Well, I’m finally getting around to updating! I meant to do this sooner, but have actually been busy lately and haven’t had the chance. lol! I’m not as bored as I once was!
I enjoyed spending time with my family when they came for a visit, but it made me pray even harder that God would provide a house for us VERY SOON so we can all be together again. Is it wrong to beg God that He would do something right now? I think it’s okay to bring our requests to Him, but He wants us to be willing to accept His timing. So, I ask Him in full faith knowing that He could grant my requests in a heartbeat, but trusting Him to move in His timing. I know I’m where God wants me to be, and although I can’t understand why He hasn’t answered this prayer yet, I know that He must have an amazingly important reason for the delay! The house I’m praying fervently about is the one in foreclosure that we found two months ago. The bank must not be in a hurry. grrrrr We’ve been looking for a house for 7 months now, so, like I said, there must be a good reason…
You’ve been asking how I’m doing. I think I’m doing well. I haven’t had a meltdown (although when I saw a license plate from my home state, I almost cried). I’ve been blessed with God’s “peace that passes all understanding.” I discovered that once I took that leap of faith, that jump into the unknown that was so scary, I landed on Solid Ground. I don’t know how to describe it, but God has not let me fall, He hasn’t left me stranded, He has only proved even more to me just how faithful He truly is. He has given me new visions for ministry opportunities here, and I’m so excited about getting involved in my new community. I want to encourage you, dear friend, if you are struggling with a “leap of faith” that God has asked you to take, just do it!! I believe you will find your feet on solid ground also, and will be amazed at what God will do for those who hold nothing back. My relationship with God has only grown stronger, and everyday He increases my faith in so many little ways.
On a lighter note, I have now been officially “initiated” at work; ie, the stockmen have scared me. Apparently, they think that’s a requirement for employment there, so they hide around corners or sneak up behind you. Oh boy.
I have the day off today because I’m working tomorrow (I can hardly believe I’m finishing up my second week of work here!). Dad and I are going to go look at some more houses today. It’s so strange spending this much time with my dad. I have seen him everyday for a week now. I don’t think I’ve seen him that frequently since last Christmas!
Here’s something from the devotional “Streams in the Desert” that I’m reading. Hope it encourages you like it did me.
“Too many of us want to see our way through a new endeavor before we will even start. Imagine if we could see our way from beginning to end. How would we ever develop our Christian gifts? Faith, hope, and love cannot be picked from trees, like ripe apples. Remember, after the words “in the beginning” (Gen 1:1) comes the word “God.” It is our first step of faith that turns the key in the lock of His powerhouse. It is true that God helps those who help themselves, but He also helps those who are helpless. So no matter your circumstance, you can depend on Him every time.”
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
USAF
I got this in an email this week, and just had to post it. I thought it was really good, so here's my latest rant in defense of our nation's awesome military personnel. :) Go United States Air Force!!
Noise Complaint at Luke AFB, AZ
Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were. A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed their day at the mall. When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit.
The complaint:
Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 a.m, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet.Imagine our good fortune! Do the 'Tom Cruise-wannabes' feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyn's early bird special? Any response would be appreciated.'
The response:
Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' (Letters, Thursday):On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four-ship fly-by of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques. Capt. Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.At 9 a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly-by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of Taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured.A four-ship fly-by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning air show?' The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you..... Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul and liberty; the other for your natural freedom.
(signed) Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr. USAF
Noise Complaint at Luke AFB, AZ
Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were. A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed their day at the mall. When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit.
The complaint:
Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 a.m, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet.Imagine our good fortune! Do the 'Tom Cruise-wannabes' feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyn's early bird special? Any response would be appreciated.'
The response:
Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' (Letters, Thursday):On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four-ship fly-by of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques. Capt. Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.At 9 a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly-by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of Taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured.A four-ship fly-by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning air show?' The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you..... Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul and liberty; the other for your natural freedom.
(signed) Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr. USAF
Sunday, August 24, 2008
My Saturday
On Saturday, I got to...
...sleep in
...go shopping with my dad and sister
...buy some jeans on sale
...buy some Sketchers on sale
...buy a pair of New Balance on clearance for $10, yay!
...eat at Chipotle for the first time, yum!
...take pictures of my new shoes lol!
...see my mom and siblings
And for your enjoyment, I'm posting some pics of my new shoes, since I know you're just dying to see them. Well...actually... I love taking pictures of just about anything, and thought I would post them since I have the time. So, enjoy!
Friday, August 22, 2008
A Welcome Surprise
Yesterday as I was stocking the shelves in my department at work, I heard someone say “Excuse me…” Thinking it was one of the many customers I get every day asking for assistance with something, I turned around to see how I could help them. To my surprise, my sister Kaley was standing there with her little mischievous grin on her face and camera in hand.
I was so shocked I couldn’t even say anything for a minute. I was trying to figure out how she could have possibly gotten there since she doesn’t have a car and dad wasn’t supposed to be back until Saturday.
“How did…what are…HOW DID YOU GET HERE???” I finally managed to say.
She snickered, “Weeelllll, dad called me today…”
Aha, I knew he had to be behind this. I turned around to look down the aisle behind me. Alright, where is he? Sure enough, he came walking around the corner with a big, silly grin on his face.
Evidently, dad’s crew got to come home early, and he decided to drop by and surprise me at work. The two conniving plotters were quite proud of themselves, and enjoyed every minute of the surprise attack, I’m sure. Kaley got the whole thing on tape, but I have yet to see it.
I had to work a little late, but after I got off, I called them and we met up again and went to dinner. It was a very fun evening, and the highlight of my week.
I’m closing again tonight. I enjoyed closing on Wednesday; I’m not sure why, but maybe it was because I got to meet some of the people I work with, or it could have been the fact that all the customers left and it was quiet. :) I liked straightening shelves and making sure everything was picked up off the floor...it’s the perfectionist coming out in me. However, the drive home might have been the best part of all. Driving down a dark, empty road with the windows down and music playing is just so refreshing! The only bad thing was I arrived home wide awake and I couldn’t go to sleep until midnight and then had to get up at 6:30 the next morning to go to work!
God has been so good to me this week. He has helped me face every new day at work, and helped me overcome every difficulty in my path. He has even helped me find my way around this new city! One time, I was going to try to take a shortcut to Wal-mart, but I ended up taking a scenic route instead! I didn’t get lost, though and because I’ve driven around here with my parents looking at houses, I was able to drive straight to where I needed to be. Also, twice I was looking for a specific store, and thought I had gone too far, so I started to turn around, and each time, I looked up and saw the store sign right in front of me. I know that probably doesn’t sound amazing to you all, but for a girl hundreds of miles away from her family, friends, and home state, it’s very comforting. It seems like God puts me right where I need to be.
I’m also very grateful for internet access, too! Without it, I would feel even more separated from you.
I gotta go get ready for work! Thanks for stopping by, and have a good Friday!!
I was so shocked I couldn’t even say anything for a minute. I was trying to figure out how she could have possibly gotten there since she doesn’t have a car and dad wasn’t supposed to be back until Saturday.
“How did…what are…HOW DID YOU GET HERE???” I finally managed to say.
She snickered, “Weeelllll, dad called me today…”
Aha, I knew he had to be behind this. I turned around to look down the aisle behind me. Alright, where is he? Sure enough, he came walking around the corner with a big, silly grin on his face.
Evidently, dad’s crew got to come home early, and he decided to drop by and surprise me at work. The two conniving plotters were quite proud of themselves, and enjoyed every minute of the surprise attack, I’m sure. Kaley got the whole thing on tape, but I have yet to see it.
I had to work a little late, but after I got off, I called them and we met up again and went to dinner. It was a very fun evening, and the highlight of my week.
I’m closing again tonight. I enjoyed closing on Wednesday; I’m not sure why, but maybe it was because I got to meet some of the people I work with, or it could have been the fact that all the customers left and it was quiet. :) I liked straightening shelves and making sure everything was picked up off the floor...it’s the perfectionist coming out in me. However, the drive home might have been the best part of all. Driving down a dark, empty road with the windows down and music playing is just so refreshing! The only bad thing was I arrived home wide awake and I couldn’t go to sleep until midnight and then had to get up at 6:30 the next morning to go to work!
God has been so good to me this week. He has helped me face every new day at work, and helped me overcome every difficulty in my path. He has even helped me find my way around this new city! One time, I was going to try to take a shortcut to Wal-mart, but I ended up taking a scenic route instead! I didn’t get lost, though and because I’ve driven around here with my parents looking at houses, I was able to drive straight to where I needed to be. Also, twice I was looking for a specific store, and thought I had gone too far, so I started to turn around, and each time, I looked up and saw the store sign right in front of me. I know that probably doesn’t sound amazing to you all, but for a girl hundreds of miles away from her family, friends, and home state, it’s very comforting. It seems like God puts me right where I need to be.
I’m also very grateful for internet access, too! Without it, I would feel even more separated from you.
I gotta go get ready for work! Thanks for stopping by, and have a good Friday!!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Quick update!
Well, we went in search of a library yesterday so we could get on the internet, and spent about two hours there trying to catch up on everything. We’ve been bored so we didn’t mind killing time. Then we went to the mall and walked around; yeah, we’re really lonely up here… Anyway, when we turned the laptop on this morning at the apartment it said, “oh yeah, there’s a wireless network in range.” DUH!! Why didn’t we check that in the first place??? I don’t know. But now I’m posting from the comfort (ha!) of my “own home.”
My first day on the job was good, and it went by surprisingly fast. It’s kinda hard to tell right now if I will like it because I’m really missing my family, and when you don’t have anything but a job to keep you busy, you get burned out. Dad’s been gone, but he comes home soon (yay!!) and then the rest of the family is coming up to spend a few days, too (double yay!) so if Kaley and I can survive until then, we’ll be okay. I didn’t think I would be so glad to see my family, but I can’t wait until we get a house so they can all move up here, and then we can all be together, and maybe I’ll have a real life. I know things will get easier as I get settled in and involved in a church and make new friends.
I’ll post more later…I gotta go to work, I’m on the closing shift tonight!
ttyl!
I miss all you guys!!!
{{hugs}}
Lauren
My first day on the job was good, and it went by surprisingly fast. It’s kinda hard to tell right now if I will like it because I’m really missing my family, and when you don’t have anything but a job to keep you busy, you get burned out. Dad’s been gone, but he comes home soon (yay!!) and then the rest of the family is coming up to spend a few days, too (double yay!) so if Kaley and I can survive until then, we’ll be okay. I didn’t think I would be so glad to see my family, but I can’t wait until we get a house so they can all move up here, and then we can all be together, and maybe I’ll have a real life. I know things will get easier as I get settled in and involved in a church and make new friends.
I’ll post more later…I gotta go to work, I’m on the closing shift tonight!
ttyl!
I miss all you guys!!!
{{hugs}}
Lauren
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Luke 9:62 Amplified version
"Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things behind] is fit for the kingdom of God."
Friday, August 15, 2008
Here's My Life
Once again I said my goodbyes
To those I love most.
My heart feels that familiar pain
As I long for home.
'Cause this road is hard
When I feel so far
And God I'm crying out tonight
'Cause I've given You my life
But I'm tired and I'm missing what's behind
So once more here's my life.
On the day that You called my name
All that I knew changed.
I found when I said yes
That I would never be the same.
Though the call is hard,
You are worth it all.
God I'm crying out tonight
'Cause I've given You my life
But I'm tired and I'm missing what's behind
so once more....
Even when the tears are falling
When I find I fear the calling You remind me,
Words You've spoken over my life
Promises I've yet to see
You comfort me.
And God I'm crying out tonight
'Cause I've given You my life
But I'm tired and I'm missing what's behind
So once more....
God I'm crying out tonight
'Cause I've given You my life
But I'm tired and I'm missing what's behind
So once more here's my life.
Here's my life.
~ Barlow Girl
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