The Life of a Nanny

I'm not sure what the technical definition of a nanny is.
I like to think that it's someone who holds more responsibilities than just a babysitter. Someone who works longer hours and has cleaning the house, washing the dishes, feeding the dogs (as well as the kids) on their job description.
My idea of what a nanny is being said, the Lord opened up an incredible opportunity in my little college town this summer and I have been training to be a nanny for a little girl here. "Training to be a nanny..?" you ask. -- Yep. As much experience with children that I've had, most people that come into this job have to have training, why? The girl that I'm working with has epilepsy.
Not only did I have to be trained on what to do when she has seizures, she has what feels like hundreds of meds that she has to take throughout the day, she has a very strict diet and I have to count all of the carbs that she eats (if she goes over a certain number of carbs that could set off her seizures), she can't be exposed to heat for very long (can also set off seizures), she has a service dog and I occasionally take her to therapy. WHEW! So yes, I've been training.

Today was my first day with her all by myself, and I'm not going to lie..I was nervous. This girl can throw fits if something isn't going her way. It's hard, it's really hard. Don't get me wrong, she's the biggest cuddle bug when she wants to be. (see photo) for a part of today she laid on me and wrapped her arms around mine while we watched the same episode of Blue's Clues.. three times.
- She is special needs and has repetitive tendencies. She is ten but has the brain development of a five year old.
As a Special Education major, this job was so fitting. I'm learning so much and getting to experience some of the things that I've learned about in some of my classes in my field already.
This job is teaching me patience..oh, is it teaching me patience. I often have to check my heart to make sure that my discipline is out of good intentions and doesn't come from a place of frustration.
It's also teaching me trust. Took a big leap accepting this job and an even bigger one starting on my own today. I didn't want to go on my own out of fear of messing up, but this weekend when I was at my home church in San Antonio the message was on work and how you should go for it and just try your best. Granted somebody's life is in my hands, but I didn't think I was at the point of risking her life haha so I jumped. Had to remind myself that I am confident and covered by the power of His great love.

If anyone out there is needing that extra push..
here it is.

JUMP.

pArTy In ThE uSa

Oh this fourth of July was wonderful.
Such fun times; baking, pool parties, walking the streets of Austin, eating snowcones until our tongues changed colors [patriotic colors I might add], downtown adventures, whole foods and fireworks.

I am so blessed and proud to be an American.
Thank You Lord for allowing me to live in a place where I am so privileged with what I have.
What a gift to be able to worship my god freely.
Dang. God bless America.




"I'm proud to be an American
where at least I know I'm free."

 

A How To List From Peter

  How To: add to your faith
- A tutorial from Peter


Step 1: Add GOODNESS [do what you know is right]
Step 2: Add KNOWLEDGE [study The Word and pray without ceasing]
Step 3: Add SELF-CONTROL [operate in the spirit]
Step 4: Add PERSEVERANCE [see the Lord's tasks through, even when it's hard]
Step 5: Add GODLINESS [let others know who you belong to in the way that you act]
Step 6: Add AFFECTION AND LOVE [give your time and talents and life for others]



-- Father help me to strive for these things every day that I might strengthen my faith in You!
Thank You for using Peter to lay out a to do list [You know I love those] so simple and organized so that an obsessive compulsive girl like me can understand what it is that I can do to grow.
Praying that this list would turn into actions as I put them to use in my every day life.

"When Your words came, I ate them;

    they were my joy and my heart’s delight"

- Jeremiah 15:16

My cinnamon bunches of oats were nothing compared to the breakfast the Lord had waiting for me in His word this morning as I opened up to 1 Peter

"To God’s people, God the Father decided to choose you as His people, and His Spirit has made you holy. You have obeyed Jesus Christ and are sprinkled with his blood." -- me. He chose me.. to be set apart and sprinkled by His blood. He made me different. He made me forever long to see things through His eyes. Oh Spirit change me as I read Your truth! Where better to do work of the Gospel than here at this school that is dripping with sin and lost and confused souls? I think this was spot on seeing as I started summer school today. Sitting amongst people who may not know the God I know -- all I can do is shine and hope that they see a little of Him in the way I act. Here's to summer school adventures with my heavenly Daddy.

Thank you to my She Reads Truth sisters for praying over my first day! And thank you for pointing me in the direction of 1 Peter this morning, what a tasty treat for my hungry soul. 

Love to you all <3

HOSANNA!

I started a new devotional today and today's title was "Hosanna!"
Reading through Matthew 21 as Jesus rides through Jerusalem on a donkey, the crowd shouts "Hosanna to the son of David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" -- hosanna can mean multiple things; it can be an offering of praise or a cry for help and deliverance.
Riding through Jerusalem on that day, only the Lord knew the TRUE weight of "Hosanna!" (save us!). As I sit here tonight, I can't help but think of my own "hosanna" cries. The Lord is still the only one who knows the true weight of that cry, even as it comes from my heart here today.
Just days after these people were crying out to the Lord they turned on Him and crucified Him. Another parallel to my life as I fail Him daily -- yet He still hears. Yet He still saves us as we cry out to Him.
HALLELUJAH WHAT A SAVIOR WE HAVE IN JESUS!

In Revelation [7:9-10] it shows us what Jesus must have been thinking about as He listened to the cries of His own persecutors. "I saw a large crowd with more people than could be counted. They were from every race, tribe, nation and language and they stood before the thrown before the Lamb. They wore white robes and held palm branches in their hands as they shouted "Our God who sits upon the throne has the power to save His people and so does the Lamb." "

What a beautiful sight.
He was all human and lived in that moment and felt the hurt of His people and later on His own personal hurt, but He too was all God and saw into the future what was awaiting Him at His throne.
What I would give to be able to live purely in the moment like Jesus. I already have outfits picked out for next month! I am a mess, He loves me still!

Have a great night my friends!

HOPE

Another one of those days.
I shot up at 6:30 this morning for no reason at all. Decided to get some quality quiet time in.

The past few days Kari Jobe has been focusing on the word hope, so naturally I have been too ;)












Hebrews 6:19 - We have this hope as an anchor for the soul; firm and secure.


Holding onto HOPE is worth it!

#TwerkWeek2013

This past week I had the privilege of working for Sharptop Cove Young Life Camp with a bunch of my fellow Young Life leaders from school.
What an adventure. What a bonding experience.
The trip hadn't even started yet and God was already working on me. If you know me you know that I hate driving. Well lo and behold my area director told me that I was driving a van..to Georgia. Um...k. Perks of being old enough to drive rental vans right? The week before we left I drove a bunch of my young life kids to the beach so I had a little tester there, but driving to the beach and driving 18 hours to another state isn't really the same..like at all. The first day I drove us to New Orleans, Louisiana and the second day I drove us the rest of the way to Jasper, Georgia. GOD IS A GOD OF POWER. I am able to do immeasurably more than I can imagine because of Him in me. Driving there and back was so much fun because of the sweet time I got to spend with my friends and because I got to listen to my music :) can't forget that.
Our night in New Orleans was so much fun. We ate at Cafe Du Monde for dessert..so good. We also go to experience Bourbon Street.. very interesting for a bunch of Christ followers. The street is so dark and dirty in more ways than one. We literally saw women selling themselves. It was really heart wrenching to see.
The next day we woke up early, drove through two states and at a pit stop we realized we left three people back in Louisiana, sooo that was an exciting story. All of the other people at work week knew us by that event haha.
After getting everyone to Georgia we had an incredible week preparing the camp for the kids that are going to be going through there this summer and experiencing the Lord. I got to know my fellow leaders so much better and make memories that are going to carry me through this year. I climbed Sharptop Mountain and got the greatest reward/ view at the top. We had club every day, it had been a while since I was the one experiencing club instead of being the person behind the scenes making club happen. Worship was so sweet. One night a girl in Capernaum led us in worship and I about lost it.
All this to say is while we had so much fun, there was so much work going on that week. Ecclesiastes 3:22 says There is nothing better for a person to enjoy their work because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?// We planted so many "seeds" at work week. Honestly we are probably never going to see the fruit that will come from our labor, but knowing in the back of my mind that kids are going to get saved on the ground that we spent a whole week preparing for them is all I need.  I've been praying for all of the people that are spending their summer at Sharptop Cove and that they experience the Father in a mighty way.