God is Good in ALL THINGS!

I am sorry that it has been a long time since I have posted anything because I have been crazy busy. Since my last post I have registered for my new school, Golden West Community college. I've gone to camp at Hume Lake Christian camps with my junior highers. I have gone home to celebrate my brothers engagement to Tamara. And I have been looking for a new place to live. My life is getting crazy.

I'm going to Golden West Community College because I could not afford going to Biola for another year. I'm looking at this as more of a blessing and challenge then as a sad situation. It's funny that I'm really okay with not going to Biola right now. I was talking to one of my friends and she thought it was a little funny because out of everyone she knew I had said since my brother went to Biola like 10 years ago that I was going there too. I'm not going to say that I am always going to be happy with my situation but one thing I do know is that God has me where I am for a reason. I know that because I'm not all that sad about not going to Biola. I mean I'm going to have my moments like when I pick up one of my best friends from the airport tomorrow and take her to Biola but I know God has a different plan for me. I remember talking to one of my best friends and mentor, Sheri and she had said that my outgoing personality should be used in a public school. Not that Biola doesn't have problems or people who don't believe but that a public school will let me share and love my peers who don't know about Christ. Who look at Christians as freaks. I want the people who I meet to come to know my friend Jesus. The one who came to set them free. As I'm writing this I find myself starting to tear up and I can't seem to know why? Maybe it is because I'm better understanding who Jesus is and the real gift he paid. When I think about it all I can do it cry. That's the only thing. So basically the conclusion to my story of my school situation is that my last year at Biola was amazing and I plan for my next years at Golden West to be just as great and challenging and my hope, my longing is that God will stretch me even more than I can imagine.

Hume Lake as it usually does stretched and molded me in ways that I wasn't expecting. Going into the week I was nervous about going home just because I didn't know what to expect. A lot of things had changed since I'd been home and I knew that I was going to be having some conversations about what was coming in the future and when you don't know those answers those conversations just get eve harder. I hate planning for the unknown. To top that off the first night or two I just didn't feel connected with my cabin. My mind was other places and my emotions were everywhere. Seeing old friends, meeting new ones and remembering memories take a toll on me. By the end of the week thanks to a great supportive staff and great kids I learned so much about myself, and my students and about God. I'm unplugging myself from the world and plugging into God. He should be my only source of energy. The week encouraged me for the future at Bethany and the relationships I will make!

*This is my cabin of girls!! The bestest cabin a girl could have!*

If you haven't heard my brother is GETTING MARRIED. I know right? I used to think that I was going to get married before he did but he found himself a special lady. Tamara is going to LEGALLY going to be a Krake! All I can say is it is about time. That girl has practically been in our family for dayzzz!! Congrats to them! May 28, 2010 is the BIG DAY!!

Finally my room searching is still continuing. I have found some really sketchy places and some good ones that just didn't work out. I'm praying that God provides a great place for me!

These last weeks have been really good weeks and really hard weeks as well. God has shown me so much of who he is and about who he wants me to be. My life is full of unknowns and I'm full of trust that God is my provision and he will take care of me. That's my life right now! Keep posted.

Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my vision, oh Lord of my heart
Nought be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best thought by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light
Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me Lord
Thou my great father and I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one
Riches I need not, nor man's empty praise
Thou mine inheritance now and always
Thou and Thou only first in my heart
High King of heaven my treasure Thou art
High King of heaven, my victory won
May I reach heaven's door, bright heaven sun
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, oh ruler of all
Still be my vision, oh ruler of all

This was my cabin of crazy Tropical Treasures! I will be with these girls for there junior high years and this is only the beginning! I'm so excited to see what God does in there lives in the upcoming years as they grow in him. My prayer is that God will give me the words to say to help them come to know him better!

THE MEGHAN SAWYER!! She was my co counselor and I honestly don't know what I would have done with out her. She was an amazing help and I'm so happy that I can now call her friend. We have gone through a week of something that most people never have to or get to experience. This week we learned a lot about ourselves, about each other and about our girls. I can't wait to get to know even more about this women of God! *I do know that she is not a morning person and I learned this by waking the whole cabin up with music before I left for my counselor meeting every morning. Good Times!*

What a Day!

I know I haven't been blogging much but after the last two weeks i finally am finding time and I will be updating you all on what has been happening.

Now I would just like to say thanks to all of you who contributed to my birthday! It was a great day. I got tons of Target gift cards and a fire dance. It was legit. I realized that I am now TWO DECADES old. 20 Years old! It's crazy to think about it because I still feel like I'm in junior high. Maybe that is because I am working with junior highers but I don't know. I still can't believe I'm not a teenager. Funny thought too was my last week of being a teenager I went to super summer camp. I really went back to the good old times of being a kid.

After 20 years I honestly can say that I am one blessed girl. I have great friends and family. I have had my struggles. I'm sure that I will have many more. But God has taken care of my through it all. His plan becomes clearer every day then he serves me a curve ball. At first I would be really frustrated about the sudden changes but then I think, What fun is life with out the curve balls? I look back at my life so far and I see that those curve balls have really been blessings in disguise and they have truly taught me to rely on God. This is a continual lesson that I am so bless and happy to have. And let me tell you that God is working in me because I don't think that a year ago I could feel this calm about the curve balls.

Basically I just wanted to let you all know that I'm so thankful for all of you guys in my life and that I am truly blessed!

(This first one is blurry but I think this is the best picture to show you the fire dance i received on my birthday. Ron and Chris were the best even though i for sure feared for my life. The Second one gave you a better picture of my emotion.)

Only the Beginning

As I hope most of you know already I am working as one of the junior high interns at Bethany Church of Long Beach. It was fun to see God take my situation and put this church and the junior high ministry right in it. He definitely shut doors...slammed them shut but he also opened big windows. This leads me to say that I am one of the junior high interns at Bethany Church of Long Beach.

After being offered the position of intern and then accepting it did not take Jon, the junior high pastor to ask me to go to Super Summer camp with a cabin of 5th grade soon to be 6th grade girls who would be in the youth group for the next couple of years. He wanted to get as much staff to welcome these new junior highers in as possible. This was a bigger task then I thought.

I met the girls first at the camps pre camp rally. Let's just say that I found out that I had my work cut out for me. But in everything God puts things in our lives to help us grow and hedoesn't give us anything that we can't handle. This was a verse that I had to keep in mind forthe next couple of weeks leading up to camp and continually as I was at camp. I honestly thought that going to camp was to get to know the girls and help them make the transition into junior high. What I didn't expect was to meet tons of new people in the Bethany church family who helped make me feel like part of the family. It was a true blessing to meet the other staff and to get to know a lot more kids then just the girls in my cabin. God's plan was far greater than I could have ever imagined. He took care of every fear and yet he challenged me so much. Not only was camp hard but when you lose your voice on the second day and your name is Cheryl Kay Krake, a person who talks a lot you find yourself in a bit of a problem. I had to learn to depend on my other counselor, which I think helped her grow too. God takes every experience and he uses it to show his glory. He has proven to me once again how good he really is.

Now that I am finally updating everyone on camp summer is officially on the way! God is really using this summer to teach me and I am excited to see what he has planned!

Birthday List 2010

• Laundry Basket-A plastic one from Walmart that has a pull out handle and wheels. A gift card would be best for this because then i could make sure it's the one I want plus it woul dbe easy for me to pick up.
• Target Gift Card- Who doesn't need a target card? I want a number of organizing things for next year. There are also just odds and ends that I could use a card for.
• Money- Here is a list of some of the things I would like to get with some money:

Rainbow Flip Flops-Outlet store in Southern California

Books-For the next semester

Odds and Ends- Random things that come up

• Starbucks Black Card- I would like to go to starbucks and being a poor college student it is hard. It would be nice to have a discount card and some money going toward it.

These are the main things I either want or need. It would be great to get them for my birthday! Thanks!

Say (All I Need)

Do you know where your heart is?

Do you think you can find it?
Or did you trade it for something
Somewhere better just to have it?
Do you know where your love is?
Do you think that you lost it?
You felt it so strong, but
Nothing's turned out how you wanted

Well, bless my soul
You're a lonely soul
Cause you won't let go
Of anything you hold

Well, all I need
Is the air I breathe
And a place to rest
My head

Do you know what your fate is?
And are you trying to shake it?
You're doing your best and
Your best look
You're praying that you make it

Well, bless my soul
You're a lonely soul
Cause you won't let go
Of anything you hold

Well, all I need
Is the air I breathe
And a place to rest
My head

I said all I need
Is the air I breathe
And a place to rest
My head

Do you think you can find it?
Do you think you can find it?
Do you think you can find it?
Better than you had it
Do you think you can find it?
Do you think you can find it?
Do you think you can find it?
Yeah, better than you had it (Better than you had it)

I said I all I need
Is the air I breathe
And a place to rest
My head

I said all I need
Is the air I breathe
And a place to rest
My head

Do you know where the end is
Do you think you can see it?
Well, until you get there
Go on, go ahead and scream it
Just say it

by: One Republic