"Oh farewell to all these people I've known, welcome these seeds that have been sown. Oh farewell to a place I've called home." -Jake Ousley

Before I started this internship, my roommates back home would make jokes all the time about me going to Dallas, falling in love with a southern man, and then staying in Texas forever. I would always brush them off and assure them that would never happen. Although their theory was slightly off and I haven't fallen in love with a boy here, I have fallen in love with this state. 


I've always loved Texas, but now... I'm head over heels in love with this place. The kind of love where you never want to leave, and when you do, you can't imagine anything ever being better. 


It's past 2:00am and all I can think about is the feeling you get when you walk outside at night. In Michigan, you feel chilly, put on a sweatshirt, and look around at the cloudy skies and windy areas. Tonight, when I walked out from the Lambda Chai house, I felt the warm air hug my bare legs. I didn't need jeans, or a sweatshirt for that matter. I looked up and saw stars shining bright through the shaded cloudy sky. It was an absolutely stunning end to an absolutely fun filled Thursday night at Project Transformation. 


Two days ago, during dinner announcements, we found out that we would be having a PT Prom, with the theme of 80's/90's, of course! The next morning, I walked out the door at 7 to get breakfast before work and I noticed my doorway was a little shorter than usual. I stepped out the door, and turned back to see what was causing the blockage. There was a banner across the top of my door-frame that said, "Dear Kristen, Superman wants to fly you to Prom. You "up" for it? -Rico"


And two days later...here we are :)

It was the second best prom I've ever been to! All of those who chose to attend piled in the basement of the Kappa Sigma house and danced the night away to songs of the past with our DJ and fellow intern Larry :)


It never ceases to amaze me how I can always have fun with these kids. I can't think of a single thing I've done so far that I haven't had fun during. Really. And if you don't believe me, I have an extreme story to prove it. Each week, everyone is assigned a different chore with their "chore team." This week, I was on dish crew after dinner. This is generally the worst chore you can get and is occasionally assigned as a punishment if you screw up. Even during something as boring and awful as washing everyone's dishes, I had a blast. We all jammed out to the radio, washed, dried, and mopped our little hearts out, everyday this week. 

I feel so guilty for leaving Michigan behind. Not only did I move physically for the summer, but I left emotionally and mentally as well. I hardly ever find myself thinking of Northville or Allendale for that matter. I miss my best friends though, the ones who know my heart and the ones I can run to with everything. Those strong individuals whom God has placed in my life for very large and fulfilling purposes. I miss them like crazy, even if I don't realize it all of the time. Please keep my roommate and best friend in your prayers as she is struggling with family emergencies. She deserves to have the world and I hope that this summer is all that she dreamed it could be for her, if not more. 

Last night I got the opportunity to go to my first ever Rangers baseball game! It was really fun, and I almost didn't mind sitting in the nose-bleed seats! I would have stayed a lot longer, but I was so exhausted from mountain biking that day that all I wanted to do was sleep. As we were walking out, there were vendors handing out free Spicy Chicken Sandwhiches from Chic-Fil-A as well as free Snapple! It was a wonderful first game for me. 

Check out what some of my fellow interns and I did after worship Tuesday night....

I really really love Texas. I love the mixture of people. I love the chivalry. I love that Texas is so alive. I love that I feel here, instead of Allendale where I feel like I've been made immune to everything. I feel as though my passions for life and God's greatest hunger for the world are finally meeting. I am finally making a difference and working towards God's glory. 

Please continue to pray for this organization, the kids involved, the community of interns, and my friends back home. Also, be thinking of my mother in these times as my dog has run away from my grand parents house in Houston and has been missing for a few days. Maggie has been apart of the family for about 10 years and it's not easy to watch something like this happen and not be able to do anything about it :(

"You are the one who put me together inside my mother's body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt." -Psalms 139:14-14

Listen to this --> Stay by Jake Ousley :)