God is good, all the time.

This is a picture from the house we worked on in Salado. :) and in my last post, I left you stating that I was really learning how to serve, or at least desiring to have the heart of a servant. Since then, I have heard two sermons on service and generosity. One was on Wednesday night at FOCUS (which is my FAVORITE part of the week!) and one was Sunday at TBC :) I just love when God places exactly what you need to hear, right in front of you! He is so good.

Here's the run-down on the rest of my life..

Family weekend was wonderful, I love my family and I miss them SO much! Cowboys won the game vs. the Texans! UMHB is still undefeated. Rangers clinched the AL West, and My daddy is the BEST and got me a ticket to the TEXAS RANGERS PLAYOFF GAME! i'm SO pumped. I skyped with Jennifer, and finally got to see baby Alexis..can't wait to go home and take her to the zoo! I'm continuing to meet new people and make new friends! It's officially fall here.. and I'm not sure I'm okay with the morning/evening temps, but the afternoon is wonderful. There is a dreaded stomach bug going around work right now, prayers that I stay healthy, please! Miss MHB Pageant practices officially kicked off tonight, and I'm so blessed to be involved! Classes...(i guess since i'm in college and all, i should say something about them) they're hard. It's already been a tough semester, but God is good, and I'm surviving.

welp, that's all for now!

love. :)

learning to serve

Hello friends!! :)

it's currently 3:38 AM and I can't sleep. I guess that's what I get for not having class til 3 Monday and getting to sleep in! haha

so anyways, I'm real excited about what God has placed on my heart lately! I am learning how to serve. and by that, I mean really serving, wholeheartedly, without complaint, and serving for the Lord. Matthew 25 talks about this beginning in verse 35.

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you visited me." The righteous then ask Jesus when they saw and did all of this. He answers, "As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."

I got an amazing opportunity to serve on Saturday. With all of the recent flooding, there were many houses in the area that were damaged beyond repair. One in particular, was the house of an important man on our campus. I was so thrilled to get the opportunity to serve there for a few hours. We spent our time gutting the house. Ripping up tiles and linoleum, pulling nails out of the wood structure, knocking down sheetrock and showers, etc. It was hard work, but absolutely worth every second. I later found out it was the house of one of the freshman girls that I have become friends with. That in itself made it all the more worth it. As I swept the floors, I thought of this family, and I thought of how quickly life can change. I felt for them. I felt incredibly blessed by where I was raised, and I was completely humbled. I noticed something in their window. It was a fencepost carved into the shape of an angel, with Philippians 4:13 written on it...AMAZING. I saw God working there, through us, and through the flood devastation.

I have been trying to think of practical ways to serve those around me. Such as an encouraging word, or note, or just listening. And I get so much fulfillment out of it all! If I can make one person's day, it's totally worth it.

In other news, I spent my evening at the JV football game, getting drenched in the rain and freezing with some of the new CAB girls, and had a BLAST! I enjoyed seeing the guys play, too!(they won!) I bought a new umbrella at walmart during the 2nd quarter :) I'm real excited about that! I've gotten to hang out with a lot of my girl friends lately and I'm in the process of catching up with one! :) It's super exciting! I miss home more and more everyday, but I FINALLY get to see my parents (and linds) this weekend! :) I couldn't be more excited!!! :D it's going to be wonderful!!!

anyways, I think I should probably go to sleep now. I love yall!

in FULL swing.

Welp, I knew it had to happen eventually.... I officially have more homework than I know how to handle, and my first test this week, which means my semester is finally in full swing. I'm doing my best to not get overwhelmed and to take it project by project, but that is a challenging thing to do. I'm exhausted and busier than ever on top of my homework, but somehow, I feel at peace. Our God is just so great like that, He knows what's going on and gives peace to the restless.

God has really worked in my lafe lately and I'm learning so much. This weekend was CLC (Crusader Leadership Conference). It seemed like everyone and their mom from UMHB was there! Such an amazing group of people and so much fun! I took time to get to know a lot of new people and take my mind off of school for a day, it was great! I'm getting closer with girls that I've wanted to be close with for a year or so now, and it's wonderful. I love the community of this place! I loved meeting all of our new CABbers and getting to know them personally. I'm pumped for this year in CAB! I can feel it being amazing! Friday night, I laid out on the log benches by the campfire and just stared at the stars. SO BEAUTIFUL! I love getting to take time to stop and be in awe of God's creation, I had one of those "stop and tell yourself this is reality" moments. It was a great weekend full of learning how to be servant leaders and be effective leaders!

One thing that's been on my mind lately is a few lines from a song called "More like Falling in Love" by Jason Gray

"It ought to be more like falling in love, than something to believe in.

More like losing my heart, than giving my allegiance."

The first time I heard this song, I loved it. I love these lines because they are so true. Our relationship with Christ isn't just believing in Him, its falling in love with Him. It's not just saying we're Christians, it's losing our hearts to Him, living like Him. It's dying to ourselves and living for him. That's what the sermon at TBC this morning was over, too: dying to ourselves, and surrendering. It was so perfect for me to hear because I've been really trying to dig deep and follow that lately.

I know I say it in every post, but life is so sweet right now, but its a bitter sweetness. I miss my parents, lindsey, amanda, and sarah, SO much. && I miss Jen and my girls, SO much, even though I'm having the time of my life. Tonight, I'm going to enjoy some Cowboys football, already got my #9 on :) and the rangers beat, sorry, SWEPT the yankees this weekend! I'm stoked. I could use your prayers this week, it's going to be insane. I know I'll make it though.

life is so sweet!

Since my last post, I've had the best weekend!! :)

I went to TWO crusader soccer games, and we won BOTH! Super exciting! I went to the new local coffee shop, Bodega Bean, for UMHB night and got to watch some of my closest friends perform, they were all so good! We watched the UT football game at the sports bar&grill in Temple. I learned how to overhand serve in volleyball (thanks to my roomie, whitney!) I went to the lake with Whit and Michael and we went cliff jumping! It was me and Whit's first time! Then we went swimming for a while. OH! and Whitney and I got our fishies! Last night, I went to the Casey Donahew Band concert with a bunch of awesome friends(whit, britt, michael, brandon, skarpa, and more!) It was more fun than I could've imagined! Afterwards we went to Whataburger (of course!) and then watched a moviee! We also watched a movie on Friday night, that makes 2! and they were my 2 favorites! I'm a lucky girl!

It's the only long weekend I've ever stayed on campus for, and I loved it! I even got to skype Sarah and Kristen, and Jennifer! :) So glad to see their beautiful faces again! :) I can't wait to have dinner with my brother this week and go dancing again on Thursday! Now I'm going to study with whitneyy and the 2 coolest freshmen at UMHB! (JD and Brandon)

-EDIT-

We went to dinner and to the Weigh Station! If you haven't been there yet, GO! I love frozen yogurt!!! and I got to feed my adventurous side and go exploring at the beautiful creek in downtown, and see the beautiful sunset! :) What a way to end the weekend! :)

I'm not sure life can get much sweeter than this... God is SO good! :)

Feels Like Home

"Be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" -1 Thessalonians 5:16

Love, love, love this verse! I know it's easier said than done, but it's the verse I try to live by. The verse kind of spoke to me as I collected memories of my life. There were times when life was so dark, times when I had nowhere to go, and times when I wasn't thankful. But the love of Christ has set me free. His power is what calmed the last big storm in my life, and His power is what healed me. As I came back to school, I had hoped that I would meet people, and would have so much fun! His plans WAY exceeded my expectations for this semester!


So, here is what I have realized: I feel like a freshman.

Let me explain:


I spent the last two years of college not getting involoved, not meeting as many people as I can, not hanging out when I really want to, and not trying new things. This semester, I've already met more people than I can count, hung out with people I never though I would get to, gone to the lake, went dancing, played at the water park, watched countless movies, saw a soccer game (and Hailey!), played volleyball nearly every night, and have had more fun than I know what to do with!

I'm also getting super involved! I'm one of three executive members of Campus Activities Board, I'm a committee head for part of Miss MHB pageant, I'm going to Bible studies and FOCUS, I'm supporting the sports teams, and I'm loving every second of being super busy!


I finally feel like UMHB is home. I come into my apartment (i'll post pics later) and see my roommates, and I feel like I'm home. I go to my meetings, events, games, etc., and it feels like home. I walk into a building and talk to people I've just become friends with, and I feel at home. We cook and eat meals together, and it feels like home. Life is just so sweet! Sometimes, I have to stop and tell myself that this is reality.


Don't get me wrong, it hasn't been easy. Life has thrown plenty of curveballs lately, but I'm surviving, happily. Even though I miss my family, and Jen and the girls, and Sarah and Amanda, I know they'll be waiting with open arms when I go back to Allen. Life's not the same out here, but I finally feel like I can call UMHB, home. I love this place.


Welp, that's all I got today!

love you :)

becoming family

The past week taught me a lot about becoming a family, and THIS is what a FIRST PLACE FAMILY looks like :)
The week was filled with trying to impress the steering committee and get money so we could claim the title, but it was SO MUCH MORE than that. We didn't care if we won. We knew we were a "first place family" all week. We ate together, went to the lake, worshipped together, prayed together, played together, and just hung out together. We bonded on so many different levels, and learned so much about each other. Each person in this group knows my testimony, knows where I've come from, and most importantly, knows who I am now.


I am so blessed to have gotten the opportunity to be invested in the lives of these freshmen!
We worked hard at our service project on Saturday and saw servants of God shining through all the freshly cleaned kennels and dishes at the animal shelter, and I know the people that we worked for did too. I cried through the dubbing video, knowing that my new family was officially becoming part of "our family" at UMHB! I am so proud of these young men and women and I am so blessed by each of them. We won every game at rec time, and won with class at that. I was proud of the way they handled adversity and had so much fun in the process.


Michael and Brittney, the AMAZING "parents" of this family. I couldn't have imagined a better team than the team the 3 of us made. How lucky am I to have gotten to share this week with my bestfriend? I feel like throughout this week, our friendship has just strengthened, and I love it. I am so glad I got to serve these freshmen with two people as incredible as Michael and Brittney are. I feel so blessed just being friends with them, let alone spending the entire week investing in the lives of freshmen with them? wow, I'm a lucky girl.

WW2010 was by far, one of the greatest weeks of my life. My eyes were opened to so many new things, and I am SO excited to see how God uses each and every one of these freshmen in the next 4 years! and I am so excited to see how close our family stays through Bible studies, dinners, and family reunions! I'm still so sad WW is over! it was such a blessing! :)

Becoming the Branch of the Vine.

"Already you are clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine and you are the branches, Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." -John 15:1-5

This verse has been shown to me 3 different times this week. I truly feel God speaking it to me and I am so excited to work towards becoming it.

Tuesday night at worship for training, Miles read it out and talked about it in a way of leadership. He was referring to us welcome week staffers being leaders for the freshmen and becoming the branches of the vine to reach out and create more branches.
Then yesterday, I was reading my new book, "When God Writes your Love Story" (it's excellent!) and the verse was shown again. Revealing to me that unless I give that aspect of my life completely up to God, I cannot do anything with it. My plan will never work, only His will.
and finally, today, our speaker brought it up again. He talked about it in a way I had never heard before. He related it to being a Christian in college. He gave ways to do this and I was so encouraged. I am really understanding God lately, and I'm loving every minute of it! I am so ready to become the branch that bears so much fruit! :)

on another note.... WELCOME WEEK!!!!!! AH! i just can't get enough of it! :) I am having SOOOO much fun, it's crazy! I love our family! I love Michael and Brittney, and I love our freshies! :) We are such an awesome family! and I am loving being a guide for these freshmen as they join us at school! :) I just can't wait to see what God does with the rest of this week! :) It's been so incredible so far! :) I can't even describe it to you in words! :)

I just love life :)