Thankful

Well folks, I leave Birmingham in less than a month. Ahhh. So sad to think about.  I have considered this wonderful city my home for over six year now.  My next few blogs will feature all of the wonderful people I will miss once I begin this Sojourning season.  Some of the first people I truly got to know in Birmingham are some of my college ZTA pledge sisters.  My first four years in Birmingham wouldn't have been the same without these girls.  They have seen me at my best, at my worst, grow, learn, change, and have truly became my family.  Since graduation, we have all gone different ways even while living in the same city.  Three of these beuaties have gotten married (congrats again to you girls), and well, the rest of us have decided to go to more school. I think we all know who got the best end of the deal. haha. 

Anywho, all of that to say we got together for dinner last night.  We tried so hard to go somewhere new and exciting, but our hearts once again returned to Cocina Superior! I guess there are just way to many memories and great conversations that were held within those walls and it simply holds a special place in our hearts.   

 Julie (now) Reagan, me, Jamie (now) Holmes, and Susan!! 

Since the group pic wasn't the best, Jessica (now) George gets her very own pic!  Jess you can thank your Iphone!

As with most times since graduation our night was spent catching up. It's so exciting to see where the Lord is taking each of us.  Julie just got a  promotion (way to go Jules) and is very happily married.  Jamie just got a new job, something she has wanted for a while now.  We are so very happy for her.  Susan is about to graduate with her business degree.  This is a HUGE accomplishment for her and I couldn't be prouder.  Jess is getting her Teachers Certificate and looking for teaching jobs in the fall.  Best of luck with that Jess!  I know that I will miss these beautiful women like CRAZY when I leave but have assured them I am a phone call away from a weekend trip to Birmingham and have begged them to schedule a trip to LA in the Fall to come visit me. 

As always, beyond thankful for the blessing of these friendships and the city in which they all began! 



Only Getting Started March 28th

I recently read this verse:

“O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand.  For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and might acts as yours?” Deuteronomy 3:24

When I read that, it just hit me. I am only 23 years old, and in those short 23 years I can think of SOOOO much great things the Lord has done for me.  He has provided for me richly, blessed me with wonderful friends, given me examples of what God fearing community is, and the list would literally NEVER END if I didn’t stop it somewhere.  But His Word says He has only begun. 

This thought reminds me of an old Stephen Curtis Chapman song (yea yea I love me some SCC!) that goes as follows:

I was just a little kid when
I heard about You for the first time
And all I really, really knew for sure
Was You were God, I wanted to know You
And now the years have come and gone
I'm still singing that same song
You might think by now I would have reached the end
But the truth is...

I am only just beginning
I am only getting
Started to know You now
I'm only getting started
And when I start thinking I'm getting
Close to the end, You just smile at me and say
Hey, kid, you ain't seen nothing yet
I'm only getting started
I'm only getting started now

Now Your love it is an ocean
Deeper than my deepest notion
Your grace, it is the sky above
It just keeps on going forever
And with every new sunrise
You come and open up my eyes
Show me just a little more of You
And again I see that...

Praise You Jesus that you are only getting started in making MUCH of You in my life!  I just love the newness of the Father!

Dreaming March 20th

I’ll have to say, I wouldn’t consider myself a dreamer, but lately I find myself constantly thinking of the gifts and talents the Lord has given me and how He wants to use those.  I’ve thought of about 20 things I would love to do upon graduation and how they would each pan out.  For those of you who have so graciously listened to those, I now take the time to say thank you again. 

One of those dreams includes moving to Haiti. I know no one that knows me is surprised by this. Or maybe you are?  But either way, since I left that beloved country on March 20, 2010 my life hasn’t been the same. I love it there. I love everything about it.  I love the mosquitoes nets over the bed, the air mattress (that deflated after 20 minutes on that trip), the people, the need, the community, and the list could go on for years so I won’t bore you now.

One of my questions mentioned earlier was what would it look like for my OT skills to be used in Haiti?  The October trip I went on was to explore just that.  As you can imagine, OT for what we found didn’t exactly exist in Haiti.  Immediate medical care was first priority.  However, what happens when these patients are medically stable? (hope you like that medical terminology!)  

I’ve always loved the organization I have gone to Haiti with (Haiti Outreach Ministries http://www.haitioutreachministries.org/ please take time to click on the link and look at all the great things they are doing).  But in my small mind, OT didn’t have much of a place within it. The medical clinics only have doctors and nurses and are run by other agencies just on the HOM property.  Well as usual, God knows better than I and has an Awesome plan!

At the end of Spring Break, I went to the wedding of our dear friends from Haiti, now Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Bxybe!  During the reception, I was able to meet the President and a board member.  After introductions, the president was talking to me about my plans after graduation. I told him I wanted to do OT missions and thought that might happen in Haiti, but just haven’t found a place to plug in.  Without a 2 second lapse in time, he offered my fellow lover of Haiti, Miss Katy Crane and I a therapy room in the new City Soleil clinic of Haiti.

There I was sitting in the middle of a wedding reception, in shock and almost tears.  WHAT? Me? Us? With HOM? Nooo way? Seriously? Now as you can imagine the next few days were like a blur in my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, but for sure thought it couldn’t be real.

The When and How haven’t even begun to be answered, but Lord willing one of my dreams may just come true! I’m honored to serve and AWESOME God, Worthy of my Awe.

***Crazy, after just finding the date in my journal this way exactly one year after I left Haiti the first time! That just makes Him timing even MORE sweet.

Believing for Feb 20th

I have a dear lady I look up to that has more faith than anyone I have ever met.  She truly believes the Lord for radical things in her life.  With that in mind, I have been challenged to believe the Lord for things so that an increase of faith will occur in my life.  I don’t have faith that can move a mountain BUT I sure do desire it and choose to exercise my faith so that God himself be glorified. 

This year I have had a most blessed opportunity to lead a Senior girls Bible study.  A few weeks ago, I has asked the girls to think about something they were believing the Lord for in this upcoming year and get back with me the next week.  On the way to Bible study the next week, I was thinking of what I was going to believe the Lord for in this year.  The Lord graciously recalled to me a verse,

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8

This verse is already dear to me because it put my soul at rest one night my Freshman year of college, but this year the Lord wanted me to re-visit it.  I was thinking about what it means to instruct.  Teachers are often called instructors.  A good one reveals information to you, is patient with you, and wants good for you.  God is a GREAT one.  He promises to instruct me, guide me, counsel me, and watch over me!  So comforting to proclaim those truths. 

As I Sojourn, I am believing for His instruction!  May He alone be glorified as He instructs and my faith is increased.

A Glimpse Feb 4th

Well here goes nothing.  I’ve been thinking about starting a blog for a while, but recently the Lord gave me a small glimpse of what he has next for me.  I was reading in Genesis a month or so ago and read the following:

“And Pharaoh said to Jacob, ‘How many are the days of the years of your life?’ And Jacob said to Pharaoh ‘The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years…’ Genesis 47: 8-9a

The word SOJOURN stuck out to me, but I kept on reading.  When I finished reading the chapters for that day, I was still thinking I’ve seen that word a lot, I wonder what it means?  So I googled it on my phone and I found the following.

Sojourn: to reside temporarily

I read that and thought YES Lord! What a beautiful picture this world is not our home, heaven is!  I was sharing that sweet reminder with a dear friend the next day when the Lord said STOP, WAIT a minute!  I didn’t mean for that to simply be a reminder for you, I wanted it to guide you.  He just brought me this sweet glimpse that He is calling little ole me to Sojourn.  To reside temporarily.  Wherever he takes me, whenever he takes me.  As many know, since March of last year my world has been turned upside down. Praise the Lord for that! I was living all for me, and merely planned my life while letting God be a small part of the side yet had not truly given all over to Him.  It’s crazy to look back on it because in my mind I was walking with Him, but He wasn’t going to just let me walk He wanted me to dive in and give up myself so that He could reign. Hallelujah! 

All that to say, since last March I would consider my life a big ball of Questions.  One night I literally wrote 5 pages in my journal of questions, knowing full well that they well be answered in the fullness of time, yet still I just had to get them out.

This Sojourn glimpse doesn’t give me any specifics except that He has a lot in store.  A lot of great things at that. A lot of change, and unknowns, but right now that’s all I desire. Whatever He has I say YES Lord!