Ok - One more post

Work has been CRAZY busy - what with the guys being helpless without me and me trying to get things in order before I leave.

Just kidding - but things have been crazy. New boss, big boss, and project managers in town this week have caused me to get behind on my note taking!! Boo for that - but what do you do. When the boss tells you to do something you can't very well tell him "in a minute please"

Ok - well that's not really the reason for this post - The point is that last night I took my car to the shop to check the transmission fluid level and get the oil changed. Well turns out the transmission fluid is on some kind of a lock box and I can't do anything unless I go straight to the dealership. But that wasn't the only happy news I got. I was also informed that I needed 2 new front tires at a whopping 133 each. So $313 later I left with an oil change, 2 new tires and no fix to the main reason I went in in the first place! Thank goodness I had some money in savings.

Please pray that THAT was what I needed my savings for and not for the time I'd be missing work. I know that God has it under control, and everything will work out like it always does. I just need to remind myself sometimes! :-)

I leave tomorrow!!! Wooo HOOOOO!!!!
(I realize most of you are confused since I said yesterday I only had one more day to leave - but I don't count the day I'm on - nor the day I leave - it makes me feel better :) )

So my flight leaves tomorrow at 4 pm and by Sunday I'll be with the kids.

God, you hold me and those kids in your hands. I know that I'm going on this trip for a reason, and whether that's to catch a vision to go full time into ministry or whether that's to be the one person who can talk to those kids and let them know that no matter how alone they feel - You are always there and you call them by name. You call them beloved. Open their hearts and break mine.

thank you all again for all the prayer and support you have given me. Can't wait to get back and catch you all up!

It's been awhile, I'm sorry. But, I have been a little busy seeing as I leave in 1 day!! WOOO HOO!!!

Those of you following my blog know that I'm heading to Russia to work at an orphanage. I'm all packed - except for the few things I'll be needing to get ready for work tomorrow and then the day of the flight.

Wow- can't believe it's finally here. After many years of having the desire to go - it's just around the corner. Actually- it's more like I'm in the home stretch - I can see it.

Since I'll be out, I won't have access to a computer, but I did pack several journals that I plan on filling up. When I get back I'll write out a few of the journal entries and post pictures. I plan on taking up my entire camera's memory with pictures - probably won't post them all - but I plan on capturing every moment.

Ways to pray:

• Safe travel (my first international flight)
• Sleep - when I'm able to sleep - to be multiplied so that I will be completely theirs while I'm there and not tired from jet lag, or exhaustion.
• For God to be very clear about whether or not I'm needed in Russia full time, and if not there than to reveal where he wants me to go next.
• For the kids - to be open to Jesus and God's love, and for us American's not wanting to "close the deal" and pressure them into a relationship with Him. It goes against everything in most Americans who want to get in, tell them about Jesus and then the have them sign on the dotted line. Sometimes, we just have to plant the seed and not get to see the fruit and we have to be ok with that.
• That all on the time - all personality types would be able to work as one team.
• For my mom - she's so worried about me going. What I ask you to pray for her about is a peace that I'm going to be ok - no matter what.
• And above all - anyway the spirit leads you to pray - pray!!

I love all my blogging friends and will miss you while I'm gone. This will probably be the last post before I get back - talk to you soon!

The Ghost - Updated

Ok - I have an update before you read the story below. After working myself up quite a bit I talked to my sister and feel much better. She said that the TV in my room used to do that - turn on and off because of a short circuit. So I'm going to debunk the ghost myth and say it's a short circuit. None-the-less all appliances are getting unplugged tonight :)

I'm house sitting for a family at my church while they are out of town. Nothing new since I've house sat before and actually (normally) enjoy it. After telling me all the normal stuff about the home, TV, and alarm she told me about a ghost/demon in their home that does crazy things like close doors, turn on water faucets and such.

I don't believe in ghosts. I believe in demons, and above all the power God has over them, but I wasn't convinced that I had anything to worry about. Yesterday I headed over after work, watched some TV in the living room, started cutting the bandannas for flip flops we're taking to Russia and then went to their room to turn in for the night. I stayed up for a while unpacking my bag, and watching a little more TV until I packed it in.

I was fine until 3:42 this morning when the TV in the room I was staying in turned on with the cable off which meant it was the REALLY loud static noise. I jumped up with my heart in my throat and lunged at the TV to turn it off but before I could it off it turned off by itself. The remote was on the night stand so it wasn’t like I rolled over on it – though I wish I had cause I could excuse that away.

So instead I prayed until my heart stopped beating out of my chest and then couldn’t go back to sleep so I stayed up for two hours watching The Peoples Court and news (did you know news starts at 3 am!!) and saw a grandma get tazered by a cop cause she was being a punk, cursing and was about to storm into traffic - seriously. I was finally able to take a 30 min cat nap before it was time to get ready for work. Tonight – TV gets unplugged!!

And any prayers warding off "whatever" is in that house is appreciated!!!!

Please Pray

Ok all,

The big week is here. Brad's last week, and the week when the Big Dogs are in town and carry the fate of my future here at Wood Group in their grubby little hands (before you get all holier than thou on me - I know who REALLY holds my future in his hands - I'm just going for a little drama early on Monday morning!

Please pray for me this week as I'm preparing for Russia and possibly prepare to look for another job.

I don't think I'll be online much this week except for the evenings - so as soon as I know anything I'll let you know. Until then - no news is good news.

Do I still have a job?

A lot of people have asked me if I still have a job.

As of this morning at 7:03 I do, but that may just be because I'm only 1 of 4 people here and the boss man isn't one of the other three.

Next week is a different story because the grand poo-pa who is a major factor in Brad leaving will be here and may decide that he wants to shake things up. SOOO. . .. I'll keep you posted.

What makes matters a little more scary is that I'll be gone for over a week, back for 2, and then gone for another 4 days. So I might not have a job when I get back.

Even if that's the case I'm not worried. God is in control and I continue to rest in the knowledge that nothing takes him by surprise and he will see me through my journey all the way to the end.

All the way my Savior leads me.

Until then - I'll persevere. It's a word I haven't spoken about in a while but is still very meaningful to me. In a past life, not too long ago I would have freaked out and been out of here by now. My heart would have started hurting, the walls would have started closing in, and I would have quit before things got tough just at the thought of change. But now - I have no fear, no panic attack. I know that I'm a good hard worker and I've got a job to do until they tell me otherwise. So I will continue coming in day after day until they tell me I'm done. I will do the best work I can while I'm here.

So that's where I am.

More Lyrics that made me think

I realize that this is one of those duh moments but while listening to the new songs that I downloaded (I listen in my car on my ipod, at work on my desktop and at home on my laptop! What can I say these songs have me hooked) these two phrases hit me like a freight train. There are many words and phrases in the songs (some that I'm singing right now) that are amazing and I'm sure I'll write them all out for you later but these two lines have been burrowing in my mind since I heard them. The reality of these statements make my heart hurt. I had this whole paragraph explaining what I thought of these words but I'm just going to let them sit with you and marinate in you and let the Holy Spirit do what he wants with them.

I don't want to talk about you

like you're not in the room

Wanna look right at you

Wanna sing right to you

It's been a weird week

Well this week started out really well. I was pumped about work, I was productive, I got my notes done, I was still excited that I had booked a flight, hotel, and car for a guy in my office at 11:30 and the flight he needed to be on left at 1:45!! It was a rush - can I just tell you.

Then Tuesday hit. Nothing big in the morning just the monthly update meeting at the Building on I-10(kind of the hub for the "Mother" company that I'm apart of). When I got back I got some terrible news from my boss. The man who I've known since well - for over half my life. He was the one that got me the job here and has been amazing to work with. He puts up with a TON of crap from all sides (including his wife - but that's a post for another time) and still manages to do an incredible job at this ginormous task.

He was let go - not only from being Project Manager but also from the job he was going to return to after the project was complete (for the same company).

Unfortunately as I hear it normally goes in the corporate world - the Project Manager normally gets the brunt of all mistakes made even though there is no way in the world he could have prevented it. For instance - he was accused of causing (or not preventing) a virus over in the freakin UK!!! Are you kidding me!!!! He was also accused of not repairing the relationships with all the CIO's. I'm sorry - but basically with this project (that was not his idea in the first place) they are working themselves out of a job. The company I work for would basically make what they do obsolete - so of course there's going to be some bitterness there. And my favorite excuse of all times - you're over budget. I'm sorry but a 9.8 million dollar project having to go to 10.2 million because the head boss dude wanted to add in another extremely large company is not his fault either!!! But no - boss man wanted to keep the very tight budget the same if not underneath while adding in several large locations from this new company. CRAZY!!!

Can you tell that I'm just a little bitter.

Honestly, when I first heard the news yesterday my mind immediately jumped from - that is horrible - what are you and your family going to do (he's completely jobless by the way!) to what does this mean for me. Am I out of a job since he's the one that basically created the job for me?!!? Til eventually even that turned into. . .ok - maybe this is the break from this to foreign missions. Who knows. I'm finally past the freak out part into the peace that God knows what he's doing and this didn't take him by surprise part. He's taken me this far and as the song we sang on Sunday says - All the way my Savior leads me. So I rest in that!

Please pray for my friend and his family. He has a wife and three children. They just recently bought a house, and she only works during the school year as a teacher at the private school that her kids go to. I know that there are going to be changes that have to be made in their life style and I ask that you pray that they all have the grace to make those changes willingly and without grief to each other.