Silence is Deadly

What is this...

Why do all the best topics for me to blog about burst into my mind past midnight? It's the curse of a writer, I swear...

And I don't know about you...

But when I hear the phrase, "Silence is deadly," it just reminds me of those old Nickelodeon commercials that talked about the different types of farts (ones that were done out loud but didn't smell and the "silent but deadly" ones...) Yeah the phrases aren't exactly the same but whatever...I digress...

On to the important stuff.

Lately, I'm realizing how much me being silent is hurting other people, and myself. I've been in some situations in the past and even recently where some things shouldn't have been done, and I knew I had to say something in order for those things to stop. 

But I was too afraid to say anything. I was scared of losing a friendship or what could have been a potential boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. So, I kept my mouth shut. And later, I paid the consequences for that and ended up losing the friendship anyway. So, being silent about what's going on with the person it's going on with is deadly for the obvious reasons: you'll get hurt in the process and/or so will the other person and your relationship will never be the same. There could also be extended, maybe even life-long consequences because you didn't speak up when you should have. 

And, trust me, if you don't remember that Jesus carries your burden for you, the consequences can be a deep burden. Just the memories and flashbacks of what you did and what you could have done or said hurt enough. By God's grace, we don't have to deal with the burden of that hurt.

Also, it's not just being silent to the exact person that's deadly...being silent to those who care about you such as friends and family is also very dangerous. I struggled so much last school year with telling my family and friends exactly what's going on with me, whether it's a friendship with someone or some certain situations that occurred, and even now I still struggle with it.

But once I've built up the courage to tell the people closest to me exactly what's going on, I feel so much better. Because they don't judge me if I've made mistakes, but encourage me and pray for me if they know I have to take more steps in dealing with a certain friendship or situation. And knowing that there are people praying for me makes me feel more confident in what I have to do. 

Even now, I am praying and lying in wait for a conversation I'm going to have to have with someone close to me. Am I still afraid of losing the friendship? Yes. I know that things will change: feelings might be hurt and space and boundaries will be placed. And I'm not exactly sure how it will all end. But I do know that even if things do end, God is still faithful. Maybe that friendship I had needed to end forever. Maybe it will end for a time and begin again, stronger than it ever was. Maybe it will continue and grow into something better later on. Who knows? Only God. And that means God is the only One I should have complete faith in when dealing with these types of things.

As I approach this time in prayer, I also pray for those of you who are struggling through the same thing. I encourage you to speak up and not be silent. Pray that God will give you the strength to say something. 

I know: telling someone close to you what's going on and asking for advice may feel embarrassing or "weak". But I can't tell you how great I feel after I do tell someone close to me what's going on. 

Wow. A couple of days ago, these thoughts wouldn't have made sense. Heck, this morning all of this wouldn't have made sense. 

And it just leads me to say this again: it's crazy how thoughts and things come together so well after midnight...

Sweet Tea

Bear with me, fellow readers. Blogging during the summer is kind of hard. There's so much that happens, and yet you wonder if it's important enough that people are gonna want to read it on your blog. So, you just decide to rarely post anything. But then you wonder if your readers are anticipating something, and you don't want to run dry during the summer time, so you just decided to post small updates or a picture or two.

This post is nothing too exciting, like going to a concert or different country. Just a small update of what's been happening lately in my life, my observation about it, and also a WARNING that SUMMER IS ALMOST UP (for Covenant students at least). 

So yeah, the title of this post is "Sweet Tea," but really, it has NOTHING to do with sweet tea. I just didn't know what to name it...sorry for the false advertisement.

But from now on, if you see a post titled "Sweet Tea (insert number here)", you will know that either 1. I couldn't come up with a good title 2. it's a random post about random things jumbled together.

So, you should feel privileged that you're reading the first ever "Sweet Tea" post! But I'm rambling...

Today (or I guess technically yesterday) was so crazy for me. Let's just say, I thought today was gonna be a chill reading day, but it turned into a taxi service to Starbucks, a 3-hour hangout in St. Elmo that included practicing some songs, a car breaking down in the middle of the mountain, a trip to McDonald's (twice) and the auto parts store, and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes right outside of my house. 

Yeah. Not your average summer day. Well, except for the mosquito part.

Today was also filled with other things like struggle, confusion, frustration, hurt. But also generosity, love, honesty, apology, loyalty, prayer, assurance, faith.

There is so much going on with, not just myself, but with my friends and family as well. Things we once thought stable are now falling apart. Hurt is just cycling through each one of hearts. But I am so glad to know that even though our emotions are reeling and we may still need to cry and scream and rant it out, we are certain that God is who He says He is: faithful. 

I am so thankful for my brothers and sisters in Christ right now. I know that personally through my recent struggles, they have reminded me that God knows what is best for my life. And if He needs me to stay where I am right now, He will provide a way for that to happen. And if it isn't in His will, there's just something better ahead! :)

I'm also grateful that we can all encourage, pray, and keep up with one another whether we're fifteen minutes away or fifteen million miles away. It's so good to hear what God is doing in the lives of my friends here in the States, but also in different countries! 

But oh, I CANNOT wait for the day when all of my friends and I are reunited and we get to see one another face-to-face every day at Covenant!

Only ONE MONTH LEFT. And Bria and I are moving onto campus early to start work study early! I am so excited and so ready...

Well, I say that, but I know that as soon as classes start, I'm gonna wish that summer was back. So, I will enjoy my summer while I can: sleeping in, being lazy, watching movies and TV series, being able to write or draw or create whenever I want to, being able to READ whatever I want to...

Just one more month of this. Time flies by so fast. 

I encourage you: get together with some close friends, those brothers and sisters in Christ, and fellowship with one another! Do something fun, but end in praying for one another. And enjoy your summer while you can! :D

LOVE Y'ALL!
*~.Mishy.~* (^^) <3

Call Me, Beep Me...

...if ya wanna reach me, if ya wanna page me, it's okay!  ~ "Kim Possible Theme" 

HAD to finish it! :D #90skidprobz Anyways...

Yo!

So, I had a great Google hangout with my besties the other night, and it just made me think of all the ways everyone communicates nowadays. Obviously there's speech. You go out to Starbucks to meet someone and you talk about your week, what you've been thinking about, etc. You've got writing letters AKA" snail mail", that is barely used except when it comes to bills and birthday cards. You've got email which is now kind of considered a form of "snail mail." You've got IM, which is basically like the chat on Facebook or the DM on Twitter or the chat on Google +. You've now got video-talk, which includes Skype, Oovoo, Google + hangout,Facetime on Apple products, and I think even Facebook has a video option now. There's texting and phone calls too, but rarely do people ever call one another anymore. It's become "too awkward," and texting is usually the number one preference, especially among teens and young adults.

And there are all sorts of ways to just keep people generally updated: the obvious ones being Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Why tell someone what you're doing when you could send them a video of you doing it? Why settle for a simple picture of the sushi you are gonna eat when you could use oh-so-many different filters to make it look more colorful than it really is and then you can share it with your friends? Wanna send an ugly face to your friend, but don't want him to save the picture to his phone? Say no more. Send them a picture of your best ugly face that will allow them to view and enjoy it for only 2 seconds!

Anyways, on to my point...

I am trying my best this summer to keep in contact with all the people I care about. But I am now realizing how hard it is...I told some people I'd call them a certain amount of times a week, I told others I'd write them letters and we could be "pen pals," I've texted so many texts this summer alone that I'm sure that if I didn't have the unlimited plan, the phone bill would be as big as the US national debt right now. I've called a few people too, but barely. And I've been keeping up with one person through the Facebook message thing because it's the easiest thing to use since my friend is travelling a lot.

It's just amazing to me how much communication happens in one day. I can't tell you how many people I talk to in one day, much less how many forms of communication I use on a daily basis. And it amazes me how much just communicating with people encourages me.

And when I think about how communication assists encouragement here in the world, I think of the communication Christians have with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and how communication with him should be the best encouragement we receive!

He communicates to us in different ways as well! After Jesus ascended into Heaven, he gave us the Holy Spirit, who lives within every Christian. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and guides us in our decisions. He prays for us and expresses our prayers in ways we can't (you can thank Bria for this part of the explanation. I could not put this into words haha!)

He has also given us His Holy Word, the Bible. So many times Christians (I'm including myself as well) forget how important the Bible should be to us. When things get hard, we go to it as our last option, our last hope. We expect it to be a genie in a bottle and we open it up and think, "Show me what to do! Everyone else isn't giving me the answer I want! Give me the solution to this problem! Grant me my three wishes!" (well, maybe not exactly like that...)

But the Bible should be daily encouragement to us. We should want to read our Bibles everyday to see what the Lord wants to reveal to us. If we want answers, we should read our Bible! This doesn't mean that we get the answer we want or that we get a straightforward answer, but in some way, we will be encouraged.

And lastly, there is prayer. This kinda goes hand-in-hand with the Holy Spirit, but we are to daily be praying to our God. We all have needs and wants, and who better to tell them to than our Heavenly Father? Again, it doesn't mean we get the answer we want, a straightforward answer, or an answer right when we want it. But when we pray, we have faith that God will answer in some way, whether it's "yes", "no", or "not now." 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "pray without ceasing" meaning continually pray! Pray throughout the day, not just when it's meal time! 

What I try do is this: when I think about someone during the day, I try to stop what I'm doing and pray for that person. Sometimes something will happen that will remind me of a friend's situation and I'll pray for them. It really isn't that hard. There's no formula for praying, just talk to God like He's your best friend (because He is! :) )

I know I may be "preaching to the choir," but it's not going to hurt anyone to be reminded of these things. Shoot, maybe some of you didn't know these things at all! And I hope I was able to help you understand how we as Christians communicate with God.

Well, I'll say one thing: I'll be praying that God gives me the wisdom to keep up with my friends, whether they're only a few hours away or in a different country! And I'll also be praying that God gives all of us the motivation to speak to Him through prayer and hear from Him through His Word!

Also, if any of you needs prayer for anything, don't hesitate to contact me about your prayer requests through email! My email is mishruss94@gmail.com ! Your requests will remain confidential, and I will genuinely pray for them as often as I can remember! 

I hope y'all's weekend has gone great! I just had an awesome time with some friends from college celebrating one of their birthdays! So good to fellowship with them! Gotta get to bed soon though for church tomorrow! :)

LOVE Y'ALL!
*~.Mishy.~* (^^) <3

Rain, Rain, Go Away

So, I'm back on the mountain! (^^) Yay!

Well, it's only "yay" because I'm hanging out with my friends from the neighborhood. The weather here is AWFUL. For the past few days, it's been nothing but wet, rainy, and foggy. It is completely depressing.

Because of the rain, we weren't able to fully enjoy all the traditions of the 4th of July. But even so, the 4th was GREAT! Our friends from Florida were here, and I got to invite some of the guys from Covenant to come and hangout out too. It was so crowded, crazy, but totally fun! I seriously think that it's one of the best days of the year!

But now, our friends from Florida have gone back home, my friends from Covenant are all back at work, and I'm here with my girls from the neighborhood, just chilling and trying to apply for jobs. The weather isn't motivating us to go anywhere or do anything, so we've been staying inside, watching movies, reading, texting, etc. 

It doesn't even look or feel like summer anymore. It looks and feels like winter has randomly made a stop here. But I'm telling you now...as soon as the sun comes out, we are all going to the pool! (if I haven't found a job yet LOL)

So yeah, that's all that's been happening. Job searching. Hanging out. Hopefully baking soon. Blogging. Reading. Yes.

Six weeks of Summer of 2013. So crazy. Let's enjoy it while we can!!!

LOVE Y'ALL!
*~.Mishy.~* (^^) <3

Cali Highlights

Hey guys!

So, I know I haven't done well AT ALL with keeping up with my blog in the month of June. I've been really busy going places and seeing people, but I haven't forgotten about all of my awesome readers, don't worry! :) And I mean, what better time to write with July beginning today?

I'm just gonna catch y'all up on some highlights that happened while my sister and I were in California. I'll try my best to remember the events in order, but I'm making now promises, sorry. :P It's been an awesome full month!

I can't really remember where I left off when talking about California. I know I made all those great new pages to introduce you to my friends and to send you to their blogs and Youtube channels. Hmmm...thinking...

Oh wow, A LOT has happened since I last wrote (I just looked at my last post and realized it was on the 12th of June! Crazy how time flies by!) After the awesome s'more night with my cousins, they left later that week for Mexico (we missed them so much when they were gone! :( ) And while they were gone, my sis and I went to my aunt's shop and finished painting our pieces (I now have a new coffee and tea mug! And Kae has an awesome, colorful bowl to put all of her rings in!)

Tyler and Dani came back from Mexico in time for church the next week, and they would come every other day to see us and to just hang out with us. Meanwhile, Daddy,Kae, and I had developed a huge love for Candy Crush Saga ("love"? More like "addiction"...), and we tried to see who was in which level and who was the farthest on their game. I can't believe how addictive that game is.

We also watched a ton of movies! We got to see Man of Steel, The Call, The Dark Knight Rises, Ip Man, Ip Man 2, Wreck-It-Ralph, Now You See Me, Jack the Giant Slayer...in case you haven't noticed, my dad and Honey are BIG movie-watchers. I'm not much of a movie-watcher, but most of the time if you force me to watch a movie, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be or I loved it (the Ip Man series was fantastic! A couple great kung-fu movies!)

We also watched TV series, like Psych, Criminal Minds, Snapped, Cold Case, etc. And yes, we don't have a complete summer visit without watching Adventure Time and Regular Show. 

This past Thursday, my Auntie Steph took us on a full-day beach trip. She drove us up an down Highway 1 as we stopped by a couple beaches to look for driftwood, shells, and just to take pictures. I would totally put the pictures up, but there's so many of them and I can't choose which pictures to put up! You'll just have to believe me when I tell you that the California coastline is GORGEOUS. 

Okay...I guess I can put a few pictures up... (^^)

Me and Kae right before we left for the beach! :)

My Dad, Kae, and I at the first beach we stopped at.

"1,2,3,JUMP!" :D 

Kae pulling me toward the freezing cold water. Brrr!

1 of our many attempts to execute a perfect jumping picture LOL

Walking on the beach.

Beautiful.

A little private beach we discovered by going down a trail!

Crashing waves.

Seriously, this is only a taste of what we saw on Highway 1! We stopped by Bones Roadhouse to eat lunch (their BBQ sandwich was to die for!) and we went to Sea Glass Beach. Oh. My. Gosh. Literally, this beach is covered in sea glass. It is absolutely one of the most incredible things I've ever seen! There was so much of it that we were walking on the sea glass!

A few pictures just so you can witness the beauty of this place...

Collecting sea glass.

See? You are literally walking on the sea glass!

It was a great day. And now as our time winds down here in California, we've just been spending some quality time with family and friends. Tyler was over for a really long time today, which was great, and he's coming tomorrow too for our last full day here!

I'm sad that we have to leave, but I'm also excited to go back to the mountain. I miss it up there. And our friends from Florida are already up there and cannot wait to see us! I'm so excited!

One month in California has just been amazing. It was a perfect amount of time, and I'm grateful that Kae'sha and I were able to spend so much time out here. 

So, there you have it. I think I've caught you up on everything.

And what am I doing up so late?! My sister is making us have an all-nighter before we fly back to the mountain. And so, I'm spending some of this time here. 

Hope everyone's summer is going great! Get outside, watch a movie, grab some friends, have an adventure! Summer time is the best time to do all the things you can't do during the school year! I pray that God blesses your time off from classes! Enjoy it and be grateful for it every day!

LOVE Y'ALL!

*~.Mishy.~* (^^) <3