HE Shall Give Thee the Desires of Thine Heart

So as I was reading my Bible today, I came across a familiar verse, Psalm 37:4 "Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Have you ever wanted, hoped for, or expected something that didnt come to pass? Of course, we've all been there, and I'm certainly no exception. There's nothing quite like that feeling of dissapointment. Proverbs 13:12a "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick..." So sometimes, when I'm facing these "dissapointments" in my life, God shows me a verse that gives me the answer to my problems. (I can almost hear Him say, "Umm...didn't you learn this verse a long time ago..?" I'm glad He remembers that I'm just dust, and even though I have all the answers in His Word, sometimes I forget!:)) So what's the answer to actually "getting what you want?" Well, it starts when you delight yourself in the Lord. Not just going through the motions of "I read my Bible and prayed for 30 minutes this morning, so I am a good Christian" (yes, unfortunately, we've all been there too...), but I mean actually being excited about and enjoying the time spent with God reading His Word and praying. So after you've delighted yourself in the Lord, then will you get whatever you want? I think not. At least, you probably won't get the things you wanted before. Why? You won't want the same things anymore, because He will put new desires in your heart! Why does He want to give us new desires? So He can fulfill them! God wants you happy, but only He knows that often what we want won't truly make us happy. That is why He wants to choose what desires are in our hearts. Because He knows, "When the desire cometh, it is a tree of life." (Prov.13:12b. After all-He wrote that!!:) So, walk with the Lord, not just because you "have to", but because you want to, then let Him put new desires in your heart, and don't be surprised when you start to have big plans for Him! Don't ever be afraid to dream big for God-He put those dreams and desires in your heart!! :-)

Let the Summer Memories Begin! (:

Well, I am officially done with my Freshman year of Bible college!!! What a year it was! I have met so many people, and made so many friends that I will cherish for life! I have learned sooo much for the classes, chapel, church, the bus ministry, and just life itself! College has defiantly been an adventure, and I can't wait to see what the next semester will hold!!! But until then...it's summer break!!! :) Last week, I went with my family on vacation. We had a great time! Now, I am happy to be home! (Dad prefers me to stay and help out at home rather than get a job. So, I'll only be waitressing on Saturdays.) There is plenty of work to be done here, and I'm setting goals for myself to accomplish over this summer. There's also plenty of fun to had! (9 siblings live here-there's never a dull moment!) Though I must admit, my tiny country town doesn't offer much in the way of excitement or adventure... But no worries! I'll make it exciting! :) Haha! Every day can be an adventure if you make it that way! (At least, that's the way I see it!:)) And making my own adventures just so happens to be my specialty...;)

Happy December! :)

I love the month December! You know why? Because December means Christmas! (I LOVE everything about Christmas time!!!).

Decemeber also means finals have started here at college, and that my first semester is coming to a close! However, today we had no finals-but instead got to go to watch our basketball tournament!
 (I'm pretty sure it's the first basketball game I've sat and watched all the way through. Haha!)

We get out of school next Friday, which means I'll be going home to see my family in only a week! I'm so excited! I have missed every one of them! We are going to have so much fun, and make some great memories! :)

But before going home, another December event will be the Christmas Lights activity in Chicago.
It's one of those things I'm pretty sure I've looked forward to for years, and I know it's going to be fun!

Giving Thanks Always...

Well, it's the night before Thanksgiving, and I'm sitting here in my dorm room- which means I won't be home for Thanksgiving tomorrow. It's my first major holiday away from home, and I've got to admit, I'd really like to be with my family right now. But, instead of lamenting over that fact, let me list just a few of the MANY things I have to be thankful for!
First of all, I'm thankful for the day I got saved! Heaven is my home, and I am a child of the King!!! :D
Second, I am thankful for my wonderful, crazy, awesome family! I have the greatest parents in the world, who have made me what I am today, and are always there for me.
I have the greatest siblings (all 10 of them!!) and I love them each in a special way. :) Even though I'm not there this Thanksgiving, at least I have the memories from last year!
I am also thankful for all of my friends-both the old, and the new! They all mean a lot to me, and I'm grateful for how God has brought each of them into my life as I have needed them. (:
I'm thankful for the opportunity to attend the greatest Bible college in the world, and to prepare for whatever God wants me to do! I am learning all the time here: in the dorms, in the classroom, in the chapel, and on the weekends.
And last but not least, I am thankful for the wonderful privilege of serving God.
Every weekend, I am able to tell people how to go to Heaven, invite them to church, and spend time with my bus kids. I am able to see converts grow, and see bus kids' parents start to attend our churches.
And I am able to work with the Primary girls on Sunday mornings. They are so precious: they just want to be loved, and they are so willing to love you back the way you are!
God is so good!!! :)
So as Thanksgiving approaches, I challenge you to sit down for a moment to think of how God's blessed you, and be thankful! :)
Psalms 105:1 "O give thanks unto the Lord: call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people."

My First Midterms, and some Soulwinning Stories :)

Two weeks ago today, we had our week of midterms. I was nervous about them, and spent nearly all of my spare time studying. But, I made it through, and did pretty well, even on those I was worried about. :) (Praise the Lord!)

I'm am happy to have them behind me! (Until next semester, anyways!).
But honestly, they weren't as hard as I thought they would be. :)

One Saturday, as we were headed to a bus kid's house to visit, when we passed six children playing in their yard. I started talking with them, and before we left, all of them trusted Christ as their Saviour! (I just love Saturdays!!:))

On another Saturday, I was able to lead a Catholic man to the Lord. This past Saturday, we went to revisit him. He has been calling his parents to witness to them, and he is planning on attending one of our Chicago churches next Saturday!

It is so exciting to see converts grow!!! :D

What a privilege to get to serve my Saviour! :)

I Can't believe it's been Four Weeks!!

Well, I have now been in college for nearly four weeks!! I have stayed so busy that time has flown by!

Every now and then, I still find myself amazed that I'm actually here-I'm a student at the greatest Bible College in the world!!! How awesome is that?

I am officially in love...with my bus kids. ;). (Lol! I had you nervous for a minute there, didn't I?). They are so precious, and it is an amazing opportunity to get to be involved in there lives!

We see souls saved every single weekend. (I've got to lead 9 to the Lord in the past few weeks. There is no greater feeling in the world!) One of my sweetest soul winning experiences since I've been here was seeing three children get saved, and seeing the oldest boy immediately become concerned for his dad's salvation. (By the way, his dad did get saved that day!!)

Midterms are just around the corner, so I'm going to stay pretty busy with preparing for them. I'm learning here each and every day, and I'm just trying to enjoy my college experience to the fullest! (As you can see, I have already made lots of memories!)

I'll write again when I can!! :)

So This is Bible College..

Well, I've been at Hyles-Anderson college for a week!

I have been super busy, but I'm enjoying every moment of it! (But I have to get up at 5:00 each day..okay, maybe I don't enjoy EVERY moment! Lol!) It is so awesome here,but it's also really different from back home. (The weather is completely bipolar haha!)

All the church and chapel services have been amazing, a I also have a great room with great roommates! I love my classes and my teachers, and I have made so many friends!

The weekends are great!!! I get to go bus visiting and soul winning on Saturdays, and I get to work with 1st and 2nd graders in the primary department on Sundays!!

Am I homesick? Only when I have time to think about it. I love and miss my family VERY much, but, as you can tell, college keeps me very busy!

I wish I had more time to write, but I need some sleep! So, when I get free time between classes, work, and homework, I will write again!! :-)