Thankful Thursday: same story, new chapter, one awesome Author

Happy Thankful Thursday!

naturally this week has flown by

{and i kind of didn't want it to}

this is the week that i have been dreading all summer

moving week

 and so this chapter of my life has come to an end

i'm at that part in the book when the chapter ends
you know that part where you're kind of left hanging?...
the part where the main character who's been in a coma
wakes up and doesn't remember anything or anyone...

or when they stumble across an abandoned cabin in the woods...

or they suddenly realize they're actually in love with that person 

you've been rooting for since the book began...
{sigh}

you're sitting on the edge of your seat and can't help but wonder
what's going to happen next?

what did the author come up with?

you just don't know

and you may not find out for a while

but in order to find out 

the page must turn and a new chapter has to begin

that's exactly where i am
this chapter of my life is over and i have to turn the page
 i have no clue what's ahead
your guess is as good as mine

but the cool thing is that i personally know the author of my story

better yet He knows me

fully

after all He created me

{pretty awesome}

the author and perfecter of my faith

is the one who has written my story

every single chapter

so lately my inner monolouge sounds a little like this...

 take a deep breath rae

turn the page

see what happens
and have hope that the
God who is for us not against us is the one writing your story
and He is faithful.

so this saturday i turn the page

as i turn in my key, hug my roommates goodbye, leave orange county behind

and head back to my parents

a new chapter begins

i'm on the edge of my chair, biting my nails,
my heart is beating out of my chest

and i have absolutely no idea what's going to happen

and well that's how the story goes

so today i am thankful for...

this last chapter of life

the opprotunity to work in full time ministry

my home in irvine

the 5 wonderful roommates i've shared life with

building forts of epic proportion

{and spending our last nights as roommates together in it}

watching friends

late nights of laughing

a summer full of adventure

hiking

fishing

climbing mountain peaks

breath taking views
plants of the sierra nevada's

adventuring to my favorite lake

the smell of rain storms

the sound of breezes blowing through aspen

getting up before the sun to fish with my dad

hiking my favorite trail with my mom

trips to santa cruz

grandmas pancakes
homemade pizza
celebrating my grandmother's 90th birthday
time spent with my 3 siblings

finally meeting my best friends boyfriend
dinner at firestone grill

visiting with my college roommates

creating

dreaming

new friendships made

mcdonald's iced coffee

bath time with my niece

{most importantly} my relationship with the lord

the fact that he loves me
 knows me

knows my deepest desires and longings

my worries and fears

and that he knows exactly what i need even before i need it
having no need to be anxious about what's ahead

 the chapter that is to come and 

that it has already been written
the new characters that will enter into the story
for the new places i'll go
the new things i'll do
the new job{s} i'll have

i'm thankful that it's time for me to turn the page and dive in to the next part of the story

let the adventures begin

whatever chapter you're in, what are you thankful for today?...

The Final Update {holding back the tears}

Wrapping Things Up....

What a great two years it has been. I am beyond blessed to have been a part of what God is doing with college students at UC Irvine and around the world; it has been such an adventure. I can’t even begin to thank you enough for your prayers and support over the past two years, God has used each of you in huge ways and because of you, people were able to hear and receive the Gospel.

I had the privilege of ending my time with Cru on a stateside summer project and for five weeks I lived in Santa Monica, California. I am here to tell you that I loved every minute of it. We spent most of time in the community; on 3rd street promenade, the beach, parks, coffee shops, etc, doing outreaches and sharing our faith. One of the things I enjoyed most about being in Santa Monica was getting to meet and talk with people from all over the world. Santa Monica is a melting pot, full of all different types of people from a plethora of different countries. While there, my students and I got to meet and share our faith with people from Korea, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and France. Conversations I will never forget!  

All of the lovely women on project.

Another highlight from project was getting to lead and disciple 6 of the most wonderful women from California and Arizona. I sat back in amazement and watched as the Lord radically changed their lives as they learned what living out the Great Commission can look like and as they were trained up and sent out to share their faith. 

Meet Rubi, one of my disciples. 

This summer our project  saw 2,109 initiated conversations, 1,046 spiritual conversations, 531 Gospel presentations, and 29 people begin a relationship with the Lord. Praise God! This is what Cru is all about. Giving people the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel and what a privilege it has been to have been a part of it, to visibly see God work and tangibly see His faithfulness played out in people lives.

The men and women in my Impact Group.

For all of you that have been faithfully supporting me over the course of the past two years, you can end your giving online, as I am now officially done with Cru. For those of you who are giving in the form of EFT your giving will not stop automatically. To end your automatic donation you can call 1-888-CRUSADE. You may also stop your EFT giving online (give.cru.org) or by emailing Donation.Services@Cru.org with my staff account number (0647322) and your giving information.  

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support, it has been a privilege doing ministry

 alongside each and every one of you. God bless!

Thankful Thursday: apple pie, stitches, home depot....

Happy Thankful Thursday to you!

it's hasn't been the most glamorous week of my life...

going to doctors appointments

getting sticthes taken out of my face...
{don't worry nothing serious}

 i have spent most of my time in cars

 driving back and forth from OC to LA 

moving all my stuff home

 sleeping on my floor because i no longer have a bed

beginning the long process of saying good bye to the life i've had in this place

and as I am still processing through my pride issues

{see previous post}

there was blood, sweat and well the tears haven't completely hit yet, 

i'm pretty certain they are well on their way.

but

[i love that there is always a but}

God has shown up in some pretty sweet ways

and continues to pour out blessing after blessing

none of which i deserve in any way, shape or form

so today I am thankful for

snuggles with the family pup

family gatherings

delicious food, tasty wine and warm apple pie

watching my niece's face light up when i walk through the door

and hearing her shout my name in excitement

being able to celebrate my brothers 19th birthday

{19 years ago he almost lost his life to infant botulism,

and every year on his birthday we get to celebrate the miracle God did in his life}

the relationship i have with my baby brother

parents who let me borrow their car

and who let me store my belongings in their garage

a brother in law who left work early to help my move my bed

another brother in law who let me borrow his truck

roommates who jump right in to help me when i need it

sweet, encouraging text messages from

women i've had the privilege of discipling

 2 hour phone conversations with my best friend from college

phone conversations with my best friend from high school

phone conversations with my sweet friend in utah

facetiming with my summer project roommate

my plethera of long distance relationships

and the joy and life they give me

my freesia and wildflower seeds sprouting and growing

late night trips to mcdonalds

watching friends

good doctors

getting stitches out

{don't worry i left out those pictures}

 listening to music

{been listening to Lord Huron all week}

trips to home depot

{i'm always down for a home depot excursion}

wandering around the garden department

beautiful, evening runs through my neighborhood

reading this book

answered prayers

all the adventures god has waiting for me

the opportunity i have to start from scratch

that tomorrow i am off to go run a muck in the sierra nevada's

what are you thankful for today?...

Thankful Thursday: swallowing my pride and choking down some humble pie

Happy Thankful Thursday to you!

i have to start off by saying that

there's nothing i like more than big fat slice of humble pie.

{sarcasm}

pride.

a word i have come to know and hate as of late.

i've learned i'm full of it.

and trust me i'm not proud of it

{a little play on words for ya}

god has a great way of putting me in my place

exactly when i need it.

the past 7 years i have been independent

on my own

making home{s} for myself all over central and southern california

i have been blessed with amazing opportunities to

 grow

learn from my mistakes

travel the world

 meet new people

learn to live with all types of roommates

 learn to be an adult

make my own decisions

i have moved 5 times in the past 7 years

but every time i have it's always been for something specific

school, work....

as i sit here and write this

i'm about to make my 6th move

but this ones different

{very different}

and extremely humbling

and to be honest i'm terrified

not necessarily about the move

but about the fact that i literally have no idea what my life will look like tomorrow

in the coming days, weeks, months

here is where i get real honest...

i'm 25

i left my job of two years in full time ministry

i'm now unemployed

i'm leaving my amazing roommates who i can't imagine living without

and i'm moving back in with my parents

{i literally had to choke down my pride as i wrote that}

like i said

god knows exactly where and when to humble me

and currently there's no time like the present

i'm struggling

i'm struggling comparing myself to those around me

who are "moving on" with their lives

as i take what appears to me as giant "steps back"

if you had asked me in college where i thought i'd be 5 years down the road

it would not have been here

i would not be single, unemployed and moving in with my parents.

{once again swallowing my pride}

BUT

god is good

he is faithful

he is steadfast

i can not mess up his plan

and there is comfort in that

these are promises that i am clinging to for dear life

so today,

today i am thankful for

the past two years

working for cru

living with phenomenal women who have taught me so much

our wonderful and cute apartment

irvine

learning to be independent 

learning to be dependent on the lord

parents who are welcoming me home with open arms

learning to be content with where i am

god's word

promises in scripture

walking blindly into the unknown

figuring out what im passionate about

flowers, flowers oh and flowers

being a dreamer

not being afraid of chasing after dreams

whatever the heck lies ahead

being fully known

and fully loved by god

that as i sit here and pack

as walls and spaces become empty

 i can't help and smile at the memories made in this place

no matter where you are in life,

what are the things that you are thankful for right this very moment?....

Thankful Thrusday; so stinking thankful

Happy Thankful Thursday friend!

and what a beautiful thursday it is

it's a whopping 76 degrees here in irvine 

{hard life i know}

thursday came at the perfect time this week

{yes, i know it comes at the same time every week}

but so much has happened recently and i've felt so caught up in life

i need time to sit and process through all of God's provisions

i keep this blog as a way to tangibly see the ways in which God moves

{and what fun it is to go back and revisit all of His work}

it is teaching me discipline; to rejoice and to give praise

even when life gets ugly

if you're like me in any way

and often need reminding of blessings in life

i highly recommending keeping a journal, a blog...

something where you can think through and recount all the things you are thankful for

from the day, the week, the month...

and watch how you begin to tangibly see God's hand in your life

it's radical

today I am thankful for...

unexpected financial provisions

parents who enjoy having me home

snuggling with the family pup

my moms cooking

the ability to run

running at twilight

living close enough to my niece to watch her grow up

spending an afternoon watching her in dance class

feeling my nephew kick and move around in my sisters belly

{october can't some soon enough}

being an aunt

hearing my niece say my name and telling me she loves me

visiting my grandmother in santa cruz

her homemade pizza

thrift store shopping

morning runs along westcliff drive

 spending mornings and afternoons in her beautiful garden

learning all about my grandfather 

who passed away right before i was born

{he was so handsome}

trying on my grandmother's dresses from the 40's and 50's

hearing stories about my father growing up

and of course seeing the pictures that go with them

{what a cutie}

roadtrips with my mom

sharing my hopes, dreams and fears with her

{precious time spent with her}

pit stops in SLO

firestone tri tip sandwiches

dreaming about the future

desiring to one day have a family

a mom who is willing to take me to the airport at 5am

salt lake city utah

boise & mccall idaho

crossing state lines

a cabin in the mountains

time spent with sweet friends

seeing new plants and totally geeking out 

rope swings

canoes

fern filled forests

hillsides overflowing with wildflowers

evening strolls

beers on the patio

playing settlers

bananagrams at the kitchen table

picking tons of wildflowers...and then picking more

time alone with the Lord

reading great books

being challenged to pray and pray some more

taking communion on a mountain top in idaho

the sound of wind blowing through aspen and pine trees

making new friends

catching up with old friends

laughing uncontrollably 

looking at how far the Lord has brought me in a year

dreaming about the next year

watching the Lord answer prayers in ways I wasn't expecting

that yesterday my parents celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary

{how cool is that?!}

needless to say i have a gazillion and 1 reasons to be 

praising my savior today.

His blessings are overflowing.

what are you thankful for today?....