First Day Jitters

Tomorrow is the first day of work with kids!

We are meeting all of our kids tomorrow and get to start loving on them and their families. 

Showing them the love of Christ and developing relationships with them.

This place is beginning to change me in so many ways.
I'm excited to see how God continues to use it to minister to me; the place, the people, the community, the other girls. 

One of my favorite things to come out of serving the Lord, is to see and feel how He serves and ministers to me. 

Until later...

:-)

Update and Pics from Tahoe!

Let me just say, that I will never get tired of taking pictures of this place!

 It is gorgeous. I love the landscape, I love the trees, the rivers, the Lake. It is all wonderful and I am so happy to be here. 

The other missionaries are a wonderful group of girls and we have already had many great laughs and conversations. 

This past week has been about getting to know each other and going through orientation to familiarize ourselves with the program. We will begin school and have kids on this coming Monday! 

I will be helping out in both the preschool and with the Kindergartners. 

I'm very excited, because I will get to know many of the kids as I will be floating around helping. 

We get to do a lot of fun things with them as well, like go on hikes and go to the beach at the Lake. 

Fun times are ahead! 

I can't wait to share more with you guys! 

Enjoy these few pictures!

:-) 

Welcome to Tahoe City!

Hey Everyone! 

I only have time for a quick update and post.

I left Mobile, AL early yesterday morning, around 6:30 AM (Central) and made my first stop in Houston, TX! 

Then, I left Houston for Reno, NV where I got here at about 11:00 AM (Pacific). 

I met up with the other semester missionaries, we drove to Tahoe, ate dinner, 

and 

then unpacked and got settled in our new home!! 

I will share more info and pics later, but I have to go!! 

:-) 

My True Identity

Parts of this post have been taken from the book, "Made to Crave." 

One of the books I have been reading is "Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food" by Lysa TerKeurst.

I have not gotten very far into it, but so far it is very intriguing and has offered great advice and goals for living a healthy lifestyle. 

This is, after all, about glorifying God with my body and taking care of the temple in the way that He has instructed me. 

So far, Chapter 5 has been my favorite: Made for More.

Lysa says, "We were made for victory. Sometimes we just have to find our way to that truth." 

The life that we have is about so much more than just us, it is all about Him and what the Savior has done and how God wants to have us and use us for His glory.
We have to realize that we are worth it.
That He does want us!

Lysa talks about embracing our true identity in Christ. 

The way we see ourselves is not how Christ sees us. It is so important that we know how our Father sees us. 

I wanted to share these truths with you all. These are taken from chapter 5 in the book. 

Read and reflect over these. Let them resonate over you. 

Open your heart and let Christ show you who you are to Him. 

The forgiven child of God.
"...and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus"

Romans 3:24

The set-free child of God.
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

Romans 8:1-2 

The accepted child of God.
"To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ -- their Lord and ours..."

1 Corinthians 1:2

The holy child of God.
"It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God -- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." 

1 Corinthians 1:30

The made-new child of God.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

2 Corinthians 5:17

The loved child of God.
"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love..."

Ephesians 1:4

The close child of God.
"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far way have been brought near through the blood of Christ." 

Ephesians 2:13

The confident child of God.
"In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence." 

Ephesians 3:12

The victorious child of God.
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." 

Romans 8:37

A few more thoughts from Lysa: 

"The truth of my identity as a child of God empowers me to believe that living in victory tastes sweeter than any unhealthy delicacy." 

"The real reason for grounding ourselves in the truth that we are made for more is 'so that you may know Him better.' The more we operate in the truth of who we are and the reality that we were made for more, the closer to God we'll become." 

"Being ruled by anything other than God is something God takes quite seriously. And so should I." -- Chapter 6

tunes-Day Tuesday: I Will Wait

I am not creative enough to come up with that post title. It was taken from a blog that I read. Pretty much every Tuesday, they post a song/video that they like to share and pass on. They also do awesome DIY projects and have hair, makeup, and clothes tips.
It's a really cute blog! 

Go check them out at: OH SO PRETTY the DIARIES. 

I was introduced to Mumford & Sons earlier this year and I love listening to their music. 

This is a new single off their new album due out in September.
It was released this week.

Enjoy! 

:-) 

I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons 

Beach Trip -- Biloxi, MS

Warning: This post contains a lot of photos!

Last week, my Dad had a conference to attend in Biloxi, MS. Mom and I decided to go along so we could enjoy some pool time. 

Then, on the last day, we took a boat ride to an island 11 miles off the coast. We got to spend the whole afternoon there. It was wonderful!

Enjoy the pictures! 

:-) 

We got to stay at the Beau Rivage. 

One night, I enjoyed some puzzles and the Olympics!

These are pictures of the Gulf as seen from the pool. 

Never-ending hallway?

This place was SO good! So delicious, that we went back the next night!
The first night we went I ordered Seafood Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with a Ceaser Salad and Garlic and Parmesan Roasted New Potatoes.

Spend a little time at the Arcade! 

A dessert one night: Mississippi Mud Pie

Pool attire for one of the days!

This is the next night at the Half Shell Oyster House. 

I ordered the Big Easy Surf 'n Turf: Steak on top of a Crab Cake with Lump Crab Meat on top, with a Ceaser salad and Cheese Grits. 

And each night that we went, we ordered appetizers of Oysters. 

I'm telling you, SO good!

Beach Boulevard 

Leaving for Ship Island from Gulfport, MS.

The boat we rode.

The only things on the island were a snack bar, showers, two pavilions,

and

Fort Massachusetts. 

Stingrays would swim around you in the water!
Along with schools of fish and hermit crabs.

Hermit Crab that I found in the water.

We got to go into Fort Massachusetts for a few minutes before our boat came back.

There was a lighthouse on the island, but in the 70s (?) some campers accidentally set it on fire and it burned down. 

Leaving the island. 

:-)

My Last Few Weeks in Alabama (Instagram-ed Style)

(This post is the definition of bittersweet.) 

I visited family in Memphis for a going away party and good-byes. 

I had my last few, fun weeks at work. 

I explored Tuscaloosa and went to a few new places one last time.

I said good-bye to sweet and amazing friends. 

I packed up my apartment and left my home of 5 wonderful years. 

And now, pretty much all my belongings are in storage, waiting until I use them again. 

Two suitcases and a backpack are what I have for the next 4 months on my new journey.