NC AG Jam Festival

Jill and I in 4th row!!
Chuck Crawford our favorite fiddler/guitar player
for Heartland

Jake Owen
Blake Shelton

This past weekend I got to do one of my favorite things in the world with one of my favorite people in the world. Jill, my old roommate, and I went to the outdoor amphitheater in Raleigh (it has been renamed so many times I have no idea what it is called anymore) to attend the first annual North Carolina AG Jam Festival. It was an all day festival showcasing North Carolina produce and vendors as well as various country music artists.



Our seats were on the 4th row (Jill rocks at getting close seats) and just to the left of the catwalk that comes out from the stage so we were VERY close to the performers!!! We missed the very first band, but were there for all the rest: Heartland, Jake Owen, Eric Church, Tracy Byrd and Blake Shelton. It was AWESOME!!! We swooned over Jake and Blake and let our inner redneck women out for the evening :-) But most importantly I remembered how much I miss living with her and how much fun we have no matter what we are doing. I thank the Lord for blessing me with such an incredible friend!!

Wedding Season...

Well once again I have reached another season of weddings in my life. Last weekend one of my roommates and good friends, Steph, got married to another good friend Eric. It was such an honor to be part of their special day by doing a scripture reading during the ceremony and to help out on the day of the wedding with last minute details.

The ceremony was at our church, Providence Baptist Church, and the reception was at the River Ridge Golf and Tennis Club. And despite Hurricane Hanna's threat, the day turned out to be gorgeous!! It was an outdoor reception with a very fun DJ, lots of fun dancing, and kegs of root beer (eric's favorite beverage). It was so much fun to hang out with almost all of our closest friends and to cut loose and do some crazy dancing :-) And of course it is always fun to get a new dress and get all dressed up!!

Back to Work

Well after almost a month off of work I jumped back into the trenches yesterday morning. I forgot how painful getting up at 5am can be :-) But, the Lord was so faithful!! I really prayed that things would go smoothly, that the unit wouldn't be in utter chaos, which is what it has been for the last few weeks, and that I would remember why I love my job so much. I honestly don't think that things could have gone better!!! I have had 2 great days, got to share a little bit about my travels with several of my coworkers and I was able to really focus on caring for the babies and wasn't distracted by any drama or management related issues. My batteries have been recharged and the Lord has restored my focus and my love for my patients and their families.

"O Lord you are my God, I will exalt you. I will give thanks to your name. For you have worked wonders, plans formed long ago with perfect faithfulness." Isaiah 25:1

Zimbabwe

Well now that I have been back in the USA for a couple of weeks, I figured it was time to update the old blog and write a little bit about my trip to Africa :-)

The Lord answered a lifelong prayer when I was chosen to be a part of a short term mission team from my church that was going to Zimbabwe. As I look back I am really blown away at how the Lord worked in every small detail for me to not only be able to go, but also to have the whole month of August off work. After almost 4 years in neonatal intensive care, I was getting very much burnt out!! I love my job and love the sweet tiny babies, but things have gotten EXTREMELY stressful with various management and political hospital issues. It has become harder and harder to go to work and just focus on patient care. So after much prayer and saving all of my summer vacation I got the whole month off!! I continue to pray that the Lord will help me to be a light to my coworkers and that I will be able to focus on what is important and not let the other circumstances stress me out.

So we left for Zimbabwe on a Wednesday evening and flew direct from Raleigh to London (somewhere I have never been!!) and got to spend most of the day roaming around London. We saw Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, the Thames River, etc. It was a really cool side stop!! We left London that night and arrived in Zimbabwe via Nairobi, Kenya on Friday around lunch time. Then after lunch and afternoon tea, we took the 4 hour bus ride to the town of Mutare, where we spent the rest of our time. We stayed in a very quaint, sort of old English inn, called the Inn on the Vumba. Which was up on a mountain and had the most incredible view!!

Unfortunately, my suitcase was 'lost' and did not arrive when I did. Needless to say after 2 days of traveling and very little sleep I was on the brink of an emotional breakdown. My teammates were incredible!! They stepped right in and offered their extra clothes, toiletries, etc. But the Lord had an amazing blessing in store for me. Since I only had the clothes on my back and my toothbrush that was in my carry-on bag, 3 Zimbabwean ladies from the church's hospitality team showed up on Saturday ready to take me shopping. My friend Gretchen came along and we had the best day!! Because I had a need, we experienced relational bonding in one afternoon!! I was blown away at their warmth, friendship and how the love of Christ shown through each of these women. That day Gretchen and I made lifelong friends, and all because my luggage didn't show up!! The Lord rocked my socks off :-) (my suitcase arrived 2 days later)

After breakfast each morning, we would drive to the church and split up into our two teams: construction and vacation bible school. I was on construction :-) This was not what typical Zimbabwean women would do and the ongoing joke was that the girls helping with construction needed to stay in Zimbabwe to learn how to be proper women...haha. I learned how to tie rebar by hand, hand mix concrete with a shovel, and helped move over 2000 15lb bricks up to the construction site. It felt so good to work hard all day long out in the African sun and then crash after a yummy dinner. One of the highlights of the day was morning tea. Every morning, EVERYONE (including the burly construction workers) would stop and have tea and biscuits. Hot tea, in real teacups and saucers and the most delicious pastries and cookies I have ever had. Definitely a custom I think we should adopt!!

It is hard for me to put into words how this experience has changed my heart and has impacted my relationship with the Lord. And I am definitely still processing everything. But the Lord has given me a heart and a love for the people of Africa, especially Zimbabwe. I also feel like my desire to adopt an African child was confirmed even more. It may sound a little cheesy, but I feel like I left a little piece of my heart there and I pray that I will get to go back again.

cha, cha, cha, changes :-)

So I was inspired tonight to redo my blog 'theme'. Summer is my favorite time of year because there is so much to do outside and except for the unusually hot last couple of days, I love the weather!!

Last summer when I was looking for my house, I was so blessed to find a 3 bedroom townhouse that also had 3 full bathrooms, that was in my price range!! Steph moved in shortly after I bought the house and I have been open to getting another roommate, but was waiting on the Lord for the right person and the right timing.

A few weeks ago my sister Karoline called me and said she an old friend had called her and was looking for a place to live. Amy's family lived in our neighborhood when we were little, our dads went to high school together, and our families have been friends for years. So today Amy moved into the downstairs bedroom!!! I am very excited to have her here and it is definitely a financial blessing to have another person to share the bills with :-)

The Lord continues to amaze me with his faithfulness and provision!! I wasn't actively looking for another roommate, but the Lord brought me one. It is my prayer that the Lord will give me humility and that I will be faithful to Him just as He has been faithful to me.

Hilarious Parody

Hey I saw the link to this video on one of my new favorite blogs so you guys should check it out!! Very funny!!

http://www.communitychristian.org/video/video/1-adults/4-music/29-serving-back

Catching up

So I was really gung ho on the bloggin' thing in the beginning but I have been way too slack lately so here goes...

Two weekends ago, my good friend Bryan and I went up to Philadelphia to visit our friend Stephanie. What a blast!!! I haven't been up there since I was a little girl, so it was very different to go back now. We did and saw everything we could possibly squeeze into just a few days. Historical tours, medical museum, art museum, Geno's cheesesteak :-), great dinners, fun shopping, and 4 hours in IKEA!!! It was such a blessing to spend time with two girls who are such great friends, encouragers in my relationship with Christ, and who are real. We can be who we are and not worry about being loved and accepted, because we care and love each other the way Christ has called us to love each other, in spite of our shortcomings. (I'll post a couple of pics at the end of this post).

The last few days I have just been blown away by what the Lord has worked out and how He is bringing about some heart desires that I have had tucked away for quite awhile. After I had been a nurse for awhile and felt as though I had a little experience under my belt, I thought how neat it would be to use my training in ministry. I have always had a little place in my heart for the ministry of the christian crisis pregnancy centers. Growing up my parents were very involved in this ministry and I was always very aware of what a powerful ministry that it is. To reach out to young women in such a vulnerable place and potentially save a life from abortion. What an incredible thing to be involved in!!! Several months ago the pregnancy center that my church supports had a booth at our missions festival and I was so challenged and convicted at the same time to volunteer. And despite being slack in signing up for the training sessions and turning my paperwork in, the Lord has sovereignly worked everything out so perfectly just in the last couple of days!! I continue to be amazed at His faithfulness in spite of my unfaithfulness. I don't even have any words to explain how I feel...

Another thing that I have had in the back of my mind and my heart is a desire to go to Africa. I never had any specific ideas of what that would look like or in what capacity I would go, but it has always kind of been there. A small kind of back burner prayer request. And once again, the Lord has worked it out and I have been chosen to be part of a team from my church that is going to Zimbabwe in August!!! And there is a possiblity I will be able to stay for a couple of weeks longer and help out with the ministry that is going on there.