2012 Milestone #7....Mission Trip!!

Youth Group Class of 2012

Milestone #7....Lindsay's last mission trip with her youth group.

Lindsay's youth group went skiing (in Colorado, I think) during spring break of her freshman year.  When the youth pastor started discussing a mission trip to Dominican Republic during spring break of her sophomore year, I was just a little freaked out.  I was nervous enough about sending her skiing, but Dominican Republic??  Out of the country??  No way!!  Of course we let her go and she loved it.  The youth group went to Costa Rica during spring break of her junior year.

And now here we are...her final mission trip with the youth group...they went back to the Dominican Republic.  I'm sure I was more emotional about it than she was.  I cried when it was time for them to load the bus.  I'm not even sure I cried the first year she went out of the country.

We got to the church about 1:30 a.m. since they were leaving for the airport about 2:00 a.m.  They finally pulled out about 2:15.  They had a layover in Ft. Lauderdale, but Spirit Airlines oversold the flight, so they had quite a delay in Florida.  The kids kept themselves busy by eating, sleeping and playing Ninja.  I'm not sure what time they finally landed in DR, but they made it safely!  One of the couples from our group did stay back so all of the youth and other adults could fly together.  They ended up having to drive to another airport and catch a flight, because they couldn't get one from Ft. Lauderdale.  But they made it safely as well!

The youth group stays at Score International facilities when they go to DR.  Once they got their luggage in their rooms, they practiced their puppets and drama then went to bed as soon as possible.  They were exhausted.

During this trip, they visited villages and an orphanage.  They provided much needed food, diapers, and toilet paper, played basketball and vollyeball, performed dramas and puppet shows, painted faces and created animal balloons, distributed Bibles, played with the children, attended church services, and much much more.  Of course they ate at their favorite restaurant in DR...El Sueno (pizza and ice cream), and Lindsay and a small group even went to the local Hard Rock Cafe to celebrate a friend's birthday on their last day.  She even learned how to bargain with the locals when buying goodies to bring home.

But most importantly...Lindsay grew spiritually and is more equipped to minister on her mission field here at home.

The rest of the post is pictures from the trip.  Enjoy!!

Lindsay is introducing the puppet show

priceless!

Our girls playing volleyball with some local girls

Lindsay introducing the puppet show

handing out bracelets

love those smiles!!

visiting the orphange...Lindsay is letting one of the girls from the orphanage write in her journal :)

Cin-de-rel-la, dressed in yella, went upstairs to kiss a fella....you remember those hand slap games on the playground

going to church

I'm pretty sure Lindsay is one of those puppets...I just don't know which one

Lindsay introducing the puppet show

again, I'm pretty sure Lindsay is one of those puppets...

I'm not sure to whom Lindsay is aiming that frisbee

face painting

our guys playing ball with some of the villagers

love the smile on this little girl's face!

waiting in line to take food and other items to the villagers

Lindsay is giving items to one of the villagers

handing out Bibles to the villagers :)

our pastor with one of the village families

the kids get a much deserved day on Catalina Island

Thank you, Lord for the blessings that our youth were able to share this week!

2012 Milestone #6...Lindsay's Last Game!!

I will have to say this has been the most emotional milestone we've hit so far this year.  The Garland Christian Academy varsity boys' basketball team made it to the Final Four in TAPPS playoffs this year!  Yay GCA!  Our boys played The Woodlands Christian Academy Warriors from Conroe, TX at Mansfield Summit High School this past Friday night.

GCA hasn't been this far in basketball playoffs since 1984, so you can imagine the excitement we were all feeling.  Because it was so frustrating as we all sat and watched the refs make lopsided and unfair calls on our team throughout the game, I failed to realize something very important and emotional was going to happen if we lost...which we did....62-47.  But the guys played a great game and our school couldn't be prouder!

After the game ended and all the fans were dispersing from their seats, I headed down to check on Lindsay and make sure she didn't need anything before the boys and I started our journey home.  For those of you who are like me and need more details and are wondering why she just didn't ride home with us...the cheerleaders rode the fan bus from the school and her car was waiting back at the school for her.  As I'm heading down the stairs, I start scanning the cheerleaders to find her.  My eyes catch her, and I see that she's crying.  My first thought was that she was crying because we lost the game...then it hit me and tears started forming in my own eyes and I could feel the lump forming in my throat...this was her last game to cheer. 

Lindsay has been a cheerleader at GCA since she was in the 6th grade.  She's the only one from her class who made it from start to finish.  I knew before I made it down there to take pictures, I had to choke those tears back and swallow that lump!  This was her bittersweet moment and I knew what she needed to see when she looked up in those stands was her momma with a big smile on her face beaming with absolute pride.  And as hard as it was, that's what she got!

This is an excerpt from another post of mine describing how Lindsay became a cheerleader.  I thought it was appropriate to share again:
Lindsay has been a cheerleader at Garland Christian Academy since she was in 6th grade. In fact, when tryouts came along at the end of her 5th grade year, she had absolutely no desire to be a cheerleader. I really wanted her to try out, but I didn't want to push either, so I mentioned it once or twice, then let it go. One afternoon, a fellow 5th grade mom called to let me know the cheer coach wasn't holding tryouts for the next year's middle school squad....just show up and you're on the team.  I was apprehensive about approaching Lindsay with the idea, because she already told me she wasn't interested and I didn't want to seem forceful. I told her that she could just try it and if she didn't like, she didn't have to do it. We were talking about it just now, and she told me the only reason she even agreed to try it was because she knew I wanted her to cheer. She also said she wasn't interested in the first place, because her expectations were different from reality. I guess she had never really paid attention to cheerleaders....she didn't realize they would have cute uniforms and go to cheer camp and cheer at all the games.

I know this won't hurt Lindsay's feelings if I say it, because I've heard her say it herself...while Lindsay might not have ever been the "best" cheerleader on the squad or the most athletic, she certainly had the biggest heart for it and she loved it.  I'm so glad cheerleading found her.  It gave me the opportunity on so  many occasions to sit in the stands and look at her beautiful smile....occasions I wouldn't have been offered otherwise.  Lindsay, I love you so much and you've made this momma so proud!

Lindsay's First Cheer Camp 2005

Lindsay's Last Cheer Camp 2012

Lindsay's First Game To Cheer

Lindsay's last game to cheer:

Lindsay and Katie

Lindsay and Hannah

Natasha, Lindsay, Hannah B, Katie, Melissa

Senior Cheerleaders (Hannah M, Lindsay, Hannah B, Melissa, Maci)

Final and very emotional senior cheerleader group hug