Safe and Sound

My family and I are back home after a good visit to Virginia. Thank you for the prayers and concern for my grandmother. She's home from the hospital and seems to be gaining strength. They didn't do the Stent due to some risks associated. Currently, they're working on addressing her diabetes and some other issues with medication. The past few days have been spent learning the routine of testing blood sugar, monitoring vitals, physical therapy etc. My uncle will be with them for the next few days. After that, the lady who's been helping them around the house for awhile now has agreed to increase her days and hours with them. She works for a company that provides in-home care for many of their needs such as housework, driving to appointments and shopping and overall looking after their well-being. We got to meet her while we were there and shes a delight. She's very knowledgeable, attentive and clearly wants to serve them. We all feel much more at ease knowing things are calming down and settling into a good routine. Thank you again for your prayers and well wishes! 

Prayer Requests

Hi everyone :) 

As many family and friends use this site as a medium to keep up with whats going on and how they can be praying for me, I wanted to share a couple of requests: 

My grandmother is currently in the hospital after being admitted over a week ago with difficulty breathing and a lung infection. She has made some encouraging progress as she no longer has a breathing tube and they're preparing to release her after a procedure in the next couple of days. What you can be praying for is that there are a couple of highly blocked arteries to her heart (one 90 and the other 100) The doctors do not consider it wise to operate mainly due to her age. What they have elected to do is insert a Stent to hopefully relieve some of the blockage in the more open artery. My parents are currently there with my grandfather to help out when she comes home from the hospital. I'll be traveling to join them in the coming days. Please pray for safe travel for everyone as my family prepares to gather to support her recovery. 

The other request is about support raising. Although God has been so faithful to use this time to grow me and pursue my heart so passionately, I am also a bit discouraged at the slow pace of the process. I really long to be back at Crosspoint diving in to the ministry there. I know God's timing is perfect and He will reveal his plan as He deems me ready to carry it out. I'm praying that I'd be receptive and willing in any way He directs. I still feel at peace with this path I'm just unsure as to how it will all come together. Please pray for the provision of contacts who would be excited to hear of what God's doing at Crosspoint and to help me make other contacts who would do the same. 

I know my faith is being stretched and my God is always in control. It is still difficult though to press on when at times it feels that the place of my calling and where my heart is is so far out of reach.  It reminds me of the Christian life. How often do we get homesick in this temporary place? We are not meant to be comfortable here. We're made to long for more. I pray I'd be dilligent to seek God's heart on what He wants to teach me and how He wants me to grow during this time not missing anything He has for me. Though too, I pray I wouldn't be satisfied. Instead, always giving my best, preparing to be where He's called me: Clemson and ultimately Heaven. 

Thank you so much for your prayers! They are so desperately needed and appreciated!

Celebration and Refreshing Fellowship

Last weekend, I got to make an extended visit to Clemson. I was in town from Fri-Tues and the whole visit was incredibly refreshing! I truly cherished the time spent in fellowship. God also used the trip to confirm some things He's been speaking to my heart. I returned so refreshed!
Here are a few pictures from the long weekend:
Soccer game against MD. Tigers WON!



My accountability partner, Meredith and our friend Susan. :)
Opportunities to spend time with wonderful brothers and sisters are becoming all the more precious as these cherished friends prepare to follow the Lord's calling for the next seasons of their lives.

Each evening I was in town, I got to do something special with friends. I played my first game of Frisbee Golf on campus with Matt, Nick, Lindsey, and Meredith. I definitely need a lot more practice but I had a great time getting introduced to the game. The best part though was spending a couple of hours walking campus with good friends.



Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of the rest of the trip but that's mostly because I was so occupied enjoying the time! On Sunday, I enjoyed corporate worship and the college discussion series. It's always SO good to be home with my church family. Everyone has been so encouraging and genuinely excited to have me there. It's so uplifting to see how much everyone (most of all myself!) is excited for me to be there full time. I really can't wait to be in town for more than a visit!
The activity that evening was ice cream to celebrate our friend Anna's acceptance to Med school! We spent some time at Spill the Beans, a popular ice cream shop/hang out place downtown, then went to Matt's for a game of ImaginIff with some other friends. Game nights have become a fun way to spend some quality time with friends. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed playing Mafia and Apples to Apples together at Matt's birthday party during my last visit and another game night we had last semester is still talked about!
On Monday and Tuesday, I visited with some of the ladies from church that I respect very much. It was wonderful getting to sit down with them, ask questions and glean what I know is God-given wisdom. Time with them is always so meaningful!
One of the special treats of the visit was getting to stay a couple of extra days to go to my old CP group on Monday evening. It was so wonderful to share in fellowship and study with this group again! The group has grown and changed a bit since I attended. There were still quite a few familiar faces though and I really enjoyed the time with them. They're currently studying Humility by CJ Mahaney. The chapter was on starting the day focusing on God. A point Pastor Mahaney makes was such a great reminder of intentionally setting our eyes on the cross. The author asks how much time we spend listening to ourselves versus talking to ourselves.
I also got a few minutes to speak with our Associate Pastors wife, Liz. She and so many of the church staff have been so understanding and encouraging through this support raising experience. She took the time that evening to ask me how I was doing and to give some encouragement and advice. I've really loved how God is using this season in my life to grow me and to show me He's never left my side. One of the ways I've seen this is that my church family has been so lovingly diligent to uplift me in prayer and make sure I know I'm not alone.
It was hard to leave Clemson the next day but God even used the ride home as an opportunity to encourage and uplift me. A suggestion Pastor Mahaney poses in Humility is to seize the commute. Use time you know you will have each day to invite the Lord to speak to you. God has been so faithful to meet with me in the time I seek to spend with Him and to move my heart when I have neglected to offer enough.
God was clearly working on my heart throughout the weekend to show me how to apply things He'd been teaching me and to give me the encouragement I need to persevere through trials.

Refreshed by Living Water

Hearing the rain on my window reminds me of something a classmate said freshman year: he enjoyed the rain because it reminded him of cleansing and renewal. The rain washes things away and promotes growth. It got me thinking about the symbolism of water in the Bible. When God chose to cleanse the earth of a great amount of wickedness, He used flood waters (Gen 6&7). Noah's ark was a symbol of what Christ would do for us. The ark had one door just as there's only one way to heaven: through Christ. The people He created to glorify and fellowship with Him betrayed Him yet God didn't completely destroy the earth. He made a way for saving grace. Believers Baptism is a literal symbol of being "washed by the water", reborn in Christ.
Jesus spoke to a woman at a well about "living water" that eternally sustains. (John 4: 7-15)
There are so many references to the spiritually cleansing, restoring and sustaining aspects of water. Its amazing and humbling how much our God understands us. He uses examples our human minds can grasp to help us see His majesty and perfect plan.
After living at the beach for the summer, human appreciation of beauty became even more real to me. In college, one of my favorite stress relievers was to take a walk on campus especially in the evenings or on a calm weekend afternoon. I was especially drawn to the calm of the reflection pond and the fields of green accented with the colors of flowers. The commonality of what attracted me was nature. At the beach, I loved the feel of the sand, the wind carrying the sea air, the rolling waves....God's put something in us that craves the beauty of His creation. He's left us symbols of Himself and His beauty for us to enjoy in our temporary home. How great is our God who thinks of even the little things He knows we need.