God is Able

So this whole "Me, not going on Facebook thing" ?

Yeah. Not workin' out so well.

I mean, I definitely have been going on LESS, which is good. I've mainly been going on to contact people, not just to "look around" and do nothing. if you will.

So...I feel like we're on the road to better things here.

:)

I'm not sure if Hillsong came out with a *new album but I'm listening to the album "God is Able" (on grooveshark) that came out as a deluxe addition today. So far I'm really liking it. :) Hillsong is one of my all time favorite Christian artists. Each and every one of their songs carries a truly inspiring message.

This week my little Ethiopian camper-friend is back :) I love her!

Today in the mail my business cards finally cameeee!!! I like them....I think. I'll post what they look like on another day..

In other news...I really like the author Jodi Piccoult! I think she is definitely my favorite. I've read almost ten of her books. She is truly talented.

Right now I'm reading "Plain Truth" by her.

It's verrry good! It's based on an Amish Farm with Characters who are Amish...(ha, imagine that!) but it's really very interesting and I love the look it gives into the Amish culture.

If you like to read, I recommend it.

Today, after camp, I went on a search to find a cheap watch to wear at camp, and my mission was unsuccessful. Anyone know where I can find one for cheaper than $10?

I looked at five below, Kmart, and rite aid. :)

Do not be afraid of change

So yesterday, shortly after posting about being terrified of the coming Fall and all the change, I read this on "She Seeks".

"Your twenties are, by default, a transient decade. It’s the decade where you will likely do the most growing and changing. If you think about it, there’s a big difference between someone who is nineteen and someone who is thirty. All of that difference transpires during a person’s twenties. As you navigate this decade: enjoy yourself. Use God and His Word as a standard for how you should live your life — not some list you wrote on the back of a napkin, or in the pages of your journal, one night when you were brainstorming a list of what a perfect life would look like.

Micah 6:8 says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”

Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly with your God. Those three things won’t look exactly the same in every season of life.

Many things in life aren’t just about the good we’re doing in the moment. They’re about how they’re shaping us and preparing us for whatever lies up ahead.

Do not be afraid of change. Lean into growth every chance you get. You can still keep a running list of everything you want to accomplish in your twenties. But hold it loosely."

Pretty cool huh?

I sure thought so! God speaks in the most amazing way and I sure felt a lot of comfort from that!!

:)

Saturday Morning thoughts...

So here are some thoughts...

I'm thinking that I need to give facebook a little break.

I've been pondering this and it just bothers me how I get so sucked in to it. I can literally spend hours on there. I'm not going to go so drastic as completely getting rid of it but I am going to try to stop going on it for a little while. I'll probably delete the app from my phone too...just to make the temptation a bit less strong.

It's ridiculous. I feel like it has become a legitimate addiction.

I'm hoping to spend a lot more time in God's word and with Him, instead of being filled by what friends do or do not say to me... I want to please Him and Him alone because I was made to do just that.

So...you can probably expect me to be blogging more....:)

Also..

I said I'm scared about the Fall...?

well yeah, I really ammm. Gahhh...

I'm not looking forward to any part of it. I'm terrified because I have no idea what will happen and what God is planning to do. Okay maybe it's a little bit exciting. but mostly it's just terrifying.

If you've read my blog for a while you're probably so sick of hearing it but...I just will never ever be good with change. It's hard.

Why does it have to be so dang hard?

If you would like to pray for me friends, pray that I would trust God to the full with His plans, and that the future would be a source of excitement and not terror...:)

Have a blessed weekend!

First Fab Friend Friday! -Christin

Guess what today is??

It's Fabulous Friend Friday!

What's that you say? You've never heard of it? well....that's because.........that's because....I made it up. :)

I decided every Friday for a little while I will feature one of my dear friends on my blog because life is too short. And all you readers can meet my "people".

So first up is my dear friend Christin.

I don't even need to tell her I'm doing this because I know it won't be long before she sees this. She is probably my one and only follower who reads my blog everyday. (there might be more...if you read everyday too, don't be offended. :) but she's definitely the MOST faithful reader!)

Christin is my best friend. We have been friends for about six years, but I'm pretty sure we have known each other for seven. She looks a lot like me (or so everyone is quick to tell us) but honestly it's fine with me.

I even kind of like it.(shh that's a secret)

It makes us feel more like sisters. We're so close that I honestly think of her as my sister.

I've never had a best friend quite like Christin, and our friendship taught me what exactly that even is.

We tell each other everything. And I mean everything. What I love the most about that is that we are so comfortable with each other and it's so refreshing.

We have SO much fun together and it doesn't even matter what we're doing. Most of the time we end up just talking for hours.

Christin has the most beautiful heart for God. She and another of my friends are actually the last "main road" that I took to start a relationship with God. Before I went to youth group with her, I didn't even know what serving and living for God really meant. She's helped me to grow and it's been awesome that we as friends can grow in the Lord together.

We are very much on the same page and it's the best accountability I've ever had. (especially bc we ARE so real with each other.)

Despite going to separate colleges, we have grown a lot closer each and every year.

I love Christin's sense of humor and how silly she is sometimes. (sorry christin it's true :)) I love just laughing with her and doing things that others might call strange.

She's amazing with children and I know she will make a great teacher and mother some day.

She has a big smile and I love when she laughs randomly and things that she shouldn't. ;)

Her dance moves are by far the best I've ever seen.

She's a veryyy faithful, and supportive friend and for that I am forever grateful.

She's just an all around great person and one I'm glad to call my BFF.

Love you Christin. :)

As Long As I'm Here

If I have to be honest...

If I have to be honest....

I've totally been slacking on this memorizing Bible verses thing. :( It makes me sad and upset with myself...grr I'm only behind by a couple of months I think...but still, it's harder than I thought to keep myself accountable..!

If I have to be honest...

I'm getting really scared about the upcoming Fall. It's my first one in four years that I won't be returning to college life. It's....weird. I don't know what will happen and I get really nervous. I'm not looking forward to the big transition of it, at all. Home here is such a haven, and I knoww it'll feel so weird for a while. =/ boo.

If I have to be honest...

I went to the dentist tonight, and I got so much novacaine that I can only smile with half my face....haahaha. No but seriously, it's rilll cute.

If I have to be honest....

I've kept up this blog for a lot longer than I thought I would, and I'm really, really glad! It's such a cool outlet and I love the fact that I have so many memories and feelings accessible so easily.

If I have to be honest...

One of the biggest reasons I'm excited to live apart from my parents is so that I can get a dog. No lie.

:)

Have a nice week everyone!

A jumble of thoughts and Phil 1:21

Hey Y'all!

Sorry I've been so MIA. Posting in the summer this year is a lot harder then I ever thought it would be.

This past week was verrrry busy. No down time at. all.

This was basically my schedule:

-Camp

-Home for an hour to eat and shower (no rhyme intended haha)

-VBS all night

-Bed at 9:30 because I was so tired.

-Repeat until Friday.

Whew!

It wore, me, out. I'm telling you.

At VBS I was in the preschool room with about 15-20 little tiny kiddos. They were sooo cute though. Most of them were really sweet too. Those few hours were usually filled with lap sitting, back rubbing, swing pushing and tickling. :) I love, love, that age. The kids were mostly 3 and 4 I think. Some 2 years though.

Oh yeah, I also worked my new job at Kids Park on Monday night. They are a newly started business so not many kids have been there.

I worked today as well and there were more than they've ever had when I was there. (seven kids)

I wasn't going to say this, buuut. I just can't contain my excitement about it...

I ordered some business cards for Kari Rachel Photography. :) I'm super pumped about it.

More people are liking my facebook page and some people who I don't even know! I'm excited about it and so glad that it's so fun for me. and also that I can use it to make other people happy.

Ever since last week's Bible study on Wednesday I've been pondering about whether or not we got to Heaven or Hell RIGHT when we die. Of course I have always thought so...it's what everyone always says... and we were trying to find the verses in the Bible that say specifically supporting that right when we die we will go to heaven.

I couldn't find one! It was frustrating. I'm sure that we will go to heaven in the last day when Jesus comes back, (there are a lot of verses supporting that) but I couldn't find much else.

It was kind of bothering me.

After talking with several people and investigating some verses I found a comforting one.

²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²² If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴ but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.phil 1:21-24

Paul is clearly saying here that when he dies it will be a GAIN because he will be with Jesus.

My study Bible notes say: "Either alternative was a good one. While mysteries remain, this passage clearly teaches that when believers die, they are with Christ, apart from the body."

We were basically trying to disprove the idea that when people die there is a "resting"....and that they go to Heaven later.... and I think this verse disproves it . :)

What do you think?

Silent Sunday (sort of)

I'll leave you with these two pictures of the lens cap holder I made for my camera..! :) (of course a pinterest idea)

I'm really happy with the way it turned out! It was super easy (directions here) and now I won't lose my lens cap!

Camppp and fill in the blank

I am so. completely. D R A I N E D.

This "work" week was only four days but somehow it felt like six! (and I'm not the only one who felt it)

This was the third day in a row that we got thunderstorms, and let me tell you, they aren't such fun when your camp is basically all run outdoors. It means that we're all (cranky-tired-staff, sticky-sweaty-smelly campers) stuck in close proximity under some sort of large structure that will keep us safe...for what feels like for-ev-er. It's not so bad the first day, but today (the *ahem* THIRD day in a row) we all knew the drill and I could tell we were all more than a little bummed that, yet again we would be having a "no store, no pool, vale pick-up" kind of afternoon.

I was in charge of arts and crafts this week. I enjoyed it, but I'm glad to be a counselor next week again. It felt like a lot of stress and pressure on me this week because it was like it was my job to keep the pavilion clean, after everything. Like...everyday I had to pick up the kids' trash from being in there from the storm.

It sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm really just saying that it was really tiring... and don't get me wrong I did have help so I wasn't ALL alone in the cleaning.

Today the storm happened a lot earlier than usual-at 1:45. so half the camp went to the lodge for a movie. This little boy was using the one and only toilet in that building. He was in there for about 20minutes, and I went in after him. When I flushed, the toilet started overflowing. It was basically like a waterfall all over the floor. haa. I told someone with a walkie quickly, and then randomly the metal trashcan on the wall came crashing down simultaneously. It was weird. No one was even near it! Talk about a strange afternoon/pretty crummy day! I'm thinking the boy used up ALL the toilet paper (there was none left when I went in) OR he used paper towels and loaded the bowl with them so that it clogged...haaa. Kids.

I'm so excited to veg tonight, I can't even express it! I feel like I've been going none stop.

On another note, I wanted to do a Fill-In-the-Blank-Friday since I haven't in a while:)

1. My plans this summer include.....working, working, and more working. I'm working at camp, and my second job will start up this weekend. I'm definitely scared for how I will be able to manage both.

2. The best summer I ever had was...the summer right after my junior year in high school. It was my last summer without working and I went on so many trips and just hung out. I went to New Hampshire with a group of students from school (quite the adventure with canoeing, hiking etc..), Harvey Cedars Bible Conference, and the beach for two separate weeks with my parents. It was the best!

3. Summer is...warmth, freedom, starry nights, thunderstorms, unlimited photo shoots, best friend hang outs, transition time, corn on the cob, fruit salad, vacations. It's good for the soul.

4. My favorite summer food is...hands down, corn on the cob. :))) I also lovee me some fruit salad.

5. The best way to quench a summer thirst is... drinking ice cold water.

6. My uniform of the summer consists of...Shorts, T-shirts, and sneakers. (thank you camp)

7. The best thing about summer is...It's a break from the normal, the weather, and all the fun seasonal things about it.

:)

I want to change the world.

Do you ever feel like that?

Lately God has really been creating a super special place in my heart for orphans.

My heart is seriously breaking for them, and I just want to "move" and DO something!

It's been a pretty gradual process.

I've known since a few years ago that I really have a passion in my heart to one day be a foster parent and to also adopt children. The spark first started for me after reading the book "Sex God" by Rob Bell, (which I never did finish). At one point in the book he talked about a woman who was completely selfless and who opened her home to so many foster children. Not just any children though, some had intense special needs, they were the children that no one else seemed to want. God loves these children more than we could ever know and He has a call for them to be loved as well.

Ever since reading that, I've known that it's something I would really like to pursue one day.

Last year I read the book "Choosing to See" by Mary Beth Chapman and was reminded how adoption is so much like God's story for us as His children. He adopted US. It's SO awesome, and special and I really feel like God is calling me to it.

I'm telling you, there is a BIG passion growing in this heart of mine.

My first week at camp I had a little girl in my group who was about 7 or 8 who was adopted from Ethiopia. I thought it was the COOLEST. thing. ever. and it was basically the highlight of my week. She really took a liking to me, and I was trying to ask her about her family and her home country when she brought it up. It sounded like she was adopted not long ago, like maybe a few years. She still has her accent and she's still learning English. (it was beyond adorable to hear her call my nickname "Karebear") It might seem small but I feel like God puts those little things in our lives for a reason.

There is a woman at my church who has four little girls of her own, and she is a adopting a little boy from Bulgaria. It's so special and it's had me looking into Reese's Rainbow, an organization that places mostly orphans with special needs into their forever homes.

I hope I get to work with them some day!

Hannah's Hope is another one that seems pretty awesome.

I don't even know how it happen but yesterday I was surfing the web and came across SO many adoption stories and watched sooo many of those "Gotcha Day" videos. (and of course I was bawling my eyes out at each one.)

I'm already kind of planning (wayyy tentatively) to go on some sort of mission trip next summer. I would love to visit Maria's Big House of Hope in China. We'll see where God leads...

Hopefully my future hubby will have the same passion I do. ;) I'm praying that he does!

God's always loved you.

" Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the EVERLASTING God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired and weary and His understanding no one can fathom." Isaiah 40:28

This was camp's memory verse this past week. It's one of my favorites!

Yesterday I was watching a video testimony from the website "wonderfully made" and the girl speaking shared a quote. She said "There has never been a moment when God hasn't loved you".
That really hit me. It's way comforting.

Never.

Ever.

The times when I decided I didn't "need" God, or the days when I was doubting, the times when I didn't acknowledge God's presence at all...He still. loved. me. He has always loved me and He really always will.
I'm so thankful that God is a loving God.

This week I went to a Bible study led by some friends for the summer and really enjoyed it. They are studying John because it is meant to be geared towards "seekers" or people who are newer in the faith. No one like that came though...ha. but it was still good. It was very refreshing to talk about the word with other people and discuss what the verses meant for each of us.

Lately I'm really loving Bible stories. For what seems like forever I didn't enjoy reading the Old Testament. Lately though, I'm really interested in those stories and hearing them and also applying them to my life.
I've been reading Ezra...

No Job prospects. I'm starting to accept the idea that I will have to sub for a year or so to make connections before I can get a job.

The theme this summer at CSF is about other countries that are persecuted. It's been awesome because every week I'm reminded about how blessed I am to live here in America. Sometimes I don't understand why we live in such abundance here and then there are countries that have close to nothing.... it's so hard to grasp. I've been reminded to pray for them though and to be grateful for what I have.

This Thursday I'm finally starting my training for that new evening job I mentioned before.
I'm also being the arts and crafts person this week instead of a counselor to fill in for Christin. She's going on vacation.
Should be an interesting week.

Lately I've also been reminded in a lot of ways, (kind of like I said last week) that this life is SO much more then what I tend to want to make it. It's not about me, or you, or anyone else but God and salvation.
It's the greatest gift in the history of the world, and it's really all that matters. :)

What a joy!

Wishing everyone a nice Fourth of July!

(Ps. I don't mean to keep changing my blog look, but I can't seem to find any I reallyyy like.)

Also, here are some pictures from camp this week!


We had our 4th of July parade! I'm a nerd and JJ is Thing 1




Me and one of my "nerdy" campers ;)