Summer 2012

Summer "I LOVE AMARILLO," I exclaimed. "I actually have a list of things that Amarillo does better than anywhere else in the world." "Wow," he replied. "You sound almost angry about it." Maybe I came across a little bit more passionate than I realized. But it is true that I love my city. Here are some things that my city does better than yours: sno cones, sunsets, frito pie, christian radio, clean air, varieties of sweet tea, and local restaurants. I also learned recently that our mall is the most visited mall in the US and that restaurant chains try all their new products in this area before anywhere else. I am happy to be home.

This summer I have gotten to hang out with high school and middle school students, wear glow necklaces and play dodgeball in black lights with dubstep music blaring through the church gym. I got to go to the midnight premier of Brave. I got to play keyboard and sing for a worship service. I got to eat pigs in a blanket and tacos from one of my favorite restaurants. I got to play frisbee and beat everyone at Just Dance 3. I got to talk to two girls about abuse and two others about suicide. I got to talk to some girls about self-image and relationships. I got to talk to another about leadership and yet another about fear. In two weeks, I will be speaking in a Wednesday night service, and I can't help but think that there are too many things to cover. These girls are incredible, with incredible potential, and my heart's desire is to see them succeed. I'm working through a couple of options as far as what to do in the fall, but I haven't yet decided. You can be in prayer that I would make a wise decision in that arena. But more than anything else right now, my prayer is to be a good leader in my job working with these students. I hope that your summer is as full and wonderful as mine has been so far. Diane