If all you guys could just take a little time out of your days to pray for my original preacher and his wife.

Kurt Picker, was the preacher I was raised on at West Houston COC. I love him and his wife dearly. They were in a motorcycle accident today when a deer ran out in front of them. Roxy broke her arm, and is doing well from what I hear. Kurt, on the other hand, had some internal bleeding and ruptured his spleen. His speel has now been removed and he has 3 or 4 broken ribs. He is stable and I think he has spoken, so they dont believe there is any brain damage.

Kurt and Roxy are people of God. I know they believe He will heal. I believe He will heal them as well. Please keep them and their family in your prayers tonight and for the week.

Thank you

Ummmmm, so this is my best friend...and we are cute....and thats all I have to say

Well, at the end of this week...there will be many many changes. My head is spinning around out of control. My best friend will graduate on Saturday at 7:30. She will leave Texas for good on Sunday afternoon. Well, at least for the next four years. We have been inseperable for the past year and a half. If I was in town for college...anywhere Julya was---I was. Anywhere I was---Julya was. It is definitely going to be hard these next few years. A girl without her best friend close to her---yikes. Haha, but I have tons of faith that the Lord put us together for a reason and I do not fear the continuation of our friendship. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?

The Schlueter family is the strongest family I have met. I have learned to appreciate that this week. The buried a son four years ago and now they buried a father. Both great men....but they remain strong in the Lord. I have never been in as awe of anyone as I am of Phyllis Schlueter right now. Her oldest son and her husband are gone and she remains composed and is the exact same person as when I saw her Spring Break. She is an amazing person. But, please continue to pray for them...as the healing of losing a loved one will take so much more time.

It seems that so many people in the West Houston Church of Christ Youth Group and College group are splitting to so many parts of the United States. Two nights ago, five of us decided to go and play frisbee in the church parking lot. When it got to be about 11:30 we got tired and just layed in the parking lot and watched the stars (well,as much as you can in Texas with the church parking lot lights on). And we realized all five of us will be in different states this summer. Please pray for these people...

Julya Bentley: My best friend who is going to live with her family in Kansas for the summer after a senior year without them.

Paul Schlueter: Who is going to be a camp counselor in Michigan. Pray that he will be able to call and talk when he is feeling the sadness of losing his father so recently. And that there will be people up there who are able to support him emotionally and spiritually.

Coulter Goodman: Who is going to live with his family in Iowa after a senior year in HS without them. He is also going to be an intern at his family's church there. Pray that he will be able to strengthen the kids there in their walks.

Kelsey Confer: Not really sure if she will be in Texas or Georgia, with her family. But pray for help with that decision she is currently making.


Thats it for now...have great weeks!!!

16 DAYS TIL I GET INTO PORTLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A senior English teacher sat amongst his students one day in May. During that class, he looked at each and every one of them and told them to discuss what they though would be the "seven wonders of the world." The students spend the entire class period arguing and debating what the seven wonders were. There was much disagreement. Finally, towards the end of the class, the students agreed (by majority rule) on the following seven: The Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal, St. Peter's Basicillia, The Panama Canal, The Empire State Building, The Great Wall of China and The Vatican City in Italy. The teacher was pleased with his class for not citing local landmarks and not just American institutions. Still, he was curious about one boy sitting in the corner of the room. Normally the most outspoken in his class, the boy had remained silent throughout the debate, with his only focus upon the lone piece of paper sitting on his desk beneath his blue pen. When the teacher reached out to him, he asked him, "What are you writing there?" The boy answered back "I think that these 'seven wonders' we have chosen as a class are impressive, but they're only seven of man's greatest achievements. The bell rang and everyone left the classroom except for the boy and his teacher. The teacher asked the boy if he could have that piece of paper. The boy gave it to him, and with a wink, he left too. The teacher took one look at the paper and read off what his student had written:

The seven wonders of the world:
- the ability to hear
- the ability to see
- the ability to touch
- the ability to smell
- the ability to taste
- the ability to believe
- the power to love

In this world, we take so much for granted, be it our family, our friends, our teachers or even our own selves. We look to the successes of others before us and claim them to be man's greatest abilities. We praise and thank God for giving us the strength to make the impossible seem real. Yet, none of these successes, these inventions, these 'masterpieces' would not be able to take place at all if not for the seven wonderful gifts that He has given us.

"What do you say in a moment like this
When you can't find the words to tell it like it is
Just close your eyes and let your heart lead the way
Oh what do you say"

What do I say? What is there to say to one of my best friends who just lost the greatest influence in his life? What do I say to Paul after his father just died? He Daddy, Pops, Dad...hit by a car. What do you say to a 19 year old boy who just came back to Houston from Notre Dame for the summer with such great expectations...only to find the next day that his father is no longer there.

What to I say? To express the anger I feel toward the driver of that car? How can you not see a man on a bicycle in daylight? Why was that person even driving fast enough to kill someone...on a neighborhood road? Does this person know how many tears have been cried and how many hearts have broken?

What do I say? To my best friend who dated this young boy for a year? Who knew his parents so well that she loved hanging out with them and would actually VOLUNTEER to eat with them and go to movies with them. How to I heal the hurt in her heart? The quiver in her voice? The tears that I cannot seem to stop? How do I know how to be the best friend that she needs right now?

What do I say? To God...wasent the fact that this family already lost a child to suicide enough? Now they lost a father too? I trust your plan, Oh Lord, but sometimes it is hard to see through the pain and sorrow. Sometimes I falter at your throne...but I NEED you to hold me and to tell me that the people most affected will someday stand on their own two feet again.

What do I say? To those who use this as a situation against my faith? Father God, be with me and give me words to express that through the hurt we feel in this, one of our darkest hours, that God is all we can rely on to give us strength. Give me words to stand strong and fasts in your love for me.

What do I say? To my parents who are my rocks. How can I express to them how much they really do mean to me? How much my heart will break when they are gone.

What do I say? To myself, my strongest enemy at times like this? As I turn to doubt you, Dear Lord, please bear with me and know I still put my trust in you. Allow time for grieving and for pain, but please, I trust in You to take it all away.

Heavenly Father...please pray for the Schlueter family in their time of need right now. As you know, Mr Schlueter was struck by a car as he was riding his bicycle in the neighborhood today. Pray for Andrea and Paul and the hurt they are feeling right now. Pray for Mrs Schlueter and that she gives herself the necessary grieving time before trying tomake arrangements. Please help this family to lean on eachother in the coming days, weeks, months. And let them know that there is a youth group waiting to wrap our arms around them and show them our love. Also, be with the parts of the youth group that was closes to the Schlueter family adjust to this major change in emotions...
In You Sons Name
Amen

Okay, so school is out. That was one of my milestones in the countdown to going to Portland. Now, I am just trying to find big things that help me count down. I go get my nails done twicec before I leave.....the bad thing is, Portland doesnt have acrylic nails...and mine break too easily so Ill have to get them taken off down here and then get whatever these gel nails are that they have up there....the maids come one more time before I leave. Four more Wednesday night churches...Four more Sunday mornings... 29 DAYS UNTIL I LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ummmm so yeah, thats all for now...

By the way, MYSPACE is getting pretty big now, you should join...even Jan Myer from Kadesh has one...come on people, get with it :)

This is my GORGEOUS family (well minus my brother) Yeah, we clean up pretty nice :)

Wow, today has been a very very high and lowish type of day. Like ridiculous low and amazing high. Gotta love those days, because to put it in the words of my best friend's away message on AIM, "bad days stink but without them we wouldn't have good days because we would understand the value of a good day. " Now, I didnt have a total BAD day... bu the start of it was not very good at all.

I started my day off in the Doctors Office. I strongly dislike Doctors offices and hospitals and pretty much anything medical or body wise.... So much you wouldnt even understand. I think the last time I have been in a hospital was years and years ago. It is so bad that even my greatest friends know that when they have babies, I will wait for the chance to see them when they get home. Man, Ill be waiting on their doorstep, but I dont forsee myself entering a hospital for them. Other than IMMEDIATE family I can only see myself entering a hospital to see the following: any of the Bentleys, Karla and Kerry Lowery, Susan Cutshall...and really, that is about it. I mean, I love my other friends, but I would only go if they were on their death bed. I cry, sweat perfusly, and get MAJOR headaches when I enter hospitals. This summer, a little nervous...Kerry works in a hospital. Will I have to go there? But, as you see above...he is on the chosen list :)

Anyways, back to my story (got off on a little bunny path, didnt I?)... I went to the Dr. office for my headaches. I went to this dr about a month a a half ago right before I was leaving for Portland. The though of getting on a four hour flight with a preexisting headache just did not appeal to me in the slightest. So....he determined I was haveing cluster headaches...



Well..I went back today because, obviously, my head was hurting bad enough to voluntarily go back. This time he determined that the cause of the vicious headaches was a severe sinus infection
Is he right this time? We would all like to know. BUT..there is also the chancec that I could have a cist (sp?) or pollup (also sp?) on my sinuses. In that case, if my headaches persist after the medications (I am on SEVERAL) are done in ten days...I will havev to go back and have a catscan done to determine if they need to go in and remove something. Im pretty sure the meds will work :) or at least I will have to say they will until the headaches become SO unbearable I just cant think straight. My doctor said, hopefully, that since I am going to Portland...I will get better sinus wise because the air up there is better (thank you captain obvious)...

So pleases be praying for that. I dont like these headaches, but the thought of going into a hospital for a cat scan and maybe then surgery just REALLY does not appeal to me.


On a light note...I AM GOING TO THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM ON MAY 13TH!!!! I am very excited, if you couldnt tell. I really dont think I have been to the Houston one, but I have been to the Ft Worth one when I was a lot younger. As we sat in Yahweh Cafe (West Houstons Youth Wed night) our youth minister, Jay mentioned that if junior highers go to Small Steps suring the summer that they go to the children's museum. Julya, my best friend, and I immediatedly looked at eachother with HUGE eyes. Then I said, "Well, what if we take the Cutshall girls?" And we determined that we were going to ask Susan (a really close friend that I have gained sincce Karla left...because we both miss Karala like crazy and we kinda leaned on eachother and got REALLY close because of that.) if we could take her daughters to the Children's Museum...then out of no where Julya said, "YOU TOO SUSAN WE COULD ALL GO!!!!". And Susan agreed, but I think she is a little wary because Julya and I are overly excited because we havent been in forever (or ever). So that was my MAJOR high and I am SOOOOOOO excited :)
Houston Children's Museum.... here we cocme. You have nevevr experienced anything like US