The Month of Madness!

Hey friends!

I hope all is well where you are.  I just finished up what has probably been the craziest month of my life and I thought for myself and for you guys reading I would digress and give myself the opportunity to reflect on the things I did and learned in the month of June.

I started off the first of the month with a rock...literally.  Around 12:45 a.m. June 1st I admitted myself into the ER with my mother with a severe pain I could immediately identify as a kidney stone.  It had been 8 1/2 years since my first one and I sort of thought I was in the clear.  I thought wrong.  It was an awful night but after 3 hours and some good pain meds they sent me home giving me the hope that I would pass it within the next 12 hours.  Sure enough around 5:30 a.m. I passed the stone and immediately felt relief.  They(those who have experienced both and medical professionals)compare the pain of a kidney stone to that of having a child but really I think it must be better having a kid because at least when the pain is over you have a kid, with a kidney stone you look down at this tiny little rock and go really that is what caused that much pain, I mean literally it is the size of a little pebble.  But I have it in a little cup so if any of you want to see it, feel free to stop by, I'll show it off like a war medal.

A day later I left for Summit Kids Camp in Grove, OK.  This was my second time to go and it is really one of the best experiences.  My role at camp is to help lead worship for the whole camp.  I love my job.  There is nothing that energizes me more than to take out my in-ear monitors and listen to hundreds of kids sing to Jesus and truly mean it.  The innocence and abandonment is breathtaking and humbling.  The theme of the camp was "Story" that God invites us into His story. It was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to go back next year.

The next week I got to spend time at home hanging out with my family and students from church.  I helped take our Community Students from Van Buren to the lake and we had such a great time hanging out, tubing and enjoying the water.  We also have a program going at the church this summer called Apprentice for older students wanting to get deeper in their faith that I get to be a part of as well.  We all took a retreat for one night to Lake Fort Smith and just hung out and got to know each other.  It was such a blast.  If you have not checked out Lake Fort Smith I would highly recommend it.  The cabin's are nice, the scenery is fantastic and the memories you will make will be unforgettable.  Maybe they need to pay me to do a commercial for them haha.  We had a great time and ate enough chocolate chip cookies to last us a couple months.

The 3rd week of June I headed out with Community Students to Panama City Beach for BigStuf Beach Camp.  It was probably one of the best weeks ever.  The message was again about "Story".  I think God was really trying to get that theme in my head this month and honestly it worked.  One of the best things I learned at camp was that we could have a big role, the main role in a story that no one really cares about or sees or we could have a small, supporting role in the biggest story of all time.  It really hit home who's story I was living for and who was in complete control over my life.

The next morning after returning from beach camp that afternoon my family and I packed up and headed to New Orleans for a 7 day Caribbean cruise.  At this point I have to admit I was exhausted.  It was just what I needed to rejuvenate and relax again.  Our first stop was Cozumel, Mexico where we snorkeled and saw some amazing sights including some of the bluest waters and a place called El Cielo (the sky) that had starfish everywhere you looked.  It was awesome.  Our next stop was in Belize where I literally had the best snorkel experience I have ever had.  We snorkeled right on a barrier reef so the reefs were within touch distance from us.  We saw fish of every color and shape.  It always baffles me to think about how creative God is.  The world He created underwater is insanely cool and we can only see a glimpse of it.  The last stop we made was my favorite for sure.  Roatan, Honduras is one of the most beautiful places on earth.  We took a tour of the island and got to learn all about their culture and see places most tourists never get to see.  Our guide Elin Woods (yes she had the same name as Tiger's ex wife and I even asked if it was her real name and it is. She didn't even know who Tiger Woods was) showed us everything about the island and also told us about their lives, what they eat and drink, the herbs they take because no one ever gets sick there hardly and told us about her faith.  Surprisingly Christianity is very prevalent in Roatan.  It almost brought tears to my eyes listening to her sing us her favorite church song.  We also experienced getting to hold spider monkeys and different birds in Roatan.  It was such a good trip and an experience I will hold in my heart forever.

My biggest accomplishment for the month was that I made it through the whole 30 days without a sunburn.  For those of you who aren't pasty white, this is a huge deal for people like me and I am proud to say I am almost a shade darker than white.  As crazy as June was I would go back and do it all over again.  I learned so much about God, about myself and about others.  I am home now for a couple of weeks but I will leave again July 19th for Haiti.  If you think about it please be praying for my team and I as we head over there.  Also be praying for the people we come into contact with that they will be fed the word of God and that they will feel His love for them.

Thanks for being a part of my life,

Rachel

At kids camp having a blast

For those of you who know me, you know this was out of character and yet I loved every second of sliding the mud. 

The lake trip was awesome!!!

Community students headed to Beach Camp at midnight!

Having fun at the beach! 

Have I mentioned how much I love my job and how blessed I am? 

The last night of Beach Camp we had an extra time of worship.  This picture gives me chills just bringing me back to the powerfulness of that moment.  

New Orleans breakfast stop!

Our beautiful ship "The Dream"

Roatan, Honduras

It's Okay to Feel Small

Sometimes it takes being overwhelmed by something so large to feel small.  As I sit on a large ship and look out the window at a body of water that surrounds me on all sides I am completely overtaken with the thought that I am really small compared to the vastness of the ocean.  And yet as completely helpless as that makes me I can't help but draw a comparison to my God.  How great He is makes it ok that I am so small.  It  makes me breathe easier.  Our society is fixated on making ourselves feel bigger than we really are.  We live in the generation of the "selfie" and find our self worth often times in how many facebook likes, twitter retweets or instagram followers we have.  We are self obsessed.  Sometimes it takes unplugging and getting alone with God to find our true self worth.  The self-worth that is possessed in knowing the universe does not revolve around us.  Trust me, I am guilty of acting and thinking this way far to often.  But honestly, I realize more and more daily that I was placed on this earth as a small part of God's story.  It's finding my role and loving the people around me that makes being small so worth it because the big details, the stuff that I can't even comprehend nor do I want to are taken care of by my BIG God.  There is freedom in being small. 

Never Say Never...Job News

Hello friends,

I know it's been a while and I am hoping to change this.  I was in a slump for a couple of months trying to find motivation and inspiration in a time of my life that was challenging.  Since Decemeber I felt like my life was in limbo, not knowing where I would be and when I would be there.  During this time the one thing that stayed consistent was my prayer life and my walk with Christ.

Since I graduated from college my prayers started to change a little and instead of them being "God please help me get this job or that job" it became more of a "Lord, show me what you want me to do, I only want to be where you want me."  I had no idea where this prayer would lead me but I sincerely prayed and trusted that God would provide my needs.  Through praying and listening and Him revealing some pretty cool things to me I can whole heartily say I am where I am suppose to be at this point in my life.

I am finding that God usually uses the things you say you will NEVER do and that is generally where He inserts His sense of humor.  For those who know me well, you might have heard me at one point or another in my life saying I will never be in or marry into ministry or military.  I just knew it wouldn't be the easiest life and to me I thought it would never be for me.  I am learning to just like the Bieb's to never say never.  I will be continuing my job at Community Bible Church Van Buren but stepping into a different role. As of now I will be working directly with children's ministry and worship as well as assisting in the youth ministry.  I have never been more happy in my life or more excited to go to work everyday.

Some might question my move out of my degree platform, to those who question I answer simply, what is hospitality if not examining it's very core.  Hospitality is the art of loving on and serving people.  This is what I get to do daily.  I don't know how long God is going to keep me here but right now, I feel 100% confident I am obeying my call and serving Him.

If you ever want to talk about anything, or go to an amazing church that completely teaches the love and grace of Jesus Christ let me know.  I would absolutely LOVE to save you a seat!

My favorite song right now comes directly from an old hymn called Be Thou My Vision and is really an overall prayer for my life.  These words are my theme:
I don't want riches or man's empty praise, you're my inheritance now and always.  You and You only the first in my heart, high King of Heaven my treasure You are!

Grow Where You're Planted

Photo credit: http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/e8/56/70/e8567084097b99de10d3f4b7c8fec9dc.jpg

One of my goals in life is to be a lifelong learner.  For me, I am completely satisfied with my learning being finished inside the classroom but I am still on a journey to absorb as much information as I can from the people I meet, the places I visit, the things I read and even just the environment I am immersed in.  Lately, however, what I am really learning the most about is myself.  

Call it the economy, call it bad luck, but whatever you call it the reality is that I am a part of the epidemic.  I am one of the more than 40% of college graduates without a full time job.  Does that bother me?  Yes, on occasion.  As the first born in my family I put a lot of pressure on myself to set the example.  I always worked really hard in school to make good grades, I hustled in sports to make the team, and I tried to follow all the rules.  It took me months to change my major in college for fear that people would be disappointed that I changed my mind and didn't follow through with my plan.  As I have said before I am an obsessive planner.  So, unfortunately being that kind of person, when I get to feeling sorry for myself for not having a job I immediately think to myself that I am not setting a good example.  But what I am learning is that the little voice pushing me down is not one that is from God or my family, that voice is a lie.  I am learning everyday how to live more and more in the moment.  I am applying for jobs and working back at the church I love during the week.  But something I am learning is that your circumstances are what you make of them.  Grow where you are planted.  Do I get frustrated somedays, sure, but overall I am actually really enjoying this stage of uncertainty more than any other time in my life.  That may sound so strange, heck, it even sounds strange to me but I am at this place 6 days out of 7 where I feel that God is stilling my heart and saying wait, I have great plans even though you can't see them right now.  I have only been out of college for 3 months, and it is ok to not have it all figured out.  It's ok to wonder what's next, but it is also time for me to live for the here and now.  A dream is built with small steps.  

-Rachel 

Flashback: The Day I Auditioned for American Idol

Hey everyone.  Happy 2014!  I hope you have had a great beginning of the new year and have been successful in those pesky resolutions thus far.  My life right now is sort of in limbo as I look for the right "big girl" job after college.  So, what have I been up to?  Not anything exciting enough to share yet but one thing I have enjoyed is getting to relax and spend time with family.  So, the other night while flipping through the channels we stopped on one of our old favorite shows, American Idol.  I haven't seen the show in a few years but with the new judging panel I thought I would give it one more shot.

My first passion in life was singing.  From the time I could talk I was humming and matching pitch.  Growing up in a house where both of my parents sang and loved music, I developed a true love of singing and performing.  So, when American Idol first came on when I was 12 years old, I was absolutely set on the goal that as soon as I was 16 I was going to tryout and become the next American Idol.  (******Spoiler alert*******): I didn't win.  Sorry to ruin that for ya'll.  Back to the story...so in the summer of 2007, I was 16 years old and headed to Dallas with my friend Erin and my mom to try out for the biggest talent competition in America.  When we first got to the old Texas Stadium the day before to register we stood in line for 5 hours just to get a wristband telling us we could go inside the next day.  We were told that if we got it wet that it would be void and I would not be eligible to try out.  Needless to say, we went to extreme measures to stay on top of hygiene and not get that wristband wet including wrapping my wrist in plastic wrap and securing it with rubber bands so tight I thought my circulation was going to get cut off.  Luckily my arm and my wristband survived.  On the audition day we woke up at 2 a.m. got ready and headed back to Texas stadium.  We had been told to be there between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. and they would open the doors and let everyone in.  When we arrived at 3:45 in the morning we were greeted with a line that stretched nearly halfway around the stadium and was about 30 people deep.  The total count of people auditioning that day was 26,000.  I saw and heard some of the best and worst things of my life as well as some of the most trashy dressing people ever.  I literally almost reached over and buttoned up a girl's shirt next to me.  At 8 a.m. they finally opened up the stadium and we went in for another 5 hour wait.  It was the middle of August and the old Texas stadium was open on the top so needless to say it was a miserably hot day.  When my turn finally came I went in a group of 4 to the 50 yard line and sang my heart out for 30 seconds to 2 producers.  My song of choice was O Happy Day from Sister Act.  One by one we went and then they looked us over and decided we weren't what American Idol thought would make good tv. I literally heard some of the best singers of my life on that field not make it.  With that, they cut our wristband and pointed us out the tunnel.  So, with my head held high I walked out of the stadium the way they showed me only to be out in the parking lot again.  I was literally kicked to the curb.

All in all, it was such a cool experience to be able to remember.  It taught me that there are plenty of great singers that never get a break because they aren't in the right place at the right time.  I also learned that rejection is not always a bad thing.  Rejection can be an experience to grow and fit somewhere else even better.  I still sing, but my dreams have changed as I have gotten older.  Now you can find me jamming out in the car or on most Sunday mornings at Community Bible Church in Van Buren.  I did really enjoy American Idol this week.  It's great to watch now and be able to relate to those trying out.

Getting my wristband to audition! I was so excited!

Erin and I the day of registering.

Let the crowds begin...

Getting bigger...

At this point I was super ready to audition & over half of the crowd had gone so it was almost my turn!

The auditon set up down on the field.

Standing in line waiting to be the next American Idol...

Such a fun experience! Until next time!

Rachel

Graduation and Beyond

My college career is in the books.

Saturday morning I woke up at 5:45 a.m. to get ready for one of the biggest days of my life.  For me though, it felt a little different then most of the students that I would be walking with.  When you graduate typically you feel like you are saying goodbye to your college life and stepping into adulthood.  You say goodbye to the town that held so many memories and it is a mixed emotion of pride and sadness that the part of your life when you really embraced your freedom and had the least amount of responsibilities you will ever have as an adult.  For me, I had already said goodbye to Fayetteville, AR.  I said goodbye back in May at the end of my last semester.  I had already been out in the work world doing an internship and applying for jobs.  That sense of sadness at leaving college wasn't there for me because honestly, I felt like I had already done it.  To me, Saturday just left the emotion of pride.  I was proud that I had finished and finished strong. 

One of the best parts of the ceremony was getting to sit by one of my best friends and my college roommate for the last two years of college.  It was a memory I will never forget.  My parents all came for the occasion, as well as my brothers, uncles and grandparents.  A few years ago my Uncle Pat had my grandmama's (my mom's mom) wedding ring broken up and set into some earrings for me.  On my 18th birthday I opened the box to find these delicate earrings that held so much history and meaning for me since my grandmama had passed away from Lou Gehrig's disease when I was in the 3rd grade.  A couple of years later my granddad passed away unexpectedly too so it made the earrings even more special.  I had never found a good enough excuse to wear them until Saturday.  As I put them on I felt like both of them were there with me getting to experience it as well.  Such a treasure I will hold close forever.   

So what's next?  That is the question every college grad without a job dreads.  Honestly, I am not 100% sure for one of the first times in my life but I have learned that it is okay not to know right away.  I am taking my time to find the right job for me.  No, I am not going to be the college graduate that moves home for forever to "figure it out" haha.  Within the next few months I hope to make some serious progress and I already have some great leads.  Keep an eye out for what's next.  

Thank you for cheering me on in my journey.  It really means the world to know I have to support of so many.  I will be continuing to post special interest pieces and things that are going on in my life.  This has just been the start!  As I have always said, "This is the end of the chapter of this part of my life, the next one is only beginning. I don't know what it may hold but I am sure excited to start writing it."

Rachel  

Caroline and I waiting in line! 

Ready for the "real world"? Ahhh...

The earrings along with my 2013 tassel

At the Razorback games this year they gave out jello molds and we used them to make Razorback chocolate molds! 

First day of school...

To the last

The End of the Beginning...

Today is my last day as an intern at the Capital Hotel.

I honestly can't believe I just typed that sentence.  4 months have literally flown by so quickly.  It seems like just yesterday I had the suburban packed so full that we literally could barely fit ourselves.  I am so thankful that my awesome uncle allowed me to live with him for these past few months to give me this opportunity. Words cannot express how much that means to me!  4 months ago I was nervous, excited and completely clueless about what I was going to be doing or how I was going to like working at the hotel.  The only thing I knew for sure was that I was going to come ready to learn and take every opportunity that was thrown my way.

And now, here I am saying goodbye to what I can positively say was one of the best experiences of my life. It taught me about the hospitality industry in general but more specifically it taught me to take pride in every single thing I do.  I learned to be an artist in my work and to satisfy the guest because it is your pleasure not just your job.  This internship helped me gain humility through doing the tough jobs and confidence when I excelled at the jobs I didn't think I would be so good at.  I learned that you are never too good to help someone in what you believe is a lesser job because honestly there are no lesser jobs.  Every job is equally important to the functioning whole.  I learned how to handle stressful situations like dealing with snow and how that can affect your business and other things that happen along the way that you just have to learn to flow with.  And last I learned that when you find a common connection with so many different people, a connection that crosses job lines and communication barriers, that you start to find a new sense of joy and fulfillment that comes with being completely engaged in  the work family that you have created.  You have no choice but to do your job if it is what you love to do.  Working at the Capital Hotel has given me not only the physical skills of making beds, doing laundry, prepping food, and serving guests but also the internal skills of caring for people, treating everyone as equals, and loving the work you do.  I put my all into my work at the hotel and I think overall, it showed in the work I produced.  The things I wasn't so good at I learned with time, effort and dedication.  This may be the end of my internship journey but it is just the beginning of my career in the hospitality industry.  

My time at the Capital Hotel will always be a memory I hold close to my heart and will share about for the rest of my life.  Today, I am so grateful. 

From my first day to my last week! Such a great experience. 

Awesome gingerbread village made by our pastry chef's.

The hotel's 28 ft. real Christmas tree.

Just hanging with Santa