weekend.

yes, this ladybug has his little hands in the air like he just doesn't care

This weekend was just what I needed. Nothing as far as school work was accomplished but my mind and soul were given a much needed refreshment. I, along with Darcy, Amanda, Dane' and Natalie, spent the weekend at Eagle Fern Camp at East County's annual retreat to watch their kiddos.

I have to give credit where credit is due. All these photos you'll see are from the eyes of Amanda... photos from yours truly and Darcy will come...in due time. Another thing, everything I knew about Jesus, about my faith - it all started with East County. They are and will always be my family. However, sometimes God calls you to be away from your family and that is why I am not really attending there presently. He wants me somewhere else (I think it's because I stayed so close for school - you have to have some seperation when you "go off to college"). However, never will I forget how good it is to go back somewhere and know you are home. That is one of the many things I got from this weeked. A weekend with my family I haven't spent that much time with. It was just comfirmed that I am still loved. And missed. And a part of something really special. I should consider myself quite lucky. I have two church families when some people find it hard to obtain one. Going back to your roots is something we all do- just in different ways.

I also got to see our missionaries, Ben and Kym Langford (and their two precious boys, Elijah and Noah) and that was a blessing in itself. Even though I do not voice it (along with many other things) they are great inspirations and blessings and very dear to my heart. I see Jesus through them. Spending time with their boys is something I will cherish since they are usually worlds away. Not to mention all the little children I got to enjoy this weekend. I am beginning to see that I am quite fond of children and think they are part of where God wants me be. With them-showing them Jesus and more importantly, seeing Jesus through them.

This weekend was also amazing in the fact that I got to see God's beauty in its finest. In nature, in my friends, in my family. The camp we went to is stunning. I've been there before for the the church retreat and also way before in high school for choir retreats but never before has it seemed this breathtaking. The autumn colors were so vibrant and alive that it was impossible to not be in love with it. I played in leaves. And not just any leaves. Leaves that are bigger than my face. I got to be a child again.

I think there was more that I wanted to talk about but some of my suitemates just arrived home and I lost whatever blogging momentum I had. Sorry, blame them.

Until next time :)

lyrics.

"I shall never grow up
Make believe is much to fun
Can we go far away to the humming meadow
This place is so lovely
It kind of makes me very happy
Lets go far away to the humming meadow"


this is from an eisley song. if you haven't ever listened to them i suggest you do. they just have beautiful harmonies. i wished i was blessed with the gift to write music and lyrics. them always seem to say things i cannot, perhaps that's why i love when i find something that just speaks what my heart wants to.

i had an amazing weekend. i'll inform you more about it when i get photos from amanda, everything's better with photos :)

blogging.

(This is for my new love of peacock feathers.)

Blogging. It's not my forte. When I actually get around to doing it, I can't figure out the best way to go about it. I feel like I have to catch you up on every detail of my life and I just can't do that in words - so come ask me. Also, I always feel so random and that my thoughts aren't connected. Well, guess what folks - that's how my brain works most of the time...

So, to get you all a bit up to date...

Summer was a m a z i n g . I wouldn't have had it any other way. I fell in love with like 70 kids and they showed be a glimse of what it is like to be Jesus to people. I met new friends, new faces and grew closer to those I knew going into it. I love PUMP. I love PSP. There's a new special place in my heart that's been filled that frankly I didn't know was empty. I now love going to church. It's about more than seeing friends - it's about seeing Jesus.

School is already taking over most of my life...but in a good way I suppose. I'm not taking too big of a class load, but I am, however, taking a class from each part of my IDS (psych, business, comm) which I have never done before. Variety. I like it. Deltas is going swimmingly - I say that as I knock on wood... Our pledge class was a bit smaller than normal - 10 - but my new sisters are pretty swell if I do say so myself. I love being a Delta. I just do. That's all I can say to explain it :o)

It's strange. I actually like my classes this semester. I can apply them to my life as of right now. It's crazy. Who would have thought, right? Something else that's on my mind right now is Witness...auditions are coming up I can feel it...my mom is constantly pestering me to audition and I don't really know what to do with it. I really enjoy singing and touring for the little bit was fun, but is that what I want? Is that what God wants for me? I have no clue. I do know that I need scholarships and it comes with a nice one but is that a reason to do something? I don't know. Just pray for that situation. Whatever that means. I have been giving some things to God and he is taking care of things and I want this to be something I can give Him as well. (Strange, the issues that are hard for me to give up are the ones that keep me stressing...)

I don't even know where I'm going with this....so I'm going to end it.


There you have it. My life in a little teeny nut shell.

A peak into the life of Heather.

A much needed update . . .

As many of you may or may not have heard, my summer plans have changed quite a lot. Many of you know that I had been selected for Cascade's singing group, Witness. Traveling and doing that was the plan for five weeks. After, oh - about a week, we hit some turbulence and some things had to change and to make a long complicated story far too short - it was decided that we were going to end tour. (I'll write the long version when I can articulate it better and have more time). Sometimes I think we shoudln't have called it off, but more of me sees that God had a better plan for my summer.

I should let you know that Witness was something I had put on the back burners earlier in the school year and I was thinking about doing what I am doing now - PUMP internship [more about this later]. But I had a chance to get on the Witness bandwagon and so I did, which meant I would not be able to do the PUMP internship because the two overlapped.

Well, as it turned out, as we were ending our tour, the day we would be getting back to Portland was the day before the PUMP internship began. God's timing or what? I think so. The last few days of tour were spent making phone calls and finding out if this could be something I would still have the opportunity to do. I soon found out that it was a go!

I was very confused with what God was telling me through all this but I think I figured it out [for the most part]. Witness was something I wanted to be a part of for a long while now and it had appeared that my chances of that were gone. I had tried out three times and struck out each time. So that was the end of that - I had come to terms with it. I then had my eyes set out on this PUMP internship. Then what do you know, a place in Wintess opened up and I had the chance to be in it. It took a bit of persuading but I chose that over PUMP because I knew, if anything, I could do PUMP next summer. However, as you can see, God had other plans. I think I was in Witness the short amount of time that I was to show me that this could be something I would want to do and just shouldn't give up with (in regaurds to trying out in future years) but this was not THE year. Things would not have been the best, or even close to the best, that they could have been had we stayed on tour. God did, however, end the whole Witness hoorah just in time for be to still be able to do the internship. Fate? I think not. I have complete faith that He had a plan and it is still being revealed to me. I love it.

So... now to bring you up to date...

This is about the third week of PSP (Pump Summer Program) and the fourth of being an intern. It's crazy and hectic but oh so fun at the same time. The intern and coordinators get along so well and we all are here for a reason that is for sure. If you're not sure what PUMP is I encourage you to check out their website http://pumpchurch.org/. Basically, PUMP is a mission church, ministering to the children and families of Northeast Portland, Or. Along with serving in the church family, I am working with the summer program (PSP), which is a 6-week program for community children. It focuses on strenthening children's minds, as well as their spiritual life with a daily reading program and Bible-based mentoring and education.

In order to minister at PUMP this summer, I was encouraged to rasie $3000 dollars. These funds are to basically replace the money I would be making if I had a summer job. The intership does give a stipend but not really enough for me to save any for this upcoming school year. Seeing as I didn't really have time to fund raise, this is why you are hearing about it so late.

If you could help me out on this endeavor, it would be much appreciated.
You can make all tax-deductible checks to PUMP Church of Christ and mail them to:

PUMP Church of Christ
C/O Heather Bird Internship
PO Box 15510
Portland, OR 97211

Your prayers would also me much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope God is blessing your hot summer days! :)