What's Your Story?

Hello everyone!

Last week, as you know, I had my McAlister's benefit dinner, where 10% of all sales went toward my mission funds.  I don't yet know how much money was raised that night, but I do know that the support I felt from all of my friends who traveled out to be there was overwhealming!  It was also a great opportunity to mingle with the other customers I didn't know and get a chance to tell them about what the Lord is doing and will be doing in my life.  Several were interested in my ministry and some even asked about how they could send in donations!  The manager was also great, encouraging me to come back and do another dinner in July.  So keep your eye out for another McAlister's invite.  If you didn't get to come last time, you may get another chance :) 

A few days after I got back from Nashville, the Lord blessed me with the perfect job as a summer youth ministry intern for a large, local church.  I'm working with another intern, Ronnie, and our first big assignment is to come up with high school cirriculum for the entire week of VBS.  After a whole day of reading tons of awesome passages and stories from the Bible, we finally decided on the theme of "God's Story for Your Life".  We're taking the stories of biblical characters such as Esther and Gideon and Jonah, who were all faced with a choice of being obedient to God's plan for them or shrinking back in disobedience.  We'll look at how each of these characters reacted and the things in their lives that did or could have held them back.  The challenge will be for the kids to ask God what His story is for their lives and what things they may have in their lives that could hinder them from being obedient to His will.  So I challenge you, now, to do the same.  Have a blessed week!

Pleasing God

I was just blessed to have a fantastic and much-needed visit with my sister and her family out in Nahsville for Memorial Day weekend!  We went to her friend's church on Sunday night and for about 30 seconds during worship, I remember feeling so at peace!  It was a moment when I could genuinely say that I wanted nothing else in the world but Christ!  I thought I had experienced that feeling before, but now I'm not really sure that I had.  I cannot even describe to you the overwealming feeling of comfort and satisfaction to truly, deeply understand that Christ is all that matters.  I hope you all get a chance to experience that sometime as well.  A recurring theme in the sermon that night, as well as in my life lately, was finding your validation in Christ and not in man.  That is something that I have definitely struggled with throughout the years, being annoyingly good at people-pleasing.  I have always done my best to please everyone throughout my life--conflict and confrontation make me quite uneasy.  But I've come to the realization that that's just not a practical way to live.  No one person can make decisions that will make everyone happy.  I need to learn to live my life concerned only with pleasing the Lord.  I know there are some who would prefer me to not go to Peru, for various reasons (usuallly selfish ones).  But I can't not go to Peru because some people don't want me to.  However, neither can I go just to satisfy others' expectations.  So why am I going?  I've been re-evaluating everything just to make sure I'm in the right place and I can honestly say the reason I am going to Peru because it's what the Lord wills for my life at this time.  It pleases the Lord that I am obedient to Him and it pleases me to please Him :)  I encourage you to watch the video below and take a moment to "get lost" in God.  It'll be the best 5 minutes of your day, I promise!

Things are still going well as far as preparations are concerned.  Just after I wrote my last blog post, another church donated $1200 to my ministry in Peru!  That's another $50/month for two years!  I'm still at just above 50% of my monthly support goal, but it is creeping up a little at a time. 

For all who are curious, the yard sale on May 21 went really well!  Thanks to everyone who came out and helped set up, sell, and take down, and to all those who donated and purchased items!  It was a great success, increasing my mission funds by $752.35!!!

And just a reminder that I have my McAlister's fundraiser coming up this Monday, June 6, between 5pm and 9pm.  I hope to see many of you there!  Click HERE to see the Facebook event page with more details.

Thanks everyone for your love and support!  I will be keeping you in my prayers as you keep me in yours.  God bless!