The Thrill of Chase

In this post, I decided to share a little man that unexpectedly stole my heart.

Chase is my 2 (almost 3!) year-old nephew. Chase lives with me because of my sister's demanding job. So in a lot of ways, I have helped raise Chase. Spending time with this little booger exponentially brightens my day. We cuddle, sing, talk, and wrestle mostly. My favorite is cuddling. His favorite is wrestling. Typical, right? Chase has helped me find a lot of beauty in life, and taught me to have more patience than I ever thought possible. Chase loves Jesus, and in pre-school he is learning the importance of good manners. Lately, he has been working on NOT stealing his classmates toys, or as he calls it, "swiping." Chase is a free spirit and has more energy than anyone I have ever met. On more than one occasion, Chase has stayed up past midnight with me. Anyone that knows Chase knows how gentle and kind he is. He would never intentionally hurt anyone. I love my "booger," as I have affectionately come to call him :) The love I have for Chase is unlike any I have ever experienced. I anticipate spending time with this little man. I wake up earlier than necessary just to ensure that I'll have time for my morning "love" --or cuddle session. If I love Chase this much, I can only imagine the way I'll feel about my own child, the very fruit of my body. But let's not get ahead of ourselves ... ;)

For right now, I have the pleasure of watching little Chase grow up physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I am so excited to teach Chase how to tie his shoes, his alphabet, and eventually how to ride a bike with no training wheels. I can't wait! :)

Here's Chase back when he was just a little muffin:

Here's Chase and I about 9 months ago at Disneyland :)

This is Chase and I about 7 months ago :)

My Cuddle Buddy!

We have the most amazing adventures!

He makes the best model :)

Let Go.

Yesterday was a blessed day, to say the least.

At about 10am, I just gave up. I gave up trying to make things work out, trying to make myself happy, all of it. I gave it to the Lord because I don't want to deal with these struggles alone anymore. As he says in his word, we don't have to. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said:

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

And as I gave up my stress to the Lord, amazing things began to occur.

After my Philosophy class, I went up to a guy in my class and asked him where he is from. He told me Oxnard. I told him that I heard an accent in his voice, and again, asked him where he came from. Smiling, he told me that he moved here from Uganda a year ago. I cannot even begin to express my level of excitement when he told me that. As many of you know, I travelled to Uganda last summer and it completely changed my life and who I am as a person. Going to Africa altered my dreams, goals, and passions. All for the better. After class, Aaron (the Ugandan) and I talked for over 15 minutes. We talked about everything Ugandan. Food, love, schools, the people ... everything. Lately I've been missing Uganda more than normal, and it was so great to not only find someone who has been there, but someone who is from there, someone who has a Ugandan heart. Just like me :)

After this encounter, I was filled with so much joy. Nothing could have brought me down.

At about 7pm yesterday, I went into a friend's work, a restaurant downtown. As soon as I sat down, my friend came over to me and told me that there was a Ugandan man in the restaurant! This man's name was George. He was about 50 years old, and lives in Uganda currently. George runs a school. I told him that I am going to school to become a teacher, and that I hope to serve in Uganda again someday. We said our goodbyes, and once again, I was so pumped up on love.

Yesterday was an incredible day to me because for the first time in my life, I saw the Lord providing for me. And that's not to say that God doesn't always take care of me. That's to say that yesterday, I was obedient in giving up my burdens to the Lord, and he was faithful in showing me his love. Yesterday taught me that just like Romans 8:28 says,

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

The Lord makes all things work together for my good.

Yesterday, the Lord saw my needs, and he provided for me. Yesterday taught me that when you follow the Lord, he will bless you in ways that you could never imagine. I mean really, I've been home from Uganda for about 14 months, and since then, I have not met a single Ugandan person. But the day when I tell the Lord that I'm giving my burdens to him, I meet two. Coincidence? I think NOT ;)

I know the Lord will take me back to my home.

Split Second.

Today I had the pleasure of sitting in the grass and enjoying the beautiful, warm fall day as I enjoyed my little sisters soccer game. As I watched the players jog up and down the field and sweat endlessly, I was surrounded by noisy cars passing by and the loud cheering of proud parents. About halfway through the game, I heard an echoing screech, followed by a loud BOOM! When I turned around, I saw smoke rising from where the sounds came from, which was about 200 meters away. Instinctively, I got up and ran to the scene as quickly as I could. As it turns out, it was a mild fender-bender, and no one was even remotely hurt. A woman in a silver convertible turned left in front of a big Time Warner cable van. The van missed fatally injuring the woman by just 2-3 feet, barely denting her rear bumper.

This whole scenario left me thinking that if the circumstances had been just slightly different, I would have been running towards the scene of a fatal car accident. It made me think that in a split second, life as we know it can change so drastically. One wrong decision could dramatically alter someones life. Or even worse .... take it away entirely. I know you've heard this story before, "live every day like it's your last." But really, today it hit home for me. Today unexpectedly brought about a new perspective on life. Cherish the moments you are given, because not everyone is so fortunate. And to the ones you love, don't just tell them that you love them- show them.

Don't let a moment slip away.

-Heaven

Happy Fall!

Guess who decided to start up the old blog again ;) It's been QUITE a while since I blogged last. Just over a year, actually! I hope everyone is doing well.

So by now school has started, and fall is just beginning! Summer is officially coming to a close. And what an eventful summer it was! I worked full-time (for me!), took two summer school classes, and still made time to travel to San Francisco, Portland, and lake Nacimiento.

San Francisco was beautiful. Such a fun city with great sights and great food. Portland was also breathtaking. I had the pleasure of attending Nic and Allison's wedding while in town-- which was GORGEOUS!

Portland is such an incredible city, with a great vibe and even BETTER food! Plus, Oregon does not charge sales tax ... guilt-free shopping, anyone?

Lake Naci was crazy fun, as always. You know the fun I mean ... The kind where you tube so long your arms feel as if they're going to fall out? The fun where you've spent so much time in the sun, you reach the point where no amount of sunblock can help you? Times to never be forgotten, but I'd rather not re-live that dreadful sunburn!

So as summer winds down, and we all get back into our work/school routine, I thought I'd start my blog up again as a means to keep you all up-to-date on my life. Not in a weird, self-centered way, I just thought it'd be fun to share some of my random thoughts, things that God is teaching me, etc. If you know me, you know I'm crazy, so really .... who knows what will end up on this thing!


Until Next Time,
Heaven

A Heart for Many Nations.

"You will never be completely at home again because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place."

Today is the day.

I have an hour left in Ventura, until I head up to Santa Barbara for a 5-day team bonding camp. From there, I will directly leave to LAX and catch my flight to London, England. I will spend a day there, and will arrive in Uganda on July 5th. I am getting a little emotional right now, because I am sad to leave my family. I pray for tons of strength!

I was unformed a few days ago that I will have no internet access while on the trip, so unfortunately I will no be able to blog as I thought I would be able to. However, there will be a team blog that will be recieving frequent updates. If you'd like to follow that one, the link is: http://impactuganda.blogspot.com

Thanks so much for all your support, I love all you guys so much and I will miss you dearly! Be safe so that I can come home to each and every one of your beautiful faces :)I love you all! God Bless!

4 days 'til training.

As of today, I have 4 days until I head up to Santa Barbara, CA for 5-days of team bonding/strengthening time. In 11 days, I will be in Uganda! I've been looking at maps and globes my whole life, but Africa has always just seemed like a far-off, distant land that I would never come in contact with. Knowing that I will be there in just 11 days is still so surreal to me. I am getting extremely excited though. Today, I went shopping for the mandatory long skirts. I found 5 ones that I liked. $20 for 5 skirts, not too bad!

As many of you may know, I have been a little short on funds. Yesterday alone, I was able to raise about $500 in committed donations. Meaning I haven't recieved the donations yet, but if everyone stays true to their word, that's how much I will have. Yesterday, before church, my college-aged friend, Christina called me and asked me to meet her so she could turn in her donation. When I met her, she pulled out $100 in cash. I was blown away that a young college student as her self could be selfless enough to give her hard-earned money to my cause. I was so grateful. I asked her how she could do that and she said that to prepare for her own upcoming missions trip to Honduras, she's been reading a book about how you shouldn't store up your treasures on Earth and you shouldn't be greedy with possessions, such as money. This really got me thinking about how greedy we all are by nature. I try to be selfless, we all do, but in the end it always ends up that I put my own needs before everyone else's. I want this to change. Recently, everyone I'm going to Africa with was asked to choose a goal. And now this is mine. I want to strive to put other's before myself. I want to share with people. I want to be quick to give up my own possessions to those who need them more.

Yesterday after meeting with Christina, I headed off to youth group at Ventura Missionary church. I hadn't been for a few weeks, so I was so excited to have some free time to go spend in fellowship there. The service/meassage was incredible and it was awesome to just be able to get right with God. We worshipped and took communion. During worship, I got on my knees to pray for my funding on my Africa trip. I surrendered everything I had been holding inside of me to the King. I felt a surge of relief wash over me and I felt immediately comforted. When church was over, Josh (the youth pastor at VMC) invited me up to be prayed for. We also had Katrina, who will be travelling to Cambodia, come up as well. Everyone came up and laid hands over us and just prayed for everything we will be faced with on our journeys. It was great to feel so cared for. I know God will be with both of us as we depart. When church was over, Josh, knowing I still had some money to raise, took an unexpected offering for me. I didn't think much would come from it, because many people had already left, but when Josh gave me all he had collected, I went to my car and realized that I had recieved almost $250 from the youth group alone. A bunch of teenagers! (♥) It is incredible to see the things God can do through the people you'd least expect it from! So thanks for everything, VMC. I love you all :)

As an update, I still need about $400 more in order to participate on this trip. If you'd like to help, you can reach me on here, on facebook, on my cellphone, or through e-mail (daddysgirlheaven@yahoo.com) Thanks so much for reading, God bless :)

In Christ,
Heaven

7 days. 1 week. Still lacking funds.

Dear friends:

In 1 week, I will be traveling on a missions trip to Africa with IMPACT to work with needy children and families in the broken country of Uganda. While there, I will be working in multiple schools with orphans, participating in street ministry of the capitol city of Kampala, and by going door-to-door to the homes in rural areas.

I would like to ask for your help. Above all else, I ask for your prayers as I prepare both emotionally and spiritually to serve. There will be many challenges. I will need God’s help and your support.

I would also like to ask for your help in another way. In addition to my personal contribution, I was asked to raise $3,900 for this trip which will be used to supplement my travel expenses and for project supplies. As of right now, I am still lacking the necessary funds to participate on this trip. If you would like to support, please send checks (ASAP) to:

IMPACT, 8180 Telephone Rd. Ventura, CA 93003. Please make checks payable to "The Presbytery of Santa Barbara" with the memo line stating my name, Heaven Mize.
Thank you for your support, in whatever form that may be.


In Christ,
Heaven Mize

8 days.

As of today, I am 8 days away from the beginning of my trip to Africa. I am filled with mixed emotions as I sit at this old computer desk in this noisy house and think about my upcoming trip. I can barely find the peace inside my head to think.

Firstly, I am nervous. I have never been away from my family for more than 2 weeks. For this trip, I'll be away from them for an entire month. Not only that, but I'll be on an entirely different continent. Halfway across the world. It is mind-blowing to me that I, an 18-year old girl from Southern California, will be used by God in the remote areas of Uganda. My only prayer is that I would not let the absence of my family, friends, or boyfriend bother me enough to get in the way of the work am I called to do while in Africa. I am also nervous about getting sick in Uganda. I pray for a strong immune system and that I stay healthy while on my trip so that I may be used to my full-potential.

Secondly, I am SO excited! I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me to learn while there. I am anxious to meet as many people as I can and love everyone I come onto contact with. As strange as it sounds, I cannot wait to get there and have my heart broken. I want my heart to break for what breaks my Heavenly Father's. I want to be humbled by these peoples spirits. I know that they have so little but are grateful to even be alive. I can't wait to have my outlook and perspective on life changed, to receive a new found sense of gratitude and thankfulness for the things I have been blessed with. I pray that I will be humbled in every aspect of my life. I'm looking forward to growing as a person, growing in maturity, and most importantly, growing spiritually in my walk with God.

Thank you all for reading my blog. Your prayers and support are appreciated more than you could ever imagine. Thank you for everything, God Bless you!


In Christ,
Heaven