I love working!

Emilee's home sans an appendix. Praise the Lord! I'll update about that later. I need to go to bed cause I'm a working girl and have to drive 45 minutes to work tomorrow morning! But I didn't want to let today pass without acknowledging that 4 years ago today my life changed forever. My grandpop (by the grace of God)left a ventilator hospital for heaven and it became official that I was grandmom's full time caregiver till death do us part. And that's what happened. The Lord is good. I started this blog four years ago and I was a differnet person than I was today. The Lord is so good and able to change us. I'm so thankful.

First day of work

yes, i am an employee

Well praise the Lord- my first day of work was great! We had orientation at the Hatboro location for a couple of hours. Wanna know what kind of company i work for? One of the Human resource managers told us that if we came to work upset we could ask any of our managers to pray for us? Yeah, seriously? Love it. Anyway, after that, I went over to the warehouse sorting bags of clothings (we have a wall a good eight feet high of bags of clothing- and there are more where that came from!) and labelling and pricing. It was fun! (I promise!)

my little sister emilee drew this for me even though she's sick :(

Anyway, in other news- my little sister Emilee is 7 years old and this morning we found out she has lymes disease (she's been complaining of pain and my mom took her for bloodwork last week). Anyway, she also came home sick from school throwing up today (but we figured she caught it from our cousin who I watched while he was sick the other day), but tonight my parents drove her to the Children's Hospital because they think she has appendicitis and will probably need to get it removed tonight. Please please pray- she's super neurotic about sickness and stuff and when she sees or hears anything about people getting sick she gets major anxiety. So sad...

2 months.

Today I got a free iced coffee at Dunkin Donuts (for free iced coffee Mondays with my coupon!) and as I was waiting for my coffee, I had this urge to buy my grandmom a donut...but then I remembered she's gone. Anyway, all this is to say- it takes longer than I thought to break these habits. But then again, I think it's almost more sad to think one day I'll lose that inclination that had become so much a part of me to take care of her...but then I look ahead again. One day. No more sorrow. No more pain. One day.

Life in Bullet Lists

• I had my first real job interview this week.
• I got my first "real job" (as in- not working at my church) this week!
• I am tentatively employed by Impact Thrift Stores (as long as I pass my drug test and strength test to show I can lift 30 pounds without dying and as long as my background check comes back clear!)
• I start work March 12th (commuting to their warehouse until the end of the month and then working in their new store getting it ready till the grand opening April 21st!)
• I officially need to update my "about me" section

• Yesterday would have been my Grandmom's 82nd birthday. She's in heaven. I still miss her, but it gets...different. I can't really explain it. It's almost like- you know how it takes like 30 days or something to break a habit? A lot of the habits are gone- going into her room- which is now actually my room- and looking for her. The feelings of needing to be home for her and looking to feed her and stuff aren't really there anymore. Lately I've been watching videos and looking at pictures and have been more able to see how broken and frail and old she was- and it makes me even more glad she's gone and home. The gladness of her being home outways the wanting her to be here- I honestly don't want her to be here because I know she was suffering. 

• My friend Jarreau is having a giveaway on her blog- check it out!
• I'm really really excited about this movie coming out this month- it's inspired by the story of Gianna Jessen (aka my hero)
• My friend Sara has been blogging some incredibly encouraging words
• I like bullet lists

Julianne's Blog

My dear friend Julianne has been called by the Lord to Zambia and has started a blog to chronicle her journey- check it out!!!- I'm so excited! http://whatsjuliannedoinginzambia.blogspot.com/

The Job Hunt

Well, "my month" was up on Friday. I did mention that, right? That I felt like the Lord used my father to tell me to wait a month and not accept any  or job hunt for a month. So I took a literal month (24th January-24th February) and turned down jobs and prayed and got stuff done (such moving into grandmom's room, moving Jeremiah back home, cleaning and organizing with the help of my dear friend, catching up with people, doing odd jobs like working randomly for my friend's paper good delivery company, taking care of that woman I used to work for, cleaning a house, and other randomness). 

And so Friday I still really did have peace about the Lord's leading and that something will come up or He'll make it clear what I'm supposed to do. Anyway, Sunday afternoon I was over a friend's house and she mentioned that they were opening an Impact Thrift Store near the church. Literally, I almost jumped out of my seat. That is where I want to work. From the moment she mentioned it I couldn't stop thinking about it. Thrift store hours are awesome (not too early/ not too late and closed on Sundays!) The environment- it's basically a Christian company but not. Which is perfect because, to be honest, I've never worked in a non-Christian environment, but I don't feel like the Lord has me working somewhere right now that only has Christians. He wants me to be salt and light and I'm never in the world enough to do it. So I think this would be such a great balance/ transition for me. It's a non-profit company that donates it's proceeds to charity's and ministries so that they don't have to spend all their time fund-raising and not being able to do the ministry that they are called to do because they don't have the money. 

Anyway, I mentioned it to some people Sunday night, and a friend mentioned that our bookstore manager used to manage an Impact and so I ran to talk to him and he told me he'd call the person who runs the company and let them know I was going to apply and he'd also be one of my references! 

And so my friend Brooke (who just moved here from Cali) filled out my application and went on an adventure to the Hatboro location to hand it in. I enter the thrift store (that has the best deals in the universe) and see the employees wearing Impact aprons (i love aprons!!!) Anyway, while we were in there they had a customer come in who'd just gotten out of coma and they all were huddling around him bonding and talking. I just LOVED it. They actually care about their customers and their co-workers. 

Also, I'm just so excited about the new location because it's near my church and through the ESL classes my desire to reach the community near Calvary has just been growing and growing. 

So if you would like to pray for me- I really want this job- but I want the Lord's will most of all. Please pray if it's not His will the door would just slam shut, but if it is that it'd be clear and that He'd give me His strength to do it (I haven't 'worked' in four years now- my endurance is basically at 0).

On the grandmom grieving front- it's gotten more 'normal' now for her to be gone. I have had multiple strange dreams where she is 'mostly dead' but still here at the house because she has to finish dying- yeah, really odd. Anyway, I think of her everyday (which when people have always said that about their friends and relatives who died I didn't really believe them but I honestly do) and I do miss her, but I'm just so glad she's with the Lord and not suffering and is in Glory.

Found this little book/ tract when Jarreau and I were cleaning out my room and there's a poem in the back I really like

'None of Self and All of Thee'

Oh, the bitter pain and sorrow

that a time could ever be

When I proudly said to Jesus-

'all of self and none of Thee.'

Yet He found me; I beheld Him

Bleeding on th' accursed tree;

And my wistful heart said faintly,

'Some of self and some of Thee'

Day by day His tender mercy,

Healing, helping, full and free,

Brought me lower, while I whispered--

'Less of self, and more of Thee!'

Higher than the Highest Heavens,

Deeper than the deepest sea,

'Lord, Thy love at last has conquered:

None of self and ALL of Thee!'

-Theodore Monod

Pastor Youcef

"I have received word from my contacts that brother Youcef Nadarkhani's life is in immanent danger. There is an increased chance that he will be executed for his faith. His case has stalled and negotiations have ceased. We asked that you pray for brother Youcef and if the Lord leads you to fast as well." Present Truth Ministries


Update 2/22/12- We have received a report out of Iran that the Iranian courts have signed an execution order for brother Youcef Nadarkhani. At this point this is the only detail we know.

Based upon how the Iranian courts have acted in the past we do not know what to anticipate. Often they will execute people without any prior notice to attorney’s or family.   The order has not been delivered to Youcef’s family and we do not know if they will allow another appeal. We also do not know if it has been approved by the Ayatollah who is the head of the Judiciary Sadegh Larijani.

At this point I ask that you be praying for his deliverance and that God would use this as an opportunity to declare to everyone that all power is given to the Lord Jesus Christ and resides in His Name. It is never too late for the Lord to bring deliverence.-http://presenttruthmn.com/blog/iran/execution-ordered-youcef/