Fun Surprises.

Somehow the Lord always manages to shock me with His timing. 

I mean, shouldn't I just come to expect something awesome to come after something that's not so awesome??

I should know this already.

You would think I would have discovered this aspect of His character already.

Yet, His timing is still something that surprises me. 

It's always a very welcomed surprise though.

The BEST surprises always come after the WORST surprises. 

You know what I mean?

Something happens and all you can say is 

"What the heck?!?!"

And yeah it sucks. 

You don't enjoy those surprises. 

No one does.

But we've all got them. 

And they are there for a purpose.

Rarely do we know what their purpose is until MUCH later. 

But it's still comforting to know that in the midst of all the lousy surprises, the Lord is doing it with purpose. 

He's that kind of guy.

Purposeful. 

Useful.

Resourceful.

Helpful.

And then once your head stops reeling from that pile of stinky...then comes the fun stuff. 

Then comes the use of that purpose. 

Then comes the blessings. 

The fun surprise. 

FINALLY! 

It might take a while to get there. 

It might totally suck on your way there.

And it might not be what you wanted once you get it.

BUT

It's what the Lord wants for you.

It took just as long as He wanted it to.

It hurt, but He wanted it to. 

Pain makes us realize we need something. 

Whether it's a filling 

or 

Dependence on the Lord.

When it hurts, you know something is wrong.

He's got it all planned out. 

So just relax and enjoy the ride.

As much as you can.

I'm sure there's plenty of fun surprises waiting for you. 

Just be willing to see what they are. 

Reunions.

This has been a weekend of reunions.
And what a joyous weekend it has been!

I journeyed to Starkville, Mississippi yesterday.
There I was greeted by the Lovely Miss. Molly Hopper and Miss. Bethany Rogers.
Molly and Bethany and I all did summer missions in the UK this summer.
Molly worked at a camp in Ireland.
Bethany was on a videography team (like me) in Scotland.

It was positively stupendous to get to see these ladies again.
It was so nice to reminisce and catch up on how things have been going since returning stateside.
I just wish that Kelsea Fox girl could've joined us.
Darn you for living so far away!
I know...it's not your fault.

It's so neat to know that no matter where life takes me, or them, we will always have such a special connection.
You get to know people in a very interesting way when you serve in a foreign country with them.
And shoot, we weren't even in the same country for the majority of the time!
But it's a special bond nonetheless.
One you can't get anywhere else.
And this is something that we will ALWAYS have.
BLD.
(that was for you Molly)
(BLD is the Irish equivalent to PTL)

I thought you guys might enjoy this.
These are our best impersonations of our Supervisor in Wales,
Mr. John Robinson.
He has a rather impressive tush (tush in the UK is a mustache...don't get it twisted).
He is an EXCELLENT cook.
And he has the world's DEEPEST voice.
Talk about some long vocal cords.





And, on my journey back to Ruston today, I drove through the quaint little town of Clinton, Mississippi.
Home of Mississippi College.
AND Miss. Beth Ann Lampley.
A K-West gem.
It was quite a wonderful visit.
Even if it was only for 30 minutes. 

Christina's Quest for a Childhood.

So, I have this friend. 

Her name is Christina. 

She didn't have a childhood.

Bless her poor little heart.

She was a softBALLER. 

(note the emphasis on baller)

So in her journey to becoming a BALLER.

She overlooked a few things.

Such as, but not limited to:

1. Swimming.

2. Bike Riding.

3. Roller Blading.

4. Tree Climbing.

5. Fort Building.

6. Sleepovering.

7. Smores Eating.

...Etc, Etc...

So she and I have embarked on a quest.

A quest to discover her long lost childhood. 

First we tackled bike riding. 

We've only had one lesson, but I'd say it was pretty successful. 

Next, we tackled swimming. 

Now, I've taught people how to swim before...but they were all about ages 3-7. 

So this was interesting.

But SUCCESSFUL.

Progress was made.

And more progress is still to come. 

We also gave Christina her first taste of GRITS.

...Texans...

She is still undecided as to whether she likes them or not. 

(I know she does...she just doesn't want to admit it.)

There's is more childhood to be had.

So check back in to see what this crazy kid does next. 

Cobbler at the Cottage.

Isn't it interesting how things pan out sometimes?

Things NEVER end up how you think they are going to.

Especially when it comes to relationships. 

And I'm not just talking like "relationships," I am unbiased in the meaning of the word relationships.

So like even with certain friendships.

Do you ever find yourself sitting with a friend and then you try and think back to when that friendship began?

Or what it was like a year ago?

Or what it was like six months ago?

Or maybe even a week or two ago?

So interesting. 

Today my dear friend Michael Reid and I made a cobbler. 

It was rather delicious. 

Blackberry Mango.

Oh yeah! 

(No, Scott I sadly did not use your recipe. I didn't have all the ingredients and didn't want to face Walmart. Next time.)

So as we were enjoying our cobbler and ice cream, I just started thinking back to when our friendship began. 

And it was just interesting. 

Michael and I haven't always gotten along.

He really used to irk me. 

(most of the time it was intentional)

But it's so cool to see how with time and maturity came a friendship.

I would say that we are fairly good friends. 

And I would just like to give the Lord a shout-out because He is GREAT!

So much this year I've gotten to see His glorious hand in my many friendships.

And I've seen His beauty shine in ALL of them.

Praise the Lord because He gave us friends. 

Need a friend?

Let's hang out.

We can go to The Cottage. 

Don't let her frighten you...she's harmless. 

And a really good listener. 

She's my roommate.

Hannah Lane.

Never Bored.

I would say I am very rarely bored. 

1. My mom NEVER let us say we were bored. 

If we did...out came the vacuum and the Pledge. 

NO THANKS.

2. I used to have a very "simple" life.

Meaning: I would go to class, come home and nap and/or watch TV. 

Pretty exciting stuff huh?

3. Those moments when I do find myself getting bored...this usually is what happens...

So as you can see...boredom just ISN'T an option. 

(And I have Babs to thank for that...THANKS MOM)

So who knows...maybe I'll get bored tomorrow and make my living room prettier. 

Or make some cookies.

Or a cobbler.

I did make one Thursday...but due to circumstances beyond my control I did NOT get to eat any. 

Ohhh yeahh that's what I'm going to do.

Cobbler. 

Yummmm.

Fear Not.

Is anyone ever curious about why we are afraid of certain things?

Like why am I afraid of tiny little spiders?

They are so small.

Yes, they are really icky.

They have too many legs. 

And some are super poisonous and could KILL me. 

But most are harmless.

(...right?)

Or why are we all so afraid of other people?

Why do we care so much what other people think of us?

When I meet someone new, I'm not gonna lie, I'm usually stressin!

Did they think I was funny?

Do they think I'm stupid?

Did they like my shirt?

ETC...ETC...ETC...

And, yes to some degree I should care what others think of me, but not quite to that extent.

Ya know?

So what if they think I'm funny. 

I think I'm funny.

So what if they think I'm stupid.

I KNOW I'm stupid.

So what if they like my shirt. 

If I'm wearing it, then obviously I like it.

It's always really freaky when you realize what it is you are TRULY afraid of.

Just recently I've realized just how afraid I am of getting cancer.

I would say that cancer is something that is so real in everyone's lives that I'm sure we've all thought what if I get cancer?

But I would say it's a hardcore fear of mine.

At certain times in my life that fear has almost consumed. 

And for several reasons I would say it's a completely legitimate fear. 

But that doesn't give me any excuse to give into that fear. 

If I do get cancer or not it's what the Lord has for my life.

Who am I to question Him?

I have the power of the Lord Almighty fighting in my corner. 

What could possibly ever happen to me that He couldn't defeat?

What could cancerous cells do to me that He couldn't reverse?

What do I have to fear?

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:10

"In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Psalm 56:11

That's all I need to know. 

The Western Aftermath.

It has been exactly ONE MONTH since I departed the beautiful peat-graveled grounds of K-West.

And I'm not gonna lie...I MISS IT. 

I mean I know I miss seeing these faces everyday!

It's been rough out here in the real world.

Life at kamp seemed hard at the time...and at the time it truly was.

But I've come to realize that life was so much simpler. 

All I had to do was hang out, talk about Jesus, sort mail and have fun.

It was so easy to love the Lord. 

He was everywhere. 

It was so simple serving Him...I mean everyone else was doing it.

It was so easy to see Him work, because everyone else saw it too.

Kamp was easy. 

Okay that's a lie, Kamp was hard. 

But living for Christ at Kamp....easy. 

I miss the ease. 

But you know what the Lord hasn't called me to easy. 

He never says being a Christian is going to be simple.

Life is hard.

Things are difficult. 

But the beauty is that because I have the Lord, He gets to handle all those unpleasantries. 

So I don't have to worry,

or stress,

or fret. 

I just get to chill and what Him do His thing!

Woop Woop!

What up I got the BEST God! 

So I just want to say to all my fellow Westerners out there...

...I MISS YA. 

K-West be rockin that party y'all.