House!!

So I have officially moved into a rent house with two of my amazing friends! I love it! Unpacking boxes, getting organized, and decorating has been somewhat difficult! :) Takes a lot of time I guess! Anyway, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, small yard, kitchen, living room, laundry room, garage...works for me! Playing loud music, singing and dancing with the new roomates. Favorite!

Now I can say, had a couple of my youth girls over to spend the night and that was interesting! They have more energy then anyone I have ever seen! Eating a lot of pizza, fudge bars, and popcorn. Yet, I must say out of everything, spending time just talking with them is my favorite!

These girls have a heart of gold! They tend to put on a face and pretend that I dont know what is going on, but I do. :) I love hearing them talk about the new Bible verses they have found and the ones they have memorized. I love watching the girls play sports, like basketball and softball. One thing that I admire most is their desire to reach out to their teams. Before every game they stop and read a Bible verse, then pray. It makes me tear up! I love it!

One of my favorite quotes I heard at super summer a few years ago was, "Dont Hesitate". We would write DH on our wrists so that we could see it all the time. This would be a reminder for ourselves and others to not hesitate in sharing Christ with anyone. That is one thing I love about the youth girls, they do not hestitate! So proud of them.

My house has been a blessing from God. He opened the door and we walked through. I am praying that we will be able to use our house as a blessing to others, especially the youth and college students that we meet. This house is a reminder that God does open doors, we just have to be patient and wait for the right one.

The pictures at the top are some pictures we took as roomates today in the wind! It was a blast!

I will post some pictures of the house later!

Blessed!!!

I have not updated my blog in FOREVER! So sorry about that! Busy life!! No time!
I am sure you all know how that feels!
Well it is officially moving day, after changing colleges enough for about 4 college students I have finally picked one and staying there to finish!
Along with finally deciding where I need to stay and go to school, I am moving into a rent house with 2 friends! These 2 friends challenge me to be a better person, support me in my Christian walk and in my workout schedule! :)
It is great to be able to have friends to lean on and trust!
Moving for me is not necessarily the easiest thing. I am so close to my family and used to spending a lot of time with them. Yet, at the same time it is not far away at all. Unless, 20 min. is? lol
God has blessed me with an amazing family that loves me and supports me.
God has also blessed me with an amazing boss that has provided me with a flexible job that is helping me work my way through school. What is there to complain about?
My grandma always said, "Rachel you have to have faith that God takes care of everything." She is absolutely right. No matter how hard that is sometimes.
I am also blessed to have the opportunity to go to Super Summer and Falls Creek with my youth again! I love that time with the students, the time of worship, and more importantly that time with Christ. Face to face.
I cant wait for what God holds in His hands for summer!
We should all take a moment to be thankful. To look at how we are blessed even when it is hard. Things can seem like they are crashing down on us, crumbling and the storm will never end. Yes, this may be true, but the cool thing about this- there is always a God to pick you up when you fall, to protect you from the storm, to pick up the peices, and to love for everything.
Again I saw, what is there to complain about?
By having faith in Christ, we can trust that God holds our lives, our future, and our hearts in His hands. Nothing can take that away!!

Finals...and Christmas!

So it is officially finals week and the end of the fall semester. I am totally not excited. The only good thing about finals week is that it means the semester is over and I am one step closer to graduating. I feel like I have been in college forever! Buying books, paying tuition, papers, projects, I am so ready for all of it to be over. I remember high school graduation and how excited I was to get out, and I feel the exact same way about college. I am ready to graduate and actually start teaching in my own classroom! I have never liked tests, and having 4 in one week is extra stressful.

Although, I do like the fact that when these tests are over, it is definately the Christmas season! I love Christmas and every single thing about it! Time with my family, looking at Christmas lights, eating Christmas desserts (that I shouldn't be eating) and the decorations! Our house is definately ready for the Christmas season!
These are some pictures of our home decorations!

This should not be where are Christmas focus is though. Our focus should be on Christ, and that this is the most special day in the whole world, He was born. He was born under the very same stars that we see every single night, how cool is that??

Don't lose sight of what is really important this season!

"Our Father Never Fails"

So I have been sitting here listening to a song that my brother and I sang in church a while back. The song is called "Washed By The Water" by Need To Breath. The song is amazing. In one part of the song it says, "our Father never fails". This really hit me hard. I realized after so much time of thinking God doesn't get what I am going through or how I feel, that He never fails. No matter how frustrating life can be sometimes, God knows exactly what is going on.

Girls: Be a Godly women. Remember to be yourself. Dare to be different and be that example for those younger girls that look up to you. Dare to wear your hair in a pony tail and wear sweats, that guy you like should love you just the way you are. Don't settle for less, wait for the best. Don't cause any guy to stumble, respect yourself in the way you dress. Be an example for the guy that is out there looking for you. I know it seems like it is taking forever, but the wait will be worth it. Trust me, I am one of those girls waiting for that Godly man. It just takes patience. Also remember that your future husbands wants all of your heart and all of who you are. Don't give anything away. Save it for the man you will spend the rest of your life with.

Guys: Be a Godly man. Be an example for those younger guys that look up to you. If you have a girlfriend, love her like Christ loved the church. Guys don't put on a face, be yourself. Girls are looking for a guy that is real and is saving his heart just for her. Trust me, that girl you are waiting for wants to meet you just as much as you want to meet her. Protect your heart and protect who you are, your future wife will be blessed by that.

Remember that even though sometimes things are hard, "Our Father Never Fails". He knows exactly what is going on, where we are going, what we did 2 days ago and what we will be doing in 30 min. Trust him and don't forget, He never fails.

A Wedding Under the Stars...

Tonight was my cousin's wedding. It was beautiful! I haven't been to a wedding that beautiful in a long time. We arrived to a house in the hills with trees all around. The wedding was in front of this huge garden with a fountain in the middle. After the ceremony there was a reception near the pool area with a lot of christmas lights. It was amazing. The food was delicious, picture also posted later. It was great to see family that we only see on christmas and share the moments with them. After chasing my little 3 year old cousin Kaden around, we watched the bride and groom dance under the stars. Wow, I can't wait for it to be my turn. To my future husband: I am praying for you...

We are blessed that God provided us with an amazing family to share those moments with. I think it is also important to always remember that God has a special place for each one of us. Regardless of where we may think that is right now, or how frustrating going blind to the future can be, God has it under control. He has every decision in the palm of His hand, so we must trust Him. Don't let anyone ever tell you that waiting for God's plan isn't worth it. Because it is, worth every moment. Just be patient, trust and have faith. Complete and total faith that the one who knows every hair on your head, will carry you through just like the footprints in the sand...

Labor Day Weekend

So as of this moment i am in Wisconsin, half way across that world from Oklahoma. It is beautiful here! It is in the 70's, with large pine trees all around. Couldn't ask for a more wonderful morning. God sure does prepare some amazing things for us to look at!
We are in Wisconsin for my cousins wedding this weekend, so this is our Labor Day vacation.
Family, outside wedding, trees, catered food, wedding dresses, hotel rooms, pools and long long car rides...
I will be posting many pics so you can be prepared for that!
After about 13 hours in the car yesterday I realized that cars are definately not made for sleeping. When I was younger I could sleep the whole way on the trip! Now that I am 22 and have long legs, that combination does not fit with the seats that are so close together even a baby couldn't sit there. So movies, ipods and books had to be the distracton for the situation. Yet, it didn't work very well because I still found myself walking sideways when we got out to take a car riding and food break.
Then, after talking with my best friend Jordyn, I realized I would also be missing the OSU game. Are you kidding me? That is what the dvr is for and what did I do? I forgot to set it to record. Really? Was my brain out of wack? So then we arrived at the family's house full of wedding food and I found out the most wonderful news. Yes, you guessed it. The OSU game will be on tv, even in Wisconsin. Oh sweet victory! Although, Jordyn and I had this conversation, which indeed ended in her saying she will never speak to me again for saying I didn't like OU. Oh well. She will forgive me eventually. :) Jordyn you are the best!
So the weekend will again be filled with weddings and family. 2 of my absolute favorite things. I can't wait until it is my turn!

Verse For The Day...

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6