Okay, let me start off once again apologizing! Ahh, I can't believe I'm so horrible about blogging...especially considering I journal everyday! I must get better at this. I must get better at this!
Well just as my title states "time flies when you're having fun," and that most certainly is the case! Both myself and the ministry as a whole have been so busy, this is my first day to play catch up in I don't know how long. So let's see I will try and remember all that has happened since I last blogged, I may need my journal to remember! Ha. And I apologize in advance for how ridiculously long this blog will be. :)
Okay so here we go, March was a good month. It was a challenging month for me, but good. God really did some work in my heart and really made me dig deep to find myself and who I really am, as well as who I am in Him. The best part being that He loves me so much, exactly how I am. And that I must remember HE made me this way, so why would I want to change that or try to please someone else other than Him? He gave me the desires within my heart, hands, feet, and brain to be exactly how he created me to be for HIS delight. That in itself was a huge realization factor. To stop searching and just simply seek Him.
About mid-March I was given the opportunity to go visit Cleveland and stay with a friend, which was a great time. I had so much fun and it was nice to just get away and not focus on really anything for a couple of days, not to mention I'm pretty sure I had the best host ever, thank you Jessica! Cleveland was really cool we visited the science center, aquarium, the MALL, some nice restaurants, little Italy, and last but not least Starbucks...oh how I love thy!
I believe last time I blogged I was preparing to start at Forever 21, well it ended up not taking that job because I got offered a different one which ended up being a way better opportunity. It was with PacSun as a senior associate or a.k.a. supervisor. This was not only better because it was only 15 mins away vs. 40 but also because I was part of the management team which meant better pay! PacSun was an interesting job for me, I really feel like God revealed a lot to me through that job, which I will get to more in a minute.
April...man that month sure did fly by! Easter was lovely, although I did miss my family back home. The following weekend I actually had another amazing site seeing opportunity. I went to go visit a friend in Gettysburg, PA and we decided to take the 4 hour trip from Gettysburg up to New York! She had some friends there so we were actually able to stay for free in central park west! Man oh man, it was so amazing and I'm so glad I got to mark it off my list. So cool! Although we were only there for about 24 hours total we jammed it packed with sites and fun. I saw the statue of liberty, times square, Rockefeller, central park, 5th avenue...I think that's all. But it was a lot and to say the least I was exhausted by the end of it. Gettysburg was pretty neat as well. The sites to see didn't really compare to NY...grass and more grass...but a cute, quaint town with plenty of charm. All in all, an amazing trip, thanks so much Abby!
One of the girls in the house got married in April as well. Now referred to as Mrs. Tina Kaufman! What a lovely wedding that was. I was so delighted to be a part of her special day, she looked so beautiful. Following that I had my big 25th birthday and my Dad and Tammy, his significant other, came to visit. What a perfect birthday present that was. We toured "Amish country" and just had an altogether great time!
And now finally we are in May. Yesterday was my last day at PacSun, which was probably the shortest job I ever had but all in all I'm glad I took it. It really opened my eyes to how much sin is in the world and how many lost people there are out there. I've been in this amazing community for several months now and it really helped me to realize not just that, but also the amazing community God has given me all along the way since I decided to start living for Him. From workplaces to friends, it is just so important to surround yourself with people who love Jesus, and who are going to help you become the best person you can be for Him. I don't think I placed as much importance on that as I should have before, especially in workplaces. God placed me in an amazing salon back home when I first started seeking Him and I think there were times that I took that for granted. He really knew exactly what He was doing when he placed me there, so so clearly part of his plan and I'm so very thankful.
The reason yesterday was my last day is because starting tomorrow we are going to be traveling around doing our "Seize the Summer" tour. Which I'm praying will be great but in all actuality I'm very nervous about! haha. Basically we travel to 5 different states in about 2 1/2 weeks and all along go to different churches all over. Pretty much it's Off the Wall Ministry with this great christian band Polen and together we do drama, music, skits, a message, communion, and just all in all an awesome service that will hopefully reach many! My part in this will be not only to help with setups and odds and ends but to be in part of the drama's or skits. UGH, I'm so nervous. And when I get nervous, I forget my lines. Yikes! I am excited though for I feel like this going to be a great time to not only travel but to be able minister to people and simply hear their stories, which I love.
Now last but not least and the main purpose of this blog, for what I'm going to do once I return from Seize the Summer...After much prayer, fasting, consideration and counsel I'm excited to announce that at the beginning of June I will be moving to Charleston, South Carolina. Ahh! There it is. Yes, I'm so excited and wish I could be there to explain this to you all in person. But long story short, God has placed the desire on my heart to be at the beach some time ago and in the more recent years that place has been Charleston. Now, I'm not sure why exactly Charleston because to be honest I've never actually been. I've been to Myrtle Beach but not Charleston. But it is most definitely Charleston that he placed on my heart so I'm more than excited to be obedient and go exactly there. I thought and prayed about this for awhile before I decided to take any action. Then after God kept confirming it in my heart I decided to take action and that's when the doors started opening! And how amazing it has been to watch. Now let me just say, I don't know a single person who lives in the entire state and He has already provided 2 potential churches for me to be a part of, both with amazing community and people who are awaiting for me to get there so I can officially meet them...Yay! ...friends!! Then as I was looking for places to live I had come across this one which was perfect (actually a girl from one of churches recommended it to me because the apartments are right behind the church, and a lot of people from the church live there) which it was in my price range and in the right part of town, but of course they didn't have any available and there was a waiting list on top of that. But they advised me to go ahead and apply just in case. So I did just that, and then out of nowhere what do you know - miraculously a 1 bedroom/1 bath apartment became available! Oh, but it doesn't stop there, also they are going to replace everything from carpet to counter tops in this apartment for me so it will basically be brand new...and did I mention only 14 mins from the beach?! Yes, God is good. So good. And for His humor, I'm sure, the apartment number is 7. :) Which leaves only a job as the last thing to find. Which I'm in the process of setting up some interviews and such, so I do ask for your prayers for that. And of course for the move as a whole! For as I stated earlier, it's just becoming more and more clear to me how important it is to be in the right workplace. From atmosphere to co-workers and everything in-between I just pray that He will place me in the perfect place, and I have faith that He will.
Whew! How great it feels to get that off my chest and tell you all. I'm so excited for this next chapter in my life, I can't do anything besides smile as I type this. I must say I'm so incredibly thankful for my time in Ohio. I've learned so much about our God and He has taught me so many things about myself as well. I've been stretched and challenged, loved and grown in so many ways. Off the Wall is an amazing community of believers who are passionate about loving people the way Jesus did. And from that a love is reproduced as well as a desire to pass it on, because it's so good you can't NOT share it. That my friends, is discipleship.
