Tuesday, November 18

Opus OMG!














Tonight I attended one of the most inspirational events! The Opus Prize Ceremony. This is an award that is given every year, but this year my grad school, Seattle U, was the host for it at Benaroya Hall. This award honors faith-based humanitarian leaders from around the world.
The 3 recipients (please look up, because they are extraordinary and real life Heroes!!) were: Krishnamal Jagannathan for Land for Tillers' Freedom from India, Michael Woodard for Jubilee House Community from Nicaragua and Marguerite Barankitse for Maison Shalom from Burundi. Their stories were so powerful. They saw tragedy, injustice, and the needs of many and were moved to action. They each described it as their "calling" or "God's calling for their life" and their "life's purpose". These people were so selfless and passionate, but amazingly they were just normal people who made a decision.
A student who spoke that night described Michael Woodard as someone who had "an impatience for injustice".
Krishnamal (she is so small and adorable) said how we are "all different physically, but on the inside we are the same."
Marguerite "Maggie" who spoke last and received the million dollar prize said,"...our human vocation is to love" after witnessing the murder of 72 people in her village, she is so hopeful and continues to work and restore the lives of so many people, she also said, "I know that evil will never take the last word. Never, never."
Ugh!!! I am still so moved and inspired. This night really made an impact on my heart and how I perceive what I am capable of. There is so much to do...

Tuesday, October 14

God's fanclub


So I was driving home from class today, a riveting Multicultural Perspective class at SU (woop woop!), anyway, as usual after a long day of work, I am blastin Santogold, Prince, or Slightly Stoopid in my Mitsubishi (another woop!). I see a few cars in front of me with bumper stickers...there's "Obama 08", "Obama & Biden", "I can't afford to vote Republican"...etc.

Then I see this car with a sticker that says, "I don't have anything against God, it's His fanclub I can't stand" Huh.

It took me a hot minute to think about, but, I really loved that sticker. I was also really sad that there was so much truth in it. Throughout my day to day...as a student, in class, in this city, at work...I can see that so many people long for God, seek Him in different ways...and oddly how it's Christianity and Christians that can many times be this kryptonite, or bad taste, that turns people off and away from God.

Sometimes it turns me off.

Is God like "WTF?" when He sees the ignorance, exclusion, and unfriendliness that I have seen in some Christian lives. All these thoughts from this sticker...I want to be someone who is transparent, loving, and redeem whatever truth has been lost by this "fanclub".
(woop!)

Friday, September 26

the Mariners game!

Grace Woo on Baseball: "Baseball players got big booties."

Yep, I have to agree with Grace on that! This past Tuesday I went to my first Mariners game with Gracie. It was crazy! We had amazing seats right behind the dugout of the other team...Da Angels. Anyway we were close...it was cold and balls were flying everywhere! The players would swing and I was so scared that a ball would hit me upside the head. Baseball fans are so brave! Balls were richocheting off poles from level to level and landing at god knows how many miles an hour down into the crowd. Foul balls hurling into crowds of children and a mix of old dudes and frat boys with baseball mits. Everytime someone caught or fought for a ball, they did a little dance after...but anytime a ball flew by me and Grace I freaked. Despite all that, I can't wait to go to my next ball game, I will be prepared either with a baseball glove or an umbrella if I am too scared to go for a ball, we'll see.

Tuesday, September 23

Grizzie Grizzie Grad School!


I am so excited I start Graduate School this week at SU! Once I graduated with my BA, I thought okay I am officially done, now I will make babies!! But God had some different things in mind. Now I am on my way to getting my Master's in Education...what! what!! ;)

Sunday, August 17

Whoa, I'm like smart!


So I finally took an IQ test (mainly out of boredom and curiosity)...and my IQ is ....*drumroll*....122! Take that Tom Cruise*!!!





*According to the internet, Tom Cruise has an IQ of 98...not a reliable source, but you know, whatever, I got one up :)!

Tuesday, July 29

Today is...

My Birthday!!!
Maybe it's an unspoken rule, that you have to create a new blog post on your birthday, I dunno?
Either way here I am posting...so far I have had a really great 28th biRRFFday!! My friends and family are so amazing, I got the best morning phone calls from my mom, grandpa, dad and Barry! Hmm, what else, I also now own the movie, 'Bella', thanks to Nicholei, who gave me my present early! I kinda freaked out when I opened it, that movie is beautiful! There's more good stuff that I don't have time to write about, but in short, it's been allll love! 28 feels sooo good, like I massage or a good stretch. It's not as much drama as some people think...I feel nice and "even", just like my age! :p.

Thursday, July 17

The Team


I love my team! My 1st mission trip with The Good Foot and the amazing Every Nation Seattle Campus Team aka The Better Foot. God had a purpose for each of us, and it was so amazing how we all came together to serve and learn together in the Philippines...word.

Tuesday, July 15

back home...









Manila was amazing. The people, the prayer, the workshops, the school, our team. There's so much I want to describe, but it's still overwhelming, and I've been back home 2 weeks now. The trip showed me that my capacity to believe and love is a lot greater than I thought. I guess now that I am back and I still ready to go anywhere and serve in any way. There's that feeling along with the crazy jetlag. I miss everyone so much, the girls I connected with, our hosts, even people who I spent minutes with, but changed my heart unexpectedly...Leta, Lyn, Debbie, Sandra, Shermaine, Emma...anyway, I am so grateful to all the people who helped me get there...it was...wow.

Wednesday, June 18

going...


KAYKAY, ME & MAY at THE GOOD FOOT GARAGE SALE, TRYING TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE MISSION TRIP!
(THIS WAS A MONTH AGO.)

So it's really happening...I am going on a mission to serve in Southeast Asia. My faith is increasing like crazy, so many people who I never expected have been supporting me through this. I am so grateful.
And I am going with my organization, The Good Foot Performing Arts...even crazier!
I never thought I would be doing something like this, God is so good.

Psalm 119:32
I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.

Thanks to everyone who is praying before, during and after the trip...

wuv u!

Tuesday, June 3

and now for something completely different...


Defending the way I talk, who I hung out with, the type of music I listened to, and who I dated was something I had to do a lot growing up. I didn't always fit into the stereotype of what the world thought was "black". But I didn't care, I love sushi, fell in love with a boy about 10 shades lighter than me & had Nirvana, Bob Marley, and Nas on the same playlist, and told everyone to suck it...(okay not really, I'm too nice sometimes...but I was thinkin it) That was a while ago, but sometimes I still have to explain myself to a group of people that want to squeeze me into their 'box of stereotypes', or I'll just say it's 'b.s'. There are a lot of girls who have gone and are still going through this b.s.
I found this article on Santogold, she is a fresh music artist, and because she is a black woman people want to label her sound as "hip hop/r&b" when her music is a world away from that genre. Check this article out peeples!

http://www.thelipster.com/articles/3323653

Here is an exerpt of the article, for my impatient friends. For all the good stuff, you have to go to the link:p
:
It comes down to this: to anyone with ears, that genre is wrong. Gwen Stefani is more hip-hop/rap than Santogold, but she is called pop/rock - and it's because she's white.

I interviewed Santi last week and I admitted I was surprised when I finally heard her music, because I kept reading that she was a new R&B or hip-hop artist. But what you're doing is straight-up pop, I said. She laughed about it, but confessed that it was starting to grate:

"It's racist (laughs). It's totally racist. Everyone is just so shocked that I don't like R&B. Why does R&B keep coming into my interviews? It's pissing me off. I didn't grow up as a big fan of R&B and, like, what is the big shocker? It's stupid. In the beginning I thought that was funny. I'm an 'MC', I'm a 'soul singer', I'm a 'dance hybrid artist'. And some guy said I looked like Kelly Rowland!"

It's not just racism. It's happening because the album touches on a number of different genres, which makes it difficult to categorise. Artistically, that's what Santogold set out to achieve. Good. But it makes it much more difficult for retailers who rely on categories to help the customers find what they're looking for. They have to label it somehow and, typically, the record company supply the information.

Santi knows that the record takes in a bit of everything: "The cool thing is that I was able to work with all these genres that are typically sub-cultural, like dub or punk or something, and then, by writing in a way that had hooks, made it accessible to everyone."

Yet she's being called a rapper, when there's no rapping on the album. She's being called hip-hop when she sounds like Cyndi Lauper. It could be down to the record company. It could be down to the stores. Or it could be down to a collective lack of imagination, meaning a black artist must fit into a black genre. In Santi's own words, "it's a pop record. I made sure it was." They should have gone straight to the source.

"Oh snap!" - me.

answers!

The most amazing thing happened last week on Friday...I prayed and I got an answer...
Since April 4th, I have been trying to raise well over $2,000 for my first mission trip to the Philippines with The Good Foot Organization. I sent out letters, emails, had an art show, lead a car wash & garage sale fundraiser, and still didn't have enough money for my airplane ticket. I was starting to not really worry, but wonder if I was even suppose to go, and what would my response be (other than crying like a baby) if I couldn't go. Time went by, then like that, our airfare was due on May 30th. I had already been praying for the funds to be there, but because they weren't, I really had to seek God again about what he wanted me to do. I thought:
1 - Maybe I am not meant to go, and all the support I have raised should go to bless someone else.
2 - I am suppose to go, but I will have to go deeper into debt if I put everything on my credit, yikes!
That night, I stayed in my car and just prayed and listened for more direction from God, I told Him no matter what happened that I would praise Him whether I could go or not, and I trust Him with everything, even things that I didn't understand.
For the first time, I couldn't picture myself NOT being in the Philippines...I really felt that I had a purpose to fulfill in the Philippines and heard from God that everything would be fine. That evening I asked a few friends to pray for me, since I had less than 24hours to raise $700 for the trip.
Oookay, almost done...So I woke up the next morning and got an email from 2 friends, one gave me 300 euros, which is like half of what I needed!! And another friend gave me $50!! Later that day, a good friend, bought one
one of my photos for $240! This happened all within a few hours of when I woke up! I was so happy that God provided for me and gave me the answer I was seeking. Wow...!

Wednesday, May 14

feeling full of faith


So yesterday I received the best news, the organization that I work for, that I love, believe in: The Good Foot Performing Arts Organization...woop woop, has just become a 501c(3) Non Profit Organization under Allied Arts! Maymay, my friend and one of the founders of The Good Foot told me Tuesday morning and I started to cry, I was so happy and thankful. This is something we have all been praying for and believing for and here we are. whew. It feels amazing. That's all.

Tuesday, April 22

being...


Being myself, no matter how strange, silly, creative, complex, or composed...is even sweeter when I can be who I am with amazing friends who accept me and love me as I am.

They don't make me feel out of place, they keep me grounded.

They don't stress me out, they make me laugh.

They dont think I'm crazy if I start dancing in public, they dance with me.

They don't get annoyed if I say something stupid, they make me feel secure and appreciated.

Thanks for being there and I love you...(those people who do that thing in my life!).

Sunday, April 6

Awake and Alert.

"Grasp truth, not just a good feeling while you're at church, because truth will change your life." - Pastor Bruce Fidler.

You know how when you're feeling discouraged, confused, or just bland...and then you go to church and you hear something that just shakes you out of the sleepwalk that you've been in.
I know that God has awesome plans for me this year, but the past few weeks, I've felt as if I've been sleepwalking through my life. I am busy, and there's a lot I have to do, yet I feel more like I am a watching it all happen instead of really living it.
Tonight, Pastor Bruce spoke about aligning yourself with what God wants to do in your life. How we need to be awake and alert or you'll miss that season where God has something in store for you. He also spoke a lot about the idea of "sending" or "being sent".
John 20:21 - Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you"
Many dimensions of your spiritual growth never happens unless you reach out. Not as you sit, think, or stay, but as you "go".
Pastor Bruce shared a lot more, but in the end, he finished with asking all of us:
Just as Jesus was sent to a particular people...to whom have you been sent? Figure it out, Give yourself to it, and look at what God will do.
After tonight, I am left so encouraged, ready to align and reach out. Sleepwalking...pshaw! (as Abby would say).

Thursday, March 27

Easter in March...Say Whaaat?!?

The resurrection was such an amazing event and my faith is continually strengthened every time I think about it...but this year Easter didn't feel the same. And here comes the whine:

This year Easter Sunday was March 23rd...yeah, me no likey.

I know sometimes Easter falls on March, but this year it really threw me off.
Way too early...is this date historically accurate? Can we stay on schedule, just a bit?
Living in Seattle again doesn't really help either. It's still so cold here! Had I participated in an Easter egg hunt, those eggs would have tasted a little sketchy. Getting used to Seattle weather is going to take longer than I thought.
I really had to push myself to focus on the "reason for the season". My froomie (friend + roommate) and I read all the versions of the resurrection in the Bible, then we watched the closest movie I owned that mentions Easter.
That movie was 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'...it was the best I could do on such short notice.
My Sunday was pretty normal: prayer, laundry, lunch, cleaned up my room, got ready for church, attended church, left church, went to grocery store, came back home.

Now that Easter is over, I find myself still wanting to celebrate in April...why? Because it didn't feel like Easter!!
Maybe during the 2nd week of April I'll put on a bright colored dress, hide an egg, and watch 'Passion of the Christ'.

Vote! Easter in April 2009!!

Thanks for enduring my 1st superficial complaint of the year :) !

Monday, March 17

Howard O. Jones and Liberia?



I had the amazing pleasure of listening to Howard Jones speak at a prayer meeting at the end of February. Along with being a great pastor and jazz musician, this man was the first African American to work on Billy Graham's team, starting in 1958. Among all the historical achievements, he is just adorable! It was cool watching him speak, he reminded me of my grandfather, so simple and honest with a great sense of humor.
I wrote down some things he said during our prayer meeting...

Memorable quotes by Howard O. Jones

"We need more of our people who know how to get into the fire without exploding."
"Martin [Luther King Jr.] never gave you an anwser right away, he always thought about it for a long time first"
"To speak well, you have to think well"
"The Holy Spirit reveals things"

Something he said directly to me after he signed my book:
"Go to Liberia, your life will be changed forever"

It was so cool to met this guy...

Saturday, March 1

The Penelope Factor


Back in December, I read this book called, Penelope. It was on my flight back to Seattle after Christmas.

*This book was made into a movie, so if you are gonna go see it, don't read the rest of this entry*


In the story, this girl is cursed with the nose of a pig.
To break the curse she must find someone who loves her just as she is. So the whole time her family tries to hook her up with different guys. They are hoping these guys will fall in love with who Penelope is on the inside, before they see her face. Most of the guys freak out when they see this girl with the nose of a pig. Some even goes as far as calling her a "monster."

To skip way ahead, in the end, she learned to love herself just as she was. And because of that, SHE was the one who ultimately broke the curse.
Not some dude...she did it herself.
Oh snap!
Anyway...I love that book.
I am in that place myself right now...Not the nose part, but the self-love part.
God is slowly helping me to see myself as He sees me. I am learning to love who I am: my qualities, my heart, my appearance...every aspect and inch of how I was created. Even to admit that, has been a long, long process, but there is so much freedom in it.

Wednesday, February 27

SiCk Day Clothes

I was walking around my house today in socks, a granny skirt, a scarf, and my hair bundled on top on my head kinda like a unicorn...I am sick today. There are so many crazy combos that I have worn on my sick days...it's like I lose all sense of fashion (even more so) on days like today.

One time I was lying in bed, and found some old butterfly wings from Halloween...did I wear those babies around the kitchen?
You bet I did.

I get so lacksidasical, dizzy and feverish. And no one questions it, because you're sick. It's like a free pass to look kinda crazy.
One time my roommate did question the beanie with tassles, but when I gave her my, "I've been in the house all day, and I don't feel good" face, she knew what time it was.

Monday, February 25

Third day of Silence

My Third Day of Silence:
Having this soreness, this loss of my voice is something that I want to enter in with, examining: God how do you want me to grow from this?
The most revealing thing that happened going into 'Day one' was that I could still hurt others barely using my voice. I could still judge and put down, with only a whisper. I quickly learned how to ask for forgiveness using a pen and paper.

Then as I entered my second full day without being able to talk, I became humble and joyous, just to be in the presence of others and observe their experiences; even learning what it means to listen.

At church, I really appreciate the word of God more! I really wanted to speak the word of God as encouragement and truth for my life and in my church…but nothing. I still reveled in the energy that filled the room, as our congregation shouted verbs, subjects, and adjectives of our Holy Word. At least Brooke and I made up a cool dance during worship I even got a "shout out" from Timm during his sermon, that I couldn't respond to, oh the pain and anguish of it all!!! Day three, I began to engage more with my thoughts, almost purifying my thoughts even more, because it was the only way I could engage with God, I couldn't speak out my prayers, I had to think them and think about God, with an occasional speechless mouth movement here and there.

I was surprised that I was still able to effectively communicate with the kids at my school. I would point, motion, and give my serious "stink-eye" and they knew exactly what I needed them to do. I was excited that there were 2 girls in particular that helped me communicate any discipline to the kids, (they loved that!) and even spoke to my mom when my cell phone rang to tell her, I quote, "Miss Contina can't talk." Then they referred back to me, "She says she loves you."
Many thanks to Shanise and Alaysia for translating for me all morning.

I fear that I may have lengthened my condition by forcing whispers, which I just read, is just as bad as shouting, because that action bangs your vocal chords!

So now on 'Day three', I am vowing complete silence and lots of water! What has been the most challenging is constantly having to defend my condition.
"Really!? You can't talk at all?"
"Can you laugh?"
"Say something…"
"Did you really lose your voice?"
"Whisper!"

It has gotten to the point where the only thing that I care about is getting better. So silence it is; not for attention, not for laughs, only for healing. I know the first thing I say when I get my voice back is, "Oh, Jesus, I love you." The other thing I'll say is: "boobs!" Just kidding! Keep me in your prayers!

Tia*