Clinical Complete at Kellogg Elementary!

Today was refreshing as I finished up my second clinical at Kellogg Elementary. I am reminded, as I write this, of how much it means to me to be a leader to children. I am certainly nothing special on my own, and I hope this doesn't sound conceited, but I believe one of the gifts that God has equipped me with is the gift of caring. I am so thrilled to take this gift and use it in a classroom full of young people. My heart swells as I look back on this experience at Kellogg Elementary. Even though I was only there over the course of two months or so, I had the wonderful opprotunity to meet and brush spirits with some really great kids, and one wonderful teacher, Patty Johnson. I am happy to be knocked down a notch from feeling like I can conquer teaching on my own as I also remember that the Lord gives me the ability to have patience in a classroom. My attitude of goofyness and pure joy when it comes to having a conversation with an 8 year old does not come naturally, but I honestly believe and am glad to say that it comes from the Lord. My prayer is that I, someday in the near future, get the opprotunity to have my own class. That's what I'm working towards, and with the Lords help, I know that it will soon become a reality! It just humbles me, tremendously, when I think about what it is honestly going to be like someday, to spend about seven hours five days a week with children of all different backgrounds. For those kids who are coming to my class from a home where there is no love, I want them to be able to climb the stairs of that school bus with an exictement that they're safely headed for a place where they are loved and appreciated. For those students who may be scared or nervous, I want them to be excited to enter into a class where everyone is equal and they are all striving for the same goals...no one better than the other, not even me, the teacher. For those students who are loved at home and don't have a care in the world, I want them to enter into a class where they are struck with the reality that they are blessed to have parents who care...and that there are people who need to be loved...I want them to learn to be friends with everyone, no matter their situation or circumstance, because each student is worth speaking to and getting to know! I want God to be the center of my classroom, even without the students having to know it! I want my classroom to be different from typical classrooms and I want my classroom to make a difference because of the Lord. As a teacher, I will have the awsome responsiblity not only to take care of students in the classroom and prepare them to be our future, but also outside the classroom as I lift them up in prayer. Praise the Lord!

So, in closing...here are some things that I loved and will miss about my 4th grade class at Kellogg Elementary.

-The way Eric offered my the candy that he brings for snack time

-Looking at Jack and seeing him with his football jersey on, legs crossed, and hand on forehead concentrating quietly on his warm-up

-Smiles from Ellie

-Hugs from Lindsey

-Telling Jordan and Lindsey how lotion helps get eye make up off...and also reminding them that they won't need to use this advice until later on in life!

-Hearing students call me Ms. Lynd

-Hearing about Cameron's pet snake

-Seeing Casey eat popcorn balls for snack time...I didn't even know they still made those things!

-Answering and helping Dakota with his worksheets

-Laughing about how Alex acts towards Cameron

-Hearing them tell me thank you today before I left

-Hearing Ms. Johnson tell me that I'll make a fine teacher someday

And here's what they gave me (along with the Vera Bradley change purse to match my bag that Darlene bought me and a candle) before I left...yes, I did cry a little bit on my way out of the door, but none saw me, though.

Just a small update!

Praise the Lord! Jacob was able to make it to church on Sunday morning with his family! I got to talk to him in the hallway for just a minute. After I said, "Hey! It's good to see you guys!" to him, his older brother and his father, Jacob simply replied, "Hi! This is my bub. He's seven. I'm four!" Continue to keep him in your prayers, I ask, once again! He's got a wonderful spirit about him, even if he is battling cancer! God is so much bigger than cancer.

Jeremiah 33:3
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not!!

Have a great day, today! I love this fall weather even though I'm sitting in the office getting ready to start on my paper before my class at one!! :o) I keep telling myself all this school stuff will really pay off in the long run! I cannot wait to give it my best to teach and make an impact on children in the classroom! :o)

Oh How I've Neglected the Blog!

To those of you who actually check my blog (I'd like to think there's at least a couple people!) I would like to say sorry for not blogging these past months. I am extra busy now that school's back in! Things are good and so is God. He's teaching me a lot lately, and it's a little scary, but definately needed. Those who believe in the power of prayer and may be reading, I have a couple prayer requests that I'd like to mention. 1- There's a little boy named Jacob Thacker who is battling cancer right now. He was in my Vacation Bible School Class (2 and 3 year olds) two years ago. Right now where you may be reading this, please just take a minute to lift little Jacob and his family up in prayer. 2- I think it might be important to remember those who have lost houses and belongings in this hurricane in and around the Texas area. I've been hearing a lot about this situation on K-Love radio, and I just feel really bad for these people. Since I can't physically bring them their houses back, I know the least I could do for them is pray to the One who is in control. Let's do this together, as children of Christ.

Stay tuned, if you like, for pictures of all kinds of different stuff. (Vacation this summer, Fall Retreat with Campus Crusade, and probably other things that I've forgot to mention!)

Have a great day!

Last Vacation of the Summer before School Starts!

It is my pleasure to officially declare that as of tomorrow, August 9th 2008, at 5:00 a.m. I will be BEACH BOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We'll see ya when we get back! Oh I'm so excited!! Then one week until school! Where has this summer GONE?!?! If anyone has the answer, could ya let me know? Thanks!

Check this Out!!!

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/life/schools/x214751754/Huntington-native-MU-student-interns-in-Sen-Rockefellers-Washington-office


I think Bryon is very handsome in this picture!!! :o)

A Trip Out to Church Camp

There's something about this sweet, sweet spirit of Christ that I feel sometimes at Church camp. Maybe it's just so comforting and familiar for me to be there because I've gone since I was like 7. Then again, maybe it's in my blood. My momma loved going to camp. She was fun there. Church camp, when I was younger, came with lots of excitement, lots of new friends, but now that I'm older, looking back, the one thing that stands out in my mind most and the one thing that I appreciate more than anything else is the fact that church camp was a week where I got to see my momma enjoy teaching kids about Jesus. I can remember the pure happiness that she had about her, just to be in the midst of the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of people at camp. I would never in a million years trade one memory of her starting the "What's Your Name?!?!" game or of her laughing that contagious laugh because of something that a teen girl from her cabin told her. I would never in a million years trade the memory of seeing her read her Bible, and give a devotion only to end it with praying. I would never in a million years trade the way she made me feel like I was better than Picasso at arts and crafts and seeing her smile and hug me or Drew because of some silly rock we painted for her or a hand print that we traced on a piece of wood to hang up. Thank you Lord, for giving me a mind that remembers sweet, sweet memories of my momma. The type of memories that only a daughter has for a mother...there's something different with that type of relationship, I think...something extra special. Even though I couldn't go to stay the whole week out at camp this year (for the first time in a long time), I did get to attend each evening service and I also got to spend one night in the junior girls cabin with my Aunt De, Emilee, and Rachel. Last night's service was something that I knew the Lord used to tug at my heart. The passage from Luke 9:23, after Jesus has just finished feeding the multitude (thousands!) of people from just five loaves of bread and 2 fishes (You're so amazing, Jesus!), he simply tells us, "If any man wants to follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily!" How wonderful! Something hit home with me when I heard this read last night. I want to live this out! I am so ready to start DENYING myself and following my savior, the one who already knows more than I'll ever know! I'm accepting the fact that Jesus tells us here in this passage of scripture that it's going to be a "...daily..." task!!! I am so happy that Jesus Christ, so perfect and me, so very imperfect have a relationship where he tells me, "ERin...I'm not expecting you to be perfect. I'm not expecting you to get saved and then never have to struggle with following me. Instead, I'm going to remind you here that I know it's going to be a daily occurrence with you." Jesus knows it will take human beings everyday to choose to pick up their crosses and follow him.
Jesus, thank you for allowing church camp to bring wonderful memories of my momma to my mind. Thank you for allowing my family to be able to go, even if some of them didn't get to spend the entire week there! Lord, thank you for your Word that still speaks to the hearts of people today! I thank you for putting this thought into my head-"Man! If my mom loved being at church camp that much, I wonder how much more she loves being in Your true, beautiful presence in heaven!!!" Lord, I want to ask that you give me the strength to deny myself daily, pick up my cross, and follow you!" This is my hearts desire. Amen!

The candle-lit cross that was put together by the teens at camp during a song on the last night.
My 'old' younger brother reading some scripture at the lighting of the cross presentation. I love him and I am proud of him. Mom would've loved this! I love to think that she was watching it from Heaven, and braggin' on him to others who were watching with her. I bet she said, "That's my boy, Drewman!"

I have no idea what Rachel was thinking with the hair-do, haha, but Emilee and I had fun with her. Love those two girls.

This is Josh. Here he is talking to my dad, on the right. Before the pic was taken, he came up to me with his flashlight, showed me the ground as we were walking, and says, "You need to watch where you step!" He's a funny kid.

Erin Elizabeth Lynd and Rachel Lee Sammons (with her eyes half open/half closed).

P.S. For those of you who are wondering..."BRYON COMES HOME TOMORROW at noon!!!!" :o)

Month of July!

Wow...yet another month has passed in this summer of 2008! Hard to believe, I know. Bryon will be home on Saturday! I'm pretty excited. Okay, that's an understatement, so at the risk of sounding like a girly girl, I'll go ahead and say it. I am thrilled for him to be back home! I seriously cannot wait!

What, some may ask, have I done while the boyfriend has been gone for a month? Lots of things! Seriously! Things like helping my friend when it came to desperate measures with her 24 member VBS class of 6 year olds at her church. Let's see, I re-arranged my bedroom with Emilee. I have worked, and last but most certainly not least, I planned a surprise trip up to D.C. to see Bryon the weekend after his birthday (July 24th, Thursday!) Darlene, my Aunt De, and myself departed on July 25th, this past Friday, and headed up to D.C. together! What a great time of fellowship and getting to know one another on a whole new and different level. As I sat in the back seat listening to my aunt and Bryon's momma talk to each other, I was all of a sudden thankful for what the Lord has given me. I am thankful for my family, the ones that have taken such great watch over me and my brother since my momma died when I was in the seventh grade. Not only am I thankful for mine, but also for Bryon's family, the ones who I have come to know and love. I realize that God has put such wonderful people in my life for a reason. How else can I sum it up other than to simply say, "I am blessed."

Needless to say, the trip up was hilarious, the time spent there was priceless, and the departure wasn't half as sad as it was when we left Bryon for a month! That might sound wimpy, but again, I'm serious! I'm not the best when it comes to goodbyes! (I am told by my grandpa that it's never "Goodbye", but "See you later". I like that.) Anyways, this time, telling Bryon 'see you later' meant only for one week as opposed to one month, so all was good and well. I'll never forget the trip. Arriving, surprising Bryon as he came into Rockefeller's Office, getting a personal tour from the most handsome tour guide I've ever saw, eating cupcakes from a gift box for Bryon's birthday in the hotel room, lots of nighttime walking and metro adventures, good talks, one trip off the sidewalk, a morning run, and a dinner at the Cheesecake factory. I wouldn't trade the memories for the world!

I love this boy.

Happy late birthday, BryoN!

How cool is this?! On Friday evening, Aunt De, Darlene, and I were riding the escalator up from the metro and we heard classical music. We actually commented on how pretty it sounded, just assuming that it was being played over the loud speaker for some reason. Here's what we saw at the top of the escalator!

This is my friend, Toni. She didn't want her picture taken, even after I asked her. This is the best shot of us together. I have no clue what I'm doing with my arm, here. If you look close, she's checking out my phone. Haha.

The Twins. I'm sure you recognize them, Bryon! The girl in the back of this picture in the pink shirt found me one evening and asked me to tell her about Jesus! I did and we prayed together and she invited Him into her heart!!!!!!!! Praise the Lord!

Digging for fossils at the Dino Detective themed Bible School.

Here's an interesting conversation that I had with a little girl before VBS started one night at the church.

Erin is excited about heading up her surprise trip to see Bryon in D.C. She looks to her left at the little blond headed girl who grabs her cell phone and asks about the picture of Bryon.

"That's my boyfriend!" I say to the little girl. "He is sooo handsome!" I say in an over exaggerated voice.

After scrunching up her nose to me (I guess I forgot that guys have cooties at this age) she asks his name.

"Bryon" I tell her. I also go on to say, "He's been gone for a month now. He works in Washington D.C. His birthday is soon, and I'm going to go and surprise him there! I am making him a cake to take, too!"

The little girl looks at me. She is excited now. "Great! That's cool" she tells me.

"What flavor of cake do you think I should make?" I wondered outloud.

With a serious tone, she answers, "Chocolate. Boys like chocolate cake, with chocolate icing."

Haha...as if the poor 6 year old cared about my relationship with my boyfriend, I found myself talking it up with her and enjoying it! I can't wait to teach!

I just thought her answer was cute, and I thought I'd share it.

Is it true? Do all boys really prefer chocolate cake over yellow...or even strawberry?!