Summer Blessings

I am back & ready to tell you stories...

It has been quite an adventure this summer. I have to say, one of the best summers ever. The Lord has blessed me so much with HIS unending LOVE and with the people He has brought into my life. 

Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders? ... Exodus 15:11 .

He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen ... Deut 10:21 .

Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O LORD, and I will sing praises to Your name ... Psalm 18:49 

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, that my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever ... Psalm 30:11-12 .

Zumaya & Nasika

Do you remember the two cuties in the picture above? These are my Deaf girls that i worked with two years ago. They have grown up so much and Zumaya has teeth (last time i saw her.. she was missing several of her teeth-- tooth fairy took them). I was in shock when i saw these girls. THEY actually sign now and can communicate so well. When i saw them i about cried because of how much language they gained. When i first met them- they hardly knew anything, when i left they had a pretty good grasp on language but when i came back-- they were signing away. They are now attending a Deaf school in Puerto Rico. It is a few hours away from their house and the family stays in the dorm with the kids. Pray for the dad to find a job so he is able to support the family. Aren't they beautiful? Keep them in your prayers.

 I will do my best to post updates from the island and to continue to write stories about my dear friends. I will be returning to Puerto Rico to work with the CODAs & Deaf-- sometime in the near future. :) yay! Who wants to come with me?

Centri-Kid Camps

My Bible Study :)

You are going to think i am crazy, but the day i flew back from Puerto Rico i dived right into working camp. I flew into Atlanta and we drove to Anderson. I got to Anderson University early Tuesday morning and was greeted by two wonderful people- Laura &Wesley. Even though, (i cannot describe in words honestly) i was exhausted, the Lord had wonderful things in store. While i was in Puerto Rico, i was asked to come in and work an extra week of camp because we had a Deaf camper. I said, "YES". I got to meet Alex who is just a ball of joy. He is the boy in the next picture below this paragraph. This kid knows the gospel and knows that JESUS died on the cross for HIM to forgive him for his sins. How beautiful it is to see kids at camp understand the Gospel so clearly. Also, his parents are amazing, his mom is a CODA :) (woot woot) and her husband is fluent in sign language. They both have a passion for the Lord and just seeing them interact with their son was such a beautiful picture. Alex, his parents, and their church (FBC Albany) were seriously such a blessing to me that week. 

Kids from FBC Albany, GA

Many kids came to Christ in the two weeks i served with CK4. Can you believe this is my 6th year working with Centri-Kid camps? I am getting old, but I LOVE IT. I love the mission, i love the people i work with but most of all I LOVE GOD. This is not just something to fill up the summer with, it is missions, it is sharing life with people and telling them about a HOPE that is REAL. 

CK4 2012 in Athens :)

Do you see these people in the picture above? Meet my CK4 family! They were so much fun to work with this summer. I know what you are thinking, "you only worked with them for 2 weeks." I felt such a part of this team and it felt like i have been with them the whole summer. It is probably because i knew they have been praying for me before they met me. Every year it is a blessing to walk away with some of the best friendships, because we go beyond camp and still share real life with one another. I am praying for each person and i miss them so much. I am so blessed we had the blessing to minster together.

BLUE TEAM! 

I am not going to lie-- in this picture i think i played OMC 55 times over the past 6 years!! :) 

I know be jealous :)

And BLUE team is the BEST BTW!

Home after Camp

Tuesday Night Family

I was glad to be able to spend time with my actual family :) I got to play with my siblings, nieces, and nephews. Being away from the family almost all summer was hard but i knew that i would get to see them. I love my family. They are such a huge support in my life. 

I came home and i got to see my "Tuesday Night Family". The people you see in the picture above are precious. With having worked at SCSDB i met the most amazing people. We ate dinner together every Tuesday night and would talk about life. Carrie, Todd, David, Laugh, Lessey, Justine, Annie & Abbie has become such a big part of my life. The Lord knew i needed these folks- they just adopted me into their family in the past couple of months. The night this picture was taken, we had to say "see you later" to one another. David, Justine, and Larrysa moved to Utah. Continue to be praying for them as they make their adjustment there- God has great plans for them and i am excited to see what is in store. ALL of us in the group have faced some big changes in these past few months, but it is such a blessing to see what amazing things have came out of them. 

Beach Bums- Finally after traveling all summer.. i had a week vacay with these fine folks!

So much changed has happened in my life in the past 4 months but i can truly say that the LORD has been so good to me. The Lord has grown me closer to Him, to my family, friends, and even made new friends. I love people and building relationships. The Lord used me when i thought i was broken- but that is exactly how He needed me to be before i went and minster to others. He needed me to be broken so i can relate more with others. What a joyful experience life has been because of Christ. 

There is so much more to say but i better save it before you stop reading. God bless you all and i'll write to you all again soon!

 Abrazos y Sonrisas a todos!

oxox