Spiritual Disciplines

Spiritual disciplines are something that I don't really feel like we talk about as much as we should or at least don't put enough of an emphasis on them.  If we do talk about spiritual disciplines, it often can begin to look like a check list.  Well the Lord has taught me a lot about spiritual disciplines the past few months so I just wanted to share with you my journey as far as spiritual disciplines go.

I was blessed to have the opportunity to go to a Lutheran school PreK-8th grade.  At the time I might not always have seen it as a blessing, but I've been reminded often of just how big of a blessing it really was for me.  Every Monday morning during roll our teacher would also mark down if we went to church and Sunday school the day before and for me being a bit of a perfectionist when it came to school, I always wanted to be able to say that I had gone to both and thankfully it was a priority for my parents for us to go so I never really thought about it.  We also had religion class once a week, chapel once a week, and had to recite memory verses multiple times throughout the week.  I remember my friends and I complaining about these things often, for me it was just one more thing to check off my to do list, but what I didn't realize is that they were instilling Truth into me that would lay a foundation for me in the years to come.

When I got to high school I switched to the public school and went through a bit of a culture shock.  I was no longer required to spend time studying or memorizing God's Word.  I still went to Sunday school, church, and youth group every week and it truly was important to me.  I have been a Christian for practically my entire life, but it was in JR high that I truly started to understand what it meant to have an actual relationship with God.  So for me going to church was about getting to know my Lord, Savior, and Friend better.  I truly enjoyed it and the friendships that I formed through the people at church proved to be extremely valuable to me.  During my high school years I started struggling with depression and I ended up in a really dark place.  It was during that time that I fell in love with God's Word.  When I had nowhere else to turn, I turned to the Bible and the promises God gives us.  I started spending time reading the Bible every day and journaling and eventually the Lord led me out of my depression.  I continued to spend time in His Word daily and I prayed every night before bed and I honestly thought that that was enough.  I thought I was doing good because I was doing more than most of the other people in youth group, but the problem was that I was comparing myself to what others were doing and not to the example that Christ gave us.

I was still living like that when I went to college.  This was the first time that I didn't have a church home and I struggled with finding my place and some good community.  I will admit that this was a constant struggle for me throughout my time in college.  I still tried to spend time reading the Bible every day, but it was happening less and less and I hated going to church by myself so I started going to church less and less.  One of the greatest blessings that happened to me while I was in college (and turns out would be for years to come) was when I got hired to work at Kanakuk K-7 the summer after my freshman year of college.  The Lord used that as a wake up call in my life, that I needed to draw close to Him once more.  K-7 was the first time I had ever been discipled by someone and I was so blessed to have Cat Hampsch be that person for me.  She has been invaluable to me through the past 7 years.  It was also through working at Kanakuk that I learned about K-Life and then got plugged in there for my last three years of college.  I helped at Little K twice a month and got involved in a girls leaders Bible study once a week.  Learning in a community with other girls was a huge blessing to me in those three years.  These Bible studies were led by the K-Life's women's director who had just graduated from the Kanakuk Institute.  I had heard about KI through my time at kamp (b/c almost all the leadership at K7 is involved with KI), but getting to walk alongside someone who had done it and learn from her made me so interested in going and just spending some time studying the Word.  Also during my time at K7 I was reminded of the importance of memorizing Scripture but it wasn't something that translated well from summer to the school year.  Prayer is another thing that was stressed a lot during my time at K7 and where I truly got to see the power of prayer at work.

After graduating from college I did indeed end up going to KI and it was here that I truly started to learn the importance of spiritual disciplines.  Not only was I immersed in the study of God's Word, but I was once again memorizing Scripture, I was being discipled, but beyond that it was the first time that I have ever had an accountability partner.  I was blessed to have a girl named Asha as my AP.  Now you would have struggled to find two people less alike at KI than Asha and I, but that was a huge blessing because I got to see things from a different perspective and grow in areas that I was weak but Asha was strong.  Not only did I have accountability for the first time, but it was one of the first times that I started taking on a teaching role.  I had the opportunity to teach through doing Student Speakers at KI and through teaching Kid's World (children's church) once or twice a month.  I was spending time in solitary prayer and study and also communal prayer and study.  The year I spent at KI was truly the best year of my life so far.  It was a place that the Lord used to break me of myself and grow me more into His image.

This summer though was when the Lord really smacked me in the face about spiritual disciplines.  I had been in a bit of a dry spell before I got to kamp this summer and knew that the Lord was going to have to do a work in me if I was going to used for His glory and in pouring out to kampers and staff alike.  He gave me Megan.  All of the leadership team this summer had accountability partners and I was blessed beyond all measure to have Megan as mine.  This girl is on fire for the Lord and so passionate about people and discipleship.  I told her going into the summer that I needed to work on my spiritual disciplines and she walked alongside me the entire way and gave me some great insight.  Not only did I have accountability in my life again, but I was spending quality time in God's Word, I was memorizing a new verse every week, I had a time of confession with Megan each week, and I started a prayer journal which has revolutionized my prayer life.  I was also getting to lead a Bible Study for the babysitters and photographer and videographer and getting to spend time with those girls as well as getting a couple of opportunities to teach the kampers and even an opportunity to teach our girls leadership team one week.  This summer is also the first time I had ever fasted.  I honestly wasn't sure I could/wanted to, but I was convicted to do it so I did.  That extra time that I got to spend with the Lord during that time was so precious and I loved watching the Lord bless that obedience.  Now this summer was great, but I won't lie, it was HARD!  There were plenty of days where I felt defeated and worn out and like I had nothing left to give, but the beauty of the Lord teaching me about spiritual disciplines this summer is that I was able to use those to get up and fight daily.

Today in church we talked about Jesus' baptism and when He was tempted in the desert found in Matthew 3:13-4:11.  First we see the example of Christ in baptism and how through John's baptizing of Christ, He was giving approval of John's baptism of repentance.  We then see the Spirit lead Jesus in the desert to be tempted by Satan.  First of all, how could the Spirit have led Jesus unless Jesus knew the voice to which He should be listening?  We also see Jesus fasting in solitude.  It was during this time that Satan came and tempted Jesus.  Satan is great at taking Truth and twisting it to say what he wants it to say and that's exactly what we see him do here with Jesus.  But Jesus recognizes this twisting of the Truth (because He knows the Truth) and is then able to respond back to Satan with actual Truth.  Jesus didn't pull out a scroll and say, "Now I know there is a verse about that in here somewhere...", no, He had it memorized and was able to fight back with it.  What an example for us!  Not only should we know Truth (through studying and memorizing) to recognize when someone is twisting the Truth, but we should be able to respond back with Truth.  Practicing spiritual disciplines is not about checking off a to do list, it is about preparing for battle with our enemy.  Are you prepared for that battle?  The time to practice these is not while the battle is raging, but before the battle occurs.  So I challenge you, if you aren't already, put these disciplines into practice and be prepared for when the battle comes!

"Fighting for your Family"

I started this blog update weeks ago, but due to the craziness that is my life (and maybe a little bit of laziness) I have yet to finish it, so now that I have some down time I figure I might as well finish it. 

Something that I’ve always been passionate about but am becoming increasingly more passionate about is family.  I am continually blessed by my family and truly consider them the greatest blessing I’ve ever received other than my salvation.  I think my family experiences plus getting to see others’ family experiences stem my passion for family, but the more I learn about the Bible, the more passionate I get about families, but not just families, biblical families.  Every family is different, but there are certain things that all families that claim to be Christians should do and so when I saw that last Sunday’s sermon was titled “Fighting for your Family,” I got really excited.  I was especially excited when I learned that the guy who would be preaching was the guy who had been teaching at FBC Forsyth’s Disciple Now Weekend, because it would allow me to have a glimpse of what the youth had been learning all weekend. 

The sermon was based on Deuteronomy 6:1-9.  The first point that really stuck out to me was that our spiritual walks are ultimately our own responsibility and others have a way of revealing our true character.  The next thing is that it is our responsibility to teach our children the truth.  I think this especially rings true because I’ve seen so often how people are so quick to blame others for their failures, myself included.   I’ve seen so many parents blame youth pastors, teachers, etc. for their kids not living up to what their parents think they should be.  We blame the church, the schools, and whoever else we can for our failures.  Well guess what, it’s not the church that has failed, it is the home that has failed.  (Now there are some things that I think the church could definitely be better, but that is a completely different tangent that you probably don’t want me to get off on right now.)  Seriously though, let’s just look at some examples of how the home has failed (and these examples come from me not from the sermon):  the fact that the divorce rate is practically the same for Christians as it is for non-Christians, the fact that so many people that were raised in the church walk away when they get to college, the fact that so many “Christians” look just like the rest of the world, need I go on?  Robert has what he calls the “Batman and Robin Principle” where parents should be Batman and the church should be Robin.  The church is here to help, but it is ultimately the parents’ responsibility to teach their children the truth.  Nehemiah 4:14 talks about how opposition will come but we should remember the Lord and fight for our family.  Robert made the point that fathers are not mentioned in that verse because they should be the ones fighting because it is the men’s job to be spiritual leaders.  (This is where I tell you that if you haven’t seen the movie, Courageous, you should go rent it today and watch it…) 

So there is my ramble about the family and some of what a biblical family should look like.  For those of you who are like me and are single with no prospects, you may be thinking, “How does this apply to me right now?” well let me tell you.  One thing that Robert said that really struck home with me was that if God is not the center of my life now, He will not be the center of my marriage nor my parenting.  I want Him to be the center of my marriage and my parenting, so He needs to be the center of my life now, and I want Him to be the center of my life.  I am nothing without Him and He deserves my everything. 

To go along with this sermon, Chad Hampsch gave a talk during the KI reunion about family and parenting.  It was a great talk and will probably prompt a blog update later on, but for now I’m heading out to go babysit those precious Hampsch kiddos.  Thanks for reading my ramblings… hopefully there will be more to come soon.

Convictions

This past week was hard, plain and simple.  I have what I call my “flesh” days and by that I mean, the days where my flesh seems to be winning over my spirit.  Well, let’s just say that I had a number of those this week.  I’ve been struggling a lot with figuring out what comes after August, as I talked about in my last post, I hate the unknown, and that has been rearing its ugly head this week.  I’ve also been struggling with jealousy.  I know it’s stupid and I hate it, but it’s there.  There are times when something good happens to a friend and I’m genuinely happy for them, but in the back of my mind I’m going, “Ok God, when is it my turn?”  The last thing I’ve been really struggling with is the fact that I have these God given desires and yet it seems that God is never going to fulfill those desires.  I know that God gives those who delight in Him the desires of their hearts (Psalm 37:4), but it’s that waiting game which is so hard for me.  I know God’s timing is perfect and I know He has great plans for me (Jeremiah 29:11), but sometimes it’s just hard for me to trust Him even though I can look back on my life and see how God has worked all things for good (Romans 8:28).  I know all these things and I truly do believe them wholeheartedly, but as I said before, sometimes my flesh just seems to win.  Today at church we talked about 1 John 2:15-16 which says, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”  I was so convicted of how I’ve put the lust of the flesh and eyes and the boastful pride of life, which are of the world, above God and the things that He wants for me.  I let my flesh (the things of the world) become more important than God.  It is because of those times that my flesh seems to be winning that I am so thankful for God’s promises such as the one found in Lamentations 2:22-23 “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness,” and Ephesians 4:22-24 where it talks about how we are to lay aside the old self and put on the new self “which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”  Yes, I am a sinner in need of God’s grace, just like everyone else.  I think I sometimes forget that.  I get so frustrated with myself when I sin, and yes, I should hate my sin, but how prideful of me to think that I won’t sin.  So let me say it again, I am a sinner in need of God’s grace.  So there will be times when my flesh wins out, but let us all take heart in the fact that Jesus’ blood covers it all, and we are made new.  As I type this I look at my ring that I got in Israel; engraved in Hebrew are the words “new creation”.  I got “new creation” engraved on my ring to remind me of 2 Corinthians 5:17 which states, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”  I am in Christ, therefore I am a new creation.  I am not the same person that I used to be.  The sanctification process is hard, but it is a beautiful thing. 

Despite this being a hard week for me, God did some pretty cool things.  First of all, Wednesday morning Ansley Ruth Hampsch was born.  I’m so beyond excited for Chad and Cat; they are seriously some of the best parents I know.  I got to go over to their house Friday afternoon after Cat and Ansley got back from the hospital which was so great.  I got to spend quality time with now three of my favorite kiddos.  Ansley was sleeping when I got there so I got to play with Mylee until she went to basketball, then I got to hold Ansley, and then I got to play with Isaac.  I also got to stay for dinner which is always such a blessing.  Not only was it fun to get to see Cat and the kids, but Chad’s parents were in town and I just adore them and Cat’s mom was also in town and it was such a treat to spend time with all of them.  Also, Wednesday night when I got to AWANA, one of my girls told me about how she told a girl at school about Jesus and that girl accepted Christ!  Humbled by the way a 4^th grader (plus so many of the other kids) so willingly and boldly shares their faith.  Today when I was talking to her she was telling me about how she was going to invite the girl who accepted Christ to AWANA this week.  I know sometimes I complain and sometimes it’s hard, but I truly am blessed by my community here in Branson.  

Change

If you know anything about me, you probably know that I hate change.  I like order and structure and having a routine because if I’m honest with myself, it makes me feel safe.  I like knowing what to expect, because I’m a worrier.  Well change seems to be the theme of being back in Branson.  I knew that things would be different, but it doesn’t necessarily make it any easier.  Two of my fellow interns and dear friends are not coming back this semester.  While I’m so excited to see where God takes each of them and to see what He’s going to do through them, I hate that they’re not here.  I miss them immensely.  Branson just isn’t the same without them. 

I’m also starting to realize that I have absolutely no idea what I will be doing come mid-August, nor do I have any idea what I even want to be doing.  I think I would be ok if I at least had an idea of what I want to do, but honestly, when people ask me what I’m thinking for next year, my mind draws a blank.  I know that I want to serve God and glorify Him and to be faithful where I’m at, but as far as what I’ll be doing for a job as I do that, no stinkin’ clue.  At first it was slightly exhilarating, having nothing tying me down, and having a blank canvas, but now, as it usually does, that blank page is freaking me out.  I think it’s because part of me is saying that I need to start figuring out what I’m going to be doing, but the other part of me is thinking what is the point if I am committed through mid-August. 

There is a ton of other stuff running through my head at this point, but I’ll spare you.  But one thing that I want to stress through this change and uncertainty is that God is good and He will never change.  I am taking heart in the fact that God knows my future.  He has a plan that is so much greater than I could ever imagine and His timing is perfect.  While yes, in some ways I wish I knew what the future was going to look like, I know that He is in control.  Right now I’m reminded of something that we talked about last year during our Abraham Precept study.  We talked about how so often we want to know what’s ahead of us, what’s in store for us, but if Abraham had known everything that he was going to go through, do you think he would have gone as willingly as he did?  I’m not sure he would have, just like I’m not sure I would want to, but I do know that God wants what is best for me and so I trust Him with my entire being.  Is it scary?  Yes.  Is it worth it?  Definitely.  

And so it continues

Well, obviously I haven’t gotten any better at this blogging thing, in fact I think it’s safe to say that I’ve gotten much worse at it.  Something I’ve known about myself for awhile now but am continually reminded of and trying to get better at is the way I always have great intentions of doing something, but I’m terrible with follow through.  This is something that I can only get better at one thing at a time, so here I am updating my blog for the first time in about 3 months.  So much has happened since my last blog that I can’t even begin to go back and recount it all, but would still love to give you an update on what is happening in my life and the things that God is teaching me. 

I’m on my fourth month of my internship with the Kanakuk Institute.  It is crazy to think that in 1 week I will be heading home for a couple weeks off for Christmas break.  I cannot believe that the first semester is really coming to an end.  It’s been so cool to get to know some of the students and continue relationships with others.  It’s also been really cool to see how this class challenges me through their actions.  My internship is going well, I love that I get to serve the Institute and that I get to work alongside such awesome people.  I love that I get to continue going to family dinner at the Hampsch’s every Thursday night.  Something new that I’ve been doing is that I’m in a volleyball league at the RecPlex on Thursday nights.  It’s been really fun getting to be out there playing a game that I love (even if I’m not the best at it).  Next week is the tournament and then the volleyball season will come to a close.  I have also loved getting to continue serving at FBC Forsyth.  I absolutely adore my AWANA girls and am challenged by the way they are memorizing the Word.  I’m also challenged by the kids at Kid’s World on Sunday mornings while this month they are learning how to share the Gospel and then taking it to their schools.  Some of these kids have no fear and then there are others who are terrified, but they are still willing to do what God has called each and every one of us to do, share Him with those who don’t know Him.  Another fun(ny) thing that I’m getting to do at church is that me and the other two children’s interns are helping the kids with their Christmas concert at church and by helping I mean that we are in charge of them.  They’re just singing a couple songs with the adult choir so it isn’t too hard, just an adventure for sure.  It’s always an adventure when God takes you out of your comfort zone.

One thing I’ve realized lately is that I’m so far from being content.  Now let me try to explain without going into too much detail.  I’m learning/reaffirming things in my life this year and just different desires that God has given me, but yet I’m no closer to having those desires met so I’m struggling to figure out what that means for being faithful where I’m at and also for the unknown that is my future come April.  My life is so far from where I thought it would be and honestly sometimes I struggle with that.  But let me tell you, God is good and boy does He convict when necessary!  Today I was reading in my little devotional, Grace for the Moment, that my dear friend Xuan gave me over the summer and boy was I convicted.  This is what I read for December 9^th (yes, I realize today is the 10^th but I was a day behind, which I now realize was a good thing because I think I needed yesterday to realize just how much I was not content):  Philippians 4:11 “I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have and with everything that happens.”  “Test this question:  What if God’s only gift to you were His grace to save you.  Would you be content?  You beg Him to save the life of your child.  You plead with Him to keep your business afloat.  You implore Him to remove the cancer from your body.  What if His answer is, ‘My grace is enough.’  Would you be content?  You see, from heaven’s perspective, grace is enough.  If God did nothing more that save us from eternal life, dare we grumble at an aching body?  Having been given heavenly riches, dare we bemoan earthly poverty?...   If you have eyes to read these words, hands to hold this book, the means to own this volume, He has already given you grace upon grace.”  All I can say is, “Wow!”  What a punch in the gut, but exactly what I needed, because honestly, I can’t say that I’m content with just my eternal salvation, but let me tell you that I’m going to be working on that, because let’s be honest, I don’t even deserve that!  But even after that God wasn’t done with me.  I opened my Bible to Psalm 73 and believe me when I say I was convicted from the beginning but especially when I got to verses 25-28.  This is what it reads, “Whom have I in heave but You?  And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.  But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.”  Wow!  “Whom have I in heaven but You?  And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.”  Man I wish I could truly say that!  I know that it is true, but it’s one of those things that is so hard to put into action.  I pray that I will remember that God is more than enough for me and that I am nothing and having nothing apart from Him.  Thank you God, that Your word is sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).

So there you have it, a little life update and what God is teaching me.  I love that there is always more to learn and that I can always grow.  Please be praying that I will learn to be content in God alone and remember that He is all that I need.  Pray for the Christmas concert at FBC Forsyth tonight and tomorrow and for the Kid’s World kiddos as they tell their friends about God.  Please also be praying for the Institute students; that they would finish this semester out strong and that God will use them in mighty ways, especially as they go their separate ways over Christmas break.  Pray for safe travels as people travel all over for Christmas and that during this Christmas season that God will be glorified and recognized as the “reason for the season” because let’s be honest, He is. 

The Journey Continues

I have kind of taken a hiatus from my blogging but here I am once again.  After spending another amazing, yet stretching, summer at K7 I am back in Branson interning for the Kanakuk Institute.  I’m working 20 hours a week for the Institute and am currently looking for a part time job outside of that.  I am so excited for this journey that God is taking me on though.  I am getting to work alongside some great friends that did the Institute with me as well the Institute staff who I love dearly, all while getting to serve a ministry that is so dear to me.  My internship is doing some recruitment stuff, I get to plan trips, maybe go on some trips, and then follow up with the people we meet and hopefully start living life with them and giving them a glimpse of what the Institute is all about and what God is doing in and through this place.  While I’m excited for my job and seeing how God is going to stretch me through this experience, I really love getting to live life with another Institute class.  I was blessed to have already known quite a few of the students this year and am already loving the relationships that are forming with the students that I didn’t know coming into it.  I have loved seeing what God is already doing and am excited to see what else He is going to do in and through this class.  Today was their first day of internships and it was so fun getting to be a part of the interns’ at FBC Forsyth first day.  Forsyth has a stud group of interns which of course excites me because that is another place that has become so dear to me over the past year.  I am once again helping with 3^rd and 4^th grade girls at AWANA on Wednesday nights and am excited to continue pouring into my girls from last year as well as some new ones.  I have also been presented with a couple other opportunities to serve on Sunday mornings which I am in the process of praying through.  My original plan was to help with Kids World again and that is one option but I also have the option of teaching 3^rd and 4^th grade Sunday school every other week or even the option of doing a bit of both.  I’m just trying to seek God’s wisdom in it all before I just jump in there. 

I love that while even though I am no longer a student at the Institute that my learning isn’t stopping.  I’ve been really challenged by 1 Thessalonians 4:1 lately.  It says, “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.”  No matter what good I’m doing, there is always room for improvement.  It goes back to a point in the sermon at church today on Isaiah 6:1-8, when Isaiah called out that he was a man of unclean lips, it was because he was in the presence of God.  We never fully realize our sin until we stand in the presence of our Holy God.  But more importantly than that, we have hope!  Just as the angel took the live coal from the altar and pressed it to Isaiah’s lips and said that he was forgiven, Christ paid the price when He died on the cross for our sins and then rose on the third day to conquer death.  We have hope!  And if we believe that, we are forgiven because of what Christ did for us.  Another really neat point in the sermon today comes from verse 1, it starts out “In the year that King Uzziah died…” and then goes to talk about how Isaiah saw God and that shows that while the throne on earth might have been empty, the throne in heaven is never empty.  It was really neat because right now Forsyth is searching for a new senior pastor and the “throne on earth is empty” but not so in heaven, God is still on His throne, He is still in control.  Such a comforting thing to remember. 

Well, I’m sure I could go on and on about what God is doing and what I’m learning, but I just wanted to give you a glimpse into life for me right now.  As I’ve said, I’m really excited about the journey that God has me on and love sharing it with you.  Now for a few prayer requests:  Please be praying that I find a part time job, pray that FBC Forsyth will find a new pastor, pray that I will grow in my role as recruiter which will be sure to stretch me, and pray for the Institute class of 2012, that they will be open to the things that God wants to do in them and through them, that this won’t just be a year of increasing their knowledge but a step toward living a life that is completely sold out for Christ.  Also a few praises:  That God continues to provide even if it may not be in ways I expect, for the community that God has blessed me with here in Branson, the work that is being done here for the cause of Christ, and for the 4 precious kiddos who got baptized at FBC Forsyth today.  Thank you in advance for your prayers and please let me know if there is anything I can be praying about for you!

I'm all about bulleted lists these days...

.... so instead of a real update, you get a quick little list of updates in my life.

1. I will officially be in Branson next year!  Huge praise especially considering the amount of stress I will be under the next week.  I got an internship with the Institute, no idea what I'll be doing yet, that part comes after this next week but before graduation.
2. I'm no longer going to be doing the UC/babysitter combo at kamp this summer.  I'm on K-7's leadership team filling the role of scheduler/store manager.  Excited but nervous!
3. Which leads me to the fact that I have Leadership weekend next weekend.
4. The process of writing my belief statements is complete as of about 30 minutes ago!
5. Belief Statement panel is Wednesday at 2:40 pm.  Please be praying that I won't be anxious!
6. Grammy and Granddaddy are going to be in town this week along with Cara and Aly for a little.
7. Once I make it through Leadership weekend, I get to play for a week with my dear Institute friends!
8. Graduation is exactly 2 weeks away!  Ah!  I'm not ready for this!

Ummm... I think that's the majors.  These next two weeks are going to be crazy so I don't know if I'll have time for a real update.  Also, sorry I haven't put Israel pictures up either, that will probably come after graduation as well.  Thanks so much for being involved in my life!