I'm Here

   I have been in Colorado Springs for 10 days so far. I knew that moving away from my family and friends would be hard, but I don't think I realized how hard. Our first week at school was packed FULL of information. Days of going over rules. Lots of new faces. A 6:30am workout. I was stressed out by the new adjustment. The altitude is quite a bit higher here in Colorado Springs which led to several headaches on my part. I am happy to report that I am have now adjusted to the altitude. 
  On Thursday of our 1st week we all took part in what is called a low ropes course. We had to do several team building exercises together. I loved this because everything had a Biblical persepective to it. Every time that our group was getting frustrated or could not figure something out, we had to "run to the cross." There wasn't really a cross but there was a gathering of logs which was to symbolize the cross. The purpose was to remind us of where to turn to when things get tough. It was SO refreshing because our team would pray together before we left the cross. The difficult thing about it was that we were literally running to the cross, and we did it about 30 times. I got my workout that day!
  My FAVORITE exercise we did together was the simplest. My team got together in a line, everyone closed their eyes, and we had one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of us. We had a facilitator who shook a water bottle in front of the head of our line and we had to follow the sound. Everyone helped each other out by saying if there was a hole in the ground or sticks ahead to prevent each other from falling down. We walked around an uneven field and through a bit of forest before we were allowed to open our eyes. Before we were allowed to open them our facilitator read us this verse.

Isaiah 42:16

And I will lead the blind
in a way that they do not know,
in paths that they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
    the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I do,
and I do not forsake them.

  This was SO powerful to me at that moment because it was so very literal. I had been walking blind through a field I did not know and had to trust someone else to guide me. How much more does God lead us throughout our life in places we do not know. God is SO awesome. Ask Him for guidance and He will be there!

  Forgive me for this is a long post and I have not added any pictures to it. Someday, when my internet source is better I will. For now, I hope you enjoyed my words. :)





Our God Reigns

  My God, our God, is SO amazing!! If we truly allow Him to have control of our lives we will not be disappointed. When God takes over, He TAKES OVER! When we are willing to walk out in faith the life God has planned for us we can truly live. No fear of walking the wrong path. God's path is the right path!
   God has shown me oodles of times how amazing He is. For me living past day 1 is an example of how amazing God is. Just last week God reminded me again, for the millioneth time, or quite possibly a higher number, of how wonderful He is. I posted a while back of how I had a goal of $8000 for my school. I couldn't earn the money on my own. There was simply no way! I told God "If you want me to go to DLA, you have to provide me with the money. I can't do it on my own."
  Well, God Came Through! :) I was short a chunk of money and last friday God sent someone to provide me with the exact amount I needed to meet my goal. Considering the large amount I needed, I know it was NO accident. The occurrence was God-ordained! Whether they believe it or not, God planned it.
  I firmly believe that God blessed me for my faith in Him throughout this journey of saving money. I didn't allow myself to fret for long over my money. I asked God for help so I knew He was going to help me. Whether or not He did it on my time schedule was a Whole different story. I have reached my goal and beyond! (I did not include quite everything I needed in my goal. Why I don't know! I suppose it was because I didn't want to get too crazy with the amount of money I needed. God saw past my foolishness and provided me with MORE than enough.) That's just the way God is. ;)
 Are you struggling with trusting God about something right now? 2 Corinthians 5:7 says "We live by faith, not by sight." Let God reign in your life! Step out in faith. Give God something you are holding on to. He will not disappoint.

One of the Loves of My Life

 I am convinced that God sent Gabriel and Zechariah (my nephews) to me for a reason. They are my little buddies and they absolutely love me. I ABSOLUTELY love them back as well!! For the time being I am called to be single and it's okay, because I have Gabe and Zech. Whenever I am feeling sad they give me a hug. I have SO much fun with them!!
  Zechariah broke his arm about a month ago and has had a cast on. For a 3, soon to be 4 year old, having a cast on in the summer is tough. Zech was not supposed to get his cast off until after I was gone. However, last week my sister and Zech showed up at my work and revealed to me that his red arm was gone! He was free! To celebrate I took Zech swimming. We had a blast!!

 To make the morning even more special for me - Zechariah would not let me stop taking pictures. He normally does not want to cooperate but for some reason he kept asking to take one more! He loves his Aunt Steffie....and she loves him right back!

P.S. My surprise that I could not share before was that I got my braces off!!! After 18 months I am also free!!

Secrets

   I recently had an everyday experience in which God spoke to me. I love when He does that!! If we listen He will speak. He LOVES to talk with us...more than anyone else.
  This last week I had something very exciting happen to me. I will share what it is once I get my camera and can post a picture of that wonderful occurance. For now you will be held in suspense.... ;)
  This occurance was something that I had wanted to keep secret so that I could later surprise everyone. I didn't want to say what my news was because I wanted to reveal it in person. I am a HUGE countdown person so keeping a secret was tough. I kept my secret for 6 weeks without telling a soul. I would try to make hints to those around me, but I couldn't come right out and say it.
  As the day for the revealing of my surprise drew near God showed me something. If I know about Jesus and the awesome, incredible, wonderful sacrifice He made by living AND dying for me, yet I don't tell anyone, I am wasting that precious news. It does NO good to keep Him a secret. I can't fling that surprise on someone right before that die that "Hey, there is God who loves you and died for you so that you could live for eternity with Him in heaven." That's not the way this good news works. I must share it now, and not keep the good news inside, just waiting to burst forth. I must let it flow out of me. Surprises may be good, but God is not one to keep locked inside as a prize. Jesus died for me AND for you. Embrace Him now because He loves you. Share Him with others now because He loves them. HE LOVES!!!!

Please, Let That Remain a Dream!

    I had a dream last night...about Colorado. In my dream I arrived in Colorado for my school orientation. Right after orientation we were already planning to leave on a trip away somewhere. As I went to pack I realized that I left ALL of my extra clothes back in Topeka. Eek!! I sure hope that doesn't really happen.
    My nerves are starting to get to me a little. Even though I know I will NOT be changing my mind about attending DLA, I have moments when I think, "I am going to miss _______ so much because I can't see them when I am gone, maybe I shouldn't go." It will be alright, right?! I am going to enjoy myself...I know it!! Plus - I get to take LOTS of pretty pictures of the mountains!!

Help!

  Today I have 42 days left until I leave for Colorado. It is SO amazing how time flies!! To say I am getting excited would be an understatement. I am Very excited! I am also trying to stay focused on the time I have left, and enjoy it, rather than simply focusing on my future. I still have 42 days left. That is plenty of time to enjoy the wonderful 100 degree weather Topeka is deciding to keep all the month of July. :) I have time to swim more, enjoy Orange Leaf (it's DElicious!), and work. I have time to hang out with you!

  I want to share something with you. DLA is a very reasonably priced school for the amount of events/activities/classes/missions trips I will be experiencing throughout the year. However, because of the huge time commitment that DLA is, I won't be working. This means this summer has been my time to work, work, and work to save money for Colorado. I need at least $8000. $5900 of it is for the DLA tuition and the other $2100 is for expenses I know I will have throughout the year. I feel that is on the lower end of the estimate.
  God is doing an awesome job of providing for my funds so far. I have $5500 of my tuition money and about $1000 of my extra expenses. As I finish up working at Billy Vanilly Cupcakes I will have my tuition covered, plus a little more of my expenses. However, I still need at least $1000. I am writing this blog to let you know of my need. If you feel that you would like to help support me on my journey to DLA and around the world, that would be AmAzing! You can either give me a one-time donation, or monthly support. If this is something you would be interested in, please let me know! I just ask, before you make your decision, pray and ask God if it is something you should be doing. If it isn't what you should be doing I would still love for you to be praying for me. This next year is going to be a year of being stretched FAR beyond my current comfort zone.
   Thank you SO much for taking the time to read my blog! I love you very much and I am excited to share with you all the awesome things God is doing in my life.

Letting Go

    Yesterday I went swimming with my sister and her kids and we had a blast!! Zechariah, my 3 1/2 year-old nephew was a little too afraid to get in the water by himself and so I gave him rides around the pool after he hopped on my back. One time my sister told me to let go of him in the water (he had floaties on so he would not go under). Zechariah did not care that he had floaties on, he did not want me to let go of him and so he held on to me as hard as he could when I tried to let go of him. I knew he would be okay, but he couldn't see that.

    When I was journaling last night God brought this scenario with Zechariah back up to me. He told me that He knows what I am capable of, and He does not want me to remain in my comfort zone. He wants to let me go where I think I can't go, because He knows I can do it. God wants me outside of my comfort zone, because the more time I spend outside of it, the stronger I will become. He wants to strengthen me and He wants to do the same for you as well. :) Are you willing to trust Him??