Joelle in Texas

This is my life.

2011-04-12T14:43:00.004-05:00

Hello friends,
I just got back from New York early this morning.
If you are friends with me on facebook or follow me on twitter you will already know that we (CCM) did a live broadcast of Battlecry (Acquire the Fire) which aired on God TV over the weekend.
I did a live camera for the broadcast.
Let's have a moment together shall we?
I am nineteen years old.
And since I have come to the Center for Creative Media I have been a part of three live broadcasts seen by millions.
I have traveled all over the States capturing the experiences of people on camera.
I have had the opportunity to shoot bands like the Newsboys, Hillsong United, Casting Crowns, The Almost, Leeland, Fireflight, Sanctus Real...the list goes on.
I have been a part of shooting short films that are played at arena events by thousands every weekend.
I have gotten to work at an event sponsored by the NFL and other huge name corporations.
The experiences go on and on.
I am learning.
I am doing.
I am making a difference.

Dallas, TX

2011-04-04T08:56:00.005-05:00

There have been so many times in the last several months where I have had moments of utter gratefulness for being where I am and being able to do God's work.
This past weekend I was doing an ATF in Dallas.
You can watch the highlight video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glOxD89jUPs
We actually had about 13 CCMers go to the event because it's so close to campus.
I got to shoot some incredibly talented people.
Unhindered, Casting Crowns, Fireflight, Israel Houghton, and promos with Ron Luce and John Gray.
It was an eventful weekend to say the least.
The event actually took place at an amphitheater.
It's crazy to think I've walked on the same stage as a lot of the biggest names in the music industry.
I had this moment on Saturday night.
I had found myself in a low place.
It had been a long weekend full of responsibilities.
And I was tired.
I walked to the very top of the lawn so that I was looking down on the entire amphitheater.
I saw thousands of people worshipping the creator of our universe.
These are the moments I never want to forget.
These are the moments I am reminded I am not alone. I will never be alone.

These days

2011-03-20T13:56:00.005-05:00

Well life is getting a little crazy these days. Just came back from Tulsa, OK this weekend where there was an ATF event at Oral Roberts University. I would have to say it was my favorite event, besides Hamilton. The host church were fantastic people. The food was great. And a few of us girls got an entire apartment to ourselves. We were truly blessed. I might write about this event later, but I haven't processed it all yet. Here is the highlight video I shot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-KtNUBu5Rk
I also got a chance to do Camera 2 for the Jimmy Needham concert. It's one of the cameras that go up on the big screen throughout the event. I really enjoyed that. These weekends change my life every time I go. I believe Tulsa was my 15th ATF. And no matter how many times I see the same show God always does something new in my life. Having said that, I'm headed to the Dallas, TX ATF this weekend, then we're headed to New York next Tuesday for a week to do the Battle Cry, then I'm going home for a week.

So that's what the next month is looking like, the February and March were full of adventures. I went to Missouri to shoot a promo for the Honor Academy of the Ozarks. Then I went to New Orleans, LA for an ATF. You can see the highlights video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb968AbefMI And I went to Wisconsin for a weekend to visit my friend Cara. You'll be seeing a video of that weekend online sometime in the near future.

I've been getting more into photography lately. One of my assignments was to take a faceless portrait. Here's what I did.

Here's what's up.

2011-02-07T16:44:00.005-06:00

I know it's been a while. And I really hope I can write that "catch up" blog that desperately needs to be done.

I would like to share two videos.

Last Thursday I went to Dallas as a PA for an event for the Super Bowl sponsored by the NFL and other big names like K-Mart and Lowe's, etc. I did audio and shot logs for one of the ENG crews.
This should explain it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZbTkKAVDNY

This is a short film we made for this year's ATF. It's a metaphorical view on dealing with porn addictions. It's called The Zombie Resistence.
http://vimeo.com/groups/79000/videos/19548698

The Birthday

2010-04-20T07:19:00.002-05:00

#36

2010-04-08T17:50:00.003-05:00

To do before I die: #36
Write a full length drama (script) that will be acted out on stage and seen by hundreds of thousands of people.

Check.

April.

2010-03-31T13:51:00.003-05:00

I can’t believe tomorrow is the first day of April.
April is the best month of the year.
I’m going to talk more about the future than the past in this blog. I hope you don’t mind.
I didn’t end up going to North Carolina because I got put on the writing team for next year’s ATF drama.
To put it simply.
That’s a huge deal.
This is the first year we (CCM) is writing it.
And I must say, it’s pretty darn good so far.
It’s been busy.
Working about twelve hour days, seven days a week. (We get this weekend off though!)
But I really love it. I feel so privileged to be a part of something that will affect thousands of lives.
I’ve always wanted to write a script.
It’s cool.
So the next month is going to be pretty busy.
April begins with a three-day weekend. Which I am really looking forward to.
Here’s the plan:
Sleep in on Friday.
Maybe watch a movie.
Go see Skillet at night.
Sleep in on Saturday.
Do laundry.
Read a book.
More specifically, read a novel.
Spend time with Jesus.
Watch the Freshwind conference online.
Sleep.
On Sunday I will go to church.
Hang out with friends.
Maybe finish a book?
Go to bed early.
Then next Thursday I am going to Dallas.
I will do camera all weekend.
Then I will come back in the wee hours on Sunday morning.
And I will step on a bus and go to sleep.
And I will wake up in New York.
Where I will stay for two weeks.
I will turn nineteen.
Then I will step on a plane.
And have a good week.
And then I will go to Lansing, Michigan.
And I will do camera all weekend.
And talk to people.
And then I will step on a bus and go to sleep.
And I will wake up in Texas.
And then it will be May.
April is going to be a good month.

Weekends, Rings, Green screens, and Kansas City

2010-03-15T20:46:00.006-05:00

Hey all,
Well, it’s been a few weeks so it looks like I have quite the update coming. I do hope you don’t mind reading my lengthy blogs. At the moment I am quite distracted by the “L” key on my keyboard as it keeps popping out. This is a regular occurrence. A frustrating one at that.

Let’s get started shall we?

I take many pictures with my phone. I have decided that they would make my blogs more exciting. So that’s what I’m going to do.

(Texas has some of the most beautiful sunrises)

The weekend after I came back from Kansas City I had some friends that desperately wanted to see The Rocket Summer but had no ride so in exchange for a ticket and food I drove them. Pretty good deal I’ll say.

I had gotten the day off. My first one in a month I think. I had been gone to events every weekend so I hadn’t had a whole day to myself. So that was wonderful. On Saturday I slept in till 11am and in the afternoon I took the car to Mercy Ships and drew for several hours while drinking coke. It was so nice. On Sunday I dropped my friends off at their church and tried out a new one. I enjoyed going by myself. After we went to Cheddar’s. My first time. It was great. It was close to a perfect weekend.

(My dorm. I love the trees. They don't stay like that for long.)

March 1-8 we had Week of the Ring here on campus. At the end of the week there is a banquet and the interns (Augusts) receive a ring that symbolizes a commitment to a lifelong pursuit of God. It’s called the Honor Ring. It is inscribed in Hebrew. “I am my beloved’s and beloved is mine.” During the course of the week there are sessions every night that touch on the different aspects of living honorably. Such as integrity, valor, friendships, maturity, clear conscience, purity, excellence. I love this week because it allows me to reexamine my own life and it inspires me to live in such a way that I am representing Christ in everything that I do. While the ring has no power in itself, it is a reminder of whose I am and where I am going.

(It snowed here during WOTR)

Last Sunday was the Oscar’s and CCM had a party and everyone got dressed up and we went somewhere and had dinner and watched the Oscar’s. I got 10 out of 17 right.

Then the next night we had the ring banquet and we dressed up again. And it was a fantastic evening. I didn’t want it to end.

Some more exciting news: Last week was my first shoot in the studio. Green screen. Our campus gives interns the opportunity to stay a second year and if you stay you are known as a “Graduate Intern” so we created all the promos for those different programs. And I got to shoot one of the promos. This morning they had rollouts and mine was the first one up. The intro. I was so proud! I mean, everyone on campus saw it. Maybe 600 people? I am so blessed! I think of where I was only three months ago and how much has changed. Definitely blessed.

(Without the couch. I wish you could see the finished product. It looked pretty sweet.)

This past weekend I went to Kansas City with a few friends. Best weekend ever. A little vacation. We went to IHOP (International House of Prayer). Basically, IHOP is known for its 24/7 prayer that has been going on since 1999 I believe. They have a prayer room where there is music/prayer for 24 hours, 7 days a week. They also have the “main base” where church is held and it has all their internships. There are about 1500 (staff, students, and interns) serving within the ministry. So this weekend was a weekend of rest and refreshing. We got there Saturday at 4:30 and ate at iHop (yes, the pancakes!) and then at 5:30am headed over to the prayer room. We left Sunday at 2pm. In total I spent 14 hours in the prayer room. (www.theprayerroom.tv) And about 6 hours at the awakening service (Wed-Fri nights 6pm-midnight www.ihop.org/watch). It was absolutely amazing. I don’t know who I’d be without God. He continues to amaze me. He's so good to me.

(The Prayer Room)

Tomorrow I’m leaving for North Carolina to do camera at ATF. I haven’t been in a few weeks so it will interesting getting back into the rhythm of things. After this, in a few weeks there’s the Dallas Battle Cry and then we are all headed to New York for a Battle Cry (I think 16, 000 plus people) and professional encounters in New York City. So I’ll be on the road again for a bit. Excited for some excessive sleep and reading and music listening and serving.

Alright my friends. I have three weeks of laundry to do. And I’d like to get more than the three and a half hours of sleep I got last night.

God bless.

Under the mercy,
Joelle

California and Kansas City.

2010-02-23T22:05:00.001-06:00

Hello friends,
I am writing to you from the catering room also known as the team room in Kansas City. As you can probably guess I am doing camera this weekend for the Acquire the Fire event. We are expecting around 3500 people. I don’t have lots of time on my hands these days with my travels so I am learning how to balance time. For example: sleep and read on the bus. If you are leaving at 3pm, like I did and only had four hours of sleep the night before then you will understand that I fell asleep almost right away. I woke up for our stops but other than that I laid out in the very back of the bus in my warm and comfy sleeping bag and listened to music and slept. It was wonderful. I love traveling to these ATF events. I love getting to know people. I love sleeping. I love seeing God work in the lives of the teenagers and parents that come every weekend. I love doing camera. I love gaining experience. I love doing what I love. But since I am currently writing this part of the blog on Thursday and the event has not even begun I will finish it after the event and I will tell you about the last ten days in California for now.

I was very glad to hear of our delayed departure on Sunday, the 7th. We were supposed to leave at 6pm, but we ended up leaving at 1am. I was glad because I got to see the Super Bowl. I was also glad that the Saints won. So, the bus ride mostly consisted of me sleeping a lot, talking a bit, and reading a little. On Monday night, or perhaps it was Tuesday at like 2am we arrived in Los Angeles. We stayed at a catholic high school. On Tuesday we had a professional encounter with Drew Thomas, who is a DP, and he taught us all about the camera. We were located in the Sheraton Hotel in Santa Monica. Sounds lovely doesn’t it? The only downfall was that we were inside the entire day. BUT it wasn’t so bad because I don’t mind the camera so much you see, it was a good day. On Wednesday we were in the same place with Mark Stepp who is an editor. He definitely taught us a lot, and not just about editing. He had just come back from working at the Super Bowl. It was Wednesday night that I got to experience In-N-Out for the first time. I had some very high expectations and they did not disappoint. One of the best burgers I have ever had. The fries weren’t that great but it wasn’t a huge deal. Now Thursday was the day that I was really looking forward to. We were going to take a tour of Warner Bros. Studios. Two of my very TV shows, Chuck and The Mentalist are filmed there. I wanted more than anything to be able to visit the sets of those shows. In the morning we drove through Hollywood and Burbank and drove past some of the other studios. Walt Disney, Paramount, etc. And in the afternoon we had our tour. It was pretty incredible. To see all these places where history had been made. Gilmore Girls. Growing Pains. Cold Case. ER. Chuck. The Mentalist. Alice in Wonderland. The Dark Knight. Ocean’s 11. Jurassic Park. I could go on. We went on the set of True Blood a show I honestly don’t care much about. We went through the jungle where Jurassic Park was made. Drove throughout the entire place and our tour guide showed us a bunch of different locations. I did not get to go on the set of Chuck, but I did get to see a bunch of locations that scenes had been shot. BUT the ultimate moment of that day was being able to go onto the set of The Mentalist. To stand on the very ground that Patrick Jane (which is the character) has been on. To see the couch he sits on. His office. The interrogation room. Yes, the moment was magical indeed. I bought a t-shirt to remember it by. That night we left for Morro Bay for a few days. I was pretty excited because it would be my first time seeing the Pacific Ocean. We stayed in a Motel 6 and it was amazing. Thursday was our day off and I decided to spend the morning in the room while almost everyone went out to town. I was planning on going later that afternoon. And so I slept and read and watched some TV. And I went on the bus in the afternoon and had a great conversation with our bus driver and then I wandered Morro Bay by myself and I absolutely loved it. I bought the most amazing ice cream. Some food. Some postcards. It was well. And I walked to the rock (google it). And to the beach. And towards the tide. And I stopped when I reached the water and I put my hand to the water and brought it to my lips just so I could taste the salt. It was a wonderful experience. That night we were having pizza and I walked into a bar first and then I realized there was no pizza. Pizza was next door. The next day we were at the beach again having team time. We sat on the rocks and watched the waves crash mightily against some other rocks. The next morning we left dark and early for church, which was around LA. It was amazing. It was in a beautiful spot. The guy spoke about love. It was Valentine’s Day after all, but I learned some valuable lessons that morning. That afternoon we went to the mall. I stayed on the bus for a while and then I went to Border’s and spent a few hours there. I ended up buying two books. Social Intelligence and Snow Treasure (one of my favorite books as a kid). Then I wandered the mall by myself. I love doing that. Observing people. Taking my time. Simply existing. Being. That night we ate at a place called Roscoe’s. Wow. Right off of Sunset Boulevard. Known for their chicken and waffles. Yes, together. And it was amazing! We stayed at a church nearby and the next day we had our last professional encounter with Jeff Holder who talked to us about writing. If you watched cartoons on a Saturday morning as a child, your best bet that he wrote it. It was on that day I got told I would be going to Kansas City on Wednesday. We left that night for good ol’ Texas. Is it a coincidence that it snowed up to 8 inches on campus while I was gone? It only last a day or two but California had the most perfect weather. It just won me right over. On the bus I watched a movie called Shawshank Redemption. It had a good storyline, strong characters. I enjoyed it for the most part. It was very well done. I told myself I wouldn’t sleep as much because I could just sleep on the way to Kansas City and so I had some good conversations. Wrote a bit. And well, slept. We got to campus at 2am, stayed at CCM for an hour. Did laundry till 5:30am. Slept till 10am. Went to CCM, prepped the camera stuff. Had a meeting. Ate food. Packed. Went back to CCM to get my stuff and left! Very exciting right? I’m glad I got to be on campus for a few hours. Felt real good. I love what I do. As I mentioned earlier. I don’t have a lot of time to connect with interns from the HA, so being able to go on the bus and get to know them is always enjoyable.

THE EVENT:

Alright, let me try and keep this interesting. I had a plan this weekend. I do interviews/shoot b-roll and whatnot for anything Teen Mania might need it for whether that be promos and the highlights we make every week. The highlights have a theme woven throughout it and this week I really wanted UNITY through Christ to be portrayed. Every time I go out on the road I just love the atmosphere. It feels like family. And not just with the ministry team, but also just being with a bunch of people who share the same beliefs as you. One of my favorite parts of the weekend is the team meeting we have right after load out. It’s the time where everyone is so tired we can’t think straight. We are told in what areas we need to improve. We have the best moments though. We laugh so hard it hurts to breathe. We share stories of how God touched someone’s life and how he even used us at times to do so. It’s in those moments I am reminded of how blessed I am. I have written it before and I want to say it again, doing camera at these events is not just a job to me, not just so I can gain more experience. I want to be there for people, to be able to bring hope, and be able to speak into their lives. And even being able to encourage and pray with one girl makes everything worth it. I learned a lot this weekend. I have been stretched. I have grown. I am counting my blessings.

Kansas City was probably been the nicest city I’ve been to so far. People were going around giving each other high fives and hugs. I got my fair share. Watch the hugging lady in the highlights to understand. I even got asked for an autograph.

Thank you Kansas City.

-The camera girl/the camera lady/ccm girl/interview girl

P.S. The stuff I do every weekend gets made into a highlights video that is posted online. Here are the highlights from Kansas City. My favorite so far.

Houston, TX and Richmond, VA

2010-02-01T19:49:00.000-06:00

Hello friends,
In the last two weeks I have been in Houston, TX and Richmond, VA doing camera for ATF. Some of the best times since being in Texas so far.
Let me set this up a bit first. The months leading up to Christmas I had been working towards becoming a producer. But I was not sure what exactly I wanted to do, I wanted to learn it all. It was during my break that I really took some time aside to think about what God had been telling me about my future and where I need to start focusing on. And after praying about it, I felt like camera and editing was where I needed to start focusing on. So when I came back from break, another DP left and I knew that God had provided me with an opportunity and I ran with it and I went to Doug and told him I want to learn camera (I plan on learning editing during spare time). And to make a long story short I am in a trial period where I am learning everything I can and proving to him how much I want it and how good I can be. Here’s the cool thing. This was about three weeks ago and since then I have been to two ATF’s since starting. I got to go to Houston, TX (last week), and a few days later I found myself in a bus on my way to Richmond, VA (this past weekend).
Before I go into my experiences, I want to say how important I have found the process of communication to be. I went to Doug and told him what I wanted to do. A few days before the Houston event I was talking to one of my friends about how I would love to do ENG crews. ENG stands for Electronic News-Gathering. It usually consists of a three man crew and has someone doing Audio, another camera, and another is a producer, who asks the questions, etc. And my friend tells me that I should tell my manager or supervisor so that they know. This conversation was happening on a Tuesday and I was pretty sure it was too late but I went to talk to one of my supervisors and I let him know that I was interested in doing ENG for Houston or any future event and I let him know the benefits to being able to develop both my camera and producing skills. And the next day I was called into the office and found out I was going to Houston the next day! Communication is key. Let people know what you want to do. One of the biggest things I’ve learned since being here is learning to be in constant communication because a lot of the time people need to know what you are thinking or they can take things the wrong way or misunderstand.
Anyways.
Houston, Texas.
It was a Wednesday I got told that I, along with two others would be going to Houston with Jared, the Director of Photography (DP) to Houston to be trained in camera. We are the three that will be travelling to the ATF’s for the spring tour I believe. So I get to Houston with Swat & Support and we (Logan, Josua, and I) spend the majority of the day getting interviews of the Ministry Team and School of Worship and broll of people getting set up. Evening rolls up and we go outside and start talking to people, getting some group interviews. And so starts a weekend of lots of conversations, practice, and fun. I say this without hesitation: that weekend has been one of my favorite since getting here. I prayed a lot for the event before. I asked God for conversations, opportunities to minister, for great content, for favor. And I can say that God has been so faithful! I got lots of great content out of people while producing and I really enjoyed being able to be on camera. There was one girl who shared her story with us about how she had been beat and raped by a father figure and has been with lots of guys and on Friday night she really realized God’s love for her and that his love is enough. Abi and I got a chance to pray for her after. It was one of my favorite moments. We got a chance to see the drama Friday night and it was one of Ministry Team’s best performances yet. I also got to see most of Lecrae and TFK on Saturday. I love the atmosphere of MT. It has such a family feel to it. And I love the meals. I had coke all weekend and it was amazing! We finished load out and had a team meeting and were on the bus by 2am and I had a few hours of uneasy sleep. I had only had about 12 hours of sleep since the Wednesday. (That’s like out of 97 hours) Then I went to bed at like 7:30am till 2am. It was great.
Richmond, Virginia
It was Tuesday at around 5pm. I went to my supervisor’s desk and I was talking to her and she lets it slip that I’m going to Richmond. And that the bus was leaving at 1am. That night. Now, I am excited that I get to be travelling to ATF’s, but the only one that I did not really want to go to was Richmond. I had just gotten back from Houston. Two of my friends were having their birthday, I was going out with a friend, and my supervisor’s last day was on Friday and then she was leaving forever. Over the past two months I have gotten closer to my supervisor and it has been pretty hard dealing with the fact that she was leaving. But I had all week to prepare myself for her departure. Until I got told I would be leaving in a few hours and then I realized that I wouldn’t be seeing her anymore and that was a bit difficult to deal with. So I get on the bus with Phillip (a new January who was going to do texting for the event) and a bus full of interns from the Honor Academy who I did not know. And let’s just say I was awake for probably 2 or 3 hours at the most out of our 26 hour trip. I don’t know what it is but I sleep like a baby on road trips. I sleep all night, and then I sleep all day. It’s wonderful. I don’t really know anyone but over the course of the weekend I get to know the majority of the people on the bus and it’s great. We get to Richmond on Thursday morning and help load in all day. Then we go to our host homes. Wilma, was the name of the lady who we stayed with. She’s from Brazil and she always smiles. Her family has a beautiful home and they were incredibly generous. Giving us lots of food, and they even made us some amazing Brazilian food. And I got my own room and bed and it was one of the most wonderful nights of my sleeping life. So fast forward to Friday night, Doug is at the Richmond event and I am supposed to be shooting Ron Luce for something and then he lets me know that I will be shooting a promo as well. Now the funny thing is that two weeks ago I was the PA (Producer Assistant) on this very shoot and now I am the DP on it. So I meet Ron Luce, he asks me what my name is and is really nice and since I am holding the camera in my right hand I give him an awkward left hand shake and I’m praying that I don’t screw this up, and that the audio is fine (which is did end up being thank God) and I shoot it and he thanks me and it was great. I’m hoping my boss thinks so too. Oh, in case you guys don’t know. Ron Luce is the founder and president of Teen Mania. He’s also one of the main speakers at the ATF events. After that, I go out to do my job as ENG and I interview a few people before the event but the interesting thing is as soon as the event is going on people are not in the concourse which is great, but that means I don’t get as many interviews. People didn’t have much to say before so knew I really had to step up my game during the fifteen minute breaks. I must admit though, that I was feeling a bit discouraged and worried because before the event started I was only getting “shallow” interviews. Last week was great and then I was getting nothing. So before the event started I had been praying hardcore. I was expectant. To me, this is not just about doing my job and getting interviews and great sound bytes. This is about being able to reach out to people. To bring hope. To be there for people. So after session, I’m walking around interviewing people and Phillip calls me telling me he talking to a girl who was going to commit suicide but after the session she decided not to anymore. So we met up and she’s this really sweet girl. She told me how she was a PK and was always expected to be the “perfect kid” and how she was so miserable and wanted to commit suicide and tonight everything changed. After seeing the drama and hearing Ron speak she recommitted her life. Afterwards I asked her if I could pray with her and she said, “yes!” And so I grabbed her hand and was able to pray and minister to her and it was so good to see God working in her life. It’s stuff like this that makes it ALL worth it to me. Even if it’s just one person who is affected. Being able to see this girl’s life changed made it all worth it.
Afterwards, I kept walking around the concourse. I had prayed that I would be very sensitive to God and who he wanted me to talk to. And as I was walking I felt drawn to this one woman. She was smiling. I think she said something to me and then I asked her if I could ask her a few questions about ATF. She was very willing. As she began telling me about the session she started tearing up. She told me how she recommitted her life to Christ. And she started telling me about some of her struggles. After we were finished I asked her I if could pray with her and she said yes. And I just began to speak truth into her life. God told me some things and I prayed them over her and when I opened my eyes after we finished she had tears streaming down her face and she thanked me. She told me how what I said made her week and that people had said some of those things to her. And she started going into depth about some of the things her family was going through and I was able to speak hope to her. She was encouraged.
Once again, this makes it all worth it.
I am amazed at the faithfulness of my God. How he uses me to bring hope to others and at the same time increasing my faith. It was a great weekend.
On Saturday, it began to snow. And it did not stop for a long time. The governor declared a state of emergency on Virginia. Now, let me explain a few things to you. Virginia rarely gets snow. And by rarely I mean like twice a year. They are not prepared for the storms like the one that hit on Saturday in any way. They don’t have nearly enough equipment to take care of all the snow that was coming down. When the last storm hit in December, the city of Richmond shut down for three days! So, we get between 12-18 inches of snow. The event ended at noon. And I went outside and rolled around in the snow because I was so happy to see snow again. There was a lot of snow. And so when we were all done with load out and ready to leave we were told we would be staying at a local church about twenty minutes away. Ends up no one could get out to open the church so we were going to drive to a truck stop and sleep on the bus there. I fell asleep on the bus (as usual) and completely missed us getting stuck and then someone woke me up because Phillip wanted to me record him outside trying to get the bus unstuck. So I went outside and see the bus tracks that went up a hill through two feet of fresh snow. No wonder we got stuck. There was also another car that was stuck and abandoned. So after being stuck for 45 minutes or so we finally got out. I would like to say this was a beautiful experience, and yes it was a great bonding experience but during this time I had to go to the bathroom. I have never had to go the bathroom as badly as I did that night. So, we get unstuck and then we make a few turns and low and behold we get stuck again! I still have to go to the bathroom and am seriously starting to consider going somewhere unseen by the world in the 2-3 feet of snow. And so the police actually end up showing up and watch us. And so when we finally get unstuck for the second time they (one in front, one in back) escort us to the highway and see us off. And we drive to the truck stop and sleep there for the night. And it was a great bonding experience for everyone on the bus. We experienced a trip like no other. This one will go down in the history books. And we left late morning because we were waiting for some people and it was a beautiful day. I walked outside in my Canada hoodie and my life felt complete. The sun was out, there was lots of snow and I was happy. So all in all this week was trying and challenging, rewarding and satisfying. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Mondays

2010-01-18T10:33:00.002-06:00

Good morning!
I have decided that I like Monday mornings. Well, After waking up at 4:30am and working out. This morning we had "test outs" which means that I have to run two miles in under twenty-two minutes. To help you understand. I have run one full mile in one "sitting" (if that's how it's said) since coming back and I haven't really worked out in like two months.
BUT nothing has inspired me more than one thing. If I don't run this thing in twenty-two minutes then I have to join a club. The "Fit For Life" club. And in addition to waking up on Mondays at 4:30 I would have to wake up on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday to do the same thing. The thought alone is enough to make me ten miles...maybe.

The whole dying to self, and not letting your "flesh" desires get in the way really comes into play during a run. I think I may have to do it more often just so I can let my body know that it doesn't run my life!

Anyways, to finish my thought on why I like Mondays. Especially this particular Monday. I now have Worldview class with David Hasz and I love it so far! It's one of those classes that really makes you think about what you believe and why you believe what you believe. I love it! And then what made today so great was that my friend Heather made me the best grill cheese ever. I love grill cheese!
And to top it off it got up to 19°C today. With no humidity. Can't get much better than that!

My weekend was interesting. On Friday during the day I was told that I'd be doing Quality Control for ATF TV (which means I have to watch the episode a billion times to make sure there are no mistakes and then there is always something that happens that requires me to wait longer) so there goes my Friday night. Not a huge deal, I like CCM on Friday nights. They are my favorite, and I usually have to wait so I can just talk to people. Anyways, in the afternoon I get told that we'll be pulling an all-nighter because of some things that happened and so what happens is that I stay up till 10am, (having a few naps in between) the next morning and then I sleep till 5pm. With a little break in between where I stumble out of bed and walk to the caf and grab food and then go back to bed and eat my chick-fil-a and then pass out. And then I go eat supper with my friend Danielle and then we go hang out in her bunk till 9pm or so and then I go to bed and sleep for ten hours. So I basically sleep 20 hours on Saturday..pretty much all in a row. But I was probably up for 36 before that. Talk about balance. But I love it!

New January Class

2010-01-05T15:56:00.002-06:00

Yesterday the new January class arrived. It reminded me of when I first came and the feelings associated with that. I know the first few weeks can be difficult. Especially if you're moving away from home for the first time. But no matter how hard it gets, the growth is so rewarding. And to be quite honest, I would not change my time here for anything. For a few reasons. Because I know God called me to be here. And because I've made some of the greatest friends I could ask for. I am doing what I love. And I have grown and matured in so many ways. Something that could not have happened if I didn't come here. I'm actually almost done writing a blog that I will be posting at www.ihavezeal.wordpess.com soon. It's about why leaving and change is necessary.
Today began the first of many (a few weeks really) mornings where we have to wake up at 5:30am, next week 4:30am to workout. I do not necessarily like working out, but I enjoy the effects of working out. I know it's been a lot easier getting up than the first week I was here, so that's been nice. When I'm on campus I wake up early anyway. It's called discipline. Something I've grown to appreciate. As far as the new girls go. I have one from Minnesota in my room. Another one from Missouri might be coming in a few days. And then there are two sisters from Colorado in the other room.
Anyways, gotta go eat supper.
Have a great night.

Home

2009-12-17T00:21:00.004-06:00

Well hello there,
I am sitting in the comfort of my home. Yes, my real home. I've enjoyed the few days that I've been here so far. I have been catching up on sleep and with friends and with my cat and my family and the fireplace and books. I haven't had time to read a novel in so long. It feels so good.

My friend Cara, who is currently going to school in Wisconsin, makes it a priority to blog everyday and I tell myself all the time that I want to be like her but I’m not. I fear that I would bore you with my life. I am going out for “coffee” with friends during my break and I know that one question I will be asked is what I have been doing and whatnot. So I decided to prepare myself and write down a list of some of things I have done. I thought it would only be appropriate to post them on here.

-Production Assistant on shoots
-PA for Doug, (my manager and the producer of the live televised event we did in Hamilton back in October)
-Research for ATF TV
-Quality Control (watching everything made at CCM to make sure there are no mistakes, can be tedious and boring at times but it has taught me a lot about having a good eye and other things)
-Assistant Producer to a staff member for a month
-Been in seminars with Hollywood professionals
-Produced a piece for graduation seen by 600

When I look back on the year, I can tell you without a doubt that God has blessed me so much and that I have grown both professionally and personally. And though this may have been the hardest year of my life I wouldn't take any of it back.
I've lost friendships but I've also gained some great ones. And a new family that I can't imagine my life without.

If you are receiving this then you are…or have obviously been a part of my life and I would like to thank you for being there.

If I don't post before the new year. Then I wish you a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas.

Under the mercy.

Hello December.

2009-12-07T06:56:00.003-06:00

I was going to write this long beautiful blog about how I received my first production piece but it didn't work out.
So, I got my first piece... A photo loop for graduation. Simple, yet allows me to put a few creative touches to it. I like it.
I am coming home on Saturday night. It will be nice to relax for a few weeks and spend time with my family. I will miss my family here though. When you are around the same peope 24/7, bonds are created. Deeper ones that you ever thought were possible.
Weekend was good. Anna and I whooped Mike and Cody's butt in Mario Party on the wii.
I have my name on yet another episode of ATFtv.
I sat on the same couch for 18 hours straight on Saturday. I worked and slept and relaxed and read and talked...on the couch..in the edit bay. It was wonderful. Adam and I sang songs on GarageBand that sound really cool. And Anna and I, but mostly Anna made up a sweet sounding one too. I love GB.
I have a final in 50 minutes. I should study.

Credits in ATF TV.

2009-11-23T10:54:00.002-06:00

You should be proud of me. My name will be appearing in the credits of a TV show. And it is because I watched that same episode six times to make sure there was nothing wrong with it. I think it's kind of funny actually.

I have started to write this blog several times and I never got to finish. I am looking very forward to Thanksgiving. Wednesday afternoon till Sunday...O F F. I haven't had a weekend off in...well I don't remember. Anyways, I finally have an night where I can be in bed by 10:30. So goodnight.

Hamilton ATF

2009-10-30T12:13:00.001-05:00

I am currently lying on my bunk as the bus heads back to Texas. Not even fifteen minutes ago I was looking at a red vehicle driving off into the distance. My parents. I am reminded of something Donald Miller says in his Author’s Note in Through Painted Deserts. Something about having to leave home in order to appreciate it. When you live on campus with hundreds of people, four roommates, always being surrounded with people. You learn to appreciate home real fast. Especially if you had your own room before coming. You also appreciate your parents a lot more. I have been blessed with amazing parents and I don’t know what I would do without them. I have also been blessed with a great church. When I went this morning I realized how much of a family we all are. Everybody knows everybody. If you don’t know someone you just introduce yourself. You connect with each other. You laugh and learn with each other. It was good to see them again.

Now about ATF. One of the best experiences of my life. I was Doug’s assistant for the event. I tried to wear my All Access pass and radio with humbleness but I must admit pride still overcame me at times. Funny, how your “status” and accessories define you to so many people. I feel privileged and honored that Doug trusted me enough to be at his right side during this event. When I saw my name in the credits airing live on GodTV I was so proud of myself and my accomplishments. It was so much fun to see how the event I’ve been going to for several years looks like backstage. I felt so blessed to get the opportunity to go in the production truck as often as I wanted to and observe how a live tv broadcast works. To be able to walk to the side of the stage and watch the bands play and the speakers speak. One of my favourite moments was during the TFK set. I was taking photos and the crowd was going absolutely insane. So they had everybody on crew holding the crowd back and I was just having a ballin’ time. Another one of my favourite things about the trip was the bus moments. Not only because I got to catch up on much needed sleep, but it was so great to spend time with everyone in CCM. And watch some episodes of one of my favourite tv shows.

So I was blessed with the opportunity to spend Thursday night and last night (Saturday) at home. We had been sleeping on the bus, which was not that bad. I think I could live on a bus. But it was really nice to go home and see my parents, and my cat. It felt wonderful to sit in front of the fireplace with my parents, sipping tea, having soup and one of my favourite meals.

You probably realize that I have been writing this blog over the course of several days, considering I started this in Canada and am finishing this in a small, dark edit bay where no one knows of my existence. We had team meeting the other day, where we debriefed the trip. What went well, what could have been better. To be honest I don’t remember much but I remember Doug telling everybody a few things about me. That he puts me up with the other top PAs (assistants) he’s had. He said that not once he had to look for me and that I was always there at the right time without interfering. He says that takes real skill. I don’t remember what else he said but I remember how I couldn’t hide my smile when he said it. It’s okay to be proud of yourself. Since being here I at times haven’t felt like I was doing as good as some of the others. So to hear that Doug is proud of me makes me feel like I am adequate enough. That I do have some potential. So that’s a little bit about Hamilton. When I got back I got put to work immediately. Transcribing. Thirty minute piece. Six individuals. If I can tell you something. Transcribing is like slow suicide. It makes you go insane. BUT it teaches you perseverance. And that is a good thing. If you are faithful with the little things (it’s still important, you just don’t get as much recognition for what you do) then you will be trusted with the big things. People will notice. Anyways, I’m going to eat lunch now. Peace.

Character Building

2009-10-10T02:05:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we found out what we are doing in Hamilton! I am Doug's PA. Doug is the director/founder of CCM and a PA is production assistant. Basically I will be helping him and doing whatever he needs me too. I am so excited! I love CCM!

Last night was my graduation. I was not there because I am here. My AP Anna had embarrassed me all day by telling everyone in CCM and then after room meeting last night she was being all secretive and in the hall and she asked me to come out and when I came out everyone in my core was there. I totally didn't know what was going on. They made me put a hat on and walk down the hallway to graduation music and then Anna gave me a certificate and gave a speech and then I got hugs. I thought it was pretty special. I have the best core.

I have been filled with so much joy these past few days. God keeps revealing things to me and building my character. It's been soooo good. I love learning. I asked God to help me grow in discipline and I came here and that's definitely what I've been growing in. Just making that choice to run two miles or to get up early to spend time with God. Learning not to give in to your own desires and being lazy. If you want to change the world....to make a difference...sleeping in every morning, taking naps after work, going on the internet to check your facebook, twitter, email, blog every 30 minutes isn't going to get you there. Yes, I was initially doing some of those things but I noticed a lack of process and I remember being at home being so sick of wasting my life. Feeling like I wasn't making a difference. You must make that decision every day, sometimes a few times a day, that you will not allow yourself to fall into that pit of apathy and slumber. Wake up! The other day I noticed that a friend's facebook status said that they needed to undergo a serious change in priorities but they weren't sure how to do it. And I wrote below. The key is to just do it. You can tell yourself over and over again how dissatisfied you are with yourself and you want to do something but there comes a time where you just need to do something instead of talking about it. Yes, this was a lesson I learned and am still learning.

This sounds like something I would write in my other blog... In case you haven't checked it out. www.ihavezeal.wordpress.com

Night.

2009-10-06T20:48:00.002-05:00

So the Packers lost. Dang. But there's still November 1. Rodgers will hopefully get his act together by then. I was just really embarrassed by the number of sacks yesterday. Downright embarrassed.
I've realized how much I love being at CCM. Especially after "after hours." You should know that after hours does not really exist at CCM as there are people working at all hours of the night. Oh, I totally have to do a shout out to Heather. She worked two 100+ hour weeks in a row. She is a machine. But really, a lot of people at CCM have worked a crazy amount of hours in the past several weeks. I know there's more than just Heather who have worked a 100+ hour week. Wow. But like I was saying. I just love being here. Right now there's only a few people in the building. Someone ordered pizza and they gave me a slice. It was the best pizza I have EVER had. Now I'm sitting her writing a blog. And another one for my new blog. Check it out. www.ihavezeal.blogspot.com The place of my thoughts. I like the vibe here. I feel good. I ran two miles in 21 minutes on Monday. I'm really proud of myself. Before I got here I hadn't run for years. Last week I went for a run at night and I saw a wild boar and you know how they say right before you die your life flashes before you eyes. Something like that happened and then the boar ran into the grass and I ran my little heart out and away from the boar.
In two weeks on this day I will be on a bus headed for Hamilton. I have been getting SO excited. I will hopefully be able to sleep at home for a night. I can't wait to see my baby (aka my cat). And sleep in my waterbed...hmmmmmm...pure satisfaction right there. Anyways, I'm going to work on my other blog now. I hope you have a good night.
God be with you.

It's the Weekend!

2009-10-02T16:26:00.003-05:00

Well I can't say I've been up to too much these past few days.
This week my job has been QCing. QC stands for Quality Control. Basically I have to watch everything that has been made, which in this case has been for ATF, and make sure it works and that there is nothing wrong with it. ATF starts in Amherst, Massachusetts tonight. We'd appreciate it if you would pray for everyone involved with that. Tonight I'm playing flag football, I'm excited. Ready to kick some butt. Speaking of football, who else is super excited about the Packers vs. Vikings game? I can hardly contain myself. According to Facebook 81% of the people believe that the Vikings will win. The pleasure will be mine when we kick some Viking butt. Anyways, after a bunch of us are gonna relax and watch a movie...hopefully. Tomorrow I am going to learn how to change a tire. That will be fun (a bit of sarcasm there). At the end of this month I'll be coming to Hamilton! I'm excited to see my parents, my cat, and some friends! It will be awesome!
Anyways, I gotta get to supper. Will continue later.
Have a great weekend!

Newsletter #1-The Beginning

2009-09-27T10:44:00.001-05:00

Hello All,
I can’t believe it’s been five weeks since I first came to Texas. It feels I’ve been here for months already. Where do I begin to explain all the things that have occurred on my journey thus far. To help you gain a clearer perspective of where I am I shall paint it out for you. I am living in the middle of nowhere East Texas. I go to the Center for Creative Media. I am an intern at a production company. Which is part of a big organization called Teen Mania. Teen Mania also had an internship called the Honor Academy and there are approximately 400 interns who have ministry placements there. I attend one or two classes a day. On Leadership, Character Development, Foundations, Habitudes, etc.
So far my duties at CCM as included being an Assistant Producer to one of the staff members, basically what that entails is doing research, location scouting, phone calls, casting, going on shoots, etc. I have also done transcribing and logging. Been an extra in some shoots.. Which reminds me. If you live within a five hour radius of Hamilton, Ontario you need to be going to Acquire the Fire. It’s a two day event. With bands, speakers, and a drama. It’s at the Copps Coliseum. I will be there on the production crew and it will be amazing. I have gone for the past several years and have always been so inspired. One of my favourite speakers Ron Luce, who is also the president and founder of Teen Mania will be there. If you want to make a difference. If you want to be an influencer. If you are sick of just wasting time and not knowing what to do. ATF will help you out so much. AND CCM has been working on this for MONTHS. And the past several weeks many have been pulling all-nighters. We are doing all the graphics, producing the videos, basically everything you see on screen is made by us. And I’ll be in some of the videos too : ) so you should definitely go. Tickets are available at www.battlecry.com just go to ATF tour dates and find Hamilton. Shoot me an email if you’ll be going. Maybe we’ll be able to go out for coffee after one of the nights.
Anyways, I do apologize for my lack of updates on my blog. I didn’t realize how busy my life would get.
In other news. TM has something called Life Transforming Events (LTEs) and last week I participated in once called ESOAL (Emotional Stretching Opportunity of a Lifetime). This LTE will show someone how far they can go physically, mentally, and emotionally. If you finish you can be darn proud of yourself. I’m not going to go into too many details because you may decide to come here next year and I would love for you to experience this life changing event and the less you know the better ☺
I hope all of you are well. Feel free to email me and tell me how you are doing. I’d love to hear from you.
Joelle
The future is bright.

2009-09-16T14:05:00.001-05:00

Newsletter will hopefully be emailed by the end of next week.

Weekend is over

2009-09-07T15:54:00.000-05:00

(written a few days ago)
Hey,
So I don't really have too much to say today. I've been doing my AP (Assistant Producer for those who have not read my previous blog) duties and helping out at shoots.
I do have a funny story. For some odd reason my clock was set ahead by two hours last night and so when my alarm went off at 4:30am and I got up to go to the bathroom I saw no one in the hallway, which is strange. So I tell me roommates to get up, and then I ask why no one is in the hallway? Was corporate (workout) cancelled? My roommate pops out from underneath her domain and tells me that it's 2:30am. And I say, "No it's not." I ask my other roommate that was awakened and she said it was 2:30am as well. So I went back to bed. It was a little embarrassing but I didn't really care.

(written today)
I had a wonderful weekend. Saturday I slept for most of the day and read a book. At night I played soccer with some of the guys. Me and Danielle did our laundry and watched soccer with some of the guys and went to Sonic's. On Sunday, we went to church and went shopping. That was fun. I have been going to Eisley's church since I got here and I really enjoy it so I'm staying. It's cool cause a lot of CCMers go there too. So it's been fun. Anyways, nothing too exciting has been happening today. I didn't have corporate this morning so I got to sleep in till 8:15. That was wonderful. Laboring on Labor Day. Life is good.
Peace.

David Goggins

2009-09-01T17:56:00.001-05:00

My new hero. This is who I will be thinking of at 4:30 every morning.

Major Update

2009-08-30T19:07:00.001-05:00

I sincerely apologize for my lack of blogging. Wow, I do not even know where to start. I have been here for a few weeks but it feels like so much longer. I wrote a blog on the 16th and never posted it so I will post it now.

August 16, 2009
Hello all,
Wow, what can I say. These past few days have stretched me in ways I wasn’t sure were possible. I have been waking up at 5:30am each morning because we work out for an hour. My body hurts. I don’t remember the last time I ran so much. 1.2 miles today. That’s like 2km. I do not like running so this has proven to be very stretching. I am taking it a day at a time. And when I work out, a minute at a time. It is hot here. I am pretty excited about winter. I don’t know about you but I don’t particularly enjoy having a red sweaty face and getting drenched in sweat everyday when I go outside and walk to another building for the majority of the year.
I have been meeting so many new people and I love it. I especially love connecting with all the CCMers. I just know that we are going to have such a great time. We have been eating meals together (first and second years). My roomies are pretty cool too. There’s Shannon from Minnesota, Anna from California, and Danielle from Florida. We also have small groups (known as CORE here). There are girls from New Mexico, Alaska, Ohio, Washington, and Florida. It’s been so much fun connecting with them. Everyone in my core but two are in CCM and the others are in the Honor Academy (different program).
I was talking with a roommate about the churches in the area and she mentioned that Eisley leads worship at a church nearby so me and another roommate are going. Two of my roommates have cars. Answered prayers. Now I’m working on the whole Skillet thing. I’m also getting my roommates addicted to twitter. I’m such a great influence : ). I was told by a girl in my core that some people (inc. CCMers) have been going to Cleetus Adrian’s church lately. If you know me you will know that I LOVE hearing Cleetus speak and everything he’s about.
Not much else to tell. Keep me in your prayers. Waking up at 5:30am for the next six weeks won’t be the easiest thing I have ever done. Nor did I expect it to be. I usually like to sleep more than six hours a night but I guess this is called discipline. It’s funny how God answers prayers. I could complain but I asked for it in a way.
Peace.
Joelle

Just to talk about that a little. I have gone to Eisley's church twice now and I like it a lot. I had the opportunity to go to Cleetus Adrian's church today but I had to work. But I'll hopefully be able to go within the next few weeks. I also have another roommate Kristen who is from Virginia I believe. She's awesome.
Next blog is from August 27.
I write this from the studio. We are about to start shooting a few scenes for the play for Aquire the Fire. ATF is a huge event that travels to cities throughout North America each weekend from October through May. There are bands and speakers and thousands of teens that go. Ron Luce is the primary speaker at these events. He is also the founder of ATF which actually comes from Teen Mania Ministries which has the Honor Academy, School of Worship, and the Center for Creative Media (which I am a part of). They usually have around 400 interns throughout the year. Anyways, wow where do I begin. I have been here for two weeks. But if you have been to Teen Mania you will know that each day feels like one week, especially at the beginning. Anyways, as far as what I have been doing. At the morning everyone on campus all 400 or so wake up at 4:30am and work out from 5-6am. I have been running 1-2 miles each day. Making my body my slave. It has been wonderful. Okay maybe I’m being a little sarcastic but I think discipline is essential and I did not have much of that before coming here. Good night.
I would love to receive letters from you.
My address is
Joelle Kool
Teen Mania
CPO# 682
PO Box 2010
Garden Valley, Texas 75771

And the blog for today is as follows:
August 30, 09
Last night we were told of a beach shoot, which ended up getting us (the new CCMers) being bombarded by water balloons. 2nd years and staff then lead us blindfolded across campus and to the back of the caf by the pool where we would be having a barbecue (I had been waiting so long for one!) and a pool party (the slides got turned on!). It was so much fun. You really do realize how much of a family you become. I’ve only been here a few weeks but I feel close to so many people. One thing I really don’t understand is why I always end up getting cake all over my face at these events. It’s like my face is a magnet for it. In other news, yesterday I was a Production Assistant for a shoot. Yesterday I also became an Assistant Producer for one of the staff here. I guess it’s a pretty big deal. I’ve gotten some congratulations by 2nd year interns and been told this rarely happens to new interns. So I am feeling pretty blessed right now. Great opportunity. I am exhausted right now. I have worked a seven day week. About 70 hours for sure. I am doing laundry and all of the driers are full. So much for getting to bed soon…

EDIT: Some of the driers were open the whole time but I didn't know because the light was one. I just wasted precious sleeping minutes.

2009-08-25T19:26:00.000-05:00

Hey all,
Just wanted to write a quick blog to let you all know I'm still alive and when I get some time to actually sit down a write a decent blog I will. It's been crazy busy but I'm having a great time. It is now 7:30pm and I am going to bed because I have to wake up at 4:30am to workout (there is no choice in the matter) and I have a cold which isn't so much fun.
Good night.

Tomorrow is the day!

2009-08-13T23:56:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is arrival day. I can't believe it's finally here. Border crossing went amazingly fast. I think my Green Bay Packers jersey did it :) That and your prayers. Definitely felt them. I just started getting a little nervous a few hours ago. I am still mostly excited. If you think of me pray for me. Sorry to make this one short I have to wake up in seven hours. I have been sleeping in these past few days so the next week will be brutal as I'll be waking up too early...not by choice. Thanks for remembering me.
Goodnight all.

Leaving on Tuesday

2009-07-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

Well I am leaving on Tuesday. Time has gone by so fast. I am surprised that I am not more nervous about leaving the country for a few years. I am more excited than anything. I am ready for a change. For new beginnings. Aylmer has had its ups and downs but I don't regret moving here because it was in this little town that I grew up. That I went through the greatest times and the worst times. It's an interesting little place to spend your teenage years.

I am just about done with everything. Just some of the little things now. Like buying pringles. I love pringles. And other things that aren't mentioned because they aren't as important as pringles. I can't think of anything else to say so I will write again from the other side.

If you are the praying kind I would really appreciate your prayers on a few things:
a)Crossing the border.
That there won't be any problems. That it goes smooth. That the border guard is nice!
b)Traveling.
For my dad as he is driving. That he will have lots of energy and not get tired. That I can sleep through all of my cousins's talking :)
c)And for me.
That I will be able to prepare myself mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Thanks!

Preparing for the future

2009-07-09T15:33:00.000-05:00

So here I am. Only a few weeks away from beginning my "adult life." It's strange that everything I have always longed for and have waited for is actually happening. I am very excited for this next step in my life but I must admit the nerves are there as well. But I cannot focus on the fear of failure. I will not. Last summer I went on a missions trip to South Africa and my team leader Michelle told us that "This trip is what you make it." Those words changed a lot of things for me. It was my motto during the trip but it has also become a motto for everything I do in life.
So I will make CCM the best few years of my life. I had posted a quote on my facebook group. One by Eleanor Roosevelt. She once said, “The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.” This is what I intend to do. I want to live. I want to feel alive. One of my favourite quotes ever is by Gil Baile when he said, "Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Right on.