SUMMER is half way over

i can't believe summer is half way over. we have been going full force for a month now. it has been incredible. seeing peoples lives changed, watching the American's interact with the kids, hanging out with interns and nannies, going to lots of staff meetings, sorting through millions of donations. i could go on and on. i am having a blast. everyday i meet someone who wants to hear my story of how i got here. and everyday i am reminded of the people who helped me get here. i am so grateful for all the things people have done for me. it has helped me enjoy the beauty of being where God really wants me. i have seen God move in more ways this year than before. and everyday i get to wake up and love on orphans. I love meeting new people. i love listening to their stories. i love helping them learn how to accomplish new tasks. I love staring at beautiful mountains. it is only a glimpse of who God is. i love worshiping Him everynight. i love taking new adventures and learning how to be flexible here in Mexico (Flexico). All in all being on staff in summer can take a toll on health, alone time, and feeling connected. Please pray for me as i continue to make it through July. Pray for me to have wonderful quiet times and to rest in the Presence of the Lord. Pray for me to be filled up. Pray for preparation for when i come home in the summer and do a fundraiser. Pray for me to finish the summer strong instead of worn out. Thank you again for all of you who have helped me get here and do what i love doing. Please continue to pray for me throughout the summer.

" We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul-not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory strength God gives. It is the strength that endures the unedurable and spills over into joy.

Betesda kitchen!!!!!!

I remember going to Betesda looking at their house and seeing things so neat and nice. The children were well behaved and they all call the Americans 'TIA' which means aunt. i remember sitting down with the director of Betesda and her saying that someone had just told them they had to be out of the house they were living in before the week was over. i thought to myself, who in the world kicks 17 orphans out on the street? the rent kept going up and they were not able to pay it anymore. so the director and the kids walked a couple of blocks and saw a beautiful white castle (not kidding). they asked about rent there and it was still too expensive. so the director asked the children if they wanted to live there. they all said yes. so they got down and prayed and claimed in Jesus name for that house to be theirs. well a couple days later, a person called them back telling them they would lower the rent and they could move in as soon as they wanted.
i cannot even imagine how blessed those kids and directors felt. kneeling before God brings BIG results. even a castle to a bunch of orphan children. The children are not only learning to depend on God for things but also to allow God to move in mighty ways.
So.. the only thing that was not so great about this castle is there was no kitchen. i mean literally no kitchen what so ever. they had a sink and that was it. So through resources and lots of prayer, God has rebuilt a brand new kitchen for their beautiful castle. Thank you for all of you who has helped make this possible. They are truly blessed and we get to see the beauty of answered prayers from your help. THANK YOU!

SUMMER IS IN SESSION!

SUMMER IS IN SESSION-
first week of summer is over. we had 4 groups, lots of projects, lots of prayers, and lots of watching God not only showing up but show off. What an incredible experience to be able to walk through peoples mission trips with them. Watching God move in mighty ways here reminds me everyday of His faithfulness. God is so good. I got the chance to debrief one of the 4 groups this past week and it was awesome. Seeing where people are at the beginning of their trip to the end is ridiculous in the sense of God moving in and through people. WOW. i really LOVE what i do here. Worship is another part of what happens in summer time. It has been emotional staring at God's beauty (the mountains, the children, etc) and worshiping Him. What an incredible God we serve. Every night for the next 8 weeks we will have consistent worship lead by my friend Craig Aven. He is very talented and the first night he got here and started singing my heart felt totally at peace. It has been a LONG road here not worshiping God in ENGLISH. So needless to say i am so thrilled to be able to worship my God in my first language.
I love summer because of all the neat people we get to meet. I love hearing people's stories and where they are in life. I think it is so interesting how God connects all of us for such a short time in such a sweet way. So many hearts coming in and out of our campus all being touched by God in a different way. it is such a reminder of the Body of Christ. All coming together, putting their differences aside, being united through Christ, and having fun while serving orphans.
But along with summer comes lots of not feeling rested. Right now i actually feel a little sick so please be praying for me. i leave for el limon tomorrow for a whole week and am super excited about it. But i am praying for healing and that i won't get worse, only better.
During this past week i got to lead a group on a cement project and it was super fun. they tore up the floor in the boy's dorm at MANANTIAL DE AMOR and then we did a big pour on it. So fun. We were dirty, sweaty, hot and making a difference. we got the whole floor finished and it was such a great work day.
Please be praying for summer. For rest, endurance, for God to move, beauty, BALANCE, and falling more and more in love with serving the orphan child.

From NANNY to STAFF

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.

Sending Sara Off

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.

learning and LOVING

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.

Questions...

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."