All Sons and Daughters-Wake Up

Look what I found outside of my house!!! A donkey!

MI Dios nunca fallará

My God never will fail. As I am experiencing new things and am being placed in areas I never thought I would be, I know that my God knows what He is doing. Everything I do will be used somehow for Him and His kingdom. One of my biggest fears is public speaking and He has given me the ability to stand in front of 30 some kids and teach! I know that probably doesn't sound like a big deal...teaching kids, but to me ANY group, whether kids or adults, made me so nervous. I on my own am pretty awkward...surprise surprise...I lose my thoughts, don't make any sense, pause. But it's not me but God that can make what I have and use it for something awesome. It should not be about me it's all about Him anyway. Why would I ever be afraid about anything!!? He used Moses with a stutter, He used ordinary people with little education to build His church and preach to the nations. I read a book by C.s. Lewis once and it talked about how the devil presents himself and one way was through self-doubt/insecurity...etc. etc. I definitely believe that but I also believe that God is more powerful! So while I'm here I'm ready to look a little foolish sometimes, get out of my comfort zone and hopefully grow into a better me!

I'm in Honduras...fyi

Hola!! So it's been about 2 months since I arrived in Honduras and I LOVE it...so happy with my decision to disrupt my life and come here, ha. Definitely a scary thing at first but I'm getting to experience so many amazing things and grow closer to God, so it was absolutely worth the change. It's not always easy...being away from Shane and from my family is crazy hard...but I feel this is where I need to be right now. I came here with no real solid plan of what I would be doing but my God is pretty amazing and things fell together for me incredibly smoothly. I have a cute little house to myself, I'm in a community with other Christian girls, we have an amazing Bible study that I get so much out of, I am only a short bus ride away from my grandma,I get to see the most amazing little ones everyday and so much more...i mean perfect right!? I really wanted to experience some sort of medical something when I came here also and the first week I randomly found a Dr. that needed help at his Centro de Salud! So three days a week I volunteer at the health center and everyday I teach. I am teaching seventh grade English and 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade P.E. I definitely never imagined myself teaching but I love it! Everyday I'm here I can't get over how blessed I am to have this opportunity. I have lots of stories I'll have to share sometime but I thought I'd give a quick, long overdue update on my life for now.

finally something decided.

I'm going to Honduras September 22nd. I will be working at an orphanage/school in Siguatepeque called Destino del Reino with one of my awesome friends from home. I honestly don't know what exactly I will be doing but I do know that God will use me somehow so I'm not really going to worry about that as much. I'm so excited to meet all the beautiful little kids there and so blessed I have the opportunity to love them. I pray that I can remember that God gave me a spirit of power, love and of self-discipline and not one of timidity. I pray that I don't get discouraged along the way and that I am able to follow the spirit in order to truly do the work of God and not my own. It's been a little hard for me here...saying good-bye is not easy and just starting something new is a little nerve-racking. I've already begun crying and I still have 11 days left (dramatic?). It's good to have something to cry about when you leave, it just means your blessed with great people in your life in that place! Anyway, I'll be back in December just in time for Christmas...so finally something decided and here I go!

Be the ultimate optimist---with God all things are possible! If you believe it you need to LIVE it. No fear when you know God is with you. We cannot allow our fear of the unknown to steal what we do know.  Why are our prayers so puny, why are we hiding, why are we living like we dont trust that God can do anything? You have to step out in faith. Take risks. Your situation cannot dictate your faith.

books!

I love to read...here is a list of some of my favorites!

- Radical
- Love Does
- Irresistible Revolution
- A Hole in the Gospel
- Fan or Follower
- A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
- On That Day Everybody Ate
- Mountains Beyond Mountains
- Mother Teresa, The Joy In Loving
- The Shack
 - Reckless Faith
- The Help
- Hunger Games

mi abuelo

This is the only picture that my family has of my Abuelo...my grandfather, my mom's dad. He was a police officer in Honduras and was shot and killed when my mom was a child. I think I have is small eyes! 

:)

I have had the chance to talk to two very wise men in my life and have realized that I have blown everything way out of proportion. As my Dad likes to say ..You have made a mountain out of a mole hill. ha. I am CRAZY blessed and I am SO excited for what's to come in my life!!

did I do that??!

Man, this last month has been exhausting! I have been living out of a suitcase, I'm in a different house each week... and the decisions I finally made are not coming together. I feel stupid for making such big changes without something concrete ahead of me. I'm trying to stay positive and kinda just push it out of my mind...but that's a little impossible since I'm homeless, will be unemployed in a few weeks and have no solid plans for after that. Sometimes I don't know whether to get mad at myself, cry or laugh! I don't have it all together. It's all an adventure at first until you wake up and realize...maybe I should have thought through this and planned a little more!Ha. So I guess since I've screwed everything up I need to stop. Next step....let God take control and just know that He will work through my mess and make it something awesome. 

Things to do in Lexington

KIDS
- Lexington Ice center : Bible putt putt AND ice skating. yeah buddy.  http://www.lexingtonicecenter.com/
- Bounce U.  http://www.bounceu.com/party-places-for-kids/kentucky/lexington/
- Carnagie center-  http://carnegiecenterlex.org/
- Living Arts and Sciences center-http://www.lasclex.org/
- Library events.  http://www.lexpublib.org/
- laser tag/skating- http://champskate.com/
- rock climbing(indoor)- http://www.bluegrassbouldering.com/
- Children's Museum Lexington-  http://explorium.com/
- Life Adventure Center (Versailles)- http://www.lifeadventurecenter.org/
- The Pavillion (Georgetown) an indoor pool/slide- http://www.thepavilionky.com/
-  Jacobson Park-- fishing, kite flying, movie nights in the summer
- Gatti Town- http://gattitownlexington.com/

VOLUNTEERING
Southland compiled a list of local opportunities just click here and see them!! ----->
http://www.southlandchristian.org/local-involvement/community-organizations/
AND OR here
http://www.southlandchristian.org/local-involvement/



Random things around
- hiking
- camping/canoeing
- Shakertown
-Cumberland falls and lake 
- Natural Bridge (and other state parks)
http://parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/natural-bridge/default.aspx
- Mammouth cave
- Zip-lining

- Keenland...morning with the Jockeys, spring/fall meets-
http://www.keeneland.com/default.aspx- visit a local horse farm for a tour!!
- Zumba- http://www.zumba.com/parties/search/search:1/address:Lexington+ky/distance:25/un..

- Dance place- 
- Lexington Legends game http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t495
- UK sports anything games
- KY Horse Park- http://kyhorsepark.com/
- Farmer's Markets
- Drive in Movies 2 Movies for the price of ONE!
- Jacobson Friday Movies http://www.lexingtonky.gov/index.aspx?page=241
- star gazing parties at raven run

Tenemos la obligacion

Tenemos la obligación de luchar por un mejor destino para el hombre. Por un destino maravilloso. No nos es permitido el silencio. No nos es permitido ser observadores o simples testigos de la lucha de nuestros pueblos. En una época como esta, ser neutral es traicionar el destino del hombre. No se puede callar ahora ni por conveniencia ni por cortesía. Cuando se decide, en cada instante, la suerte del hombre futuro, callar por conveniencia o por cortesía es un crimen.
Jorge de Bravo

Awaken Me :)

I'm so glad this song is so long because I love it!!!

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One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in his temple.” Psalm 27:4

Fruit of the Spirit

 Love
 Joy
 Peace
Patience
 Kindness
 Goodness
 Faithfulness
 Gentleness
 Self-Control
 Galatians 5:22-23

now it's getting real

Well. These last few weeks have been extremely hard for me. I said I was supposed to make a decision 3 weeks ago and here I am without anything decided. I gave one of the organizations a deadline of August 1st to have my answer. So that's the day for real this time and until then I don't think I can talk about it to anyone else. I have talked to TONS of friends about this decision, I have prayed and now it's time for me to just be still and have some God time. I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of support I have from some of my closest friends and family and know that either way I'll be fine. I had a chance today to talk to an incredibly encouraging friend...her conversation has helped remind me to see the excitement of this time rather than the stress.
 I guess I haven't helped myself,as far as making this stress free, since I am doing things kind of backwards...usually people have some sort of a plan then they tell their job and then move out. I moved out of my apartment last week, today I gave my 4 weeks notice, canceled memberships and changed my address and guess what?!...I STILL don't have a definite plan. That scares me just a little.
 There's no doubt that this whole process is something that God is using to help me grow closer to Him though. I am a person that likes to plan, that likes to have some control of things and wants to know what's to come RIGHT NOW.... and it's not really happened like that. I have had to be patient, I have had to have a crazy faith, one that trusts that when I jump He will catch me. I have had to ask for help (another thing I'm not always so great at).This is a moment I have thought, prayed, and dreamed about for years and years...and the moment is finally here and I'm dragging my feet! CRAZY. It seems silly for me to be prolonging this but I just want to feel a peace and be sure that whatever I decide is because of God and nothing else. That the choice will bring me closer to Him, that it will help others to see Him, and most of all that it will bring joy and praise to my God. Hey, maybe I can eventually be involved in both places!! :)

And honestly, despite the stress and worry of maybe failing at this...I am so thankful for even having this hard decision. That I have a chance to do something that I've always dreamed of doing because not everyone has that kind of a chance. I'm so thankful for God, for His love, for the peace in knowing that wherever I go He will be with me and I will never be alone. I'm so thankful for the wonderful people in my life (special thanks to my 'rents and the bf...they've definitely been thrown into chaos and have been beyond AMAZING). I'm sure they are SO tired of hearing about this by now ha...but everyone has truly lifted me up so so much. so thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am crazy excited (and maybe a little anxious) for this new chapter in my story to finally unfold! And now it's getting real...Ahhhh!!! :) 

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decisions, decisions.

I am in the midst of making some big decisions in my life and it's freaking me out just a little. After talking to my very grounded guy he has helped me to remember to trust in God with everything and pray. (see how amazing he is!?)  My parents are behind me whatever I do...which is AWESOME and makes me tear up just thinking about it. I, on a personal level, am just having a more difficult time than usual to decide. I have been really trying to ask God about this all and have felt at a stand-still with certain things. Last night I truly think God placed this woman in my path to give me some wonderful advice about all of this. A lot of times my worry is that I'm going towards things that I want to do and not what God wants with my life or that I just need to stop pushing to something different and be happy where I am. Anyway, what she said was so simple yet I really, really needed to hear it...basically it was that God will open the doors that need to be opened. I have to trust in God but I also have to make the first steps. Things will not fall in my lap if I don't work a little for them but I will be able to know where He is leading me by the way things come together. After thinking back on some previous things in my life I can absolutely agree with that. When I went to Puerto Rico for a summer for example, I had to apply to this job but everything came together sooooo smoothly that it was no doubt God working.  I am currently looking at about 3 different paths I have to choose between in a matter of days. Here they are...
MOVE out of this attic...no matter what this is happening within a month or so
1. move out and work as a traveling nurse for 3 months. Those 3 months could be used to help me save money, work somewhere cool, and decide on if I am coming back to buy a house/rent a different place or if I'm going on to missions.
2. buy a place/rent a new place, buy a car---stay at my current job, study for GRE, go to Grad school, get more involved here in different things, continue serving where I serve
3. Go to Haiti or Honduras for a year...then come back and do number 2.

I think one thing that makes me linger on some decisions is this amazing person I have in my life now...it's not easy to think about leaving or staying without him. And it's weird because I never thought I'd be like this...but things change I guess. He's so great with all of this though...he wants me to do what I feel like I'm called to do and we've talked about still making things work no matter where we end up. So what's the big deal ? it just scares me to lose such a wonderful person in my life and honestly it would just be so  much better if we did it together...but I have made myself promise to never ever pressure or push anyone into doing anything, so this is no different.  I'm going to leave that part of my life completely to God though...because it's something I can't control.

The traveling company needs to know by tomorrow on my decision which means I would have to tell my manager which makes everything official. So stinkin' scary. Especially when I hear that it's a crazy idea to leave such a steady, awesome job I really like for uncertainty and no money in a time like now.

And within these all I am looking at 3 different organizations to work at
- Nuestro Pequenos Hermanos---A place in Honduras and Haiti
- Northwest Haiti Christian Mission
- A hospital in northern Haiti with Catholic monks. :)

I really don't know who to talk to about this to make me feel better about a decision. Some days I feel sick to my stomach and my heart hurts to think of what I might be leaving or not doing. But man, I guess it's an awesome thing that I even have these opportunities!!!! I need to look on the positive side of things right? What God will be able to do through me...what I will learn and gain....that I will be fulfilling a dream whether it fails miserably or not... I guess I'll continue to pray pray pray and go ahead and apply to those 3 organizations. and I guess the whole traveling thing will be a surprise to everyone tomorrow...even me :) 

Please pray for me and my decision...that it is completely following the will of God for my life. Thanks and any advice is greatly appreciated!!

wedding song!

If I ever get married I think I want this song to play! Love it!!

Civil war? ha

Source:

 AHHHH!!! I'm so excited and nervous. My UK wildcats are playing Kentucky's other team...Lville in the final four today. I have a feeling this is going to get crazy!!!!