Nicaragua

In one month I will be in Nicaragua!! I am so excited! I will be going with my family and a group from our church (Troy First Baptist). We will be going to Managua, Nicaragua. We will be doing Bible school 2 times a day at two different locations! We will be leaving June 5 and back in that States on June 12th. Please pray for us while we prepare and as we travel and spread God's word and love!

The Places I've Been

I'm from traveling 8-15 hours to visit grandparents
I am from sittin' on Pawpaw's lap eating cashews
I'm from going to the zoo and shopping with Meme
I am from hunting and fishing with Dad and Pop
I'm from Aunt Peg's annual Christmas party
I am from playing with 16 cousins
From spending my birthday in 5 states
I'm from spending two weeks with Meme and Pop at the Lake House

I am from Springfield, Illinois
I'm from being born in St. John's hospital by Dr. John Saint
I'm from going to church every Sunday
I'm from climbing the stairs to my brother's room
I am from getting my first dog, Gizzy,
I'm from getting my first swing set
From stayin' up all night with Ms. Ruthie playing Farkle

I am from Fowler, Indiana
I am from eating fruity pebbles outside until Mr. Richard walked by
I'm from playing on the swing set with the babysitting kids
From walking to the library with my mom and brother in the summer
I am from waiting at the bus stop for my brother to get home from school
I'm from watching summer baseball games
I'm from becoming a big sister
from packin up boxes and moving when my dad said he was changing jobs

I am from Ankeny, Iowa
I'm from counting Pepsi trucks on the way to school
I am from my crazy brother's driving, blaring the music with the windows down
From talking "girl talk" while pulling all nighters with friends
I am from friday night football games
From going to Indiana every other Thanksgiving to visit the Tragessers
I'm from going to youth group on Sundays and Wednesdays
I am from waking up early on Tuesdays to go to Tuesday Morning Prayer
I'm from taking family vacations every summer
I am from building snow tunnels when it snowed alot
I'm from going sledding on the golf course
From babysitting the Oiens and the Byrds

I am from Aurora, Nebraska
I'm from turning sixteen and cruisin' the town
From havin' girls night out with Tabbie and Sam
I am from driving 25 minutes just to get to Walmart
I'm from taking weekend trips to visit friends in Iowa
I am from working as a teller at Heritage Bank
I'm from being a trainer for the football and basketball team
From being a Cubbies leader at church

I am from Seward, Nebraska
I'm from attending Concordia University
from sharing a bathroom with 28 girls
I am from chilling in Janzow with Rachel and Whitney
I am from staying all night in the art building
I'm from eating animal crackers with peanut butter
I am from pranking our brother floor
from weekend trips to lincoln with Mikaela

I am from Siloam Springs, Arkansas
I'm from John Brown University
From learning the "superman" swing with Holly
I am from girls night in with Holly and Jessi
I'm from coffee dates with Jessi
From having dinner with the Dees

I am from Troy, Tennessee
I'm from working at Walmart
from a place where everyone wears camo
I am from becoming a youth group leader at church
I'm from traveling less than 3 hours to see family
I am from Garth Brooks being my first country concert
I'm from blowing bubbles in the Walmart parking lot with Mallori
From attending the University of Tennessee at Martin

All these places and things have made me who I am today.

"What if blessings come through raindrops?"

I know its been awhile. I've had a very busy semester with not much time to write. A lot of things have been happening its just been crazy but God has been teaching me alot. I have so many posts to write I don't know where to begin.

This semester has been a hard one. I'm taking Chemistry. Anyone that knows me knows I am not a science person. That is why I am an interior design major. I hate science. I don't get it and someone trying to explain it to me doesn't help me understand it anymore than I already do. So it has been a struggle to say the least.

On top of that, My grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer in february. My grandpa had cancer. He died in 2006 from it. My aunt (all on the same side of the family) has cancer. Her and my grandma are both going through chemo right now. I was not prepared for this. I saw my grandpa and aunt go through this pain. I wasn't ready to see my grandma go through this same pain. I was so mad that she had cancer. On top of everything else. I didn't understand God's plan in doing this.

That is just the thing though. I don't need to understand God's plan. I will never understand God's plan. God knows what He is doing. He created ALL things. He knows EVERYTHING. What do I know? I can't even understand Chemistry. That is why He is in control and I am not.

My grandma having cancer hasn't been easy. It has taken away from my time with my mom because she has been going down to help take her and my aunt to appointments and treatments. It is hard seeing Meme sick and in pain. BUT God has a plan. He doing something big. My grandma is doing pretty well though. If you could keep her and my aunt in your prayers that would be awesome!

A song I have loved through this whole deal has been Blessings by Laura Story. It has helped me realize God is always in control. He will work in ways I can't imagine (even through my pain) and He is always with me. No matter what.

* I'm posting the lyrics because I love them, but if you don't want to read them I recommend youtubing it. They have some awesome videos of this song. For some reason it won't let me post a link to one. Anyways, here are the lyrics.

Blessings by Laura Story:

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Whatever you are going through, God will work through it, bring you closer to Him, and make you stronger. He will bring you through your fire, He is just refining you in the process!