Stand firm, and believe.

So I feel so incredibly blessed. My family is pretty much the most amazing family in the world. I just can't thank God enough for putting me into the family I'm in. It's really crazy how God just puts you where you are supposed to be all the time. For example, for my church life volunteer work, I am doing Street Teams. Last year, God allowed me to work in Street Ministry every other week for 2 months or so at the St. Louis Dream Center, so I now have a little experience (though every ministry is different). Also, I am watching little toddlers for the Sisterhood (which is the women's ministry, in case you haven't noticed by now even though I talk about it all the time. It goes on every Thursday morning). This is really cool because before I left, I worked with kids CONSTANTLY. You know, my job at the gym doing childcare, and then my nannying job. I love love love kids, and I just think it's so cool that God opened doors for good-paying jobs in SC that actually were preparing me for a role I was going to be assigned at Hillsong.

Every little thing that people back home do really really encourages me, and helps me get through in some of the hard times. Just knowing that I have a supportive, loving family back home plays a HUGE part into comforting me when I'm sad. For example - random phone calls/texts, emails reminding me that I have a "fan-base" back home (as Aunt Alli puts it), packages (well, I am waiting for mom's to get here), and just love period. I know, I know, I'm always bragging about my family, but y'all are just so awesome! To my friends at home that read my blog...you have NO idea how much that means to me. Whenever someone tells me they read my blog, it really really makes me feel loved and encouraged. I know my entries aren't always the most interesting and profound...they are just basically my thoughts, and what's going on in my life. Those who read my blog really show me that they want to hear my thoughts, and are interested in what's going on in my life. All I can say is keep reading, because God's going to really do some awesome things. I am believing for healing in my back. I firmly, 100%, no doubt about it, believe that God wants and is more than able to heal my back! Why not?. God can do anything. Not only will His daughter (that would be me) be free from pain, but He will just be glorified. What a testimony that will be to people. I want to just go back to the doctors and show them what God's done. What a testimony. Doctors have just been trained through earthly schooling...not to believe in the Ultimate Healer. Imagine if I could go back to those doctors and show them what the Healer did for me. I think it would pretty much rock their world. And how could I take any credit for such a miracle? Sometimes God does these awesome things, and people have a tendency to try and somehow fit themselves into that picture - as if they are somehow a hero of some kind. But how could I ever take credit for being healed from scoliosis? I'd like to see someone try and do that. Haha. Seriously, God would be so glorified. Lives would be changed. I believe my life isn't the only one that would be changed either. What a testimony.

One thing God's been laying heavily on my heart lately is praising your way through circumstance. Sometimes I go to church and I'm honestly just burdened with the worries and problems of everyday life. But sometimes you just have to stir up faith inside of yourself. So I go to the front of the room with a bunch of others, and praise my way through. Eventually, I am jumping and truly praising God out of my heart, because my faith is stirred up. Faith is a choice. One of my favorite verses is this:

...If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.
-Isaiah 7:9