Wow.
August already?
August 19, 2009??
What happened to my summer????
Well, now that I think about it, I think maybe I can tell you what happened to my summer...

Summer Camps: Shannon and I are back in Wisconsin, and I've had the privilege of working at my church once again helping to coordinate and direct the Summer Camp program. It was a CRAZY fast summer, with camps every week from the first week in June until last week. I got to co-direct four camps specifically this summer: "Ready, Set, Go!" (a field-trip-a-day camp for 1st thru 3rd graders), "Storybook Adventure Hour" (for preschoolers), "All Creatures Great and Small Camp" (on a farm for 3rd thru 6th graders), and of course, "Music & Drama Camp". Additionally, I helped facilitate the other camps, coordinating communication between families and camp directors, helping to get snacks taken care of and any additional helping with the logistical issues. Oh yeah, and then I got the fun job of cleaning out the Sunday School rooms for the fall, helping with Sunday School curriculum, and now I'm cleaning out the Christian Education Resource Room (anyone wanna join me??) Fun times, for sure!

Weddings: Shannon and I counted, and we were either in or involved in SEVEN weddings this summer. HA! No wonder I don't feel like we had any weekends!!! Now, I LOVE weddings, and I had a BLAST at each and every wedding we attended this summer, but I DO have to say that I am SO GLAD I'm done with weddings for this year until next April (or at least I think I am - does anyone out there have any news to share with me??)

Family: Something that's been really great this summer is that Shannon and I have been able to spend a lot of time with my family. I have really, really enjoyed getting to know my family all over again, in the context of being married. Over the years, my family and I have had our tough times, and in the past year I've really seen God do a lot of healing in our family. I even call up my mom sometimes to see if she just wants to go out and have fun... shopping, going for a bike ride, etc. I think that this season of being here near home has really been a blessing for us for that reason.

Bosnia: "WHAT, BOSNIA?!?" you may ask. I guess I can't really say I've been busy with Bosnia itself, but I have been busy, busy, busy getting READY for my trip to Bosnia that is rapidly approaching here! On September 3, 7 individuals from our church, along with a couple from a church in Washington State are going across the ocean to do ministry in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I know, I can't believe it either! On the other side of the ocean, our team will be splitting up (men and women). The men will be working on a construction project while the women will travel around the country hosting women's retreats. The focus of our retreats is the Love of God, which we hope to share with the women we'll encounter (we are anticipating participation by about 150 women!) through a craft, worship (which I'm in charge of leading), Bible teaching, and sharing our testimonies. We are going to be SO busy, and I know the trip is going to be as exhausting as it will be exhilarating!
So far, this trip has already been a HUGE growing experience for me. We are a very diverse team with very diverse personality types, experiences, and backgrounds, and it has been extremely interesting trying to feel through how we can best relate to and serve one another on our team. I also have this unreasonable fear that I'm battling surrounding the plane trip itself. I think it's maybe because of all of the plane crashes over the ocean I've been hearing about lately, but I'm just feeling uneasy about the whole thing. On the whole, I would appreciate your prayers regarding the entire trip.

Our Future: Much of our summer has also been spent prayerfully considering what God has next for us. At the end of last semester at Moody, Shannon and I decided not to return to Moody in the fall. I, of course, graduated in May, but Shannon has three years left in his undergraduate education. Through much prayer and deliberation, he decided that Moody wasn't the place for him because we sensed God calling us into a different direction with our desire to serve Him in Missions - more toward a business as missions model. So, in faith, we withdrew from Moody after my graduation and moved back home, seeking Him for direction. In late July, we had the opportunity to visit Toccoa Falls College in Georgia, and Shannon was easily convinced that TFC was the place for him. They offer a major that fits his gifts and our ministry goals to a "t", and there is also a grad school nearby where I may be able to pursue my MSW. We are excited about the move, but moreso, excited that we see God's hand so evident in it. We will also be very close to our dear friends, the Schultzes. I think that them being nearby might be the thing that I personally am most excited about!!! :)

So when is this all happening, you ask? Well, funny you should ask. Due to a set of circumstances we can attribute ONLY to God, we will be remaining here in Wisconsin until August of 2010. We feel as though, based on some very direct things that have happened in the past several weeks, God is calling us into a season of paying off debt, seeking His face, continuing to build relationships with my biological family and our church family, and REST. We have been incredibly blessed as Shannon has been asked to work a very stable job for the next 12 months which will provide us with a steady income and even health insurance. HALLELUJAH! In this economy, especially, we rejoice in His provision!

And for myself? Well, I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing, as my job at the church ends on August 31. I will be applying to jobs once I return from Bosnia, but don't have anything specific in mind. However, I do know that I have a few things I would like to focus on over these next 12 months:

1. Focusing on my relationship with God. I am SO excited about getting involved in a women's Bible study, being able to become a more active member of our church body, and just spending time pouring over the Word without an academic goal. I loved Bible school, but there were definitely times when the Bible became more of a textbook than my daily bread. I have had an increased hunger since I have been home for the Word and I am so excited about this renewed passion I already see God nurturing in my heart. I am eager to see what He will do in me this year.

2. Continuing to grow in my new role as a wife: these past 16 months have not been your typical newlywed faze of life. I am excited to be in one place for an extended period of time, surrounded by the wonderful examples God has given me in my church family so that I can grow in my role as a wife and help-mate to Shannon. I think that this is a very healthy and productive environment for me to do that.

3. Investing in God-given relationships here. This summer has been an interesting one, in that I haven't spent as much time with people as I have in the past. I foresee this changing in the months to come, but with a lot of prayer. Something I've discovered over the last four years is that I'm much more an introvert than I realized, and that I have to be careful how much I am running around trying to be everyone's best friend. I am praying that the Lord will make it clear to me which relationships to invest in. I am praying to be mentored and also to be a mentor. I already see Him growing love for certain people in my heart.

4. Learning to Play the Guitar. I have made NO progress here, but I intend to seriously pick up that guitar I've had for 7 years and start taking lessons this fall. I'll let you know how that goes. :)

5. Get involved in drama. I had an opportunity to audition for a musical earlier this summer, and am still waiting to hear back about the audition (they haven't made a decision yet). Whatever happens with that role, I have definitely been bitten by the acting bug once again, and I know that I want to somehow get involved again with theater in some way, shape, or form. That stuff absolutely FEEDS me. :)

So yeah... summer's almost over, but life is NOT going to get boring. With God in control and driving this car, can it ever be? :)

I know it's been awhile since I've written on this xanga site... I guess life has just been in so many transitions lately that it's seemed impossible to keep up!  But life is good... God is good... I have seen so much growth in myself these past months I wish I could share it all in detail.  Hopefully, I'll get back on the xanga train sometime.  Maybe after graduation!  :)

Speaking of graduation - I got really excited on Thursday... I went to check my campus mail box and in it was a form to order my cap and gown.  WOW!  It is so incredible to me to think that after years of struggle and trying at times just to survive, graduation is actually coming. 

At the same time, I've been working on a few projects for school - about eating disorders.  All of these thoughts have really taken me on a journey down memory lane of reminiscing on what God's done for me and how far He's brought me since 2000.  I am so humbled and eternally grateful to remember His faithfulness and Healing Love along this journey...

I was on Facebook this morning and came across this posting from a Mercy graduate.  It is beautiful and reminds me of my identity in Him...

You said that I wasn't pretty
so I just believed you
And you said that I wasn't special
so I lived that way
with critical gazes and brutal amazement
at how my reflection could be so imperfect
With all of my blemishes
how could somebody want me?

But God loves ugly
He doesn't see the way I see
Oh, God takes ugly
and turns it into something that is beautiful
apparently I'm beautiful
cause you love me, ohh

I tried to clean up the outside
all shiny and new
Worked overtime to thin up and look right
but inside I knew
that deep in the bottom were secrets I thought I could try to ignore
Old ghosts in my corridors never get tired of haunting the past that's in me

But God loves ugly
He doesn't see the way I see
Oh, God takes ugly
and turns it into something that is beautiful
apparently I'm beautiful
cause you love me

Help me believe
why you love me
when I know you see
you see everything
Help me believe
why you love me
when I know you see
inside and you still say I'm beautiful
you're telling me I'm beautiful
you're screaming out: oh, so beautiful
and I'm finding out I'm beautiful
you're making me so beautiful
and I can see I'm beautiful
cause you love me

Lord, thank you for loving me.  Thank you for believing in me.  Thank you for showing me Yourself.  Thank you for thinking I'm beautiful and worthy of Your love.  I am in awe...

I was sitting down to write a nice little blog entry and then I wondered...
Does anyone read this anymore?
We shall see...!
Update to come, if you do read it!  :)  Tee hee...