{Friday Favorites} - From Minnesota

It seems I write this every time, but it has been a couple weeks again. This time I write to you from Rainy Minnesota. I spent the last week here in Minnesota with my family, one last time before I head to Haiti. It's hard to believe I leave in less than a week, however I am so ready to see what God is going to do!!

1. Road Trip....So I love love love traveling....but 27.5 hours in the car is enough...However, my lovely roommate, Renee, so graciously traveled with me across 8 states, 6 tanks of gas and only 6 stops!! She was a trooper.





2. My New Camera

I recently bought a new camera from my friend Maria. I have been trying to learn how to use it and have enjoyed taken pictures at the farm this week. I hope I am improving, if anyone has some photography tips for me, let me know!! I am so enjoying having a nice camera though, it shoots great!






3. My Neices and Nephews (I love all of them - but haven't seen 3 of them yet!!)

Abby is an adorable 3 year old and my be one of the funniest kids I have ever met. She has so much personality and creativity...and might I had, loves to dig for worms.

 

Jett - I am in LOVE with this little boy. His eyes just dance...He gets so excited about everything BOY!!

 

4. Relaxation... while I am still working, I have finally had some time to relax!! I needed it. One of my greatest fears was that I would be exhausted before arriving in Haiti!! God knew I needed a little R&R. This was my work office for most of the week!!! I loved it!!







Hope you have a wonderful week!! Next Friday I'll be in Haiti :)

{Taste and See}

I thought some of you may enjoy this. It is a video from Summit Church about my journey! I am so thankful for God's transformation and excited to see what he is going to do to make HIS name great!

Packing

On a basketball road trip in college, my parents described my room as a file cabinet; everything has a place and it is organized. I also pack very efficiently as well....

Step 1... I first packed everything I thought I needed

Step 2.... Organizing the stuff into categories 

Most importantly shoes (notice no heels :( ) 

Coffee and tea

Clothes, bedding...

 Misc...

Paper/books/Bible/Devotions

It all neatly fit into 5 bags that weigh 48 lbs each (just under the 50lb limit)

They are all packed and labeled (I wrote everything I put in each bag and labeled it)...ready to fly to Haiti!!!

{Life Goes On}

Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, brah!...
Lala how the life goes on...
Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, brah!...
Lala how the life goes on.


Tonight I say goodbye....it's a little odd, closing a chapter in your life...but life goes on. 
It's weird to think that I will leave, but life here will continue. My friends will make new memories, have special moments, that I will no longer be part of. Life for them will continue on. In the same way for me, I will be making my own memories. At the end of it all, we will all be different then we are now. We will have different experiences. I know we will still be connected, we will forever have our memories. My hope and prayer is that I have left some legacy here in SW Florida. That I have made impact and that most importantly God was glorified through these last 6 years. 


Goodbye Fort Myers...to my friends, you will be missed, but have such a special place in my heart. My prayer for you...


"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hears through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever." Eph 3: 14-21


"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to glory and praise of God." Phil 1:9-11

{Surrendering My Rights}

"All to Jesus, I surrender;

Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me." 

The idea of surrender has had a lot different meaning to me in th last couple of weeks. When deciding to follow God's call to Haiti, I didn't even think of all I would have to surrender to go....In my mind, the call was so strong, I didn't have a choice but to go. I still fill that way. I feel it is an honor to do what God has called me to...however, surrender is involved. Over the last two weeks, in this process of surrender, I have felt sad, relieved, selfish, high maintenance, hopeful (I know there is blessing in surrender), just to name a few.  I am almost embarrassed to put these on my blog, but here is my list (so far) of rights that I am surrendering....


The right too....


* Attend a weekly worship service that is in English
* Attend my women's Bible Study
* Live by myself
* Drive to the shops, when I just need to get out of the house
* Lay by the pool during my lunch break
* Advance my career
* Eat out at a restaurant when I don't feel like cooking (they do have some restaurants so I am not totally giving this up.  
* Drink Diet Coke
* Stop by the gas station for a fountain Diet Coke
* Where High Heels (this is a tough one for me)
* Have a closet full of shoes
* Sleeping on a nice pillow top mattress
* Have air conditioning
* Showering with Hot Water
* Using my DVR
* Spending the summer at the Lake
* To safety
* Use a blow-dryer everyday. 
* Coach
* Spend lots of time with my Family


I am sure there are more....and I must admit am slightly embarrassed by some of these. Even though some of these things are hard, it is a joy knowing you are being obedient.