Moving

I spent the last 2 days moving and now I am really tired! This was a unique move because I moved into 2 places, a new apartment and my dads. I signed a lease for an apartment with some friends and moved most of my stuff there however my current summer job is located near my dads house so I am staying with him until I find a job closer to my apartment, I'm looking for a nursing job so I can use that wonderful degree I worked so hard to get! I'm hoping to be fully living in my new apartment within a month, I've already applied for over 40 jobs! (I've got to get one of them, right?). I know that there is a great job out there for me, I'm just praying that it is sooner rather than later!

My summer job starts tomorrow so there was no time to relax. Thankfully tomorrow I don't have to go to work until 8am, all the other days I start at 5:30am! I know, I find it a little crazy too that I spend my summer waking up at 4:30am, its still dark when I leave for work but on the bright side I'm done every day at 2pm and have the afternnon to enjoy myself.

This summer will be so different, for starters I will be spending the next month or so studying up for the NCLEX, the state board nursing test to become a RN. Secondly, I won't have to return to classes in the fall. I don't think this as all sunk in yet!

Well, I am exhausted and still have a little more unpacking to do, although i'm trying to live out of boxes as much as possible so there will be little re-packing to do in the hopefully near future!

Change

Life is changing all the time whether we realize it or not. Sometimes the change is big and other times it may be too small for us to even notice. Yesterday I experienced a BIG change, I graduated from college! All my life I have been going to school, I've been a student. Now its all over, done, good bye school. I graduated with a BSN in nursing. I still have to take the NCLEX before I am a RN (Registered Nurse), right now I am a GN (Graduate Nurse). It still has fully sunk in yet that next year I won't be going to school.

I am currently searching for RN jobs, there are not too many available at this time in the area where I want to work. I have signed a lease for an apartment with 3 others girls who will be Juniors at Marian University. I prayed long and hard about whether or not this was the right choice. By signing a lease, I have commited myself to staying in the area. I am excited for the opportunites this will bring such as; living with my best friend, helping out with the college ministry and much, much more!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

This verse has given me much hope and much to look foward to as I begin a new chapter in my life. I am excited and scared for what lies ahead but I know one thing--- I will never go alone, God will always be with me, whatever I do.

Now that I no longer have school, I hope to be able to update this more often! So look for more updates!

Where I Belong

Your presence is all I am longing for
Here in the secret place
Your nearness is all I am waiting for
Here in the quiet place,
Here in the secret place
My soul waits for You alone
Like the watchmen wait for dawn
Here I’ve finally found the place
Where we’ll meet, Lord, face to face

I’ve finally found where I belong,
I’ve finally found where I belong in Your presence
I’ve finally found where I belong,
To be with You, to be with You

I am my Beloved’s and He is mine,
So come into Your garden and take delight in me
Take delight in me

Delight in me, delight in me
Delight in me, delight in me
Here in Your presence, God, I find my rest
Here in Your presence, God

I have just recently heard this song and discoverd Cory Asbury. This song really helps me get into a spirit of worship and just waiting on the Lord. There is so much truth to the line "I've finally found where I belong in Your presence." How amazing it is just to sit in the Lord's presence. That is the one place where I truely belong. The prayer of my heart is that God would delight in me, I want nothing more than to please my heavenly Father and live for Him. "I am my Beloved's and He is mine" Not only do I belong to God, but He is mine, He is and will always be there for me. There truely is rest and peace in God's presence and I pray that you would find this rest and peace because nothing can compare to it!

Aaron Lee Young

Today my nephew was born! My sister-in-laws water broke at 1:15am and she had a c-section around 6:15am, they had to wait for the morning surgical team to arrive, the night team had just left and the doctor felt it was safe to wait. He is 8.1 lbs. He is so beautiful and perfectly healthy! He is my second nephew, his old brother Daniel James Young is 2 years old. I love both my nephews so much! :)

Time for Rest & Refreshment!

The semester ended on thursday and I am so happy to be on break!! The end of the semester is always a stressful time and I am so glad it is over. My grades are looking good too! I now have a few weeks off to relax and enjoy spending time with family and friends.

I am making 2 special trips this break, one to the twin cities and one to florida. I am atteding TCX (twin cities experience), it is a conference through campus crusade for christ and I am very excited to see what God will do through this! I am also going to Florida in January to visit my step-sister with my sister, this should be a fun time of enjoying the sun and my 2 beautful step-nieces!

I am also using the extra time to work on my relationship with the Lord. It seems as life gets busy I make less time for God when it should be the opposite, when I am most stressed out is when I need Him the most! I have been working so hard on trying to reach out to others that I have let my own relationship slip a little. I am so thankful for this time that I can re-focus on what is really important!

Lost

This past weekend I went on a retreat with Campus Crusade. The retreat was in Rhinelander and was in a very wooded area. Sunday we left the retreat to go home. Katie was the navigator, I was the driver, and, needless to say, the first turn we took was wrong and we became severely lost in the woods. We were driving around and around and everything looked the same: trees, trees and more trees! We eventually made a circle and ended up where we started. We had a GPS, but it was not working because of Katie’s inability to program. While we were lost I immediately panicked because we were alone in the woods with nobody to help us; there were no cars around and there was no cell phone reception. Katie and I become easily frustrated with each other and felt angry about the situation. I was mad at the GPS (aka Katie), it was suppose to tell us where to go but was failing horribly. Eventually we figured out how to make the GPS work and it gave us the guidance and direction we needed to get home.

Being lost in the woods made me think about those who are lost spiritually, those who are without Christ. Christ is the center of my life and it is He who guides me and gives me direction in life. Without Christ you are driving lost through the woods of life; you don’t know where to go and you are left feeling frustrated and angry. The Bible is the GPS for our lives: it gives us directions on how to live for Christ. If we have a Bible but are not reading it or not trying to dig deeper it is not helpful in directing us. The problem is not the Bible, but the user.

As Christians we need to help the lost find Christ so that they are no longer lost. In Luke 19:10 Jesus says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” As Christians we need to be examples to believers and nonbelievers, those who are found and those who are lost. We can be examples to others everyday in our actions, words and thoughts. If we are truly following Jesus then our hearts should be like His and we should be seeking the lost. We need to tell others about Jesus and what He has done for us.

One last thought to leave you with: lets pretend that you know a lot of people who have cancer—these people could be your friends, relatives or complete strangers. You have found the cure for cancer! Awesome!! You have just found a way to save a lot of people from a lifetime of pain, chemotherapy and ultimately dying with cancer. Wouldn’t you go out and tell the world about what you discovered? Why is it not the same with the Gospel? We have been given a cure—Jesus! Jesus saved me from Hell, it is because of Jesus that I can live! Jesus lived the perfect life that I could not, at the cross He paid the price for not only me but everyone! All you need to do is to except Him as your personal Lord and Savior. I know a lot of people who don’t know Jesus and need Him; I’m sure we all have someone in our lives who doesn’t know God. Let’s get out there and tell people about Jesus and His saving grace! Let’s help the lost be found.

How He loves us.

"He is jealous for me,Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.When all of a sudden,I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,And I realize just how beautiful You are,And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,Oh how He loves us,How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,Whoa! how He loves us,Whoa! how He loves us,Whoa! how He loves.Yeah, He loves us,Whoa! how He loves us,Whoa! how He loves us,Whoa! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,I don’t have time to maintain these regrets, When I think about, the way…"

The above is a song that we have sang at church every week since I've been back in fond du lac. It is a really amazing song talking about how God loves us! I have been really blessed reading the lyrics of this song and remembering how much God loves me! God's love is so amazing and I hope you are experiencing God's love! God's love is always there, He is always there waiting for you to run into His open arms, so take the step and run into His loving arms, you will never regret it! Trust me!

PS. School is going well, my classes are not too hard, this week I will take my first 2 tests of the semester! I am hoping to write more often!