Frankenstorm Sandy

When I think of Sandy, I think of an elderly lady at church who is constantly freezing (even in the middle of summer) and constantly eating (she is a stick, no wonder she is so cold!). She is the sweetest lady and the kindest intentions.

This is in huge contrast with the hurricane that is currently blasting outside. I tried to maneuver the "Hill" that I walk up everyday to my dorm but I felt like someone was pushing me! I just kept saying Psalms 139:5 over and over "You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me." I was praying for a hedge! Around 5 o'clock I was awaken from my nap to a group of my residents looking frantic: the power was out! I told them not to burn candles (safety hazard) and that the lights would be on soon. Secretly I hoped that the power would stay off so classes would be cancelled and we could sleep in the gym! We still have time in this storm.

I love storms because they are a wonderful example of how AMAZING and POWERFUL our God is. He commands the winds and they obey Him! I pray for the safety of everyone without power and all of us in the NorthEast experiencing the awesomeness of Sandy!

I'm prepared! Three gallons of water, three flashlights, handwarmers and a variety of delightful goodies :)

My casualty of Hurricane Sandy. I bought her yesterday! She was flipped inside out and made me look like a complete idiot.

Mango

I have two confessions:
First Confession: I LOVE mangoes more than any food in the entire world. Give me a mango and a sunflower and I literally have the sun in my hands. The color of a ripe mango is one of the richest oranges in nature; it is beautiful. And a sunflower? I don't need to describe its colors. How can you not smile when you see one?
Second Confession: I HATE sharing my mangoes (or any food for that matter).

woo. Now THAT is off my shoulders. This is actually a serious struggle for me; not the love of mangoes but  the lack of sharing. I actually just wrote "unsharing" and it has a red squiggle under it. I had to think of what other word it could be. "Selfish". That is the word I'm looking for. I prefer "unsharing", it sounds less....bad. But the truth of the matter is I am selfish with me food.

I was sitting in my room doing work with a friend when a fellow RA stopped by. My door was open because I try to be hospitable so she walked on in to say hi and look at my room. I watched her eyes as they landed on my five mangoes, sitting perfectly on my mini-fridge. "Don't do it", I thought, "Don't even think about it." Well guess what she did....SHE ASKED FOR A MANGO! I was shocked. Who does that?! I stared at her, fighting every urge to say no. There was an awkward pause and a small "I guess so" from me (my heart slowly breaking).

She took it and left. My poor friend then heard a rant from me about how rude that is to ask someone for food and how I felt like I had been taken advantage of because I'm such a nice person (haha), etc. I secretly hoped the mango was rotten (I know, I'm awful). In the middle of my angry thoughts another thought flew in: "Jesus would have given her the mango". It sounds like a cheesy thought and I quickly tried to push it away. Of course Jesus would have given her a mango...He is Jesus! Duh. He loves everyone and I know He could "multiply" the mango to feed five thousand anyway. I'm not Jesus so I shouldn't have to share my precious mangoes.

I had to tell myself over and over again that giving her the mango was the right thing to do, but to be quite honest, it wasn't easy. I have enough trouble sharing my food with my friends and family... I don't know why. I have never starved or been in want of food. I used to always grab more food before I was done with my first plate because I was convinced my older brother was going to eat it all. Maybe I'm just selfish.

After this episode, I realized I needed to work on sharing. If I'm to be Jesus to the world, I need to learn how He shared. He probably would have given her the mango and a drink of water (ooo, so she would never be thirsty?!) I felt like Abu from Aladdin when he shares his bread with the orphans. I shared but it wasn't with love. So I've started with my friends and sharing what I really like to eat. They probably don't even realize my internal struggle because they all would do it a heartbeat.

There it is, out in the open. One of my struggles. I'm sure if I'm quite ready to give a stranger a mango but I take heart in the fact that He is still working on me to make me what I ought to be :)

Captain America

I recently bought earrings off of etsy that make me so happy every time I see them. The earrings are replicas of Captain America's shield. Call me a nerd. Call me silly. I love him.

I love Super Heroes. I love their fights against evil, their costumes, and their desire to team together to save the world (except Batman, he is a loner). I remember one summer where my brothers and I spent many a nights watching the Justice League. Though Captain America is not part of the Justice League, he recently has had his own movie and a part in the Avengers (a very good watch if I do say so myself).

A quality guy with traditional values, Captain America has won the hearts of many a citizen.

What I love about Captain America, among other things, is the red, white and blue. I like to say that I was patriotic before I went abroad but I saw more shortcomings of the US then I would have liked to admit. However, it was while I was abroad that I fell more in love with my country because, though it has its short-comings, it is the best country on earth.

It took me living in another country with its own set of problems to realize that EVERY country is slightly messed up (some more than others). I mostly missed the people but I also missed the nation that is still a baby in the world's eyes. How old is our country? Two hundred years old? 

I could talk about the negative aspects of the USA but for now I just want to dwell in the fact that I'm American. I can do what I want. I can worship my God without fear of being killed, I can get an education and have a say as a woman. I can be protected and I can stand up for injustices. I have FREEDOM.

I thought most people outside of the US hated Americans and that is partially true but I believe a lot of it is jealousy because  WE ARE SO BLESSED! Other countries are wonderful, and I love traveling/living within their borders but there is something really special about calling this country home.

In the Avengers, there is a scene where Black Widow describes Thor and Loki as "gods". Captain America replies "There's only one God, ma'am and I'm sure He doesn't dress like that."

Yeah...

He will always be my favorite :) 

I love America

Shen Men and everything Houghton

Last week was one of the craziest weeks I've had at school. I don't like to complain about how much work I have/the amount of sleep I got because I realized how blessed I am to even have these complaints! How lucky am I that I get to learn? and be with some amazing people at that?! But last week was rough. At one point I looked at everything I had to do and was completely overwhelmed. I froze. I fretted. I didn't know how it all was going to work out. I decided to go to the lake and read one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I find my mind drifting towards the story of Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings 6. In this passage, Elisha and his servant were completely surrounded by the enemy and Elisha prayed that the servant's eyes be opened. The servant then saw the hills filled with chariots of fire. How powerful! We still serve the same God that did that. It blows my mind to think that I might not be seeing the chariots surrounding me, but they could still be there! God fights my battles. After reading this story and having some serious prayer, I was filled with a peace that continued into my exam. God is so good! He got me through all of it and I'm just overwhelmed with how He cares for the little things in my life.

After the craziness of the week I ended up car hopping my way to Houghton College to visit Meghan and Christy. One of the car hops landed me at a youth rally. I got to see one of my favorite people (it had been over a year), my brother and sister-in-law and a dear friend. And that was just the beginning! After some worship, a small lesson and a quick stop at McDonalds, Christy and I were bound for Houghton College, a small Christian school in Western NY. It was strange being surrounded by Christian "stuff". There were shower devos, verses on the walls and a chapel right in the center of campus. The talent show consisted of Christian pick-up lines. God was regular topic of conversation and boys had to sign in to get into the girl's dorm. What a shock from my school! I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed Devos with my friends, a bible study, the food and FINALLY being Meghan's college roommate.

One of my favorite parts of being there was a soccer game we went to. Apparently a group of guys called the Shen Men (the name comes from a dorm there) go to every guy's soccer game and dress up in obnoxious outfits. They bring their pots and pans and chant the ENTIRE time. Honestly, it was more fun watching them than the game (the guys won 7-3). Their leader was a missionary kid who grew up in Kenya! They had tribal chants and everything. I loved it :) Every time a baby was carried in front of the group, the leader would hold up his hand, immediately making the group silent. Then they would all whisper "Babbbbbbyyyyyy!" How considerate! I was impressed.

I couldn't get the Shen men out of my head so when, at the bible study, we were asked to write a letter of encouragement to a guy on Campus, the Kenyan immediately came to mind. Let's just say he got an anonymous letter from yours truly (though I might have slipped my number in there....if only!).

I loved the entire weekend. I finally got to meet/see all the people Meghan had told me about. I got to lay in her bed and share my heart. It was so refreshing and oh so good!

I finished up my Fall break at home with some quality time with Josiah, my parents and my baby Khloe. Oh it was so needed and now I'm just sitting here smiling, remembering a time where I wasn't on call till 2 am! Oh yes, but I'm so thankful that I can even complain about this!

Welcome to the Family, Johnny!

This past weekend was full of excitement, tears, sadness, happiness, hugs (lots of them!) and absolute craziness! My sister, Stephanie, married her best friend, John, in an outdoor wedding at our annual Ciderfest.

The Ciderfest is something that has always happened every September. Looking back to my childhood, I think I looked forward to it more than Christmas. We pick apples, press our own cider, make/eat homemade donuts, ride a zip line and just genuinely enjoy God's creation and each other's company.

Steph has always said that she wanted to get married at the Ciderfest so when she told me last month that she was getting married at the Ciderfest, I thought it was next year. Nope, she meant this year! So we planned a wedding in a little over a month :) My family is thinking that it might be better that way...like ripping off a bandaid; quick and painless! They completed pre-marital counseling (which I think is one of the most important parts of the wedding preparations!), the dresses came in, people showed up and we had a party!!!

I have to admit I cried the night before because it is different when a sister gets married. Last year, when Caleb married my best friend from fourth grade, I was happy to gain a new sister! Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy that Johnny is now part of our crazy family. However, Steph was moving to Illinois and I just cried because I love her and I'm going to miss her. I hate good byes and transitions. This required both. Now it is just "my" room instead of "ours". Weird.

The Wedding was absolutely beautiful with prayers, vows and the gentle reminder to have God, Love and Respect at the center. Plenty of friends and family came to celebrate our new family member! The pictures will show the happiness of the family, the beautiful scenery and the blessings from above!

Welcome, Johnny! I'm so glad you're my new brother! I pray for many blessings to you and Stephanie!! Love you both!

The Family!

The lovely couple

Sisters

aww

we know how to have fun

just playing a little football

The beautiful scenery

The parents and beautiful bride

Accessories!

Just a Note

Here is just a note to say hi.
I'm praying for you. For your hopes, your struggles, your health....anything that is taking space in your mind.
You're loved by the One Who Created You. Very dearly loved by Him.
And me :)

"Tell me what your plans are for after Graduation"

I recently had to write an essay for an opportunity that I am SO VERY EXCITED ABOUT (Fulbright Scholarship to teach English next year?!) and in it I was talking about how next year is the first time I won't know what I am doing in the Fall. Every year, since I was six, I was always going to school come late August/early September. However, next year, that doesn't have to happen! I could be working, or in another part of the world, or in school, or starting my own business, or living at home with mom and dad (yay four-year degree!).

I've been anxious trying to figure out my life. I mean, it is all up to me...right? But then He hits me time and time and verse and verse again. "STOP IT KRISSY". And I chuckle and worry some more and He brings people and memories to remind me of the times He had my life figured out and did it His way...even when I tried to do it mine.

I remember my first year I was walking back to my dorm fretting about something that now, when looking back at it, I wish I had never even wasted a moment on. There I was fretting, kind of praying, kind of doing my own scheming when I heard "Am I not enough?". I stopped quicker than anything and whipped around wondering who spoken. I'm not saying that God spoke to me, but I do believe He whispers in the winds and into our hearts. And He did that night. I teared up as I realized what I had been putting before Him. He convicted me and He continues to do so. Many times I'll realize that my thoughts are jumping to plans that I know are not His. Plans of becoming closer with the cute boy in my class when I know that the boy would not draw me closer to Him. Plans, plans and more plans.  But my thoughts jump to worries more than anything. Because, clearly, I know better than the Creator of the Universe and I can change His mind by telling Him the way I want things done. Clearly.

Though I still struggle with completely surrendering every worry to God, it used to have a much bigger hold on my life. I'm not even close to being perfect, but I do serve a perfect God who is molding me into His image. I'm more an evidence type of person. Don't tell me something exists; show me. If something is important enough so I would revolve my entire life around it, then I better have the facts to back it up. I didn't simply believe that the Bible was true because that was what I heard from the time I was born, I sought out the evidence and, thank God, I found the truth. I've always had a soft spot for Thomas. Everyone seems to give him a hard time because he was the "doubter" and the "skeptic". I am thankful for him because I would have done the same exact thing. Jesus knew He needed a Thomas for some of us in the future.

Because God knows me, He knows that I need evidence and facts and histories. I do have faith, but that faith is based on what He has shown me. He has been pulling me from my worrying state by showing me He has it all taken care of. I've prayed for extensions on papers or cancellations of classes not really believing that He would answer them. Why would He when He has such bigger problems to deal with? Oh but I'm trying to put God into Human standards which He just doesn't fit. He blows my mind. So He answers my prayers and some. I was worried about friends in Belgium. God Answered: I'll give you friends that will become your family there. I worried about the health of my Grandmas (on multiple occasions). God Answered:That His timing was always perfect. I was worried about summer plans. God Answered: I'll send you to Michigan where you'll be surprised, yet again, at how good I am to you. I have been really worried about my health (I seem to enjoy hospitals). God Answered(s): It's all for my purpose.

And here I am again worrying about the Fall and I can just hear Him say "Really? Haven't we already been over this? I already know where you're going." So now, in faith, I'm applying like crazy, and praying like crazy. He has literally brought me to my knees. Often times I don't even know what to say. I just know that I need to bring it before Him and leave it there. Leave it there. But I'm not perfect and it is a daily struggle to trust Him. A daily struggle to deny myself. But He is faithful even when I am not so I'm casting my cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7) and trusting that His will will be done in my life.

This is just a reminder I have in my planner...because I tend to forget.

Words of Life getting me through: Jeremiah 29:11-13, Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 16:33, Philippians 1:6 (so good!), Philippians 2:13, Ephesians 2:10, Psalms 120:1, Isaiah 65:24, Isaiah 58:9, Psalm 46, Psalm 139.