Livin' it up in the Motor CIty!

This past weekend I had a chance to go up to Detroit and visit Elizabeth. It was really good to see her and get to hang out with her for the weekend.I had a wonderful time seeing the ministry she works with. Lifebuilders is a really cool ministry and the people who are in charge are really great. I got to meet some of the kids that they minister to in the local area, help with the resale shop and then go to church with the whole group on Sunday.

Here is a pic of me with a bunch of the kids from the neighborhood. Right after I arrived on Friday, we went down this one block in the bus and just honked the horn and these kids  just came pouring out of 3 different houses ready to go not even knowing where we were going :)  They were such a joy to be around and so happy.

On Saturday we hun out in the resale shop in the morning then went to the mall in the afternoon and got pedicures and just spent girl time talking and catching up. Later that evening we caught up with Steve and went to dinner and then a Tiger's game. I'm not one to be super into baseball but it was fun.

On Sunday we went to church at an inner city church where the pastor had been connected with LIfebuilders. The service was different than I am used to but it was really good. I love seeing th different ways people worship God. The sermon was so convicting but so good. It was about sharing the Gospel with people we come in contact with everyday. I felt so encouraged after church.

I had a wonderful time in Detroit with Elizabeth. I was so encouraged and it was nice to get away and rest and relax.Life at home this summer has been good but lliving with my big family nothing is really relaxing or restful. It was a nice break.

JOin me in praying for:

• Elizabeth as she finishes up her last few days in Detroit.
• The teens @ lifebuilders that have made desicions to give their lives to Christ recently and need encouragement as they grow in their faith.

Give me Your eyes for just one second.

As I come to the last few weeks of my internship I have noticed that my attitude has some times has not been up to par. I find myself at times labeling, judging and sometimes simply hearing but not listening to the women I am serving at the CWC. I have felt really convicted about this and I so badly want to love these women with my whole heart not just as an action of helping them. The song Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath came on the Radio this week and brought me to tears. As I listened to the song I realized that my attitude should be that of which is reflected in the song. I want to see those who are hurting through eyes that aren't judgmental. I want to love on these people. The chorus of the song has really been my prayer this week:

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me you heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see




Prayer requests:

• Please pray for me as I have to submit the plans for my project tomorrow during the all staff meeting. I have been working hard planning and prepping for it and I would like for the staff to be as excited as I am.
• Please pray for the ladies in the Connect 2 Care program at the CWC. These are women with mental or physical disabilities and their floor has been having a hard time lately with lots of changes and stuff. I have really connected with a lot of the ladies on this floor and talking with them I see their confusion and uncertainty amongst the chaos.

Happy Birthday Jason!!!!

Happy 5th Birthday Jason!!! 

Here's Jason with his snare drum cake that I made him. It decided to melt during dinner so I didn't get a picture when it looked its best.

We enjoyed pizza & games at Incredible Pizza Company to celebrate!! 

I am so glad that God put Jason, Timmy and Craig into our home 3 1/2 years ago and then allowed the adoption to go through 2 years ago. Our family is definitely blessed by Jason. 3 years ago today we thought we were saying goodbye to them for good but God is good and brought them back to our family for good.  

Sun,Sand & Boogie Boards

Vacation last week with my family was wonderful! We all had a lot fun enjoying the beach and what Daytona Beach had to offer. Here are some pictures and highlights from the trip.

This is Will & I at the Coke Zero 400 at the Daytona International Speedway. We went with my dad and Craig and enjoyed a fun night of race festivities and watching the race.

Here's Jason, Ayanna, and Landon trying their hand at boogie boarding. They liked to think of them as surf boards.

One morning Meme and I went out at sunrise to look for shells and walk the beach. It was my absolute favorite part of the trip. It was so quiet and peaceful and we were able to just talk and relax. My baby sister is growing up so fast and times like this are too few. 

One day we ventured over to Disney World and spent the day in Downtown Disney (The free part of Disney). While there we rented a boat and took the kids on a boat ride through Disney. It was so much fun! I even got to drive for awhile.

 

One day we visited a Chocolate shop and took their factory tour. It was really fun and we got to taste their specialty..chocolate covered potato chips which were our faves! We even had fun playing out the scene from I LOVE LUCY. Don't we make great Lucy, Boss lady and Ethel!

On our way home from FL we stopped in Pigeon Forge,TN for a couple days. One of the days we went tubing and then to our favorite place in the Smokies...Cades Cove! It was a fun day and nice way to end our vacation.

Vacation was good but now its back to my internship. I only have a few weeks left and so I want to soak it all in and really learn a lot. God has been so good and has given me incredible women to learn under.

Wow! This is a long post! What can I say I really enjoyed Vaca and wanted to share the pics! Check out my FB for more pics soon!