Sunday Morning

Today, our church had the privilege of having a guest speaker, the youth intern and my friend, Titus.  The message was about leaving our comfort zones and putting our complete trust in the Lord.  When we grow to know and fall in love with Jesus Christ, we are more able to put our trust in Him completely and follow Him in everything we do in our lives.

The message revolved around Philippians 4:5b-7, which reads "The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus."

I have often meditated on this verse and what it means in my own life, but I am continually challenged when being taught about trusting the Lord completely.  I find it so difficult to completely surrender everything in my life to God, even when I desperately want to.  Today's message was, yet again, another call to action for me.  A call to grow more in love with the Lord and strive to follow Him, even when (or especially when) I am uncomfortable.

Thank you, Jesus, for speaking through Titus and convicting me of the fact that I am nothing without You.  I pray that I continue to seek Your Word and take steps each day to put You before me.  As I was reminded of today, in my weakness, You, Lord, are strong.

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Graduation weekend!

I feel awful for not blogging in a while, but I have been out of town for my little brother's graduation.  My brother went to school in Columbus, OH at Columbus College of Art and Design.  He graduated on Saturday, May 15th, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography.  I'm so proud of him!  And I can't believe he's already done with college.  Granted, we were always just a year apart in school, but it's still hard to imagine that he's "all grown up" now!  Columbus, OH is a wonderful place to visit.  There are beautiful trees, flowers, buildings, homes, and really neat places to eat.  I will post some pictures below of our trip.  But I thought it would be neat for you to see the restaurants and shops that we visited on the trip.  

On Thursday, our family went to Hound Dogs Pizza.  It is a cool pizza place attached to a bar.  There is graffiti on the wall and the decor is definitely unique.  The pizza is amazing.  My brother and I had a cheese pizza with pepperoni, black olives, and green pepper on their naturally rising crust with garlic/olive oil drizzled on it.  It was delicious!

On Friday, our family went to Katzinger's Deli for lunch.  They have really wonderful, unique sandwiches.  My mom and I shared a #16, which had on it: oven roasted turkey breast, Swiss cheese, creamy coleslaw, Russian dressing and was on grilled rye bread.  It was so good I could have eaten the whole sandwich by myself.  :)

For dinner, our family went to Schmidt's Sausage Haus and Restaurant for dinner.  This restaurant has authentic German food (and of course is found in German Village of Columbus, OH).  The food here was also delicious and very filling.  If you can't tell, we ate really well on our trip.

Then, on Saturday, after the graduation, we went to Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace for gourmet hot dogs.  Last time I went there, I had a typical Chicago Dog and only a bite of Amy's Big Boston Dog (which consists of a hot dog, Boston baked beans, fresh onions, and sharp cheddar).  Both hot dogs were delicious, but I decided to try something different this time.  I went with the Lara's Pittsburgh Princess, which has a hot dog, cole slaw, fresh cut fries, and malt vinegar.  All of their hot dogs are fantastic and I was not disappointed either time I went there.

Then, for my brother's graduation dinner, we ate at Latitude 41, which was the restaurant in the hotel we stayed in.  As if I need to keep saying it, the food was amazing as expected.  I had a wonderful green salad, speckled hen with grilled Radicchio, green beans, and pommes frites, and then some beignets for dessert with a chocolate cream cup.  Again, I was completely satisfied after dinner.  To top the night off, I went swimming on the rooftop deck and soaked in the hot tub outdoors.  It was a wonderful day from start to finish.

Finally, for shopping, we frequent Columbus Ohio's Short North District.  There are so many places to shop and browse.  There are also many good restaurants in this area.  The last time we were in Columbus, my mom and I fell in love with Bink Davies: a specialty store with really neat collectible items and room decor.  Of course, we went there again this trip.  I purchased things like a coin purse and kitchen towels--which I am quite excited about.  

The trip to Columbus was great as always.  Luckily, my brother is still staying there for now, so hopefully I can visit him again the near(ish) future and go to all my favorite places. I would most definitely consider moving there in the future if I felt a calling and an opportunity opened up.  If you haven't been there, I would recommend it.  It's beautiful this time of year.

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(premature) apartment hunt

I am quite excited at the possibility that in one year (or less) I will be in my own apartment.  Don't get me wrong:  I love my parents and have been so blessed to be able to live with them over this past year.  But...I'm ready to start my life as a single, independent woman in my own place.  

I've never had an apartment before - I was a Resident Assistant in college for 3 out of 4 years and then moved home for grad school.  But, I know I will enjoy having my own place.  It will be nice (for once) to live in a place where my stuff can be separated into different rooms instead of stacked in my bedroom.  :)  

What I think I will enjoy most about my own apartment:

1) Getting to cook dinner everyday

2) Actually, Grocery Shopping in general

3) Having friends and family over to visit as much as I want

4) Being able to "escape" to my home away from the busyness of life

5) Decorating rooms

6) Meeting new people wherever I move to

So, even though I probably won't move out until sometime after December (when I graduate with my masters), I am anticipating great things on this new adventure!

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My most recent and favorite buy lately:

It's a One Year Chronological Bible!

 It has been awesome reading the Bible in the order the events happened.  This Bible puts each event and passage in chronological order, in actual Bible text (not a summary), so you read through the Bible with the proper historical context.

For example, when an event in the Bible inspired a passage in Psalms, the passage from Psalms is then placed after the event in this Bible.  This Bible contains every book, verse, and passage in the NIV Bible, just rearranged so it is now chronological.  I'm very excited about it!

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My mom

Today is my Mom's birthday!  So, I just wanted to write a quick post about how amazing my Mom is.

My Mom is one of the most selfless people I know.

When it comes to our family, my Mom has always put our needs before her own.

She is also one of the most creative people I know.

She has a hidden artistic talent that she doesn't know exists, and is a wonderful cook.

My Mom taught me how to stand up for myself and the importance of protecting my heart.

She also taught me that I should always turn to the Lord for guidance in my life.

My Mom has a great sense of humor and never ceases to make me laugh.

My Mom is a great dancer, but her moves might be a little dated.  :)

Life without my Mom would not be the same.

She has always supported and encouraged me and gives the best hugs.

I only wish good things for my Mother.  She deserves every wonderful thing in life.

So, Mom, Happy Birthday!  May you be blessed in the years to come!

I love you.

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Thoughts on Graduate School

 I know I want my masters degree.  And I am so happy that I decided to go straight through undergrad right to grad school.  But, I'm ready to be done with my masters program.  I am so thankful that I turned in my last assignment/paper of my spring semester today.  And I'm also very thankful that I only have one class plus my field placement over the summer.  I'm hoping to take some time to refresh and renew before I start my fall semester (the last of my higher education experience).  There are some things I learned while in graduate school however, which include:

1.  It isn't always necessary to read everything that is assigned.  Sometimes you can take out some main points and get by with the information you learn from snippits.

2.  It is always important to take some time for yourself.  Even though you may have work to do, never keep yourself from family, friends, and breaks for too long.

3.  Professors are generally incredibly experienced and intelligent, but they don't always know what is best.  Each person teaches from their own personal perspective, which may or may not be similar to yours, or the "correct" way of thinking of or doing things.

4.  If the syllabus lays out what is expected of you, it is important to do just that.  Don't write more than you should, or change the layout of your assignment.  If your professor expects you to complete everything a certain way, turn it in according to what your professor wants.

5.  You should wait to purchase all your books until you know what is really required reading.  I made the mistake of buying several books that said exactly the same thing--meaning that I really only needed to make one purchase, instead of spending way more money that I should have.

5.  No matter how much money you spend on your education, this is "good" debt.  "Good" debt is debt that will end up paying itself off over time.  By getting higher education, you will most likely secure a better job, which will help you pay off any debt you have.

So, after exploring all the things I have experienced and learned since the start of graduate school, I have come to the conclusion that (although it is stressful, crazy, intense, overwhelming, and a ton of work), I would do it all over again. 

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Cooking

I'm about to go grocery shopping and I am very excited!  I love to cook!  Unfortunately, since 1) I don't actually have an income right now, and 2) I live at home with my parents - I don't get the opportunity to cook as often as I'd like.  But I love to make meals for friends and my family any chance I get.

Tonight, the menu consists of tequila-lime marinated grilled chicken (which is a marinade already created and the tequila cooks out - in case you were wondering), garlic and herb couscous, grilled asparagus, and grilled pineapple.  It's one of my signature dishes.  :)

So, now I'm off to go buy fresh asparagus and some pineapple.  I hope you are enjoying your day wherever you are right now.

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Deus e Fiel

(Top of page: The block where our "home" was located in Manaus, Brazil. Next Picture: Children helping us paint a church for our first project.)

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about Brazil.  I miss everything about the place.  If you would have told me even two years ago that one day I would have a passion and desire to do missions in Brazil, I would have thought you were crazy, but God answers prayers in unexpected ways.

While at Fort Wilderness, a Christian camp in Rhinelander, WI several years ago, I started praying about what God had in store for my life.  I prayed that God would give me some direction and place desires on my heart about where I was supposed to be in the future.  Oddly enough, God placed on my heart the desire to live on a boat and go to river villages delivering food, clothing, clean water, and other basic necessities.

A few years after this time at Fort Wilderness, when I was almost done with my undergraduate studies, I had to pick an agency to do my social work field placement at.  I thought that doing my internship in Africa would have been an amazing experience.  My father went to Africa when I was in 8th grade on a mission trip and I have wanted to volunteer there ever since.  What better time than during my social work internship, right?  Wrong.  God closed every door I had to work overseas in Africa and I began to get disheartened.  Then, during one of my devotion times with the Lord, I felt led to serve in my hometown before seeking experiences in different countries.  

I was blessed with an opportunity to work at the Milwaukee Outreach Center and ended up having an opportunity to go to Brazil on a mission trip.  On this trip, I experienced God in ways I never had before.  Even though language was a barrier, I felt completely at home in Brazil.  Love has no bounds.  God has no bounds.  While in Brazil, I had the opportunity to live on a boat.  I helped deliver food, clothing, clean water, and other basic items to the people living in river villages in Manaus, Brazil - a complete answer to my prayer and desire several years prior.

My field placement allowed me to take the time off to serve in Brazil.  God opened an opportunity for me to serve in a place I never thought I would go.  I was able to experience my passion for living on a boat on the Amazon River.  I fell in love with my "family"-the individuals on the trip with me, and I grew a passion for the people living on the Amazon River. 

 (The Amazon River)

Ever since leaving, I have felt a calling to return to Brazil for an extended period of time (1-2 months).  I am now prayerfully considering going back in April/May of 2011.  I have been in contact with Ray of Hope Amazon, an amazing mission organization in Brazil.  They are praying for an opportunity for me to return to Brazil as well.

 Please pray with me about this opportunity. Pray that I am able to discern the Holy Spirit's leading and keep Christ at the center of my "plans" for the trip.  Pray that whether I go back to Brazil or not, that Ray of Hope's ministry will be fruitful and touch the lives of everyone they encounter in Brazil.  And pray that no matter where God leads me, that I will always have a heart to serve and be open to God's plan for my life.  I appreciate all of your thoughts, prayers, encouragement, and support.

(The Amazon River)

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Nature

My favorite part of Spring.  God created such amazing and beautiful things in nature.  I'm always left in awe of how awesome God is when I look at the beauty around me.

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