excerpt from velvet elvis

"missions then is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there. It is almost as if being a good missionary means having really good eyesight. Or maybe it means teaching people to use their eyes to see things that have always been there; they just dont realize it. You see God where others dont. And then you point him out.

Perhaps we ought to replace the word missionary with tour guide, because we cannot show people something we havent seen.

Have you ever heard missionaries say they were going to "take Jesus" to a certain place? What they meant, I assume, was that they had Jesus and they were going to take him to a place like China or India or Chicago where people apparently didnt have him.

I would ask them if people in China and India and Chicago are eating and laughing and enjoying things and generally being held together? Because if they are, then Jesus, isn a way that is difficult to fully articulate, is already present there.

So the issue isnt so much taking Jesus to people who dont have him, but goin to a place and pointing out to the people there the creative, life-giving God who is already present in their midst.

It is searching for the things they have already affirmed as real and beautiful and true and then telling them who you believe is the source of all that. " I am here to tell you where I think it comes from..."

And if you do see yourself carrying God to places, it can be exhausting.

God is really heavy.

Some people actually believe that God is absent from a place until they get there. The problem with this idea is that if God is not there before you get there, then there is no "there" in the first place.

Tour guides are people who see depth and texture and connection where others dont. THat is why the best teachers are masters of the obvious. THey see the same things that we do, but they are aware of so much more. And when they point it out, it changes the way we see everything."

Rob Bell is a great speaker and author! I would check out this book if I were you!

my mom's birthday

here is a picture of the cake that stephanie made my mom....she made a Sudoko game board filled with our families birthday dates....it was a cute cake, and very delicious!

we started out at dave and carl's house for some champagne and some cake...before dinner! it was nice.

then we went to dinner at a place called Sola, a great restaurant in chi town...it was a nice meal. just a good time on my mom's birthday....thats all!


from left to right:
dave, stephi, me, carl, my mom, my dad


you might be thinking that it is weird that all of these people could be my parents, well, its true...but it's fun

condensing...

well, since i dont really live in the states, i have had to condense my "earthly" belongings and decide what i need to keep and to trash or donate. this process has been interesting, as i think back about how it has been a process. ever since we moved to chicago, i have had to deal with the condensing process--mostly due to the constant reminders from my dad--"eileen, you need to get rid of all your crap...how many pairs of shoes you need? you have too many clothes. you dont even know how many clothes you have. how long are you goin to keep these things? you dont need that anymore. etc. etc. " so to lessen the nagging, i periodically go to the storage closet at the end of our hallway and go though my old things, and condense.

since i have been doing this little by little the last 5 years, it has been interesting to think about what i decide to throw out the current year, that for some reason i wanted to keep the previous year. each year, i realize how much of those things i dont need anymore, or want to throw out.

maybe this is like our hearts...and why we need to do heart house keeping/condensing too. we dont need to keep all the crap that is stored in our hearts for the rest of our lives. we need to condense to the simpler, more important things in our lives, that need the majority of space in our hearts, versus all the small clutter that wants to be important. sometimes we think we need all of it, and think we can live with all of it...until we move into a new environment or situation and realize that it is too much for us to handle, and sometimes we need the gentle nagging and reminders to clean our crap out, so we will have room for the more important things in our lives.

what do you need to clean out...and what do you need more room for?

triathlon training

so...in a week from tonight, i will be sleeping, and waking up bright and early for my first sprint triathlon ever! i am nervous, especially about the swim, but i think i will be o.k. i am hoping that swimming in rough lake michigan will be harder than swimming at eagle creek...but we will see!

training for triathlons are fun. they break up the regular running routine and give you some other options, plus, you are cross training, so essentially, your whole body is getting into shape! its a 3 in one deal! in many different ways :)

so, time will tell how i will do, but i am hoping for the best. i have been going to a friday morning class on the lake at 5:30 am for training. the class has been a good learning experience--and good training. today we did 2 mini tris. swim15, bike 20, run 10 then swim10, bike 15, run 10...its interesting, and good practice for transitions.

it is a great sport to be a part of...if you have money to afford it! i mean geez! you can easily spend up to 3000 dollars JUST to get the basics(including a nice bike, swim suit, goggles, swim cap, running shoes, clipless pedals as well as shoes, helmet, socks, hat, sunglasses, water bottle, energy food, bike lock, wetsuit....etc!). it is rediculous....depending on how serious you are and how many accessories you want, it is a lot of money. i just invested in a one of a kind :) unitard type thing. you can swim, bike, and run in it without changing, which i love--and has a little extra padding for the bike...but not too much for chafing--hey, all this stuff is very important!

i know this isnt too exciting, but its my life right now. train. walk dogs. work. :) spanish. i love it!plus, God is teaching me and molding me through this unique summer experience here in the city.

and if you will be in the indy area--sat, july 29 at eagle creek park in indiana at 8am! be there for support :) danielle and her training crew will also be there! it will be fun!!!!

p.s. i have been hearing rumors that i sound like im from the south. i am not...and i dont sound like it :)

weekend experiences

above: picture of me, chris burton, and her daughter alex when they came to visit chicago! it was so great to visit with them. chris burton is the teacher who i student taught with in fort wayne...it has been so great how God has used that experience to let us become friends! a lot of student teachers and their "supervising teachers" dont have that kind of relationship.

above: family pic of my dad's side of the family taken a couple of weekends ago. everyone is there except my brother will, he is working at the smoky mountains this summer....we all miss him..i just noticed that my parents are the only ones with sunglasses on..must be a city thing :)
above: me and my brother will with my grandparents: bill and jackie clayton. my grandpa is william ray clayton I, and my brother is william ray clayton II.

well, this past weekend, i went to indy (plainfield) to speak to my grandma's sunday school class at plainfield united methodist church. my grandpa was the pastor there for many, many years and my family has been there on numerous important family occasions. all of their children were married there, most of the grandchildren were baptized there, and all of us have been there to hear my grandpa preach on numerous occasions...so there is a lot of clayton family history there. it has been interesting to think about how God has paved the path for me to speak there. i spoke to a class of about 25-30 older people/couples. it was a very relaxed environment, i felt really comfortable talking about my ecuador experiences there. not only are they helping me with support, they have given me a great opportunity just to practice sharing with groups of people, which is a great experience in itself. it helps you realize that you are doing something special...and it is very encouraging when people tell you the same...because sometimes you just forget...ya know! i know we all do, even living here...we just get lost in it all..thats why we need friends and a day of rest...to reflect.

i also got the chance to hang out with 3 of my best friends from college: rachel, allison, and erica....it is funny to think i havent seen them in about a year and a half! i couldnt believe how the time has flown by. it was sooooo great just to relax with them on lake morse, attempt to wake board, and tube on the lake. wake boarding is HARD! it looks so easy on tv :) i tried probably around 10-15 times...i could get up..but once i did...i just fell..the rope was either pulled out of my hands...or i just wasnt turning the board in time..who knows..maybe next time ill do it! congrats to al and erica! they both did for a few seconds! you get pretty beaten up trying!

i forgot how much i needed to laugh and just be my crazy self. its hard not being around friends who i can just be crazy and say my stupid things and people just understand...im weird :) we were all laughing so hard into the wee hours of the night about ridiculous things...i love it! thanks girls!

it is just plain refreshing to hang out with family and friends that you love. God is an incredible God...he knows our desires and loves us very much. but although he loves us so much, are we loving him back?

the author

"let us fix our eyes on Jesus...the author and perfecter of our faith..." heb 12:2
this has been my staple verse this past year...as i am realizing as i am preparing to share about my time in ecuador with my grandparent's church this weekend in plainfield, IN...i have been challenged to think about how this past year has impacted me, how life is different there, and what God has been trying to teach me, over and over and over.
this past christmas, i got a tattoo that says walk with faith on my foot. faith is what keeps me going sometimes, because i am resting on God's promises...sovereinty, love, grace, mercy, never forsaking me, providing...etc. "now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certaian of what we cannot see." heb 11:1 (i think :))
since i am in chicago this summer, it has been a little discouraging...being alone this past week..esp during such a fun holiday...it is different...being alone when the fireworks are going off...but when i woke up, i realized i was still the same person, and really didnt miss anything...because once, when i was about to yell at king (my dog) again for barking at the fireworks, i decided to get up...and there were tons of big fireworks going off on the beach RIGHT next /on my deck..i thought something on our deck was going to catch on fire they were so close! that is one good thing about living on the beach on the 4th....you can just sit on your deck and see some pretty great fireworks..

anyways...God showed me today that he has not forgotten me, i didnt think he did, but you know how that goes....i was finished walking Cho Cho and i was walking out of the building as usual and was asking the bellman how his 4th was, etc...then this guy came out of the lobby and asked me if i was a dog walker..then i said not really, im just covering for my dad...etc...then i told him i was in ecuador for the year and only here for the summer...and he asked what i did, and i said that i teach missionary kids...then he asked if i was a missionary...and i said i guess you can call me that...and he asked if i was a christain..and i said yeah (during these last few words...i was a little uneasy because his tone was like he was gonna yell at me or something for being a christian) then he said, ME TOO! cool, huh! he told me he went to moody bible institute and about the church he goes to in chicago...etc. then he told me about how he shared his testimony with his church and shared a little with me! it was so neat because sometimes in a big city you think you are the only "Christian" around and nobody cares...but God is showing me that i need to open my eyes, and look for him everywhere.

i cant continue to think that i am the only one around here trying to live for the glory of God. God is not a small God, and sometimes i think that, for some unknown reason. i forget the God of the universe loves everyone, and not just me..that he is involved in your life as much as he is involved in mine, and that is so incredible. and that is why i love talking to people because i love hearing about how God is working in your life. its such an incredible thing...God. its all so mind boggling...so many facets go into it all...yet, it is simple. love might describe it...but love isnt really simple...esp with our selfishness..but when all that gets stripped away, and we surrender all our selfishness, hurts, and messiness to God and ask him to fill those now open spots..we do see it simply...and just love, love, love.

when i am in ecuador, i pray that others see God's love through me, since language is a barrier...but why not do that just as much here...even in english, language can be a barrier..esp with different lifestyles. i encourage you to love with all you have, for Gods glory..and smile to that stranger....or strike up a convo...see where God takes you...

rob bell and fantastic friends

i have to say that God blessed me with an incredible last two days. i think friends and relationships are really important, and this weekend just clarified that. since i have been home, it has been a little difficult because i left a loving community of around 90 people, and i came to a place where i dont have that supportive community...so i have been feeling a little sad and lost...but that has to change.

on friday, my great friend whitney brought her fiancee!! and their friend ben with them to come to chicago to see Rob Bell speak. it was a great experience listening to him. he is a very intense person, who seems incredibly bright and extremely smart. a definate gift from God. he connected so many things together in Genesis 1 that was mind boggling..and the thing was that he didnt just make it up...theres research and a lot of studying that went behind it, which is sometimes unusual these days. i cant really explain what it was about because it would take forever..i just suggest that you consider his final words, "Everything is Spiritual."

after the Rob Bell listening time :) we went off to my favorite sushi restaurant in chicago. let me say that before we went, whitney was not hungry and was not interested in eating sushi in the least..and nate had only eaten a roll with avocado and cucumbers. by the end of the night, they were eating eel, octopus, shrimp, crab, salmon, etc. with great pleasure! i love those experiences..the ones where you think you will hate something, but you dont really know because you havent tried it, due to false judgments or stereotypes..then when you try it, you love it! they will be back soon :) it was amazing...in a word.

the next morning, i had to work at the bakery, so they came to visit and chill and enjoy the atmosphere and great food. it was great. that night, we went to my other favorite place to eat, erwin...and also enjoyed the fantastic palate :) of foods. it is fun to eat with other people who appreciate the unique flavors that go into "gourmet" foods. i absolutely love eating at erwin's because it is a family there. i havent been there in 7 months, and it feels just like yesterday...yet, the only way i know the people who work there are through eating at erwins and knowing stephanie....the people are just so loving and caring...i just love it.

it was fun because there are a lot of latino busers/servers at erwins..and this one just came to refill our water, and i asked him where he was from...and he was from ECUADOR!! how great...i love that, thats when you know you are in the right place at the right time, as my nana always says. thank you God for little reminders like that.

GOd knew that i needed this weekend to be reminded of His love and provision. He provided in many ways and i am extremely excited to continue to see what he has in store to further his kingdom through guiding little ol me. and you. and your family. i love relationships that are based on truth and not based on the small details that no one cares about. that is fine to have...but only as a little parsley, or eel sauce drizzled on the amazing creation of relationship that our Elohim, our creator has in store for us. who knew just two days and 3 people could have such an impact. our God is amazing...in a word.

Many o Lord are the wonders you have done. were i to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. psalm 32