A Smile for Your Day :)

My sweet friend Austen has a 4-month-old baby boy who is absolutely adorable. This picture of him just made my day, and I had to share! Baby Marc loves hugs, but he doesn't seem so sure about eating cereal...

Hehe- love it :)

Under Attack

So I have had 2 major blows in the past few days...kind of makes me nervous to continue through the rest of today. The peace and encouragement I had previously received about my job was suddenly shaken yesterday when I realized that my boss and I left that conversation with two completely different ideas. He assumed one thing, while I walked away thinking the opposite. So it was discouraging when I found out that the pressure I thought was gone is actually still there. Having a couple of days to think and pray, the initial shock and confusion has faded. It's still difficult, and I am not really excited about what all of this could mean. But God is good, and He has a plan. I have to trust that plan and be obedient, even when it's hard.

And then came blow #2. I mentioned that I got pretty sick at the end of my trip to Nicaragua, and I ended up having to make a trip to the emergency room. When you spend 2 days in a foreign country praying that the Lord just kill you because you are so sick and in so much pain, you realize the incredible blessing of being able to come home to a place where you have access to good medical care. And then you get the bill. I swear my heart stopped beating for 4 seconds when I read the total cost. I am grateful for insurance that is able to negotiate down the costs, but even after that, the amount is exhorbitantly high- at least it is for my budget. I think I am just discouraged at this point because I was finally going to be at a level playing field in August (only 2 weeks away!) after previous financial setbacks. I feel like I am back at square one again, and that's just a defeating feeling...

I know my God is good and that He will provide- He always does. And I can hardly complain about my job or financial situation in the grand scheme of things. But right now I could use some relief, encouragement, and lots of prayer.

So, Yeah- I'm Dating Someone :)

So a couple of people have made the complaint comment that I have blogged about a lot of things, except the fact that I am dating someone. So this is the official post announcement for those who care haha :)

For those who know me well, you know that I have never been much of a dater, so this is kind of big news. So much so that some people didn't believe me when I first told them LOL. Whether it was that I didn't have the time, the patience, or the desire, it's just not something that has characterized my life. But more than my own ridiculous personality, early in college the Lord led me to be fairly conservative in my dating life. I've never been one to date just for fun or to have a meal paid for (I know girls who do...) It just doesn't fit my personality, and I have had a lot of things that I have needed to work on with the Lord and my relationship with Him, without adding another person to the equation. And I guess you could say I have been picky wisely selective.

In the past few years, I have just really enjoyed being single, which is a complete blessing from the Lord. I have been able to be a part of a growing singles group at my church, and I really enjoy encouraging single women in developing their relationship with the Lord, rather than looking for their identity/purpose in a guy. God has truly blessed me in my single life, and I have loved being able to serve Him during this period of time. There is so much freedom and joy in being content with it just being you and Christ.

And then Mike came along :) Alright, I will admit it: I actually had a crush on him last fall. But since I didn't really know him super well, and never thought he would be interested in me, I let it go. A couple of weeks before he asked me out, I had started thinking about him again. You have to understand that there is a large part of me that absolutely hates being super girly...you know the whole over-analyzing, "does he like me?" or "he said 'hi' to me, does that mean something?" or "he wouldn't ever be interested in me, would he?"...ugh. No thanks. So the fact that a boy was constantly on my mind was really frustrating for me lol. I actually had a conversation with the Lord and told Him that either (a) this boy needed to ask me out or (b) I needed him out of my head. Mike asked me out that same night. How can you deny that answer to prayer? ;)

I can hardly believe it, but we've been dating for 3 months already. It has been fun to spend time with him and get to know him better. He has been such a blessing, and I still feel like I don't deserve to be with someone so great. He absolutely loves the Lord, and he challenges me in my walk with Christ in so many ways. And he has been super patient with me as I navigate my way through this whole dating idea (remember- not much of a dater, so you can only imagine...haha).

So there you have it- I am dating someone. And because I have just resolved to embrace the girliness and think this picture is really cute, here is one of the two of us:

:)

Missing Nica...

Today I woke up wishing that I was back in Nicaragua. That may be because I am heading home this weekend to share about the trip with a group of friends and family. My parents are awesome and are hosting a dessert fellowship of sorts so I can talk about all that the Lord did on the trip. I worked this week on a PowerPoint presentation (I couldn't help myself- it's what I do haha) so everyone can see pictures from the trip. I am so excited to share all of the prayer God answered, how He is being glorified through the ministries in Managua, and what He taught me. I am really praying that God uses the time to not only provide additional support for the ministries (which would be awesome!), but also to draw people toward His heart.

Preparing for this weekend has just caused me to want to be back in Nicaragua. I pray that the Lord gives me an opportunity to go again. I miss serving with brothers and sisters in Christ, playing Tiburónes y Pescaditos with the kids, learning Spanish from 5-year-olds, just loving the kids there...but most of all, I miss this sweet face...

Photo Taken By: Clint Brewer

More Love to Thee...

This is my prayer right now...

More love to Thee,
O Christ, more love to Thee!
Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee.

This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!
Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest;
Now Thee alone I seek, give what is best.

This all my prayer shall be: More love, O Christ to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!
Then shall my latest breath whisper Thy praise;
This be the parting cry my heart shall raise;
Still all my prayer shall be: More love, O Christ to Thee;

More love to Thee, more love to Thee!
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!