A Colorful [last] Weekend

So though I'm a complete week behind, last weekend was great. It was such a gift in the midst of school and work to take one weekend with my friends and family.

It started by going to the circus with Taylor and our friends. It was a blast.

Then it was on to the Color Run 2013! I did the Color Run last year with my friend Ashley, but this year it was in Springfield! I mostly ran with my roommate Taffeta and it was a blast yet again. Though it's a typical 5K, it never feels like you run that far. The color and people occupy your mind enough to take your mind off the exercise. Every time I do a 5K, my workouts are re-energized and I get back at running constantly. And I'm so excited to be back at it every day.




Chris, Bria, me, Kelsey, and Logan. Friends in the chuch plant to Columbus.

 


Me, Chrissy, Taffeta, and Ashton. Love these girls.

 

And then again on Sunday, I headed back to the circus but this time was tradition. My grandma and I take a yearly visit to the circus and I look forward to it every time. Even when I'm no longer living in Springfield, I will make the trip just for the circus. We both share the same love of the circus, but even if we hated it, I bet we would still go. I usually tend to bring along a little friend and this year it was Miss Alee. She is adorable, sassy, and a miniature version of me. This was her first adventure to the circus and I loved sharing it with her and her family. She was wide-eyed the entire time and taking in all that her little 8-year-old eyes could take. She got to ride an elephant and was terrified when the human cannon ball shot out to the net.

This last weekend was fantastic. The weather is getting beautiful finally and I'm down to one month left of school. I mean, there's been some hang-ups this past week but I read one thing that has stuck with me...

"This is the day that I have made. Rejoice and be glad in it. Begin the day with open hands of faith, ready to receive all that I am pouring into this brief portion of your life. Be careful not to complain about anything, even the weather, since I am the Author of your circumstances. The best way to handle unwanted situations is to thank Me for them. This act of faith frees you from resentment and frees Me to work My ways into the situation, so that good emerges from it.

To find joy in this day, you must live within its boundaries. I knew what I was doing when I divided time into twenty-four hour segments. I understand human frailty, and I know that you can bear the weight of only one day at a time. Do not worry about tomorrow or get stuck in the past. There is abundant Life in My Presence today."

>>Jesus Calling devotional, April 11

...the best way to handle unwanted situations is to thank Him for them.

I challenge you to do that today, and just see what happens in your life. He can work miracles. I promise.

A Longing and Some Learning

Today, I miss Haiti. This isn't a new emotion by any means, but anytime I get the chance to talk about it or slow down for too long and have time to think, I miss it. I wonder what the boys are doing; I wonder how the school is doing; I wonder what God is up to next in that country. So I thought tonight would be a good time to show some more pictures and share some thoughts.

This is one of my favorite photos of the trip. Now this tattoo was done for an entirely different reason, but the purpose is still shown. God is first in my life. And when I allow Him the full rights to my heart, it amazes me what He does with it. Like take me to the poorest country in the world. And introduce me to some of His cherished children. Like the children in this children's home for chronically ill kids. Like the one which held my hand and attention the entire afternoon. The way I looked at this girl and the way I loved her for that short time was a glimpse at the way God loves and looks upon me. This blows my mind.

This afternoon, we were able to hold a Bible lesson for the street kids! And all our boys came! We were able to share our love for Jesus in their language through the unbelievable heart of this teacher Mme. Thom (Cara Wimpelberg). This woman's passion for God is incredible, and her heart for the people of Haiti closely follows. Every Sunday before church, she gathers street kids below the church (right on the ocean!) and teaches them a Bible study, and she let us be a part of it. The kids paid attention the entire time and absolutely loved it. We taught them Daniel in the lion's den and provided a craft and a snack. For the first time, I was able to have a little conversation about God with Ben, and before I left for the week, he told me he would pray while I was gone. I cannot express my joy over this trip.

 This is Livie. Livie was adopted from Haiti and she is a living picture of my heart for adoption. The moment I met her, we became best friends. Literally. She told me. Why she attached to me so quickly, I do not know. My guess is that God used this girl to show me a little part of His plan in my life to adopt internationally myself. But the entire week she called me "sissy," and I was just that. She got mad at me, laughed at me, sang with me, and cried on my shoulder. I love my new 5 year old sister.

So it's rare to find people willing to spend the entire trip in the streets with you. My friend here on the right, Halley, wasn't that friend. Halley would have spent every second out there whether I was there or not. It was such an incredible blessing to watch her connect with those boys and love on them. To know God can place people other than me in their life to love them is not only humbling, but an answered prayer. Kari, on the left, is from Illinois and I would have never met her if it weren't for Haiti. Her and I joked about starting a sports ministry in Haiti, and sometimes I pray that God would call my heart to something like that. I think it would be easier for Him to call me to Haiti than it would for me to stay here. Unfortunately, He has yet to call me overseas...but part of me will keep waiting. Kari, Halley, and I became family on this trip and luckily I still get to see Halley whenever I want. Turns out, I work at the church she attends, so she will be helping me with volleyball camps and maybe I'll even get to coach her in the future.

 Finally, this photo. People have told me it shows pure joy from the heart, and to be honest, that's exactly it. Haiti is in me for life. No matter the pain I sometimes experience from being away, when I go back, I will find this joy again. And in the meantime, I will search for that same joy here. Because God holds my future. Not Haiti. If He calls me there, I'll go. If He calls me to Springfield, I'll stay. And if He calls me anywhere between, I'll go there too. Nothing is more important to me than that. Honestly, going to Haiti would be easy. Packing up and moving there would be a simple decision. But that's my heart and my desire. My goal is to figure out God's desire in my life, which might mean a more difficult decision. But I know in His desire is where I fill rediscover this same joy. For that week in Haiti, I was in God's desire. I was fully focused on Him in a way I'm still learning to find while here in the States, but it's not impossible to find. It's a journey to the center of His heart, and falling in love with Jesus has been the most incredible adventure I've began and will be the most daring of decisions I will make for the rest of my life.