And back again...

I went to Camp Squeah this past weekend on a retreat with our church youth group. It was sooo much fun! (Minus the bus rides and other things that made me think it would be my last retreat as a leader *ever*). We talked about some really awesome stuff and we had a communion that I am going to remember for the rest of my life! It was amazing to see the ways that God is working in our youth group. And, at some point or another, I thought of each of you and wished you could be there. Megan - practically all the time!! When I was talking with the girls and they had questions or said random things that didn't line up with the bible, I missed your gentle correcting way and your wealth of knowledge and understanding. I also missed you when we had time to hang out and talk with the other leaders... We always have the best conversations with the perfect mix of seriousness and laughter :) Matt - They brought a Wii and half the kids didn't even know how to play... There were some random computer jokes too, and nobody was getting them :( I also missed your musical expertise. The weekend was seriously lacking in tunes. (For those of you who are not terribly fond of mushiness, I advise you to skip ahead to the next paragraph) Grant - I missed you every time someone asked me if I had a boyfriend, how long I had been dating said boyfriend, if I was going to marry said boyfriend, if I was in love with said boyfriend, when I would marry said boyfriend... you get the idea. (p.s. My answers: Yes, almost 2 years, hopefully soon, most definitely, *fingers crossed* 2009...) I missed you at night, when I was standing outside looking at the stars and wishing you were next to me to give me a hug. I missed you when I was eating and there was no one around to eat the food I couldn't finish :( I missed the words I know you would have whispered when I was so frustrated and upset. I missed your presence protecting me from awkward situations... I missed our late night phone(ish) conversations and I missed your familiar chiming of "Nite nite" and our 143s.

Ok, as promised the mushiness has ended and you continue to read on in mushiless comfort. The retreat helped me to remember some things I had forgotten in my walk with God. Koenraad (coolest name ever, I know!) gave us some cool things to think about over the course of the weekend. He talked about how worship doesn't necessarily mean singing or playing an instrument, how our identity is *not* whichever mask we are wearing, the power of forgiveness and repenting, and how the bible is real and alive and relevant in our lives (even if we've heard the story a bazillion times). I came back and did some re-evaluating of my spiritual life. I have some things I need to work on! It's nice to know that I'm not alone in my renos though. God is my contractor! How cool is that? He's in charge and He's going to make sure I don't knock down my "house". That's my own analogy, lol. All in all, this week has been great! I drove a girl from my french class home today and we had a chance to just chill and talk. It rocks making new friends! We are planning to prep for our midterm together; that's a big blessing for me because I was uber worried about it!
In conclusion, you can forget that I just put "In conclusion" because it is completely random and irrelevant... I just felt like writing that for some odd reason.
Moral of this post is: God is GOOD. God is GREAT. God is AWESOME. God loves me very much and I love God very much <3
P.S. God loves you very much too! <3 <3

Sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows! (Or a much-needed long weekend)

There and back again. That pretty much sums it up. So much has happened since my last blog post... Or at least it feels like it. I went on a sponsor retreat for Lifeline last weekend and it was exactly what I needed. I've been in a bad spot for a while, as far as I'm concerned, when it comes to where my spirituality sits. The last year and a half have been really rough and I let some things slide that I really shouldn't have. The retreat reminded me that God wants my attention and that I am in no position to deny Him that. It's really easy to get preoccupied with homework and work and busyness... I am learning that God's going to meet me where I'm at, but it's still my responsibility to make an effort. I'd been feeling really down in the past while and I didn't even stop to think that it might have something to do with my hurting relationship with God. Now, after realizing what's happened and what I need to work on, I've got my joy back! And it's pretty much invincible! It's incredible how strong joy is when it comes from God. It's not the false temporary kind that comes from the things of this world. This kind of joy fills you from the bottom to the top, and continues to overflow to the point where you feel like you'll never be empty again. It's true too. I won't be empty again, as I long as I remember and cling to the source of the good stuff. I have hope again :) It's so nice!
This weekend is a long weekend too! That means getting to see people that you haven't seen in ages annnnnd sleeping in on a Monday!!! :D I'm really looking forward to a bit of downtime. For once, lol. Ahh, it feels so good to be on the brink of something fantastic.
Hopefully you are all looking forward to the long weekend too, with its opportunities for rest, time to get work done, and time to spend with friends.

May God bless you and keep you and fill you to overflowing with His love and joy!