Luckiest Girl in the World!

I suppose it's normal for a newly-engaged girl to feel like the luckiest girl in the world, but I have been blessed beyond my imagination over the past week! Besides, the thought of marrying a guy I am completely in love with, the best part of getting engaged has definitely been sharing this with all the special people in my life. The fact that everyone else is so genuinely excited for me and Nolan, makes me even more excited myself! It's only been a week, and already I can tell this is going to be a crazy and special time!

My youth group girls were some of my favorite people to tell that I was engaged, they were so thrilled that it made me giddy! I look forward to including them in this process. On Sunday when I came into my office, one of my youth group girls and one of my leaders had snuck into my office and decorated it...this was so much appreciated and such a sweet gesture!! Here's what my office now looks like, I'm afraid it will feel boring when I take the decorations down!

Engaged!

This past Tuesday night, Nolan proposed at our favorite coffee shop...and as you can guess I said YES! It was a romantic and amazing night. After the proposal, he arranged for our friends to meet up with us and celebrate. One of our friends, Taylor, is a wonderful photographer and took some beautiful shots from the night. Bethany even made my favorite chocolate mint cheesecake!! This was such an exciting night and I feel so blessed to have shared it with some of our closest friends! Here are some of my favorite shots from the night:

Gotta show off that ring!!

Talking with our good friend Ryan

Down on one knee!

I'm pretty much glowing in this picture

Celebrating with friends

Transitions...

Over the past few days, it has begun to hit me that I'm done with college, and kind of a grown up now (scary, I realize!) Although I started to work full time in June, the summer just felt like any old summer. Then the excitement of preparing for Kenya, and actually going to Kenya consumed my life for a few weeks. I'm finally getting back into the groove, but it just feels weird not going to class and not seeing my youth group students as much.

For a few days I have been in what I like to call "a funk" with the whole growing up thing. I was almost beating myself up about it, but after talking to a few people I trust, I realized it's normal to feel this way. Not being a student anymore, and working full time, and being entrusted with the lives of students IS a big deal. I should be worried if I wasn't feeling all of these changes!

Yesterday, I took my weekly day off and Nolan and I went to the Grove City Outlets. The place was practically empty, and the weather was kind of chilly. This made for the perfect day to just walk around and take our time shopping and talking. It may sound silly, but it was one of the best days I have had in a long time! What a lucky girl I am :-)

That's all for today...

A Few of my Favorite Photos

I feel like I am finally beginning to process all that God did in my heart during my trip to Kenya, although I know this will be a process. I've been thinking a lot lately about all the people and places I have seen in the past few years. I have had the opportunity to travel a lot: 2 months in Siberian Russia, a school mission trip to Mexico, a leader for a trip to the Dominican Republic, and now a trip to Kenya with a mission team.

While I often dream of touring Europe or visiting exotic locales, I would not trade my "Third World Experiences" for any glamourous vacation! I've met people who walk miles each day to get water, I've met people who are unsure if they will make it through the winter because of the extreme conditions, I've met barefoot children who dream of being doctors and lawyers, I've met mothers who have given up their dreams for their children. It's so easy for me to wonder why me sometimes. Why did I get born in a country where we waste more food than is needed to feed the rest of the world? Why do I get to have a college degree and a bed to sleep in? These questions often lead to feelings of guilt or shame at all the things I take for granted, but God has taught me many lessons in this area.

For the short time I was in Kenya, I encountered more joy than I have in most of my life combined. The very people who have no shoes or no house, taught me that our God is simple, and calls us to live a simple life. The people of Kenya are blessed in a different way than me because when you have nothing, it's a lot easier to give it all up. I have so much stuff, and still I can think of more that I want. This desire for worldly "stuff" will probably never go away for me, but even if I strive a little more to live a simple life of faith, then I've taken a step in the right direction. Maybe all this is just me babbling, but maybe you can relate. Maybe you've seen God work in the little things: a smile and wave from a street kid or a breathtaking view or a man praying for the first time. These things may sound small, but each of these things changed my life over the past two weeks.

Only an incredible God could write the stories I have to tell!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from Kenya. The country and the people were so beautiful!

Jambo!

I'm home Kenya! The past 12 days have been truly and incredible and I have been so blessed to have had this amazing experience!! It's hard to even know how to describe such an experience in words. God is so alive in Kenya and I was so honored to find him there! I had the opportunity to work in a village school, visit a church, help build a well, and go on a safari!

If you know me at all, you can probably guess that working in the school was my favorite part. The children were so full of joy and energy, it was unlike anything I have ever experienced before! There wasn't a moment when I didn't have about 20 children petting my arms, holding my hand, or playing with my hair (my long blonde curls were especially popular!!)

Here are a few videos of the children of Joska (the village we visited). Enjoy!