it keeps getting better and better..

did you just fall in love with that? because believe me, my heart breaks with happiness every time i watch that. i can't take credit for that video. i found it on another blog site but exciting news: i get to spend two months next summer (2014) working in uganda at this orphanage from the video!

let me give you some of the back story if you are just now tuning in: i applied for an internship at an orphanage in uganda for the summer of 2013. to my dismay, jesus closed the door to going to africa that summer and instead opened the door for me to go work as a camp counselor at camp cedar cliff in asheville. so thankful that God knows the whole picture of my life because i definitely needed to be at camp last summer. i absolutely LOVED being there and man, did He teach me a whole lot. sidebar: if you are feeling called to love on kids and show them jesus 24/7 and then have God show you exactly where you need to grow like being more patient or not letting your pride take over you, then GO TO CAMP! camp cedar cliff became my family this past summer and they are doing something so special in those mountains. end of sidebar.

fast forward to this year.. i was sitting in chapel one wednesday this fall listening to mark batterson speak. he was telling us about how we should be going all in for christ and how we shouldn't tell jesus to follow us when we need to be leaving everything behind and following Him! then my phone rang but not out loud because that would have been embarrassing. it was an email from the orphanage offering me a spot on their intern team this coming summer. just like that. without reapplying. when i least expected it, God flew open doors. what happened next is another little lesson for life here. a little fortune cookie moment in my life. i looked at the email and silently laughed to myself and said "yeah right." let me tell ya folks, fear can make you do some pretty crazy things. here it was: what i had been praying about for almost two years and i could finally say yes and go. but fear is a powerful thing and it is totally capable of making bad decisions for you. so i did what every good christian girl does in situations like these: i hid behind the excuse of praying over the decision one more time and looking for signs. guys: if God gives you an opportunity that is ultimately going to bring glory to Him and His kingdom, don't let your fear of the unknown hold you back. if He brought you to it, He will bring you through it. trust that the God that parted the Red Sea, and fed 5000 people from little, and defeated death for us can handle the unknowns in your life because good news: it isn't unknown to Him! praise!!

but when God calls us to follow him, he doesn't say "hey if you are scared you get a free pass on this one." no. he equips us to go face it head on. and now that i am in the preparation process to go, i can honestly say i have never been more excited about anything! i get to spend all summer loving on kids and working in their medical clinic on site which i am currently in school to do. WOW! when paul said God was able to do immeasurably more, he wasn't kidding. so now, i would love to invite you to join this journey with me. right now i am in the process of raising support: in prayer and finances. soon, i will put up more information about my trip specifically but for right now, i would just ask you to be praying for GSF and the team that they are building right now. there will probably be about 5 of us interns and they are still in the process of praying over those spots and deciding on the best possible team. be praying for their ministry there in uganda too! i am so excited to be able to go just so i can see firsthand how they work as an organization. that's a whole other blogpost but for more information on Good Shepherd's Fold Orphanage click here. i will definitely be sharing more about their ministry and all they do as we get closer and closer to takeoff time! man, God is so good and i cannot wait to see what these next few months leading up to this trip hold. it's going to be so good and as always, immeasurably more.