corks, corks and more corks!

Our last day in Houston was spent at Chris Seay's church in the downtown area. The children's area is in need of a new floor, and the church is doing something very creative. They are putting down a recycled cork floor! The church congregation has been bringing in bags and bags of corks to donate towards this floor for weeks. We spent a few hours on Monday sitting and sorting thousands of corks for this project. It was actually lots of fun :)






By using a recycled product for this, the church is not only saving lots of money but also helping the environment. Here are some facts Nelson dug up online about recycling and how wasteful Americans are:

1.) The United States is also the world’s largest trash producing country at 1,609 pounds of trash per person per year.
2.) Statistically the United States recycles just about 28% of its waste today, which is doubled from what it was a decade ago.
3.) Plastic material being dumped into the ocean is responsible for killing u to a million sea creatures yearly.
4.) If we were to wait for a glass bottle to decompose after throwing it away today, we would have to wait approximately 4000 years.
5.) The empty aluminum can is worth about 1 cent.
6.) Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to keep a 100-watt bulb burning for almost four hours or run your television for three hours.

Pretty crazy facts, huh? Yay for Ecclesia being environmentally friendly and allowing the entire congregation to help with re-flooring the children's area!

Houston update #4

From Emily Howard --

Sunday morning the team spent time at a local church established in the downtown Houston area that was founded by Chris Seay by the name of Ecclesia. We all served in whatever capacity we were capable of beginning with the set up for the service; chairs, candles, stage props etc. There were some unique aspect of this church unlike most churches in our area. The location or building was used for multiple business; there is a coffee shop open on a daily basis and also an art gallery displaying artwork from many artists including locals. The area where the church is located has been built up a lot in the recent years as we were told by Tiffany who is on staff with the church (sidenote: Tiffany went to Hillsong Leadership College in Sydney...awesome!) Because the location is in a residential area they receive on again off again animosity from he residents but try their best to serve them and love them like Jesus loves.

During the service (which was incredible) we split up as a group and helped with offerings and serving communion. First service I served communion with Nelson and Sarah Culver. This was the first communion serving that I or Sarah had participated in, and I know we both enjoyed the experience. I found great joy in these words: "the body of Christ, broken for you"...think about that for a minute. All I can say is Praise God an Amen, for he is good! After the service we enjoyed fellowship with members and locals and spent some time in the air conditioned coffee shop. The second service was identical to the first with us serving communion and assisting with offering. Being able to step along side the church was incredible and hopefully convicted the group to be more than a but in the seat, no matter what church we are going to. We are here to serve and advance the kingdom! After two powerful services by Chris Seay we settled in at the church for some pizza with staff members. The fellowship and conversation was as if we had known each other for years or were old friends picking up again. The welcoming we received from Ecclesia and the staff was amazing...

(This is the Houston team in the coffee shop at Ecclesia)

After a morning and afternoon at Ecclesia we ventured a little deeper into downtown Houston to do some shopping at the Galleria. The Galleria is a huge mall that actually has an ice skating rink in the center of it. We did not ice skate, but still it was a sight to be seen, I mean really; have you ever seen a ice skating rink in the center of a mall? We ate dinner as a team at the Rainforest Cafe and enjoyed the downtime after a busy few days! We "swiftly" ate, paid for our bills and ran for the van so we could make it to a Robbie Seay Band concert at Copperfield Church. Robbie Seay is Chris Seay's (from Ecclesia) brother. The concert was pretty awesome, hands were raised and God was praised! The concert was followed by another stop at a Starbucks-I am pretty sure we have been to a Starbucks every day on this launch!

We met Aaron Edwards and Travis Reed who is the owner/founder of The Work of The People which is a company that shoots videos and short films that we use in our gatherings at times. Having the opportunity to sit and listen to their visions and some of their stories/testimonies over coffee was something that was not particularly easy for Nelson to schedule, but he pulled it off and I am glad he did. We are driving back to our host house now and my guess is that it will take approximately 10 minutes for the entire teams to fall asleep. We will be headed back to Ecclesia in the morning to help install a cork floor in their student center.

Thanks again for all the prayers and support, you guys rock!

Houston :)

The Houston launch is going great and I have posted blogs from the Access218 community blog written by other team members. The updates highlight some things we have experienced as a group thus far. Today and tomorrow promises to be incredible as well as we serve as the hands and feet of Christ along with local ministries. I will post pictures and more information when back in Florida hopefully next week. Thanks for the prayers, the entire team is grateful for your support and love.

Oh, 5 days until Indy :) I love my life!

Houston update #3

From Katie Walton --

Today we worked with the Santa Maria Hostel, an organization that helps women who are dealing with drug and alcohol abuse problems. When I first heard that we were doing this, I really didn't know what to expect but I knew that it would take me way out of my comfort zone. When we arrived, we were greeted by Pamela, the volunteer coordinator (who is also a Dominican sister, so fun!!!). At the hostel, Saturdays are family visitation day so there were lots of little kids running around. As we were waiting to start the arts and crafts with the women, visiting hours ended and the family members had to leave. Seeing the moms saying bye and hearing the babies cry and cling to their mothers was definitely the hardest part of the day. It was pretty intense and almost every member of the team was fighting back tears. It definitely brought home the reality of the situation the women are facing.

For the art project, we made collages with the clients. It was amazing getting to spend time with the women. Some of them told their stories openly, others barely responded to questions. No matter how they interacted, it was awesome to think of the amount of hope in the room. The simple fact that the women were in a treatment program meant that they were working towards a better life for themselves and their children. The whole Santa Maria Hostel experience was one that opened my eyes to the reality of the pain of drug addiction and the hope that recovery can bring.

Houston update #2

From Joey Rodil --

On Friday, the team took a trip to an area called, San Leon. This area was affected by Hurricane Ike back before the last Presidential election. I add that last part because it is very important to this region. Why you ask? Because the hurricane hit the Galveston, Texas area right before the election. There was so much media coverage and concern for the political realm that the devastation in this area caused by Hurricane Ike "slipped" by us as we focused on the election. This story was told by a couple, Monty and Susan who moved from Indiana to be the gap between those who were forgotten and help. They are apart of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. They help people rebuild their houses and assist them with acquiring materials and aid to do so.

Our team had the opportunity to help a family in San Leon make repairs on their mobile home and clean up their property. Hank and Cherie were very grateful that us "young people" would come out and help them. We walked on their roof to paint a seal that protects their home from the heat, we moved wood and dry wall, cleaned up debris around the property, did electrical work and most important of all talked to Hank and Cherie about their life. It was amazing to get to know this couple and help such grateful people. Some of us were able to play with their 8 year old son, Blake. He was a little energetic boy.

After that, we went to a park to reflect on what we did for the day and to ask God, why are we here in Houston and what do you want us to take back. God is doing amazing things within our team and within ourselves. I pray that we come back with broken hearts for the "forgotten" and an initiative to remember them.

Houston update #1

From Derrick:

Hello all,
Our Houston Launch team of 9 led by Nelson arrived yesterday morning. We are staying with Jeff and Sarah Beth Morris, some friends of friends of Kelsey in Pearland, TX. It has already been an exciting two days. Last night, we attended the young adult service at Lakewood Church (pastor is Joel Osteen) called Canvas. Turns out we walked into their trivia night...and we dominated. Out of 15 other tables, we won with 400 points. We even correctly answered 4 out of 5 bonus questions about the young adult pastoral staff. We had a fun time and it was a good introduction to the city.

I had an interesting conversation with Jeff (the guy who owns the house we are staying in) last night. We talked about the need here in Houston. These are not completely accurate statistics but they do help explain a little bit of what is happening here. It is said that Houston might have the third highest population of homeless people in the country. It is also said that the Houston metro area has the highest number of mega-churches and highest number of sexually oriented businesses. Just these statistics makes my heart break for this city. I know that Jacksonville has its own issues, but I can't help but remember that God has a dream for both our cities. I am praying and hoping that our time here in Houston would be a small piece of God's dream advancing in this city.

More updates to come from members of the team. We spent most of Friday working on a home in San Leon, Galveston County, TX. Looks like we'll be doing a variety of activities over the next few days with churches in this area. So stay tuned and please continue to pray for us.

For His Dream,
Derrick

4 AM!!!

At 4am tomorrow (yes, 4am!!!!), I need to be at the Delta counter at JIA. I am not even sure what 4am looks like but I am sure I should be in bed! I am ready for this trip to Houston even though what we are doing is a surprise. Our leader for the trip did not want to give us details, actually this is what he said in his email earlier this week "I'd prefer to keep it somewhat a surprise. If you need to know exactly what we're doing for health/security/etc. reasons, i'll gladly send you an itinerary". Details on what we did will follow the trip :)

Please keep the team from Access218 in your prayers as we travel to and from destinations. There are 8 of us going and we are all very excited about what God is doing in these cities...not so excited about the being at the airport at 4am part though. Remember, prayer is the fuel that will allow us to be successful as we follow God’s leading. See you in a week...with details about Houston!

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

St. Augustine

Last weekend was amazing, no wait that does not even cover it. Friday I got off work at noon and went the campus to take a literacy test that is required for graduation and passed so now I should be getting my diploma in the mail within the next few weeks!! (insert happy dance here) Then I headed down to St. Augustine to soak up some sunshine with two of my best friends...only the sunshine faded too quickly and we got ready to meet the boys for dinner at Columbia. The Columbia Restaurant is a Spanish restaurant in Downtown St. Augustine and it is muy delicioso!

After dinner we decided that we really need to walk off some of what we ate, so we strolled by the bay. God blessed me with hiccups for about an hour...I was so glad when they finally disappeared. St. George Street in St. Augustine has several unique stores and people. Uncle Sam caught our attention and for 25 cents you can shake his hand and he will tell you your personality. Can you believe that!? What a deal! Of course, we all had to partake in such activity and document it:


Of our group of 5 people, 3 were socialites and 2 were tax crooks. Ha.

Changed

Changed
Aaron Niequist

In Jesus’ name I’ve been changed, I’ve been filled,
I’ve been found, I’ve been freed, I’ve been saved!
In Jesus’ blood I’ve been loved, I’ve been cleansed,
And redeemed, and released, rearranged
But how can I show You that I’m grateful?
You’ve been so generous to me.
How can I worship more than singing?
And live out Redemption’s melody.

I have been blessed – now I want to be a blessing
I have been loved – now I want to bring love
I’ve been invited – I want to share the invitation
I have been changed – to bring change, to bring change

In Jesus’ name we are changed, we are called,
We are chosen, adopted, and named!
In Jesus’ blood we are loved, we are healed,
We’re forgiven and free of our shame!
We want to show You that we’re thankful
Flooding Your world with hope and peace
Help us to worship more than singing
Giving Redemption hands and feet

We have been blessed – now we’re going to be a blessing
We have been loved – now we’re going to bring love
We’ve been invited – we’re going to share the invitation
We have been changed – to bring change, to bring change
We have been changed – to bring change, to bring change

Thank You for this new life, thank You for the invitation!
God, we want to live it loud enough to shake the nations " in Your name!

We have been saved – we’re going to shout about the Savior
We have been found – we’re going to turn over every stone
We’ve been empowered – to love the world to Heaven
We have been changed – to bring change, to bring change
We have been changed – to bring change, to bring change
We have been changed – to bring change, to bring change

TCBY you do exist!

Let me start off my saying that I have the most outstanding friends, period. A few weeks ago we had a delicious dinner at Texas Roadhouse (yum, I taste the cinnamon butter now!), and I had planned on going home to pack for Indiana after dinner. Brummitt had driven and after dinner he asked if I could go get ice cream. Basically I said I did not want ice cream but that I did not mind going along for the ride. Ha. Ride it was! We drove around for nearly an hour looking for a TCBY. He swore there was one in Jacksonville and that it was still open (the one in our town closed years ago)...eventually we (he) found a TCBY. I was beginning to doubt its existence! After the trek to get there, I of course had to have some sweet treats...cotton candy ice cream to be exact. The evening was documented by Brummitt's car and my awesome camera:





After this excursion I did get to go home and pack.

Countdown!

6 days until I fly to Houston to partner with some incredible ministries and extend the love of Christ. 15 days until I fly to Indianapolis to see Stephen again. I cannot wait to be next to him :)

The countdown is on!

Whats my age again?

Well, I asked Stephen when he was in a great mood if I could post the silly pictures from the sunrise at the beach and he said of course I could :) YAY! Here are the funny and oh so entertaining pictures of us at the beach. Normal, smiling pictures are overrated don't ya think? My favorite pictures is the last one, and maybe I tricked him on this one...That's why he is making a silly face (that I love) and I am grinning from ear to ear. Okay, so I (we) are easily entertained!

Summer Plans

Normally I take classes during the summer, but due to some stress at the office and other things I dropped the one class I was taking this summer...thus I am FREE! It is a glorious thing and I am so enjoying it! Stephen and I officially have flights booked through September, so we will be seeing each other every month. The next scheduled trip is on the 4th of July and I...you guessed it: cannot wait. I might be more excited about August though, we have so much planned! Here is a rundown of August's plans:

August 4th- Stephen flies from Indy to Jax
August 5th- We drive to Gulf Shores, Alabama and stay at the beach with his family.
August 8th- We drive to Orlando, Florida and stay with my family at Disney.
August 10th- My Birthday!!!
August 11th- Drive back home (mine, not his)
August 12th- Stephen flies from Jax to Indy

Yep, lots of flying and driving. It will so be worth it though. I have never been to Alabama before and neither has Stephen. I guess growing up in Florida and always being 40 minutes from the beach means that I have never thought about leaving Florida for a beach vacation...until now. We are staying with his family at a condo on the beach...and I am so looking forward to this view:


This year Disney's promotion is that you get into any park for free on your birthday. We are planning on taking advantage of this and hope to spend the day at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I have not been to this park since I was cool enough to wear pink Chuck Taylor Converses and Stephen has never experienced Disney so it will be lots of fun!


Something else I am really excited about is indoor skydiving. I knew there was a place in Orlando to do it, so I looked it up online and got the information. I will be sure to blog about this experience and post lots of pictures...this will be me:


Am I crazy for wanting to do this? If you want info on Indoor Skydiving in Orlando, check out this link: http://www.skyventureorlando.com/

packing, photos, best friends :)

About two weeks ago Keri had to move out of her apartment at UF because her lease was up, and I (like a good friend) was there to help. You should know that Keri and I have been best friends since we were 2, yes 2. You did not know you can have "friends" at that age? Well, you absolutely can. When we were younger we were mistaken for twins so many times we both have lost count, but through high school we started to look a little different and people just thought we were sisters or cousins...we thought that looking identical was behind us. We were wrong. (scroll down and you'll see...)

During packing, we took a 10 minute break for a photo shoot and had a blast. Here is the evidence:

Good times :)

In May...sorry I am way behind on blogging...Hunter and I had a Pizza Hut date night with our cousins Hannah and Haley. Mom, Aunt Barbara and Grandma were there too :) After eating lots of pizza and licking the garlic butter off lots of bread sticks (that was all Haley folks!) we went to the park in Green Cove and the girls played on the playground. I think the highlight of the evening was throwing penny's into the spring and making a wish. The spring in Green Cove is really cool and it entertains me for some reason. We had a fun little photo shoot. Here are some pictures from that night...enjoy!

Weekend Recap

Recipe for an AWESOME weekend:

1. Stay up all night long. Check.

2. Watch the sunrise on the beach and take many pictures. Check.

3. Eat an absurd amount of blueberry pancakes at Cracker Barrel. Check.

4. Dinner with family. Check.

5. Bowling. Check. (I won one game, he won one game...we were even)

6. Cheesecake. Check.

7. Hamburgers and Hot dogs at the lake. Check. (are you still full Stephen?...you should be!)

8. Wakeboarding and tubing. Check.

9. Not being able to move the next day. Check.

10. Take him back to the airport because I had to :( Check.

Only 22 days until I fly to Indianapolis for the 4th of July (insert happy dance here!) Only 14 days until I fly to Houston with A218 for some more awesome things. Life is good!

Sunrise

Stephen flew into Jacksonville late Friday night and we decided to pull and all nighter and then go to the beach for sunrise Saturday morning. I have lived in Florida all my life, and never had gone to the beach to see the sunrise...it was amazing. We took several pictures, ones that entertained me-maybe one day I will post a few. I need to ask Stephen if they can be posted to the world wide web when he is in a really good mood one day ;) More posts about this weekend coming soon...I promise!