Thankfulness....

I LOVE the holidays.....everything about them really! The parties, the music, the food, the love that is shared, the joy that just seems to be contagious, and most of all the Birth of our precious Savior-it sure doesn't get much better than that! It seems like it is a lot easier to be thankful during this time-or at least I feel like I am more aware of what I am thankful for. Most likely because I am constantly surrounded by the friends and family that I love the most during this time!

Tonight during small group Mimi shared with us an insert about Thankfulness from the devotional book Jesus Calling. The author reminds us that we are to be thankful not only in the good times, but during the hard times as well. As Christians, we are called to do it as an act of obedience. I thought it was so great and challenging so I wanted to share it with you.

"Thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity. That is why I have instructed you to give thanks for everything. There is an element of mystery in this transaction: You give ME thanks (regardless of your feelings), and I give you joy (regardless of your circumstances). This is a spiritual act of obedience. To people who don't know me intimately, it can seem irrational and even impossible to thank Me for heartrending hardships. Nonetheless, those who obey Me in this way are invariably blessed, even though difficulties may remain.
Thankfulness opens your heart to My Presence and your mind to My thoughts. You may still be in the same place, with the same set of circumstances, but it is as if a light has been switched on, enabling you to see from My perspective. it is this light of My presence that removes the sting from adversity."

"Always give thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father....." Ephesians 5:20

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindess is everlasting." Psalm 118:1

"How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O Lord, they walk in the light of Thy countenance." Psalm 89:15

I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

My Best Friend is Getting Married!

My Best Friend and roommate is getting married in February! I am so excited for her and it has been so much fun to walk through this season of life with her. This past weekend was her first shower and can I just tell you how much fun it was? I know that this is just the beginning of so much more fun and many more precious memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life! Here are some pictures from the shower with the other bridesmaids who just happen to be three of my closest friends which of course makes the parities even more fun! I am so thankful for these girls and the friendships that we share! I can not even begin to explain what huge blessings they are in my life. We balance each other out so well....what one of us lacks the other is strong in-they are a true blessing from the Lord-I love you girls!

Ecclesiastes 4:12 " Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not easily broken."

We had to do it....this picture is tradition.....

We are always laughing together....
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CAMBODIA

Last summer I had the privilege of going on a two week mission trip to Cambodia. This was my first international mission trip so I was experiencing every kind of emotion possible. Excitement, joyfulness, fearfulness, eagerness, hopefulness....the list goes on and on. Let's be honest, I am a creature of habit.....I can not stand change and knew that in 24 hours I was going to be thrown into a world of it. However, I was very expectant of how the Lord was going to grow and stretch me during these two weeks. Our main mission was to go and share the love of our precious Savior with some oprhans at a place named the Shelter of Love. Let me tell you, love is definitely what you feel at that place. Not just any kind of love though, the love of our Savior-it is all over the place!His love shines through the smiles of these precious children, the way they served us....yes, us-even though we where there to serve and love on them I was given it ten times in return. When I left the states a question I got a lot was "what do you think you are going to learn?" Well, I can tell you that my answer was not what I learned. I left Cambodia with a new insight on love and what loving God's people looks like, and how important it is to love with an unconditional Christ like love. Have I gotten it? By all means no way-but I am striving everyday to love more like Him! It is my prayer that His love would shine through me every single day-even on the days when I am tired or cranky!

I had always heard that you could fall in love with a country after going but I never though that would happen to me. Well friends, my heart for this country is huge! Second Baptist is taking a group back there during the summer of 09' and I hope I get to be apart of that trip! I didn't get to travel back there this past summer because of a foot injury so you can imagine the longing I have to go back! I found some pictures the other day and wanted to share them with you!

Romans 10:15 "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things."

Shelter of Love

The team I served with

Sweet Alice....

Teaching the kids.....

GLOBAL GIGL PRACTICE!

Sunday afternoon the GIGL Teams from Woodway, North, and West got together at the West Campus for a practice to learn the choreography for the songs we will be doing this Christmas! It was a ton of fun and just so great to have over 50 JHigh kids in one room together! Anna Lee, Meghan, and I wanted to make it fun for them so we had them dress up in Christmas clothes and played games as well as just learning the dances!!!