An update....

Hey Y'all,

I was trying to update my blog during my long wait for eclipse to start playing...Side note: It was totally worth it. Best one so far the the series. So since I haven't written anything about what is happening in a long time, due to the fact that I have be gone for most of the month of June.

On Saturday, I pack up all my stuff again to move back to Bentonville. I have served my year here and am leaving Lee's Summit. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't excited to see what is going to happen in my future, but I have a VERY SPECIAL Place in my heart for the people here. I really has been a story of how the Lord supplies everything that we need to survive and how our timing is not God's timing. I was telling Renee (my wonderful roommate) that if you had told me in October that I would miss living here, I would have laughed. I love my church family, who have served like a real family on many occasions, they have accepted me into their very little, close-knit family.

Renee: Thank you so much for who you are... for being able to push me to do things that I would not have tried. For being patient with me even when things were not going the way that I wanted. For inviting me to everything and understanding that I just like to have people around me. You are the best Forced friend that I have ever had and I know that you will be a big help to everyone that you will meet.

Marc, Ryan, Aaron, and Brandan: Thank you for putting up with me and for listening to me ranting about different things that I didn't like. I know that I am different than anyone you would choose to hangout with. Thanks for letting me watch you play many different sports and for encouraging me when I actually play. I cannot wait to see y'all in some kind of ministry one day and I really am serious about the mega company that we should start.

Interns: We have been through something that few would even understand. (I am not sure if anyone would even like too). Thank you for partnering with me to do God's work. We have had our differences, but when it comes to talent, the 5 of you are amazing and I am so thankful that you accepted the challenge of doing ministry. I love each of you in a different way and I look forward to hanging out in the future.

Jeff and Lesli: Thank you for inviting me into your home and for allowing me to work with the ministry that God has given you. Jeff, you have provided me with many different learning experiences and have taught me to work with different people. To pick and choose your battles and to sometimes just suck it up and deal with people. Probably the best thing that I have learned from y'all as a couple is the importance of doing ministry together. That you can actually have a ministry that is enhanced by a good relationship between a husband and wife.

FBCLS: Thank you for welcoming me with open arms. For allowing the interns to do our job and for backing us up when it got difficult. For feeding us and for allowing us to lurk around the church doing crazy things.

Okay: I am going to post some pictures of our various trips. Enjoy and I will write again.

Joy,

Kris

Hey Y'all,

I have this theory.... it involves my two favorite shows Dawson's Creek and Saved by the Bell. My first love has always been Saved by the Bell. There is something about how Zach endlessly chases Kelly and finally ends up marrying her. I can sing the theme song backwards and even perform the dance moves that Kelly, Jesse, and Lisa do in my favorite episode. I Love this show. Slater was my favorite guy, it was probably because he liked the smart girl, Jesse.

My second favorite show is Dawson's Creek, I never watched it when it was on, but when I went to college I had a break between 9-11 and guess what would come on.... Dawson's Creek. I really don't know why I continue to love this show. It probably has something to do with loving the teenage drama that I didn't have to experience when I was a teenager myself.

My theory is this you can answer all questions in life by watching Saved by the Bell or Dawson's Creek episode. You like someone without them knowing: you have choice between between Joey and Dawson or Screech and Lisa. Teen pregnancy, Drug problems, Broken heart, bad parent relationships... you name it and you can find the answer in these two shows. I absolutely love these shows. So, go and relax now that school is out or parties are over. Watch something that is funny requires no thinking and purely entertains you.

Joy,
Kris

Brooke-Week

Hey Y'all,

It is officially Brooke Week in the Helsley Home. My amazing, awesome, beautiful, compassionate, kind, sweet, sassy, wonderful, and most importantly Godly sister is graduating from High school. I will be going home for 5 days to celebrate this huge accomplishment for my sister. Without getting too mushy or sad, I just wanted to write about how much my sister graduating is really a testament to our faithful the Lord is and how much He Loves and cares for His Children. My sister and I are almost as opposite as one can get from someone. She truly holds all the characteristics that I don't and she carries them out beautifully. I hold pride in my family because if you know the Helsley's we are quite the family, meaning we have the best time with each other. There is nothing I love better than sitting in my grandparents house and talking, eating ice cream.

My mom has said it many times and the older I get the more I agree, Brooke is the one who indeeds holds us together. My sister loves hard. She takes things to heart and challenges me to love people that way. So Thank You Brooke for being my sister, for showing me how to love others, to work hard at something that doesn't come naturally to me, to focus on the positive when everything seems bad, to consider others before myself and how not to fear what is ahead of me.

The Lord knows exactly how to put families together and without my sister my family would not be as Awesome as we are. Congrats to my Sister and all of her friends. I look forward to seeing her next move and viewing how she is going to impact the World for the Lord next.
Joy,
Kris

Baby Names from a Single Gal

Hey Y'all,
I am taking a much needed paper writing break to answer Mrs. Kelly Stamps Friday Blog... For as long as I can remember I have been talking about baby names with people. My roommate in College has a GIANT list of names and I often use baby names for ice breaker. Nothing can get a room full of high school girls talking more than baby names.

Yes.... I know that I am not married and that my husband will probably want some say in it, but my list is about what I want as of now. I will compromise, Promise.

My favorite name for a boy is Asa... in my family you must have a name that can be shortened or made into a nickname. It is how my family shows affection. It is one of my favorite things that we do and I love to be called by mine. Asa is also a great king in the Old Testament and I like names that sounds very and strong for a boy.

My second name that I like for a boy is Bo/Beau... because when my dad was picking out my brother Jacob's name he was really close to picking this name. I know it is one of my Daddy's favorites. Also, if you go with the Bo option it can be short for Boaz, which is from my favorite story in the bible. Boaz plays such a beautiful role in the life of Ruth and also serves as a simple of how Jesus loves and cares for us.

My Girl name is a bit of a controversy in my family. I love the name Cornelia, but my mother absolutely can't stand it. If you bring it up, she just says that she will call her Grace. So... my other choices are Bernadette, Hannah, Constance, Millicent, Lydia, Mae. I love older elegant names.

Middle names I will try to find family names. I would love to name a little girl Helsley Kate or Lyn, because I love being a Helsley and because I am a good Southern girl, I will give up my name to take my husbands, I guess :-). It might be too rough though, so we would have to think about it.

Obviously, the little girl's name is a little harder for me, but how cute would a little Asian girl be with a old fashion beautiful name?

Joy,
Kris

God's Self Worth

Hey Y'all,

Working with girls for a while, there are a lot of things that I see that they struggle with. Luckily, I being a girl myself can always relate. The thing that I notice that all people really struggle with is the idea of Self Worth. I am doing the study Search for Significance with Miss Hayleigh Mack, one of the girls that I mentor. I have probably done this study more than 4 times. I find that it not only lays down Biblical Truth, but common sense about how we should feel about our self.

As I was going over it with Hayleigh, I started to realize something that I have never thought about before. My Self Worth if not found in God, which if I am truthful and if most people were truthful, it is not. Well then our Self Worth is never going to be what it needs to be. Because we seek it from something that is not perfect. So.... to receive true, pure, whole Self Worth we need to seek it from the one who is perfect and can provide perfect Self Worth.

This a part of a Shane and Shane song from their Pages CD... I think that it shows the lie that we believe on a daily basis.

Oh the devil’s singing over me
An age old song
That I am cursed and gone astray
Singing the first verse so conveniently
He’s forgotten the refrain
Jesus saves!

My Challenge to you is to find your Self Worth in the Lord and seek His Wisdom and Knowledge. Also please remember that the Lord loves you despite what we do and that you are valuable to him.

Joy,
Kris

Women of Faith

Hello Y'all,
So being in Seminary has really changed me.... My favorite thing that has happened is that I am able to look at worshipping the Lord in a completely different way. One of the other things that I have liked about going to Seminary is the ability to look at my life and recognize the strong women that have influenced me.

When I started at FBCLS, my boss was all about pushing the leaders to mentor students and at first I was like... Mentor I have no idea what that even looks like. I read the book Be-with Factor about mentoring and how it is an important part of ministry. I began to realize that I have been mentored my whole life by incredible women. Let me just say that there have been two very different women that have been in my life since the beginning. My Mom and Mema are two different women with two vastly different personalities but when it comes to examples umm... I just pray that I can influence someone as much as they have me.

A few other women that have had a huge impact on how I view a Godly women are: Ms. Martha who not only understood the importance of ministry, but showing me how a women could be used by God as a women. Mandy, my youth ministry wife that really just spent time with me and invested in my life and still to this day things she told me during Saved by the Bell episodes stick with me.

One thing my mom has taught me is to surround yourself with women who build you up and support you. My mother has an awesome group of friends that have all live differently and have showed me different aspects of being a wife and a mother. So... to Mrs. Goss, Byrum, Painter, Lyles, Knipple and many others Thank you for teaching me how to live a life that is of God and what He desires for our life. (Yes, like a good southern girl I still call them by their last name).

Last, Mrs. Suzanne Wiley who has served here in Lee's Summit as my friend and mentor. She has seen me in some scary situations and talked with me until very late at night about everything. My prayer for my future is that I am able to be an influence for Christ the way that these women have for me. Praise the Lord that He gives us people in our lives to help and love on us!


Joy,

Kris

Goin' to Church

There are few things that I like more than going to church... I am not sure what it is about church that I love so much? One thing that my WHOLE family loves is church music. My family is obsessed with good choir music. In the Helsley home, there is nothing we like more than listening to a CD by my home church and driving down the road. (especially if a dip cone is involved). We as a family, just love us a good worship song.

An example of this involves my dad. Some background on him: He has zero music talent/ability. This is something that he would tell anyone, he just can't sing/ dance/ clap on beat/ nothing. Don't worry he has many other talents that are awesome. We were driving back from Branson one day and true to form in my family my mom, sister, and brother fell asleep in the car.

Another little point of background: When my dad drives with my whole family in the car, he is crazy happy. I used to think it was weird that he loved it so much, but now that I am older, I find that it is something I love. It is probably when I feel the safest and I tell my youth girls that I know that for me to marry someone I have to be as comfortable in the car as I am with my Daddy when he drives.

Back to the story... I finally fall asleep and I always sit behind the driver in the back, so when I woke up my dad didn't know that I was awake. I realized that my dad was singing a worship song from the CD that we had been listening too. It was so precious to me to hear my daddy sing a worship song in the car while he was driving and it made me think that you don't have to be a awesome singer or a crazy good musician to Praise the Lord.

Take sometime to listen to a song that not only encourages you but lifts up our Savior.

Joy,
Kris