My Support Video

Check out my support video!:) It was made for my church, but goes out to all of you :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_EQeftUncc&fb_source=message

To donate go here: http://mercyships-us.donorpages.com/crewmates/cristionm/

The Little Things...

My mom called the other night and we were chatting about Jordan's school. She then shared this story, which totally made my day. Kids say things that they don't realize can really impact others, but boy do they...

My mom was with Jordan at Back to School night. He's in KINDERGARTEN now- can you believe it?!!?!?  She went over to his desk and said, "Oh, Jordan, that drawing is BEAUTIFUL! I can't wait to hang it up in the house". He looks up at my mom and says ,"No, Nana, we're going to sent that to Shell in the mail!!"

Is that not the sweetest thing EVER? He's 5 and thought of sending something to me, which I know he knows I LOVEEE:)

The Best. Brings a smile to my face even when I'm sick:)

Stop... movie time....

I thought while I'm laid up I might as well try to offer you guys a bit of a fun post.

For those wondering- I came down with some pretty severe headaches starting about 10 days ago, with them getting markedly worse around 1 week ago and were on and off bad until Monday, when it just got really bad. I woke up thinking I wasn't feeling great because it was, well, Monday... I hate mornings and I hate Mondays especially when I have to be up in the morning...:) But this Monday, I not only was exhausted after a very restful weekend, but had a splitting headache paired with nausea and stomach pain... OH and I was supposed to start training a new receptionist.... bad timing, right?

I've been forced into bed rest with some pretty strong drugs, which still havent gotten rid of the pain, unfortunately, and the only thing my body really allows me to do is watch things on my laptop. A few times, I haven't even been able to do that, but for the last couple days I've been able to. I thought I'd be back to work by now, but each time I try to think about going back, my body tells me otherwise... so... I thought I'd tell you about some of the fun movies I've watched:)

First(once I gave up on watching Grey's 24/7- a night the internet was really slow), I watched THE GOONIES!! I've only seen it twice before but I LOOVEE the Goonies! SO Classic. I do, however, have a problem with the way it's advertised. Most would see the cover and rating and say, "wow.. what looks like a great KIDS film.." Oh boy could it be any more misleading.... the language alone could make that movie way outta line for any kid, but also the innuendos and the violence... dannng is it not appropriate. It's a scary movie for kids and I don't think kids need to hear all the language- we all know how kids love to latch on to new and strange words... hm. It's a really fun adventure movie though.:)

The next day, I watched The Spiderwick Chronicles. Super fun movie!!! I mean... anything with Mary Louise Parker is pretty much top notch in my book- she's one of my favorite actresses- but this movie really captures the imagination. It's about a mom who takes her kids to a home one of her family members left to her. One of the kids discovers a book that tells all about the different creatures that live in the woods, but by discovering the book, he unleashes a whole realm of fairies  both good and evil. The evil are after the book and will stop at nothign to get it. I guess for kids it might be a bit scary- with goblins and such, but I had a lot of fun watching it! :)  I didn't see anything else wrong with the movie other than the scary parts and some talk of the parents splitting because of some of the father's poor choices.

Then, I started Meet the Robinsons. I thought the beginning was super cute and fun, but once you meet the family- the movie lost me and I turned it off... WAYY too confusing for me...

Hulu started working again(WE HAVE HULU THIS YEAR!!!!) So I got sucked back into the world of Grey's. Now, some of you might wonder what I think is so great about Grey's. In the beginning, Grey's was okay, but not great-lots of very superficial and surface-level characters, who I hope woudn't exist in real life. The thing I liked in the beginning were the individual plots- the patients mostly. They were always pretty great in my book- interesting and kept you on the edge of your seat.... or kept the tears flowing. As the seasons have gone on, however, I've found the creators have become pure masterminds. They've made these characters very real and very 3 dimensional. They've made lives for them and given them sheer depth(most of the time). You love to see how they react to this situation or that and how they cope with this kind of patient or this life problem, who they fall in love with, etc. Defiantly not all realistic, but it's fun. They all kinda become family to you after a while... you grow to love them. With that being said, a peeve I have of the creator is that they love to bring in new characters and make you fall in love with them, then they kill them off... REALLY?!?!? That's so not real life. Not that I want them to kill any of my beloved main characters, which they've done enough already, but... just saying.. really?

Then tonight, I was able to watch 'We Bought A Zoo'. I had started watching it a while back with some of my kiddos, but we didn't get to finish it, let alone get 30 minutes into it:) Now, it's yet another movie that I'm not sure is really a kid movie- they advertise it as such, but its' got quite a lot of language and innuendo... I guess it depends on who the kid is and how much they understand... but it is a FANTASTIC movie... like.. truly well done. The last scene caught me off guard and made me BAWL... anyone else? Beware- it gets you. I felt a little bit crazy but held onto hope that i"m not the only one who bawled:)

So.. that's how I've been spending my sick days... hoping to move into the book realm soon as the headaches hopefully taper off. I've been given off until Monday. It's a ship holiday, so I would've had Friday off anyway, but I think all of this is a sign to take it easy and to let my body heal slowly but surely. Saturday I may try to get to the orphanage that I had the joy of going to last week- so amazing- probably 15 little ones- mostly under the age of 4 and just so wonderful and full of life. 1 is being adopted by a family in the states!!  A wonderful joy that I hope I get to experience for weeks and weeks to come:) 

A Window Inside

I thought I'd let you have a glimpse of what things have been going on in my mind lately- a window into my life, if you will...

The other day, as I was settling into bed, I wrote a journal entry that went something like this...

"I am also all kinda of homesick. I miss cooking, I miss baking, I miss DRIVING, I miss going out with friends, I miss cuddling up with JO, I miss my living room, I miss choices, I miss my friends, I miss having a paycheck, I miss my Sundays, I miss having jam sessions, I miss having somewhere to walk/run, I miss big pools, I miss ellipticals, I miss seeing shows(theatre), I miss eating healthy things that actually taste good, I miss unchlorinated water, I miss netflix... really it's all the little things I miss about being home... all material things for the most part...."

I thought up some more today..

I miss fall, I miss unchlorinated water of 2 kinds- I'm tired of feeling like I'm drinking and bathing in pool water, I miss singing at the top of my lungs in the car, I miss having a comfortable place to read, I  miss playing my music as loud as I want, I miss watching a movie with no chance of being interrupted by another person, and alarm, or a power outage.

But, at the end of the day today, I'm finding myself thinking, "I love my life". I thought of my journal entry from just days ago, and the different things I've missed recently and thought, "I wouldn't trade these moments for the world. The snuggles, the smiles, the hugs, the laughs, the funny faces, the shrieks of joy, those momentary smiles through tears, those drugged-up crazy moments with those beautiful patients. Speaking Krio again, thinking like a 4 year old, telling someone I don't think their cleft was the fault of a curse that was put on their mother and telling them not to care what other people say about her face, the moment of hope in my soul praying that she will hold on to my words- that she's beautiful and that God had a reason when he made her like this, giving a mama a squeeze of the hand in hopes she'll smile for a moment today, snuggling a 2 month old and praying he has hope for an amazing life, hoping these sweet faces will have a chance once they leave- that they will have a bright future and use their experience to see God- the TRUE God, the LIVING God, not the God their society has told them is the truth. I wouldn't trade my incredible friends, who God has given me for this season who have walked me through some seriously dark times, whether they realized it or not, being scared all through the day by my  favorite 7 year old, being called 'auntie' or 'drama mama' by my kids, who are sincerely disappointed that I may not be on board for Mother's day so they can give me presents next year, the students who make me CRAZY but who also make me laugh and give me 1 time of day that I look forward to and truly enjoy- the moment I get to teach them about a passion of mine and hope they catch a spark of how amazing acting can be for anyone, enjoying evenings watching movies with friends, Zumba with over 30 people on a ship, finding the little pleasures we DO have and loving every moment of them(cinnamon sugar in coffee- EPIC idea), being excited because it's Crepe Monday or Waffle Friday, seeing people through problems big and small at work, being USED for something far bigger than myself."

 Being with the patients reminds me every time why I'm here. When I leave them, I feel full of love and feel ready to take on the world. They are the reason God brought me here- if I forget that, I'm doomed to a world of self-pity and resentment toward being here at all. Those amazing, strong, courageous patients are why we're all here- to give them a chance at life and hope for an incredible future.

Much of me feels that my time on the Africa Mercy is coming to a close. This can be either a death sentence or a huge blessing. It can be 'oh my gosh I have 8 months left... WHHY.. I want to go home' or it can be "wow, I've got only 8 more months to soak up every amazing bit of what I"m a part of as I can. I know for a fact God is seriously stretching and teaching me, which can be really hard at times- especially in a place where you can't ever be alone to pray, cry, scream- whatever you need to do to get it all out. But the little things I've already learned are HUGE leaps from where I was and I'm really looking forward to what God's got up his sleeve for me. He's really shown me that without him- I'm nothing. I am weak, insecure, insignificant, but with Him, I am loved, important, and can truly make a difference. It's so easy to say "Woe is me, Woe is me" but really I should be saying, "Who am I that God has chosen me to be on this INCREDIBLE adventure of a life and has given me such amazing gifts all around to top it all off- true gems of friendship all around" Thank you, God. Let's make the next 7-8 months INCREDIBLE. 

Check it out

For those following, I've updated my fundraising site with a story and all. Check it out!:)
http://mercyships-us.donorpages.com/crewmates/cristionm/

You Know Me

I wanted to post, but have so much I want to say. So, I thought I'd keep it brief and simple tonight. This song has been my theme the last few weeks. It's hit deep down in the depths of my struggles as of lately, which have been extensive, grueling, and extremely difficult. But, despite it all, my God is with me every step of the way and at the end, I will come out a much stronger and more Christ-like woman. Thank God for that.


I first heard this song while sitting on deck during the sail, grappling with God about a bunch of things, and this was his song- just for me.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcoKuwtlSgI
You Know Me
By Bethel  Featuring Stephanie Frizzel
You have been
And You will be
You have seen
And You will see

You know when I rise and when I fall
When I come or go, You see it all
You hung the stars and You move the sea,
And still You know me

Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, You know me
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

You have been
And You will be
And You have seen
And You will see

You know when I rise and when I fall
When I come or go, You see it all
You hung the stars and You move the sea,
And still You know me

Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, You know me
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

And nothing is hidden from Your sight
Wherever I go, You find me
And You know every detail of my life
And You are God and You don't miss a thing

And nothing is hidden from Your sight
Wherever I go, You find me
And You know every detail of my life
And You are God and You don't miss a thing

Shalom!

I have been getting a LOT of Israel questions- it's about stinkin' time I tell you about it, huh?

:)

Sorry for the delay in this. To be quite honest, Satan has really been working to get me down lately, and has unfortunately succeeded on many levels. The arrows started flying in Israel, but I was able to ward most of them off because I had a pretty great support system there. I wasn't quite so upfront about my issues there, but I had a friend who was extremely intuitive and really spoke into things in my life without knowing they were issues... and the first time we met was on the trip. That really helped me, but coming back to the ship was a shock to the system. Everything in my life has been changing quickly and Satan has been firing some fierce rounds of arrows at me, and quite a few have driven extremely deep. Thankfully, I have some awesome friends and support around me... even if they are thousands of miles away...Thank God for phones:) A few people really spoke into the situations I was experiencing, and I'm still not 100%, but I'm sure in a better place than I was 2 days ago. Thanks to anyone who was praying for me- and please keep the prayers coming. I think I ticked Satan off by going to Israel, but I don't regret it one bit.

So... let's start from the top...

I went to Israel for 2 weeks through a school called JUC(Jerusalem University College), which is an american-based christian college that is found on today's Mount Zion. It is literally JUST outside the old city walls and about a 5 minute walk from Zion Gate and about 7 minutes from Jaffa Gate. I don't think I could've picked a better location. The school itself is a piece of art- gardens filled with pomegranate trees and grape vines... totally incredible. The only thing someone could've had against it was the lack of AC, but I was used to a cabin that hit about 95 degrees F at night, so this was a nice change for me- windows open and a fan going we were set.

After my crazy adventures in Madrid, I got to the campus just about dead- starving, hungry and exhausted. Dead may be an exaggeration, but I sure didn't feel like it was at that moment. I passed out for 3 hours, then had a MASSIVE lunch, then we were off. We went exploring the Old city, went to the wailing wall, and just got a feel for it. I'm so glad I did, otherwise I would've slept all day and been miserable. This was a perfect precursor for the trip. Thankfully one of our group had been to Israel many times before and was our tour guide for the afternoon.

Now, I was invited to go along by a woman who works on board, Susan, who has been multiple times with this school along with her daughter, Carys. Our 'Mercy Ships' group consisted of 13 of us- 8 current crew- all long term, 3 who are alumni, and 2 who come back on a yearly basis, though are not currently on board. We had 2 mother-daughter-duos, a married couple, and the rest of us are singles.It was truly a really great group... all ages, backgrounds, from the US, the DR, South Africa, Switzerland... super great. THEN, we met up with about 35 others, who were from Northwestern University, Crown College and a group with Campus Ministries.  I didn't get to know those people all that well, but the relationships I did make on that trip were pretty incredible and a lot of fun:)

For the 2 weeks, I was totally blessed to live with a mother-daughter from South Africa, Leanne and Jordy. They were just so sweet and caring and really took time to get to know me and we had some pretty great conversations... the trip wouldn'tve been as great as it was had it not been for them... I didn't know them before the trip, but I definitely think I'll see them again one day.... totally awesome:)

Now for the places... oh man.. you ready for this???? I'll list off the places we visited. If you want to know more about any of them- inquire- I'll answer, maybe even write a blog about it;) I just dont know what you are interested in hearing about...

Day 1: The Old City- Visited most of the gates, The Upper Room, Wohl Museum, Pools of Bethesda, Church of St. Anne, Muslim Cemetary, Overlook of the Mt. of Olives, Via Dolorosa, Church of the Holy Seplechure, then late in the night we went to the Western Wall Tunnels(EPIC!!)

Day 2:  Parables taught by Rabbi Mosche, The Good Samaratin Inn and we hiked in Setaph(Loveddd that)

Day 3: The Temple Mount and a free afternoon(we went to the Holocaust Museum)

Day 4: Qumran, Cave #11, Masada, En Gedi(swam in a fresh water spring), Old Synagogue, Dead Sea and the Negev Desert(the Wilderness)

Day 5: Mount of Olives, Dominus Flavit, Gethsemane, Garden Tomb, Israel Museum(didn't like that one at ALL), Herodium(awessome), a threshing floor, Bethlehem, Hill of Evil Council(view of Jerusalem from the South)

Day 6: Day off(well, 1/2 day off..)!!!! Went to the mall- Mamilla, where we had lunch, then I shopped around a while, then a lecture by Gabi Barclay... went RIGHT over my head...

Day 7: Trip to Galilee: Nazareth(the Leaping Hill), Sepphoris, Jotapata(love that word), Church of the Annunciation(MY FAVORITE CHURCH BY A LONNNG SHOT), and to get there, we traveled through the Sharon Valley, Jezreel Vally, saw Mt. Tabor and a tonnn of other awesome things.First time in the Sea of Galilee, stayed at En Gev

Day 8: Gamla, Quazrin, Har Bental, Cesarea Phillipi, where we got to go on an INCREDIBLE nature hike and see Herod Agrippa II's palace, finished off by Omrit.... some more swimming in the sea and stayed at En Gev

Day 9 : Boat ride, Boat Museum, Church of the Primacy, Tabgah, Mt. of Beatitudes, Chorazim, Capernaum, Bethsaida, more swimming- last night at En Gev, then the event I call the Parable of the Lost Ring.... I'll write that story for you some day;)

Day 10: Trip back to Jerusalem, which included: Kursi, Jordan River sighting, Tiberius, crazy fireee!, Bet Sha'an, Jordan River Baptismal- put my feet in... kinda gross, but cool, New Jericho

Day 11: Mt. Gerezim, Jacob's Well(loveedd), Samaria Sabaste, Cesarea(LOOOVEEDDD). Last day of classes

Day 12: Departure meeting, Shopping in town- got my Shofar and Schwarma:), visited the clinic, Dinner at Notre Dame to Celebrate Leanne's amazing birthday:), watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding in the Garden

Day 13: The goodbyes began, packed up and went to our hotel, Pizza at Jacob's Pizza, my FAVORITE watermelon popsicle for the last time, then went to the western wall one last time, slept on the floor, then I was off to the airport at 4:45 am....that was fun... not;)

Let me know what you want to know about, and I'll write more about it;)

<3 M