I'm Thankful For...

It is time to be thankful! I am pretty much thankful for everything in my life but I want to list a few (or several) things that I am very very thankful for. (In no particular order) I am thankful for:

My husband...I often think how different my life would be if we had never met, and I don't like the outcome. He is my perfect half, we are a team.

God....for creating this world and creating me in His image

Jesus....without God sending His son Jesus to the cross my life would be meaningless and very very sad.

Books....I can't even imagine a life without books. Had I never been to Hogwarts, or District 12, or Neverland, or any other imaginary world life would be boring

Contacts....I am so blind and am so thankful I don't have to wear glasses all the time.

Weasley.....as silly as this sounds this little hamster has brought so much joy to my life.

My Family...of course.

Pickles...YUM

Apple Pie....YUM

Music....so many bands/songs have helped me get through different stages in my life or have helped me express things I could not put into words.

The Classic Crime....nuff said

Cars....I would hate to have to walk in the cold.

Cell Phones....I love being able to get a hold of people where ever I am

RadioU...I have something to listen to while I sit at work all day.

Theatre....the fact that I can be someone else for a few hours is the most amazing thing ever. People who don't appreciate live theatre are lame.

Movies and TV...a given

Homeschooling....I can't wait to be part of that group someday

My church family....as I am saying farewell to them and I can't help but be thankful for the love and support so many of them have shown me.



This the season to be thankful...what are you thankful for?

Please catch me!

Right now I am the Queen in Snow White. I love playing the villain.

 
I have been acting for a lot of years, like 11 and I've been in a lot of shows..like 20 and this is the first time I have had to faint and someone catch me. It is terrifying! If I just had to faint and fall on my own I would be fine with it, but the fact that my whole body is in someone else's hands is so stressful. 

I literally have been stressing about it for a couple months. The guy who catches me is trained and a really good friend of mine and I 100% trust him to catch me, but for some reason I just could not let myself just trust him. In fact, on Sunday I had a melt down and started to cry, I just couldn't contain myself.

Last night we were practicing in the lobby on the carpet and we nailed it a few times, then it was time for the actual scene on the actual (hard) stage. I could feel my heart beating the whole scene, and right before I was supposed to fall I had serious butterflies. Then it was time to faint, and I just did it.

We NAILED it!

The show opens on Saturday and last night we had a really great rehearsal...let's do this!

A Broken Heart

Change is something I usually LOVE! I was raised in three different homes, back and forth ALL THE TIME! My mom moved all the time, I'm used to not being in the same place for too long. Since we have been married, Matt and I have moved 3 times, it is something I'm okay with. This move however, is breaking my heart. Don't get me wrong, I am ECSTATIC to move to Edwardsville, it is 25 minutes from my siblings, my best friend Danny lives there, my old pal Nath lives there, there is always stuff going on there, I can't wait. 

BUT

As I sit in my office at the church and people tell me "you are going to truly be missed"..."what are we going to do without you guys"...."we can't replace you guys"..."I can't believe you are leaving"...etc, my heart breaks more and more. People have even said "you guys have done some amazing things at the church....more than you realize." I'm not saying all this to brag on Matt and myself, because we didn't do those things....God did. He blessed me with a passion for kids/teens, he gave Matt the passion for learning and sharing that with others. We do what we do because it was what the Lord called us to do at our church. 

As I write this, I can feel the tears building behind my eyes...I didn't think it would be this hard. On Sunday at my AWANA table I felt like someone hit me in the stomach with a baseball bat, it hit me all at once, I'm going to have to tell these kids who have become part of my family that I am leaving. Every week most of them come with their verses already memorized and they can't wait to prove to me that they know it. They smile from ear to ear when I give them a high five or act totally shocked when they memorized a really long verse. I have a Kindergartener at my table as well, and he is the only one who can't read so him and I work so hard on his verses and sometimes he doesn't even get one memorized in a night, but we work hard and I know he is trying. When he smiles cause he got a part right it melts my heart. When I stand in front of all the kids and act like a fool, jumping around and singing and dancing while they follow along the best the can I feel like the happiest person in the world. 

When I think about leaving my youth group I almost cry...every....time. We had our very last lock-in of all time a few weeks ago...it was bittersweet. I can't even put into words how I feel about those kids. 

The last two months of my time here have come and I can't handle it. It hurts to wake up and know I have one less day here. I know that we are doing this because it is what the Lord has asked us to do. He has asked Matt to go back to school because He asked me to be a stay at home mom, when the time is right, and in order for that to happened Matt needs a good job.We must be obedient. I can't write anymore right now.

To my church family reading this, you'll never know what you mean to me. 

Until we meet again....
Sierra

We are VLOGGING!!!

Okay, so most people who know me very well know that I am obsessed with YouTube, like in an unhealthy way. I think YouTube is the greatest invention EVER! I recently have convinced Matt to start a Vlog (video blog) with me, it took some begging, but it worked. We made our first one yesterday and it was super fun! We are going to have a new video each week, we will do different games, have guests, talk about what is on our mind, etc. 

I wanted to do this just as something fun the two of us could do together. It will also be really neat to have for our children someday, so they can see how crazy we were "back in the day." I'm not trying to get 1,000,000 followers, but it that happens...sweet! Here is the link to our channel, be sure to like, comment, and subscribe: www.youtube.com/user/mattandsierra   Just copy and paste it and it will bring you right to our channel.

Much Love
 

Letter to my Church

Word has gotten around the church that Matt and I are leaving, people are telling me they don't want us to go but are glad we are bettering our future. This is the letter that will go in our November newsletter to let those who don't know yet that we are leaving.

Dear Church Family,

  A little over a year and a half ago Matt and I were newly married and struggling to pay our bills every single month, that is until the Lord blessed me with the opportunity to be your secretary.  I took the job with no experience at all, but I knew I could do it. A few months after that I became the youth director and my life totally changed. I become totally invested in the students and they changed my life forever. With all of that being said I am sad to tell you that Matt and I will be leaving at the end of this year. Matt will be going back to school in   January at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. We are very ready to take this next step to better our future, but we are also heart broken to leave our students and the people we have become very close with here at FBC. I will not be going back to school, but will be working so we can afford to do this. Matt will be getting a Bachelor's in Mass Communications with the plans to stay with radio and maybe someday become a college professor. 

I cannot say thank you enough to the people who have touched our lives while we were here. We learned so much about being in the ministry and being a part of a church. I met some amazing students and  children that will always hold a special place in my heart. We feel that we have done what the Lord called us to do at FBC and now it is time to take the next step in our adult lives. 

I would like to say a few personal thank yous:

*Thank you to those who donated, prayed, and encouraged me for both of my trips to Haiti.

*Thank you to those who personally blessed us with surprise lunches paid for at Sharon’s, random gift cards on my desk, invites to dinner or out for ice cream, and the encouraging words.

*Thank you to my Haiti team for taking good care of me while we traveled at the days we were there. My grandma was at ease knowing I was with adults who knew what they were doing and would keep an eye on me. I got to know you so well while we were there and I will forever remember that trip (and Emil and I blogging every night.)

*Thank you to those who stood in the office or called me on the phone just to see how I was doing.

*Thank you to my youth workers who are amazing at what they do, I could not have done this without you!

*Thank you to Alyssa for acting like a fool with me during AWANA.

*Last but not least: Thank you to my students! I could write ten pages on you guys but I know you wouldn't read it so I'll keep it short. You were the best group anyone could ask for, you taught me so much about being a leader, tested my patience, challenged me, and so much more. Thanks to Daniel and Jarrett for the car hunts you sent me on more than once, the texts to remind me I needed to buy Pepsi or Gatorade, the hide-n-seek games in the dark for hours, the many sleepless lock-ins, the laughs when Shade and Daniel fell in the lake, the swimming pool baseball game, the games of spoons, phase ten, and of course the Mock Trials. Most importantly thank you for your love and dedication to the Lord, your heart of others, and your attention during countless lessons (even if I was just winging it.) To my boys: remember to always be gentleman and men of God. To my girls: remember you are a true princess and you’re worth more than gold. Always treat others with love and respect and don’t forget to always be women of God. I will forever remember my very first youth group and your love and acceptance. Always remember: be weird, because normal isn’t working! This isn’t goodbye, it is just see you later. 

We will forever be invested in FBC and we pray for the direction of the church. We have seen this church do some amazing things and we are confident that you have some even more amazing things up your sleeves. Keep serving the Lord and changing the lives of the hurting people out there. Always remember that Jesus loves ALL of his  people and wants them to be in Heaven with Him some day. Being the hands and feet of Jesus is not always fun and it is not always comfortable, but regardless that is our purpose. Always show the love of Jesus to everyone everywhere. Thanks again for the love you showed us, we will miss our church family. Until we meet again...

Sierra

 

Let's go crazy!

Too often people go through their lives the same everyday. They wake up, go to work, go to lunch, go home, eat supper, go to bed, repeat. Now I know on weekends the routine will get mixed up or if you don't have a job where you work the same hours everyday it can be different. I wish people would live on the edge and do things for themselves and for others sometimes.

Live your life to glorify Him, to help others, and to better yourself.

At 60 travel the world, experiencing the beauty God created for us, or don't. Maybe you would rather just travel the county, so do it. At 15 jump out of a plane (with a parachute, of course), or don't. Maybe you would rather take a hot air balloon ride. Drink Kenyan tea (it's delicious by the way), or don't. Maybe you would rather drink Colombian coffee. Give money to a stranger, or don't. Maybe you would rather buy the stranger a meal. Dance in the rain barefoot, or don't. Maybe you would rather jump rope in the rain barefoot. Hug an orphan, or don't. Maybe you would rather adopt the orphan. Get married young, or don't Maybe you would rather get married old. Be the church (there is no or don't here :) Serve others, love others, pray for others, hug others, cry with and for others. 

Experience the life the Lord blessed you with! Get a pen pal, eat too many sweets, eat too many veggies, read too many books, audition for too many plays, create too many extraordinary pieces of art, smile too much, and do too many terrifying things! Go exploring! Stop wearing shoes or makeup, act like a fool. Life is about taking chances, trying new things and always giving 110%. Stand up for the person getting picked on.

Don't be like everyone else, stand out of the crowd, be the red apple in a group of yellow ones. Be someone who will be remembered for making a difference in this world. Show Jesus to everyone, no matter how scary it may be. Worship with all that you are! Never look at others with anger or hate, be the good! Don't forget about personal relationships in a world of social media. Complement a stranger, rescue a pet, make a child smile. Break a dirty habit...and be proud about it. Never stop loving no matter how hard it is.

I know my thoughts are everywhere today, but I want to encourage you to do something you are too scared to do. I want to be the good in this world, and I want you to be the good standing next to me. Don't judge others for their vices, (we all have them) encourage them to break the chains that bind them. 

Life is about glorifying the Lord and showing EVERYONE that their is still good in this world of darkness and pain. Do something fun and something not so fun!

Don't ever stop living and NEVER stop serving!
GO CRAZY!!!!

Have a beautiful day and an even more beautiful life. YOU.ARE.LOVED!

Sweet God Time

The time as come...it is tech week for Hairspray. For you non theatre people, that is the week the show opens and you run the whole show in full costume, makeup, with mics, set crew, the whole nine yards. Matt has practice Sunday-Thursday then the show is Friday, Saturday, & Sunday. So I'm home alone every night, boo! 

Last night I was watching TV and just messing around on the computer when my friend Cody posted something on my facebook. He said that he listens to a certain song and prays alone in his church for the kids who will be coming that night. After he posted that I really felt the need to have some sweet God time.  I turned off all the lights and the TV and played the song. I got on my knees and talked to God. I was silent for some parts of the song, taking in the words and other times I was praying for the lost people in my life or thanking Him for the blessing. As I was thinking about a certain person I started to cry for that person. I sat there in the dark letting the music full my heart weeping to my blessed Savior, whom has the power to make anything happen. When I think about Jesus being taken to the cross my heart breaks and I want to express my love and thanks to Him for saving me. I also thought about what it will be like when I get to Heaven, to see all those who are gone once again, to see the face of Jesus and to sit at His feet. 

Last night alone, in the dark I had some sweet God time. The Lord is good and powerful and deserves my worship and adoration and I get caught up in life and forget to give it Him.Thank You Lord for saving me!

I encourage you to pick a song that makes you so emotional for the Lord that you can't control your tears, shut out everything else, and have some sweet God time!

This is the song that gets me every time. Even if you don't like rock please listen to this song (the lyrics are there) just take in the words and think about the Lord.