Sweet Surprises

The Lord never ceases to amaze me. Ever. His ways are so much better than mine and I am being reminded of that each and every day. The last couple of days my family (Dad, Mom, and little brother) have been preparing to go to Nicaragua, with the youth group from my home church, a mission trip that I first went on 8 years ago as a high school student! Luckily, I was fortunate enough to go back to Nicaragua several times after that. Nicaragua is where it all started, my love for mission work, that is. At the last minute (story of my life!) I was able to book an unexpected flight and am now going on the trip as well! Christ really does make all things work together for our good! I think it is so cool that the Lord would take me back to where my desire to do mission work first started, just a couple of weeks before I move to Africa! Not only is he sending me to Nicaragua to serve him but I get to do so alongside of my family! This will be my little brother, Ethan's, first overseas mission trip and I can not wait to see how the Lord is going to use him and work in his life during this special time, especially since there will be many things that I will miss out on seeing this year! I am so proud of the young Godly man he is becoming and I know that this trip will be such an amazing experience in his life, as was mine! I am so grateful that I get to spend my last couple of days "Home" on the mission field with my family! I can not think of anywhere else in the world I would rather want to be! I am also so very thankful that the Lords surprises are so much better than any of my plans.What a sweet, sweet surprise this was :) Adios Amigos :) P.S This post is only short due to the fact that I just found out I was going to Nicaragua early this morning, and am leaving in less than 24 hours, and I must go pack! Otherwise, I would be typing away! However, you can expect a long blog post when I get back! Please pray for our team as we are gone! I hope you all have a great Easter holiday! Thank you Jesus for defeating the grave. My Redeemer Lives!! .

Tis the Season

First and foremost: THANK YOU for taking the time to read my first blog post, ever! Words can not express how excited I am that you are "here" and joining me on my journey (maybe not physically, but mentally, and perhaps later on, even emotionally) :) to AFRICA!! Also, I would like to mention that while I may (or may not) ;) have majored in English while attending college, that by no means, makes me a perfect or profound writer. So, I ask that you please bare with me through all the misspelled words, grammatical errors, and wordiness....because those of you who know me best, know that I love to talk! However, I will try to keep my post short and sweet , or at least under 1,200 words. Maybe ;)

Anyways, on to Africa, today is somewhat significant in my life; primarily because it is the one month mark from me packing my bags, boarding a plane, and jetting off into the sunset, literally, and from what I have heard, the most beautiful sunsets in the world. Today, I also returned home from Orientation and what a blessing that was. While at orientation, I was able to meet new people (A.Mazing new people, I might add) and learn more about Christ and how he is using this particular season of my life to teach, shape, and mold me into the person he has called me and is calling me to become!

The older I am becoming, the more and more, I am starting to realize just how precious our short time on earth really is! I am starting to become more and more aware of how God teaches each individual different lessons at different times. In Ecclesiastes, God says that there is a time for everything. A time to live, a time to die. A time to laugh, a time to cry. A time to wait, a time to go, and so on. As a 23 year old, recent college graduate, my time lately has been nothing short of transition, change, and waiting! During this period of waiting, God is teaching me so much, like how to serve others, which as so-called Christ followers, God does not ask of us, but rather demand of us to do. He is teaching me, for the first time ever, to completely place every being and ounce of my life in his hands, because going to Africa all by myself is kind of a scary situation. Most of all, he is teaching me that his promises are true, he is a faithful father, and he is a God of grace. I have never been in awe of so much care and kindness demonstarted towards me. Through the transition and trials, I have never been so overwhelmed with such peace given to me, because Christ is stretching my faith to unmeasurable heights, due to placing my trust in him. I have never had so much love shown towards me, well I always have, but I am just now realizing and receiving it! My heart is full! I am bursting with joy for what is to come! So, no matter what season of life you are entering or ending, count it as joy, because God promises that the testing of our faith produces patience, and patience produces strength, which ultimately leads to a season of sweetness in the aftermath. After all, he has made everything beautiful in his time!