Updates

Well...I am terrible at keeping up this blog. I started it as I was hoping to return to the Philippines. While I may do that at some point, the Lord is leading me to do a few things in the USA first. I am pretty involved in my church right now. I am also hoping to make a short missions trip to Ethiopia sometime in 2011 if the Lord wills.I am also hoping to do some more volunteering with the Down Syndrome Guild in my area...but will sadly not be able to post the beautiful faces of the children there online.

My eventual plans are to adopt and/or start a children's home overseas...location to be determined. I love the Philippines...but am also open to going to Africa...we shall see where the Lord leads next.

I know the Lord is going to do some exciting things in 2011. Some of them I will post here. Others I cannot share just yet, and some things are not for sharing publicly.

I will continue to blog. I will probably come up with a new title for this blog, and it will be a little bit of everything. If you would like to read about my previous trips to the Philippines, or about the Lord's leading me to Ethiopia, those are on other blogs. Please let me know and I will send you an invite.

As far as advocating for the children on Reece's Rainbow, I will definitely continue to do that. Neah (formerly Nadya) is just a couple days away from coming home to her new family. Anastasiya's family finished their homestudy and is working on their dossier. Both families have blogs:
NEAH
ANASTASIYA

Please stop by and send them some encouragement.

A few specific updates:
December:
I am working at Gymboree (clothing store) part time and loving it. I am also active in AMP--my church's young adult group, and helping with The Rising on Friday evenings. The Rising is a church plant located at a local university. It is sponsored by my church. My church is doing a lot of Christmas activities--so I am excited to celebrate with them. This will be my first Christmas at this church and I am so thankful for all that I am learning. I am also excited about having extended family over on Christmas Eve--hoping that this respiratory illness that I am fighting vanishes so that I can enjoy all the festivities...and most of all celebrate the birth of Jesus--the One Who died and rose again so that I can live and be forgiven.

January: I may need to look for another job as my Gymboree job is just a seasonal position. I am also excited to start Grace Adventure at the end of the month. Grace Adventure is an intensive workshop...it is four weekends long and also one night a week spread out over a 3 month period. It is hard to explain exactly what it is...but if you click on the highlighted "Grace Adventure" you can learn more. A good number of the people at my church have gone through it already. You learn more about who you are in Christ and how to live according to who God has made you to be.
While I know Grace Adventure will not be easy, I know it is something that the Lord will use in a mighty way in my life. I am also hoping to start ballet classes again...that will be a lot of fun. All of this in addition to my church activities should keep me pretty busy.

Well...that is it for now. I will write more soon!