ya shavoy ya shavoy ya shavoy ya shavoy!!!! (i'm alive!!!)

so just thought i'd drop in and let the world know i'm still alive...

christmas break rocks... i'm working at lazeza a lot, makin' some coffee and some monies... and i got a brand new bible for christmas!!! i have a couple pictures, but this computer at home is dial up and slower than moses with a tooth-ache. so the pics will come up a bit later on down the roadage. we're headed out to pennsylvania for my cousin nathan's wedding tomorrow. it'll be a good time.

hope your christmas rocks! keep trusing Jesus!! drop me a line sometime. goodnight! :)

"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
-Isaiah 1:18-20-

winter banquet preview

tonight was the winter or christmas banquet. we roommates all went together: keith and allison, amanda and a friend bill, me and rac hel and matt, keith's roommate. it was a whole lot of fun. so here's a couple shots, i'll have more of other people laters...

my purple dress. i should shoot a pic of my shoes... they rocked!!!

the four of us beautiful roomies... me, amanda, alli and rach

keith and allison... so beautiful!

bill and amanda!!


and rachel, matt and me... i LOVE pictures!! it was a whole lot of fun. more to come!!! :) have a great night! :)

happy birthday rach!

so rachel ellen olson turns TWENTY!!! in ten days... and we HAD to celebrate!!! so last night allison and i were at the mall... and we were looking for sparkly shoes for the winter banquet on saturday. and we found the PERFECT ones to go with rach's dress... so we got them for her. birthday present!! we invited the boys, keith and matt, over for dinner and we made yummy italian chicken, rice and vegetables. i wrapped rachel's shoes in a million different things... and ended it with the box for the christmas tree tied up like a bow with scarves. then amanda wrote a scavenger hunt for her and alli and i hid them everywhere... only she came home early and we locked her out, and then alli hid a clue in the bowl of mm's she was eating and it was just really funny... but i don't think she had any clue what we were doing!!! mom sent all four of us a package in the mail today, which was AMAZING... and we all got stockings... and DESSERT for tonight's rendevous! :) here's our stockings... aren't they cute? thanks momers!

and below is the plate of goodies for dessert with rachel's big bird spoon in the middle because we aren't allowed to light candles or fires (although i about burned down the house making tea tonight... but that's another story for another day!)

after dinner... we crowned rachel the birthday princess and let the noise makers ring!

then we sent her on her hunt... here's matt, keith, alli and amanda excited to see where rach will go to next!

is it under the sink? nope... just another clue!

how about in kara's dirty laundry pile? nope... and gross, rach, is that my underwear!?! ahhh!!!

SHE FOUND IT!!!!!!!!! (she said she thought we had a person in it!!!)

opening the box...

about halfway through the wrapping, it's time for a little game... just who wrapped up this gift anyways?

not there yet, but a smile still remains!

SHOES!!! beautiful, red, sparkly, princess slipper shoes!!! for banquet!!! aren't they lovely??? :)

and then we find alli.. getting a little carried away in all the excitement!! she's 3D!!!

and here we all are... room mates forever... HAPPY BIRTHDAY OUR RACHEL!!! we love you more than the ocean!!!

i want all the world to know!

so this is my brother, and i want all the world to know him. he's so amazing and special.... and today, i just MISS him!!!! these are all my favorite pictures of my jobo... i hope you like them. miss him with me, today, ok? and if you see him or if you see this jonathanny... then consider yourself hugged and loved over 200 miles away!!! I LOVE YOU!!!
-your sissy, kara joy :)







one of jonathans favorite songs is this... and i want to leave it with you....

weak and wounded sinner, lost and left to die
raise your head, for love is passing by
and come to Jesus... come to Jesus,
come to Jesus and live
now your burden's lifted and carried far away!
and precious blood has washed away the stain,
so sing to Jesus... sing to Jesus,
sing to Jesus and live
like a newborn baby, don't be afraid to crawl
and remember when you walk sometimes we fall
so fall on Jesus... fall on Jesus
fall on Jesus and live
sometimes the way is lonely and steep and filled with pain
so if your sky is dark and pours the rain
then cry to Jesus, cry to Jesus
cry to Jesus and live
and when the love spills over and music fills the night
when you can't contain your joy inside
then dance for Jesus , dance for Jesus
dance for Jesus... and live
with your final heartbeat kiss the world goodbye
go in peace and laugh on glory's side
fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus
fly to Jesus... and live!
-chris rice

chi-town! :)

so, i've been leading a sunday school class at college church for the senior highers there, and i have three girls that come each week, lauren, shelby and elizabeth. today was the youth group's day in chicago, and pastor dwayne invited me to go along as a youth leader, and so i did! it was soo much fun!!! although, we got really lost and attacked by a scary man (not literally, he just freaked us out and cussed at me) and we seriously ran all over chicago... we ran to catch the trolley from michigan avenue to 12 blocks down and four streets over on state street, and then, that's where we met the man, we ran from him over to michigan avenue, then to illinois avenue and then ran to navy pier. and i had heel boots on! i thought i was going to die!! but it was really fun. i LOVE being a part of a church, and i love youth. i seriously think i want to be involved with youth and youth ministry for the rest of my life... but i don't want to be a youth pastor, just a sponsor and spend time investing Jesus into teenage girls. it's so awesome!!


here's some pics from today...

this is elizabeth and shelby, two of my sunday-schoolers! (lauren wasn't able to come. )

this is elizabeth and i on the bus ready to hit the town!

this is brittany, the other youth worker/intern that helps me lead sunday school. (i'm not an intern, only she! :))

these are my group of girls on the escalators at water tower plaza... lets see... we got (left to right) lauren, bethany, chelsea, karen, elizabeth and shelby

and this is all of us safe and sound, back on the bus... GLAD to be off our feet and away from the scary man!!! :)

no post for a while

so i haven't posted in a while, this week has definitley been insane!! but, there have been sweet times through the sourness of all the homework and junk going on. one of those sweet things was this amazing cheescake that we had the other day in celebration of the worship chapel service we played for last week. we got to eat in the president's dining room for lunch on wednesday... talk about amazing! i LOVE cheescake!

well, i should probably go to bed... i have a lot more to say and tell you about from this past week, but i'm going to chicago tomorrow with the youth group, so i should probably get some sleep. put Jesus first in all that you say and do and may he be glorified in you! more details soon! :) take care!

-kara joy :)

ps... take notice to the lovely poems my roommates rachel and amanda have written on the side of this page... aren't they awesome!?! i love my girls!!! :)

the messiah

rachel, amanda and i went to the messiah tonight to listen to the orchestra and watch alli, our roommate play the cello. we sat by my little sister danielle and her boyfriend brandon. the performance blew me away. i had no idea what to expect. it was handel's messiah, and was like straight from scripture. some of it was a little rough to listen to, but it was just a different style of classical music and i had fun getting into it. it was so hard not to clap after each song, but i held back! amanda restrained me! :) below these pictures of all of us beautiful peoples is a passage in isaiah that speaks about the messiah and his coming and what he would do. i've been spending a lot of time in isaiah lately, and these words were sung tonight so i want to leave them with you. read up, my Jesus is amazing!!! have a blessed day! :)




isaiah 53:2-12

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The punishment that brought us peace was upon him
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a leamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendents?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgression of my people he was stricken.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he was poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

my crazy week! :)

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circomstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18-

Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
-Isaiah 51:3b-

wow... so i haven't written in a while and a lot has happened this week! the above verses have been like, my verses of the week. my christian formation group was talking about the first ones in class on monday and i realized that in order for me to be joyful always and give thanks in all cirucumstances, that i needed to pray continually... be in relation with God and also trust him that he's gonna come through for me. if i don't and i'm not trusting him, i'm not believing that he can work it out... so how can i be joyful and thankful? so i resolved on monday to live a life of joy and thanksgiving... always as i continue in relation with God. and then... tuesday happened.

so i'm standing in the bathroom tuesday night, and my tooth came out. not only did it fall out but yes, i lost it. can't find it anywhere. i'm supposed to make dinner for friends coming over, i had gospel choir and worship practice and then i'm singing in chapel wednesday and thursday. what am i going to do? and i can't get my other fake tooth out so that i can wear my retainer... so we call the plumber and he comes over and takes the sink apart, and there's no tooth. we look and look and look... no tooth. so what do i have to do? go to choir with a big hole in my mouth. i'm pretty upset and embarrassed about the whole thing. but i went and laughed it off.... and we sing this song in choir....

i will trust in God to supply my need
he'll come through for me, if i just believe
if i pray in faith
then i will receive!
if i tell God about my problem,
he'll work it out for me!

basically, just what i needed to get stuck in my head! so i go to my other practice, wake up in the morning and still no tooth. and then i read this in isaiah 51 before i went to sing in chapel with the gospel choir, toothless... it's in isaiah 51... "listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn. ... The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. ... The ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away." all of a sudden, i realized that my sour attitude about being toothless and feeling sorry for myself had to change. think of all the people in the world who are without food and shelter and are suffering and all i can focus on is the hole in my mouth... no, i am going to be a woman where joy and gladness will be found inside of me and i will be continuously thankful and full of praises in song.

so i go to chapel and funny... dean woody webb recommended a dentist, so i called and got an appointment right away. later on i went to the dentist and he fixed me... but my tooth is still lost. we go back to the apartment, and i went back in the bathroom and looked where the dentist suggested, and guess what!?! i found my tooth!!!! praise Jesus!

it is amazing the change one tooth can make in a smile! isn't God good? i just praise him that he fills me up and satisfies my insides with him! here's a few pictures of singing in chapel the next day... letting Jesus' praises ring out on high!


be blessed today, wherever you are, whatever you're going through. fill yourself up with joy and thanksgiving. give your worries and troubles to God... if you tell God about your problem he'll work it out for you!!!

thanksgiving break... and it's almost christmas!!!

so here are some shots of my thanksgiving break...

on thanksgiving day, we took nicole with us and went to grandma burkey's house for turkey and stuffing in northern indiana (lagrange to be exact). it was great fun! my aunt just had a baby... lydia ann, and she was there, and it was just good to see grandma and some of the other burkeys in the world! :)

uncle pete and jonathan ate this huge tray of food. really gross, but it was really funny too! the plate had the thanksgiving story on it, like a big turkey and pilgrims and indians. so they dug up some pilgrims and indians. :)

some thanksgiving verses...

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.

-1 Chronicles 16:8, 15-

It is he who made us and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

-Psalm 100:4-5-

Bejoyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18-

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire".

-Hebrews 12:28-29-

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

-Psalm 95:1-7-

so today, sunday... as i'm getting ready to go back to olivet, dad walks in the kitchen... mom and i laughed so hard! don't you just love the socks!?! and the swimtrunks are to die for! i love my papa jon! :)

OH, IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME!!!!

i set up our christmas tree in our living room when i got back today. alli helped me... we decked out our apartment. it looks amazing!!! i'm so excited! i just wish rach and amandalynn were back to see it!!

allison put lights on rachel's plant... isn't that awesome!?! :) i love it! rach will too!

and this is our living room... and our tree!!! it just has lights right now, but ah, it feels like christmas!!! and i made chex mix and we listened (are listening to) christmas music... ah, it's in the air!!! merry christmas early!

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
-John 1:14-

the fat dutch kid!!!!

DUDE!!!!!!!!!
I FOUND THE FAT DUTCH KID WEBSITE TODAY!!!!!!!!!
TOTALLY GO TO IT AND LAUGH REALLY HARD!!!!

http://www.michounet.com/fatman/

fashion show!

so my room mate rachel had this amazing idea tonight to have a fashion show/photo shoot on our last night before thanksgiving break. boy oh boy was it a blast!! here are a couple of me all weirded up and out for the pictures. i'll try and put some more on laters... although if you have facebook, there's a tons of pics there... and if you don't have facebook you should totally get it cuz it's amazing and there are so many kewl people in the world that will add you and you'll be like... dude, i remember you!! so yeah, www.facebook.com for some good times. :)

weren't those just awesome!?!

so wow... lemme tell you, i am SO ready for thanksgiving break!!! i can not WAIT to go home and hug my momma!!! yeah! one more sleep as rach dawg says!! if you get some time read through isaiah 49... and pretend that God's speaking about you, his child, instead of Jerusalem. how kewl is it that he hides us in the palm of his hand and he conceals us in his quiver!!!

i will praise the Lord always, his praise will forever be on my lips!

bowling!

tonight was our sister-to-sister end of the year/program bowling party at gala lanes. it was great fun. above is my beautiful sister maggie and myself, and below are all of us with multi-colored bowling balls having fun!! we've got brenda with orange, kristina with green, me and pink, katie and blue and joy with red. it was so much fun!!