Loving the Nations

These are just a few of the beautiful faces that have changed my life. I was beyond blessed with the AMAZING opportunity to go to Haiti for a week this Christmas break. As I prepared to go, God's provision and favor toward me continued to show. He provided the funds and the means of travel for me to get there, and I am so thankful. As we got on the airplane from Miami to Haiti, my heart grew heavy with fear, knowing that I was no longer in the safety of my comfort zone in the United States. This trip marks the first time I have ever left that comfort zone. When we arrived in Port Au Prince, I was excited, nervous, overwhelmed, and feeling many other emotions all at once. The airport was absolutely nuts. People were everywhere, shuffling through lines, gathering loads of luggage, checking passports, and I felt like we were in fast forward. Thankfully, Jeff and Jen are pros and kept us all together. As we exited the airport, we were swarmed with a mass of Haitian people that were doing one of three things: asking to help us, asking us for money, or simply waiting to see who arrived that day. As we rushed through these people, trying to find Jean Alix (the pastor that we stayed with), I couldn't help but notice the darkness surrounding us. This country is still hurting, still broken, and still yearning for a glimpse of hope in the destruction of the earthquake nearly two years ago. Again, my heart grew weary, knowing that there was no way we could help all of them. We were only 13 small people, the nation of Haiti needs a God sized miracle. We piled into the van and began our drive through Port Au Prince to the pastor's house. The need we saw along the way was devastating. There are still many people displaced and living in tent cities, many buildings still on the ground, and people still roaming the streets, searching for hope in voodoo, and things they find as they walk. As we got to Jean Alix's home, I felt a bit more safe, but I was 100% outside of my comfort zone. Nearly everything inside of me wanted to go home. I wanted to go back to where I was comfortable, but God doesn't call us to be comfortable. In fact, He calls us to make ourselves uncomfortable for the sake of His Kingdom. So, the first night was hard, but I'm beyond thankful for my amazing team. Each one of them, in some way, helped me conquer the fear of the unknown, and the fear of being out of my comfort zone. We all got along so well, and had SO much fun getting to know eachother and serve together. God did an incredible job appointing this team.

The first day that we got to go into the village of Guibert, my heart began to change. I saw the faces of all of the school children in their precious blue uniforms, and I saw the faces of the 32 boys that live in the boys' home. When we first got there and were gathered as a team, Jeff picked up one of the boys, named Mackenlay. As soon as Jeff put him down, Mackenlay ran into my arms and gave me the biggest hug a 4 year old can give. I could've held him all day. That was the moment I knew that it was all worth it, and I had no reason to be afraid. You see, God is so ever present in Haiti, and His hand was constantly felt in the village of Guibert. To me, the village seemed to be kind of formed around the church. God's love in those people, made me feel at home. As we began our tasks, which ranged from cleaning a storage room to pouring concrete, my heart knew that I was supposed to be there. At the end of our work, we got our first opportunity to really meet the boys. Each person on our team was just surrounded with love, laughter, and hugs. In Haiti, they speak Creole/French, and with only one person on our team who knew how to speak one of those languages, the language barrier was the biggest difficulty we faced, but to me, it didn't matter because of the universal languages that exist, such as play, love, and laughter. You don't have to speak the same language to play, to laugh, and certainly to love. As the week continued, we got new tasks, such as sanding and bleaching horrifying amounts of mold off of the ceiling and walls of the little boys' room, mixing, pouring, and passing buckets of concrete to create new walls and columns in the central room of the orphanage, and lastly, painting the new storage building and the little boys' room.

Throughout the week, we basically did concrete and paint each day, all day, and while that may sound tedious and boring, being constantly interrupted by the boys made the completion of the tasks crucial. Each little thing that we did, was going to make a positive impact in the lives of the boys, and in the Kingdom of God. On Sunday, we were blessed with the opportunity to worship at the church in Guibert, where Jean Alix is the pastor. If you have ever been in an international church before, you know that not knowing the language is a huge barrier, but the beauty of worship, is that it is another universal language.

We all worship one God, one Creator, one King, through song, dance, prayer, and lifestyle. The presence of God in the church there was amazing. We couldn't help but to join our Haitian friends in making a joyful noise to the Mighty Provider that God is. We got to spend the rest of that day, resting in God's peace, and pouring into the lives of our team members. On Monday, we finished the boys' room, and got to begin moving the 14 "little" boys' (ages 4-about 12) things into their room. Since the earthquake, they have been sharing beds and rooms with the older boys, and that didn't really leave much room for anything else. Three of these boys also finally got a room that was for them! All they had known was sharing beds and rooms. It was beautiful watching the older boys help move and clean and prepare the room for the little ones, and to watch the little ones be full of joy in knowing that it was their room. On Tuesday, our last day with the boys, we spent a lot of time in the room just soaking up the joy of it all. The boys simply laid in their beds, played on their floor, and enjoyed their room. We also got to hike around the mountain, giving dedication plaques to people that live in houses that Hope for the Hungry has provided for them. and lastly, we got to celebrate Christmas with the boys. First, we made s'mores. Let me tell you, s'mores taste so much sweeter when precious Haitian children make them for you. We also got to give the boys Christmas presents, which they absolutely loved. It was a reality check in the sense that they were overjoyed getting crayons, hats, pencils and coloring books, when most of America isn't even content getting iPads, cars, laptops, and 80 inch tvs. Nonetheless, it was very exciting, and humbling to watch them enjoy their gifts, and then use their crayons to color Christmas cards for people they have never, and probably will never meet. They wrote things such as: I love you and I am praying for you, on these cards, and it filled my heart with joy. These boys know how to love, and I mean really love. Not only do they love the people that care for them, each other, and strangers that they may not ever meet, but these boys LOVE Jesus. It is evident in the way they live and interact with people. I told the team that it was by no means easy to say goodbye to the boys, but it made it a little easier knowing that their needs are being met, especially spiritually. They are learning in school, they get to eat hot meals, they have (now, safe) rooms to live in, their building is being reinforced in case of another disaster, and most importantly, they are surrounded and being raised by people who love the Lord. The village of Guibert is a gleaming light of hope for all of Haiti. Join me in praying that these boys would be used in radical ways for the Kingdom of God, and praising God for the things He has done and will undoubtedly continue to do in the nation of Haiti, for only He has the power to save.

Emmanuel

Hey friends! As most of you know, this has by far been the hardest, most stressful semester of my life. Balancing student teaching, pageant practices, pageant, lesson plans, going to bed "early" (like midnight) and waking up at 6, applying and fundraising for a trip to Haiti, and still maintaining life as a college younglife leader, an exec cab member, a friend, and a girlfriend, was very hard.

I think I added a lot of the difficulty myself when I decided to rely on my own strength to get me through each day, each fundraising attempt, each practice. Often times, I would think about spending time with God and praying for strength and provision, and often times, I would neglect those thoughts and pretend they never crossed my mind. Why?, you might ask.. the answer is, I really don't know. Maybe it's my hard-headed stubbornness in telling myself that I could do it on my own. Maybe it was relying on my roommates, friends, and Coley, to provide the encouragement and strength for me, (let's be real, Coley is great, but he's nowhere near as GREAT as God is.) Maybe I just really didn't think God could handle my life, as crazy, as it was.. Either way, I didn't want God's help, plain and simple.

Regardless, I made it. Pageant was a huge success, I got great reviews all through student teaching, I raised all my funds for Haiti, and I still have strong relationships. However... that wasn't on my own strength. No human has enough strength physically, mentally, or emotionally, to deal with the kind of semester I had. (I feel like a lot of nursing majors get me on that one.) Thus leading me to where I am now... God is faithful. God is strong. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we could ask or imagine. (Eph. 3:20) And He is capable of doing all of these things, while we remain completely faithless. Pretty neat, right?

So, continuing on this notion of faith, tomorrow, I leave the country. For the first time ever in my life. I'm going to Haiti on God's call to love some precious orphan boys, and give them an amazing Christmas gift, a room to stay in. I'm completely fearful of the unknown, and of the culture shock, but completely overjoyed that God has chosen me, who had no faith in Him all semester long, to put my trust in Him now and go. It's a really neat thing God has done. I'm thankful for promises in His word, such as Joshua 1:9: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. For the Lord, your God is with you, wherever you go. " He is faithful.

On Saturday, I spent time at FBC Allen's Christmas Celebration, where Pastor Chad meditated on one word: Emmanuel, and just with one name, Emmanuel, translated "God with us," I am reminded that God is always with me. He was with me all semester, when I was faithless, He will be with me on the airplanes tomorrow, when I am afraid, He will be with me the ENTIRE week in Haiti, and He will be with me when I return. You see, that's the really cool thing about God, "surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:20. It was neat for me, getting to hear that Saturday, being in the midst of nerves and fear about this trip, and I say, yet again, God is faithful.

So, as I prepare for this trip, and as I am on the mission field, I ask that you just pray a few simple prayers throughout the week. Prayers for safety, prayers for strength, and prayers for God to remind me that no matter where I am, He is with me.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 says, "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you."

My prayer for you today, is that you are reminded that He is always with you.

we're already halfway..

I mean seriously, why is time going by so fast? 6 weeks left in this semester, really? It's been absolutely nuts in my life this semester. Between waking up at 6 everyday, student teaching, Miss MHB Pageant practices 3 nights a week, being a College YL leader, going to bed at midnight, and attempting to still have a social life.. life is hard, but nonetheless, it's amazing. I spent 8 weeks with AMAZING 4th graders and I miss them so SO much every single day. Now I have precious little 2nd graders, who are so stinkin' cute, but just a little more needy. God has taught me that I have a love and a passion for children of all ages, but my heart is really with kids in like 4-8 grade, which is funny cause my degree is in PreK-6. Nevertheless, i love being a teacher and I am excited for the day that I get to have my own classroom! I've been sick quite a bit, which I've heard is normal for student teachers and 1st year teachers..so feel free to pray for that! :) Pageant is really great. I spent last week really stressing out WAY too much about it.. and I'm determined to make the rest of it fun and exciting :)

And here's the biggest news in my life right now:
I'm going to Haiti in December! :) I've been given the opportunity to go to Haiti for a week and serve in an orphanage in Guibert (pronounced Gee-bear with a hard g). We will be completing a new wing on the orphanage where 14 orphan boys will get a new home for Christmas, and participating in the wedding of the "house mom" of the orphanage! All while just simply loving the broken nation that Haiti is and proclaiming the name of Jesus. I am so absolutely excited! If you want more information on my trip, how you can pray, or how you can help get me there financially, please ask! :D

Love you :)

for those of you who wanted to see my new apartment..

Hello! Sorry it's taken me a while to post these pictures! Honestly, my apartment hasn't been clean enough for pictures since I moved in, ha.

Here we go! :)

This is my room! Thanks bestie Amanda for the zebra! :)
This is our laundry room (yes, in our apartment. lucky, i know) and my bedroom door.

our lovely kitchen!

our living room is a tad small, but we get by. The curtains and our cute little initials aren't up yet.. still a work in progress :)

and my bathroom! I LOVE having my very own bathroom!

and my super great walk-in closet!

and that's the end of the tour! Hope y'all enjoyed!

Student teaching is going well, love my kiddos and their craziness, but I'm exhausted! I'm slowly getting used to the loooong days. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement, really helps me get through the weeks! Love you guys.

When did I grow up?!

So, about a month ago, I tried to update y'all on Preteen Camp, but my internet was being crazy and wouldn't let me, :/ and since it's been SO long since that happened, I'm not going to go into it. Still the best week of my summer, hands down.

Anyways, I'm back to Belton, for my SENIOR year. Excuse me, WHAT?! I still have to remind myself that I really am 21 years old, and a SENIOR in COLLEGE. It just doesn't seem right. I'm so excited to be back, but this semester isn't the same. It's actually kind of a sad story right now. For those of you that don't know, I'm student teaching, (again, I have to remind myself that I'm old enough to do that.) at Lakewood Elementary School. This week has been crazy! I've been at Teacher Inservice meetings, Convocation, Lesson planning, classroom decorating, and even Meet the Teacher Night! Yep, my very first, Ever!! :) While that's all really exciting and I am learning SO SOOO much more than I could've ever prepared myself for, I'm missing Welcome Week at UMHB, and it makes my heart sad. I know I have to "grow up" and stuff, but I don't like it.

Okay, enough pity party.. I am excited for the school year! My 4th graders are precious and I can't wait to get to know them! OH! and more exciting news! My kiddos are the lucky bunch that get to use IPADS for everything in English class! It's going to be such an exciting adventure teaching on Ipads! I am excited!

My roommates, (Jill, Audrey, Whitney) and I moved into our BRAND SPANKIN' NEW apartment this weekend, it's great! We all have our own bedroom and bathroom, but still get the fun of living together. Although I haven't seen much of them, yet, I know we're going to have a good year!

I've had some really, and I mean really great conversations with other YL leaders about what this year holds, and it's super exciting as well! I love that ministry, and I can't wait to kick it off again!

and lastly, Miss MHB Pageant practice starts in September. I finally got my dress and almost nailed down a talent. Platform speech is next on the agenda. It's going to be stressful with student teaching and everything, but I know it will be well worth it!

I think that's all I've got.
Love Jesus, Love life, be blessed :)

b.l.e.s.s.e.d.

I can't believe that I haven't blogged since VBS. I'm such a slacker. So here is what I've been up to:

1. Missions Camp with grades 1-6 at Camp Copass in Denton.

This camp was a weekend devoted to teaching children how to live with a servant's heart. The kids did activities that will help our community in the near future, and learned how they could do simple things for the good of God's kingdom. We also studied international missions and missions across the US. My girls were grades 5-6 and I loved them, so much :)

2. Celebrate Freedom-Chris Tomlin

This was the day we got back from Missions Camp, and it seemed as though all my plans to go to it were ruined. Needless to say, I was bummed. I mean, who doesn't wanna go worship with Chris Tomlin and thousands of other people to celebrate the freedom we have in our country and in Christ? Well, God knew that I really wanted to go, and He found a way to make it possible, with one of my best friends, Brooke. PLUS! We go VIP passes so we got to be super close! IT WAS AWESOME.

3. Various Children's Ministry Events:

Including, but not limited to: Bible study, teaching Sunday school, going to Main Event, Amazing Jake's, and Splash day at the park. MY JOB ROCKS, just in case anyone was wondering how it was going. It's incredible.

4. Roadtrip to Houston:

July 4th weekend, I took a roadtrip with Taylor down to Houston to spend the weekend with our boys :) It was great! I LOVED getting to meet more of Coley's family and getting hang out with our besties all weeked :) I'm so so thankful for him, and for the friendship we have in Adam and Taylor! :)

Well, that's most of my summer in a nutshell! I just got back from one of the greatest weeks ever at Preteen Camp oh eleven, but if I added that to this blog, it'd be blog overload, so I PROMISE I'll update about that in the next few days! :)

Love y'all :)

lovin' my busy life

AH! i've been SO SO terrible at blogging lately! and I honestly don't have time to right now because I never stop being busy, but I promise within the next week I'll update you all on EVERYTHING!! :D love love love.

Y-E-S to V-B-S!

Hey friends!! So it's Friday night of VBS week (aka: the end) and boy am I exhausted.

However, the exhaustion I'm feeling is nothing compared to the JOY I'm feeling. I have just come to absolutely adore VBS, the children's ministry, XA Camp, our youth ministry, our church as a whole this past week. I got to be a part of something bigger than this world for the 4th year in a row, but this year was by far the best. My 4th graders were so wonderful and so many of them have the most innocent, loving hearts full of Jesus I have ever seen. I love VBS because I always get so much out of it. It's going back to the basics, everyone sins, that sin separates us from God, and in order to be in the right place with God and get to Heaven, we accept Jesus as Lord, repent from our sins, and tell other people about Jesus.. it's simple, really. One thing I have always struggled with is being comfortable to share Christ with others, but this week changed that. On Wednesday, I taught on the ABC's of becoming a Christian, and yesterday and today, I got the opportunity to sit down with a 4th grade boy and really see his heart change into a heart for the Lord, praise Jesus for another friend in Heaven! :) and as of Thursday, 20 more children were added to His Kingdom.

There was also XA Camp this week. It's "VBS" for the 6th graders. Kind of like a transition into the youth group. I got to hang out with all the girls I went to GA Camp with last year and it was SO fun reconnecting with them! I've also met a lot of our current youth girls and I'm getting to hang out with them a bunch, talking about college and boyfriends, you know, the works :) I'm so SO beyond thankful that I have the opportunity to be interning at FBC this summer. It's already changing my life SO much. Next up is Missions Camp for grades 1-6 next weekend! I can't wait!

love <3

You put the light in me.

'Cause in Your perfection, I'm just a reflection,

So pull me closer to You,

I catch like a fire, and I'll hold You higher,

You put the light in me.

The spark, the shot to the heart,

You are the hope that leads me out of the dark,

You let Your love shine down, so that the world could see,

You put the light in me."

I heard this song on the radio today, instant favorite. It's called "The Light in Me" by Brandon Heath. I swear I'm going to need to get his CD sometime soon.

Anyways, the song inspired me. It made me think back to before I was saved, before I knew Christ, and where I could've been without Him. It was a time of darkness. A life before it is saved is a live overshadowed by sin. Isn't it an amazing thing knowing that my God, OUR God, the Creator of the universe had (and still has) a plan for everyone of us? He had a plan for the day He would reveal Himself to us, a plan for the day His spirit would consume us and live inside of us.

And now we flash forward to the present, and here I am, saved, forgiven, and washed clean. I'm a sinner, unworthy of His love and grace, but He died for me, taking my sins (ALL of our sins) on the cross, and rose again, so that we could be forgiven and set free. Now it's my turn, our turn, to be something beautiful, to be the light. "The light" is the light that He put in me. I am commanded to be the light to others, especially in dark times, to live a life according to the Word of God, and show the world that Jesus is Lord. So, as I've been challenged by this song's message, I encourage you to listen to it, (click here) and be challenged in the same way.

there's my thought for the day, I'll leave you with this:

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they will see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven." -Matthew 5:16

"In Him was life, and that life was the light of mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." -John 1:4-5''

Now, go be the light! :)

wedding fun!

so this weekend, I went to my very first wedding for some friends my own age: Brittany and Chris. As scary as it is that people my age are getting married, these two were made for eachother. It was an absolutely beautiful fairytale wedding, and Britt was the prettiest little bride i've ever seen. Their reception was just like a dance party with all of our favorite friends from school. Everyone was so happy, it was wonderful :) Coley got to come visit for the weekend too, which made me really really happy. summer's tough being 250 miles apart.

in other news, I got my calendar for my summer job, and im already feeling blessed by it! I get to do the funnest things, like the rodeo, rollerskating, waterparks, arcades, VBS, camps, and SO much more!! :) I can't wait to start work! :)

happiness.

if you havent looked at that little things blog, yet.. GO NOW.

it brings me happieness, and i know it will bring you happiness, too!

and it's summer..

I'm getting kinda sick of this whole "time flying by" thing.. I never believed it when people told me that it happens, and now.. i do. It's scary and exciting, a bittersweet deal. I can't believe my Junior year, the best year, of COLLEGE is over, DONE. I'M A SENIOR, OH MY GOSH. it kinda freaks me out. okay, really freaks me out.

let me do a quick reflection on the year for ya:

-first time in college being single
-moved into an APARTMENT...finally!
-met SO SO many new people
-tried two stepping...fell in LOVE with it (went almost every week)
-played lots of sand volleyball
-won FIRST place family at Welcome Week
-got plugged into a church, finally!
-did pageant steering committee (reception committee head)
-met MORE new people
-went to lots of fun concerts
-got a 3.7 gpa in the fall (made Dean's List)
-planned and helped out at a lot of awesome CAB events
-Earned the honor of being chosen for Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities.. SO blessed!
-Became a College Younglife leader, best decision ever.
-went to Destin, Florida for Spring Break and had the time of my life.
-Was on Cru Knights steering committee (awards/judges committee head)
-Junior Class Stunt Night co-director (we won!)
-found a new love for bowling
-I turned 21!
-Got a new boyfriend that loves the Lord with all of his heart, such a blessing.
-and somehow, by God's strength managed to get a 4.0 in the hardest semester of my life, Praise Him!

It was, in ALL honesty, the BEST year of college yet! I'm so thankful for every one of my friends that helped make it that. I can't wait to see how God uses me this summer in my internship, and I already have so many fun things to look forward to next year, my SENIOR year!

-I was asked to be in the Miss MHB pageant this fall
-CAB events
-STUDENT TEACHING!!!!! (4th and 2nd grade)
-Crusader Knights 2012 assistant director

Eep! So exciting! :) God is so SO good to me, and I am SO thankful.

the heart of life is good

Hey friends!

So, I'm getting better at this whole "blogging" thing again.. maybe because i have time now, ha.

This weekend was so joyful! :) I spent the weekend with one of my best friends, Brooke! She lives in Deep Ellum, kind of a rough part of downtown Dallas... an experience for sure! I am just so so blessed by her friendship! It was a spiritually refreshing weekend with her, so thankful for that!

I've finished 3 of my 4 classes.. all A's so far! :) last final tomorrow morning, fingers crossed!
Graduation is on Saturday, sad to see some of my friends leave UMHB, but nonetheless so excited for where God leads each of them! It's scary that my friends are graduating and getting married and stuff.. but its REALLY scare that in one year, ONE YEAR i will be graduating college.. WHEN THE HECK DID I GET SO OLD?!

I don't really have much else to tell you, other than life is so great right now! I am so so so blessed and just simply overwhelmed with joy right now. I seriously have the best friends, boyfriend, and family a girl could ask for, and if i could stay in this exact moment forever, i'd be alright. :) God is so unbelievably faithful, and so good to me.



SIDENOTE:

My sweet friend Nicki posted about this little blog. It's called the Little Things, and it has a list of all of life's little things that we should enjoy,

such as this one (which I happen to LOVE)

Check it out! Click here :)

oh the busyness..

sorry i haven't posted in FOREVER... life got real crazy, real quick after spring break.

So, let me catch you up, like always:

1. SpringBreakOhEleven. BESTWEEKOFMYLIFE. I went to Destin, with Younglife :) it was awesome! Lots of crazy fun memories, and lots of God's presence, sooooo amazing! :D I am so thankful for every person that went on that trip. AMAZING.

2. StuntNight- so this year, I took on the role of junior class co-director with Mr. Chris Whitehead. For those of you who know nothing about Stunt Night, it's a night where each class gets to put on a 20 minute performance (dance, video, skit) relating to a central theme. This years theme was video games, and juniors had action games, so naturally, we went the zombie route. Long story short, we won, and it was incredible. Such a wonderful process, and wonderful people.

3. I turned 21! This is a picture from my birthday, with my best friend. I got to celebrate with my roomies and my co-YL leader Jen, and some other friends. It was a happy happy day! :)

4. So, since i kinda introduced you to a "neat guy" in my last post, let me explain. I have a new boyfriend :) His name is Coley and he's super great. He challenges me to be more like Christ, everyday :)This is a picture of us at formal. I don't really wanna get all sappy on here, but Spring Formal was one of the best nights ever. We got to dance and hang out with all of our best friends, and it was just great.

Oh, P.S.. He's playing the role of Jesus in Easter Pageant next year.. yeah, I'm a proud girlfriend :)

5. I got an internship at FBC Allen for the summer as a Children's Ministy intern, and I am super pumped about it! I get to hang out with kids and tell them about Jesus all summer.. two of my favorite things, combined! :) I had so much fun hangin out with those kids last summer, so I can't wait to see what God has in store!

So, that's the main points... but school has kinda consumed 75% of my life lately (which is pretty normal, i guess..not like i'm in college or something) but i can see the light! I have my finals next week, and then life will be super great! Yesterday was my last day at Raye-Allen with my sweet first graders and my incredible mentor teacher, I was so sad to leave them. I'm student teaching in the fall, that's extra scary.. I'm graduating in a year, that's even more scary. I'm not quite sure how i feel about this "growing up" thing, but I guess I should start getting used to it...

:) love.

2 more days! :)

So, i'm terrible at blogging this semester... so busy, but i am loving it.

The past weekend was just wonderful. I went to Ft. Worth and visited some of my best friends from high school at TCU (gofrogs!) I got to just lay around the house and watch cake shows, say yes to the dress, and those wonderful wedding videos online that Nicki got me addicted to, ALL night on Friday. We were being such girls and it was so fun. :) I'm so blessed to still have great friendships with people from highschool.

Saturday we went shopping.. it's become an addiction.. and it's really bad for my wallet. but then I got to go to a pretty cool worship thing at a dnow and see a pretty neat guy. it was great. :) The band was The Chris Allen Band.. youtube them, they're great.

Sunday night we had our meeting about SPRiNG BREAK '11. to say i'm excited would be an understatement. it was crazy, unstructured, and scatter brained.. but it wouldn't be YL if it wasn't :)

This week has been extra stress in the 5102.. lots of midterms, lots of nursing tests for my roomies, accidentally missing class, applications out the wazoo, stunt night practices, cab events, it's just been one of those weeks. I made some pretty papers with Bible verses on them to put on our door so we see them every time we walk out and calm down a bit :) it's lovely.

I'm just so glad that I only have to survive 2 more days, then I'm peacin' outta Texas and hitting the beach! :) LIFE IS GOOD.

Ps.. current song obsession: This is the Stuff-Francesca Battistelli (look it up!)

YOU are stronger.

Hello friendsies :)

SO the past week of my life was completely consumed with Crusader Knights. No complaints, it was absolutely worth every minute. :) I cannot even put into words how absolutely amazing it was, and it just warms my heart everytime i think about it. just beautiful :)

I keep saying Thursday was the best night I've had in college, but I feel like I've said that a lot lately. Needless to say, life is good :)

Everyone keeps saying "aren't you glad you get some of your life back now?".. welp, Stunt Night practices started tonight, and I'm directing the Jr. Class.. therefore life=not back. :)

God is really working in my life and teaching me how to follow Him, and His plan instead of asking Him to accept and bless my plans. He's also teaching me to rely on Him for things as simple as my basic needs, like housing for next year (the dreaded housing process is next week).

It's tough to fully let go and let God do work in my life, but He is stronger, SO much stronger.

I borrowed the Jeff Johnson CD from Jen, and I have listened to it non-stop. Obsessed. and BEYOND glad that Jeff Johnson is coming to lead worship at UMHB's Revival this year! :)

I'm just simply loving life right now, through its busyness and its struggles, somehow I have found peace and joy, and its wonderful.

it's cold outside.

yep, Today is Wednesday.. and class is cancelled. UMHB is like in this funky stage of cancelling class on Wednesdays.. (totes not their fault).

but anyways, I have a story for you.

I got up at 6:15 this morning, like normal, got ready for class, had breakfast and Jesus time, scraped the ice off my car in the 19 degree weather, and went to class at Raye-Allen Elementary, which usually takes about 10-15 minutes. At this point, the roads were fine, but I had a feeling they'd get worse. While I was giving on of my first graders a math benchmark test, another intern came in the room and said her teacher told her to get home. Therefore, my teacher kicked me out cause she wanted me safe. The walk to our cars was comical, we all kept slipping in the parking lot. We all scraped the ice off of our cars, sliding in the process, and as I was about to leave, I noticed all the precip that landed on my windsheild while I was scraping my classmates' cars, froze.. so I had to rescrape mine. So in the process of getting out of the car, I slipped on the ice, and fell.. hard. I twisted my ankle, it hurts, but its part of life.. and as clumsy as I am, I'm used to it. So after that embarrassing moment, I had to drive back...which is the point of my story.

I texted a few friends before I left Raye-Allen, so someone knew I was on the roads in case anything happened. I love the support I have from the people at UMHB. No one EVER neglects a prayer request and I'm so thankful for that. I'm especially thankful for those who prayed for me and the rest of my classmates this morning. I am always amazed by God's power. :) The drive took me at least 30 minutes. It was the scariest drive I've ever made, my tires were slipping everywhere, and I saw flipped and wrecked cars around me, but I knew I had God's protection over me. I made it back safely and got to take a nap, somewhat. But I got up to call work to see if I still needed to come in.. I do, unfortunately, so there was no point in going back to sleep. I'm a little nervie about going to work, but I'll be okay.. God is good.

Monday night, these really cool guys came to UMHB to show their documentary called "Beware of Christians." They did something awesome a few summers ago and are showing the world. It was incredible! If you go to UMHB and didn't get to go, I bought their dvd, so we can watch it sometime! but if you don't go to UMHB, I encourage you to watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2-5Yjy6UAA

It's the trailer for their movie. You can book them to come to an event for you or order their movie online at www.bewareofchristians.com
It's worth your time, I promise!

Stay warm people!

happy life :)

So this week was anything but normal, to say the least..

My drive home on Sunday was alright, til "I Hope You Dance" came on the radio, and I started crying like a little baby.. Idk what it was, I never cry in songs.. I guess just realizing how much I'm chasing my dream and how God has worked everything out in my favor kinda got to me. I'm growing up so fast, and it scares the crud outta me.

Monday and Tuesday were pretty normal, besides the fact that i had 8 hours of sleep, TOTAL between sunday and monday nights. 13 total if you add Tuesday night.. welcome to my life.

Wednesday, there were rolling blackouts all over TX.. made for a real whacky Wednesday, UMHB cancelled class, after I already finished my class, but such is life. The rest of the night was chick flick night with the roomies, and it was wonderful. :)

Yesterday was a good day at work :) (The picture is me and little Savannah, she reminds me of the beauty of life, everyday.) Me and the kiddos did a "snow dance" because we wanted it to snow realllyyy bad! and lo and behold, Last night, it SNOWED! :)

Jill and Ben and I went to the basketball game, watched the guys annihilate HPU, then drove to walmart.. in my Mazda. I've never driven in snow before until last night, and I have to say I'm SOO proud of myself. :) We were greeted back at campus by a huge group of friends in the parking lot of the apartment complex, so we parked and joined in on the snow day riot! It was quite possibly one of my favorite times I've had here at umhb. There are a few (okay, a lot of) things in this world that make me turn 5 again, snow is definitely one of them.

Today, we all woke up around noon, since UMHB cancelled school and I didn't have to work, and Jill, Audrey, and I went to lunch and Hobby Lobby. I have so much fun with them! Now, we're catchin up on cleaning and jammin' out to some fun music :) Life has been so wonderful lately, I love my roomies SO much :)

God is doing HUGE things in my life, and I'm so so sooo thankful for that. I've finally let go, and I'm letting Him take care of me. It's amazing. SO MUCH JOY

it's been a while

...so 23 days without blogging. Not normal.

Let me fill you in on my life.

-Classes are great, I have class 3 days a week with a wonderful classroom of first graders from 7:45 AM to noon.. learning how to be a morning person. && I finished my application for student teaching.. feelin old!
-I work 5 days a week with 20 first graders. they keep me on my toes, for sure. The past week was crazy because so many teachers and kiddos were out sick.. my class had the flu, strep, ear infections, stomach viruses, and LICE.. my first encounter with the nastiness of lice. Needless to say, I got lice shampoo that night and washed my hair with it.. better safe than sorry, right? prayers for my immune system, please :)
-Crusader Knights is coming up, faster than I'd like.. but it's been a BLAST watching the guys practice, and watchin the whole thing come together. I love it, so much!
-My roommates are simply wonderful. we've had lots of bonding time, and i love it. never a dull moment in the 5102 :)
-Our first CAB event was this week.. It rocked, literally. So proud of my CABbers for planning it two days before it happened!
-College YL retreat was amazing. We really bonded as a team and i love my YL family. Our first club is this week... tomorrow, in fact. I'm stoked. :) it's such a blessing.
-I'm now a co-director for the junior class's piece for Stunt Night '11.. just another thing to add to the list, busy busy busy.
-I've made new friends, and hung out with tons of people, going bowling, dancing, to movies, birthdays, etc. havin' the time of my life.
-I'm home for the weekend because of a wedding I went to tonight. I love weddings, SO SO fun and SO happy. I just love them. I love home, I love my family. Went shopping allll day today with mom for teacher clothes/shoes.. scary that it's legit my wardrobe now.. i'm really getting old.

so basically, I'm just lovin' life, and staying way in over my head with busyness. :)

Belton!

And I'm back. unloaded, unpacked, and settled in. I got a new roommate!--- Jill! She's one of my closest friends here, so needless to say, I'm excited! :) It sure is great to be back! And the best part? God's already teaching me more than I could imagine. It's looking like it's going to be an incredible semester!

Today is my "catch up" day. Pay for classes, get books, groceries, etc. I hate these days, but they're productive, so they're worth it. It's going to be 72 degrees today too! Just perfect weather.

Missin my family and besties, but i'll see them soon.

Spring'11 here we come.

two more days

So, I just got home from a wonderful night with my high school friends :) It was just like old times, almost. Still not quite the same. Love them, but I'm missin the crud outta Belton. There's just an atmosphere of love there. I feel like I belong.. it's home. and I'm dying to go back. I'll be back Thursday, finally, and I know as soon as I get there, I'll be missing Allen. I guess that's part of life, I'll make it through.

Anyways, just wanted to lay that out there.. :)

TwoOhDoubleOne.

Today, a friend asked me to "describe 2010 in less than 10 words." Well, that was easy for me, as I only needed one word: Change. My 2010 can be completely described by the word change. Granted most of this change started in May, but it was all nonetheless life changing. I broke up with Matt, lost friends, met tons of people, made new friends, added a minor, changed classes at work, went to camp as a counselor for a week, became a leader of CAB, became a CollegeLife (YL) leader, helped out with pageant, and tried SO many other new things! Looking at my life a year ago, I can't believe how different I am. 2010 was a year of heartbreak, success, laughter, pain, joy, failure, mistakes, growth, fun and most importantly, finding myself and my faith. 2010 might have been the most up and down year of my life, but it sure has been one of the best.

My friend later asked me "If I asked you the same question in a year, how would you want to answer." That was a little tougher for me. I replied that I'd like to answer that it was a year of growth...in a lot of different ways. Obviously, I'd like to grow spiritually, falling deeper in love with my Savior, but I'd also like it to be a year of personal growth and continuing to find myself. I'd like to see myself have motivation for things I've never had motivation for and to pursue those wholeheartedly, I'd like to see myself focus more on strengthening relationships that I already have created, instead of having a large number of "acquaintances," I'd like to see myself, in a sense, stop trying to please everybody, or be accepted by those that don't want to accept me. God has a reason for everything, and I'm so absolutely excited to see what kinds of opportunities He puts in front of me in 2011.

So there's my cliche "new year" post! :) I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday! :)