Okay, Satan You Need to "Flea"

Think this title is strange?... hmm, yeah it is. Let me explain...

So, if you know me you know that I do NOT like animals.

I don't treat them poorly or wish bad upon them. But, I don't want them licking me, smelling me, jumping on me, or well really even looking at me. Animals make me nervous and they just aren't my thing. So you can imagine that I have no experience with fleas. Well... I do now. The story goes like this...

For a couple of days I was seeing this tiny black bug when I sat on the bed in the afternoon. It was almost always in the same exact spot. Weird. I just thought to myself "What are these gross little Pasadena bugs called?" The next day I saw one on the floor. These "Pasadena" bugs were almost impossible to kill. On day four of this I saw one on my leg right before I went to bed. When I went to kill it, the little thing JUMPED. Yep you heard me it JUMPED. Almost without thinking I killed it, got rid of it, washed my hands and then got into bed. After about 5 minutes of letting my mind unwind from the day it hit me "That bug was a FLEA!!!!". So I lay in the dark and say that out loud to the unconcerned human laying next to me, "Luke! That bug was a flea!!!" He is still not concerned. Shocker right?

Well, I am totally freaked out and start researching how to get rid of fleas. The next day I wash the sheets and go to the pet store, AKA my worst nightmare. I HATE the pet store! I get what we need, with the help of one of the salesmen at the pet store, since I have no clue what we are dealing with. I spray, clean, mop, and Luke thinks I am nuts. But, I KEEP finding them. I only actually saw about 4 in our apartment. However, I ended up finding bites on my arm. So, that was it, I was done! I go to the owner of the house we live in and very nicely ask "Have you guys ever had a problem with fleas?" He proceeds to tell me that they bombed their side of the house for fleas about a week ago. OMG! And no one told us? So he gives me a flea bomb, Luke and I prepare the apartment, Luke sets off the bomb and we spend the night with some friends. Luke on the floor, me on the couch. Oh, did I mention that Luke still thinks I am crazy at this point? Well he did. But he went along with the madness.

The next morning we arrive to clean up after the bomb and the owner of the house has someone re spraying the yard. Turns out the yard was INFESTED!!! UGH. You could not even stand near the yard without a flea jumping on you. Out of control! So I spray inside again, get my car shampooed (yes, fleas can get in your car). I do 16 loads of laundry at the laundromat to clean all clothes that were exposed, bedding, and towels. Luke and I are still unpacking items that we removed to keep away from the chemicals in the bomb. The worst part about this is that there is not even a dog living at this house. The fleas are from the 12 plus cats that live across the street and hang out in our yard at night. SOOOO gross. Now, I don't like dogs, but I REALLY don't like cats.

So this story may have a catchy title but it has truly made for the 2 most tiring and stressful days since we have been here! Since we moved to CA it is like Satan has just been picking on us, attacking like crazy. The plumbing in our apartment was out and caused us to leave for 4 days, I lost my job after only 3 weeks, Luke's job took a turn for the stressful and awful, Luke's brakes in his truck had to be replaced, and now fleas. So John 10:10 is playing in my head. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But, I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly. I know this was super long, but it needed to be told! :) Oh and I need to mention that Luke doesn't think I am so crazy anymore! What would he do without me?

Love from CA,

Jess

Long Time No Blog :)

Above: At a Dodger's game. I must say that the stadium has the best view and the weather here is perfect for outdoor events!

So it has been a while since I have blogged. So sorry about that... Honestly, I just didn't have a ton to say! Things are going on here, more than I can name. We are super busy, but it's as if my mind is still processing it all! So for now I can update on a few things

1) Luke and I are both working. He is working with a group called United Steps and I am a nanny for a family about 25 minutes away from Pasadena for a fun family!

2) Since Mosaic has several campuses all over LA it is most effective to pick one campus where you will serve. We live in Pasadena and there is a Pasadena campus that is amazing and is filled with amazing people. However, Luke and I are both drawn to the community at the Mayan campus. I really feel like the community and the vision at the Mayan is perfect for where I am on this journey. One thing I should mention about the Mayan is that it is a gathering in downtown LA that meets in a night club (called the Mayan). The atmosphere is so different from any other gathering I have ever experienced. There are so many fun and interesting people that show up each week to learn, search, worship, experience God, etc and I just can't get over the beauty of this. Plus many of the people are our age and/or have also relocated from another state! Which is always so fun to meet people who are not from CA, it seems as though there is some kind of automatic connection!

3) I have started Life in Christ which is a mentor process for people who want to be part of the core of Mosaic. It has been great learning and studying the core values of such an amazing community of believers. I have an awesome mentor named Alisha and I am so loving our time together!

4) I am feeling really blessed to be surrounded by so many creative and interesting people!

5) Luke's doctor appointments have been going well and his health is great!

Anyway I have so much to say. I have so much to share. I just have to pace myself as I process the newness and beauty of it all! But, LA is now home and I am thankful for that. Sometimes it is hard and terrifying, but calling it home still seems to fit perfectly. Crazy?? Totally! I know it is crazy, but somehow it fits... I think I have a sneaking suspicion as to how it is all fitting and the peace found in this new place that sometimes can be described as the antonym of peace! It is something (someONE) bigger than me, bigger than all of this, and I am thankful.

Thanks for reading, thank you for caring, praying, and loving us on this journey!

Updates will be more frequent! Promise!

Love from the west coast,

Jess

Honest Update! These are always fun.

Luke and I got to go to Disneyland on Friday and it was magical! We had a great day with a group from First Baptist Tifton. SO great to hear some southern accents and be near people who share my love for Chick Fil A! Disneyland is a lot like Disney World, but smaller and not quite as dramatic. Which I loved because it did not take us long to get from one ride to the next and it was just easier to navigate! There were not a ton of people there so we made it through the lines pretty quickly which was nice. And do you want to know the best part about Disneyland? Well, it was the end of July and it was not HOT AND SWEATY like Orlando. I mean I wore capri jeans and a t shirt and was never hot or cold! It was perfect :) Welcome to CA... I love it. Also, the Space Mountain at Disneyland is waaaayyy better than Disney World. I believe we rode it 4 times! :) Don't get me wrong I have a huge amount of awesome memories in Orlando at Disney World, but I must say that I throughly enjoyed my experience at Disneyland.

Well, we have been getting settled in and seeing as Luke was here for 6 months prior he has fallen right back in the swing of things. Me on the other hand... I am definitely glad to be here and I am enjoying the adventure. However, I am having a hard time with the fact that I feel so disconnected. I have always had a tight group of core friends who I could always call if I needed something or just to hang out. People that "got" me. Here, I just don't feel like I have friends, not real friends. I know this takes time, but I am having a hard time with this because I have grown up with life long friends (Sarah Beth, Jessica, Shanna, Allison, etc.) And now I find myself feeling so overwhelmed as I walk in to rooms full of new people. They all seem to know each other or they just have that personality that is crazy fun and willing to just jump right into the conversation. So tonight, like many other nights in social situations lately I found myself sitting... it was almost like a dream. People were buzzing about, talking, laughing, and there I sat... watching it all happen. I wanted to cry, I wanted to cry hard. I miss my friends, I miss all things familiar, I miss knowing how to get places, I miss not feeling like I am constantly intruding or bothering people when I try to make plans with someone. Now I need to be clear that no one hear has done anything intentional to make me feel this way. This is 100% me and I am taking ownership of these emotions.

I realize that part of the issue is that when I build relationships with others I want to know you, really know you. Not just your name and your profession, I want to invest in you and build real relationship. People do that here, but not as often or intentionally as I do. Everything is so fast pace and I have not had much room for real friendships to form. I am pretty foreign to this feeling, because I have always made friends fairly easily. However, there are 2 girls that I do feel like I am building friendship with. Alisha and Christina. At this point I am so thankful for just the small amount of time I have spent getting to know them. And I can guarantee you they dont even know that I feel this way! Each of them have taken time to ask me questions and get to know me, this means a lot at this point in the journey. Because most days I feel lost and a little confused. I have gone from working full time and being surrounded by family and friends to no job and no family and friends. So I have concluded that it is not the place where I live that that made me confident and strong, but the people and the relationships. I will say that I do not know how Luke moved out here alone and stayed for 6 months. If I did not have him and our ever growing relationship I don't think I would be able to stay! I know that the friendship will come and I will feel more like I belong, but for now it is a struggle. A struggle I am willing to face.

On the bright side, I do love the weather and I am getting pretty good at navigating through Pasadena (still working on LA) :). I have a lead on a job, so I will keep you posted on that. Let's see what else?... hmm I can clean our apartment from top to bottom in like 30 minutes (great thing about a small place)... Oh I am doing okay with the cooking. Nothing too crazy but I have successfully prepared several meals. I am sure there are lots of other great things I am leaving out. So, see the good outweighs the bad for sure. But just wanted to share my heart. Remember back in January when I promised to be honest and open about this journey? Well there ya go! It has been an awesome journey so far, but not without struggle. I believe that as humans we sometimes put on a smile for each other and essentially lie to one another about the tough stuff in this life. I refuse to do this. Life is so much more fulfilling and meaningful when we are honest with one another! So the update is that we are doing great, I am adjusting, better in some ways than others but adjusting just the same, Luke has a part time job with a non profit (I will blog about that more later), and I am still job searching. Thanks for reading and I will update again soon!

Beauty. Pure Beauty.

So as we have traveled across the country to California and then up the coast to San Francisco I have seen many beautiful things. None as beautiful as this video. Thankfully this is one of many beautiful stories of adoption. No matter if it is from a far away place or right here in the USA, there is something magnificently BEAUTIFUL about the journey of these families. Loving His children and welcoming them into a home where they too can know Him and change the world for His good. His stirring continues in my heart about the thought of adoption. Not now. But there is something there, something brewing. In his perfect and beautiful time I hope that we will follow His prompting to love a special child in need of a family. Only He knows. I can't wait to see where the journey takes us. For now we will continue to pray for and support these families in whatever way we can. Just wanted to share.

Meeting Endale For The First Time! from Peter Kidd on Vimeo.

Fear and LA Driving...

So over the past year I have really dealt a lot with fear. Fear that I have allowed to rule my life for far too long! Fear of "messing up" or doing the "wrong thing", fear of failure, fear of not being good enough, fear of the future... okay you get the picture! Well I have really struggled and grown in this area of my life. It is safe to say that I will continue to do so! However, having moved to CA brought on a new fear... DRIVING in LA!!!!

So I have been driving around Pasadena which is where we live, but I was totally avoiding driving in Los Angeles. I was content to let my LA taxi driver (aka: my husband) drive me around. Then it happened, I had an event with Mosaic that I really wanted to attend and Luke... had a bible study he couldn't miss. I had to get myself to an event that would take me quite a distance and through LA. Let me just say... was terrified! I mean I know I grew up 20 outside of Atlanta, but let's be clear... I did not enjoy driving in Atlanta. Another fact that I have learned after driving tonight is that Atlanta roads and traffic are NOTHING compared to this massive place! People here do NOT slow down to let you over, you better just get over almost like you don't even see the car coming.

So here is the update... I MADE IT!!! Once again, I had allowed myself to hear driving in LA so much that I avoided it for the first 6 days of our life here in CA. Now that is just crazy, because it really wants that bad. I mean I was not super relaxed or comfortable but I made it and I am proud of myself. The fear that I had built in my mind had me thinking that I would be in tears by the time I hit the 110 (which is one of the oldest highways in America- That's just a fun fact from Luke) or that I was going to have to pull off on the side of the road and call Luke to come get me because "I just couldn't do it". HA! This is completely dramatic because we all know that if at all possible I will do what I need to do without asking for help! Anyway, as I was driving home I was thinking about what a great example this is of how fear can rule our lives if we let it... So I made it! I'm not dead! I accomplished something I was afraid to do and I even learned in the process. Awesome!

Tomorrow Chick Fil A for the first time in 2 weeks!!! I am thrilled :)

Home Sweet Home

Here are some pictures of our new home! We have had fun setting up and settling in! So many great memories are already being formed. We are thankful for the Mosaic community here in LA and for the support of our family and friends in GA!

I just can't believe that our front yard has this huge palm tree!! What? I love it!

This is our entrance to the apartment. It is on the side of the house. The house is actually really big, but the sweetest little family lives in and owns the larger part! They have been amazing!
Kitchen table!!
The bathroom is still a work in progress as far as decorating goes! I have some ideas but have not completed them yet!


Luke's school area

You can actually see the ENTIRE apartment if you stand at the front door! Very small... but so are we, so it works out!

Our new street. You see who parks on the street... not me :)

Luke and I leave on Thursday for Carmel, CA in Northern California! This will be our honeymoon, since the time right after the wedding was mostly spent crammed in a car with my entire life packed with us! So after almost 2 weeks of unpacking, setting up, and for me adjusting to a new place we will take a much needed get away for just the 2 of us! I am aware it will most likely be the last one for a REALLY long time!! So we plan to enjoy every second. We are excited to drive up the coast, we have heard it is an amazing drive with beautiful scenery. We are planning on spending on day in San Francisco since it is only about 2 hours from Carmel!

We Made It!

Well we made it to California! The apartment was clean when I got here! Luke did an awesome job cleaning, but it did smell like a dude. :) So with a few plug in's that problem was solved. Since it is such a small place we are still figuring out how to best organize the space for the 2 of us! Luckily we make a great team so it is all coming right along! We are living in Pasadena and I am loving the area that surrounds our house. There is so much SO close. I have ventured out a few times along just to get my barrings. Those of you who know me know that I am super independent so it has been killing me that I can't just hop in the car and go. For a few days I didn't have a key to the apartment or the internet password either and things like that were making me feel so lost. HA! I know that sounds crazy but I just love being able to go and do as I want or need! Anyway, we are here and thank you for your prayers while we were on the road.

Here are some pictures from our trip! They may not be in order of our stops but I will do my best to give details as to what is going on!

On SEVERAL occasions the road was so flat and straight that we could actually see miles ahead of us. BORING! We would just laugh... we didn't know what else to do!
On our way into Las Vegas we drove over the Hoover Dam! It took quite a while but it was totally worth it!
Luke with the Dam! He had jokes!
Arizona!!!
This was the biggest and brightest rainbow we had ever seen. We saw it headed into New Mexico!! The picture does not do it justice but it was amazing!
Apparently New Mexico is the land of enchantment! Who knew?
Vegas at night!!
Grand Canyon! We went on an amazing helicopter tour od the Grand Canyon, Lake Mead, and the Hoover Dam! Such an experience being surrounded by the HUGENESS of this beautiful part of nature!
Smiling for a picture at the bottom of the Grand Canyon while feeling very queezy from the flight! I have never felt so sick from motion.... but it was worth it. However, next time I fly in a helicopter I will take some meds!
This is clearly before the sickness set in.

Gondola ride through the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas! Our driver (would that be Gondo-leer?) was so funny! He said he was Figaro from Florence, Italy but we are pretty sure he was more like Tim from Texas! When he started singing opera to us... well, I lost it... died laughing! I asked it I could request a song and we agreed that it would be nice for him to sing Beyonce's Single Ladies! Pretty much one of the funniest things ever... a guy with a fake Italian accent singing Single Ladies! Just priceless.

The trip was great. Pictures of the new home to come!!

Our Special Day!

So I have been MIA in the blogging world for several weeks! June was just crazy. June 26th was truly the best day of my life. I married the kindest person that I know who just happens to be my best friend! The day was absolutely wonderful and filled with memories that will not be forgotten. We really do have amazing family and friends who we love so much. Our wedding party was terrific and we enjoyed sharing such a special weekend with them. Of course our families are such a blessing and it was great to have everyone together for such an awesome weekend!

Here are my sweet friends who were amazing bridesmaids! I am so thankful for each of them. They are each so close to my heart in their own special way! Don't they look beautiful?

After the wedding I had Luke stop my McDonalds to get a coke! I was such a happy girl. I could just feel stress melting away!

Sunday night I had to say goodbye to the best friends that a girl could ask for! Jessica, Shanna and Sarah Beth met Luke and I at the Varsity and we just had the best time!

Saying goodbye to Jessica and Shanna was extremely difficult! We were having such a great time then WHAM there it was... the moment I was not looking forward to! I fell apart right there in the middle of the Varsity. Not my most graceful moment but saying goodbye to these two came too soon. It is not often that you find friends in 3's, I mean think about it "three is a crowd"... well not with us. We have always had the best time together. The 3 of us have share so many memories including being bridesmaids in each others weddings! They are such a huge part of my life and I can't wait to see where life takes the 3 of us! I love you girls!

Next came the good bye to Cameron and Sarah Beth. Not fun. We love those two so much and have such fun when the four of us are together. It is hard for us to imagine not being able to see them often. SB and I cried, of course. The boys did not, however, I know they were very sad to have to say goodbye.

Monday morning before Luke and I started our road trip we went by my parents house to have breakfast and say good bye! We had a lot of fun talking about the festivities of Saturday and looking at pictures from the big day. Then... it was time to say good bye. The hardest thing I have ever had to do. No doubt. I fell apart. We all cried. As we backed out of the drive way I just waved and cried and realized that this chapter of my life is really ending! I am thrilled to start this journey, but it is new and scary and unknown. I will miss my family and it broke my heart to watch my dad wave from the drive way. I know that he wants happiness for us and he has done a great job at being supportive. But I also know this was so hard for him. That breaks my heart. As I reflect, there are so many things I will miss about my family and all the fun that we have. I know that I will most likely miss out on a lot of big things in Haley's life as she gets ready to graduate and that is hard for me to swallow. My mom and I have a special relationship that has become a friendship and I will miss those things. But am looking forward to our future and our family. So many emotions rolled into such a great time in our lives.

We are in Amarillo, Texas visiting friends and I have much to update on our road trip so far. I plan on doing that tonight, so be on the lookout!!

2 Weeks and Counting!

Well we are down to 14 days... 2 weeks!! Luke will fly home in 4 days. As much as it has been no fun having him be so far away, the thought of him flying home to get me is kind of sweet :) I guess i am finding the positive where I can? haha because it has been much harder than I thought to be apart.

There are so many things to be excited about: being married, celebrating with family and friends, the road trip, visiting friends on the way, settling into the apartment together, etc.

There are also things to afraid of: being married haha, the job search, bills, making new friends,etc.

Update on the job I told you about, I sent in my application and have not heard anything! I think she already interviewed people so I am not expecting to hear anything at this point. Please be praying for another lead.

I am cramming in soooo many much needed visits with friends!! I am wanting to spend quality time with so many people before I go.

I am feeling so many things... surprisingly, I do not feel super stressed about the move. I mean I am sure it will be stressful but I am excited that it is here. Throughout this journey I have experienced spiritual warfare like never before. I promise... there have been many things at work to totally freak me out and mess this all up. I hate to admit that many times I fell into the negative thoughts or fears. But I am so ready to JUMP and just do this. I am itching to serve with the Mosaic Community. I just know there has to be a place for me to serve and use some of the gift and ideas that are just about to pop out of me! The crazy (and a little intimidating) part is that I don't know ANY details. It is killing me! But He is in control!

I am not sure what but something is stirring in me... I am thinking the Holy Spirit is trying to work in me in a way that I have never known before. Now I am working on acting on the prompts from Him, not my desires, or my fears... which I have gotten all mixed up during this journey.

I have always known that Luke was special and really just too good to be true... but, through this journey I am realizing that I really have a partner in him. I mean even though we are 3,000 miles away we have grown in our relationship and I know it has not been easy for him to love me during this process.... my end has not always been pretty!

Ready for 14 exciting and action packed days here in GA.... then... of to CA with my new hubby!

I realize this post was a bit random! :) It has been awhile since I posted anything so I just decided to get it all out in one post since I really should be packing!!!

Our Story... So far

So I have been thinking about the way mine and Luke's journey came about, I mean the way we came to love each other. Some people may already know, but many people probably think "oh they dated in high school, planned to go college together, and here they are." That is not how it went... I love the story because it has the fingerprints of God ALL over it!

So here it goes...

Luke and I did go to high school together, however we paid ZERO attention to one another. I dated someone else for 10th grade and part of 11th grade, and he had a totally different group of friends than I did. About the middle of senior year I slowly started to hang out with his group of friends through mutual friends and Luke and I would talk here and there. I kind of thought he was a little strange (the big puffy hair was a little intense for me) and he thought I was a brat. ha. Slowly we would talk and interact but no real depth or friendship. One afternoon we were in the same area talking after school and in trying to make conversation he said "Do you know where you are going to college?" I answered "Yeah! Columbus State" He looked shocked and said "Oh! Really? Me too" HMMM.... I thought "oh thats cool I will know someone".

Senior prom rolled around and Luke was just too slow at the asking, so someone else in our group of friends asked first. I said yes, but eventually got out of it because by this point Luke and I had started to build some sort f friendship that I knew I wanted to be more. After I got out of going with the other guy Luke asked, we went, and had a great time! We both knew that we liked one another, but didn't really want to make a big deal about it so we would go out in groups, secretly hold hands, etc. hahaha.

Here we are then...

That summer we started dating. If you don't know, Luke has Cystic Fibrosis. I would not have expected myself to be okay with this health condition, because I have some control issues and I had never dealt closely with any health problems. The crazy God orchestrated part is this... in 10th grade (2 years before I ever talked to Luke) I took a child development class and had to do a project on a childhood illness. Guess which disease I was given? yep! CF! CRAZY... I know. I did the project and through the assignment realized that a kid in my grade had CF (that would be Luke). So when it came time for me to decide if I was willing to start building a relationship with someone who has CF I was very aware of what that entailed. And surprisingly I was totally willing to take that chance... I knew there was something special. I didn't know what, I was definitely not aware of the joy and partner I would find from taking that chance. And for the past 5 years we have learned what it is to commit to a person, to love, we have grown, stumbled, struggled, encouraged, served, laughed, I have cried, apologized, rejoiced, and the list goes on. I personally have learned so much. While at Columbus State we were lead to a campus ministry called Cougars for Christ. This ministry rocked our world, taught us so many truths and really challenged our faith. In some ways I feel like Cougars for Christ was preparing us for the community we will be serving with in LA. Because they are both similar and both are so different from the church families where we were raised. I was just thinking about how this has all been weaved together, how my heart has responded differently to our journey than I ever would have expected, and I realized that people may not know how we got here... so I wanted to share.

Here we are now... Time flies...The journey has been beautiful. Not perfect. But beautiful... can't wait for it to continue!

My journey*Your journey*Different, but connected

So I recently stumbled upon this blog. This is Katie. She is 21 and has 14 children who she has adopted while serving in Uganda.

http://www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

I have enjoyed reading her stories and have also gained many thoughtful moments. I read one post about " counting the cost". She wrote about having to leave the love of her life to pursue this life in Africa, she listed all of the tings she had to give up to go on this journey. And this made our move to California seem so small and actually quite "fancy". I started to feel so guilty and overcome with shame. I once again slipped into wondering if maybe I was doing "something wrong". I have this thing where I can admire something or feel inspired by something, or even convicted by something and I will think that I am supposed to do the same thing. Am I the only one who does this? Hope not. So my mind became consumed with the idea that this journey Luke and I are on is not enough, I need to give more. I should be just like her, I should e-mail her, move to Africa and adopt 14 kids. I mean if she did it, so should I right? I believe that the initial reason I felt this way was the guilt and shame that I felt that my life was not sacrificial enough. I caused myself to believe that she and I were similar so compassion for her and a longing to do the "right thing" always. I began to wonder... "maybe I have my calling wrong? I mean look at all she has given up so young, relationship, family, home, safety, etc." She did all of this to follow Christ. I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I started to scold myself with things like "you are going to move, but you know you wouldn't be if it were not for Luke, maybe you are just following him not really Christ?" But the truth of the matter is, mostly if it were not for Luke I would not even be ready to sacrifice the things that I am and move to the other side of the country. God has used Luke to inspired me to dare to dream, jump, fall, get back up, serve, love, and much much more. So I guess in a way I am "following Luke", however, he is being fueled by the One who is in control. I cant deny the fact that many times God works in our lives through others. I am thankful for this. I am extremely happy with the way my life is playing out (which I do admit is a struggle for me to not feel guilty about) and I would not have expected myself to be happy about some events that are taking place. This shows Christ moving and working in my life. Through this journey I have become determined to dream and change the world. The problem now is that I don't know what that means for me. So when I read another persons story my obsessive thought patterns take over and I think maybe I should do that too. Instead of letting it come and following His movement I over think and try to ignore the journey in front of me, that I believe could only be possible by the grace of Someone bigger than myself. I still have these people in Uganda on my mind Katie, all of her beautiful children, the people who need His love. I am not sure where this will take me, I would love to meet Katie, visit, possibly adopt one day? Who knows. There is beauty in the unknown and so instead of trying to decide right now and pack up to move to Uganda because I feel guilty and ashamed that my life does not look as sacrificial as Katie's I am trying to use that energy more positively. I am committing to praying for Katie and her children (all 14 :)) And for the people who work with Katie, and for Uganda and it's people. I am also inspired to pray for my own journey with Luke and the possibility of adoption in the future. Honestly, I have fallen in love with these "brown" babies and their sweet smiles who need love. I even woke up after dreaming something about these people. I am not sure what the dream was but it left me aching to help, I then automatically thought that was a sign that I should move to Africa. I have since reined in the obsessive thoughts and realized that there are other ways to help Katie on her journey,while I am on the one in front of me. I have love, Luke has love, and I hope that one day we can give it to a child who may not have much if not any at all. Note: I am not filling out any adoption papers at the time, however, I am inspried, and will to pray about it.

I realize that I have this journey God has so graciously put in front of me, and who knows how radical it will become. I almost allowed fear and shame to discredit the path that He is making for us, and the confirmation we have received. I am shocked at how I can do this to myself. Do I think it would be a bad life to live and serve in another country? No. Do I think that is my purpose right now? No but I almost became so overwhelmed by my "inadequate" sacrifice that I gave up a journey that I have watched unfold right in front of me. One to Pasadena California to serve with the one I love and with a community that loves Christ. Serving with this community provides so many opportunities and I know that I can be used there, I am just not sure where. I have to remember that my journey that has been laid for me... is for me and that the journey put in front of someone else for them... is for them.

hERE ARE kATIE'S GIRLS...

Grace

JANE

SUMINI

Scovia

Joyce

Sarah

Tibita

Mary

Zuula

Helen

Agnes

Margaret

Prossy

Adoption Adventures! You can be a part of God's story for these families.

Please check these blogs out!


1) I just want to love on this "Lucy" she is too precious!


http://weloveourlucy.blogspot.com/


Here is Lucy's Gotcha Day Video! Beautiful!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duyL9UjLrdM






2) This blog has great opportunities to help families who are trying to adopt. I am aware that adoption can be expensive. However, there is no doubt in my mind that it is worth it. I know that for myself there are ways I can cut back on certain "luxuries" to be able to give to these families!


http://embracingtheleastofthese.blogspot.com/2010/05/love-is-not-color-andits-time-for.html

3)Next, this is a couple that is in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. They are also doing a fundraiser! Very cute and such a blessing to them... I am sure.


http://thepalmersjourney.blogspot.com/

4) Kim and Dave: Anyone that I have a relationship with has probably already heard about the Rhode's Journey. I have gotten to know Kim through blogging and she is amazing. Luke and I have spent some time with them at one of the summer camps where Dave has spoken. This family is precious, real, and complete with Frankie added to their 2 girls.

http://afamilyforfrankie.wordpress.com/

Wedding Fun!

This weekend one of my very best friends got married! Wasn't she beautiful? Well she is. Inside and out! Jessica and I met in Kindergarten and have been friends since. It is not common to find a friend that sticks for that long. She is a true friend. As we started all of the wedding festivities for Jessica and Jonathan I could not help but think about mine and Luke's special day and how it is approaching quickly. I am getting so excited for the big day. Mostly this weekend made me excited to celebrate this special time with so many people that are so special to us since we will be moving immediately after the ceremony. Throughout the entire day I just kept day dreaming about June 26th :). The events that will take place, the joy I find in the thought of Luke and I being in the same state, seeing his smiling face as I walk down the aisle, and I could go on and on... but I will spare you :)

Jessica will also be a bridesmaid in my wedding and she is one of the MANY people I will miss so much after we leave. I can't believe how time has flown by, one minute Jessica and I are playing outside at her house laughing at her silly daddy who was always cutting up and the next thing I know she is getting married! CRAZY!