17 days!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe I am going to Japan in 17 days!!!!!! It's been about a year now since I felt God's calling to go to Tokyo, Japan! I still can't believe I'm going! If someone would have told me before super summer that I would be going to Japan on a mission trip I would have laughed at them and told them they were crazy! It's sooo unreal how much God has changed me in the past year. I went from being so shy and just wanting to fit in to finally starting to figure exactly who I am and who God wants me to continue to become:D

The whole process for Japan has been such a journey! From actually convincing my parents to let me go and then filling out the application and also sending in recomendation letters from people at church to actually raising the money to go. God used so many people in my life to help encourage and support me with this trip! I still can't believe I raised more money than I needed for the trip!! I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life who have and always have supported me in all I do!! I am so thankful for my parents for busting their behinds to help me raise the money and send in the payments on time and everything else they have helped me with for my trip!

Through this trip and also with getting ready for college I am learning more and more that God will provide for me and help me in all i do! Even when there have been times of such weakness I know that with God I will come out stronger in the end for in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 it states:
"But he said to me," my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecution, in difficulties. For when I am weak, I am strong." I am so thankful to have God on my side! I know i could not survive without him! I'm so excited about this opportunity to spread God's name in Japan!

Graduation!!!!!!

So its been almost a week since I've graduated and it hasn't sunk in all the way yet! lol I think it will on the 11th of June when i sign up for classes lol. I cannot wait to see what all God is going to do this summer! Especially with going to Japan!!! I wrote a poem for my English class a 2 weeks ago about what I had expected of my Senior year and it definently describes who i am now:) I cannot wait to see how God uses my passion in the years ahead!

What I Expected of Senior Year

Fun, Parties,

Hanging out with friends

And reading,

With not a care

In the world,

Thinking the whole year

Would be fun and games.

What I had not forseen

Was the fiery passion,

Burning in my heart,

Chasing the selfishness away,

Making the love for the Lord,

Spill over to be shared with others,

Showing them how great,

That love is-

True and unconditional.

The wearing of time

And the longing in my soul,

To someday have a fairytale ending,

Clouded my eyes and heart,

Making the fire dim to a glow,

Filling my life with sorrow.

Then being filled again with

The spirit of my Lord,

My fiery passion was restored,

Plus more.

For I had expected always

To just fade into the background,

Someone not to be heard,

To not be remembered,

But instead,

I have a passion,

A voice to be heard,

Avoice for my Lord.