Redirection - Big News

God has a way of redirecting our lives, and sometimes its when we least expect it. So it is with a heavy heart I tell you all I am finishing up my time here in Honduras at the end of the year. I will be heading back to the states around December 15th.

I have no idea what is next, but I have faith in God's plan and where He is leading me.

God has such an incredibly beautiful way of surprising us with His plans, but it is usually so much better than we can imagine.

For example, I would have never imagined living in Honduras for almost four years and watching these boys grow up, and at the same time seeing myself mature in the process. I have learned more in the past few years than I could have ever hoped for, and I know this experience has changed the way I view life, people, and myself.

God has blessed me enormously through my Jovenes en Camino family, and I pray that I have done some good and made a difference here as well.

All there is left to do is ask for your prayers for the upcoming months. The transition for me will be sad and very difficult. I feel as if this is a second home for me. I have made a life here - I have a house, a dog, bills, a car, friends and a family. Right now I simply cannot imagine not seeing these boys' faces each and every day. It has become something that motivates me and encourages me to work hard for both them and for God. I have said it time and time again, I feel so blessed to be so young and have worked in a place where I am passionate about the mission. I know many people wait a long time to do that, so thank you, Lord, for that blessing.

Please pray for the boys, their future, and their understanding of my leaving. I would never want them to think it is because I don't want to be with them, continue to watch them grow and mature, or hug them as much as possible. I selfishly hope and pray they don't forget about me.

I find peace in knowing God is in this place and constantly working on their hearts.
I find peace in knowing this change is part of God's plan for me.
I find peace knowing I will return to live close to my loved ones and watch my nephew grow up.
While in many ways I am struggling to see the big picture, I find peace in knowing and trusting God.

Thank you so much for all your support over the past three and a half years. I have seen and experienced so many beautiful things, and I would never have been able to do this without the financial support of my church and many friends I have met along the way. Thank you for your love for the boys, especially those who don't know them and simply love them because I do. That means so much to me.

Thank you, Lord, for this incredible journey.

Grace

Sometimes when I go awhile without posting, its usually because things are going really well, or I'm really busy. This time its both. I'm currently home in Nashville awaiting the arrival of my first nephew. My parents are going to be grandparents and my brother a dad - all for the first time. It's a major milestone for us. I am so grateful to be able to come home and share this time with my family.

Another huge blessing for my soul is spending time worshipping at my home church. I owe a lot to God for placing my family and me in such a loving church. The people who love me there support me, pray for me, and encourage me.

In Sunday's sermon our preacher Chris mentioned how the upcoming series will be on grace. Mainly on how we would react as people if we truly believed in grace.

I have messed up many times, but through those mistakes I've witnessed grace. It is such a beautiful concept, but it is also extremely confusing. I think as a human and a sinner, it's almost impossible for me to understand God's grace, but we can always try.

Therefore I believe if I truly believed in grace, I would never worry. We spend so much time as humans worrying. Worrying about our jobs, our future, our love lives, etc. And God clearly tells us His grace is free and it is undeserved. If I truly believed in grace, I would walk this earth content with what each day held and never wish for more.

Being a type-A personality myself, I love to plan and dream of the future. I don't have a five year plan or know what/where I want to be in a few years, but I would be lying if I said I don't constantly think about "what's next" in my life. This leads to worrying, and it gets me no where.

In a culture (Honduras) where people teach more about being proud and strong rather than humble, it is so difficult to teach this concept to these boys. I cannot count how many times I tell them humility is my favorite quality in a person. It's a foreign idea to them, but its a quality I see so clearly in Jesus and His followers. It's a quality that I so deeply want to see daily in myself.

So that's my answer to Chris' question this week.

If I truly believed in grace (and if I fully understood it), I would spend my days worrying less about my earthly troubles and focusing more on my heavenly future. 

I think that's a good goal for the rest of this year, right? 

Thank you, Lord, for your grace. You are so good to us.