Fall is a real season and leaves really do change color.

Jesus answered my prayer for refreshment this past weekend.

My dear friend Alyssa and I took our fall break to visit our lovely friends in Fayetteville, Arkansas. These are the girls that we went to Kenya with this past summer. (see other blog entries)

These girls are just some of the best. 

One of them used to struggle with drugs, alcohol, and broken relationships, and has now seen the redeeming power of Jesus and walks in complete freedom with some of the most contagious joy I've ever encountered. One of them has chosen to live amongst friends that haven't necessarily tasted and seen of Jesus as she has, and chooses every day to love them well and show them His heart. Another found and accepted Jesus close to a year ago, and seeing Him through her eyes and heart is beyond refreshing. 

I love how following Jesus looks so different for all five of us. He uses my time with them for lots of things, but one of them being to remind me that the values of the Kingdom (prayer, discipleship, evangelism, and more) truly are reproducible anywhere. I've believed that, but it's a whole other thing entirely to leave your community and see it.

Seeing these girls felt like we'd never left Kenya. I'm so thankful to get to do life with such sweet and FUN friends. #woopigsooie #WPS

L to R: me, Erika, Carly, Alyssa, Cambry

I'm late I'm late for some very important dates!

Whew. Take a look at this calendar. All in one month, we have finals, Mother's Day, good ole Pop's birthday, and my home church is sending me off to Kenya with prayer (super honored and thankful). THEN I fly to Branson, Missouri (Heaven)(if you don't agree you haven't been) for Kanakuk K-West staff training! Dream come true. Here's the fun part: I leave staff training early for a flight to DFW the morning of the 28th, pick up Alyssa from the DFW airport to stay at my house, have one night to pack, then we leave for London the next morning at 10:25am! We end up at the Nairobi airport at 9pm our time. 

I have goosebumps writing this. I cannot believe this is all happening in one summer. 

I feel overwhelmed when I think of how blessed I've been this year. After this summer, I will have visited all of my three favorite places in the whole world in one year! (Kenya, Kamp, and Disney World) How does that even happen?? God is good. He's just so good. He blesses me beyond what I can put together. 

Please pray that this all works out. This would make a super organized person nervous. Imagine forgetful, slightly disorganized me running around the country(ies) and just let that fuel your prayer. (: Thank goodness God is above schedules and time!!