Thanksgiving in Thailand

What does Thanksgiving in Thailand look like?  Well, for me it looked like this:  I slept in, woke up and put some laundry in and hung it out to dry (the high for the day was 91 and the low was  63). I then made mashed potatoes that would hopefully feed 18 people, threw on shorts, a t-shirt, and some yellow box flip flops jumped on my motorcycle and headed up this mountain. 

 I stopped when I saw this sign. And parked my bike under this shade tree.

 I considered eating here by the water, but I had already had a bowl of mashed potatoes for lunch because there was no one there to smack my hand and say, "No, that's for tonight!"

 I didn't take the best seat in the house behind this bear's behind, but I just needed to wait on my apple tea and my friends before heading up this stairway to heaven. As I sat here I pondered how this might be the same view of the people who've had to stand behind me in line, I mentally apologized to those people in my mind and vowed right after Thanksgiving to get healthy.

My friends arrived and we ascended the stairway together. It's steep, but like most good things in life it's worth the climb. Because these chairs await atop.

 My friends went on to their torture massage,oh I mean Thai massage, but I camped here for an hour for the lofty sum of $6 and this was my view when the lady wasn't rubbing my feet, neck, or bringing me hot tea that is.

I sat and thought about how grateful I am for the life that God has given me (and for the lady rubbing my feet too, of course!) It's hard to be away from family any day, but especially today, but there's really no sweeter place to be than in the will of God, and as you can see,  He finds ways to sweeten the deal on days like today. I thanked Him for my wonderful family, for the memories of Thanksgivings past with grandparents and cousins and too many pies to choose from. I thanked Him for always providing "family" wherever He takes me on this journey. I thanked Him for the people who give every month that make this missionary life possible.  I thanked Him for joy and contentment and the fullness of life with Him. I thanked Him for technology so I don't entirely miss the sweetness of moments like this one.

I thanked him for the little things like yellow box flip flops, coca cola, & sweet tea.

I thanked him for the Thanksgivings that He hasn't allowed me to be at home because Thanksgiving in Haiti, Kenya, and Thailand evoke feelings of thankfulness that you don't even think of in the USA!  Then I thanked God for the little Haitian children, the people of Merielle, my Thai family and friends, and for all the wonderful opportunities and relationships and moments He's given me to serve Him. I thanked Him all the way back down the mountain to my house where we cooked some more and then I loaded my mashed potatoes on my bike like so:

And I arrived at the home of my Thai missionary family and the rest of the family came in with turkey and dressing and green beans and pies and sweet tea and mac n cheese and rolls.  We took a few moments to thank God and remember how He's blessed us and then we ate and ate and ate some more! There's plenty to be thankful for here in Thailand including that drowsy feeling that is now in full effect which is just fine because it's 9pm and totally an appropriate time to go to bed! Happy Thanksgiving All! May you be filled with overwhelming gratitude today!

#TBT: Party Like it's 1999

It was 1999, about a week after my 22nd birthday, I began the six year journey as "Pastor Mary" that would forever change my life and probably scar several hundred teenagers lives as well! I jest, for the most part, well for a little part, I jest. I inherited a closet for an office, a failing fundraiser, a missions trip to Orlando, and a few dozen teenagers. Bless our hearts, none of us had a clue what we were getting into. I could tell you a specific leadership mistake I made with each kid in this photo, but we're all smiling here so why ruin it!? I could also tell you about a jillion God moments, swimming pool moments, discipleship moments,  road trip moments, scary moments, whits ends moments, life changing moments too. The road was long and very bumpy, but we survived and had lots of encounters with Jesus along the way.

They were talented, fascinating, intelligent, hilarious, passionate humans then and now. Funny how many emotions I can feel looking at this 15 year old photo and how my heart can still be overwhelmed with love and concern for each and every one of them.

Did you know I don't like stuffed animals?  Did you know I still have an oversized Winnie the Pooh stuffed in a closet in the states because you all pooled your money at Disney World and bought it for me?

As I go to bed tonight, my prayers will be for Tim the husband and musician, Ryan the father, the worshipper,  Kristen the beautiful, intelligent, the administrator, Ashley the new wife and worship leader and creator, Alicia the wife and artist, Shaun the husband, carpenter, gun & motorcycle lover, Logan the veteran, the runner, the passionate, Andy the father, the hard worker, the friend, and Aaron the soldier, the learner, the gentle. As I pray for your sweet lives and the plans God has for them I will also thank God that I am safe and sound in Thailand with a bedroom door that locks because I have also NOT forgotten that on this very trip I slept on a pull out love seat in the open den and awoke to you all trying to slip into bed with me and take pictures while I slept!

Thanks #TBT for the memories.

Give me back my DIGNITY!!!!

Have you ever seen the movie Hook? If not, you're totally missing out, it's one of my all time favorites. But,  for those of you living under a rock somewhere, I'll give you a run down:

It’s a Peter Pan spin off starring Robin Williams and Julia Roberts. Towards the end of the movie Pan and Hook are going sword to sword, it's quite the show down. SPOILER ALERT: At one point Peter spears Hook’s hat off & it flies off along with his wig, revealing a fuzzy, balding head. It’s quite comical and a little sad. Hook realizes he’s been beat, but as Peter Pan stands over him, Hook admits defeat, but requests, “But please just give me back my dignity.” Pan obliges and places the man’s hat and long flowing hair back on his head before the dual is finalized with Pan as the winner.

My pastor's son Joseph was quite the Disney fan at a very young age, it's hereditary on his mother's side. Because of this scene in Hook, Jojo thought another word for hat was dignity. So, if you were in the habit of aggravating toddlers and took off running with his hat, he would say, "Give me back my Dipity!" If you listen you'll hear that same cry from people you pass every single day.  

We've all inwardly cried out the same, "Please! Just give me back my dignity!"

How often do you think about dignity?  Not your own, heck I think about how I'm going to preserve my own dignity all the time!  I know I'm not alone, I hear tales of failed attempts all the time, "I cannot believe I said that!" or "I seriously just walked around all night with my fly unzipped!" Oh wait, I didn't HEAR that one so much as LIVE it tonight until some sweet little Thai lady tried to tell me in Thai and when I didn't understand she reached down and grabbed my open zipper. #Dignityfail or more serious incidents that end with, "I don't think I've ever felt so small." We've all been there and likely spend a great deal of time avoiding situations, memories, and people that strip of us of our dignity. It's a full time job, preserving our own dignity, but what about preserving the dignity of another? Do we think about it? Do we attempt it in how we love, help, correct, treat, speak to another?

Sometimes, when I'm not so self involved, I'll see it in the pained expression of a stranger or hear it the frustration in their voice, "You win, I see I'm defeated, but would someone please just give me back my dignity?!" 

Earlier this year, I had to do a border run, which is nothing at all like a run for the border, there are unfortunately no tacos involved at all, but every 90 days I have to cross the border of Thailand, pay some monies, get my passport stamped and then head back over to fulfill Visa requirements. It's like any border, there's a lot hustle and bustle of activity, the opportunity to buy the local wares, and lots of officials trying to keep out the riff raff. We cross a foot bridge, underneath which runs a very dirty river. It's not just that the water quality is bad, it's that people throw their trash in it, relieve themselves in it,  and no telling what else; it reeks of sewage.  As we cross and I'm trying to take in all the sights and sounds and NOT the smells, I notice an elderly man making his way into water. Mind you it's not the main river, it's more like a canal that's been rerouted by developments. People bathe in rivers all the time, clean ones, dirty ones, I've seen it, it doesn't surprise or repulse me, it's a way of life for so much of the world.  But this isn't s spot you see people bathing, even the animals seemed to be avoiding it.  He's naked, but for tattered under clothes. He begins to take the dirty, filthy water in his cupped hands and "clean" his body. It hurt my heart. I didn't dare take a photo. 

I thought about how good it feels to be clean. You probably don't give it much thought unless you've ever been deprived of the opportunity to get clean for an extended period of time. It hurt my heart yes, because I wanted him to have such a basic thing, the opportunity to be clean, but because I knew what he was doing was just making his situation worse, I believe he knew it too, but as he lowered his frail body into that murky, brown water, he was trying to preserve just a little bit of dignity. I feel the same pang every time I see someone bow down to idol to earn protection, lay offerings at a spirit house for peace, or give baskets to monks for merit. Efforts of futility, bathing in waters of murk, only to walk away heavier than when we entered. 

The only dignity I have is the seal of Christ on my life everything else about me is undignified. 

Convoy of Hope taught me a lot about preserving the dignity of others while serving them and helping them regain dignity lost. And my personal encounters with Jesus in some pretty undignified circumstances of my own have taught me even more. 

What's this blog about any way?  Clean water? No, but that's pretty important. Preserving the dignity of others by not pulling out my camera when they're at their lowest? No, but that's of grave importance as well. 

It's about hearing the cries of those around me and you, "Please just give me back my dignity?" and answering, "Yes." With my body language, with my words, with my actions, with my help. 

We're surrounded by people trying to get clean in filthy water. We're surrounded by people grabbing at things trying to preserve their dignity that are only going to make their situation worse. 

It's in hopes that the next time I'm in the vicinity of that person who already feels defeated, that's going thru that divorce, wrapped up in addiction, knee deep in debt, that's publicly and privately failed, splashing in murky waters trying to get clean trying to preserve even the tiniest shred of dignity that I'll hear their cries. That when I see them reaching out for the pill, the make up, the idol, the false hope, the new purse, another relationship, the credit card, whatever it is, I won't somehow shout with dripping Dr. Phil sarcasm, "How's THAT working for ya dummy?!" That I'll respond allotting the same dignity that was so graciously allotted to me and somehow communicate that I've been there too in those murky waters and grasped at items of futility myself to get free, to get clean, but the only way to find that freedom, that cleansing, the dignity lost is to grasp tightly to the Hand ever extended to you and never, ever let go. 

Gracey Goes to El Salvador

When I first left for the mission field, I created Corbin and Charity, two fictional characters who would travel with me around the world to tell people about Jesus. It was created to connect kids to missions, to teach them about giving, the great commission, about other cultures, about all the different ways there are to share Jesus, well, that's what I tell people anyway. The TRUE story is, it was created for 5 little ones that were my nieces and nephews before I had nieces and nephews. Gracey, Austin, Logan, Delaney, and Lawson. We were all having a hard time saying our good byes so this was a way to stay connected. Now the club has several dozen members all over the US, but they were The Originals!  

I've taken Gracey's "Charity" to 8 different countries over the past 5 years, but this summer, Gracey's mama took the real live 12 year old Gracey to El Salvador. I couldn't wait to hear all about it so I asked Gracey to write me a little something about her trip and this is what she said:

     "When I arrived in El Salvador I didn’t feel like I was in another country because we were at kings castle, (a training center for teams and discipleship center for Salvadoreans) BUT when we drove 4 hours outside the city and arrived in the village I figured it out!  We did 4 whole programs that day (a program means we would go into the middle of the street where people live and do dances, dramas, games, then share about Jesus and pray with them) When we got done our leader Shaira said it's not normal to do 4 programs in a row (especially since we were in the hottest part of the country!). It is beautiful there and the view was amazing, but not as amazing as the children! Another cool thing was I met this really nice and pretty girl named Doniela even though we didn’t speak the same language I felt a connection.  When all of this was finished and we went back to kings castle at our good-bye party we were told we reached 2396 people with the Gospel, 500 made decisions to ask God into their heart! We prayed for 177 people who were having problems at home and for 182 sick people,  and we saw 3 miracles! We did 19 programs, so ya, God did a lot in those 19 programs! The last day we all got up at 3:30am and headed for the airport on the bus.  There were a lot of tears as we said good-byes.  When we got home some of us wanted to go back to El Salvador and then some of us were like “THANK YOU JESUS WE ARE BACK AND IN AIR CONDITIONING!!!!!!!!!!!!”  I think I was a little bit of both!"

 

GRACEY

  Some might wonder if 12 years old is too young to go on an overseas mission's trip, so I asked her mama this morning via FaceTime,  "Are you glad you took her?"  Her reply, "Oh yes! It was wonderful!" She also added, "It was soo hot, we slept on the concrete floor of a church, and took cold showers, and ate the local food and I did not hear one complaint from Gracey! And you know she's a high maintenance kid! If it's hot here at home, she's not going outside and she's a very picky eater, but she did not complain one time and ate everything she was served!" So, it looks like there was a 4th miracle on this trip! So evidently 12 years old is a fine time to hop a plane with mom or dad and go tell some people in a different land that Jesus loves them! Thanks Chesney & David for being such great friends, supporters, and parents! Thanks Gracey for sharing your story with us! 

I'm pretty sure this prayer embrace at the church
altar answers my "are you glad you took her?"
question better than words ever could!

Dear Niah,

Dear Niah,


   Happy Birthday lil'girl! You know, you're the best late birthday present I ever got!?  A little over three years ago we got a pink onesie in the mail and I thought, "A girl?" (Your grandma-ma, has me brain washed that lil boys are where it's at!) Turns out lil girls are pretty awesome! Here's the first picture I ever got of you, it was love at first sight!   


  I love that you're a lil' sassy and a lot headstrong at times.  It makes me think there's a lil'bit of me in there.

Like when you're telling us when and where to sit and your mama says from the other room, "Niah, what do we say?" And you whisper, "I not say please."

I love how when you FaceTime me you have to show me your shoes. Although you're pretty terrible with the camera and I never really see them, you always let me know if they're sparkly or pink or if you really wanted to wear your sandals, but your mama said, No, something about snow! I love all the costumes and the importance of just the right pajamas!



I love it that you have your daddy wrapped around your lil finger, but you know mama isn't going to budge so you don't even bother, you just move on to Mimi, or a Papa, or a Bess, because we're easy marks! Your ability to work the system  yet always listen to your mama tells me you're pretty smart!

I love watching you on the monitor after they've put you to bed! It's my favorite show! You talk and sing and read and play with your one allotted toy! One day I hope you'll be able to explain to me why you insist on only choosing hard toys, like one high heel shoe or a plastic lantern rather than a cuddly doll or stuffed animal.

I love it that you love to pray and the serious look you get when you pray the sweetest most sincere prayers. And that when I'm sick you always pray and say, "Amen. Feel better??" The answer is always yes, because who wouldn't feel better after such a sweet prayer?!


I love it that you're a little clumsy, but still daring, and a bit dramatic like your Bess. And that chocolate chips or whatever candy can be found cures most all your ails. I hope it always works that way!

I love your confidence and that we never have to wonder what you want or what you're thinking.

 For awhile I was afraid you were going to be a push over, you inherited your mother's sweet spirit and when Kyah, who inherited her mother's (cough) spirit, would literally push you over as a baby, you would cry and say, Hug Kyah, Hug! They tried to train you to say No, and as long as Kyah wasn't around you could wander around the house and say, "No Kyah! No!" But then she'd get there and take your toy and you'd just let her & hug her! I thought, "Oh no! She's gonna be a lover, not a fighter!" ha! Turns out you're just a perfect balance of both and you still love hugs from Kyah, but she better run if she takes your toy! I love to watch the two of you play! You two are my favorite work out! Of course after you've both gone to bed, I can just watch your mamas interact and it's the same show!


I love how excited you get about little things and how you love to laugh and sing really, really loud, adding your own lines here and there! I'm pretty sure American Idol isn't in our future, but I'm not ruling out Project Runway or Top Chef.  You're a pretty extraordinary lil girl and God has HUGE plans for your life and I plan to cheer you on every step of the way no matter what they are! 

You're worth the dramamine I have to take to FaceTime with you even if you get the biggest kick out of hanging up on me! You're absolutely precious and I wouldn't trade you for the world. I hope you have the a wonderful birthday! I'll make sure we celebrate when I get there with CAKE of course! (It's how I get her to sit by me! :)) Bess loves you so, so much! Hugs and Kisses and more of the same!

Supporter Saturday: Featuring Cat Lovers (Ewww! Gross!)

Today's supporters, Jon & Susan Menton,  come to you from Fresno, California, however, I met them in Davao City, Philippines while their church teamed up with Convoy of Hope and Family Circus Children's Ministry. They are secretly missionaries just like myself, they just masque it with their day jobs.  They're great supporters and have helped me out many times over the last few years of knowing them. BUT, they're SERIOUS cat lovers, I mean, like it's a stretch for us to be FB friends, they take offense to all my, "I hate cats!" statuses (Which I think I'm due for one lest anyone forget!) and I take offense to them blowing up my wall with "look at my cute cats" photos, nonetheless, our love for Jesus and sharing His love around the world supersede this serious flaw that they have!

They've recently be trekking all over the world sharing the love of Jesus through community development. I'm going to tell some of their most recent story in their own words and pictures, it'll give you great insight to who these great people are.

Did you know that....
More than 1,800 children die every DAY of preventable water-borne diseases and nearly 800 million people worldwide do not have safe water?

Jon & Susan know this, this is why they have teamed up with www.lifewater.org  recently going with them to southern Ethiopia a beautiful land and beautiful people surrounded by ugly water and ugly sanitation issues.

Jon & Susan GET IT! Some people cast stones and say, as Christians we shouldn't be out doing all this humanitarian aide non-sense we should leave that to the "World" we should be worried about souls not water and rice, they'd say. I'd like to encourage those people to go without eating tomorrow and maybe  walk several miles in the heat, gather up some dirty water from the river, tote it home, drink up, and then find a place outside somewhere to spend their day of diarrhea and then let me know how their soul is doing! (Those were my words not Jon & Susan's!)

They're nicer missionaries than I am, Jon & Susan would probably say, "Come along with us and see what you think should be done." And take them to the ends of the earth where the above statistics are true.  They'd teach the WASH curriculum (Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene) and train the nationals to dig and repair their own wells and pumps, and how to utilize Bio-Sand filtration, so that the work is sustainable and owned by the people there!

They're really good at Micah 6: 8:

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

I'll close out this tribute to great missionaries and great supporters of other missionaries with a quote from them: "What do you think God wants for people?"they were asked. Their reply:

  I believe God wants all people to know and to love Him and to share that love with others (the two greatest commandments).  One way to begin doing that is to empower people with the knowledge they need to transform their lives and communities.    God is the one who can truly save people, but he wants us to love and care for one another while we are here on this earth.  Something Lifewater does very well.

In hindsight, this totally would be my response to the humanitarian aide haters! Thanks Jon & Susan for being great supporters and great missionaries.

The 100th Blog Post: Keep on Trucking Because this is True

Picking up the Change made it's appearance 7/30/2009 in hopes of documenting life lessons learned the hard way (because that's evidently how I like to roll!) Possibly saving others a few steps and bringing a chuckle or two at both my literal and metaphorical clumsiness! And maybe, just maybe, encouraging someone to take the narrow road because it leads to true life, adventure, and a bit of insanity, but all COVERED by the One who cut the path for us in the first place. 

Although writing the 100th blog post has been on my to do list for a couple of months now, I think it was meant to be written this weekend. Easter weekend. The weekend that over 2000 years ago He went before us one foot in front of the other, a path filled with thorns, accusations, nails, loss, abuse, injustice, lashes, betrayal, great cost, humiliation, alone, carrying His own cross, pain at every level with every step. He sacrificed all, so we could be free.  "It is Finished," He exhaled. And 3 days later, He arose and gave us the following instructions and promise, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age."

One by one the disciples walked the path He had cut for them, each one gaining followers as he went, one behind the other.

In the early 1800s a man by the name of Adoniram Judson chose to join the line and obey the instructions Christ gave over 2000 years ago to GO and make disciples of ALL nations and he became the first missionary to the Buddhist people. In 1813 as he stood on the hills of Pagan in Burma overlooking thousands of vast temples and pagodas and erected idols, he is quoted to have said, 

"Perhaps we stand on the dividing line of the empires of darkness and light.  On shade of Arahan, weep over your falling temples. Retire from scenes of your past greatness.  But you smile at my feeble voice.  Linger, then, your little remaining day.  A voice mightier than mine, a still, small voice will before long sweep away every vestige of your dominion. The churches of Jesus will soon supplant these idolatrous monuments and the chantings of the devotees of Buddha will will die away before the Christian hymn of praise."

Judson didn't live to see this come to pass.  Over 170 years of missionary effort later "Buddhism still looks as strong and impregnable as the fortress of Jericho appeared to the Israelites in Joshua's time.  The Christian impact on Buddhism seems like small cracks in solid, immovable walls." - Elizabeth Wagner.  (But we all know what eventually happened to the walls of Jericho!)

Almost 200 years exactly after Judson stood and made his claim on the hills of Pagan I sat in Bangkok, Thailand with a group of missionaries who have been obediently walking the path for several decades already. Statistics were given of our beautiful nation still only 1% Christian even after Judson and those that came after him, and after decades of service by those I sat amidst. It's overwhelming to me.  I left the meeting a bit depressed and walked outside to self medicate (to get a coke from the 7/11.)  

There's a field that separates the building we meet in and the 7/11.  Rumor has it  from veteran missionaries that when they braved it many years ago it was quite a dense jungle of a field and home to python or some other unbelievably large man eating snake. Just a few months ago it was still a decent lil forest that I would brave the thorns and thistles and critters to get to my coke.  Today there are no trees just rocky ground, brush, and garbage and the outline of a forming small foot path. The path isn't yet clear and far from being "paved" but it's visible, faintly. 

After my 7/11 trek I went to my room to enjoy my coke and my AC and to sadly think about the "impregnable fortress" that surrounded me. In that moment God began to speak to me about the path. He said if we will continue to walk the path, it will become more and more visible to others and others will be curious about the way, about where it leads, and begin to check out the path for themselves and find out why we take it, they will be led to the truth.  Jesus, the disciples, their followers, Judson, the Hosacks, the Johnsons, now us, and whoever follows, we're moving obstacles out of the way, we're stomping down the garbage and the dangerous stuff, we're clearing the way and what was once keeping the path hidden is no more because we all walked it time and time again.  Sometimes begrudgingly, fearfully, not even knowing what we were doing because we can't see it yet, we just were/are putting one foot in front of the other in a dense and dangerous jungle, not even realizing that each step was and is clearing the path for those that would, that WILL follow. 

That weekend I sat in church among a room full of Thai believers and listened as they sang in Thai, Our God is greater, Our God is stronger, Our God is higher than any other, Our God is healer, Awesome in power. Our God. All because of a sacrifice made over 2000 years ago, all because  disciples that got to see the risen Lord listened and obeyed, all because others chose to follow and Judson stood on the hills of Pagan, and the Johnsons and the Hosacks packed up their belongings and moved to Asia, all because every one kept putting one foot in front of the other even when the walls showed no sign of giving way and chorus of "Our God is Greater," could not be heard, they kept/keep going. 

I know this Easter weekend many of you have been faithful Christ followers for many years and the journey has not been easy and when you look in the pew beside you there are still people missing.  People, family, entire nations, communities, you have been on your knees for for so long yet,  and the walls around them don't show any sign of crumbling, keep putting one foot in front of the other. With every step and every prayer you are removing obstacles, you're stomping down the garbage and the dangerous stuff, you're clearing the way; you're being obedient. It is finished. The light will come. One day we'll stand in the light together till then, keep on trucking. 

God desires that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. I Timothy 2:4. 

Thank Him and Praise Him and Remember ever step that was taken to get to you so you could get to Him. Sing at the top of your lungs this weekend, Our God is greater, Our God is stronger. Our God is higher than any other. Our God is healer. Awesome in power. Our God. Our God. Because this is true. 

Supporter Saturday: Featuring the Cutest!

                                                                               Today's featured supporter is probably the cutest of them all!  He's also probably the youngest of them all!He's pretty funny too, I sent him a thank you for his generosity and he sent me back a message saying, "No problem, but I'm going to have to go to public school now!"- Kellan  I figure his really cool parents have something to do with his generous spirit.  His mama and I go way back, like elementary school way back.

 This is the oldest online pic I could find of us. She supported me when I wanted to wear my hair like this and now when I want to share Jesus with the world! I'm miffed about the first one, but extremely grateful for the second one.                                                                                             Pretty proud of our quarter of a century old friendship, there are very few people in life who will turn out to be forever friends. Yep! All those people who signed off their notes, BFF, GFF, or FF are just a bunch of liars! (Sorry Jr. Highers!) But if you hang in there though, it's pretty sweet to have support system for the rough times life may throw at'cha! A huge perk being they need no back story! I mean we'll be friends forever, we know too much and it'd take a lifetime to catch someone else up!  Some other perks are the great times like annual Christmas dinners, when they take you on vacation to their beach house, let you play with their super cute kid, and support your mission's habit, just to name a few! Seriously though, if you can hang in there, getting old is a bit easier and a lot more fun when the person you're sitting next to is the same one you jumped on the trampoline with, discovered warp zones with, braved Jr. High with, and owned high school with! Very grateful for the continued support of my forever friend! 

Thanks Lynds! I mean, Kellan! Kellan, I hope one day you'll have a forever friend like me and your mama! Sorry about public school! But we went to public school and we turned out just fine! Just do everything we did! And in case you're wondering what that is, when we weren't studying or excelling in sports, we spent a lot of time in prayer and Bible study!