Category: Life as we know it

A Thousand Miles…and counting…

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Painted Desert National Park, Arizona

Well, we’re 10 miles from Texas, and have driven over 1,000 miles so far. It’s crazy! I’m exhausted, and I’ve taken a ton of pictures (I have two albums on facebook so far: Grand Canyon and Arizona/New Mexico )

I have been absolutely amazed at the beauty of New Mexico! I had NO idea that it was as beautiful as it has been! God’s creativity never ceases to amaze me! And, the Painted Desert in Arizona was breathtaking… 🙂

Tomorrow is Texas (seeing family), and we’ll be in Dallas/Fort Worth tomorrow night…

Life is a highway… 🙂

Leaving today…

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We leave tonight for Pennsylvania! It’s so crazy! Please keep my mom and I in your prayers as we travel! We will arrive in Harrisburg on Sunday, July 20th…

I’ll post a few pictures along the way, I’m sure. 🙂

I’m moving to PA!

Four Days…

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I should be sleeping…but my mind is far too occupied with the events of the past week, and with what’s to come in the next four days. I move in four days. When will my mind be able to grasp that reality? Probably when I start a job out there…or once I’ve been there longer than three months (since I’ve spent two full summers there in the past)…

My best-friend returns on Saturday night, which is when things will start to become more difficult for me emotionally…how do you say “goodbye” to someone who has meant the world to you, who has walked with you through two of the toughest years of your life thus far? I know it’s not a permanent goodbye, but when you see someone everyday, hangout all the time, how do you deal with such a change? Sigh…such is life.

This week has been filled with late nights, amazing conversations, God’s provision, tasks accomplished…time spent with people that I truly love–people who have become like family to me here in Southern California…there have been many “lasts” as well–last worship team practice, last youth group, etc. It’s so surreal…

I’m dealing with it all pretty well, though. Right now I’m becoming excited–excited for the road trip I get to take beginning next Monday night…for the two new states I can add to the list (New Mexico and Arkansas)…for the helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon that my parents surprised me with…for the beginning of a new chapter in my life–a chapter filled with unknowns right now. But I embrace the unknown, as it requires my trust to be in the Lord and not in my own plans.

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”–Semisonic

I feel so blessed by the life the Lord has allowed me to live…so blessed. He continually takes care of me, provides for me, and allows me to have the most incredible life experiences. And I truly can’t imagine life without Him.

Four days…

Six Days…

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This post will likely be “fragmented”, as that’s how my exhausted brain is functioning right now…

I leave for Pennsylvania in SIX days!! Still a bit of packing/sorting left to do–and one huge Post Office run to make…many more dinner/coffee/lunch dates with people I love…many more good-byes to be said…all in six days…

I saw “Wall-E” and “Hancock” today–yay for free tickets! 🙂 Both gave me a great deal to think about, for different reasons…

After twelve weeks of being sick and coughing constantly, I am finally 99.9% better!! On Sunday, I was able to sing for the first time in three months–and it was so humbling…I have really learned to treasure the gift the Lord has given me, because it can be taken away SO quickly. Next Sunday (my final Sunday in Glendora) will be another “Bluegrass Sunday”–meaning that I get to play mandolin!

Still processing a great deal from New Orleans…and I’ve been able to spend time with members of the team recently, which has been awesome. There’s an indescribable bond between all of us, and it just feels “right” to hang out together.

Please pray for me during the next six days–not only for the emotional part of moving, but also the logistics. There are some critical parts of moving that have to fall into place in the next six days, and one in particular is completely in the Lord’s hands. Please pray that He will continue to provide the necessary means to begin this new chapter in my life…

More later…

Isaiah 58 and other thoughts…

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It’s been an interesting week…I said my first “good-bye” yesterday, and it hit me harder than I expected. I know that I will still keep in touch with these loved ones…and it’s not the first time that I have left for an extended period of time–but it is the first time I’ve actually had to say “good-bye” not knowing when I will be back…not knowing when I will see them again. I had planned on doing some sort of temp-work while I was here, but I have realized that the most important thing I can do right now is spend time with these people I love so dearly.

Yesterday, I received a letter from myself that was written in February, at our retreat for the APU mission teams. It was interesting to read my prayers for our team at that time, and to see how God answered those prayers. At the bottom of my letter I wrote *Isaiah 58*, as that was a passage I pondered greatly during that retreat. I re-read it yesterday and was yet again struck by these powerful words:

‘For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. “Why have we fasted,” they say, “and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?”…

You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high…Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter–when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose water never fail.”

—Isaiah 58: 2-11

Wow…how beautiful and how powerful…THIS is why we were made–to serve those God places in our path and to love them like He loves them. This is how I want to spend my life, without a doubt. There’s simply no better way…much to ponder… 🙂

Back in California…

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We returned safely from New Orleans on Thursday (the 19th), and are still recovering from our amazing experience…our team blog is still functioning, so check it out as we continue to process all that we have seen and experienced.

Last night I went to my own “funeral” 🙂 I was completely surprised (which is a feat, for those who know me) when I walked into a goodbye party (where everyone was wearing black, there were R.I.P. signs everywhere, etc.) that was thrown by the youth group. SO sweet! I still can’t believe that Kevin didn’t let on at all, even though I was with him the entire afternoon/evening. Now, of course, things make sense 🙂 Anyway, I felt so loved, so special…and it was really an amazing time with friends and youth group kids.

I move in a little under three weeks…and it’s absolutely surreal to me. I am looking forward to it, but am also feeling more emotional as the days pass by. I’ve lived here for nearly 7 years, and so much has happened here…so many memories…but, I am ready for the new chapter that the Lord has waiting for me.

I’ll try to blog more soon–too many moving details to take care of… 🙂 Check out the team blog, and check out the links to pictures! 🙂

Louisiana…

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If you haven’t checked out our team blog yet, you definitely should! It’s being added to each day (so far), with insights into the hearts of many of our team members. I haven’t really posted anything “deep” yet because I wanted to allow the team to share their thoughts. 🙂 But, please check out our blog and leave comments! 🙂

http://teamneworleans.wordpress.com

Four Days!!

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Check out our team blog for updates during our adventure in New Orleans!

http://teamneworleans.wordpress.com

We leave on Saturday, and we are VERY excited… 🙂

In other news, in the past week I have gotten back in touch with a friend I met five years ago, and it has been awesome. Sometimes, God brings people into your life with whom you just connect SO well–and this is definitely an example of that.

Three more days of work!! 🙂

Four Things…

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So, Laura tagged me, and I’m supposed to answer…

1. Four jobs I have had in my life: Youth Director (FBC Glendora), Reference Assistant (APU), Intern for Newt Gingrich (D.C.), Local Tax Research Specialist (ADP)…

2. Four places I have lived: Hayward, CA; Red Bluff, CA; Azusa/Glendora, CA; Washington, D.C.

3. Four shows I watch: The Office…honestly, that’s it right now. I used to watch 24, but it’s not on this year.

4. Four places I have been: Tunisia; 25 states; Guadalajara, Mexico;

5. Four blogs I read regularly: Postsecret, Paradigm Shift, and tons of friend blogs (see the list to the right)…

6. Four favorite foods: Middle Eastern/Mediterranean, Italian, Mexican, and ice cream 🙂

7. Four places I’d rather be: Pennsylvania (soon!), the Middle East (eventually), NorCal, Seattle…

8. Four things I look forward to in the next year: mission trip to New Orleans, beginning a “new life” in Pennsylvania, the road trip with my mom to get me to Pennsylvania, and continuing to grow in my faith.

I tag Heather, Heatherly, Melissa, Lori…