Crying in Wal-Mart

OK. So I think its safe to say I have been a bit emotional this past week. Call it what you will, crying in Wal-Mart is emotional.
It all started on Monday morning when I was out running errands and standing in line for returns at Wal-Mart. This cute little boy and mom walked by speaking Spanish and he was yelling "Oh Mira" at everything. (Oh Look!!) He reminded me of a little boy I became close to from my English classes in Mexico. I began to think of little Juan and wondered what he was up to and how he was. I noticed my eyes brimming full before I knew it. Not only was I won over by emotion of missing Juan, but of missing Mexico and so many people that stole part of my heart there. I prayed for Juan and his mom that day and that God would fill them with hope of knowing they belonged to Him whether they found themselves in a good or bad day.
The week has continued with more tears. Regretfully, yet another time in Wal-Mart. And then last night watching a sappy Jif peanut butter commercial.
Concluding now on Friday I have decided that I am emotional and that is okay. I've decided I am okay with it for a few reasons:
1. I am female and allowed to be emotional
2. My fabulous fiance' Nathaniel is more than understanding and even consoles me when I know he thinks I'm insane.
3. My girlfriends enjoy the humor of seeing me turn into a sappy cry baby when it is totally out of charcter for me.
4. Most of all, I am okay and almost enjoying it because I feel God is softening and breaking me to be more open, more receptive. more aware, more sensitive to the world around me.
So yeh, I'm okay with being emotional this week. Maybe even longer than this week, depends how embarrassing these unplanned for cries become.

Recent thoughts

So today I had some time to myself and I was trying to think about some of the things I truly enjoy in life, but don't take enough time to indulge in. And you know what I decided? I decided I'm going to indulge in them! That's right! So maybe I won't be getting as much sleep. Or maybe I won't be doing laundry as often. Or I might not even notice how bad we know to go to the grocery. But! But, I will remember to indulge in life's finest delicacies. And what are life's delicacies you might ask?
Well, I'm glad you did, because I've decided to think on what are the finest things to me...and then...I'm going to enjoy them! :)

-It makes me smile to wonder around in a city I dont know or even the city I've grown up in but always can find something new to discover
-I love to sit around the dining room table and paint with music playing from the loft upstairs
-I've found a new love of sitting around reading Nicholas Sparks books in a hot bathtub
-I like finding an adventure to do while I'm on lunch...getting my ears pierced, shopping for a washing machine....something you don't stereotypically do on lunch.
-I'm gonna stick with my goal of two books a month
-i'm gonna add to that goal to have ladies night out with all cares out the door at least once a month ;)
-i will enjoy saving money. i will enjoy saving money. i will enjoy saving money. (and i will keep repeating this to myself until its true and a true habit of mine)
-im also going to take the time and effort to get involved more with the hispanic community and spanish speakers. i miss enjoying spanish. im forgetting :(
-i will enjoy my new hobbies of rollerblading and knitting
-Im going to enjoy my toned abs after continuing with 50 crunches a day.

ok, so this has turned into more of an early new years resolution list. but im going to enjoy these goals and the finer things in life!

kentucky rain.....

Ok, so lots of people have been giving me subtle and not so subtle comments that I'm not posting very much lately :) LOL! So, I decided it had been two months and I should really blog some about what's happening in life for me right now....

Currently I'm interning with the state office of Woman's Missionary Union here in KY. That has been an awesome opportunity for me to have a platform for speaking in various churches and really encouraging churches to embrace more diversity in their church, speaking to Hispanic churches and providing them with resources and support to get their group more involved in missions, and also speaking at several acteens (Christian teen girls) events around the state. It has been pretty cool to see the networking of meeting lots of people from around the state doing some great things for God and also to meet several international missionaries at the National Meeting up in Indy in May. I am about halfway through my internship and starting to be in the office less and less and more out on the streets meeting and speaking with different groups! I love that part of it and am excited to see one group in particular in the south part of Louisville that is growing and seeing their Hispanic church really catch on to the vision of God's Heart for all peoples and are doing something about it in their area! Go Shively! :)
This week I am speaking in a woman's group in a local church that has almost no diversity in their church so please pray that I speak with grace and am not harsh on this group but encouraging them in loving all races that God created.

I am also working full time at Ann Taylor as the sales lead which keeps me busy. Its a lot of fun because I am running into clients and friends from when I lived here in Ky before, small world. Also, a lot of the sales associates and my co-managers are still the same group so its fun to reconnect. Ann Taylor is a huge financial blessing to me as it is allowing me to buy another car. (Sad, for those of you who didn't know I sold my much loved Jeep Wrangler, Isaac, before moving to Mexico) Also, I am moving into my much anticipated apartment August 1st. In the meantime......

Nathaniel is house shopping... Woohoo! Super exciting :) We are really wanting to make sure we start out on the right foot as much as we can prepare ourselves for. He is really good with finances, business and the like. Thank God, because those are areas I am weak and he totally compliments me on. So we are both trying to save like crazy and see what kind of good deal we can get for our first place. :)

And of course, I'm loving all the good catch-ups with friends. I recently went to Bristol, TN with Manecia to go and visit our friend Lindsey. We had so much fun hanging out with her and helping with her two kiddos. Back in April when I first got to the states I spent 10 days in Texas with my roommate from Florida, Hope, having some awesome time together and touring around Texas. That is her and I in the picture at a fun Texas Roadhouse! :) I'm getting ready to travel up to Iowa to attend my cousin Tera's wedding, where I will be sporting a fabulous choice turquoise bridesmaid dress. :) So yep, doing a lot of travel, hanging out with old friends, and finding my place again in Ky...

I think those are the highlights of what comes to mind of what's been the beginning of my season back home in Kentucky....I promise, I'll try and stay more updated on here guys ;)
Enjoy the day you've been given. Heck, even skip a little down the street today, for after all.......
THE LOVE OF GOD IS FOLLY!

World Fair Trade Day May 10

http://www.worldcraftsvillage.com/featuredcountry.asp

Check out this link to world crafts and enjoy some fair trade shopping. You can purchase from India, China and beyond. We can change a life, change the world :) How awesome!

let justice flow like a river.........

Tonight was an awesome opportunity to see a church reaching out and loving the community around them. I have always heard several people talk about this church "sojourn community" but never went there. It was really sweet to hear the words "let justice flow like a river...." and then hear a list of needs that had been seen in the local blocks around the church. It was a beautiful picture to see a group of twenty-somethings reaching out and taking the church outside the walls. We who believe and love Jesus Christ have a hope and peace that surpasses all else this world has to offer. How awesome to be able and take this out to our neighbors. Im super excited to see what God is up to in Louisville and see how I can be a hand of love to those around me and surrounding....

-----You can not do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good you can do. -Anonymous.

living a little more or dying a little bit?

I recently read this amazing book, The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. I loved it because he really wrote of the deep love and grace of the Father that we so often overlook. Too often we have let our Christianity become what we DO for God and not simply BEING with Him and enjoying the love He lavishes upon us. I think a lot of it comes back to that constant struggle of the Mary and Martha within us. The same struggle of Martha loving the Lord but showing it by buzzing around like a chicken with her head cut off, preparing things for God, and feeling frustrated that her sister wasn't doing likewise. However, Jesus commended Mary and said she had chosen the better thing of simply dwelling at His feet and chilling with Him. I love that! How I want to keep this verse on my forehead all my life,

2Co 11:3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

I want to keep that awe and wonder of the pure and sincere devotion to Christ.
So anyhow, there was this one quote in the book that truly caused me to look at each situation and ask myself am I living in sincerity and pure devotion to Christ and finding myself satisfied in Him OR wanting more, feeling discouraged, unsatisfied, or worried?
Norman Mailer once said, "Each moment of our existence, we are either growing into more or retreating into less. We are either living a little more or dying a little bit."
I want to live more! I want to go deeper in hanging out with God and enjoying what He places in my life and that sweet hang out time with Him!
Most of all I want the words "L'amour de Dieu est folie" (the love of God is folly)
to be true of my life. I want to live in that childlike wonder of a God who created the universe and loves me simply for who I am, a child bought by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ!

red, yellow, black, and white, they are precious in His sight

Racism might be the symptom of a greater disease. What I mean is, as a human, I am flawed in that it is difficult for me to consider others before myself. It feels like I have to fight against this force, this current within me that, more often than not, wants to avoid serious issues and please myself, buy things for myself, feed myself, entertain myself, and all of that. All I’m saying is that if we, as a species, could fix our self-absorption, we could end a lot of pain in the world.
-Blue Like Jazz p. 61



man. if we could get rid of self absorption what would things look like huh? makes you think.....and hopefully causes us to look a little more like Christ....