Easter Eggstravaganza!!

Ha Ha Ha Hardy Har Har!! My title so funny I forgot to laugh. Anyway this is the rest of the post I wasn't able to do because I was majorly falling asleep. On Sunday I had to be at church at 8 am for worship practice although we didn't really do anything for it. The musicians basically all tuned up their instruments while the choir sat around waiting. I can't believe that I am in the choir it is pretty cool and I like it and all but if you would have asked me a couple of months ago where do you see yourself in the future I don't think choir was in there but I love it and its fun.

We had preservice prayer at 8:30 and then after that worship practice until 10:15. I also was involved in the youth group's human video. Then during worship practice they asked me to be on altar ministry team so of course I said yes. the service began and the worship was awesome I could feel tingles going up and down my neck (sign that the Holy Spirit is there). It was a rushed frantic day for me but I loved it. As soon as I got done with worship I was supposed to dash into a side room and change into different clothes for the video. I opened the door of the side room and Yvonne was behind the door changing. Thank goodness she had just started and I didn't see anything but it was still weird. So next I ran to find a room I could change in the bathroom (nope), where else quick uh Healing Room ok quick, so I dashed in and changed and then ran back to take my place on the team. When I got back there they were ready for me. The music started it was a song about Jesus carrying his cross and being crucified. I was one of the characters I pleaded with the people for mecry but they gave me none. When I was walking out I was almost crying I could feel my eyes welling up and I looked into people's eyes and I could tell it was hitting them hard. Amanda, Adam, Fela and Poppy did a great job and the video was awesome.

When I was finished I went back to the Healing Room to get my clothes and came back into the sanctuary for the sermon. After the sermon I prayed for people on the altar ministry team. One of the people I prayed for was slain in the spirit and it was pretty cool. The new girl that I believe I have begun to find interest in looked up at me and applauded me and I looked back at her and pointed to the sky. This was the only chance the whole day I got to talk to her because I was so busy that part was kind of a bummer.

After church, Jeremy, Meg and I went over to Ethan and Tyler Bench's house for Easter. I really love J and Meg because they take me to all their holiday events it is pretty cool of them. Had a great time at the Bench's place. Played Apples to Apples forever, and then later had an Easter Egg hunt in the dark, all in all it was way fun and I like Ethan and Tyler they are good people. Well got to go now.

I am off to my two new jobs, one at the Funeral home as a courier and the other for Zeeks pizza as a delivery driver. Bye folks Happy Blogging

The Toph

The Weekend!!

Hey, here's an update about my weekend: Started out on Friday by having bible study over at Charlie's house which is kind of cool because we have been going over some questions and debating about different subjects, I like to do that because it is interesting to find out other people's opinions. We talked this week about an actual question that someone in the healing rooms asked about. They were using exodus 4 I think, anyway the arguement was "Why did God make some people blind and deaf? Why would God make someone that was born with a defect? What is the answer I really don't know but some good discussion arose from that.

After the Bible study Jeremy reminded me that a seattle bike club had their monthly midnight Green Lake sprint race. Last month he and I went down there to see them race and I said that the next month I was going to race with them. I hadn't been training for this but I did it anyway. I was all dressed up in my tights etc. and all these dudes were like punk bikers and some normal people too but it was weird because I didn't know anyone I just wanted to race. There were about 20 racers. I was so nervous at the start that I almost fell over on my bike, because one foot was clipped into the pedals, fortunately my friend Jeremy was there to watch me and actually helped me by being there so I had something to grab onto as I would have fell, thanks Jerm.

The airhorn sounded and I was off for my three mile race around Green Lake. I was really pumped up and started really well actually probably to well. I was in the top three or four people to start. We were booking around the lake and then about halfway I started to get bogged down and wasn't able to keep up with them anymore. About this time four people passed me because basically they were drafting off of me. In the end I passed one of them and finished in about 6th place, I was really impressed because I actually beat some people.

Saturday was pretty boring because it rained most of the day. I went picked up a check from Silver Cup and deposited all my money about 800 dollars. After that I went to church to practice for our human video that the youth group was going to perform on Easter. The kids are awesome and it was fun practicing with them. After the practice I came home and it finally stopped raining so I was supposed to ride 50 miles for my bike training that day. I left at about 6 and didn't get home till about 9 . I rode 38 miles in all. I went over the I 90 bridge to Mercer Island. I rode most of the way around Mercer island on Mercer way. It was a somewhat euphoric ride because I was riding in the pouring down rain and it was completely dark and I owned the road only had a bout 2 cars going my way so I was riding in the middle of the lane it was so cool I loved it except for all the rain. I got home and was so hungry that I ate an apple and Hot Tamales while I took a shower that was a weird experience. Went to bed at 10:30. I will post about Sunday Tomorrow!! Got to get to bed now goodnight all!

All else that happened in the last month!!

This post is to catch me up on my blogging experience. The job status: I started working for Venturi carpet cleaning company but ended up quitting after working 21 hours in two days. I was not happy working so much, this was a bummer because now I wasn't able to collect unemployment because I accepted a job and also Silver Cup called me to work with them. I was mad at myself for making the wrong decision instead of working for Silver Cup but the other job was a more permanent thing as opposed to the temp warehouse job. I worked for Silver Cup for about 7 days all together and was hoping that they would hire me on as a permanent worker but that didn't work out. This last Monday though, I got hired by a corporation called Bonney-Watson funeral home. My job description is a courier for the company. I basically go to the county health department and file death certificate for them and then when they are complete I go get them signed by doctors. It is a fun job but it only is about 25-30 hours a week at 10 dollars an hour. This is good and it is better than being on unemployment, I will need to have another part time job to help supplement this income so i am looking everywhere.

The cool thing about this job is that I am replacing a really cool old guy named Clancy. Clancy is a former pastor of a Methodist church and now he is ready to retire and that is where I come in. My first three days of work I had the great opportunity to spend with this man. He did so much for me, for instance he bought me lunch two out of the three days there. He also offered to get me some suit items because he always gets free stuff and then gives them to missionaries. Clancy is just one of the sweetest, most well liked people around, he is a guy with a contagious personality. Clancy rules!!

Another thing that happened in the last month is that we had a winter breakaway camp for the youth group. This was a different experience for me because for the first time I was one of the main leaders of this group. Breakaway ruled. We started out the event with some prison ball and sardines the first night. The next day we had our teachings and the grossest game I have ever played called: Get Janie out of Jail. Basically the concept of this game was to get your Janie out of jail by winning challenges, it was designed to be a team building event and it definitely was. We had some major teamwork and team spirit. Some of the challenges included some gross eating contests ending with one event that was supposed to get as many kids as possible to throw up. A couple kids ate live goldfish. I had about 15 live crickets and worms and a bunch of different really gross stuff.

The service on Saturday night was off the Hook. We started out by having a really cool fun catchy start that got people bobbing around even Ken was hopping up in down and that is a miracle I have to say. After that we did a human video but more of a dance to the song Shackles. It went off well and the kids loved it. Then Fela and Poppy did a rap that they wrote which was cool and then after that worship continued to build to being off the hook. After that we had the seperation of the sexes talk which went well from the guy point of view. When the whole service was wrapped up we went outside to have a bonfire. Sunday service was good, but the most important part of the whole weekend happened after that when we prayed for each kid. The whole event was leading up to this time and it was awesome and powerful. I felt like I was getting words for every kid that I prayed for it was amazing.

Another thing that is beginning to be hard for me is that I am really struggling with God about this whole situation with girls. All my friends around me are beginning to get hooked up with one another. I feel like I am getting left behind. I don't understand why God hasn't brought my young lady to me yet. I am a wonderful guy and I have so much love to give I just really need to have that relationship soon because it sucks, I have been waiting for 9 years now and I am still waiting and then I see all these people who are either together now or are now on the path to marriage and all this has happened in the two years I have been here in Seattle it really isn't a long time. I feel I have been patient and I really feel like I deserve to have this wonderful relationship with the right person. God loves me and knows what is best for me but I just don't understand. ARGHHHH!!

Anyway that is a recap of my life I will try to get back onto writing every couple of days again, See you all happy Blogging hope you enjoy!

Love,
The Toph

Happy Birthday to Me!!

Hey it's my birthday and normally that might be a hard thing for me considering I'm getting older and I guess apparently I am beginning to develop gray hairs, and also the worst I'm not married either yet. On top of all that my day started out with me quitting the first job that I have had in about two months. I have been out of work for two months and it is beginning to suck. The carpet cleaning job was just too hard of work and too many hours a day. I worked 21 hours in two days!!!!!! ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!! But I didn't let all that get me down because in all aspects really God is pretty awesome. I was down about it but prayed and God made it all good.

Chris H. and I went up toHarborview to visit Nick Messenger. If you haven't heard this story yet then prepare to be WOWed by God. This little 11 year old boy gets hit by a car, gets real messed up and basically goes into a coma and has to be in the ICU unit of the hospital. This story has been on the news a whole bunch because they are trying to get a light put in at that intersection. The Healing Rooms ministry run by my great friend Jeremy got an email that they wanted to have someone come pray for him so my other great friend Chris H. went to pray for Nick. A relationship began with that and at least one person has been going up there almost everyday. Nick has been progressively getting better in leaps and bounds. He had a surgery on his leg, He originally was hooked up to a machine for breathing but just recently they took him off of it and he is breathing on his own. He had some pneumonia in his lungs but that all cleared up. Basically to make a long story short God has done some miraculous healing in Nick but most importantly in the family and people related to this incident. GOD is REAL!!!! It is just cool to have the opportunity to go spend with Nickand His mom Jennifer and Dad Eric.

After coming back from lunch I did some research for finding a new job and clearing up my unemployment status issues. Jeremy called me up and asked me if he could by me lunch and I was like heck ya. Food is the best way to reach me I think my love language would be food if that were one. I had lunch with him and tonia this lady from my old work who has breast cancer. I got to have Chicken Yakisoba from Sunny Teriyaki so life was good.

Later on at youth group the kids tried really hard to be secretive and all sign a card for my birthday but I knew all along that they were doing it but I played dumb like I had no clue. Anna, Doug and I shared about our trip to Mexico and all the cool stuff that God did. I love those kids they are such good kids. I am really excited because this weekend is the Winter Breakaway which should be an absolutely awesome time, basically it is like a weekend getaway. this will be a totally new experience for me being the junior high youth pastor because I will be playing a totally different role at a camp than I have ever before that of one of the main leaders. I have a whole different set of responsiblities than I have ever had before so I am really excited, but mainly just to have the opportunity to be able to spend time with these kids all weekend and get to know them better. Also at church my friend from LIFE Pacific came, John Treeman or Tree as I call him. He used to be a professional skier and was on like Warren Miller fills and what not. John is a really cool guy.

After church a bunch of my friends went out to the OLD Spaghetti Factory to celebrate my birthday. They told me I was invited to my surprise birthday party. It was cool. Soleil and John both pitched in together to buy my dinner and again my love language was being spoken . Boy I really felt loved and also I think I gained like maybe a couple ounces or something but no need to worry my ultrasonic metabolism will take care of those pesky little ounces. Thanks for such a great day God, your awesome!!!

New Job

Yesterday I started my new job and it was OK but a lot of hard work. I got a job with a carpet cleaning company called Venturi, which ironically is the same company my brother in law works for down in Phoenix. Also today my sister called me and told me that both her and her husband Dean got baptised over the weekend I was absolutely shocked. The first in my immediate family to be saved and baptised. God has been real good to me lately. My birthday is also on Wednesday so I am both looking forward and looking back wondering where all the time has gone. Must go to bed now.