Draw it up Reggie!

Today I woke up to immense pain. Now I do not mean to get to graphic but I have to explain this explicitly for my own memory. I woke up and like most people I had to go and use the restroom. I had to urinate pretty badly so I expected everything to come out fine. I sat down and then I experienced the worst burning sensation I have ever had in my life. Ohh my goodness it was awful! Hardly anything came out, and I was yelling because it hurt so badly. The burning stayed there, and came and went for a while. I went downstairs and tried to eat some breakfast but was in too much pain. I eventually took a shower, and then laid down for a bit before I headed off to IPFW. What the heck was that all about?!?!? It went away and the tubing went back to normal. It hurt so badly though.....

I had to go to IPFW to participate in my first "research experiment" thingy. As one of the expectations of the class we have to partake in 5 of these research things. I looked at different pieces of artwork and rated them and told how they made me feel, and gave minimal personal information and all this stuff. Then I was done and I got my credit. OK, whatever.......I met up with Josh (Young Life regional director) at the Fire Fly (local coffee shop) and we discussed where I am at and where I can be at. We talked about how I would benefit greatly from going to as many seminars and just good Young Life events where I can learn and participate in the understanding and make up of Young Life. I was getting pretty excited to hear all that. Josh keeps telling me that the sky is the limit for me because I am so natural with the kids. I would think that he would say something similar to that to most of the volunteer leaders that come and help out with Young Life, but for some reason I really believe him when he says it to me. We will see what comes of it. I just know that I am going to continue to give my all to the ministry, because I feel really driven to do so.I went to Snider to hang out with the kids and locked my keys in my car again. I did this yesterday at my friend Jareds house. And I did it 2 times last week. My memory is going to the crapper for sure. It really bothers me, but how to I change that? Maybe something as simple as a spare key will do the trick.In the evening I went to Reggies tae kwon doe and hung out there for a bit. Then I got to take him to the Art Supply store. Ya see Josh and his wife Ashley A.K.A. Young Life decided to get him a $20.oo certificate to this really nice art store because Reggie has some really great talent. WOW, when we got there he was so suprised and thankful!!! He just started talking about all these ideas he has and all these pictures he wants to create. How he wants to go and try to learn shading a lot better, and just wouldn't stop about how thankful he was. He had a smile that could be seen from a mile away.

As I left from dropping Reggie off, it was pretty dark in the ghetto and I hit a curb or a pot hole and I think it bent my right rear rim because my tire went flat right away. It was really cold and raining pretty hard so I had to go and change it. I was freezing! But I made it happen.......even though the donut was flat and I put it on backwards....I went to a G-Station and fixed it and was on my way home. I think those spare tires look so friggin silly because they are just so tiny.

Open the eyes of my heart Lord

I am ever amazed at the power and love of Christ Jesus. Just let him in and give it all over and you will wake up. It's so amazing.

I was pissed at church however. I direct traffic at Pathway and they want me to wear a bright orange vest. I hate directing traffic in the first place, but I do it with a smile on my face because they really need me to do it. I was so angry when I saw that stupid vest, but I thought about it and laughed. If they want me to wear a vest that will make me really feel and look like an idiot, so be it I suppose. I guess it is just a test of my character, and why make a big deal about it. I don't even understand why I care so much, or why I hate directing traffic so much. I wish I didn't, but I do.

After church I went to Jareds new house.
He pulled out this wooden tic-tak-toe box I made for him in High School. HA! I played with our friend Ashley. The new house is amazing, and I love it so much. It is going to be a bit breezy in the winter time though. It is huge and there is so much beautiful wood.
When I left Jareds house I ran into this guy. I was laughing so hard, but then I was just kind of amazed.

Then I went to have dinner at Jama's house with her and her awesome parents. We talked about life and what all it offers. I let them know where my heart is and got their stance on things. It felt really good to speak with them, and I hope I can be a good example of a Godly man to their daughter. We talked for a long time and I enjoyed every minute of it, and had some good dinner....I forget what it was now, but there was some good potatoes. God is working hard, he is working even when people do not see him doing so. That is the beauty of Christ. I would say it is safe to say we don't see or understand the majority of the time he is at work.

I would write more but I am so dead tired again tonight, I just have to go to beddy.

today was kind of sad for me

It was sectionals for the gymnastics girls. Even though none of the girls are going onto regionals I was really proud of them and thought they did a most excellent job. (Wayne's World) It was sad though because I know that the season is over. I guess that is just how it goes though.It was a long day but there are a lot of talented girls in the greater Fort Wayne area. I had fun watching them and hanging out with the team. The coaches are probably the most fun part for me, and well I am going to miss that. I don't know if I am going to be able to coach next year. I know I am not going to make any kind of commitment because of what is going with Young Life, but I am not going to count myself out either. I really do enjoy it a lot. So, I guess we will have to just wait and see.

When sectionals got over I went to Dave church and it was a really good evening. Not much people came, but it was some good ole spiritual healing for one particularly and that is really good and powerful stuff.

SNOW, game night, and new house

So the majority of the day......9 hours and some odd minutes to be a little more specific were spent getting rid of SNOW. WOW, it was crazy because as soon as I got the main walks cleared off it started snowing like CRAZY and I had to go and do it all over again. AHHHHHH!!! LOL. I was having fun while I did it and good some good Mikey + God time in. I have to love the good deep thought time I find myself in all too often when I am doing mindless work. It's all good though.

I got off work and went home and got showered up real quick. I wanted to take a nap, BUT NO REST FOR THE WEARY! I quickly headed off to game night. This was game night for Young Life leaders and committee members. It was pretty fun.The top picture was me playing yahtzee, and I would say it lasted for about 10 minutes because I have the attention span of a gold fish. The second game was kind of like Apples to Apples to those who know how to play a really good board game. I was just so stiking tired that I didn't have a whole lot of energy. BUT, I managed to go and see my friends new house. So, I went and picked up marty and we went down town fort wayne to see the new crip, IT WAS AWESOME!It's an old Victorian house, a big one at that with a lot of wood and windows. I really love it and I am happy they found it at a reasonable price. I hope it works out sooo good for them for a long time and that they all do really good there. I am going to help Jared (my best friend) move in on Sunday. It will be so SWEET!

Character is doing the right thing when no one is watching. J.C. Watts

I would expand on that quote a bit, but I'm afraid if I do then too many people would be watching so I think ill just let it go.So we had our last gymnastics practice today, we met at Summit Academy of Gymnastics. It was kind of sad to know it will be over, but at the same time such a relief. Gymnastics is so time consuming. I love spending time with the girls, but it can be too much really. Here is Michelle in the picture, Michelle is the best Gymnastics coach in Allen County. She is so much fun to be around and coach the girls. I have learned much from her.

I think I did really good on my Psychology exam today. I can't wait to see what I got on it so that I can post it. Ohhhhh boy

My car use to make this nasty grinding noise every time I would open or close the driver side door because the thing has automatic seat belts and the driver side belt is way broken. SOOOOOO, I took it in today to get an oil change and they fixed the problem, which was a pain in the butt and then they changed the head light for me. It was like $33.73.oo in all, but well worth it. The guy spent over an hour taking apart the stupid side of the car to get to the right wire to cut. I am so happy to have a quiet car now though. It is like a new vehicle to me, and now every time I open the door, I smile. I guess it's the little things that make things worth while.....ohhh smurf blue.

I didn't have much going on and I LOVE TO WATCH MOVIES, especially indie films. So me and Marty went and watched The Savages. Ultimately it was pretty sad, but I loved it.
That is Marty. Marty is a good guy to go and watch a movie with because he is intelligent and an amazing conversationalist. I think I am pretty darn ready to go to bed now though.

You amaze me God

-note to God-

Every time I doubt, get frustrated, get angry, feel alone, feel overwhelmed or just plain turn away you are always there to talk to me, lift me up, challenge me, love me. All I have to do is have eyes to see you, ears to hear you, and a heart to love you. You are like a Rolex God, as long as I keep moving, you keep working in, around, and with me. You amaze me God, from showing me the 116 in my car, to putting me in the lives of these kids who really need comfort and love. I can't help but see you in everything. I want them to call me a "super Christian" God, I want them to see you in me. I want to over flow with the Holy Spirit. Romans 1:16, I'm not ashamed! Even when I feel like nothing is working, they keep coming back God. Something inside of them is telling them to keep coming back. They see something, they feel something, they sense something different. They don't know exactly what it is yet, but they like it. I pray for their souls Heavenly Father, I cry for what they have been through. Give me strength to stand firm when it would be easier to break in front of them. Give me the wisdom to know what to say. I love you Lord, you are my strength. I want to make myself low so that you may be lifted up. Thank you for everything that you are. Grant me the Faith so that my eyes may always be focused on you. Amen.

The majority of my day was spent studying. My mom and I had to go and get something worked at IPFW, but as soon as that was done, I was off the the 4th floor of the library to study study study. It feels so good to be prepared for my exam tomorrow. I am ready for this sucker. BRING IT ON PSY 120!!

YOUNG LIFE
Tonight at Young Life I encountered so many amazing things. I am pulling these kids out of the Ghetto and they are loving it. They are rough and tough, and wear their thug clothes, but they are calling me and they keep coming back. One of the guys, "D" opened up to me tonight out of no where. He is the last person in Snider I would think would want to come to Young Life. He is obviously carrying a lot of pain though. He told me about how he has lived with his grandmother since he was 2 in Chicago. He recently moved back to Fort Wayne because his parents got out of Prison. Well, his grandmother was extremely abusive and neglected him in so many ways. He harbors so much pain and resentment, I could hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes when he spoke. No wonder he smokes weed, and trys to erase the memories instead of combating them head on. Right before he got out of the car, I told him that I respected him for telling me that, and that I would never judge him. I also told him that I think I might know a little more than him than what he thinks. I asked if I could take him out to eat sometime and just talk to him about some of the issues. He said yes, and he said it with his chin up. I am excited to see where God is going to take this. There is so much pain in this kids heart. So much pain.Then of course we have Randy (left) and I think Tony (right) the master kung fu guys. HA! It was so funny.

On the way to take these guys home we saw a car super stuck in a ditch......to make a long story short, me and 4 dudes got this guy out of the ditch with BRUTE STRENGTH! It was pretty awesome, and it is a cool story to be able to share with each other. A "bonding" moment. My exam starts at 9:00AM tomorrow, and I could use some prayers if anyone wants to dish them out. I am prepared for it, but I just home I don't crack under pressure. GO ME!

Today was UBER beautiful.

Haley Chaney Update 2-23-2008

As I was walking to class, I stopped and admired the tree's. WOW was that beautiful. Talk about a winter wonderland. I just love scenes like this one. As I stopped, there was a little bit of a jam up behind me because no one wanted to get in the picture. I should have said thank you, but I hesitated for some reason. I think probably because I wouldn't have cared if they would have walked through the picture. It was just funny to see their reaction. The girl stopped, and then this guy nearly ran into her. I don't think he would have stopped if she wouldn't have done so. funny, funny, funny

There was hardly anyone in my psychology class, and so I felt like I was ahead of the game. I got a lot of study time today. Then got let out of my communication/speech class early because the other com 114 class the prof has is behind. It didn't really make sense, we were already there but in actuality it was no skin off my back. I spend the rest of the time on campus dealing with an issue that needed dealt with. I am not going to go into work tomorrow so I will have the whole day all to myself to study for this PSYCHOLOGY exam # 2 that will be on Thursday. I am going to be so prepared for this one. It's a good feeling to be prepared for something. HORRAY FOR ME!

Also, when I was at school doin a lil study session before my comm class I sat in this small study room. I saw a familiar face but could not put a name to it. I waited, and waited and stared and stared. FINALLY I REALIZED WHO IT WAS!!! My old school mate Tim Glassley. I finally had enough confidence to say his name out loud in front of some peeps because I heard his laugh. It is a timeless and very specifying laugh that only Tim could have. We caught up on some things and had a good chat. It was a pretty cool blast from the past.

We got hit with some MONDO snow. In fact, it is snowing right now! I don't think we are suppose to get any kind of serious accumulation tonight though, so it's all good. G'Night.

God is so GOOD TO ME!

I talked on the phone with a lady today. Okay here is the deal. I created my web-site a while ago; it is called SurvivingMS.com and the main goal was to give people an outlet by being able to relate to someone who has and is going through struggles created by Multiple Sclerosis. Well, this lady called me upset and in a very sad frame of mind. I talked with her and assured her that everything would be okay. Her words in an E-Mail sent to me were very powerful and I will post them for everyone to see.

Mikey,

Words can not express what our phone conversation meant to me. I truly believe it was from God. My husband had just left the house to take our two kids to the doctor, and the house was silent. So I just lost it. I'm racking my brain to figure out how to call. I had to talk to somebody, I was in panic mode for sure. I dialed three seperate numbers....no one answered. So I said o.k God, your telling me I'm not meant to talk to these people. So I sat down at my laptop and google the words...."Surviving MS" Your blog poped up. I read through your blog and checked out your China experience, then I called you. Something I would never ordinarilly dol.

You gave me hope and peace. When I hung up the phone I was instantly calmed. I can't thank you enough for you ministry to others. I will be in touch.

All The Best,

Leigh **** *****

Leigh **** *****, Photographic Artist

This woman is also an amazing photographer. It was so good for me to hear her speak. I love honesty, and I am not afraid of it. I understand that feeling she had of helplessness. It is powerful just to be able to speak to someone who KNOWS what you are going through. I have had many phone calls from people who are scared and just don't know what to do, or don't know what their options are. But for Leigh Anne to just come out and say, "I can't thank you enough for your ministry to others." Well, that makes my eyes tear up. When I take a step back and realize what it really is, that's exactly right. The more I allow God to seep into every crack of my life, the more I am blessed for it. I don't deserve anything for my obedience, but he gives EVERYTHING! Sometimes it can be a bit much for me to take in. I am taken by it at times. God does have some big plans for me, and I am pumped for it!

There was the last season meet for the gymnastics girls tonight. It was Senior night and Jackie Cottrell and Kaitlin Gengler were celebrated. They will be missed especially by their coaches that have been with them for a million years. Me on the other hand, I am kind of happy the season is dwindling down, I have some other things that could really use my attention. I got to see Laura Wight perform which was pretty darn cool considering I didn't even know she was in gymnastics. I saw a couple of other familiar faces as well. Mrs. Wight, it is always a pleasure to see your smiling face. :-)

When I got home I got to have a great phone conversation with my good friend Scott Bushell from Sydney Austraila. I captured some of the conversation on my phone. CHECK IT OUT!

My computer keeps acting up, the sound keeps failing on me and I have no idea why. My CPU usage sky rockets and then everything slows down. I wish it would just work correctly. I have a busy day tomorrow. I have to try to make it to Snider during lunch as well. There are some kids that I just really want to love on. Love is a powerful thing ya know. It's so great, it is free and doesn't end as long as you have a heart that will continually dish it out.

Prayer is powerful, every night I spend time deep in prayer. I found an incredible BLOG tonight that had some amazing things to say about prayer, and how it is a tool given to us to connect with Abba. I can't do it justice because my brain is pretty sleepy at the moment, BUT prayer is powerful and I just love me some prayer.

The internet is pretty darn cool too. My friend Scott who is on the other side of the world is able to talk with me and send me video of himself LIVE! This just blows me away. I'm loving it. I am going to go to bed now.

I love my sister a lot

At church we got into 2 Corinthians 8:1-7 I enjoyed it a lot and got a lot out of it. Giving can be so difficult for some people, to give of themselves or to give out of their pocket seems abstract. I think God has touched my heart from a young age, as far as I can remember I have always gotten more joy out of giving than getting. I am so thankful for that. I also found a cool BLOG/Journal/Site about giving and was based out of some of these verses. Here are some of the notes that pastor Ron gave us, and then some of mine mixed in. 8:1-7 talks about the poverty stricken churches in Macedonia. It talks about how joyful they were to give to God. Not only out of their pockets but from their hearts. That is so awesome, just like the poor woman who gave all she had. I just image God getting this awesome and proud smile on his face. As if to say, thank you for giving out of grace. Ohh man that is powerful stuff. Anyways, to the notes...

1. they (people in Macedonian churches) did not let economic limitations get in the way of their generosity.

-we should give and receive out of grace

2. their generosity was a response to God's grace.

-He gives so much, we must surrender everything because of it.

-we must look at the gifts of grace God has given us.

3. they understood they were rich.

-I must acknowledge that I am RICH.

For Pathway Community Church:

1. This church is making a difference.

2. This church can make a continued impact in our community.

3. This church can impact our city.

4. This church will leave a legacy.

(ME SAYING) I am proud to be a part of PCC. I am proud to work for the church and to be a part of something great. I am also so happy to be a part of Lifelight Ministries (Saturday evening church with Dave) because I know got has directed me to it and to be a part of it wherever it may go.

HAPPY B-DAY MER!!!

Well, it's not her B-Day yet, but we celebrated it today. It is actually going to be her GOLDEN B-Day on Tuesday the 26th. She will be 26 on the 26th. We had fun, here are some clips from the afternoon at Crazy Pin's!!!!
My mom was a way better bowler than I thought she would be. It kind of impressed me. She is consistantly better than I am. I think I can be okay with that too. I wish I could say that she pounded out a STRIKE when I took this picture....but she didn't. Ohh well, they are Crazy PinZ. She had fun today which means I had a ton of fun. We went putt putt golfing and it was pretty crazy, lol. It was extremely psychodelic, and I couldn't help but think of things from my past. I mean, it was intensly colorful and nothing but black lighting with the most intense paintings and crazy stuff all over the walls, ground, everywhere. They fufilled their name with that activity. We went home and ate some really good ice cream cake. Then I got approximately 12 minutes to chill and relax. Then I had the opportunity to take my friend Jama out to see a movie. We saw CHARLIE BARTLETT which we both thought was really good. I love spending time with Jama, and I think I am going to spend more of it because Jama seems to always be honest with me. I respect and admire honesty. Especially when it would almost be easier to be fake and front. Maybe that is why I love working with High School kids so much, because I can get the honesty to come out of them. I just really like that about Jama. She has a lot going on for herself emotionally, and I think it was good just to be able to kind of get away and enjoy something simple. That is what I took from it anyway. Maybe I am assuming to much. But that was the vibe I was catching.

Tomorrow I am going to go and speak with my academic advisor about my STATT class. I have to drop it, and I think I am going to try to add a class in place of it if it is at all possible. The STATT class was a mistake to take in the first place, I don't even really know why or how I got into it. But I have got to get OUTto it. We will see how it goes tomorrow. ~sigh~ I ain't stressing, I just don't like "quitting" stuff like a class. I feel like there is a bit of failureISHness going on there and I am not too sure how that makes me feel. Anyways, that is enough. I start my new devotional tomorrow. I am starting it because I am no longer attending the MON, WED, FRI early morning Bible study because of health reasons. I need to get my sleep, and it is just to early to often. I need to provide my physical body with what it needs as well as my spiritual body. I was just not doing that with all those super early mornings. OKAY, that is really enough, I must be getting off to bed so I can gather all the sleep my body can take.

I feel like an idiot today.

I don't want to go into great detail.....but I locked myself out of Pathway while I was working there today. Ughhh, I think i'll let the video do the talking for me. You might have to twist your head to the side. to see it correctly. Didn't have a coat on, I was really cold and had been working my but off for the past 3 1/2 hours. LOL. I just had to laugh it off, even though inside I was feeling like a grade A MORON!

I just couldn't get it right today. I felt really stupid, no matter what I did I just couldn't get my memory working correctly. AHHHHHHHH!

So, then I go to Dave church.....and I locked my keys in my car. Why the heck did I even lock my car? It was at Daves house in eye sight of where I was sitting the whole time, I don't even remember locking it. I have no idea what was going through my head. DO'OH!!!

I'm going to bed

decisions are so hard sometimes

Lauren,
you are killing me here. I have been praying and praying that if I am not suppose to get on Tysabri, that God close doors and make it hard. Well, in the past 3 months there has been nothing but hardships related to me getting on this drug. For instance, it was so hard for me to find an infusion site. I found one and everything was all set up, and then BAM out of no where the infusion specialists quit and they told me they would not adminster the drug to me. So, we look else where. More difficulties and strange stuff. I feel that God is really speaking to me and telling me not to start this drug. I am not saying that Copaxone is the right drug for me, I just feel that Tysabri isn't right for me at this time. I don't know though. I JUST DON'T KNOW!!!! I feel so darn good, I feel like maybe I shouldn't be on anything. But people say that is foolish......I really don't know what to do but rely on God with this. I know it isn't scientific, and I can't give any emperica data to back any of my thoughts up. But, God knows what to do. I just have to rely on my faith and gut decisions I think. Do I know for sure 100%, well I guess I can't say that absloutely, but there comes a point when you just have to make a good decision based on what God has put in front of you. I think that's where I am at. I don't know just yet what that decision is though. I don't know what to do, and I am a wreck inside because of it. I don't even like to talk about it because I am usually so sure and confidet with everything. Not this though. I don't know.


I can't wait till I get to heaven and there are no more diseases. I watched this video about Autism, and it is so friggin sad. In heaven, it is going to be so wonderful. Always brings a smile to my face. Tom & I spoke at this IPFW on campus ministry called Sunago. They meet once a month and just praise God. It was awesome. And the chick in the back with the blue shirt on and the dark hair shared her testimony. It was powerful and the holy spirit was really working in that room. She lost her father to the stupid cancer fight and wow, she had a great story to tell. There was a lot of emotion in that room. Then, me and Tom shared and brought a whole new level to the stage. LOL>>>> I am actually laughing out loud, right now! Still laughing.........it's not so loud anymore, ok, I stopped. Wait, I just giggled a little bit. Yea, I am completely done now.

I GOT A MICROPHONE SO I CAN TALK TO MY FRIEND SCOTT, on SKYPE!!! HINT HINT!!!

today, ohh yea today was the day.

Well, I had my appointment at Fort Wayne Neurology today. It was to be my initial appointment for my Tysabri, and well I talked with Dr. Gupta and changed my outlook on him and Tysabri. He informed me of how just in the past 2 weeks Tysabri has shown to cause Moles (which I have 2 decent sized moles) to turn into melanoma. I have had Dr. Gupta wrong this whole time, and he pointed out some things to me that I have been feeling all along. I have never felt positive about starting Tysabri, and always felt it was a bit of a risk to my health. I prayed that if God did not want me to start this medication that he would just close the doors to making it happen. WELL, that is exactly what has happened over and over again. Dr. Gupta also told me that after looking over my records and everything he just doesn't think that Interferon's work in my body....... WOWZERS, I have felt this way for a long long time! To hear him say that to me was just like very Godish to me. "is that an ok term to use?" So, he said he wants me to get another MRI and then consider copaxone before any other treatment. ughhhh, COPAXONE is a daily shot! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

I dunno though, God is in control of everything. I am not.

Dr. Gupta also wants to know if there is anyway he can see any documentation about what was done to me in China. He said he didn't even care if it was all in Chinese. He wants to have some papers in hand to see what was done. I thought that was pretty cool. Had me a gymnastics meet as well today. It went pretty darn good and the girls got their score back up in the low 90's. I was pretty proud of them for that. We only have one home meet left. I am kind of glad for that too. I will have to much more time to devote to Young Life kids, and my studies. HORRAY!

I feel so horrible for bad mouthing Dr. Gupta all this time. I was a jerk to do that. I feel like the next time I see him I should just give him a hug and apologize. He would be so confused, but I really was a big ole jerk for not understanding where he was really coming from. He is a good guy, he just has a lot on his hands.

Wednesday is a Young Life day!

I also had some eye appointments today. Starting from very early.....they could not explain my blurry vision...............he told me that he does not think it is M/S related. I asked him what he thought could be causing it then, and he just kind of dropped his jaw, figuratively of course. So, who knows where the blurry vision thing will go. I ain't scared though. Anyways, it was fun to go and get my eyes dilated. I got to keep these styling glasses too! :-)

I love it so much, I LOVE YOUNG LIFE! Check out this video of a little bit of Duck Tape Mummy time.
It is always so much fun to see these kids get crazy and have an awesome time. I got the chance to take this kid, his name is Ray and I am so glad God brought me to him. I didn't want to at first, but I did it anyways, and wow what an amazing experience because of it. Just to get this guy out of his house for a couple of hours a week would mean the world to me. God will take hold of that situation, I don't have to be afraid for him. It sure is tough not to think and worry about him though. I guess I can only do what I can do though. God has got the rest. Reggie wasn't feeling too good, I think he is catching a cold. He needs to get a physical too, and his mom isn't helping him get it done, so I will probably have to help him out. I think I know places where I could take him to get it all accomplished though.

I believe this is the latest....

Here is the latest update on Haley. Praise God for answered prayers!

February 19, 2008 at 03:51 PM EST

Family and Friends AND COMPLETE STRANGERS(added by MIKEY RILEY), praise God for hearing the prayers of his people. We have won another great victory today in the powerful name of Jesus. Today was a great day! Angie and I never thought we would be so happy just to see Haley yaaaaawwn…blink…glance around the room…then look at us with those big blue eyes.

The last time Haley was in ICU was when she was born. She was premature and only weighed around 5 pounds. They had to hook her up to some tubes then too, because she had trouble breathing. The emotion surprised us. Angie and I went back in time. It seemed strange to be celebrating the same simple pleasures 17 years later. We welcomed Haley into the world…again.
Last night around 2:00am, Haley was restless, coughing, and gagging. At 4:00am, she decided it was time for the vent tube to come out. She gave some BIG coughs, and the nurses pulled it out. She did wonderful! Her breathing was relaxed and all vitals were healthy. Haley woke up at about 8am..

They unhooked and unplugged stuff all afternoon. She is down to one IV for fluids and/or medication. She still has the nose feeding tube. NO tracheotomy for Haley! Yay God!
At around noon, the neurosurgeon’s assistant came and removed the ICP probe from Haley’s head. I watched as she unscrewed it with a little wrench and pulled it out…Ouch. It was the last piece of equipment that was a reminder of her “Critical” condition. Haley is officially classified as “Stable.”

At 2:30pm, nurses increased tube feedings and turned off IV fluids. It will take a while for all the medications to wear off. Haley is still very groggy. We are preparing for rehab and praying for miraculous healing of neural pathways and connections. She probably will be taken to the Rehab Hospital of Indiana in Indianapolis, maybe next week.

Prayer Requests: Complete healing or re-routing of neural pathways and brain tissue; for the Holy Spirit to continue to prompt all of us to be on our knees for miracles! Jesus is more than able and willing to do more than we can ask or imagine! The power of prayer is amazing. Jesus is glorified.

WE LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU ALL SO MUCH!
Tony & Angie C.

he's got the whole world, in his hands

(10:47AM) post
Haley Chaney Update 2-18-08 Evening

Haley Chaney's CarePage at Lutheran Hospital was updated this evening at 11:21 pm. I will copy the text and post it with the comments at the bottom of the original posting about the accident. Here is a little bit:

To our family and friends…all of you who have held Haley before the Lord. We love and appreciate you so much!

We finished day 6. As of 6pm tonight, Haley is breathing without the help of a respirator. All the tubes still remain. She is doing great! Praise God for getting us this far! All of her vitals remained excellent today. They will see how she does tonight.

Tomorrow is a big day. Sometime in the morning they will take her off of the sedatives. ___________________________________________________

I wanted to do something different today. I wanted to be special. I wanted to stand out in a unique and unforgetable way. Instead, I went through the motions and wondered what "could have been." I went to Snider during one of Mrs. Honig's class with Tom to talk with some of the kids about decision making. I thought it went pretty good. My classes were really rushed today, and I didn't put as much time as I should have into them. UGHHHHH, I don't like that.

___________________________________________________

This was updated by someone around 7:30 P.M. and I will just post it for what it is. I don't know who posted it, but here is the second hand information I got.

Haley had a decent night. The CAT scan this morning seemed to shownothing worse than yesterday and maybe even some improvement. They did asurgery last night for a brain monitor to be placed in her head tomonitor her progress. Yesterday her pressure was at a 4 (3 is a coma),after the procedure she is up to a 10 (12 is normal). They are concernedbecause she has bleeding in all four lobes of her brain. She is stilllisted at critical and could be in the hospital for 2-3 months. At best she may require long term rehab. Pray that the damaged spots on the brain will be healed and the blood would be absorbed and go away. It is also vital that there be no more swelling.

God bless, and keep praying for Haley!

my day today

The majority of my day was spent like this........
I didn't feel too good today, and I slept A LOT! It was crazy how much I slept today, I think I am going to go and say my prayers and sleep some more, well if I can stop sneezing that is. :-)

I couldn't think of a title for this BLOG, I maybe could have but I just don't feel like using any more brain power than what is necessary. So blank it stays. Today started off pretty darn wet. I directed traffic for Pathway and it was raining hard this morning. I HATED IT, though I still smiled and pretended. I kept praying and praying for a better attitude, but I don't know how much I was really seeking it. It was more of a, "GOSH I HATE THIS GOD, MAKE IT BETTER" kind of prayer. I wasn't seeking anything specific, I just wanted an easy way out.

After church, I went home and ate some lunch real fast, and then went to pick up Reggie, Reggies lil brother Dominique, and their little cousin Raymie. I had planned a trip out with an old friend/aquaintence named Jared Lankey who is a fire fighter at one of the fire houses in Fort Wayne. It worked out so good too. Ya see, Reggies brother isn't so sure about the Young Life setting, so I have made it a goal not to just let him slide by. I want to show him that I still am interested in his interests and want to prove to him that I want "in" and that he can trust me. He loved it, and I could totally tell he was talking more to me and letting his guard down a little bit. That is so exciting!

It was a really fun tour too, I learned a bunch about fire fighters.

After that, I went home for a bit, and just relaxed for a fraction of a second it felt like, and then I was off to Global Christian Fellowship. This is a ministry at IPFW and I was allowed to speak at their meeting to talk a little bit about Young Life. There was some interest given, and I gave out my E-Mail. We will see what comes of it. There was a lot more people than this, but this was after everyone broke up into small groups. We did a short and confusing study on Romans chapter 6. I am not sure if I learned anything. It was kind of confusing, and most of the people used big words.......

After the GCF (Global Christian Fellowship) meeting I called Jared (best friend in the world), because he lives close to where they meet and asked if I could swing by before I went home. He said yes, and we got kind of caught up on things. I let him know how much I love him, and that I pray for him mondo a lot. I love that guy.

I am going to go to sleep soon, I am pretty excited about that. I bet I have some neat dreams tonight, I just have like a million things racing through my head right now.

This is the day that the Lord hath made

What a morning. I started out with an early morning Bible study lead by Rich Honig, which was nice. Then, I went to my STATT class. I listened and listened, and soon I found myself being so critical of this guy. I disgusted myself. I can be so compassionate and merciful and loving towards the majority, but when it comes to someone who is trying their best to make me better and I don't think they are living up to my own personal standard I get PISSED! Maybe not even outwardly, but inside I am bad mouthing and degrading. I had to just stop in the middle of class and do a reality check. God loves this guy just as much as me. I even prayed that God lead me into classes that he would have me in. LOL. I am such a hyprocrit sometimes. Well, I caught this one this time, and I am thankful for the anonymous poster who pointed out this little tendency that I seem to have with specific people every once and a while.

Then, this guy who I have been befriending for the past couple of weeks opened up a little something to me. He told me he had to go to the hospital, and of course I inquired about it, just like I believe he wanted me to do. Then he told me about his friend Haley Chaney. She was in a horrible car accident near Norwell High School. As he told me about it, I could tell just how much this has disrupted his life. I felt like all I could do was tell him I would pray for her and that I would mention it in my BLOG so that other people could be informed to pray for her. IF YOU CLICK HERE It will take you to a BLOG that tells what happened in the car accident, and keeps regular updates on her current condition. I could tell that his heart was just going out for this girl. Mine did just as he spoke about her. Please pray for Haley readers. I just really have it put hard on my heart to pray for this girl and her family. I have come to KNOW that prayer is such a mighty tool for Christians. Please lift this girl up in prayer.

Dave Church today was so good, and the lesson tonight was about Ministry which was very fitting considering everything that I am going through and learning about. God is just...He is just so....So good. Ya know, Not to long ago I had like a "BREAK THROUGH PRAYER." I was in my car, having a prayer time with God like none I have ever had before. I was feeling nervous about something and I just laid it all out in front of God. I talked to him like I was communicating with my best friend, and as I spoke, I was directly delievered from my problem. It was such a relief. But, then I looked at that prayer time as a turning point with my relationship with Abba. Prayer isn't some abstract idea that can be indirectly effective in our own personal lives. Prayer to me, is a beautiful active gift of commuication with the Creator of EVERYTHING! I am so lucky to be able to even access this tool. I can do it any time, any day, any place. I can scream it, or close my mouth and eyes. I can talk fast and upset, or I can think out my words and grow as I speak. I cay honestly express that I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! And then ask for God to take over. When life is too much for me, I can simply go into my safe place and whisper to HIM who is full of grace that I can't deal at the moment......and then.......ya know what happens? He talks back, he really does. Ohh, you must have eyes to see it, and ears to hear it, but man does he talk back. Sometimes it is through pages in my Bible, and sometimes it is through thoughts in my mind. Sometimes, it is even through people that are placed into my life in specific times. God to me is becoming my best friend. He really is. I can't think of a more trusting friend than God. Wouldn't have to worry about back stabbing, or gossip, or having to impress or act tough in front of. You wouldn't have to worry about God flurting with your girl friend or hurting your feelings. You wouldn't have to worry about what God thinks about you, or how he views you. I can be 100% confident that God loves the heck out of me for ME! And darn it, that is a pretty outstanding feeling. Good night readers, God bless every one of you.

The past can make you appreciate the present

If I were a Carpenter sounded so good back in 1973 when he first sang it. He has done some serious singing since then. I got a chance to see him live when he came to Fort Wayne, but it is just so different. Don't get me wrong, the concert was still amazing and I had the time of my life, but his voice was and has been dead. Thanks for bringing back the YUMMY voice YouTube!I had a good day today. I am so ever thankful for my job and my boss/supervisor. I get to make my own hours, and anything that I have going on can be worked around. It is such a blessing and gift from God. I work my butt off when I am there, because I know how lucky I am to have a position like this one. It’s a very, very good thing. As soon as I got off work today I went home cleaned up and then went to IPFW and studied some STATISTICS for math class tomorrow morning. I didn’t get to go last Saturday because I was in Louisville for the leader summit meeting. I “WAS” planning on studying with this guy from my class. We had a time and place all set up ahead of time, but he called in the middle of the week and told me that he had to cancel because he dropped the class. Eeesh, he didn’t like how this guy runs things, and decided it would be in his best interest to just concentrate on his other classes instead of having to do ALL THE WORK, including learning everything on his own. The professor for this class is an awesome dude, I really enjoy him as a person, but as a teacher I just don’t feel like he ever teaches anything. I am going to have to hack and slash through this class and just force it to work. I think I can do it though. I just have to get my butt over to the free tutoring that the school offers. I’d be fine if I would just be a little more disciplined, or maybe time conscious is a better word. I am not irresponsible in my studies, I don’t blow things off, I just have so many things going on sometimes I can become a little jam packed. After my lil study time was over at IPFW I went to Mster White's School of the Arts to watch Reggie finish up his Tae Kwon Dao lesson. He does such an awesome job of teaching this kid, it is pretty inspiring. He doesn't get angry, he repeats himself a million times, and he is just infinitely patient and kind; firm at the same time too. It is quite the act to watch. I really enjoy it a lot. So, when Reggie got done I dropped him off at his place, and talked with his mom for a bit. Ya see, I am setting up this lil trip on Sunday to the Firehouse that one of my friends works at so I can take Reggie's brother & his friend Edmund to check it out and have a fireman give them a tour of a real fire house, and see the firetrucks and all the cool stuff. I worked it out so that only Reggie, his mom, and me know. It will be a huge suprise to Dominique and Edmund. HE HE HE, I am excited, and I really hope they have fun. After I left Reggies house I got on my GPS and found a near by Chinese place. I thought it was going to be on my way home, but with all the techonology I have, I forgot to look at the map. Turns out it was more South (opposite from where I live) that where I already was. Ohh well, I had already ordered it and was in route. I went there and was really blessed by it. As soon as I walk in, I say hello in Chinese (I remembered it from the trip) I think the lady just kind of brushed it off at first, maybe she didn't realize what I said. Then I paid and said Thankyou in Chinese. She kind of smirked a little bit, but said nothing. I went and sat down, and started eating. Well, out pops this cute little girl.
I was facing away from the counter, so when this little girl came up from behind me, she poked on my right elbow and I turned and smiled at her. She gave a big smile back at me. We had small talk, and she just stared deep into my eyes. Cutest little thing. I kept eating, and she went away for a bit, then she came back out with a drink, and tried to offer me a sip, I had to explain to her that I had a cough, and didn't want for her to get sick. I think she understood. She told me she was 4 years old, and she loved to giggle. I tried to say all the Chinese words I could think of, and I think she enjoyed that. I am going to have to remember this place, the food was okay, but the little girl factor was a real plus in my book. I took out my phone to take a picture right before I left, and her mom rushed over and fixed up her hair really quick, and then said "OKAY" with a big smile on her face as I took the picture. The mother said, thank you, and I said YOU'RE WELCOME in Chinese, and she giggled to herself. Maybe out of surprise, or maybe because I pronounced it very poorly. It doesn't matter, I am glad God lead me to this place, and I hope that family has many blessings and stays safe on that side of town. I would be nervous letting my little girl grow up in that part of town, but that's life.

Discipline would be so much easier if.....

discipline would come a lot easier to me, if in High School I….
wouldn’t have procrastinated everything

would have actually done home work on my own

would have taken classes seriously

wouldn’t have smoked so much POT

would have realized that my dad knew what he was talking about

would have been able to see the light at the end of the tunnel

would have surrounded myself with the kinds of people I choose to be around now

wouldn’t have been so selfish

would have had a more clearly defined image of myself

I made an effort to combat this frame of mind that wants to just sit back and watch things pass by. BUT, it physically hurt me when I got a 66% on my first Psychology exam. I can’t let that happen again. I am going to do whatever it takes to keep that from happening again. I took a LONG study break at the library in IPFW (Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne) today. I was reading everything I could, making flash cards, and reading again. Someone asked if I would let them take me out to lunch and I got non stop text messages all morning. I said no thanks to the invite, and then I put my phone on silence. I STUDIED and it felt good. I can keep this up, and a good grade will be some awesome encouragement. Yep, and the girls had a great practice tonight. I was reminded why I have put so much time and effort into it for seemingly nothing.

Ohhh man is my throat sore. I am starting to get the down sides of spending so much time with high school kids. AHHHHHHH! I need some of that AIRBORNE stuff, I should just carry it with me, or maybe just wear a face mask 24/7. Yup Yup

I am excited for tomorrow, No specific reason either. Just ready to see what the day will bring, and hoping that this sore throat starts to lessen, cuz it is NASTY!

I can tell I am getting sick

I have to make this BLOG post short and sweet. I am so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open. I was at work doing snow removal at 4:15AM, I worked till 10:15, then took a break for lunch. I went home and cleaned up and then went to Snider High School to let people know that Young Life was starting back up tonight. I love being at Snider so much, I feel like I really belong there. The halls are inviting to me, and I so enjoy speaking to all the different personalities the kids have. Then, once lunch was finished I went back to work. I was doing some intensive labor today too. Moving really heavy stuff. The back is really feeling the extra strain right now. I’m super tight and sore. I got kind of bored while doing all that snow removal, so I took a moment to put some of my imagination in the works. I felt like this design thoroughly explained what was going on in my mind. I felt like the snow was a never ending cycle, I think this is displayed correctly.I am so good at keeping myself entertained, just like a little kid.

Young Life was amazing tonight. I was planning on taking Reggie @ Cory, two kids that I would really love to reach out to. Cory asked if he could bring his friend along, they both said they had a good time. That makes me so happy when they want to come back the next week. It’s pretty amazing to see God work in people’s lives when they don’t even know or see it themselves. Thank you Young Life!

I am so getting sick, my glands or whatever they are under my chin are getting big and it hurts to swallow. AHHHHH! I don't have time to be sick, I don't see how it will fit into my schedule.

Give the people what they want.

~HEALTH UPDATE~
__Read this post with a Chip on your shoulder, because that is how I wrote it__

So, this is what's going on with my health as of now. For the past 3 or 4 weeks I have noticed my long distance vision starting to get a bit blurry. I notice it at odd times. I know it isn't as good as it use to be because ohhh say I look at the electric sign for the BP station, I can't see it until I am right up at it. I have never had that problem before. I feel fine, but my MRI back in October told my doctors that the medication wasn't doing what it was suppose to be doing. So, like almost 3 months ago, the M/S center pulled me off the Avonex I was on, hoping I would be off any treatment for a month, and then I could start the Tysabri........Well, things got complicated and it has taken forever to get insurance approval, find an injection site, do this, fill that out, contact these people, talk about this, call him, fill this out, bla bla bla bla bla! Finally, things have gotten taken care of and I have an appointment with Dr. Gupta who is with Fort Wayne Neurology. My neurologist is @ the Indiana Center for M/S, and that isn't going to change. The whole reason I go do Indianapolis for my M/S doc. is because I don't agree with Dr. Gupta, and didn't appreciate how I was treated when I was first diagnosed. BUT, I don't want to have to drive to Indianapolis every month for my Tysabri I.V. injection therapy. (sigh) So, on Thursday the 21st I go to have my initial consultation with Dr. Gupta and then hopefully the infusion/monotherapy will start soon there after. I can only hope.....................

I was pretty upset with the girls at gymnastics practice today. Well, with most of them anyway. The younger girls did really good, and practice hard like they always do. BUT, the older varsity girls had bad attitudes and took advantage of the fact that there were only 2 coaches (me & Lori) ughh, that just rubbed me the very wrong way. I have a million other things I could be doing. I really do, but I take the time out of my BUSY FRIGGIN SCHEDULE, to come and try to do the best I can with these girls. I get bad attitudes and grief for my efforts. I am so glad I have Young Life tomorrow, and even gladder (don't care if it is a fake word) that Michelle (head coach) is back from Aruba (she won a trip there with her husband). My frustration level went through the roof today, and I just hate that. Ohh man do I hate that.

I had an amazing time at Snider Lunch today. This kid who is totally in a pretty hard gang communicated with me, and told me things I didn't even ask him about. I was suprised to see how much he opened up to me. And will be excited to see how much more he allows himself to drop his guard in the future. It was a God thing through and through. It always is though.

I am so excited for Young Life tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ohh yea, I got a 66% on my first Psychology exam. I studied for it too.................

I am 7,725 days old

I am making sturdy strides towards a Christ centered heart. My mind set was very jumbled and tossed all around today. I had a poignant sense of sadness today that I just couldn’t shake. I think it could have come from all of the things tumbling around in my mind. It’s not even emotional baggage; it’s something that is inside of me that I can’t quite pick out. The first metaphor I can think up would be a bag of Doritos. You could be enjoying a bag of Cheesy Doritos when all of a sudden; you pick out that one burnt chip and chomp down on it. Yuck! It would ruin the experience for you, and you’d probably stop eating them. I feel like there is a burnt Dorito inside of me, and I am just waiting for myself to pick it out and take a bite, or someone else will find it. It’s so strange, because I have no clue where it is coming from. I am making strides towards defining where this “chip” came from, and spending time in prayer in regards to it. But, I haven’t got anything yet.

For the past couple of weeks I have been trying to go and see a movie. I call people and try to make something happen, but it keeps falling through time and time again. It happened again today, so I just said, "enough" and I went and saw There Will be Blood al by myself. I enjoyed it actually. It was the first time I have ever gone and seen a movie all by myself. The movie was okay, but the time to myself was amazing!

I had a gymnastics meet tonight, and I was hardly there. I found it very difficult to motivate the girls, and I had a thought on my mind. This thought has been plaguing me, I think it would be safe to call this “thought” emotional baggage. (This might be a contradicting BLOGG) Even when you have forgiven yourself, and have asked for forgiveness from God, I think it is ohh so important to the healing process to ask for forgiveness from the person you have wronged. I have had it put on my heart to ask for forgiveness from a specific person. I did, and it was really difficult for me to do. My personality surprises me ohh so often. I can think through a scenario a million times and know exactly what to say, then when it comes down to speaking time, I get rattled and flake out. I got my message across, but I was wordless and dry towards the end. I actually froze up a bit. I said what I felt lead to say, and then just kind of froze up. I did however feel a bit of weight lifted off my shoulders. It felt good to know I can let something go. I guess now that I am able to analyze myself a bit, I can say that my evening was maybe disrupted by these uneasy feelings that I was harboring. I wonder why things work like that? Why can’t things just be lifted from your psyche and then diminished? Why is it that God allows things to linger? Does he, or is that all on my part? When God forgives, he forgets, how come I can’t forget? Why does it take so long to forgive certain people or situations? How come some things hurt so bad? I have a lot on my mind, I hope I can sleep tonight.

I needed to write what was on my mind. It will be good for me to read what I wrote and go over it in the future. Sorry if my words are confusing.

Can anyone SUGGEST a book for me to read? I think I would really like to read a good book that will challenge me spiritually. I really want to start reading a good book. The last book I started to read was over my head, an I didn't enjoy it. I didn't even read half of it. I would really like it if someone would RECCOMEND a good book for me. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

what a day, what a mighty day!

So the speaker this weekend was Bill Paige. He was awesome! You could tell just by the way he interacted with the listening audience that he was filled to the brim with the Holy Spirit. He was challenging, but not overwhelming. He was firm, but not intense. Personally, I was challenged time and time again with the kids I seek out at Snider. I was challenged internally as well as externally. I have got to reach out to the kids that I don’t want to talk to. I want to be able to be a “constant” in their hectic and sometimes painful lives. I think as soon as I am finished with Gymnastics, I am going to maybe get involved with Snider’s football program. I just feel like that is being put on my heart.

Well, the pictures from the trip are IN! Check it, Check it, Check It OUT! First I will hit you with the pictures from the Treasure hunt, otherwise known as Geocaching. It was amazing, and brought together the committee members together with the leaders. Also, IT WAS FREE ENTERTAINMENT! Something that is much appreciated to any Young Life member. So, the first Cache or Treasure we went hunting for was really in quite a hard spot. We literally had to go over the river and through the woods to find this one. With a flashlight in hand, we saught this Cache out with a vengence. The two non-white guys are just a couple of peeps from the Urban Indianapolis Young Life team I saw standing in the hotel and invited to come with us to seek out some GPS treasure adventure. They had an awesome time with us. Tony is to the left, and Frank is to the right. They were a nice addition to the team.

I am just so suprised at how many people do this. We took out a little trinket and replaced it with a Young Life sticker. We all had so much fun!

At one of the locations we got to, we just could not find out where the heck the Cache/Treasure was! We looked and looked but found nothing. I had to try to get a better view of the situation, so I climbed up a tree. ;-)

To the left is Mark, and to the right is Doug. They are my new friends, fellow treasure hunters, drivers, navagation specialists, and cool YL committee members. I really enjoyed the excellent conversations and good times I had with these guys over the weekend. And last but not least, this is a fine picture of almost all of North Easterns Young Life leaders. I had a great time this weekend. I learned a lot, and God really challenged me in several ways with kids, as well as chipping away a little bit more of MIKEY to make some more room for God. Sometimes weekends like this serve as necessary reminders for why you act a certain way, and you must LOVE so BIG. HE loved his sheep, I feel I must try my hardest to do the same.

Good ole times in Louisville

So I met up at a Starbucks at 8:00AM with the crew that was riding to the Young Life leaders convention. I got a chance to ride with this girl named Margie who has been volenteering her time at Club and seems really sweet. Me and Margie rode with two of the convention leaders. We had some good conversations, like the good God conversations.

Once we got to the Hotel we gathered with all the girls. It is packed with all types of people from all walks of life. It's great because we get to go to different seminars and get all kinds of useful information.There are a lot of great people here with so much good input and amazing information to learn from. Tonight after the speaker we decided to go geocashing. It was amazing! There we some people from our group, and then I invited a couple of guys that I just happened to come accross. They were from urban Indianapolis, and it showed too. It was so much fun to try this new activity out with them. It's crazy, you get these coordinates from online, and then you plug them into your GPS and it guides you to a location. Once you get there you have to find the "item" and then fill out a log book, and if you take an item, you must replace it with an item. It was so much fun and everyone was able to get into it. AWESOME! I am meeting some really cool peoople and borading my horizons. People are settling down now and singing, and the piano is playing. Some one has a really pretty and interesting voice right now. I am super tired though, and I think it is time for me to go to bed. PEACE!

10 hours

Today I went off to Bible study, and I believe I am suppose to be learning patience. We are going to go through 1 Chronicles........Well, the first 10 Chapters of this book are all geneology. This means it is a ton of hard to pronounce names, that can be pretty meaningless at times. I mean, it isn't because it is the building blocks for all of man kind, but goodness gracious. Like I said, it is patience in the making.

I went to work at Pathway and got there at 8:00AM I was there till 6:15PM, so I put in a good 10 hour day. I got a lot done there today though. Towards the end I was putting up some pretty interesting shelving units in a very tight space back behind a wall that kind of got forced into a storage space. See, this picture makes sense to me, but it may not to anyone else. There are walls all around the seating area at Pathway. The walls are created for aesthetic appeal as well as sound berriers so an echo doesn't get created in the area. They aren't straight walls, they zig zag so there is space behind them and the exterior walls. This gives us space for storage. At the very lower left area you can see an area where I enter and exit. Like I said, it was a very small fit. I was making it work though.

Tomorrow morning I leave with someone to go to Louisville, KY. Young Life is having a leader ship summit there and I was told I ought to go. So, I am going. I don't have any expectations, and I just hope I will have access to a computer at the hotel we are staying at. That's all I got for now. Hopefully I can BLOG tomorrow, but if not, I promise I will take good pictures and share first thing when I get back on Sunday. :-)

"the talk"

I am sorry I didn’t BLOG yesterday when I got home from the gymnastics meet. I was devastatingly tired, and I could hardly keep my eyes open as I drove home. The only thing on my mind was to get home and lay down on my bed. Thankfully, I didn’t have my psychology class today. This means I had a little time to sleep in and then I went and met with Josh at a coffee house before we headed over to Snider to talk with these kids.
~The Talk~
I wanted to take out my phone and take a picture so I could share it, but I don’t think that would have been completely appropriate at the time. To set the scene I think it would be good to explain these kids a little bit first. These are the kids at the school that have had the most referrals (written citations) to the office from different teachers, or from the on school Police officers. The majority of them have horrible home life. Parents are on drugs, there is abuse, in and out of foster care, tossed around, talked down to, not cared for and just hurting. There were only about 11 kids in the room, and the teacher is actually a Young Life committee member. She has a huge heart for these kids, and does an amazing job with them. Reggie, the kid I have been spending time with was also in the room. It was cool because Josh was introduced by one of the other kids in the class and then Reggie introduced me. I will try to remember what he said when he talked about me. Reggie said something along the lines of, “this is Mikey, he works for Young Life and is a really easy person to talk to. He always listens, and I know he cares about me. I trust him because of how he treats me.” It felt really good inside to hear Reggie talk so highly about me. Josh and I started off with getting to know the group a little bit. Asking them what their favorite sports team is and who they looked up to. They told us and it broke the ice okay. Then we got into what we wanted to talk about, and Josh re-introduced who I was and why I was talking to them. We set up the Jenga game. I started off with an abridged version of my life story. The talk basically went like this…..Every time I spoke of a difficult or challenging time, I would pull out a Jenga block. For instance, when I was a freshmen, my good friend Kyle Erick (RIP) killed himself with a 12 gage shot gun to his chin. When I explained that story, I pulled out a block. When I talked about how I got into drugs and selling at a young age, I pulled out another block. When I explained some of the nasty life experience I have had I would take out a block. Josh was actually pulling them out as I spoke. We work really well with each other. I talked and talked and the kids listened. They made eye contact, and I felt like they may have connected in some way to several parts of my story. Well, I came to a point in my story and in my life when I said, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.” This was the turning point in my life, where I started making differences. I stopped and said, “look at this Jenga tower. See how it is hardly standing, you could almost blow it over.” I explained that is what my life was like. Just barley hanging on. BUT, still standing. Then we showed them that as I took positive steps in the right direction, I started adding the Jenga blocks back to the tower and my foundation of who I am and my life, started becoming a lot more firm. I think they really could equate it to happenings in their life. Josh and I ended it with re-iterating the message, which was don’t give up on yourself, no matter how shaky your life may seem. There is always hope, and we are here to help if you would accept it. Now is where the real difficulty begins. Now we have to show these kids that we are going to stick around, and we aren’t afraid of putting in the time. They need that so badly. The talk just went really good, and I know it wasn’t anything that I thought up. But because of diligent prayer and me admitting that I couldn’t do it was I able to become a willing vessel for Christ.
Psalm 25 helped out a lot too.

I love all my readers and I hope you all have great weekends!

God bless you,

Mikey

The day is over

(9:41AM) early morning post.
So, I just got out of my first Psychology test. I did study for it, but I felt like I was really unprepared. I learned how the professor formats his test, and realized that he is going to dive very explicitly into questions on related matter. I really did take advantage of the help that he offered; showing up for exam prep he offered last Thursday. BUT, I took some of the skills that I learned in high school and procrastinated on my timing. I allowed myself to wait until the last second to “cram” for the test. I am not going to let that happen anymore.
~The Challenge~
After my psychology class, I met up with Josh to talk about an opportunity we have had put before us. A teacher at Snider as asked if we would come in and speak to a class she currently has. This class is set apart from the other classes because of how they are viewed. They are “high risk” kids, and most of them are on the road to a discouraging future. Society might even view them as, the “screw ups.” Well, I think it is going to be an interesting opportunity for me to share my life experiences. How I turned the tide from living a “high risk” lifestyle to being happy and living for Christ. This is a huge task, and I pretty much have a day to think about it. We will be going in on Thursday. I want to put myself out there in the name of God. I am not going to go preach to these kids, I am simply going to allow Christ to shine through my experiences. I hope the kids are attentive and can tell I am being sincere with them. I’m not even nervous. I am excited really. I am going to think of a format of how I am going to give out the information, but I am going to try to make a “read” on the kids, and then just kind of go from there.

The girls have another gymnastics meet tomorrow. It is going to be just me and Lori. Just the two of us coaching. Michelle is flying off to Aruba tomorrow morning for a trip her and her husband won, and Vicki has class till late. It's a long drive to the highschool we are going to tomorrow. I love coaching gymnastics, and it is really something I actually have a passion for. But with all the activities and things I have going on, I am going to be glad when the season is over. My stress level is starting to raise, it's not something I can't manage, but it is just getting up there and I can tell.

lazy good

I didn't go to work today because I had to get my StUdY on. I feel like I am 70% prepared for my first exam in my Psychology class tomorrow. I am going to get to bed soon, like 10:15PM and just wake up early to get that other 30% of sure in before I head to class.

The girls did really good at their gymnastics meet tonight. We lost by like 4.5 points, but it is due in fact to several issues. I have full faith that they will do much much better at their next meet. Kaitlyn got a 9.15 on her vault, which is amazing! I was so proud of her. She got a vault called a Suke, and you can watch this video to see what it looks like. She did this move, except she landed it perfectly and didn't have a spot. It was so awesome!!!!

As I drove home from the gymnastics meet, it was really foggy out. Kind of a creepy feeling when you can't see the vehicle coming at you until it is right on you. I am so tired right now. I am going to sleep very, very well tonight. It is definately time to say my prayers, and PASS OUT!

AN ISSUE

My good friend Michael Gann is having a bit of an "issue." My heart and prayers go out for him, he also created this BLOG to explain his situation. http://mikeygann.blogspot.com/

a long sigh of relief

This morning started off at a coffee shop at 7:30A.M. Me, and a group of guys met up and one of the Young Life committee members named Rich lead us in a really great devotion about obedience and trusting in the Lord no matter what. One of the examples was when Abraham and Sarah were unable to have a child, but did not trust God. If you're familiar with the story then you know what ended up happening. If you're not familiar with the story, then check it out in Genesis chapter 15-21.

After Bible study I went to my class where I knew I would have my first Test. WOW, all that worrying for nothing. The prof. decided we can use our notes on the tests and it ended up being a really good thing.

I went to work for a while, then eventually ended up at Dave church A.K.A. Life Light. It was great as always, but I can't even remember what we talked about. I feel horrible, but that's what I get when I don't take notes when in the Living Word.

When I left I tried to call a couple of people to see if they would be down for watching a movie tonight. That sounded very relaxing, but no one I asked was down, so I just stayed in and got some much needed "couch time."I remember what we talked about in evening church. We talked about how God is active in our lives, it was really cool how Dave formatted the question/sharing time. God sure is active, man do I love God. Nothing good could happen to me for a month and I am still so unbelieveably blessed. It's gross how we(me included) get sometimes, so caught up in selfishness and petty things. Sometimes it is important to just take a step back and be so ever thankful for all that is given to us.

I have a serious prayer requst. My long time friend is an alcoholic. He is in complete denial as well. I am scared because he is making very foolish decisions when he drinks. He drinks a lot, all the time and will not listen to the people who care about him. Please pray for Adam, he knows the truth but refuses to settle in it. His parents are alcoholics and I love him. I am honestly scared for his life. Pray that he is kept safe even in his bad decisions. God has a much bigger plan than this. He is hurting real bad, and this seems to be his only escape.