Because one just isn’t enough!

I made a new blog focused on my trip to South Africa this summer.

I am going to South Africa with Westside Family Church from June 4th to August 8th, that’s 7 weeks! I made a new blog to keep the people who are supporting me through prayer and cash involved in this adventure.

Go, read, enjoy.

kairosbrianna.wordpress.com

Long time no type.

To explain my time spent away from blogging I would say SCHOOL. It’s crazy hard and takes up a lot of time. That and I have had nothing significant happen recently. Leading to nothing to blog about.

Here are some random things that happened recently.

My suite mate found a wasp in our bathroom. She asked me to kill it. So I spent about 15 minutes in my bathroom freaking out because wasps are scary and I had no idea how to kill it. Beasley, the dorm I live in, sprayed through all the vent system for wasps during Thanksgiving break. Guess it didn’t stick because me and my RA both had a wasp. Not fun. I really hope that I don’t come back from Christmas break to a bathroom full of wasps. Scary.

I took my English final today and thing I did pretty good.

I really love going to a school where I get credit for learning about the Bible. It’s really cool. I wish I had gone to a school like this when I was younger.

I come home next Thursday and get to spend 6 weeks at home not worrying about school or anything.

I have become addicted to Dove Chocoate and string cheese. Yup.

After next Thursday I never have to take another math class ever again.

I want to go back to Africa.

TWLOHA.com

Today is a day to spread awareness. Today many teenagers have written the word “Love” on their arms as a way to spread awareness about the 19 million people living with depression today.

To Write Love On Her Arms     TWLOHA.com

MISSION STATEMENT:

To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.  TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

VISION:

The vision is that we actually believe these things…

You were created to love and be loved. You were meant to live life in relationship with other people, to know and be known. You need to know that your story is important and that you’re part of a bigger story. You need to know that your life matters.

We live in a difficult world, a broken world. My friend Byron is very smart – he says that life is hard for most people most of the time. We believe that everyone can relate to pain, that all of us live with questions, and all of us get stuck in moments. You need to know that you’re not alone in the places you feel stuck.

We all wake to the human condition. We wake to mystery and beauty but also to tragedy and loss. Millions of people live with problems of pain. Millions of homes are filled with questions – moments and seasons and cycles that come as thieves and aim to stay. We know that pain is very real. It is our privilege to suggest that hope is real, and that help is real.

You need to know that rescue is possible, that freedom is possible, that God is still in the business of redemption. We’re seeing it happen. We’re seeing lives change as people get the help they need. People sitting across from a counselor for the first time. People stepping into treatment. In desperate moments, people calling a suicide hotline. We know that the first step to recovery is the hardest to take. We want to say here that it’s worth it, that your life is worth fighting for, that it’s possible to change.

Beyond treatment, we believe that community is essential, that people need other people, that we were never meant to do life alone.

The vision is that community and hope and help would replace secrets and silence.

The vision is people putting down guns and blades and bottles.

The vision is that we can reduce the suicide rate in America and around the world.

The vision is that we would learn what it means to love our friends, and that we would love ourselves enough to get the help we need.

The vision is better endings.  The vision is the restoration of broken families and broken relationships. The vision is people finding life, finding freedom, finding love.  The vision is graduation, a Super Bowl, a wedding, a child, a sunrise.  The vision is people becoming incredible parents, people breaking cycles, making change.

The vision is the possibility that your best days are ahead.

The vision is the possibility that we’re more loved than we’ll ever know.

The vision is hope, and hope is real.

You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story.

This is real. What are you going to do about it?

Amazing Realization.

December 2006 to October 2008.

Holy Cow! I look different.

Feeling Neglected?

I appologize. I have been neglecting writing because I just moved to college, I am very busy and sometimes resemble a chicken running around with it’s head cut off due to confussion, But mostly because I have nothing to say. I am at school. I will write more when I have something important to say. I do feel bad though.

This is me.

I am going to just pour my heart out here. If this ends up getting posted please applaud me because I don’t think it will.

Yesterday Laura was talking to me on the phone about liking boys. She told me she is jealous of me because I don’t need a guy. I don’t go looking for them. I am okay with being single. Which is all true. I don’t want a guy. I don’t go looking. I don’t care for having guys looking at me and I don’t look at them. I turn down the few guys who show interest in me. Not because I am not interested in the guy but because I’m not interested in dating.

Is something wrong with me. Yesterday I was at the grill getting dinner for Heather and me when a cute guy started talking to me. He seemed nice. I walked away. Uninterested. Now he was hot. Let me tell you. But on no planet would I date him. Or anyone.

It’s been almost 3 years. When am I going to want to date again?

 

I don’t know if I want to post this.

Kaua’i

I write to you from Kaua’i, Hawaii. Kaua’i is the oldest hawaiian island and happens to be my favorite. It’s not just my favorite because It’s the only one I have actually been to. I have been in the airport of other islands but we all know that doesn’t really count. It’s my favorite because every year my family vacations here to the same spot. We come back year after year to the most amazing view from our hotel room.

Here are some random things I love about Kaua’i.

• The speed limit almost never goes over 30mph. It makes driving so relating.
• There is one major road that travels around the edge of the island. the inner parts of the island are inexcesible because of mountains. Having only one road makes it impossible to get lost.
• I can hear the waves when I lay in bed at night before I go to sleep.
• It gives me time to spend with my family.
• It alows me to leave all the problems of home behind for one week.
• It rains every day but lasts only about 5 minutes each time. It makes me smile.
• It lets me reunit with old friends. My neighbors from California who I have known since I was born schedualed their trip at the same time as us so we are here together.
• This island holds so many inside jokes.
• So many of my childhood memories are held in this peacful place from the first time I surfed to my little sister and I holding our breath as my Dad drives us through the tree tunnel to see if we can hold it until we reach the other side.
• It is magical.

I truly love it here more then I can explain. It is home.

 

Sorry for not posting more often. I am not online much not because I can’t be but because I don’t want to be. It’s vacation. I would rather stay disconnected.

Love you all.

Writing what I feel.

I have written six or seven blog entry’s about camp but have deleted them all. I wish I could be honest without having the fear of someone getting hurt. Here is all I am really going to say.

Thursday until yesterday I was at Camp Surge. I feel unchanged.

I leave for Hawaii/California wednesday with the fam. I don’t know if I will have internet in Hawaii but I will try to get some pictures on here at some point.

Love Love Love

Oh my avocado.

Anyone want an avocado from my fruit bowl?

Pretty, no?

I think it’s suppose to be green. Maybe.

 

By the way, my face looks funny because I am holding my breath in attempt to not repeat a scene that occurred before the picture was taken where I inhaled too close to the avocado and almost threw up.

Mexico!

For those of you who are unaware, I am leaving the country. I am off to Croc, Mexico tonight. Yup SUPER EXCITED!!!

I know that the Mexico trip is mostly hard labor. Not really the kind of trip I am use to, but I think it will be good for me to experience a different form of service. 

I will be sure to write about this trip as much as possible once I return on the 12th. 

Now for the hard part. I was on a waiting list for this trip because I wanted to make sure that everyone who wanted to go and did not go to the South Africa trip had a change to go to Mexico ahead of me. A spot opened up a couple weeks ago. This trip cost $800. I have a while to raise the money after I get back. If you would like to donate anything at all please E-Mail me at brianna_mcneil@yahoo.com. But please pray about it first. 

Love you all,

Brianna