A day of rest

Mark 6:31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

 

 Psalm 62:5 “Yes, my soul, find rest in God: my hope comes from him.”

 

This week has been go go go for me.  Tuesday we had a scrimmage against Ferris State University.   Wednesday we moved into our permanent dorm rooms.  Friday we got up and headed to Pittsburgh  for our games on  Saturday.  I dressed for varsity but just played reserve and got my first college goal! :) Both teams won, the varsity won 3-0 and the reserve won 2-1. The week was fun but I was definitely looking forward to today since we didn't have anything planned.

 

However, I woke this morning to a phone call no one wants to hear. My mom called and told me my grandpa had a major heart attack and was in the hospital. Anytime a family member is in the hospital I instinctively freak out. I hate not knowing what's going to happen. So I headed to church with a heavy heart full of worry and fear. Me and a couple other girls form the team went to a local church near Spring Arbor. The service proceeds and then the song How He Loves is played. For anyone that knows me or my former youth group you know this song is like "our" song. The song just reinforces how much God loves us and every time I hear it I can't help but feel God's presence. Today hearing that song it just reminded me that whatever happens I can have hope in Him. I left feeling so much better full of peace and hope. I don't know what's going to happen to my grandpa but I know that my family has been through so much already and the love and support we have for each other is so amazing that whatever happens we'll get through it together just like we have in the past.

 

I am so happy I decided to get up and go to church this morning. Even though I'm at a Christian college I have already found myself letting myself slip away from God. Yes we pray at meals, we pray before practice and we pray after games, but that's what the team does. And it has been so easy for me to just let my faith rest in what the team does but then sometime this week I realized I that my relationship with Christ is a personal thing and so that night I got out my devotional for the first time in weeks. The topic for that night was obedience. (Funny the way God plans these things) I read through the scripture in Psalm and it talked about how we need to listen to God not just some of the time but daily. I can't be content with just praying with the team, I have to daily take up my cross and obey God. It's especially hard when I feel like during the week we're just go go go but today just reminded me that He loves us so so much and that yes, He's kind of worth the time and effort it takes to form a relationship with Him.

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Starting a blog!

So before I left for college a few people told me I should start a blog so people can keep up with what I'm doing. Here's my attempt at that...

Sunday, August 3, was my last day at home. At the church service that day the youth, most of whom were seniors, gave our testimonies about our week at Momentum. I shared about my journey of how I was called to go into ministry. I love sharing it because it shows so well how God has constantly been shaping my life. Maybe I'll share that on my blog at a later date. After church, the youth continued our weekly ritual of going out for lunch. It's never been anything big but it's one of my favorite traditions. I have grown so close to everyone in my group; I love each and everyone one of them with my whole heart. Saying goodbye to my parents was hard, but I know that I'll always have them in my life even while I'm at college. Saying goodbye to the youth group was heartbreaking. I pray that we continue to stay close, but at the same time I know we're growing up and people will go separate ways. So leaving lunch that day I couldn't help but think that it could be the last time I see some of them, and thinking about that was SO hard. I truly believe I am the person I am today because of my youth group.

Flash forward a few days, and I'm on the plane to JAMAICA with my fellow Spring Arbor women's soccer teammates! We went to a village the next day that needed water send to their house and we got to play and talk with the children there. The next day I went to an orphanage and fell in love with this precious little girl. I carried her the entire time because she just wanted to be held the whole time. Leaving her left tears in my eyes as her and the other children cried because we had to leave. The next day I got to spend a couple hours in the ocean and I went snorkeling. It was absolutely beautiful. We left Montego Bay that day and headed to Ocho Rios. We mostly just trained the rest of the week but we did go to a church service on Sunday. The biggest thing I got out of it was just how thankful the people were. Jamaica is a pretty poor country but they were just so appreciative of EVERYTHING.

Overall, I had a fantastic time in Jamaica serving, playing soccer and getting to know the girls. We're about a week through preseason now and I just love being here. The girls are amazing. I know God sent me here for a reason.