closer & closer

I feel like I'm at the point where I can now count down in hours. So, 42 HOURS!

I am (surprisingly) almost completely packed! I of course have random little things to get together, but I'm usually at this point the night before a trip, not a full 2 nights before. It's a great feeling.

I'm sure I'm behind on this, but a new band that I'm loving right now: Mumford & Sons. I love their sound, their lyrics, everything. I was really curious, though, if the members of the band were Christian. Some of their songs had hints of something written by believers, so I googled them. This is what Marcus Mumford said in an article by Guardian:

 "I think faith is something beautiful, and something real, and something universal, or it can be. We all have our separate views on religion, but I think faith is something to be celebrated. I have my own personal views, they're still real to me, and I want to write about them."

I just love this line from "White Blank Page" -- "Lead me to the truth and I will follow you with my whole life."

Love it.

If our God is for us, then who could ever stop us?

"If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all -- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"
- Romans 8:31-32

Happy New Year! ¡Feliz Año!

This winter break, I've been incredibly blessed to spend some really great time with my family and friends as I count down the days to my departure to Quito, Ecuador.

Last night, I brought in the New Year praying with a thousand fellow college students in Greensboro. It was the culmination of a conference called Encounter, where we attended sessions and seminars and participated in some awesome worship. Although I can admit that at times it was difficult to focus (Quito's been on my mind quite a lot lately), I really got a lot out of what was said. Last night, Richard Smith spoke on Romans 8:31. It is incredible to think, and truly grasp, that NOTHING will stop the purposes of God from being fulfilled in our lives.

And what a sweeter way to ring in the New Year than by giving it up to the Lord and then praising him in song with a ton of students?

Countdown: 3 DAYS!

...until I found something beautiful

What better time to write a blog post than when you're supposed to be writing a 6-page paper?

I've been meaning to write a post for a while now, and now I feel like I have too much to say in just one post. I'll try to break it down for ya...

1.  6 weeks until Quito!
It's still hard for me to believe that I'll be boarding a flight to Ecuador in just 6 weeks and won't be back for 4 1/2 months. I'm feeling quite a range of emotions. Obviously, I'm ecstatic, and as it begins to feel more and more real [I've been assigned a homestay family, I'm registering for classes, etc.], I'm getting more and more excited. I can't wait to see a new country, be immersed in Spanish, and meet a ton of new people, but I also can't wait to have no commitments. I love all the things I do here in Chapel Hill, but it will be so nice to have a break from them for a few months. However, I'm also realizing that I'll be away from my roommates, my friends, and my family for a whole semester, and that makes me pretty sad. To the left, a sneak peek of the beautiful country that I'll call home spring [photo cred to Ashley Bowles, who is sure to be a BFF of mine there]

2. "BEST WEEKEND EVER."

This past weekend was quickly assigned the title of "best weekend ever." Perhaps the only thing that would have made it a little better would be a win against State, but it was pretty darn good without a victory. After the game, the Howell ladies cooked Thanksgiving dinner, complete with baked chicken, green bean casserole, stuffing, twice baked potatoes, deviled eggs, sweet potato casserole, crescent rolls, and apple pie and carrot cake for dessert.

The weekend just continued in awesome-ness when the Colborns cooked us another wonderful Thanksgiving meal on Sunday. Not only was the food absolutely amazing (I had three servings of sweet potato casserole), but it was great to spend the afternoon laughing and having a great time with my sisters in Christ.

[photo cred to Emily...actually Mama Colborn]

To finish off the weekend of excellence, we went to Durham last night to see Needtobreathe perform at Carolina Theatre. If you've never seen Needtobreathe in concert, you're missing out. They are by far the best band I've seen in concert. They sing with such joy and raw passion. And their set was amazing. I highly recommend all 3 of their CDs and seeing them perform live. It will change your life. Some of my favorites include:


"We Could Run Away"
"More Time"
"Shine On"
"Lay 'Em Down"
"Something Beautiful"
"Garden"
"The Outsiders"
"Washed By the Water"

...alright, I actually like ALL of their songs.



3. JOY
Joy has been the theme of my semester so far, or at least I've tried to make it that way. After a pretty crappy sophomore fall semester, I knew that I wanted a much more joyful junior year, but I knew that joy could not come from better circumstances or a "happier" attitude, but from letting Christ's love pour into me so that I could pour it out to others. A while ago, Kerry Mandulak (my B-stud leader from high school and a good friend) sent me this quote from Hammer William Webb-Reploe:

Joy is not gush; joy is not jolliness. Joy is simply perfect acquiescence in God's will, because the soul delights itself in God Himself. Rejoice in the will of God, and in nothing else. Bow down your heads and your hearts before God, and let the will, the blessed will of God, be done.

Peace, love, & turkeys

la nueva

Anyone who knows me at all, or at least has met me once, knows that I have a little thing for Mexico. I love the culture, the people, the food, todo. But, I'm branching out. Next semester, I'm going to Quito, Ecuador, for a semester to study at la Universidad San Francisco de Quito. If I'm gonna be honest, I'm a little worried. I know it's going to be very different than my experiences in Mexico, and I already love Mexico so much. But at the same time, I'm so excited. I mean, THIS is where I'll be. Who wouldn't be excited? I can't wait to be immersed in Spanish again, and I can't wait to meet people there. It seems like a long way off, but let's be real. September's already almost over. This semester has flown by so far, and it seems like I'll be in Quito before I know it. 

I'm not too witty myself, so I'll share with anyone who actually reads this someone who has actually made me laugh out loud this week. Glozell. She's hilarious, enough said. And she's going to be at UNC-W next week! These are a couple of my favorites:

overflow

"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." -John 15:11

Back from Mexico. Moved into my first apartment. Worked some 130 hours at the Student Stores. Enrolled in more credit hours than I've ever had. Started MANO tutoring, bringing my Spanish back from its 2-month hiatus. Met 30+ awesome freshman girls in HJ. To say the least, junior year has started off with a bang.

During a summer that was filled with making even more friends in Mexico, teaching English in the most beautiful town in the mountains, and a slight depression that set in when I arrived back in NC, I certainly learned a lot. When August came around, I knew that something had to change if I wanted this fall to be different than the last. Moving off-campus and into my own apartment with some of my best friends was already an improvement from the "sophomore slump" that seemed to hit me hard last fall. But I knew that the change I wanted couldn't happen on my own accord. So I started praying.

God, would you fill me with such joy that it overflows to everyone around me? Joy has always been one of my all-time favorite words, but I don't know if I've ever fully grasped what it means. Joy isn't a feeling of being happy. It's an attitude, a lifestyle. If you let Christ pour his joy and grace and love into you, you have no choice but to let it spill over to everyone around you. In the same way, God shines His light through us. If we take ourselves out of it and let God's glory be revealed, His light can shine that much brighter. Overflow with joy and shine bright with love. What better way to be a vessel of the Gospel than that?

Giant shoutout to Mexico today! 200 years ago today, Mexico won their independence from Spain. Do something fun to celebrate the Bicentenario Mexicano!