The Last Week and Christmas Break!

     The last week before break was very busy! On Sunday and Monday I was sick with the flu, and so I didn’t do much other than go to church and go to bed. On Monday, my roommates Allie and Danielle made a great big breakfast for us, I love them! I think it was one of the first times so far we have all eaten together: it’s hard because we are always on the run! Monday night we went to my sister Kilah and Melissa’s birthday party, then we had our apartment Christmas party. Lyn and Kasey made the treats, and got us all stockings to hang by our little Christmas tree. Then we went around to all the girls apartments and sang Christmas carols. It was a great night!

   
     The next few days we were at the church long hours doing mailers, calling cadre members, going to classes, and studying for our exam on Friday every free moment! When it finally came around on Friday, I’m happy to say I think I aced it! Lyn and I then went to Burger King for a little celebration lunch. It was raining hard, but that didn’t stop us from singing in the rain under the safety of her umbrella! We had a Christmas party later that night at Jeanne’s, and said our goodbyes to everyone.
   

     Beth and I were fortunate enough to fly together, so we got to have quite the experience navigating the busy airports of Atlanta and Toronto! When we finally got to Halifax, we were beyond excited. Our families were waiting with balloons, flowers, and my Dad even had a stuffed penguin for me! My two weeks at home consisted of visiting friends and family, doing some pre and post Christmas shopping, and of course, catching up on sleep! I think I napped at least once a day, every day! As I get ready to go back, we head into “busy season” at Master’s. I have yet to fully understand the meaning of that, but I’m sure I’ll blog about it when it happens. Until then, it’s hanging out with my family, and trying to fit all my presents into my two suitcases!

Christmas is Coming

     This past week is honestly a blur in my mind: I’ve been so busy here I can’t tell the days apart! One thing that really stuck out in my mind was chapel this week. I got to sing on the worship team this week, and after that we had the message. Pastor Jordan surprised us big time by buying all of the first years a token, and it was different for everyone. A lot of them were antiques, and I got an antique wooden box with a brick, or “cornerstone” in my case. He wrote a letter to each of us and explained our gift, and what it meant to our lives. I won’t share that on here, but it was really cool to see how we’ve all grown so much in the past nearly three months, and how people notice. It served as a great encouragement and totally strengthened us all before break!
    
     On Saturday we went out in the community to pick up garbage and offer prayer to the neighbours. We got to talk to a lot of people, invite them out to church, and pray with a few of them. It was only 3 degrees outside and I couldn’t stand it, so I don’t know how I’m going to deal with -15 back home! Speaking of home, only five more days until I come home, I’m so excited to see my family and friends! Until then, I have a bunch of projects to work on for the church and an exam on Friday, so I’ll be kept busy right up until I go. Beth and I fly out at lunch time on Saturday: I get home late Saturday night. I’ll see you all on Sunday!

The Week After Break

     Our first night back after break, we met at the church to play dodgeball, family vs. family. I am proud to say that out of all the families in Masters, ours won! It was fun and a great way to finish off break. Go Healers!


     The next few days were pretty busy, and mainly consisted of me preparing for my sermon last Friday. It was my final presentation for verbal communications, and I spoke on Job and how he encountered hard times.


     When I was on stage, my teachers did everything they could to try and distract me, throwing me off on my speaking. They really pushed me this year, and wanted me to truly earn whatever grade I got. So as I'm speaking, this guy sets up 6 black fold up chairs behind me on stage, and as I'm going through a really serious part, he sprints up to them and throws himself into the chairs! He literally dove into them, and they went flying everywhere! Then a bunch of guys grabbed chairs and sat down right behind me on stage, talking and trying to distract me. If that weren't enough, our director and executive director Pastor Jordan and Jeanne Mayo stop by for a few minutes to see how I'm doing! I'm happy to say I didn't let any of these things effect me, and I managed to do really well. I realized how far I've come as a speaker this year: at the beginning I barely wanted to talk, and now I'm preaching from a pulpit! The class really helped me, and it proves to show that if you take a step of faith, God will meet you.
    
     On Sunday I was chosen to work a fundraiser with 9 other Masters students at the Georgia Dome. We were working the NFL Falcons vs. Eagles game, and I got to see the teams warm up from a behind the scenes point of view, it was really cool! Our job was to help fill the sky boxes with snacks and basic supplies, and so it was pretty easy and went really smoothly. However, when we went outside to leave, we realized our cars were towed! We had to wait there an extra 3 hours to get them out, and all of our stuff was in the cars so we were freezing in our white t shirts! Praise God, we managed to get them out and go home not too late.
    

     Today, Heather, Allie, and I went out on our day off to have some fun. We went to Stevi B's pizza buffet, and ate our hearts out. Then we went to Kudzu's, a really cute antique store, and did some Christmas shopping. I am really loving my time here, and I'm learning so much, it's incredible. God has already changed so many area's of my life, and I still have 5 months to go! I'm definitely going to miss this place, but I am ready for Christmas break- I will be home in 12 days! See you all soon!

Thanksgiving break in Celebration, Florida

     For Thanksgiving I got to go home with my friend Lyn to her home in Celebration, Florida, with Marissa. We left early Wednesday morning and got there mid-afternoon, and even though we slept most of the road trip away, we got in and slept another three hours. We took the rest of the day pretty easy: all we did was watch a movie, eat ice cream, and sleep some more! I have never slept so much before, but it just goes to show how busy we are in Masters, and how much sleep we had to catch up on!
    

     Lyn's family owns this little electric car without sides called a Nev. We took that for a ride around Celebration on Thursday, and I realized how beautiful her town really is. It literally is the little, safe, perfect town from the movies! I cannot wait to come back, and I most likely will for spring break!
    
     Thursday night we went Black Friday shopping. We left at 11 pm, and the stores opened at 1 am Friday morning. We quickly learned our lesson: never go Black Friday shopping! The traffic was awful, there was no parking for miles around, and there was so many people you could not move around the store. We decided to call it quits and head home to bed! We went shopping later the next day however, and managed to get a few really good deals.
    
     I went to a highschool football game with Chrissy, had a BBQ with Lyns family, and saw the Snoap of downtown Celebration. Since it does not snow in Florida, they have soap suds squirt from little lamp post-like structures at night, and it resembles snow. All of the little kids go out and play in it, and it really made it feel like Christmas time for me! The rest of the break consisted of sleeping, eating, driving around in Lyns Nev, or walking around Celebration. Although we did not do a lot, I am more than content to be caught up on sleep and refreshed for another three weeks of Masters. I will be home in 2 weeks and 6 days! What a crazy thought.
  
     Here are some pictures of our Nev ride:

Leading up to Thanksgiving Break

     I don't even know where to start- so much has happened! Since Operation Blessing, we have been wrapping things up in time for Thanksgiving Break (which officially starts in 3.5 hours... I'm pulling an all nighter to pack, clean the apartment, and blog of course!). It has been very busy, but good too. I have been taking some time to reflect, and I've realized that God has done so much in the past 9 weeks, and I'm truly not the same girl that first walked in. I cannot wait to see what he does in the rest of the year- but for now I really need the break! I am going to Florida with Lyn, Chrissy, and Marissa, and I am so looking forward to sleeping in, and doing whatever I please with my girls!

     One big highlight of the week was roommate night. We went to the cutest little coffee shop, "Caribou Coffee" and we officially named it our new headquarters for a good time. We got there, sat around the fire, and shared our testimonies with each other.. it so good to hear about each others lives and just grow together! Then we came home, where Lyn and Kasey had candles lit, and we sat around our coffee table. We were then told us to go find two things; one that represented our dreams, and one that represented what we wanted to get rid of for the year. So we all went and collected our things.. and once we all met again, we shared with each other what our things were and what they meant to us. Lyn brought out a decorated box and we put our things inside, then we went and dug a big hole in the backyard and buried it! Well, we had to call a guy to help us... we hit rock! But we will still take the credit for it. We will dig it back up graduation night, but the nights like those are truly what makes this place so memorable, and what makes me so glad to have the roommates I do- I love them!

     Today was our last day before break, and so we had family time all afternoon.. my Poppas car was in an accident, so he was driving another guy's car, which ran out of gas on the freeway! I was riding with my Dad, so we had to go back and find them, and park on the shoulder of the freeway to save them. Not very safe, but we had to help them right? We eventually made it to his apartment where we watched the Grinch and made Turkey dinner as a family. Then we got all dressed up, and met at the church for seven. When we got there, the church was decorated as if a wedding was going to happen. We had a beautiful little service, where Jeanne talked about how when you get married, you make a covanent with your spouse, and drew the parallel to making a covanent with God. We all wrote out what exactly we wanted our covanent to be, and then recieved a silver ring to mark our covanent with God. I can't describe how amazing it was, and an even more perfect way to end off before break. I will not forget this night!

     Here are some pictures of our last night:

Extreme Blessing Week

     Last week we had the opportunity to work with Operation Blessing again, but instead of gutting houses from the flood we were building them back up again. They do this project called "Extreme Blessing" where we have four days to install insulation, drywall, spackle, paint, and furnish/decorate the home. The homeowner(s) is not allowed to come home until the end where we surprise them with all the work we've done on their home. Our team was so big that we did four houses in four days! We worked around 12-16 hours a day, and at times we pulled all nighters to catch up. It was a lot of hard work, and I am not a construction kind of girl by any means, but it was so worth it to see the homeowners faces on reveal day. They were all crying, and were so thankful for what we've given them. No one had flood insurance, and the damage done to their homes was so extensive that they were not able to live in their homes. By us helping them, they were able to move in that night. It's funny to say this, but working so hard on their homes did more for me than it did for them. They say that character is how you respond in difficult situations, and it was a very difficult week for me! But praise God, he kept me strong and really worked through me throughout the week. It was a life changing experience I don't think I will ever forget. Here are some pictures of the week:

2.5 Weeks Until Thanksgiving Break!

     This has been the most challenging week of Masters so far. A bunch of little things, and a few big things, have occured and it has taken a lot of strength not to be brought down. One thing I've learned from this is to praise God despite whatever I'm going through, because a lot more things are going right in my life than wrong. No matter what, the Lord is good, and it won't bring me down! On a more positive note, the cadre went so well. Here's a few pictures of Pastor Mike and the cadre:

     My favourite class right now is verbal communications, and I am learning so much. I've been humbled so much in that class, and I'm truly learning what it means to speak effectively. On friday we had to do a one minute sermon on a bridge over the freeway, in order to work on our projection. It was really funny to see what people came up with, and I never knew how loud the freeway was!

     I have been getting so close to the girls in my small group, Audax. Two of the girls slept over last night, and we went shopping together Saturday night. God is teaching me to humble myself as a leader, and not take their successes and failures personal. It is him working through me, and so all the glory belongs to him, and he is giving me more and more confidence as I step out in obedience for him. I am enjoying discipling these girls so much, and I really could do this for years to come.

     This week we are working with Operation Blessing and doing an extreme home makeover, pictures will definitely follow! We are rebuilding four homes that were destroyed in a flood, and it is literally just like the T.V. show... except we aren't on T.V.! I'm so excited to change these families lives..

     For roommate night we went to Graves Park and took a bunch of fall pictures. They turned out so nice, and I'll leave you guys with a few of them!

Retreat & Cadre

     It has been the busiest weekend in masters so far! We have been at the church late all week working on logistics, tokens, and a bunch of different things in preparation for Oxygen's Transformers Retreat and the 2nd year Opus cadre this weekend. On Friday Pastor Mike and all the youth pastors flew in to experience a retreat with Jeanne Mayo's youth group, and have their own cadre time. It was so good to see someone from home, Beth and I got to see him all weekend and we went out to Starbucks with him Sunday night. It was such an opportunity to be a part of something that pours so much into his life and ministry! I loved it. The retreat went SO well, I got to really know my kids and meet a bunch of other great ones, and God really showed up and impacted their lives. Now it's my job to call them, keep them accountable, and be there for them.. and I can't wait!


     Today was cadre, and we were there all day serving food and just loving on the youth pastors. I love how they leave so happy and refreshed, ready to do more years in youth ministry after just a few short days of being poured into by Jeanne. Seeing Pastor Mike there was also a bonus, as I know he will go home to make an impact there. Here's a few pictures of the retreat, enjoy!

Days Gone By

     The Ethos cadre was a huge success. I got to pray with a few of the youth pastors, and they all told me how they were so glad they came, and how what Jeanne had taught them will be remembered for years to come. It was so exciting to see how happy and filled they were! We have a 2nd year cadre, Opus, coming next week. Pastor Mike will be flying in for that one! I'm so excited to see him. To be a part of something that is going to strengthen and help my youth pastor is such a rare opportunity, and I just cannot wait!


     On Wednesday, I found out that I made the worship team! I didn't blog about trying out simply because I wasn't sure if it was really God calling me to try out, or just a silly thought. But I do believe he put me on the team for a reason, and I'm so glad I obeyed him! He has my life in control, and I would be silly to just ignore him and think I can figure things out for myself. I will let you know how it goes, I can't wait to get started!


     On Friday we had a dodgeball game with the entire first year class. There was a black and white team, I was on the black team, and of course we won! It was SO much fun, we all had so much team spirit. I love how close we are as a class already... I can tell the friends I'm making will be for a lifetime. I don't know what else to say but that I love the atmosphere here!


     Today we had church, and we got a chance to serve at the womens fun night tonight. At the end, the hostess played "we are family" and then some women started a conga line! So picture me, singing and dancing to that song, in a conga line full of black women doing the same! I must say it was really fun, and not soon to be forgotten! The women here are so friendly and funny, I love seeing them at church each week. They are like mothers to all the first years, its so sweet!

     I'll leave you with a few pictures: first, Danielle and I before our dodgball game, and second, our dodgeball team. This weekend we have our fall retreat, and then right after the 2nd year cadre; I'll let you know how it goes!

It's Already Been 29 Days!

     Well it has been a really great week! Im trying to remember all that happened, but I am no doubt forgetting half of the stuff already. Thursday I had a small group outing with my group Audax. We went to one of our kid's band concerts, and after went to The Waffle House. I've never been, but it was a great first time, the people there were so friendly and I had a great time with my kids. Then we played dodgeball in the parking lot! On Saturday we went to the church to help do teardown for renovations. I'll admit, cleaning up wallpaper and picking up staples from the carpet is not my favorite thing to do; but I did it with a good heart.


     Yesterday was the church picnic, and so we helped the church set up and tear down. Then I watched a movie with my mom Gabby and we fell asleep we were so tired! Last night we had family night with the staff, we ate lots of food and played smoke that bowl at Pastor Jordan's apartment. If you don't know what that is. I'll teach you, don't worry! It's one of the most fun games ever. Having a family here is so awesome, it is great to have a supportive environment around you!


     Right now Im at Jeannes house; her first year cadre "Ethos" is here for 2 days and I'm on the team to serve them and work on the decor/house. It is so much fun, and the looks on these youth pastors faces is priceless. There is so many surprises in store for them, I cannot wait! They came here at 9 this morning, and we had a red carpet out for them to walk on, and then we cheered as they came in. They totally didn't expect it, but they loved it! Cadre's are so much fun to work on. We get to impact youth pastors from all over America!


     Heres a picture from life lessons, it's the first year sisterhood. I love the girls!

Monday and Tuesday

     The last few days have been amazing! Monday was my day off, the first one in two weeks! I got to sleep in and it was so nice. It was raining pretty hard, but I went to visit my sister Kilah, then went for a run around all the apartments. I got some shopping done with Allie then we came home for apartment night, and went to Target.


     Today we had prayer, scripture studies, and a princess party with the sisterhood. I loved it! For anyone who says "I get along better with guys" you are totally missing out on great friendships with amazing girls. The atmosphere is so encouraging, and yet we are not afraid to call each other out if someone is breaking the standards. We are so there for each other and I'm so thankful!


     Tonight was family night, and we went to Kroger to buy fettucine alfredo, pasta, garlic bread, brownies, pop, and chicken nuggets.. our whole meal was $3 each and we had so many leftovers! After dinner we watched Dennis the Menace as a family.. and then our Poppa told us to go outside. We were all a bit confused, not even our Mom knew what was going on. As we waited outside, our Poppa drove up in his big old van and told us he wanted us to write our dreams, and what we want from this year, on the plastic detailing on the inside of his car. The fact we meant so much to him as a family, that he wanted us to do that, almost made me cry! So we all got a Sharpie and went at it. It looks so cool, I will post some pictures soon! Anyway, that was our family night, and I loved it. :)


     PS: if you want to see more pictures, I have added a bunch to facebook. So check it out! If you don't have facebook, ask my mom for a link. God bless!

Some Pictures

My family: me, my sister Kilah, my mother Gabby, my poppa Josh, my brother Caleb, my brother Michael, and my dad Daniel (there is more 2nd year guys than girls.. so they had to double up on dads!)

My roommates Allie and Heather with me at The Tabernacle!

The Tabernacle, inside and out!

MCATL so far

     Well It honestly feels like I've been living here forever. In the past few weeks, SO much has happened, I have been SO busy, but I finally got an afternoon off and I'm going to update you all! First of all, God has been doing so many things in my life. We have been doing a lot of serving with Operation Blessing, and I'm going to admit that it has been hard to serve willingly all day with them. Gutting houses is not exactly something I love to do! Through prayer, God has really been helping me with my attitude, and to build character by serving willingly. He'll help you with anything if you just ask!


     I got the opportunity to work on the kitchen team for Jeanne's YLC board meeting last Sunday and Monday. It was really fun! Everyone on the board is incredible, and flew in from around the world to be here. Together, they have reached over 155 000 youth in the last 10 years! It felt amazing to be a part of something with such an impact. Now I can't wait until the cadre gets here!


     A lot of people have referred Masters to a "spiritual microwave" and I really think it's true. Since my whole day is dedicated to God, I am learning at a much faster rate than with all the business of everyday life. I love it! One thing God has been showing me is to always obey him, in the big and small things. You aren't just robbing yourself, but possibly other people too! He has really been helping me in this area of my life and I love him for it.


     We started ministry tracks this week, and I am in verbal communications. So far, it's going pretty well, and I am learning a lot about how to be an effective speaker. I've only had two classes, so I'll let you know how it goes!


     We also have accountability parters, also known as Iron Sharpens Iron partners (ISI for short). Mine is this wonderful little Texan girl named Rachelle Christy. We have an ISI lunch every week where we share our hearts and challenge each other to live right, and so far it's been going well. I recommend everyone having one, they totally work!


     This week my family went to Fellinis Pizza, and then to a park which I forget the name of. I'd have to say my favorite part of our family time is driving in my Poppa's van: he is in a screamo band called Bagging Sasquatch and so we listen to that the whole time. Its pretty fun! I love having a family away from home, it's nice to have people to look out for you while I'm away. There's my family, my amazing roomies, my ISI, my small group, and our sisterhood.. Masters really is a family thing! It's so nice to have a bunch of people who is all believing in you and encouraging you to go after your dreams. The environment is so supportive, and I don't know how I'm going to leave these people in May!


     Today was probation day. Basically, you can get probation for anything like passing in something late, or being late for class, or failing room checks. Someone in our apartment left a few dishes in our sink, and we had a surprise room check that day.. so we all got probation! So we got up bright and early and met at the church from 6am to 10am. We were not allowed to talk to anyone, or show any frustration/anger for what we were assigned to do. Failure to meet any rules would result in another probation. There was 36 people at probation today, and we had to fold clothes, stand on one leg on cinderblocks, and wash trailers, windows, and floors. I am going to try to NEVER have probation again! Pastor Jordan told us that this kind of stuff builds character, and I'm beginning to see he is right. Jesus came from heaven to earth to serve us, he was the ultimate servant. When we are serving, we can reflect on our current attitude and then see how closely it reflects Jesus. I will admit, I have a long way to come on this one! But today I did not once grumble or complain, and I am going to try and keep this attitude not just for Master's but the rest of my life! Feel free to remind me of this when I come home. Today I have some scripture studies to do, and verb. com. homework, so I'm off to do that! God bless, remember to keep me in your prayers!

Never Been So BUSY!

     In the last few days I have:
- gone hiking up Stone Mountain and swam in a waterfall
- bought a new camera, as mine broke as soon as I came to Atlanta (how convenient)
- stayed up until 4 a.m. working on my scripture study (yes, I have learned my lesson!)
- found out my small group, AUDAX: where faith and boldness collide. There is about thirty junior and senior kids in our group and I cannot wait to meet them all! We had a leadership meeting on Sunday where we shared our hearts for the group this year.. I am SO excited.
- gutted houses that were destroyed by the Georgia floods two weeks ago. That really put things into perspective for me and made me appreciate what I have!
So as you can see, I've been pretty busy! Tomorrow we have our first scripture test, so I hope that goes well! Also I get to find out my FAMILY! I am SO excited!


For those of you who wanted to send me mail, you can at:
Annie Morton
The Tabernacle Church
1580 Agape Way
Decatur (Atlanta) GA 30035
PS: pictures are coming up SOON, I promise!

I Didn't Think It Would Be THIS Hard!

     It’s been nearly 4 days since I moved in my apartment and started this journey called Masters... and I am already starting to feel stretched, scared, and amazed by how God moves. I’ll start with Saturday first, when I first walked in the church doors... It was raining hard, but I was too excited to care. I met all my roommates, Allie White, Kasey Peiper, Lyn Bohyn, Heather Robertson, and Danielle Klock. I love them all! We are all so different, and come from very different backgrounds... but we all have the same goal this year, and I am truly excited to be living with them! Our apartment is really big, nice and new. I am going to love living here! Anyway, at church on Sunday, Jeanne preached... and it was amazing! One of the best sermons I have heard in awhile. After that I went out with my parents for lunch and to get some groceries, followed by a tearful goodbye. I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to watch them go! But I did, and I’m really doing okay. We had a girls night on Sunday night, and as an apartment we went to Ikea to get some stuff for our little home. Then we came home and made pizza, and just got to know each other.


     The first day we really “started” was on Monday, when we spent most of the day going over our Masters handbook and talked about all the rules. I didn’t know prior to coming to Masters that I was not allowed to contact guys from home, as well as the guys attending first year. One thing Masters is big on is the fact that they don’t want us to be emotionally or actually dating when we are there. They want it to just be “you and God”, and teach us to view males as brothers in Christ rather than potential dating material. Some students are engaged, and even broke off the engagement to come here for a year, and I totally respect them for that. I think it will be very hard... but so worth it in the end!


     Last night, we went on a “surprise” field trip, and after eating at a Wild Wing restaurant, we drove to Athens Georgia. There is a beautiful botanical garden and a little chapel we went to, and even though it was dark, it was absolutely beautiful there. I hope we go back! If you want to pray for me, pray that I we be willing to be stretched. God is already starting to work on me and some areas in my life... and I am scared to death! I looked at the schedule today, and I realized I am going to be SO busy... so pray I manage to fit in some sleep time as well!

Tomorrow, everything changes...

     It's Friday night, and in 12 hours I will be starting orientation at Masters. I will move in to my apartment, meet my roommates and the other students, and start a whole new chapter of my life.. I feel excited, nervous, hopeful, and a little scared! Looking back on the past few months, I have realized that there is no way I would be here if it wasn't in Gods plan. He has used so many of you to support me along the way, and made it such a smooth transition for me so far.. and I just know God has something awesome for me here in the next 9 months. I cannot wait to see what he has in store for my life... and I know I will be forever changed. Thank you to everyone who is believing in me back home, and don't forget to keep me in your prayers. I love y'all!

I've arrived!

     After counting down for 173 days.. I have arrived in Atlanta! My day started at 3 45 am, so I am a little tired but otherwise feeling well. We (my parents and I) flew from Halifax, to Toronto, to Atlanta, pretty much without any problems. US Customs went very smoothly, after a game of 20 questions with the clearance officer. We arrived here at around 12pm (1pm in NS), picked up the convertible dad rented for us (his idea... not ours!), and went to the Sheraton. After a small mix up with hotel rooms, they gave us an awesome room with access to their VIP lounge... and let me say it is amazing! There is lots of free food and Starbucks, free internet, and a bunch of little extras. After getting settled in we had lunch at Ruby Tuesdays, and then went swimming in a half indoor, half outdoor pool. The day has been going really well so far!


     One thing I have noticed about Atlanta is that the people here are very friendly. Everyone I have met has gone out of their way to say hello, help us with directions, or just offer their assistance in any way. I can already tell I am going to love this city, the people, and their accents! I don’t start at Masters until Saturday when we move in and have orientation. Until then it will be shopping for apartment things, sightseeing, and just hanging out with my parents. I will let you know how everything goes, and blog about it hopefully next Monday... please remember me in your prayers, that this transition goes smoothly!