Well, alot of things have happened since I last updated! The most exciting thing being that I have a job! I am working part time at Hobbt Lobby, and it is lots of fun! Alot of the time I am working as a cashier, but I also get to walk around the store and help customers or do "reverse shopping"--my term for putting away a shopping cart of items that the customers took to the register and decided that they did not want...and that can be pretty fun. Hobby Lobby is an awesome place to work-- the big thing that impressed me is their policy to be closed on Sunday so that their employees can have time for family and worship....how many places give you a mandatory day off? They are also closed on Thanksgiving...allowing their employees important family time. They also have some people who only work holidays or during the school year...and hired mw knowing I was going to be in the Philippines this summer! I am also able to be off in time to get to my ballet class every week! It is so nice to have a job that fits my schedule perfectly! As I am re-doing my bedroom, I will be a frequent customer there...during the times I am not there to work. They have so many cute things at amazing prices...yes, the Lord has provided exactly the job that I need right now!

I am still working on my missions trip stuff... no new news...although I will begin raising support early next year. If you would like to read about my previous two trips to the Philippines, please request an invite to my previous blog. I will not be updating there until further notice, but do not mind letting you read it. I just ask that you leave me a comment with your email address and a link to your blog so that I can see who you are...unless I have met you in person, and then just your email will be sufficient.

Blog Award

EDIT//Nov 26// While nobody has complained about me linking their blog, I have removed most of the links to my friends' blogs for their privacy. In the future, no blogs will be linked unless the family has posted a button for people to grab--meaning they wish for their blog to be linked--or the blog owner has given permission for me to link their blog. Thanks for understanding.
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Kelly over at trustedwithmuch.blogspot.com gave me this blog award in June, but have not been near a computer long enough to pass it on until now.

There are two rules to accepting the award:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs.
Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Kelly picked some awesome bloggers, so I am going to pick 15 that she did not choose.

First of all, my lovely friend Alex, whom I went to school with, and whom has been a dear friend for the past almost four years...one of those people who knows almost everything about me and loves me anyways...loves to write and always has encouraging thoughts to share.

My friend Allison is currently completing her student teaching, and writes about her adventures on her blog.

My dear sister Beth who is an interior designer and writes about a little of everything.

Milena, who started a blog for my little Nadya (see previous post) and is trying to help her find her forever family. Click on Nadya's button to read more about her!

Brigitte, who adopted my other prayer warrior angel, Jacob Paul.

Jenny, who adopted sweet little Levi from the Philippines.

Christine, mother of twelve children...is an inspiration to me as I desire to have a large family, and to adopt someday.

Two of Christine's daughters: Rachel and Julia have their own blogs and so I am nominating each of them as well.

Alexandra Michaela has an amazing heart for children. She reminds me alot of myself. Keep advocating for the kids, Alex!

Kim and her husband run the children's home where I will be working this summer.

Bethany has three beautiful children, and takes amazing pictures too!

Valerie is a fellow missionary in the Philippines, and she writes about life with her husband and three adorable children.

Charissa has a real heart for orphans, as well as children with special needs. She and her husband adopted little Ava a couple years ago, and they have four other adorable children, as well.

And last...but certainly not least, my dear friend Deana, who is an author. She wrote a devotional book entitled, "I Will Give You the Rain."

Nadya

This post was originally published on my old blog a few days ago. However, I could not begin a new blog without telling you about Nadya!

I shared before (on my old blog) that I signed up to be a prayer warrior through Reece's Rainbow. Reece's Rainbow helps find homes for children with Down Syndrome and other special needs. Many of these children are from other countries, and are placed in orphanages as babies. If they are not adopted, they are transferred to a mental institution around age four or five, and they often die within a year. I was matched with two precious children to pray for. Paul, a baby boy with Down Syndrome, had a family commit to him shortly after I committed to pray for him. It has been exciting to follow his family's blog, and to see him come home! Paul, now named Jacob Paul recently celebrated his 2nd birthday! However, Nadya, a little girl who has some global delays, is still waiting for her family. The Lord has been answering my prayers for her in two ways. Nadya was living in a mental institution when I first committed to pray for her. She looked very sad in the picture that I was given. However, she was transferred out of that institution--something that rarely happens--and is in a home where they care for the children and give them somewhat of an education. The second way that God has answered prayers for Nadya, is that she now has a webpage dedicated to helping her find her family. I "met" Milena through the Reece's Rainbow blog. After seeing the children's faces on the Reece's Rainbow site, she was especially drawn to Nadya and wants to help her find a family. She is doing a fundraiser to earn money for Nadya's adoption grant. This means that when a family commits to adopt Nadya, they will receive this money to help pay for their adoption. Now, I am not allowed to share what country Nadya is from. However, I can show you her beautiful face.

On my sidebar is a button with Nadya's picture. If you click on "Grab This Button", it will give you the code. Would you please add Nadya to your webpage, and then would you join me in praying that Nadya's family commits to her soon?

When God Says "Wait"

I originally posted this a few days ago on my old blog...but since I am switching over to this blog, I wanted to post it here as well.

My latest news is that I am planning my next Philippines trip for June of 2010, and will probably stay through August at least. I will for sure be working at the SHIP children's home for most of that time, but may visit a few other people/places as well. I have been missing everything about the Philippines...well, except for the times I got sick, but illness happens in the US as well. I miss jeepneys, motor scooters, tricycles, Chow King, Gloria Jean's, big malls, fried fish, watching out the windows of the jeepney and taking in all the interesting scenery that is so different from anything in the US. I miss going to the market, friendly Filipino neighbors, cute little kids everywhere I look, pandesol (fresh rolls that are soooo good), the beach... except I only got to see it from a distance and had to settle for cooling off in a fountain. However, most of all I miss beautiful little children whose parents cannot take care of them right now. There is something so rewarding about caring for these children. Probably the only thing that can compare would be having my own baby...which I have never done because I am still waiting for the man who will be the father of my children, and the Lord is still preparing both of us for one another. Getting to hug these children good night, listening to their questions, and trying my best to provide the answers that they need...these are all things that parents do, and things that I have gotten to do because their parents for one reason or another cannot. I often feel that I have wasted so much of my life...and am convicted of the need to use my time wisely and carefully. I cannot think of very many things that I would rather do than care for orphans. The rewards and the satisfaction it brings are incomparable. I would rather spend my life loving these little ones than having a career or alot of money. Careers and money cannot buy love...and even love is not guaranteed--it is entirely possible to love and to minister to somebody who will not show me any love in return. The Bible places great value on loving others and on caring for orphans. God knows that ministering to those who can give you very little back is more rewarding than material things. Possessions will eventually be destroyed, but relationships can last through eternity. My goal has been to start my own children's home someday. While it probably will be awhile before that will happen, I will never let go of that dream, unless God Himself asks me to.

With that being said, I did receive an offer to return to the Philippines in January. However, the Lord led me to wait. Now you might be wondering why if I miss it so much, I would deny an offer to go back quickly. While I will not go into all my reasons, I do feel that I am supposed to focus on the Lord right now, and on getting to know Him better. It is easy to let that go when one gets very busy...unless one has firmly established the habit of meeting with the Lord on a daily basis. My relationship with the Lord is very precious to me, now more than ever...and as with any relationship, I must spend time with Him in order to get to know Him better....and I am learning so much about Him and what He has done for me, and will forever be grateful that He loved me enough to die for me, and to draw me to Himself.

We live in a society of instant gratification. If you want one, you can have one, and you can even spend a little more money to have it delivered right away. If you cannot afford one, you can get a loan so you do not have to wait. However, God knows better than we do what is best for us and when. If He tells me to wait and to go to the Philippines later, it is because He knows that I will have a more profitable trip if I wait. I have been tested with that decision. I am still looking for a job here in the US. It is easy to think that maybe I should just go to the Philippines now where I will not have to worry about that. However, the Lord will give me that job in His timing. He knows that there are things that I need to do now that will be hard to do once I add a job into the picture. For one thing, I have accumulated almost 28 years worth of stuff. I can never take all of that on the mission field with me. Furthermore, I have accumulated box upon box of stuff... mostly books and papers from 5 1/2 years of college. There are things that I will never use again! I have the perfect opportunity to go through all of that as I actually have the time. I just got back from babysitting for a retreat...something I could not do with a job. God knows what we need and when...and there are times when we must wait, trust that He knows best, and to make good use of the waiting time...speaking of which, I still need to spend time with the Lord today, so I will end this, and write more another day.

Welcome to My New Blog!

Welcome to my new blog, where you can read all about what God has been doing in my life, and especially about my next big adventure in the Philippines. Lord willing, I will leave in June of 2010 and travel to Baguio Philippines where I will be working with the children at the SHIP (Safe Harbor International Philippines) children's home. I may make a few other stops along the way to visit friends and a few other children's homes, as well. I plan to return to the states at the end of August, unless the Lord leads me to stay longer. I will try and update often, so please stay tuned.