Monday, June 30, 2008

back to reality

vacation week is over and i must say, it went by way too fast. i know i know, that's always how vacation is but i was still hoping for a little more s t r e t c h .

it was great to get away, though. the house we stayed in was absolutely beautiful. it was the perfect size for our family. we had our own pool which was so fantastic. i love the beach, but i hate the sand so being at the beach in a pool is my perfect match. we laid around lazily... read books... played games... oohed and ahhed over my niece kyra... and ate chocolate. seriously i think i consumed my year's alottment of chocolate in one week. i don't know what it was, but i was drawn to it. needless to say i'm on a break from it right now. well, at least for today. ;)

last night i was sitting in my room watching Lost (yes i finally gave in and started watching it online... i'm halfway through season 2). i was debating whether or not i wanted to go to providence church that night and i felt prompted to go. i literally jumped out and ran out of the house so i wouldn't be late. about 5 minutes later i get a call from a good friend of mine named sam who lives in denver. she was home visiting her mom and said she was on her way to providence as well. needless to say we spent a couple hours after church catching up and it was awesome. she was so encouraging and just really listened as i shared my heart with her. it was exactly what i needed at that moment and God knew that.

so this morning i'm back to work and i'm alone in the office cause steve is on vacation this week. the last time he was gone for a week i hated it because it's so hard to work in this huge office all by yourself. so i walk in and flip my little day calendar to today and this is what it says:

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me- watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace." Matthew 11:28-29 MSG

For some reason that verse just inspired me this morning. I don't have to do this out of my energy. I have a Savior that I can lean towards for strength and inspiration.

I guess I'm not alone in this office afterall. :)

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

relaxation- here i come!

only a few more days till my family leaves for vacation at the beach. i am looking forward to this vacation for a number of reasons:

  1. mi familia- i love spending time with my family and even though we can drive each other crazy at times, i'd still rather be with them than anyone else.
  2. my niece- ok so she's part of my family, but a total entity of her own. kyra is amazing and funny and cute and always brings a smile to my face. getting to spend a whole week with her 24/7 will be awesome!
  3. the beach- there's something about the ocean... oh yeah. i feel so close to the lord when i'm there. the beauty of it still awes me today.
  4. no schedule- vacations without schedule are so great. you can just fly by the seat of your pants and do whatever you feel like at that moment. it's a beautiful thing to be spontaneous.
  5. reading- i have an excuse to sit down on my lazy butt and read as long as i want. i'm so excited to bring some books with me and get lost in them for hours at a time. who could ask for more?
so those are just a few of the things i'm looking forward to. there's much more and i'll probably write about it after i get home.

Friday, June 13, 2008

an alumni's musings

so my little brother graduates today and honestly it feels weird. if he's growing up then does that mean that i'm already grown up? yikes!

i remember the feeling of graduating high school... the excitement filled with the fear of the unknown. the nagging thought that you'll never be a kid again and maybe i should of made more of my experience rather than being so anxious to leave. i caught a case of senioritis by the end of my junior year so senior year is kind of a blur. i didn't put much effort into that last year and would have rather been working than stuck in that 7-3 prison... which is probably why i spent so much time in the nurses office trying to get sent home (aka work- where i would go after my mom spoke to the nurse and told her of my horrible cramps). it makes me laugh a little bit now looking back.

and here i am, 8 years later at my brother's graduation with my high school memories fading dimmer and dimmer with each passing year.

i'm grateful that i didn't have a horrible high school experience but i still wouldn't go back. it's a part of my past and i'm happy to keep it that way.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

provision

i need to keep reminding myself that the job of provider belongs to my heavenly father. so many times i worry where resources are going to come from and how it's going to work out and then i remember that i don't need to worry. God promised that he would take care of me if i would just trust him to do so. the birds and the flowers don't worry, so why should i?

sometimes the needs before me are so great, but that's what makes it even more amazing. i think God loves when situations get put before us that seem impossible, because that's when God gets the most glory. what we think could never happen, God already has plans to make happen.

i'm trusting that God is going to provide the finances for my africa trip as well as the rest of the team. i'm trusting the he's going to provide the right resources for the community center in zambia to be successful and far-reaching. i know God can do these things. i just need to keep reminding myself.

that's why i wrote this. as a reminder to myself and the rest of you so when i freak out you can remind me. :)

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

coatesville

i've lived near this city my whole life, but for the most part rarely spent time in it. sure there were the occasional church outreaches, but i never invested too much time. for the last 2 months though i've been in this city almost every day. the more time i spend here the more i feel myself becoming invested in it.

each morning on my drive into the city as i'm coming down blackhorse hill road the view opens up and there the city lies, seemingly peaceful and quiet. a few blocks further and you understand it's anything but as it's abuzz with people moving around and chatting with one another. i think i figured out one of the things i love about life here. it reminds me of being in another country. by that i mean that everything is so community-driven. relationships with one another are #1 and you don't have to leave the confines of your car to see that.

after being cooped up in suburbia for so long i realize now that it's not all it's cracked up to be. i don't know my neighbors needs or even their names for that matter. a desire for more space has created just that: space between our neighbor, both physically and relationally. it's sad that it has come to that, but in most rural neighborhoods it's true.

sure, coatesville has it's problems like any other city in america, but they have one thing right. they know what it means to take time to stop and chat with you neighbor, even if it makes you late for your next appointment. as a task-oriented person this is new territory for me, but i'm learning to adjust and it's fun.

i believe in the people of this city. i believe that there is undiscovered talent and potential and if i can help even just one person discover that, then it's all worth it.