Missions..

Lately the Lord has really given me a heart for missions, as some of you already know. There is just so much unknown about this journey in my life though, and I've really been praying about so many different aspects to it. First of all, training. YWAM (Youth With A Mission) has a wonderful training (DTS) course, and there are some bases in Colorado where my Aunt lives and one in lower Arkansas where I'm originally from. Obviously I haven't been to any of them (Other than being to one when I was 5 or 6) to check them out, and I'm trying ever so hard not to let my want for being back in the South to draw me towards the one in Arkansas. Of course if that is the one God calls me to, I will go in a heart beat, but I need HIM to call me there..not ME to call me there. I've also been praying about what kind of mission work the Lord wants me in...again, my stubborn, control freak self wants to control where I am "called" to....but of course if that's the case then I'm not truly being "called" more like me going where I want to go not where the Lord wants me to go. My biggest WANT is to be safely in the U.S. doing work in a church somewhere, but every time I think of that and how much I want it, the less peaceful I become with that decision/thought. Every time I pray and ask God for direction, he leads me to Africa. Every time he leads me to Africa, I think "But, Lord.. that's so "cliche". Every one wants to help people in Africa." And here we go, round and round in this circle. I must learn to control my 'control freak' nature! Ha..totally ironic, I know. I just wanted to show some pictures I have found in my research lately of Africa. Every time I see them, my heart is stirred more and more.

I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I do....though, if you're not being called to Africa, you might not appreciate them quite as much.. :)

Another thing....your prayers are SO very coveted as I begin this stage of my life after I graduate. Please pray that the Lord with slam any doors I'm not supposed to go through and open wide the one he wants me to enter. :)

Easy, peasy stew recipe...

So, as I was on facebook last night I was talking to one of my friend's mom and ended up giving her my grandmother's (in the South, that would be Mimi ;)) really easy stew recipe, and decided that maybe some of you might like it as well!

Rinse and pat dry 2lbs of cubed stew meat, roll in flour. Brown the meat in 3T oil (Do this is the same pot that you're going to simmer the stew in so that any flour that falls off the meat helps thicken the stew). Add 1 can of french onion soup (or 1 pkg onion soup mix) and pour water or broth over meat (Just enough to cover the top of the meat) Then add in any veggies you want (I do potatoes, onions, and carrots) And simmer for about 3 hours. If it's not thickening well, you can add more flour at the 2 hour mark.

Enjoy! :)

Music and life, hand in hand

Music. That one word can bring so much to your mind. Music can bring back memories, good and bad. Music can take you to that happy place (that is if you enjoy music of course). Music can be such a wonderful thing in your life. For me, music is a lot of my life. I not only enjoy listening, but singing is one of my very favorite things to do. I sing everything. Everything reminds me of a song. Some say I actually sing well, I like to think so. One thing I want to do more than anything is take voice lessons. So, you may ask...why the long post about music all of a sudden? Well, because the older I get and the closer to Christ I grow, the more I realize how much impact music really does have on people! People joke that prayer is 10 times better with soft music behind it, but if you really think about it, wouldn't it be quite awkward to sit in Church with hundreds of other people in absolute silence? Or maybe that's just my opinion. Think about the music you listened to last. Alex Clare perhaps? Waka Flocka? Peter Fuller? Or maybe you don't even know who those people are, either way, who did you listen to last? Christian or Secular? That right there should be your first sign of how impacting music can be. Sorry for stepping on some toes here (as I'm sure I will), but are those people talking about ANYTHING of importance in their music?? Or is it just for your pure enjoyment? Not saying that we shouldn't enjoy the music we listen to (I obviously do, it's what I love most), and not even saying that I don't listen to secular music, as I do. But as I listen to some of the stuff I used to LOVE listening to..I'm realizing that it's just no longer fulfilling. It's not that great to listen to anymore, I need something that really gives me a message of some sort. And by message I do not mean the message of "I was born this way" either. I mean a real message. A message that teaches me something valuable abut life. I'm not saying you're doomed if you listen to stuff that really has to life meaning in it. We all have those days. What I'm saying is that we should really put more stock into what we're filling our heads with. Just a thought. :)

Happy birthday to Josh!

Today just happens to be the 16th birthday of one of my best friends, Josh!! And he'll probably be like "Did you REALLY have to post about it?" Yeah, I did actually :) Hope you have a wonderful birthday, Josh! :)

New hair color!! It's actually about 10 times brighter than the picture shows...it's VERY red! However, I am loving it :)

Artsy...

Lovely photos compliments of Josh Johnson..some look a tad creepy, but still very cool! :)

Ahh...

 

What I'm doing at the moment....

 

Listening to Spotify as I homework it up! At the moment the song would be Falling In by Lifehouse...one of my new favorites lately :)

 

 

Reading a weird book for English class....Really not enjoying it, it's strange. I mean...who else would like a book about this poor man turning into a bug?! Ew.