A Birthday Celebration!!!

Today I was able to really celebrate my birthday. But it actually started yesterday. I was able to hang out with friends for the past two days, got a foot massage, a pedicure, dinner on Saturday. It was so great just able to talk and laugh about life and things that are going on. Realizing that this may be the last time the three of us are in the same country. It makes me a little sad, but so thankful for the time the Lord has given us.



Then today I was able to go to a Thai church and watch a youth service. The youth ran the service and it was great. The basics behind it was talking about the need to preach the gospel. Not just be doing activities but to be sharing the truth of Christ...how awesome it was. Then I got to hang out with a good friend all day...we ate yummy crepes, went to a park and watched a random movie. What a blessing that was!




And finally I met up with some other friends and we had sushi....and hung out.


I just keep realizing more and more how blessed I am!!!! What a great birthday!

In 28 years...

So tomorrow is the day...I turn 28. It is hard to imagine that 28 years has gone, I mean it seems like just yesterday my sisters and I were sharing one bedroom in our little house in Mexico. I still can remember those mint green walls and the stenciling my Mom put up. I remember so many things about that house, which I am sure that my sisters might not remember. After all it wasn't until 4th grade that we moved away. Just some things I remember...


*** Going fishing at my Grandparents and various other places, but I don't actually remember this picture. I am sure I caught all those fish though...maybe with a little help.

***The time that me and two of my friends hung out in the pool in our backyard eating chocolate chip cookies and we kept "accidently" dropping them in the pool. I am not sure why we thought this was so funny, but apparently it was.

****Making snowmen every year, and dressing them up in our old clothes and ofcourse making sure that they each had a carrot nose, button eyes and some other stuff. Don't really remember what we made the mouths out of...maybe sprinkles or something. It was fun though!

I miss the snow and playing in the snow. It was always so fun to go sledding as well. We could go across the street at the high school or we often went to my grandparents and went down into the woods. I remember one time in particular. Oh the fun that we had.






I think in my 28 years I have experienced so much and been able to really feel loved. I am so thankful for that. I miss my Grandparents a lot and at times like this I miss them even more. Last year at this time I was able to share with my Grandma the things that were going on over here, this year I can't. I know that she is much happier, but I miss her.


She taught me so much and so many of my childhood memories are at my Grandparents house. I loved going out there....Here are a few of those memories...Going to church with my Grandparents...so much fun!!!! I think this was around Easter sometime
We went fishing A LOT!


So the point was to look back not just at my childhood but at the whole 28 years. I feel that God has allowed me to see so much and so here is my countdown list of the 28 things that I have loved about my life....




#1 Growing up in a Christian Family in America
#2 Having my Grandparents in the same state as me
#3 My Grandparents lived out in the woods on 40 acres of land with 2 ponds
#4 Being a Pastor's Kid
#5 Having a Mom that stayed at home for most of my childhood
#6 Having Beagles as pets
#7 Having 2 younger sisters
#8 Knowing my aunts and uncles
#9 Getting to hang out with my cousins
#10 My Dad's cousin giving me Mountain Dew when I was 2
#11 Helping my Dad "fix things"
#12 Going Fishing
#13 My work ethic
#14 Going to a Christian College
#15 Working at a horse camp for kids
#16 Working at an alcohol and drug rehab center
#17 Going to India


#18 TPing
#19 Being part of a youth group
#20 Mission trips
#21 Only having one boyfriend in my life
#22 Road trips to various places
#23 Living in Egypt
#24 Living in Thailand
#25 Living in California
#26 Loving Adventure
#27 Having blonde hair
#28 That Jesus called me to Him when I was 6 years old

Wow! When I write it down, it makes me so excited to see what the Lord has given me....

Things that made today hard...

*passing a truckful of guys this morning on my walk, they whistled and yelled (it made me feel like I was back in E.)

*my dream last night...where everyone was going to leave me: made me wake up really cranky

*the dream almost coming true, when I was left standing on the road by myself, when there was room in the car

*feeling like I have no control over my emotions

*being a foreigner and everyone knowing it

*not understanding the language that surrounds me

*not understanding the culture that surrounds me

*having to take a taxi home

*having to walk back to school in the heat and sun, which caused my skin to break out

*did I mention language?

A day of prayer

Today I took a day just to pray. A day set a side to just think about God and maybe some of the things that He has been saying to me. I don't think that it exactly ended up being how I thought, but at least I feel like today I was able to spend time with Him that would otherwise have been spent at school working.

As I ponder what prayer means I realize that my prayer life has been falling lately. What I thought would be constant communication throughout the day has turned into only morning and evening communication. Why is it so hard for me to think about him during the day. Why is it so hard for me to concentrate on Him and what He is trying to tell me. Prayer...communication with the Lord. I long for His Word to be rich in my life and yet there are times when I feel that there is so much in my brain I don't even know where to begin. So it is in those times that I need to stop and just be.

I need to open up my heart to just hearing from the Lord. No matter what...just listening to Him and asking Him to speak.

So as I wait....I listen

My feelings...the start of school

Every year that I get to teach it seems I always have the same feelings at the beginning. Feeling overwhelmed at what is about to happen. Am I going to be able to make students understand what they need to? Am I going to truly give over my life and be the person that they need me to be? There is so much to do and say. I just don't know. But there is one thing that is different this year. The difference is that I understand so much more than I think I have ever about teaching. I understand more about this culture that I am living and working in, about what it takes to really see 6th graders where they are. I am not sure how to best explain, but I feel that this year is going to be monumental and truly count towards the rest of my life. Not just in the hum of the everyday teaching, but in what God has planned for me.

Waiting and waiting some more. This is what I feel like it comes to. Being patient and trying to truly listen to what it is that he wants from me. How do I know? How do I discern? I think I just have to wait and see!