Plane Rides + Sunshine

It had been four and a half hours. Four and a half hours of quiet noise. Four and a half hours of shuffling seats. Four and a half hours of cramped legs. Four and a half hours of gentle shaking. Four and a half hours on a plane.

We heard the ding of the seatbelt sign, and the little orange symbol lit up in front of us. We buckled, and we waited, and we landed. Everyone applauded the pilot, and began to collect their belongings. I wrapped up my headphones and grabbed my duffel bag from the overhead compartment. Then we waited. We waited in the seemingly endless line to disembark.

That first step is always the greatest. The sunshine hits your face, you feel the warmth pushing away the freezing air from the cabin. You can see the heat waves rising off of the tarmac and the sun shining through the vast amounts of trees all around. It’s exhilarating, nerve wracking, exciting, and relieving all at once. We can hear the engines of the plane humming and the quiet chit-chat amongst the other passengers. It’s loud while still peaceful. I take a deep breath and soak in the atmosphere and view: sunny, bright, open skies, fresh air. I think to myself, “I’m finally home.”

No, we didn’t land in the United States. We landed in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Yes, the United States is my home, but Honduras is my home away from home. It’s a dream, the place I wish to be when everything here is just so overwhelming. When someone tells you to go to your happy place, this is where I go. It is calming and reassuring and inviting. Every aspect of the journey isn’t desirable, and can in fact be very stressful. But as soon as I take that first step off the plane, I know that it is all worth it.

A promise is a promise

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." - Psalm 37:4

I am 19, and I have had a job since I was 12. That's 7 years of working consistently. It may have been two different jobs, but I was never without one. Working was just another part of life for me. Work, church, school, friends; they all went together. (I also don't know if I used that semi colon right, but we're gonna go with it). Working became such a part of me that I didn't know what I would do with myself if I didn't have a job.

My last job wasn't my favorite. It was stressful and exhausting, but I loved the people I got to work with. I had been wrestling with quitting, but I wasn't going to do that without having another job lined up already. Like I said, working was ingrained in me and became part of who I was. I was job hunting for a while, about 6 months. I gave up and told myself that god wanted me to stay.

Psalm 37:4 was a verse I meditated on. To me, part of delighting in the Lord is obeying. I thought that that was what I was doing. I convinced myself that if I stayed at my job, I would be given the desires of my heart. I stayed, and I worked. I was stressed, but I told myself that it would be worth it. Eventually it got so bad that I talked to my boss, and she graciously told me that they would only schedule me when the absolutely needed me. I thought that it would solve my problem. But I had a different problem than that.

Now, before I continue, I feel like I need to explains something. Discernment was always something that I struggled with. As an indecisive person, and someone who always has a bazillion thoughts running through her head, it was difficult for me to know when it was the Holy Spirit speaking to me. It became something that I began praying for as the new year began. If God wanted to tell me something, I wanted (and needed) to know that it was Him. He answered my prayer in an unexpected way.

I went to work as usual, but something changed. I began to feel convicted. I began to feel like I comprised. I felt so guilty for not quitting that I almost had a panic attack at work. I knew then that I tried to compromise with God because I wasn't comfortable with what He was asking me to do. I felt Him tell me that once I obeyed Him and did what he was asking me to do, then so many other doors I had been hoping and praying for would be opened. He promised me Psalm 37:4.

So that's what I did. I delighted myself in the Lord. I quit my job the next day. It was nerve wracking. I was still unsure about it, but I knew that if God wanted it than everything was going to work out. My last day was that Friday (or Saturday, I don't really remember). It didn't feel like I was leaving. I didn't feel relief or certainty. I felt odd. I felt peace, but it was a strange peace. I think part of that was because I was now unemployed after 7 years.

But something incredible happened. Not long after quitting, I was offered an amazing opportunity to follow the plan that God has for me. I was offered the opportunity to teach preschool, wait for it, in Honduras! The country that captured my heart 3 years ago. I knew God had plans for me in Honduras, I just didn't know in what capacity. Teaching preschool in Honduras with Legacy of Hope Foundation was my dream job, and it was plopped into my lap.

I am excited that I will be going to Honduras May 10th and returning June 27th. AH! It is a dream come true.

God keeps his promises. He promised me Psalm 37:4, something that is promised to everybody.

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Much love + blessings,

3 little words with so much meaning

Jesus, coffee, and a passport.

Weird name for a blog, huh?

These 3 things are my essentials; Jesus, coffee, and a passport.

Living a life where Jesus is the center may not always be the easiest thing in the world. Heck, it's easier to sin. It's easier to live without rules and to do whatever you want. But my life, built on Christ, is a life that is full. I don't just survive, I thrive. I strive everyday to live as Christ, to love as Christ, and to serve as Christ. Being a preschool teacher at Freedom Life doesn't just benefit the kids. It has opened me up to the simplicity of Jesus' love, and the unconditional grace and peace that He provides.

Coffee is something that I always thought I wouldn't be able to live without. Some days I think it's true. I even have a shirt that says, "All I need today is a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus". That's pretty much the slogan I live by. Doing homework? Coffee + worship music. Rough day at school? Stop for coffee + blast WordFM. In reality, I could live without coffee. But it's something that I love and enjoy, so I'm going to take full advantage of it. Wanna hang out? Let's get coffee.

And last, a passport. I have traveled out of the country 3 times if you don't count that time I went to Canada to shoot a bear. (Yeah, I did that.) Every time has been for a missions trip. Haiti in 2011, Honduras in 2012, and Honduras again in 2014. And I cannot wait to go back for a 3rd time this year. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't travel. Though I am not a fan of airports, I love flying and see the incredible world that God created. These aren't the only missions trips I have been on. Philly in 2009 + 2010, and Holy Hands Tour in 2013. That makes 6, and this year makes 7. I was raised in a home with a heart for missions, and that same heart made its way to me. I am honored and blessed to be called to serve God in this way.

I was driving one day, and You Make Me Brave came on the radio. I had been so scared of messing up, of not fulfilling the plan that God had for me, and just not knowing what that plan was. I knew when this song came on that I had nothing to fear. I went to Devoted Conference this past March at Wave Church in VA Beach. During worship, this song was played. Of course, I was pumped. This was now officially my jam. I was praying and worshipping, and asking God for clarity. I heard his voice, it was clear and it was calm. He told me I was chosen, and to let Him take care of it. I knew then that I was called, and all fear of what may or may not happen left.

God encounters are the coolest thing. I love getting up close to the one who created me.

Jesus, coffee, and a passport.

Me in 3 little words that mean so much.


Much love + blessings,