Thankful Thursday: {My Week Off}

I have had the week off from nannying, and it has been so nice to relax and spend extra time with my fam.

Here are some pictures of my week:

As part of my mom's Mothers Day gift from me, I went Friday afternoon and got her (and myself) some tart frozen yogurt.

yes, my mom's has rainbow sprinkles on hers

 

 

I have to be at church at 6:30 AM on Sundays, and the sunrise this past Sunday was gorgeous.

I also got my THIRD Highlands College acceptance letter this week... My friend, Brendon, pointed out, three is the number of perfection. :) It is now the bookmark in my book Fasting by Jentezen Franklin.

My mom got an electric grill for Mother's Day, which we were so excited. So we took full advantage of it for dinner Monday night.

The easiest, healthiest, yummiest side salad.

Romaine, feta, lemon, olive oil, and pepper.

 

We decided to velcro roll Kylee-McKell's hair. She was not amused at how long she had to keep them in.

 

 

Aaaand my friend, Haley, is coming to visit for the weekend! She is on her way right now, and I can't wait for her to get here.

 

I'll be sure to take pictures of our adventures for the weekend. :)

 





My Highlands College Visit

Yep... it happened! I got to FINALLY see Highlands College with my very eyes. And it FAR exceeded my expectations.

My dad and I have been talking about going to visit for a while now, just so I could see it and meet the staff and students. Well, we decided Sunday afternoon that we would go yesterday. So we got up at 5:30 AM and drove to Birmingham. We got to the school, which is where Church of the Highlands Greystone campus meets, around 10:20. Mrs. Amy, the admissions coordinator, wasn't there yet, so she told me to just hang out until she was there. My dad left, then, and went to do some work stuff.

the front of the building.

I got to sit in a class with my sweet friend Kasey, who I was SO excited to finally meet in person! The pastor who taught the class opened class in prayer. And he had me in tears. God's presence was so sweet in that class. I got to see some of the students give their 8 minute sermons they had prepared. It awesome. Those who know me know that I cringe walking through school buildings. I cannot stand the lighting, the smell, etc. I know that's crazy, but it's true. This was totally different. The building is beautiful, and there is so much natural lighting that, even on the cloudy day I was there, the classes had just enough light. (By the way, when we pulled in and it was rainy, I said to my Dad, "God knew I was coming today so He made it rain.")

It was such a peaceful environment. Even when students were talking and moving around, there was this precious peace in my heart. I was so impressed and encouraged by the way the students and the faculty treat each other and welcomed me. There is a strong culture of honor there.

Kasey and I got to have a quick lunch together, which was SUCH a blessing! We just chatted like we have known eachother forever, which we kind of have. Then I went back to the school and my Dad came, and we got an official tour of the building. It was awesome. Here are some more pictures :)

The view from upstairs (where the classrooms and offices are).

That's a common area where the students can eat lunch and hang out.

Those two doors on the back wall are to the auditorium where the Greystone

campus has church & HC has chapel every week.

 

the Highlands Cafe. AKA my favorite part of the whole building :)

You all know how much I love my coffee.

 

My cool little folder I got with some housing info & stuff.

 

It was such an amazing day, and I seriously cannot imagine myself going to school anywhere else. It was THE perfect school environment for me, and it was SO awesome to finally meet the staff and students.

 

So, PLEASE be praying for God to provide every single penny I need. I REALLY want to be able to go in August, and I believe that God can make that happen if that's what He wants for me! But I would really appreciate your prayers. Y'all are the best. :)

 

I'm about to start reading my new book, Fasting by Jentezen Franklin and drink some hot tea to help my sore, scratchy throat.

 

 

 

Pray for that, too, since I lead worship again this Sunday! OH YEAH, I led worship at Momentum for the first time this past Sunday. It was amazing. I'm so thankful to have this opportunity to lead this congregation in worship. I love seeing people encounter His presence. It's precious.

 

I hope you're all having an amazing week! If I can pray for you in any way, please let me know. I would be more than happy to intercede for you.

 

Headed to HC!

Hi sweet friends!!

I am headed to Birmingham for the day :) :) I am so excited to visit Highlands College and get to see what God is doing there with my own eyes!

Be praying for me! Can't wait to tell you ALL about it.
Much love :)

Adios Social Media!

... for 21 days. :)

Okay, I'll give you a little back story. I have really felt the Lord speaking to me for a while now about fasting. I've had multiple people say things to me about it, and when I've prayed about it, I've felt the Lord affirm it.

I first thought about fasting when I told my pastor about my financial situation and Bible college, and the first thing he said was, "you need to read "Fasting" by Jentezen Franklin." And he told me this amazing story about a time in his life when he needed the Lord to provide for something and he was reading that book, and the Lord supplied his needs in a way only He could do!

I decided to do the Daniel Fast. (you can read about it here.) If you don't know what that is, it's a plant-based fast for 21 days. Fruit, vegetables, nuts, whole grains. No dairy, no meat, no refined sugar, no processed food. My mom and I decided to do it together, and we started Sunday. (Yesterday was day 4.) We both experienced the normal side effects of it- fatigue, weakness, etc. However, I was also extremely nauseous every day. After researching and praying, I felt like the fast was counterproductive if it was causing harm to my body. Some people are just not cut out for a vegan lifestyle or even a vegan fast. Apparently, I am one of them!

So I went back to square one, and started thinking and praying about what I could fast from. Then it hit me. Social media. I definitely do not tweet or post on facebook all day, but I do scroll through twitter, instagram, and facebook quite often during the day. Anytime I have a spare moment, I find myself picking up my phone to look through one of my social network feeds. I could be spending that time praying over my finances for school. I'm starting the 21 days today, instead of starting off where I left off. I just feel like I could really benefit from doing 21 days without social media. So, here I go!

I needed prayers during the Daniel Fast, and I am definitely going to need your prayers during this fast as well! Thank you SO much for those in advance. If you need me, you can email me. (See Let's Keep In Touch! page.) I do plan on blogging during this fast, so you can keep up with how it's going on here!

blessings to all of you! love you all so much :)

Help Me Get to Highlands College!

Hello sweet friends!!
I have an awesome opportunity to attend Highlands College this fall. I hope to be a part of the worship track and grow as a daughter of the Living God and a worship leader. For the last year I have been praying and believing God would provide the money necessary for me to be there. Because I trust that God's timing is perfect, I have been at peace with not being able to go so far. I really feel that this fall is when I am supposed to be there. And because I know God is a God who performs miracles, I believe I can be there regardless of what my financial situation looks like now.

I sent out support letters to some of you a year ago asking for financial help and prayers for my tuition. To those who have contributed financially and/or in prayer, thank you SO much! I am so thankful for your generosity. All I need now is money for living expenses- rent, groceries, gas, etc. Rent will be around $300 a month + groceries, gas, and other expenses. Right now I am nannying and setting aside as much as I can, but I am having a hard time paying for the things I need in order to get there because I am putting so much of it in savings.

Here's where you come in. You can help me in two ways..
Financially- you can send checks to my home address. (email me for it!) Every dollar given to me will be put in my savings account and will not be used until I am at school.
Prayer- my time at Highlands College will be extremely challenging, and I believe God is going to stretch me and show me what He is calling me to.

I hope you will take some time to pray and ask the Holy Spirit how He is leading you to help. Thank you so much for your support in advance!

 

 

A Mani-Pedi Teaches Me To Trust

So the last time I really updated ya'll on my Dad's job situation was in this post. Well that job did not end up working out for numerous reasons, and we are really thankful. However, we spent a few months after that without any income, just praying and waiting for Dad to get a new job. While I was in Shreveport, the Lord provided him with the job he had been wanting for a while! He still has that job, and we are SO grateful. And he absolutely loves it. He travels a lot, but he really loves what he is doing. I am so thankful that my Dad is willing to do whatever he has to in order to provide for my family.

Anyway, you all know I have been nannying and saving most of what I make. I put the majority of it in savings and keep the rest in my checking account. A few months ago, my aunt pulled out all of her lists from when Ann-Layton first went to college. The lists have EVERYTHING from comforts to a tool box to toiletries on them. I decided about a week ago that, with the money I keep in my checking account, I will start buying a few things each week from my lists so that it doesn't all pile up at the last minute.

Tristan mentioned this past weekend that she was going to get her acrylic nails filled and asked if I wanted to come with her. I battled myself for days and days. "Should I get a mani-pedi? Should I not? I really need to buy an egg crate. I should use that money for ____." I know I sound crazy, but this was how I was feeling. I finally talked to my mom about it, and she said, "I think you should just do it. It is one week. You get paid on Monday, and you need to do something for yourself every once in a while." Then she told me about a Joyce Meyer sermon where she said (paraphrased),

"When you deprive yourself of EVERYTHING you enjoy,

you are basically saying you don't trust God to provide for you."

 

That really was SO true for me. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that every semester comes around and I say, "I'm going to Highlands College." And you also know that I end up saying, "Well, I can't go." For some reason, this time I have just been SO scared that it's not going to work out, that my parents won't be able to send me again. But what is that saying about my faith? What does that say about who I think God is? He doesn't need my help. YES, it is important for me to be wise about my spending, and it is NOT a bad thing for me to set aside a good bit of what I make so that I can help contribute to my school fees.

 

I was reminded of my car story. God didn't need my help AT ALL to give me a car. I tried all sorts of ways to try to get one... I mean, y'all. I wrote into The Ellen Show. So embarrassing. But God provided in the BEST way! Not only did He give me a car for FREE, but I also gained some AMAZING friends that I met in Shreveport.

 

 

 

So I ended up getting the mani-pedi, and it was SO worth it. I didn't even realize how much I needed that time to just relax and do something for myself. The nail salon had a huge TV on the wall that was on the Food Network. It was perfect, and I just got to relax and clear my head.

 

 

I also had a really great conversation with my manicurist. He saw what was left of my red X on my hand from the End It Movement and asked what it was for. We talked for a while about human trafficking and how awful it is, but we also talked about all of the people who are fighting to end it. Then I noticed he had a notecard with printed Bible verses on it, and I asked him what church he went to. He told me he was Buddhist, and a woman came into their salon and gave the notecards to him. So I invited him to come to Momentum and told him we would love to have him!

 

 

God is just so good, and He continues to show me that He WILL provide for me when He knows it is time for me to go. The same afternoon I got my nails done, my Dad found out he got some sort of project that he had been wanting, which will increase his pay eventually. It was such a sweet reminder from the Lord that He IS moving. :)

 









Community Group Party & Exciting News

Hello loves!

In my last post I wrote about community group and how excited I was. Needless to say, my expectations were met and exceeded. It ended up being a community group party, which included 3 or 4 small groups of guys and girls in their 20's. There were around 15 people there, and I loved getting to meet all of them! The guys grilled burgers, and each girl brought a dessert. I wish I had taken pictures of all of the food, but it probably would have been weird to be like, "Oh, hey. Nice to meet you. Let me just take a picture of your apple pie you brought."

Ghirardelli brownies I made :)

Over the last few weeks I have been emailing back and forth with the worship leader at Momentum trying to find a good time to meet and talk about auditioning. Well he came to the party last night for a few minutes, and told me to just come to their rehearsal (which was tonight around 5:30) to audition. So I went tonight, and I sang "Healer" by Kari Jobe. He had the most encouraging thing, and he told me I had a Kari Jobe/ Brooke Fraser vibe. Uhm, THANKS. :) So basically what I will do is go to rehearsal for a few weeks and get a feel for what their rehearsal/leading is like so that I'm not just thrown into it. I will practice a song to lead when it's time for me to actually lead. I am so excited and so thankful for this opportunity! I can't wait to serve this House.

How I celebrated joining the worship team.

My first real community group is tomorrow night. We are starting a Louie Giglio study, which I am so excited about! I can't wait to develop relationships with these girls. :)

Needless to say, my heart is full! I am so grateful for the doors God is opening in my life.

much love. xoxo