Look back and Laugh?

Maybe I will laugh later in life about the amount of time my co-worker spends on finding me a good husband. I sure am laughing now. She found out about this son of a friend of hers, and coincidently, the parents of this man, live a few doors from my parents. I find myself laughing over all of the ways in which she can find ways to connect herself to this man. She knows his parents well, she knows someone who's husband works with him, and another lady who works with him.

Then her youngest son met someone who once swam with my co-worker's older son. He's now on the list as a possibility too.

I find so much joy in how excited she gets in possibly being the one to introduce me to a good man to marry.

Baptism!

Today I will become a Godmother again!

I will add Isabella to the growing list! Please offer a prayer for her today as she begins her life in Christ!

I must say that having 5 Godchildren is quite a blessing! Getting so familiar with Baptisms is such a treat too because it's the very beginning. I know God formed Isabella in the womb, kept her save for 9 months, and brought her into this world safely on her birthday....but today is the day where the original sin of her humanity will be washed clean.

Pray for her parents as well. Today is not only a big day for Isabella, but today I will go to Mass with her parents for the first time ever since their wedding. I've known Stacey since high school and always tried to invite her to Mass, and she always wanted to go but never made it happen. They were going to start going back to church after the wedding....then after I moved into town....but it didn't happen. So last week, they went to Mass where they got married, and are going to register there and go every week. Prayers answered!

What a truly Blessed Day today!

"No Duh!"

Did anyone ever say that to you when you were a kid? I'm not sure what it even means. It insinuates that you didn't know something relatively obvious...but why no duh? I don't get that...but I just had that type of moment just now.

"No Duh Kristina"

I had gotten a scare this week: my account with school said my balance was, get ready....$2,390 or something in that general ballpark. If you didn't know, I spent my emergency fund to replace my tires and pay for an extra class I took in the first 8 weeks of school. Not okay!

I also have been trying to understand the reason for the lost cell phone. (that story here)

"No Duh Kristina"

This morning I got an email back from the Accounting office at Albertus after I asked for options to pay them..."Kristina, this is your balance because your Financial Aid hasn't been dispersed yet, it takes a few weeks for that to come in, but you have plenty coming to cover it all..."

I can now see the "No Duh" turning into God saying pretty clearly "Trust me, I've got you in the palm of my  hand"

I am so amazed that, although I'm such a sinner, and although I don't always trust Him, He still has me in His hands. He still offers opportunity for grace, mercy, and He still guides me.

Dear God, you amaze me daily. Thank you so much for the endless love, mercy and guidance you give me. Bless all of those around me with this realization so we can all bask in your Glory forever! Amen!

edit: moments after posting this, I went to facebook...a new message in my inbox? Hmm...it's a message from my co-worker's son Greg..."my  mom thinks she found a phone for you..." Gras a Dye! No Duh! Of course He's got it covered!

7 Quick Takes-hosted at Conversiondiary.com!

Hi all! Here are my first ever (correctly posted) 7 Quick Takes for Friday!

-1-

This week I made it to all of my classes on the right night! And all weren't that bad! Some of my fellow Christians in my religious studies class posed questions back to our doubting Tom professor that made me smile as he totally avoided answers. If you are going to go up against the faith the Christians, at least answer them when they know more than you ;) And my really tough Psych prof. gave me a compliment in my interpreting philosophy. Major scores for the week!

-2-

Major prayers needed: For a very close friend and household sister Gretchen. Please keep her in your prayers this week on a private intention. Thank you. Also, keep praying for Haiti. On top of the earthquake which they have not even closely recovered from and a cholera outbreak in one area, the rain/wind of Hurricane Tomas are hitting them harder through tonight and tomorrow before leaving!

-3-

I should be getting a promotion at work...which is good because I could use the money and it will allow me to actually make comments about the dumb and ridiculous things my co-workers do instead of doing their jobs how they were trained! Though I haven't stopped wondering if I should just quit and ask my co-worker to hire me to work for her husband's company. I think I'd be happier.

-4-

Marry me?: The same Co-worker from #3 is pretty convinced that it is her job to find my husband. Personally, I'm glad because I just simply don't have time to look for him right now. My mom and I discussed tonight that we're going to start praying that God will lead her to my husband so we can stop worrying. So far there is a 27 year old teacher (who is being set up with someone else first so I have to wait) and a 30 yr old independent man with 3 jobs (who's parents live on the same street as my parents and they own my favorite pizza place, sweet!).

-5-

I hate money. Which may be a contradiction because in #3 I said a promotion would be good for money. But I really hate it. It causes me to worry too much...I'm trying to trust God...and money makes me distracted from trusting. So therefore, I believe that the saying "Money is the root of all evil"

-6-

I'm getting new pots and pans tomorrow as a present from my parents for my birthday! I chose that over new clothes. I believe this is how I know that I'm an adult. I am SO excited about these pans! Check them out here! I have a gift card to help defray costs too!  And after we get them, she's going to help me finish settling into my apartment...yea, it's only taken 6 months!

-7-

I lost my cell phone. Yup. No idea where it is. My nephew  (2 years old) probably has it stashed at my sister's house somewhere...I can picture him taking it out, sliding it open and shut, saying "Auntie....Thomas....Train Table" because that's all he said to me last weekend. With all the money talk, I'm obviously not trying to buy a new phone...just trying to find someone with a phone that will take my extra sim card...my co-worker, who's on the finding husband duty, also thinks she'll have a phone for me. LOVE her!

The end! Thanks for reading! This is fun!

Discern the Lesson?

Well my friends, I think it is official that my cell phone is lost completely. While on the one hand, I have loved not having an added distraction in my life this week, there are moments when I realize what a good tool it is to have. For instance, when I'm on my way to work and get stuck in traffic and realize I will definitely be more than 30 minutes late. To not be able to call, in my opinion, is unprofessional. Also, when I need to tell someone if I'm running late to meet them for dinner. And on my way home from school, and I thought I'd confirm plans with my mom for tomorrow night.

I just don't know. I just renewed my cell contract so not replacing it at all is dumb because I'd still have to pay the termination fee (prob. around $200 or so). Replacing it is cheaper but still not the kind of money I just have laying around to spend on that. So I'm hoping that someone I know has an old T-mobile phone I can just activate on my plan. Of course, I'm going to the mall kiosk first because last time I did that the sales guy said "um, I have this extra phone personally, and I'll give it to you for free, but I have to walk out of the mall with you and give it to you there..." It was a huge blessing then and I will chance it happening again.

I am trying my hardest to see the lesson here. If it was that I can survive without a cell phone, I definitely get it, and if it weren't for the termination fee, I would ditch it, and just get a "Go" phone to have in case of emergencies. So other lessons....not sure quite yet but can't wait to see what God uses this to teach me!

The good part: I trust from the start this time that there is a lesson here somewhere!

Excited!

You may notice there are some posts missing. After a week full of trying to make my blog into something great, I realized through some good advice to just go back to my original desire to blog. To write about what I'm passionate about. The original reason I started this blog to record my experience with learning how to be a missionary in my daily life, mostly in regards to Haiti.

I think I lost touch with that whole idea since I got to go to Haiti. Yet, here I am again, not having reached perfection by any means, waiting on the Lord to lead me back to that amazingly special place. And with still more to learn about daily mission work and plenty of room for me to grow, I have to remember one thing: Forcing anything is never fruitful. Just as I waited patiently for my first opportunity to go to Haiti, I will again wait patiently for the next time. I will wait for this blog to develop into whatever God may call it to be.

Getting back to the basic inspiration for this blog, I will try to remember that God is the one leading my journey, not me. Clearly, I tried to run the show here and I made a schedule, which I ultimately messed up a few times last week. So I'm starting from "scratch" and will see where God, and this blog, take me. Thanks for joining the journey...the journey to completion.

7 Quick Takes

Here goes nothing:

-1-

I started my midterm for Humanities last night...finished it today and submitted. I barely did a work cited page. Hopefully I will get an A

-2-

My resume was not forwarded to the hiring supervisors for the job I wanted...the people in the department were made aware, they are going to try to re-write adn repost the job because they actually want me in the position. Gras a Dye! (Thanks be to God in Creole)

-3-

Tonight, I'm continuing and finishing up the tradition with my friend Phil, of seeing the Saw horror films in the movie theatre as soon as it comes out. We're going to the midnight showing....after I've worked 8-4:30, finished a mid term and sat through 2 classes from 5:30-10pm. I am CRAZY! But I don't have work tomorrow...

-4-

I don't have to work tomorrow. I plan to sleep then hopefully head down earlier than 5/6pm to PA to see my sister and the kids AGAIN! This will be the 3rd weekend in a row and I can't be happier!

-5-

My newest Religion class= AWFUL...religion classes at liberal arts colleges are just awful for conservative Catholics/Christians. I'm praying to the Holy Spirit for guidance on what place I need to take in this atmosphere.

-6-

I've been feeling kinda sick for the past week...started with some swollen tonsils, they were irritated...led to a stuffy nose...some sinus issues....and get this: worse at home...feel better at WORK....seriously? That is kinda messed up!

-7-

My  lovely Humanities professor is showing us a movie about Malcolm X and then we'll be dismissed. Bless his heart because I rushed here to do the midterm and didn't grab dinner...now I'll have a break to grab dinner before the 8pm class. And our assignment for next week is simpler than they have been. Bless his soul!