Semester B

This week is our second week of Semester B for 2010! Wow, the year is going by so fast that it is actually quite scary.

Tuesday's this semester are going to seem very very long indeed but I have decided to have a positive attitude and just let the days and weeks come and go as they will - take each day one at a time. The reason that Tuesday's this semester are going to be long is because I have placement at a local primary school in the morning, then head back to uni and have class from 1-4, have an hour break then have class from 5-6! YIKES!

Today was also my first day of placement for the semester. To be honest, I was really looking forward to placement again but did not want to go into another class and have to swap year levels that we would be teaching - I just wanted to be stubborn and continue being in Room 11 and having year 5 & 6 students.

Well guess what - its a new semester which means a new class room and a new year level for teaching. I was kind of sad about that but knew it was coming. Already I know a few names of students in the class (the trouble makers of course :P) and yes I can already tell that God is totally going to challenge me this semester but I know that I will be able to pull through it all.

The teacher of the class we are in has been now teaching for 20 years which is a completle difference to our Associate Teacher from last semester who was only into her second year of teaching but one thing that I have learnt from these teachers already is that they have so much they are willing to give pour into the lives of their students - all their students have to do is be willing to receive that. I can't believe that I never realised how much our teachers were actually willing to pour into our lives - I only hope that I can do that for my future students and that someday they too will realise.

So yea anyway, this semester is going to be crazy busy but at the same time, I have a feeling it is going to be an incredible semester and its going to be one that I will look back on in years to come and know that it was a major turning point in my life.

So heres to the second half of 2010 and the begining of life as a 20 year old, who puts her faith in trust and Christ, who passed ALL her papers last semester and who can now legally drive!

Love and blessings,

Kath xox

Sunrise and Sunset

How amazing are things such as sunrises and sunsets?

The end of one day and the beginning of the next. A new chance to make the most of each and every opportunity or challenge that comes our way.

I love just gazing at sunrises and sunsets and realising that MY GOD, made these... he is responsible for all of creation. To be responsible for something as beautiful as this, I know that my God must be incredible, inspiring, amazing and awesome.

I know that MY GOD REIGNS!

45 Life Lessons

45 Life Lessons

~ By Regina Brett ~

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Words

What have the words you have spoken or written today, done? Hurt or heal?

What have the words you have recieved today, done? Hurt or heal?

Think about the amazing power of the tounge and the mind, before you speak or write your next words.

Phil 4:13

One of my favourite bible verses at the moment is Phil 4:13. It is helping me work through so much stuff in not only my life but also the lives of others around me.

Never underestimate the power of prayer and what we can do or how much we can do when we rely not only on our own strength and resources but on Christ's alone.

Welcome back to Taurima

As soon as I finished at Totara Springs last night and headed back to Taurima with a couple of other people I had a feeling deep inside me that I was heading home. It is amazing how much my fellow hostel buddies mean to me after only knowing them since the middle of Feb or the end of March.

Arriving back at Taurima last night though was a real sense of arriving home. I had so many letters waiting for me in my "letterbox" from other people at the hostel and although there were only a few residents here at the time, it was a great time of seeing everyone again and catching up with people. We did not realise how much we had missed each other.

While I had been away on semester break, it had also been my birthday and so when I got back to the hostel, I had a surprise waiting for me in my room thanks to some of the girls in the hostel. All I had really been told about it was that "X marks the spot" and had been reminded of this for a week or so.

So 270 plastic cups, a few balloons, 6 rubber duckys and what seemed like a bizillion pieces of gliter. WOW, those girls did an incredble job and honestly, it was a much of a fantastic birthday present as it was a WELCOME HOME present!

24 hours of prayer. 168 hours in a week

Just a quick blog entry here.

The last few weeks I have been living and working at Totara Springs Christian Centre in Matamata.

A week ago we had 24 hours of prayer at Totara to pray for up coming ministry camps and also any other prayer requests. During the 24 hours of prayer in the Chapel at Totara, there were two whiteboards that we could write on - one was for prayer requests and answers to prayer while the other was for notes or words of encouragement.

One of the words of encouragement that came up for me during that time happened to be one which I had written inside the front cover of my bible. It was something along the lines of "there are 168 hours in a week, how much of this time do we currently spend with God. How much more of that time do we spend with God?

I found this very challenging for myself as my prayer time was 5am-6am. Normally there is no way in heck that I would be up at this time but because I had told myself that it was for God and that I WOULD DO IT, then I got up. Why would I not do this normally? Also, how many of those 168 hours were taking up by doing other things?

The challenge I want to lay down here is for us to try and stop making excuses in our lives, think carefully about what we do with our time and our week, make God the centre of our lives, set aside time to spend with him, and in return he will bless us abundantly.