Phoenix from a different POV

Phoenix - what an interesting event. You saw the video... you know lives were changed... but let me tell you about it from my point of view.
As I went into the Phoenix event I was well rested and had just come back from being on vacation at home. Home was nice. Home is always nice. It was nicer having a longer break, and yet, part of me longed to return to the team as well. Once returning to the team I longed to once again be home, realizing that my heart certainly was in two places at once. I was fortunate to be around people who loved me, so either way, the love of one group made the absence of the other bearable.
The event itself was good. Load in was challenging, I had to do a lot more instructing and less DOing because of having issues with a toe.
The event brought in new challenges as I was being instructed to do new things that I was not prepared for.
Load out... well... first off, I was attempting to find a shoe larger than my own because my foot had been so swollen my shoe would not fit. After accomplishing that (with some help) I was doing load out and started to feel very sick. Shortly thereafter, I realized.... I had the flu. Now, the flu in and of itself as everyone knows is not a fun thing, but add to it living on a bus... well now... that's an experience I would not wish on anyone.
I had a lot more to write about the event, and wish I would have sat down to write sooner, but I didn't and now I find so many other things on my mind that I can't think of Phoenix.
Pre-Production for the January team is just around the corner, as well as the beginning of spring tour. Being home on vacation for Christmas has been good, but if I thought the time away from the team was bad at Thanksgiving time... a whole month is that much worse... needless to say I'm excited to see the team again.

As January rolls around, I am reminded of another financial deadline, and I am still in need of support for the year, if you are willing to help, visit http://www.honoracademy.com/donate/ my ID# is 2288042

Phoenix Highlights Video

Check out the video from the Phoenix, AZ ATF event.

This was our last event before Christmas break. Look for more starting with Houston, TX in 2013!

Highlight Videos

Sorry I've missed the last couple. Check out what the Lord has been doing!

ANAHEIM, CA 

- NOV 9,10

BILLINGS, MT 

- NOV 16,17

Down time

It's certainly been a lot longer than I had originally planned before getting up my next video. That being said, here it is. 

Cleveland, Ohio Highlights video

Check out the CCM highlight video from Cleveland, Ohio! Hope to have up some details from the event from me soon

My Chicago video

So I have decided while my videos need much work, it's kinda fun to create them. And hopefully as I continue to make them...  they will improve in quality. One thing is for sure... I'm not CCM!

But for now, enjoy.

Chicago Highlights

Check out the highlights from the Chicago ATF. Made by the Center for Creative Media.
Hopefully I will have a video of my own up soon

Highlights from Mississauga, ON, Canada

Check out highlights from what the Lord did in Canada this weekend.

It's crazy to think that we are done with two events already and are traveling to Chicago this week as we are now on the road "full time" and will not be returning to campus until December. (I'll have a break for Thanksgiving but I will be going straight home and not returning to campus)

Toronto(ish) Canada

This weekend we are in Mississauga, Canada at the Hershey Center for our event, check out the video of a little behind the scenes look at what the event is like as we load in. Also, enjoy a glimpse of Niagara Falls. We got to stop for a little while on our way from Campus to Canada!

Time to get practical

It's that time of month again... the time where my leadership tells me that my financial records have been charged for another month. So... because my records are charged every month, I was given an idea and I'd like to try it. If I have one person take each day of the month, and commit to donate the amount of money that equals the day of the month, it would cover my expenses for each month; and, it would be tax deductible for you. 

So let me break it down, if you signed up to be my donor for the 10th of every month, you would donate $10 every month. If you signed up to be my donor on the 31st you would donate $31 each month. 

This creates a great way for me to track, and keep updated all of my sponsors as well as you being able to consistently track your donations.

If you're interested, send me an email at kayla.richardson@teenmania.org and I will get you more information on how to donate.

Highlights Video

Ok... so it's been more than a week since my last post and the highlight video wasn't up yet... I have a perfectly good explanation... we were in Cape Cod and my internet wasn't working.
Haha, ok, so maybe not quite as great of an explanation as you were expecting. So... without further ado the highlight video.

Boston In the Fall

Today I am inspired to write starting with a little entertainment. First the background info: We arrived in Massachusetts last night, and were planning on unloading both of our trucks for our first event this morning. We found out the trucks had issues and are not here yet. So, we have a bit of "free" time to get things done.  Anyone who follows Veggie Tales should know the song "The Pirates who don't do anything" This morning after getting up for breakfast I decided to go back to the bus to get a little more sleep (I figured it couldn't hurt since I've been a bit under the weather and we're going to have a long night). As I was falling to sleep I realized I was singing the Pirates who don't do anything song... specifically the part about "and we've never been to Boston in the fall" and then I stopped and thought.... I have never been to Boston in the fall, BUT if everything goes according to plan, I WILL be in Boston in the fall on Sunday.
While it seems insignificant, it's the little things like this that bring Joy to my life. The extra added blessings that the Lord uses to say, "I was thinking about YOU this morning"

As we are getting ready for our first event, the nerves are increasing. There is a sense of anticipation in the air. This morning we got to hear a brief story from our host church about their prayers for this event at this venue and how the Lord has worked to answer those prayers. It gave me the chills! It's so encouraging. It definitely gives a sense of perspective to what we are doing.

I can't wait to be able to write about what the Lord does in Amherst, MA!!!!

Dinner Break

It's a rare occasion to have a long enough dinner break to actually be able to sit down and write, today is the exception. We leave for Amherst, MA is 4 days! It seems unreal, and yet, it couldn't come fast enough.
As I sit listening to sound check happen before we start to rehearse worship (yes, I realize that sounds like an odd statement, but cameras need to prepare somehow) I'm thinking over the last four weeks of craziness. At the beginning could I have told you it would come to this? Probably not, have I even fully wrapped my brain around what THIS is... even more so probably not. However, I do know that past the music, the drama, the flashing lights is an amazing group of people who the Lord has placed in my life for the next year. While some may not grow to be in my closest circle of friends, some will. Some I will only have for this year, some I may have for the rest of my life. Regardless of what the future looks like, I choose to cherish the time I have with them NOW.
There is a verse that someone before me wrote on my bunk, which has been on my mind a lot lately. It is Ephesians 4:1. The NIV1984 Version reads "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."
The ESV reads "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,"
^{Now to explore onto the verses in context... 2} with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
Or, in The Message those verses read:
4 ^1-3 In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

Why do I bring all this up? Because it has been causing me to question my own motives. Am I living a life that reflects the Lord's calling on my life? What do my relationships with the people around me look like? Am I humble and gentle? Do I make the first step of mending broken relationships or hurt feelings?
To be perfectly honest... I'm a human, and so I fail. But you can bet that I am continually moving.  The quote "Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up" has been credited to many people - a Chinese proverb, Walter Brunell and Mary Pickford to name a few, so regardless of who said it, the concept remains the same. Are you allowing failure to knock you down and keep you down, or do you rise again set to make a difference the next time? 
Proverbs 24:16 says for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
Go, be righteous, and live a life worthy of the calling!

Working til the wee hours

Tonight... we got off early, which I am grateful for. We have been working late into the night, and while it has been fun and we have been learning... we have certainly had to rely on the Lord's strength and not our own... because you get tired, and fast!
I just thought I'd take a quick moment in my "free" time to say hello and remind everyone that we are still in pre-production. We leave for tour in about 15 days, and that seems unfathomable... BUT I AM SO EXCITED! I'm working on a video to show a bit more of pre-pro. Hope to have it up soon!

$900 and a leap of Faith

We are just over a week into Pre-Pro and we have the jobs we will be doing for the year. It was definitely a week of nervous excitement as I was being interviewed and wondered where I would end up. I am happy to say that I was delighted to find out that I will be working where I wanted to. I will be switching which means I will be in charge of calling camera shots and putting them on the screens for worship, concerts and speakers. Right now my job is not entirely clear because we have not been anywhere close to fully trained yet, but I am extremely excited to learn more about Video World.

This is an example of a counsel I may be using to switch.

This is a portion of the Video rack which will display all of the options of things I have to put on the main screens.

Here's the SAC empty of hard working Ministry Teamers...

Here's the SAC full of Hard working Ministry Teamers

It is exciting to have a Saturday off, and I am taking full advantage of it, because it may be the last one that I have for quite some time. I have enjoyed bonding with the team so far. I am excited to be growing new relationships and, as always, learning a TON from different interactions with people on the team. With a theme like Relentless Pursuit, it's no shock to me that our team LOVES to talk about the Lord and all He is doing in our lives. It is so refreshing to have the Lord enter conversation just because He is a common focus and not because we are trying to force anything.
It is just about a month before we leave for our first event in Amherst, MA. In a sense that seems overwhelming because there is SO much left to learn. But at the same time, it is exciting to think that in one short month I will FINALLY be where I have waited so long to be. The Lord is challenging me to step out in faith believing that no matter what my brain says is or isn't possible that HE is going to do a great work and that Amherst will be the first of many amazing, life changing, God encountering experiences of my year. A leap of faith my heart is very willing to take.
In the midst of all the traveling, and ministering, I am responsible for raising $450 a month. My first deadline is Sept. 10th and I need my first two months paid off. Are you willing to help? If so check out the link to find out all the ways you can donate http://www.honoracademy.com/donate/ my ID# is 2288042.

Introduction

Hello Everyone,
For those of you who have followed my other blog, you know a lot of what's going on; for those of you who don't let me fill you in.
I have been given the opportunity to take a year of my life to serve the Lord through Acquire the Fire events. I am on what Teen Mania refers to as the Ministry Team (MT). I will travel to a little over half of the events and help with setting up, running the event, and tearing down each weekend. I have created this blog to keep anyone who is interested updated on what is happening each week as I go through pre-production, as well as once I start to travel.