New Blog

I personally want to thank everyone who has had a blog and kept up with it. I admire you, and I'm jealous of you. That being said, I wanted to start getting back into blogging. As I went to hit "new post" on my old blog, I began reading through my posts. Everything was about ME. Yeah, it's my blog, but I was completely missing the point. Nobody wants weekly updates of my life and boys (which I posted ALOT about.) What good is a blog if it only build yourself up?

That being said, I want to start this blog to share what God's been doing in my life. Because what is more joyful than sharing the good news of Lord and Savior is doing in our lives. I don't know about you, but it sure does bring me joy. :) Yesterday, I was reading about the orphans in Africa. I thought to myself "that is so sad, I wish I could help somehow." And then it hit me.. I have a ministry so easily accessible to me called Covenant Mercies. Why I've neglected it for so long is beyond me. I texted my good friend Kelsey last night who works there and asked her the details. I prayed about it and asked God to give me clarification on if I should sponsor a child or not. Here's the good part of the story... I have extreme difficulty saying "I'll pray about it" when making a decision because I normally just pray about it and then still end up going with the decision I made before I prayed. Make sense? So I prayed last night that God would specifically reveal his direction for me in this situation. I was awoken in the middle of the night with the worst sore throat I've ever had. (You may not know this about me, but I absolutely hate being awoken at night. When I rest my head on the pillow, I don't expect to wake up until the time my alarm goes off the next morning.) I got out of bed and stumbled my way through the dark to find the sore throat spray (that stuff is amazing, btw.) I went upstairs and filled my water bottle with water and went back to bed. Instead of falling asleep, I laid there and was reminded of the kids in Africa. I'm complaining about losing sleep over walking downstairs in my HEATED house to my available medicine cabinet and drinking my cold RUNNING water. This never happens and yet I still have a bad attitude about it. I began thinking of the children in Africa who have problems far more severe than my sore throat. How often do they lay awake like me? How often do these children die of diseases I don't even know exist? How often are financial situations a struggle? How often are these children orphaned and left alone as head of household when they're younger than my sister? And the girls, oh the girls. Sorry for being graphic here, but what do they do when they have their period and can't go to school because they don't have access to feminine products? I laid in bed and thought "I have the nerve to be upset that I am losing an hour of sleep when children are losing their parents, homes, and opportunities at education." And conviction set in right then and there.

At 4:30 in the morning was when I made the decision to sponsor a child. For just $35 a month, I can help a child go to school, receive needed medicine, and have food on their table. $35 a month. Which is equal to 3 hours of babysitting, the profit I make off 14 headbands I make and sell, going out to eat about 3 times, or the equivalent to a tank of gas. But the thing that got me, ohhh but the thing that got me, was $35 a month: the cost of the additional data plan I was going to get when I upgrade my phone to an iPhone next month. Well guess who just made the decision to keep her dumb phone? this girl. When I'm stuck in awkward situations and wish I had Facebook on my phone or lost in the car needing a GPS, I hope I remember that child I sponsored and the small amount of $35 a month I will give them. I'm so thankful for the way that God meets us and brings clarity to us. When we're in the midst of trial, God reveals himself. And it warms my heart to remember that. Trust me, a sore throat is not what I'd call a trial, but it's still the little things God uses to capture our hearts. He is good!