Just another memory monday!

The last two Royal Servan'ts summers i've been on i've introduced what is called "Memory Mondays" The students don't always LOVE it because it has consequenses if the students don't have their memory work for the week done, BUT i know deep down they do love it. Its not just a mission trip... They work hard doing memorization  all summer! they also have regular teachings and time in the word. It's pretty fantastic. :)

UPDATE

Hello boys and girls. I'm pretty sure my "Goole Analytics" is busted because it's telling me I have ZERO hits this week,when I know for a fact that I have had at LEAST one.... (thanks Bryana). Oh well, I will keep on keepin on with the updates cause I know B likes them, and maybe someone will stumble accross my site and find something interesting. Right now I'm getting ready to send out a newsletter (I know... shocking) it's been way toooo long. So if you want to be on that list and think there's a slight chance you might not be.... please let me know asap.

Logger...

My dad is amazing. What doesn't he do? He got this HUGE trailer full of Oak trees and cut it all up into smaller, fireplace sized logs. He was a little (ok a lot) sore after all was said and done. But he's pretty buff and our family now has wood for the fireplace for the next few YEARS!
Which brings me to fireplaces. They're amazing. you ever just shut off all the lights in the house and sit and read in front of a roaring fire? try it.
Especially when its just you in the house and you've got your Bible open to whatever God's teaching you at the moment.... (if he's not teaching you at the moment, try Colossians 3...or just the whole book)

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!

OK. So I got the official word this morning that I will be helping lead the mission trip to Sierra Leone, Africa this summer with Royal Servants! I am so excited about this new challenge and ministry and the chance to team up with Matt Halseth for a second summer!! This trip presents for me new opportunities that I have never experienced before. I know God is going to be all over this team and I am begining to pray now for our ministry there and also the team of students and staff that we will be taking with us. read more about the trip on Reign's website, www.reignministries.org/mission-trips

Rockin' and Rollin'

I have a few thoughts for today.... first, and most pressing (literally) is TEA. i know.. I know "real deep Laura" but I love tea. In order to function on any given day I need at least a good 16-18 fluid ounces of some good English Breakfast tea with plenty of milk and sugar. Now this morning.... I did not have enough time to make my tea and therefore went without. I made it for the most part until around 5:15pm when my head started hurting and I thought to myself... hmm... why is my head hurting? I've drank plenty of water today. And then it struck me. DUH, no tea. So, I did what any normal person would do... I grabbed 2 Excedrin and poured a HUGE mug of tea. It hasn't kicked in though so my head is still kind of pounding, but I'll give the meds a little bit and hopefully by dinner it will have abated. Second. Support is movin forward. I'm feeling pretty good about my meetings and loving getting the opportunity to meet with people and share my passion and vision for ministry. It helps that I truly believe SO much in what I'm doing. Also, my car is STILL running! (thanks again daddio!!) and for the time being I am mobile. this picture proves it... kind of. Thanks for your continued prayers. :)

I'm not sure how he does it....

Several posts ago I had an ode to the dead car. Well I REALLY don't understand how my father is so skilled as to keep on reviving this thing! BUT he is. So I now have a vehicle to get to and from support appointments and work and other general runnings around with somewhat ease. The car is not allowed to go outside of about a 30 mile radius, but it RUNS!!!! HUGE answer to prayer. THANKS DAD FOR WORKING SO HARD TO GET IT RUNNING!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

My Grama is great.

I was filling my Grama in on life yesterday and she is SUCH a huge encouragement in life! She read me a page out of the devotional that she had been studying that morning. Funny how sometimes God gives us things that are meant for other people. So hopefully, while I know this was for me, maybe it's for you also today.
Jeremiah 32:27 "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" Whew! Amen, you're right God. (I mean, when are you wrong? haha) Verse 17 is Jeremiah's same statement. "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstreached arm. Nothing is too hard for you."
Good stuff to think about.

God knows.....

The car situation is not super fun right now please pray that God will some how provide a car. I know I posted that I was going to be using my dad's but the one they were getting fell through. I know I am being obedient, I just don't know how God will do his thing. Thanks guys!

honesty....

Can i be honest for a second? Not that I normally lie... but anyway, the single hardest part about support raising is making the phone call to ask for the appointment! I want to meet with as many people as will listen to what God is doing right now, but for some reason that phone call is tough! I've got all the lies doing the tango with all the truth in my head and somewhere along the way, its my feet that keep getting crushed! haha. Katelyn had on her facebook status today "Positive thinking is half the work, positive thinking is half the work, posititive thinking is half the work...." I loved it and promptly thanked her. The truth is people DO care, and DO want to know. I just have to take that first step. So here I go. positive... dial...

I'm Excited....

So I'm not sure yet where I'll be going yet for this upcoming summer... But I get really excited as I think about the possibilities! like... REALLY excited. SO excited in fact that I will now list for you the countries in which I have visited. READY?! GO. England, Scotland, Ireland, Republic of Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Vatican City, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Monaco, Austria, Slovakia, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada and the good ol' U.S. of A.
WHEW! Maybe this summer I'll have some more to add to that list!

Good word Sids

Suzanne told me last night that over the years, one of the biggest lesson she's learned is "All of the good that comes from going through the really hard stuff, doesn't make it any easier" and I Totally agree. 100%. I know God has to walk me through some painful and scary things. I also know that incredible good will come of it. But its still hard. Oh the things that make us stronger and draw us to Him.

Ok so He DOES know.

So for the past week I've been praying (and... ok crying a little). I know God's in control, but when things happen that we can't explain at this moment, it doesn't always SEEM that way. LONG story really short. God has provided my parents with a very reasonably priced low mileage car, which means that they have a car that will no longer be used and therefore I WILL GET TO DRIVE MY DAD'S CAR! Wow thanks Jesus. You NEVER fail me.

dear Jesus

Sometimes i don't understand why things happen, would you please explain how you are going to display yourself? thanks Amen.

RIP Squirrel Cage

This morning I was going to take my car into have it looked at. The engine is making some funky noises and the car won't go past about 23 mph. So my dad thinks it might be the timing belt in the engine. I jumped in my brother's car to follow him to drive up into town and my car didn't start. Seeing as how Bry had to leave to get to a conference in Chicago, he didn't have time to do anything about it. Mom and Dad are out of town. So, I jumped the car using another car and got it to start (I'd never jumped a car before, and I got it first try... in the cold rain), then I went to put it in gear and it wouldn't go into gear. I finally forced it into drive and pressed the gas.... nothing. I tried reverse, it felt like the bottom of the car was stuck on a stump or something, I know what you're thinking... emergency break... but no, it was not engaged, I checked.... multiple times. So I flicked on the lights just to see, and it died. So I did the whole routine over again before I got out of the car, kicked the tire and went back inside.
All this to say, I now don't have a car. I don't know what God's going to do with that. I need a car, it's part of my start up costs, but I'm only at about 10% and can't get a car yet. pray. thanks.

Mission One Hundred underway...

I'm working now on getting the funds to support raise full time. It's kind of like I need about 3 months worth of support up front so that I can support raise for 3 months... ya know? So my prayer request right now is that people would be interested in giving to the front load of the ministry so that ministry can take place. I'm sending out letters and making appointments and meeting with people. I want to fund a vision for ministry, not just raise money!