Miracle of Life

Oooh! I am so excited to write tonight!!! I am full of joy! My dear and beautiful friend had her first little girl today! I am so excited for her I could just pop! It's funny how even though you know an event is coming and you anticipate it and all that might come with it, you truly have no idea sometimes the emotion that will also come. That was definitely true for me today.

The doctor decided to induce Janine today at 6:00am. She had the baby at 1:00pm. It has been so hard because I don't live in the same city as this dear couple anymore. They moved earlier this year to a city close to my family. And actually, they spent Christmas Day with my family which was super special.

So, I got the texts at 1:00 that the baby was coming and had arrived. I sat there just staring at my phone wishing I could have more information. I wanted to know how big the baby was, if the baby was healthy, if my dear friend was okay, if she had hard labor and so on and so forth. Ya, I was a wreck. It was a good thing there wasn't a lot happening at work, because I wasn't much use.

I think I had a similar reaction when my friend Mitzi had her second baby. I was so excited I couldn't even think straight. haha. Of course, that delivery was a bit different especially considering the fact that she had the baby at home in the room next to me. I was there when we were calling 911 because the baby came so early. But I remember cleaning up the house and taking care of their oldest son and then heading to work like it was a normal day, but it was ANYTHING but normal. I shared with my boss at the time what had happened and he politely congratulated my friend... but he didn't quite get it. It wasn't till he came back to my desk a couple hours later and realized I was stargazing. I continued to tell him how amazing the birth was and it was then that he understood that my friend had her baby at home and I had been awake since 4:00am trying to figure out what to do. It was such a beautiful thing. He eventually saw the writing on the wall and gave me a half day, which I excitedly received as I bounded out of the office and into the store to buy more baby paraphenalia. (not that she needed it, but I had to do something.) I went baby shopping, then home to cook some meals, and just glowed with the excitement of a new life entering the world.

Today was similar. Expect I couldn't go to the hospital, but I desperately wanted to surprise my friend and clean her house, and bake meals, and buy gifts etc. etc. It's amazing what kicks in when you're a woman. It's like this maternal instinct takes over and you don't even realize it. :) I so wish I could have been there today. I just love the miracle of life. And I know that she has wonderful family there to help her but I truly just wanted to show up and shower her with gifts. I guess thats why women have baby "showers" and wedding "showers". We just love blessing our friends and family with showers. It is such a blessing to be a part of so many lives and rejoice and celebrate with them when God does amazing things in their lives. I feel truly blessed as I have had the opportunity to rejoice with so many friends as they have entered the season of marriage and now motherhood. How beautiful!!!

Thank you Lord for your life that you gave to us and thank you for celebrating each new life as it is also given to us. I bless your name!

Sneak Preview

So, I boarded a plane last weekend and headed to the East Coast. It was a delight. I have never anticipated a trip as much as this one.

I must say, I was stoked to land in Virginia, but I was met with my first challenge before I left the airport. I found the desk to rent a car and they pulled up my reservation and handed me the keys to a crown victoria. I laughed, but then I realized they were serious. So, I headed out to the garage and gave them my paperwork. The lady at that counter said, "Thats a big car for a small girl." I thought, "Uh, yeah...maybe she'll see this is about to be a big mistake." But she didn't change it. So, I coaxed myself and thought it can't be that bad, besides I have my pillow in my bag, so if worse comes to worse I can sit on that. It was wishful thinking. The car had to be the biggest on the lot. It stuck out at least a 1/4 more than all the others. But, I tried to look on the bright side... most people would be thrilled to have a large luxury car like this for 15.00 bucks a day. But after loading up my stuff in the trunk and checking out how bad it would be I realized this is not happening. Not only could I barely reach the pedal when it was all the way forward, the seat did not move up at all! I was doomed. My eyes literally hit the top of the steering wheel, which was only half way up on the dash.

So, I marched back to the lady at the counter who told me I was small and I calmly let her know that for the safety of myself and the vehicle I would appreciate if they could find anything smaller for me. I reassured her I did NOT need a luxury vehicle and I would be pleased as punch to be in their smallest vehicle. Thankfully, she understood and obliged. : )

---

I was visiting my first law school. (Pretty much the only one I'm interested in attending). But it was more than just a law school visit to me. I was expecting God to speak in an amazing way. For a couple months I debated back and forth about visiting the school in the spring or fall, but after much time, I knew God was calling me to visit in November. It made much more practical sense to wait until the spring, but I know better than do what I think is right as opposed to being obedient.

So, in my obedience I took off for four days to a place I have always wanted to live. I was full of so much anticipation. The weekend turned out to be a lot of what I expected and nothing of what I expected all at the same time. The school was a amazing. It became very clear very quickly that I want to go there. I have never seen an organization operate with so much excellence.

RABBIT TRAIL/SIDE NOTE: I have to laugh here because I definitely did not expect the Preview Weekend at Regent to be anything like my undergrad college weekends, but I definitely didn't expect this. Imagine undergrad, you are met with a bunch of hyper screaming students all wearing color coordinated T-shirts and dancing to loud music while vibrantly welcoming you to their school. Now fast forward to Preview weekend at Regent University (which is mainly a graduate school) and I am met with a bell boy at the University's 4 star hotel. Talk about a clash of worlds. haha. I almost didn't know what to do. I was glad that I was by myself and I could just be calm and quiet and blend in so as not to make a scene. lol.

(To the left is a picture of the Founders Inn. It was the 4 star hotel on campus. I felt like I was in English Gardens when I walked outside.) It was cute. The bell boy fit right in. : )

Back to the story, I quickly found out why I liked Regent so much. One of the first things I did after arriving on campus was meet with the International law professor. It was an incredible meeting. The dear sweet woman that I met with was someone I will probably never forget. You could see in the lines on her face her compassion and care towards God's people... especially to those that society has forgotten. She had so much passion and it is obvious that she has given her life to this calling. She told me a story about God speaking to her in regards to human trafficking and she was reminded of the song "Onward Christian Soldiers." This is the song that she hears playing in her head as she studies the law and fights for the freedom of children who have no other voice. I was sincerely blessed by this meeting. The best part was that she told me that no matter what school I go to, she would only ever be an e-mail away. And she encouraged me that whatever law school received me would be blessed because of my desire to help the poor and the needy. She then threatened me that if I did choose Regent and I didn't come visit her within the first week, that she'd hunt me down. : ) Yeah, I like her. She also gave me some wisdom regarding scholarships. Overall, it was a great meeting and I walked away thanking God for his favor.

I didn't have much time to look around the campus until Saturday, because our time was packed with activities. I had the opportunity to hear from the chancellor of the school and hear the vision from him, heard the current president speak, had dinner with the dean of the law school, met several professors, talked with current students, alumni, and staff. It was great. I seriously could not think of any other questions to ask. I mean not only had I looked this school up before I came, but I had pretty much read their website 4 or 5 times, called the school with questions, e-mailed and spoken with current students before coming. So, I got the overview. :)

But here are some pictures that I finally got to take on Saturday with my iphone. Unfortunately, I was planning to bring my mom's sweet camera just to take some fun shots, but she forgot it, then my camera ran out of batteries, so this was all I got...

I have to admit on one hand, I didn't expect to have this question, but when I got there it wasn't even a matter of which law school, it was a question of is this really what you want me to do Lord? I can tell just by everything that I have learned that law school is super intense and a major commitment of time, money and family. It's that last one which I find hard to cope with. It will be very difficult to leave everyone I know to come to a place I've never lived and not have the time to develop friendships because I have to dive into law school. But, God and I had a lot of time over the weekend to work this out. Basically, I surrendered and said yes. All of my hours of free time turned out to be a great blessing because it gave me a lot of time to pray and process over the weekend.

During one of the sessions the admissions director told us about one of the professors who I had the opportunity to meet at lunch just after hearing the story. Apparently this professor has 8 kids. (some of his own, some adopted, some foster kids), but with every new class that he has he lets his students know that if they have an unplanned pregnancy or know of someone who has an unplanned pregnancy and they are thinking of aborting the child he told them that there is always room for one more at his home. Wow. So beautiful. I know that's how we are supposed to live our lives and I couldn't help but think... I want to be around you. I told my mom this story later as I was standing outside that building there and I just choked up. I love it when the church looks like Jesus. : ) When I did get a chance to meet this man all I could see was his humility and love for people. Awesome. So much of this trip was like this story... it was full of unexpected blessings and surprises. I later told God in prayer... "I saw you this weekend. I mean literally saw you, because you were so alive in some of the people that I met."

As far as Regent goes, I was totally impressed by the caliber of the teachers, the heart of the university, the vision for the future, the family feeling from the students, faculty, staff and everyone I met. I was convinced it was a special place. I know that even though I'd be 24 hours away from family and friends, I would be okay.

I am excited to say, that I made it to the beach while I was there. I will be honest, I wasn't expecting too much because its so cold, but I at least wanted to see it and walk along the boardwalk. Unfortunately, because it was November all the little establishments were closed and it felt a little erie... but oh well. I am sure it would be nice to go there in the summer. It's so weird being in a new place because you don't know where the "safe" places to go are. I kinda hate that. I am so blessed to be in a city where I know so many people and I know the area.

Isn't this a funny picture? lol... When I saw this I thought of ORU and I felt right at home. They need one of these signs for sure!

So, the very best part of the trip was Sunday. I love how God brings absolute divine connections along our paths. I met up with a family there that was great. I met them at church and then we went to lunch together. They were super busy, but I felt really special because I knew they made time to sit down and have lunch with me that day. I know that connecting with them will be a huge answer to my prayers. I also really liked their church. I am excited because I was praying that I would find a church. I had in my heart that I wanted to attend a small, but vibrant church. I would say that they are definitely that... small but certainly alive. It was kinda funny because it felt a little bit like the beach bum's church. : ) For one, they are really close to the beach, and two, it was really casual. The young adults pastor got up to say a few words and he was wearing a beanie, a plaid shirt and some skinny jeans on a sunday morning. Yeah, somehow, that just screams my culture! lol. I love their heart and I'm excited to get to know some of the people.

So, in a nutshell, that was my trip. I look forward to what God has in store for the future. He certainly spoke clearly to me and I'm so thankful for that.

I will say, that due to this trip, I came home and realized just how blessed I am. I have so many wonderful people here that I will miss dearly, but I also know that I have to follow God where He is leading me, and I very clearly feel like this is it. God is so good, and he is so faithful. I never want to be on a path that He hasn't already led me in.

In my opinion a rich life is one that is surrounded by people who love them. So, I would consider myself rich.

I am reminded though of a word that I felt heavy on my heart back in June of this year when everything was coming together... that is "to whom much is given, much is required." I have been given oh so much, and I know that I am so loved, but there are so many who have never known HIS love. I want to give that love. I want to be a voice for those who don't have a voice.

Sometimes when I ask myself, is this what I am to do... I can't help but think. I don't need a special mandate. I have already been given one: Care for the orphan and the widow, give unto the least of these, feed me, clothe me, defend the cause of the poor and the needy, bring freedom for the captive. Yes. I have been called.

The Oasis Motel

It's amazing when you choose to be obedient....

So my latest adventure brought me to the Oasis Motel...  not a place that I had ever been before, but I now have fond memories of that small motel with the neon sign.

A group of friends and I began meeting on Friday nights to get together with the intent of being God's hands and feet.  So, last night we met at Vijay's apartment and prayed together for a while.  We sat in God's presence for a good while just "soaking" in his peace.  Then after a while we piled in a car and headed to downtown, the area we felt we were supposed to go. We prayed that God would lead us to exactly who He wanted.  We drove around downtown a little bit and ended up parking at the Day Center for the homeless.  There weren't many people there, but we parked and got out.

 We came upon three people just standing outside and they did not look like they wanted to talk, but Vijay introduced himself and asked what they were doing.  I offered some homeade brownies that I had made, but they declined.  We quickly found out that this was a family and they told us they were in "transition" and they also warmed up to us when they realized we just wanted to help.  They eventually ate some of the brownies and shared their full story.  Their 13 year old daughter was standing there with them and we found at that she just got registered for school at Central.  My heart went out to Caitlin.  I can't imagine so much uncertainty for a 13 year old.

I have to admit that once I heard their story and saw them at their vulnerable state, all my defenses came down too.  I wanted to help, really help.  All week I had that scripture in my head, "Lord, when did I give you something to eat?  When you gave it unto the least of these, you gave to me".  I felt like I had heard God say all week to me, "Melissa, love me.  Feed me, clothe me."

So, we found out that this family's greatest need was formula for their babies.  They had two little babies, Caleb and Alexis. They were 1 yr old twins.  We got to see them.  It's so hard to take a step back and look at this family standing on the curb of the day center with about 7 duffle bags full of stuff. .. It was all they had.  They weren't allowed to stay at the homeless shelter because you are only allowed to have one bag per person.  So, when we encountered Creed and Karis they were waiting for a ride because they were going to get a cheap motel that night.  They had found a ride with someone who had an SUV to carry all their stuff and take them to their motel.

We met the family at their motel and prayed with them and met a small need of formula for the babies.  The family was just completely overwhelmed and encouraged, and so were we.   I love just being open to God and allowing Him to use us in any way.  I pray that this beautiful family is taken care of in every way.  We heard more about their plans and I pray that their future is secure...  and with God I believe it will be.

Full of Surprises

Today has been a beautiful day.  It was one of those days that was full of surprises... the kind of surprises that bring such joy to your heart.

I was asked by one of my old professors to speak to his class.  I was honored that he would ask me.  So, today was the day.  I was able to wrap up things nicely at work and move on... then I received the phone call that I was going to get a rental car [surprise #1]... (this was a true blessing b/c a lady wrecked my car a week ago when she wasn't paying attention).  I have been without a car of my own for a week.  So, this was good news.

As I was driving over to my old University I was praying and thinking about what I needed to share with them.  I thought about what stuck out to me the most when I was at school...  and I remember that one of my favorite parts of sitting in class at ORU was when the professors would speak vision and believe in us to change the world... and they gave practical examples.

So, I was excited to share with this class.  I am not used to speaking in front of groups of people... sometimes I do great, other times I bomb it... but today went surprisingly good.  The students seemed to be engaged, but more than anything I was excited that I didn't get nervous and I was fully myself.  I passionately spoke about what God has placed in my heart.

I love serving the Almighty God who loves us and has a "New Earth" in store for us someday.  I can't wait to see it and be a part of it.  But, in the mean time, I look forward to bringing his Kingdom to this earth.  Come Lord Jesus, come.  And help us to be ready.

So... after my great and humbling experience (humbling because the class graciously prayed over me when I was done talking) [surprise #2] in sharing my journey with the students thus far, I drove by a fellow RA on campus who I served with in the program.  I honked obnoxiously until we both got out on some side road to find out that we were both at school for the same reason...  so we then went out for smoothies since we both had a couple hours to spare.  [surprise #3]

I was super encouraged by our conversation.  This woman of God has entered into the army and is leading so many to the Lord.  Her shining light of purity is evident for all to see and I know that she is impacting lives for the kingdom.  Her life is such a blessing to me.

SIDE NOTE: You have no idea who you are encouraging with your life, by simply living for God unashamedly.  This beautiful friend of mine is such an encouragement because she is living her life in fear of God.  She boldly stands for purity in a place where so many don't understand why she chooses to honor God.... but its so worth it.   ::Keep it up Christie!!!!!::

So, then I am waiting on a ride from the rental car company to pick me up and guess who comes to my rescue from the heat... yeah, thats right, the lady picking me up from the rental car company happens to be a good friend of mine who served with me on a missions trip with the 8th grade girls this past spring break.  I was SOO excited to see her behind the wheel.  [Surprise #4 ]

After my smoothie chat with Christie I ran home to get ready for a wedding.  (Which I will note I got ready in record time).  The wedding was beautiful, complete with a surprise music video for the groom. The groom wept as his new wife sang to him and poured out her love.  It was precious.

At the wedding I ran into a lady who works in the same office building as me.  We talked about the LSAT and she informed me that she was also planning to take it in December.  She suggested we study together, which I thought was a good idea.   But... have you ever met someone and thought, I wonder if we could be study buddies.  I mean.... is this lady out of my league, or what.  Well, it turns out in this case that she is WAY OUT OF MY LEAGUE!!!  She confessed that she scored in the 97th percentile on the test when she took it years ago, and recently she was upset because she took it and she only made it into the 88th percentile.  I was shocked.  I would love to have that score.

THEN...  she proceeds to tell me that she actually used to teach the test!!!  I couldn't believe it!  She is an  incredibly resource! [surprise #5]  All I can say is WOW God!  haha, I love your ways!  Here's to a happy girl!  I am overwhelmed by God's goodness.

This week I truly questioned my future and what I needed to do, but daily God has confirmed for me that I am doing what he wants me to.  ::Sigh::

I looked around all day and thought to myself, if God ever takes me away from this City I will truly miss it and all the wonderful people in it.  I absolutely love running into people I know especially when there are half of a million people in the city, and it happens SO often!  I mean what are the odds that I go throughout my day not planning to see anyone I really know and I run into SO many good friends. :)  Loving life.  Thank you God.

The Soldier

I recently found a note I wrote about some thoughts I had over a lunch break while sitting under a tree downtown watching people go by... I thought it interesting that God put this on my heart back then, and I just now found it because he has placed similar things on my heart again.

---Originally written on 8/6/10---

We're in a battle but don't know it. I can hear the battle cry, I see the casualties. I remember smalll glimpses here and there of forewarnings, but we're here. There are two battles that I am talking about. And the one foreshadows the other in such a glaring way. Our nation is at war, yet I never think about it - I don't see the blood, I'm not affected. I know and have the knowledge that people are really dying - and their families are suffering a great deal, but honestly I don't think about it too often. I only hear rumors. People say war is waging... but I don't hear it. It's so far away. Is it real? Others say, who cares...why are really fighting anyway? We have an enemy blatantly calling out our name yelling, "American, you christian...yes you... I hate you and I will kill you, but I won't stop there. I will teach my people, my children and their children to kill and hate you." - I see that... sort of, but its voice just isn't loud in my life... so I move on in my life.

This parallel to the greater battle going on is all too simialr. We are in a war, people are dying- I see the living dead all around me; those walking around with targets on their foreheads, myself included, yet the voice just doesn't seem to be very loud... so I move on with my life.

There is another person in the first battle worth mentioning... the soldier. The soldier is fully alert and attentive to the war being waged around him. He in fact heard about the war - and became alarmed. But he didn't stop there. He dressed for war and got involved. He became engaged. He knew that what he was hearing, even though he didn't see it, was true. He believed and knew in his heart that he was called to fight, not just for himself, but his children and their children. The soldier never allowed himself to fall asleep. He took up his responsibility and he did that because he was called and he knew it. In a soldier's mind he makes a decision to fight, but only because he already knows that he has greatness to give. He knows he is needed... and knows that there will be a battle lost if he doesn't fully engage.

2 Corinthians 10:3-7

Be fully alert and fully engage.

More Changes

I went to catch up with a friend over coffee tonight... which is one reason I am writing this post at 12:00am in the morning... I'm not tired at all, but I have to be up for work in 6 hours. Dang caffeine. You would think that by now as a grown woman I would heed the warnings I am giving myself as I order coffee, knowing fully that my body is super sensitive to such drinks.

Anyway, so lots has changed since I last wrote. I took the LSAT today in order to apply for law school. A big change in my life that I didn't see coming at all. Until 3 months ago, I would have never considered attending law school or pursuing anything remotely similar. But then again, life is not always what you expect it to be.

Back in January I desperately wanted to pursue a mentor, so I did. I had been thinking about a couple at my church that teaches financial peace classes and I knew that this couple was married, passionately in love with God, practical, disciplined, and those were all qualities that I was looking for in a mentor. So, I excitedly called them after thinking about it for probably two months. I garnered up all the courage that I had to meet them at a small deli in the area. They told me that I would probably be the only one to come, which I leaped for joy on the inside because I seriously wanted some one on one attention.

SIDE NOTE: This generation is SUPER hungry for mentors, whether we talk about it or not.

Okay, back to the story... so I met them at a deli with full intentions and hopes that these people would be willing to let me in their lives, because I really wanted some raw, real advice about life. I have at least figured out that the verse which says, "to be wise you must walk with the wise, " is definitely true. Needless to say, whether these people knew it or not, I was freaking out in my car on the way over, coaxing myself and reassuring myself that it was a good idea to be vulnerable.

So, when I got there, I did just that. They asked me about my life and I didn't hold back. I told them my hopes, dreams, aspirations, faults, and my present situation. They were great and I was super grateful for their loving response. Many circumstances kept us from meeting until 2 months later. So, come March I was ready to go over in detail my budget with this sweet couple. But, God obviously had other plans.

The wife of the couple graciously told me that she was so excited about our first meeting that she had discussed my life with several individuals since that time. I was quite shocked by this, but certainly overjoyed that she had taken such an interest in me. She continued to tell me that with what I wanted to pursue and with the dreams that God has placed in my heart that I really need to continue my eduation by either pursuing my MBA or going to law school. Now, getting my masters in some field was not a foreign idea. In fact, I had been thinking a great deal about continuing my education, but I had always said that I would not go back to school unless I knew exactly what I wanted to do and had a plan, because I don't want to aimlessly spend money or time.

With that said, I was not against the idea of going back to school, but I was definitely against the idea of being an attorney. My first reaction was like vomit coming from my mouth without any hesitation... I immediately exclaimed, "Law school!?! I hate attorneys! First of all, I would never make any money, because I would probably do everything pro-bono. And what would I do? I know, I would be an international trafficking victims attorney. Ha!"

But all of this rolled off my tongue so easily that I wondered who exactly was speaking. And after that night I couldn't stop thinking about what she had suggested and even more so, my response... an international trafficking victims attorney.

So, for the next couple weeks I ran into people who were either planning to attend law school or the like and I found myself asking all kinds of questions. I once again shocked myself by my own level of inquiry.

Needless to say, after much thought, prayer, some fasting and a lot of counsel, I decided to take the LSAT to go to law school. Everything has happened so fast. I never thought that I would be here. I really have never had a desire to be an attorney. I love the idea though of standing up for those who cannot speak for themselves. I love the idea of having an impact on our justice system and working with organizations in order to make sure that our laws our ready to enact justice.

On that note, I had an important conversation with my cousin years back regarding government's role in enacting justice especially for those of us who are Christians. I had been internally struggling with the notion that God is forgiving, so why shouldn't we extend that mercy to others. This may be common sense to some, but until I heard it aloud I hadn't fully grasped my stance on the issue. Yes, God is a forgiving God. He forgave me. But the government's role is not to give mercy, but instead establish justice. Often times, people will finally confront the sin in their life when they encounter certain repercussions for those actions. This in turn may be the most gracious notion that an individual will receive as sin separates us from God, and separation from God is damnation forever.

New Season

Ready or not, here it comes... A new season that is...

I turned 25 today or a quarter of century, however you want to look at it. It's crazy to think about. But more importantly, I found out today that a dear dear friend is moving away.

I remember being at her wedding and she knew that she and her husband would be living in a different city than anybody else and I could tell it was a heavy load to bear. I wanted so much to say that I'm here for you, but i couldn't bring myself to say it, because I told God.... I would never say something like that unless I could truly stand next to her through all that God would take her. Well... I remember the prompting of Holy Spirit to encourage her in this specific way, I was taken back because I knew that if God wanted me to say something like that, it would only be because I could mean it... and mean it I did. God opened up a door for me to work in the same city.

For these past 3 years, my heart has become so close to hers. She is so dear and so precious to me that I cannot explain it. I know that God is faithful and that he has a beautiful plan for each of us. It will be so hard to let go of such a close friendship. I know that our friendship will not end, but I will certainly miss seeing her every Tuesday, every other Monday, every Saturday night, random Fridays, occasional lunches and even more sporadic sleep overs.

I also know that as God moves them into a new season that He is also moving me into a new season. This couple was the closest thing i had to family in this city. I am so grateful for their love, encouragement, grace, laughter, tears, and friendship. But just as the Lord is faithful, I know that He would not let me or my friends stay in place of contentment if He knew that a new season and place would be better, even if it wasn't easy. I know this transition for them may be difficult and extremely trying but the end result will be more beautiful than they could ever imagine... for both of us.

I look forward to the day that we can look back and smile so big realizing that this transition was so necessary for God to do the incredible things that took place in our lives.

In the meantime, I choose to trust my Creator who loves me and has a master plan in place to orchestrate me life. How comforting... : )