The extended family the Lord blesses you with....

I am all too blessed to have another entire family who loves and cherishes me down here in Texas. I never grew up with much family around, not to the fault of any one thing, just how it seemed to work out, but the Lord has blessed me with the best extended family I could have asked for. I came down to Texas to visit adopted family, friends and loved ones. I have had the opportunity to see new life sping from hurt, healing of hearts, mending of friendships, and growth only the Lord could have watered into forthcoming. It has truly been a blessing to be able to visit and spend time with those usually so far away in mileage but so dear to my heart. The Lord is bigger than distance and sufficient to supply you with every need....mine just happened to be family.

 Miss Trinity Faith Borden

 Mothers and Daughter's <3

 those old country roads...

 joy in togetherness....

Precious ability to see the next generation of Christians.

Christmas in the house.

Now all were missin around here is snow....

Christmas in a house that is over 100 years old just makes it better.

Hard lesson, Peace, and Praise.

So, I have refrained from blogging the past couple of days due to my need to study//get hit upside the head by God and be taught a lesson. I've been struggling in my Nursing Fundamentals this semester due to many reasons and with it being finals week it came down to D Day. My grade has been calculated and I need to make a 78 on my final in order to pass this class and remain in this cohort of people set to graduate in May of 2012. Making less than a 78 will result in failing this class and having to go through the waiting process of being added to the next group of nursing students below me, graduating late, and as God so "kindly" wrote on my forehead....NOT the plan I had in mind. Lately I've been questioning my abilities and purpose here in Milledgeville and in this nursing program, discouraged about the increased time needed to spend on my studies and decreased time for discipling, bible studies, fellowship, and reading. I've been frustrated with not being able to be 100% committed to the things and people the Lord has placed in front of me and not fulfilling the things I see that need to be done. After breaking down and being humbled I have returned to the reassuring facts that I; am not my own, can release the stress of having to be in charge and get things done, and I don't have to rely on my own plans. I serve a God that is mighty to save and doesn't need my help telling him how things should be. I also serve a God that can accomplish things without my help, I don't have to be able to do everything 100%. My God is bigger than any test and has a plan that is perfect (even if that includes failing and graduating late). Its funny how clearly we can see the lives of others and offer them encouragment and reassurance of God's plan and promises but how quick we are to  forget them in application in our own lives. Thank the Lord for peace that surpasses all understanding, support and encouragement of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and the discipline and teaching He does. Last night I enjoyed fellowship with friends, worship time in the car on the way home, surrendering of my will and this test to the Lord and studing in peace. I took my (now, not so life altering) final this morning at 8 am and have peace knowing the it is in the Lord's hands and His will be done. I find out the results sometime this afternoon and will praise Him regardless of the outcome.

Happy Birthday to the Best Mother I know!! So blessed with such an amazing example of a Godly woman.

I love you!!!

Miss Maggie Prestwood and I at Church on Sunday.

A child's Christmas

So yesterday I went with a friend to the Gordon Christmas parade and watched floats, cars, firetrucks, and a little horse and buggy ride down the street celebrating the Christmas season. The little horse and buggy that happened to be trotting along behind the parade was a little girl and her mother, who I know through friends and church. I got the chance to talk to them before the parade started and watch little KK ride and wave, so proud of her little horse and such a ham. After watching Kayleigh for a while I began to think of how the Lord looks at us and calls for us to become like little children. In Matthew 18:1-4 Jesus says "..unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." I remember back when I was a kid and how excited my brothers and I got about Christmas. We would all sleep in the same room and watch a movie in attempts to calm us down enough that sleep would overtake the excitement and Christmas morning would come sooner. I never real remember it being about getting the newest gameboy, or what cool new game my brother would get, or even getting the newest toy fad so we could be just like our friends. As a kid, I just remember it being the excitement of receiving something at all that made it enjoyable. I don't know about little kids as much these days but how many kids have you seen be just as content playing with the cardboard box that whatever toy you spent 5 hours in line and traveled to 3 stores to get came in as they are with the faddish toy itself? I believe as Christians we need to be more like that. We pray and ask God for this and that and we expect him to come through and give us that which we have asked for, but why are we not content with what the Lord does give us? We have houses, cars, families, friends, salvation but still we ask for more.  As adults were looking for big miracles, extravagent changes, and marvelous recoveries. Don't get me wrong, I believe the Lord is strong and powerful and can do great and mighty things but why ask Him to do more when He has already done and given so much? How much do we rejoice when we ask for something small thing and the Lord provides verses when we ask for something great and He provides? Isn't the something just as worthy of praise no matter the size? What have we overlooked in a little box in our lives that the Lord has so graciously blessed us with while we are waiting to see a porsche in the driveway. I challenge all of us to be a kid and be excited about the little things God does for us. Kids have the right idea, be happy to have a bow from a box to play with on Christmas morning rather than getting the porsche, and if the Lord decides to bless you with a porsche, rejoice! but don't overlook the tiny bow that He gave as a blessing just the same.

Cookies, friends, and missions.

Yesterday after testing for 2 and a half hours I finally got a chance to go hang out with friends. My life has been pretty antisocial since I started the nursing program due to the level of studying I've been doing.

 I first had the chance to go to my friend Abbey's prayer team meeting. Abbey is a senior in college and when she graduates will be leaving in August to go to China for a year with a program called the ELIC in which she will be teaching English at a school with the purpose of sharing the gospel in a restricted country. It has been such a blessing to watch Abbey grow in the Lord since her salvation and I am in awe of how powerfully the Lord has been working through her. In order to go to China she must raise $15,000, at this time she has reached $6,000. She has put together a prayer and missions team to help support her through this trip and help prepare her for the trip. A few of our friends and I met yesterday to try and put together fundraisers to help with the funds. We are planning a benefit concert in February! I am so thankful to be a part of Abbey's heart in this mission and cannot wait to hear of the amazing ways the Lord will use her.

After the meeting,  my friend Emily (who is going on a summer mission to Ireland) had a little Cookie Party get-together. She asked everyone to bring a 2dozen cookies. It was a great time to hangout and fellowship together during finals. Of course when all of us get together something weird always happens but it is of course thoroughly entertaining. Enjoy a few of the pics I took last night at the shindig.

These are probably some of the best storebought cookies ever.

                                                               Kristina, Me, and Caitlin

Caitlin, (Rebekah's head), and Sarah

The beginning of sharing

Ok, so my "cousin" (second cousin's wife) Kelly started a blog that I have been watching for a while now and she's been encouraging me to start one as well so I figured what better time then now, while I am thinking about it and avoiding studying. I've always wanted to be one of those people that writes in a journal and looks back at it years later and is able to pass it on to my children but...I'm not. My mom got those genes and didn't pass them on but I figured a blog was a good alternative. I plan on posting pictures as often as possible that correlate with my thoughts, feelings, or what my heart happens to be pondering at the moment. Anyway, I'm starting out dedicating my first post to Kelly who got me started. Here is one of her favorite pictures I have taken.

Georgia Snow

Burke County, Georgia