Letter of the alphabet Meme

Melissa gave me the letter P so here are my 10 ferrite things begin with the Letter P. If you want to play drop me a comment and I'll give you a letter...

1. Paella.. best Spanish dish ever
2. Pillar candles
3. Peanut butter.. especially with chocolate
4. Pillows... trust me I use it as often as I can
5. Pizza... i can't wait for marino's pizza when I'm home
6. Pastors.. cause I have so many cool pastor types in my life
7. planes ... especially if I'm going someplace fun
8. phones.. my cell phone is great
9. presents.. both giving and receiving
10. pugs.. they are the only little dogs I like

Guatemala Trip

This is an e-mail I sent out to many of my friends and family if there are any out there in the cyber community who would like to contribute please leave me a message and I'll e-maill you the address where you can send contibutions.

Hi all,

Sorry for the mass e-mail but I wanted to tell you all about my mission trip to Guatemala and give you an opportunity to participate.

As part of my course requirements at Drew Theological school we have to have go on a cross cultural trip. I have chosen to go to Guatemala. I am excited to be able to use my Spanish skills and experience another culture.

This particular trip happens to be a United Methodist Volunteer in Mission trip (VIM). For those of you not familiar with the United Methodist Church VIM trips occur in many countries and in the Untied States. On these trips VIMs do work rebuilding or building in communities, working in schools, feeding/helping poverty stricken groups, etc. Often these trips take place in communities that are already Christian, and we do not go in with a goal of converting people and changing or destroying their culture, which is the vision some have of mission trips. We are just as willing to help non-Christians as we are Christians.

I have attached a list of items that we are brining with us to the orphanages and medical clinics that we will be visiting on the trip. The great thing is that we aren't just sending this stuff to some warehouse somewhere or to some organization where we hope it will get to the people that need it. I will be physically bringing the contributions to the facilities. If you can not donate the actual items and would like to send or give a monetary donation so that I may purchase items to contribute that would be great too.

I know it is the holidays and there are a lot of opportunities to give. If can not participate in this I fully understand.

Please feel free to pass this opportunity on to others who you think may wish to participate.

I will be leaving for the trip on Jan 6th. I will be willing to pick any items you may wish to contribute or you may send them to me.

Thank you so much in advance!

Happy Holidays

Peace and Blessing,

Kristen

Here is the wish list:

WISH LIST FOR GUATEMALA NOVEMBER 2006 TRIP:

Each time we visit the Guatemala National Methodist Church projects, we bring supplies and equipment for their use. Here are the items requested or useful for each project, which we would like to take with us when we leave in November:

I. Los Romeritos, Guatemala City (not a GMC project):

clown make-up, wigs, costumes etc

Children’s vitamins

Shampoo, tooth brushes, tooth paste.

Creme for scabies treatment

Tylenol for children

Digital thermometer

Cough medicine for children

Manual in Spanish for craft projects

II. Salud y Paz Medical Clinic in Camanchaj:

Visine or other over-the-counter for eyes

Anti-acids (tums etc)

Pepto Bismal

Monistat for vaginal yeast infections

Cough syrup for children and adults

Naproxine (Advil or Ibuprofen)

Metronidazol 500 mg. (flagel)

Pepsid

Antibiotic creme

Desitin

Diaper rash medication

underware small sizes for women

III. Juan Ixtan, Patalup Medical Clinic:

Diabetic test strips for Accu-Chek Advantage machine

Otoscope to examine ears

Bulk Vitamins, Kirkland from Costco: One-a-day, Vit. C.

IV. Hogar de Niños, San Sebastian de Lemoa

warm clothing for small children ages 0-17: underwear, socks, T-shirts and pants, jackets, sweaters, shoes (remember, 17-year-olds in Guatemala are the size of 13-year-olds in the US)

School supplies: pens, pencils, sharpeners, rulers, spiral notebooks, safety scissors, water colors, permanent markers, dry-erase markers, hole punches, folders, tape, tape holders, staple remover, stapler, staples, ruler, compass, protractor, tracing paper, Personal items: shampoo, tooth paste, soaps, tooth brushes, combs

Mixed emotions

So a couple of hours ago I finished my very last class of my first semester of Seminary. Now the only thing I have left to do school work wise for the rest of the semester is study and take my three hour old testament exam.

I really and truly have mixed emotion as this semester ends. I happy to get a break from all the reading and the paper writing. Yet it makes me realize just how fast this time really goes by. I keep thinking about how quickly I felt my four years of college when by ans seminary is only three years. I am already in that but I'm going to miss it stage. It's wired because sometimes we rush the semester along but honestly if I could go back and do it over again I think i would. I really am enjoying this. Not to say there aren't downs because there sure are. last wed I was talking about dropping out. But overall this experience has been everything i could have ever wished for.

blog thingy

Your Scholastic Strength Is Inspiring Others

You are great at developing a vision, and getting others to adopt your way of thinking. You are talented at leading, balancing tasks, and helping people work together. You should major in: Counseling Environmental studies Law Social work Political science Nursing

What Should You Major In?

2 Done

Ok so two papers done and two to go.. and yes I'm on here procrastinating....

So any ideas of summer Jobs for the sem kid? I thought about doing camp but I don't think my summer classes end in time... suggestions will be appreciated


ok Two papers left to write I should leave the library at about 2am :-(

Stress...

SO I knew it was coming... Four papers due this week.. I got a good start on them this weekend, but I probably should have done more.

And I broke up with the long distance bf.. It was for the best but it doesn't make it any easier.

OK well I need to get to work... Prayers will be appreciated!

Parents

I just realized that I love my parents and i know in their own strange way that they love me, but they just zap the life right out of me. A large part of that is because I spend my time trying to be the daughter they want me to be or the daughter that they think I am. They just have no idea of who I am or the changes that have occurred in my life. Partly because I don't let them in on it and partly because when I do let them in on it I feel like I'm being attacked.

My dad is trying to really supportive in this whole becoming a pastor process. But he just doesn't get it. And everyone keeps telling me he never will. But getting him to understand that is hard. The problem is he is really trying and I get frustrated because I'm explaining it as best I can and he just can't make the leap. Partly because I think he struggles with his own faith, and thinks I can be the one to guide him through and I just can't be.

My mom, I just don't know where she is. She doesn't react outwardly that often and when she doesn't I often see it as a negative. I;'m not sure that is fair to her. In fact i know it's not. There is just so much history there. For a long time ( and passably still) there was a lot of jealously there. Never said but completely understood. She too struggles in her faith journey. I think she wants to go there but something holds her back. I'm just not sure what it is. Nor do I think I can be the one to help her either.

I always tell people I'm a product of my parents they raised me to be different from them but they didn't really know what they were actually doing. I am really different from them. It's hard sometimes I really don't know what to do with that. I am happy I am the person I am, it's just hard that I can't fully explain / share that with my parents.

Friday five.. Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving... In particular order here is who and what I am thankful for in no particular order ....

1. School ( Drew Theological Seminary)

2. Michelle

3. The Walters

4. Andrea

5. My call

Organic Part II

Ok so I wanted to post more about this yesterday, but I didn't get to it, and truthfully right now I really should be cleaning my Apartment, but I had to post this. So yesterday Peter Rollins the author of How (Not) To Speak of God ( ihaven't read it yet but after listening to him speak i'm sure it's good) was at school. He spoke at chapel and the did a book talk afterward. And I saw what worship could be. He started this faith experience in Belfast Ireland, at a pub, where people come to worship and to experience God. It just looked and sounded amazing. It's consider to be part of the emergent church movement. I'm not quite ready to jump on to that label yet (partly due to my generational rejection of labels), but it sounds more and more exciting. I share the fear that Peter expressed to us in his talk that the Emergent church label runs the risk of being comercialized or exploited. But it seems to be more and more what church should be. How I want to be able to help people experience God.

I also checked out the website The Ooze. There is some really great discussions going on there. People talking from all different perspectives of faith.

Just the other day we were talking about constructive theology in class. A lot of my classmates wanted to talk about the dangers of people constructing their own theologies. Yes there are dangers, but what about the good stuff. The developing of one's faith. Developing a deep connection with God that come out of thought, questions and experience. What a wonderful feeling.

I see where Christianity should be , where it should go. We need to go back to our roots.

Organic

Hopefully I'll be able to post more on this soon... but that is what we need to get back to. Organic church experiences

Blogging

Sorry my blogging has been very lack luster lately.... I've just been busy with school and church stuff. It's a good busy though! Hopefully I'll have something fun and interesting to post about soon. The next two weeks I'm preaching so I'm excited for that. This Sunday I'm preaching a mini-sermon for Laity Sunday and next week I am preaching for Chirst the King Sunday
That's about all the is exciting right now!

Friday five

Those of us who are in the United States have just been through quite a topsy-turvy election. During the campaign we heard a fair amount about red states and blue states, when in fact most of us live in some shade of purple. And so... a lighter look at those confounding colors:

1. Favorite red food... strawberries and rasberries

2. Tell us about the bluest body of water you've ever seen in person.

3. It's movie rental time: Blue Planet, The Color Purple, or Crimson Tide? the color purple

4. What has you seeing red these days? close minded people

5. What or who picks you up when you're feeling blue? I have lots of lovely people in my life who pick me up

Good Things Happening at Seminary

I have to say we are more then half-way through the semester, and this experience has been such a blessing so far. It's seems funny to me that people have a fear of losing their faith in seminary. I guess I can understand where that could come from, but for me so far this has been nothing but a spiritually enriching experience. I have met amazing people, had the most amazing discussions, and even learned a think or two in class. Yes, there is a ton of reading and work to be done. And yes it can be overwhelming, and yes there have been a few times when I have said to myself why the heck am I here, but even in all that it has been a joy.

I simply can not get over the depth of the conversations we are having. Especially conversations on race. Race is almost becoming a four letter word around here these days. Particularly for the non-minority students. It sound as though they feel as if they are being blamed for actions that they had no control over. It is true they had no control over them. I agree we need to stop living in the past. But that is not to say that we should forget about it either. Being at Drew has allowed me to see so many side of this conversation. And has allowed and encouraged me to embrace my biracial heritage. To not have to hide or favor one side or the other.

I was struggling very heavily that identity for a very long time. The struggle is by no means over, but not I have realized it ok to feel uncomfortable. Along with that it is ok just to say this is ME, this is Who I AM, I can't change it and I don't want to change, and I don't need to fit into a constructed racial identity. I think that if we would stop trying to put people in boxes as a way to understand them we could make progress in our ( the world's) discussion on race.

Happy Birthday Shout Out

This is not normal for my blog, but it is something that I must do. I know she pops in occasionally so I have to wish my Pastor a very very very happy _0 Birthday!

I know you weren't looking forward to this birthday, but you have done amazing things in you time here so far, and I know there are many more things to come.

Thank you for your unending support. I hope you have a wonderful day!!!!!

Spiritual Disciplines

So this week for our Public Practice of theology class we had to write a paper about our spiritual lives and our spiritual disciplines. I realized what a drastic change I have made over the past year and a half. It's been a year and a half since I experienced my call to ministry. Right before that time my prayer life had picked up a bit, but I didn't have to much else going on spiritually. Then came this very unexpected, sometimes till scary, but for the most wonderful call to ministry, and I tired to instill other spiritual disciplines in my life. The growth of those disciplines have been very helpful in my life. I feel that I my stress level while it tends to be higher ( I am in seminary folks!) it doesn't get the best of me a easily. Journaling and prayer are the most helpful with that. My prayer life has been great lately. It funny because everyone tells you that is the first to go in seminary. My Bible study ( beyond what we have to go for class) has been ok, but definitely has room for improvement.

Last night was my first meeting with my spiritual direction group. What an awesome and helpful experience.

For the past few weeks I've struggled a little bit with my call because I'm disappointed/disillusioned with the organized Church. However, somewhere along the line I turned that into disappointment/disillusionment with God. When really that was not the case at all. It's with the Church. I have no doubt about God or the presence of God in my life.

The weekend

So I have to be honest I didn't know what to expect this weekend. I went back to my undergrad for homecoming weekend. I skipped out on homecoming last year to attend my aunt's 50th birthday party. I had no idea what to expect especially because I am a totally different person from the person I was in undergrad. The first thing everyone wanted to know was " is she going to go to the bar?" Yes, I was a party girl in undergrad. And yes I went to the bar with my friends and yes I had a drink. I think it put everyone at ease. A lot of my friends and acquaintances still aren't sure of what to make of me going into the ministry, but it lead to a lot of great conversations.

I not only saw my peers, but I also got to visit with my former professors and our campus ministers. We talked a lot about the direction of the church. How young people are reacting, what we can do change the perceptions of church. I got lots of advice to enjoy seminary and to learn as much as I can, and get as many experiences as I can.

Overall it was fun weekend. I saw almost everyone I wanted to. I did miss some key people (sorry sis). But I did realize the past is the past and there is no going back.

Personality test

Everyone else was doing and I thought it was fun:

Benevolent Designer

not sure why it is showing up twice

Reading week

So It's reading week, and I had this wonderful idea that while it was reading week I was going to spend all my time getting ahead. Not just getting my work done for next week but really and truly getting ahead..... well that didn't work. It's crazy how much better I am about getting my work done when I don't have time to do it. So needless to say next weeks assignments are mostly read and I at least looked at my assignments for the following week. Oh well I guess my brain just needed a little break. At least I don't have any mid-terms or big papers due.

The good thing is today I start my traveling. I am visiting my one of my College friends in Philly today and tomorrow thru Sunday I'll be in Ohio visiting another friend! So reading week was useful for something.

Dear Church:Letters From a Disillusioned Generation

I've decided that I needed to do some simple pleasure reading. I know it's sounds crazy to most with all the reading that we do in seminary that I would picked to do more reading for enjoyment, but reading has always been my relaxation method. So I picked up a book about church(cause I jsut can't get enough) and my generation's disillusionment with the institutional church. I have really enjoyed it. Simply because it doesn't just point out the problems that my generation has with the church, but it puts some feelings behind it. Not only that, the book let's us know we do not have to disillusioned forever. There's a website that goes along with it www.dearchurch.com

I struggle all the time with my frustration of being called to ordained ministry, but feeling that the church in its current state just isn't what it should/could be. I want so much to be part of the positive change but fear that I may be stopped in my tracks. What keeps me strong is knowing the God is with me on this. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that. Sometimes I question the heck out of God as to why I'm here and if I can really do what God is calling me to do, but I just have to remember I'm not in any of this alone.

Identity

So much for trying to post at least once a week.. oh the life of a seminarian.

Lately I have been pretty down and I could not figure out why. I kept saying I needed some type of social justice issue to sink myself into, yet I could not figure out what. However, I realized that I was searching for an outward struggle because I am facing an internal struggle. I am having a struggle with my identity. My father is black my mother is white. I am mixed. Yet my skin color is very light. Most people just assume that I am white. However, I am much closer to my dad;s side of the family, so that is where I would prefer to identify myself.

Here at Drew there is such diversity and a lot of cultural opportunities for all kinds of cultures. IT is wonderful, but my struggle is finding my place in the balls community. It is where my heart is, but I just do not feel like I fit there. And maybe that is just my stuff. It may be all in my head that I am not accepted. I feel that I kind of am but I always feel like I have to prove some something.