I have been blessed

I haven't posted in forever! I have been crazy busy! i think the last time i posted was right after RATI.. and that was in April. so I guess i'm overdue on one. so here goes. Be prepared.. its long. :)

So, first off, on the 17th of June i went on a 10 day vacation with my lovely and amazing friend Caroline, and her fantabulous family:) we went to the Grand Canyon, four Corners, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore and tons more places in between. Here are a few pictures from it :)

Arches National Park, Moab Utah.
Grand Canyon!!

Four Corners. yes. i am in all four states. :)

so, that was an awesome, fun and educational experience. I was also so incredibly lucky to be able to spend that time with Caroline before she heads off for a missionary music thing this fall for a year! I shall miss her. *sniff* anyways, we had an amazing time.. over 3000 miles in a car makes up for some fantastical stories. ;) After ten days of epic, crazy, busy and amazing fun, they dropped me off and my brother Gage's house, in South Dakota. I was so glad to see them :D That night, I repacked all my bags, and the next morning at 3:30 am *yawn* they took me to the rapid city airport and I flew all the way down to Houston Texas. :D Thus began my next little adventure.

After arriving in Houston, (where the weather is oh so lovely and the air smells fantastic ;) ) I was picked by some of my awesome Friends... and they also gave me my very first Monster. Cuz goodness sakes, i needed it. :) They so graciously let me stay with them that night and i had a stinkin blaast :D And then that next morning we all headed down to S.M.I.T.E. (which was the reason i came down there :P )

Smite, which stands for "Summer Missionary Institute of Training and Evangelism" you can check it out at " www.smitecamp.org " basically its a camp teaching how to lead a 5 day Bible club. They teach how to effectively tell stories, how to lead a child to Christ through a worldless book, and lots of other things about witnessing. During that week, for the first time in my life, I got to lead two adorable little girls to Christ. Which automatically makes it a week i will never ever forget. Life changing, to say the least. Watching those little girls faces light up, after accepting Jesus in their hearts was something that i want to see happen again and again. Getting to tell kids about Christ is THE most satisfying thing i have ever done, period. I learned how to pray harder than ever and to seek God in every situation. I really cant explain what a huge an impact that it had on me.( Not to be hilariously commercial or anything, but if you are interested in going, hit me up and i shall inform you all about it ;) )

But besides all that, they have amazing speakers every night, and just general awesomeness all week long :) God worked in my heart that week like never before. One of the really impacting sermons was on Respect. Respect to Parents, Siblings, friends, every kind of relationship. Respect is key. And it's such an easy thing to forget. I think the main respect i need to focus in on right now in my life, is for Parents. I forget so easily all that they have done for me. and even if they had done nothing for me, God commands us to into the Bible. What better reason? :) So i have really been trying to put that into action since i have been home. Let me be real honest, I have found, whenever you have a spiritual epiphany and decide to be Godly and fantastic, Satan usually aims all his biggest guns at you. I seriously think I have had more trouble with respect now, than ever before. But if you keep at it, keep following Him, there's that breaking point when it hits. That moment when satan knows your heart is in the right place, seeking God and your not going to fall.. and he gives up and moves on. Then it all becomes so worth it. I'm still working on it ;) well that was my little sermon that i didn't mean to happen. but I guess i'll leave it.

So, as you can see, Smite impacted me in ways that will stay with me for... a really long time, if not my whole life. I'm so glad God let me go and I'm also thankful for my awesome friends that told me about it. :)

This song was one that was sang, probably every night, at smite. It was definitely my favorite. The words are so powerful and true. You can look up the real song, I believe it's by Champion Bible College.

When He walks among us, all that He does, All of His mercy and all of His love. If the pen of a writer could write every day even this world could never contain just how I've been blessed / The warmth in the winter, the flowers in spring, the laughter of summer, and the changing of leaves. Food on my table, a good place to sleep, clothes on my back and shoes on my feet. Oh, I have been blessed.

I have been blessed, God's so good to me, precious are His thoughts of you and me. No way I could count them there's not enough time, so I'll just thank Him for being so kind. God has been good, so good. I have been blessed.

Arms that will raise, a voice that can talk, hands that can touch and legs that can walk. Ears that can listen and eyes that can see, oh, I've got to praise Him as long as I breathe. Cause I have been blessed / Father and mother, nurtured and raised, my sisters and brothers, memories made. Our pastor to lead us, this altar to pray, Stripes that can heal and a Blood that can save. Oh, I have been blessed.

We live in a country, the greatest on earth, our flag stands for freedom and what it is worth. She stands in the harbor, Ms. Liberty calls, all have gave some, but some gave it all for me to be blessed / A shoulde to lean on when I am down, a rock where He leads me when I'm overwhelmed. The place where He hides me under His wings. He's not just a song, He's the reason I sing, Oh, and I have been blessed.

well, thats all for now :)