Gettin' Ready

We're getting ready to go. We are leaving for China in approximately 37 hours and counting. My visa is in which is probably a good thing. :) My aunt and uncle are in town tonight. Has it really hit us that we're headed to CHINA in less than 37 hours? NOPE! I have to take my stats final really soon and am I ready? No. I have mastered procrastination this week. I finished my paper due for honors about fifteen minutes before class started. Responsibility is definitely lacking as is motivation. I love the learning aspect of school. LOVE IT! But when I'm done with class I would prefer to spend my time socializing rather than cooped up inside doing homework. That's simply not an option though. Anyway this was just for the purpose of updating everyone on where we are with travels. The time is coming. Pray for Dad--He's not super excited about leaving. He's more of a home body than I am. Also, pray for Grace. She has a fear of getting lost.

Four Days in the States

My time in the States is winding down....I leave at 4 am on Saturday morning. Lord-willing, I'll be returning at 4 pm on Wednesday, May 13th with my little sister. As I have said time and again, this is one of the most fore-thought children in this world. We have been praying for her and loving her for five years now. I am looking forward to China but I am positive it hasn't hit me yet that I'm going overseas in four days.

Today To-Do List:

• Write, outline, memorize speech for tomorrow
• Read stats
• Go running

Wednesday To-Do List:

• Read stats
• Write poetry response for honors
• Write yoga final
• Go running

Thursday To-Do List:

• Visit Aunt Pat and Uncle Rob in Los Lunas
• Go to Doctor in Belen
• Do laundry in Los Lunas/Pick up suitcase
• Study for stats final
• Thursday night Bible study?
• Go running?

Friday To-Do List:

• Take Calc quiz
• Take stats final
• PACK! PACK! PACK! PACK!
• MOVE OUT! MOVE OUT! MOVE OUT! MOVE OUT!
• Spend night at parents' house.

Saturday To-Do List:

• Wake up really really early!
• Go to air port!
• Get on plane!
• GO TO CHINA! :)

Its so soon. In the Lord's strength, I will get everything done. I need to be faithful in being a good steward of my time. And at that, I'm going to take a break, and go running so that I can hit the books for the afternoon.

PS: WOMEN: Check out Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot. Really good book. Has many encouraging and convicting points on a woman's role in marriage, single life or whatever your current situation might be.

To-Do List

Getting ready for China...hmm....

To-Do List

• Stats homework (finish reading the six chapters, take notes on each chapter, do problems for each chapter)
• Take calculus test and quiz
• Write and practice persuasive speech
• Write journal for honors
• Write poetry response for honors
• Read book for honors
• Pack up dorm room
• Move everything from dorm room
• PACK SUITCASE!
• Call car place to order part
• Finish nutrition extra credit
• Trust in the Lord and His grace to get all of these things done...

I'm not stressed. The Lord is good.

Amidst Boxes and White Walls

I am sitting amidst a torn-apart room. All the nails have been pulled out of the walls. All pictures have been taken down. The one thing that remains to adorn these institution-like white walls is my calendar. Why you might ask? Well, I'm going to CHINA! Mom and Dad are taking me along with them to help with Grace, my five-year old sister. They will be dealing with a lot of paperwork not to mention our Baby Sarah so I am tagging along to help out and of course be their photographer. Am I worried or scared? This question did not even run across my mind until I was asked such things yesterday. To answer it honestly, no, I'm not scared. The Lord is our Protector. His will be done. As far as I have been informed, I will be spending most of the time we're there in my hotel room with Grace. Please lift up this trip in your prayers. Mostly, pray that Sarah adjusts well to Mom and Dad. She is simply given to them one of our first days there without an adjustment period or any such thing. Simply handed to my parents.

Before I leave for China, I have much to do. I must move out of my dorm room. I must pack. I must study the rest of the material for this semester and take all of my finals. I have two speeches to give. I have two papers to write. I am honestly overwhelmed looking at how much I have to do in so little time. My Father is continually teaching and He is causing me to cling to Him and Him alone. If I cling to myself or even those around me to get everything done, there is no way, no how it will all be completed. My Father is my sustenance and He will carry me through the next two weeks.

We leave May 2nd and Lord-willing, will return May 13th. This blog will temporarily become a blog for the China trip. Check back frequently for updates, pictures and to meet Sarah!

China

I can barely hold in my excitement! My parents are headed to China soon to pick up my baby sister. She turned eleven months old yesterday and we are so looking forward to having her here with us. This process has been one of endurance, trust, faith and perseverance. My parents began the adoption process because they felt that the Lord was leading them to adopt a little girl from China after being approached with a verse from another couple they know really well. So, they jumped into the paper work. Originally, we were told this process would take a total of six months. Six months passed about eight times before we got a referral. That four years was really difficult for us as our heart as a family grew attached to our little "China-Baby." My sophomore and senior English classes prayed for the situation daily. We waited. I lost heart. My parents lost heart but again the Lord is perfect in His timing. It was actually just last week that I think Dad (it could have been Mom) was saying that this was more about the process than the actually getting a baby. Yes, they thought the Lord had that in the end but things aren't always as they seem. Lord-willing, we will have a baby in our arms soon. I look forward to holding our little "princess to remember." Her name will be Sarah Nian which means "princess to remember." Ah, the Lord is so good as His timing. Why would we ever doubt?

More on the SMR note, I have finished my support letters today. Now it is just the process of printing, folding, postage-ing, and such. May the Lord move on the hearts of those He wills that they give.

I also am preparing to lead Bible study tomorrow for Allison. She will be gone at her monthly staff dinner and thus has passed on duties to me. I am looking forward to this but am also very nervous. I make so many mistakes; I am surprised the Lord ever chose me that He might use me. We are going through James 3:13-18. We have been studying James the entire semester. Out of all the studies thus far, I must say this one was the most convicting and the most applicable especially with my preparation to be teaching and leading. It speaks of earthly wisdom versus heavenly wisdom. James 3:14 says, "But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to truth." This verse convicted me because the Lord has been making me more and more aware of when I am being in selfish in what I say or do versus seeking His glory and preaching Him and Him alone in what I say and do. This is so very difficult for me (not that sin is easy to deal with) because to be honest, I like to look good to those around me. So often what the "good conduct" referred to in verse 13 of the same chapter is done in selfish ambition and thus is completely pointless. Lord, humble me that I might realize how truly low I am before You and Your holiness. Humble me that I might realize there is nothing within me worth exalting. It is only You. It is You alone.

The Beginning of a Journey

Hello! This is my first post if that was not obvious. I probably will not post very regularly until about mid-May when school ends and I begin to really prepare for this summer. My hope for the summer is that I can post every other day. I will try to remain faithful in this but no promises for I don't know how much time I will have on my hands. Up until mid-May, you can check back weekly. I will update on my growing excitement for this experience, financial goals, and what the Lord is teaching me as I spiritually prepare. I finished my support letter today and hope to have them sent by Wednesday morningish; Thursday might be more realistic though. For now, I shall give you the logistics that I have figured out thus far:

• I will be driving to Snow Mountain Ranch. Aaron, the other SMR student from UNM, will be driving with me. Following SMR, I will make a trek to Iowa, Minnesota and Chicago to visit family. If I'm already 8 hours out I might as well finish the other 12 hours, right?
• I am working as Conferences Personnel. I will be working with business groups and family reunions to make sure they have everything that they need and that their conference rooms are set up properly. If you want to schedule your family reunion at SMR this summer, I'll help you out... (I was not told by SMR to make sales pitches, sorry for that one)
• I am a team member. There are two different positions within the "study" aspect of this experience: team member and team leader. I will most likely be in a group with two other team members and then a team leader who will be older than the team members. We will also be sharing a room.
• It is guaranteed that I will be stretched in ways unimaginable this summer and because of that, I know I will grow. Because of the growth it will cause, the uncomfortable "stretching" will be well worth it.
• I am so EXCITED!

Thanks for stopping by ya'll. I hope you stop by often to check up on prayer requests, updates and pictures. I will not have pictures up until I arrive on May 31st because I don't know about you but I wouldn't really care about pictures of suitcases and such.

Prayer Requests: 1) that the Lord continues to grow the Navigator group on campus and that those who aren't going to SMR would grow in their relationship with Christ exponentially this summer, 2) financial provisions are made by none but the Lord, 3) that the Lord would prepare my heart to be away from my family and church this summer for I will miss them terribly.

Thanks for caring ya'll. If you have any prayer requests or encouragement, feel free to leave such in the comments.