God is SOOOOO Faithful!

Let me just preface this story by saying that He has ALWAYS been faithful, but this story that’s unfolded over the past few weeks in my life has been a constant reminder of the Lord’s faithfulness and provision.

I am getting through nursing school on student loans.  Not the ideal situation, in my opinion, but I am so thankful for them!  The first year I borrowed more than enough money, not knowing exactly how much I would need.  When it came time to take out loans for the last year of nursing school, I ended up borrowing less than the year before.  The thing I didn’t take into consideration was all of the extra costs involved with graduation…licensure…NCLEX prep course….etc. 

The first day of 4th semester rolls around, and I am actually excited to be there!  A chance to start fresh with classes….a chance to be more organized…a chance to gain more confidence in the hospital…a chance to continue my training for whatever type of nursing the Lord is preparing me to do.  My excitement quickly faded when we were presented with an itemized list of the extra costs for graduation. 

My. Heart. Sank. 

When it comes to money, I have a lot of fear.  I don’t like to spend money.  If I feel I don’t have enough, I get anxious…definitely not trusting the Lord.  So for the next two weeks, I worried….plain and simple.  The thought of all the checks I would soon be writing was never far from my mind. 

Then, literally, out of the blue I get an email from the school saying money was being deposited into my account.  I was confused because I already received the same email at the beginning of January when my loans went through.  I read the email and when I got to the end, I noticed that there was, indeed, more being deposited into my account.  PRETTY MUCH THE EXACT AMOUNT OF THE EXTRA COSTS INVOLVED WITH GRADUATING!!!  I have NO idea where it came from, but I am thankful.  SO thankful!  Then tonight I received another email saying I received another scholarship I was not expecting.

It’s been a humbling experience for me. 

In that time of worry when I received the first unexpected gift, I was reminded of this passage of Scripture in Matthew 6:

²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

²⁸"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

In that time of worry, the Lord reminded me of His GREAT faithfulness. 

And in that time of worry, He worked a miracle in my heart, and I saw in a tangible and extremely meaningful way to me that He is Jehovah Jireh…God, my Provider! 

I’m so thankful for the little (and big!) reminders in my life that He is ALWAYS there…He ALWAYS takes care of His children!   

NYC

Right after Jenny finished finals, the two of us hopped on a plane and spent a few days exploring NYC.  We both needed a getaway after the semester that we had.  Jenny planned the entire trip and did a great job.  I’m not sure there was ANYTHING else we could have squeezed in with the amount of time we were there.

Here are a few pics to highlight the best parts of the trip (in my opinion)…

 The Big Apple Circus!   A carriage ride through Central Park.  The driver totally knew we were tourists and charged us $20 more for this ride than what he was supposed to charge.   Central Park!  One of my very favorite parts of the trip…I could probably spend several days there.     You can’t see the sign very well, but this is at the zoo.  I got to see a PUFFIN!  Oh…and they had a black cow in their zoo…go figure!!Lunch at the Boathouse in Central Park! Mary Poppins on Broadway.  SO GOOD!!! Snow….lots and lots of snow!  At this point we still liked it.  When we woke up the next morning to SEVERAL inches all over the ground and less than adequate footwear in our possession, we quickly developed a love/hate relationship with the snow.   This pic will have to do for my next favorite part of the trip.  Just picture this penguin as Jenny and the setting is in the middle of Park Ave.  Yes…Jenny busted it in the snow in the MIDDLE of Park Ave.  I couldn’t think fast enough to get my camera out because I was doubled over in laughter as people were pointing and laughing.   The CHARMIN Store! Cleanest bathrooms in NYC…Charmin’s gift to NYC during the holiday season.

Serendipity FRRRRRRROZEN Hot Chocolate!  Yummy!

Central Park in the snow…Beautiful! 

Isaiah 40:1-8

¹ Comfort, comfort my people,
       says your God.
² Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
       and proclaim to her
       that her hard service has been completed,
       that her sin has been paid for,
       that she has received from the LORD's hand
       double for all her sins.
³ A voice of one calling:
       "In the desert prepare
       the way for the LORD ; 
       make straight in the wilderness
       a highway for our God.
⁴ Every valley shall be raised up,
       every mountain and hill made low;
       the rough ground shall become level,
       the rugged places a plain.
⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
       and all mankind together will see it.
       For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
⁶ A voice says, "Cry out."
       And I said, "What shall I cry?"
       "All men are like grass,
       and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.
⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fall,
       because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
       Surely the people are grass.
⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fall,
       but the word of our God stands forever."

I’ve been thinking about this post for about a week, but I never really knew exactly how to write it or what to say.  I still don’t, but this is my feeble attempt to honor and remember sweet Alden.  My last post was also about Alden…asking you guys to pray.  Well, last Sunday, December 13th, the Lord called her home after an incredibly valiant fight against Leukemia. 

I only got the opportunity to spend two days with Alden, but I first heard of her in the summer of 2008.  I was working at T bar M and one of Alden’s friends was in my cabin.  During our morning bible study, my camper asked us to pray for her friend who was recently diagnosed with Leukemia.  We prayed…infact, all week we prayed.  My camper wore a pink and green “Praying for Alden---Isaiah 40:8” bracelet in support of her dear friend and a consistent reminder to lift her up in prayer to the Father.  

Fast forward to a couple of months ago….the Lord had our paths cross, and the pink and green bracelet is how I made the connection! As I spent time with Alden and her mom, I was encouraged in my faith and challenged by theirs.  Not many 13 year old girls can have the joy Alden had while facing such a battle.  I saw Jesus in her, and I’m certain others she came in contact with did as well.  After our paths crossed, I began following her caringbridge closely and praying for her consistently.  She was never far from my thoughts and prayers as I now wore my very own “Praying for Alden” bracelet.  It began my reminder, not only to pray, but also to trust in the only ONE who can truly heal.  I never knew if the Lord would heal Alden here on earth or if her healing would be in heaven, but I trusted in His faithful Word that He is in control and has each of our days numbered.  I was so sad to learn last Sunday that Alden went to be with Jesus.  Thirteen year olds aren’t supposed to be concerned with chemotherapy…central lines….what pain killers will actually help the constant pain…IV drips…hospital stays.  They are supposed to be thinking about boys…and texting…and friends…  It just didn’t seem right that she was having to suffer. 

I’m thankful that Sunday night was House Church.  As we sang the words “Come praise the Lord with me, all who have been set free.  We will adore the King of Glory.  Let the world hear the sound of sinners once lost, now found.  Crown Him with many crowns, the King of Glory!”, I wept, but the Lord did something amazing in my heart.  The sadness I felt throughout the day was replaced by rejoicing.  For the first time, Alden was truly set free from the weakness…the pain…the central line…the IV drips…the LEUKEMIA!  She was set free…she was praising the Lord with me.  The cool thing was that she was doing this all in the presence of her Healer, her Savior, her Lord!  She was crowning Him with many crowns because He WAS, IS, and ALWAYS WILL BE the King of Glory.      

Alden’s life had another impact on me as well.  For a while, I felt the Lord leading me in the direction of nursing in pediatric oncology.  Through Alden’s journey, her faith, and the faith of her family during this trial, the Lord continued to confirm this calling in my life.   On the other hand, through knowing Alden, I began to question the Lord because I got so involved in her story.  I wept when I read the pages of her caringbridge about her pain and suffering…I prayed for her and her family….I questioned the Lord,  “Lord, am I really cut out for this??”  Through Alden’s life, He gave me a resounding, “YES!!!”  Not by my own might or power, but through the strength and grace that He ultimately gives to walk through life and death with children and their families.

So I will continue to wear my pink and green “Praying for Alden” bracelet as a reminder to pray for her family, as a testament to the Lord’s faithfulness to heal, and as a confirmation that if the Lord calls me to work with pediatric oncology patients, HE will give me the grace and the strength to walk this difficulty journey with them. 

The verse at the beginning of this post is one of Alden’s life verses.  This sweet girl not only KNEW the Lord, but she loved Him not only with her words but with her life…

 

Pray for Alden

I wanted to ask you guys to pray for a sweet girl named Alden.  Head on over and check out her caringbridge site.  This is one of the bravest girls I know, and she is fighting a tough battle with Leukemia.  She captured my heart from the moment I met her, and my heart is breaking to hear of how much she is struggling right now.  She and her family are appreciative of anyone willing to lift her up in prayer to the only ONE who heals.  This family’s faith is in the Lord, and they know that He is in control….but they are pleading for the Lord to spare Alden’s life.  Please pray! 

 

College Station + SEE-ster + Friends = FUN!

Let’s just say my weekend in College Station didn’t turn out as I expected it.  I ended up having a “SEE-ster weekend” that I thoroughly enjoyed.  I love my sister….(it’s a good thing because in less than a month we will be exploring NYC together!) 

Not only did I get to see Jenny, but I also ran into several good friends while I was in College Station.   I love running into people unexpectedly!  These are the beautiful faces I got to see this weekend…

CHRISTI
 
I love this girl!  Infact, pretty soon she gets a post of her own!  She’s my best friend, and she’s getting married in December.  You can imagine my surprise Saturday night when Jenny and I were sitting at Chickfila and I got a text from Christi.  She was studying in Bryan…I didn’t even know she was in town!   Jenny and I were in a little bit of a time crunch to catch a movie, but I had to go see Christi.  We sat and talked at Starbucks for about 20 minutes.  It was short but super sweet time together.  Since we don’t live close to each other anymore, I forget just how much I miss her until we get back together.  I truly love this girl, and she is such a blessing to me! 

EMILY & HANNAH

While waiting in the ticket line to purchase “The Blind Side” tickets, I here someone behind me say, “Is that Katie?”  I turn around, and it is these two beautiful girls along with their friend and Emily’s boyfriend.  We talked for a second and realized we were both going to the same movie/same time.  Wonderful!  We sat together, Hannah and I got to catch up on life before the movie began, and all was well with the world!  :D  We ended up making plans to go to church with them in the morning followed by an incredible lunch at “THE Chinese place”…..that’s not it’s real name (I don’t even remember what it’s called though).   It’s my FAVORITE Chinese food place in College Station…I introduced Hannah to it, and it quickly became a favorite by all.    Two sweet girls who love Jesus with everything in them.  It’s one of my favorite things about both of them. 

LINDSAY
 
(I totally just took this picture off of her facebook!) 

Anyway…Lindsay and I met my junior year/her freshman year at A&M.  I co-led a bible study for freshman, and I was blessed to have her in my group.  She’s beautiful inside and out, and she brings joy to everyone around her.  While I was at Starbucks talking to Christi, Lindsay walked in.  I hadn’t seen Lindsay in probably 3 years.  It brought tears to my eyes to get to see her.  I can’t believe she is now a SENIOR in college!!  It makes me feel EXTREMELY old! 

There’s just a little snapshot of my weekend.  I’m so thankful for friends and for the “unexpected sightings” that always happen in College Station.  Thank you Jesus for friends and for see-sters!  They are all blessings to me.

I’m EXCITED….

….for an Aggieland weekend with some amazing girls!  These amazing girls to be exact!  Jessie is coming to Aggieland too, but she isn’t riding with us.  :(  Baylor plays A&M this weekend in Aggieland, and what better time to take our Baylor-lovin’ friend, Julie (and her sister Diane!) to get a taste of AGGIELAND.

Call us losers if you must, but we are staying ALL weekend just so us Aggies can hit all of our favorite Aggieland restaurants we don’t have in San Antonio.  We are also going to the came, hitting up the tent sales (YAY for $5 A&M t-shirts!), showing the others around campus, hanging out, oh ya….and eating some more!  What a great weekend is ahead!  

Jeremiah 1:4-10

“Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and  before you were born I consecrated you;  I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.’  Then I said, ‘Alas, Lord God!  Behold, I do not know how to speak because I am a youth.’ But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am a youth,” because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you.’ declares the Lord.  Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.  SEE, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” 
Jeremiah 1:4-10

Occasionally the Lord will put a specific scripture on my heart for weeks at a time.  Usually it happens that I’m not certain of the significance of the scripture at that time in my life, but God is preparing me for something down the road.  This passage in Jeremiah has been on my heart for a few weeks now.  I’m anxious to see how He is going to use this one!  :D