Finals week.

I can hardly believe it!

This semester is wrapping up with finals this week, and then I'll be done for the semester!

Only one problem: I was ready to be done with classes before Thanksgiving.

I must persevere! I am mustering up all of the motivation I can find to push through to victory.

Since I've already worked so hard all semester, what would be the point of giving up now?

I shall be victorious - I will persevere.

Reflections

This past Thanksgiving break was truly refreshing. How wonderful it is to simply enjoy the company of family! How much I have missed them.

When I was driving back to school, I realized how much I have been missing them.
My family is so encouraging and supportive, it's just amazing to be around them.

They are so uplifting, so funny and fun to be around.

I am thankful for my family - God knew what He was doing when He set me in this family.

Dig your heels in...it's gonna be a wild ride!

Tonight, I was reminded of the fact that we are on a great adventure. So many times, we get caught up in the routine of daily life. It's easy to get bogged down and forget about the awe, wonder, and excitement of the first time we met Christ, face to face.

When we were worshipping God tonight at the Bro house college life group, God's presence
was so thick and tangible. His joy was apparent by the smiles on every face. And God said to me "dig your spurs in - and hold on tight, it's gonna be a wild ride!"This reminded me that this life is not meaningless or mundane in any way. I have a higher calling and purpose than what I can see with my natural eyes.

Life with God is a great adventure, and call to live in a radically different way and go on a journey with Christ at the center. I have decided that I will choose to focus daily on the plans that God has for me.
The easiest way that the enemy can steal our joy is by stealing our dreams. If we can't see the reason that we are here, or the purpose that God has for us, we will ultimately lose sight of the divine momentum in our lives.

God continually calls out to us, showing us the great things He has in store for us. Life numbs us to this realization, through wounded hearts and brokenness we reach for something more, and quickly forget what lies ahead.

We have a higher calling. We know we are meant for something more than what we can see. Let us fight for the dreams that God has planted within our hearts; they are there for a reason. Dreams are worth fighting for. Don't let the enemy steal your joy. More than half the battle begins in our thoughts and way of thinking. Let us set our minds on things above, not on earthly things - for the mind on the flesh is death, but the mind on the spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)

Rise up and fight.

This is the day for breakthrough.

Don't keep waiting, hoping that someday, you will experience victory.

There is victory for you right now.

The battle has already been won - Jesus won the victory at the cross.

The Bible says that He intercedes to the Father on our behalf - that's powerful right there!

We are not alone.

Rise up, beloved. 

Fight the good fight - intercede for the hearts of those who are perishing to be drawn to the Father.

Don't settle for mediocrity of the things of this world.

Keep seeking first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you!

You make all things new.

God is making all things new.

In time, He has begun to bring a group of believers around me who not only love God, but love others in a radical & life-changing way. This is what I have been longing to see and experience, to be in fellowship with other believers who are willing to lay down their lives for each other, because of the abundance of brotherly love that is among them.

Last night, I witnessed a baptism in the fountain at UNCG. It was amazing to see a group of spiritual brothers gathered around each other, supporting each other in a reckless pursuit of their Lord and King, Jesus Christ. It nearly brought me to tears to see these men of God continually stirring each other up towards love and good works.

I can't help but feel that I am in the midst of a gathering storm - a storm that will take Greensboro by force; that of love. There is a momentum in the air that you can almost touch, it is so strong. Revival is coming. Lord, let us be unselfish in our pursuit of you. Let us not become content to simply experience you for ourselves, but let that love and grace be poured out from us, to those around us. Let us be catalysts for change wherever we're at. Give us opportunities to show other people Your overwhelming love in life-changing ways. I pray for the simplicity that is the gospel to become a burning passion within our hearts, that we would never be the same again. Let us not become complacent, Lord.

It would be so easy to let it stop here. To be content to take in all of the blessings that You so graciously pour out upon us, yet not share with others because of our natural sinful selfish natures. Yet I pray that You would move us to action. Let our faith not be without works, because you said that faith that lacks works is dead. Let us know You intimately, and become so transformed by seeing Your face that it would transform us.

Show us what Your heart is, God. What are you saying? What would make You smile? We long to know Lord! Because we want to see Your name exalted above all names, that every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father.

AMEN.

New places, New faces. Same God.

While I am in a new place, and meeting so many places,

it's so good to know that God remains the same.

He is opening doors for me left and right!

It's amazing to see His hand in my life.

I continually stand in awe of Him for all that He is doing,

and will continue to work in me and through me.

One year ago, if you had asked me where I would be today,

I don't know that I would have had the faith

to see all of the incredible things in store for me this year!

Even this summer, all of the things that I was able to do

were truly personal dreams realized.

What a blessing and privilege to know that

I am smack dab in the center of God's will.

He continually reminds me that I am not alone -

He is watching over me,

rejoicing in all of the good things that He has in store for me.

I am a child of God, and I am safe in His arms.

It's All New!

Being a new person in a new town is unfamiliar to me.

Yet that's where I am.

It all feels so surreal. I have a feeling that when classes start, it begin to feel more like reality.

It's just hard to accept that this is my life. It feels like I'm away at summer camp or something.


I want it to feel real again. I want to wake up with excitement, and jump out of bed, exhilarated to start

the day. I want to feel the joy of living. When will that return to me? I mean, it's only been a week, sure.

But it all feels so strange. It's still sinking in.

The reality that I am in a new town, on my own, blazing my own trail. It's exciting at the same time that

it is frightening. I'm excited for a new experience. Yet, I am frightened of the unknown.

School starts Monday. Ready or not, here we go.

A Crossroads.

Here I am, at the crossroads. I see clearly that here, I take a turn which will forever alter the course of my

life. And it is a good thing! Tomorrow, I am moving away for college. In many ways, so bittersweet, yet

this summer has flown.

It seemed for the longest time that moving day would never come, but it has truly snuck up on me.

What a thrilling, frightening time this is. Thrilling in that there are so many new opportunities coming.

Frightening in that I will be away from all that is familiar and dear to me. Yet, I trust in the fact that God

is faithful to provide all that I need, even when I don't even know what I should ask for, Jesus intercedes

to the Father on my behalf. I feel so cherished! God is going before me and behind me. He is dancing

over me with singing, laughing, because He knows the great things in store for me, and there is no

reason why I should be anxious. The Lord is faithful, and will bring to completion that work which He

has begun in me.

~Lysandra

Rethink. Reflect. Renew.

Today was a day for me to simply rethink, reflect, and renew. I have been going & going, running around doing so many things. Even when I wasn't "on the go," I was still thinking about all of the things that needed to be done. Talk about stress! So much on my mind, and then when I wasn't aware of something pressing needing to be done, I was trying to recall some important task that it felt like I should be doing.

What I did today was what I had needed to do for a long time.

I simply sat in my room and journaled. Then I took a short nap...when I woke up, I sat on my bed and thought for a long time. I thought about everything I've been doing this summer, and mentally worked through all of the things I've been doing and how I have been spending my time. A time of reflection is the best label for this time.

And it was truly refreshing. It allowed me to mentally recharge.
I have been getting so frustrated, feeling like there is so much left to accomplish in preparation for all of my transitions coming up, but there comes a point at which you do all that you can do, and then it's time to sit and wait. Wait and watch for the opportunity, try to listen and hear what God is leading you to do...I am learning so much more to trust in Him. He has provided housing for me, when one month ago I wasn't even sure where I was going to live!

Now I am looking for a job, but I know that God will lead me in this job search, and provide the perfect work environment & schedule for me. He has promised that He will supply all that I need, and it is time that I stop simply knowing these facts, and take them to heart (personalize them). This is His promise to me, and I will hold onto that hope with all that is within me.

Renew my heart, God of comfort, God of love.

Today, the dam finally broke. I was finally able to cry out to God for comfort.
Thank you God for your overwhelming comfort in the midst of sorrow.

It is so amazing to fall into the gentle arms of grace and know without a doubt
that God will provide ALL that I need. No matter how I feel, no matter what lies
I may have believed, no matter how dark the night may seem, joy comes in the morning.

Lord,
You are wonderful. How could I live without you? Where would I be without You in my life?
Thank you for your overwhelming comfort. You are the God of all comfort. You are near to
the brokenhearted. I love you, and will live my life to serve you. Thank you for your hand in
my life. You are wonderful and altogether worthy of all honor, glory, and praise.

When God says No.

It's so easy to accept God's will when it is a positive answer. So many times, I realize that I want God's will in my life, but only in a limited sense. I desire God's blessings, but I don't want to receive God's discipline.

When I pray that God will answer my prayers, I desire an answer in the affirmative. It's so easy to be grateful for the answers to our prayers when they are what we desire.

Yet, what do we do when we ask for something and God answers with a resounding "No"? It seems to echo within the soul of a believer, and the sound that is reflected can speak volumes about our character and spiritual health.

How will we react when God's answer directly opposes our will or desire? Will we let it cause us to distance ourselves from God and become angry? Or will we accept that God is our Father, and has the best plan for our lives?


I am simply asking the questions. 

I do not have all of the answers. I am truly searching for the right question to ask right now.

God has spoken a "No" in my life, and I am facing this question right now. It's not a fun or happy place to be by any means, yet I have seen how God's answer, even when it directly opposed my will, is always the best.

It might not be easy to follow, it is usually the steeper path that is harder to climb, yet God's will is best. So many times I have been protected from danger or heartache by listening to & obeying God's leading. I know that He will continue to lead me in this season, and His grace is sufficient for me.

July 4th weekend & a family vacation

So I finished up the dance internship on July 3rd, then headed to visit a church & my friends in my new college town! I got to hang out with Joanna that afternoon after church. This church (Awaken City Church) I visited was awesome! It was a blast seeing everyone there, & I met a lot of new people too! The 4th of July party that I went to was fun - we played frisbee & volleyball, then had some awesome fireworks. On the 5th, I checked out the apartment (my friend Joanna came with me), and then we went out for some mexican afterwards! I headed onto VA Beach after I dropped Joanna off to see a friend. It took about 4 1/2 hours to get to the beach, but it was such a wonderful feeling to walk in that door and see all of my family.

The vacation was, in many ways, tough. The whole family was altogether in one huge home, which was wonderful, but also means that some toes will be stepped on & feelings will get hurt. Then, you have to work through forgiving each other & living in harmony with each other. It takes work to have good relationships! Overall, everyone did get along and love each other. We ate really amazing food pretty much every night too. :)

Some of the highlights from our reunion included:

- Reading a dedication to my grandparents that I had written (see "Timeless Strength")

- Catching up with my cousins who live on the West Coast.

- Boogie boarding with some ridiculously good waves (I rode 10-15 in within about an hour or less)...

- Late night conversations & prayer with my lovely cousins.

- Worrying about the "Sand Crab Mafia" coming after me, since they had been provoked by my sister,    

  Casiphia,  & cousin, Amanda...

Those are just a few things that stick out in my mind, but the reunion sure was a blast! God is continuing to speak to me and make me more like Him, which is the ultimate goal of my life - to be like Jesus. It isn't always "fun" when we're in the midst of the shaping & molding, but God is faithful to provide all that we need in His perfect timing. Thank you God for your faithfulness!

Dance Internship: Tuesday, June 29th - Saturday July 3rd, 2010

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
Tuesday I also worked on brochures & other projects in the morning/afternoon. That night, I went to a studio that was offering drop-in classes (that means you can pay per class, versus having to buy a package). I took a salsa class! It was fun, but man my abs were so sore from all that twisting. It definitely is a different type of work out if you do salsa versus other types of dance. Definitely very active, and a lot of lateral movement. I enjoyed it!


Wednesday June 30th, 2010
Wednesday was the same deal as Tuesday; I worked on projects during the day, then took a class that night. I took a hip-hop class with my friend Jasmine. It was a blast! It was a karate/kung-fu style dance to "Hi-ya" by Trish. If you youtube it, there are a ton of different choreography videos posted. Very fun! Afterwards, I helped Jazzy move some things into her apartment. It was so good to see her, since it's been almost a year since the last time we hung out. I loved taking the class together!

Thursday July 1st, 2010
Thursday I worked on some items in the morning, then I went in the afternoon to observe Ronya set a commissioned piece on the students. It was really cool how she did this. She used the 85th Psalm, breaking up the verses into sections, and assigning sections to groups of dancers. Then they all joined in on the last few verses, moving only on key words (righteousness, faithfulness, love...).  After that, they all sang Agnus Dei & did movements that they had learned during the classes. It was really cool to see how it all came together! After this, I was able to come to the hospitality dinner. It was so delicious - they had hummus, pita bread, lemon chicken, and an amazing salad. The organization that hosted us was called the Carolina House. They rehabilitate women with eating disorders by exposing them to food in a healthy & consistent way. It was awesome to hear about how this ministry is changing lives, one woman at a time.

Friday July 2nd, 2010
Friday I worked on tying up loose ends during the morning and afternoon.
I had to polish up a few things, then I came on campus mid-afternoon. I went to this awesome coffee shop and got a delicious soy peach smoothie (smoothies are the best on a toasty July day!) I had mexican for dinner with Ronya, then attended the closing service. The Arts Village people presented their commissioned pieces on this night, and everyone hugged and cried during the closing ceremonies. It was pretty awesome to see how tightly these kids bonded together after two short weeks. I'm sure that they came away having learned a lot about their faith. The group performed Ronya's piece, and it was beautiful, especially the way that the music echoed in the huge cathedral. It was definitely awe-inspiring.

Saturday July 3rd, 2010
This was the final day for my internship, and basically I finished making sure everything was as it should be, & well organized on the USB drive that I was planning to turn into my boss at our debrief meeting. We met in the early afternoon, and discussed how everything had gone for the past month. It went really well, and my boss also gave me some beautiful gifts: a journal an embellished wallet (I think it was from world market - it looks mediterranean or indian). The most amazing part was when she prayed for me right before I left. It is really encouraging to have someone who is in ministry (in the area that I want to work in) pray for you! What a blessing!

Saturday night I said goodbye to the family that so graciously hosted me, and went to (my first) minor league baseball game. It was fun! Our team lost though...but they had fireworks afterwards, so I guess that made up for it :)

Adieu,

Lysandra

Monday, June 21st - Monday June 28th, 2010

It has been quite awhile since I updated my progress with the internship, so we have quite a bit of catching up to do! I will highlight the major events from the third week:


Monday June 21st, 2010
First day of the Youth camp. The instructors introduced themselves to the kids, and there were great reviews overall. I ended up arriving right after this, since I accidentally took the wrong bus to the other side of campus. That was quite an adventure...

Anyways, I met a lot of the staff, ate dinner at the cafeteria with everyone (the food was pretty good), and then attended the evening worship service.  I met Walnes, a haitian dancer/painter/musician, and I'm sure there's something I am leaving out. He's a talented guy, with a great sense of humor. We hit it off, and he showed me some of his watercolor paintings. They were so beautiful, and now I've been inspired to go play around with the paintbrush a bit more.  ;)

The evening worship service follows form that is pretty consistent. Worship (hymns, Old & New Testament Readings, formal prayer), Sermon, Communion Ceremony, Closing worship, Benediction. This is the way the Methodists do it. I really do appreciate the liturgy. It's beautiful. I feel like we've lost something in modern "contemporary" Christianity, but approaching God in such an informal way. To have the formality is to also realize that we are sinners, petitioning a holy God who is completely "other" than ourselves. Though we may try to define Him, we simply cannot begin - we do not even know where to begin.


Tuesday June 22nd, 2010
On Tuesday, I worked on some brochures and other assignments during the morning. That afternoon, I went on campus in the early afternoon. I got lost (parking issues again), and had to walk a mile in the middle of the day. It took a long time, and I was still about 20 minutes late to her class. She had offered to show me the parking garage I could park in the night before, but I thought I could google it and find it. That turned out to be a bad idea, because google sent me to some little side road next to the campus police department (why!?) When I finally arrived, I had the opportunity to observe Ronya's sacred dance class with the youth. It is really interesting how you can format a class to give "non-dancers" the opportunity to enjoy worshipping God through movement. I attended the evening service again, and enjoyed the music especially.


Wednesday June 23rd, 2010
On Wednesday, I took a class at a local dance studio. I really enjoyed it. It was so fun! It was a contemporary/lyrical class, which was really cool because it's something I've been wanting to take for awhile. Contemporary is really close to modern/lyrical, but the goal is to extend your body to it's farthest reach, which I think gives it a more emotional feel & look. Throughout the dance, the teacher had a "hand motif" where the right hand clapped over your mouth. At first, I thought it was cool. But now I think she was a little bit obsessed with the hand over the mouth pose...maybe just a different gesture every now and then (in the choreography) would have been better visually. After dance, I grabbed a bite to eat on campus. When I was going to catch the bus back to my car, I realized (after waiting for half an hour) that the bus stopped running at 9pm. So I called Ronya & luckily, she was already in her car & gave me a ride to my car, so it all worked out!


Thursday June 24th, 2010
Thursday morning was the same- I worked on projects that I have been given, and headed out a little bit after lunch to observe Ronya's class (dance). I had planned to park in a garage that was close to her classroom, but it ended up being completely full. So I parked where I had parked on Tuesday and walked a mile to the class. When I finally got there, all of the exterior doors were locked...I wanted to cry! I had walked all that way in the scorching heat, and been trying to maintain a cheerful attitude, but this was just too much. I'm pretty sure I muttered "Are you kidding me??" when I found that the exterior doors were locked.

On the bright side, after the second set of doors proved to be locked as well, I saw people entering the first door I had tried and I got in. I was still about five minutes late to the class, but at least it was better than Tuesday (it was still super disappointing though...)

Thursday night was a hospitality dinner, so I got some dinner on my own. Then I came back for the worship service.


Friday June 25th, 2010
Friday I came early in the morning to a "Plenary Session", which is basically a teaching session, where the kids at the camp are also encouraged to ask questions, etc. It was very interesting-this particular session was focused on the suffering of Christ on our behalf, and what it means for us. Around lunchtime, I worked on some more projects off campus, and that night I came back on campus for the worship session. It was focused on Christ's death. One thing that I thought was pretty cool was that they turned the altar around from saying Alleluia, to the other side. On the alternate side, it says "I Thirst." That's it! It is the side that they turn it to every year during Lent to commemorate the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior.


Saturday June 26th, 2010
Today I went home for Isaac's GMA ceremony. I left at 5:45AM from my host family's home, arrived at the campus by 6:20, and took Ronya to the airport by 7AM. I was on the road home pretty early, and arrived at about 9AM. It was so awesome to see everyone. It ended up being a super busy day, getting ready for the ceremony, etc. It was a beautiful awards ceremony, and the food turned out deeliciously! My mom went all out with amazing Bolivian cookies and pastries. I helped keep the punch bowl fully stocked, and shopped at Wal-Mart (eww). My Aunt Lucy & fam attended, as well as my cousin Amyleigh, & grandparents. Also, Jeff & his mom came, so that was awesome, since they helped us videotape & prep/clean up the food for the reception. Gotta love awesome friends!

Sunday June 27th, 2010
Today I was finally able to rest up. I had been so drained from the week at the internship, with all of the parking ordeals (they really had started stacking up!). I went to my home church, and it was a refreshing, timely word from Craig Groeschel. It was about having Unstoppable Courage in the face of fear and anxiety. The thing that he said that impacted me the most was this: "the pathway to your greatest potential is often straight through your greatest fear." Powerful and so challenging. Prior to this, God had really been speaking to me about how many times I rush to say "...but I can't!" It's draining. It kills faith and creativity. It is unbelief. And He has definitely been challenging me to champion past this mentality, to new levels of unshakeable belief in Him and the truth of His word.


Monday June 28th, 2010
This was the day I utilized to back into the groove of everything. I primarily worked the first half of the day at home, then headed on campus for the night session. It was a great transition day for the final leg of my month long journey. This was the first day of the final week of the internship, so I started making lists of items that needed attention and prioritizing them, which really helped me plan for the rest of the week as well. Yay for planning days! :)

More soon,

Lysandra

June 19th & 20th (Dance Internship)

Saturday, June 19th, 2010

This past Saturday was quite interesting- in a good way :)
I woke up, and realized that I was only about an hour away from the city where I will be attending
college this fall. I had to work remotely, so I figured that I could stop in at a local coffee shop (where they have Wi-Fi), and work from there. It was a great opportunity to look around for off-campus housing. I think I may have found what I am looking for! I'm getting pretty excited too. My friend, Sarah, also came with me. It was a pretty chill, fun trip. We arrived & drove around a bit, then stopped in at my favorite coffee shoppe to grab some lunch (while I worked on a few things). We arrived back at Sarah's house about an hour and a half before I needed to be leaving to meet with Ronya.

Dinner with Ronya & her friend was at 6pm. We went to this cute little mexican place - very classy, yet reasonable prices too. It was delicious! We got a sampler of plantains- so delicious! I ordered a taco salad, which was also scrumptious. After we finished visiting, Ronya & I met to discuss the past couple of weeks at a dessert/coffee shop next door. I ordered a lemon bar & coffee; I sure do love citrus flavored foods. Our meeting went well; we finished up and I dropped her off at the dorm where she is staying for the two weeks of the camp.

Arrived at my 'home base' kind of late, but I wasn't tired (at all) since I had regular coffee (at 8pm!)...not the best idea. I was up for a while, but finally headed to bed once the coffee wore off.



Sunday, June 20th, 2010


Visited Sarah's church with her. It was a wonderful, powerful message. It seemed like God had me come there for a very specific purpose, so that I could hear that message. Wow, I'm still processing through the richness of the revelation that was shared.

I got an (awesome) water bottle for being a first time guest, as well as a free coffee. I tried out this s'more latte (iced, decaf!), & it wasn't bad. :) We headed back to Sarah's house afterwards, then I grabbed some lunch & rushed to meet Ronya. We went & scoped out my parking area (only 2 hour parking), then headed to the mall to look for a jean jacket or sweater for her.

She found some nice jeans (kind of look like linen jeans!), but no sweater. I think she will continue looking to see if she can find what she is looking for. We finished up by 4:30pm, and I dropped her back off at the campus.

When I came back to my host's home, we had burgers for dinner (I helped prepare them a little bit). They were dee-licious. We watched BBC's North & South altogether- I love that series! I also took a much needed nap from 5-6 (ish). When I woke up, I thought it was the next morning, which was pretty hilarious. But despite the confusion,  I felt so refreshed! I believe that I will always advocate taking naps - they promote happiness & longevity.

What a great Sunday. It truly was a sabbath for me, since I was able to relax and recharge my batteries.

Until we meet again,

Lysandra

Dance Internship Recap: June 15th-18th, 2010

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

On Tuesday I started working (or continued working) on a brochure I had put together for all of the workshops/conferences that Ronya does. It needed some additional tweaking, so we were basically talking back & forth  via phone or e-mail all day. We finally got the brochure to the point that it needed to be, and it turned out beautifully! So I had quite a feeling of accomplishment in the end.

I went to B&N (my office lol) to work on it (& a ministry engagement contract). I loved the 2 story B&N- it had a Starbucks, which was sectioned off to almost a separate building within the bookstore. By the afternoon, I had come to a stopping point. So I went to Target to pick up a few things...it ended up taking 2 hours because they lost my pictures that I had developed and I had to wait...I didn't want to leave and come back.

When I finally left Target, I headed back to B&N to finish up work on the brochure. At about 5, I headed back to the Chen's house. We had rehearsal for the performance Wednesday at the Upper Room. After that, I was glad to head to bed! It was a long one.

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010


Planned to head to the printer to have the brochures made up. We had to make sure the formatting was correct, so I had to go there in person. I met Mrs. Pauline at the printer at about 12:30pm. Before she arrived, I grabbed some pizza at Vito's- it was an interesting flavor. Still not sure how much I liked it lol. It took close to two hours to finally get the brochure to where it needed to be. The printer really needed a larger staff I think. Anyways, when we were done I had my car checked at the mechanic (tire alignment/pressure) and checked my fluid levels. It looked ok, but my car definitely needs some work when I get home, so I'll be out in the garage helping my dad replace a few things soon! lol...

I met Mrs. Pauline at the mall after a bit (she went to buy some Jamaican food :). We finished up a few things, then I headed to the Chen's house for the concert! It went really well! All of the kids put in stellar performances. I was 10th in the line-up, so definitely enough time to get nervous! It felt like it went well, but my song was a little lengthy...so I'm still gonna tweak it a lot I hope. Afterwards, we had cake & awesome chinese food to celebrate Fanny's 14th birthday. It was fun! We also talked about setting up some volleyball playing time for the next day, but we decided to kind of play it by ear. Bed time ended up being a little bit late with all of the excitement.

Thursday, June 17th, 2010


June 17th was a great day. I woke up & prepared for the day. I decided to stretch & do a "class" upstairs in the Upper Room. I invited Fanny to join me if she wanted to, so she came & we did stretches, exercises, and I taught her part of some choreography to "Carried to the Table" by Leeland. Fun stuff! We showed Mr. Jeremiah & Evie what we had learned together, and it was pretty awesome. Fanny picked up the choreography pretty quickly! I worked on some administrative things for about an hour after that, then we headed to the park where we tossed a volleyball around for a bit and I took my lunch break.

It was refreshing to be outside in the cool breeze for a change. How I love the cool climate of that town! Ah so wonderful. Afterwards, I finished up all of the work I had left - folding the brochures we had printed the day before by hand. Fanny, Evie, and James (their cousin) helped me. It was actually pretty fun, because we had to figure out a strategic way to fold them the correct way without messing them up. These brochures were full color, on glossy paper, so they can be pretty pricey to print. They turned out well and I was quite pleased with our "brochure folding party."

Later in the afternoon, I left to the dance studio where Ronya was holding her auditions for the company she is working with. I was able to learn some of the choreography, as well as run the music for the different groups when they performed the sections of choreography they had been taught. It was wonderful to be a part of the audition process; I felt like I learned a lot about running a company, as well as holding an audition. Basically, the goal is to help everyone feel comfortable without promising anything to them....it's a fine balance, but I felt like this audition met my expectations of what an audition should be. I arrived home rather late, but my host family was still awake (the girls finished school the day before). We all hung out (I gave them each a little note, and it was really special). The girls had fun on photobooth with my mac...they were falling on the floor laughing over all of the different effects. It was definitely fun to watch. I finally headed downstairs and continued working on packing and laundry for my transition to part II of my internship in a different state.


Friday, June 18th, 2010


I ended up leaving later than I had anticipated, but I left before 11am & managed to avoid the worst of the Friday lunch traffic. That is always something that should be avoided if possible...crazy traffic! Not fun. I stopped by my Grandma's work, and she gave me some little Caesar's pizza. We had a nice time visiting and took some nice photos together. I can't wait to see all of my family on my dad's side at our family reunion! It's going to be a great time.

I headed on from my Grandma's town (the half way point of my trip), and arrived at my host family's house by about 4pm. It was wonderful timing, since I was able to get situated before my meeting that night. I was scheduled to have dinner with Ronya, but it got pushed back to dessert due to a staff meeting she had to attend. But by the time we met up, we needed to run errands and that ended up taking way longer than we though it would! So it was quite a time trying to find a Target to buy a few things that were essential (toiletries, pillows, etc).

We had a fun time, but were both pretty tuckered out by the time I dropped her off where she is staying. I arrived back at my host family's house kind of late, but they were still up for the most part. We visited for awhile, then watched Alice in Wonderland (I thought I wouldn't like it, but I loved it!). We headed to bed pretty much directly after the movie. All in all, Friday was a busy but great day.

Signing off,

Lysandra

Dance Internship: June 14th (Day off!)

June 13th was my day off, so I made some awesome plans to go visit my Uncle & his family. They live about 1/2 an hour from where I am staying, so it wasn't too bad of a drive. I arrived at Tio Marcos' house at 12pm. My little baby cousins are so adorable.

They were jumping up and down, hanging all over me when I came in. Their names are: Aliza (6), Amelia (3), and Anita (1). They are all simply adorable little girls, with glossy black, bouncing curls, big brown eyes, and long black eyelashes that women all over the world would do anything to get. And on top of all that they have tireless energy!

I chatted with Tia Tami for a few minutes. The little girls were all ready for me to play with them- Amelia was carrying her collection of ducks around (her favorite toys), and telling me that the ducks were "dirty because Aliza touched them" and that we needed to give them a bath. Classic.

So, I told them to dress up in their favorite outfit and get their favorite toys ready to show to me. When I headed upstairs (after much urging from the girls to hurry and come ha ha), they were ecstatic. Amelia had her collection of rubber duckies to show to me, and her favorite stuffed bear (Woozy).

Aliza showed me her entire collection of stuffed animals, each of which had a name and a special interest or ability ("This is rainbow cat, when she jumps, she makes a rainbow" was my favorite description). She also showed me her favorite stuffed bear that she always snuggles with at bedtime.
Anita ran & got her "Rosy bear" to show it off and be like her sisters. She is too cute. Oh my goodness!

After this "show & tell" time, we gathered the rubber duckies, and each of us took turns scrubbing them with this special brush that Amelia has to wash them with. I wonder how many baths they get a day? :)
By the end, Amelia was satisfied that they were clean, although there were a few tears over who would get to bathe certain ducks (specifically the pink duck with the heart, that one was a favorite for sure).

At 2:30, I took Amelia & Aliza to the neighborhood pool. It was a gorgeous facility with a kiddie pool, and a regular sized pool with Olympic sized swimming lanes, a diving board, and a shallow end for kids.
We went back & forth between the kiddie pool and the kid's shallow end of the big pool. We had fun racing each other (Amelia went on my back & we raced against Aliza), playing with the ducks in the kiddie pool (even though another child "kidnapped" one, and didn't want to give it back; surprisingly, Amelia stayed calm through this ordeal). All in all, we stayed at the pool for 2 1/2 hours! The girls did great, but we took breaks throughout to have snacks/drinks. They did really well!

After we arrived back at Tio Marcos & Tia Tami's house, I needed a little bit of quiet time! I had a blast with the little girls, but I was pretty tired. I went out on the deck & journaled for a bit in the rain (I was under the shelter, but I watched the rain :). It was quite lovely.

We all went to IHOP for dinner- I ordered the international crepe passport- it was so delicious. Fresh fruit on top, bacon, eggs...coffee. Yummy! We had a nice time visiting with each other.

When we got home,  the girls prepared for bed. Aliza was really sad that I was leaving; I said good-bye twice, and then on the phone on the way to downtown to see the monuments with Tio M. We finally got the the monument I wanted to see at close to 11. Detours threw us off, so that was kind of disappointing. But they looked AMAZING at night. I did get some nice pictures, so that was great as well. Tio Marcos drove back with me to my apartment. He didn't want me going in alone at night. Which is good- I felt safer because he drove with me and walked me to my door. It tacked an additional half hour to his drive, but it was so appreciated! What a wonderful day my Monday was - the best day off ever!

~Lysandra

Days 5, 6, & 7

"There's a Purpose in Every Path you Take...A Reason Why You Live." -Patricia Hunter

Day 5, June 11th, 2010


Day 5 began quite early, as I prepared to head to take a 3-hr modern class with Ronya about 1/2 hr away from the Chen's house. I left their house at about 9:00, heading to class at 10am. Parking can be a pain, since there are meters everywhere unless you find a parking garage... :/

I arrived in the area at around 9:30, but had to circle around a few times thanks to all the one way streets. I finally parallel parked (sometimes a challenge for me, but I did it! lol...), then realized I didn't have any change for the meter. Luckily, there was a bank across the street. I went to get change, and the line wasn't really moving, but there was a lady putting change into one of those change counter machines.
I asked her for change, and quickly went to my car to put more money in the meter. I had already put $3 worth of quarters in when I realized there was a 1 hr. time limit (it "ate" $2 worth of quarters :/....) So that was a bummer. I made it to class by 10:05, with a quick Starbucks run right I went across the street.

The studio was in the lower level of an office/shopping center building. It had three separate studios, and the teacher was so professional. She knows her craft, that is for certain. Her visualizations were incredible. She gave me many helpful tips & corrections.

After the first hour, I ran to re-park my car. It took awhile to get there because I had to try and get directions to the parking garage (*sigh*). To my dismay, I had gotten a $40 ticket 2 MINUTES before I reached my car. Is that not ridiculous?!? I'm going to try to dispute it. I'm pretty sure they'll take it off, from what the lady at the dept. said when I called about it.

Anyways, I finally found a parking garage, but they didn't take a debit card. So I gave the teller $2, promised to come straight back to pay him the difference after I found an ATM, parked, ran to the ATM, and came back and payed the remaining $8 for parking. They had already started back from the break when I got back to class, but I tried to catch on. We did some fun across the floor combos.

After a little while, my knee & ankle started swelling pretty badly, so I had to take a break. Sometimes it's hard to gauge whether it is a serious injury, or something you can push through. It felt like I should take it easy, so I observed the second half of the class. Pretty awesome stuff. There was a girl who was 16 with incredible extension & maturity- she looked like she could be in her early to mid-twenties. It was  incredible.

After class, Ronya & I grabbed some lunch upstairs at a little deli, and chatted about the week so far, etc.  When we were done, she drove me to the parking garage (where I thought my car was...) It turned out to be on the next block. If I hadn't had my ATM receipt, I wouldn't have been able to find it, but the receipt had an address on it! Yay!

I headed to a copy store to have some print work that I had worked on produced for the show (brochures, a flyer insert for the program, etc.) It was supposed to be ready for pick up, since I had e-mailed it a head of time. But it was all wrong. I had to re-work it all (formatting was messed up), and worked on it for too long. It still ended up being messed up. Mrs. Pauline & Ronya told me that it was the copy shop's fault, since the gentleman "assisting me" (letting me do all the work and being no help whatsoever) did not know what he was doing with the print work.

Later, when I headed to the venue where we were performing, I burned the cd from the program order on the PDF of the program. It turned out to be the wrong order; the graphic designer messed it up by putting page two twice, and omitting page 1 altogether. What a headache! And when I finally thought I had fixed the problem, the cd didn't burn correctly & it wouldn't play. So the rehearsal was pretty rough because of the technical difficulties. However, everyone left with their chin up, knowing that Saturday would be much better.

Saturday, June 12th, 2010 Day 6
Saturday AM I woke up at 6:30 to prepare to head to Target & Barnes & Noble to work on the music. I bought CD-RW at Target, and worked for a couple hours cutting music & editing it all together. When I got back to the Chen's house (12pm), I had the girls listen to the music with me to check it. Turned out that Anthem of Praise was too short- it had a part two on a separate track that needed to be spliced into the same track with it. I had to burn it onto a disk & re-import back into iTunes in order to work around the track protection from iTunes. It took about half an hour for me to get it right. Then by 2pm, I had burned a master copy, and 3 back up cds for the show.  I literally held them until we arrived at the venue, that's how protective I was, but after all that time and effort, it makes sense!

Call time was 3pm, and we got there a little bit before 3. I ran through my solo on the stage at about 3:30, and helped everyone backstage with costumes, make-up, and hair. The show started at 5pm without a single mishap. Thank the Lord! The only things that were slightly off were: after Redemption Song, somebody dropped a hairnet and it stayed onstage for a dance, and when it was time for my solo, I thought it was still a few pieces away, and wasn't ready for a minute (ish) because I was trying to figure out who was supposed to be onstage! It was kinda funny. The finale, Anthem of Praise, was simply glorious. There was a pure joy in the room, and the company received a standing ovation.

Of course, for me, the work was far from over. I picked up the foyer, sold a book at the table, ran to find change for the person, and packed up a bunch of things backstage in order to leave in a timely manner. We were out before 8pm, which was great! On the drive home, I took a short nap. How wonderful!!!

When we got home, Fanny & I took a few pictures together with our make-up still on (I did her make-up, and she looked so pretty ^_^). Then I got ready to go eat dinner, and play some music with the Upper Room band. We ran a few songs, and I practiced "The Searching Song", since I am performing it on Wednesday. We finished up by about 10pm, then I shared a short message about dreams. I basically encouraged the kids that if they have dreams, they shouldn't just write them off and say it would be too hard, or list all the reasons they can't do it. God has given them their dreams, and they just need to seek Him about the steps to take to make it happen.

At 10:15, we all headed downstairs for some sweet snacks: watermelon and homemade cake with buttercream icing. The kids literally devoured the watermelon. One guy ate at least 3 pieces of cake- don't ask me how he stays so thin. It's crazy how fast a teen guy's metabolism works! Man. Everyone left by about 11:20pm, and I also headed down to bed. I was in bed by twelve, but I found out that the service I was going to was moved up (we were going to the 11am, now I had to be there at 8:30am)...

Sunday June 13th, 2010, Day 7
Woke up at the crack of dawn (well, Ronya called me at about 7, and that was when I woke up lol).
I packed everything for the picnic, and also for the service. It was a lovely service honoring the Senior class of 2010. They let them run the service, and it was quite entertaining. I really enjoyed it! Also met a lot of people, so that was fun too.

At 11:30, I left the church and went to Mrs. Pauline's house. We loaded up her car and went over to the park at 12:30. Everyone got there later than 2pm; they kind of trickled in. Olivia arrived with her 2 year old, William, in tow, and I happened to have some bubbles. He loved them- he even figured out how to blow a few! And Jenora, a member of the Jr. dance company, learned how to do a cartwheel in about 5 minutes of teaching her. She's a smart little girl! We also played volleyball (Jade & Jenora ran some drills with me :D), plus we ate some amazing Jamaican food and carrot cake- it was a blast!

We packed up by 6pm and headed to Mrs. Pauline's house. We took some photos, and unloaded everything. I left to the Chen's by about 6:30pm.  I took a nap from 7:30-9pm, and then I was wide awake! Not the best :/...But I got some things done, like thank you notes, photo uploads...so it was ok. Today, I am going to see my uncle and his family, go chill out at the pool, and sight seeing tonight! It
supposed to be beautiful at night. I'm stoked!

Until next time,

Lysandra

"Come to Me"

The questions that truly matter in life are remarkably few, and they are all answered by these words— “Come to Me.” Our Lord’s words are not, “Do this, or don’t do that,” but— “Come to me.” -Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest. 


Day 4 (June 10th, 2010) Summer Dance Internship


Day four of my internship didn't slow down that much more than Day 3. The only difference was I didn't have to run around as much, so that was good! Whew.
I woke up early (6am-ish) and attempted to start installation of microsoft office for my mac (yet again) to no avail. Then I wrote on my blog, and did some other misc. things, including getting ready for the day.  By 8:30am, I was ready to go! Mr. Chen tried to help me troubleshoot the Microsoft install, but he is not familiar with Mac computers, so he wasn't sure what the issue might be. I tried to get in touch with Microsoft for about half an hour (it's almost impossible to find a phone number on their site!). Finally, I got the number for customer service. It took awhile, but perseverance pays off! 


When I finally was being transferred to the technician who would be working on my case number, I said good-bye to the customer service rep who was opening my case, and automatically hung up the phone. *Sigh*...I called back, thankfully since I had a case number, it didn't take long to get back on the phone with the technician who walked me through the installation. After about another hour on the phone, it finally worked! YAY!


By 12pm, the software was completely installed. A morning basically spent on the phone, but it was totally worth it. I started working on a promotional brochure, and finished it up by 1:30pm. Not too shabby. I had lunch at around 1:30, and prepared to head to Trader Joe's to pick up some sweet snacks for the recital this Saturday. 


Trader Joe's was only about 10-15 minutes away. It was my first time going there, but some of my friends love it, so I was excited. I bought 4 packs of kettle corn, 4 bags of chocolate covered pretzels, 2 packs of granola bars, 4 bags of trail mix, a bag of peanut butter filled pretzel nubs, and a Trader Joe's reusable bag (it was red & really pretty!).  All that for around $50. SCORE!


I made it back to the Chen's house by 3:10. I had to make sure to be back by 3:30 to avoid the traffic jams that ensue when all the kids get out of school. I prepared to practice/work on my solo for about an hour. I practiced in the upper room until 4:30-ish. The Chen's were my audience-and they were so encouraging too! Fanny even videotaped me, which was awesome, since there isn't a mirror in the space (a good thing sometimes when you're rehearsing). 


At around 4:30, I had a conference call that lasted a little over half an hour. We had to leave at half past five to make it on time to a 6:30pm rehearsal (it's an hour away, with traffic). So I got all my things together, and we left. I had so much stuff to load into the car: purse, laptop/misc. bag, garment bag, plus the two bags of snacks for Saturday! lol.


We arrived at the practice on time. The first 20 minutes of practice, everyone prayer journals -very cool idea. When that portion ended, everyone circled up for prayers/praises, notes, and opening prayer. For the next half hour, everyone had a costume check/approval. While we were waiting, I played "Bow to your Sense" (also known as "Kung Fu") with the younger gals. After a few minutes, the younger girls worked on their West African dance. Once costume checks were over, the company started running through all of their pieces for Saturday. They put so much heart into all of it, I'm sure Saturday will be wonderful. 


We finally got home at 10:30pm. I was dead tired, but still had to mail off brochures to the copier for Saturday's recital. I finished up those items, and still ended up going to bed a lot later than I wanted to...but I'm glad I finished up those projects!


Today, I am going to attend a 3 hour (Yes, 3 hour!!! :D) Modern class with Ronya-Lee. Tonight, we have dress rehearsal at the venue we will be performing in this Saturday.


Adios Amigos!


Lysandra

"Life is...a war against your Heart"

"You won't understand your life, you won't see clearly what has
happened to you or how to live forward from here, unless you see it as battle. A war against your heart."

{John Eldredge, Waking the Dead}


Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 (Day 2.8)

The end of day two was very peaceful. I practiced my solo for about 45 minutes in the Upper Room ; it is the perfect space for that. At about 6-ish, I started making my tacos. They were very yummy! The Chens were eating dinner at about the same time, so I got the opportunity to visit with them and learn more about their background. It was really cool to hear the story of how they migrated here from China.

While we were visiting, I suggested to the  girls (Fannie & Evie) that maybe we could play music together if they didn't have homework to finish up. So we practiced a couple of different songs for their service that is coming up soon. Then, right before they had to head to bed, I played "The Searching Song" for them. It was funny, because I could not remember the chorus or my bridge. But, I think it actually sounds better without those!

They told me that it was really inspiring to hear my song, which in turn encouraged me. I remember watching Nate Fancher play his songs at War Cry a few years back, and thinking how I could never write songs that were any good. Yet, God has given me songs to sing and I am so thankful for all the encouragement from friends and family to keep writing! It kind of makes me want to ask Nate Fancher to listen to my songs, and that I used to be in his Music/ worship workshop at War Cry a few years ago...

I went down to my apartment at about 9:30, then I caught up with family for about half an hour. Annalisa has been missing me, so I chatted with her. She recently was awarded a solo in her choral group. I'll tell you- that child was made to be onstage! She just loves it. And everyone that watches her simply experiences God's joy flowing through her; her middle name isn't Jubilee by accident, not by any means! ;) I promised Annalisa that we will paint our nails and re-paint them as many times as she wants when we are at the beach in about a month...oh yeah, and we'll make "cupkakes" too, & eat them.

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 (Day 3)

I woke up super early-6:30am. I prepared to head to the doctor (urgent care). My throat has been hurting really badly at night, and I thought it might be something left over from a sinus infection...I got ready for the day and left for the Dr's at 10:30; it only took about 15 min to get there (yay!). It was a cutting edge technology urgent care, with electronic sign in clip boards, and pagers to let you know when to go back to the exam room.

Turns out, I have a virus (most likely). So I will have to tough it out. But the Doctor was Israeli, and also a specialist in Sports Medicine. He directs a Sports Medicine practice nearby, but works at the urgent care as well. His residency was at Harvard, and he worked with the Boston Ballet dancers. It was so cool to find out that he specializes in working with dancers specifically, having that experience. I have been having issues with my leg since I injured it while doing a jump a couple of weeks ago. He quickly examined it, and said it's on the mend, but may be vulnerable for 4-6 wks after the injury.

After the appointment, I headed to Barnes & Noble across the street. It was two stories, with escalators to the second floor. I was in heaven, quite literally. I worked on some items that needed attention for a couple hours while I was sitting in the Starbucks area, sipping on a cup o' joe. Then I went upstairs to the second floor and drafted a service contract; it was kind of fun.

I ran by the bank after I left B&N, then I headed to Best Buy to purchase Office 2008 for my mac. It was the same price as wal-mart, in-stock too! Great deal. The only downside was that the Best buy proved to be about half an hour away...so a bit of a drive. I grabbed some Wendy's on the way to the mechanic (my car was smelling like gasoline, or so I thought). They said it wasn't a gas leak (thankfully), but might be exhaust fumes or something else, but it would cost too much to fix (more than worth of car). So I will be getting a second opinion on that one... :/

At about 6, I finally made it back to the B&N shopping center. I ran by Target to pick up some essentials, then to B&N right next door. I sat at the little laptop bar at the shoppe. Then, I attempted to install Office (3 times) to no avail. Quite frustrating...and sad. But did get the chance to call a few people while I was waiting, so that was nice.

On the way back to the Chen's (finally) I stopped to buy gas, but my wallet clasp got stuck (the pin that held it together lodged in a crevice), and it wouldn't open. It had all of my money in it: credit card, debit card, cash...! I tried to fiddle with it for a few minutes, then asked the attendant for assistance. We were both laughing at how ridiculous and bizarre the whole scenario was! After trying unsuccessfully to open it with a paper clip, I asked for scissors. My poor wallet.

It was rather late when I finally returned. I made myself a snack (delicious toast with peanut butter- yes, I do love PB!), and watched a couple minutes of So You Think You Can Dance? with the girls. I went back down to my apartment, then I caught up with Casiphia for about an hour. She prayed that my wallet would open, and the next time I tried, I was able to disassemble the clasp. Thank you Jesus! Finally headed to bed kind of late, but it was with peace that I laid my head on my pillow, as I thanked God for taking care of me once more.

Adios,

Lysandra

Summer Dance Internship

 For the next month, I am going to chronicle my dance internship on here! It is such an exciting time for me. I applied for this internship in March of this year, and found out that I had been accepted in May. By the end of May, it was almost time to leave for the big city!

While my hometown isn't huge, it does not in any way compare to the real big city. From the traffic jams to the cultural events, to the stores (shopping! yay!), it is so diverse. This might sound weird, but I actually like driving on the crowded, busy highways, even with the traffic jams. As long as I'm not sitting there for hours on end!

I decided to break the 6-7 hour trip into segments. I drove half way on Sunday night to my grandparents and spent the night there (6/6/10). On Monday morning, I woke up super early (even though I'd gone to bed rather late) because I was so excited to get on the road. When I said good morning to my grandma, told me that they were worried about me driving in such a busy area without a GPS, so they wanted to buy me one!  What a blessing. They completely blessed my socks off with this amazing Garmin-it is so cool- I type in the address, and the GPS tells me what to do-*bam* I'm there! It's awesome.

So I left my grandparent's at about 10am on Monday morning. It took about 2 1/2 hours. I strategically left at a time that would allow me to avoid the morning rush hour- since I did not want to be driving in that traffic right off the bat! Too much stress for me. Had a great drive-didn't stop, so I drove it straight through. When I arrived at my destination (Mrs. Pauline's house, director of the dance ministry), I was early. So I ran to the store, then came back right at 1pm for our meeting.

We got acquainted for a little while, then she gave me some biographies to edit/proofread for the dance program they are sending to print this week.  At about 2pm, we drove downtown to meet up with the graphic designer who is putting the program together. We dropped a packet of info off to her, then headed back to Mrs. Pauline's house. On the way, we stopped in at Wendy's and I had a frosty. It was nice, since it was so toasty outside. :)

We got back to Mrs. Pauline's at around 4pm. I continued working on the biographies, and discussing the audition announcement flyer I would be working on the next day (today). At 5:15pm, I headed to the Chen's home (my host family). They are so cool!  Mrs. Chen is actually Doctor Chen- she is a practicing Dentist. They have a home which serves several different functions: their family home, Dr. Chen's practice, a large room for worship dance/ instrumental worship services or practices (they call it "The Upper Room"), and a small apartment downstairs, which includes a foyer, bedroom, and bathroom (as well as a private entry).

Funny story: As it turned out, I did not know that Mrs. Chen was a dentist until right when arrived on Monday. My appt. was supposed to be June 10th back home, but obviously, I'm gone, so they can't clean my teeth! I don't like that dentist at all anyways...lol. So I asked Mr. Chen if they take my insurance, and they do! So, not only are they hosting me, Dr. Chen will also be my dentist! God sure does have a sense of humor. I remember wondering when I would be able to get my dentist check-up in between summer vacation and leaving for school in August, but having peace that God would provide--And He has! Whoo hoo! :D

Today, I woke up at 6:30am. I had to leave by 9am, so I got up & ready for the day! I had cereal in my mini-kitehen and made a delicious PB sandwich with this amazing all natural peanut butter and whole grain bread. My favorite!

I got on the road by 9:15am, then arrived to Mrs. Pauline's at about 9:45. Traffic is so unpredictable! But I managed to avoid it this time :)

I worked on finishing up the bio editing, e-mailed it off, then began working on trying to copy a dvd...for some reason it wouldn't work for me. Anyways, then I worked on the program insert for the audition announcement (edited a picture, found a cool font, etc).

I had my lunch at around 1, then helped Mrs. Pauline with organizing a deposit she was taking to the bank. I made a detailed spreadsheet for monies collected, and verified the amounts received. I left her home at about 2:35, and made it to the Chen's house by 3:10. So, a 35 minute commute. Not too bad this time. I took a nap when I got to my little apartment. Now it's a little bit of chill time. I'm planning to make myself delicious soft tacos tonight for dinner, and I need to practice my solo for the recital this Saturday (I'll get to use the Upper Room space! It's perfect for that). So that's my agenda for the rest of today!

Until next time,
Lysandra <3

Timeless strength.

As I visited with my Abuelita this past Saturday night, I was just so content to sit with her. You know how you can just sit with someone who loves you, and it just feels so...right. I just sat there thinking
how precious it is, this time that I have with her. I have friends who never really knew their grandparents, maybe they passed away when they were young. This time that I have with my grandparents, it is a gift. Every moment that I can hear about their childhood, early adulthood,
and their lives is simply another opportunity to thank God that they are still with us.

I am amazed at my Abuelita & Papi's strength. They came here as foreigners, my grandfather as a Doctor, my grandmother as a homemaker, having already learned the language, but still having much to learn about the customs here in America. They have come to have many friends who love them as much as they love others. Just an example of how deliberate my Papi is; even today, my he always has a dictionary at hand, so that he can make sure to utilize the word with the most precise meaning in order to clearly articulate his thoughts. My grandmother raised 6 children, away from her family in a new foreign country, owned a gourmet catering business when they were older, and continues to make gourmet homemade bread and Bolivian delicacies for her children and grandchildren.

What a legacy. The close-knit family, culture, the rich language, the land, the stories, the history. On top of that, both of my grandparents love the Lord. My grandmother has the greatest faith to pray for things I have ever seen. She is such an intercessor, for all of her children, "grand babies", and friends. Papi is a fountain of wisdom, but he also keeps it light by joking around a lot. He likes to tell me stories, both humorous and moral, such as Aesop's fables. I remember walking along the Huckleberry Trail, as he told me tales from that famed Aesop, the wise story teller.

All of this is to say that I admire the strength of character that I have grown up observing in my grandparents. They inspire me to work hard to accomplish my dreams, yet also to enjoy the time that we have been given, to savor times with family while we have it. Here's to you, Papi and Abuelita. May you both have many more years, to see the grandchildren marry godly men and women, and then have some good looking offspring- your great grandchildren! I love you both so much.

The Searching Song

The Searching Song by Lysandra Elena

{Verse 1}

Broken and battered I feel inside

I feel the fear, I want to hide

I don't know what to do, don't know what to do...

What's the answer to the question, I feel inside my heart?

What's the answer to the question I've been asking for so long?


{Chorus}

Where do I go from here?

Where do I run from here?

I don't know where to go, don't know where to run.

Where do I go from here?

Where do I run from here?

I don't know where to go, don't know where to go from here.


{Verse 2}

What's the next step I ask to you...

Can't seem to see right through the fog of life that comes around me.

I feel so lost.

Seems I've been here before, seems I've seen these problems-but I don't

know where, where to go from here, where to go from here.


{Bridge}

And I've tried and tried to trust you.

I've tried and tried to trust you.

But Lord, I'm weary.

I'm tired Lord- I'm broken.

I need you Lord.


I don't know what the next step is here

I've tried to trust you, tried to follow after your heart alone.

I don't know what the next step is here- but I will trust in you.

Copyright Lysandra Elena Music 2009

Grace Amazing.

God's grace is so overwhelming, and often shows up in the most unexpected ways. Today, we decided to have a family time of prayer and worship. So the girls were dancing to "Carried to the Table" by Leeland, a dance that Casiphia & I choreographed together and have performed numerous times in different venues. We couldn't remember all of the steps, so we decided to watch a dvd of our performance last May.

As soon as I sat down to watch, I was struck by the power of God's presence and anointing on this dance. It was like his grace, love and mercy washed over me. God reminded me that this is why I dance- to worship Him. There is such a purity that God has as a banner over us when we dance, and it is the power of God's presence that sets our art apart from that of the world.

I realized how much more I need to rely upon God to be my everything. It's so easy to fall into pride, and think that we've got it all figured out. We continue on as if we didn't even really know God, going through the motions yet not really savoring the moments spent with him. Pride is so sneaky. We can even be prideful in thinking that we have so much humility that pride isn't even an issue. What a web of deception is woven all around us, without us even realizing that we are tied up in sin.

God sure opened my eyes to areas of pride within my heart. I was prideful that I hadn't been caught up in pride the way that some christians I know have been. What a bunch of lies from the enemy. Yet even with all of this, God's grace is sufficient for me, that his strength is made perfect in weakness. Where I fail, he will fill in the gaps and continue to make me into the image of Christ.

Thank you God for your amazing grace that has saved someone like me- I have been so lost, yet You found me and picked me up out of the mire and I will never be the same. Let me not forget how I have been saved by grace, through faith, and not of myself. That it is the gift of God, and no one has the right to boast or think that it is through anything that they have done that they are saved. Teach me to be set apart for your purposes, and not led astray by any vain imaginings. Lord make me a tool in your hand.

A new chapter.

Here I stand, on the precipice of a new chapter of my life.

A fresh page, blank, waiting to be filled with new things:

new friends, places, memories, adventures, joys, and sorrows...

Thrilling, at the same time that it is intimidating.

Exhilarated still, I look to the horizon, ready to embark upon this

journey. As I leave behind the friends I've made in this chapter that

is coming to a close, I embrace all of the opportunities and

relationships that will arise in the coming days. I realize even more

how grateful I am for all of those who have been in my life.

Faithful has my God been, and faithful will He remain.

...Because I love you.

How do you approach your time with God? 

Is it as an obligation or a religious act? Or even a habit?

Or is it simply "because I love you, Lord, I want to spend this time simply getting to know you- to learn what you think, how your voice sounds, and simply to know you more intimately than I did before." 

When we want to get to know a new friend better, we spend time with them- simply being with them is a way to "learn them"- they're likes, dislikes, dreams and aspirations.

It should be the same with our Lord. 

Once our quiet times with God become a burden or a habit, it's time to step back and examine our hearts. It is a small misstep from true devotion to religious obligation. Let us become truly in love with Jesus, by loving him and serving him, not simply because of what he has done for us, but because he is our friend.

"No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." --Jesus, John 15:15

Furthermore, knowing God as a friend and believing in him causes our faith in Him to grow. Abraham believed God's word, when God told him that he would have a son even though his wife was too old to bear children, and Abraham was old enough that he was "as good as dead."

And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"^[a] and he was called God's friend. 
(James 2:23)

I desire to be a "friend of God" rather than a servant (who really wants to be thought of as a servant anyways?), and to know God's thoughts as my own.

Lord, let us know you as you truly are, not as some religious father figure who is far away or any other wrong views we may have of you, but as the God who cares for us as our closest friend. Let us learn of you, not simply by reputation, through stories that others have told us, but by the experience of hearing your voice as you speak to us individually. Remove the limitations that we continually place upon you; blow away the expectations that we have of you. Let us begin to realize that you will come and work in our lives in such a way that we are completely undone in your presence. 

Hold on, Love will find you.

When I feel like giving up, when I feel like caving in, there is one thing I recall to mind: God is faithful.

I am reminded of a time when I despaired of ever finding a love worth keeping. God sang to me: "Hold on, love will find you, hold on- he's right behind you now- just hold on, 'cause love will find you." (Lyrics from "Hold on" by Nichole Nordeman).

I think this speaks of not only God's eternal love for me, but of the love that He has prepared for me with my future husband. Right now, that day that I meet him seems so far away. Yet in God's eternal perspective, it's really kind of humorous. He is not constrained by time- He knows the end of the story and has looked through it countless times, rejoicing in the great things in store for me.

Why do we doubt?

I know it's because of a lack of faith, but also because we are limited by our finite perspective. My prayer for myself, and for you, is that God would show us one tiny glimpse into eternity, into the fact that He has it all mapped out ahead of us. He knows the joys and triumphs we will face before the ever begin to materialize in our lives. I am reminded, yet again, of just how good God is- His word never fails.

We cannot rely on our emotions- they will betray us. We cannot determine our lives by the shifting sands of time. One thing is true: We can depend upon the one who breathed breath into our lungs, the one who is holding us now- the one who longs to simply spend time with us. Let Him hold you today- He is good. He will fulfill that which He has promised.

Jared Anderson Concert

Our picture with Jared Anderson!

(L-->R:: Jared Anderson, Lysandra (me), Chris Hale).

Wow, I have sorely neglected my blog! Sad to say, it's been quite awhile since my last post.

Quite a day, today. God sure does work in mysterious ways. He provides streams of refreshing in the desert.

So today, the plan was go to class (night classes-bleh), as usual. I knew that there was a Jared Anderson Concert coming to a nearby city, but I was concerned about driving alone through back roads at night, as well as missing class...

At about 2 or 3pm this afternoon, I noticed that Chris Hale had posted a notice about having an extra ticket. I was so stoked when I found that out, because I knew it meant there was a group of people going from my church, and I could probably either ride or drive up with them!

So a friend of mine had 'reserved' me a ticket, since I told him earlier that I might come, but then I told him I wasn't coming, since I had class etc. etc....

When I found out that other friends were going, and I would be able to go, I didn't tell my friend that I was coming! I surprised him- so that was fun.

The concert was amazing. I feel like it was just a taste of what worship in heaven will be like. Honestly, it was a 2-hr concert, but felt like 20 minutes when it was over. They did break it up with some intros, announcements, an altar call, etc. But it did seem like it flew by!

You know what? It was just such a blessing to be refreshed and renewed in God's presence-there truly is nothing like the love of God washing over you anew.

Another cool thing- Jared Anderson wrote "Born for Jesus" when he autographed my poster. It was so cool- I know that God has great plans for me, but that also goes along with the meaning of my name. My name means "Liberator of Mankind" or "Deliverer", for Jesus- who is the liberator of us all. My prayer is that God would use me, my life, my walk, my words, to be a light that would draw others unto Himself, that through me, the captives may be liberated from darkness into His glorious light. Amen!

He is near.

No matter how we may feel, we can be certain of one thing: He is near.

He is near to the broken-hearted, to the downtrodden, to those who feel they have no hope.

One of my favorite quotes comes from a woman who suffered through terrible starvation, torture, and seeing her own dear sister die at the hands of her captors. Yet God's grace was enough for her to forgive the very man that killed her sister. Corrie Ten Boom said "There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still."

Though we may feel like circumstances are just too much, that we can't go on, that isn't true. God is our strength- He will sustain us through whatever we may face. Let us remember to build our house upon that ROCK that is Christ Jesus, our deliverer. He is mighty to save- when we choose to put our trust in Him alone, He will show Himself strong.

Everlasting Love.

Why do we make such a big deal about one day of the year- that's all about love?

Valentine's Day was yesterday, and I must say while it is nice to have one day in which we celebrate love, this shouldn't be the only day that we are focusing on loving others and showing them how much we care.

There are epic romances, love stories that have captivated hearts, and will continue to make us long for the fairytale romance. Yet, as I recall many romances that are held within the annals of history, I think there is one romance that outweighs them all: That of the love of a Savior for His bride.

"God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

Knowing full well that we had the free choice, to go our own way or choose Him, Christ died on our behalf. He was compelled by the love that He has for us, the overwhelming love that is beyond our comprehension. Think on that for awhile. It will blow you away.

~Lysandra Elena