Update.

What a wonderful, wonderful weekend.

I went to the "Operation IDEA" retreat, which was for college students going into ministry. I wasn't really looking forward to it because I didn't know anyone. It was soo much better than I expected. I met some awesome people & wish I could have spent more time with them. Two days was not enough.
I learned a lot and I feel I have more of an idea of the process I need to go through to get my future in line. I feel really old and it scares me that I have to think about these things already, but I know I've got the Big Guy by my side to help guide me.

I'm glad that I didn't go into this weekend expecting answers to fall out of the sky and decisions to be made. I met four people this weekend who go/went to Augie, and let me tell you--those Vikes are some convincing people. So of course, I've been thinking about it all weekend, and when I came home, what was in the mail? Why, my acceptance letter of course! Hmmm how ironic that all these things are happening after I thought I had made my decision to stay here. Tired of thinking, my heart hurts.

Next subject.
I just received a beautiful picture of my sister and her prego tummy! That little one has grown so much since I've been back. I can't wait to be Aunt Aly :) eeeeeek.
So excited to go home. two weeks.


I could write so much about this weekend, but it's time for bed so I'll save it for a later date.

Hope you all are having a wonderful Sunday.

Labyrinth.

I woke up at 7:15 this morning instead of my usual 8 0'clock. I was pretty peeved that I was losing out on precious sleep time and thought this was going to be the start of one of "those" days. As I was trying to go back to sleep, I was distracted by a light beaming through the slats of my blinds. I open the window and lo and behold...sun. Maybe I am still asleep, I haven't seen the sun for quite some time, I must be dreaming. It wasn't just sun, but a really pretty sunrise. It didn't even matter that it was still below freezing. The sun was shining. It was one of those little winks from God. I experienced an unusual amount of those today.

It's so easy to forget that everything that is placed in your life is done by God, and for a reason. This one happened yesterday, but it fits the topic. During my Spanish class, we were reading a story with partners, I was spacing out until I heard this: "la confusion y la maravilla son operaciones propias de Dios y no de los hombres." Translated, it says: "The confusion and the marvel are God's own operations and not those of men." In the story, this related to some kind of labyrinth in the desert, but it reminded me of my recent trip to Colorado. While standing in the mountains, it's very easy to confuse trails, get lost and become frustrated. All you have to do is open your eyes and see the beauty that surrounds you. The fear and frustration melt away because you stand in awe of God's creation.
Now apply this to life.

Next up, another class. Intro to the Hebrew Bible. love this class. I get to study what I actually want to read anyway. More on this later.

After I got back to the Burg, I went to get the mail. I had gotten there just in time, the mailman was still sorting the mail into all the boxes. Cute Mailman proceeded to ask me about my day, and not make fun of me when I was putting the key in the wrong lock. He sent me off with my mail, and I walked off wanting to know his story. I wish I wasn't so surprised by Cute Mailman. Trust me, I know how cliche I'm about to sound, but you never know if just saying "hi" to someone while getting the mail is going to affect their day.

After this, I went to a coffee shop to work on some homework and I saw a guy who used to go to my church. I don't think I've talked to him since 6th grade, but seeing him reminded me of all of the people who have since left that church who have impacted my life. [Thank you letters will be sent to them soon!]

Today I also saw a prayer answered. If all works out, I have a feeling this answered prayer is going to have a bigger impact on this person than she thought. I am excited to witness this and have no doubt that she will impact the lives of many others through this process.

Finally--tonight, while I was babysitting, six year old Ellie had arranged an obstacle course for her little toy animals. She talks to them and narrates for them as she carries them over pillows, under toys, etc. While "Elizabeth the Giraffe" was making her way through the course, little Ellie says: "Elizabeth, I know this is hard, but you just gotta think good thoughts and you'll win the race."
My mind was blown.

The little one was just talking about a plastic toy, but it hit me that I needed to take the same advice and apply it to my life.

I find too many things to complain about when it's not necessary at all. I've got more than my share of things to be thankful for to spend time focusing on the bad. After all, if you don't look up from the confusion and frustation, you may not see the beauty.

It was a wonderful day.

[Here we go again with not having the right words to describe this]

Simply put, today I was reminded that
God is everything.

Goal Post

Well it's Sunday night again, and last week I forgot to update my "weekly goals". There are a few things I need to get checked off the list this week.

1. Find my sister's birthday present. [Ash, if you're reading this, hints are welcome!]
2. Send "thank you" letter to my Grandma.
3. Mentally prepare myself for the weekend.
--I'm going to a conference for college students going into ministry, and I was excited up until I got an email saying I needed to sign a release form for the ropes course. Wait, what? Ropes course?? Excuse me? Is this 8th grade-learn to trust your teammates-while trying not to cry, vomit or pee your pants-all while hanging from the sky-camp? No, thank you. This really made me not want to go to this conference but I don't want to miss what could be a good opportunity. So, I'll have to suck it up and hope that I don't embarrass myself or lose control of any bodily functions.
--Also...I don't know a single person that I am going to be spending 3 days with. I've never had to go to anything like this by myself, but I suppose it couldn't hurt. Hopefully it will just force me to be a bit more outgoing so I don't look like a loner.
4. Finish reading The Red Tent. It's a required book for my religion class but it's actually really good. I am excited to finally be in a class I look forward to.
5. Get a good start on my paper since I'll be gone all weekend.
6. Try to have a positive attitude about going to my Spanish 304 class. I embarrassed myself once and haven't wanted to go back since. I have never been so scared to go to school, my mind goes completely blank whenever I hear "Ah-lees-ah" come out of Senor Gonzalez's mouth. I sit in class and count down the minutes and pray that I don't get called on. It's pure torture. And, I have two over-achievers for partners which doesn't make matters any better. Why did I have to take a semester off?! I could have had this over with by now. ughhhh, moving on so I don't upset myself anymore.
7. Stay caught up with my One Year Bible.
8. Work out. I haven't been doing such a wonderful job with this, only a few times last week. whoooops. The roomies and I have been baking a lot lately, which is fun and oh-so-wonderful on the taste buds, but doesn't help matters when I am too lazy to work out. :)


**A few things I'm looking forward to this week:
-Dinner tomorrow with the Bible study gals.
-Monday/Wednesday/Thursday night tv. (Wow, I sound like such a couch potato.)
-Coffee with Kelsey
-Real Time
-Possibly seeing Kristin/Lauren on Sunday in Omaha.
-The end of the week...then I only have one week left until I get to see my UNK friends, go home to see my family & see how much the tummy of my adorable pregnant sister has grown. :)

Thursday.

By the time Monday afternoon rolls around, I wonder to myself--"Is it Thursday yet?" The reason I love Thursdays is not just because of the insane amount of tv that is on (thank you, inventor of DVR) or because Fridays tend to follow Thursdays, but because I get to spend quality time with some lovely ladies and the Lord. Thursday is Bible study night. After enjoying some free eats, and often sneaking dessert out, we venture off to our claimed spot and fill each other in on what has happened in our lives since the last week. Once the gabbing is done, it's time to dig into the study. A few of the lovely ladies and myself.

This past week, our study was over Colossians 1:3-8.
Here's a snippet.

"4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the
love which you have for all the saints;
5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which
you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel
6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it
is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has
been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and
understood the grace of God in truth;"

The part that stands out to me the most when I read this is "hope laid up for you in heaven". What a wonderful thing to strive for and look forward to.

I always have a hard time putting into words just how I feel about God. No words of mine can ever do Him justice. It would take too many hours, and too many pages to write everything. I feel that sometimes it's best to just keep it simple, so with that--
"God is love."
[Contrary to popular belief, this was not written by Rev Run.]
"God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in him."
--1 John 4:16


Each week we have an "application" aspect of our study. "Thankfulness" was one of the themes. Our lovely leader, Caitie, mentioned that many of us have a hard time thanking people who have had some sort of impact on our faith. One of my goals is to start challenging myself more, and by doing this I decided it would be a good idea to thank a new person each week, whether it be in person, by mail, etc. [It's going to take a few months] This week it is going to be my lovely Grandmother, whom I adore. For me, writing a letter is a good way to do this. You are able to get all your thoughts in one place. Plus, who doesn't enjoy a cute piece of stationary or sending a smile to someone you love?
Who are you thankful for?

Before the Throne of God Above

Tears never fail to escape me when I hear this song.
What an amazing thing--knowing that we have a God so personal that
our names "are written on His heart" and our "soul is purchased by His blood."

Before the Throne of God Above

Before the throne of God above,
I have a strong and perfect plea,
A great high priest whose name is love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart;
I know that while in heaven He stands,
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

Because a sinless savior died
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the just, is satisfied
to look on Him and pardon me
to look on Him and pardon me.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Praise the one,
Risen son of God

Behold Him there, the risen lamb.
My perfect, spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I am,
The King of Glory and of grace

One in Himself I cannot die,
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high,

With Christ my Savior and my God
With Christ my Savior and my God


God is good, my friends.
So good.

Goal post

Now that school is about to start, I have decided to start posting weekly goals & checking back to follow through.

1. Read my One Year Bible, I'm already three days behind.

2. Set up a routine, what time to wake up, work out, study, etc.

3. Read more.

4. Stop listening to depressing music. It turns me into a Debbie Downer.

5. Finish this stinkin' essay I keep putting off & get everything sent in to Augustana.

6. Start (& stick with) my running plan

Waiting for summer.

The past few days, I have been thinking a lot about Mexico because of the bracelets (mentioned later) and my admissions essay, which I have yet to finish.
The city of Reynosa is a place that is very near & dear to my heart. Three years ago, I went on my first mission trip to Reynosa and fell in love. We taught a Bible school in a very poor area of the city. We're talkin no electricity, plumbing, running water, the works. Their "houses" are scraps of wood/metal/etc. that are smaller than my bedroom.
[Don't be surprised if Mexico is mentioned many times in future posts.] [picture above is during construction of church]
"Great is His faithfulness, His mercies begin afresh each day."
Lamentations 3:23
The kids I've met in Reynosa are the happiest, most God-loving children I have ever met. I have taught youth groups, day camps and Bible schools in Nebraska, and never have I seen kids so excited to learn about God.
I only know enough Spanish to scrape by, but the language barrier is pretty non-existent. They don't care what language you speak, they are just glad to have a person to play with. Since that summer, I have been to Reynosa three more times, and I get more excited with each trip. This coming summer, I will serve as an adult leader (man, I feel old) and go with the high school youth group. I absolutely cannot wait to go and see my favorite kiddies. It will also be a good experience for my future career.

God is good.

[picture is the view as we returned to the US, 2 years ago.]
"I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my permanent promise to you and all the earth."
Genesis 9:12-13
I was in Mexico in July and one of my favorite little girls, Anani, gave me two white plastic bracelets. I never once took these bracelets off, I wore them as a reminder to pray for the people of Reynosa, and also to remind myself of how good we have it here. A few days ago, the second bracelet broke, which is why Mexico has been on my brain. Since then I have been looking at pictures from all 4 trips. When I look at the pictures not only do I see the physical growth of the children, and the amazing transformations that have taken place in that beautiful, wonderful church, but also how much I have grown as a person, and how much my faith has grown because of those kids. The funny thing is, people go down there expecting to teach them, but we are the ones who learn.

Moral of the story is...
if you ever get the chance to go on a mission trip...do it.
You won't be disappointed.

God is good, my friends. So good.

Snow Day

I miss snow days as a kid. My dad would take us sledding, make us soup for lunch and we would watch the Disney classics. While I still get to be lazy for most of the day, I have to do a few productive things. Of course, I saved them for the last day of my break.

1. My first plan for the day is to do some laundry and start packing for the big L.
2. Write a new admissions essay (sigh) because my parents' computer crashed.
3. I also have to brave the cold, run to my church have my pastor fill out paperwork for the Bishop's Iniative Conference I am attending, and also a recommendation letter for my Augustana application.
4. After I return from my trek through the snow, I will make hot chocolate & bake peanut butter cookies :)
5. Start reading my new book on Jackie Kennedy.
6. Dinner date with my lovely neighbor Vanessa.
7. Possibly hang out with my sister & bro-in-law.
8. Feed my HGTV addiction.

Hope you all are enjoying your snow days :)

Stay warm

Intro to yours truly

For my first post, we'll start with an intro to yours truly. I decided to blog to reduce my procrastination & keep my life more organized. I realize that may not make any sense to you all, but if I enjoy blogging, which I think I will, I will want to get all my studying in before I begin each post. I can use this blog to keep tabs on myself & also express my random thoughts & use it as a sort of journaling process.

-As previously mentioned, I am a huge procrastinator, unless it's a huge paper or assignment, I won't do it until it's due.
-I am also super picky, which in some aspects is a good thing, except when it comes to food. I wish I liked more foods, but my tastebuds just can't handle some things. I am picky when it comes to boys, which I think is a good thing, there is a lot less pain involved when you're choosy.
-I have diagnosed myself with a slight addiction to HGTV.
-I hate to admit it, but I love me a good reality tv show.
-I have a major problem when it comes to books, I have way too many on my shelves that I have not read, yet I keep buying more.
*I am...
-the most indecisive person you will ever meet,
-tired of wasting time, but very good at it.
-a chicken, I am not a risk taker. I am not a thrill seeker.
*I wish...
-I could open up to people easier
-I could take risks when it comes to forming relationships with people.
-I had a plan for my life, yet lately all I want to do is quit school & travel the world,
read all day, every day.
-the world wasn't so career based,
-that I could figure out what to do with my life,
-and that I could find my happy spot & stay there.

That's all for now, folks.

Adios.