vsaveth

hello 2013

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:14:00 -0600

let’s just sing and dance all our cares away

the team holiday party

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 11:46:00 -0600

I’ve been here at my first real job for a little over a year now. I wasn’t sure if anyone had planned to do anything as a team for this time of the year, but I proposed to do a little shindig before we all split for the holidays. Something simple - potluck and white elephant. We booked a little conference room in the basement. I had a strange mixture of anxiety and apathy leading up to the day - “who’s really going to participate… what kind of “interesting” gifts are they scheming to get for white elephant… what kind of foods do we get? what do we feed the vegetarian!?” these were all the questions I had lingering in my head. Overwhelmed by all these thoughts, I, myself, just started to withdraw from planning anything further. I couldn’t even think up what to bring. I finally pulled myself together, and at a last minute’s notice, I stayed up late just to make a few trays of peppermint bark.

I woke up the next morning thinking, ‘alright. today is the day. should be interesting.’ my pathetic optimism. I came in realizing, we have no decorations. I was also thinking, I hope we have enough food, cus this peppermint bark is def not going to cut it. The doubt started to sweep me. This was probably going to be the lamest party ever. It will seriously be a table of peppermint bark. And us sitting around a table awkwardly eating together. And someone is going to bring some awkward gifts.

Trying to stay positive, I started looking around our desks to see what I could bring to “decorate”. We have a little miniature tree, full of weird ornaments (the gnome is our angel). There’s also some festive chili christmas lights (yes, they’re little lit-up red, green and yellow chili peppers - so freaking cute). But then one of my teammates, nonchalantly mentioned that he could go check “the closet” for some decorations.

“what in the world! what is this mystery closet full of decorations?! and why don’t i know about it?!”

we went downstairs to this “closet”. lights. tacky christmas decorations. table cloths. it had everything! things were starting to look up.

then we went to work on decorating the little room. when we were done, a sigh of relief came. as well as a dorky little high five. “well done. we did goooood!” (however the christmas lights made it look really romantic… awkward.)

the team came downstairs, bringing in their gifts and their trays of yummy delights, letting out some ooh’s and ahh’s, impressed with our decor. michael buble’s christmas album was playing the background. the meal was filling and delicious. the white elephant was fun and entertaining. the boss recognized everyone’s hard work. we laughed and had ourselves a very merry time. i was so relieved to see everything going so well.

it was awesome, I was so proud of everyone for fully participating. i’m glad everyone had a good time.

i am such a people pleaser. lol

espanol

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:23:19 -0600

i told the chefs/servers/cashiers in our cafeteria to only speak to me in spanish.

the lady checking me out said my spanish was better than her own kids!

i don’t know how much that means this day in age, but i’ll take it! :)

lol

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 09:02:16 -0600

balloons

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:53:00 -0600

this is dora’s twin. obv.

we got her this balloon in lieu of her getting her braces removed. along with some tiffs treats and other delights.

and then…

i got balloons for my birthday.

dora’s twin got balloons for her birthday.

we got our boss balloons for boss’s day. and her bday.

and we’re not talking about just any kind of balloons. we’re talking about the BIG ones.

i just looked up and i saw a bunch of balloons from the other folks on the other side.

i think we started this balloon culture.

the other wings in the building look like christmas threw up on it.

except ours :(

but at least we have balloons! :)

christmas time

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:50:00 -0600

i use this holiday season to justify buying things for people when i randomly think of them so it doesn’t seem as creepy

don't forget 2

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 19:19:53 -0500

Apr 30, 2007

life after d-now

I serve an amazing God. These last few days have been oh so good and I can definitely feel and see how God has been molding me with his very own hands. He’s opened my eyes so much to see his amaaaazing love. i feel like everytime i talk about God, it’s the same thing. but He has blessed me with an abundance of love and mercy. He’s given me the opportunity to come out of my comfort zone and speak the truth. i am completely dependent upon his will.

“Lord move in a way, that I’ve never seen before
Cause there’s a mountain in the way and a lock on the door
I’m drifting away, waves are crashing on the shore
So Lord move (move), or move me.”

i am joyful <3

don't forget

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 19:19:22 -0500

Apr 23, 2007

Dnow Dallas

About an hour away from Dallas, upon our arrival, Cathy got a call saying there weren’t enough girl leaders. She then asked me if I felt comfortable doing it and of course I said yes. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made leading to the most touching experience I didn’t expect to happen.

This weekend God has reminded me of his forgiving, compassionate love for his daughters. He’s given me the chance to reflect on my past and show me that He has the power to renew, restore, and rebuild me into the strong young woman I am today. I came to be a leader, yet in reality, I was the student. If so many people could look at my story, be inspired, forgive, and love me more, why couldn’t I do that for myself? That WAS the question for me. In return, not only has God given me answers but he’s made so much more of me.

For those who know me, I only have a handful of good girl friends, not even girl friends, but friends in general, who I can open up to. But when I saw these beautiful girls who spoke so boldly, I fell in love with God’s spirit. I was able to spill my heart and not be afraid of anyone’s judgement. He has given me the motivation to trust others, open my eyes, and see beyond.. I am also thankful for the girls who stepped out of their comfort zones to talk about the burdens that laid upon their hearts. Because I know it’s hard these days to speak openly and honestly about how you feel because we’re so adjusted to living within this corrupt world.

What an amazing God we serve. He works in miraculous and sneaky ways and we could never fathom his true power. I just pray that when we all left that building, when we all left our small groups, that we remain strong and confident, faithful and loving, true and pure.

Praise God,

Sarah Ven

it was short, but sweet. thanks for the hug! man do i miss this...

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 02:29:00 -0500

it was short, but sweet. thanks for the hug!

man do i miss this guy. i don’t think i’ve ever missed someone this much. it’s only been a few days but i can definitely sense that our relationship is being challenged in so many ways. “A woman’s heart should be so lost in God; that a man needs to seek Him in order to find her.” Lately I realized that I’ve began to lose some faith in that short (but poweful) quote. Somewhere along the way, I’ve found myself getting lost in the tangibles and relying more on my own abilities like overly thinking about how much I want to communicate or about the things I want to do… But if I think back to the beginning of this relationship and remember how blessed I felt that God would really grant me someone this special in my life, if I would just remember the sole fact that this relationship is His blessing, then I shouldn’t fear in anything else, but the One who can take it away. I don’t know if it’s a new sense of vulnerability but it’s definitely an uncomfortable, strange feeling. I don’t like it that much right now… But at the same time, I know God is really using it to refine me and grow my dependence for Him. I feel like God knows that we’re a relationship-oriented people… so when He wants to challenge us to love, rely, trust and seek Him more, He’ll put people in our lives to teach us these things. I know I have so much to learn about God and His ways… I also know I have so much to learn about Patrick and his ways… but hopefully as I pray, God would reveal to me all the necessary things I need to know.

Love is an action first and a feeling second. If you love people, eventually you’ll come to like them. -Tim Keller

do ya dig the new workstation homies? I DOOO :D

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 02:05:40 -0500

do ya dig the new workstation homies? I DOOO :D

North Koreans Risk Lives to Escape Via Underground Railroad - As...

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 01:11:00 -0500

North Koreans Risk Lives to Escape Via Underground Railroad - As famine grips North Korea, some are choosing to make a difficult journey to Thailand through a modern-day underground railroad. John Sparks of Independent Television News reports.

baby steps.

get involved: http://www.linkglobal.org/

goodbyes

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:45:22 -0500

yesterday i took patrick to the airport and saw him and grace off. i didn’t shed a tear so i guess it wasn’t all that sad. i’m really excited for the both of them and the many experiences God is going to give them! have fun in mehicooo

if you’re interested in staying updated with their trip, check out http://lifeinmehico.tumblr.com/ (grace) and http://chickenphinger.blogspot.com/ (patrick)

I rejoice, because I have perfect confidence in you. 2 Corinthians 7:16

now with all this free time i’m trying to stay busy so i don’t miss him too much! and by staying busy… i mean… going to chicago! i’m coming for you juds! and you too, TASTE OF CHICAGO!

but even on top of that, there’s just so much planning to do for my trip too. i’m currently reading Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer. i also have a ton of preparation to do for all the lessons too. pray for me friends - that i would depend on His wisdom and knowledge and not my own. THANKS!

big thanks!

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:02:00 -0500

this past weekend my parents threw me a little graduation party. i guess i shouldn’t say it was little.. it was actually pretty big. i kept saying that the party was much more for my parents and their friends, but the more i say that… the more wrong i feel. the more i say that, the more i feel depreciated by them which is completely untrue!

the night was fun. i got my friends on the dance floor dancing to some not-so-pleasant, abnormally upbeat cambodian music. it was strange and nice to see a lot of familiar faces… faces i saw growing up as a kid from the temple i used to attend with my family. i was asked to greet so many of my parents’ friends… ‘this is your uncle that helped our family to the U.S.’… ‘this is your aunt from the South… do you remember her?!’ …’did you chum riep sew your grandmas?’ i got to see my dad’s classic twist on the dance floor - gash, he’s so cute. poor mom, she was running around the kitchen and prepping the food all night. she is amazing. the few days leading up, i sat on my kitchen floor with my cousins and aunts cutting vegetables for a total of maybe 4-5 hours. and that’s only a very very small fraction of the work. my mom, with the help of some family, prepared so much food. even more food for my sister’s (traditional) wedding! oh and i was handed envelopes through out the night and that was nice too.

i’m glad my friends enjoyed it. the food was good, the dancing was… entertaining, and the culture shock was minimal! i’m sad because that’s probably one of the last parties my parents will ever throw for me. oh well.. except the wedding, that’s if i decide to do a traditional one or not.. but besides the point, it won’t ever be like that one. i don’t really know how to describe the feeling… the feeling of being the youngest, most loved (okay, that one might not be necessarily true), most adored (or that one) but i sure did feel appreciated. i don’t know if i could really truly express my gratitude to them, not just for that party, but really for all their hard work for my life.

i know father’s day is coming up so hopefully i’ll think of something by then.

thanks mommy and daddy - i love you!

water changes everything.

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 01:29:54 -0500

water changes everything.

My Creator did this. It’s so beautiful - I cannot grasp...

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 15:18:00 -0500

My Creator did this. It’s so beautiful - I cannot grasp the creativity and thoughts that went into the making of our world.

feelin the breeze

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 22:25:33 -0500

there’s only 3weeks-ish of school left. and when i say “school left” i mean… for a while. actually not even sure if i’ll be coming back to school. it’s honestly never been my forte… i remember sitting in physics in highschool when my teacher asked the class, ‘who wants to go to college?’ just about everyone raised their hands confidently, reflecting on all of their hard work on their college apps and essays, visiting college campuses… i was one of those few people who didn’t raise their hands. i had this thought in my mind that perhaps college wasn’t and isn’t for everyone (i still believe this), including me. there are some people who just go straight into working after high school and that’s fine. there are so many routes to take in life some things are just different for other folks. my brother and sister had assured me that my post [highschool] graduation thoughts were normal too. so in light of all these thoughts, i followed the routine of applying to schools, mostly because our english ap classes were all centered on college apps so might as well have turned in these essays to somewhere. i applied to TCU, UH, and UT. just 3 schools, didn’t really know what i wanted to do either. not so much a math person, or science person… pretty good at talking and managing so business it was! i told myself that i didn’t want to go to UT unless i got into the business school. otherwise i would have went to UH for hotel management or something like that. then summer time came and i got a letter from McCombs saying that i was waitlisted for mccombs. i didn’t really know what that meant… but i got another letter the following week saying i was accepted! that was good news… pretty unexpected too. so apparently mccombs only accepts top 2-3% and i was like… not there. i also knew that my parents probably couldn’t have afforded tuition so scholarship apps were definitely complimenting all of my college apps too. another week later i received a letter from the terry foundation and houston livestock show and rodeo offering full scholarships to the texas college of my choice. sooo by this point, i’m thinking: this is awesome! and strange! okay, maybe i’m supposed to go to college. someone sees some potential in me. and God is definitely providing a way. so let’s take this opportunity.

there are some other events in my life that have played out like this too. where opportunities and blessings have just fallen into my lap. like the hallib internship and the following offer letter for full time. like going to study abroad in Italy or like being a CORE team member for AACM, and even going on missions this summer to East Asia. like finding an awesome community of girls and guys to faithfully encourage me. and even like taking an internship at The For the City Center. and granted, some of the opportunities i’ve invested in aren’t always good. surelyyyyy God has been teaching me what it looks like to faithfully discern what His will is for me. but on the other hand, there just have been too many events in my life where i can see in retrospect, that God was so present, so much leading me to where He wants me to be.

with all this being said, and in this particular time of year.. it’s hard to say flat out that i’m unworthy or inadequate. and by no means do i feel like i, alone, am fully competent to do anything! it is the good news, the beautiful gospel, that because God delights in His creation, He has sent His one and only son to die and sacrifice himself on the cross for our shortcomings and sin. because of the blood Jesus shed for us, we can be seen as righteous and worthy. and in 3 days, Jesus rose from the dead, conquered death, conquered sin and all the ugliness in this world. my Jesus is that powerful! He’s powerful enough to make all of the unthinkables happen, including the unthinkables in my life! God has been doing so much of a work in me because He knows His plans for me, He sees my potential and He trusts and delights in His creation. i am humbled by all these opportunities and gracious that He’s chosen me to partake in these blessings. i know that alone, i could’ve never done any of these things, but it is only by His mercies and by this amazing gift of love and care for me that He enables me to do these things.

ptl

writing is good for the soul

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:57:00 -0500

makin a come back

Oh! Great is Our God! - The Sing Team (Mars Hill Church) Verse...

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 01:51:16 -0600

Oh! Great is Our God! - The Sing Team (Mars Hill Church)

Verse 1

Oh! Great is our God! So we should worship greatly!!

No song is too loud! No orchestra too stately

To hail the majesty of our King

So lift your voices loud as we sing

Verse 2

Oh! Great is our God! So let our songs be endless!!

So awesome His ways, how could we comprehend them?

So we will make it known to our kids

And we will sing about the gracious gifts you give

Chorus

We will sing your praise and pour forth your fame

We will bless your name

Let every one give thanks, because our God is great!

Verse 3

Oh! Great is our God! And we cannot contain it!

We sing from our souls, affected by His greatness

His mercy covers all that Heʼs made

Showing His glory and His grace

A Man’s Great End - The Valley of Vision: A Collection of...

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 02:49:05 -0500

A Man’s Great End - The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

pure joy seeing justice being served, friends loving, god being glorified, the kingdom advanced.

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:47:19 -0500

pure joy seeing justice being served, friends loving, god being glorified, the kingdom advanced.