Sleepless...

Craig is in Savannah for a family wedding, and I am having a hard time falling asleep tonight. I'm not sure if it's his absence or the lack of time accountability; either way, I can't seem to nod off.

All day long I have had this beautiful, worshipful song stuck in my head. I do not know what the song is titled, and I have tried googleling it (however that noun/verb is spelt!) but to no avail. A sweet friend Brooke sang it at her sister Brynn's wedding a few weeks ago. Basically, the song has been playing over and over again in my head and heart since the wedding. A mutual friend of all of ours has it posted on her blog from the youtube posted by Brynn and Brooke's brother Brock-- did you follow all that?!

So, I thought I'd share this prewedding rehearsal since it has really ministered to me...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsh4_6z8bCM

Remember the Alamo!

http://picasaweb.google.com/christina.crenshaw/SanAntonio

Craig and I had a lovely, romantic San Antonio get-away weekend a couple of weeks ago. We actually did not have time to pay homage to the Alamo, but like good Texans, we remember it in our hearts.

We stayed two nights at an amazing hotel on the Riverwalk called The Hotel Contessa. I highly recommend the place! Our sweet friends Doug and Katie drove up from Corpus to spend Saturday with us, and we all went to Sea World. I had not been to Sea World in almost 20 years, and I had not anticipated it to be any fun at this age, but it actually was! The rides are great, the food is not too bad, and Anheuser Busch has a free, that’s right free, Beer Garden for those of age. Though, I must admonish Sea World: You’ve got to revise your shows every 20 years or so! (I am pretty sure I watched the same Sea Lion Diner, Dolphin Underworld, and Shamu Stunt shows that I watched as a kid!) We enjoyed dinner on the Riverwalk both Friday and Saturday night. Here’s a few pictures…

Tagged by Adrianna...

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their 8 things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Eight things about me...

1. I have to workout in the morning or it will not get done. (I’m borrowing this one from Adrianna!)

2. I love, love, love dogs! I hate, hate, hate cats.

4. I eat A LOT! I really think I probably eat more than most of my girlfriends, and sometimes I catch myself eating more than Craig! Thus, the reason for the morning workouts!

5. Although the Myers-Briggs keeps telling me I am an E (ESTJ), I really enjoy my alone time. I love to spend a few nights a week reading a book with a glass of wine or a movie and popcorn with Craig. I wish I had more of that in our busy lives.

6. This year is my fourth year of marriage. This is the first year I have wanted to expand our family of two.

7. Someday, I want to write a book. I always have these fantastic ideas, and then I never capitalize on it. No lie, I thought about Redeeming Love long before Francine Rivers. She just beat me to it! :)

8. Besides writing fictional short stories set in the South, if I could do/be anything it would be a Ballerina Princess. I’m not really sure what that is either. But, when I think about being one, it conjures up images of a sweet little girl in a tutu who is loved and doted upon. What girl doesn’t want to be that?!

Okay, I tag Tracy, Katy, Meredith, Jessica, Wendy, and Lauren (who just had a baby and probably no time for this!)

And this one thing that I desire...

And so, it has begun—football season. It’s that special time of year when the weather cools, fleeces are donned, and tens of thousand Aggie fans pledge their allegiance to the 12th man god in the temple of Kyle Field. And they say A&M is a cult. The audacity!

Two week ago Craig and I spent the weekend in College Station and attended the Montana State game with some old college friends. (Shout out to A&M’s victory!) It’s always so refreshing for me to spend time in College Station; I have such fond memories of my college years there. Because Craig’s grandfather was a veterinarian and a professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine at A&M, Craig too has fond memories of College Station that date back to his early childhood. For Craig, many birthdays, holidays, and of course Aggie football games, involved trips to Papaw’s house. To reminisce about the days of lore brings such joy to Craig’s heart and therefore mine. I feel as if I am often living his memories vicariously.

Craig’s grandfather passed away in March of this year and is survived by his widow Gloria whom we affectionately call Gigi. Gigi is an amazing woman. She is in her early eighties and is more active than most in their sixties: she plays tennis three times a week, quilts daily, attends sporting events. She is arguably the most active, fun, and relatable 82 year old woman I have ever met. Throughout various parts of Texas, the South, and the Northwest, Gloria has children and grandchildren who love her, and she travels to see them regularly. Though health, family, and time appear to be on her side, there is still one thing that she desires. Gloria is lonely. She is without her lifelong companion. She desires to be known, really known by someone with whom she can experience the remainder of her life.

I can’t imagine; I don’t want to try. The thought of living a day without Craig pains my heart. Lord, thank you that you have created within us desires that are more profound, more life-giving than College Station memories. You have created us with the desire to walk in relationships, to live in community, to love and to be loved. Even more overwhelming is the desire you’ve placed within us to yearn for more of you, Jesus. Of all the ties that bind, nothing binds us closer to each other than our bond in you.

Gig ‘em and God Bless!

Uganda Thank You Letter

Below is my Uganda thank you letter that I am mailing out to my dear friends and family; I thought I'd share!

Hello friends and family!

I am back safe and sound, and I am excited to share with you about what God has done and is still doing!

It was presumptuous of me to assume that my trip to Africa would greater impact the people of Uganda than me. I had supposed that I had much to offer them, and they would have little to offer me. I was wrong! I am forever changed by the people of Uganda!

Joy seems to be one of Uganda’s greatest cultural values. Ugandans express evident and abundant joy in the simplicity of life and living in the here and now. Several times on my trip, I encountered men, women, children, and entire families who had so little. Many were clad in dirty clothes, most were not well fed, and few children had shoes. Yet the beauty of their situation is that their contentment is not base upon what they do or do not have. They know what it means to be dirty, and hungry, and barefoot, but they also know what it means to choose joy. Their happiness is not based on their circumstances because, after all, circumstances are only circumstantial, and they understand this.

Being amongst these people was, for me, a fresh reminder of from whom and from where I should derive my joy. In our American-Christian culture, we tend to find our joy in our “blessings.” It seems to me that we correlate material wealth, circumstantial happiness, and even sheer luck with divine favor. Thankfully, this is not from where the Lord intended us to find joy! “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy, and I will give thanks to him in song.” Psalm 28:7

A servant to Uganda and its people is absolutely the most prestigious position I have ever held. My team and I spent our mornings worshipping the Lord with the Ugandans employed by Restoration Gateway. In the afternoons, we toiled the land and molded bricks. In the evenings, we cooked meals along side two Ugandan men employed by the McCalls. One life-changing afternoon was spent with 125 parentless, orphan children. We taught these children songs, games, and Bible stories. We held them; we played with them; we fed them; we loved on them. We told them about Jesus. We saw Jesus through them!

After a trip such as this one, I can't help but consider my life in contrast to theirs. A Starbucks drink is nearly a week’s worth a food for a little Ugandan girl. An hour on the Internet could be used to make 8 or 9 more bricks needed to build Restoration Gateway. A half hour in traffic is half the amount of time it takes some Ugandans to walk to work. I realize, in comparison, that I have much monetarily, and I want to give back. I want to make attempts, as feeble as they may seem, to close this distribution gap between my world and theirs. Though monetary donations are needed and necessary, I am convinced that these people need something more sustaining than anything I can offer. They long for restoration, and only the Lord can provide that.

We all have a role that we are called to play in the kingdom. I love what the McCalls have written on their website in regards to this: “Some will give. Some will pray. Some will go. Regardless, God wants us in. All of us. Two coins or entire existence. Just Act.”

If you too would like to contribute, please find out how at the following web address.
http://www.restorationgateway.com/getinvolved.htm

To see pictures from my trip, please view them at this website.
http://picasaweb.google.com/christina.crenshaw/Uganda

Videos and even more pictures can be seen on a teammate’s website.
http://picasaweb.google.com/juliemcbrayer/UgandaMissionTrip2007

Thank you so much for your contribution to this trip! You have made an eternal investment!