38 Days!

The invitations are out! Bryan and I are going to be married in 38 days! I cannot believe how quickly our engagement has flown by. Even in this time from moving from a dating couple, to an engaged couple, I see how much we've grown and learned. I cannot wait to be married and all that it holds for us. We just finished up some premarital counseling. The counsel we were given was so rich. He didn't focus primarily on the issues people face rather he continued to point us to Christ. It really helped me to see in such a clear light that if Bryan and I continue to reflect the love of Christ to one another and lavish grace, love, and mercy on one another the way that Christ does that on us daily, we will continue to have a wonderful relationship. It doesn't mean we won't have bumps and trials, it just means that if we remain focused on the Lord those trials will not be damaging to our relationship they will strengthen our relationship. Bryan has always shown me the love of Christ in our relationship, quick to forgive and to love me through service. I am thankful to be marrying a man who demonstrates to me on a daily basis the love of Christ, yet not only to me but to everyone he is around. I can't wait to begin the journey of marriage as we share the rest of our lives together! The past four and a half years have been an amazing time together. I can't wait to walk out the plan of God for our lives together!

Bittersweet

Yesterday was a bittersweet day. I pulled up Farah's blog(my future sister-in-law) with excitement because of the picture I knew would be awaiting me...beautiful Mt. Ranier. The picture was amazing, almost surreal(good job David or Farah). It left me speechless and longing to be there to see the mountain with my own eyes. I found myself missing Seattle(well really Orting, WA) and Nepal yesterday. Two completely different places on opposite sides of the world. Yet, both places are very close to my heart. I miss the people there, the food, the smells, the sounds. I'm glad though to miss those places, because it makes it so much better when I get to go there. I'm so excited about the next time I will get to go to Seattle or Nepal. My heart comes alive in those places in a unique way. For now though, I am content to miss those places and long for the day when I will visit them, because I know this is where the Lord has called me, and I'm content here in beautiful Auburn. Ya'll probably think I'm crazy, but its ok...just thought I would share my day of bittersweetness.

The Dreams I dream for you...

Ok so I'm going to be cheesy...only those of you in Chi-O can really appreciate the cheesiness of this though. During RUSH, Chi-O sings a song and part of the song goes like this..."the dreams I dream for you are deeper than the ones your clinging too, more precious than the finest things you do, and truer than the treasures you pursue. Let the old dreams die, like stars that fade from view, and take the cup I offer and drink deeply of the dreams I dream for you"

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are you ways My ways, says the Lord, For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Is. 55:8-9

"For I know the thoughts that I think towrd you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

These verses and the words of this song speak deeply to my heart, because I am a "dreamer" I love to think of grand dreams...but yet it amazes me that the Lord has dreams and plans He has for me are far beyond any of the dreams I could ever imagine. I know some of the dreams I have "dreamed" are dreams He has placed in my heart, and I hold those dreams very close to my heart and only a treasured few people know them. However, it excites me to think that the Lord has so much planned for mine life...and I am so excited to begin this next phase of the journey called marriage, because I know that He has amazing plans for our lives! Right now I am recognizing that the Lord still has me in a place of preperation...and preperation time is never lost time. I am also realzing that there are some dreams I must let go of, because they are my dreams and not dreams inspired by the Lord. I know that its not time for me to step into what the Lord has shown me He has planned for me(parts of it anyway). I am excited for this time of preperation, as the Lord continues to mold me, to chisel me, and prepare me for the plans He has for us. I even more excited about the plans He has for Bryan and the things the Lord will accomplish through him. I am so excited to begin this wonderful journey with the man of my dreams!!!

355 Payne St.

This is the living room with the sofa and loveseat the Lord provided
Our bed without the mattress(its much more comfortable now)
The dining room has a cool paint finish but you can't really see it
We have a screened in porch too!

Here are pictures of our house on Payne St! Come by and see us for those of you who live in Auburn!

This is the kitchen...they remodeled it and its soo cool!

This is the guest room/office that is currently occupied by my best friend and faithful roommate of 3 years. I am really sad that she will soon be replaced...but very gladly welcoming my new roommate(he's a boy...isn't that weird!). And my favorite room is the pinkish room that has the books...its my reading/personal space room! I hope you enjoy!

Believing God for the Desires of your heart

Psalms 37: 3-7 "Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring forth your righteousness as light, and your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him!"

For over a year now these verses have been very close to my heart. The verses that have really guided my thinking and my steps. One of the biggest things the Lord has taken me through this past year is having believing faith. I am amazed as I sit here in my house on Payne Street at the work of the Lord.

For at least two years I have been in love with Payne street, and more specifically a particular house on Payne Street. I would always cut through Payne Street to drive home so that I could drive past "my" house. Bryan and I always joked that the house would be for sale when we got engaged...well to our dissappointment it wasn't(like we could have afforeded it anyway). That ended our looking for a house to rent/buy on Payne Street. We were so excited to find out that Billie and Travis needed renters for their little home and we could deffinately afford the rent so we went for it. Then we found out we were second on the list for the house. So we started looking again. I was driving home one night, I do believe from TCBY, on the phone with my mom, when the voice of the Lord instructed me to drive down Payne Street. I listen to the Lord when I drive because I don't want to get into an accident. So I kept chatting and drove home down payne street thinking nothing of it until I got almost to the end of the street and saw a for rent sign. I freaked out and called Bryan, we called the owners and set up a time to come by and see it.

It was love at first sight...with the exception of having no pets...the house was more than I ever could have imagined so we set up a time for an interview. The Lord really began to stir in my heart the things He wanted to accomplish in the house and I knew it was where He wanted us. Except that they don't rent to undergrads...and even though I was graduating in December, Bryan was still an undergrad. We decided to trust the Lord because we really knew He was leading us to this house. Even though all odds were against us, the Lord gave us favor and we trusted Him to get us the house despite the circumstances. And He did, and I sit here amazed that I am living in a house on Payne Street that is more than I ever could have hoped for. The Lord amazes me how He meets the desires of our hearts. Once I figure out how to put pictures on this thing I will post some of our lovely home...those of you in AU should stop by though!

To Do Lists

Its seems lately that my to do lists never end. This past week I worked consistently everyday from 8 am -8 pm and yet at the end of each day I still had tons that was not accomplished. Even by the end of the week everything I had hoped would be done wasn't. I will be the first to admit, I don't ALWAYS use my time wisely, but thats something I have been working on and this past week I was very productive with my time and yet the end of the to do list is no where in sight. Last night I was working on wedding stuff and felt somewhat like a loser for being at home on a saturday night by myself working on wedding stuff. I contemplated calling several people, but i knew I wouldn't enjoy myself because I would know how much there was to be done. It's so frustrating to me because these things are things that must be done, however, they are things that keep from doing what I truly love to do. I have found that its hard for me to enjoy spending time with people just hanging out b/c I always feel guilty because I know there is so much else I could be doing. I long for a day when I can sit down and have NOTHING to do...where I can choose to do whatever I want to do and not feel bad b/c something else is not getting done. And yet while I was having my pitty party last night the Lord gently tugged on my heart and reminded me that I am never alone, and He is always with me, tying ribbons on the programs and that while I get frustrated by having to do all these seemingly pointless things(b/c I know at least the guests will throw their program away!) He is right there with me for me to talk with Him and enjoy His company. So while I feel that my to do list may not have an end for a while, I am going to savor those moments with the Lord and tie every ribbon with joy!

Thought for the day

"Isn't that so like God to want us to trust Him and His power to do things for that doesn't intend for us to do for ourselves."

In raising support, I am making the phone calls and meeting with people and asking them to support me and yet all the while its still the Lord who provides the money for me. Its something I've been thinking about these last couple of days. That the Lord is my provider and He is the one who will provide the money for me even though I'm making the phone calls! How great is our God that He works on our behalf! Praise the Lord He is my Provider!!

Believing God

I know its been awhile since I posted, I apologize to all of you who were dissapointed each time you checked my blog to see the same title pop up. A lot has been going through my mind over the last month and I've been trying to decide what I wanted to post.

in Matthew 7:8-10 a picture of great faith is displayed for us. The centurion comes to the Lord and asks Him to heal His servant, the Lord says He will go and heal the servant but the centurion stops him and says, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed." What a profound display of faith! This man believed that the Lord was powerful enough to heal a person simply by speaking the words out of His mouth. In verse 10 Jesus says, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith...go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."

In Mark 11:23-24, Jesus says, " Have faith in God, for assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea', and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you have recieved them, and you will have them."

Jesus commands us here to have faith in God, a command is a form of sentence structure indicating action. Jesus is telling us to have faith in God and His word. Just like we feed our bodies so they will grow or we water a plant so it will grow, we have to feed our faith so it will grow. How do we feed our faith? We feed our faith with the word of God and then acting on God's word. If we feed our body food so it will grow but then we don't use our bodies energy we become fat, however if we use our energy and build muscle we become stronger. The same is with our faith, we can feed our faith God's word but if we don't act on His word we become spiritually overweight. If we act on God's word though we build our faith muscles and become stronger.

What could we accomplish for the Lord if we had faith like the centurion, if we had believing faith that knew the Lord would answer our prayers.

Walking by faith and not by sight is a journey that I have traveled these past few months and its such a joy to believe God for things that are not yet seen. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 The Lord calls us to have faith in things that we cannot see and believe, according to His word that He is faithful.

I hope this year we will all feed our faith the word of God and grow in our ability to believe God!!