happy birthday Jesus

this one goes out to the birthday celebrant of the season.... who deserves all glory, all honor and all praise! happy birthday Jesus! .... everyone now... "hip-hip hurray! hip-hip hurray!"... merry christmas friends....  i do hope that your celebrations are jolly and full of cheer and that Jesus is celebrated in the midst of it all... 

oh sweet solitude

.. i've been on the go for most of the year in australia doing what i love, meeting some extraordinary people, and seeing myself as a part of the bigger picture (although i still find myself piecing pieces together to really know what that means!) .... it was due time to come back to cali-cali... and so here i am .... writing this entry from a place i love to call HOME... theres nothing like being with family for christmas and catching up with old friends face to face... and ahh... theres a million things that i need to and want to do while i'm here but im taking it easy, resting, and as my friend johannes put it... "oh sweet solitude." its exactly what i need and its so good. so the plan is for me to be here until mid-january until i return to townsville and continue on being on staff... until then- i wont refuse to stuff my face with good american- (and filipino!) food, great customer service, family, friends and a cold christmas by the fire....

i miss you... yes you

so we took this picture for my good friend, fellow communications staffer and foot harasser, peter cabrera... who just recently left reef to outback after being here nearly 5 years. we had some good good times and all the peterisms and everything that came with it will surely be missed... and as much as i would like to dedicate this whole entry to mr. cabrera, let me broaden this for a bit... because doing what i do, here at y-wizzle, and seeing people come and go every few months doesn't really get any easier... for some people- maybe. but not me... i've come a long way and found life long friends who at some point in life ive connected with... so... to friends from california to hawaii to switzerland to brazil and everywhere in between... "i miss you.... yes you."

hands down

okay. i am officially the worst blogger in the world.... and i apologize to the world. you just have to imagine maybe- 3 or 4 blog entries in between this one and the last.... but yes, in my shame, i'll remain loyal.....

so heres the big news... the school of design finished... exactly a month ago today...so not only was it the day of the graduation, exhibition, student assessments, cleaning up the classroom.... but it was the day i entering a new year of my life... yes, it was my birthday as well ... i remember 4:00 rolled around and i felt like i haven't stopped moving since i woke up that morning.... and i just needed to... sit. so i did... i hid and i found a quiet place... acknowledged God in thanksgiving and contemplated how significant this day was... taking a look at all the work of the 6 students at the exhibition was overwhelming because sometimes it felt like it was all about the blood, sweat and tears....but it all paid off and i felt like a proud little mama and and knew that nothing of this would be possible without God's grace and faithfulness... hands down to the charters club.... peter, stephen, mary, laurel, deedee, shalom, bart and phililpp... the coffee kept us sane and i say ... job well done...

the charters club

and here they are ladies & gents... 6 students... 3 staff. its one big happy family...left to right, we have philipp (germany) peter (texas) bart (indiana) shalom (sydney) laurel (california) deedee (california) mary (georgia) and stephen john bryde (australia) .... the first ever school of design at RTO... the 'charter's club' as we declared ourselves in the beginning of the school... and we are officially half way done with the school (yes friends... that shows how much i suck at blogging). we've had some pretty amazing God-sent speakers come through imparting the 'goods' to the school ... including mr. joseph avakian, emma blake from perth and at the moment, neil shanks... follow the links to my friends blog and you can read up more on what we've been covering week by week. i can't even explain right now in one blog entry what God has been doing through me, the staff and the students up to this point... i just wouldn't be able to find the words. being trained in a 3 month design school is much more than color theory or grid layout friends... but its really coming to know and grasp our hearts and minds around the fact that we are CO-creating with God. its been fun for sure, but i can't deny that its been a challenging, learning time for us all... but inspiring above anything. and the thought of God coming along this creative journey is such a privilege... so just you wait... were not done just yet...

joanna* originally uploaded by stephenjohnbryde
well friends... the School of Design has officially begun and you can officially call me Miss School Leader.... its craziness i tell you.... but it the reality and its been one week and one heck of a ride already. i just had to stop the other day, gather my thoughts, and to really just thank God for the significance of this school happening after waiting for so long. you've heard me say this a million times but it is 'vision becoming reality' and im stoked to see what God is going to build up, rise up and unlock in these students..... im lucky. i have front row seats....

the countdown begins...

and the countdown begins... *sigh*... here we have one of the reasons why God has called me back here to Australia... to lead a 3 month School of Design. click on the poster ad and check it out... the school hasn't even started yet but i've been on some ride with God these past few months leading up to this point. but im stoked. speakers are nearly booked and we got 6 students right now!... but praying in faith for more.... theres still much to do so pray for us... its gonna be here in... 17 days, 10 hours, 37 minutes, 10 seconds... 9 seconds... 8 seconds... you get the point...

the first time i met Saké

it all started when my friends fish died the night she was leaving australia... "rest in peace Red Betta Fish"... so with all this fish talk i thought it would be cool to get some kind of little pet while im here... so the other night, some friends and i went to the night markets in town and we were just about to leave and then i turned the corner and there it was... the first time i met "Saké" (also known as "saki")... so i paid my 6 aussie dollars, went home and i was stoked that i had a pretty little fish to take care of! its amazing.... seriously, its kinda funny how something so little that just swims all day in a 1 litre jar can make me happy....

a really long dejavu

soo.... im back in the land down under! that is... AUSTRALIA... for those of you who are geographically challenged... after a year and half im back at the ywam base and its all so familiar but yet all so different at the same time. its like a really long 'dejavu'... but making new friends and reuniting with old ones have made it a sweet return and the transition quite easy. but if i said the hard part of getting over here to Australia was the hard part, i would be lying... in fact, its quite the opposite... cause i'll be leading a 3 month School of Design that starts in July! and so im here... (and when im not star jumping in front of our YWAM base vehicle) i'll be praying and preparing with my friends, my staff... stephen john bryde and peter cabrera. im not quite sure what the heck im doing, but heck, im here... in obedience and in faith... and trusting God more than ever in this journey that He's called me to in the land of oz...

one encounter

apologies for the long silence... and i greet you all with a belated everything... though i confess... a few weeks of this long silence is dedicated to the prompting of Gods calling to missions in cambodia and thailand. its a long story of how it became, but basically, i went on a missions trip with my young adults group from my church in san jose for a couple weeks... talk about unexpected! i take a look back and if someone were to say to me that i was at home for this very reason to go to cambodia... i wouldnt argue one bit. i know that it was all in the divine plan of God... and i just fell in love with cambodia...

im still overhwhelmed and feeling all the post-outreach re-entry hoopla... and as i sort out my thoughts about cambodia, i settle to share with you this quote that almost became a theme for this outreach... "never underestimate the potential of one encounter."... we saw hundreds of kids in the villages, people everywhere walking or riding bikes on the streets of Siem Reap, busy people in Bangkok bound somewhere.... and yet, i realized, that no matter who they were, every encounter i had with them was a chance for the Lord to impress Himself through me and the Jesus in me. and it would happen during that 'one encounter.'... theres nothing like the unseen and what happens when eternity is altered for the glory of Him...