¡Feliz Navidad!

My Christmas Celebration started early this year as I along with my friends Iris and Natalia headed to the airport to board a plane to Guatemala. We went there to work with Living Water Teaching and to help them deliver shoebox gifts to children in orphanages, hospitals, churches, and villages of Guatemala. I have done this before, but I have to say that it never gets old, or ordinary, seeing the faces of children light up when they receive the gift that could very well be their only Christmas gift is something that I could never get tired of.


While there we sorted through shoeboxes, making sure that each one was appropriate for the age group that they were designated for, and that they were full of delightful surprises. Then we geared up to begin the delivery process.


At each location where we did a distribution, we would first sing Christmas carols, have a drama about the true meaning of Christmas and also give everyone the opportunity to ask Jesus into their hearts. This is, of course, the most important aspect of the trip, because, while it is wonderful to give the gifts to the children and to meet that practical need, the absolute most important and special gift that anyone could ever be given is Jesus! It does not matter how much humanitarian aid we give, if we don't share God's love and the hope that He gives, it will never be enough.


After the presentation we would line the children up, one line for boys and one for girls. Our boxes were sorted based on gender and age. As each child passed through the line they were met with one of our missionaries, who asked them their age, and led them to where another missionary would hand them their gift. It was an amazing time of sharing in love and laughter with the children. It was also wonderful to be able to genuinely tell the parents that God loves them as they would look at us with eyes full of gratitude for the gift given to their child.

When we went to the hospital, we delivered the gifts to the rooms of the children. Iris, Natalia and I were able to go into the Nursery where all the newborn babies were and help put their presents underneath their incubators and then pray for them. That was very special.

This was an extraordinary trip. God did great things! I love to see how He works! We were able to give over 4,000 shoebox gifts to children! Plus, and this is the most exciting news, over 2,000 people asked Jesus to be their Lord and Savior! YAY! God is so good and I am so thankful that He uses people like me!


So this holiday season, I want to encourage you to remember that it truly is better to give than to receive, and the very best gift that you can give is JESUS!


Merry Christmas!

Sorting Shoeboxes.

The church was packed with over 1,000 children plus parents.

With a little village girl.

A girl asking Jesus into her heart :)




Taking a young boy though the line to receive his gift.

Natalia delivering gifts to babies in the hospital.

A little girl praying at the hospital.

Village children.

Presenting the drama.

A village girl.

What Joy!

I am so excited for my friends Sam and Melody! They have been praying to adopt a child since long before I met them. About two weeks ago I received a call from Sam letting me know that they were getting a baby boy! I was in the grocery store and I am sure that the people around me thought I was quite odd when I started going crazy in excitement!

God is so faithful! He desires for us to live lives that are full of love, joy and peace! He has such great plans for us and we can completely trust Him!

I had dinner with them tonight and met their new son, he is so adorable! So, I would now like to introduce you to Baby Henry! Yay!

Proud Parents! They are a lovely family!

Dinner Time!

Baby Henry and me.

He is so cute!

I can tell you now that all those times where they waited and waited are worth it now to hold this beautiful baby boy in their arms! Remember, that He is faithful who promised and we can rest in knowing that our God wants our dreams to come true even more than we do! He is so good!

Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy! Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest. Psalm 126:3,5-6

You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done. Psalm 92:4

Winna Mon

I get songs stuck in my head on a regular basis. Fortunately, they are usually inspirational songs that those around me love to hear (please note the sarcasm). It could be anything from God Bless America, to the Sound of Music's Do-A-Deer song. The lovely lyrics mixed with my divine musical abilities make it an experience that everyone enjoys. Tonight, as I was in the laundry room, a beautiful song arose from my soul, and I thought that it was just so inspirational to my roommate, who started laughing with the overflow of the joy of the Lord, that I just had to put the wonderful lyrics here for you to enjoy as well.

The song: Winna Mon. The artist: Ron Kenoly. The date written: 1996, it was a long time ago, when I was a wee child. The inspirational message: Jesus is da winna and we are on da winning side! Ya mon!

It is such fun to see

Such fun to see

Satan lose

It is such fun to see

Such fun to see

Satan lose

Jesus is the Winna mon

The Winna mon

The winna mon

Jesus is the Winna mon

The Winna mon all the time

I am on the winning side

I am on the winning side

The winning sideThe winning side

I am on the winning side

The winning side all the time

In Matthew chapter two

Satan lost

When Jesus was born in a manger

And in the wilderness

Satan lost again

At the Mount of Transfiguration

Yeah!

At the crucifixion

Satan lost again

When Jesus rose triumphantly

From the grave

And at the ascension

Satan lost

Once more

When I was born again

Yeah!

Winna mon

Jesus is the Winna mon

The Winna mon all the time

Winna mon

Jesus is the Winna mon

The Winna mon all the time

He the Winna

The Winna

The Winna

Jesus is the Winna mon

The Winna mon all the time

SING YA HEART OUT! YA KNOW YA LOVE IT MON!

Please tune in next time as I give dance tips for the song: Shut de do (Keep out de devil). ;)

Speak Mercy.

I love Mercy Ministries! Mercy is a Christian organization that reaches out to the hopeless and hurting with the love and acceptance of Christ! They have homes throughout the United States and internationally as well. These homes welcome young ladies ages 13-28 who are struggling with life controlling issues such as, eating disorders, abuse, depression, unwanted pregnancies, and more.

These girls come to Mercy free of charge and live there for about 6 months. They are able to receive counseling, nutrition help, schooling, and they experience the love of Jesus Christ. I have been able to visit Mercy on several occasions and I can say that MERCY WORKS! Girls who come in broken and hurting leave healed and restored! They provide safety, love and HOPE!

We have been talking about Signs of Hope at The Branch lately, and MERCY IS A SIGN OF HOPE to me! Proof that God is still working in and through people who are surrendered and yielded to Him! The girls at Mercy inspire me, they are true heroes, people who move beyond their circumstances and learn to live a life full of the grace and power of God!

No matter what we go through in life, our God is stronger, bigger and better! He has a plan for us beyond anything we can even imagine! That's huge! He is faithful to carry us through and He is so incredibly good!

Thanks Mercy for saving lives and restoring hope!

For more info about Mercy Ministries, visit their website: http://www.mercyministries.com/ and you can visit their video blog here.

Band Aids

There is something about putting a band-aid on a child that makes me feel good. Not that I'm happy that they were hurt, but I like getting to help stop the pain and of course saying those comforting words, "It's all better now." Since the church office, where I work, is located in our school building, I get many opportunities to help the kiddos feel better.

Helping people is my passion. I want people to fulfill their dreams, to enjoy life, to know that they are cared about and loved! But there are so many times where I feel like there is nothing I can do. I want to see the end of the problem, I want the pain to stop immediately, I want lives to be forever changed right this instant. Maybe that is why I like band-aids. You know band-aids are usually used for minor cuts and scrapes, I can say with finality when I put a band-aid on a child's knee that they will be okay. Life isn't always like that, sometimes I see things that hurt my heart, I hear of problems and I can't do anything about it. BUT...

The good thing is that God can and will! He is our hope, our strength, our comfort. He is always there to help, and He is so faithful! The Bible says that He will take care of us, that He has great plans for us, that we have a future, and that we will be followed by goodness and mercy ALL the days of our lives! That is not a band-aid that is a CURE!

It's so good to know that we can go to God with all of our cares and give them to Him and that He will take care of us. You know, when a child needs a band-aid, they don't just sit around saying, "Oh, it sure would be nice if I had a band-aid, I wonder what I should do," no they go to someone they know can take care of them. That's how it is with God. We don't just need to sit around thinking about our problems and how it would be nice to know what to do, instead we can go to God, He is there for us to share our hearts and He is the solution! HE IS EVERYTHING WE NEED!

MeeMaw

Today I went to visit my great-grandmother, who we children affectionately call MeeMaw. MeeMaw is 96 years old, but I don't think she looks it. She has been losing her vision and hearing for awhile. Sometimes she remembers me and sometimes she doesn't, I usually have to tell her who I am.

When I go to visit her, I paint her nails and tease her about finding herself a boyfriend. She always replies that she has no time for that and we laugh. She really likes red nail polish, but today she asked me to paint them black and white. I didn't have black and white polish, so I stuck with red and told her she would have to wait until Halloween for me to paint them black and we laughed again.

I can remember MeeMaw taking me to lunch and to Peebles department store when I was little. I always loved going with her. I remember that she always had Bubblicious or Bubble Yum gum in the top drawer of her chest. She always loved reading and she enjoyed word searches. She would also give me her little samples from the beauty shop where she got her hair done every week, so I had some nice little lotions and shampoo. Since she lived across the street from us, my brother, sister and I would go up there often. I remember forgetting my house key on numerous occasions and having to go knock on her bedroom window so that she would come open the door for me to hangout until my parents got home.

I'll admit that sometimes it feels inconvenient to go visit her. She lives in another city and so sometimes I don't feel like driving, or like trying to come up with things to talk about, but then I think about her. What must it feel like to not be able to do the things you once did all the time. What is it like to need someone to dress you to take you to your appointments, to tell you when to eat and when to take your medicine.

I believe that sometimes our society is so busy that we start to look at spending time with people as something to check off our to-do list rather than a chance to learn, to help, to bless, and to love. We really need to get back to honoring people, even those that seem to not have much to offer. We need to honor our elders and our families and do everything we can for them.

I love my MeeMaw. She loves me. The greatest gift I can give her right now is my time.

People are not an interruption in our lives- they are why we're here! ~Christine Caine

May I have a stoplight, please?

So, after sharing my Spanish blunders in the Little Miss Perfect post, I thought I would share a more recent incident...

I took a group of youth girls to Guatemala this past July. One day we went to start a fire when we realized that we were out of matches. Being the team leader and the Spanish speaker of the group I ran up to the cafeteria to ask for matches. So I walk in the cafeteria and say hello and ask how everyone is doing, and then I ask for what I think is matches. But I mixed up my words, I asked for a semáforo, which is a stoplight. Suddenly, I am back in the room where I asked for soup instead of soap, and I am turning red (because everyone in the room is looking at me with that, "What in the world are you talking about" look, you know what I mean), the problem was that I knew that I knew the word for matches, so I am standing there, thinking very hard and finally say, "ummmm, I don't know, matches?" and yes, I said it in English. Fortunately, someone understood and I was handed a box of matches. I say thanks and walk out, and decide that I am in major need of a Spanish review. By the way, I felt about as cool as the lovely stoplight people in my picture, but they still got me beat in the coolness area. Oh, and if you are wondering, the Spanish word for matches is fósforos, it actually is pretty close to the word for stoplight.

I am also studying Spanish everyday again, so that I don't lose anymore of it. If you speak a second language, I would like to personally encourage you to practice it everyday, or don't and then send me stories of your mistakes ;)

A Morning Walk

The Lord is my shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.

Psalm 23:1-2 (AMP)

True to Your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Psalm 23:3 (MSG)

I have been enjoying my morning walks for a few weeks now and decided that I should share a few glimpses of the beauty that I see while walking. Okay, so here's the disclaimer, the pictures do not do my trail justice, so just imagine them being way prettier. Now breathe deeply, and come along on a journey with me. Feel free to walk in place while looking at the pictures, it may help with the visualization.

Here we go... This is the first bridge I cross on my walk. It invites me to embark on a journey.

A view of the creek. Lovely. Can you find the squirrel in this picture?

I love the sound of water trickling through the rocks. Very peaceful.

Another view of the creek. I just love it. As I walk, I think about how amazing God is and how beautiful His creation is and I am thankful!

Another bridge to cross. There is just something about bridges that I love, and they remind me of change, I don't know why?

It just keeps going and going. I know I mentioned that it's so peaceful, but it really is. It's just time for me to get to know Jesus better and to share my heart with Him.

Okay, so this is the big rock that sticks out into the water. I will typically get off the path and go stand on this rock and look out over the water. I think I am going to take a book out there one day and just sit on the rock and read.

So there you have it, my little morning excursion. I am thankful for these walks, I believe that they are seriously a special part of my journey with Christ. During this season, I have been growing! I know that change is coming, I can feel it. I think that through my walks, where I get to see the trees and all of nature as they are now, and how soon I will see them changing, is a special way of God showing me the amazing beauty of every season of life! I truly love life and am embracing all it has for me right now and in the future! Life with God is so amazing!

A Heart for Adoption

God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)

I believe that adoption is a beautiful thing. God chose to add us to His family through adoption, and because of that, we are given a wonderful life, where we can walk in a moment by moment relationship with God, we can fully trust and rely in Him, and we can confidently come to Him and He delights in us!

When I think about adoption, I get excited! It thrills me when people want to add to their family and give a child not only a home, but a loving family, where they can grow, play, and know what it means to be wanted. The Bible says that God places the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6), and I believe that adoption is one of the ways He does that.

I have several friends that are in the process of adopting a child or a couple of children. Some of them are adopting internationally, others through the foster system and others through private organizations. Some are adopting older children and others are waiting for a precious baby. These families are getting very familiar with the waiting that goes along with this process. I have seen the joy on their faces as they talk about their future children, I have seen the hope when they hear about a possibility. I have seen disappointment when roadblocks appear, and I have seen the perseverance and determination that they possess, knowing that adoption is part of God's plan for them, and that one day, they will hold their child (or children) in their arms.

I know that this process can be tough on these families, I am sure that they have cried many tears. Sometimes, I wish I could do more for them, than just giving them a hug and an encouraging word. One thing that I can do is pray. I can pray that God will lead them to the right people that will help them in the process, that God will continue preparing their hearts for their children, that God is preparing the children's hearts, and that God is helping the birth parents know that they are giving their children a wonderful future and that adoption is an expression of true love. I can also pray for the legal process to run smoothly, that if they are running into any complications that they will be resolved.

Would you join me in praying for my friends and all families that desire to bring children into a loving home where they will grow up being loved and accepted and taught about our amazing Lord? Thank you!

Little Miss Perfect

I admit, at one time in my life I had Little Miss Perfect Syndrome, okay, so I gave it that name, but it's true, I had issues. I don't know when it started, but at some point in my childhood, I must have decided that I didn't like getting embarrassed, messing up, or not being the best. Sounds pretty normal, right? I took it to the extreme, I somehow decided that perfection was possible, or should I say, convincing people of my perfection was possible, I would always know the truth. So, I set down this road of pleasing people and making myself look good. I was a great student, I actually loved school, so making wonderful grades worked out well. Plus, I was a pretty good kid, so the obedience factor wasn't too terribly hard. The difficult part was always being okay, and how to handle things that I wasn't so good at. If I was upset, I would typically act like it was no big deal, and then go to my room and cry alone. I never played sports, because, well I am not athletic at all, and I didn't want to look bad, so I just steered away. Now, I know that sounds sad, it's not really. I had a wonderful childhood with a ton of great memories, it was just a personality issue for me. I always wanted to be able to handle everything.

So, when did it change? I would say that occassionally I still show signs of wanting to look like I have it all together, but I think most people do that. The big change for me came when I had to learn Spanish. I don't know if you've noticed from all of my posts, but the year I spent in Nicaragua was probably my first, major life-changing year. That was the year that a lot of my pre-conceived ideas got messed up, that was the year that I decided more of what I wanted to do with my life, that was the year that I truly fell in love with other cultures and helping people, and that was the year that my world was majorly shaken. So, it only fits that my perfection complex got destroyed as well.

Remember me saying that I didn't like to mess up? Well, I would say that it is pretty much impossible to try to learn a new language without messing up. When I first moved to Nicaragua, a friend of mine went with me. We were together constantly, no joke, we were NEVER alone. Well, she spoke Spanish, and so, I never did, I didn't want to look bad, so, I would have her translate for me ALL THE TIME, day in and day out. Now, I have had to translate for people before and it can be tiring, so I imagine she got tired of it, so one day, she told me that she wasn't translating for me anymore. WHAT?! I could not speak Spanish, how was I supposed to communicate? That was awful! I was so mad at her, but it actually turned out to be one of the best things. So, what did I have to do? Learn. Well, I began studying a lot, but then I had to speak to people. Boy did I mess up. I remember one day trying to tell the lady we lived with that we needed soap in the bathroom. So I told her that we needed sopa. I had heard the word sopa before so, surely that meant soap. She looked at me with a strange look and said, "What?" So I say sopa and start making the hand motions like I am washing my hands. While laughing, she brings me a bar of soap, and points out to me that sopa means SOUP! I was so embarrassed! But, that was just the first of about 500 million little mistakes that I made.

I just had to learn to get over my pride. I made mistakes all the time, and guess what? The people still loved me! It actually drew me closer to them, because I could just be real, bad Spanish and all, and they felt free to try out their English with me, they saw me as approachable, and genuine as opposed to haughty and arrogant.

What's the moral of the story? Well, if I would have been so busy trying to make myself look perfect, I would never had learned Spanish, would not have been nearly as effective, would not have made the friendships that I did, and I would still think that sopa means soap.

Have you ever met those people that seem to have it all together? Go ahead and admit that it annoys you... it does me. Sometimes I even get intimidated by them. But, then I remember, that I can just be me, with ALL my MANY imperfections, and that I will likely be able to help more people, have more fun, and I will definitely be able to LAUGH a whole lot more! I must have taken it to the complete other extreme, because I am now content to be incredibly goofy, nerdy and well, completely imperfect. So, just be you, and smile! You are wonderful, just the way you are! Enjoy every minute of it!

Lessons from the Rocking Chair

I was 18 and full of plans. I had just moved to Nicaragua to do mission work for a school year before going to college, and I was ready to embark on a crazy, busy, exhilarating journey. So when I found myself sitting in the rocking chair, I guess you can say that I was not happy. Up until that point, my experience with missions had been short-term trips, where there was a team and we were busy running around all the time going from place to place, doing dramas and giving out food. I suppose I had imagined that I would constantly be on the move now that I lived there as well. I was wrong. Now, you must understand, I did have things to do, I taught Bible lessons at a couple schools, helped in a clinic, taught English classes at the church, and many other things, I also took classes to help me learn Spanish. But, it just seemed like there was a lot of waiting. In the morning I would get ready, go to the church, get breakfast from the church's store, hang out with the store clerk for awhile, then go teach the Bible class or go to the clinic. From there, I would go to the rocking chair on the church's porch and sit and wait.

See the way it worked in Nicaragua (at least at that church), was that people would come to meet with the pastor. They could be coming for any number of reasons, they need prayer, advice, they need assistance, or any of the other reasons that people meet with pastors. The difference from how it is here, is that they would just show up (without an appointment) and sit on the porch and wait their turn for the meeting. So at times, there could be 8 or 9 people waiting to meet with the pastor. What did this have to do with me? I was waiting for the pastor too, that was who I worked with the most and so these people were not helping me fulfill my goal of having a crazy, busy, super exciting missionary life.

So there I was, in the rocking chair, sitting, waiting, impatiently might I add, I would get up, walk around, walk to the little store, walk back to my rocking chair, and repeat the whole process, I'm sure there were some loud sighs and huffs, I could not believe that I was having to wait that long! Seriously, did they not know that I had come from the States to help people, I mean I was a valuable asset, these people needed help, and I was here to bring it (please note the sarcasm)!

Finally, one day it hit me, I was there to serve the people of Nicaragua, and they have a different culture than me. The pace there was slower, people were not in a hurry, they enjoyed hanging out and talking, you know actually getting to know people, and they were content to sit and wait. Ouch. It was me that needed to change, if I really wanted to reach people, it would probably be nice for me to learn to appreciate the differences. So, I changed my attitude. From then on, when I would sit in the rocking chair, I would be interested in the people and what was going on in their lives (as opposed to the small talk that I would make before, all the while wishing they would hurry up). I would also take time to pray for them, and see if there was anything that I could do to help them.

The lessons that I learned in that rocking chair are priceless, and they have helped me in every area of my life. I learned to enjoy ordinary life, you know all the little things, the down time, and to just breathe (I do have to remind myself of this lesson every once in a while). I also learned to not take myself so seriously, I can't tell you how many times I messed up while trying to talk in Spanish, or how much I was humbled when I realized that the people I was there to help were actually helping me. I also learned to be content. Honestly, because of my time in the rocking chair, I have learned to not get bored, I rarely do, I know that each moment is a gift and an opportunity. Plus, smart girls don't get bored, right ;-) One last thing that I learned was that wherever I am, I need to be all there. So many times I get distracted by things going on around me, or thoughts of what I need to do later, but when I give 100% to whatever I am doing at the moment, I know that it will be great, it will be done with excellence and I will enjoy the process. Plus, people know when you really do care and want to be there, and when you are just rushing along to get the job done.

That rocking chair will always stand in my mind as a symbol of what I learned that year, honestly, one of the hardest years of my life, but the sweetness that has now lingered from the growth I experienced and the dreams that were planted in my life during that time are worth it.

To this day, I love rocking chairs, when I pass one by I always want to sit in it and just breathe. Life is good, it will all get done, and it just keeps getting better! So find a rocking chair, breathe, and enjoy the moment, be all there and truly experience life!

International Festival

Ahh, two words that I love: International and Festival!

Yesterday, I went to the International Festival at UNCC and it was wonderful! There were about 50 countries represented, so much fun was to be had! Each of the countries represented had booths set up where you could find out about the culture of the country, look at artwork, buy jewelry or other items that were made there, or even, buy delicious food! Yum.

Now, if you do not know this already, I LOVE TO LEARN ABOUT DIFFERENT CULTURES! When I say love, I mean it! Cultural Anthropology was my favorite class in college, and I will read books about different cultures and attempt to learn some of the language just for the fun of it. So, needless to say, I enjoyed my "walk around the world." They even had this awesome "fashion show" where people wearing clothing from each country passed through and the type of clothing and meaning behind it was explained. HOW FUN! Plus, they had traditional dances going on! YAY! I learned a lot, and of course tried some food from several countries while I was there.

I think that there is something to learn from every culture, and I love how different we all are (and alike too). Now, I am not saying that there are not things in some cultures that need to change (just like I don't think that the USA has no room for change, because we do). But, I do believe that there are concepts and ideas from every culture that are so amazing and beautiful that when we learn about them, we will be changed, we are able to see things done in a different way and learn to appreciate them.

Wanna know what excites me even more than all of this? The fact that these nations are made up of people that God loves! He loves them so much that He sent His Son for them! God has a plan for everyone, and that plan is filled with love, grace and SALVATION! That excites me! Cultures vary, methods vary, traditions vary, but God's love stays the same, and it can penetrate through the hardest of hearts and bring change! God's word is true in every country, no matter what, He will make a way!

Psalm 46:10 (NLT) says, "Be still and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world."

What does this mean to me? I can rest and trust in God and His plan, because He has one! His Word is true and He will be honored by every nation, and the world will know that He is God!

Lord, use me to help bring your love, joy and salvation to all people!

I Don't Speak Your Language...

Romans 6:11 (Message)
"From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did."

I love anything that has to do with missions, culture, travel, and of course languages, so this verse really stuck out to me. You know how it is when someone is speaking a language that you do not know. They can be saying anything, a big compliment, a great warning, no matter what it is you will have a clueless look on your face, right? The person can't entice you with their words, convince you of anything, or even question your thoughts or identity.

Well, when we have Jesus, and truly tap into what He did for us by dying and paying our great debt, then we can say that about sin. "Sorry sin, I don't speak your language." When we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, then we understand God, He speaks our language, we hear Him, and we hang on every word. That means that when we trust that what He says is true, and we apply it and live it, then sin gets out of the way. It doesn't come by focusing on all our issues, or sins, or problems, it comes by focusing on Jesus and drawing closer to Him. When we focus on Him, we naturally become more like Him, and that old language of sin dies.

If there are areas in your life that you want to change, I want to encourage you to stop fixing your eyes on the problem. Instead, fix your eyes on Jesus, get to know Him better, your desires, habits, and life will begin to change as you focus on the One who loves you the most!

Icecream Fast...

I was sitting in the office yesterday and someone was telling a story about this man who snuck out of a monastary so that he could have some caffeine and talk to people and it made me laugh. It also reminded me of a time when I snuck to get icecream. I just want to go ahead and warn all of you out there who think I am perfect (totally joking), this story will show you a different side...

I was living in Nicaragua working with a church there as a missionary. A friend and I were staying with a family and one morning we woke up and started getting ready for the day, when breakfast time came around, the family told us that it was their church's day of prayer and fasting. Oh no! Somehow, we were not informed of this, so my missionary friend and I were quite hungry and we did not have a very good prayer and fasting attitude at all. We went to our room to attempt this fast, but soon gave up and decided we were too famished and that we would plan a prayer and fasting day at a later time (when? a day when we weren't hungry, maybe, who knows...). The problem was that we had no food in our room, and we being missionaries, didn't want to get food from the kitchen, because of course we didn't want to look bad ;) Instead we sat around talking about how hungry we were and I was wishing that I could speak Spanish, I can't remember if it was so I would have understood the fasting announcement and had a better attitude or so I would have known to stock up on snacks, but I really determined that I had to learn the language. Soon, I heard a bell ringing and the loud voice of someone screaming. "Eskimo, eskimo," I have never been so excited in my life. Eskimo is a brand of icecream and when you hear someone screaming it, it means that they are pushing their cart around the neighborhood. We were at the window in seconds, one of us opened the window and the other was digging for coins. We had to yell and try to get the man's attention because our window had bars over it, but finally he saw us and came to our window. Reaching our hands through the bars we were able to get icecream, and boy was it delicious...

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If it makes your thoughts about me any better, I have grown up, and have disciplined myself a bit more than I had when I was 18, but I have to admit, whenever I fast, there is a part of me that wants some icecream...

Risk!

For the past few weeks I have gotten up really early (early is a relative term, but for me, getting up with enough time to do more than rush around getting dressed for the day is VERY EARLY).

I have started walking on a beautiful trail by a creek near my apartment. It is lovely, I am in awe of nature and all of God's creation. I now have my favorite spots, where I stop and watch the water, listen to the sounds and breath deeply, this is peace. The other day, I had been walking for over an hour and I had enjoyed every second of the excursion, I had time to think and pray and to just be thankful for all that God has been doing in my life, and I decided that my morning walk was my new favorite thing.

Within a few minutes I saw a couple walking from the opposite direction and they stopped me, they wanted me to know that someone had just seen a HUGE copperhead snake. Those were not words that I wanted to hear, I do not even like domestic pets that much, so the thought of a crazy snake that could hurt me was not what I wanted to hear.

As I was walking away, I immediately began listing all the reasons why I was never going to walk on that trail again. It's just too risky, what if I got bit by a snake, or twisted my ankle, or worse? Isn't it interesting how it only takes a moment to completely change our minds. I had walked on that trail numerous times and never seen a snake, never worried about getting hurt, but one tidbit of unwanted news and I was going to choose to never do something that I truly enjoy because of the rare chance that something bad could maybe possibly happen.

Fourtunately, it only took a minute for me to realize how foolish I was acting. I decided that risk is just a part of life. Everything carries a risk, if something matters, then there is a risk. How sad it is, when people become too scared of something bad, a dissapointment, getting hurt, failing, that they decide to sit down and let life pass them by.

I want to be someone who stands up to the challenges, braves the danger, and lives a life of great joy, not because I never failed, but because I gave it my all and conquered the fear!

Welcome To My World! Welcome To My Blog!

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog. Through blogging I hope to share a bit of my heart, to tell some corny stories, and to give out some encouraging words. The whole concept of having an introductory blog is tricky to me, trying to "introduce" myself, and pretend like I have some exciting news to share... So, instead of trying to come up with some eloquent introduction, I will simply share a little note that I wrote a long time ago, after teaching some amazing four and five year olds, and let you see how the inspiration comes to me. :)

Enjoy!

So, I was teaching a children's class yesterday at church and we talked about how God has an amazing plan for our lives. We talked about how God knew us before we were born and how He has planned great things for our lives, and we just need to follow His map (the Bible). I went around the room and pointed to each child and said, "God saw _________ and said, I have a BIG plan for their life, I love them so much!!!!" It was so cool to see the faces light up as they realized that GOD has BIG plans for their lives!

I want you to know that even if you are an adult now, that GOD has BIG plans for you too!!! It doesn't matter what you did in the past or if you think that you don't deserve it (none of us do, that is what makes it AMAZING GRACE). So, I hope your face is lighting up as you are reminded that YOU HAVE A HOPE AND A WONDERFUL FUTURE!!

GOD LOVES YOU NO MATTER WHAT!!!!!!!