Rose with a Mission

This last week has been very full. For starters my brother got engaged!  We are so happy to welcome this lovely lady into the family and that my brother found such a Godly lady to call his own. While they have jumped into wedding planning, I got a cold. I'm so thankful for the coworkers I have that covered a few days of work for me while I was sick and let me rest. And I'm thankful for the little kids that felt bad for me feeling sick.  I feel like life has been so full that I've been a bit stretched thin lately. So many emotions, so much to do, so much to process, and only so many hours in the day. I'm thankful that God has been showing me how to love those around me well and how to rest and let my body heal. As I continue to walk forward into what He wants me to do, I'm so thankful that He's taken all the guess work out. He keeps reminding me to keep asking for support, keep loving those in front of me, keep doing what I know to do, kee...

  On Wednesday I went back to work at Solid Foundation Preschool.  It was a little weird to be back at the same place that I worked at before after having spent a year at YWAM. I Although it was really good to be back with coworkers that I love, in a great environment, and working with kids again. They are so precious and teach me so much about how God sees me. I'm so thankful that God opened up the doors for me to work there. Not only do I enjoy the work, but I appreciate having a schedule. It's nice to be getting into a routine and to have great people around me to do it with.  While I miss my friends from YWAM, I'm thankful for the family I have around me and to be back with my church family. As I went to church on Sunday I realized how many people prayed for me. It warmed my heart to share stories with them of what God did in response to their prayers. As I continue to move forward and adjust to life here   things have stood out to me.  1. N...

  Hello Friends.  This week has been a great one for me. For the first time in a long time I've been able to rest. Not just take a much needed break before I get to the a million and one things to do on my list or run to class. I've been able to take some deep breathes, enjoy Christmas lights, take some long walks, watch a couple of movies, have some good times with Jesus and family, and have long phone calls with Marisa and Joanna. It has been so good to be able to slow down a bit and just enjoy some things. This Tuesday we took our annual family trip down to San Antonio. It was so fun to see the missions and Riverwalk again. Plus I got to enjoy a lot of time with my awesome family.  It's hard to believe that Christmas is next week! I feel like this year it came so fast, maybe because I have been traveling so much. I haven't been here for a lot of the build up. But I am so thankful to be here and celebrating t...

  I finished filmmaking school!  This week we filmed and edited a music video, learned how to record and edit high quality audio, learned about green-screening, finished the short film that we shot last week, and had a showing of the short film. It was great fun to collaborate with these new friends and I learned so much. On Friday they handed out awards to the class. I got the Golden Smile award. I think partially for my smile and partly for my goldfish cracker obsession. Before I came home had the privilege of spending some time with Diane. She's an elderly single woman that has served the Lord all her life. It shows in her stories and conversation. She encouraged me by her calm wisdom and sweet faithfulness. I came away encouraged that you can serve the Lord faithfully and beautifully as a single. I'm so thankful for the people I got to meet on this trip. From the instructors that I learned so much from, to my hosts that cared...

  Wow! The Lord is so good. I've been blown away by His love and care for me.  For starters the 4th of July was great. We swam in the lake, ate hot dogs and burgers with a ton of good sides, had a good time of fellowship, and then went to watch fireworks over a lake. They were beautiful. I was mesmerized.  This week we have been learning about hearing the voice of God. Our teacher was a man named Josh Langer. Originally from Germany, he was a very engaging speaker. I found myself amazed by how many different ways God communicates with us and how He invites us to partner with Him in the great commission. We looked at things that hinder us from hearing the voice of God and what our heart posture should be in approaching God. It was amazing how he brought truths to light that I knew already, but had become buried. I feel like I've been able to clear dirt away from precious jewels and examine their beauty again.  One of the things I'm really enjoying about YW...

  This week I feel like I’ve been on an amusement park ride with life going by packed, fun and super-fast.   On Sunday I got a text from my boss asking me to sub for just one day. I was all too happy to come in and get more kid hugs. While the day was a bit crazy keeping up with kids, restocking cleaners, and trying to get back into work mode for the day, I was also thrilled to see my kids again. It felt great to cuddle little T when he was feeling sad. It was fun to have several of my kids see me and excitedly call out, “Miss Rose!” followed up by a sweet hug. I was a happy tired at the end of the day. Tuesday through Thursday was the 4 th Annual Siblings Retreat. When planning when to do siblings retreat, the vote was unanimous that they didn’t want to do it without me. I have the best siblings. We had so much fun playing games, eating M & M’s, taking a hike complete with dip in the river, talking and laughing together, and watching some fun movies together. It was ...

This week has been really good. Now that I'm in full time preparation for YWAM, I'm starting to tackle the things that need to get done before I leave. Things like cleaning out the closet (a scary task, but I wanted to leave it clean), sew a special quilt, continuing to gather items needed, write letters, and normal things like cleaning and Bible time. Despite all these projects, I didn't want to neglect the what's most important: relationships. This week the Lord has graciously given me a lot of time to pour into family and friends. I was able to enjoy the zoo with my family, take some long walks with my sister, have some good talks with Jesus, write a long letter to a friend whose on a mission of her own, have a good long phone call with a friend in Cali, text and voice message several good friends, as well as touch base with some old coworkers and share my new adventure with them. I love all the amazing people that God has put into my life and how they encourage and ...

This week has been more of a struggle for me. I've been dealing with an infection that caused quite a bit of pain. Despite that, I'm so grateful.  I praise God for medical professionals that we could consult and get medicine to fight the infection. The Lord has been so good. As I've come to Him and cried out, He has given me peace. It's been an exercise in trusting God and not in my own resources. While I am still learning, I'm grateful for the opportunity to grow in trusting Him.  I'm so grateful for the family who took care of me and loved me even when I woke up in pain at 3 AM. They are a great comfort and encouragement to my heart. I'm grateful for the friends who prayed for me fervently and lovingly.  I'm so grateful for the comforts of home, medicine to treat infections, kind bosses, naps, and really good food.  I'm grateful for the four days of work I was able to go in this week and for the kid hugs I got.  I'm grateful for the donations I...