We're Engaged!!

What a Wonderful Christmas Surprise!

Yesterday evening I was planning to go on a relaxing dinner date with my sweet boyfriend, but to my surprise, instead of getting him on my front step, I got a letter! It was a clue to an unsolved case! "Santa's reindeer had been stolen" and I was the "special agent" that had to find them! Each time I went to a different location I would find two reindeer and another clue. All the places were special and significant to the growth of Justin and my friendship and relationship. I finally ended up on the home plate of the baseball field where Justin played catcher for four years! There he popped the question as ALL the stadium lights turned on!! It was truly a wonderful night, full of surprises and a walk down memory lane!

"We love because He first Loved us." --1 John 4:19

Christmas fun with Family!

Family Fun at Christmas!

Every Christmas, my family gets together to exchange gifts and share time together. We had such a wonderful time this year...filled with tickling matches, dessert trays, the movie Elf, and yes...even a thunderstorm :)

I'm so thankful that I am still able to spend Christmas with all the people I love.

Merry Christmas to all!! Take time to show someone you love them and appreciate them.

Good Question...

So today at church we were asked to name one thing that we have learned this year so far. I like this question because it forces me to reflect (something that I try to refrain from doing usually). I don't like this question because me being the indecisive person that I am, it is usually quite difficult to pick one of anything.

BUT, this time it was not hard AT ALL. I knew exactly what it was because the Lord has been working on teaching me this for a while.

I am learning WHY we go through trials? tough times? lonely times? Faith. The answer is one word, but with so much meaning. In order for others to see my faith and in order for me to have confidence in my faith, I must go through a time when I need that faith...when all I have is that faith. I finally see, that is how we find joy through struggles...we get to SEE our faith come ALIVE. We get to see the unwaivering strength that it supplies.

So if you, like me sometimes, have nights of loneliness, pain, uncertainty, anger, and sadness just remember THOSE are the times we get to see, feel, and have confidence in the Faith and Spirit inside of us.

~Rebekah
One of my new fav's: Proverbs 10:19

Old Friends are the Dearest.

I'm begining to see that my old friends are the dearest ones.

It was GREAT to meet up with some old friends last weekend and share funny memories and new experiences. As the years go by, distance comes, but we are still so close. I am truly blessed with wonderful friends!

"Good things come to those who wait"

Okay, well I know that saying may get old, but it is so true! One thing that I have learned this semester is to wait. Our schedules, our plans, always seem to make us want to race through this life...instead of just enjoying it. The special moments are what make this life worth living. I'm so happy that I am with someone who shows me how to enjoy life and not rush it, but soak it all in. It was great to see him this weekend! We got ourselves drawn by an artist at the Homecoming Festival!

So Remember: if you are stressed, rushed, needing a break...just take a second and enjoy the small blessings that are all around you.

love~Rebekah

Happy Halloween!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

This year was different than the past three years. This was the first time in three years that I spent Halloween with my family...Although I have to admit I did spend a few hours at the Hallaluia Hoedown at our Church.

I dressed up as a black-eyed pea and it was amazing to me at how long it took some people to catch on...others were really quick! I attempted to dunk our College Minister in the dunking booth and had success on the FIRST try! That was against the odds because I am not the type of girl that has a lot of experience throwing a baseball! ha!

As I got home, I was welcomed at the door by my mom and older sister who were "eating up" this whole tricker treating thing :)
Those tricker treaters were too cute! We all three sat around and caught up on all the craziness of life! It was so nice to spend time laughing and chating with too of my favorite ladies.

Finally Melanie "Wilma Flinstone" got home and we got to sort through the candy and enjoy eachothers company.

This was a very Happy Halloween :0)

the Holidays are comin'!!

Happy Fall Break to me!!

I got to make a surprise visit down to Auburn last weekend and it was well worth it! Justin was so surprised and it was great for us to see each other and spend time together.

We went hiking, walking on campus, had picnics, went to his church, cooked out for game day, and carved a pumpkin!! all in just a few days! Getting to know him never gets old.

I thank God for him.

The BIG 2-1!!

Happy Birthday to me!!!

My 21st birthday was wonderful! I was able to sit down with five of my dearest girl friends. We have not ALL sat down together since graduation! It was a wonderful couple of hours of laughing, sharing, and catching up on life :)

I'm so blessed with precious friends that are each so unique and beautiful in their own special way!

I also had one of my favorite family birthday parties EVER! My sisters, brother in law, parents, and grandparents were all there, along with Justin and his mom. It is always great to sit around and share funny stories from the past...some embarrassing...ha!

What a truly wonderful weekend!

Swing Dancing!

So the past three years I have been taking swing dancing lessons and LOVE to dance even more now! JB also took lessons; so we are able to cut a rug when needed :)

Dance has always been my outlet...a place where I can enjoy myself and forget all the worries.

We had a dinner and swing dancing fellowship at my friend, Chad's, church. Almost 60 people were there! It was so much fun and just to prove it, I have a video :) Enjoy...

My first Auburn Game!!!

My first official Auburn Game was Awesome! They played Kansas State and beat them in the 4th quarter (23-13). The fans were all excited and the stadium was the loudest I've ever heard one! I also learned many Auburn Cheers!

My favorite was: "Bodygetta Bodygetta Bodygetta Bah Rah Rah Rah Sis Boom Bah Weagle Weagle War Damn Eagle Kick em in the butt, Big Blue Hey!"

I had a blast spending time with some wonderful and dear friends and my favorite person, JB.

Although, I must confess my blood still runs garnet :)

Family Vacation...oh the memories!

After almost two months of not seeing my family or boyfriend, I got to spend a whole week with them in our Nations Capital! It was super hot...especially after spending a summer in the warm and non-humid environment of Canada! We saw ALL of the outside monuments in one day...I'm not kidding!

One of my favorite parts of the trip was getting to spend some great time with my younger sis, Melanie. I hadn't seen her all summer and had even missed her Birthday so we were in dire need of sisterly bonding time! This time consisted of dress up at the National Zoo with Mel and my older sis, Kathy! :)

The Panda bears were so Beautiful and cute to see! They spent 10 million dollars on those things!!

One night we went to the Iwa Jima monument and got to see the Marine Silent Drill Core! It was so amazing how they stayed on beat without saying one command! It was at sunset and was one of my favorite things the whole time there!

All in all it was a great vacation! Everytime I'm with my family I get to learn more about their personalities and the way our Creator has made us...it's true we are all different, but isn't that what keeps the fun going! There is never a dull moment and I hope that never changes :)

This is my last day in Westbank. I sit and think about what I've learned about myself and how I've grown closer to Christ. Many people say that your faith grows and matures as you take steps in it. I agree with that, but also I see how it is a process of going back to your faith as a child.

God has blessed me with a lot of time spent with children here. Many were not believers. By talking with them about God, I could see the awe and intrigue in their eyes. Their faith is so strong for someone so little. They just believe.

It causes me to wonder...why do we always have to question, always have to have proof, always have to look at things through a sceptical view. We don't!

Faith is walking through the UNKNOWN. Faith is learning to Trust. It's easy to trust when you are in control, but learning to lean on Jesus is learning to give up your control.

Because of this trip my faith has grown to be like the faith of a child. Willing to still be in awe and intrigued by the love of my Father. To walk into the unknown without any doubt. And to know that wherever I go, if I am looking to him, he will not let my foot stumble.

"Return to rest, O my soul; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with thee.
For He has delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling." --Psalm 116:7-8

See you all really soon! Pray for safe travel.

Love, Rebekah :)

I spent the last week in Merritt, BC. It is a small town of 7,000 people and about that many horses. The town felt a lot like small towns back home except they still refuse to use the word "y'all".

I learned a lot about my life and how God can use my life while there. Before I left my mentor Mrs. Jane Poster sent me a prayer from a book she had. It said:

"Let me learn by paradox

that the way down is the way up,

that to be low is to be high,

that the broken heart is the healed heart,

that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,

that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,

that to have nothing is to possess all,

that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,

that to give is to receive,

that the valley is the place of vision.

Let me find thy light in my darkness,

thy life in my death,

thy joy in my sorrow,

thy grace in my sin,

thy riches in my poverty

thy glory in my valley."

She asked me to think about my summer experience and write my own paradox prayer. So I gave it a shot:

My prayer:
"Let me learn by paradox
That a silent listener speaks volumes
That admitting you can’t is the first step to victory
That tears of fear is a relationship beginning
That swallowing your words is showing HIS love
That being betrayed is a lesson of what trust is
That being mislead is a lesson of what love is
That the biggest impact at home is not being there
That to be a leader means being a servant FULL of humility
That to feel worthy begins with unworthy tears
Let me find thy glory in my humility,
Thy joy in my aches
Thy guidance in my confusion
Thy comfort in my dependence
Thy love in my stillness."

I thought maybe I could encourage you to do the same. Think about where you are RIGHT NOW in your journey. What are you learning? Maybe write your own Paradox Prayer. It's amazing how God teaches us through ways the world wouldn't understand. Embrace your journey. You are special and irreplaceable...and so is your story, your life, your paradox.

I'd love to hear your prayers so feel free to share if you'd like!

All my love, Rebekah :)

See you in a WEEK!!

plans change...it's life!

When we first arrived in Kelowna (Westbank), BC we had an idea in our head. We thought that we had a pretty good idea of what lied ahead of us. Surprise! Plans always change! Our supervisors have been crazy busy with a new job so our group had to become super independent. This has taught us a lot. Mostly to open our eyes and look for opportunities to serve. I have felt anger and fear with this new role of leading because I did not feel that I was ready for it. Then it hit me...the reason I felt like I couldn't do this is because I can't. I cannot lead on my own. I cannot serve on my own. I must daily spend time with the Father. Getting His wisdom, His energy, His love because without it we will fail. Leadership starts with humility; admitting you don't know the answer, but that you DO know who is the answer...Jesus.

Not knowing the future causes us to lean on the Father even more diligently. Embrace that fact!

I love you all!

"Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong!" -2 Corinthians 12:10

Jump of Faith

My idea of a leap of faith has changed a lot the past year. The Lord has taught me that one of the biggest leaps of faith I can take is to trust Him. The process of planning for a summer mission trip has caused me to wait and listen...two things I'm not good at.
This summer has taught me so much about loving and listening. I have always been the first to jump into a discussion and speak my opinion, but here I have learned that some of the best witnessing is showing someone love by listening.

Love is truly the answer to most of our problems:
-trouble understanding a persons personality-listen to their story and love their individuality
-have anger towards a friend-swallow your words and love, their anger and your's will fade
-want respect from others-show them respect and love as an example
-want someone to understand God's love-SHOW them!


I took a leap of faith to come here, but now I see that those small leaps we take in our journey are proceeded with many blessings from our Father. My trust and faith is so strong in Him. I have a growing love for Him and in return I can show that love to others that are desperate for unwaivering faithful love.

Please pray for:
-the people we spoke to while in Vancouver.
-the many lost children that will be at our summer camp next week.
-our interactions on Wednesday when we get to visit the Food Bank again.
-my momma because she broke a rib!

I am keeping home in my prayers. I love you all!

"Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, 'Here is your God!'" --Isaiah 40:9

A day in the garden is no new thing to many of us, but to a lady named Jasenth, it is a memory of the past and a dream for her present. She has Multiple Sclerosis. She was always able to enjoy gardening, but the past two years her illness has caused her to be put in a wheelchair.

After spending a day at her house gardening and talking I was inspired. She is such a strong woman with a heart for others. It was so hard for her to ask for help (I could see it in her eyes).

The experience was wonderful! I was able to practice my french, learn more about gardening from her, and get to know an amazing woman. Since then I have been able to spend more time getting to know her and her story.

Please pray for healing physically and peace in her heart. She is under a lot of stress now.

This truly showed me how blessed I am to be without illness. My desire is to do the most I can possibly do, with the life I have been given, just like Jasenth has done.

I miss my friends and family very much. Please pray for my focus. Love you all.

"regard one another as more important than yourselves." --Phil 2:3

"Make my joy complete, by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose." -Philippians 2:2

Many times we wonder what our purpose is. This has happened on this trip quite a bit. Things are never as you expect, but God is full of the unexpected!

As the other girls and I stood on the top of the mountain and prayed and read the word, we could see the rest of Westbank. It was so beautiful, but our focus was on God. His glory, His power, His majesty and love.

The next day we took the bus out to Kelowna to evangelise through building relationships. There are so many lost people here that many times you don't know where to start. Each person had a wonderful day full of stories.

We trust God and His purpose.

Please pray God will continue showing us and leading us to His purpose while we are here.

Wow! Today was full of fun and adventure as me and the other 3 girls took on a mountain hike together.

None of us had great directional skills, but as you can tell from the picture above...we made it!God is so good and beautiful!

I love getting closer to my teammates as we work and live together. They daily are encouragements to me.

Today was a nice beautiful day off.

Yesterday we were able to help out at the Food bank in Westbank, BC.

It really rocked my world to see the many families that came.I had many wonderful conversations with the workers and families of the community.

The hearts of the workers humbled me. They get so little and are recognized so little for the constant work they do while being God's hands and feet for the weak. Their building is really small and packed full, but no matter what they always serve every Wednesday...snow, rain, or sun...they are out there ready to give of themselves selflessly.

I learned that it's not about condemning those people or trying to change them; it is about loving them and seeing them through the eyes of Christ, dieing to yourself daily.

It reminded me of in Matthew when our Lord said "what you have done to the least of these you have done for Me."

This was an unforgettable experience.

So I have experienced five days of British Columbia and have also experienced mulitiple emotions in those days:

sadness leaving my home

excitment leaving the country the first time

anxiety meeting my Canadian family

embarresment from my southern slang

frustration with plans changing (i'm working on this)

and many many more everyday!

The first morning here we were able to help an elderly couple move into their new home. We also assembled some furniture for them which was pretty hard considering there were NO written instuctions! We worked in their garden and I loved it! I can't imagine waking up to a mountain in your backyard everyday!

The second day was full of fun at a horse ranch. We put on an event for the "make a wish" foundation. This foundation helps children who are sick with cancer and such illnesses. The misquitos were as big as the horses on the top of this mountain!!

Today we went to church for the first time. The church that we are interning at is called the Potter's House. It met in a movie theatre which was different than what I am use to. We had a Father's Day picnic for the community afterwards and that was a blast! I mainly did face painting and break down crew. I had some wonderful conversations with many children of the community.

I love this place! The beauty takes my breath away! I can stand and look at it for hours!

Please pray for more and more opportunities to share our faith.

Love you all :)

The count down

The count down to summer missions is getting closer. As I prepare for British Columbia I pray for these 3 things: the group's safe journey, that the people we encounter while there will have a heart yearning for the truth, and that God will be preparing our hearts to speak boldly and clearly while there.

Please join me in these prayers.

"To God be the glory great things he has done!"

-Rebekah :)