Rose with a Mission

  My mom is fond of saying that everything is for a time and a season. Thursday finished my season with Solid Foundation Preschool. It was hard to say goodbye to the kids. I love them so much and we have had so many good times together. It hasn't all been perfect, but I am so thankful I got to love on these little kids and I pray show them a little of what Jesus is like.  One of the biggest things I've been learning in this season is how to love well. Kids, while sweet and adorable, can cause frustration. It's in these moments that I can choose to get frustrated or to respond in love. I'm still not perfect, but the Lord helped me make great strides in learning to let the frustration slide away and focus on loving them well in that moment.  I'm so grateful for the times I got to learn how to do a task better, the times I got to tickle a little one, the times I got to chase a two year old around the playground, the times I got hugs, and all the times we got to play to...

  This week I have seen so much progress. For starters, Thank you to everyone who prayed for me last week. I am healed and feeling back to normal. Praise God! Then I've received a lot of donations this week. They have blessed and humbled me. I'm now up to 34% of my goal! Because of them and taking a good chunk out of savings, I was able to send off a check for my lecture phase. This was so big and I couldn't have done it without you. Now I can focus on saving for the missions trip and expenses for my time at YWAM.  I am smiling so big right now. When I think of all that God has been doing and all that is being accomplished, I'm so excited to be a part of this adventure.  Now I only have 4 days of work left. I love my kids and the time that I have been able to spend at Solid Foundation Preschool. I've learned so much about how God sees me and how to love on little ones well. I'm stocking up on kid hugs.  I've also been working to be faithful in prayer, in fri...

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...

  This week has been full for me.   For starters I'm stocking up on kid hugs. While my job isn't without it's challenges, I'm so thankful for the joys of kid hugs, smiles, and the funny things they say. I'm going to miss them when my job is done in 3 weeks. Recently, I've been reminded of the importance of investing in those around me and loving them well. My prayer has been that I would be faithful love, serve, and give to my family, my friends, the kids I care for, my coworkers, and all those I come into contact with. It's easy for me to get distracted by a shiny new adventure and neglect the people right in front of me. By God's amazing grace, He's helping me to take intentional steps towards loving others and staying on track for the next adventure. For this I am so grateful.  God has also been reminding me to be faithful in the mission I have been called to. I had some plans fall through this week and I was really sad about it. But my prayer to ...

Several times in the last month and a half I've stopped to ask myself why I am doing this. Why am I leaving my home of the last 23 years to go live in a dorm? Why am I leaving a good church family to invest in another? Why am I leaving a good job? Why am I leaving behind the familiar for the unknown? Why am I going to YWAM? The answer is simple. I want to know Him. I know Him now, but I want to get more wrapped up in Him. I want to know and experience God on a deeper level.  We have a million pursuits that we can chase in this world, I want to chase Him. He has already been pursuing and loving me when I was hostile to Him. I want to spend this season getting to know Him.  A few months ago I was struggling with a feeling of weakness. I felt incredibly weak in areas that had been accustomed to feeling strong in. This made me run to God. I cried out for help and grace. Every single time God provided grace for my needs. Whether it was strength to go to work, encouraging words for ...

  This week I've been working on a lot of little things. Nothing huge, but a ton of little things that had been on the to do list for far too long. I feel like I was finally able to gain some traction in the to do list. I'm so grateful for to progress made. It encourages me to keep after the next thing on the list. Also God provided some practical items that I needed for my time at YWAM that were either on sale or greatly discounted. I'm so grateful to see God working in little things.  More and more pieces are coming together. I'm starting to really realize how much stuff I have and how many habits I have that I need to either give up or change. It's one of the exciting challenges that makes you rethink a lot of what you really need versus what is unnecessary. I'm excited to go through this process and winnow out things that are not helping me grow in Christ.    I've also been humbled this week to see more donations come in and from sources that I know it...

  I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.   John 15:5 NIV This week God has been reminding me to be. To be in Him, more than to do for Him. It's easy for me to get caught up in doing things for God and miss God in the process.  So this week He has been teaching me to be more than to do. To be there to love on the kids at my work. Take the time to soak in His presence. Focus on the sibling who is telling me about their day. Just be there to listen to a friend.  The verse above reminds us of the source of life. There is no life apart from the Vine. We can attach ourselves to fake vines and they might be fun for a while, they will never give us life or the ability to bear fruit. It's only when we abide in the true Vine that we have abundant life.  As I look at the mission before me, it's tempting to get overwhelmed and think that it's all up to me to do this mission. But this...