The Unique People

It's been a while since I've posted anything on this blog but now that I look back on everything that's happened during my past freshman year in Trinity Christian College, I feel like I have to say some things that people need to know about from what I've experienced. 

First off: I may be going to a Christian school, but even here there are offensive comments about race and people's character that are hurting some of my friends. I did have a feeling, before I came here, that there would be some things that I wouldn't expect from the school. I am still surprised, however, that one of those things is how people are deliberately harming each other. It's not just simply coming on too strong by accident because of one's personality. Rather, it's directly attacking another person because of weaknesses one sees in them or because of race. For example, one my friends, named Vicky, has a lot of food allergies and was receiving comments on social media like "You seek pity." Another friend of mine, named Claire, was directly asked some racist questions like "Is that your real name?" because she is Asian-American. I honestly don't understand why this would be happening in my school because I expected that everyone would have the Christian perspective of being gracious with each other. I do know, however, that if this sort thing happens here then almost everywhere we go will have the same kind of problems. That's why I'm going to say what needs to be said about this kind of issue: we are all our own person. If someone needs to rely on others or does things differently than you do, it does not mean that they are weak or the complete opposite of who you are. Even if they are completely different, it does not mean that you cannot treat them as another person. They can even like certain stereotypes in some ways but it does not mean that they are that stereotype! Everyone is a unique individual who deserves the same right to not be attacked because of people's assumptions about each other. Therefore, if you're attacked or if you see someone else attacked by people who make wrong accusations about you or the other person, speak out. Don't attack them back, though, because then you would be doing the same thing they're doing. Instead, tell that attacker that they're wrong about they said and that they shouldn't make judgements based on their first thoughts. I'm not saying that everyone should like each other; that would be impossible. But what I am saying is that if you don't like someone else then just leave it at that and don't make a whole drama out of it. And if that someone tells you that you should act like they do, don't attack them. Just say "That's not my style." Or, if that someone doesn't like you either and attacks you then just ignore them and remind yourself of who you really are. So now I would like to tell you who I really am as opposed to how some stereotypes would define me:

• I am a Christian--but I do not judge people based on their religions or beliefs.
• I am a 19-year old woman--but I do not try to please others in order to be liked.
• I am an introvert--but I do not push others away or try to be antisocial. 
• I am a tomboy--but I do not think doing girly things are horrible since I sometimes act girly myself.
• I am a future teacher--but I do not think that I am always right and kids are always wrong. 

That's all I have to say for now. The second thing I have to say will come in another post later. If you have read through all of this, thanks! If you could also leave a comment and let me know what you think, I would greatly appreciate it :) Oh, one other thing: in support of my friends who were mentioned earlier, I would like to say #iamaperson. If you agree, pass it on with your own story!

Power of Words (First Published on PlayFull)

Proverbs 12:18- The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Lately I have been finding myself in a hurtful environment made up of simple words. Not all of us may realize it but I’m sure at one point or another these words have made serious impacts in our lives. Sometimes those impacts are negative. Sometimes they’re not. There may even be some moments when we want to escape from all the chatter and noise and submerge ourselves completely in silence. Whenever that’s the case for me after a rough day at school, I just go home and probably read or lie down for a bit. Even then, I am still vulnerable to anger and doubt where I least expect it. One situation in which this has happened a lot to me is watching YouTube videos. Mostly I would watch clips from movies or TV shows that I haven’t seen in a while so that I know what’s coming. Then there would be other things that pop up and catch my attention so I go on to see those. Now the new videos are fine but no matter how hard I try I usually catch a glimpse at the comments below. Sure enough that comment says something completely offensive to the uploader, which in turn offends me as well. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: It’s not even my business on what people say to the uploaders so I shouldn’t have to take things so personally. But I just do. There were even times when I felt compelled to write a comment to that offender and tell them to shut up and go do something better than view videos they don’t want to watch. Thankfully though, I always stop myself and I’m not entirely sure why. Either I felt scared that my parents wouldn’t approve of it or I just figure it wouldn’t be worth it anyway. Whatever the reason, I now know that I shouldn’t ever turn to that action. How did I figure this out? I’ll give you a hint: It’s at the top of the page. Recently that verse has shown up and spoke to me in a way that it didn’t when I heard it last time. Let’s take a look at the two different parts of this verse.

First part: The words of the reckless pierce like swords.  As I mentioned before, we live in a world that’s filled with harmful words. As Christians, we want to rid our tongues of filthy language and attacking phrases, but sometimes we tend to lose control of ourselves and want to fight back with people who start a quarrel with us. It may seem that we are defending the truth while looking courageous at the same time, but in reality, we have it all wrong. If we fought back with the same weapons used by our offenders, wouldn’t that give them a reason to continue fighting us? Not only that, but as we wage our small battles with one another we can find that, slowly but surely, we are giving the enemy more satisfaction than we intend to. This is exactly what Satan wants. To use our own abilities and values against us so that when we think we do or say things for the glory of God, we end up giving ourselves up to the temptation within ourselves, which is Satan.

Second part: The tongue of the wise brings healing.  In case you’re wondering, this phrase means that to make things better you need to speak kind words. “WHAT?!! Are you kidding me? People swear at me or disrespect me all the time, and you want me to be kind even with my mouth?!” That’s pretty much what I think most of the time when I hear this portion. I’m not very good with controlling my words or actions when my mind is troubled. I try to but then fail by the end of the day. That’s why this is even more important than the first half. If we were to just stand there and accept all the harsh words spoken to us and about our beliefs, then it doesn’t look like we would be any better than the people speaking in the first place. But if we stood up and spoke with the truth and life the Bible gives us, then we would be bringing light into this world with every single thing we say. Of course, I’m not saying that just kind words will immediately shut our attackers up and leave us alone after that. They will definitely want to keep attacking just to get something out of you. But if you keep using your words for good then eventually they will see that their words no longer affect you and maybe see the same light that you see now.

If you’re still reading this, then hopefully it’s because this article has meant something to you. Just remember that if you're like me and want to scream back at people when they attack you, “The words of the reckless pierce like swords”. We can’t let Satan in our mouths where we can easily kill other people and bring his darkness into the world. And if you’re one of those bystanders who just let yourself or others get hurt, “The tongue of the wise brings healing”. You already have your defense against people’s words. Now all you have to do is turn it into your offensive so that you can speak the life that you have been given by God.

The First Chapter

If you are reading this, then hopefully you will go beyond this brief introduction and continue reading my future posts. First off, I would like to introduce myself to you so that if you would like  to talk to me about a topic then you would know me some. My name is Meaghan Cady. I am seventeen years old and I just entered my senior year at Rickover Naval Academy this summer. I have two loving parents named Heather and Troy along with my 14-year old brother, Nicolas. We live in Chicago, Illinois where we attend Grace Evangelical Covenant Church. While my dad leads its children's ministry, I help with the kindergarten through 2nd grade class. I also go to youth group every Tuesday with Nicolas. My favorite activities are writing stories, watching movies or TV, listening to music, shopping with friends, and finally, reading.

Now on to my blog. Earlier this was about settling in Chicago ever since moving back from Spain, where my parents were Christian missionaries. After a while, though, I felt like I could do a little more with it than just talking about my life. So I then decided that instead of focusing on myself, I could go with a focus on God in our world today. I got this idea from my dad who launched a website called Playfull. When he asked me to write an essay that he could post for it, I wrote about how powerful words are in our society. Since then, I have been wanting to write more essays or entries like this, so I thought that I would re-create my blog for this purpose. When choosing a new title, I thought of every person's life as an individual story that was written by God and read by the people around us. The best part of these stories is that we also have a part in writing our stories through the choices we make in our journeys. With a look at the collection of people's individual stories, then we might be able to see God in the lives of this world, which is why I finally chose the title, "A Collection of Story Lives."

So far I'm not really sure which specific topics I'll write about yet, but hopefully God will show me exactly what he wants me to say. If you find this interesting so far, then I encourage you to leave suggestions for entries and bear with me as I find the time to post them. If you feel that this isn't for you, then I thank you for at least taking the time to read this and I hope that you will be blessed as you continue on your journey with God. 

2013

Happy New Year everyone! Another year has gone and another is about to start. First of all, I would like to look back at my memories of the year 2012:

Deep Freeze Youth Trip

Deep Freeze Youth Trip

Homecoming Dance

1. Freshman year of high school at Rickover Naval Academy. As I hoped, I made some good friends and got good grades. Now I am glad that I chose this school.
2. Deep Freeze Youth Trip. As a youth group retreat, the junior and senior highers attended Deep Freeze: Voice Your Choice. It was a truly exciting and fun trip.    
3. 15th Birthday. This year my parents got me tickets to go to a Gungor concert in Wheaton. We went to it a few months later. It was a good birthday present.  
4.  Sleepovers with Friends. Every now and then, friends from youth group or school get together for some night-time fun. We would have dinner together, watch movies, and talk for hours. Just being with friends created some happy memories.
5.  Summer Trips. That summer was probably one of the most eventful summers I've had. First I went to Toronto, Canada as you can read in Summer Adventures: A Trip to Canada.  Then I went to a sailing trip in Boston called Sisters Under Sail, where I sailed on the tall ship Unicorn.

   

   The Unicorn

   Finally, I went to a youth conference called CHIC 2012 held in Knoxville, Tennessee. These were some of the best trips I have taken.
6. A New Home. Before we went on our trip to Toronto, we looked at a house. We really liked it, so we put an offer for it. When we arrived at our friends' house, we got a call and found out that we got the house. By September we moved in and started working on it. Now we love it and feel blessed for the shelter that God has given us. 
7.  Start of Sophomore Year. So far, my 10th year of school is going well. I like my new teachers and my grades are doing well for the first half of the year. I hope that I will finish my second year of high school as well as I have finished my freshman year. 
8. Homecoming Dance. At the start of the year was the school's homecoming dance. Last year I wasn't able to go, so this was my first time. It was fun and I definitely plan on going back next year.
9.  Halloween. I haven't really been trick-or-treating before, so my friends went for one last time dressed up as Doctor Who characters. I was dressed as a character called the Dalek. It was fun and I was glad I could do it with my friends.                                

10. 

    Halloween

    Christmas 2012. This year my Grandma came over and celebrated the holidays with us. My parents got me and my brother bikes as presents. What was also exciting was our first real snowfall that day. A few days later, my Uncle Tony and Aunt Kim came over and visited for a few days as well. It was good to see them again. And it was a good Christmas.  
    

    

    Gungor Concert

 

 

 

 

Now I would like to say a few more words to reflect on the future. This year I'm working on a little personal writing project that I hope I will enjoy. I also hope that the rest of my school year goes well and that I will learn more about myself and God in the year of 2013. God bless and Happy New Year!

Summer Adventures: A Trip to Canada

On July 7th, my family and I departed for Canada, making a stop for the night at a hotel in Grand Rapids. The next morning we made our way to London, Ontario to have lunch with my mom's high school friend. Then we drove for another hour and arrived in Brantford where we stayed for the rest of the week. While there, we were staying at Lisa's, another childhood friend of my mom's, house. On Monday, we visited some relatives of my mom, Linda and Bob Cuthbert, then went to see some old friends from Spain for lunch. On Tuesday, we drove to Toronto where we visited Toronto Island with some missionary friends. Wednesday morning, we went to visit Bob and Linda again then went swimming at my mom's relatives' house. Our last day in Canada was Thursday when we went to see Niagara Falls. When we came back we went swimming at Lisa's parents' house where we met their cat family, Princess the mother of Oreo, Cookie, Cupcake, Muffin, another kitten named Bagheera the son of Lucky(whom we didn't see), and another cat named Simba. On Friday we departed for Chicago where we started making preparations for moving to a new house. 

 CN Tower

 Toronto Island

 Toronto Skyline

 Niagara Falls

Princess

Oreo

Cookie

Simba

Cupcake

 

 

 

 

 

Bagheera

Muffin

 

A New Start

Lots of things have been going on lately. I am now attending a high school called Rickover Naval Academy. And no, I'm not thinking about joining the navy. It's a college prep school with many opportunities. So far I have been able to visit three colleges, join the school's book club, and make good friends. Today is Easter and the last week of my spring break. After today, there will be two and a half months left of school when I will have successfully completed my freshman year of high school. Then next year I'll be able to have a new start in school. A new start with new opportunities and new friends. Just like Easter. It's the day of making a new start in your life. The day when things spring back to life again. And it's all because of the love of God. In him, we are able to start again. That's why Easter is an important day to me. Because of the great love of God, I am able to start all over again.

Return from Washington D.C. Trip

One of the organizations we worked with was "Food and Friends", who packages hot meals for poor families

A Visit in the Air and Space Museum

The Capitol

Inside the Dome of the Capitol

Washington National Cathedral

Front of Washington National Cathedral

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Statue of Abraham Lincoln

We stopped by one some of the Smithsonian Museums

White House

We got to stay in this little cabin in West Virginia for the remainder of the trip

I apologize for the long wait on my report of my mission trip to Washington D.C. I understand that many of you have been anxious to hear how my trip went. I just want you to know that you have helped change a lot of lives in Washington D.C. with your financial and spiritual support. It was a wonderful experience. We did many wonderful things. When we were helping the community, we were working with little kids and packaging food and groceries for poor income families. We also managed to see great sites. We saw the Library of Congress, the state capital, the Washington National Cathedral, the White House, the the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, the FDR Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. On Friday afternoon, we set out to stay in a cabin in the mountains of the beautiful West Virginia. We stayed there for the night and all day Saturday. On July 17th, I have returned from my trip in Washington D.C . We arrived back in Chicago at 10:00. It was a really great trip. I want to thank all of my supporters again for helping me pay for this trip. It was really worth going. Again thanks to all of you!

Washington D.C Trip

Tomorrow at 6:45 a.m. I'll be taking off on my great adventure to Washington D.C. There will be challenges that I will be facing when I'm in Washington D.C. But there will also be some fun things that I'll be able to do on this trip. And for both of those reasons, I am very excited to be embarking on this journey. I hope that I shall change lives in Washington D.C. and that the challenges I face will draw me closer to God. I just want to thank all of you who have supported me through your generous donations. By the end of this trip, I will let you all know how my trip went and how God has used me. Please pray for me that my trip will go smoothly and that I shall have the strength to face the tasks God has given me. Thanks again to all of you!

Washington D.C. MissionTrip

Soon, I will be graduating from 8th grade. This summer, I and other 8th graders who graduate will be able to join high school students on a mission trip to Washington D.C. We will be in Washington D.C. from July 11th through July 17th. We will be able to explore Washington D.C., while doing service projects to help the community such as cooking meals for the homeless, packing food boxes for poor families, and a lot more. I want to go because I've always wanted an opportunity to help people and society, and I've always wanted to go to Washington D.C. For this trip, I need $220, and I would appreciate if you could help me to get the money I need to go on the trip. If you could make a generous donation, not only will you help me to cover my insurance for the trip, you could be giving me a chance to do amazing things in Washington D.C. to help our society. Thank you for your help and support!

If you would like to contribute, please make checks payable to North Park Covenant Church. You may put Senior High Missions Trip on the memo line, but please don't include my name on the check. You will receive a tax deduction at the end of the year from NPCC.

You can send any correspondence to me at:
Meaghan Cady
4952 N Ridgeway Ave Apt 1
Chicago, IL 60625

UPDATE: You can also give via paypal and my parents will give the money to the church, but you won't get a tax deductible receipt. Click button below if you'd like to use paypal:

P.S. Any extra money raised will be contributed to the team.

Christmas

This week is the last week before christmas break. We have three weeks of vacation and return on January 3rd. It started to snow last week, and now there is lots of snow here in Chicago. Which is pretty cool for us, because in Spain, it doesn't snow much around Christmas. I am very excited for Christmas this year. This year, I get to spend time with family. My grandmother and uncle are coming to stay at our house for Christmas. In Spain, children celebrate "Las Reyes", or in English, "The Three Kings". On January 6th, the kings come and give presents out to the children. This year, I get to celebrate Christmas like a true american with friends and family. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

New Friendships

Things are going well. I am making a lot of friends so far. I got a few friends in school. One of my best friends there is named Cashmir. She is the only black girl in my class that everyone makes fun of. But she is a good friend. I also have a junior high youth group every Wednesday, with many good friends. Some of my best friends are Lenea, Juan, and Gabe. And I still have friends from Spain who are living in Chicago today. I am glad that I have new friends. I still miss my friends in Spain, but I could I always talk to them. And now, I am able to hang out with my friends now. In Spain, it was hard to hang out with friends from school, because I lived far away from them. But now, I have many opportunities to experience true friendships as a teenager.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving weekend is coming up. This year, my mom's birthday is on Thanksgiving day. My uncle will be coming to celebrate both occasions with us. There are many things to be thankful for this year. A new home and life here in Chicago. And a family to provide for us. Also good friends and family to celebrate this holiday in thanks. My school will be having a four- day weekend for this holiday. In Spain, schools didn't celebrate Thanksgiving, so it was hard to be able to get together and celebrate. I am thankful that I live in America, because now I can celebrate Thanksgiving like a true American with my friends and family. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

New Hardships

Today in school, I had a friend in class being made fun of. She is the only black girl in my class that most people in my class keep bothering. At the end of Arabic class there were two people calling her names, telling racist jokes, and even wrote a note that she liked this boy in my class. Then everyone in class started to laugh at her. I have now realized what it is like to be in a big public school. There are many new things in life that seem to be hard. It sometimes feels like I don't like being here. It has been a big transition coming from a small school in Spain, to a big public school in Chicago. But I know that there is a purpose for me here. I am learning new hardships everyday, but I will always make it through.

The Beggining of A New Life

Let me tell you a little about myself. I am 13 years old. I was born in Colorado and  lived in Spain for 12 years. My parents are missionaries who travel around often. I have just moved back to Chicago, where my parents lived before. Now I am learning new experiences of American culture. I'm making good friends, and I am happy in my neighborhood. My dad is working with a church, and my mom is working in a nurse's office in a school. My brother and I go to Volta Elementary School. My brother, Nicolas, is in 5th grade, and is pretty happy in his new home. I am in 8th grade, and thinking about going to Vonsteuben High School. My family is working hard to support our new home. I am happy that I live here, and I am excited about the future here in Chicago.

Introduction

I have just moved into Chicago, Illinois. I have a series of bad and good things that are lying ahead. So far, so good, my life has had a few ups and downs, and I'm enjoying my new life here. I go to Volta Elementary School. So far, I'm doing well, making lots of new friends, and learning more stuff. I appreciate your prayers for me.