Reflections...

5/6 Team...Rowan, Jo, myself, and Bruce

Forever supportive and an outstanding team to work with!

Monique and I...ah how I miss you! We were being a bit goofy...it is candy in our teeth!

Geoff and I in the school yard. Geoff allowed me to be a tag-along on numerous occasions.

Ken and Liz, Me, Hilary and John.

The great couples that opened their homes to me and welcomed me in like their own child. Thank you.

Ken and Liz

Me, Hilary, John

Give me some time and I will figure out how to have a fully functional blog...being capable of putting things (such as pictures) where I really want them! I can't believe it and perhaps it is because I don't want to or because I want to hang on to my experience, my lessons learned, my memories, my friendships...but three years ago I would be sitting in Australia on school holidays while student teaching. It was in Oz that I met some of the most amazing and supportive people that will forever have an everlasting impact on my life. People who opened their homes and lives up to me--welcoming me and accepting me just as I am without judgement or condemnation. My experiences in Australia has had such an impact on both my professional and personal life that I never had dreamt about...that is what happens when God is control and you open your arms up to His will--amazing blessings that you couldn't even imagine. A good friend of mine always says "Dream big, 'cause God dreams bigger." Well I dreamt big...I dreamt to student teach in Australia...but little did I know the huge work God was going to do in my life in those mere months that I lived there. While in Oz God opened my eyes to many life lessons. He opened up wounds of my past that occurred half way around the world to start healing them if I choose to let him, if I choose to open my arms up to him and step out of my comfort zone into the pain. He brought incredible people into my life to teach me and help heal me, without them ever realizing what they have ever done. Not a day goes by that I am not forever grateful for them, that I don't think about the lessons that learned and the smiles, words of encouragement, chats over tea or rides in the car that help to start the process of healing. When I got home...I started shutting the doors to that healing process as "life took over" and got busy. Three years later I hear God whispering into my heart that its time to clean up the mess. As past hurts and new pains have been left lingering and it is time to finish healing them. It is time I be obedient to allowing God in to completely heal them, to open my arms up fully and allow God to reach in and heal the deep wounds so that I may be fully prepared for the next step of the exciting adventure that He is preparing for me.Perhaps this adventure called life will soon bring me back to the land down under at least for a visit! Or perhaps will bring some of those Ozzies right on over the big pond to America! Cheers to all of you Ozzies out there! I miss ya heaps!

Something to Say-The Motions

This might hurt, it's not safe

But I know that I've gotta make a change

I don't care if I break

At least I'll be feeling something'

Cause just okay is not enough

Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don't wanna go through the motions

I don't wanna go one more day without

Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,

"What if I had given everything,instead of going through the motions?"

...Let Your love make me whole

I think I'm finally feeling something'

--Matthew West

So often we want to live in our comfortable little bubble of life...just going through the day to day motions, while God is knocking at our hearts telling us he has so much more to offer us but we have to be willing to step out of our bubble. Never did he tell us that it would be easy by any means. But it is worth it and as the lyrics say at least I am feeling something-even when God convicts of sin or calls us to work through painful situations of our past. His all consuming passion and love is far greater than the nothingness that this life and this world lead you to...the material possessions and quick fixes that provide only momentary happiness and possibly years of heartache.

As I go through my own storms in life I am thankful for the pain and I am certain God is working through every moment of it, that he is using it to mold me into the woman of God he has created me to be and that I need to be for the various individuals that he places in my life today and years down the road. It is painful now and I only see a glimpse of the glory and a glimpse of his purpose in it but it is much better than going through the motions of this world. So I ask, are you going through the motions? Are you lettings God love make you whole? Will you hold me accountable to stepping out of my comfort zone and leave the motions behind? Because there are certainly plenty of days where it is easy to say-Its just a day-let me escape the pain for a day...but really I don't want to miss God's all consuming power in my life for a moment let alone a day. I need him to make me whole everyday.