Oh My God is So Good!

Well, over the past week or so, God has really opened my eyes to show me what He wants for my life. I feel that He is calling me to step up and live my life loudly for Him. When telling one of my friends about this, he asked, "So does that mean that God wants you to go preach on street corners?" and to this, I have to answer...I'm not sure. If that is where God leads me, then I will do it (though first I would have to find a street corner within walking distance of my out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-house lol), but for now, I just want to live my life in a way that shouts God's name and His glory in everything that I do. His name will be on my lips, my hands will do His work, my feet will go where He leads. I will constantly lean on Him, and I know that I will fall sometimes, but I trust His promise to pick me up again. I'm learning what it is like to have passion for Christ, and to come to Him boldly with our praises and prayers. I love Him :)

~Rachel <3

And The Fun Continues!!

Wow.

So it turns out that the birthday celebrating wasn't quite finished. Today was the last day of VBS and normally, on the last day, all the guides go somewhere to eat and celebrate the ending of a great week. Well, this particular night, we decided to go to Luca's. I didn't object and we went through the day just like normal. When it was time to leave, we all piled into the car and headed to Luca's. Sara led us all into the room in the back and I followed without really questioning. As soon as I stepped into the room, my friends and family all yelled, "SURPRISE!!" I was totally shocked, and I never saw it coming. We partied for a long time, had pizza, cake, presents, and TONS of good times! It was simply amazing!

So tonight turned out to be pretty awesome :) I love my friends and family and all the great times we have together.

~Rachel <3

Happy Birthday To Us!! :D

So, yesterday was my sweet sixteen, and I celebrated it like this...

On Wednesday, after VBS at my church, Sara dropped me off at the Born's house. I was greeted by Hannah, Claire, John, Mr. & Mrs. Born, along with Krista Brown, who was also spending the night. We had cake that Mrs. Born made for mine and Hannah's brithday (She's my 10 year twin, you know) and sat around talking for a while. After that, we went into the living room to watch Mary Poppins and snuggle. At midnight exactly, John turned and wished Hannah and I a happy birthday (The first person to do so on our actual birthday) and we had another small celebration that involved hugs and more snuggling. Mary Poppins ended and Hannah and John made their way to bed (Claire had gone to bed earlier) while Krista and I stayed down to watch Ever After before bed. The movie went on, but I have to say that most of it went unwatched. Krista and I started talking and before we knew it, the movie was off and we were still talking. We talked about God and his plan, the spiritual battle surrounding us, and biblical teaching in our everyday lives. We talked about some really deep stuff and my eyes were opened to some of the things going on, not in our world alone, but in the spiritual world as well. It was such a great evening, and we got so caught up in talking that to our surprise, before the conversation was at an end, breakfast was ready and everyone was waking up! Without even meaning to, we'd stayed up all night! We joined the Borns for breakfast and Hannah and I opened our presents. Soon after, Krista took a nap on the couch, and Hannah and John left for DC so that Hannah could spend her birthday there with a friend. Claire left a little while later for work and to take Krista home. I went to lay down on the couch and Mrs. Born came to talk to me until I fell asleep. Claire got me up later in the afternoon and I went to keep her company while she cleaned her room. We didn't talk all that much, but it was nice to hang out with her anyway. Near 5:30, Claire and I got ready to leave so that I could go to VBS and she could pick up Krista and go to bible study. Claire dropped me off at the church after chatting in the car for a few minutes and I spent the rest of the evening with my kids. When I finally got home, my parents wished me a happy birthday and I opened a few more presents from family members. I talked to Sara some, wrote in my journal, and then drifted off to sleep right around midnight. It was a wonderful sweet sixteen :)

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes!!!

~(a now 16 year old) Rachel <3

Out of all the voices...

"Voice Of Truth"

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. 'Boy, you'll never win!'
"You'll never win"

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a Sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again "boy, you'll never win!
"You'll never win"

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

	Casting Crowns - Voice of Truth .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Boredom, boredom...

Ahh, boredom, a wonderful and yet necessary part of Summer vacation, I do believe you've finally arrived at my doorstep. I would ask what took you so long, but to be honest I'm not really interested. For now, I will only politely ask that you stay as little time as possible before being on your way again. Don't even bother unpacking just yet. For you see, I'm going to have to kick you out for a night, because I have a sleepover planned tomorrow and you are not invited. I doubt we'll even see you lurking by the window tomorrow night, no sir, I don't believe that I'll be seeing you for a while. However, as is expected, you came today, stayed a while, even sat down and got comfortable for a few minutes sometimes. And with all of that boredom behind me, I can now confidently say that I enjoyed our time together. It gave me some time to rest...now get out.

Love,

Rachel <3

Close as Sisters...

So my friend from Maryland has been staying with me since Saturday and we've been having a blast. I can't begin to explain how awesome it is to have someone there who is like a sister to me be there all the time. I don't know how I'm gonna feel when she leaves, but I'm really going to miss her. For now, I think I'll just enjoy the time we have :)

Love you, Sierra <3

Days Like Those...

So yesterday was amazing, but not the kind of amazing I can describe with words. Matt came up from Texas and we went to Sebera's with John and Sara, then to the park to hang out before church. Though not a whole long went on, it was really good to see an old friend again, and the conversation that we did was pleasant and sometimes very amusing lol. Church also was fun, and we got to play with the kids some as well as with our own age group. Despite almost having my arms pulled off, amoeba was an awesome game with lots of laughs. After class, Matt and I talked by his car and looked up at the clouds which were extraordinarily pretty yesterday. We said our goodbyes and we both went home, but I don't think I'll forget this day soon :)