No More 3x5s

I went on a walk once.

The sun was starting to set, and it looked like a scene from a movie. I had to squint as I made my way through the fields. My skin was orange, contrasting with the pink and blue sky above me. My feet made a crunching sound beneath me as I stepped on dry straw. The next field was completely green.

I could see the church steeple in the distance as I stopped and turned around. The roofs were only just visible.

I turned around and kept walking.

It got quieter.

I was alone in my field.

I climbed on top of a hay bale and sat, taking in the beauty around me. By this time, everything was orange. My eyelashes scattered the sunrays when I blinked.

I wanted them to see this. I wanted them to feel the air, and smell the grass. I wanted them to sit next to me for a while.

There was no way that a camera could capture this moment.

I guess you had to be there.

I will forever remember that day.

Years from now, I will go back. I will pass my driveway, no longer a resident, and park at the top of the hill. My husband and I will get out, and I will take him to a hay bale by the stream. I will show him the steeple, and He will feel the crunch of the straw underneath his boots.

He will understand.

I won't have to show pictures anymore.

He will sit beside me for a while and take in the beauty around us.

Finally, he will understand.

No more 3x5s.

Mighty to Save

I just finished watching The Pursuit of Happyness with Anna and Carolyn. Talk about a sad movie! I feel so blessed after watching that. I can't imagine what it is like to struggle financially like that: to not know where you will sleep each night or where your next meal will come from. I am so incredibly blessed!

Now I have a knot in my stomach for some unknown reason. I feel nervous about something; there's a lump in my throat, too. I have no clue as to why I feel this way! I feel like this sometimes. Who knows.

On a better note, I just discovered that I made an A in my INST 310 class! I am so happy. I took my final earlier this afternoon, and I felt pretty good about it, despite the fact that I woke up at 5:30 this morning and felt weird for the rest of the day. I had to wake up that early because I had a test at 7:30. I hope I did okay on that one, too. I have tried really hard in that class! Ehh, enough about school.

I feel shallow right now.

I just read about Saul (Paul) in Acts 10. God is amazing! You never know what He’s going to do. A man who persecuted Christians over and over again is changed by God, and then becomes one of the most famous Christians in history. I bet the books he wrote are more read than any other books in the world. Wow. It got me thinking about a song I have been listening to this week: Mighty to Save. Should I write the lyrics?? Why not!!!

Mighty to Save
- Hillsong

Everyone needs compassion
A love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
A kindness of a Savior
The hope of nations

My Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, author of salvation
He rose and conquored the grave
Jesus conquored the grave

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
And now I surrender

My Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, author of salvation
He rose and conquored the grave
Jesus conquored the grave

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the Risen King, Jesus


My God really is mighty to save! He changes lives! :)

Ok I am really distracted now. Maybe I will write later.

-KLH

I Could Really Use a New Laptop

I wrote a post earlier today, but then my laptop decided to be lame and turn off in the middle of everything. It has a habit of overheating (which is strange, because I bought a stand for it so that it wouldn't overheat) and turning off. I am asking for a new computer for my birthday. Which is in 25 days. :) My computer is SO SLOW and makes a whirring noise 99% of the time. I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to happen. And I know the overheating thing is not supposed to happen. My hard drive completely crashed in the middle of my freshman year, and I know that wasn't supposed to happen either. I've had problem after problem with this machine, but I've learnt a very valuble lesson through it all:

Don't ever buy a Dell.

I bought a few new worship songs today from iTunes: Everlasting God, So High, Mighty to Save and From the Inside Out. Great songs...!!! I feel as if my life is overflowing with blessings, that all I can do is praise God! I feel so full of joy! No my life isn't near perfect, and I am faced with struggles all the time, but God never ceases to be good to me. It's hard to comprehend, but He loves me no matter what! I can understand exactly why Paul praised God when he was in prison. The joy that comes from praising my amazing Creator is phenomenal. :)

I wanted to write some of the lyrics out of one of the songs I downloaded, so here it goes:

From the Inside Out
- Hillsong

A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again,
I'm caught in Your grace

Everlasing, Your light will shine
When all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes
Beyond all fame

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise

Everlasting, Your light will shine
When all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes
Beyond all fame

My heart and my soul
I give you control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord, let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, Your light will shine
When all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes
Beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord, my soul cries out

I Guess You Could Say I'm Slightly Overwhelmed

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

I can honestly look at my life right now and agree completely with this verse! I'm overwhelmed with the blessings that I've been given this semester! I saw my friend Ryan today, and he asked me how my semester was. I was absolutely bursting with stories of God's goodness and the bounty that He has bestowed upon me, but we had no more than 30 seconds to talk since we were walking to class. I tried to convey that this semester has been amazing, but those 30 seconds couldn't do it justice. God has been so amazing to me!!!!!! I will give you all a quick rundown of what has happened:

• My classes aren't amazing, but I am getting through them. I am learning patience from frustrating teachers and perseverance through difficult classes.

• God is teaching me so much about the way that He works. He is so surprising and works in unexpected ways! He has provided an opportunity for me to share my relationship with Christ with my Taiwanese penpal, Claire, through a class project. That is another big blessing – Claire is an amazing friend and penpal! I am challenging my own faith as I share what I believe with her. The joy that comes from this is astounding. I could talk for hours about it! :)

• I have an amazing SiC, Leigh Ann. We have met pretty much every single week since the beginning of September (minus school breaks). She challenges me, encourages me and constantly amazes me with her love for Christ. Her motives are pure and her heart is full. She is one of the most amazing people I know! Also, she is going to be my sister’s roommate next year!!!

• God has blessed me with new friendships, one of these being my math buddy (as we will forever refer to each other) Ashley. I call her my other whole, because we are pretty much the same person! It is awesome to have someone who is always willing to hang out with me and do random fun stuff with me, not to mention attempt math homework with me! I am blessed to have her as a friend.

• My sister is here at A&M, and it gives me so much joy! I love having her here! I think people think that we are joined at the hip, because we are always together. I call her about 20 times a day (thank goodness it’s free) and tell her everything. She is the hugest encouragement in my life! What makes me most excited is that I could be living down the street from her next year. I am so excited about this possibility!

• I have a car that I can drive around in now. You have no idea how big of a blessing this is. My life has changed dramatically because of it (thank you, dad!).

• I went on the most amazing mission trip over Spring Break, to Juarez, Mexico. It changed my life, and I met the most incredible people on that trip. Service is my passion, so to be able to serve others in that way gave me immense joy. I want to go back next year!

• I am so blessed to have Nana living in College Station. Although I don’t see her as often as I would like, I love having her here. She is a wonderful grandmother!

• I love my church. No, it’s not perfect, but I have learnt more there than at any other church in my entire life. I have a family there who cares about me a lot! I love the people that I have met there and the relationships that I have formed. I see Jesus in them, and it gives me great delight! I love the honesty and genuine hearts there.

• I love my roommates, and it has been a blessing to be with them this year (and last year). I will miss them a lot when I move next year, but I know that I will always be able to visit! I am excited about living with Jennifer, because I know that it is what God wants. God has a plan, and although I don’t know what it is, I am ready for it and I know it’s going to be awesome!

• My family is back in Texas, and I have driven home twice to visit them so far (and they have come here a few times as well!). I love having them here, although I do miss England. I want to grow closer to them.

• God is teaching me that only He satisfies. I am learning to be satisfied in Him (a lesson that I am confident we as humans must learn over and over throughout our lives!). Anything that I try to fill the void with falls short.

• Even though I would like to get married one day, I am content being single. Period. I am much happier without a boyfriend now, and I have been able to do so much more being single! I praise God for leading me out of my past relationship and into a deeper communion with Him.

• I am excited about the opportunities God is presenting me with for next year. I will be leading an upperclassman Bible study at the BSM, and it is so humbling! I know that it won’t be anything that I can do on my own strength. I need Christ, all the time. I need wisdom from Him, and I need His words.

• I love the random parts of life. Like, yesterday I drove past Navasota with my sister and two other friends, to a state park. We took old cereal boxes and paints, and painted underneath the trees. And the other night I went to Ring Dance and had an amazing time, with a wonderful date. And tonight, I had dinner with my friend Aaron. We talked for a long time about life, and it was spectacular. There weren’t even any awkward silences. Also today, I had a lunch date with my sister, and two of her FLiC friends. Talk about fun. I love random.

• I want to go on a mission trip next summer, and I think that just might be possible.

• I could sing of His love forever.

• (And I could probably keep writing forever!)

But I need to go to bed now. I hope you enjoyed reading my blog.... sorry it's been so short recently.

Too Many Chemicals...

I just cleaned my entire bathroom with about 6 different cleaners, and I'm pretty sure I'm high, or something. I can barely breathe and my head feels funny... hahaha! It smells like a chemical factory in there. Whew. At least the bathroom is clean and sparkling! I'm one of those people who actually enjoys cleaning. To some extent, it's theraputic. I know, I know, I'll make a good housewife. ;) haha! But man, I bet that 1/2 of my brain cells died in the past 30 minutes...

Ring Dance was really fun! Here's a picture:

That's Nathan in his corps uniform and me in my fun and beautiful dress! Melody did my hair and it was gorgeous. I think the best part of the evening was definitely the meal - Veritas is amazing! :)

I feel like a woman of few words right now. Which is weird, because I can talk a lot (anyone who knows me well would agree!). I really just want to go read the Bible right now instead of typing on this, so I think I will.

I'm reading Acts right now, and it's amazing. You should all read it!

Peace out.

Here I Am

(By Shawn McDonald - I absolutely love this song right now! It's so simple and completely honest.)

I lay myself at Your feet
Asking You won't You meet
Won't You meet me
I cannot do it on my own
I cannot do it all alone
Here I am, oh, tonight
With my arms open wide
Won't You come inside
Won't You come inside, God
Come and fill this heart of mine
I'm in need of You
Of Your touch, of Your life, of Your love
I need You
I need You

John 15:5

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

I have been thinking a lot about this verse recently. I went to U-Paint-It last week, and I painted the last part of the verse, "apart from me you can do nothing" on a tile. Carolyn was the one who brought the verse to mind, and it really describes my life right now. I am nothing without Christ! I am so weak and helpless. My own strength is pitiful! Yesterday, I got a call from the BSM, telling me that I wasn't going to be a freshman Bible study leader. Instead, they want me to lead an upperclassman one! I have to choose between leading an all-girls study by myself, or a co-ed one with a guy partner. I am not sure which one to do and I know that I need to pray about it. I want whatever God wants for me! So help me out and pray for me ;) haha!

It's gorgeous outside. I just can't sit still.

I'm out.

Praise the Name of Jesus

God is so good.

Apart from Him, I can do nothing.
(John 15:5b)

"Allow Me to Tell You How Ardently I Admire and Love You."

For those of you who don't know, that's a quote from Pride and Prejudice. I'm not sure if Mr. Darcy says that to Elizabeth in the recent film version of the book, but he certainly says it in the book and the BBC movie.

Seriously, all guys should take notes. Detailed ones. Every single girl on the planet secretly wants a Mr. Darcy. You will hear it wherever you go! Every girl wants to be swept off their feet by one man who is the real-life equivalent of Fitzwilliam Darcy (for those of you who never knew his first name). I just finished watching the 2005 edition of Pride and Prejudice. The movie is good, but it leaves a lot of parts out and I think it can be difficult to follow if you've never read the book or seen the other version. The music is amazing, however. I wonder if you can buy the soundtrack... Anyways, I am in love. I want to be Elizabeth Bennet! :)

I'm procrastinating, and if I don't stop now, I will regret it.

Impressed

Isaiah 6:1-9 (New International Version)

Isaiah's Commission

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;

the whole earth is full of his glory."

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
He said, "Go and tell this people:

" 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'

I absolutely love these verses. I love how Isaiah realizes that he is imperfect and lives in an imperfect world, and yet he is still willing to be used by God. This is how I feel a lot of times - messed up, yet wanting to be used for God's glory. And God does use him: "Go and tell this people..." No questions asked, God hears Isaiah say "Here I am. Send me!" and he does. I am thankful that God chooses underdogs for His work. :)

I just had my interview for a BSM Freshman Journey group leader. I had a lot of fun talking to the interviewers - it was so awesome! I am open to whatever God wants for me next year.

I get to hang out with Leigh Ann for the second time this week, and I'm freaking out. This is just too much excitement for me in one week!!!!!

I think it's funny how all my paragraphs begin with "I."

I really want to know what it was like for people in the Old Testament. I just looked down (my Bible is on the table) and read Isaiah 8:11, "The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of his people." What was that like? I just want to know what those people experienced. I want to know what it was like for Moses to see a burning bush, and what exactly Noah experienced when God told him to build a huge boat. Seriously, what was that like? What did the shepherds experience when angels appeared to them after Jesus was born? Why did God choose to reveal himself differently back then? I know that in America we don't experience His presence like people did back then. I wonder why...

I think I need some Grassy Knoll time. It's gorgeous today. I'm going to experience the Lord's presence in a new way. It's gonna be cool.

Possibilities

God is really showing me ways in which He can use my life.

I don't have to take summer school next year, and I really want to go on a mission trip. For the whole summer...

Also, I may be a Bible study leader next year.

He is changing me and teaching me, and I am growing in Him.

He is also using me in ways I never could have imagined. His Name is great! :)

Bling = Aggie Ring

Yes, I got my Aggie Ring on Friday! Here are some pictures:

Matt, Catherine and me - we're sad because we don't have our rings yet!

They called my group number, so I'm walking into the room to get my ring!

The lady makes me sign some things before I can see my ring

Looking at my ring for the first time!!

Trying it on for the first time

GIG 'EM!!!



Our rings! (Catherine's, Matt's and mine from top to bottom - check out the diamonds on mine and Catherine's rings!)


Traditional Gig 'Em pose with my future roomie Jennifer!


My cousin Tyan came with me to get my ring!! It was so great. (Tyan, me and Carolyn from left to right)


I dunked my ring that night in green tea from Starbucks. Then I stayed awake until 2 because of the caffeine... haha

So there you have it! Carolyn took some great ring dunking pictures, but I will have to upload them later. Also, Kellie took some more professional ring pics today but I won't see them until later I think.

That's the Way, Uh-Huh we Like it.... They Call me the Underdog

Love that song. Had a great conversation about that song with Leigh Ann today. Good stuff. :)

I've always wondered why bathrooms on campus are given room numbers. Maybe for the cleaning people? "Blocker 246 is out of toilet paper!" Well, regardless of the reason, it's always been a secret dream of mine to have a meeting and tell people it's in MSC 124 (the women's bathroom by the information desk). I just think it would be funny.

I can't wait for tomorrow. It's going to be packed with fun activities ALL day! And in just over 24 hours, I should have one of these. Mine will have a diamond on the shield though, and it will say 08 instead of 05. But yeah. I'm stoked.

I really don't have anything to say today except this:

"Wikipedia... is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you are getting the best possible information." - Michael Scott from The Office

Spring Cleaning

It must be the weather. I don't know what it is about spring that makes everyone want to clean. Today was gorgeous, and I opened my window and decided to do a little damage at Target. I went out and bought some tupperware storage boxes and drawers, a big desk calender, a pretty bulletin board and some push pins. I also bought some new pencils. Hey, I like pencils - I barely ever write in pen! Anyways. I came back home and reorganized my room. My friend Christina uses a bulletin board to put her necklaces on, so I did the same thing - GENIUS!!! Not only does it look cute, but all my necklaces are organized and will never get tangled again. Amazing. I dusted, vacuumed and put stuff in the plastic storage boxes. I also rearranged my closet so that I can access my short-sleeved stuff easier. It's officially spring! The desk calender is great, by the way. It's big and paper and I can write on it and stuff. Then, when the month is over, I tear off the page and throw it away. I should have had one of these from the beginning...

Answered prayer - I now have a roommate for next year! :) Jen and I are going to start looking for places. God provides. He's faithful. He's good. The end.

I'm going to U-Paint-It with Ashley next Wednesday, and I'm really excited. I love painting and being artistic! I think a lot of people don't know that about me. I'm a closet artist. Ok now that sounds like I'm boasting... I just appreciate art! I hope to use a lot of art to decorate my house one day. Maybe I can even start collecting it... hmm...

I got about 5 hours of sleep last night, so I tried to take a nap today. I pretty much just laid on my bed for 2 hours - I'm not sure that I actually fell asleep. I feel great now, though! I actually need to go to sleep but I'm not tired. I did my cleaning spree and now I'm really energetic. I think that I am finally finally over mono. It's taken about a year and two months! Sheesh. That was one of the worst experiences of my life. I'm so glad that's over.

I think I'm going to go take a bath and shave. I need to do that.

Until You

I seriously do not understand God. Why on earth does He love me?!?! I am probably one of the most stupid people on this planet. I can't ever get it right. I don't learn my lesson. I don't always stay in the Word. I don't pray consistently. And yet, God still chooses to bless me again and again. I don't understand it!

I've been feeling really distracted recently, and I've felt a little far from God. It affects me a lot when I'm not reading the Bible every day. It really is my daily bread! Yesterday I just felt rushed and busy, and distant from God. It felt like nothing was going right. But over and over, God proves that He is always there and always faithful! I got to talk to my Taiwanese penpal, Claire, and I got an email from her yesterday. I was able to share my faith with her, and basically share my testimony. She told me that last Sunday she went to a Christian church in her city, and she wants to try to see if Christianity can change her life for the better!! She mentioned that she thinks she could have a personal relationship with God. Um, how GOOD is Christ?!?! I feel worthless and God still uses me in ways I am not expecting! It's incredible. I know God can change Claire's life and give her everlasting joy because of what He did for her. What a blessed day it was yesterday!

Today I applied to be a freshman Bible study leader. We'll see how that goes. I don't know what God wants me to do next year but I want to be obedient in whatever He is calling me to do! I was able to spend some time with God on the Grassy Knoll this afternoon and it was amazing. Itchy, but amazing. It's crazy thinking about what God is teaching me right now - I've come to this place in my relationship with Him where I feel like I can offer my whole being to Him for His use. I want to be used any way I can!

Tonight I'm going to Breakaway for the first time since the beginning of last semester. I'm so excited! There's just something awesome about praising God in the same room as 4000 other people. :)

I get my ring in 3 days. I'm STOKED. I'm going to dunk it on Friday night, but I don't know what to dunk it in. I'm not 21 so it has to be non-alcoholic. That's fine by me, though! Maybe I can dunk it again once I turn 21 ;) haha! Sweet tea seems like a good idea, but a little common. Suggestions are appreciated!

I need to study. Peace out.

P.S. Dave Barnes is awesome, you should check his music out!

I'm Dreaming of a White... Easter??

I know I write in here too much.
But the fact that we are having "a few snow showers" in Dallas right now is note-worthy, I think. What on earth!? Snow? Seriously. This is Texas. And it's April.
I'm really not complaining, because snow is cool, and we don't get to see it much here. But I didn't bring anything warm to wear, especially for church tomorrow, so I'm freezing just a little. It's really bizzare to me.

I have been attempting my math take-home exam tonight, and it's killing me. Not only is the exam next to impossible, but it's taking away my love for math. It used to be my favorite subject in school, but then I discovered that math really isn't math, it's just horribly messy proofs and letters and theorems. Not to mention lemmas. I thought calculus was as complicated as it got, but I was wrong. Now I'm supposed to teach this stuff, my so-called "passion" to kids, and get them all excited about it. That's hard though when you really don't like math anymore. The truth is, I really don't like anything (school related) anymore, except for people. I love people.
I wish I could get a people degree.

I bought the new Relient K CD today. I don't know why I love that band so much, because I'm not a huge punk rock/whatever that stuff is fan. I seriously never get tired of Relient K. Carolyn and I are going to jam to it all the way back to College Station. I also want to buy Dave Barnes' CD, but Best Buy didn't have it when I checked back in Aggieland. Maybe I'll just get it from iTunes.

I'm going to check for that now.

And A Quiet Old Lady, Whispering "Hush"

I found a dress, as well as shoes that match! I'm really surprised, because normally I'm not this lucky when I shop. And that's usually due to the fact that I'm really indecisive and can't choose anything that I really like. However, the reason I had a hard time finding stuff today was because I am too tiny. Seriously, I wish I was taller and curvier! I said that in a store and one of the workers just stopped and looked at me - she said that was the first time any girl had said that. Haha! I am a size 2 (or probably 0, even some of the 2s were too big), and the smallest dress size most stores carried was 4. Everything was too big. Verrrrry frustrating. Eventually, I found a gorgeous dress that was on sale! Mandi helped me to pick it out. It's beautiful, but I'm not going to tell you what it looks like. You will just have to wait for pictures at the end of April! :)

I must be getting old because I woke up at 7:30 this morning. And it's not even midnight and I'm tired. Therefore, I'm going to go to sleep now.

Goodnight moon.

Get Your Hair Did, Get Your Nails Done

I got a hair cut last night, and I must say, I think it's pretty cute. It's way shorter than I was expecting, but I think it looks better than before. My hair was starting to get mushroomy. My hairdresser, Jacob (not gay - he's married), told me that he and his friend invented the haircut he gave me, and I was the second person ever to have it. I feel special!

Today I'm going shopping with Mandi, my love, for a Ring Dance dress. I'm kind of freaking out. Everyone is telling me different things to buy, different colors, different styles. I'm not good at shopping for things like this. I can do semi-formal dresses. I'm very good at that. But formal dresses are hard! I wish that White House Black Market did formal dresses, but I don't think they do. Hmm.

Being home is fun, but I want Carolyn to get here. She's working with the homeless in Dallas right now with some of her friends. I wish I could have done that, but it just didn't work out.

I'm going to work on scanning some of those pics I found last night. I think you will all enjoy them.

Oh, Memories...

I've been home for a few hours already. I just got bored for the first time so far, so I wandered upstairs to look through the hundreds of photographs we got delivered to our house. They had been put into storage when we moved to England, and since we're back in Texas, PepsiCo decided they were no longer going to pay for our things to be kept in an air conditioned storage unit. So they dropped everything off at our house.

I picked up the first manilla envelope that I found, and it was labelled "1986 - Katie Birth & Newborn May-July". Baby pictures? My baby pictures? I don't think I'd ever seen these. It sounds kind of weird, but I don't know if my parents ever made an album with my baby pics. The last time I'd seen any of myself as a baby, I was probably 5 or 6. Wow. I flipped through the ones in the envelope and almost started to cry. I saw myself with my dad's mother, the grandma I never knew, before she passed away. I would have loved to have known her. I found some of me right after I was born - gross. I was not a very attractive baby! And yet I still looked like the me I am today, in an odd sort-of way. There's one of me in my crib, lying next to my first teddy bear, Daniel. He looked so fuzzy and soft back then. He was about as big as I was in the picture! It's funny, looking at baby pictures, and thinking "those fingers are the same ones that I have now" and "those feet are my feet"!!! My feet actually look like the ones I have now! Oh, and I found a picture of my old front door that was decorated for my return from the hospital. It had a banner on it that said "Welcome Home Deana and Katy". KATY???? That's how my name was originally spelt? Wow, I'd been getting it wrong all these years!!! I'm pretty sure Nana made it, because it looks like her handwriting. It feels weird to see my name spelt with a "y" instead of an "ie". There's a picture of my old neighborhood, too. It looked really nice back then. And there's a picture of my dad's old blue camero. I wish he had kept that car.

Now I'm going to open an envelope labelled "1988 - Winter Carolyn Newborn". First picture - my mom and dad with me, on the couch, who is holding Carolyn. I look like a boy. If I wasn't wearing some sort of frilly dress thing, you wouldn't be able to tell that I was a girl. My name could have been Karl. Or something. Niiiice, there's a picture of me picking my nose while we're trying to take a nice family photo. A picture of Papa holding Carolyn, who is screaming her head off. Her face is really red. Another picture of me, aged 2. I still look like a boy. I have no hair and my ears stuck out a lot. I was kind of an ugly kid. Wow... seriously, I wish I could scan some of these. I LOOK LIKE A BOY!!! I am going to ask my mom if people told her she had a very handsome son. I'm pretty sure that Carolyn is crying in all of these pictures. Ok, I'm finding some better pictures of me, now. I actually look kind of cute. Funny thing is, I have no hair. I didn't really have much hair until I was 3. Then I got cursed. Oh, WOW. I literally laughed out loud when I looked at one of these pictures of Carolyn - wrinkly face, black hair, weird expression. Yet it looks just like her. Ohh, there's a picture of my dad throwing me up in the air, and I'm smiling really big. Now THAT one looks like me. :)

I know you are getting sick of reading all of this, so I'll sign off now. If I find any way of scanning some of these in, I will. They are priceless.

I Can't Wait to Have Grassy Knoll Time

Ugh..... I just ate too much!! For the past two Tuesdays, my Nana has taken me and Carolyn to the T-Garden in Bryan for lunch. It's such a girly place to eat! The food is wonderful and I tend to eat it too quickly! Today I had broccoli and cheese quiche, chicken and wild rice soup, candy bar brownie with ice cream and peach tea. And I ate it all. If you know me, you know I have a tiny stomach so all that food is a lot for my little body! :) Anyways, sorry for sharing the contents of my lunch with you, but it was just that amazing.

I want to take this time to do a little shout-out to my Taiwanese penpal, Claire. Hi, Claire! She and I have been emailing for the past month or so and it's SO fun! I am so lucky to have her as a penpal! She likes to write a lot which is nice because I do too. If we ever met in real life, I think we would never stop talking! :)

I am going to get sad when the weather gets warmer. I really enjoy walking from Lot 100 to wherever my classes are. People think I'm crazy (maybe it's because I sweat or something and end up smelling bad once I get to class), but I love it. It is a wonderful time to be still and talk to God. I love looking at His creation around me as I walk! Plus, buses are boring. No one talks to anyone else (normally), and when I walk to class, I see people I know. It's good exercise, too. If you ever want to run into me, check for me between Lot 100 and Harrington/Blocker/Halbouty/Chemical Engineering building. Hahaha!

Man, there was something else I was going to write about. I forgot it now.

In that case, I am off to spend some amazing quality time with my best friend at the Grassy Knoll. I feel like I haven't done that in a while and it makes me sad. I know it makes Him sad, too. And yet, He loves me all the same! :D (If you haven't already guessed, I'm gonna go hang out with Jesus!!!!)

Peace out,
Katie

What Comes Before Part B?

PART-AY!!!!!!!!!

That was Ashley's joke.

So I've been wanting to write in this for a really long time, and I haven't had time. Then when I do have time, I don't feel inspired, so it's a lose-lose situation. Today, however, the weather is gorgeous and it makes me want to just... pour out my heart on blogspot. Haha.

This is the first weekend I've had in a really long time. Since before Spring Break, really. Last weekend I sat on a charter bus for 72 hours and got out every hour or so to look at a coastline or some rocks. Then we would sing the "Field Trip Theme Song", which goes:

And the land form iiiiiisssss.............
All because... of erosion!

The longest three days of my life.

Finally, this weekend came. I'd been looking forward to it for a long time. We had a Juarez BBQ Reunion on Friday night, and I think it was pretty successful. Nana loved it! Everyone talked to her which made me really happy. After the BBQ we all went over to another friend's house for game night, which I hadn't done in a long time. Apples to Apples pretty much rocked! I may have won, but I'm not sure. :)

Yesterday was Island Party, and that was ah-mazing! I spent the morning with Ashley in downtown Bryan, and Carolyn joined us for lunch at Madden's. The weather was perfect, and we were looking oh-so stylish in our jeans and t-shirts! :P We met up with some Aggies in Mission people at Island Party and managed to see a bunch of awesome bands/musicians perform, including Bethany Dillon, Dave Barnes, Jimmy Needham and Green River Ordinance.

God has been showing me so much recently. I just want to share it with you!!!

Passion.
I am learning about things that I am passionate about: people, relationships and service. I've been using that word a lot recently, and it's cool to see how much I really do love those things. Maybe the mission trip I went on over Spring Break made me think more about it, but I'm not sure. It could have been a slowly developing thing. All I know is that I am filled with a huge, overwhelming love for the people I met, and God has renewed within me a love for those I already know. People are amazing. They inspire, overwhelm, encourage, trust and love back. Yet they are imperfect. It is so awesome to see people in the way God sees us - well, not quite. I don't have the whole "unconditional love" thing down. I wish I could love perfectly, but I can't. That's the beauty of Christ my Savior! I love relationships. Not the romantic kind, but in general. I love seeing the body of Christ at work! I love seeing gifts and talents being displayed in others' lives. Ahhh it gives me joy! And the third thing I am truly passionate about is service. Quite simply, I love it. Using my very being to be a living sacrifice is amazing! I love being able to serve Christ by serving others. I know that whatever I do with my life, it will involve service!

Joy.
The other day I told someone that “too many things give me joy”. It seems like I have just been finding joy in everything recently! Is it appropriate to use the phrase “my cup runneth over” or is that for something else? I dunno. All I know is that I am having a hard time getting stressed out or upset over anything. God gives me so much joy and knowing Him personally is so sweet! Hopefully my life will reflect the joy I have in knowing Christ and that “every blessing [He] pours out I’ll turn back to praise”, as we sang in church tonight.

Obedience.
This is a tough one! I am a control freak, and to not be in control can be difficult for me. Recently, God has led me to do something that I thought I wasn’t capable of doing – tell my roommates that I wasn’t going to live with them next year. I don’t know why, but God wanted me to do that. He showed me through a bunch of different stuff, and it feels strange to not have a plan. I like to be prepared! I don’t even know who I’m living with 100% and I especially don’t know where I’m living. Please be in prayer with me over this situation! I know God will provide – I’m certain of it – but I don’t know how or when. His timing is perfect though, and I trust Him! Satan keeps trying to lie to me, telling me that I really messed this up and that I’ll end up homeless next year, but I have to ignore all of that junk! I’m learning to obey Christ in everything He calls me to do. One example of this is applying to be a freshman Bible study leader. I keep getting told that I need to be leading a Bible study, but it’s a little out of my comfort zone because I don’t feel like I have a gift of teaching and I’m scared to lead in that way. I know that God will give me words and I trust in that! So that’s something that’s going on in my life right now. Obedience is so sweet, on a side note. :)

* * * * *

I’m going to be taking 10 hours this summer in summer school. I’ll be doing both sessions, and I’m a little scared because I’ve never taken summer school before. However, I know it’ll also be fun and so I’m excited about that! Next semester I’ll be taking 10 hours, and hopefully I will be able to get classes so that I won’t have Monday or Friday classes. Whoop! Anybody want to hang out with me next semester?!? Maybe I’ll get a job or something.

What else is going on in my life? Hmmm… well, I got asked to go to Ring Dance! I’m pretty excited except that I don’t like dances. Kara reassured me this morning and said that it was a lot of fun when she went 10 years ago hahaha! I will try make the most of it. People think I’m crazy and therefore must like parties, but I would much rather go to Starbucks with someone and talk for 5 hours or just walk around campus. But hopefully Ring Dance has stuff for all types, even me. Now to find a dress… I’m going to get Kellie to help me since she’s the fashion guru. But knowing her it could be kinda weird. ;)

I don’t know of anything else to tell you all. I think that covers everything!

I am going to try to go to bed early tonight, so I’d better start getting ready now.

-Katherine

In Picture Form

Here is my trip documented in the form of photographs. I only had one disposable camera, and so it was hard to capture every moment.

That's Kyle, Christina, Carolyn, me and Nathan while we were waiting for the vans to arrive. We barely knew each other at this point!

Waiting for the vans

Carolyn, Clayton and Katie


Christina and me in the tent


Me and Carolyn in the tent

Our campsite in Juarez

and again


Carolyn, me, Mandi and Christina - Tri Hamma!


The neighborhood we built our house in


The old house

*i'll add the rest later*

I'm in Love! I'm in Love! And I Don't Care Who Knows It!

Yes, I really am in love! With the most wonderful guy in the....

Ok, just kidding. I'm not in love with any guy apart from Jesus. But I am in love - with my mission trip team! I can't even begin to describe how completely amazing Juarez was. Tomorrow I get my pictures back so I'll try to upload some to this blog as well as facebook. I would use up an infinite (if that's even possible) number of pages trying to describe how awesome and wonderful that Aggies in Mission mission trip was. I learnt so much about myself, how God sees me, and how I can serve others. I learnt about The Body. I learnt about selfishness and selflessness. I learnt about what love looks like. I spent three days outside in the sun and the wind building a house with 10 other incredible people. I love them all so much and I wish I could hang out with them more! We are planning a reunion next Wednesday (with some Group 1 peeps too!) which should be more than amazing. I'm stoked to say the least!

I fell in love with my team - ALL OF THEM - because of their completely different and interesting personalities. We got along so well and worked well together. The house we built wasn't spectacular by any means - it was simple and the inside didn't have finished walls - but it was beautiful in its own way. The family who moved in will now have shelter from wind and rain, as well as two glass windows and a door that locks! I pray that God would bless them in their life there.

We left El Paso at around 5 pm and didn't get back to College Station until 7:30 this morning. I tried to sleep in the aisle of the bus, but I couldn't actually fall asleep because I was so excited at what had happened the last few days. I hope the people I met will remain good friends. I am so tired of meeting awesome people and parting with them, saying "let's hang out!" but then nothing ever happens. I am ready for real friendships that last and go deeper. I hope they all want that too!...

James Morrison's CD came out this past week. You can buy it at Best Buy for $7.99 which is a pretty awesome deal! Carolyn and I bought it and listened to it while driving back to Little Elm. It's wonderful - I'm in love with his voice! I know I keep advertising for James Morrison, but I think you should listen to his wonderfulness.

I'm about to crash, so I'll go ahead and wrap this up now.
Peace and love and blessings,
Katie

Juuuuuuuarez!

I leave tomorrow to go to Juarez for a week. I will be back in College Station next Thursday, but straight after that I will be driving to Little Elm.

Ohhh my... this week is kicking me in the butt! I'm so ready for it to be over!
Now I have to go take a test. Poop.

So yeah, if anyone needs to get a hold of me before Thursday, have fun trying. I don't think I'll get reception in Mexico, and if I do, I probably won't be able to answer my phone.

Peace, love and hippy stuff,
Katie

Old Bagels and New Passion

I am eating a bagel right now that supposedly expired on February 18th. But there was no mold on it and it tastes ok, so hopefully I won't get sick!

I've been wanting to write in this for a few days now, but I haven't been able to just sit down and do it yet. I've felt so... dry, recently. Do you ever feel like your passion is completely gone? Like you're just this random blob of organic material that roams this earth? I've really been praying recently that God would relight that fire inside of me. Think "Consuming Fire" lyrics. I want that passion back. I also need a little joy up in here. There are intervals of joy, but I need it all the time! So yeah, that's what I've been thinking about lately.

I'm going to Juarez in one week and I am no where near close to being ready. Please pray for me! I need to go shopping and get a bunch of stuff from Goodwill! Also pray for me as I'm on the trip. Carolyn's going too. Pray for my back - it's been iffy lately and I can't have it hurting on me while I'm in Mexico! Oh, and Carolyn needs her passport. I think it's in Dallas...

Well I need to go shower and get ready for my day. Hardcore studying happens today!!!

All I Need

Sometimes life makes us feel let down, disappointed and tired. I know I've been feeling like that recently. It's crazy how rollercoaster-y life can be. Mine is certainly like that - every other week I feel the opposite to the week before. I don't know how to put it into words, but it's exhausting. What I forget is that He is faithful. He never leaves and He is always there. Today God has been giving me fresh air. I feel that tiny flower in my heart push through the soil of... life, or something... and begin to bloom. Hope is coming to life and filling my soul and it feels beautiful.

Christ is the only thing that will ever satisfy. If you are filling your life with things other than Christ, things that seem to give you happiness, remember that it's only temporary. I've had to learn that the hard way; it seems that everyone does. My relationship with Christ is not easy - I don't know why Joel Osteen's wife said it was. But knowing Christ is beautiful and fulfilling. I have joy and hope and life. I see some of my friends' facebook pictures and wish they could know how wonderful a personal relationship with my Lord and Savior is. I know they can, and I want that for them. What a glorious thing to know that your sins have been forgiven! God meets us where we are! Ohhhhhh I'm rejoicing and there are no words great enough to describe it!

I will be faithful in the little things. That is my goal for life :-).

I'm really scatterbrained right now so I think I'm gonna run. I'm gonna run to church... well actually I'm going to drive, but you get the idea.

Prayer Requests

Life gets difficult sometimes. I would like to ask you to pray for my family right now, as there are some hard things going on.

My mom has a pinched nerve in her back and nothing is helping. She has been to the chiropractor twice and also to the hospital but she is still in very severe pain. She can't move and so my dad has been having to take days off to help her and pick up my sisters from school etc. Please pray that the doctors would be able to figure out exactly what is going on so they have the knowledge to help her. Pray that her pain would lessen and that God would give her comfort.

My dad's stepmom died two days ago. I'm not sure if my dad is having a hard time with this, but I know his dad is. He has had to deal with the death of two of his wives - first my grandmother right after I was born (from breast cancer), and now my step-grandmother. I can't imagine the pain he is going through. I don't think he is a believer so I know it's especially hard. Pray for comfort and that he would come to know God's love in this time. My step-grandmother had Alzheimer's and it got really bad in a really short period of time. Within a year she had to be placed in a nursing home. I knew this would probably happen soon but I was in shock that she passed away so soon. It seems weird because the last time I saw Nonnie, we were teaching her how to dance to rap music.

She was very spunky and loved to dance. Please pray for my grandfather at this time, and for Nonnie's family.

One more prayer request - for my sister, Kellie. She is having a hard time because she misses England so much. I know how she feels (although she doesn't believe me) since I left Texas so long ago. Pray that Kellie would be able to see God's plan revealed for her, and be open to what God wants. Also pray that she wouldn't blame the pain on my parents or God, because I know it's tempting to do that.

Thanks for reading all of these prayer requests and thank you for praying!

On a happier note, we finally got the "ultimate spoon" pictures from Kellie!
Hahahahaha! :) I love my sisters! (Anna is my sister too!)


-Katie

I Don't Know Why I'm Posting

I would really like to know where all my time goes. I got back from class at 8:45 tonight, and I have to go to bed fairly early so I can wake up for my 9:35 class tomorrow morning. I feel like I never have time to do homework!

We need to find a 4-bedroom house for next year. Please let me know if anyone finds one....

Weekends are too Short

My family was here this weekend and it was great to see them. I miss hanging out with them so much! Carolyn and I have a car now (to share) so we were able to do fun things - just us girls. Carolyn and I are going to have so much fun doing random things together! We plan to go to Bryan tomorrow and hang out before my evening class.

I don't have a lot to say, really. Life is good. Hard, confusing, sometimes disappointing, but good. God is amazing!

Summoned By Name

Recently I made a sort of "to-do" list in xanga. One item on the list was "share my heart with others more often." I remembered it this morning, and I think you all should know what is really going on in my life right now. Not what tests I had this week, or how tired I've been recently, or what I'm doing this weekend, but the real stuff. The stuff you don't tell everyone. I think you deserve that because not only is it something I think about every day, but it's a testimony to what God is doing in my life!

Hang on, though, because this could be a long post.

I don't really know where to start, because I don't know when it started. The first "God thing" I can think of happened two weeks ago. I am reading through the One Year Bible, but I started last March. I will finish the Bible in less than a month, and since I didn't start at the beginning of the year, I am now in Exodus. (Do you follow? It's confusing, I know.) I have loved reading about Abraham and Moses and how God is using him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Well, two weeks ago I was reading in Exodus 4, and I came across these words:

"Moses said to the Lord, 'O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.' The Lord said to him, 'Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.'" (Ex. 4:10-12)

Cool verses, huh? God says he will use Moses despite the fact that he can't talk well. So yeah, I read those words and thought they were cool, and underlined them. Then I didn't think much about them until recently...

This past week has been cool. I can't really describe how busy it's been! I have barely had time to sit and do nothing.
On Monday I went to the A&M vs. Texas basketball game. We won.
On Tuesday I went to an Aggies in Mission meeting - got information on the trip to Juarez I'll be going on during Spring Break, and we chalked campus.
On Wednesday I had my first ComGroup of the semester. I wrote about this a little bit either in here or xanga, so you can read about that.
Now comes Thursday.

Thursday was when everything started happening.

I had a test that morning that I had barely studied for, so I was stressed out and tired. After that I had another class and was able to go home and breathe for a little while. While I was hanging out at my apartment, I came across a book on my bookshelf that I was given 2 1/2 years ago after my baptism. A family at our church in England had given it to me. I had never really read it, so I picked it up and flipped through it. Then I noticed that in the cover of the book they had written a note to me and a Bible verse. I read the verse and thought, "Cool. Don't really know what that means, but that's cool. I wonder if it was supposed to have any sort of relevance...?"

I went back on campus for a math class after lunch. I am a Math & Science Education major for Grades 4-8, and I a lot of people in my major are in multiple classes together. There is one girl in my math classes (so I see her every day) named Ali. She actually lives a couple yards from me in the apartment building next to mine! She was in my Journey group (Bible study at the BSM) last semester. Since she lives at my apartment complex, we rode the bus back together and were able to talk on the bus. I won't tell you everything we talked about, but I will tell you the important stuff.

We are both going to be graduating at least a semester late, and neither of us have our lives together, haha. We don't really have a clue what's going on, and it seems like everyone around us does. They are applying for grad schools and have these amazing teaching strategies that they will one day use with their students. They can't wait to decorate their classrooms and have a bunch of students to fill with wisdom. Oh, and they're all engaged. Hahahaha! Well we were talking about how we don't have any of that stuff, and how we are just taking it one day at a time. I finally confessed to Ali that I really don't know if I want to teach, and she perked up and told me she was the same way. I said that service is my passion, and she perked up again - hers too! She is actually taking 19 hours so she won't have to do summer school this summer. Instead, she is going on a mission trip! I think that is so cool. So yeah, we are both sort of in the same boat. Neither of us really know what we are going to do with our lives, and it's scary and confusing.

We got off the boat and I felt better about my insecurities regarding teaching. An hour later I was up at the BSM (Baptist Students Ministry) for my Journey Group. I was feeling better now that I had told someone about my secret - I didn't really want to be a teacher if I was completely honest with myself. Sure, I would love teaching, please don't get me wrong. I love kids and I think I would be a good teacher. I keep getting told that I explain things well to others. I just don't get passionately excited when I think about teaching. Anyways, I had my Bible Study and what do you know, we studied Exodus! It was great and I remembered the verses I had read a week and a half earlier. I learnt so much about God and it was amazing. We finished around 9:10 (usually groups end at 9:00) but to our surprise we were the first group out. I hung out in the foyer by myself as I waited for the other groups to get out.

A man walked up to me named Joel. He is the director of the BSM and I think he knows who I am, but I've never really talked to him before. Our conversation started off the same way - where are you from, what's your major etc. etc. We talked about England for a while and its state spiritually. Then we talked about my major and I told him that I had recently come to the realization that if I was honest, I didn't really want to teach. Turns out, he was sort of in the same boat as me in college. He was a history and psychology major, and he thought he was going to be a professor. But God led him to collegiate ministry. Carolyn and Anna are probably the only ones who know this, but it is my dream to work with college kids. I told him that, and he told me more about his job and what he does. I got really really excited because he was telling me about opportunities there. Turns out, they are actually looking for interns at the BSM!!!!!!!! I could do this after I graduate and never leave A&M! Haha! :-) Wow, that would be so cool. He actually got my phone number and email address and he's going to contact me so we can meet next week and talk about all of this stuff. I can't tell you how shocked and over the moon I was to have a prayer answered in such a short time! He gave me great advice, too. He said that one of his friends told him to make a list of stuff you were passionate about, things you were good at and then to list your ideal job. Finally, pray that God would bring all of that together in a way that glorifies him! In all honesty, I just want to serve college kids and build relationships with them. It feels weird saying that because I am a college kid - I'm only 20! But I love their spontineity and energy and would love working with them one day.

I got home and was sort of in disbelief that all of that had happened, and I called Carolyn to talk about it. She actually told me that I should be leading a Bible study (I've been told this twice in the past few days already... I guess I need to pray about that for next semester!). My first thought was, "Wow, I am horrible with words. I am awkward and say the wrong thing all the time!" But then I thought about Exodus 4:10-12 that I had read two weeks ago. I felt just like Moses - God was trying to use him for something great, but Moses kept making excuses. Finally God got frustrated with him and orders him to "Go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." I knew God was telling me to step out of my comfort zone because He is the one in control and He will give me the words to say in that sort of situation.

Suddenly a thought came to me -- what was that verse I had read in the cover of the book I was given? I looked it up again, and almost couldn't breathe because the verse made absolute perfect sense:

"I will go before you
and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored in secret places,
So that you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who summons you by
name."
Isaiah 45:2-3

Sexy President

I just remembered my dream -- and it made me laugh!!

I dreamt that I was babysitting for some family. They came home and brought with them a bunch of older people and Dr. Gates (That's Robert Gates, A&M's previous president, not Bill Gates). Apparently Dr. Gates knew me or something because he kept talking to me and using my name. I guess I was the only person there who went to A&M because the rest were adults. Anyways, I think they had all had been out choosing a new president for A&M - for those of you who don't know, that's what A&M is going through right now. So everyone came back and Dr. Gates looked at me and said, "Oh my gosh, you students are going to LOVE the new president we got!! He's VERY goodlooking!!!" Other people chimed in, "Yeah, he's a cutie!" and "Oh yes - so sexy! I saw him and I was like... Oh. My. Goodness."

Hahaha... I sincerely hope that's not our new president's primary trait. But it would definitely make for an interesting [some number here] years.

Thursday is Practically Friday, Which is Practically the Weekend.

I finally feel like I can breathe! This week has been incredibly busy, but it's gone by really fast. Yet it's still not over. At least the last part of this week will be better - I have Bible Study tonight, and lunch with a special person ;-) tomorrow. Ok, ok, it's my SiC. But she's still really special!

Last night was my first ComGroup of the semester. I couldn't get in one last semester due to my schedule, but I am finally in one now. We meet at 6:30 on Wednesdays and eat dinner together. Then we either discuss someting we talked about in church, or anything that is on our hearts. Yesterday it was my friends Jennifer and Andrew's turn to cook (everyone takes turn each week). So I went over to Jennifer's house and we made gumbo. That was a first for me - both making and eating it. I feel so out of the loop! I didn't even know what gumbo really was! It was so much fun though. We sauteed vegetables and sliced sausage and put everything into a HUGE pot. Cooking with friends is SO fun, and I need to do that more often! Jen had also made a cheesecake (cappuccino cheesecake, to be exact), so we brought that. Andrew made delicious cornbread and our meal was complete!

So yeah, we met at a family's house and everyone got to eat and hang out for the first part of the evening. Then we sat in the living room and talked about all kinds of stuff spiritual-wise. What an incredible blessing that was!! I was able to see honesty in a way that I had never seen in the church before. I can barely explain it, but I know that that is what the church is supposed to look like. There were different ages there, from young college students to married couples. I was able to see that sometimes married folks don't even have the answers. I don't know why I pretend that they know everything, because it's not true. It was amazing because so often as Christians we are afraid to admit that we are struggling with something in our relationship with Christ. We want to appear like we have it all down and we're ok. Our group talked about the human body - when you cut your finger, the rest of the body actually helps to heal it than the finger does itself. We compared this to the Body of Christ. When one part of the body suffers, the rest bears part of the burden and helps to heal that broken part. But how can we do that if struggles and sufferings are kept hidden? I could talk about all of this for forever, but I'll just leave it at this: I am truly amazed and blessed at the way I saw Christ's Bride last night.

For any of you who are wondering, my back is almost completely better. Yay for physical therapy that actually works!

I am going to put my deposit down tomorrow to go to Juarez for Spring Break. Check it out: aim.tamu.edu has all the information! I'm really super excited and I am praying that it all works out! I can't wait to serve there!

I saw a squirrel today running around campus, which isn't unusual. I really want a pet squirrel. Think about how cool that would be!! It's like a big hamster with a huge tail!

Ok, well, I need to go.

Press on,
Katie

Brain Dead

Recently I have been thinking about changing to blogspot... they look cooler and more organized. What do y'all think?

I don't understand why all my British friends put up pictures of them drinking on Facebook. It seems like that's all they do, which is sad. Every photo album is of them at some party, alcohol in hand, acting completely crazy. Why? I love life and have so much fun without getting drunk. I don't think alcohol is wrong in moderation, but it definitely becomes wrong when that's all you do. *Sigh.*

God keeps surprising me more and more lately. His blessings are huge and He keeps pouring them on me! I don't deserve anything He gives. He is showing me the hearts of other believers and it's so cool because they share the same desires and hopes as me. I wish I was more eloquent and could share all my thoughts and feelings on this, but it's like the words are stuck inside me. I've never been wonderful with words and it's really frustrating. I guess I'll just say that God is good and righteous and He's teaching me a lot!

I watched a YouTube video the other day that Carolyn showed me and it made me so upset. I think it was a clip from Fox News or something - a guy was interviewing a Christian extremist lady who protested against.... everything, really. She was from a very small church where her family was 80% of the congregation. They carried signs that said things like "God hates fags" and they protested against funerals for soldiers. She said that it was God's wrath that was causing the death of the soliders. It just made me so sad.... that these people claim to know God but they really don't. The God I worship is full of love and grace. Yes, He hates sin. You can't ignore that... but when you leave out His love, there's something wrong there! He pursues us even when we run from Him, time and time again. It breaks my heart that that lady doesn't know God like that.

I am so distracted today, I think I should sign off now.
-Katie