A really important request...

(No joke I got this email with that subject line in my inbox just now...) 

Dear Faculty and Staff,

It has come to my attention that many of you do not know the name of the performance facility in the Cooper Music Center.  Many of you call it:

            Crill Auditorium which is an old fashioned name;

            Crill Hall which implies that spaghetti dinners are sometimes hosted there;

            Crill Theater which implies that the facility was built for theatrical productions and circuses.

Because of these name variations we have had requests to allow cars and pyrotechnics on the stage which the facility is not at all prepared to handle.

 It would be really great if we could all call it the same thing.  Someone suggested “Fred”, but this leaves the facility open to all kinds of unseemly interpretations.  I mandate, in my position as a benevolent dictator, that the facility be called:

            Crill Performance Hall

The Marketing Department has asked us to say :

                Crill Performance Hall

                The Cooper Music Center

In order to bring the advertising in line with the directional signs on campus.  It’s a good idea.  A really good idea.

So, if you call it “Crill Performance Hall” in your advertising material and communications I promise to refrain from  calling other buildings names like:

Rohr Technology Center

Smee Library Addition

The Turtle Building

The Wrong Academic Center

Colt Stables

Culbertson Salon

Golden Basketball Room

                Nicholson Student Hang-out

Have a really great weekend!

Sincerely,

XXX

Perhaps her and the Frig Nazi should become friends? 

Until next time...

So I went to Mexico - Day four

(Don't miss the start of this adventure found here)

Today is the day exhaustion hit. Man oh man did I feel the "holy crap I'm used to being in an office all day" feeling hit me in the face. Did I stop? Of course not! There's a job to be done and I'm going to contribute to my best ability.

One thing that is amazing about this trip is the fellowship we share together. Today marks the first day of the Lent season - Ash Wednesday. After devotions last night, I learned a little more about this season in the Christian faith and Christian calendar.

Something Dr. Mary Paul brought up in the time of fellowship last night was the idea of "giving up" something for Lent and how it was usually chocolate for her. However, Lent isn't only about "giving up" something for the sake of giving it up. We "fast" for 40 days so we can "feast" upon God's love and kept promises come Easter. It was an interesting way to put it and a new outlook on Lent for me. So what am I "giving up" or doing for Lent? I'm going to commit to working out at least 3 days a week and ideally four. This six day build will jump-start my work out goals, so keep me accountable readers! :)

I'm really sleepy and so this entry is short... can't think of much to write which is ridiculous because we've done SO MUCH. Regardless, I'm exhausted and not going to write more.

Goodnight!!

So I went to Mexico - Day three

(Don't miss the beginning of my journey, found here)


Today is the first day BACK to work. Students were arriving at breakfast a little later than yesterday and spirits weren't as enthusiastic, but still pumped. Breakfast was wonderful again (burritos with a different filling) and the coffee was fresh which earned smiles on the face of the sleepy students. Off to the work site for day two of building. A very critical day. 


Up went the second half (feet 5-9) of the rebar. Lots of rebar!! Thank goodness for work gloves! My hands want to high five the Home Depot guy who recommended the ones I bought. Fantastic to be outside, working w/ my handing and laughing all throughout this adventure. An unknown, yet incredible adventure.

Let's see, so what did I do today? Well, I stood on Mexican grade scaffolding and put blocks five through nine down for the church building. I stood on a tall ladder and leveled up a building and used a power saw (ps I'm glad this blog is analog and published once I'm home so my mom doesn't know I was on a sketchy scaffold balancing big foam blocks ha) Everyone was working hard all day and I didn't hear a single complaint. Students got back into the swing of helping out, and so much was accomplished.

Many of you may (or may not) know I'm a very goal oriented person. Whatever I do, I have a goal in mind. This trip is no exception. I wanted to come on this trip and not only see God's work being done (and be a part of it) I wanted to stretch myself and put myself out there. You also may (or may not) know I'm a pretty big introvert. Meaning I "recharge" when I'm alone. The biggest misconception about introverts it that we hate being around more than a few people. FALSE! I enjoy it and am good at doing the large public speaking gigs but I also need my "me time". I say all of that to say this, I've been stretched and tested here and am learning so much about myself in the process. I make a point to talk to random students throughout the day and try to get to know something unique about them. It would be so easy to just stick to who I knew, but this is a goal for the week and I'm sticking to it. 

Another lesson I'm learning this week is how to keep my irritation levels with others low and trying to accept them for who God has created them to be. I'm rooming with the staff and faculty women which includes the wife of one of PLNU's Board of Trustees. Her name is Donna and Donna is older and dances to her own tune in her head. At least twice a day since on the bus Sunday, Donna has asked me where I'm from, what year in school I am and tells me how her and her husband have built homes all over the world and how her grand daughter is a freshman at Loma. Every night I tell her the same answers and go "oh wow you've traveled a lot!" and tell her I know her granddaughter because I was her admissions counselor last year. Regardless, the questions/stories come up again. Oh well. Her passion and desire to help on the work site (even though she's in the way a lot) is something to admire at her age. She doesn't hear (or listen) to people well so it seems like she's just dancing away to her own tine, which (if you know me) is incredibly irritating, BUT It's a major lesson for me. When coworkers or friends drive me up the wall, I need to try and swallow my irritation with them and move on. Wow, that was real hard to write down. Ha! I guess because I know how horribly hard that will be in my everyday life...

Tomorrow is a new day and I need to wash this day off in a hot shower. Goodnight!!

Cantré de tu amor por siempré!

Until next time...

So I went to Mexico - Day two

(Don't miss the beginning of my journey, found here)

WHAT.A.DAY

A day that started with a rain delay of two hours ended up being ahead of schedule at the day's end.

I honestly don't know where to start. We show up at the work site, after and AWESOME breakfast of breakfast burritos from the YWAM base, and ready to start a long day of work. And what a long day it was. Definitely not in a bad way though. Just thinking through all I've done in a single day is just mind blowing to me.

Arrive at work site, get instructions for your crew... ready? BREAK! I was on the "building and walls" crew. So I got to play with grown up lego foam blocks and stack them four feet tall and all around the perimeter of the church site. We poured some concrete in the first layer to fasten them to the foundation and then did another three blocks on top. Then some horizontal rebar to zip tie them to the already in place vertical rebar. All of that had to be done by 3pm because the cement truck would be arriving then to fill in the rest of the needed cement. We finished before lunch!! :) So then we sat around for the rest of the day... HA! Just kidding!

I then joined whatever team needed me. For an hour or so I was plastering fiber glass mesh to the inside of the pastor's house we're building. I also pounded the outside of the roof portion of the house to settle the cement to the other side and get a good angle for the tresses to be in place. You could also find me scraping out excess cement that spilled from the cement crane pouring. I could go on and on about my various jobs. SO FUN!

The best part of the day (besides not being trapped in my office with no breeze) was watching the current student females group around the (very) outnumbered men and see how they interacted. I've made friends with the only other alum on the trip (he's actually from SLO too!!) and we just laaaaaugh as I compare it to the animal planet. It so reminds me of my time at high school summer camp or NSO at PLNU. You see the same few girls trying to find one guy who gives her the high five first out of the group of girls around him or give her his jacket because he's "oh so cold" (not because he smells "oh so good" which is what she tells her girlfriends). 

One of the senior girls asked if I was married and when I laughed (more of a chuckle) and said "no thanks" she got this shocked look on her face and the conversation went something like this,

"wait, you went to Loma right?" 
"Ha, yup sure did and didn't leave with a husband"
"that s so nice to hear!" 

It was a good conversation about how you really don't have to be married right away. Some of the people I look up to most aren't married and are older than me or are just married. My education and career are far more my focus and this student agreed. She takes off soon after graduation for Pensacola, Florida for Navy flight school. She's got so much life to live within the next few weeks and so much change happening all around her.

Food today was great. Only "Mexican food" was breakfast burritos. The sweet ladies of the church had sandwiches made for us for lunch and then AMAZING chicken, mushroom, onion cassarole w/ a crosinant and mashed potatoes and a little salad. AH-MAZING!! Here's a tip for making a green salad not boring... ADD CILANTRO!! This salad has no dressing and only greens and silvered carrots... and CILANTRO! Genius and amazing.

It's not time for a truly needed shower and some quiet devo time in my bunk. Too much people time for me today. :)

Until next time...

So I went to Mexico - Day One

Where do I even begin? God is SO good! Many may know that I'm a shy person by nature who can fake extroversion extremely well. So why would I take part in a week long missions trip with 40+ college age students if I'd rather be alone? Good question! Well, quite frankly I'm not sure. I truly know God hhas really been speaking to me lately and that he's called me to be so much more than my "normal self". I feel him with me more than ever these past few months and I'm so grateful for that. But back to my trip...

Today started with my alarm clanging at 6am, stumbling to my kitchen to push the coffee power button and a nice hot shower. During my shower I have a minor panic attack about so many thing.

"Oh my gosh is this my last good shower for the week?" "Did I get everything packed?" "Why am I even doing this?!" 

After a few good deep breaths, I finished showering and continued getting ready. I got out the door at 7:45AM and made my last cell call for a week to my mom. She assured me I would be fine and (like most times) she's right. I'm sitting on my patio on the YWAM base with an ocean view (during the day). God is SO good!

After getting to campus, we check in, do a quick get to know you game and some orientation chats and then load the bus for TJ. All goes smoothly until we get to the boarder crossing. We all have to get out, unload the luggage, push the "pase" or "no pase" button and then get back on the bus. Didn't take too long, then we were off to the TJ "La Mesa" CON (Church of the Nazarene). We did so great on time that we were fortunate enough to sit in on the church service and experience God in a somewhat familiar yet unknown language. It's amazing how much Spanish I remember! While we were all exhausted, it was thoroughly great. After church we had some of the BEST fish tacos I've had with some AMAZING pico de gallo. Fresh fried minutes before being served. Man my mouth is watering thinking about them again. Then we got the Lazarian orientation, loaded the bus and head down to Rosarito CON. The drive was eventful to say the least. 

Rosarito celebrates the coming of lent with a HUGE carnival. Guess what bus was heading down the road with the parade coming our direction? It was AWESOME! We were a bigger attraction that some of the floats. So funny :) After an hour in tradder it was not thaaaat funny, but still fun nonetheless.

We finally arrived at the work site, or Rosarito CON and man oh man do we have have our work cut out for us! This whole foam home deal won't be easy, but with God we can do wonderful and unexpected things. I'm current on the paint and stucco crew. I say currently because I'm willing to go wherever I'm needed but signed up for that crew I could go to work right away. The Pastor's house is about halfway done, so we'll (my crew) be starting there.

Once we were done with surveying the site, it was off to the YWAM base to see where we would be sleeping for the week. Keep in mind my biggest concern for this while trip was having to "rough it" in shacks or prison-esque living. We were told there probably wouldn't be electricity and to bring shower shoes just in case and there'd be 8-10 people in a room. Yiiiiiiikes!

Ha all that worry for seriously NOTHING! We're in a pretty much resort! This place is LEGIT! It's pretty new and clean and safe. I'm BLOWN away. Oh and we can hear the ocean. So cool. I'm in the "staff and faculty" girls room and so happy for that. It means I'll actually sleep and get up on time! :)

Tonight we had hang out time before some AMAZING home cooked Mexican burritos (w/ amazing salsa too) before some awesome bilingual worshiping. We all worship the same Lord and we are able to learn each other's songs in our different languages but know it's all for the glory of the one and only Jesus Christ.

"I could sing of your love forever" is one of my favorite songs and it's just so beautiful in Spanish too. I'm going to write down how to say it in Spanish next time we sing it. So beautiful.

Well tomorrow is an early start (breakfast at 7am) to a long but wonderful week ahead. I'm going to get some sleep and write again tomorrow night.

Con poder!

Until next time...