God's Gifts

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

Matthew 7:11

Well I am shaking and very overwhelmed with what I am about to tell you! Because I just got off the phone with some people who told me some incredible news! I am not sure how to tell y’all this because it is just so wonderful.

I have been asking God to show me where he wanted me to serve him, He’s already showed me all the ways I can serve him in the Chi Omega house…but this is so awesome and I get to personally be involved. 

I guess I should tell you now…

My next marathon is in Disney World (The one in Florida). 

Ha that’s not the incredible news though…The incredible news is this…

WE, together, get to grant a wish for Make-A-Wish through this marathon. 

Since I wasn’t very good about logging my mileage last go around, things are going to go a little differently…you will only pledge to the 26.2 miles of the actual marathon and there will be a email I will send out that will tell you so much more and it will have a way for you to donate directly to our specific kid!

Isn’t this wonderful?!

Jesus wasn’t lying when he said the Father will give you GREAT gifts.

Love,

Katie

Nicaragua

"Dear children, let us not love with words or in tongue but with actions and in truth."

1 John 3:18

Nicaragua was amazing.  The people were amazing! I am not sure where to start but as of now I am doing fun rush things, so I can't tell you all of the wonderful stories.  But here are a few pictures that are some of my favorites.  Thank you so much for your prayers, they were definitely felt.  

Love,

Katie

Tomorrow

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart for as long as you live.  Teach them to your children and their children after them.”

Deuteronomy 4:9

Tonight I will pack.

Tonight my mom will come in 50000000 times to remind me that I can only have one little baggie of liquid in my carry on.

Tonight I will not be able to sleep.

Tonight I will praise my GOD who is beyond wonderful!

Tomorrow I will wake up at 3:30 a.m.

Tomorrow my dad will be stressing as we leave the house.

Tomorrow I will cry tears of joy.

Tomorrow will be a day I will never forget.

TOMORROW I WILL BE IN NICARAGUA.

In less than 5 hours I will wake up to leave my house for the airport to fly down to Nicaragua, a place I have thought about everyday for two years.  I can’t put in words how overjoyed I am. 

I remember the day I started to plan this mission trip.  I got back from camp and instantly showed my mom Project Chacocente's website and told her that I was going to go on a mission trip there and that my small group had decided to plan a mission trip there.

IT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING!

Words could not describe how excited I am.  Tears could not show how overjoyed I am.  Shouts of praise could only begin to show how wonderful our God is.  

I am going to Nicaragua.  Tomorrow. 

As we are down there please keep us in your prayers!

GOD IS AWESOME!

Love,

Katie

Off the Dump

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

Project Chacocente (Out of the Dump) works to get people off the dumping sites of Managua, Nicaragua.  However the people are not just handed their houses nor do they receive a pat on the back, they have to work for it.  These people who live on the dumps are offered the opportunity of a lifetime to get off the dump and start a new life.  They have to commit to seven years; in the seven years they help to build their own house, the parents pick a profession so they can provide for themselves, the kids have to be in school, and the parents have to take a parenting class.

Just as these people have the chance to get off the dump so do we. 

No.  I do not mean literally.  We have the chance to say “Alright, Jesus you are my Lord and Savior and the rest of my life I am going to serve you and bow down to only you, giving you all of my praises each day.” 

We have the chance to do that!  And the second we do that we become new again!  How awesome is that? 

But, uh oh, there’s a catch…

You see, we don’t commit to seven years, or building our own homes.  No, we get to commit to a lifetime in which we are so unworthy of having.  A lifetime of service.  A lifetime in which we should sing praises to our awesome and all powerful GOD each and every second of each and every day!  

And what’s even better…is that is exactly what God wants.  He wants to be your God and he wants you to be a new creation because, well, sometimes we just have too much trash.

And here’s a secret…

Lean in real close…

No seriously do it.

Are you ready?

In Christ, you’re a new creation.  Meaning you’re off that dumping site. 

Love everyone.  Serve God.  Be a new creation.  Today.

Love,

Katie

God's Bigness

“For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you?  And if everything you have is from God, why do you boast as though it were not a gift?”

1 Corinthians 4:7

In my opinion Paul asks a very reasonable question.  What do I have that is actually mine?

Nothing, Paul, nothing.

God has blessed me with every single thing I have in my room, in my car, in my house, in my heart!  Everything I have, I have received. 

At the end of Matthew 10:8 Jesus says “Freely you have received, Freely give.”

Those two verses put me in my place.  What are we doing that God could not do on His own?  Seriously think about it…

God created every type of tree we have, and each one has a different purpose. 

God created the Universe and Heaven.

God created me in His image (That one just makes me smile and so giggly).  God created you in His image.  Ponder that one.  Awesome, right?

God blessed me with everything I have.  He blessed me with the ability to run.  He blessed me with my car.  He blessed me with the parents who can send me to college.  I didn’t just come up with all of that or the money to pay for all of it on my own (nor did my parents), that is for sure. 

God gave me everything I have.  God gave you everything you have. 

Freely you have received, freely give.

Love,

Katie

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

And he will make straight your paths.

Be not wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your flesh

And refreshment to your bones.”

Proverbs 3:5-8

This is my freshman year…first I would like to say I did learn a few things…but God rocked my world and continually told me he was in control and his plans have been awesome! I cannot wait for my future to be revealed to me!

Story1:

Approximately 15 of my friends and I decided to camp out for the BAMA game, which meant sleeping on wet grass or hard concrete.  People drove up and down stadium honking and yelling woo pig sooie.  I am a hog fan but 3 in the morning when I am working on 2 hours of sleep from the night before…I think I can live without the woo pig.  We made signs to reserve our spots on the grass, even though we had a 10 person tent, so 15 students lay down their sweat heads for a good nights rest…yeah right, we were woken up at 6 (we went to bed at 4) to a lady walking by saying “Oh, look they made name tags!” Click, she took a picture.  The game was mediocre, we lost, and I was dead tired for the second half.  Talk about testing patience.

Story 2:

My roommate Mal and I go to bed pretty early, at least for a good part of freshman year.  We would get in bed by 11 at the latest, well our neighbors went to bed at the earliest 2 in the morning.  So consequently they would come into the room and wake us up.  One night Shelbz came in with a MONUMENTAL problem…She did not know who she was going to take to our upcoming function…I asked if we needed to solve that problem now, when she replied no, I told her to get out and we would talk about it at a later date.  

Story 3:

I just said bye to Shelbz, and she just landed in Chicago and our goodbye was funny, she ran out of the room when she teared up which caused me to tear up and then gave me a bottle of laxatives…long story short one night, one late night at about 2 we decided to order this acai berry cleanse, which we later come to find out is a laxative, the next day we are still laughing about this incidence and then when we check our bank accounts we are out $45…oops.  Don’t worry we never took them and we got our money back after many calls to the company.

I could go on with so many more stories but I’ll stop.  Freshman year has been an experience.  From knowing no one, to having 10 friends I can call at any point and they would come over.  God has done so many things in my life and he is doing wonderful things all around me. 

His path isn’t going to be the easiest path to take but it’s the right one, and it is the one I want to be on.  It leads me straight to him! Think about that one, God’s path leads us straight to him, duh, and it’s great!

Love,

Katie

The Karen People

“Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?  But even if you should suffer for what is right you are blessed.  ‘Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.’  But in your hearts sat apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asked you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavios in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.  If is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

1 Peter 3:13-17

The Karen people are a tribe living in western Thialand.  I was reading a book when I came across a story about them so I decided I would do a little research of my own. 

There are many different subgroups of the Karen one group in particular wears the rings around their necks, which don’t actually lengthen their neck, but make their collar bones almost become part of their neck (at least that is my understanding of it).  There are many theories on why they do this, one being the rings prevent the women from being bitten by a tiger…that’s personally my favorite theory.  Another one is that they wear the rings, because a longer neck is more attractive which will bring the hotties to them.

Most Karen used to be Animist but most are now Buddhist.  However 15% are now Christians!  The Karen also have a story of how they are unable to get to God:

“The Karen believe they are the oldest son of God.  God had seven sons.  The next was the Burmese, the Chinese, etc.  They believe that the white brother is the youngest.  The Karen are a slash and burn culture, and one day when they were clearing out their field, God came and told them he was going on a long journey across the ocean.  He asked the Karen if they wanted to go with Him.  The Karen told Him that he was too busy.  God asked each of the brothers, but they all declined to go, except for the youngest brother, the white brother.  God and the White brother went far away across the sea.

When they got to their destination God wrote a book and sent it back to the Karen to tell him how to get where God was.  When Karen got it, he was still busy clearing the field, so he put it on a stump.  Forgetting it was there, he burned the field and lost the book.  Ever since, the Karen have mourned the loss of the book.  They also foretold that one day their white brother would return from across the sea and sit under a tree with a book and tell them how to get to God.”

Expert from Passion for the Heart of God by John Willis Zumwalt

Well one day a missionary stepped off a boat…sat down under a tree…with his bible!!!  This is awesome!  It's true!!  15% of the Karen are now Christians because this one missionary sat down and read his bible (normal). 

This story also has a good lesson.  How often are you too busy to read God’s awesome word.  I mean I’m guilty of this.  I have finals this coming week and 5 papers due Monday, so I have placed God’s wonderful word on a stump and left it there.  But God should be our priority, God should be our number one!  After all he did create us (in his image I’d like to add).

The Karen are actively pursuing their faith in a land where the government keeps close watch on Christians, many ministers have been killed, and churches have been burned.  We live a safe Christian faith too often.  

Who is going to harm you for wanting to do good?  Sure people are going to talk about you but what about heaven, when we all GET to bow down to the creator of the universe, have him judge us, then say but you are saved and I LOVE YOU!  

When are you going to risk everything for God and his people?

When am I?

Love,

Katie