Adoption Quilt Making

My mom taught me how to sew when I was in preschool! My mom's best friend taught a sewing class to elementary school students and my mom figured she could teach me! During the summers we would make outfits and one time a doll! For a while my mom made flags to make ends meet. I remember during nap time and when I went to bed at night I would hear the hum of the sewing machine as well as the washer and dryer going. Something about those sounds comforts me! About 5 years ago, I made a few quilts and taught some of my youth girls to sew. My first ones were a bit rough (the brown one to the right) and I never thought I would be using something like that to raise money for our Adoption! Back then I wasn't even dating let alone thinking about having kids!

10 QUILTS!!

Some of you have seen posts on Facebook showing me making quilts. It has been CRAZY! In one month I received 10 orders! Ya'll I NEVER thought I would sell 10! Seriously... When we bought the first fabric I was questioning why I thought I could do this! Now, we only need 10 more quilts and we will have enough to get through the home study portion of our adoption!! Then hopefully we can get grants! Honestly, the way this is going we might be able to do it all making quilts! I would love to make this a small business one day and employ some of my family so they could stay at home! How cool would that be?! That may never happen, but hopefully we will continue to sell some so that we can pay the agency so that a birth mom can choose us!!

I can't write this post without including all of the blessings we have received. Some of you are helping us quilt (HUGE BLESSING), some have given us donations (I cry every time we receive one), some of you have ordered quilts, and hopefully all of you are praying! This is a perfect picture of Church! Everyone helping and pitching in for one goal! God is definitely up to something! The more I talk about adoption the more people pour their lives and hearts out to us about their struggles with pregnancy! God is allowing us to be heard and share our story in many different ways! I can't wait to see all that God is going to do!

Some people have wondered how I am getting all these quilts done... Well, I work on my Youth/Children stuff till 12:30 and then after lunch I get to work on quilts! At 5:00 I stop and go to whatever games/events our students have normally getting home between 8:30 and 9:30. It's crazy busy, but it's our life right now!!

Send me a picture of a nursery and we will get to making a quilt to match!

God's plan vs Our plans

When I was a Senior in High School I went to a youth ministry conference where David Nassar spoke about how God's plans are better than our plans. The title of his message was, "God's going to ruin your life." It has been 12 years since I heard that sermon and almost every year from then on I felt my plan change into God's plan.

A little over 2 years ago was one of the hardest to date. I was told one of the worst things that could be told to a woman engaged to be married. I was told I did not ovulate (You know that thing that women have to do before they have sex to be able to have a child!)... a week later I was in the same room finding out the gender of my first niece or nephew. (He is an amazing little boy!) His mom was only 15 at the time. So, there I was watching a young girl do something I was told I could never do unless by a miracle of God. I thought it was SO unfair! Later, I found out that multiple teenagers I knew were pregnant. It was my job to minister to these teenage girls... to love them. Inside I was dying! I knew they were hurting, but so was I. Life was so hard. That summer was terrible. I was dying on the inside and had to be happy for them on the outside.

Jump ahead 2 years and Jaron and I are married and would love a family of our own! Instead, of trying IVF we have opted to begin the journey of parenthood through adoption. So, here goes nothing! I am so excited I feel like I'm about to pop, but I know it's a long process.

Update on Contentment

So, here I am during Midterm week. I had 2 projects due today for both Drs. Jackson! That's right I take both Mr. and Mrs. in the same day! I had a magazine type thing due for Youth Culture and I love how it turned out!! For Mrs. Judi, I had a group presentation. I was up till 4am this morning working on my magazine, thankfully my group presentation was finished on Sunday.

This weekend was a women's conference on the NOBTS campus. It was on contentment. Contentment is something that I have struggled with. But here it is, I'm actually content now! I love my life here in New Orleans. I love my job and my classes. I'm thriving here! I could always have more money or a boyfriend or whatever, but as for life it's pretty fabulous! The last speaker was Liz Stewart. She works here on campus and she really brought the word. The best part is that she said we can still desire things in our life, but be happy with where we are right now. Like wanting to one day be married, but being happy right now as a single! As much as I know if I were married to a Youth Pastor I would be able to speak and really work with my passion I also know that one day I will have to explain to girls and maybe to a single woman how hard it has been to really find contentment.

I really miss being a Youth Speaker... it's something that I had a lot of opportunities to do in VA even if I didn't take them all, it was still an opportunity. So, if you'll pray that I will find an outlet for this it would be AWESOME!

I also really hope to help plan the next Women's event... it needs a little Arielle Flair hahaha! Some of you totally know what that means! LOVE it!! :)

I have been spending a lot of time reading and listening to Bianca Juarez... Yeah, she's pretty fabulous! I have also realized that all the people I would love to be mentored by live in Cali... is that a sign I should move there one day?! hmmm....

WoW really?!

OKay So I haven't blogged in months... Well, that's a lie. I have blogged just not posted them for your enjoyment!

Life has been so crazy, I resigned my church and now live in NOLA. I never would have thought I would live in Louisiana or even be going to Seminary right now... My life is pretty normal, Friends, Class, Studying... It should probably be in a different order, because I spend a lot of time in class and a lot studying! My roommate has moved out not because we didn't like living together, but because she found basically a free house to live in! So, now I live in a 4 bedroom apt by myself! I actually really like it!

One thing that is hard right now is finding a church... I've been to church with friends and haven't really felt like whole heartedly "this is the church for me." UGH! Why doesn't NewSpring have a New Orleans Campus?! haha! But Sunday is coming and it will be a new day and a new church!

I'm looking for a job and have interviewed twice with a Cheer gym for a coaches position! I am praying that if it's God's will that I get it! I love cheerleading and coaching and the fact that it is a Christian gym just adds icing to the cake! Man, I hope it happens and I get a chance to mix my passion for leading teenage girls to Christ and my passion for Cheerleading together!

I have been able to babysit a couple of times and it is just wonderful! I get to spend time with kids and play! Plus, I can be a blessing for parents here on campus that can't find a babysitter or one that their kids like! lol!

Funny kawinkadink, 2 of my best friends at home were Kristy and April... Well, here my 2 best friends are Christie and April! Ha! At least I didn't have to learn new names!

Where does Your devotion lie?

God has really been rocking my world with 1 Cor 7. Some of you know my obsession with 7:17 in the Message, but the whole chapter is full of Godly goodness! So what does it talk about, you ask?! Try staying single and being devoted to God, if you can that is! But seriously, 7: 35 says,

I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

I have found while this month in Seminary that TOO many people are focusing on what I would consider the wrong things. (Some of you are going to laugh thinking that is coming from me, but God is really convicting me.) We are focusing on in a Christian realm would be a worldly thing! WTCrap are we thinking and doing?!

• Marriage and finding the one (UGH! It's driving me NUTS!!! I've even stopped watching "Say Yes to the Dress" that's how much it's bothering me!)

• Theology and NOT reaching people

• Making yourself look good and NOT God

• Their church

• THE SAINTS (okay, I LOVE football and this is SUCH a big deal in NOLA, but we are tending to talk about them and NOT Jesus)

So those are just things I can think of right now, but seriously there are way more I know it! I guess it just kills me that people aren't trying to find a way to reach our city. Now, I am one who is super focused on my studies and very rarely leave campus because of it... Which is a big reason I'm hoping for this cheer job! But the Marriage complaint above is really getting to me... like so much! I hate people asking me "well, have you found anyone there yet?" Okay, really?! Why am I here?! I thought I was here to learn and to grow! hmmm apparently I'm here to find a mate?! Who knew! I wish God had sent me that memo! haha! Okay, so only certain people will get that, but it's true!

Hopefully I will Update again soon!