CHRISTmas with a Capital C

Well this is my first blog and I am already terrible at updating it. Maybe I will be better when I am in South Africa and my life is a little more interesting. I have just been spending as much time with my family as possible before I am gone for 5 months. I think it will be harder on them then it will be on me because I am way too excited! In fact I don't think it has really even sunk in that I am leaving in only.....20 days!!! Maybe when it gets closer it will become more of a reality that I'm leaving the country but right now I don't feel any different. I finally bought my plane tickets last week, and I am on the same plane as 2 other girls from Texas that are going! yay! It is such a blessing that I do not have to travel alone because that was the only thing that I was somewhat uneasy about. My mom also bought me a webcam for while I'm there so if anyone has a skype account give me your screen name and we can video chat while I'm gone. :) I had to get 2 of my shots yesterday and I still have 4 more to get before I leave. yuck. Needless to say besides my shots, webcam and plane tickets I have bought precisely NOTHING for my trip. I should probably have already started collecting shampoo and medicine and all the little odd and end things I am going to need but I haven't. So after Christmas I will be having quite a few shopping sprees to Wal-mart.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and it doesn't really seem like it's Christmas time yet. Seems like just yesterday was Thanksgiving. There is a house in Cleburne that makes Christmas so much better. You have to turn your radio to a certain station and their lights go along with the music. It is amazing I could sit there all night and watch it. Their lights blink along to my new favorite song of Christmas too, the song is "It's Called Christmas with a Capital C." If you haven't heard it you should check it out! It's awesome! Tomorrow we are going to Houston to spend Christmas with my mom's side of the family and I am so very excited. It's my favorite part of the holiday, getting to spend it with all my family who I haven't seen in awhile. Then after all my family leaves I am staying an extra week in Houston to help my grandma take her christmas decorations down and she's gonna pay me :) So it will be a nice little job and some nice one on one time with my grandma, who is an amazing woman.

Well that's about all that's going on for now. Besides the fact that I am reading a wonderful book that I borrowed from my sister and needless to say she might not be getting it back because I like it so much. It's called Encounters with God by James and Michal Ann Goll. So check it out! I hope everyone has a blessed and Merry CHRISTmas!!!

Next Stop...South Africa

This is the beginning to a wonderful journey in my life. So I decided to make this blog to keep my family and friends updated through every step of the way.

For those of you who do not know what I have been up to, I graduated from Baylor University in May. I recieved a Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences, and my major was Child and Family Studies. I have wanted to be a Child Life Specialist at a Children's Hospital for awhile now, so I applied for an internship after graduating. However, God had other plans for me.

I heard about YWAM (Youth With A Mission) from a very good friend of mine. When I started to look into it nothing really seemed that interesting to me because I know I have a calling to work with children and none of the ones I saw really fit what I was looking for. Then one day when I was bored and surfing the internet I came across the website for the Compassion DTS (Discipleship Training School), which works along with TTH (Ten Thousand Homes) who helps build homes for orphans in Africa. And right then and there I knew I had to apply. However, the date on the website said January 2009, so I emailed and asked if they were having another one.....

which leads me to today. They most definitely are having another one that I am so terribly excited to be a part of, there are no words to even describe how excited and ready I am. I leave for White River, South Africa on January 12 and will be gone until June 7. Right now I am just trying to get everything in order for me to go but this blog is so I can keep everyone up to date on the exciting things God will be doing in my life. I would appreciate all the prayers I can get as I prepare to leave. This is just an update for everyone for now but there will be plenty more coming soon.