Embrace The adventure.

Well, I have officially been in Riverside for two weeks! "When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal, you do not change your decision to get there." Zig Ziglar                               My going away party in San Francisco was completely heartbreaking and heart warming at the same time. I was so incredibly grateful for the footprints that were left in my heart there. I have never cried that much at a farewell in my many moves throughout the years. I am indebted to the hearts that never stopped loving me throughout my time there. --Thank you SF <3   Being in Riverside has been a non-stop adventure. I have 7 new roomies, a new campus to embark on, and many new friends to make priceless memories with. This past week I've been able to walk to campus in the bright sunny morning and pray. Riverside reminds me a lot of Arizona; I feel at home.   Plans have changed ...

  In less than a week, I'll be on the road to start anew in Riverside, California!   In the past 7 years,  I've pretty much moved every other year to a new place. You could say that I've learned how to live light, expect change, and try to adapt quickly. I am grateful to have been able to experience so much, but I am especially grateful for how each place has changed me.     San Francisco is one of those places I've heard about, but never expected to live.  Not only is it full of rich people and expensive living conditions, but it is a city full of ambition and opportunity.  I didn't exactly give my whole heart when I first arrived here; it's never been easy for me to give my heart quickly to people.-- I'm learning.  Now that I've grown to give my heart here, it's time to start bidding farewells.  Funny how ironic life can feel.   I wanted to share a few of my favorite memories of SF: -Living with my first Vietnamese famil...

  After weeks of learning to deal with the emotions, tonight was a random reminder of just how hard it is.   Before I get into it, the past couple of weeks have been amazing. I was accepted into the ICCM (a college for ministry). I was asked to move to LA. My bosses have all been completely supportive of this decision. My subtle and random prayers have been continually answered in awesome ways. Things have felt like they've kept falling into place.   ..So, back to THE box.   I decided to organize my couple-of-boxes worth of stuff, throwing away old papers, planners, the usual pile up of unwanted objects. Then I came across THE box. The dreaded box I had packed up months ago, pushed aside, and out of mind. Inside my gut I heard a voice saying don't open it, leave it be, but I ignored it. I opened the box and there it was, two years worth of dating, engagement, and marriage memorabilia.   I've fought many internal conversations on what I should do with all...

Then he said to me, "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" 2 Corinthians 12:9     You know that feeling deep in your gut when you're having a nightmare and you're running, fighting, or even hiding for your life?  Then you wake up and you are really relieved to know there is life outside of that nightmare? That's the type of desperation and relief I've felt lately. A desperation that knows I'm so close and susceptible to falling into Satan's trap and yet a relief in knowing I can cling to a life sheltered in the wings of my Protector. I've gotten some really encouraging feedback about the example of  strength  I've shown   with everything; ironically, I want you to know that being weak has really been what has helped me most--its driven me to places I've never been.   In weakness, I've come to understand that I am no better than anyone else -- even those who have directly hurt me .  I am ca...

It's always better when we're together   Can I be real? I was not thrilled at the thought of moving from my own apartment into a one bedroom apartment with 4 (now 5) other girls. Now I can't see myself belonging anywhere else.   God knows exactly what you need, seriously.   Allow me to introduce you to my roomies:                                                                                                                                                        First there is Sharmayne: She is driven and hardworking, yet underneath it all she still has a youth filled heart th...

  Something I've realized since I've been separated is that nothing is guaranteed.   For the past six years, I dreamed that one day I would go into the ministry, get married, have an amazing family of my own, live out of the country at some point, and grow old as couple recalling the many ways God worked in my life with gratitude. And while all those are great aspirations, they are based off of an assumption of what  'life to the full ' looks like. As a disciple, I can misplace my hope; I confuse God's promises and replace them with my own expectations. danger!   When I was asked to become a full-time intern and moved to San Jose, my heart got excited to check-off a dream answered. Then when I got engaged, I thought another dream achieved.  As much as God would soon expose sin in the relationship, he wanted to expose my own heart. I quickly realized that in my own heart I needed to check where my hope was --was it in the things God gives me or in the cro...

So, it's a new year.. (side note: I feel silly having a blog again, but here it is! The last time I had a blog was myspace and xanga like 6 years ago..wow. I'm getting old) Dear Future me, Please, remember this time of your life. I wouldn't want you to regret it, or even worse, repeat it. Love, Past you.    Well, let me start by saying that 2013 was the best/worst year of my life. The best because I've been given opportunities to learn things about myself and my walk with God I've never learned before. The worst because I've never felt so much heartache in my life ever.    Starting January of last year I was able to finish out my associates in college (finally! I've been doing missionary work for the past 5 years and put it to the side for a while). I was able to serve in the ministry full-time. I was able to visit family for the holidays. I was engaged to a man I couldn't wait to start my life with. That June we got married! We moved up t...