YO YO YO!!!! This is an email I sent to my 11 house mates from 29 Harold Street, Townsville Australia. Writing to them gave me a chance to remember what's been good...well, it's self-explanatory! ENJOY!!!



**Goodness,*HUGS*, high-fives all 'round, and a big pot of chai tea for us to share.

Wow...it's been a while, eh kids? 3 months as of yesterday...yikes! How's life at home treating everyone? Or life @ RTO...Townsville's "winter"....

I myself have found the return home to be rather difficult. Just getting used to friends here, amazing as they are, it's just not the same as the mates I had @ rto!! That and, my 2 best friends haven't been around (1 @ camp, 1 in mexico)...Jessica leaves for England today, and Mikael gets home next Sunday...so it's been a bit of a struggle.

That and...I think I put God to the side, assuming my friends would fill any void...assuming I could rely FULLY on them...which didn't so much happen (I shouldn't have expected it to!)! So it's been rough. Just now, I'm realizing where I went wrong, where I could have done better....but God has also been faithful! Let me share with you some bright spots!

1) I'M HOME!!! Being in my own room has been great...though, I must say, I miss my bed in Townsville. I think it was more comfortable than this one. Or at least, my pillow was.

2) My family! It's been great to see them. They're awesome.

3) BC!!!! The coast, the mountains, the sun, the...er...rain (today is rather gloomy, so I am listening to Vivaldi's Four Seasons...it's beautiful. I bought it @ Virgin Records for $8 the other day).

4) Not lugging "big red" the gargantuan, school-me-any-day suitcase around everywhere!

5) CAMP!! I spent about 10 days @ keats camps, where I've spent the last 3 or 4 summers working. I went up to visit one Sunday after I got home, and I was welcomed so warmly...it was incredible!!! It was great to see my friend Jessica (the one who's going to England soon)...and many others!!! I soon realized I could not go the WHOLE summer without being @ Keats...so I had a quick, successful job interview, and returned to the island 2 weeks later! My time was spent...well, working! The first week I was there, we had a outbreak of a flu virus called "norwalk"...gosh, that was a recipe for a nightmare...But God shone through and gave us strength and miracles everyday! My second week up there included 3 days of "staff camp"...just the staff and Jesus....God drew me so close!! And fully challenged and called me to walk in my gifts of prayer and prophecy...it was scary (I didn't know what the others would think), but it was so rewarding to obey his voice! When I left, the staff gave me some...oh, how to describe it...VERY meaningful and real encouragement.

6) Anvil...another camp! Holly Meier of Plant Street came up from Oregon to work with me...fellowship with her was such a HUGE blessing! It was a crazy, exhausting week, but God totally showed up. I've never had a week @ camp so full of the Holy Spirit moving and changing peoples' lives. To see those kids being softened by God, allowing him into their hearts, their lives. Honestly seeking his face, wanting him to change them, renew them...wanting to live for him fully ALL the time...it was incredible.

7) hard times. Seeing how I've reacted has been an encouragement. I know that what happened on dts has been permanent and life changing...I can see it even in how I handle difficult situations. I haven't reacted perfectly, and I have craved the accountability of dts friendships....but I know that I've turned to God more...or realized my need for him, for him to be my strength....so it's been good, in the end.

8) right now. I am...reclaiming the JOY of the LORD as my STRENGTH! I let it go for a bit...got lost in my problems, dragged down by those around me who are depressed or just sad or not sure if God really is....but that's not me!!! I know he lives!! I know he has saved me!!! He gives me life!!!! So reclaiming truth has been, and will continue to be, vital.

9) lots of good shows to go to, movies to watch. Some recommended flicks...shawshank redemption, amelie, monsters inc (so cute), i am sam...the princess bride (such a classic)...what else? NOT resident evil, that's for shizzo. UHF, a weird al film...worth watching if you're feeling silly. Amelie is my pick of the month though. A very sweet film. French, with subtitles. Watching many a band play...well, maybe not many. But several. Ok, probably 7. So it's been fun...my friends play better music than I ever remembered....it's been soooo good!

10) SEPTEMBER 4...Coldplay, in Seattle @ the Paramount. Yes, yes, I ventured into the US of A...Washington is gorgeous, by the way. We were lined up for 7 hours (it was standing only show)....3 of my friends got to the theatre @ 4am, so they lined up for 16 hours...we met the band, won autographed stuff, and were front row center for the show. It was amazing. I don't know how I will go to another concert and enjoy it...this one was just the best ever.

10 b) buying really good cd's (ie Jack Johnson's Brushfire Fairytales, John Mayer's Room for Squares) and listening to them over and over and over and over. (other recommended picks....Dashboard Confessional, Rosie Thomas, Sarah Harmer....).



Well, there it is. And for those who are reading...if you heard of this website from me, and you read it regularily...then chances are, you are a bright spot. And you should read again the blog entry on here about friends...and take it to heart.