Compassion

com·pas·sion [kuhm-pash-uhn] –noun

1. a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune,

accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

So my youth group has decided to sponsor a child through Compassion International. Myself and a friend are in charge of choosing a child, and then collecting the money from our fellow youth members after that.

And I'm sitting here, poring over face after face after face, looking at boys and girls, of all ages between thirteen and seventeen, orphaned or in AIDS-affected areas or with special needs. And I'm sitting here crying, because we have to choose just one. And I feel so guilty, looking at the specific stories and needs of each, and trying to choose one with our group in mind. How can I take it upon myself to choose who to help, when they all need it?

I know I don't have very many readers on here, but you guys? These kids need our help. Compassion's got a great thing going. It's so easy to sign up, and thirty-eight dollars a month? We can do that. Get your youth group, get your family, get a few friends, and let's do this!

Really?

Because that's what I'm saying to my life right now. Really? I mean, really?

Dallas. That one word can mostly sum up what's going on in my head. Well, that plus another couple, but more on that later. This summer, I'm (HOPEFULLY!!!!!) going on a two-week missions trip. To Dallas Texas. Now, not only is Dallas the furthest from home I've EVER been, it'll also be the longest amount of time I've been away from my family. I'm seventeen, so you wouldn't think that'd be too terribly big a deal, but, well, it is.

But I'm So Incredibly Excited. I don't think I've been more than an hour without thinking about it since I decided to go. At Acquire the Fire (whoops, kinda skipped that part. Again, more later), they introduced us to this group called Global Expeditions. They're mission is taking students all over the country and all over the worlds to serve God. In Dallas, we'll be helping in homeless shelters and soup kitchens, volunteering at church plants in apartment complexes, and helping with (*gasp*) Vacation Bible Schools. :D Fingers crossed I get accepted for the trip, and that I can get the funds up.

Dance Camp. Second thing on the brain. Nope, not the camp I went to last year. That part's already settled. Me, Joy, Corinne, and a few others from the group at church are definitely going.

The un-settled part is this new . . . thing . . . that the pastor wants to do. He wants our church to have a dance camp for our area, and he wants us (Me, Joy, my parents, and the dance group's adult mentor) to figure it out. And the adult mentor wants me to do it, with Joy's help. And I'm like, "Come again? Whadjya say? 'Cause I don't think I heard ya right."

I mean, my super-dancer extraordinaire aunt puts on a dance camp every summer, and it takes all she has to pull it off. True, ours would be considerably smaller scale, but, um, yeah.

But, anyway, that's DEFINITELY!!! not a definite yet, so I'm trying to put it out of my mind, and, for that matter, not tell anybody about it. Oops. (Good thing nobody reads my blog!)

Other thing (and this is slight), is the band Red. Yes, thaaat Red. The band I'd love to hate, and kind of really hate that I love. Stephen had the bright idea ('cause him and Andrew are all tight and stuff now) to lend all his Red cds to my little brother to download them onto our computer. There's so much it won't even all fit on my iPod. This=Ella's brain is broket.

Oh, yeah, and Friday starts the Screnzy. That's right, folks, Script Frenzy '11 starts This Friday!! But then, that's really not that big a deal.

What is a big deal is that Mom and Dad are going out of town for the weekend, and dropping us at Nana and Papaw's Friday around noon. I therefore have to get my three-ish pages done before we leave, since it's my turn to go first this year. I will then pass the torch to Joy, who will write on day two, and so on.

And now I'd best be going. Andrew wants the computer. Probably to listen to/work on playing some of aforementioned new music. Yay.

Au revoir!

Okay. Sorry for the random post last night. Do you ever have one of those moments, where it just feels too awesome not the capture? Well, I had one last night. I was sitting on Corinne's couch, watching her, Anne, and Riley play Rock Band on the Playstation. Andrew and Stephen were in the next room listening to their (loud, metal) music, taking turns playing their iPods in the speakers, and talking about music. And all of our parents were in the room with the instruments, rocking out to some kind of eighties music and having entirely too much fun. And I'm like, you know? God's really blessed me with some awesome friends. Family, is more like it, I guess.

Church this morning was preeettyyyy spectacular too, although it was slightly trippy without Joy. She's staying the weekend with a friend. But I got to teach the first-fourth graders (boys and girls) a hip-hop dance to the MaryMary song, Shackles. And they did awesome. Even the fourth grade boys, who are already way too "cool" to do something like dance. I guess hip-hop is acceptable in their book.

Lol. Remember when I said Ella doesn't hip-hop? I guess God had something to say about that, huh?

It's such a blessing to watch these little ones worship. Last week, the younger half of the dance group (all girls) shared a piece they'd been working on for a long time, the Newsboys song In Wonder. The youngest girl involved was three, and the oldest (if you count twirling a streamer at the end to add tension/energy) was seventeen-year-old Joy.

See, last week was our church's annual "Night of Praise." Read: the praise band plays about a zillion and one songs, and the dance group shared our two, for a night of intense praise-and-worship.

And intense is just about the word for it. God showed up, and he showed off. And at the very start, one of the little-littles (who was in In Wonder) just couldn't stand still. While we're all singing, she's just down in front groovin', 'cause she doesn't know to curtail her worship yet. But it didn't stay with the littles. They're so contagious, everybody caught it. Even stupid Ella, standing on the stage with her stupid microphone, in her stupid position as back-up singer. After two years standing on that stupid (alright, I'll stop!) stage, I figured out how to just let go and worship my God in front of the crowd.

Aaaaaand, it was just in time for me to quit. That's right, folks, Ella (and Joy) are leaving the praise band. It's just time. I'll miss it, but it's time. And besides, now we have that much more energy to devote to the dance group.

Speaking of, the other song we shared last week was the one that Corinne choreographed to While You Were Sleeping by Casting Crowns. I was so excited for her to get to share that, I know it's a big step for her. It was a great piece, and she did a great job teaching it.

And now, everybody, I'd best be going. Sunday afternoon . . . stuff (including, but not limited to, a horrendous room that needs cleaning) to do. Catchya later!! :)

Not sure i've ever had this much fun. Hangin with Corine, Stephen & their fam. Rock band, jammin, and listenin to music. :D more later.