The amazing man in my life

When I decided to move to Florida I knew that God had special plans for me here, but I had no idea that those plans included an incredible boyfriend named John Dodson!

On May 3rd, John and I will celebrate 6 months of dating. It’s my great pleasure to introduce you to him. John was born and raised right here in Orlando. He’s the oldest of 8 kids (4 boys & 4 girls). His family is so much fun and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know them as well.

John’s dream is to work in the medical field as a Respiratory Therapist. Respiratory Therapists basically help people with breathing disorders (such as asthma) breathe better. He would love to eventually work in pediatrics because he loves children and desires to help give them the best quality of life possible.

While he continues to work towards his Bachelor’s degree in Respiratory Care, he also works almost full-time at Starbucks. He loves the social and fun atmosphere of his store and has become good friends with some of his co-workers.

John and I met while volunteering with the high school ministry at our church. We casually talked a few times before John asked me out on our first date. We met for dinner and had such a great conversation that we lost track of time! The thing that amazed us both was how easy it was to talk to one another. We love spending time together and just talking and laughing.

My favorite date was when John took me to the ICE exhibit for my birthday. This special ice sculpture event was held in town during the holidays. We both froze in the 9 degree tent but we had a blast! After ICE, John took me to dinner and then we ended the evening hanging out with some friends.

I’ve been so blessed by John. I know that God is using our relationship to show us more about Himself and also to grow and mature both of us.

John is a thoughtful, patient, compassionate man who loves God and people. I’m so glad that God brought him into my life!

Rollerskating

This weekend a bunch of us went rollerskating...yes, rollerskating. I'm pretty sure the last time I went rollerskating was at least 10 years ago (probably closer to 13 years). But if you had been there on Saturday night, you would have never known. I tore it up. And by that I mean, I didn't fall at all! It was such a flashback to my elementary school days where I would go rollerskating at least once a month. And I can remember at least 3 or 4 friend's birthday parties being held at the roller rink as well.

We had so much fun and paid dearly for it the next day. My roommate Molly came home with a roller rink burn on the hand, a bruise on her back side, and a blister on her foot. Me? I woke up with aches and pains in places I didn't even know could hurt and a matching blister on my foot as well. Despite the wounds, we had a blast! Who knows, maybe you'll find us at the roller rink every Saturday night.

Molly and I on the rink.














Molly and Chris showing off their skating skills.


















Molly won the skating race for 18+ women. Her prize was a kid's size soda :)


















Sarah came in second place and finished her race with an impressive fall.














No, I'm not considering a professional career.


















Fun times were had by all!

Students Take Panama City Beach, FL by Storm

The sound system pumps bass into a ballroom crowded with almost 1,000 college students. Energy is high as the worship band whips the crowd into a God-glorifying frenzy. The stage goes dark as the crowd roars with anticipation of the coming week.

This is Big Break ’08. Big Break is Campus Crusade’s spring break evangelism conference in Panama City Beach, FL. The conference lasts one week, with 4 conferences back-to-back. It’s the first night and the students are ready to soak up all the week has to offer.

The emcee takes the stage and introduces Ben Rivera, outreach coordinator for the week, who tells them something that will most likely frighten the entire room at once. Ben tells them that they will be spending the week going out, onto the beach, talking to other people about how they can have a personal relationship with God.

Some knew this was coming, but to some, this news no doubt carried with it a lot of fear.

But this is where the conference gets good.

Sure, Big Break is about worship, community, fun and even getting a break from the grind of college studies. However, the primary thrust behind why this conference even exists is evangelism.

Students get to experience God in a radical way as they talk to people about Jesus all week long.

Just a few days after Ben first tells them that they will be having conversations about God on the beach all week, students – once terrified by the idea of talking complete strangers about their faith – line up on both sides of the stage by the dozens.

They’re lining up to participate in what we call “sharing time.” It’s kind of like God’s show-and-tell from the previous 4 days. Sharing time testifies of what God does when our students trust in Him, take steps of faith and leave the results up to our Maker.

After three conferences in three weeks, God has used the students involved with Big Break to lead over 725 people to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.

It’s incredible to see how these timid students have been used by God to usher other people into the kingdom.

Roommates

Meet my roommates...(from left to right) Peggy, Sarah, Molly and Elyse. We live in a 5 bd/3 bth house in Orlando. Our favorite tv shows include Lost, The Office, America's Next Top Model, Law & Order and American Idol. We love to cook and bake and almost always have goodies laying around. We watch scary movies and freak ourselves out. And we laugh and laugh and laugh.

Peggy, Molly and I work for Campus Crusade while Sarah and Elyse work for Pioneers. (Pioneers is a Christian missions organization that focuses on church-planting around the world.) Both offices are less than 5 miles from our house which is a big change from my previous commute in Southern California!

Peggy's first language was French, she loves to sing and dance and is deciding which grad school to go to in the fall.

Sarah travels all over the world, loves coffee and loves to laugh.

Molly sings on the worship team at her church, loves to bake goodies, has many hidden talents (including some of the best voices I've ever heard), loves to laugh and make others laugh and is going on a mission's trip to Brazil this summer.

Elyse just moved into our house last month. She graduated from Cornell, likes to watch Lost and American Idol and is pretty laid back.

Conclusion...I love my roommates!

Preview Weekend...Success!

6 students sat wide-eyed in our conference room, anxious to learn about opportunities to serve with Campus Crusade Finance.

We had 4 hours to expose these students to financial roles and responsibilities and give them a hands-on financial experience.

After 2 weeks of prep time, we created a simplified version of a project we are currently working on. Our goal was to brief the students on pertinent facts and then task them with drafting a financial policy.

The students were split into 3 separate groups, each representing a different department: Corporate, Administration and Field. We gave them an outline of the scenario and then allowed them time to discuss pros and cons from the perspective of the department they represented.

I coached the Field group. It was so fun to lead these students into a better understanding of our ministry. They asked great questions, addressed key factors and engaged in real decision-making discussions.

At the end of our time together, the students had an opportunity for general Q&A. I could tell that a few of them were really interested in joining our staff.

We are praying that at least 2 of these students will join staff with Campus Crusade in a financial role. Ultimately we are praying that they will seek God’s will for their life and his call would be clear. Would you join us in praying for these students?

It will be exciting to see which students God has called to fill critical needs within our organization!