Stones of Remembrance

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been a little bit since my last post.
As you know, October 12th is drawing nearer and nearer! I'm still working and packing when I can. The suitcase is open and it is slowly filling. It is a little surreal. I'm not exactly sure when the reality of it all will sink in. Needless to say I am VERY excited about the trip. But this time of rest at home was much needed. I am so thankful that He knows what we need and provides accordingly. We can trust in Him fully :-).

In my last "full" post (other than my praise report update) I left a link to my e-mail address for those of you who might want to contact me with any praise stories or updates about what has been going on in your life. To my delight, there were some replies from people I hadn't heard from in years! It was such a treat to get to catch up with them and hear the "glory stories" that He creating in their lives. So please do not hesitate to do the same! I would love to hear from you. I will post the link again.

While I have been waiting to travel, I've been gathering things here and there that I "think" I might need. I decided to ask the couple that I will be working with if they needed anything from the States. Here is a list below of a few of their requests- you may be surprised to find that these items cannot be purchased readily in Spain.

-Canned Cranberries (for the holiday meals coming up)
-Vitamin supplements (Zinc, B, CoQ10)
-Ibuprofen
-Dove dark chocolate :-)
-Dental floss

So if you find yourself traveling overseas anytime soon, be sure to ask if there is anything you can bring with you. Sometimes the smallest of things bring the most comfort.

On a more serious note...For those who know me well, you know that I usually run a fairly hectic schedule. Well, not so these past few weeks. Don't get me wrong- I am enjoying every bit of the R&R. But I must confess I hardly know what to do with myself. I have work, time with friends and family, and time to rest and relax. But there is something missing. These "limbo" periods are always awkward. Those nondescript yet essential times in a persons life when you find yourself struggling to maintain the normalcy you've always known while trying to embrace the change you know is inevitable. So here I am...swinging out over the chasm again- waiting for my feet to find that familiar substance beneath them.
But!!! I will add that upon my arrival home I asked that the Lord bring me to a place of stillness so as to prepare and energize me for the work that he would put my hands to in Spain. I think I'm there...just a couple more weeks to go :-)

 Speaking of answered prayer... I was talking with my mom tonight and the subject of my graduation came up. It is no secret that my entire college career has been an offering to the One who carried it but tonight we found ourselves once again marveling how quickly He worked. I transferred after my first semester of college, completely changed the direction of my major, resurrected my GPA from the dead, and learned to listen to the voice of God again...in three years...total. Tonight, I was reminded of all of the "little things" that happened along the way that were gentle reminders that His eyes had not left my "unformed" being. He saw what I could be... Now, I certainly cannot deny the hard work and determination that went into every single one of those three years. However, I am convinced that there is absolutely no way that I could have accomplished all that I did without divine intervention. There were numerous clep tests that HAD to be passed and administrative obstacles that HAD to be overcome. He cleared the way. He fought for me. There were a few professors I was convinced had the hearts of Pharaoh so I know there was Someone pulling some serious strings :-). So when the final paper was submitted (literally midnight before graduation day) and my cap and gown in place- I couldn't help but place this great honor back at His feet again. It all belonged to him anyway.

Naturally, these were sweet thoughts to reminisce and they reminded me of the importance of stones. Once upon a time men were commanded to gather stones and erect a memorial- a memorial to remember. So that when your children look upon these stones they will ask, "What are these stones for?" And you will remember what the Lord has done for you and this people. So, in part, this is my memorial- a testimony to all who read this of what the Lord has done.

What about you? Maybe you are in limbo like me...waiting to be obedient to the next phase He has called you too. Maybe this is the time to remember all that he has done for you...

Vamos a Celebrar!

Let's Celebrate together :-)
My Father has gathered all of the money that I need to go to Valencia! He has given me the cattle on a thousand hills.
Thank you for praying and giving! He has given weight to His name- Jehovah Jireh- Yahweh Provides.
Just wanted to share that with you- be encouraged and praise him for answering prayer!

Cae Lluvia...The Rain Falls

This week has been a little hectic. I am scheduled to leave during the first week in October so September is crunch time. So much to do and so little time! All support has to be in ASAP so that I can book my flight. Thankfully, all of the flight information looks promising and everything is falling into place. I am still not to 100% support so I have had to cut the duration of the trip down to three months so that I can leave in time to submit my final paperwork to my internship adviser at Liberty. Although this time frame is not set in stone, it is nice to have some kind of idea about my time limitations prior to departure rather than not knowing until mid-trip. Let's just say that I am a recovering control freak...still trying to maintain control...with absolutely none! Ha- but at least I can admit it and laugh about it.

I do want to share something amazing that happened to me today. I was driving home from picking up a support check and I thought about how easily the Lord had brought this check to my fingertips. I thought about the events that surrounded its arrival and the goodness of the One who saw fit to give it to me. Of course, I was grateful to the person who decided to give. But I was so in awe of the One to whom it truly belonged. Tears welled in my eyes as I thought about the careful thoughts that my Father must have had towards me to bring this about. I had trusted his heart months and weeks and days before I could trust the evidence of his hand but I was dumbfounded. I was overwhelmed...A song played in the background of my thoughts describing the strength it takes to wait for Him to act.

-----I wrote the above last week - below are some updates-----

I found out last week that I will only be able to go for 3 months. Last minute surprises are always part of the adventure. I was, however, able to book my plane ticket! So that is excellent news :-)
GEM crunched some numbers for me with the new dates and after a few support cards clear the system, I will only need $900.00.

I have to look at the calendar to think about the day that I asked the Lord how he wanted to send me...August 15. He specifically answered with a Word...August 26.

Even on August 26th it looked pretty hopeless. I had about 19K that needed to come in in less than a month. There are no words. There are no words. Did I mention, there are NO WORDS that describe how that has changed. I went from 19K to 900 in a few weeks. More than anything else I wanted what I said about His character- he provides- to be mirrored in my life. I wanted my life to agree with what I was saying about him. He is more than capable of giving weight to his name: Jehovah Jireh.
It's overwhelming.

Thursday evening I was getting together with some friends from church to share about what the Lord has been doing in my life during my college years. I wasn't feeling very well before I went but I didn't want to cancel. We spent hours talking, when I finally came face to face with the reality that I had food poisoning. So here I am...with food poisoning...and all that comes with having food poisoning...trying to talk. It's funny now but it wasn't then. Thankfully, I was able to finished my story. Before I left, they handed me a card with mention of a small gift they had wanted to give to me for Spain. I was so sick when I got home that I went straight to bed and left everything in my car. Finally, I was cleaning out my car yesterday and opened the card. When they said a, "small gift" I was thinking a "small gift," right? Wrong! My jaw hit the floor. Not one word left my mouth except what God had put in my heart to do for the people of Valencia and the Lord had kept his promise. If I would tell the story of his work in my life- he would take care of the rest. Spiritual rain fell on me in that moment. I felt so cherished and cared for. So loved.

If you are reading this and you have not experienced the kind of love I am speaking of, you can. I am not any different than you. I am a sinner. I've made mistakes. But God made a way for all men to erase their mistakes through the death of his son Jesus. Jesus' death satisfied the payment necessary for our sins...FOREVER. If you know that you are a sinner and want to be right with God, tell him. Agree with God that you have sinned against him and that you cannot please him on your own. Tell him that you want to accept that Jesus' death as the only thing that can save you from your sins.
This is a decision I know you will never regret. I would rather be a slave forever in the House of God than a slave for a day to sin and it's master, Satan.

Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions about my time in Valencia or want to share what He is doing in your life- I would love to hear about it.