Living in today and preparing for tomorrow

  The clock is ticking, the suitcase nearly full.  Goodbyes, I'm not quite a fan of those, but how necessary they are.  I'm celebrating all of the relationships built and savoring every last moment spent with these wonderful people as I finish up this chapter of my life. 
  As I mentioned in my last post, there have been some changes made.  When I was initially invited to join the staff of YWAM West Virginia, I was under the impression that my primary focus would be with the Discipleship Training School (DTS).  I saw myself with these students, meeting them where they were at and sharing with them pearls of wisdom and stories I've acquired from walking with God daily for so many years.  I looked forward to watching each of them transform in amazing ways during the 6 months that they were going to be with us.  And of course, I wondered often about where God would send us to minister after the 3 month classroom phase was complete.
   Little did I know that God had something else in mind.  We needed to have 6 students in order to run the DTS and when our deadline rolled around we only had 3 students.  As we prayed about this, we felt that it was right to lay the training school down for now, fully believing that in this season God has a different focus for us as a base.  My role, as of now, is not fully defined and yet I'm following God with confidence.  I can feel His excitement over this next segment of our journey, so I take His hand with a smile upon my face, ready and willing to be His partner.  The ministry opportunities in this town are endless.  There is a crisis pregnancy center nearby that I will be volunteering in.  I've also been asked to pray about taking a leadership role in a youth group in my town.  Many other ideas have been discussed, so who knows how this next year will play out.  Anything can happen!!  Regardless of what I end up doing for a job, I will be carrying the light of Jesus into Keyser, bringing hope and sharing love with all those I meet.

  As I look forward to the new, I also want to be fully present these next 7 days.  Many coffee dates, walks, prayer times and celebrations await me.  I enter this week with a brave face, refusing to say goodbye, rather, "See y'all later."  :)









  

3 years here and only 3 weeks left!

It's hard to believe that 3 years have sailed by already.....3 completely amazing, life changing, absolutely challenging and yet every tear cried was worth it in the end. I've loved my time here in Minnesota!! These pictures represent just a small handful of the wonderful memories that have been created.

These first two show off some cookie baking fun with Abby! We always look forward to our adventures together, although we don't always have the best of weather on our outings. It never bothers us. We've trekked to Caribou in frigid temperatures and played on a playground until our hands went numb. We never seem to run out of things to talk about. I'll miss you Abby.

This here is my friend Jean whom I took care of in her home. We shared 2 incredible years together. Whenever her nurses would see us out for a walk, they'd always comment, "Here comes trouble!" We watched Sound of Music so many times that Jean started quoting the lines. That, by far, was one of the best jobs I've ever had. Jean became so much more than just a client. She's my friend and adopted grandmother.

And of course the sisters together on Christmas :) Kisses for Amy!! This makes me laugh. We truly have become best friends.
All 4 of us together....dressed up for our friend's wedding. From the left: Josie, Katie (me), Amy, and Emily. Any guesses on who the oldest is??

My 25th birthday and we certainly made a day of it!! A picnic @ Lake Calhoun for breakfast complete with banana bread and coffee and some homework that I made my sisters do. Then off to the Spoon and Cherry and a walk around that area. There were such pretty fall leaves. Then onto Mickey's Diner for lunch. A great time was had by all!

And I can't leave out the most wonderful parents ever. You've done well Mom and Papa!! Your girls love and honor you for all that you've done for us. We are certainly blessed!

I just have to thank all of you who have made this stay in Minnesota so incredible. It's going to be hard to say goodbye. 3 weeks from yesterday and my flight takes off. West Virginia is calling my name. Until those weeks are through though, I choose to make the most of every moment I have left here. Please keep up the prayers. God has done some amazing miracles and I know that there's more to come! There's been a couple of changes in plans and I'll tell you all about that in the next post.

He Restores My Soul

I felt the heat, the flames all around me. I opened my eyes only to find an army aiming for my destruction, letting me know that it was time to give up and throw in the towel. At that point, weariness struck me and I wished momentarily for a more "normal" life, wanting this battle to be over and done with. Knowing it would be dangerous to dwell on these thoughts and to sit under this cloud of discouragement, I went against all of my feelings and started to praise God. I sang to Him while in the shower. I thanked Him for all He's done for me while I dried my hair. And then knowing that I needed to take my eyes off of my own situation, I went to church for the women's worship night. It was there, standing with women of all ages, singing with them to our King, that suddenly I felt a release. The gray cloud had lifted, and rays of sun beat down upon me. God lifted me from the pit and over the next few days poured upon me gifts of encouragement, reminders that I was headed in the right direction. The first gift landed in my lap that night. I spoke with a woman from my church after the singing had ended. When she found out that I was soon to be headed out to West Virginia, she quickly placed her hand over her heart and told me how much West Virginia means to her. She has family out there and has been praying for that area, that God would bring His light to shine upon that state. She prayed for me with a voice full of enthusiasm, saying that if she wasn't already supporting three missionaries, she would jump aboard as a financial supporter. Such an amazing conversation God allowed me to have with that dear woman.
Then the next morning, I forced myself to get out of bed at the crack of dawn. Every Thursday I join with a group of people from my church to intercede on behalf of our church, community, state, nation......pretty much whatever God would lead us to pray for. Last Thursday happened to be what we like to call a check in day. Individuals from our group were invited to share their own personal needs and we prayed for one another. So once again, I found myself covered in prayer. We have a lady in our group that God often speaks to in pictures, and so she comes armed with a sketch pad and colored pencils. At the end of each prayer meeting she passes around the masterpiece God painted in her mind. Usually, I enjoy the picture and can sometimes see what God might be trying to speak through the picture. This particular day though, when I was handed the picture, it pierced my heart immediately! There in front of my very eyes was an illustration of West Virginia. There were the mountains, a vast amount of trees and a grist mill. As I've been pulling up pictures from the internet over the past months of West Virginia, there has been a particular grist mill that always seems to come up. I guess it's a tourist attraction. That image of the grist mill has in my mind been equated with West Virginia and now here was that grist mill, right before my eyes. I suddenly found myself crying, tears rushing down my face, I couldn't stop. Only God could know the very thing I needed that morning. Our prophetic artist didn't even know what a grist mill was, she just saw this cool building in her mind and drew it. She didn't even know that I am getting ready to go to West Virginia. It was all God and I thank Him a million times over for that little piece of encouragement.
Then my third gift arrived a couple days later. My friend e-mailed me, knowing that I've been a little stressed out, she wanted to bring me a gift of encouragement. She had placed four items for sale on e-bay. When she went back online to see if any of them had sold, she discovered that one of her items had been bought by a resident of Keyser, West Virginia, my next stop. She adamantly expressed that there was no way that was a coincidence. She reminded me that God is calling me to WV, He hasn't changed His mind!!
I am convinced that this path across my "Jordan," will be a patchwork of miracles. Please continue to stand with me in prayer and call out/praise God for the breakthrough that is coming!
I've begun the packing and I am collecting the stories. God and God alone will be glorified!