Cherokee Mission Trip 2014

Dear friends and family, I hope you all are doing well. I am currently a junior at Union County High in Maynardville, TN. Along with school, I teach the three year old Sunday school class at my church. School is going well. I have theatre and I am on the fast track to college. Church is going great as well. My children continue to amaze me with their knowledge of the bible and their bright smiles each Sunday. And as for the high school ministry at the church, I feel like I continue to excel in my relationship with Christ. Speaking of which, I feel like God is telling me to take his hand and trust him on my very first mission trip this spring break. My high school ministry is going to The Cherokee Indian Reservation in Cherokee, NC. I feel that God is calling me to be apart of this experience. This trip is over this spring break, March 15th through the 22nd and it costs $515. It would be a HUGE blessing if you could support me financially. If finances are unavailable, prayers, advice, and moral support is also greatly accepted. My key verse for this blog is Deuteronomy 20:4 "For The Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you to give you victory." I want to add another. James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after the orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." Living on mission doesn't mean we have to fly all the way out to Africa or India, even though that is awesome and people are needed over there, missionaries are needed here in the US. If you can donate, please donate as much you can, but send your money to Providence Church, 1432 Lovell Road Knoxville, TN 37932. Please put my name on the envelope. Thank you all so much for your love and support. And again, please pray for a safe and wonderful trip for us! With love, Abbey

Welcome, Little One!

Well Internet, my family gained a child Friday, March 29th. Ainsley J. Fritts was born at 9:10 that night to my aunt and uncle in San Antonio. Since little Ainsley's arrival, My nana has 7 grandchildren. 5 girls 2 boys. I am now no longer the only "A" baby or the only March baby in this family. I can't wait to meet her this summer!! Here are some pics: Here's the weird thing. Ainsley and I look a lot alike when we were born. I am on the left and Ainsley is on the right. We are all excited for this new arrival. Except one. Her big brother. He hasn't warmed up to little Ainsley yet. Lol

Updating: Softball, Driving, and Acting. Oh My!

Dear bloggers, OOPS! I haven't been updating! I've been so busy. So here's a quick update on 2012/2013.... I've had a pretty awesome start to my sophomore year in high school. I've already gotten half of my foreign language credits, English, AND a college class under my belt (!!!!). Yeah, a college class!! I took Western Civilization. I LOVED it. And, I passed, with... (Wait for it) AN A!!!!! I have had straight A's so far this year. So basic recap of academics for my sophomore year, So far, so good!! Now, on to sports. (Yay!) I'm still on the softball team for the High school, and I'm loving every second of it. I actually had a tournament yesterday. We lost all three of our games, but I, myself as a player, did really well yesterday. I hit a base hit to center field, stole two bases, scored, and recovered the center fielder's mistakes. However, I did strike out, and I got thrown out by the short stop. But oh well. I feel like I've improved A LOT since I first started playing softball, oh way back when. Heck, I feel like I've improved since I've started playing for the high school last year! I am very grateful for all of my coaches. And I've always dreamed of going to college on a softball scholarship, and now, that feels like its starting to take place. And I'm starting to get a hope of getting on the USA softball team and go to the Olympics. I hope and pray that this happens. But hey, a girl can dream, right?? Well, my 16th birthday was 2 Wednesdays ago. And that also means that I got my driver's license two Wednesdays ago. I just chant believe it. I mean, it feels like yesterday I was six years old, and then all of a sudden, ten years flew by. Not only am I seeing the ten years fly by in myself, i.e., colleges, jobs, driving, etc; but I'm also seeing these past ten years fly by in my family. My parents, my sister, even my cousins and grandparents. I've seen people age, change, learn, and pass on. In these past ten years, I have added four cousins (with another due any day now), and lost four great grand parents and my papaw, Mike. Out of all of my grandparents, I was always closer to Mike. Even my father, who was legally no longer related to him broke down and cried in front of Morgan and I, which he NEVER does. I feel like this situation has really forced me to turn to god in this struggle. It just doesn't feel like he is gone. Mike always would sit outside and would wait on us when we got home, and I was pulling in the driveway one afternoon and I swear I almost saw him in his chair. I've had many break downs, tears, and silent blessings from god. After I'd break down and cry, I'd have this silence. And in that silence, I'd have this calm, tranquil moment where it's like god is telling me that every thing is okay. And I know it is. Also this year, I've made my official acting début. I've starred in my high schools production of Willy Wonka And the Chocolate Factory as Veruca Salt last semester. This semester, I am starring in The Wizard of Oz as the human counter part of Scare Crowe, and I am the lead for our other play, At The Bottom Of Lake Missoula. I am really enjoying this play. It is a very serious play and I'm thankful for Being able to have the lead. Well, I think that's it! I shall post more later! Adíos, amigos!!

Freshman Year... One down and Three to go!

Hey Bloggers! I've been SO busy the past six months, and I just forgot about my little blog. :( But I'm back and with ALOT of news!! :) First of all, I made the softball team!! Woohoo! I loved playing on my high school's softball team. It was SO much fun! I was on junior varsity, and honestly, I didn't care. I was (and still am) on the team, and that's all that matters. We had a total of four games this past season, and lost only one. I have a game tonight, so fingers crossed! Next, Poppie died. My great grandfather, my last living great grandparent, had passed away in april. I miss him so much! But, I know that he is in heaven watching over me. Now Beach Camp 2012!! I loved this year's trip! I got So close to God. I got to hang out at the beach, walk a mile on the pier, and got to experience God's wonders in front of my very own eyes. So, a bunch of people's, that I knew and went to school with, little siblings went this year. I watched at least two of them surrender their lives to christ. I even cried with one in the bathroom. I asked her how she was liking beach camp, and she had told me, "I love it. It changed me." I thought for a second, and I asked her, "You surrendered your life to christ didn't you?" She started tearing up and nodded, and I had tears in my eyes and told her, "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" and I hugged her and we cried together. Then as a joke and being serious, I told her,"Welcome to the family!" We left and went back to the service. I've had some changes happen to me too that week. I got sick, and the last night, I realized what God has been trying to tell me for months. I decided that instead of the FBI, I'm going to be a missionary when I get out of college. My friend and I are going to Africa when we are done with college. And Lastly, I got chacos!!!! I am so happy I got them, but my mom was SO mad. You see, my family had a yard sale a few weeks ago, and my mom and grandmother decided to give me most of the profit,a total of 138 dollars. I was so glad because I finally had enough money for some chacos! I bought the custom made chacos. Mom was furious. My punishment? to work off the money by cleaning at $5 an hour. But I worked off the money and now I am in chaco love!

Oops!... And Happy New Year!

Oops! Forgot to post about Halloween, Thanksgiving, AND Christmas! Here's a quick review(Note, Thanksgiving is a little long) : Halloween: This year for Halloween I was Batgirl. For Halloween at Dad's, his neighbor Lisa had a halloween party, which was SO much fun! The morning after, a bunch of us watched a Comedian named Dale Jones. He was HILARIOUS! Once the movie was over, we went to China One, a Chinese place in Karns. That was one of the funniest weekends EVER! Halloween Night, my mom and aunt decided to pile me, my sister, our two cousins, four of their friends, AND one of my friends in the back of her pilot!!! It was CRAZY!! But then the next day Mom and Morgan ate all of my candy :( But it was still fun! Thanksgiving: Well, this one is a sore spot.... But here it goes.... I'm going to back up a few days. The Saturday before Thanksgiving actually... On Saturday, November 19th, 2011, Thelma Olpheia Garrison Hickey went home with the Lord. I still cry when I think about her. But the more I think about her, the more I am happy for her. Here's why: She lost her parents, her sister, and her brother. Yeah that's pretty sad, HOWEVER, in 1988, she lost her only daughter to cancer. In 1991, three years before my parents got married, she lost her husband to a fatal heart attack. Since then, She has been a little "off her rocker." However, She was one of the greatest Christians I've EVER known. When I was four, She would take me to Awanna's every Wednesday night. On the plus side, we did get to see our cousins from texas :) At her burial service, I got to meet my grandmother. Well, her gravestone. After the burial service, all of the Garrisons came to the house and ate a pre thanksgiving dinner. Then Morgan and I went up to my mom's house and had Thanksgiving dinner there. I was full for three days!

Christmas: This Christmas was AWESOME!! I got clothes, shoes, a Vera Bradley handbag, The Help on BluRay, a record player, and a video camera! I was truly blessed this Christmas! I also got to see my new baby cousins, Pearson and Hudson. They are too cute! Hudson and I had "conversations" at Nana's, and I got to see my three year old cousin too. Everytime I asked her who was born Christmas day, she would scream out, "Baby Jesus!" It was too Cute! I got it on video. But I know that it is not about the gifts or which baby was the cutest. But that 2011 years ago, A babe who would help lame beggars walk and blind men see was born. ( I got that from the Muppet Christmas Carol ;)) Our savior was born on Christmas Morning. Merry Belated Christmas! As 2011 is coming to a close, I have had this blog for almost three years now. Happy New Year's everybody and good luck in 2012!

Two Months In, dance, and FALL BREAK!!

Well, Bloggers, I have survived two months of high school... and MY how its gone by so fast! Honestly, it feels like I'm supposed to be starting kindergarten or middle school. But not high school... I just can't believe it... But God is pulling me through it, head first, just like always. And Boy do I appreciate him for that! God has been working in my life so oh SO many ways! My God is an awesome God!! I love He pulls me through things that He wants me to do, and pulls me back from when he wants me not to do. I love that how if I have God, high school is somewhat easy.:)

Dance is going GREAT! For those who don't know, I am on my high school's dance team. :) Anyway, I love my dance girls!! God blessed me to be apart of this team, and it is an AWESOME blessing!! I love how open I can be about my faith. When we pray before dancing at football games, I always lead the prayer. But dance is an amazing sport, and I hope an pray that I can continue doing this all the way through high school and on to college and even further into the future. Last Friday was homecoming, and we had a pep rally, and a parade and we had a dance float, plus a game afterward. And we were doing some chants, (because we couldn't really dance, there wasn't enough room) it was fun. :) When we got back to the high school to get ready for the game, and I saw a very pleasant surprise: my father, whom I thought was in the western side of the country.



Finally FALL BREAK!! I can't believe that it's FINALLY here!! I have had so much fun so far!! After the game, me and my dad went to his house. Then the next day my next door neighbor were coloring and drawing pictures of what we wanted our houses to look like. And yes, we are 14 year old girls :) Then my dad and I went to one of our family friend's birthday party. We played football, catch, and ultimate frisbee. Which by the way, I scored five touchdowns in ultimate frisbee! :) Then we went to double dogs, and we went to Lisa's, my dad's next door neighbor, to watch the UT football game. :) Then today I went to get my replacement retainer. So now I decided to update Blogger. :)

Next Post: Halloween! :)

Jesus Loves you!!

~Abbey

Cosmopolitan needs to be stopped!

I know that I'm a little early on re-posting, but this is SERIOUS! Cosmopolitan Magazine was started in the 1880's. Back then, its articles were about sewing and being a lady, 1930's, same thing. Even in the 1990's, one of the articles said "Stop chasing so he can chase you." But SOMEHOW, 2000's became the "All about sex" era. One of the articles said to "try a threesome with you, a girl, and a dude!" They say that the only way to have a man "respect" you is to do this. Honestly, if you want to have a man give you respect, DO NOT THIS!! Cosmopolitan NEEDS TO BE STOPPED!!! Go to http://www.projectinspired.com. for more info!! And, Go to facebook and find the page, "Put Cosmopolitan Magazine in a Plastic Bag," and like it!! Word needs to be spread!