Today was a pretty boring day. I feel like a lot of my days have been pretty boring lately. I haven't been doing the things I want to do.. mostly because of laziness. I should really work on that.

Michael graduated high school on the 12th. That was pretty crazy. In my mind he's still a hyper-active 12 year old kid with a goofy smile running around the kitchen screaming obnoxiously. Now he's graduated high school and actually starting to act like a semi-mature guy. It's kinda cool. We've gotten a lot closer since I went to college and I like that we're able to talk about things now. He's becoming a best friend, which is what I always felt brothers and sisters should be, so that's pretty awesome. I'm really proud of him and he has a lot of potential. He's a good kid, he's got a good head on his shoulders and I really think he'll do some great things in life.

Well, short one for today.. I'm going to try and get to sleep early tonight.

L-O-V-E

I've been thinking about love a lot lately.

"Love is paitent, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseverse." 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

I just love that verse.

That's all.

Dolores, the Kenya team & Harry Potter

It's days like this that really show me how powerful and awesome God is and how much He can accomplish in such a short period of time. My day didn't exactly start off perfect. I didn't get much sleep last night so I woke up around 10:00 feeling pretty tired. I went to the gym and when I left my car wouldn't start. She has this thing about not starting when it's really hot outside. So that was a little frustrating but I'm used to it since it happens quite a bit in the summer. Poor Dolores is just getting old. She's 15, which has got to be at least 65 in car years. She eventually started up a few hours later.. after I had to call my mom for a ride home.

But anyway, now on to the good part of my day. The team I'm going to Kenya with in July all got together and had dinner and it was just absolutely amazing. I had a chance to really start to get to know these people on a deeper level and each and every one of them has so much to share and offer. I'm really excited to see what God is going to do with all of us in Kenya and how He's going to transform us and show us His love. There's just so much potential for all of us to better ourselves and really experience change and growth throughout this whole experience. He answered so many of my prayers just in this one night and it really refueled my passion for Him, for Kenya and for life in general. Hearing the testimonies and stories of the people on the team helped me in knowing that I'm not alone in my struggles and that God can really do some amazing things in people's lives.

Well, it's time for some sleepytime tea and Harry Potter. I'm on my 4th re-read of those books and they just never get old. I'm such a dork and I am not at all ashamed of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm 100% STOKED to be going to Kenya this July... but when I found out that HP and the Half Blood Prince was going to be coming out the day after I leave, I was honestly bummed that I wouldn't be able to go to the midnight premiere and wear my Hogwarts scarf and Gryffindor track jacket and be a total nerd around hundreds of other total nerds. But it's okay, there's always the 7th movie.. parts 1 & 2! :)

Not walking alone...

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

I recently wrote out that verse, along with a few others, and taped it up on my wall in front of my computer. I guess it just helps remind me that I'm not in this alone and no matter how out of hand things seem to be getting, God is always in control. He already has my whole life mapped out. He knows what I'll be doing tomorrow, next month & ten years from now and His plans are always GOOD. I won't ever be lost when I'm walking with Jesus... and I am definately done walking around alone and lost in the dark.

It's 4:15am and I'm wide awake. This is pretty frustrating for me because I purposely went to bed early tonight in an attempt to finally get a good night of sleep. I woke up at 1:30 after only being asleep for 4 hours. Not exactly my idea of a restful slumber. I'm trying to look on the bright side and maybe use this time to get some things done but to be completely honest... I really just want to be able to go back to sleep :/

Well, I'm back in PA. North Carolina was awesome, even though it rained for the first four days. When the sun finally came out, we spent every waking moment on the beach.. which explains the sunburn. It was nice to get away for a while and spend some time with my friends. Now, I have Maine coming up on June 19th (for 10 days) and Kenya on July 14th (for two weeks).

When I got home, I checked my e-mail and saw a message from Transformed International letting me know that I will be going to Kenya this fall for the internship program! Most of you probably know about my heart for Africa and my long-time desire to travel there and interact with the children and people of the nation. It's been something that I've talked about openly with my friends and family and I'm happy to announce that, quite literally, my dreams are coming true.

My whole passion for Africa started with a dream. It was during my freshman year at college, some time in March, I had a dream where I was surrounded by African children all smiling and dancing and hugging me. I woke up from the dream in the middle of the night, crying. I felt at that moment the Lord say "This is where your life will lead you." Since that night, I've never doubted that I would some day visit Africa and this oppurtunity is... I want to say unbelievable but nothing with God is unbelievable, so I'm going to go with AWESOME! My heart for Kenya was developed more recently, but just as profoundly. I was at Creation Festival this past summer and decided to sponsor a child through Compassion International. I went up to the tent and began looking at the faces of hundreds of little boys and girls. They all touched my heart, but only one grabbed it and took hold. His name is Jackson and he lives in a small village in Kenya. When I saw him, I felt God say "This one. He's yours," and just like that, Kenya engulfed my heart.

I know most of my friends don't fully understand my passion and heart for this country. I know it might seem crazy that I'm willingly giving up two weeks of my summer going to a place where I won't be able to take a long, hot shower every day and then take a semester off of school to go back for three more months. It's something that most 20 year olds don't exactly put down on their "to-do list" so I totally understand the reactions... "Wait, you're going where?!" and "Aren't you scared?" and my personal favorite.. "Dude, are you gonna be like living in a grass hut?" (just to clear things up, no.. I will not be living in a grass hut).

So, in conclusion to this lengthy blog - My life is changing, drastically, but I love that I can feel God in every decision I make and I know that all of this is what I'm meant to be doing.

This is mostly for my school friends who I (unfortunately) won't see very much/at all this summer. I know some of you wanted me to keep you updated on my travels... so here you go! I'll let you know when interesting things happen, or when I just feel like filling you in on the mundane parts of my summer.

I'm leaving for the outer banks at midnight on Friday (well, Saturday technically) and I'll be there until Saturday the 23rd. It should be a fun week of beachin' it up and relaxing with my friends. It's my first ever serious vacation without any parents! I'm a big girl now.

Speaking of being a big girl, I have to go get my license renewed tomorrow... and who doesn't love the DMV?