It takes a special person to be a youth pastor.

There's really a balance between being their friend, their mentor, their spiritual leader, and a little bit of a goof ball.

I was sorting through pictures on my computer today of my kids, and I started seeing a bit of a pattern... so I thought I'd share some proof of the goof ball side. :)

At the fireworks stand... I really dont know what Im doing...
Eating a Popsicle... I think it was for a photo scavenger hunt.
Silly sunglasses
Another one for the scavenger hunt... hanging out in a tree...
In a fountain... you'd be amazed how many fountains Ive been in...
Playing on the playground at the church
Rock Candy... yess!
Winter Camp... He started it.
Girl's night. I promise I do not dress like that on a regular basis.
Trying to get Bernice to smile... it worked :)
Always trying to get the kids to laugh for pictures...
There is no explanation for this one.
More from the playground.
We were dancing. We're actually really good :)

I don't have a lot to blog about today, but I thought I'd show you where I work :)

My white board. It is next to my desk and its how I brainstorm and sort things out. What you see on there is all the camp finance info from this summer... I'm still sorting through it all :)
my couch... it gets a lot of use from teens who come and crash after school... and before youth group... and Sunday afternoon... and any other time they catch me in my office :)
My desk calendar... what would I do without it??? I write EVERYTHING on here and even get teased at staff meetings because I bring the whole thing to staff meeting every week! You may also notice all the post it note lists... more about that later :)
Hand prints... one of my favorite parts of my office... my kids put their hand prints on my wall... in my old office I had one wall almost covered... I haven't done so well in this office... but I'm working on it.
It looks chaotic, but there's a lot of organization... and some chaos :) I have everything on these shelves from books to DVDs to pictures to food to random gadgets... they tend to collect things.
My duck. I don't know where it came from, but now it lives on my shelf and I like it.
My stuffed penguin and picture from NYC 2007 in Missouri... mixed in with some CDs, DVDs and even a video tape :)
My desk and computer. Where I spend most of my "office hours"...
Post it notes... They're everywhere!!!
Encouragement from my teens... they're so cool! I have a whole folder full of stuff like this that they've made me that I keep and pull out in times of frustration.
My treo 755 is AMAZING! it does everything and it hooks up to my computer so that they update each other... My office phone is great too, although there are so many buttons and I always seem to push the wrong ones :)
I have a thing with writing utensils... I love them. And I can never have enough. There's also my elephant paperweight that my friend Danny brought my back from his Jesus Film mission trip to Africa. The picture is from an event we did where the teens nailed things in their lives to the cross.
To do lists and post it notes... They're everywhere! They keep me sane and on track, even though anyone looking at them would probably just be confused :)
Just thought I'd give some insight on my life :)

So since posting about my Life List, I have been fortunate enough to have a couple of updates... and I know this isn't technically about my teens, but since I wrote about it on here, I thought I'd give updates. I created a special tag for it, so if it's something you're interested in you can follow it. If not, sorry to deviate from the typical blog topics... but again, I write this blog as a way for me to look back and remember things and be encouraged. I am excited about this list and working at accomplishing the things that are on it. So here we go!

I don't want to give away too much just yet, but I am SUPER excited about a couple of opportunities that I have. The first one is this: I have a photoshoot booked with Jasmine Star! That is what I am MOST excited about right now! I cannot wait. It is definitely going to be a blast. This is a photographer I came across when I first got interested in photography a couple of years ago, and she was just kind of starting out. I was completely blown away by her work and who she is as a person (she's a pastor's kid too!). I haven't actually met her, but I have followed her blog and I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet her in just a couple of weeks! She has inspired me in more ways than one, and I am so excited that I finally get to do this... and meet her!

Another update... I'm working on some of my running goals. I'm coming up with a plan and I am going to try really hard to be disciplined enough to stick to a schedule and start working towards that marathon. I don't really like to run, but I know it's good for me and I really want to do a marathon (although I'm not really sure why...).

I have something else possibly coming up that I'm pretty excited about too, but I haven't decided for sure, so I don't want to write too much about that yet.

I'll keep updating as I accomplish things!

God is sure good. Even when life isn't :)

There's a tradition in our Sunday School class called the "what if" book. Its a book full of questions that start with "what if" and they are designed to get the teens thinking. Sometimes I'll pull it out and ask a few if we have some extra time.

Sunday our conversation went a little something like this:

Question: "What if you found the cure for cancer?"
Teen's answer: "Then I'd cure cancer"

Question: "What if you could get rid of one rule at school?"
Teen's answer: "I'd get rid of the rule that we have to go to school"

Wow. Sometimes, they definitely DON'T make you think!

After church on Sunday I was talking to one of my teens as he was walking away from me. He didn't respond, so I said, "did you hear me?"

He whipped around and said, "Did you just say 'will you marry me?'"
To which Lucas (a 13 year old teen) replied, "I want to marry you! Why didn't you ask me to marry you?"

I laughed.

He continued.

All afternoon.

"Diandra, will you marry me?"
"No Lucas"

Now let me just take a minute and say that I think it is important for my teens to know that I love them. I tell them that all the time. And it's actually pretty cool because some of these kids never hear that from anyone. And some of those kids that were super uncomfortable the first time I told them I loved them are now very comfortable with that fact. It is not out of the ordinary for one of our kids to tell us they love us. So on Sunday afternoon....

Lucas: I love you Diandra
Diandra: I love you too!
Lucas: Then will you marry me?
Diandra: No Lucas.

PS... the kids have taken to mocking my cheesy smile.

I am kind of young.

Especially for being a "grown up".

And not only that, but I look like I'm 16. Case in point... oftentimes when new teens come, they ask me who the youth pastor is... or they'll ask me where I go to school, and so on.

I find that I often blend in and parents have a hard time finding me among the 70 teens in the gym. It's much easier to find the tall bald man :)

Part of the reason I blend in is because I often dress like I'm 16. You will more than likely find me wearing ripped jeans, flip flops and a t-shirt rather than a dress or suit.

I am influenced by what the kids are wearing... even though I don't always notice it.

I bought some tennis shoes the other day because I liked them. I've seen them before and I have always kind of liked them. I wore them to youth group and the kids were laughing at me... I couldn't figure out why. Then Javier told me: The shoes I'd bought (Nike Cortez's) are "gangster shoes"... and apparently seeing this little blond girl wearing them made all my kids laugh. But I've decided I like them anyway :)
There are things like that that I just don't understand... or realize. Part of it I think is growing up in Oregon and not really being around the "LA atmosphere"... I am working in a very urban youth group... and I absolutely LOVE it. I wouldnt trade it for the world... although I am apparently still a little clueless. Luckily my kids manage to look past that.

But I am noticing that they are rubbing off on my a little:
:)

You may remember my previous post regarding pants laying on the ground.

If you don't, STOP reading and read this first.

And now... I present you with what seems to be common place in youth group now:

Myspace.

It's my best friend...

It's my worst enemy.

I love it and hate it all at once.

But one wonderful thing about it is that I find out all kinds of things about my teens and who they are and who they hang out with and how they perceive themselves. I occasionally get on and just kind of browse through their pages and what they're writing. Yesterday I came across this blog entry:

"I wish emotional pain never existed. I've realized that emotional pain always drives me to do stupid things that I know I shouldn't be doing, like drinking, ditching, bitching at random people for absolutely no reason, even trying to take my own life. I don't know why I do it; probably because it makes me feel like I have power and people can't control me. I live my own life.
I've realized how many times I've thought about suicide; it's countless. I don't even know how to explain it or where to begin, but I realized that temptations and urges to breathe my last breath was common from the beginning of freshman year. Most people already know why, and if you don't, then you're going to have to ask in private, because I'm not the same person I was 4 years ago--the person who was open about who I liked, and didn't give a damn about what the world thought... That's gone.
I've been feeling this way for a long time. I don't know why. It's been stirring in my mind since mid-summer. A lot of things happened since I got home from retreat that have changed my life; things that I should be grateful for, but for some reason, I take it for granted. I guess the only thing that keeps me going is the fact that there are people who are going through what I'm going through. One of these people is going through pretty much the same thing I went through freshman year that led to my downfall. She's someone I looked up to since my sophomore year, when my sister started bringing me to church and then left me. I was more of looking for a "sister-figure" that I could depend on, because my sister couldn't be with me anymore, and this person (some how) became my sister-figure. A few months ago, things started to happen that pretty much changed her. Don't get me wrong; I still look at her and love her like my very own sister, but seeing how she has to deal with the things she goes through every day really breaks my heart, especially knowing how it feels through every perspective. And seeing who she is and knowing that she has to hide her emotions for work everyday because so many people look up to her really inspires me. I don't know why, but it just makes me want to keep going with my life.
Sometimes things get in the way and I lose track, and often times I feel frustrated and stressed to the point where I just want to give up, but I often think about who she is and what she's going through, yet she's still hanging strong, and it kind of helps me.

Considering that it's not 2:40-ish, I think I should go do my homework. =) Bye!"

My name was not mentioned but I know that she is talking about me. As I started reading, my heart was broken for this girl. Sometimes you can talk a kid to death... and you can listen as much as they talk, and you still have no idea the extent of what they're thinking. I read the beginning and it sounded so hopeless. But as I read on, I started to see a spark of hope. And I realized that the God I serve is AWESOME. I mean, I already knew that, but seeing Him take my crummy circumstances and actually use that to HELP one of my teens... that makes it all worth going through. Over and over again I have seen God use this situation and I know that He will continue to use it. I am so thankful that my God is more powerful than anything or anyone else!

There's a song by Tim McGraw that's called "Live Like you were Dying". It's a WONDERFUL song... and a great reminder to live everyday to the fullest.

Recent events in my life have really made me think extra hard about this. It's amazing how God can use the worst of circumstances to remind you of how blessed you really are. It's also amazing how sometimes we have to think about death in order to remember life.

I have decided to really actively work at this list. There are things on here that I may never accomplish in my life, but there are things that I most definitely will. There are other things that I quite possibly could accomplish but it is going to take really working at it to do it.

Ive been keeping a list for quite a while, but I've decided to work on it again after all this time. I think EVERYONE should have a life list! It's a great thing to have goals! So here is my life list. I'd love to hear what is on yours!

-scuba dive the great barrier reef COMPLETED

-run a 5k

-run a 10k

-catch a fish

-live in a foreign country for 3 months or more

-write "Mr. Pearson's Pumpkins" with my mom

-run a marathon

-Go to Greece

-own a shootsac and a canon 5d

-go on a hot air balloon ride

-Make it on a jury

-go deep sea fishing

-Invest in someone's life COMPLETED

-Learn to play the guitar

-audition for the Amazing Race IN PROGRESS

-Write a book

-take a road trip and camp... no hotels and no destination

-Go to Israel

-go on a safari in Africa

-Finish Photography project

-Get one of my photos published (or win a contest)

-go sailing on a sail boat

-Fix up an old house

-Go to Denmark

-Learn to ballroom dance

-Do a photoshoot with Jasmine StarIN PROGRESS

-Go to Italy

-Start a family

-Go to Australia COMPLETED

-make a documentary

-Get my BA IN PROGRESS

-Go to New York

-buy a house

-Learn to speak Spanish fluently IN PROGRESS

-Write a children’s book

-Photograph something spectacular on every continent IN PROGRESS

-Start a new scrapbook of my life

-Go skydiving

-Name a star

-sleep on the beach

-see a volcano

-Coach a volleyball team

-Go to Panama

-trash my dressIN PROGRESS

-Get a puppy

-Get my masters

-Get ordained IN PROGRESS

-Go on a missions trip to another country COMPLETED

-Be in a Movie as an extra

-Go to Brazil

-Change someone's life

-Go to Hawaii

-Read the Bible from Beginning to end IN PROGRESS

-Be in a musical

-ride a camel

-visit all 50 states IN PROGRESS

-Go to Chile

-Write a play

-Write a screenplay

-Go rock climbing (on a real mountain)

-Get my website up and running IN PROGRESS

-Write in a journal every day for a year

-Go to Haiti

-visit the White house

-Photograph a wedding COMPLETED

-Make a living doing something I love COMPLETED

Just because I think EVERYONE should hear this song.... (and maybe it will inspire you)

Some of you know my dad is also my senior pastor (and one of my very best friends). It is amazing and I LOVE working with him.

He's been teaching Church 101 to the teens in Sunday school the last few weeks. This is basically a class that teaches what our church believes. We ask that people take it before becoming members of the church so that they know what they are choosing to associate with :) So this week was the last week of the class. He opened it up for questions... I was expecting some good ones, but I did NOT expect what he got.

As soon as he asked if anyone had any questions, one of the boys raised his hand. My dad called on him.

Teen: Do you ever wish Diandra was a boy?
Dad: No.
Teen: Really? Cuz sometimes I do.
(keep in mind I am an only child)

Next question.

Teen: Why didn't you have any other kids?

Next question.

Teen: If you'd had another kid, would you have wished it was a boy?

Next question.

Teen: How old are you?

I really didn't expect that.

I don't think my dad did either.

But in the midst of all of the silly questions, we had 10 teens that decided they want to join our church and be official members. I think that is a pretty cool thing!

We have a service called TNT (the Next Thing). It is our alternative service, and while it is not a TEEN service, a lot of the people in it are teens. The whole point is to "come as you are"... for people off the street to walk in and feel comfortable however they come. This is what I saw on Sunday:

To some people... that may be offensive.

Personally, I think its awesome :)

...The 80's came back! (these kids crack me up!)

Yes, that is a neon colored fanny pack...

Saturday we went to Mexico.

I've posted about these trips before, even though it isn't TECHNICALLY stories about the teens... the trips have made such an impact on me, and so I want to remember them and share them.

The trip went well and pretty smoothly other than getting stopped at the border going in. See we have several car loads of stuff and technically you aren't supposed to do what we're doing. So they stopped us at the border (which has never happened before). I didn't really know what was going on, because they were speaking in Spanish.

Luckily, Sam translated: We're going to jail.

The good news is he was joking (of course I didn't know that, and I panicked just a little bit). The bad news is we had to pay a small fine. But then we went through the border and continued on our way.

Here are just a few of the hundreds of pictures we took:


Pastor Orlando and a little girl that we have gotten to know from repeated trips, Carla. (more of her from another trip here)
David, Sam, Pastor Orlando, Me and Javier
Patty (one of my teens) and me
Sam and some of the kids in the background... and me laughing at him trying to take the picture of himself.
Me and Carla and another little girl.
Helping the kids with backpacks... that was the main thing we took this time... school supplies.
Waiting in line.
Mango and me... you may remember him from a previous post
Mango and me again...
One of Pastor Moises' twins and me.
We raffled a bike that was donated and here are all the little boys with the winner (he's the one in the middle smiling)
Me and Javier handing out backpacks.
Me and David (he's one of our Spanish pastors, and my friend)
George and Mango in the car on the way to the next stop.

It was a successful trip. It's so much fun to see the kids' faces... They woke up thinking it was going to be like any other day, and then suddenly we show up with all these things for them. There's something so cool about that. And yet, when we leave, it always feels like we haven't done enough. It's hard for me to understand why I have a roof over my head, food to eat, clothes to wear, a car to drive, and a job to go to, when these people have almost nothing.... and it's just because of where I was born. I was born here and they were born there. So I continue to pray for them, and love them and do what I can... I don't know if I will ever understand why... but I am so blessed every time I go... I think sometimes more than we bless them, THEY bless US!

I've mentioned before that I keep finding that people read my blog. I originally started writing it as a way to track funny things that happen for my own encouragement, but I am finding that a lot of other people have found encouragement from my stories also. But one of the complaints I've gotten is that it was really hard to leave a comment.

I fixed that problem!

You can now easily leave me comments. I'd love to see who reads my blog... so leave me a comment if you'd like!

Just thought I'd let you all know the update! :)

...here is quite possibly one of the funniest/coolest things EVER!

Wednesday night was AMAZING! But before I can tell you that story... I need to give you some background information (which is a little bit funny too :).

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in the Spanish service on Sunday night when my phone rang. It was a blocked number so I excused myself and answered it (oftentimes parents will call wondering when things are over, or teens will call wondering about something, so if it's blocked I answer). The following is the conversation that took place:

Diandra: Hello?
Teen on phone: Diandra... is Crystal (one of my teens) with you?
Diandra: Yes
Teen: Can you drop her off at Ralph's? (a grocery store down the street)
Diandra: Right now?
Teen: Yeah
Diandra: (knowing full well I was not going to drop her off at Ralph's in the middle of a service but now very curious why they wanted her there) Why?
Teen: Because we're going to go evangelize and we need a singer...

As I continued talking to him, I realized that he and another boy had been going to the grocery store and standing outside with a guitar singing and handing out my business cards and inviting people to church. There was a little part of me that really thought this was a hilarious picture. See... these are the two boys that started the whole "your face" movement (see previous post). I pictured their evangelism going something like this:

Teen 1: Hey God loves you!
Teen 2: Your face is God

Teen 1: You should accept Jesus...
Teen 2: Your face should accept Jesus

and so on...

But there was another, bigger part of me that was incredibly proud of them, and thankful for these two boys that have come such a long way from where they were the first time they came. They saw a need for reaching out and they decided to do something about it!

So last Wednesday (still not the main point of this post), a boy came to our youth group. He'd never been there before, and he kind of stood out. But our kids included him right away... in fact I wasn't even sure who he'd originally come with because he was with several different people. He sat near the back and when we started worship and some of the kids stood up... he stood up too.

I watched from the back and started to get kind of excited thinking "hey, maybe he's getting it!"
Just then, something changed my thought.

He pulled out a lighter.

And then he started waving it back and forth in the air like they do at concerts.

There is rarely a time when I have no IDEA what to do... but this was one of those times. I was so caught off guard. I didn't know if I should laugh, or yell, or tackle him and hope the church didn't catch on fire.

So I just stood there and watched.

A couple minutes later, he put it away and the service carried on as usual.

This leads me to this last Wednesday night.

He came back! We had a smaller group than usual, but we had several new teens that I hadn't seen before. I looked around the gym a few minutes before we were going to start the service and realized we were missing quite a few teens... and our intern. So I wandered into the teen room and found them all in there... including this teen that had come the week before. Our intern, Sarah, was sitting with them and talking to them about God. Answering their questions and talking them through things. Javier and I decided that rather than stop what was happening, we'd allow this teen and one other one that is still fairly new, to stay in the teen room and talk with Sarah. In the mean time, we started the service.

I spoke about John 4:1-26... the story of the Samaritan woman. At the end of the lesson, I started talking to the kids about the importance of making a choice, and the fact that not making a choice... IS actually making a choice. Then I said, "the fact is, if you haven't accepted Jesus, you're going to hell. I know that seems harsh, but that's the truth. The good news is, it's not too late." We ended the service with worship and a chance for the kids to go to the alter. Many of the kids did. And two of the kids that came with friends ACCEPTED JESUS!!!

***Side note*** Since Javier joined us... I have learned a lot of things and I have changed the way I do a lot of things. One of the things that has made the biggest difference is simply ASKING if anyone wants to accept Jesus. We have kids saved every month just because we ask if they want to... a lot of teens are just waiting for an invitation.

After the service, the teen that had been invited from Ralph's came out of the youth room... he still has a lot of questions, but things are starting to be more clear to him. I realized he'd been carrying around a plastic grocery bag full of something.

Then he announced that he'd brought 48 lighters to share "for the concert"!!!

But when he realized it was over, he said, "what am I going to do with 48 lighters???"

I found out later, that this kid had gone to Ralph's looking for nutmeg. he'd been told that if you smoke it, you can get high. Just because two of our boys got an idea in their heads to do something... and they DID it... this life is being changed.

I know this post was longer than usual, but there were so many parts of this story that were both funny and touching and simply amazing, that I wanted to make sure to share the whole thing!

We all have good days and bad days. But at the end of the day, God is good, regardless of how our day was. For me, Wednesday was a bad day... but God had other plans :)