Desert Song

I know that many of you know this song and I wanted you to hear more about it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE33ejdgWIY

Photography

Just putting up these pictures and taking a picture the other day with my phone makes me really want to pursue photography even more. I've got the equipment and I've got a great teacher...if he agrees to it. Just looking at his site and blog make me love it too!

Check him out:

Website:
http://www.robb-davidson.com/index2.php

Photo Blog:
http://robbdavidson.wordpress.com/

It's a Record!

I think this is officially the longest it has been since I've updated in a VERY long time. I just don't know where the time went...well, I do but let's not waste our time here!

I wanted to update you to what is going on. Since I last updated:

-Spent a week leading worship and doing drama for Camp Discover at GEBC
-3 birthdays and a holiday during the 4th of July week
-serious relationship ups and downs
-an AMAZING missions trip to Minneapolis with 8 students from GEBC
-tutoring
...and learning to be disciplined and set boundaries.

I am going to post some pictures of a little bit of my summer. I need to figure out how to do more of this:

We packed enough food for 48 children for a year!

A view of the city (taken while driving):

My sister and I at the World Market:

4th of July Party Fun

My friend Katie and I had a little bit of fun with our homemade shirts:

Crazy girls...at least that's what the guys said!:

Here is the whole group...waiting for the GE fireworks to start:(Front L-->R) Amanda, Katie, me, Christine (and her husband), Matt (host)
(Back L-->R) Derek, C-Train, Matt's friend (name?)

Party Time in Nashville

A few weekends ago, I went back to Nashville to visit my dear friends there. I had a great time. Friday night I spent with my last roommate and her new husband. We made dinner at home, went and grabbed ice cream and then walked around downtown Nashville. It was so great to be there and it brought back many memories of times out with friends and times when my family visited.

Saturday, my best friend down there and I decided to sleep in then walk a trail for over 5.5 miles! Let's just say more than 5.5 miles in 83*F humid weather is not my favorite thing but we took some crazy pictures as you can see. It was so fun---I forgot it was nasty outside!

I have to go but I will post more later! :)

Each day...

is a new challenge. I'm never really quite sure what will happen or how I will feel when I go to bed that night. I feel as though the past 4 weeks have been the most up and down I've felt all year since moving back. Each day, I wake up hoping that today will be the day that will be happier than the past few and will catapult me into a new journey where I feel joy and happiness each day but that hasn't been the case. I think I'm having an 'up' day and then something goes fatally wrong and my day comes crashing down on me. I am reading my Bible more, praying more, and just generally trying to be thankful for what I do have and know that God's perfect timing is real and will happen--but I somehow seem to feel as though as quickly as the trying happens, my heart just feels broken and sad. (Sorry about the run-on sentence!)

I found 8 openings online the other night for jobs in DG which I about fainted when I discovered them, but haven't heard anything yet from sending in my applications. I'm still searching and trying to get myself out there but it is just hard.

My sister rocked her pops concert the other night and we had fun singing the last song together during the family choir portion of the show!

My brothers both had soccer games this morning and they both played really well. I am, however, very upset with the ref in the game because my brother was being bullied by a guy on the other team and a couple times, I thought my brother was hurt. The ref barely called anything. I'm not normally one to be hard on the officials of a game because I know they have a tough job. These were blatant hits that would never fly in the pros and would normally have someone red-carded!!!!!!!!! Needless to say, it was a bad day for him and he was upset--which is unlike him too!

I just went to lunch with some friends that I know pretty well and some that I don't know very well but they are also going on the church plant so I'm excited about getting to know them better too. Tonight I'm headed to a BBQ....we'll see how it goes- 'nough said.

Community

For so long, I've longed for community. It always seems as though when I try to be a "social person" it's ends up being a flop. I often try to get people together and then it feels like no one can come. I just want to get to know people and don't feel as though it works. If I start to feel a part of a community, then it seems to fall apart.

Longing for community...

Continuing down the road...

As I mentioned in my last post, it has been a tough week. I'm still feeling the distance and although I may have prayed for it in a sense, I didn't really expect for it to manifest itself in this way.

This morning, I ended up team-teaching Sunday Morning Discussion for the high school students. This week's topic was finding God and giving Him glory during the tough times as well as relying on Him. Although I had reminded myself of these very things this week, it was still hard just the same. I am sensing that this week will have its ups and downs as well but I hope to feel at peace and experience the peace that is talked about in Phillipians "Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all human understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:6-7).

I would also like for you to enjoy this fine video of my great aunt and her experiences:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhumYGZBXSs

Almost to the top of the mountain and I come falling down again...

...that is how the last 6 days have felt. I went on our women's retreat and felt like I had opened up and started dealing with some of the "gunk junk" that was building up inside of me. By the end of the weekend, I felt like God had done some great things in me and that hopefully things would start to be a little less draining...I guess I wasn't prepared for what was to come. I came home and was on a 'high' more or less just feeling like I was at peace and God had changed me in many ways...and he did. Then came the realization that I had to deal with all the situations I had spent time fighting with God about and trying to deal with. I feel as though I've lost God already....I'm feeling less at peace and many things have happened that have been different than when I left. 'Friends' aren't repsonding to attempts to communicate with them and they are people that have always been free and open in talking with me and wanting to know how life is going--suddenly, I feel as though they no longer care....about anything including whether I'm alive or not..... As I recounted the strangeness tonight to my mom and then to a friend, I realized just how much was different. I'm not really sure what this all means but if its what I think it is, God is planning something huge and I'm not sure its going to be easy in ANY WAY! Please pray for me as I enter into a very trying time...as if the past year hasn't been enough! I would love to crawl into a corner and not come out for a while...(I know its not good...its just the way I feel right now).

Day by Day

Each day, I'm amazed at what God has plans to do in my life in the coming months. I know that He has already done so much and yet I feel like there is so much more. 

This weekend, I have a wonderful opportunity to go on the Women's Retreat with GEBC. I know that it will be a weekend of inspiration and growing closer with Christ. I also have some fears and hesitant feelings because of some of the people going. I am praying for a peaceful heart to enjoy the weekend and the fellowship I know I will enjoy.

Finally, I'm still really excited about the church plant and can't wait to see what God is going to do through it. I'm nervous and estatic (sp?) each and every day!

Thank you for your support and friendship through this crazy year of transition!!!!!!