Another beautiful day! I love waking up and seeing the new picture God has painted in the sky. It's one of the many ways He says, "I love you" every single day.

School is cruising right along, but I had a humbling experience yesterday. Maybe you've been there.... you study and study and study for a test, only to take it and discover that you focused on the WRONG MATERIAL. Hmm.... I got my first F on that test, and since those are the only points we have so far in that class.... officially I'm failing Adult Health 2. Fortunately it wasn't worth a huge amount of my final grade. Needless to say, I'll be working a little harder in that class from here on out!

Have a blessed day!!

The way God answers prayer is incredibly cool. He has really been showing me lately that I CAN and SHOULD trust Him for greater things. The promise in Matthew 17:20 is so humbling.... so, nothing will be impossible for me if my faith is the side of the tiniest seed you can get.... the mustard seed? In that case, to what can I compare my current level of faith? Tough to think about. Anyway, I often pray in the mornings that God will use me that day in someone's life. It's a good thing to pray for, but I don't necessarily always expect Him to answer. 'Waiting in expectation' (Psalm 5:3) is something I have not done well lately.

Well yesterday was different, and I really expected that God would answer my prayer. He did. After church one of the girls I counseled at Bible camp last summer came up to me in tears and asked if we could talk. She poured out her precious 16 year old heart and we prayed together. She is incredibly hurting because of things happening in her family. Sometimes I have a tendency to think that if people are in church they must be doing pretty well. I know in my head that this is not true, but since I am not always looking to reach out to people, I must believe that it is true to a certain extent. Talking with Lindsey opened my eyes wider, and I am thankful for that.

Last night after Prism, I was introduced to a young woman named Amanda, who looked very much like she needed a friend. She did. She is starting college here in a couple weeks, but left home early because she did not feel safe at home.... and with good reason. She needed a place to stay for a couple weeks. Well, it 'just so happens' that I am currently living in a 3 bedroom apartment by myself (my roommates are not here yet). Amanda is staying with me. This is also a blessing for me, because I am used to living with people and, quite frankly, I have not enjoyed living by myself.

My experiences yesterday were a solid reminder that hurting people are everywhere. They also convicted me of living so strictly by my 'schedule'. Often times I get so busy that I don't allow God to surprise me. I get annoyed when people have needs. I put too much emphasis on 'my' things and 'my' time. Praise the Lord for reminders that everything I am and everything I have is a gift from the Lord!!

Hello friends!!

I am back in Fargo and back in full swing. The past few days have consisted mostly of moving, but I got away with my family yesterday to celebrate my grandma's 80th birthday. My mom has an incredible family and it was great to catch up with all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Today is a battle against the heat, and I am losing.... my car keeps overheating!!! So I am thankful for great friends who let me borrow their car. I am going to go into work this afternoon to talk about the year, as well as figuring out my new job at CCRI. If the Lord lays it on your heart, please pray for strength for me and a good attitude. It's been a difficult couple of days. Thank you so much, God bless!!

Hiking.... oh, how I will miss the scenery!! But I haven't seen any cornfields in a long time. I'm excited to see cornfields.  

My fearless mother right after she slid into the pool. She managed to keep her hair dry!! Unfortunately it didn't matter, because it started raining on our way back down.

Mad Gab is a GREAT game. If you haven't played it, play it.

Ahh, graduation. It was wonderful!! Now all that's happening is we're packing and cleaning, and tonight we have one final night on the town with everyone.

Getting my diploma from Dr. Tackett!!!

Hello friends!! I'm on the home stretch now. Today we spent all day hearing and giving speeches about our summers and what God did in our lives. It was amazing to hear all of the different things God taught us even though we all took the same classes and lived with the same people!! Then we all had communion together and prayed with our roommates. All 4 of us were literally sobbing (believe it or not, haha). We definitely got close this summer!! I have learned so much from them.

Graduation is tomorrow.... we got our grades today, and you will be happy to know that I passed so I WILL be graduating from FFI. YAY! It's kinda cool that I can go somewhere for two months and graduate. If only nursing were that simple!!

It has been SO fun showing my mom around and introducing her to everyone. Yesterday we went on a hike to the punch bowls (natural pools in some rocks), and she was amazing! She climbed to a part that most of us didn't even want to attempt to climb. She just grabbed a little handhold and did this crazy Spiderman-like move.... my friends were thoroughly impressed and so was I. The altitude didn't bother her one bit. Go Mom! However, on her way back down from that precarious spot, she ended up sliding down the slippery rock and landed in the (very cold) water!! It was quite humerous, and I'll try to post pictures soon.  

That's it for now!