The Big Escape...

There is a lot that has happened over the past few months. One thing that I did not blog about is the trip I took to Seattle in February. Now, for some of you this is no big deal but for me, a future ready, life seeking 18 year old who is looking forward to leaving the nest, it's huge. My parents let me travel form Bend, Oregon to Seattle, Washington with little supervision (you'll see in a minute why I say this) and stay there in a hotel room by myself and visit churches and have some independance. This is HUGE! Here are some pictures form my adventure.

Cassie went with me to guide and mentor me on the way to Seattle. She was on her way to visit her family. We stayed in Maupin on the 13th then drove in on the 14th.



This is the view from my car to Cassies. We had walkie talkies to communicate. And code names too but I don't remember them....something goofy, no doubt.



We sported shades and danced around Praising the Lord. Hey. David did it.


We stopped at a Starbucks, visited some old memories and had some delicious beverages for our Valentines day together. It was fantastic. This is Cassie by her vehicle.



Cool Artsy Shotttt.




and this is my with MY vehicle. (P.S. Driving stick shift in Seattle is not fun.)



So. We finally got to Seattle (Kirkland) and we got me all situated in my hotel room. I was ready to go to the church. Cassie left to go to see her family and, to be honest, I got a little pang in my stomache when she left me. She guided me up to a certain point then had to let me go. So. I was alone in Seattle, Washington and the first place I wanted to go was The City Church, Kirkland.

This is a look at part of the main sanctuary.



After meeting with students in the Generation Interns programme I decided to go to Generation Church (The City Church's youth group). The campus was very cool. It was in the University District in Seattle and the building was surrounded by frat houses. Isn't that how God does things? Jesus was just like a lot of the guys back in the day on the outside. This building was like all the others, I assure you. But it was plopped down in the middle of a bustling place, humble on the outside, revolutionary on the inside and certainly, as Jesus is with the local church, the hope of a city. The hope of the world.



2 things I found to be cool are this EXIT sign and the fact that The City Church has their own water bottles. :)





The next morning I was up bright and early to go to the Generation Interns classes and prayer. It was SO awesome. I met a ton of people who were all very nice and I got to spend time talking with people about the program. John Smith is Jay Smiths brother and the Uncle of Stephen, Alisha, Jesse and Lily Smith. He is very nice and super cool! I went by the Bucks on that early morning, too. (24 hour drive through, Praise the Lord.)



Next I drove to Mill Creek Washington (very pretty) to stay with my Aunt and Uncle. They were awesome to be around and I enjoyed spending time with them! (Danna and Diane, I LOVE YOU!)While I was there I got to go to my first concert (Matthew West, Tobey Mac and Jeremt Camp.) Very cool. Here are some pictures.
Matthew West.



Tobey Mac.




Jeremy Camp.




Me with Matthew West. He is very nice.



And to finish off there are som pictures of the trailor park I lived in for a few years when I was younger. I got locked into the pool bathrooms at the age of 3 and the fire department had to come get me out. I thought I could do it alone but the door was too heavy to open again and I couldn't turn the knob. My mom thought I had drowned. It was not good. And the Monkey bars...I got stuck up there. Once again, I thought I could do it alone. And there is a picture of Hood that I took coming home in the last stretch. I learned how to pump my own gas in Seattle too. Very cool. :)









It was an awesome trip and I enjoyed everything that happened. I went in knowing that God may not call me there and He did not, as it turns out. The biggest thing on this trip was not the time in Seattle or the craziness that took place there. It was the miracles that God did in the planning. The money that just dropped in my lap to go. The hotel rooms at a discounted price just because someone believed that God had a plan for me and that that plan included a trip to Seattle. It was awesome to have fellowship with Cassie and other, too. God is good and He loves to provide for us. I got a chance to reflect on this a lot. So, What am I doing after high school? I have some plans but I am allowing the Lord to direct my steps. Stay tooned and I will inform you as soon as I know. In the very inspirational words of Lindsay Parnell, "God wants His will for your life more than I want His will for my life and if we have a heart that is cultivated around Him and His will we won't miss the mark." God is good. I believe that. He provides. He loves. He is. :) Talk to you soon!