First Craft Show Planning!

Wow, I'm so excited yet so boggled down (is that a word?) with all the planning and things I need to do for my craft show!

Make signs
Put prices on items
Get creative!
Get extra money/change
Table cloths
Boxes
Make more products in 3 weeks
Set up an imitation table
Make a "my.creations" sign
MORE!!!!

I think this will be so much fun though. With all the work and time and LOVE I've put into these items, which I absolutely love doing, I am so pleased and excited and thankful for such an opportunity like this one. I even had this craft show planned before my missions trip opportunity came up. And look where its taking me....God will provide and support me through this as well! I'm so excited for everything I'm looking forward to coming up soon!

.......:::::'hear your heart beat':::::.....

"The more I seek you,
The more I find you
The more I find you,
the more I love you

I wanna sit at your feet
drink from the cup in your hand
Lay back against you and breath, hear your heart beat

This love is so deep, it's more than I can stand

I melt in your peace, it's overwhelming"


I was listening to this song tonight by Kari Jobe. She leads worship down in this huge church in Texas but also does a little bit of traveling with her band. She is amazing. All her songs are so soft and intimate and the words always hit me deeply.
As I was pondering this song I had remembered something my mentor had told me. I explained that most of the time I wonder how can God possibly be that dedicated to me and each one of us when He has 6 billion people in the world to take care of. For some reason I can't seem to understand the fact that He thinks about us MORE than the grains of sand combined. How precious and amazing! But when I mentioned that, she told me something I had never heard before. Something that made me view my personal, eternal, intimate relationship with Jesus on a whole new level. She said "He waits for your phone call. He waits for you to call on Him and to talk to Him just as we wait for a boy on earth to call us. When He answers that phone and sees our name on the caller-id, His heart flutters and beats faster and faster. He gets nervous. He says with excitement 'Oh my, it's my precious daughter calling me'. He waits for that and cherishes it." Think of it as a guy who you have a crush on or want to notice you. You wait for that phone call or for that instant moment of communication with him/her. You become so excited and nervous, your hands sweat, your heart beats crazily.

Except with Jesus and God the Father, it is true love. Can you just picture Him picking up the phone, saying your name out loud and has been waiting for you to call Him.

Now its our turn. Pick up the phone and call Him. Dial Him 24/7.

...life...

Life is complicated. We are blessed and we struggle. We love and we feel jealousy. I hate how I always think I'm becoming stronger through Christ in myself, but then it comes out to mean "I think I'm better than everyone else". Which I know is not true. It's so hard to not to judge people, but just to love them despite their faults.

I've been blessed so many times this year, and yet my friends are hurting, and it hurts me so much because all I want to do is help them. I have been blessed through christian friendships- the real deal. Those who support me and lift me up when I'm struggling. Those who love me for who I am in Christ. Those who pray with me and praise God for the amazing things He does in our lives each and everyday throughout all the students here on campus. I have been blessed with an AMAZING opportunity to serve the Swazi people next summer. Something I have always dreamed of, now God I'm relying on you to make it happen.

Ever since I've started college, 1 1/2 yrs ago, I have noticed an empty feeling inside of myself. Those who read this probably know me well, because most don't even know I have a blog (ha). Well, anyways, so I grew up without a father (and brother passed away as well), something that grows deeper everytime i hear one of my friends talk about their dad and how they miss him and always sit on his lap and just talk. Alot of students here are close to their fathers. Now, I do have a father-figure in my life right now. But I didn't for around 8 years, which is probably when I needed one the most. This is why I feel like something is missing. Is it me or is it the fact that because I didn't grow up with a father, I missed out on that connection we're supposed to have with the opposite sex. I'm not talking about dating; I'm talking about everyday conversations and friendships. Why exactly it is this way? I'm not sure at all...I have been searching and seeking for an answer but have not found one. So, guys, bare with me. Don't get me wrong though, I have a wonderful step-father who supports my family in every way possible and I am so grateful for him in our life, but if he would have been there when I was five, maybe things would have turned out differently. Yet, isn't that questioning God's will? God's plan? His reason, His perfect time, His perfect ways?

Wow, I can't believe I just shared all this out loud on my blog for everybody to see.

Well, for now, I should probably head to bed.

///swazi///

So I had my interview today. It went so well I was so full of joy because God gave me the words to speak and to show my passion through my words to the interviewer. I was so very pleased. And I was told right over the phone that I was accepted into AIM and onto the team to Swazi. Wow. I cannot even believe this! Now, I need to just keep constantly praying for support. Doubts run across my mind ever so often, but I'm keeping them out as best as I can. God has been providing in the smallest ways through my crafts, and I know He will help me in the days and months to come! If you read this, please keep praying for me.

/:..:::...``praise``...:::...:/

So many things have been going on in my life lately. The school year started slow, but now life is getting hectic and crazy and we have more to do and more to study. I have almost 3 jobs now!! Ha, definitely not what I was looking for but I know I will grow in each and enjoy each of them. I got a job at the assisted living just down the road from me as a part-time bath aide for about 12 hours a week! They also needed another person to babysit a bunch of kids for 2 hours on Friday mornings for CBC's Women's Bible Study Group. Which I could do this for my SLT for school or for some extra cash. I have decided to do my SLT with Christ for the City International- today I just did office work, but I really want to become a facilitator/leader for the Urban Plunge. This is basically a group of youth from churches mainly who go to 9 different ministries throughout Omaha and basically preach the gospel and help out in anyway. Some include the Hope Center, Angels on Wheels and also sharing with homeless people and prostitutes. It goes from Friday afternoons to Sunday early afternoons, and of course I wouldn't have to lead every week! I know- "lead". What exactly does that mean? I'm not totally sure yet, but I wouldn't be organizing everything, I just basically go with them to every ministry and tell them where to go. I dont necessarily do the work either, I just kind of supervise and watch and listen. Sounds great to me. I also think this would be great experience for being a missionary or doing cross-cultural ministries overseas someday. I also get paid for it and can use it as my SLT! So Praise God, maybe He overdid it this time, haha, I shouldn't complain AT ALL!! Thanks Jesus.

~*~beauty in itself~*~

Wow. I am so amazed and grateful.

The more I seek God, the more I find Him.
The more I find Him, the more I love Him.
The more I love Him, the more I can't get enough of Him.
He is AMAZING!
I've seen Him do so many little things since I've moved to Omaha. He's provided a close, great job (well actually 2), I'm trusting He will provide for Swazi this coming summer, I've come to learn more about Him, I feel His presence in my heart so often, I'm pretty sure I know where He is calling me to, and just wow!
Even my.creations, my small business, is picking up just from living with a bunch of girls in the dorm! Who ever thought this would happen. Now I've been offered an online instructor position for scrapbooking classes, in which I get to use my own ideas as well as make some profit off of that. My craft show is also coming up in November, which I'm not sure at all how many things I need to make for this show yet!! Who knows how much I'll sell. Oh God, I give this all to you, but I am not worrying about it.

I love lilies, as you see in the picture. For some reason they bring out the word "beauty" to me. The remind me of Jesus, personally.

I've also been reading this new book called "The Shack" by William P Young. Wow, I've never read such a book as this. There's a big tragedy, but this book is about how we connect personally with Jesus. It's already changed my view on the Trinity. God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus the Son are all equal. I dont know about you, but I've always pictured God the Father as the "boss" of the 3 in 1 gang, which is pretty easy to do. We look at a Father as being the head of everyone else in the family. It also talks about how we think this way because of our fallen world and sinful nature. Thats how our world is, but that isn't how God is. God is = to Jesus who is = to the Holy Spirit. 3 in 1 is the same thing. It's amazing. I'm learning how closely Jesus really wants to be and why God became a human form and why He decided to come to earth. Jesus is in a human form for a reason- he isn't human, he is God, but he came here for us so that he could relate to us in a different level than God the Father. I dont know about you, but I view God as a high authority figure, like a dad. Jesus- I view as a loving friend who really does want to just be a friend and guide us through each day. But I have learned that Jesus was brought to the earth so that we could learn in a more intimate passionate way because he was human like us, but more of a perfect, supernatural human.....if that makes sense? Are you following?

I will be talking more about this book in the future so stay posted. It's amazing and you can borrow it from me when I'm done- just ask!! I'd be happy to let you share this with me.

Application Sent

I applied tonight to Adventures in Missions.
Now we'll see what God has in store for me next. :D