Prepare!

So I had an amazing trip with Joy this past week! It was great to spend some time with her and her bf, and also get to touch down and see my Africa buddy Bee and get to help out at the mission she works at!!! Amazing stuff happening up there!! :-) And I was so blessed and encouraged by all the godly women I met!!! For more on that please visit http://sistertosister.wordpress.com/ (And feel free to comment on any of the posts - comments always encourage me to want to keep posting, and I'm sure it does the other girls as well! :-)).

Now less than two weeks to go before I am stepping onto that plane bound for Africa! O_O EEK!! Sooooo close! My remanding time here in the States will be taken up with packing, visiting with friends, packing, video chatting, packing, sleeping, reading, packing, last minute shopping, packing, freaking out, hugs goodbye, laundry, prayers, prayers, prayers, prayers, more hugs, a trip to Concord with a bestie, packing, sleeping... Oh, you get the picture and want me to shut up now?? Aww *Pout* How rude... ;-)

Want to hear a list of what I bet Bee/HannahBeth will be doing these next couple weeks too???? Packing, sleeping, packing, visiting with family, packing... WHOA! Are you telling me to shut up again????? Shucks! ;-)

I hope I don't forget to pack something... I need to sit down and make a list! :-P

A Woman After God's Own Heart

I want to be a women after God's Own Heart! And honestly, I have no idea how to be that. I want to grow more and more in holiness, but I am floundering around... I know God has a hold of my hand, and is holding me up, but He seems hard to feel sometimes... God, make me a women after Your Own Heart. Guide me in this life!

Sooo close!

Lord willing, in less than a month my life will change forever. In less than a month I will be stepping off a plane after a huge long trip and I will be standing on African ground. In less than a month I will be in an unfamiliar place doing unfamiliar things. It less than a month I will be totally out of my comfort zone in almost a whole different world. In less than a month I will be climbing into a car to take me and my dear friend to the airport, and then stepping onto a plane embarked for a different country. I know I will step onto that plane with a feeling of dread of the plane ride, and a feeling of excitement and lots of nervous jitters for what lays ahead of me. And then in less than three months I will be back in America. I know God is going to use this trip in ways that I can't even imagine! I can't wait to see how He is going to work in my life and my friends life!
Africa! Here we come! :-)

Light at the end of the tunnel! I SEE IT!! I SEE IT!!

Yes peeps, this DOES mean what you think it means! I AM ALMOST THERE!!! I will be DONE with this semester this coming Tuesday or Wed.!!! EEEP!!! *Bounces up and down* SOOOOO close people! :OD
Annnd... I am sick! :-P Just like clock-work - finals? Oooh time to get sick! ;-) Anyways... Bad chest, throat, nose, and head cold! Poor me... ;-) :-P JK!
ANND - Africa in LESS THAN A MONTH!!! PEOPLE! I'S GOING TO AFRICA!!!!! ACK! Ok, my emotions about this??? Excited, scared, excited, nervous, excited, terrified, excited, excited, excited, EXCITED, TERRIFIED, EXCITED! :-P Yup, that pretty much sums it all up! Lol! But even though I am TERRIFIED, I also know WHO is the One who is bringing me to Africa! He is the one who is going to protect me and help me through everything that is going to happen! He brought me this far! WOW God! You are amazing!!!

Prayer requests? Traveling mercies, packing mercies ;-), financial mercies, family mercies, health mercies, wisdom mercies, mercies mercies MERCY!!! Mercy me, lots of mercies! ;-) Anyways... Yes - mercy! :-)

Oh, and can I say what an awesome church I have???? The place in Africa where I am going contacted me about some needs they have there, and my wonderful church gave some money towards that! What a blessing it is to give! I'm excited that people near and dear to me gave money, and I get the honor of bringing the goods to the people who need it! :-) It truly is better to give than to receive! :-)

I AM GOING TO AFRICA!!! AHHH!!!!

Allllmost! :-) And other random facts

Only 15 more days before school is out! EEP!! :OD Can NOT wait!!!
Enjoyed meeting the sister's dude this past week end!
Been watching The Waltons a lot - LOOve it! I love the family, and all the kids! :-)
Registered for classes next semester... woot woot? :-P Excited though cause Janna and I will have a class together - YAY! :OD
Have soooo much work to do! ACK!
Looking forward to the homeschool convention this weekend! But I can't really afford the time! SOOO much to do! ACK! :-P

Wait, My Child, Wait.

"Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!" ~ Psalm 27:14

Who Am I?

I stare into my tea cup, the question once again racing through my mind, "Lord, who am I?" and most importantly "Who do YOU want me to be?"
Honestly, at this moment, I have no idea. I don't know where I am going, and I don't know what steps to take to get there.

Honestly I miss being a homeschooler sometimes. Yeah, it wasn't always my favorite thing, but I sure love all the people in that world. I miss them. I miss the sweet fellowship we would have. I miss wearing skirts everyday. I miss being part of the group that declared that no way in a million years would I ever go to college and spoke against it.

But. I changed. Why? I can answer you right now - I was going crazy. I love the life - but I don't live on a farm, I don't have loads of little siblings to help out with, I had NOTHING TO DO. And I am a DO it person, and it was slowly eating me away. I had a lot of depression, and hated my life. And so, it was either sit at home doing nothing but cleaning and staring at the computer (yes, I could have done crafts and things, but depression is a weird thing), or go to college. I went to college. Sometimes I hate my choice. Sometimes I bash myself and say, "Why did I choose this?" But I felt God was calling me there to learn sign language, and each new class I took I loved it more. And I still love that part of it, although I do hate college. But I don't know where else I am supposed to be... I honestly don't know if God wants me to finish out my degree, or go onto something else, or WHAT! Right now the only leading I have is to go back for at least one more year, and finish the Deaf studies classes at least, and then just see about the rest.

But now, I fit in nowhere - I don't fit into college (and I sure never want too!), and I don't quite fit into the homeschool world who is against college. That is where my heart is - plop in the center - but I don't know where I stand.
So at the moment I just enjoy each little taste of it I get - some dear church friends came over today (soo refreshing to visit with them!!!), and at the end of the month have a homeschool convention (staying with the S.'s and the E.'s at the hotel! EEP! :OD I can NOT wait!!!).
Being with dear Christian friends, getting Mary P.'s weekly letters, etc feeds my dry soul.

Lately I feel like I am wondering through a desert. I know Jesus has a hold of my hand, leading me, and sometimes He is just simply carrying me, but to be with like minded Christians who are just so encouraging is sooo nice!!

I am going for my Yellow Fever shot next week for Africa (ACK! Prayers please for this needle phobic girl!!). I can't wait to be on that plane - I know I am going to grow in so many ways this summer, and I am looking forward to drawing closer to God as well!

God, You are good! You are amazing! You will get me through this life and lead me! Show me Your ways!