Halfway There!!!

Well I had a graduation party on Saturday and God worked miracles!!! I received, all together, $1,100 towards YWAM! Which brings me to $3,440! So my first half is payed for! Praise Jesus!! Now the most I will have to raise is $3,000 for the outreach phase! Which I know God will provide! I've started a little savings account,too, that I will use while I'm gone for living costs... Activities, gas, and any other needs I might have! It's all coming together. And it seems to be coming SO fast! There is so much going on, but this seems to be the biggest thing for me right now! I'm trying so hard to prepare for it in every way I possibly can! Physically, Mentally, Spiritually, and Emotionally. There is so much to do! But I'm having a blast! I can't tell you how precious every minute with my family is to me right now! 

Andrew leaves for Iraq in 15 days! And I can't believe he will be gone for a year! I can still remember playing silly little games with him and doing crazy things!! He always knew how to make me laugh... and still does!! I couldn't ask for a better big brother. There are so many times that I look at him and hope that, someday, the man I marry will be something like him. He's so big and strong, and when I'm with him I'm never afraid. He's always on time! :) He is always willing to listen. And he is one of my favorite people to talk to about music; He always knows of fun new songs that I haven't heard! I'm going to miss him very much and I'm praying that God will prepare him for where he's going and what he'll see. I trust that God will bring him home, safe to us! 

My Courty Serene is probably my favorite girl in the world! I took her on a date not too long ago and on the way home she said to me "Beth, your my very best friend. And I love you so so so much!" I cannot tell you what that does to my heart!! I love that girl more than I could have ever imagined! And every minute with her has become so precious to me! I don't know what I will do without her for six months! I don't know what I will do without any of my family for six months!! And when I think about it, a small part of me panics! But the other part of me gets butterflies, you know, like you do when someone you like walks past you or smiles at you. Because I am so excited to see what God is going to do! And I can't wait to spend all that time with my One and Only!! I think about my future and all that He has in store, and I'm so excited that none of it has even started!! Like when you get to the very top of a roller coaster, and you know that your about to go down and it's going to be the most amazing ride of your life! And your a little scared and you might feel a little sick at your stomach, but for a split second your so excited that you have this whole ride in front of you! That it's only just begun! That's where I feel like God has me! And I can't wait to go on this journey with Him!

Garage sale!!!

We are trying to put together a garage sale for the first or second weekend in June!! And ANYTHING will help!! I'm hoping to just gather a bunch of random stuff and put it all out there with some signs that say what we're raising money for! So hopefully that goes well!! We sent out my graduation announcements and since then, I've gotten a little bit more money! I'm not quite sure exactly what number we're at yet... but I will figure it and put it up as soon as I can! I'm getting more and more excited! And God is doing so much! I just wish I could feel him a little more sometimes... I get so distracted with everyday things and trying to balance my time with family and friends and work. So I've just been praying that He would help me to find a good way to make time to spend with Him! I still just love knowing that even when He feels far away, He's always so close! I know He has a plan, even in my relationship with Him. I have so far to go!! And that makes it kind of exciting!! I can't imagine what kind of amazing things He will do in me while I'm gone! I can't wait to see all the ways He reveals himself to me! That part is what I'm looking forward to the most! Kind of like a long awaited date with my sweet Jesus! A six month long date! I can't wait to see where He takes me! Keep praying!!

Growing up...

 This last friday I turned 18!! I can’t believe I’m actually an adult!! I know it sounds cheesey, but it’s a little scary that I’m growing up! I still feel like a little girl! I’m not sure that I’m ready to make my own decisions and be my own person!? It’s so weird to feel like all of the sudden your not a kid anymore. It makes me think of that part in “Chronicles Of Narnia” when Prince Caspian finally comes face to face with Aslan and Aslan commands the kings and queens to rise. But Caspian stays nelt because he doesn’t believe he is ready to be a king. But Aslan replies “It is for this reason, I know you are.” It’s so crazy how God just knows exactly what  you need and when. And how even when YOU don’t exactly know who you are and who you want to be...He does! I can feel him just reassuring me everytime I start to doubt myself! He is so very good. I sent in another set of checks yesterday which brings me to $2,215.00 with almost $3,500 to go!! God will provide!! It’s still scary when I think about leaving though... I can’t believe I’m actually doing it!  It’s like now that we’re actually getting closer and closer to the time and to having it paid for I think it’s becoming more and more real! Yikes!! But I’m just trusting God! He has everything planned! Keep praying!!