Reppin da Purp :)

oh haiii

Dance Marathon is 5 days away. count 'em. FIVE.
super crazy, super sad, super happy, super excited, super nervous, super "every emotion I can think of"

I can't believe that all the work I have been putting in for 8 months is now going to be layed out in front of my eyes in a quick 32 hours!

But, It is certainly going to be a GREAT event and life changing experience! I just want to take it alllll in!
It is Dance Week which means it is the week before Dance Marathon and there are fun and crazy things going on ALL week! Not to mention that last minute things that I am doing for the Purple Team!! We have some things to do, but mostly just simple loose ends that need tied up.

Where are my manors?
If you don't know about Dance Marathon, check it out!
bgdancemarathon.com
dmbgsu.blogspot.com
helpmakemiracles.org


My goals for this year as a morale captain were:
1. get to know more people who I normally wouldn't know (check times (at least) one million)
2. get more aquatinted with Dance Marathon (check!)
3. make friends that will last a lifetime (check check check!)
4. break out of my shell (the rest of the way) note: I was kinda crazy and fun, now I am really crazy and really fun! <-- i think :)
5. grow as a leader - find my place in a group (check!)
6. grow as a person/ woman (check!)
7. raise $1000 FOR THE KIDS! (as of Friday, CHECK!)
(but it isn't to late to donate :) I would love to exceed my goal) www.helpmakemiracles.org/participant/maddisonbrown

I gradually (over 8 months) have been building my flare basket!
This means all my PURPLE gear for the event!

My art project:



I made this tutu-- it was super fun and I am super excited to wear it.

There are many other things, but they have to stay secret until the event :)


April 2 and 3 at BGSU rec center is when the event will take place!
I encourage you to come out and support and more importantly see what it is all about. It IS life changing.

In love,
Maddy
aka Captain Totes Funnyyyyy

why do you do what you do?

(Note: I try to make sure my spelling is on point, but grammatically... lets just say I type to fast to focus on that! sorry if it bugs you, friends!!)


Hey friends!!

So, I haven't mentioned this on here, but I am part of Dance Marathon at BGSU and it is only 10 days away! I have been working with 17 other morale captains this whole year to be a small part of creating miracles in children's lives. It is such a wonderful experience and I have meet some amazing people through it. There is absolutely no way I would have meet these people and built a deep relationship like I have with them if it wasn't for this experience. But, I am so very grateful for those relationships and also for the opportunity to make a small impact. (alright, hold up... what is this Dance Marathon... well check it out real quick.... www.helpmakemiracles.org/participant/maddisonlsbrown

This past Sunday a few of us morale captains went to visit St. Vincent's Mercy Children's Hospital in Toledo. This is where the money that we raise goes to. The visit was absolutely life changing. I knew why I was doing this, and why I have put every single thing I have into this cause this past year, but it clicked even deeper. Our group had the wonderful opportunity to go to the NICU where the babies were. oh. my. gosh. They were just adorable. These babies were all prematurely born, so they were the tiniest babies I had EVER seen. There was talk about babies who had come through and were addicts. This could be to drugs or alcohol. That hit me... hard. It was so incredibly sad to think about these babies who are already having problems because they don;t have enough fat to keep them warm, or they have another problem from being born so early. But, there was hope. The hope was found in the nurses eyes. The same nurses who thanked us, over and over again. They kept telling us how much of an impact we make. I believed it. I am so incredibly thankful to be apart of it.

Last night was our dmx (morale captain meeting) and we got to do some work that we really aren't used to, and it was nice. We got to help out Dancer Relations and just hangout sing, dance and have some fun together. Yet, I felt empty when I left. exhausted. Even being among these awesome people and having a good time, I left sad, angry.

alright Maddy... that's enough. You don't have the right to be angry, sad. That's what I kept thinking all night. And you know what, I don't, because this organization and the commitment I have made is not about me. It is about these kids that I saw in the hospital and those I didn't. It is about the kids who fight every single day for their lives. It is for the kids how wake up in the hospital, praying that they don't have a fever so they get to play in the toy room for hours upon end. I do this because these kids need hope!

When you look at it that way, who cares what I have done, it doesn't matter. Hard work builds character, and so does getting let down. So, I picked myself up by the boot straps and I am ready to continue my hard work FOR THE KIDS! Will you join me in thinking and praying for these kids, the Dance Marathon steering, executive members, core committees who only have 10 short days before the event? I appreciate your support friends and I appreciate YOU in my life!

In Love,
Maddy

P.S. if you want to get involved with dance marathon visit www.helpmakemiracles.org and sign up... if you would like to financially support me visit my page! http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/participant/maddisonbrown

Beauty... in sixth grade!

Hey there BEAUTIFUL friends,


Last week was my spring break and I spent the weekend with some awesome people from the Delaware area and some youngsters (3rd-5th graders) at Winter Camp. I enjoyed the kids (they made me feel kinda old :)) and seeing them grow and begin to understand who they are, and who Jesus is!

Then, on Sunday I caught an early flight to Florida with my grandma. It was a good week. We did lots of shopping, and walking around Delray Beach. I got to know my grandma a little better which was nice. We had not been around each other for a week straight (for a long time). Anyway, it was a nice break, and then I returned Saturday night. I got to spend time with my family and friends Saturday night through Sunday. I loved break so much that I didn't drive back to BG until Monday morning. But, before I left I went with my mom to school for her first class period. I had to get some shots for my photography course, and who better to shoot than my crazy, awesome mom! ;)

While I was there, I sat at her desk while she did her thing. I noticed this girl who sat at the back of the room. She was wearing a BRIGHT pink dress with sparkles all over, heels, and her shoulder length hair nicely straightened, and the front pulled back with a clip. She was such a cutie! It was her day to present her national disaster project. My mom has them dress up for this. Anyway, this girl looked like a rock star! That was a dress I would have worn to a homecoming in high school! It was great.

Then, being the creeper that I am I was listening to a conversation she was having with the girl next to her. She was irate that her mother would not let her wear makeup. (She was grounded... from makeup.) She proceeded to get up and march to the bathroom covering her face. A few minutes later she returned in big sunglasses (you know the big lensed glasses that women wear these days) so you couldn't see her eyes and half of her cheeks. She kept talking about how horrible she looked and she just couldn't show herself without makeup.

I was shocked. completely shocked. 6th grade. I wanted to stop my mom in mid sentence and talk about beauty to these 6th grade girls. I am sure the boys would have thought I was insane. But, I couldn't help thinking-- They are so YOUNG and BEAUTIFUL!! I just wanted to tell them that so bad! When we put on makeup and all of these things that supposedly make us "beautiful" we forget that we are beautiful just the way we are, the way we were CREATED!! Then I realized, I am guilty as well. I go out without make sometimes, but I am tough on myself about how I look. How can these young girls believe they are beautiful just the way they were made if the older women around them don't believe it(and live it out)? That morning I had a new outlook on what it meant to be a women of Christ. It does mean being encouraging, loving, and all the things we can find in the scriptures. BUT, it also means being a role model for these young girls. THEY need us to know (and truly believe) that we are beautiful...not because of the products we use, but because we were created in the image of Christ... The MOST BEAUTIFUL image!
So, man or woman, young or old... YOU are beautiful. Let us start believing it!

In Love,
Maddy

A Beautiful Responsibility

Lately, I feel like I have just been going through the motions.
It is a really uncomfortable place to be. I know I am learning and growing, but am I really grabbing every opportunity to love people? Probably not.
My spring break starts THIS FRIDAY. YES. :)

I have the opportunity to LOVE on some beautiful young girls and watch God do His beautiful work in their hearts. Then, I am on my way to FLORIDA with my grandma. Sounds like the best spring break any girl could ask for. ;)

But, lets go back to the opportunity I have been given.
Since I stopped leading Young Life, life has been drastically different. (that is a whole other post.. keep your eyes peeled) But, I am super excited to spend time with young beautiful girls this weekend and help them see even a glimpse of their King!

I have been reminded (the past few days) of the fact that I have no right to speak into these girls lives. But, that Jesus has choosen me as His tool to do that. What a beautiful responsibility! I am so thankful for it!

I am excited to see how this weekend grows these girls, but also to see how it grows me!

May God do His beautiful work in your life this week, friends!

In Love,
Maddy