El Salvador Update

We made it to El Salvador! Getting here was a little bumpy - the flight from LA was delayed, which made our 9 hour layover closer to 12 hours, and then the hotel didn't have our rooms ready when we arrived, despite our early checkin arrangements, which meant we sat around and waited for 2 hours after traveling for over 20, but after a good night's rest we are adjusted. Today we helped at the church's children's festival, where we served breakfast to about 75 kids the church has ministry programs with, participated in a skit for them, played soccer, and had a crafts fair. It was so fun - the kids are so eager to get to meet us, even with the language barrier. After the festival we had free time and headed to the beach, and tonight we went to the Saturday night service and helped with the Sunday school classes. Tomorrow we go to the orphanage outside of town to help there. I will try to post again later this week!

Off To El Salvador

We are leaving for El Salvador in just a few hours! I am so excited! God has already been working miracles with the team - as of two weeks ago 4 of the team members had been told that their passports would not arrive until after we were supoosed to be back from the trip, but last week all four arrived! I can't wait to see how God uses the team in El Salvador and what he teaches me personally. Please pray for the team, and keep checking back - I will try to update while I am there.

Seasons

I like to refer to my life in seasons. The summer was fun and hopes of romance fluttered around then fall came and I couldn't help but see the changes in nature reminding me that there needs to be change in my heart and in my life..winter came and left me cold and confused with trials and uncertainity about school and where I should be. Now spring is approaching and I anxiously await to see the flowers come into bloom and a new season to start for me. Throughout the many seasons the Lord has been gracious and patient with me. " We do not know what to do, but our eyes are set upon you."- 2 Chronicles 20:12 Turning twenty four this year really forced me to reflect upon my life and decide what I am doing?! Amongst all my questions to the Lord..."when will I ever be done with school, did I choose the right major..where shall I serve.." the Lord replied simply ..my child be still and know that I am God. I start my mornings at 8:30 racing to class while eating a Cliff bar in my car, then go to work from 11 to 7 and come home to finish homework. By the end of the day my head is still spinning when I hit the bed. I admit being still is very hard for me but in these moments of quietness the Lord allows me to reflect on HIS Goodness despite what season I am in He is always faithful. So as the weather warms up and the flowers start to bloom and my drinks at Starbucks go from hot to iced, I am thoroughly enjoying what God is doing in this season of my life.

Here's a prayer from Tozer one of my favorite authors simple yet profound and much needed " Lord in today's world, stillness is so much needed. Quiet my world even for these few moments and speak to me in the stillness, I pray.Amen."

Uninvited Houseguest

Everyone knows that we love to have people visit us, but this morning I discovered that someone we did not want had moved into mine and Devon's bathroom: a black widow spider! He had stretched a web from the sink to the wall, and I almost walked into him when I stumbled into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Thankfully I noticed the suspicously black spider, peered closer and saw the tell-tell red hourglass on his belly. I ran to get my camara before I killed him, because it truly would have been a perfect shot, with him dangling upside down on his web, but as I was focusing on him, he zoomed back into his hole between the sink and the counter. I waited for him to come back out all day, and finally, as Devon was getting ready for bed, Tom (we decided he was a peeping Tom since he was hiding out in a girls' bathroom) poked a leg out of his hole! We squirted him with Windex, but we aren't sure if he drowned completely. RIP, Tommy.

Calvary Women's Retreat

What an amazing weekend...women's retreat at the Mandalay Beach! I have been waiting and planning the retreat since October and now it is already over! It was a weekend of encouragement, wisdom and fun. I roomed with Kristin Wettmore, Debra Richards and two girls I just met Jessie and Melissa. Right from the start my roommates and I had fun. Friday night we stayed up late talking and laughing. Lucky for Debra…. I shared a bed with her and I kept her up late telling stories and right when she was about to fall asleep I had another one for her...your welcome Debra. There were many highlights of the weekend including me caravaning down with some of my homebuilderes friends. They went 55mph the whole way down and I went 80mph. We stopped in Santa Barbara for an authentic mexican lunch at La Costa Rica, which was really fun and I learned from Robin, April and Gwen that when you pass the age 40 apparently you carry beano in your purse with you! I met a lot of new woman at retreat and was greatly blessed to know how God is working in their lives and challenging them. Jean Mcclure was our guest speaker and she spoke of different woman in the bible and how God has made them beautiful in His timing, which was our verse for the weekend. Eccl.3:11 When we first started meeting for retreat planning, Sherry shared this verse with me I was trying to think of how we could display that visually....God simply laid the pearl upon my heart. It started with the centerpieces and the scattered pearls of all different shapes and sizes and how I wanted that to represent the woman there and how we are all fearfully and beautifully made no matter what size we are. As retreat planning went on God continually had me praying for theses woman and I wanted so badly for the woman to feel welcomed, loved and valued when they walked in. Over the past few months God continually showed me that through my trials I must continue to give Him my struggles so that He can do something beautiful in me. I was so busy with school, work, etc I didn’t see what God was doing in my own life. The last day of retreat all the woman were given a vile with sand and a single pearl in it to remind them that throughout their trials God is there refining them and making them beautiful in His time. As I looked around the room the last day I was reminded of God’s goodness and faithfulness to these woman. Some I know very well and the trials they face and others I don’t but I know God is faithful to all who call on His name.