Don’t you just love it when…

God reveals something to you when you least expect it? I DO! I love how He seems to ALWAYS teach me something when I go into a situation with the wrong heart! Case in point, small group yesterday. Let me explain.

At the beginning of last semester, before going back to acts, I decided to do some church-hopping because I felt like I hadn’t found a church I could call home here in Austin. Since I wasn’t plugged in at a church and because I wanted to be a part of a smaller community I decided to join a small group through a campus ministry. I didn’t really know what to expect from it because I didn’t really know the girls in my sg, but I decided to stick with it anyway. Even after I decided to go back to acts and join an acts sg, I still continued to go to this sg because I loved that the discussion was very scripture based.

Well at the beginning of this semester I kinda decided that I would just be in my acts sg and that I would stop going to the other one. I didn’t really have a good reason for not going, but I felt like I didn’t really connect with the girls and that just going to my acts sg was good enough. So I emailed my sg leader telling her that I wasn’t going to be a part of her sg this semester and left it at that. However, she continued to email/text me sg updates and meeting times and what not - I love how persistent she was, even if it wasn’t intentional. I finally decided to just go to the first meeting, and I’m really glad that I did. After sg last night I finally felt like there was a purpose for our sg and that it wasn’t just something I would go to every week. We also realized that we all desired real friendships with each other and that we needed to be more intentional in our relationships. I’m definitely sticking with sg this semester and I’m really looking forward to how God works within our sg! I love how quickly God changed my heart! I went in with the intentions of just going once this semester, but God definitely came through once again and blessed me through sg last night.

I just KNOW God has amazing things in store for this semester - I can feel it.

“For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”        -2 Corinthians 6:2

20. go to a park and swing (2/6)

Today was a long day. It started off kinda rough with only a few hours of sleep, having to finish up my lab, having to go to ochem lab (yes, on a SATURDAY), and having to spend all four hours in lab. BUT being surprised with dinner and a trip to the park to swing definitely made it better. I’m glad I have such amazing people in my life :)

it’s official!

My missions application through GoNow Missions is now complete. I submitted the application on Monday night with about 7 minutes to spare. Cutting it close, right? Well the reason I waited til the very last minute was because I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to go through GoNow to do missions this summer. Another opportunity for the summer came up and it was something I could see myself doing (and the process was easier - no application, just an interview). Also, it was in Texas so knowing I would be somewhat close to my family made it more appealing than GoNow. So instead of praying about both opportunities more, I just hoped that the one in Texas would work out because it would be easier.

That was my mentality up until last Sunday. The Sermon at church was definitely something I needed to hear. It was titled “Being Tapped by God” (Luke 23:26-32) and PC talked about The Call: To be Prepared, The Call: To Carry the Cross, and The Call: To Weep - to be involved in the Great Commission. After hearing the message I knew that I wasn’t prepared at all. I was just doing what was easier for me and I had totally forgotten the whole purpose of going on missions this summer. I wasn’t going on missions to be comfortable and to go where I wanted to go, but I was going to spread HIS love and to further HIS Kingdom. So after hearing the message on Sunday I knew that I needed to finish my GoNow application and that I would go where He can use me.

So it’s official. I’m done with my GoNow application and I am going to Discovery Weekend next weekend to find out where I’ll be serving this summer. So excited!

One last thing. On my application I got to choose my top 3 choices for where I’d like to go this summer and my first choice was to be an orphan ministry intern in Guatemala. The reason I chose this position wasn’t because it was in Guatemala, but because I really want to work with children - specifically hurting children. I feel like these kids need to experience God’s Love and they need to know just how much they are loved by Him. So Guatemala just happened to be where this trip was but the crazy thing is how God really played a part in this. Last year during a prayer night we had a time of praying for the world and so when hospitality wrote our name tags they wrote a country on it too. Can you guess which country I had? Yep, Guatemala! Isn’t God amazing? :)

one down, 21 to go.

It’s only the second week of being back in Austin but for some reason it feels like I didn’t even go home for winter break. I can’t really tell if this is a good thing, but I think I’m kinda liking the fact that Austin feels like home.

I had a coffee date with my old sg leader tonight and words cannot even describe how amazing it was. God has definitely blessed me with some incredible girlfriends here in Austin, and I am so grateful for that.

#22 is now completed :)

1. be able to run 10 miles
2. read the whole Bible
3. journal regularly
4. fly a kite
5. take a photography class
6. learn how to actually cook
7. make homemade cards and send them thru snail mail
8. play a whole game of monopoly
9. shadow a dentist
10. get closer to my aunt
11. eat something i’ve never eaten before
12. go on a real picnic
13. make a new friend
14. send a care package
15. finish 6 books
16. send thank you notes for small, unexpected reasons :)
17. sleep under the stars
18. make it to ALL my classes (for at least one semester..)
19. start studying for the DAT
20. go to a park and swing
21. be a certified lifeguard
22. have coffee and catch up with a friend i haven’t talked to in awhile (1/27-justine <3)

The fire alarm refuses to die..

So we have a fire alarm that’s in a pretty hard place to get to. It’s only accessible from the second floor but its on the ceiling of the third floor. (The description sounds weird but if you’ve been to my house then you know what I mean). Usually when one of our fire alarms is about to die, it beeps for a few days and then actually dies. However, this one has been beeping for over a month and half and it refuses to die; It is so incredibly persistent. For some reason though, the persistency of the fire alarm made me think about sharing The Gospel. Super random, right? But it made me think of how I need to be persistent when it comes to talking about Christ with others. I can’t just talk to someone about The Gospel and expect them to accept everything I say the very first time. Even though it’s discouraging when people don’t seem to care about what I say, I need to learn to be persistent and to remember that it’s all for His Glory.

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:19-20

22 in 2010.

So instead of coming up with a few resolutions for the year, I decided to come up with a list of things I wanted to do by the end of the year. Some of the things on the list will be crossed out after one occasion and some will last throughout the year. Here it is:

1. be able to run 10 miles
2. read the whole Bible
3. journal regularly
4. fly a kite
5. take a photography class
6. learn how to actually cook
7. make homemade cards and send them thru snail mail
8. play a whole game of monopoly
9. shadow a dentist
10. get closer to my aunt
11. eat something i’ve never eaten before
12. go on a real picnic
13. make a new friend
14. send a care package
15. finish 6 books
16. send thank you notes for small, unexpected reasons :)
17. sleep under the stars
18. make it to ALL my classes (for at least one semester..)
19. start studying for the DAT
20. go to a park and swing
21. be a certified lifeguard
22. have coffee and catch up with a friend i haven’t talked to in awhile

summer2010.

Yesterday I went into my GoNow missions interview knowing that missions was definitely an option this summer, but not completely set on going. But once I was done with my interview, I knew for sure that God has definitely put missions on my heart, and that I am definitely doing missions this summer. Recently I’ve realized that when I voice my thoughts and actually verbalize them, I can reach conclusions and figure things out better. So after I actually talked about how God has been working in my life and how He has placed missions on my heart, I was able to come to the conclusions that I am definitely doing missions this summer. BUT I still have absolutely no idea where God wants me to be, so I still have lots of praying to do. I’ll post more details as I continue to go through the process, but if you could keep me in your prayers it’d be greatly appreciated! :)

“Trust in the Lord with all your hear and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” -Proverbs 3:5-6

“For Christ’s love compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: if One died for all, then all died… Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ: certain that God is appealing through us, we plead on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God.’” -2Corinthians 5:14 & 20

amazing weekend, stressful week.

I didn’t get a chance to update this week cause i had a crazyyy week, but last weekend was definitely A LOT of fun!

On Thursday night we had a sophomore event to MIDNIGHT RODEO! It was so much fun getting ready with the girls and learning how to 2-step :) And of course the 3am trip to ihop. I love how our class is so united this year and how we actually hang out. We definitely have a lot of catching up to do from last year, but I know for sure that this year is going to be amazing.

I love these girls! Hopefully future roomies<3

On Saturday my freshmen support group went to Mt. Bonnell to watch the sunset and have a picnic. Even though we only have ONE freshmen, getting to spend time with my fsg was very enjoyable - and the sunset was beautiful!

Harrison, Jimi, and I also went to the screening of Brief Interviews with Hideous Men and got to see JOHN KRASINSKI! <3

Last weekend was by far one of the most fun weekends in a long time, but spending the weekend not studying definitely came back to bite me in the butt. I had my third round of exams this week and they did not go so well. However, I’ve been trying to not let bad grades affect me as much as they used to. I know that I still have to study and try my best, but I think being so stressed out all the time showed me that I need to trust that God will provide.

This semester I’m definitely learning to really trust God in all that I do - school, friends, church, everything.

camping trip.

This past weekend the college group at Acts went on a camping trip to Inks Lake State Park. It was definitely a well deserved break from school and everything else hectic that goes on everyday. It was just a good time to reflect and to awe at everything God has created. Man, the stars were absolutely amazing! You could see EVERY SINGLE star in the sky - it was beautiful. It was also a really good time of fellowship and just hanging out with everyone.

So we went to sleep around 2am, and when I got back to my tent, someone had opened up my sleeping bag to sleep on top of. Since I didn’t want to wake them up, I was left to just laying on my sleeping bag with a thin blanket haha. Thankfully it wasn’t as cold as last year, so I was alright.

For our morning devotion we read Romans 12:9-1

“9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” (NIV)

One thing I took from this devotion was that I need to constantly be attached to what is good. The sincerity of my love is connected to my aversion to evil. This means that in order for me to sincerely love others, I must continue to turn from what is evil. Also, I need to learn to honor others above myself. For awhile I struggled with relationships where I felt like I was giving and not getting anything back. However, we are called to give without expectations of receiving anything in return. This is definitely something I need to constantly be reminded of when it comes to relationships.

I think my favorite part of camping trip was definitely just being able to get away for awhile and to just marvel at His creation.

“Praise Him under open skies, everything breathing praising God.”

photo by JosephKang

if only we knew.

A lot of times I struggle with not knowing the reasons for things that are happening in my life. A lot of times I wonder why God allows me to go through so much confusion and suffering. For awhile, all I ever did was just ask “Why is God letting this happen to me?”

As I was lying in bed, I realized that if I knew exactly why God was doing the things He was doing, I would never see the amazing power of God. I would never get to experience the mysterious ways that He works. I would never get to truly appreciate His love for me. If you really think about it, it’s amazing to see how much God really cares about you during times like those. Because He cares, He holds our hand while we suffer and then allows us to see the purpose of it all. If He didn’t allow us to suffer, we would never really get to experience His power.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” [Ephesians 6:10]