It's all about attitude... or is it?

My dad always told me that life is all about attitude... famous quotes such as Brian Tracy's "You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you," or Winston Churchill saying "The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity," were common to me growing up and have also helped to develop a unique attitude towards life. 

I'm currently visiting Houston, TX... This is my fourth year visiting this place, and I always leave thinking "maaan, these Texans have attitude." Most people I see in the streets or stores are not soft spoken, dress however they want, and laugh loud and hard wherever they want. "Everything is bigger and better in Texas people say," well I do see that mentality reflected in a lot of Texans by the way they interact with each other. 

However, attitude goes way beyond and above than simply not caring too much about what others think about you. Your attitude is what gets you through the day... it influences the way you view others, and it certainly influences others around you as well. Our attitudes shape our personalities, and they impact greatly the way we live our lives.  

Today I got an e-mail from my dad, saying that he is proud of me for being where I am today. He said that my attitude towards many things has definitely helped me to reach this point today... but even more than that, I would say that I stand where I stand because of my faith. If we agree that our attitudes shape our behaviors, then I'll have to add that our faith shape our attitudes. 

This faith is what gets me up every morning and what guards my dreams every night. Without this faith I would not have done half of the things I've done in life... but sometimes it does not matter so much what we do, but instead what matters most is who we do it for. 

Sioux Center, IA. U.S.A.

One day is foggy out, the next is sunny, tonight is stormy... yup, this is the place where I live. A place with constant changes, yet a place that displays all seasons of the year in such a unique and beautiful way. This is where I have lived for four years now... a place so distant from what I knew as "home" has strangely become my new "home." Just to say that I'm about to depart again, but that day is yet to come...

Four years ago, I was so excited to fly into an unknown land. Everything was new: the people, the language, the food, the culture, the food, the weather, the food, the churches, the schools, and the food... haha... Just so you know, the food was very different. But soon I got used to this new culture. I learned the language, the sarcasm and "your momma" jokes. I learned some slang, and how to make some traditional meals such as oreo salads, taverns, and puppy chow.

Everything in life is a process... starting this blog was quite the process! Coming to college was a huge process, getting through college a giant one, and making great friends is a beautiful one. I have no words to describe how awesome these few years in college have been. I cannot even count the blessings that all the people I've met here have brought to my life. I have left father and mother behind, but I gained so much more family than I could have ever imagined.

I have learned how to love this place with such a deep and sincere love. Everything that bothered me about it, the smell, the weather, the food... don't matter anymore. I love every part of this place, every person I met, every moment of it. I can't believe how fast the time has passed, and how soon is my depart.

Oh man... never thought I'd say this, but I will miss this place so much. I will miss its people so extremely much! I know that many people are staying, and some people are also going their own way... Even though I'm also going only-God-knows-where, there is a piece of me that stays. Sioux Center, IA... this is for you, and a piece of my heart stays with you...

This is just the beginning...

Every time something really exciting is about to happen in my life I had dear people telling me "...and this is just the beginning..." Now, being back in the U.S. I reflect on what my teammates and I have gone through during the past month at the London Olympics. It's so crazy to think that I was actually there...that I caught not only in camera, but in my heart and mind "the Spirit of the Games."

London 2012 was one of the most amazing experiences God has granted me so far in my 21 years of life. I learned things that I will carry on for the rest of my life. I learned to work with the best of others, discovering their strengths and helping them to make the best use of them. I learned more about my camera and editing skills; I put into practice every single concept I've been learning in school about editing and using a camera... I followed the rules, and I broke the rules at times too (editing rules, I mean). I learned to love people who may look, speak, and think differently than me. I learned to see the best of everyone and also learned to extend grace to forgive and forget the worst of me and others. I learned to find a quiet place in the midst of a busy mind living in a busy city in its busiest time.

I cannot even count all the things I learned through this internship/mission trip. It was an amazing experience that only because of God's amazing grace I was able to be part of. I'd love to have a Thank you-reunion to meet up with all of you who have supported me, prepared me, prayed for me before-during-and after London. As I said before in one of my earliest blogs, ALL of you are part of this... All and each one of you came to London with me.... and without YOU none of these would've been possible.

I thank you SO much for everything! and I'll keep you posted on the date/place of the "Thank-you-reunion" as soon as I get that figured out.

Also, I forgot to put this video up on my blog a few weeks ago... but this is me on KTIV again! Hope you enjoy watching this video... http://www.ktiv.com/story/19192576/sioux-center-student-checks-in-with-siouxland-from-the-olympics

Can't wait to meet up with all of you as another (and my last!) school year starts! Keep in touch! God bless :)

Proud of coming from Amerrrrica!

Wow! The last few days have been incredibly crazy busy! but SO much fun :) Over the weekend we went to watch two cycling events, both the men's road race and the women's. The fun part was seeing and interacting with fans from all over the world. I particularly enjoyed speaking Spanish with people from Spain, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia... (Paraguayans though, where are you?!) and practiced my Portuguese with Brazilians! I love how everyone is in such a good mood all the time, most people are very approachable, and even athletes and coaches are willing to give us their time and share their experiences. 

Today was a great day, and had some amazing interviews that I could not postpone my blogging tonight! I often pray that God would let me be in the right place at the right time, and today was one of those days! I was supposed to "rest" because I had a late night the night before and had a big day ahead of me... but because we didn't have enough camera-people, I was asked to help out with an interview with a former athlete. 

I walked into the room without even knowing who we were interviewing, set up the camera, check the lights, and started rolling. As the interviewee started talking, it didn't take her long to completely captivate my attention. Madeline Manning (Mims) won the gold medal in the 800m. several years ago. She broke many records then, such as being not only the first woman to win this event, but also being one of the first African-Americans to do so. As she explained, early 1970s was a very sensitive and tough period for African-Americans. But she made sure to share the key to her success as an Olympian... and this is God. She said that only because of the grace of God she stands where she is now. She is a woman of influence in the sport world, and all she is and she has done is because and for God, she explained. It was a beautiful blessing to get to meet her, and to get to see her genuine passion for Christ.

Later in the day we went to the U.S.A track&field team practice. We got to interview a bunch of female athletes, and we could just tell that they were so excited for the competition, and can't wait for it to begin! What resonated the most to me is how everyone emphasized the importance of giving their best and competing at their fullest. It wasn't so much about winning the gold medal, although that is always the ultimate goal...but they were all just excited about competing after having been training really really hard for years. 

It has only been a week here in London, and the Olympics just started, but I feel like I've been here for ages already, and all I'm living has helped me to immerse myself into this sport culture that the Olympics bring. After interviewing fans and talking to some athletes and coaches, I realize more and more the huge role that media plays into all of this. Athletes train super hard to get where they are today, and most of them are truly focus in the goals they have set. The media often makes us believe that athletes are unreachable, but they are not. They are just like you and me (with the difference that they are physically fit ;). But seriously, they are great people, with dreams like everyone else... and I admire them so much for pursuing those dreams with discipline, patience, sweat (literally) and tears. Some of them, such as Madeline and other U.S.A athletes we interviewed today, have put their trust in the Lord, acknowledging Him in all their ways. My heart's prayer is that one day we will ALL get to the point of understanding that God has SO much in store for us, that everything is His, and that He is our everything.  

3, 2, 1, GO!

Only hours away from the Opening Ceremony! We can feel the excitement of the people everywhere we go! The Londoners are so proud about hosting this worldwide event... so funny how a week ago we heard people complaining about security and such, but today everybody seems to be confident with safety issues and eager for the Olympics to begin!

We went to interview some Athletes and fans by the Olympic Park. We found athletes from Brazil, Russia, Canada, U.S.A, Spain, and England. We even saw the Prime Minister walking by! I pushed record because I saw a bunch of security guards and people opening the way for somebody, and after he walked by I asked, "so who is this?" haha... Well, let me tell you, I wasn't the only one who didn't recognize Dave Cameron, but hey, at least I got him on camera :) Good thing nobody told me to go interview him, because I would've done it without giving it a thought... haha

Fans! Interviewing the fans was so much fun! People can reaaally get into some sort of strange sports... Two little kids were really excited about fencing (the sword sport), I didn't even know that was a sport! But it was fun to get to talk to the fans about their favorite athletes and sports, and ask the athletes about their training and preparation. All of the athletes we interviewed mention that besides their mental training was really important to them besides their physical training. They talked about the importance of having a coach whom they can trust in, having some kind of mentor, and good relationships in general.

I also got to meet a couple of Chaplains who are staying here in the hotel and got to interview them. They are here to support athletes with any spiritual, emotional, or mental needs they may have. Just a few chaplains get selected for the Olympics, depending on their languages, religions, and specific roles in their communities. So it is a big privilege for the chaplains to be able to share their faith and help in anyway they can to athletes and their families that are going through a really important time of their lives.

Today my teammates and I are producing some more video content and getting ready to watch the Opening Ceremony! Watch our latest videos here http://www.planetsport.tv/latest

What language do you speak?

Today was our first day out in London, what a crazy city this is! There are people EVERYWHERE, but literally everywhere... from all different ethnicities, speaking all different languages, and dressed all so distinctly! I am such a people watcher, so it doesn't help to have this many people around! Specially when my job is to take video and photos! haha...

We are only two days away from the Opening Ceremonies, so we went to well-known touristic places in London to get some street interviews of the public. Our first question often was... "do you speak English?" Most people did, but quite a few didn't. Londoners were particularly concerned about traffic. It's already pretty crowded with their population, so adding an extra who-knows the number makes it even crazier!

Most people were also particularly concerned about security, because apparently the company that was supposed to provide all the security officers for the Olympics wasn't able to do their part, so they had to bring and are still bringing military officers from all over the world to help out. We interviewed Londoners, and they seemed to be fine with the security issue.

I got some video of Lennox Lewis yesterday! You might know who that is, I had no idea of who he was... he seemed famous, so I grabbed the camera and hit record while he was talking. After finishing the recorded I asked my teammates, "so who is that?" And they were like... "He's only one of the most famous boxers in the world, not a big deal..." haha... Oh my, I really need to get into the sport world asap... Otherwise I will bump into someone like Michael Phelps and not even know about it!

So if you have favorite athletes, sports, or Olympic stories that you'd like to share please do so!

Remember to be checking out the video blogs here http://planetsport.tv/

E for Excited! E for England :)

Would you like a cup of tea? Is the constant offering wherever we go! I knew that the English liked their tea, but I didn't know that they liked it that much! Fortunately, I do enjoy tea as well so I hope I don't get tired, since we still have three more weeks to go! 

Our training was amazing! Honestly, we learned things that we will be using for a lifetime. We learned so much about ourselves and about working well with the best of the others in our team. We are part of a huge team that involves people from everywhere, starting in England, U.S.A., India, the Middle East, China, Kiev,  South Africa, Paraguay (hehe just myself) and other countries from all over the world. I have been learning so much about different cultures... so fascinating! 

During this first week we stayed with host families. Me and other girl stayed at a house that is located 2 minutes away from the English channel... so beautiful! We went swimming this past weekend, but the water was SO cold! I went kayaking for the first time, and managed to get somewhere after making people laugh (at me, not with me...haha) because of my lack of arms coordination. Amanda (my lovely house-mate) and I are so thankful for the family that opened their doors and their hearts to us. We are truly so blessed to end up in such an amazing home and meet such wonderful people here in Worthing, England. 

There is so much I can say about this week, but I'll let the pictures tell the story :) 

Tonight we packed up our stuff again and we are getting ready to head to London tomorrow morning! The Olympics begin this coming Friday 27th, but we will be filming and producing media content this week to warm-up before the real deal ;) 

The Olympic Torch Relay went by our office last week, and we got some good footage and photos of the runners and the people living the excitement of seeing the Torch being carried! You can check out some of what we got in http://planetsport.tv/

Also, you might see more of me in KTIV Channel 4 reporting about my daily experiences at the London Olympics. We are working out the details of doing Skype interviews every day, so stay tuned for that!

If you haven't had a chance to look at the pictures I uploaded recently, please help yourself to this link http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3933892960130.153002.1663985791&type=3&l=edbec7dfc5

To end this post I'll throw some interesting facts about Worthing, England, which is where we had our first week of training :) - Oscar Wild wrote the Importance of being Earnest here! and Jane Austen, author of Pride and Prejudice stayed here for a Holiday! Oh! and we visited the Arundel Castle, a medieval Castle that is like a thousand years old! (Yeah, I'm too lazy to do my research, so if you really want to know, just google it! haha)

Our first week in England has been amazing! 

Taking off!

The day has come for US to take off! Can't believe I'm only a few hours away to fly to London. Everything that has happened before today has been an amazing adventure, every little detail leading to this new journey, but absolutely nothing would've been the same without YOU - without each one of you. 

A HUGE THANKS! to all and each one of you for your prayers, encouragement and support! This dream is becoming a reality because of you - God uses you in amazing ways to bless me, so a big GRACIAS for all you've done! 

Just a few updates before I get to London -

• I'll be getting there on Sunday July 15th and starting my week of training the following Monday. The coolest thing, on that Monday the Torch is passing right by our office! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1tOSzGVGeM - what an awesome way to begin our internship!

• You can watch everything we produce, all media content and video blogs on this website 

http://www.planetsport.tv/

• If you haven't had a chance to watch this interview for Channel 4 KTIV, Sioux City, go ahead and click on the link -  http://www.ktiv.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=7480927&h1=Dordt+photog+ready+for+Olympic+experience&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=143200&LaunchPageAdTag=Homepage&activePane=info&rnd=30153838  - I don't know how long it will be on the web, so let me know if you have any trouble viewing it!

• Tip night at Pizza Ranch: SUCCESS! Thanks for all of you who could come, we got a really good turn out, and thanks so so so much to all my friends who were there giving their time and waiter/waitress skills! It was an awesome night!

Two hours until my first flight to England! I'll keep you posted on everything, and PHOTOS coming soon :)

Get involved!

1- Please keep me and my teammates in your prayers as we prepare to travel and we start our internship there.

2- Consider supporting me financially, if God has laid that on your heart! You can do so through this link... 

http://www.hcjb.org/donate-give-to-missionaries

write my name "Veronica Visser" and account #128275 and enter the amount you'd like -

>>A very COOL THING about this is that if you donate sometime this month (MAY) the missions agency will match the donation for my first $1,000 that I need to raise. So if you give $20, I will receive $40 towards my trip.<<

Thanks for your support! :)

What exactly am I going to be doing there?

While in London, I will be serving with a video crew producing video content and a daily blog, to collect stories that share Christ with the world. “Spirit of the Games” is an internship program for students and an initiative of OneSheep ministries. The name of the ministry comes from the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:4). This ministry was born as the union of two Christian organizations, HCJB Global and Feba UK, who “have united in a special partnership to collaborate in providing new media skills and resources that help touch those who aren’t Christians with the message of new life in Christ.”

The program will be centered around the Olympics, a worldwide event that attracts millions and presents a fantastic opportunity for evangelism. We will travel to England from July 16-August 13 to work with global partners and ministries in a joint effort to present the Christian worldview through the Olympics with engaging content and presentation. Through video production, social networking, and fan interaction on a OneSheep-created and driven website, we will play integral roles in the project, facilitating evangelism from London out to the world.

As you may guess, going to the Olympics has many expenses, but God has been providing in beautiful ways for the different needs that we as a group will have while in London. However, to help cover some expenses for this very unique opportunity, each of us has to raise $ 3,500 (excluding airfare). As I said before, please consider both praying for me during this time, and supporting me financially if God is calling you to do so.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and for your kind consideration of being part of this exciting opportunity. God’s plans for us are so beautiful, and I just want to encourage you to keep trusting Him with all your hearts, because He is so real and true!

Please, if you have any questions, and would like to know more about this, or simply give some words of encouragement and advice, feel free to contact me through e-mail verovi24@gmail.com

London Olympics Internship Info

Here are some links to the organizations and ministries where I will be helping out during this Summer Olympics!