Oh Hi.

Sometimes these blog messages leave me feeling like I can never quite convey what is actually happening in real life - but mainly I feel like my words don't quite show what goes on through my heart day to day. These blogs usually recap events or give updates on future events, but the heart seems far more interesting to me than events. In light of that, I'll share more of my heart rather than the regular "to do" of my blogs.



Some hours I feel heavy-hearted over the girls I have in my Bible study. I really long for them to know the depth of Christ's love for them - and usually after I announce my desires to God for them to know Him deeper, I find myself asking if I even know Him at the depth I long for them to know Him at...I am constantly reevaluating. Other hours I am learning what it looks like to live with my 3 roommates. It is an interesting thing to come from a large community of friends with different friend groups in Colorado and transition to few friends which are the same people I live with which are the same people I work with...I am learning daily! Sometimes in my introvertedness I scrape for time and a place to get away and be Q U I E T for just a few moments...it is nearly impossible these days. I am far too easily distracted, and find myself missing my favorite local get-away spots in the Springs where I would retreat for silence. Most times I am learning more about what my relationship with God looks like and how I can live that out with the people around me. I do feel like my job has heightened my relational capacity. Whereas my job prior with Apple was somewhat relational, a heavy portion of it was focused on marketing and brainstorming ways to attract customers...Now, my job is focused on people...and my home is all about people...and my friends are all people...I have never been so tailored to thinking about, processing with, talking to, and working with PEOPLE! Its a blessing because I feel I'm learning lots of different aspects of relating. I do have to make sure I get time to be alone - to get refreshed - but lately I feel I struggle with that.

We are about to take a trip to Orlando, FL with 120 students from Penn State. We're going to work on service projects for a week. We'll be leaving at 5am on Saturday morning and driving about 17 hours till we arrive at our destination. The first day we'll be in Jacksonville where we'll spend the night and wake up to go to a church service at the church we'll be sleeping at. Then we'll go to the beach for part of the day (YAYY!!!) and then pack the cars up and finish the drive to Orlando where we'll be the rest of the week. This past week I have been putting together the Bible study curriculum for the students for the week. Each morning they'll work on a Bible study alone for 45 minutes and then break into groups and discuss the study for 45 minutes. Then during the day we'll break into 3 larger groups for different work sites. Some will paint, some will clear a field, and some will work with children at schools. I signed up to work outdoors in the field! This is hillarious to me because for those of you who know me you know that I'm not the buffest girl around. So I plan on attempting this outdoor physical job ... at least, that is, until I can't do it! Ha! Then I plan on switching and working with kids = ) ((not that I assume I'll switch...but I am just preparing my readers in case I do end up switching. ha))

I'm excited for the Spring Break trip. I am feeling sick currently. About 2 weeks ago I just got over this bad sickness which lasted a full week and a half and it took me out for 3 days (like literally, I slept all 3 days...I can't remember the last time that happened except when I got my wisdom teeth out!). So I am a little leery about the fact that I am feeling sick again...and just so you know a lot of the Nav staff people here have just gotten over strep, the flu, and mono. Please be praying that I am healthy by the time we get in the car Sat. morning or else it might be an interesting drive down for me and my carmates!

Below you'll see a picture of me and Paige.



Paige is the junior that I co-lead our Tuesday night Bible study with. People have begun to call us twins...Paige's roommates frequently comment to her that she is dressing like me. I have heard through the grapevine that Paige dresses like those she admires. I feel admired by Paige. = )

And below is Cathy Bowman. She is the wife to one of our directors here Dave Bowman.



I have enjoyed Cathy a lot. She is the type of woman who cares about the matters of the heart. She will make time for me whenever I need to talk through some issue I am having with work or life. I have grown to respect her and trust her and just truly be thankful for the way she takes time to care for me. I hope to become like that for the girls I meet with.

The other thing is that I am going to Holland this summer and we have been in prayer for a girl to join the team. The other night I talked online with two of the guys that are going to Holland with me and we spent time praying (through our video cameras on our computers!) asking God to bring another girl to the trip to keep me company. So far there are 3 guys going and myself. I have tried many avenues to get a girl to go with me on this trip and things have been failing. Two nights ago we prayed for God to bring a girl and today our team leader got a phone call from the director in Holland and he said that there is a girl who is living in England currently who used to live in AZ who wants to go on the trip! So God provided a girl from England! HOW weird is that! Here's a picture of our iChat video conference - I thought those Mac lovers out there would enjoy this.



Well that's about all for now. I think I'm going to go face the rain outside. It has rained all day from morning till now...11pm...

Missing that sun...yay for FLORIDA!