Well, I'm in Boulder, CO, and my sister (Elizabeth...or E for short) and I have been having lots of good conversation and time spent together. I left for my cross-country road trip on Tuesday. I first drove all day to St. Louis, where I stayed with my friend Becky and her new husband-of-three-weeks, Andy (he's so great for her!). Then yesterday I drove up to Omaha, NE and stayed with friends of a friend--they are Navigators staff, so that was a neat thing for me. I enjoyed talking with the wife of that family and getting some insight into mentoring and discipleship, etc...especially since that's some of what I'll be doing in Mexico. Then today, I stopped in Lincoln, NE to see an friend from college and then continued on here to Boulder. It's been three long days of driving, but the scenery has been beautiful and the time in the car has been welcomed. I'm enjoying my Lord of the Rings dramatized on CD by the BBC...very enjoyable. And there's lots of time for thinking and praying and soaking it all in.

A funny thing happened today in the town of York, NE. It's in the middle of nowhere about an hour or so west of Lincoln. I stopped there to get a latte from Starbuck's (there was a billboard advertising that they had a Starbuck's and I wanted a good cup of coffee). I pulled into the parking lot of this Starbuck's, which just happened to be right up next to a corn-field, and my car was THE ONLY ONE THERE...zero customers except me. So, the staff, being bored, were sitting around trying to figure out my license plate, which I discovered when the first thing I heard upon entering the store was, "Please explain to us what your license plate means! We just can't figure it out!" Since it means God's Girl, I had the chance to tell them that God's name in the Bible is I Am.

I left that store thinking that my answer was such a deflation to the potential that my license plate holds (just for the record, my license plate says "IAMS GRL"). I always walk away from those interactions wondering if I could have or should have said more, shared more, etc. This time I was challenged to intentionally make my license plate a witnessing tool. Hopefully I can glorify the Lord even in that, plant seeds even with something as simple as that. I know that I have wasted opportunities in the past that have presented the chance to share the gospel with someone, and I am becoming more acutely aware of the the truth that every time someone asks, the Lord can touch them, as well as of the urgency of the need for Him to touch them. I don't want to get in the way of that by being timid and afraid. Christ was so bold in how he touched this world, and it made the world sit up and pay attention. I want to walk in those footsteps. What if the only time someone heard about God was because they asked about my license plate? Am I willing to simply say, "it means God's Girl because I Am is the name of God in the Bible." and leave it at that? Or am I willing to make that opportunity count for the kingdom?

So, to the staff of that little Starbuck's in York, Nebraska...thank you! Thank you for letting the Lord challenge me through you..whether you knew it or not!

The last couple of weeks have not been extremely eventful, but they have been enjoyable. I already posted about my aunts visiting. I've also been home A LOT, since that's where I'm living, so I'm getting lots of quality time with my sisters, parents, grandmother, and my youngst nephew who also lives here. On top of that, I've been back in Fredericksburg several times for church and for worship team practice. I'm REALLY enjoying being able to sing again! That is something I missed very much while I was in Mexico. So, another incredible blessing there!

This past weekend, one of my other grandmothers had a yard sale. My mom went to her house to help out, and my sister Heather and I headed over there as well, since she's only about 25 miles west of us. That was really great. It was the first time I'd seen both my mom and grandma since I arrived back here in the states! We had a good time, and I even came home with some loot!

After the yardsale, I headed north again to a HOE DOWN that my church put on. What fun! There were games and food and an auction and real square dancing and hay rides and lots of familiar faces, as well as some unfamiliar faces. We did this for the first time back in October when we were fund-raising for our short-term Christmas trip to Cofradia (the same place where I'm now on staff full-time). After that, everyone at church had so much fun that they insisted that the church do it again just for the fun of it! And so, this weekend's event was the result. It was a good time.

I spent the night with a friend and went to church, and then immediately headed back to Richmond for TWO..yes, two...surprise parties: one was a surprise baby shower for a friend I haven't seen since her wedding, and the other was a surprise retirement party for my dad. It was neat to see Christy pregnant and catch up with her a little. I was also able to catch up with another friend from elementary school who is also working in missions in Latin America. She was in Colombia for three years and is about to head to seminary two get 2 masters degrees in three years, and then she hopes to head back to the mission field working with indigenous groups. Very exciting stuff!

And today is my sister Heather's 25th birthday! WAHOO!! Happy 1st Quarter of a Century, sis!

Tomorrow morning at the colon of dawn I head out on a road-trip! I'm very excited cuz I haven't been on a road trip in years! My end destination is Colorado to spend time with my youngest sister, Elizabeth, before she and her husband move to ANTARCTICA for a year (yes, you read that right...Antarctica!), and also to go to the wedding of my friend Lisa in Denver. On the way, however, I'll be stopping with friends and getting some much-needed catch-up time! First I'll be in St. Louis with Becky, who just got married 3 weeks ago, and we're going to paint her bathroom! YEA! I love painting! Then it's on to Nebraska to stay with friends of a friend, and also to see my friend Duncan, who has been a pastor at a church in Lincoln. Then it's on to Colorado. On my way home I'll stop in St. Louis again with Becky and her husband Andy, and then home on the 4th of July! Just in time for worship practice and lunch with the pastor the next day! It will be a busy week, but very fun and exciting! Hopefully I'll have pics to post soon!

In the meantime, fundraising is still the goal. One-time gifts are beginning to come in, but please pray that the Lord would raise up monthly supporters. That is my biggest long and short-term need right now, but it's amazing to see how the Lord is providing for me financially in the meantime.

What an awesome God we serve!

Well, my prayer cards have arrived!...yup, REAL prayer cards! The place I ordered them from did a fabulous job! Check it out!


This weekend two of my aunts flew in and surprised everyone! One of them lives in Florida and the other in Chicago. I haven't seen either of them in years, but they are both very special aunts, and God has done some really amazing things in their lives over the years. So, it has been so GREAT to get to spend grown-up time with them and really just TALK...deep talking, like with good friends, out on the deck with coffee and good company. What a blessing that time has been this weekend! Rhonda, Nancy, if you read this...THANK YOU!

Anyway, they flew in on Friday, and surprised everyone by showing up to my cousin Bryce's graduation party. Then Saturday, my step-mom and I met Nancy and Rhonda and another aunt, Sharon (these are all sisters of my step-mom), at the pool in the afternoon before I headed over to a friend's for dinner and girl-time.

Nancy, me, and Rhonda at my cousin's graduation party!

Nancy and me at the pool!

Then. after church on Sunday, we took my dad out for Father's Day. We had lunch at Picadilly Cafe. There was more food there than I'd seen in one place in my entire life! But we had a good time, and that's what counts!

My sister Heather, Bamba, Daddy, and Me at Picadilly!

After lunch with my dad, I headed over to Sharon's for a cook-out and basically spent the rest of the day with them...we watched In Her Shoes that night, and my step-mom joined us as well. Then we talked into the wee hours out on the deck afterward. (By the way...STELLER movie!) Then this morning I got to spend some quality time with the two of them over coffee before they headed off for the activities left in their last couple of days here. I'm so blessed to have them as aunts AND as friends. I love how God knows exactly the right people to put in our lives...wow!

Well, I'm back in the states, and part of me really can't believe it's not just a dream! It's such a weird way to exist when where you are feels like a dream and where you WERE also feels like a dream...it's like there's no place that feels more real than any other place. That is so strange for me! I'm not sure why, but it just is.

I have changed my cell plan so that I can call between the U.S. and Mexico, so I was able to call the girls today and let them know that I have arrived safely and find out how they are. My plan is to call them each week to keep up with how they are and to try and continue to encourage them to grow and step out in faith over this summer. On the phone today, Sandy shared with me that Jay has spoken with her father about the possibility of her (on the right in the pic) and Lupe (on the left in the pic) attending YWAM's DTS school in Mazatlan either in July or January. It's a six-month discipleship training program where the first three months are classes and the second three months are outreach, either in Mexico or abroad. The girls are very excited about the idea, and they had both already expressed that they desire to be missionaries one day; however, they have to raise support for this since it will cost at least $2500 for each of them, possibly more if they end up going on an oversees outreach (which is decided after the start of each semester's program). Since they don't really have the resources to do this, the missionaries will be seeking to help by finding folks in the states who would like to help support the girls through this program.

Just before I left, I really felt led to encourage Sandy to really step out and seek out opportunities to be the leader that she has in her to be. I had received a quote in an email devotion that I shared with her: "We never become truly spiritual by sitting down and wishing to become so. You must undertake something so great that you cannot accomplish it unaided" (Phillips Brooks). When I shared this quote with her and explained what it meant, she seemed to understand, but I got the feeling she had no idea yet what she could do that was that big in their little town where life's pretty "boring" and everyone knows everyone. But as she was telling me about the developments for the possibility of attending this DTS, she shared that all this has kept on her mind and heart that quote that I gave her and the explanation of it--that this is something SO BIG that she could never accomplish it on her own. She said, "we just have to pray for the Lord to help us."

How awesome to see this girl who seemed to have her hope fading when I first met her to be tightening her grip again and letting herself dream and walk toward what seems absolutely impossible for man knowing that nothing is impossible for God.

If you are interested in helping Sandy and Lupe, please email me and I'll put you in touch with the right person. Regardless, please pray that the Lord would make clear His will for these two girls regarding DTS, either by providing the money to attend or by making it clear that He has other things in mind instead of DTS. And please pray that no matter what the Lord's answer that these two girls would "go out in joy and be led forth in peace" (Is. 55:12) and that they would have the joy of the Lord as their strength no matter what the result. Pray that they would BELIEVE that God can do all things and that whatever the answer, He has only His BEST in store for them!