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As many of you know i have been matt and julie cooper's nanny here in Mexico for the past 5 summers. I started watching them when Cameron was 2 and they only had 4 kids. Now they have 6. they are such an incredible family. words cannot describe how much i love them. As summer is approaching and a NEW nanny is coming my heart starts to feel sad but really excited at the same time. I have never been staff before, especially throughout a busy summer. It is true i have a passion for children. whether that is the Cooper children or the orphan children. I JUST LOVE KIDS. i love to love on them. i love to kiss on them. i love to wrap them up in my arms and i love watching them grow up so big. Since living here i have had a great balance of being on Staff but still having the pleasure to watch the cooper kids from time to time. there are many times that i miss them so much i pretty much force matt and julie out the door so i can hang out. haha or i just invite myself over for family fun. It is never a dull moment in the Cooper house. Especially when trying to put Caleb to sleep when there are 8 boys downstairs that have the radio on really loud.Anyways,i have taken moments to pause and think about this summer that is about to happen. I can't really put into words how i feel but i know i am super pumped. My role is different now with what i am used to in dealing with the interns, nannies, and staff. But one major problem.... I DON'T REALLY FEEL PREPARED. so... i have decided to take action and decide not to consume the things of this world and what i am used to, but to pursue God in a more passionate way to feel ready and prepared for this summer. I am asking the Lord to take hold my thoughts, actions, spiritual walk, to renew my mind, my heart, and to give me GLORY STRENTH that can only come from Him. I am on day 3 now and it has been awesome. I am experiencing more of who God is and who I am in Him. Please be praying for me through this time of preparation and transitioning from a nanny to a Staff person. I am super excited for what is to come and all the people that are going to come and serve alongside us this summer.
One of my best friends SARA left early this morning for 6 1/2 months to move to SLOVENIA. I got the chance to pray with her before she left and all the thoughts of when i left returned to me. i remembered that it was SUPER hard to leave my friends, my family, and what was so comfortable to me. But the beauty is... I HAVE NEVER LOVED MY LIFE AS MUCH AS I DO RIGHT NOW. God has blessed the fact that i am not comfortable and He is enriching the ministry i work with. What a honor to be a part of that. Sara is the same. she has a HUGE heart for missions, is sad about leaving, but looking forward to what the Lord is going to show her throughout her 6 months with Josiah Venture ministry. I believe in her and am so thankful i have someone in my life that is like her. She is passionate about who God is in her life and i think everyone that knows her considers her a best friend. She is the most gentle person i know with her words, actions, and thoughts. I am so thankful she is such a big part of my life. I am praying for her and for her new adventure. I am also praying for all my best friends back in Oklahoma. It is not easy to say goodbye for a few months when you are used to seeing those people everyday. Sara is VERY close to a lot of people so i am sure there were a ton of tears but such a sweet, happy sending off. Sara you are a strong women of the Lord and i am so proud of who you are. Thank you for being consistent in serving the Lord. I pray blessings over your journey and pray that you search out God with everything you have. May He be your provider, helper, friend, father, and your encouragement. I love you girl. GOOD LUCK.
Before summer starts we had an all staff pour on the second floor of SMCA. our campus is growing and so are our visitors (we could always use more so check out back2backministries.org and sign up for a trip). I was asked what my goal was by the end of my first year of living here is and when dealing with actual work projects i said i would love to be able to run the trompo, and a crew, all by myself. although it is not exactly summer yet, i had the opportunity to jump on it and learn. thanks to matt cooper who helped teach me what to do. i now know that you need 2 buckets of water, half a bag of cement, and lots of gravel or mix sand stuff. i kept pouring a little too much in some of the buckets. but other than that, MAN I FELT POWERFUL. haha without my job the cement would not have gone all the way up to SMCA. i had a blast doing it even though my arms were a little sore the next day. Praise God for great work days when a lot of things get accomplished. NOT to mention that i accomplished my goal before summer even started.... FEELS PRETTY GOOD. thanks to the staff for their patience with me on this day and letting me learn. once again my dad would be so impressed and proud at some of the skills i am learning here.
I am currently reading Crazy Love BY Francis Chan... what a challenging book that is constantly making you re-check your heart over and over. i just read chapter 6 and there were a couple things i wanted to pull out for you.. He pulls out a question from John Piper's book 'God is the Gospel' it says ' "The critical question for our generation- and for every generation- is this: if you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there? i don't know about you but for so many times in my life i CRAVE Christ and my relationship with Him. i feel like when my life is going crazy it is very much a reflection of my relationship with Christ. All of those things in that quote sound great but could i truly be satisfied by all that ? I don't think so at all. for a short time i am sure many people would be okay but then after that season you would miss the ONE person that pursues you on a DAILY BASIS and the way that He makes everything sweeter when He is involved. Not to mention that Heaven would not be Heaven without Christ. how would you feel if you loved someone with unconditional love and you invited them over for dinner and to play games. then to realize they don't really love you back or desire a relationship with you, they only wanted to come over because they heard you had an x-box, wii, and Escalade?????? that is what i think about when i read that question. Psalm 63:1-5 i not only want to be able to say it and mean it but i also want to PROCLAIM the greatness of our God on a daily basis. " O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. i have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. i will praise you as long as i live, and in your name i will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you."
