God has a way of taking all of the worries we have and leaving peace and direction in their place. Praise Him for that! After the last blog post, Alayna and I, along with countless other people, prayed without ceasing for the direction of my educational career as well as the direction of NewDay church. It was a long but amazing few days filled with many a deep conversation, but all of it was shrouded in the Holy Spirit. So cool.

Thursday seems to be a recurring day of importance in my walk with Jesus, and this story is no different. Last Thursday Alayna and I were praying for an extended period of time, really waiting on Jesus to reveal His heart for us. During this time, we both felt like God was saying that the sudden increase of school costs was not an obstacle He wanted me to overcome, but instead a door that was shutting for this time.

I want to share with you a picture He gave me, because it does a really great job of explaining where He has me right now. He gave me a picture of a bicycle wheel, and in the center of it was Transy, and then all of its spokes were labeled “work,” “family,” “friends,” etc. He showed me that this was the old wheel of my life, and that He had me leave Transy in the spring so He could re-make it. The new wheel He showed me has NewDay in the center, and two concentric circles surrounding the center. The inner circle is Alayna, and the outer circle is my community. Then the spokes surrounding the center are things like “work,” “school,” etc. The meaning behind this image is that the spokes surrounding the center support the center and all together allow the wheel to turn. If the spokes are not supporting the center, then the wheel falls apart and can no longer function.

When I was starting out in college, being a student was my “center.” It was my primary motivation, and everything I did, the spokes, was to support that primary goal. However, when God took me to NewDay, the center began to change. I realize now that NewDay needs to be my primary right now, because God has entrusted me with this beautiful ministry. School will come, and I am excited to finish my degree, but school must support the center, not the other way around.

When I arrived at church on Sunday morning, I spoke with several people whom I had asked to pray for me about this situation. All of them confirmed that what I was hearing from God is what they had also heard. This gives me an immense amount of peace and I am overjoyed with God’s provision in this way!

In the past few days, God has continuously told me that He is so excited for the plans He has for me, and that He cannot wait to show me what they are. I am beyond excited to see where this season takes me! There are so many stupendous things coming down the road already (my wedding, several trips, etc.) and I can’t wait to see what God has in store. As NewDay continues to wane and wax through this transitional time, I am so excited to see how God uses my freedom this semester for His glory! Stay tuned for that!

Also, I want to give a big shoutout to Alayna. She already is so supportive of me and my ministry, and she prays with me about all of these really hard decisions. I am so thankful to be starting out my ‘adult’ life with this beautiful woman whose trust in God is deep and unwavering. God has great things for us, and I cannot wait!

Thanks for your continued prayers, they truly bless my ministry. Stay tuned for more awesome things God is doing in my life!

This summer has been full of many amazing things. It has been full of travel, friends, family, late night Jesus talks, planning my future with the love of my life, spreading the love of Christ, and really great fellowship with people from all walks of life. Super awesome stuff!

As you know, I took a semester off of school (See this link to read how God organized this amazing step) and it was my full intention to go back this semester in the Fall of 2015. I am excited to go back to learn at an institution I have valued for the past few years, as I genuinely enjoy learning and only have three semesters left before I will have my undergraduate degree in Spanish! God definitely knew what He was doing (imagine that…) by leading me down the path of withdrawing from school for a semester, and He used that time to have me rest, invest in a multitude of people, get invested into my a multitude of people, and He also sent me around the globe on a journey unlike any other. I am beyond thankful. As I look to my future with Alayna, I am excited to go back to school.

I arrived at Transylvania University last Thursday with five minutes to spare. It was a remarkably sunny afternoon, and I was so excited because it was going to be a productive day! I walked into the accounting office to set up my payment plan, and I was told that my monthly payment had essentially doubled. I won’t go into all the complicated details, but I was  told I would have to come up with twice as much money per month as last year, a figure that is quite literally not possible to come up with given my current means. I thanked them for their time and told them I would get back to them in a few days. So far in my higher education career, I have worked at least full time almost every single week in order to maintain a debt-free status.  This not only serves an earthly purpose, but Alayna, my parents, and I feel strongly that taking out student loans is not on God’s ‘menu’ for my life. God has already confirmed this desire in that I was financially able to take a semester off of school; if I had taken out loans prior to this, I would have to start paying on upon no longer being enrolled in college.

After this meeting, I went to another meeting with a dear friend who leads the ministries I am a part of. He let me in on some very important shifts that will be happening in our ministry in the coming weeks. Nothing bad, but something that points towards the horizon, towards tomorrow. God will show up and make Himself known in this shift, but there are many unknowns and many areas that will benefit from having as many hands on deck as possible. The trajectory of this magnificent ship I work on is about take an exciting shift, and I am pregnant with expectation for what is to come!

An important piece of information I feel the need to share is about something God is working on in my own life. God has placed it strongly upon my heart to adopt a lifestyle that includes sustainable pace. Up until I stopped attending college, I had been working so much (both mentally and physically) and it was taxing. I had my eyes on my goals, and I was working towards them. In November, though, God placed His goals for my life on my heart and my journey with God took a faith-filled turn. I have worked hard to adopt a lifestyle of rest and rejuvenation. For God, Alayna, myself, the church, and all the beloved people in my life.

I arrived at NewDay Community Church around 4:45 pm on that same Thursday afternoon with a million possibilities and outcomes bouncing fervently around my brain. There I sat with no way on my ‘menu’ to afford school, large shifts happening in the ministry I’ve fallen in love with, and the prospect of working 60+ hours a week in an attempt to afford school with no conceivable way of actually reaching my monthly needs. It was a lot.

But I gave it all to God. Every last piece of it.

And I called my friends and family to pray for me.

And I’ve been praying without ceasing.

And I’ve gotten some answers. The Lord has reminded me that His timing is perfect, and that I should not worry about earthly timing at all. He has told me that He cannot wait to show me the plans He has for me, and I can honestly tell you that I am filled to the brim with joy and excitement! How can I be sad or worried when I have complete confidence in He whose reputation is proven?! I have truly been weeping with expectation as I seek His will, because His plan is more beautiful than anything I could ever cook up. It’s truly breathtaking.

Here I sit waiting on the LORD to provide for me an avenue. Could a check arrive in the mail tomorrow with enough money to cover school? Absolutely, it’s happened before. Could Transy offer a new scholarship to me? Of course, it’s happened before. Could God want me to take time off school? You bet, it’s happened before. Could God provide a way for me to finish school somewhere else (maybe Arizona state University through my Starbucks Job)? Of course! You see, God is in the business of provision. God is in the business of leading us down His perfect path for us, and taking us on wild and crazy adventures that bring glory to His name.

I am not telling you this story because I want pity or monetary help, but I am telling you this story because God is doing huge things in my own life. I want to document this moment of uncertainty so that when God does provide a perfect avenue for me, which He will, I will be able to shout from the rooftops how He provided and everyone I tell the story to will have a context with which to understand it.

No words can describe the journey I’ve been on with my father since November. While I am faced with uncertainty as I look towards the coming months, I rest in the fact that God hold my life in His hands. I am overflowing with joy and excitement as I wait for God to show up, and I cannot wait to see where He leads me.

God is for me, and God is with me.

God is for you, and God is with you.

I am spending my life walking in the wilderness with my Father, and I truly would not have it any other way.

Sometimes, God wants us to wait for Him just so we can truly know who He is, so we can know it is He who provides for us. It’s an active waiting, though, one which explores all the doors with expectation and hope. I will wait until the ends of the earth, though, if it means I get to follow my Father.

Psalm 27:14

Wait patiently for the Lord.
    Be brave and courageous.
    Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

P.S. If anyone receives any postcards from God in the mail addressed to me, feel free to forward them my way 🙂