RUF tailgating

I love SEC sports
I love tailgating
I love hamburgers

good thing I got placed at LSU for my internship.
RUF hosted a litte tailgate action for the students for the LSU vs. Miss. State game (we of course won).

SarahParks Martin (our campus ministers wife) and her children...don't they look like they are having so much fun in the 100+ degree weather :)

If I ever have sons they are not allowed to play football in tiger stadium....it is to scary!

watermelon smiles...when is watermelon season over?

Let me stop a moment to breathe...

WOW, school is back in action and I have been going since the first day we got back! sorry I have not been updating as often..will try to do better job of it!

THings that have been going on:
- Back to school RUF Party!
- Ultimate Frisbee every thursday
- Bible studies
- TCBY waffle cone wednesdays...and more!!

Year 2 of the internship is so much better! I feel like I know Baton Rouge better, know the students better, know community better..

Our church started a Young Adults community group..we meet every other wednesday night to pray for each other and talk about the Sermon from the previous week. I am so thankful that my church started this group. there was such a need for this community, we have many newly married couples and people that just graduated/ are in grad school! really excited to get to know these people better!

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR MY NEWSLETTER!!
- I send out 4 newsletters a year telling you about what RUF is doing and ways you can be praying for me, if you want to be added to my mailing list PLEASE let me know soon!!!

Breaking out of my comfort zone....

..One of the RUF Students needed to be picked up at the New Orleans Airport Saturday night...she asked me..... and this turned into an opportunity to visit a unique church in a very poor part of N.O. where God is definitely at work!

The students aunt lives near the airport, so after picking up the student we crashed at her Aunt's place to get a few hours of sleep before heading to Church on sunday morning. As we were getting ready we told the her aunt and uncle where we were going to church...they responded by saying that "we would never go to that part of New Orleans", "don't wear any flashy jewelry", "be sure to lock your car and park really close to the church"....these comments from native New Orleans folk only got me more excited to attend church at St. Roch!

we pulled out of the house, down I-10, and into a part of new orleans called the 8th ward...a part of N.O. that was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina...many house's are falling apart, old cars line the roads and people are trying to stay cool on their porches waiting for the day to begin and praying to find work....my hearts break for the people of this area...they were hit so hard years ago from Katrina and still are trying to get back to their old ways of life.....

....walking into St. Roch Church you can sense that GOD IS AT WORK! The people were friendly, greeting each other, loving on one another....many were local residents of the 8th ward, but there we're also a diversity of people there, old -young, black-white-asian...a picture of the gospel at work in a poor part of town.

The music was great, Gospel singing, hands clapping, lots of AMEN's were thrown out through out the service, the pastor would refer to us as "brothers and sisters"....praise requests of the people were talking about God's mercy and grace in their lives....wow, in such a poor run down (almost helpless) part of N.O. these people looked to Jesus.....wow.

after church we exchanged hugs and handshakes and headed out with another family and went to eat at an amazing poorboy sandwich place...sooo good!

if you ever are in New Orleans and you want to see a picture of the Gospel PLEASE visit St. Roch Community Church!

http://www.strochcc.org/ <---- explore

Back in Orlando

it's been about 9 months since I have been back in Orlando..strange, fun, weird....a few of things i have felt since I have come back for 3 weeks to visit with family and friends (and work on raising support for next RUF school year)

this is a pic of my best friend (and future maid of honor) AMANDA! we have known each other since we were in 10th grade..soccer captains, getting in trouble in high school, going on random adventures....a few of things we have done over the years....i love you amanda!!

This is another of my great friends..Mindy...we have been friends since we were in 8th grade...i really want to find a picture of us then and compare it to now...haha i bet we look the same!

Right now I am living in Kissimmee, FL at my Dad's condo, it has been great being able to spend time with him, playing lots of golf!

I missed my old church (university presbyterian church)..it has been so fun going back, seeing all the families and friends that love on me so much!

It also has been fun to visit with old friends...friends that it doesn't matter how long we are apart..but when we get back together it's just like the good ol' days..

RUF Summer Conference

WOW...is it really summer already, has my first year of being an intern really done....

We took about 25 students to RUF summer conference this year from LSU....it was a great time for the students to meet 100's of other RUF students from across the country, spend great quality time in fellowship, learning more about Jesus, and chilling at the beach!

A group shot of our LSU bunch....Jacob (my co-intern) and I are being models in the front! I love my students and love just how different each one is...we have students that LOVE sports and being outdoors to ones that are VERY artsy to ones that love music...and ones that are just plain CRAZY! I love them all!

A few of us girls on our last night at Summer Conference...relaxing by the pool!

My first Crawfish Boil!

My church here (South Baton Rouge Presbyterian) has an annual craw-fish boil in the spring! The church cooks up 300 lbs of craw-fish! The rules are don't wear white (the juices will squirt on ya) and get ready to eat a lot! The true Louisianians suck the heads of the craw-fish after you eat the meat (the tail)!

When the crawfish, potatoes, corn and mushrooms have been cooked they dump everything out onto the table...where we then EAT LIKE CRAZY!

All the Kids watched the live crawfish...right before we cooked them!!

don't worry I washed my hands after this!

Spring is here and things are in full swing!

WOW! March is almost over...which means school is really almost done! Here are a few things RUF has been up to!


Spring Conference:

We had about 25 students make the hour drive to Clinton, LA to spend a few days relaxing with new friends, eating yummy food and learning more about Jesus. One of the students family let us use their home complete with a basketball court, tennis courts, a Bon-Fire, pool and plenty of land to explore!
A few of the students even discovered a golf cart they had at the house......


Our Campus Minister, Josh Martin based the conference on this book....

I would HIGHLY recommend you read this book, it helped me understand how God can use someone as messed up and sinful as myself to help other messed up, sinful people learn just how loved they are by Jesus Christ.

Not-a-date night..part 2

we hosted our ever famous..not-a-date night event for the students, we pared the groups up into 2 or 3 guys and girls, and let each group pick a place to eat dinner and an activity to do...then all the groups met back at the Campus ministers house...where me, Jacob (co-intern) and Josh Martin (campus minister) had an ice cream to give the students. I love this event because it is a WONDERFUL way for students to meet new friends!!

Here is a pic of a few of the "not-a-daters"