Unexpected Opportunities

I am about to complete my first month here in Nicaragua. As I reflect on the last month I can tell you that it has been full of a lot of emotions...fear, excitement, joy, anticipation, nervousness, happiness (lots), sadness...I'm sure many more things. In all of it God was/is with me. There is not a doubt in my mind that I am exactly where God wants me to be. I am resting in that on the hard days and finding the joy and peace he brings..I am happy here!

Since being here God has opened a couple doors for me and I want to share about one with you today. Let me first start by telling you about school. In my first week of class I had a young teacher and she was a good teacher, but I had to change the time of my class by half an hour and she could not make that work so the school assigned me a new teacher for the start of week two. By the end of the first day with my new teacher I was completely fried and felt like I was not going to be able to learn anything. I had just figured out the way the first teacher taught and we had found a rhythm and then everything changed. The next day I went back nervous but ready to get to know the new teacher. Her name is Grace and she has actually turned out to be a super great teacher, she very patient with me. I believe it was totally God moving these pieces around for me so that I would have a better learning experience but also open a door for me.

Grace asked me the first day we met why I wanted to learn Spanish. Easy! Because I want to be a missionary here in Nicaragua. Well little did I know that this conversation that I have had million times over would be the start of God doing something new. Over the last few weeks Grace and I have talked about our lives and the differences of growing up in different countries. Part of my classes are to have conversation and it is much easier to talk about real life than to make up stories. On Monday we began our class as usual with her asking me about the day before. I spend most of my day on Sunday in the church, the rest I usually spend at home with my family here. She then asked me what we are talking about in church...and well my friends this is where it gets interesting. Currently we are in a series talking about Revelation (have you read it?? Its not easy to understand in English..and I go to a spanish speaking church..duh)). I told her that and then she asked me if I could give her and overview of the book....I want to remind you here that we are speaking Spanish and NOT English. So I told her I would do my best but that it would probably be a bit rough!

As I began to explain how Revelation tells us how the end will be. That Christ will come for His church and there will be a lot of events that happen during this time. (I will not go into detail because I know there are many beliefs on how things will play out, but I told her as I believe). I ended by saying in the very end of all of this the Bible tells us that all those who have not accepted the free gift of salvation will be thrown into hell and suffer there for eternity. But all those who chose to accept that gift and be saved from their sin will go with Him to the New Heaven and New Earth (perfection) where we will spend our eternity. Well as I had been explaining all this I was just praying that I was not losing her and that God would make it make sense. Something I forgot to mention is that my teacher, Grace, is not saved and has never really attended church. Anyways...the next question that came out of her mouth scared me to my core. "So how do I get saved and not spend eternity in hell?" ummmmm...HEEEEELLLLPPPP!!! Where is the pastor who speaks spanish when I need him?! So I said a quick prayer silently and started to share with her about this free gift of salvation. We are all born as sinners and there is nothing that we can do to change that, no good works will change the fact that we deserve to pay for our sins. But God in his great love and grace sent his only son to earth to live a perfect life, free of sin and then sacrificed his life on the cross to pay the punishment for my sin...for your sin..for the sin of the entire world. But Christ did not stay dead, he resurrected and with his resurrection he brought new life to all who believe. So it is pretty simple, believe and receive because Christ did all the work. And the crazy thing is that He knows that even once we accept him we will continue to sin and he loves us and that will not take away our gift of salvation. Nothing in this life whether you chose to follow him or not will change the fact that he loves you. ((Okay breathe Kerri...God will use this it doesn't matter if you said everything perfect..he is planting seeds and watering.))

After that she kind of smiled and then asked me "what about the people who are the worst..like the murderers and thieves? Is there salvation for them too? "
Yes! Salvation is for everyone who believes! God has made no exclusions to who can come to him..the only thing he asks is that you would believe what he did for you and accept the gift of freedom he is offering. He wants a relationship with you, not for you to spend your life trying to be good enough to come to him. He wants you just as you are.

She told me that is incredible and very interesting. After that we moved on to something else but I know that God is working. He is working even when we least expect it! My prayer was that God would give me opportunities to serve him and I had no idea it would be by sharing his love with one of my teachers.

So that is the excitement from this week! haha.

Prayer:
Would you pray with me for Grace? For God to give me more opportunities to share his love with her and that she would have a tender heart to hear.
Pray for me as a begin my second book in class...this one looks a lot harder. Learning a new language is no joke my friends! It is dificil(difficult)!
Praise God for the opportunities and doors He is opening! It is scary and exciting at the same time!

Thank you so much my friends! I love you all and pray that God blesses you with an opportunity to share His love as well! Look for the opportunities...there are more than you think. And if I can do it in Spanish..you definitely can in English! Hasta luego :)

Exciting News!

Well...it sure has been a while since I sat down to write a blog post. Better later than never, right?

I am so excited to share some news with you! In just a few short days, I am heading back to Nicaragua to attend language school. I will be studying 4 hours a day 5 days a week...my brain is already tired just thinking about it. hahaha! This is something I have known I would need since I left in 2016 for my first extended trip to Nicaragua. To say that things have not gone the way I expected would be an extreme understatement...But looking back now, I wouldn't change a thing. God's plan is so SO much better than my own.

Let me share with you a little bit of what brought me here...

In 2016, I left for my very first 3 month stay in Nicaragua. While I was there, God confirmed for me that Nicaragua would someday be the place I called home. It felt like home. It still does. Honestly, when I left for that trip, I assumed that I would do the three months, go pretty much straight to language school, and then move there within the next year or so...Well, that was not God's plan for me. After I completed my few months serving there, I made my way back to Wisconsin not knowing when I would return to Nicaragua, but God knew. Over the last few years, I have gone back and forth between Wisconsin and Nicaragua, spending about 10 months altogether in Nicaragua. I could talk for days about what I have learned and what I had the opportunity to experience on this journey...but that is not the point today.

In February, God showed me that I was not allowing Him to really truly be in control. He revealed to me that I was using "waiting" as an excuse to not do anything. And even more than that I was using it as a wall to hide what was really going on.. I was afraid. Afraid of what might happen if I leave, afraid of trusting God with my whole life, afraid of failing, afraid to break free from comfort and do something different and new. To be honest, I didn't even know that was something I had brewing inside of me because I had told the story so many times that I started to believe it myself. "I am just waiting for God to say 'go' and then I will." While I told everyone that I was waiting on God, I knew there was more I could be doing...I just didn't want to. I didn't want to move forward because that meant I would have to let go of some of the fears I had grown so comfortable with. My fears had become normal and familiar enough that I stopped trying to fight them and just gave in. And let me tell you that is a dangerous place to be! A place where you are okay with being afraid, in a stagnant place, one that is full of lost opportunities and without growth.

When God showed me these pieces of myself on February 16th, I sat stunned for a while. How had I allowed myself to get here? It was in the daily decisions to not take my "little fear" to God and instead hiding it in shame. So it was there that I made the decision to stop allowing my fear to control my life. I was going to do what God asked of me no matter how scary it was or how stupid it sounded to anyone else. I knew that going to language school was my next step in this journey. With the help of God and my friends, I found a school in Nicaragua.  Next I contacted them about taking some classes. I am enrolled in a program that will be one on one with my teachers. It will be completely tailored to me and allow me to get the most out of my schooling.

I am also really excited about having the opportunity to speak and help lead worship at a women's retreat while I am there. The theme of the weekend is Fruit of the Spirit and I will be speaking on faith. It is Oct 4 & 5 in La Esmeralda. I will be having a translator for this one since it will be just two weeks after I start my classes.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask! I would love to share more about what God is doing in this story. If you would like to partner with me financially you can do so at https://my.foxriverchristian.org/give click the "give now" button and then you can choose Kerri Roberts Missions Fund under "other accounts".  If you would like to partner with me in prayer I will be sharing on here some ways you can be praying for me.

Prayer Requests:

• That I would be able to have a clear and focused mind as I go into my classes
• To have boldness and not be afraid to make mistakes in conversations 
• For ministry opportunities
• As I prepare to speak at this women's retreat that I would be attentive to the Spirits voice and sensitive to His leading
• For God to reveal to me my next step and to prepare my heart for whatever that might be

Thank you so much for reading and walking this journey with me. I am committing to be better at posting on here and sharing what God is doing in my life..will you keep me accountable? If I don't post for a while message me and ask what is going on!

Mom

Mom,
   How can I begin to thank you enough? There are no words that adequately describe your importance in my life. I know people say things like this all the time so it sounds extremely clique...but I have no idea where I would be without you. Actually, I do have an idea and it is so not pretty. There are so many things that I should thank you for but there is not enough time and not enough words to write them all...so I will just mention a few.

Thank you Mom for being the one who always welcomes me with open arms in all my mess and failure. You are the person who since I was born has been there for me day in and day out when I mess up big? You are there. When I am excited about something you are excited too (mostly haha). When something makes me sad, you sit with me and make me feel better even if you don't say any words. When I completely don't know how to do something I need to do and come to you crying like a baby, you pick me up off the floor and help me figure out how to do it. When I make a mistake and have to come tell you how stupid I am and you say "I still love you".  Mom, how do you do it? You seem to somehow make all (me, Seth, Abbey, Jess, Heath, and dad) of our lives still work and have your own too.

Thank you Mom for all the nights you spent with little to no sleep taking care of me. For the times when I was a baby and fully dependent on you to wipe my butt and give me food.  For the times when I was a bit older and could walk and talk but got sick and spent the night in and out of the bathroom or coughing so much I couldn't sleep, you were there holding back my hair or rubbing my back.  Or when I got my license and was out late with my friends and you waited up to make sure I got home safe. And those nights that I couldn't go back to sleep because I had a bad dream that felt too real. One thing remained the same...you were right beside me, with a warm rag for my forehead, with a bowl, with the nasty cough syrup, and best of all your arms that wrapped me up tight so I knew it would all be okay in the morning.



Thank you Mom for helping me know how to treat others with kindness, love, and grace. For teaching me when I was young that I should treat others with the same kindness I would want to be treated with. For showing me in many different ways how to love people who are different than us, in whatever way that might be. For being someone who asks people into your home and showing me in very practical ways what it means to have hospitality and helping others to feel comfortable in your home. For making cookies and meals for people who maybe had a surgery or is new to the neighborhood or church. Because doing that was a gift to those people, but also a gift to me by teaching me what it means to take care of those who may not be completely able to do that for themselves. And welcoming others into something that may seem unfamiliar and uncomfortable and letting them know that they are loved.

Thank you Mom for being my teacher. Whenever I think about being home schooled I remember how blessed I am to have a mom that would spend her time teaching me when she could have sent me to school somewhere else. I think about how you had five kids and somehow home schooled us all..at the same time and survived with sanity in tact...that is impressive to say the least!

Thank you Mom for never wanting us to miss out on an opportunity whatever it may be.  No matter if it it meant you bending over backwards to get us there and then having to wait around so we would have a way home. I am sure there are countless hours you spent driving us around to the different things we were doing whether it was music lessons, youth group, baseball, fundraisers, ect. And even after all that still having a home cooked meal on the table for dinner...you truly are an amazing mom and a top chef if you ask me :)


Thank you Mom for pushing me to achieve my dreams, but also speaking truth and reality into my life. For giving me balance and level headedness (apparently thats not a word but I'm sticking with it anyway). For raising me to be my own person and for allowing me to do so even when I seemed a little weird to you and the rest of the family. Hahaha!  I know there were times in which you probably would have made a different choice than I did, but you allowed me to make my own because you didn't want to control my life. And thank you for supporting me in it.
 

Lastly, and most importantly, thank you for always telling me about Jesus. Thanks to you (and Dad) I cannot remember a time in my life that I did not know who Jesus was.  It is because of you that I stand today and say that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. Without you telling me, taking me to church, showing me through your life, and praying for me I am not sure I ever would have known Christ. Thank you for raising me in a home that allowed the Holy Spirit to lead and actually following even when it meant moving away from family. And for leading me to Him when my focus was just not quite right. It is because of you, Mom, that I have the courage to do what God has called of me. I remember the day when I told you and dad that I felt called to be a missionary and I will never ever forget what you said.. "Do you think we are surprised?" because you knew even before me. You knew that because you raised me to know Christ it meant that he may someday have a call on my life that would lead me this way.  Thank you for making God greatest in your life so that I might see that and get to live by the example you placed in front of me.

Mom, you are my biggest blessing, my #1 cheerleader, my best friend, my nurse, my counselor (Lord knows I need it), my safe place, my constant, and so so many more things. You inspire me to be better each and every day. To be loved by you is more than I ever deserved. For all the times I didn't say it, THANK YOU!  For all the times I won't, THANK YOU!  Happy Mothers Day!

I love you Mom! <3

Seeing the growth

It has been an exciting couple weeks here in Nicaragua, specifically at the Pochocuape church!  God has been working in this church and these last couple of weeks we have gotten to see some of that in visual representation.

I love serving in this church and getting to see what God does in this place.  Something unique about our church is that we don't actually have a building yet, we have a small area which has some posts that hold up a tin roof, and as of Saturday we have two walls made out of plywood.  It was a pretty exciting thing for us to be able to enclose our space a bit in that way because this time of year is extremely windy...I have never experienced wind like this before.  People call Chicago "the windy city" but that is only because they have never been to Pochocuape.  The wind is actually painful.  It knocks small children over, and since I'm already clumsy enough it surely doesn't help my balance.  We were also able to add a wall made out of pallets for the space we have childrens sunday school in so that we might have a bit of protection from the wind over there.  Something else we have been up to is clearing/leveling a space to use for games, soccer, baseball, football, ect.

This last week we had a lot of different construction projects going on!  One more that I haven't mentioned is getting the space ready and putting the baptismal (water tank) into place.  We have a really awesome group of men who lead this church and their dedication to God never ceases to amaze me.  They spend countless hours doing all sorts of different things as we build this church, I have learned a lot from them about really and truly being sold out for serving God.  They are pretty much willing to do anything they are asked to advance God's Kingdom and Church here on earth.  This week they worked hard to get all these things ready for our weekend services so that we might see God work in new ways. 

 

On Sunday we had our very first baptisms!  Oh it was so exciting and so fun to be part of.  It was also Pastor Marcelo's first time getting to baptize.  We had four of the people who have been saved over the last year choose to get baptized and become members of our church!  I love watching people make the choice to show their faith in Christ by getting baptized and obeying what God has asked of them.  I can't wait to see how God continues to work in all their lives!  We now officially have 8 members at our church in Pochocuape!  I am so blessed to get to be part of what God is doing here!

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

It has been waaaayyyy too long!

Hello again, I know it has been far too long since I have written.   If I were to try to tell everything that has happened since we would all be here for a while...so let me give you and overview and try to share some of the cool things along the way. 

I guess I never wrote again after I told you I got to Nicaragua in October...so let me see what I can remember about the rest of that month and November.  While I was here for a month I got to continue some of the working I had done over the summer and see some fruit of it as well.  I also got to translate for an amazing medical team and saw God do incredible work in three of our churches here.  And of course I got to continue building relationships and start some new ones.  I headed back to Wisconsin the day before thanksgiving with a heavy heart not sure what was next for me.

I got to spend the Holidays with my family and friends in the States and freeze my booty off while doing so!  Haha.  I had been invited to come back in January and wasn't completely sure if that was going to be possible but God made a way, a very clear path actually.  I honestly do not know how to explain to you the way God moves when He makes these things happen, it is like I don't even have to speak a word and all of the sudden everything is in place and I am going.  It is such a blessing in my life right now to see how He continues to fit all the pieces right together in front of me.

Pretty much right after New Years I was back on a plane headed for the next chapter in this crazy journey God is taking me on.  When I got here my best friend picked me up from the airport and I got to spend the next day with her before I headed for camp with the teens/young adults.  I actually got to surprise almost all of my people here by coming this time so that was really fun.  Only five people knew I was coming.  Lets just say the blonde haired, blue eyed, white girl on the bus stands out a bit!  Faces were priceless. 

Once I got to camp we hit the ground running.  I was the photographer because...well I am just too clumsy to play the games they play at camp.  These games are the real deal!  It was military themed this year and that stepped it up even more. Just imagine a training camp with some silliness and devotions and you pretty much can get the picture...oh and no bathrooms!  We did have showers though, Praise God!  It was a cool week getting to see camp and some of the leaders speak and some of the campers commit to God in new ways! 

I can tell you that the fun and silliness is not all that comes with ministry.  There are hard hard times and you get bad news when you aren't home and have to deal with your feelings and try to make sense of life again.  Sometimes you get good news and that makes you a little sad too because you want to celebrate with your family.  Sometimes you just want to ask "what am I even doing here anyway?".  Sometimes nothing seems to make sense and you have to trust God when you can't see.  But in all that God is still here, He is still working, and if you choose to allow it He will use you.  And if you don't He will use someone else, you just have to decide if you want to be involved. 

After camp we started getting ready for the team that would arrive in a few days.  Once they got here we worked hard in Pochocuape.  Visiting, playing, building, running VBS, and getting to spend some good time in fellowship.  While they were here we saw nine kids start a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!  We also finished a beautiful chicken coop and the team gave us some chickens to fill it!  What a blessing!  Today at church we were able to eat the eggs from those chickens and praise God for the people who allowed Him to work through their lives last week. 

That brings me to the present.  Wow!  I don't even know how to express my gratitude and love for all those who support me and love me in all of my crazy.  God has blessed me abundantly!  Today I got to work in Pochocuape all day, first during church, and then in the afternoon we worked out in the field trying to get some of the land ready to be able to us for soccer, baseball, and whatever else we might want to do.  I get to see the growth in one of the girls who accepted Christ while I was here in July and see what God has done in her life since.  She is a changed child of God, and I could write a book about all the ways I see it.  Yes, she still struggles and she still fights and still messes up...but God has changed her heart and what it beats for.  That is truly beautiful.  That is why we do missions.  I love this work.  I love these people. 

Pray that God would continue showing me what is next right when I need it.  Pray for a sweet friend of mine who is struggling right now.  Pray for my friends who start seminary classes this week, that God would work in them greatly and raise them up to be leaders in their homes, churches, communities, and relationships.  Pray for the amazing Donna (missionary) as she starts this semester with the students and sets them up for a year of study.  Pray for our church in Pochocuape, that the men God has put in leadership would continue to be sensitive to His leading, for the people who are coming to church that God would work in their lives, for those in the community who are maybe thinking about coming would you ask that someone be able to touch them in a special way this week that would bring them to church?  Would you worship with me for the lives saved and changed in Jesus name?!  We serve an incredible God! 

Forgive me for writing a book this time!  I will try hard to be better!

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

I'm back!

I have now been in Nicaragua for about a week and a half and it is just as crazy as ever.  When I landed in Managua there were a bunch of loco people waiting for me and waving at me one the other side of the window.  Something that is just heart wrenching when you land is that once you get to baggage there is a wall made on windows...and for me I usually have at least one friend waiting on the other side.  This time I had five.  What a sweet blessing it was to be greeted by friends in the airport.  They then watched as I struggled with my four bags ((mostly not things for me)) to customs.  We ate dinner in the airport and headed to drop the guys off and as we rode in the car I was serenaded with the songs we use to teach the younger grades English.  "Its a rainbow, its a rainbow, a beautiful rainbow in the sky" in a Nicaraguan accent of course!  hahaha!  I so missed my family here.

What have I been doing since I've been here??
If you have been following my journey you might know that while I was here I taught English to preschool through 6th grade.  I am still doing that along with helping Pastor Marcelo start his church in Pochocuape.  I love being part of this brand new ministry.  It comes with its own set of struggles but it has been so awesome to see how God works in so many different ways. Wednesday I got to just sit and talk with a couple of the girls on the soccer team and get to know them a bit.  It was really a cool time because it was just me and them, no translator to rely on so instead I looked to for something better, someone better.  And man did He show up.  I don't know about you...but for me one of the biggest ways I see God in my life is when He makes my ears to hear a language I don't fully understand and makes my mouth to speak words I'm not even sure I know.  THAT is cool.  That is God! 

The second day I was hear I got pretty sick...and midway through the day as I am lying in bed one of the two people who I am living with texted me and let me know that they had both been checked for lice and had it.  So I promptly got up and showered and started washing everything.  I then spent the rest of my day and good portions of the next three to follow picking lice out of their hair.  But you know what?  That is ministry.  It isn't always pretty and it isn't always fun, but when we are called to ministry it means taking the good with the bad.  It means getting lice because the kids you spend almost every day with have it and they need love.. they need to be hugged and picked up and tickled and danced with and to play with your hair.  So you might just end up with lice.  I did not this time ((thank you Lord!)) but I had it just months ago. 

I almost forgot to mention that I have had my first hospital experience here in Nicaragua.  The story goes like this...I was playing soccer because on of the girls we are really pouring into is trying to learn how to play.  So I went to be goalie so that Dawn (who has knowledge about the sport) could watch and coach Sinai.  I was playing for all of about ten minutes when I am going to the ball and all of the sudden my knee is going left and my body is going right and I hear snap crackle pop and I somehow end up sumber salting trying to save myself.  Well I didn't hahaha!  So I started icing it because I was not able to bend it or fully straighten it. We went to the doctor just to make sure I hadn't torn my acl or something but they said all is good and just to rest it. They shot me up with some pain killers and sent me on my way.  My whole visit costing less than $100 with xrays, consult, and drugs.  Only took two hours as well!   :)

I have been able to see a lot of my friends and spend time with a few of them.  I know it might shock you but.....I just love it here.  This place, these people, the creation, the food....oh my goodness the food, life.  I cannot explain it to you in words but there is just a feeling I have when I am here that is so sweet and so distinct and so God.  When I am gone I yearn to be back, when I am here I miss my family and friends but there is no place I would rather be here on earth. 

Will you pray with me?  Pray for the pastors I work with here, that they would be refreshed in new ways and given a new excitement for their church and the ministries within it.  For the upcoming pastors who are getting ready to take their own churches.  For the missionaries I work with that they would receive wisdom and guidance from our heavenly Father that is unmistakably clear.  And for me that I could be and encouragement to those around me and shine the light of Christ in the darkness that looms.  Pray this week for us as we have a medical team in three areas (same team that will be moving around).  That we would all be filled with the Spirit and are ready to pour it out for the sake of God's Kingdom here on earth.  That those who will visit would have hearts softened and ready to receive the good news of Jesus Christ.  And that God would receive all the glory and honor and fame!  Amen!!!    He is a good good good God!  I stand in awe of Who he is and all that He has done.  May we never loose our wonder!  
 

 "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

What am I doing?

Okay, so i realize it has been way too long since my last post.  I am sorry that I have not been better about posting and keeping you all updated on what I am doing.

I have been back in the states for a little over a month and a half.  What am I doing now you might ask?  To that I say...great question!  Right now I am trying to figure out what avenue best fits my life and God's plan for me as I follow His call into full time missions.  Obviously I need to continue studying Spanish and that is one thing that I have been able to continue doing since I have been back.  Other than that I am working part time as a nanny for some of my close friends, filling in for some others at the church when they need ((which really has only been two days)), and spending a whole lot of time with my mom and the rest of my family.  God has blessed me with time, time to spend with those I love, time to dig into His word and who He is, time to grow, time to minister, time to pray, time to support, time to learn, time to rest ((this one is hard for me)), time to allow the Spirit to lead me.

As I have been seeking God and His will for my life I discovered that He was allowing me to go back to Nicaragua for a short trip.  I will be leaving Tuesday the 25th to go back for about a month.  I will be doing a lot of the same things I was doing over the summer.  Teaching English, helping with the church in Pochocuape, working with a medical team, and just getting to build relationships with people.  A couple of my friends will be graduation from seminary while I am there so I will get to be there to support them as they do that as well!  I could not be more excited to go back and see some of the growth that has happened since I left.  This trip is a huge HUGE gift that God has given me and I plan to glorify Him in it to the best of my ability.  Will you join me in praising Him for this amazing gift?!

What an awesome God we have that not only does He meet our  needs, but He also fulfills the desires and passions of our hearts!  You see I believe that if He puts something in our hearts to do He will bring it to fruition.  It may not be how we would plan, it may not be how we had hoped, and it may not be in our timing, but someday in the day of His divine choosing God will fulfill the thing that He has given you to hope for.  In the process of waiting be intentional.  Use the time He has given you to grow so that in the time that God has appointed you will be more prepared for the thing He has designed for you.  You see sometimes I think when we don't have the thing we hoped for we say "well it is up to God now and there is nothing I can do" while it may be true that we cannot make something happen, we can be preparing ourselves for when it does.  And I think the most important thing we can do in preparation is drawing close to God.  Because when the time comes it is Him we are going to need and it is Him who we need right now.  Good and bad, happy and sad, we must look to Him!  We must trust in Him.  We must rely on Him!

 "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3