ISP

I'm going to Uganda this summer and I couldn't be more excited about it :) It's been a dream of mine to go to Africa for a REALLY long time. And now I'm going. I get to go to Africa and work in a children's home for 3 weeks...what an incredible opportunity. I'm beyond thrilled that I get to go to Africa and kids are my favorite thing in the world. So the fact that I get to have both things on my trip is amazing to me :) I'm so excited to go and share God's love with people. I pray that I will be an encouragement to someone. Even if I encourage one person, that will be worth it. But, beyond being excited to hopefully touch the lives of others, I can't wait to see how God is going to use this time and this trip to change my life. One of the other RAs on my staff (and my lovely friend) Kristin went to Rwanda last summer. When I was talking to her about my trip the other week, she told me that Africa gets into your blood. I can't even express how excited I am for that. I have wanted to go to Africa since I was in middle school. Now, I get to go. I am eager to see how God is going to use this trip to shape me. I already know that I'm going to learn a ton and I'm excited about that. True, I'm nervous about going halfway across the world. I'm nervous about not really knowing what it's like over there. But, I trust that this is where the Lord has led me and that He will protect me.

And...I just love my team :) I am so blessed with a team of 9 other amazing women who each bring so much to our team. I can't wait to experience Uganda with them!!

Today

Today, I would really like to be here...



Summer is coming and I can feel it :)

But, instead, I'll sit here...



on my bed and write this history paper while listening to some music.

one more month of school. I can do one more month...

No Sweeter Name...

Can I just say that I absolutely LOVE my staff? Today was just kinda off for me. I don't know why. It wasn't a horrible day or a great day. It just felt weird to me. Well, at least that's what I would have said before our event tonight. My staff put on an event for the girls living here in our dorm. We called it "Wasted" and all of us RAs talked about the different ways that we personally waste our life. Then we ended with some worship. I thought it went really well and it was exactly what I needed. Though, I have to say that my favorite moment of the night actually came before any of the residents arrived. All of us RAs were sitting in the 3rd floor lobby waiting for 9pm to roll around. Merea (our awesome RD) started playing some worship songs on her guitar. Those sweet, sweet moments brought me to tears. The 10 of us girls sat there singing those songs and praying. It brought tears to my eyes. The sound of 10 beautiful women of God pouring their hearts out to Christ is absolutely precious. That makes this a great day. I got to worship with my sisters, and that completely refreshed my soul. There's no sweeter name than the name of Jesus.

encouraged

Today I had a yard sale to raise money for my trip to Uganda this summer. I have to admit, I wasn't too excited about waking up at 6am on a Saturday to have a yard sale. But, I'm so glad I did. Not only was I able to raise a little bit of money for my trip, I had the opportunity to meet some awesome people. One lady told me that she lived in Kenya for three years and was so excited for me to go to Uganda. Even though she didn't buy anything, she gave me $20 just because Africa is so close to her heart. I met another couple who actually felt bad about only being able to give me $10. The woman told me that she wanted to come by my house on another day and bring me more money. She said, "If we can't go to Africa ourselves, then we're going to help send someone else to Africa." Today was a great day. I got to hang out with my best friend for a few hours, I met some amazing people, and I was reminded that the Lord provides. I raised over $200 for my trip. A few hours after my yard sale ended, some of the boys from the youth group at my church came to my house and handed me $50. They said, "We want the rest of the clothes left over from your yard sale." So, I gave them to them. They're giving the clothes to the clothes closet at our church to help others in need. How cool is that? When I first applied for ISP, and when I was first accepted, and when I first found out that I'm going to Africa, and at least once a week, I wondered (and still wonder) where the money for me to go to Uganda is going to come from. Well, here it is. (At least some of it, anyway.) The Lord provides. And while I don't know where the money is going to come from, He does. And that should be enough for me. Today was a good day, an encouraging day, and a great way to end spring break.

Spring Break

Currently, I'm home for Spring Break...and it's been fantastic :) I love being home and it's been really nice to see my family. This week is definitely jam packed with stuff. So far, I've gone to a hockey game, seen a play, and babysat an adorable little girl. Tonight, I'm going to Jess' house to spend the night. Tomorrow, I'm having lunch with a teacher from high school. Thursday, I'm going to work with my mom. Then on Friday and Saturday, I'm having a yard sale to raise money for my ISP trip to Uganda. Even though this week is super busy, it's really nice to be off campus and away from school.


hockey game



cutest baby ever


This week has been great so far and I can't wait for what the rest of this week holds.

what consumes my time lately...

Well...I'm applying for nursing school. I'm trying to finish my application before spring break...which starts tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be able to do it.

And So It Begins...

So, I’m a blog stalker. It’s pathetic, but true. I absolutely LOVE reading other people’s blogs. I could honestly waste hours looking at blogs. And so, I figure that maybe, just maybe, there is someone else out there who is like me, and who will read about my life. For anyone who is reading this, I must warn you that my life is not exciting. But, I figure that I’ll put my thoughts about life out there and maybe someone will be able to relate to them.
I’m a 19 year-old sophomore at California Baptist University. I absolutely love it. I’m a pre-nursing major, which isn’t always easy, but I still love it. I work for Undergraduate Admissions, which is a ton of fun. I’m also a Resident Assistant in the freshman girls’ dorm. It’s definitely interesting living on a hall with over 20 freshman girls, but it’s also super rewarding. I serve on the best RA staff ever. The other 11 people that I serve with in this building are incredible women of God that I absolutely adore. Being an RA takes up a lot of my life, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
I have an amazing group of friends. I have a best friend, Jessica. We’re basically the same person. She’s the one I laugh with for an hour straight about absolutely nothing at all. But, she’s also the one that I stay up until 2am with talking about life. One of my other closest friends is Kelly. She inspires and challenges me everyday. (Her blog is awesome…you should check it out!) There’s “the family”, which is made up of… Jessica, Tiffany, Kristi, Desiree, Kelli, Ryan, Trevor, Chris, Kyle, Josh, and me. We have a lot of fun together. I am so grateful for all of the wonderful friends that I have :)
I have the best family anyone could ever ask for. I have parents that have been married for 25 years, who support me in everything that I do. They have been beautiful examples of Christ in my life and I am so thankful for that. I have one younger brother, Jackson, who is one of my heroes. He’s 17 and a senior in high school. He’s also been deaf since he was 1 year old. He’s never let that stop him :)
Well…that’s all I can think of right now. I guess we’ll see how this blog thing goes…