Goodbye College Station -

Well, it's official. I've said goodbye to my home for the last 4 years. Praise the Lord for all He has done! College Station was God's idea, not mine, and of course it was just what I needed. Thank you Lord that I am not the same person I was 4 years ago. Although leaving makes me sad, everything that I am sad to leave is something to praise the Lord for blessing me with for a time. I am asking the Lord to keep me thankful and expectant, not holding onto what is behind, but striving for what is ahead. The one fun part of leaving is all the people who bless you and make you feel special and loved and know that you will be missed. Thanks friends! I will be at home with my family for a little over a week before we head to Colorado - again, what a blessing!

Adapted from CS Lewis's "Perelandra"
One goes into the forest to pick food, and already the thought of one fruit rather than another has grown up in one’s mind. Then, it may be that one finds a different fruit and not the fruit one thought of. One joy is expected and another is given. The very moment of the finding there is in the mind a kind of thrusting back, or setting aside. The picture of the fruit you have not found is still, for a moment, before you – you could keep it there. You could send your soul after the good you had expected instead of turning it to the good you had got. You could refuse the real good. You could make the real fruit taste insipid by thinking of the other.
It is I myself who turn from the good expected to the good given. Out of my own heart I do it. One can conceive of a heart that did not; which clung to the good it had first thought of and turned the good that was given it into no good. The good things God sends do not draw me into them as the waves lift the seaweed – it is I who plunge into them with my own legs and arms, as when we go swimming. Will it ever be too hard to turn my heart from the thing I wanted to the thing God sends? The wave I plunge into may be very swift and great. I may need all my force to swim into it. He might send me a good like that – or like a wave so swift that all my force was too little?
It often happens that way in swimming – is that not part of the delight?

Where are all the MEN?

I just got an e-mail from our LeadTime director saying that although the girl spots are filled, there are still quite a few LeadTime guy positions available for August. She asked for help in getting word out to guys who might be a good fit for the program. Please pray that the Lord would provide and if you know any guys who might be interested direct them to me or the LeadTime website. Thanks!

My New Best Friends

Don't worry, I'm not really finding replacement best friends, I can never replace you guys - but I am about to go live and study and work and do life with total strangers who are soon to be my only community, and therefore I have deemed them my "new best friends".

I got an e-mail a few days ago giving me their names, so as you pray for me, please pray for these ladies too!

Pam Holthaus

Jenna Walker (She's gunna be my favorite b/c she wears tie-die too!)

Katie Dodd -no picture

Lindsey Johnston

Sarah Walker

Ashley Dady (Fellow Texan and Aggie)

(There are 7 girl LeadTimers including me)

Desi Stutzman & Amanda Book (Our House Directors)

Jenny Lamar (The Women's Director for Denver) - no picture

I'm so excited to begin to get to know and soon meet these ladies. Please pray already for complete unity in spirit and purpose among us!

Perfect Provision - Praise God!

I have been wanting to write this post since the end of June, when I found out this exciting praise, but life has been crazy. So, here it is now - Late, but with just as much excitement and grattitude to the Lord.

When I begin LeadTime in August, I will be doing fulltime ministry and training there and will therefore no longer be working a "real job". LeadTime does provide a place to stay and food to eat, but its participants are then left to raise support for all other expenses, such as a car, a phone, gas, etc. When I made a temporary budget for the year it seemed like I could make do with a a little over $300 a month. I actually had enough money in savings to cover that- but I felt that the Lord would rather have me give the money in savings to others, and then raise money to cover my time at LeadTime. I had made very little headway in raising support, although I was not worried about it being sure of God's calling to LeadTime. Then put of no where on june 29th LeadTime sent me an e-mail saying that their board approved a measure providing a $300/month stipend for LeadTimers beginning in September! I never expected anything like that, but am so thankful for the Lord's perfect provision just in time for my arrival!