Elevate ended... and so did my friendships

Funny how life is different now that I no longer spend 24/7 with 13 of the craziest, most diverse, fun people. I am learning all over again that friendships in the real world take effort, energy and lots of time. I no longer have 5 lunch options and 13 people who are always in for any crazy idea.

This has been a recently thought on my heart. I really want to make more of an effort to keep up with friends and family. I want you all to know how valuable you are to me and how often I think of you even though I may not call or write. There is this funny thing that I do- if I have a friend that I haven't spoken with in a while, I tend to put off calling them even longer because I want to talk to them for a long time but never make that much time in my schedule just to sit down and call them. So then more time passes and they think I don't care because I don't just call them. I should just pick up the phone even if I only have 5 min. At least to let you know I care.

I want to work on making relationships a priority in my time. We did this "living your strengths" test and half of mine were work focused and the other half were people focused, so naturally I am torn between my to do list and my relationships.
But now I have recognized this, I will be working on it.

The Real Robert Conti

Okay, so I have been delaying writing a post about my boyfriend because... well, how do you do that without being tacky or overly gooey?... neither of which anyone wants to read... But then I discovered the way. I will just show a video of him making a fool of himself thereby taking the focus off of the relationship and turning it to the focus of how funny he is.
For those of you who are reading this and haven't had the privilege of meeting him yet, you will have an entirely different perspective of him than those who already know (or at least think they know)my boyfriend. Click the link to view the true Robert Conti.

Perspective

I think a lot about perspective and how life is really just as you view it. When one person sees a road block, another see the chance to see what your SUV can handle off road. When one person sees a broken computer, another sees the chance to slow down in life and not be driven by technology. When one person sees an impossible circumstance, another sees the chance to see God move. I don't have anything more on that, I just think it is interesting. What's the view look like from where you are standing?

Happy Mother's Day

Well, it's mother's day and I am blessed to have the most fantastic mom in the universe. She is wise and fun and just so selfless- I hope when I grow up I can be just like her. So today I honor her. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Mother's day is just a fun day when everyone seems happy and life is good.
Today I will not be able to spend mother's day with my mom :( but I will be able to spend it with another incredible mom, Ms. Barbara Conti :) Robert and I (with his brother Pat and Mr. Bruce) are going to cook her dinner tonight- pork chops and asparagus. So pumped about that.

To all the mom's out there, have the best mother's day ever!

Something New in You

So it has been a while since I have done any deep thoughts but for some reason I think that one can hear God's voice more clearly on the mission field. I don't know if it is just that I am away from the normal routine, distractions, and typical "busy-ness" that I allow myself to get caught up in or that it is just more clear when you are worlds away...
We were asked to do quiet time every morning (which we should be doing anyway) but for some reason on the trip I have been much more pumped to get up early and seek the face of God. It has been incredible. He has really given me a rhema (right now) word for the day and it always seems to apply.
Wednesday's word was: confidence, courage and command. When we have confidence in Christ and who He is and who we are in Him, we will have the courage to obey His word, and the ability to command on His behalf. I just think that's super cool that as we grow more confident in Him we can do and be more like Him and live in Him.
Thursday's word: Peace. We need to walk in God's Peace. Man's peace ends when conflict begins but God's peace surpasses all understanding and endures regardless of the circumstances we are in. This is the peace we should be offering.
Today's word: New. Purpose. I read Isaiah 48 and 49 today and God really spoke that He was going to do a new thing in us. Before He has told me all that He was going to do in my life- I would travel, be in Africa and teach- and He has fulfilled all of these, but He is about to do something new. Something He has never told me before and never done in or for us before. He is doing this for one purpose and one purpose only, for the same reason that He created everything and for the same reason He does anything- for His Glory to show that He alone is God. Because of this he gives us purpose. The purpose to make Him famous for His glory.

I know that is a lot to soak in. This trip has been incredible. No words can suffice. I have learned and seen so much and feel so humbled. Wow. Today I saw some kids use a sink for the first time in their lives. They filled water from a pipe instead of a well for the first time ever. I am speechless.