Yesterday I almost died. I'm dead serious (…well, not dead serious, but you know what I mean). Yes, died as in left this Earth, went to heaven, no more me, bye bye Kaula. It was not an experience that I want to repeat ever, ever again… EVER. As far as near death experiences go, I don’t think this is that severe, but still, it’s all that’s been on my mind for the 24 hours since it’s happened.

Our story starts out as an innocent invitation to go see a band play at some church on a Friday night. When my dad told me that some of his work buddies were going to be down at a church "jamm'n" to some blue grass praise songs, I thought ‘Oh, joy. This will be fun! Nothing better than seeing some old people pluck banjos, wearing cowboy hats and poofy hair like they did in the 80’s.’ (I was being sarcastic, for the socially dim that might be reading this). My dad was forcing me to go though, so there was no getting out of it. I thought that bringing my Walkman and tuning it out might not be an option, so I didn’t even ask.

Luckily my dad was on call, and he got paged about half way through dinner and had to tend to his technologically challenged customer on the other line. That took a good hour or so, so at least I got out of having to sit through the whole thing. Instead I went in my room and started messing around with my guitar for a while and decided to give the chords to "Daughters" from John Mayer (that my good friend, or rather "captinbackfire" had given me) another go. I was so excited! I think I actually may have learned it! I tried playing it again today and I think I have it! Haha!

Well, anyway, dad got off his call and dragged me out of my room to go see this all mighty band. Now I was on my way to wasting 2 hours of my life listening to a bunch of hicks sing, "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" with a banjo and mandolin. If it had been any more "rustic," they may have been sitting on the front porch in a rocker. Wow, this was indeed excitement. Of all places to be on a Friday night, this was truly the best possible place I could be. Party on, hicks!

After listening to an hour and a half of some poofy haired lady in a cowboy hat play her banjo and screech, it was finally over. The church they were playing in was nice and small… rather homey actually (But I still like my church better)! Of course for the last half of the performance when they were boring me stiff with extremely slow and annoying songs (actually the songs were good, but the "singer" ruined them), I was staring at the nice sparkly ceiling. It was really shiny and distracting, but I’d rather have been at home staring at the ceiling if I had had to stare at the ceiling at all. Even my dad, who had made us all come, was covering his ears because the lady singing wasn’t talented at ALL. But, I must admit, she did play a decent banjo. I guess if you’re going to be a cowboy wearing redneck, the banjo is a good instrument to play. I actually like the banjo at times, but this wasn’t exactly one of those times. *Yawn!*

On our way home, mom said to dad, "I want Ice cream." "Ice cream?!" My dad replied. He’s big on not eating tons of pure fatty substances such as Ice Cream, and even I, being the healthy person I am now, would have been fine with a fruit Popsicle at home, but that’s okay because it’s good to go out for ice cream once in a while. I don’t even remember the last time we went out for ice cream as a family. So dad had sympathy on us and pulled into the Baskin Robins over by Albertson’s.

When dad was parking, mom was yelling at him for driving like an old lady. Dad tends to do that sometimes- it takes him FOREVER to find a parking spot. When he finally found a decently close spot after circling the parking lot 5 times, we all piled out into the dark and rainy parking lot. It was a bit nippy, but not freezing, and raining like mad outside. Of course by now it was like, 9:30, so it was pitch black outside.

"I would have been fine with a Popsicle at home," I commented when we finally parked.

"Kaula!! Stop obsessing over your weight!! Oh my gosh!" Michael protested.

"I'm not! Is it such a crime to want to be healthy??"

"Yeah. There’s nothing wrong with being concerned about your health," Dad jumped in. Michael started to say something else, but I chose to ignore it because I wasn’t that fond of the idea of fighting with him over ice cream. It just ruins the occasion.

Upon having this little discussion, I had circled around the car to yell at Michael head on, so I was a little behind mom and dad in walking across the street and into Baskin Robins. Michael and I were walking together, rather quickly to catch up with mom and dad. About the time we were halfway across the street (which wasn’t that wide I may add), this red car comes driving around the corner. I looked directly at it, but it was too dark to see the driver inside. However, she had lots of time to see us, so I figured she did. Apparently so did everyone else, and we just kept on our marry way, walking across the street, I guess all 4 of us waiting for the car to stop. She never did.

About the time the car was 5 feet away, the crazy driver inside decided to floor it. I heard the engine roar with a loud "VAROOM!!!" But by this time it was too late to stop anyone else walking beside me, so I figured I was on my own. I guess I still had the notion she saw us because my brain was telling my feet to keep moving, but strangely enough they stopped… on their own!!!! I swear, I didn’t tell myself to stop. I just did. There was a rush of something going through me… I can’t explain the feeling. But it all happened so fast that I didn’t know what was going on. I guess Michael must have seen me stop and stopped short in his tracks. Mom was stopped too, looking at the car and its driver. But dad was still going!!! He didn’t stop!!! I cringed as I figured this was it for dad. If he kept going he would truly be killed. The car was hauling buns down that road!!

It was too late for me to do anything about it. I didn’t even have time to think about grabbing him and stopping him, or picturing what life would be like without a dad. I just felt danger, and I knew that something terrible was about to take place. Luckily one of us was thinking clearly, praise the Lord, because Mom yelled, "ALAN!!!!" and grabbed dad’s shirt. He stopped, luckily and looked at her, and then the car whizzed by. I looked at its driver and just praised God. The driver was an old lady about maybe 75 at least, and she was looking completely behind her. Her head was turned as far as was humanly possible behind her. She couldn’t see where she was going, and she certainly couldn’t see us. The car was literally about a half an inch away from dad’s stomach, about an inch away from Michael and I, and I could feel the wind on my face when the car went whooshing by.

If we had been one step (or a half a step for dad) farther across the street, we would literally all be dead right now. Including me. There is no way that we could have survived that. It would have taken a miracle… that car was going way to fast to have us live. And if for some reason we did live, we would all 4 of us be in the hospital as we speak with severe injuries. Some of us may have even died in the hospital. I might have died, along with my family. Those of you who know me would probably be at my funeral right now instead of reading this blog that I am very much alive to write.

Actually, mom saw the car wasn’t going to stop, because she saw the driver looking the other way. She could only grab dad, because Michael and I were too far away. It’s a good thing dad was standing next to mom, otherwise I would be forced to grow up without a dad, even as I am writing this. I can’t even imagine how hard that would be. I thank God for giving mom the clarity of mind to grab dad, because she literally saved his life.

And if I hadn’t had that strange feeling to stop, and my feet hadn’t acted on their own (actually I think they didn’t act on their own. I think God made them act. Because I certainly didn’t tell them to stop), I would have died as well. Michael probably would have too, because the only reason he stopped is because he saw me stop. But God was certainly there with him too, because I didn’t make him stop. I was a reason to stop, but I didn’t grab him or anything.

And if I hadn’t gone around the car to argue with Michael, I would have been the farthest of all 4 of us to cross the street since I was the closest, and I would have gotten hit I'm sure. God was certainly there with us last night, and I am so thankful to be here in my office writing this right now. I am so glad to be alive! God certainly does have greater plans for me, because if it weren’t for his angels stopping my feet, I would have been hit and killed. God wants me to live longer for some reason, and I find that really cool and reassuring.

I have been thinking about this ever since it happened- why did God want me to go on living? What purpose do I have here on Earth that hasn’t been fulfilled yet? What’s so special about me that I was spared? But what if I hadn’t been spared? What would all of those who love me be thinking and doing at this very moment? Would I be remembered? Would I be mourned over? Would Paco mourn over me? Would Bravo? Would Brent? How about Eric (both)? Would I be missed? How many people would come to my funeral? Who would come to my funeral? What would happen if my whole family died together? Who would miss us then? Would we be mourned as a family if mourned over at all? I guess I will never know the answer to these questions, and I am very, very thankful for that.

Think of all the stuff I would miss. I would miss my friends, and the remainder of my family. I would miss them all so much, since I love each and every one of them! I would miss my dog and cat… what would happen to them without us? I would never get to see anyone I loved again until they all joined me in Heaven someday. Except for my non-Christian friends I would never see again! How sad!

I would never live to experience High School, or get my first job, or have my first kiss (shut up! I can hear you laughing that I’ve never had one yet and I'm a decently aged teenager! Huh)! I would never live to experience the joy and miracle of Childbirth, birthing my own children! With a faithful and loving husband to share in the joy! I would never have grandchildren, and would never know what it was like to drive a car or go inside a bar. Wow, that’s pretty sad to think about!

And to add onto that I would miss doing the things I love to do now… writing, playing guitar, journaling, hanging out with my buddies, and my music! There would be no more Enya! Or Switchfoot! Or all the other awesome bands out there!! NO!!!! I would never taste Chocolate or all the foods I love again, and I would never go the places I love again. I would never again see my room, or Japan, or the ranch in BC, Canada, or Hawaii! I wouldn’t live to make the vacations I'm taking this summer! I would never fulfill my dreams to visit other places besides the US and Canada! How sad! Think of how much I’d miss!

But then again, think of all the stuff I’d gain! If I died last night, I would be in heaven right now. So, what would I be doing? Just think- I would finally be home to my father in Heaven! I would have met Jesus by now! I could finally give him that hug! (I know, it sounds really stupid, but ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always wanted to hug Jesus. It’s a weird wish, I know, but what can I say? I'm a weird person)! If I had lost my life last night, right at this very moment I would know what heaven looks like! What it is like! Right at this very moment I would know what heaven feels like and what God’s like. I would know what Jesus looked like! I would be perfect, living in God’s home! Free of Satan’s evil ways forever! I would know famous Christian people like the Virgin Mary, and the 12 disciples! And Elijah, Abraham, Noah, Adam and Eve, and Moses! What would the journey up there be like passing from my physical being to my spiritual being and into heaven? What would it look like and feel like? Where is heaven? Oh gosh, it makes me giddy just thinking about it! And a bit creeped out…

All I can say is, as much as it sounds really awesomely sweet to go up to Heaven, God’s perfect place, I'm really, really thanking the Lord for sparing me. I really, really want to go up to Heaven someday, and there are days when I'm just crying out, "Jesus! Take me up to see you! I need to see you, now! I'm so sick of this filthy and depressing world I'm living in!!" But he knows better than that. He has a plan for me, and I need to stay here and stick it out. He’s shown me that just yesterday by sparing my life. When God wants me to go, and knows that it’s my time, I will go without hesitation. And even though death scares the living heck out of me, I know that I’ll be fine, because it’s worth it just to know that once it’s over I’ll be in a perfect place, destined to spend eternity there with my savior and best friend, Jesus Christ, seeing him face to face! I'm going to be safe there, and when I'm needed up there I’ll go without a fight. But for now, I think I want to stay on this Earth for a bit longer and experience a little more of life. I'm young, and there’s plenty of life left in me. I want to grow up, graduate High School and then College, and eventually grow up to have a husband and kids of my own, and perhaps someday grandchildren as well. This near death experience was enough to make me appreciate life that much more.

As weird as this sounds, maybe once in a while it’s good to have a near death experience or a tragedy because that makes you see just how valuable it is when you’re doing fine and it makes you treasure your life and think about how blessed you are. It didn’t do any harm to my faith either. I'm a lot more grateful to God now than I was before, and I definitely fear him more now. So, perhaps this was all part of his plan? I don’t know. All I know is that I'm happy to still be here on this Earth and I'm really actually looking forward to going out into it again and facing my fears and temptations. I think I treasure my friends a bit more too knowing that this could have been one of them that had my experience, only maybe they wouldn’t have been so lucky. The moral of the story? As you’ve heard a million times before, live every day as if it was your last. Because it may just be. I know I'm going to take that chunk of advice a bit more seriously from now on. I just hope that you don’t have to have a life-threatening scare like I did to find that out for yourself…

(Oh, and praise the Lord for every second that you’re still living and breathing on this Earth. You don’t know when it’s your time to die, but god does and he could very well take you at any time he pleases. Who knows? You could wake up dead tomorrow if that’s God’s wish for you. Wait a second… wake up dead? Is that even possible?! Anyway, I think you get my point, so I’ll leave you to go out and enjoy life! Who wants to just sit here and read my blog anyway?? I'm going to go call one of my beloved buddies or something… J)

      Yesterday my youth leader made me get up in front of everyone. He started off his lesson by telling us about middle schoolers and passing notes. He said that when he was in middle school and would get a note, the girls would fold it up so that it was so complicated he could barely open it. He went on to ask, "How in the world girls can fold notes in so many ways?! I mean, how many different ways are there to fold a piece of paper?!" (He explained that he would just fold the paper in half a bunch of times and call it good. Pfft, typical guy.) He pointed out that by the time you actually get one of these notes open the teacher has already caught you in result to your struggle with the paper and all the crinkling it makes. True, I must say.

Anyway, while he was in mid sentence, the leader I was sitting by (also my life groups leader) spotted the Origami crane I had made earlier out of the Cosmic bowling flier that was on my seat before Youth Group started. When one doesn’t have any friends, one must compromise (yay, the joys of being at a new church). My Youth leader held it up and waved it at "Matt-man," (AKA Matt) the youth leader, screaming "Matt! Matt!" He didn’t see her, so Matt’s wife pointed over my head and yelled, "Matt!" quietly. He finally saw her, then followed her finger down to me. Looking to my left, there was my crane, and before I knew it he was saying, "Wow, that’s amazing! Come up here, Kaula!" So, I had to go up there, in front of about 60 to 80 kids (we have a big church).

After making sure that I really folded my crane, he said, "Okay. Take this ordinary piece of paper and work your great folding skills on it."

‘As you wish, oh mighty master,’ I was thinking. "Alrighty!" I replied. I mean, after all, I'm a teenager, not a monk.

So while Matt continued to preach on the amazing skills females have of folding paper, I worked hard making the perfect crane. Actually, it was hardly perfect… I had to rush to finish since I didn’t have all day.

After I finally had completed my task, Matt asked, "How are you doing over there?"

"Fine," I replied. "I'm done."

Matt picked the paper crane up I his hands, then showed it to the group. "WOW!" He yelled (Matt has no lack of volume. He’s rather enthusiastic most of the time, which makes him a great youth leader. Why he even needs a microphone is beyond me. I'm sure we could all hear him very well without one).

"THAT’S AMAZING!" He continued. By now my ears were beginning to feel a bit raw… I probably shouldn’t have been standing so close.

"I DON’T KNOW RATHER TO OPEN IT OR TO SHOOT IT!!" He shouted. I was smiling like a fool by now. Matt is so funny!

"Now, Is this how you would typically send a note at school?" He asked, finally dropping down to a normal level.

"Sometimes-" I began. I was about to say, "-when I'm bored." But Matt has so much energy bursting out of him that I thought I might as well let him speak. Plus, he kind of stole the rest of my queue, but I didn’t mind.

"Wow, that’s absolutely incredible! Give Kaula a big hand everyone!" So I went and sat down in my chair, smiling like a baboon. Next time remind me not to sit by a leader! It’s a good thing I decided to put makeup on that morning!

That’s my story. Later Matt went on to tell about John and how John said that you are calling God a liar if you say you’re a Christian and don’t act like one. Plus, you’re just fooling yourself. Then he said that God is waiting for you to follow him and really try to be his follower. It’s like he’s sent you a note… but you can either open it and check "yes" or "no," or you can choose not to open it and just admire the way it’s folded. You can’t say you’ve read the note if you really haven’t. I thought it was a good lesson. Matt’s lessons are always so deep, yet funny at the same time. I love ‘em!

Later, My brother and I got in a fight today over a marker. I was testing out colors on my mirror the other day to see if I can wash off washable markers from my mirror. Well, I hope I can. Otherwise I'd have to sue the company for false advertising. Who ever heard of a washable marker that won't wash off?? Anyway, I was using different colors to write things like "Hey there sexy" and "Hottie" and crap on it. I was in a mood, apparently.

So, when Michael came in today he saw it, he picked up the marker and started writing things like, "yeah, right!" beside it, so I took that as an insult ('cuz it was) and got a bit angry. So, I tickled him and that took him down. (Seriously, my little brother is very ticklish.) I didn't want to hurt him because I don't like hurting people, and I would have gotten in trouble. Tickling worked though, and when he was on the ground went for the marker. He swung his elbow back to knock me off and popped me square in the lip. If you haven't gotten a chance to experience this yet, let me tell you, braces are deadly to mouth shots. My lip then split half way open and I started madly bleeding. I got really mad that Michael gave me a bloody lip, so I went for the marker again, harder this time. I guess I must have punched him or something, because when I finally got that dang blasted marker from him his forehead had a big welt on it. I don't think either one of us meant to hurt the other one, but we did, and now we are both in pain. (The funny thing about this was that we got into this fight right after we got home from church, when our youth leader had told us specifically NOT to get into fights with our siblings. Is that Ironic or what??? Oops!)

When I went into my parent's bathroom to clean myself up my mom freaked out and gasped like I had just come in from a war. Well, I guess I sort of had. She did the whole mom thing, saying, "* gasp! * What happened?!" and when I told her she said, "OW!! Are you okay???" yeah, I was. I think I had gotten over the crying stage long ago, so I must be okay. My mom got mad at Michael when he came in, then she saw the welt on his head and got mad at me. She didn't punish us though, because I guess she figured we had already punished ourselves enough.

My mouth looks like there's a bloody walnut sticking out of one side of it and Michael’s head is turning odd colors. Luckily the swelling went down now and the bleeding has stopped. Early this afternoon when it happened my lip was bleeding for like a half an hour. I was walking around with an ice cube on my mouth for a while. Lucky bob of a brother got hit in the head, so at least he can eat. I had a difficult time yesterday afternoon eating lunch since I had to right after it happened, and every bite I took made my mouth sting. Siblings, don't you just love them? NOT. (No, I really do love my brother when he’s not being an animal).

(The funny thing was that after the fight, when I got back into my room, I noticed that by the "Hottie" comment, Michael started to write, "on fire." I had to laugh at this. Maybe he doesn't think I'm as ugly as he says I am. But then again, he could literally be picturing me on fire. Who knows, LOL.)

In other news, I have been making an effort to get healthier because I feel like a hunk of lard. My muscles have all turned to Jell-O since I haven't had PE in almost 3 years, and I can't remember the last time I got a really good work out. Volleyball helped, but it's over now, so I can't use that as a form of exercise anymore. I've been working out on our weight machine every other day for a few days now, and I'm trying to cut down on sweets even though it's hard. I am not really giving up anything thank heavens, just cutting down. The best shape I have ever been in was when I was in PE, 3 years ago. That's why I'm trying to get some exercise because these days I'm a bit lazy. It's working already. I feel healthier than I did before, and that's always a plus. Now I just need to find a way to get more sleep...

My uncle came over the other day and gave us a great big new monitor. It's really nice because everything's a lot bigger now and I can actually see the fonts when I'm writing a story on Word Processor. Plus, it makes my computer seem less obsolete then it really is. We have 2 computers... this one, which is mucho slow, and the other one that's like, 5x faster but doesn't have Internet. We got new monitors for both and I can't wait to try out my Spanish CDs that I got from my uncle as a half Christmas present. (It’s a Spanish learning game. I've already memorized a bunch of fruit, some shopping items, colors, numbers (up to 20) and the beginning words. I still have no clue how to put sentences together, but I hope to learn before the school year's completely over.) I think the picture on the new monitor will make the game much clearer.

We also got a color printer FINALLY. It's an old Desk Jet, but it's better than nothing! (I don't know why all of our technology is so old around here... after all; my dad is in the computer business. Dad says it's money... we are by no means rich and some of it is really expensive.) And dad got a new part for the black and white printer and installed it, so slowly our pages are getting less and less ink stained when you try and print something out. That’s always a good thing too. J

LOL. My dog is downstairs freaking out because while my dad was down town today he got a new key for our antique clock. Now it actually chimes, and by all means, my dog is not used to the sound. She’s such a weirdo… if anything’s different around here she freaks out. Now every hour I have a panicky dog coming up to me and drooling in my lap (that’s her form of expression… when she’s happy, she drools. When she’s scared, she drools. When she’s hungry, she drools. When she’s--- okay, I think you get the point).

Oh, and for those of you who don’t know, my parents finally decided to let me go to NEHS (if you don’t know what that is, than you don’t need to know). I'm excited! I won’t be leaving all of my friends after all!!! J J J

        I really scared myself today. I don’t know why, but I never seem to learn from my friend’s mistakes. I remember one time one of my friends tried to trim their own bangs and she ended up looking like a colonial Frenchman… so to speak. Fortunately she fixed it. You’d think that would teach me to stay away from my head with scissors, but then again, I am only human.

I’ve been begging my mom forever to take me to the Salon to get a trim, and maybe some bangs. But mom always has some excuse saying "not right now, I'm too tired. It’s been a long day," or "Dad hasn’t gotten paid yet, so maybe later." It’s always "maybe later." But when it’s dad that wants a haircut, mom says, "Go right ahead!! Well, today, he just so happened to do so. He says he looks like an idiot because his hair is way to wavy and long. That’s funny coming from the man who had his hair down mid-back in High School and College, with a brother who had hair down to his butt (if you knew my uncle, you’d understand) in the groovy, stoned out 70’s. Ooo, disco. That must have been fun….

Anyway, dad wanted a haircut and was goin' to the Salon. He asked me if I wanted to come since I had yelled, "TAKE ME!!!" the day before. So, as you can imagine, I went with him. He goes to "Perfect Look" over by our mall, while I go to "Precision Cuts," over by Wal-Mart. You’d think that they would both be pretty much the same, right? I mean, they are both supposed to cut hair. But I found out differently. Dad always gets his hair cut by this chick named, "Jenny" who’s rather plump and was apparently in the hospital last time dad went for stress related causes (long story). As dad had been saying since I was like, 2, Jenny was "the best" hair stylist there… she cuts his hair just the way he likes it. So, naturally, I ended up with her too, getting my hair cut right after dad. Up into the chair I went. I told her, "I want some side bangs type things and just a trim for the bottom." And snip, snip, snip. My hair was being chopped off practically as I was talking.

A little while later, when she thought she was done (not even asking me if it was okay first), she scooted me out of the chair and started for the counter to be our cashier. Dad gave me a few bucks to tip her, and after tipping her, I left. I didn’t want to make her get up and fix my hair, because it didn’t look that bad. I just wanted a little thicker of a bang to one side.

When I got home and looked in the mirror, I thought, ‘This is going to drive me crazy only having about a quarter of the thickness that I wanted,’ So, the thought of a DIY came to mind. I got the little scissors out of the drawer in the bathroom, and put them up to my hair. ‘Do I really want to do this?’ I thought. ‘What if I mess it up? After all, I'm not the most skilled in the hairdressing department.’ There was a little voice in my head saying, "Kaula, don’t do this. You’re going to look like a man if you do. She did an okay job didn’t she? Why ruin it?" I had thought about the fact that if I made my new bangs thicker it would totally mess up my tapering. Then I’d have to fix that too. ‘Ahh… it doesn’t look that hard. All I have to do it grab a chunk and cut down. How hard can it be?’ Apparently very hard.

After thinking about it over and over and considering it, I finally just thought, ‘People do this all the time, so why can’t I? It’ll turn out fine. Just a snip there and a snip here and whalla! Done! I obviously have little faith in my abilities. I shouldn’t be a woos. Just look at my cousin April! She let’s Hannah cut her hair into all kinds of different styles and Hannah’s never been to beauty school either!’ So, I decided I’d do it. Snip! There goes 3 inches of hair onto the floor! Now my bangs were the thickness I wanted. But, uh oh, they’re uneven. Better taper them a bit… crap, too tapered. Snip! That’s a little better. Okay, now for the tapering… Uneven, crap. Not tapered enough. Still no… no… okay. Now to even it out…

After getting frustrated and freaked out, I decided I’d better stop before I made it worse. The tapering looked even, but I couldn’t be sure until both sides dried. I had drenched them both with water. So, I decided I’d call Chantila and try to get some advice. We talked about it for a while, then she had to go.

Later, online: Talked to Chantila and my uncle online. Finally, my tapering had dried. And, good news! It’s even! I had not totally failed! (though I’d lost about 6 inches of extra hair in total. Now it was laying in the entry way to my room. Oops, better clean that up…) All was well except for one thing… I looked like the splitting image of Angela. She’s the shortest girl in the 8^th grade, and not exactly liked by all. She went through this mad dying stage earlier last year when her hair was never the same color 2 days in a row. She used to have bangs straight across her forehead, but now she has pushed them to the side and she looks… like me. AHHH!!!! What have I done?!?!?!? WHY, oh why did I have to think of her?!?!?! Oh, crap. I'm gonna die. That’s it, I'm never coming to school again. I’ll go live under a bridge with the hobo’s… they won’t care what my hair looks like because they don’t know Angela. But unfortunately, my chums all do. Oh, dear, oh, dear!!! What to do?? What to do?? I know!! I’ll just wear a hat until my hair grows out. Yes, that’ll work, I hope.

If you don’t hear from me again, you’ll know that I’ve run away to Mexico until my hair grows back… I’ll write to you all, I promise.

           As you would know if you had been reading my blogs, I have talked an awful lot about religion lately. Yes, religion is really important. Perhaps the most important thing because it talks about what will happen to you after this life. As much as I want you to take my religion blogs seriously, I also want to write about other topics too. So, let’s move on. (But make sure you do read the religion ones, because they are very important).

Ugh, I really don’t know where Bravo has gone. He’s just, disappeared… vanished out of thin air. I think he’s like, died or something. He hasn’t been to school for 4 days now, and since we had Monday off, that’s an entire week he’s missed already. I wonder where the heck he could have gone? I'm not the only one in class wondering this, because at least 4 people have come up to me today and asked me, "Do you know where Bravo is?" No, of course I don’t. Why would I?! If they had asked me that 2 months ago, I most likely would know, but not now. I'm sure wherever he is he’s not missing me as much as I miss him.

Who knows why I still hang on. I guess I could miss him in a friendly way, since our group in Social Studies class isn’t even close to the same without him there. Even though I don’t understand most of what he says (since he says it in Spanish… he’s Hispanic) I still can’t feel satisfied until he’s there. At first I was really glad he wasn’t at school… trying to forget about somebody is really hard when he sits by you every day of your life excluding weekends. But now it’s kind of worrying me… I don’t know why. I'm sure he’s fine. I’ve heard from a few people that he went to go visit his family in Mexico, but I'm not sure. Pfft, if he is there, he can just stay there. As long as I know he’s okay, it’s fine with me if he never comes back. Maybe then I’ll forget about him (or maybe not).

When he does come back, he’s probably going to move right in on Rachael. I surely hope that he has gotten over her by now, because if he hasn’t, he’s not going to be able to control his emotions. Go figure, Mr. Kooshing put her group and our group at the same table. Joy. Now not only will I be teased by Paco and Gordon in Spanish, but I’ll be sitting next to a former love… how hard he will be to get over now! Plus, he’ll be trying to court Rachael, and I don’t exactly know if she’d appreciate that. I was actually enjoying a week without him because I think I am finally starting to forget about him. But once he comes back, well, forget that notion. There’s no way on Earth all be able to forget about him when I see his rather hot face next to me all of social studies class, every day. I guess I’ll just have to learn to deal with it. *Sigh.*

Perhaps I miss the relationship we had, not him. This very well may be. When we were going out, we had the best Hispanic-White relationship at school just about. For some reason, Mexican guys don’t like to show their emotions for the white person they like at school. I think they are afraid of what their friends might think. But not Bravo… he doesn’t have a shy lover gene in his body. He’d always show his feelings towards me and I loved it. It made me feel really special. I miss that so much. But, alas, he dumped me for a younger girl and one cold day in November, I was officially boyfriend-less.

Then, he moved right along to the younger girl. At the time we were going out, he was a snog-virgin… he had never kissed anyone before in a romantic way, nor had I. But now I'm not sure. I hope that that evil little Muskrat he went out with didn’t get her slimy lips anywhere near his, because I’d truly be angry if she did. I can’t help wondering if Bravo’s still a snog-virgin or not… I know I still am, sadly. L

Why is it so hard for me to get a boyfriend?? I don’t understand. Everyone else goes from boyfriend to boyfriend, while I’ve only had 2 boyfriends in my entire life with a long wait in between. Like Jay for example. She went from George in 5^th grade directly to this kid that I don’t know in 6^th, then to Lance, then when they finally broke up, she went directly to Evan, and back to Lance like 3 days after she broke up with Evan. So many other people at school do this too. So, why don’t I? I mean, it’s not like I need a boyfriend, I mean, there’s so much more to life then boys and having a boyfriend. But sometimes I wonder what’s wrong with me that I’ve only had 2 boys that were willing to go out with me, and even when I had a boyfriend, neither of them were man enough to give me a kiss- not even a good-night kiss. Is there something wrong with me that makes me unlovable or something?! It’s not like I'm hideous or anything. I’ve always thought of myself as decent looking, and Scott says that lots of boys thought I was hot last year, and I imagine some still do? I'm relatively talented… a good artist, and I'm okay at sports (though the only one I ever play is Volleyball). I'm decently popular, and I'm smart… never got anything less than an A-. So, what’s wrong with me?? Is there some flaw that I'm missing here that makes me unable to get a mate?!

Oh yeah, that’s right. I'm a Christian. That might explain something.

      Some people think that they can just believe whatever they want and that will get them into heaven. Sadly, the Bible, God's book, begs to differ. As much as people who believe this way would like it to be true, wishing it was true isn't going to solve anything. So, I just thought that I'd take the time to tell you what being a Christian really is. So, like it or not, believing in the Lord Jesus is the only way to get to heaven and have eternal life with God. For Jesus himself said, "I am the way, the truth and the light, and nobody comes to the Father (God) except through me." And since following the Lord is the only way to heaven, this statement is very true.

Lets me just clarify right now how you become a Christian.  First, you must realize that you, just like the rest of the human race, sin. What is sin you may ask? Sin is anything that you do, say, or even think that goes against what God says is right. The way to tell if you are sinning or not is simply going to a Bible and reading what God says is right. Proverbs is the best book in the Bible to find God’s instructions for Christians. You may already know the 10 commandments, as it is… it’s just the basic rules. Naming a few (in random order), there is do not lie, do not murder, do not use the Lord’s name in vein (saying "Oh my God" is the biggest way to do this), do not covet (meaning that you shouldn’t want what another person has. It’s okay to want one like it, but the Bible says that you can’t want that exact one, meaning that the other person would have to lose it for you. I.E., you aren’t allowed to wish for someone else’s husband or wife. It’s perfectly fine to want a wife or husband with some of the same characteristics, but you can’t wish for that person), do not steal, etc.

Okay, so after you realize you’re a sinner, you have to really believe that Jesus came to Earth and died for you. (If you don’t know the story of Jesus, I suggest you look at the blog below this called, "The Story of Jesus.") Now, you may be asking me, "Why did Jesus have to die, anyway?" Well, the answer is simple… The point is the we are all sinners, like it or not. We have all done bad things, whether it be big or small. In God’s eyes, all sins are the same. So even if you called somebody an idiot today, you are still a sinner, and you are equally as guilty as that guy on the news who murdered that cashier last week at the store robbery.

Thus, seeing all the sin that had come over man because of the road he chose to take (sin began in the beginning with Adam and Eve. In Genesis 1) God new that all the wrong could not be excepted into Heaven, a holy and perfect place. Also, God knew he could not except this because God himself is also holy and perfect. As it says in Romans, "The wages of sin is death," which means that since we are not perfect like God, we deserve to be separated from him forever and die as a punishment. But God loves you and me more than we can ever know. He loves everyone, even the worst felons (though he may hate what they are doing). So, he sent his son, Jesus down to Earth from Heaven to die in our place. (John 3:16)

When Jesus came down to Earth, he died the worst death- crucifixion, which was really hanging by your hands and feet (with nails in them) up on a post and hanging there until you bleed to death, which could take literally, hours and hours of pain. In the process, you are basically naked, wearing only a loincloth. While you hang there, you are in indescribable pain, and terribly cold all at once. (Did you know that the guy who played Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ" actually got frostbite and got hit by lightning 3 times in the process of reenacting Jesus’ crucifixion? That’s got to tell you something right there.) But, besides the pain there already, Jesus had everyone’s sins (from the beginning of time to the end. Even sins that hadn’t happened yet) resting on his shoulders, which I'm sure was like having someone push down on you while you hung there, which adds a lot more pain. Plus, not only was Jesus hurt physically, but emotionally too. Has somebody ever mocked you extensively with you having no control over it? Think about how you felt. Not good I'm sure. Some of you might even have cried because of it. But Jesus had people mocking him and dissing God (his father) and him while he was hanging there with billions of tons of sins pushing on him, which was like weight pushing down on his shoulders.

If you don’t think this is a big deal, think about the last time you actually cried out in pain because you fell down and scraped yourself, or bumped your hip on the table. Did it hurt? Of course! Now try to imagine Jesus’ case. Could you take being nailed and hung up on a cross in the freezing wind wearing nothing but a loincloth? I doubt it. None of us could. But it’s the kind of death you would have had if Jesus wouldn’t have come. Only you wouldn’t die, and the pain would go on forever because you’d find yourself burning in hell (literally)… and, I'm sad to say, you will be someday if you don’t turn to God because God can’t tolerate evil in his palace (heaven). Really, I'm not trying to threaten any of you, I only deliver truth in what the Bible says.

But, after his death, being Jesus, in 3 days he rose again, kicking death (and its master, Satan) in the well-deserved toosh. Score one for the big man! Haha! That showed everyone that Jesus truly was (and is) Lord. No ordinary human could beat death like that!

So, now you know what you must do. Once you’ve realized you’re a sinner (trust me, you’re not the only one. I sin, you sin, we all sin! It’s in our human nature), and you really want a better and different life in Jesus, you must pray a prayer to receive him into your life. In the prayer you must admit that you are a sinner, and admit that you need him in your life. You also must tell him that you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and that you deserved that punishment. An example prayer would go something like this (but I suggest you make up your own):

Dear Jesus,

I admit that I am a sinner. I need you in my life. I realize that you died on the cross for me, and took the ultimate punishment for my sins. I realize that you didn’t deserve this because you lived a perfect life, and are perfect, but instead you died a grueling and horrible death so that I could have everlasting life. I believe in my heart that you really did walk on this Earth so many years ago, and that you came here and died at all. I believe without seeing. I am willing to follow you and improve my life. I know that I don’t deserve this gift, but you had mercy on me so you are letting me have a home in heaven with you someday when I die. For only through you, Jesus, can I be saved and go to Heaven. Thank you for your many blessings.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

("Amen" is a Hebrew word meaning, "let it be done." I learned that from church!)

Congratulations! After praying this prayer and realizing what Jesus has done for you, you have just scored yourself a one-way ticket to heaven. This means that instead of getting sent down to hell to live with the evil boogie man (take that, Satan!) and burning in constant pain in the lake of fire, (Revelations) you will have eternal happiness after you die and you will go up to live with your new Lord. In heaven there is no sadness, sickness, or anything negative. You will have a perfect new body, and you won’t have to eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom or have any humanly needs. You will just live in eternal happiness forever (literally). Unlike hell, with everything opposite from happiness. I know Satan may make sin look good now on Earth, but I guarantee you, someday if you refuse the Lord and you end up going to Satan’s chamber, you won’t like it. You’ll wish you had followed God. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Now, which one sounds better to you? Happiness or suffering? I know which one sounds better to me. That’s why I made to choice to take God up on his offer. I am now his daughter, in his family, and Jesus is my best friend, now and forever. After praying the prayer, you are too. See you in Heaven someday, chums!!

However, while you’re still on Earth, you have to try and clean up your act. I advise a Bible study, weekly church sessions, and you must read the Bible so that you know how to run your life. Please consider switching with me!! You can be my brother or sister in Christ! But you seriously have to believe. It's the only way to heaven my friends.Like it or not, you can't wish your way to heaven. Please, by in God's family with me!

      Thought I’d take time to explain what the heck I was talkin' about in my last blog for those of you who have no idea. This is the story of Jesus. (I hope this is accurate. I remembered most of it from years of Sunday schooling, but there might be the odd mistake. If you know what you’re talking about and you find one, feel free to point it out in the comments section or speak box.)

Now, there is good news for all of us sinners (everybody… that means you and me). (And no, it’s not GEICO). Thousands of years ago Jesus came down to Earth as he promised he would in the Old Testament. If you read some of the prophecies in the Old Testament, the prophets told of Jesus coming to Earth because God promised them that Jesus would come. And he did come. The story of Jesus’ life is told in the New Testament in many books, but the best version (in my opinion) is in Matthew. It goes into detail about the life of Jesus. From his birth to his death, which I am about to tell you. When Jesus grew up, he preached all over the cities in Israel, God’s chosen city. Now you must remember that back in those days, most of the Earth hadn’t been discovered yet. Around Israel was the first place that people lived. So God’s not like, dissing your country because his people didn’t originate there or anything.

Anyway, I'm way off track here. Many people loved Jesus because he did miracles. He healed the sick and made the blind see. He turned water into wine and walked on water (also in the New Testament). But some people did not believe and love Jesus. The religious leaders of the temples were very jealous of Jesus because all the people loved him and listened to him more than they did them. Also, in those days, the leaders believed what Jesus was doing was wrong. He was claiming that he was God, which was a huge crime in those days when God was so holy (well, he still is holy) in society and followed by almost all of the population. The religious leaders hated Jesus, but since he traveled around so much preaching, they could not do anything about it. They didn’t know where he was, thus, they couldn’t arrest him.

Judas was one of Jesus’ disciples (a disciple is one of Jesus’ most trusted followers). Judas had something against Jesus (what I'm not sure. I don’t have my Bible handy right now) and he loved money. So soon he struck up a bargain with the religious leaders. If he could lead them to Jesus, then they would give Judas 20 pieces of silver… apparently a lot of money in those days. So, he agreed. Soon Jesus would be arrested.

One night the disciples and Jesus were having a feast in a kind man’s home (who the man was I forgot, but it’s all good. It’s not really important right now). All the disciples were there including Judas. Jesus sat down at the table and said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me." Each disciple asked "Am I the one, Lord?" He replied, "One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. For the Son of Man must die, as the scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!" Judas asked, "Rabbi (teacher), am I the one?" Jesus replied, "You have said it. Then Judas ran off, leaving the dinner table.

When they sat down to eat Jesus took the bread and broken it in half. After he had said a prayer to thank his father (God) for the food, he said, "This is my body, for which is broken for you. Eat this in remembrance of me." The disciples were all very confused about what Jesus was talking about. But they did as they were told and shared the loaf… one slice to each person. Then, Jesus poured the wine into a glass. He stood up and said, "This is my blood, which was shed for you. Drink this in remembrance of me." Still confused, the disciples took the cup and shared it, drinking little sips for everyone.

The remaining disciples grew confused. They had no idea what Jesus was talking about when he was breaking the bread or pouring the wine, and they certainly didn’t know why Judas has run off. They had no idea what was going to happen, but something big was going down. Perhaps the biggest thing in all of history. Jesus’ death was near.

After they had finished their meal, Jesus said, "I am going out in the garden to pray. Would any of you like to join me?" All of the remaining disciples said, "yes." So, they all went out to pray with Jesus out to the Mount of Olives. On the way, Jesus said to them, "Tonight all of you will desert me." Peter (the disciple who was closest to Jesus) said, "No, Lord. Even if everyone else deserts you, I won’t." Jesus replied to him, "Peter, I tell you the truth- before the rooster crows, 3 times, you will have denied even knowing me." "No!" Peter protested. "Even if I must die with you, I will never forsake you!" All the other disciples vowed the same.

Then Jesus went to the Olive grove called, "Gethsemane" and he said, "Sit here while I go pray." Then, he left them and went to pray to God, his father. He prayed, "My father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." Then he returned to the disciples and found them all asleep, for it was late and had been a busy day. Jesus said to Peter, "Couldn’t you stay awake for even one hour?! Stay here and pray so that you may not give into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!" So he left them a second time and prayed the same prayer. Returning to them he found them asleep again. After they woke again, Jesus went back and prayed the same prayer for the 3^rd time. When he came back, he found them asleep again, for they could not keep their eyes open. Then he came to the disciples and said, "Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look! The time has come- the Son of Man (talking about himself) is betrayed into the hands of sinners (us). Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!"

Judas then appeared with a group of soldiers, ready to arrest Jesus. He walked up to Jesus and said, "Rabbi!" Then kissed him (an ancient greeting that friends did to friends. Here, Judas was identifying which man was Jesus for the soldiers). Jesus replied, "My friend, do what you have come for." The soldiers started to arrest Jesus. But one of the men took out his sword and swung it, slashing off the high priest’s slave’s ear. "Put away your sword," Jesus replied, and Jesus put the man’s ear back on. "Don’t you realize that whoever lives by the sword must die by the sword? Don’ t you realize that if I wanted to I could call a thousand angels up from heaven to protect me? But how would that accomplish what I must do now?" Then he asked the soldiers and religious leaders, "What have I done wrong? Why didn’t you arrest me at the temple when I was there? I was teaching there every day. This is the fulfillment of the scriptures." Then the disciples all ran away and they arrested Jesus. But Peter followed them in the distance.

Jesus was then questioned by Pilot, the leader at the time. Peter watched from the courtyard, and the servants asked him, "Hey, aren’t you one of the men that was with Jesus?" Peter answered, "No, you must have me mistaken with someone else," for he was afraid of what might happen. "No, I'm sure you were there." The servant protested. "No, I wasn’t." The other servants joined in, saying, "Yes, I'm sure I saw you there too." "I assure you! I don’t know the man!!" Peter replied. Just then the rooster crowed and Peter wept bitterly on the steps remembering what Jesus had said to him.

Pilot wasn’t sure of what to do with Jesus. His wife had told him to stay clear of punishing Jesus because she had had a dream about him. Pilot then asked the crowd, "What shall we do with this Jesus?" The angry crowd shouted, "Crucify him!" repeatedly. "What about Barabass? Should I release him instead?" (there was a custom to release one prisoner in this occasion). "Release him!" They all shouted. Pilot washed his hands saying, "I wash my hands of this trial, and am innocent of this man’s death." But the crown just screamed louder. So, Jesus was lead away.

The roman soldiers whipped Jesus’ bare back with 50 lashes (the most lashes allowed, because if they did anymore they’d kill him before his time). Then they made him carry a heavy cross out to Gullgatha, meaning the "skull rock" to be crucified. They placed a crown of thorns on his head and a purple (the color of royalty) robe across his chest then nailed all the way through his hands to the cross. Then they hung a sign over his head that read, "King of the Jews," and mocked him bitterly.

Once he hanging up on the cross by his nailed hands and feet, the soldiers offered him vinegar to drink, but he wouldn’t take it. Then the roman soldiers started to bet on his clothes. Suddenly a terrible storm came. Lighting crashed and thunder roared over the black sky. In his final hour, Jesus roared up to the heavens, "Father, Why have you forsaken me?" Then, minutes later, he cried, "it is finished!" and he died. At that moment there was a terrible Earthquake and the holy curtain in the temple ripped, symbolizing salvation through Jesus. And all the people knew that this man really was the Messiah, the Christ. This, my friends, is what we call Good Friday.

Three days later, 3 women (Mary, Jesus’ mother, Mary Magdalene, and Martha) went to take spices to the tomb in which Jesus had been buried. A huge rock had been rolled in front of the tomb, and there were 2 soldiers placed to guard it on either side because the religious leaders thought somebody might try to take Jesus’ body in order to claim the prophesies had been fulfilled. On their way, there was a huge Earthquake that only lasted a minute, knocking the huge bolder away from the entrance. The soldiers fell like dead men. Mary went into the tomb to see what had happened. Then, an angel of the Lord appeared to her saying, "Do not be afraid, Mary. You come looking for Jesus, the Son of God, but he is not here. He has risen! Tell all you meet about the good news!" Mary ran out of the tomb, excited. Jesus met them on the way, telling them to report to his disciples and tell them that he has risen from the dead.

If you just think this is a nice Easter story, my friends, you are wrong. It is more than that. It really happened, and you cannot get into heaven without believing it and knowing why it happened. (That’s why in cartoons and movies when the character dies and goes to heaven it’s not totally true to life. Unless of course, they were a Christian character). Jesus did appear to his disciples, and he showed them his hands and feet from which the nails went through. It really did happen, my friends. The stories of eyewittnesses (the diciples) are found right in the Bible. Try reading the stories from the ones that were there. If you choose not to believe it, then I can't help you anymore. I can't change your mind for you, and I can't make anyone believe. Just let me warn you, that Satan will show you no mercy later on. I don't mean to offend any of you, becuase I didn’t make the rules, I just report them.  Luckily God is a merciful God, and he loves you more than you could ever know. He will forgive you and except you into his family if you just ask him. Please except his ultimate gift of love today. For more information on the end of the world, visit the book of Revelation… the very last book of the Bible.

    « « « I just finished reading this book that Rachael lent me. It’s called, "Angus, Thongs, and Full-frontal Snogging." It was an awesome book. But I noticed that in it, more than once, they used "Christian put-downs" as I call them. There was this one part in the book when these 2 girls at her school were trying to get her to skip school with them. She skipped school a lot, because she was enrolled in a British (as this is set in England) reform school with only girls (wow, that would suck). Her teachers are creeps and her school is boring. I’d imagine I’d at least try it if I were there too… I dunno, maybe not, but that’s not the point. Anyway, these 2 twins that Georgia (the main character) didn’t really like were pressuring her to skip with them and go shopping. Georgia was tired of them pushing her to do things that she didn’t want to do, so she hid in the bathroom in hopes that they wouldn’t find her. But, of course, they did. She told one of the 2 that she didn’t want to go with them, and then after repeating her answer a few times, Jackie (the twin she was talking to) said, "Oh, come on! Are you suddenly deciding to be a Christian now, Georgia? Let’s go!" (Or at least something along those lines.)

This sort of offended me, but I knew that the book was fictional, so it didn’t really bother me too much. But I have had this happen to me in real life. No, I have never almost skipped when I didn’t want to (or even when I did) but somebody has mocked Christians and I heard about it. The comment wasn’t pointed towards me, but it was a Christian put down in general.

For our birthdays (which happen to be close), my cousin Kate and I got matching bracelets from my Aunt. They were very fashionable, but as you could expect, they were Christian. My Aunt is a Christian, and so am I, but Kate isn’t. I think my Aunt feels badly about this and wants to present my 2 cousins (Kate and her little brother Travis) with God’s love, as I do. Kate and I got bracelets with a rope "chain" and a little metal rectangle that had a cross design engraved deeply into it. They were really cool. Since Kate and I got the same thing, and Travis and Michael got the same thing, (they got a bracelet too in the same style, but theirs said "Fear Not" on it instead. Travis and Michael didn’t really like theirs, and Travis gave his to his dad [my uncle] right after receiving it. I thought that was kind of rude, but I couldn’t do anything about it, obviously) Kate and I decided to be "bracelet buddies" and wear ours every day. When School started up again (this was in August), one of Kate’s boy friends noticed her bracelet.

"Are you being a good little Christian girl?" He asked.

"Hehe, yeah," Kate replied. She was, obviously, exaggerating. Then they laughed about it.

I know about this because Kate told me about it when she came back down from her city to mine. We met at a pizza party because our cousin came up from Florida to visit. Now, this might not seem like a burn or put down to you, but it is. My cousin and her friend were basically laughing about my religion, making fun of it. I don’t see what the big deal is with being a Christian. Why is that so wrong? Why is it that people have to make fun of Christians? I don’t understand what’s so wrong about being good. Just because I don’t swear, skip, drink, do drugs, smoke, or sleep around doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with me, does it? It means I'm a good student and a good person. Now, I'm not saying that Christians are righteous or clueless or anything, because by all means, we aren’t. We do wrong things just like everybody else, since, after all, the Bible does say, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We are no better then non-Christians, or Catholics, or Mormons, or anyone else. So why is it that Christians are so badly mocked? I guess it does also say in the Bible that we are sheep thrown into a world of wolves, and that it’s not going to be easy, and by golly, do I know that’s true. But why us? I don’t see why people can’t just except the way that we believe and think of it as diversity, not a bad thing. And I’d think you’d at least want to look into what we believe before judging us!

Just remember that Christians don’t like to be mocked anymore then you do. How would you like it if somebody made fun of your haircut? Or nose? Or whatever else is a characteristic of you. It’s so sad to think that God’s creation (you) has turned so badly against him. My pastor told a really good analogy at the Christmas Eve service at church… it’s like God has given you a really great gift (his son, and an opportunity at eternal life) and you have just ignored it, refusing to receive it. How would you feel if you wanted to give somebody a really awesome present that you thought was really special and they would like and the person just said, "No. I'm not going to take that." How would you feel? Sad, I assume. Just like God does when you insult his followers, or him by not receiving his gift to you. Don’t you people realize what he’s given you?? He’s come down to Earth and had his hands nailed to a post for you… he has died the worst death imaginable just to save you. He’s given his life. If that’s not big, I don’t know what is. If you don’t see the big deal in this then I highly suggest that you go watch "The Passion of the Christ" right now. That’ll open your eyes more than anything can. But even after watching that, if you still chose to reject God’s gift, please don’t make fun of the ones who have chosen to receive it. » » »

As I was on my lazy days (AKA, Winter Break) I have been watching the morning (if you would call 11 or 12am morning) news. As the whole world knows by now I'm sure, on December 26, there was a massive (9.2) earthquake in the Indian Ocean, making a huge Tsunami that crashed over miles of land, and into multiple countries. Small countries like Indonesia were hit severely and if you’ve been watching the news, you probably have seen the satellite pictures of Indonesia (I think)… the before and after were pretty sad. The tsunami crashed over the entire island, flooding near 1/3 of it. Everyone has lost their homes, and in other countries as well. A lot of people have even lost their family and pets to this giant wave. The US and other countries have already sent millions of dollars worth of supplies to these places, but that doesn’t take away the hurt of losing a family member or your home.

I got to thinking about this this morning. We Americans (and I'm sure other countries as well) take so much of our blessings for granted. We have everything we need and desire, yet it’s always more, more, more. And whenever any small inconvenience happens to us, we start whining and complaining and having a fit about it. Like when your dog barfs on you wall (LOL Rachael) or your car won’t start, or you’ve got too much homework, what do you do? We whine and complain about it. But just think about all those poor people who lost family, friends, and their personal belongings to that wave. Or the people who didn’t get hit, but are just as worse off. Like those kids in Africa who don’t have a mom and dad anymore because they’ve lost them to AIDS. They have no food or clothes, or shelter. There are others like this too, and thanks to this tsunami, thousands more. I have heard that over 130, 000 people have been reported dead or missing. And the rate still increases. More and more human carcasses are being found every day. There are so many deaths that the people have to dig huge pits and throw people in by the thousands. How terrible this would be. Can you even imagine? A small run in your stocking or a dead car is no match against this. It’s nothing at all.

Next time you go rushing off to the mall because you have "nothing to wear," stop and think about this. Think about the kids and adults in these poor countries, who literally, have nothing to wear. Maybe a torn shirt and dirty pants. But that’s all. Nothing else. Nada. Not to mention food and shelter! Take a look around you… look at your house. I'm sure there’s nothing to complain about. And for those of us that are blessed enough, we have plenty of food, and parents to make it for us. Some of us are even lucky enough to have parents that are still married! So shut up! Instead of going to the mall, take the $200 or so you have to spend and send it over to these poor countries and help your fellow man. Make a small donation to help feed or clothe somebody. Get a sponsor child! Send some cash to Operation Blessing (info below) for the tsunami victims. Help out! I'm sure you can wait and use the 50 outfits hanging in your closet for the time being.

(Speaking of sponsor children, I got to thinking… I wonder how many people’s sponsor children were hurt or worse yet, killed in the tsunami? Luckily mine is in Nicaragua… on the Pacific Ocean. Phew! I feel very lucky that where I live there are no natural disasters. I am so blessed. There’s not even very much snow here!)

Kids and Teens (like me) can help too! Go to your church, school or other activity center and ask to make a fund for the tsunami victims especially, or the other people around the world who need your help. Then donate some of that allowance money or extra babysitting dough to help somebody out. I am going to do the same thing… Unfortunately my youth pastor is away on a youth group trip right now, but next week I'm gonna talk to him about making a Tsunami relief fund. You should too! A little bit goes a long way! Help somebody out today! It’ll make you feel great! God can really use your money in amazing ways. Also, your prayers are needed too!

Okay, so that Information on Operation Blessing I promised. Here it is! Send donations here!

Phone:
(800) 436-6348

Fax:
(757) 226-3657

Address:
977 Centerville Turnpike, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23463 USA

~Kaula