Adios, USA

 

Hello dear friends and family!

I can’t believe that this month will be one year since I first heard Jesus prompt my heart to leave behind everything I have and “GO!” Initially, I tried to justify that what I was hearing was only coming from my own head, and wrestled with this idea for months. However, that still small voice in my heart persisted. As November 2016 rolled it’s way around, I couldn’t shake this drive in my soul so I prayed ALOT,  did my research, talked to my mentors and finally applied for a Discipleship Training School through the global missions organization, Youth With a Mission (YWAM),  in Ensenada, Mexico. Reflecting back, I distinctly remember sitting in my favorite coffee shop, my application filled out and ready to be sent. As I sat there staring at the submit button on my computer screen, my heart raced in anxiousness and yet, there too lingered a peace and I knew that this was exactly what I was being called to do. Fast forward 8 months later, and I’m back here in that very same coffee shop writing to you that I am moving to Ensenada, MEXICO to build homes for and love on the locals in this community!

Youth With A Mission- Salem, OR

YWAM base, Ensenada, MX

In short, from September 2017 until February 2018, I will be attending this intensive 5 1/2 month school consisting of 3 months of classroom training in Ensenada where speakers from all over the world will come and give messages on topics ranging from Evangelism to Biblical Worldview! The remaining 2 1/2 months, my class and I will spent on outreach in either the Caribbean, Africa or Central America, blessing and loving on the locals of the cities we visit! I cannot even begin to explain how stoked I am to continue learning about Jesus and telling others about Him, overseas!

So, here’s where I need YOUR help!  In order to attend my DTS, I am still working towards raising my financial support goal of $3,500! This cost will cover my food, housing and transportation needs during this season.  Jesus has provided for me SO many times and I know He continue to be faithful. I trust Jesus 100% but also realize that I need some help reaching my financial goal!

If you would like to join my team whether that be financially or through prayer, it would be an honor to have you invest in me and my team as we GO!

I am jazzed to share this journey with you as it unfolds! Would you partner with me in prayer for provision over my funds and safety for the trip? If you feel lead to give, I have a few different support raising opportunities!

YouCaring-Online Giving: If you would like to support me directly and do so online, click the link here to go to my YouCaring campaign where you can give both directly and instantly!

Direct giving-YWAM: If you would still like to give but would like to do so directly to my school, click here to donate directly to my student account! YWAM Ensenada will also be accepting checks for my tuition on my behalf.

*YWAM San Diego Baja-School Payments

PO Box 5417

Chula Vista, CA 91912

Please make checks out to YWAM SDB and attach with a note stating: “Emily Boatwright- Music and Missions DTS 2017”

Donations given in any and every amount and prayer are extremely valued and appreciated! And again, thank you all SO much in advanced! Please feel free to shoot me an email, at e.boatwright96@gmail.com, give me a call at (503)-990-4844 or catch me at New Hope Foursquare on Sundays! Your support and prayers mean more to me than I could ever express. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In His love,

Em…xoxo

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

 

 

Paper Airplanes Don’t Speak English

Well friends,

It’s true. Our time spent in our first outreach location here in the Philippines has come to an end. I’ve learned a ton here in Cagayan de Oro. I’ve learned first hand what the phrase “fly by the seat of your pants” really means. I’ve seen poverty like never before but have come to appreciate true community despite lack of material items. One of my favorite take-aways from this joinery so far is that paper airplanes don’t speak English. In fact, they don’t speak a language at all. I know, surprising, right? Let me tell you about it.

Before coming on this trip, one of my biggest fears about connecting with the people and especially with kids was the language barrier. I was worried about my ability to properly minister to the people I’d meet simply because we don’t share a native tongue. Now, just to give you some perspective, the Philippines consist of 7,107 Eastern Asian islands and share hundreds of individual dialects. For me, that number was really intimidating because I assumed that my ministry would solely have to depend on  whatever basic English terms the locals knew and whatever basic Bisaya ( the language the citizens here speak) I could pick up. I was dependent on language, making preconceived judgements about something I didn’t yet understand (this alone in itself is a huge stumbling block of mine, but we’ll go over that another day). Shortly after arriving here, I found out how silly my worries had been. Not only is English very widely taught and  spoken as a second language here, but most of the population is very fluent! Life here in the Philippines was easy- so I thought.

As many of you know, my team and I had a first hand experience with the typhoon in Mindanao, the island we were staying on during our first three weeks in here the Philippines. Though we were personally not effected, the rising waters took many homes and lives and even made it’s threatening appearance in a neighboring community less than a kilometer from where we were staying. The people in this community were the very same friends we’d met and prayed for just days before. Children who lived in this community were the same little ones we’d held in our arms, laughed with, and cried with. Now, all we could do looking down, was pray. Suddenly, words in all languages seemed to be at a loss and speaking at all was the least of our concerns.

 

In the hours that followed, my team and I sat at the base waiting in the safety of our shelter, only a few children played in the streets. Since our scheduled ministry that day had been canceled due to high water, we invited these kiddos inside to play. As I sat there coloring away with the boys, I couldn’t help but think about their families, their mothers in particular. I wondered what they were thinking. These boys lived on the other side of the river, stuck on the opposite side and were being held captive there due to the racing current and inability to cross over to their homes.

As I listened to the boys’ soft conversation and faint giggles, my heart briefly warmed, glad they were in a safe, familiar place with people they knew and trusted until they were able to go home.  But did their mothers know that? Or were they scared, anxious about their son’s whereabouts? I’m not a mother yet but for a moment or two, Christ showed me a mother’s love. Looking at each of their faces, it was all I could do not to sweep them all up and pull them in close, just the way I knew their moms would do if they were here too.

With a small tap on my shoulder, my daze was brought back to reality, one of the kiddos raising his arm to my eyes, holding a paper airplane. Instantly, I recognized it. It looked identical to the ones my dad had built for me as a kid. The boy’s contagious smile stretched from ear to ear, pride in his handiwork radiating through his eyes. Suddenly, all the folds and techniques dad had taught me were coming back, and together me and this young boy got busy building our paper fleet. This is when it hit me. Amongst the laughter and forming friendship, I  realized that I had no idea what this boy was going through. In the context of the storm, I didn’t know the condition of his home or his family situation. He and I didn’t speak very many words in the same language and because of that, our conversations were brief if anything. But what I realized in the moment of our play, was that paper airplanes don’t speak English. Better yet, love doesn’t speak English.

No, we couldn’t converse with words, but despite that, trust was being built, laughter being had, joy bearing fruit.

In love, there is shelter. In love, there is room to play. In love, fear flees.

Regardless of what I did or didn’t know about this boy, regardless of our native tongue, regardless of the boxes I put my ministry in, love prevailed and relationship manifested. You see friends, we don’t have to know it all in order to do what we were simply asked to do.

Our fears and misconceptions, ideologies and paradigms don’t stand a chance when we simply give ourselves over to the exchange of love that we were made for.

This story ends of a happy note not just for me but for these boys too. Thankfully, they all returned to their families and homes safely. The waters shortly resided within a day or two and soon, the streets were back to “business as usual”. As for me, I was left with an encouragement that I want to extend to you as well. What would our relationships look like if we really, like reallllly committed ourselves to loving without walls? What if we truly let go of the mentality that we need to have the perfect sermon or a seamless conversation in order to get to know others? Sure, these things are good and can be used to reach others but sometimes I wonder if we get too caught up in our procedures that we forget or become too distracted to just simply love.

What if we just met people where they were at and released ourselves do to the same?

I don’t know what your goals for 2018 are this year, but I’m going to make more paper airplanes. I’m going to talk less and play more, really, really love more.

Thank you, friends for hanging around, for listening and reading, for praying and encouraging. Here’s to another year full of learning and discovering, building relationship and seeing where Jesus takes us! Happy New Year, ya’ll!

xoxo, Em

If you’d like or feel lead to give towards my team and I, please feel free to click here to GIVE! We appreciate prayer and donations all around! Thank you all!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I Have No Idea What I’m Doing.” – Emily (Destiny In A Nutshell)

 

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamt about being an adult. I dreamt about having a home, getting married and making a career for myself and family. I kid you not, my wedding details were put into place in the sixth grade to which lead my parents to paraphrasing me to be ” 12 Going on 21″.  Back then, I thought I had it all going on. I thought I knew what to expect in a safe world where everything was predictable and success was guaranteed. Well, here I am, 21 and I have no idea what I’m doing. That sounds crazy to admit, but to my close friends at home, this confession probably comes as no surprise. For those of you who don’t know, before my time here in YWAM, I was a full time college student on an academic scholarship to a state university in Oregon where I was dead set about earning a bilingual teaching degree. My eyes were fixed on a diploma and for the entirety of my senior year in high school and the first year of college, I really did believe that was the path I would take for my life. But that plan vastly changed about a year ago. It was then that I was beginning to realize that my childhood perception of a safe, predictable life was simply a false paradigm I had obtained. To be transparent, I began to come to the realization that life was flying by pretty fast and I wasn’t making the most of my time. No longer was I appeased by the thought of becoming a teacher and living a “safe life”.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m the world’s biggest teacher and education advocate. I know teachers work hard, and their impact in the world is irreplaceable and vital to society. But for me, this career was in my comfort zone. It was a career path that I was as many professionals, friends and family members told me “a born natural”. Last year in November, I was sitting my favorite coffeeshop, staring at my computer screen. I had skipped class that day (bad Emily, I know) which was a rare occurrence but the overwhelming feeling of dissatisfaction and pressure to preform broke me that day and it was all I could do to just be still. In my quite place, I started thinking, really thinking about what it was I wanted to do with my life, how I wanted to make and impact and live the rest of my days. It was in these thoughts and reflection that I came to the conclusion that I had to make a decision, a choice on my own, for myself to do something radical. I knew if I didn’t take action now, that I might never and that if I didn’t take responsibility, no one else would do it for me. I was chilled by the thought of settling into the simple comfort and cadence of a “safe” life that I knew so well. So, as my good friends know, this was the moment I decided to go against the grain, forfeit my scholarship and halt my plans to become a teacher. This was the day I decided to apply to be a DTS student here in YWAM Ensenada, Mexico. It was in that coffeeshop one rainy November day that I decided to change my life.

Well, here I am. A year later in Mexico. I no longer have that scholarship, I no longer am a student at Western Oregon University and have absolutely no plans to get married anytime soon (sorry 12 year old Emily). Nope, none of my previous plans worked out and even as I write this blog post today, I have no idea what the future holds. So much for my five year plan, right?

It’s funny because sometimes people ask me if I regret my decision to leave everything behind and wander into the unknown. The answer is no, absolutely not. However, I would be lying if I said I didn’t wonder whether or not joining DTS was God’s will for me. Yeah, it’s confusing. What if giving up my life back home was a mistake, outside of God’s plan for my life? What if because of my temporary feelings in a coffeeshop one day, I  totally deterred my life leading me to an alternative reality of second best?  However, at the same time, I’m LOVING my time here in YWAM. I feel alive again, have rediscovered my passions, have made incredible community and have grown personally so much. But even then in my joy, I sometimes find myself wondering did I make then wrong choice?

Maybe you’re dealing with something similar. Maybe you’ve made a choice that’s changed your life and you too are wondering whether or not you’ve now settled for something second best. I have some encouragement for you.

In your pursuit to sticking close to and getting to know Jesus, you are already on the very path that’s been created for you.

On that thought, isn’t the greatest commandment Jesus gives to us “Love the Lord your God with all your passion, prayer and intelligence” (Matthew 22:37)?  If you’re wondering what God’s plan is for your life, there it is! His will for you and I is that we would be romanced and fall into a deep, loving relationship with Him. His plan for you is that you would love him, know his love for you, and make that same passion known to the world. Whether you are a teacher, a mechanic, a scientist or a missionary, Jesus wants YOU. Sure, your career path or who you choose to marry plays into the the lifestyle you may lead. And yes, I do believe a vital part in making choices is bringing them to Christ and asking for direction and wisdom. Boy, I always need more of that! However, what’s greater than all the choices you could ever make, it choosing to seek Jesus’ heart that he has for you!  

Jesus wants a relationship with you, a true, raw, real relationship. So I encourage you today, no matter where you are, what’s on your mind, talk to your Father. Ask Him the hard stuff, pursue Him back. You are on the right path, He’s got you. Tap into the wisdom of the creator of the universe. You are a son. You are a daughter. You are loved. You are not a puppet whose life choices are dictated by a pristine timeline of events that are not to be broken. Christ knows the desires of your heart. You have been intentionally given passions that bring you joy and set you on fire. Those same things are the desires that bring passion and fire to Jesus’ heart too! The best part is that we get to choose what we do to channel and bring those to the world. How empowering right? That’s the point! Regardless of what we choose to do with our lives, we also get to choose love, freedom, redemption and so much more because that’s the character of Christ who we can agree to be in relationship with.

As for me,  at the end of the day, no,  I don’t know what tomorrow brings let alone what I’ll be doing after my time in Mexico. Yes, changing my life plans was confusing and messy but guess what, here I am. Living this life is what I have picked. I am passionate about what I am doing,  it brings me joy to serve here and I’m growing like crazy.  That being said, regardless of vocation or location, whether teacher or missionary, seeking Jesus’ face everyday, is something we get to do anytime, anywhere. Our dedication to that automatically brings us into harmony with God’s will for our lives, only the very best! 

“Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of our face. Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.” Psalm 16:11

So, dear friends, as you go about your day today, be encouraged! Dream big and go all out! Know that you are living for a purpose, your life matters. Know that you are being personally pursued in the greatest love story of all time. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are from, what your past entails or what your future may hold. You are The Beloved. The epitome of true love is after your heart. So fall into the arms of the Father because it is only there where your true destiny lies, relationship with your Creator. Anywhere else you choose to go in this life is just part of the journey.

So what are you waiting for, friends? Dream big, live it out and love with all you’ve got because this life is so worth living and through relationship, you are extravagantly empowered.

Love you all soooo much! Live big!

xoxo,

Em

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Things to Be Thankful For: (Part 1) Oregon Edition

How is Thanksgiving next week? Maybe it’s just me but this holiday always feels like it comes out of no where. This year, I’m spending the holidays away from home and while I believe giving thanks should be a year round celebration, here are a few things I’m especially thankful for this year (Oregon edition)! Here goes nothing!

1. Broadway Coffeehouse: AKA one of my top five favorite places in the world not to mention a city gem. Everyday, I think about time spent here. Countless occasions, this place has been a safe haven for me. Whether I need to get away from the house and crack down on homework, have a study group, or have a coffee date, you can bet I’ll be here. For years, this has been the place where some of the most significant conversations of my life have been had. It’s here where I’ve got to know my friends deeper, where dreams have been inspired and developed, belly laughs have been heard and ugly cries have been comforted. Long story short, this coffeehouse is more than just artisan drinks to this girl. I am so, so very thankful for  the community this place has created in my city and my heart. I miss you, Broadway!
2. Rain, trees, clouds, and Carhart beanies: I know right, what happened to Emily?! Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m in love with living at the beach amongst the sand and palm trees. But overcast skies and rain run deep in my blood and I won’t lie, I miss it a little. I’ve never been so appreciative of the PNW terrain and weather until I moved. Though I haven’t traveled much, I’m convinced that Oregon is one of the most beautiful places in the world. So to my Oregonian friends, I mean this tenderly, go take a hike. For me, get out there and climb a muddy trail, go for a rainy day drive and soak in green glory, galore.
3. Driving: Yup, giving up everything to come to YWAM also meant giving up driving myself for 5 months too! Driving has always been one of my favorite things. Somehow, it has a way of clearing my mind, the inside of my car safe from the rest of the world. It’s what gets me from point A to point B, taking me from the driveway to the doorstep of adventure. There’s really nothing like jumping in, turning up the radio and just going, no destination ahead.
4. The pink house and the Boatwright’s: Sounds like a band name right? My childhood home is a landmark in our neighborhood and I sure do love walking through the squeaky backdoor and coming home to a warm wood stove and my family. My family means the world to me and it’s taken some distance for me to really, truly realize that. It’s so easy to take the little things in life and the people we see everyday for granted when they are so close. Not a day goes by where I don’t think about my sweet family and how much they mean to me. Take some time today to hug yours, yeah?

So while these are just a few things I miss most about home, I know being by the beach is exactly where I’m supposed to be. That being said, my heart still beats to the hipster rhythm of you, Oregon! More than anything, I’ve come to appreciate my roots and things both big and small native to where I grew up.

If you’ve stuck with me this far, hey, thanks! Let me know what you’re thankful for- spread the love!

With an overflowing heart,

Em   xoxo

Salt Water Stings: YWAM Week 2 & 3

Hello friends!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update but that’s a testament to how busy our schedules are here on DTS (or maybe I’ve just been spending too of my free time on the beach?). That being said, since week one, a ton has happened so be sure to read all the way to the bottom and check out the slide show from a few of my favorite moments since then!

It’s Monday afternoon here and for those of you who need another palm tree picture in your life, here you go.

 

 

Yup, that’s my current view right now. Yay! This week, my class and I have packed our bags and will be staying at the YWAM Tijuana campus until this Friday the 19th. During our time here, my class is joining the DTS students here in TJ for lecture so for now, this is home. I’m perfectly OK with that!

So far, DTS has been rocking my socks. But even though the views, the beaches and my friends are unbelievably beautiful, not every aspect of this process has been sunshine and roses. Fear has been something I’ve struggled with my whole life. Fear of not being enough, fear of failure, fear of imperfection. Isn’t crazy how a combination of hurtful past experiences and lies can influence our present mindset? Anyway, before my DTS, I hoped that being in a new environment with new people would be an escape from all my troubles and all the baggage that I’d accrued over the past 21 years. Turns out, DTS is not a place to run from troubles, it’s a place to face them. And yes, it sucks in the best sucky way possible. Here’s a quick story about it:

For the record, it’s still smoking hot here in Ensenada so like most Sundays, we headed down to the beach yesterday for a swim and tan sesh. Before even dipping my toes in, I’d already predetermined that I was only going to go in hip deep, if that. I didn’t want to get my hair wet and I had some scrapes on my arms that I didn’t want to get salt water in cause…ouch! At first, I was successful at keeping a distance, but it wasn’t without struggle. Before I knew it, a GIANT wave came out of no where and knocked me right back. Once I caught my footing and breath, I realized what had just happened. So much for staying dry! My hair was a tangled mess and the scrapes were gently throbbing from the penetrating salt water.  In the curve of the wave, every intention I had to stay at a distance from the water and keep my control, was wiped away in a matter of seconds.  I didn’t stand a chance.

Here’s the awesome part: After I had been nailed the first time, I’d already lost everything so now I could do it again, this time careless about holding anything back. Wave after wave crashed over me and my friends as we waded and swam and it felt great to let go and just enjoy the beauty of God’s creation and the moment I was in.

I know it sounds silly guys. But my hair and a couple of little wounds were two tiny elements that played a big factor in my allowing fear to continue to be a foothold in my life. In the moment, I was gripping control so tightly that fear began to manifest.

But what I’d forgotten was that even though salt water stings, it also heals.

Who really cares about hair, you can wash that. But these cuts hurt, much like painful memories, guilt, shame and anxiety of my past. Despite all the control I attempted to obtain, I couldn’t out run the waves. Just like in my life and my attempt to hide impurity and imperfections, there is no where I could go to out run the healing grace of God’s mighty redemption. The symbolism here is that  I woke up today and my arms were nearly completely healed! Amazing.

How could it be that everything that I was holding back and running from was everything I actually needed?

Similar to the beach day encounter, I wonder what kind of relief and freedom we could experience if we gave over total control of our own lives. What if instead of just dipping our toes in, we dove in full force, dousing everything- including our hair and wounds.

Isn’t it true that Jesus wants to bring wholeness, healing and joy!?  In my loss yesterday, I experienced all these things. I wonder what life would be like if we let waves of grace and mercy consume us too.

“I’m going to give this city a thorough renovation working a true healing inside and out. I’m going to show them life whole, life brimming with blessings.” Jeremiah 33:6

Love you all so much! Please message me if you have any questions, comments or encouragements. I love hearing from you all! Here are some highlights from week 2 and 3!

 

I am I still fundraising for my outreach portion of my mission and if you would like to donate, please feel free to do so by clicking here!

YWAM Week 3

Buenos dias, amigos!

Week 2 update coming out a little later than usual, the DTS schedule here in Ensenada has been pop’n! Without further a-do, here are a few of my favorite highlights from this last week!

A new hobby in formation! Thursday night ministry at the skate park on base.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My small group is literally the cutest. Afternoon coffee at the most hipster place around. Right up my alley.

Mornings are by far the best time for a jog

Family dinner on the roof. This view always beats the sunset

Friends and family, thank you again and again for all your love and support. I miss you dearly but am choosing to continually be faithful that this is where I am supposed to be for the next few months!

The past couple of weeks, I’ve taken a lot of time to reflect and came to acknowledge the importance of me giving my whole self to God for the rest of my life, but especially during these next 5 months.  In my reflection, I remembered why I felt called here in the first place -because I didn’t want to continue living my life half way. For those of you who don’t know, my time here in Discipleship Training School is just that, it’s school! I’m learning lots on topics such as The Father Heart of God and The Character and Nature of God. While this is school, I’m learning so much more about myself and my relationship with God than I thought I ever would. I’m becoming more and more aware that God is more than just a distant, far off blob of spiritual influence on the universe. Instead, I’m learning that God has a personality and a really, really good heart! He has thoughts specifically about us and his plans for me and you are GOOD! Of course, I’ve heard all these things all my life, but now, they are becoming real and I

This last week in lecture, we discussed the nature and character of God. Now if I’m being honest, I’ve never really thought

Burrito Heaven-YWAM Week One

Hey everyone! Wowzer, how has it already been over a week since coming to live in Mexico?! First off, let me just start by saying I have made it, I am alive and well! It would be a complete understatement to say that time has absolutely flown by here but surely, it has! Week one has been packed to the brim with ice breakers as me, my classmates and our staff get to know each other. Even though it has only been nine days since we got here, our group is really becoming quite the tight knit group full of love and support for each other as we journey together. The staff has been absolutely lovely, they are all Ensenada pros and have really done a wonderful job of taking care of us students, showing us around and yes, taking us to Walmart! Here are a few highlights of my first week in this crazy place!

Human pyramid, downtown!  

 

Haley and I are coconut moms now

One way of tourist transport!

Best. Tacos. Ever.

Macarena at the Cinema   

Dinner celebration at our sister base in Tijuana! 

Ensenada is beautiful!

The people, the beach and the FOOD! If you know me, you know that I loveeee Mexican food and eating here on base has been a dream come true! I have had beans and homemade tortillas to my heart’s content, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Oh man, God is good! Morning to evening, our days here are filled. Everyday we start with morning devos and roll straight into breakfast, base clean up and then off to lecture.

Already, I am being stretched to really come out of my comfort zone and surrender everything I am and all that I have, in order to be a true follower of Jesus. Our topic in lecture this week was about just that, being a Jesus follower. One of the first things our speaker asked our class was “Are you a fan or a follower of Jesus?” Woah, now that was something I had to really think about. Again and again, Jesus has shown me several things in my life that I need to lay down completely at the foot of the cross and never look back on as a hindrance on my life.

Before my arrival, I was a ball of anxiousness and anticipation- I just wanted to be here already. I had no idea what to expect, so I didn’t expect anything. Now that I’m finally here, I can not stop thinking about how good God is to take care of all the little details. The process has been overwhelming that for sure. Picking up everything and moving to a new country with all new people, new lifestyle, new church, new friends. This has been something that’s challenged every part of my being. In all, the only thing I can do is thank God for providing in every little thing. Everything from the simplicity of food to the radical ways He has already begun to stir epic change in my heart.

Guys, I’m having a the best time here on the beach and I can’t help but truly believe that I am here for a reason and that Jesus has something in store that is going to rock my world. Please keep me in your prayers that I would continue to adjust well to the routine and lifestyle here. Please also pray that my team would continue to grow in unity and that God’s protection and grace would continue to pour over us as we dive into a new week of lecture and local outreach in the city.

I love you all so very much and will keep you posted on new adventures to come! Be expectant, good things are happening!

With lots of love and tacos in my belly,

Em xoxo

If you would like to give towards my mission, please feel free to do so by clicking here! All donations accepted with thanks and love!

 

Our Baggage vs. Jesus’ Best

 

I don’t know about you, but summer is my favorite season- the sun, the trips, the adventure.  But in all the fun, I tend to become complacent in certain areas, specifically the cleanliness of my room. I know this may sound silly but friends, it’s real. And while the heaps of clothes don’t end up on the floor over night, neither do the papers on my desk get shuffled and crumpled on their own. In my hurry and rush to get here or there, the mess builds, the floor disappears and when I come home, chaos is inescapable and reality sets back in. This was the case yesterday. I came home after a crazy couple of days and realized that my ambition to become a minimalist (lol) needed some definite attention. As I buckled down and started purging through my closet, I was reminded of something I recently read in Max Lucado’s book, Just Like Jesus.

“Jesus loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way”.

As I started pondering this thought, I was reminded that not only did I have a lot of material junk to go through and give away, but I also have a lot of personal baggage and insecurity that’s also accumulated over time which I’ve stored up in my heart and carried on my shoulders. Sure, I know that Jesus loves me but I am also aware that there is some junk I’ve been avoiding confrontation with just as I had with the mess in my bedroom.

Now, disclaimer, this was’t the first time I’d reflected on what I needed to give to Jesus. Only a couple months ago, I decided I wanted to give everything, my whole life, over to Him. This included my die hard daily habits, my hypocrisy, and self  doubt. I found myself exhausted  by all the clutter in my own head and heart. Personally, this clutter looks and sounds a lot like lies in my own head about perfectionism and what I thought was it’s inherent relationship to my self worth.

For me, I struggle with grounding my identity in Jesus alone,  not through the lens of the world.

I’ve learned a lot about myself this year and one thing I’m coming to notice and accept is how exhausted I feel by trying to maintain a reputable image by the standards of modern day society. It’s no surprise that we live in an era where it’s virtually impossible to escape the unrealistic standards that our society sets. Constantly, we receive mixed messages from the media on everything from what grades we should be earning, what clothes we should be wearing, how many nights a week we should be spending out. If I’m being real, I used to live to attain the demands of these messages and honestly, still struggle sometimes.

Am I broken? Yes.  Is living life with baggage and the pressure to exist a certain way exhausting and utterly draining? Yes, absolutely.

In fact, not only is this junk heavy but also, restrictive. When I let my insecurity and anxiety get a hold of me, I become self absorbed with the need for control, and it holds me back. I get stuck in my own head, worried about things that may not even be true!

Jesus tells it to us straight forward, ” Here on Earth you will have trouble…”( John 16:33). Yet, I love how my good friend  once painted it. She likened her human, troubled  heart to a mural under construction.  Scaffolding up, drip rags down, the painter working hard away at building a masterpiece. “I’m kind of like that mural ” she said. “Jesus is working on me. Just like the painter restores his or her mural,  my heart is under constant restoration and always will be.” When she said this, it resonated with me because I knew that this metaphorical scaffolding was up around my heart too. I recognized that just as time and environmental conditions wither an outdoor mural, so does sin and human nature wither away at our hearts.

I’m not perfect, you’re not perfect and we all have baggage- chips in our paint. Yet the point is, that none of it could ever disqualify you or I from the love, goodness and pursuit of our Father. He is reviving our hearts, just like the painter revives his monument.

When you feel weighed down by lies, deception, stress, pressure (the list goes on), whatever baggage may look or sound like to you, Jesus wants it.

You see, Jesus’ heart for us isn’t condemnation, it’s freedom!

Jesus isn’t a God of shame a guilt, He’s a father for forgiveness and peace. I believe He is working on my heart, going through my baggage with me, all with open arms, asking for me to lay it  all down at His feet. He wants me to give up my need for unattainable  perfectionism, my agenda and need for control.

All in all, He wants the same for you too. When I feel stressed or anxious about the unknown( a common worry of mine), He reminds me that this junk isn’t for me to worry about in the first place-that weight isn’t mine to bare. His arms are open and His heart is big. Jesus wants to set you and I free so that we can LIVE!

The first part of John 16:33 is indeed, ” Here on Earth you will have trouble” the second part however, “But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Friends, take heart. Rest in the peace of knowing that we serve a God much bigger than the circumstances of this life. Your true identity is through Christ alone and what He says about you defies anything the world could. So lay down your baggage, let Him take your junk, big or small. Ask him to help rummage through your heart and identify what is weighing you down. Then, release it to Him. Give it away because trust me, He’s got wayyyy more room than a mega sized UHAUL to take that junk.

 He is humble and gentle at heart, and His plans for you are so much greater and glorified than any weight you carry alone.

As I wrap up the finishing touches of my room purge, I’m reminded of the junk in my human heart and the grace that penetrates and redeems it. I’m a ready to give away not only the external crap cluttering my life but also the internal and personal junk that holds me back and ties me down.

Everyday,  I’m more and more ready to give Jesus permission to take hold of my insecurity and remind me of my worth. I’m ready to kill the lie of perfectionism and truly walk out my knowledge that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

I am ready to set my baggage down at the feet of the cross, where Jesus paid the price for everything I’ve been trying to hold onto and manage for so long.

These things aren’t mine.

So, what’s holding you down, keeping you back?

Regardless of our circumstances, freedom is ours for the taking whenever we’re ready. Now, who’s with me?

“Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Matthew 11:28-29

 

 

Lesson Planning- What I’ve Learned So Far

From my limited experience with lesson planning this far, I can confidently say that this task is much easier said than done. Initially, I had multiple ideas for a prepared lesson that I was almost certain would meet the requirements of the ISTE and the Common Core State Standards. In hindsight however, I was definitely missing some fundamental components of both, in my lesson’s rough draft.

During my beginning of my journey to “perfect” my lesson, I began to become somewhat overwhelmed and even a bit frustrated when I began looking at all the criteria I needed to be meeting when presenting my lesson in the classroom. With so many standards, I felt a sense of uneasiness and questioned the lack of balance I foresaw in being able to hit all the targets I was aiming towards. After searching the web for a dose of empathy and encouragement, I came across I really great article that provided me with just that! In the article Every Teacher Can Meet the Common Core: Simple Tips, I found various practical ways to easily approach Common Core in my state, and how to make the process implementing these criteria, a little bit more do-able. This text gave several overarching ways that teachers of all grade levels can mix things up in their classroom. In addition, each sub-text included several hyperlinks that focused on other documents and videos, specific to the point being highlighted. This article really help me put my ideas into perspective and even helped me brainstorm several different ways to maximize the impact of my lessons, all the while meeting the standard criteria of ISTE and Common Core.

Another gold mine that I came across during my research was an article written by the University of Oregon, Ways to Access Student Learning During Class. I really got excited about reading this article due to it’s being written by a school in my home state, but also because it plainly listed thirteen different ideas on how to access student learning. With the demands of Common Core, assessment is a huge component to measuring the learning and growth in our students. As much as I get excited about learning, my opposition to content testing as a means of measurement, is extremely limited. This article clarified that traditional testing isn’t the only way for teacher’s and administrators to collect meaningful data to promote stronger and more effective ways of learning. Many go the concepts presented in the article were based around the students showing what they knew, paired with a wide margin of freedom for the student to preform while incorporating their creativity. The limits posed by traditional testing is another blog post for another day, but I really appreciated the practicality and diverse brainstorming of this article on how to access student growth in the classroom.

Both of these articles of truly left me feeling encouraged and even, better equipped to prepare lessons that are meaningful and relevant to my  class of students, while at the same time, merge with and meet the criteria of ISTE and Common Core standards.

Web 2.0 For the Elementary Classroom

 

Prezi

As a visual learner myself, I think one of the best way to keep a class of busy bodies engaged is to keep the lesson moving with lots of interaction and stimulation.

Prezi, is one of my personal favorite apps not only as a presenter but as a student as well. Very similar to PowerPoint, Prezi uses a series of blank slides for the creator to customize at their discretion, in order to create a virtual slideshow. In my class of second, third or fourth graders, I could really see this tool being used to supplement my lessons using visual stimuli in geography lessons, math examples and science experiments. Because Prezi is a great place to organize lesson content in one central place, this allows instructors to easily keep content categorized and classified, all at the tips of their fingers. Using this app to link videos and tutorials encourages students to really have a chance to visualize the material being discussed.Personally, I love that Prezi allows hyperlinks to be added into slides, as well as allowing easy access to Google Images when adding pictures. Because this app is online, teachers and students never have to worry about saving their projects or lessons to a hard drive or USB port because a simple login username and password from any software device, permits instant access to their files.

Some of the limitations that I have come across are, that with increasing user popularity, the general access to some of the best features of this site are reserved for paying members only. In order to edit images and limit privacy settings, subscribers must pay a monthly fee to unlock certain site settings. There is a free version of the app that allows anyone access to the most basic of functions and in my opinion, free is good and most definitely possible to make do with. In addition, though I think this app is great for adults and students with a wide range internet familiarity, I am hesitant to believe that young students entering the school system could use this site productively without needing substantial assistance. For my class, I would most likely utilize this site myself, primarily for visual aid in my lesson plans.

To access Prezi and learn more about it’s features of use, be sure to check out their website and see if it might be a constructive tool for your classroom!

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Abcya.com 

Abcya is a great site for elementary school teachers for an array of various reasons. The range and variety of games programmed to this site is quite vast and can be utilized to accompany virtually any lesson. From typing to math and language arts games, students are able to become more digitally literate through using their computer skills to master lesson content. Accessible from tablets, cell phones and PCs, this site is easily employable with no login or username information necessary for full site access. Because the educational games on this site are simply categorized by grade, students can easily find  games that suit their education interest or areas in need of improvement. Fun images, graphics and bright colors create an inviting web page and the simple design on the home page makes site navigation, a breeze. Before using this site, teachers should be familiar with where to locate games and content that will be relevant in their classroom. Teachers are able to create class login accounts if they so choose to do so, enabling them to easily guide their students to use specific activities  whether at school or at home. There isn’t much instruction on how to use the site, so being familiar and  prepared before introducing this tool to a class could be highly beneficial. Other than that, it is my opinion that my elementary teachers and the students in their classrooms will have a great experience using this tool as a reward system or even for homework practice in reference to relevant classroom course work.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

PBS LearningMedia

For years, I loved using PBS as a resource for research, as student. However, up until recently, I never knew that a site like PBS LearningMedia, even existed. This webpage is great for teacher of all age groups but I specifically like it for those teaching the littles because it has loads of arts and crafts ideas that tag along with science and math projects. This is a great way to stimulate our kinesthetic learners to put their knowledge into practice by getting their hands-on activities for the day. I also really like that they content on PBS LearningMedia is categorized almost like a search engine. Teachers can search lessons and actives to accommodate their plans for the day by, keyword, subject area and learning style. Videos, images and virtual field trips are just a few of the addition resources that can be located here. Topics are interesting and relevant and the easy to navigate site makes it simple for students, parents and teachers alike to accumulate information for research or homework. Students and teachers do need to have a username and password login account to access the full set of resources on the page, so having this completed before projects and assignments are due, is a must. PBS LearningMedia is a all age group inclusive site and even has a “student” section of the webpage , condensing and generating information more likely to suit the interests and needs of those in school. I can definitely see this webpage being used in my classroom for a variety of assignments!