"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;

and you who have no money, come buy and eat...

Listen to me and eat what is good,

and your soul will delight in the richest of fare..

 

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and the hills will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands

 

Instead of the thorn bush will grow the pine tree,

and instead of briers, myrtle will grow.

This will be for the Lord's renown, for an everlasting sign which will not be destroyed.

Isaiah 55

 

HE makes our paths straight

For the past few months or really since i can remember i have wanted to go back to Africa. My heart has had this empty space, this feeling of confusion that i thought only my return could cure. Time and time again I fall guilty of placing God in his little box in my minuscule life that I feel I can control. All I wanted to do this summer was work and raise enough money to return to where my heart was calling me. When I was in Africa God grew me much more than I could have ever imagined. I was not only humbled on a daily basis, but impacted in ways I have no words for. Its something that a person must go and experience for themselves. Something so moving that even the thought of it makes my heart leap with joy. I never thought God could grow me in ways he did when I was in Africa any other place. Well, of course I was wrong.

I have learned I have a small problem of commiting to certain things b/c of the possibility of something else coming along that may be, in my mind, better than the current opportunity. After much prayer I decided to apply for SummerStaff at Southwind in FLA after one of my best friends katie has sent me a notification about their need of volunteers. With my age I knew i woud more than likely be the oldest and still held tightly to the idea of going back to Africa. Long story short I was accepted and went, leaving Africa to God.

I was so nervous upon arrival at Southwind. I road down from Knoxville with Katie and two of her younglife girls Holly and Kelsey which was awesome because I actually knew three people. Of course we all know God works in crazy ways so we were all split in different jobs. Satan definantly spoke lies to me the first night in making me feel not good enough or the lie of no one will like me. As the night went on these feelings soon passed with prayer and me letting go. Long story short I had an AMAZING summer session at SouthWind that ROCKED MY WORLD:) i made a Family and learned so much about myself!!!

my SummerStaff SouthWind Family

View from the top of the Slide of SouthWind pool areas

some of the girls before Princess night

Yuck war