10.28.2005

beauty tips 101

  1. Do not listen to beauty tips from 9 teenage girls.
  2. If you do not adhere to tip #1, then make sure you get specific instructions regarding the beauty tip.
  3. If you do not adhere to tip #2, then use common sense and do not put a handful of mayonaise in your hair.
  4. If you do not adhere to tip #3, then make sure you shampoo all mayonaise out of your hair before going out in public.
  5. If you do not adhere to tip #4, do not lie about the rank smell you will more than likely be exuding.

10.23.2005

congratulations to me!


if this isn't the cutest baby already then i'm sure the next rogers' offspring will be! i just got the news last night that josiah and debi are due for another bundle of joy this june. truly, the thought of having more miniature rogers running around swells my heart with joy.

10.17.2005

house trip

Starr house embarks on our bi-annual house trip tomorrow morning. we're going to be camping on the southcoast for 3 days and in the capital for 2. one of our girls just got assigned to be at armslength away from for me the WHOLE trip....so i'm guessing she'll either resent this assignment and take it out on me, or we'll have so much quality time together (sleeping, eating, and swimming next to eachother all week) that we'll get real close. let's pray for the latter. and pray for my sanity. it's going to be a crazy-fun and exhausting week.

10.15.2005

the new man in my life

Gideon and I get along so smashingly we decided to move in together! actually, we live together without any say in the matter because he's the son of my new houseparents. he's 7 years old, has a new movie every day, and our "secret" password is hero i-i. at meals he runs down to my end of the table to pull out my chair and seat me. in this picture he let me sport his new snorkeling goggles. aren't we cute???

10.07.2005

reflecting...

my boss asked me to call the girl that is most likely replacing me this february and answer whatever questions she might have. as i was talking about my role and the relationships i have with the girls i was overwhelmed (again) with how much i LOVE what i do. on a small mountainside i live with a house full of girls that have seen me at my best, worst and all the in-betweens and still love me. i've seen a handful of students come here lost and lifeless and return home with purpose and hope. God's formed a family for me here through crisis, holidays, pico, transitions, care group and housetrips. i've been hurt, healed, humbled, challenged, lifted up, fed and housed. i've witnessed marriages, births, deaths, conversions and baptisms. the morning sunrises and stars at night still take my breath away. it's been 20 months and i feel 5 years older with experience and 5 years younger in the joy of my salvation. i've struggled for stability in this continually changing environment and amongst such differing staff dynamics, but i've realized my one foundation: God is good. it's cliche, but through all the "chaos" of life at Escuela Caribe i've learned that his pursuit of our passion is not like flowers, chocolates and sweet-nothings, but the gift of difficult circumstances that will reveal our wretchedness so that we'd cry out to be clothed in his righteousness. before coming here i thought i had a clue about "godly living"...ha! i can't believe all i'm not. every month here gives me a new reason to stand in awe of his grace that floods this broken cistern.

10.01.2005

being danced

when i wrote my last entry my perspective was still way off. God is not some big dancer, and i the little dancer. i'm no dancer at all - i'm being danced. i too often put myself at the center, and how is that dying to self? spirituality is not about attaining something - position, wisdom, leadership, servanthood, etc - but rather dropping ambitions, illusions, greed and cravings. in our natural state of messiness, flooded by grace, we could be perfectly content, but we start looking around at all that we don't have and begin to think that we need those things to be happy. if i start thinking that i need to be someone important, to attain something - when 2 Peter already tells us that we have everything we need for life and godliness - i have not picked up my cross and lost myself.