Siempre Asombrada

      I got to spend a few days in the Tuscaloosa/ Northport area last week. There were many sweet things about my time there, but it is evident that the highlight was my time with the Navigators International Ministry. We had our first dinner of the semester, and a welcome party a couple days later. It was so good to have conversations with old and new friends. Throughout the past few years, I have had the opportunity to serve international students alongside an awesome team, which I will miss so much over the next few months while I am in Spain.  The students and team at the welcome party     One of my favorite things about my time with the Navigators has been the students. It has been such a blessing to meet international students from countries all over the world. I get to learn about their culture and learn about the exciting ins and outs of what they come to the university to study. These students are so smart, and even more passionate about their research and studies. I love to

    My favorite part of going to church has always been worship and praise. I love being able to praise the Lord for who he is through singing and enjoying the music.  Three songs come to mind when I think of what has been on my mind lately. The running theme throughout all of them is "I Am Yours"      I played these songs on guitar tonight and it was such a fun jam session/ worship session. I love playing music on guitar and singing... anyway, I had wanted to share my versions of the songs, but I haven't found a way to post them yet. So I've included the title and artist name, along with links to the songs on Youtube.      In the past few days, I've been amazed that the King of Kings loves his people despite their many flaws and mistakes. He loves no matter what happens. As it says in "I Am Yours" by NEEDTOBREATHE, "It seems like madness I'm invited to the table at [his] side." It truly does seem like madness. Craziness. Which leads to the

    M y family and I had a fun time together yesterday. We looked at pictures from the past years and retold stories. We celebrated what we call Auggie's "Gotcha Day." Seven years ago on August 6, my family went out to middle-of-nowhere-Alabama, also known as Luverne, Alabama, to welcome a puppy into our family. Inspired by a book I just started reading, here are some lessons learned from our Boston Terrier, Auggie.      The first is that you should learn to appreciate God's beautiful creation.  Auggie loves to lay out in the grass to savor the wonderful sunshine. I've always looked at Auggie being outside and thought that somehow, he knows that he loves being outside because of the One who created the environment... Okay, maybe not. I'm not sure... But either way, I've definitely learned to soak in the sunshine more.     It's okay to cry every now and then, but know that the nearest caring creature will want to comfort you and make sure you are okay.