Last Two

It has taken me a while to get these last two written because they are so important to me. However, I've got them all written out, so here they are:

2.
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a passion for working with kids. Since middle school I've done one ministry after the other that has allowed me to be an example and leader to young kids, youth, and friends. So what does this have to do with my excitement?! Well, part of my job description is to work with the "ninos" (children) there in Piedras Negras. I can see myself getting the chance to teach the children's bible classes at church, taking some kids down to the playground for our weekly soccer games, having sleepovers with my "sisters" and their friends, driving some kids to the movies on a Friday night, going shopping with some of the teen girls, and I could go on an on about what I'd like to do, but I think you get the point. I'm there for the kids. I heard recently that there are 140+ kids in the neighborhoods surrounding the construction site I'll be working at. Can you just imagine the kind of relational ministry I can have with them?! Can you imagine how far showing the love and acceptance of Christ can flow throughout the town?! More than anything else, the kids are what makes me excited to go down to Mexico. They are what triggered my desire to return to Piedras Negras. Oh man... I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!!!

1.
There are many different views on whether God has already made a plan of our lives or we are just meant to serve Him wherever we are -- but as for me, I confidently feel that God has already made a plan for my life, and that if I am daily seeking Him, then where I end up is where I'm meant to be. A year ago I had no clue where God was going to lead me. I had one semester left of school, and I had no clue which direction to turn for after graduation. All summer long, I had been putting off talking to God about this. I was scared to pray about it because I didn't know if I really wanted to hear His answer for me. I was so sure that wherever He wanted me was where I didn't want to be. By the beginning of August, though, I sat down and finally had a talk with Him about it. I started pursuing options and looking at different opportunities, but it just seemed as if those doors were quickly being shut as soon as I tried to open them. Finally, I realized that my heart was with mission work, and that Mexico was where I wanted to be. A few months later the process began and I was officially a HIM worker with the intention to head to Piedras Negras in August 2009. My purpose in life is to be an example and leader to young children and youth. It took me a whole year to pray and talk with God about what He created me to do while I am on Earth. Now that I confidently know what God has created me for -- I am so excited to see that the path I am following Him on has brought me to a place where I can positively and actively further the Kingdom. It will be an amazing experience for me, and I hope and pray that through me, all will be encouraged by the blood of the Lamb.