in half with my wrist. By the end of the day I was truly amazed with God and myself. Him for showing me true bravery, strength and promising me that not even a hair on my head would be hurt.

 Second of many wonderful and great adventures on the trip.....The Great Barrier Reaf!:)

On the way out to the reef was an adventure in itself with all of the bumps we hit and the people who got sea sick during it. When we finally got there we ate lunch and prepared for some snorkeling. One of two tickets we all recieved on the boat was for a wet suit. Wet suits are for protection from electric eels and coral ( in case you accidentally hit it), plus i think they are comfortable. After I got my flippers, goggles, a snorkel and wrapped my water camera around my wrist I was ready to go. The first time I took a look down into the reef was amazing...I couldnt believe my eyes. It was a cloudy day so the reef wasnt as colorful as you would imagine but that didnt suprise me knowing that it wouldnt be as bright and colorful from my project specificly about the Great Barrier reef. The marine biologist lead our tour and dived down to point at something specific or to bring something back up for us all to touch. I was amazed at everything in sight. After wards I quickly got into my normal clothes just in time for the "half submarine". In the Half submarine it gave me a chance to take a breather and let it all in. The half submarine had glass all the way around it and never went down because of the shallow parts of the reef. On the way back our path was interupted with  a friendly visitor.....a whale of some sort. We all could see it just enough to see the water gasp out of the sea and into the air, far off from where we were.

Stepping into the unknown was hard at first. Because you can never  expect  but hope for the best to come. I think thats what makes the journey enjoyable though... I never woke up knowing every detail about the day ahead of me, but entered it with a knowing that God had everything in control. 

"Life's a climb but the view is great" a quote from Hannah montana the movie. A quote we can all live by thru life and never know what's coming at us. So live life with its bumps and bruises and, live life to its fullest.

                                                                            here's a short message from my delegate manager rob!:)

Wild at Heart

"when it feels like the road has been slipped out from under you call the one who lights the path and makes it straight"- my own quote

                                                                        













My friend Lizz, Delegate Leader Paula Rarden and me:)



Aussie wallaby









Holding a baby Ausie Croc



Sydney Skyline







Me in front of this beautiful water fountain



Finally in Australia

Its your life

Hey everyone!
 As I'm wrapping up my Australia funds, info, and list's! I'm counting down the days till I go....which started roughly at 100 days. So far I'm down to 14 days! It's exciting just thinking about the fundraising journey and the huge project I had to do to wrap it up! So because I want you all to feel the same excitement as me, I want you  to all watch this video!(below)

I remember at the beginning of the school year sitting at my desk thinking "what am I doing? Why am I not out there exploring the world? I feel like a missionary trapped in the beings of a normal life contained to do what normal people do!" and I say " Lord why can't I let loose and explore this world? Your amazing creations that are too wonderful and to big to express in words!" I never expected a letter that could give me the same travel opportunity as YWAM (youth with a mission) but better for my age group. People to people student Ambassador program has to be the best opportunity for me and I'm excited to travel with them. I remember when  the hunger for traveling began and it was too hard to contain, I tried anything and everything to talk my parents into letting me go on a ywam trip at the time. But that's not always how God wants to do it. Usually another door opens and it turns out to be so much better than what I could ever expect anything to be and it did.
It's amazing how the Lord works, He is so mysterious and works in different ways that are more than what I can expect. As human we see only the small picture compared to what God see's.

 He see's the BIG picture. The Universe for example!!!

compared to the little picture we see here. The road placed in front of us as another example!!!

We only see the next step but God see's the outcome of it all.

Jeremiah 29:11                                                                                                                                   

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

The journey will not be easy as I read In a book called "The dream giver" by Bruce wilkinson, talks about how we all try to live in the safe life of "normal" and then God places a hope/dream on our laps and helps us pursue that hope/dream. But as we start the journey we begin to weaken but God is still there by our sides as we face people who knock us down along the way and try to talk us out of that hope/dream that could be seen as a "different" life to them but is seen as a big dream to us.  God helps us through it still and although it might not feel as though He is with us, He is and we fulfill that hope/dream with Him by our sides!:) I would suggest you read it, if you are having trouble fulfilling your dreams and even if your not....still it's a really good book.

1st timothy 4:12

 ¹² Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

Psalm 25:2-3

in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me

No-one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.

 Job 8:6-7

if you are pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to your rightful place.Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be

So this week don't let people stop you from what you dream to do, and most importantly don't forget that He is by your side every step of the way. Can't wait to write about my adventure to Australia when I get back....till then write me, txt me, call me and pray for safe travels!

yours truly,

Wild at heart- Its your life
Katie Jones

Adopted...

                In the presence of the Lord, I'm sitting here at my computer soaking on what I should Post. As I'm searching notes and memory of something to post... I cant figure it out, I begin to get frustrated! Then I stopped and asked the Lord what He wanted for this weeks Post.:) He gave me this video! As I'm watching this I find myself with cold chills and tears in my eye's. I hope you all feel the same as you watch this.:) enjoy!

Amazing right!?!?

I hope it made you feel like a child of God!

I feel like that IS a major thing in this world. Some of you may feel some sort of feeling of being abandoned either at home or in your walk with God. Id like to reassure you that your not alone, abandoned, or rejected.

 

^{Ephesians 1:5}

^"he predestined us for adoption to sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will"

To adopt a child is like God adopting you as His child, which we all know we are not only His but His alone before we could ever remember or even be thought of by anyone but Him. So let's imagine this, you can add your own details if you so desire. Imagine Yourself with no parents just foster parents, you feel alone and unloved. You don't know the Lord and your confused of what to believe in. Then one person tells you about the Lord. This person reads to you the first book of the Bible ( Genesis). You are in awe of this Lord and later on we see you give your heart to the Lord and begin to walk within Him instead of the loneliness the world seems to give. You start your devotions early in the morning before your day starts and you give Him the beginning of your day. So this continues and you seem to go down from the high part of your relationship with the Lord and you see yourself entering the Low. Things get tough and trials are at it's rage, but you fully trust in the Lord. So you pray to Him for directions and ask Him for guidance.
OK so I realize theirs a difference between knowing and understanding, so when I ask the Lord for guidance in my  life I usually ask Him questions referring to how I might understand the situation a little bit better and He always seems to give me the answers in His own timing.
Psalm 30:10 " Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord be my Helper!"
continuing...

He gives you the peace of knowing and understanding what is going on and you begin to feel at peace. As the trial steepens you start to feel abandoned by the Lord like He's not even there. You start to lose trust in Him. But as we know the Lord approaches situations in different ways. You soon find yourself stepping into new hands and you suddenly realize you are adopted in this new family. The family is smiling brightly at you as you walk through the door and into the living room. You start to introduce yourself but you can't seem find the words to speak when it comes to heart broken questions that seem to leave you hesitant. You then listen to them talk about their lives but then it comes up again....."Your life". You suddenly have tears in your eye's for you mom and dad had rejected you before you could have ever remembered, you hadn't been taught to forgive your real parents and you don't know if you could ever. But then your family tells you the story of how Jesus was rejected by the people.

 Hosea 8:1-3 
“Put the trumpet to your lips!
   An eagle is over the house of the LORD
because the people have broken my covenant
   and rebelled against my law. Israel cries out to me,
   ‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’
But Israel has rejected what is good;
   an enemy will pursue him.


Galatians 4:14
^" and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself"
 My point is, is that "if God leads you to it He will lead you thru it" and just because the "world" is telling you otherwise, that doesnt mean you have to obey it, it just means you have another route to denying what the flesh/world says for you to do. Just let Him be your first option to talk to in time of need, because we can't do it all on our own, also don't ever go a day thinking you are alone when your not, because your Father has adopted you (yes you!:) as His child of God. I hope you really feel like a child of God now thank you for imagining a life that is some what like our own.  
"Praise to the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ

Our God and our King, to Him we will sing
In His great mercy, He has given us life
Now we can be called the children of God"
Wild at Heart

Light stepping into darkness

For a while now the Lord has been asking me to write about this song and what its meaning is in me.

 When I soak in the presence of the Lord and I dwell on what this song means to me, I think of the bumps in the road , narrow spots and smooth parts. I think of His love for me and what it really means. I block out what the darkness has told me and I open up what the Light has shown me. I find myself dancing amongst guardian angels then sometimes, I find myself stepping into darkness and seeing threw eyes that couldn't be my own. The words "I know that You are for me" echo threw the darkness as I look around and see hurting people and then I go back to the brokenness my soul longs to heal but can't because that's not in my hands and then I look around and I feel my saviors wings shielding me from the darkness I might and might not face but not on my own. Then I look up and hear Teal Merrick asking us to play our own song that speaks to us and I hear this song being played in my head like it had been playing all along on my Ipod with the ear phones stuck in my ears.

Psalm 30:12

"To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever."

This year the Lord has called me to step out into the unknown! Because I've always had a voice to sing, He's reminded me of that. 5th grade was about the time I thought I was going to totally give up on singing. Last year somehow I realized I never really gave it up. I still dreamed of singing in front of millions and millions of people like Kari Jobe or Molly Anderson...etc whether I realized it or not. I knew I had a deep desire, but yet I still thought I wasn't made to do it. Till I had an opportunity to be in a choir, then I knew that I needed to at least try it. I tried out, sang "This Blood" By Molly Anderson and made it. I knew singing in front of my choir teacher (Valerie Kent) that when she started swaying to the song, I was in. God is a gracious God, He gave me a choice between fulfilling my passion or not fulfilling my passion. He knew I hadn't decided yet and He also knew if the opportunity came I wouldn't hesitate. He waited patiently till He knew I was ready to move out of my comfort zone. Point is, He comes in ways we will understand that He is for us...He comes to remind us of who He is and how Big He is. It's awesome to see Him WOW us and WOW others!:)

Psalm 2:7-8
 " I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give you the inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession."

Sometimes we forget who He is and we just walk on by....we sometimes forget that He is by our sides during the tough times and good times. We sometimes forget to say "thank you Lord!" for the good things instead we say "help me!" when things are tough. As I sit here playing the song "you are for me" I'm constantly reminded of this very thing. But God loves us threw it all, that's the good thing....He doesn't think anything about I,t He excepts us as we are on the way to where were going. We are human making mistakes daily and learning new things all the time. Another good thing is He's constantly teaching us what He knows we need to know. He's our own teacher and He loves us more than any other teacher might! He wants the best for us and He never gives us anything that we can't handle.

Isaiah 40:31
" But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."

Wild at heart
"I know that You are for Me"!!!:)

Now and Then...

Hello Friends and Family! Hope your year has been great so far! Here's a phrase that I would like to share!
"As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let us down, probably will. You'll have your heart broken and you'll break others' hearts. You'll fight with your best friend or maybe even fall in love with them, and you'll cry because time is flying by. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, forgive freely, and love like you've never been hurt. Life comes with no guarantees, no time outs, no second chances. you just have to live life to the fullest, tell someone what they mean to you and tell someone off, speak out, dance in the pouring rain, hold someones hand, comfort a friend, fall asleep watching the sun come up, stay up late, be a flirt, and smile until your face hurts. Don't be afraid to take chances or fall in love and most of all, live in the moment because every second you spend angry or upset is a second of happiness you can never get back. - Unknown

Here's a little update on me!

• I got into a choir group called "Crescendo" and I love it!
• Fundraising for Australia has been an adventure with twists, turns and quirky idea's that all have atleast gotten me somewhere.
• I'm auditioning to be in a band with my worship leader (Teal Merrick) in my youth group (student ministries)
• I'm going to prom this year!!!yay!
• and so much more that is in God's hands.

This last weekend my Basketball team went to state tournament in Dallas, Frisco. We played four games, lost three and won once.  But played amazing and had allot of fun. Although the season is over, and I'm gonna miss our 4 seniors (Elizabeth, Courtney, Cammy and Elaina) all who played with us and wont be playing next year.

So were already 3 months into this year and I feel  like it has just begun.

  Lady flames and opponent in the prayer circle before the game started!:) (above)

                                             Erryka, Emalee and me. we roomed together!

Most of the Lady flames in the stands watching the High school Boys game!:)

 

Wild at Heart                                                                                                                  

Katie Jones