I Will Follow...

I love this song....

Too Blessed to Be Stressed

Today I realized that the way this week is going it is going to be one of those weeks I spend going through the motions.  During one of my classes today, I was flipping through my planner looking at all that had to be done. Just looking at it was very overwhelming to me! I had this to do at this time...that to do at that time.  Pretty much every single second of my day is planned for this week.  It's so bad that I have to write in a time to eat.  That's sad. It's the week of finals, and it's stressful! We have so many things due in every class.  Not to mention the actual tests I have the great honor of taking at the end of this week! About mid-way through the day I realized that stressing about any of it wasn't going to get me anywhere! So...what did I do? I sat down with my grandmother and had a cup of ice cream! haha. It was wonderful! I felt so refreshed that after I arrived home, I wrote my two papers in absolutely no time at all.

Now to the brighter things in life...
Christmas cards are arriving! I love love love to get Christmas cards! I have spent the better part of my afternoon putting together Christmas cards to send to the Filipino pastors.  I get so excited to send them! Speaking of the Philippines, this past Sunday I had the great privilege of speaking at a church about my mission trips to the Philippines.  It wasn't just any church.  It was my old church... Mt. Vernon Baptist Church.  It was really great getting to see old friends again.  I always love to talk about my experiences in the Philippines.  Sunday was extra sweet for me.  At first, I was a bit nervous.  We couldn't get the projector to work, and that sent my mind into a complete whirlwind; I believe the Lord works in crazy ways. Looking back I am kind of happy the projector wasn't working.  It give me the opportunity to walk up and down the aisle, carrying my laptop, showing my pictures.  Mom says it was more of "preaching up and down the aisle!" haha.(She was only kidding) Because I was carrying the laptop around, I couldn't carry the microphone, and if you know me very well, you know I do not like speaking in a microphone.  Something about it makes me uncomfortable.  One reason being I can hear my self, and another is I talk with my hands and holding a microphone limits me! Sounds pathetic I know. But, I think that whole little "problem" actually made me more comfortable.

Plane tickets are being ordered this week! Today, I was notified that my plane ticket to return to the Philippines will be ordered this week! I got so excited that I literally wanted to run across campus, but instead I just texted Ben Pickett! haha.  I knew he would understand my excitement! I'm excited to share the Gospel with soo many more Filipinos! I'm excited to see all of the orphans, especially Alvin :) I'm excited to see the jolly little pastors! I'm just excited to be there! If you were to tell me I could leave tomorrow... I wouldn't hesitate. I love it.

Last, but certainly not least...
Tampa in 8 days!  Next Wednesday, I will be flying to Tampa, Florida to see my very sweet friend Meghan Flammer! I am oober excited to see her! We have so much catching up to do! And as a bonus...we get to go see Ben Pickett! It's going to be a fabulous week...next week! As for this week...I will continue to remind myself "I am too blessed to be stressed," and eat my ice cream :)

Bring On the Rain

It's 9:30 p.m., raining, and I am overjoyed! It's so great to cuddle up in my toasty warm house, Christmas tree lit, and movie playing! To me...this makes for a great day any day; however, tonight there's an added bonus. It's raining! Oh wow...I love love love to hear the rain hitting the roof. It makes me feel all warm inside.  Although tonight this brings me great happiness, today it brought me sadness.

I do not like the rain during the day for a few reasons. First of all, it's messy. Rain = puddles= wet shoes and jeans= cold feet = unhappy Emily. Second of all, it makes me sooo sleepy! How in the world am I supposed to function when it is cold and rainy?! It sort of puts me in a bad mood. Rain during the day causes me to not really give a flip about anything. I don't like not caring, so rain..could you please rain really super hard tonight and then go away before morning?

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." --John Ruskin

I'm thankful for...

It's that time of year again! Time to fill our stomachs with lots of delicious food! Time to enjoy the hustle and bustle of shopping for Christmas gifts! This time of year is absolutely crazy. So many things going on! I enjoy this time of  year more than any other. I love getting to spend time with friends and family, and just enjoy each others company; however, sometimes the holidays get so busy we forget to actually stop and take in what the holidays are really about.

Whenever I was little, my Sunday School teacher would have our class write down the things we were thankful for. I want to get back to that. It is so important not to just enjoy the activities of the holidays, but to actually take time and seek out the true meaning of the holidays! Since today is Thanksgiving, I just want to take a few minutes and reflect on my life, and think about all of the blessings the Lord has given me.

*I am thankful for...family.
          I am so incredibly blessed with such a wonderful family.  I love that they are a few of the few people I
          am absolutely myself with.  They are so supportive of me in everything I do in life.  I love our
         talks and our laughs, but most of all I love those moments when I am completely overwhelmed by
         how lucky I am to be a part of such a wonderful family.  I am absolutely so truly thankful for them!

*I am thankful for...friends.
          Tab, Meghan, Ben, Misty, Candace, Keely, Scotty, and so many more...I am so thankful to have
         these wonderful people as my friends.  You are absolutely wonderful. For those who have been
         around for years....thanks for keeping me around :) My life would not have been the same without
         you. For those who have just recently come into my life...everyday I thank God I met you!

     
*I am thankful for...church.
         God has placed me in such an incredible church family which I am forever grateful for. It's so
         encouraging to know that I have such a great support system there. I love being a part of such Godly
         people who are so eager to share God's love with others.

*I am thankful for...the Philippines.
        Oh my goodness...where do I even begin. First of all I am so so thankful that God has chosen me to be
        a part of sharing His love with the beautiful Filipinos.  Each time I am sharing the gospel over there I
        I am so overwhelmed that God chose ME! It's such a marvelous feeling. Secondly, I am thankful for the
        people God has brought into my life through the Philippine trip. I always tell people some of my greatest
       friends are spread out across the country and in the Philippines. This is all because of the trip. I am
       thankful God brought these people into my life who have a heart like I do...a heart to carry God's word
       to the ends of the earth.

*I am thankful for...my health, books, music, stars, butterflies, bicycles, converses, laughter, cameras, sticky notes, ice cream, chap stick, peppers, electric blankets, paint, etc...
          These are just a few random things I am thankful for that make my life wonderful :)Without my health
          I  wouldn't be able to do the things I do. The moments I sit down with a book, or when my
          favorite song comes on the radio, or when I see a butterfly fly by, give me this crazy sense of
          happiness. I love that feeling! I am thankful for stars, because they are such a sweet reminder of just
          how awesome God is!

*Most importantly, I am thankful for...a Savior.
           I am SO thankful that someone loved me soo much He would give His very own life for me.  Without
           Jesus Christ dying on the cross for my sins, none of this other stuff I have mentioned would even
           matter. I am so thankful for His love, forgiveness, friendship... He IS truly amazing! If you have not
           accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, and have the peace I do of knowing you have a
          home in Heaven...please don't wait.

Have you counted your blessings today?

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Seek the Lord With ALL Your Heart

First of all, I stink at blogging! I have tried this a few times, and failed miserably! So here I am once again at square one! Starting over. I have to be serious about it this time though, and actually keep it up! At this point, I have told entirely too many people the can count on me to blog frequently as a means of them keeping up with me. Ha!

For months I have been praying, seeking God's guidance.  However, I'm not so sure I have been seeking whole heartedly, because I am pretty sure I have known the answer all alone. During my summer trip to the Philippines, I felt that God painted me this crystal clear picture of His plans for me. In my heart, I knew He wanted me to once again leave my family and friends, and stay even longer in the Philippines. I spoke with Mr. Bob about it, and he assured me it would be an incredible opportunity for me. So before I even returned home, I had already began planning another trip in January 2011. However, after I got home, I got back into the comfort of things in America. I began college, made new friends, and spent time with old ones and family. Life was very busy, but great. All the time though, I had the Philippines on my mind. God never once let me stop thinking about it. I wanted to go, don't get me wrong, but I just wasn't sure the timing was right. (Lesson #1...God's timing is always right). I didn't want to hurt the people who loved me by going away again for an even longer period of time. At one point, I remember asking God to please make it very clear to me. If it wasn't His will, remove it from my mind completely, but if it was...put it on my mind and heart so much that it hurt. God never fails at answering prayers. The days to come were not fun for me. It was on my mind more than ever. I could hardly focus. Everything I saw and heard reminded me of the Philippines. I knew it was the Lord's will, and I had to do it, but there was one more thing. I had to have absolute support and happiness from my family. This one was tough for me. My family supports me 100%, but I wasn't so sure about the whole happiness thing.  I know it brings them sadness whenever I am gone, and I understand that. So, I took my problem to Christ. He give me peace.

Now, a few weeks later....
My family is smiling at my decision, because they know that for now, this is the Lord's will for my life! My mom has always said to me, "I had rather you be there in the Lord's will, than to be here and be out of the Lord's will!" I will be leaving near the end of January. I will be with a few Americans the first two weeks, preaching in the schools. Then, after the leave, I will go to the orphanage, and stay there about another month! I am very excited to return to the beautiful country of the Philippines! It has very much become like a second home to me, and my heart is overjoyed! Please keep myself, my family, and this ministry in your prayers!

More to come later...