Desires

"I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out" Romans 7:18

Why does this verse stick to the core of what I feel. Every aspect of life can be defined as such and the comfort I glean from the fact Paul felt this same emotion all those years ago when he wrote this letter to the Romans is irreplaceable. I want to do big things, I want to bring change, I want to affect people. I want to live daily for adventure, a princess to rescue, a cause to rally and fight for. I have been given these things and I know all the pieces of the puzzle will fall in place as life progresses but I find myself impatient. I need to pray more constantly for God's peace and assurance that where I am is where I need to be, I hate being at unrest but in my mind it is a daily question I ask, 'am I doing the right thing?' I do believe the answer is yes, I feel more reassured since switching my major to kinesiology in the college of Education and every day I go to Spanish I am reassured that I am meant to minor in it so I can fulfill my hearts thirst for medical missions. I feel God calling me to the mission field so strongly it's hard to idly sit in class learning about kinetoplastids and xylem and phloem. But I know if I am to let myself be used by God to my fullest extent I need to continue to pursue my goals of achieving acceptance into Physical Therapy School at USA or UAB and to do that I need to just slow down and push through these classes. But every day that passes is one class closer to being able to be in Peru and Mexico and Haiti and Tunis and the other places I feel God had put on my heart to share his love through medical missions. Paul, your words hold such power to me, thank you for continuing to tell us that the reason we have the desire is because of our desire for Christ and the reason we can not fulfill that desire is because on our own we are helpless, we, I, MUST rely wholeheartedly on Christ and Christ alone.

"In Christ alone, my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song.

This cornerstone, this solid ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, What depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.

My Comforter, my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand"

Swift Providence

Quiet. Quick. Rapid. Loud. Painful. Dark. Death. Still. Numb. A little over a week ago these words described the lives of my friends in Urubamba. Already those words whispered and touched the ears of the boys who reside at that home but Casa Grisoles was their one safe haven, the one chance that had at a life that was more than drugs and pain they previously knew on the streets of Peru. Hector took the boys to see the beach because there was not one of them that had ever seen the ocean before. It just happened to be the weekend of the flood that destroyed their home that the boys and Hector left for the coast. I absolutely believe it was God's absolute divine will and almighty providential hand that led them to the coast that specific weekend. If they had been in Casa Grisoles who knows how much worse things would have had been. Lives would have been lost and you cant just rebuild that. I think about what they must be going through even right now. Are they still mourning? Are they rejoicing at the lives that were saved from destruction by the sea? What little they had in the world was swept away without their even knowing. But in some senses is that not a biblical concept made tangible? Matthew 6:19-20 says

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

These boys, Hector, Maritza, they have nothing left here on Earth but i know that in heaven their rooms are filled with treasures untold. But what does this say about us? If a great flood swept into our lives taking literally every single earthly possession we own save the clothes on our backs how would we react? Would there be any Joy in the realization all turns to dust anyways? Of course there would be mourning and of course it would be horrendous but at the same time would we be able to look past what we lost to see the riches we still have? The true riches of this world can not be measured using and factor in the SI unit system. They can not be detected by taste, touch, smell, sight, or hearing. The true treasures of this world lie in the relationships we make and the memories we share with others. But here in America, here in Alabama, here at Auburn University can we accept that as truth. Easier said than done no? I want to strive towards making this realization evident in my life. I am blessed daily more than i take into count for.

In the end its about the love you've shared and people you've grown with not the car or iphone or fraternity or sorority or SGA position. Its about what you have done to share in love with others. Please keep my friends at Casa Grisoles in your prayers

Big Event 2009

Incredible day with 1700 volunteers braving the cold, wind, and rain all for some selfless giving back to the incredible community we are luck enough to be a part of. My three job site I was in charge of all did incredible jobs! I was blessed not only with incredible owners of the sites we worked at, (Campus Church, Hardy's Children's day-care center, and the Veterans Brick Memorial task 2010) but also three incredible groups of volunteers. We finished the data base for the bricks in a record breaking hour and a half, had the Campus Church site's walls scrubbed, floors mopped and swept, and touch ups done in two hours, and accomplished the large task of re-mulching and cleaning the children's play ground area in four hours. The best part of being a part of this is the feeling you get when one of the owners starts crying tears of gratitude and another asks where the children can write thank you notes to because now they can actually play outside. The credit for this belongs entirely to Auburn SGA and specifically the Big Event Staff. Being in charge of these three sites was hard work but they were only three sites, and forty volunteers of of 1700 total. That is was Auburn is all about, and that is exactly why I love it. War Eagle BE2010!