The Pocket Book.

I was expecting to wake up these May mornings to the sun streaming though my window...in Cambodia, however because of visa situations I'm writing my thoughts out in my bedroom of Monroe, North Carolina. I don't mind. Yes, I'm sad that I can't smell the Cambodian spices or hug a dirty child on the side of the road or listen to the honking of horns on the busy road sides but I know that God has something bigger in mind...

Already I'm learning the importance of placing God first. I still fail at this all the time but each time I pick myself back up and say "okay God! Let's do this again!" Why is it so easy to put the things of this world before our Creator? There's no sense in it, yet I do it all the time.

Another big thing for me is learning to rise up to the challenges that are placed in my path and overcome them in the name of God. Through this I realise that the areas that I'm strongest in, are not the ones that I've succeeded in, but the ones that I've failed the most in.

People often ask me what it is I do, I'm sure it can be funny to meet a 21 year old girl who's a missionary, in the Bible Belt of all places! You want to know? I'm going to let you in on a few more details than I give the everyday grocery shopper.

My day starts (or should start!) at 5:30...getting up and getting my butt out the door to exercise for an hour. 6:30 and I'm ready for a shower! 7:00 rolls around and I'm sitting on the Front Porch having breakfast with Jesus as the sun rises. At 8:00 I'm finishing up things that need to be prepared for the day, such as, making sure I have hand outs ready, announcements sorted out, that whoever is leading has all the notes they need etc. And at 8:30 we gather together, WISE School and staff to sing our hearts out or to intercede. 9:30 and the guest speaker comes in to take lectures until lunchtime. The afternoons are then filled with administration work, evangelism and Front Porch (our kids club ministry). All I got to say is life is fun and I wouldn't have it any other way.

A couple of months ago my friend gave me a small notebook, from India. Receiving gifts is one of my love languages and with this journal, it really hit the nail on the head. As she gave it to me our guest speaker for the week said, "I know what you should use this for! Little by little fill this up with quotes that you can gain wisdom from. And would you allow me to be the first to write in it?" So I now carry this pocket book around with me in my purse and slowly but surely it is getting filled up with treasures. I want to learn.

So life trundles on whether I'm in Cambodia, India, England or the US and the most important thing is...how am I going to make the most of every day, wherever I am? I don't want to miss a second, each one is too precious.