The View From Here: Happy Birthday to Me!

I love my roommates!

The View from Here

I think my roommates love me! :)  

Stop and Listen

This last week has been an incredibly hard but undeniably amazing journey. In my last blog post I wrote around five sentences mentioning that I feel called to go to Haiti long-term.  I mentioned that I had no idea how/when/where or what I should do there, I just felt called.  It was those five small sentences that truly opened the flood gates for God.  Within an hour of posting on my blog, I was contacted by two good friends giving encouragement and resources on how to start the journey to Haiti.  As it unfolded I just sat in my room with tears running down my face.  If that wasn't God yelling go for it, I don't know what is.  I have never experienced hearing God's voice before, until these last two weeks.  It was not a voice that I could physically hear, it was a push so strong that I couldn't deny it.  It was things falling together so quickly that only God could have orchestrated it.  It was so visibly inhumanly possible, that it had to be Him saying this is where I want you.  I simply can't put into words what it felt like.  It was scary but at the same time the most peaceful feeling I've felt in a very long time.  I still don't know the how/where/what/ or when of any of it, I just know He wants me in Haiti.  I've denied or ignored this calling for three years, and I've finally reached a point where there are no more excuses.  I'm graduating college and have the opportunity to do absolutely anything I want with my life.  I've prayed and prayed that God would send me where he wants me.  While I thought that would be into a full-time design job, God had other plans in mind.  He was faithful and answered my prayers.  He wants me in Haiti, and now it is my turn to be faithful and follow his calling.  I know God, the creator of this beautiful world, will answer all of the other questions in His time.  I know the God who controls every penny that is exchanged in this world, will fund my trip financially when the time comes.  And I know that He will put me exactly where He wants me doing exactly what He wants me to be doing.  I've just have to be willing.  And I am.  Like I said, it's been a hard but amazing week!

Then when I thought things couldn't get better, God proved me wrong again (shocker)!  As you all know I've been dying to return to Haiti (obviously).  Cassie has also been feeling that call.  After all of this went down last weekend, I decided to ask Cassie if she would be interested in going back after Graduation.  We have joked for so many weekends that we're just going to get on a plane and go, but this time I was serious, and so was she.  We had an initial hesitation about whether we could raise the funds or not, but once we looked at how much it would cost, the price from our last trip went down about $600.  We decided if God got us there last time, and wants us there now, he'll provide us with the funds again, so we decided to start planning.  Then it got even better.  When we returned from Haiti last time, my roommates Jessica Rose and Meredith Mirick showed some interest in possibly joining us next time.  After I talked to Cassie, I came back to the room and proposed the trip to them.  Meredith was practically jumping up and down with excitement, and they both decided they want to go this time!  So not only is God faithful in calling and sending Cassie and I back, He has now opened up the door for two of my best friends to join as well.  God is good I tell you! He has used my trips to not only bless the people in Haiti, but also as a tool for me to share His love with my friends.  You think I would have learned by now, but God truly works in magnificent ways and never ceases to amaze me!  So it is official; Jessica, Meredith, Cassie, and I will all be going to Haiti after graduation, on May 15th.  We are going to spend around 10 days there working and staying with Dorothy again.  I cannot express to you how excited I am!  I just want it to be there already!  I want to pull up to Dorothy's gate, give her, Richardson, and Johnny the biggest hugs possible and then make my rounds with all the other kids.  I cannot wait!!!!  Best part of all though, is that while I'm sharing this wonderful place with my friends, I am hoping to make some more connections with the missionaries near Dorothy.  I'm hoping praying that God will use this trip to answer some of the questions for me.  I pray that He will use every single second of our time in Haiti for His purpose.


Now it's just a matter of us all getting our letters written, addressed, and sent out to start raising the money.  I got mine sent out this week, and am helping Jessica and Meredith with theirs.  55 days, Haiti here we come!!!

God is good! 


Please keep us, and our trip in your prayers!

Life and Graduation Challenge: Weeks 3 & 4 Update

Sorry it's taken me so long to post an update.  I was on spring break last week, which was heavenly, but I've been struggling to get back into the routine here at school.  This is always the hardest readjustment time for me.  Spring break is just long enough to give you a taste of summer, that it makes it so incredibly difficult to come back.  This year that seems to be proving even truer for me.  We only have 53 days left until graduation (yes that includes weekends) and lets just say senioritis has kicked in full force.  While graduating and moving into the real world is scary, I am so ready to be done with the school work aspect of college.  I cannot write another paper, do another project, give another presentation, or sit through another 3 hour studio course.  I'm plain burnt out.  Unfortunately, I have to push through for another 53 days.  I have one major paper due on Thursday, 2 tests, my senior seminar project/presentation, my portfolio and then I am outta here!  I just REALLY need some motivation.  I need summer.  Or just college without classwork!

I can do this.

As for after graduation, I'm still kind of unsure where I will be working.  I will be shadowing the position I interviewed for a while back, sometime in the next week or two.  While I'm excited to see things moving forward, I have to honestly say it's still not quite sitting right with me.  I'm not sure what it is, but I don't have a peace about taking that job. I'm hoping things will clear up for me after I shadow them.  Luckily I've been offered a position at our Church's day camp, which I am SO excited about.  Either way I'll have a job for the first few months of summer.  As of now, unless something comes up, I think I'll be working at camp over the summer while actively looking for a full time design position.  This job searching thing is stressful! I could really seriously use your prayers.  I also still have the biggest calling on my heart to do full or long term missions in Haiti.  Honestly that scares the ever loving crap out of me, but it's a calling that has been on my heart for three years now.  The other day at church I was brought to tears at the push God was giving me to go forth with it.  I know He wants me there but I don't know if it is now.  And if it is, I have no idea where to start, how to raise funds, where to go, what I'd do there.  There are so many unanswered questions, and the thought of living in a different Country is terrifying (hence the tears).  I just really need all the prayers I can get right now. I want to follow God's calling and I need all the guidance I can get.

As for my graduation challenge update, I am excited to share that after weighing myself yesterday, I have lost another 4 pounds!!!! That puts me at 6 pounds lost in four weeks!!  I was so excited when I saw that number on the scale.  I didn't lose many inches this week, but I did see a 1" loss on my stomach.  So exciting I tell you!!

I've found exercising is becoming less of a chore and more of something I enjoy now.  There was a point during spring break where I didn't work out for two days, and I could really see and feel it's effect.  I got really irritable and anxious after not working out for two days.  Luckily, it only took 40 minutes at the pool to fix that!  I find it hard to work out at home because I'm not a member at a gym, but I still managed to make it work even through spring break.  I will, however, have to get a gym membership once the summer begins.  I'm just excited to see the pounds shedding off.  That's some great motivation! As for the eating portion, I have done really well at cutting all bread out of my diet.  This was not nearly as difficult as I expected.  I am actually having more trouble cutting out fried foods.  I didn't realize how many fried options there are on campus, that can be difficult to avoid.  I'm trying my best, but some days I still give in.  I'm working on it!

Well for now, I have to go finish this paper.  The last long paper of my life.  I cannot wait to have it done!

Spring Break

Well folks, it's that time of the year again.  Spring break has officially begun!  While I am so excited to have some time off from school, I cannot believe that my final spring break is here.  That means I am halfway through my last semester of college.  How is that possible???  Come tomorrow, I will have exactly two months until graduation.  That's terrifying!  For now, I am choosing not to think about it and instead enjoy every minute of my break.

Tomorrow a good friend of mine is lending me her photography skills in exchange for some free babysitting.  We're making a website in design for our portfolio, and I need to get some good professional shots of myself. I didn't think facebook pictures would quite cut it in the professional world.  Plus I love her kids, so I don't mind babysitting :)!  Then on Tuesday, I'll be heading up to Virginia Beach with my good friend Jessica Deen.  We have both never done anything for spring break, so we decided to not pass up our last opportunity.  I cannot wait to spend a couple of days relaxing at the beach with her.  It's going to be amazing.  Plus, we're staying at a pretty nice hotel, and I'm really excited about it!

The blogging is going to be pretty sparse this week.  I plan to soak up every bit of time off that I can. Hope your week goes as well as mine :).  Graduation Challenge update will come when I get back to school, so stay tuned!