New Theme!

Lions and Tigers and Bears oh my! We have started a new theme in GIGL this past Sunday and are going on a Safari! Yesterday was so much fun to see the kids faces as they walked into the room and said, "I feel like I am in the Jungle!" Which of course was the goal of hanging vines all over the ceiling-thank you Chelsea! I am loving the new curriculum we are using for GIGL which will take each preschooler through the entire Bible by the time they graduate to JUMP! Yesterday through the story of Moses and the burning bush we taught them that we are supposed to obey God! The Safari theme will go for week and then we will start Christmas!!

Father Son Adventure this Friday Night!

This Friday night we will be having our annual Father Son Adventure! It will be from 6:30-8:00 for 3 year olds-Kindergarteners! This is a night when Dad's bring their sons for a night of fun! We will be going on a Pioneer Adventure which will include food and lots of fun! James Conney Island will be providing the hot dogs and there will be lots of games and activities! You will get to experience the life of a "Cowboy" with activities like panning for gold, carriage/hay ride, and making s'mores! Don't worry the girls will get their opportunity in the Spring with our annual Dad Daugther Soc-hop! We are going to have a blast-hope to see you Friday night in your best western duds!

Redeemed Girl Ministries!

Last night I got to celebrate the second book release of my former roommate and close friend Marian Jordan! It was such a great time of fellowship, food, and to hear what The Lord is doing through her ministry! Her second book is titled Wilderness skills for Women and is all about surviving that season of life when you are in it. I lived with Marian during the writing process of both books so to see the end product has been so great! I think that every girl High school age and up should read her books! God is using Marian's story of redemption to change the lives of young girls everywhere! Her writing is so real and transparent-you feel as though you are literally having a conversation with her as she shares her story! Not only is she an amazing author but also speaker-I think she is the next Beth Moore for young girls, but then again I may be a little bias!

INTENTS

This weekend the JHigh ministry hosted an event called Intents! 7th and 8th graders came and camped out in front of the church on Saturday night-it was so much fun! I decided to camp out because a bunch of my GIGL team attended the event. I didn't want them to have the excuse of being "too tired" in the morning to serve in the hour they do. It was also a great opportunity to hang out with them outside of practice and Sunday mornings!

Brian Mills spoke to the kids after a time of praise and worship and many of them accepted Christ for the first time! I got the opportunity to counsel two sweet girls that night, during that time one of them named Carly was so excited to have just made that decision! After we walked through everything she looked at me and said with such excitment, "So, when can I get Baptized?" She could not wait to outwardly show her commitment to The Lord that she had just made! The Lord used Carly as a sweet reminder to always be that excited in my walk with The Lord. In fact, looking back I should be even more excited because of where I am today with Him.

Michael, Lauren, & Kenny are doing an amazing job in the ministry they are doing! I am blessed to have the opporunity to serve with them!

Tiny Tots and Tunes!

Tiny Tots and Tunes is a music program for Mommies and their babies that is offered here at Second. It ranges from ages 0-3 years old. This Fall I am teaching the little tiny baby class and they are just precious! You may be asking yourself how does this class work-they are so young! Well, it's not only for the babies but also for the Mommies to have the opportunity to learn fun things they can do at home. In our class we sing several "types" of songs. They are: instrument songs, body awareness songs, marching songs, fun songs, animal songs, and of course our Jesus songs! I strongly believe that music can impact a child's life at any age! It is never to early to intoduce your little one to music!

Yellowstone Academy

This morning I had the opportunity to hang out with some great kids from Yellowstone Academy! Yellowstone is a non-profit organization that seeks to give kids is the fifth ward of Houston a faith based education! I attend a small group on Monday nights and several of the girls are teachers there! The staff and volunteers are truly making an impact on the lives of these precious children. Without this school many, if not most of them would get the chance to have an education.

This morning they hosted an annual breakfast to raise money to help fund the school. The kids I hung out with were singing in the choir and let me tell you how precious they were. Of course, if you know me well I think most kids are adorable but these guys had me rolling on the ground laughing! Hanging out with them made every bit of the early morning worth it!

Lately.....

So it's been a while....here is what I've been up to lately:

These past few weeks Tuesday night has quickly become my favorite night of the week! Why you ask? I get the privilege to attend Beth Moore's study named "Lit." During the hour and a half study we are learning all about the Bible, why it was written, how they got the Old and New Testement, & lots more information that can make your brain hurt! For example: [written over roughly] 1500 years, 66 books, over 40 writters, and 3 languages. It has been so great to learn these facts about the most read book of all time that I myself have been reading since I was a little girl. Last week Beth took us through the entire Bible: Genesis to Revelation in an hour and a half! Talk about an intense time! It was so great to chart the entire thing! Talk about a woman who is annointed by the Holy Spirit! She speaks with such passion and convitction-you can tell this woman is madly in love with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

I am so excited about the new curriculm we are using in GIGL....when a preschooler is done they will have gone through the entire Bible Genesis through Revelation! We started a new theme in GIGL called the GIGL Outrageous Art Studio! During the next four weeks the little ones will be learning all about creation! I have turned the GIGL room into an art studio and they are helping me decorate it by drawing pictures of something God created. Let me just tell you how precious the ones I have gotten are! My preschoolers are such a blessing to me! They can turn any rainy day into a sunny one by pretty much anything they do or say to me! I am crazy about them and am so blessed to get the opportunity to teach them about Jesus each weekend!