A Friendship Blessing

 When I joined CollegePlus!, I was not expecting to meet any friends through it.  In fact, I was expecting no one to understand why I would choose this path to earn a degree and for it to be quite lonely.  However, I was quite wrong.  I've received several friendships through the CollegePlus! forums.  This was new for me; I'd never done any social networking before; never blogged, no Facebook, no chat rooms, nothing.  As I wrote my introduction on the forums, I was still only expecting to become acquainted with others who were traveling down the same college road as me.  I quickly realized how wrong I was.

 The friends I've made may be scattered across the country, there are some even out of the States.  But there is one thing that I am sure will make these friendships last.  We are sisters in Christ.  Since I'm hundreds, even thousands of miles away, its quite hard to go out for lunch or coffee or a movie.  You can't just call them up and say, "Hey!  Wanna get together?".  These friendships have one foundation; and it's not "hanging out".  It's Christ.  From the beginning, these friends and I have exchanged prayer requests, Bible verses, discussions on what Christ is doing in our lives, and even praying together.  Yes, we've talked about what we like to do, talked about our families, but Christ has always been a topic we go back to continuously.  Christ is the one who has built these friendships strong and they were made to last.

"...there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."  ~Proverbs 18:24

 On March 8th, I found out my dad had to take a trip out of state for business on the 15th; the following week.  When I found that out, I bounded to Google Maps.  It turns out, my friend Laura was only 3 hours from where my dad needed to go!  (< That exclamation point was not even close to how many I felt like writing.)  I quickly called Laura and that night, I think I fell asleep smiling because I was smiling when I woke up.  God was allowing me to meet one of my college friends, and I was so thankful and excited.

 So, after less than a week of planning, many texts, and a lot of excitement, my dad, brother, and I were on the road.  On Thursday morning, I got to meet Laura.  Not just in an online chat room where we'd met the first time in person.

 Laura's family was so generous and I stayed with them from Thursday to Sunday morning.  I had so much fun!  During our three days together, we talked, played games, went for walks, and watched movies.

 My favorite part of the whole weekend, however, was not something we did.  It was something I felt.  When I first got into her car, I felt like we were old friends who just hadn't seen each other in a while.  There were no awkward moments, not even in the silence.  It was last summer when we first met in the chat room on the forums.  And we'd had several conversations in there since then.  Very...memorable ones. :)  It was just in January that we actually started talking together on the phone.  We studied Introductory Sociology together which was very fun when we had our phone calls to go over practice tests.  I am very thankful that God sent Laura to be my friend.  Lord willing, we'll be able to get together again someday.

 Sunday morning, we went to church and then headed out.  It was kind of hard to say goodbye after such an amazing weekend.  At first, I don't think it set in that we lived 11+ hours apart.  But it certainly did when I got home.

 "Friends are friends forever if the Lord is the Lord of them.

And friends will not say never, cause the welcome will not end.

Though it's hard to let you go,

In the Father's hands I know,

That a lifetime is not to hard...to live as friends."

~"Friends" by Michael W. Smith

This week I'm thankful for...

231. being able to meet Laura in person

232. safe travels over the weekend

233. video call with some CollegePlus! friends

234. balloons and Sharpies

235. tiny binders for index cards

236. quiet reading time

237. sticky notes

238. health

239. texts from my mom 

240. long walks

 Love,

   Sierra

Do Everything

  In 2011, Steven Curtis Chapman released a new album called re:creation.  The first track on this album is titled Do Everything.

  This song reminds us that "Little stuff/Big stuff/In between stuff/God sees it all the same".  God made us to do everything for His glory.  So we would bring a smile to His face.  No one else's.  God's.

 I used to think that "doing something for God" would be hard, no matter how big or small, it's difficult and not desirable.  How wrong I was!  Over the past week, I've been looking at the ways I've been able to serve the Lord.  Who I feel called to?; How I am to reach them?;  What will I reach them with?.  I wrote more about this in my post Great Expectations.  Anyway, as I've been looking back, I've noticed something I hadn't actually noticed before.  I feel called to serve young ladies (ages 8-18).  I knew that.  God has provided me ways of using my calling.  I knew that.  I've led small groups of girls of all ages, at discipleship groups, church, and even at a video conference.  I've taught lessons at multiple discipleship groups (including my own), and church.  I've started two discipleship groups; and one of those I "founded".  As those experiences came to me, they came one at a time.  But as I look back, every single one of those opportunities match my calling perfectly!  They all have to do with leading/teaching young ladies ages 8-18 (sometimes younger)!  Back to the first sentence of this paragraph.  Yes, sometimes God does give us difficult tasks.  But it certainly doesn't mean everything he wants us to do is hard!

 Leading LIVE, and when I used to lead Bright Lights, I love it!  I love preparing the lessons and the rest of the meeting, I love having the meetings and seeing the girls, but most of all, I love seeing the girls grow.  Same as with those opportunities I had, when I see one of my LIVE girls each meeting, I may not notice the difference right away.  But if I look back to when we started and where they are now, they've grown up, they've grown more mature, they've grown in the Lord.  That has to be one of the biggest blessings.  But seeing them grow, is not the only way God has shown me that what I'm doing is what He wants.  The girls enjoy coming which is another blessing!  If they can't come, they're disappointed.  They show their excitement by completing the challenge their given, by smiling when they walk in the door, by opening up and being silly sometimes, by having fun in the games and song time.  Another way God has shown me His approval is that the parents support this ministry.  I get emails from parents saying they appreciate what I'm doing, they bring their girls each meeting, they allow their girls to take time and complete the "homework".

 But it's not always easy.  I have to admit that there are some days when I'd rather not make the effort to plan and prepare.  It's not always convenient to clean the house on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.  And for my family, on those "some days", I get stressed and it's not easy to live with me.  But also on those "some days", those are the meetings I most enjoy.  Those are the days when the meeting didn't just go well, it was fun for everyone including me.  It's almost as if God is telling me, "I never told you it'd be easy.  But it is worth it, isn't it?"

 Do Everything is a blunt reminder of what we are all here on this earth for.  We were created to please God, to worship and glorify Him, to bring a smile to His face.  And if that's not our purpose, what is?  We wouldn't have one.  The answer to the time-old question of, "What was I put on this earth for?" would be, "nothing".  Can you honestly imagine being put on this earth for no other reason but to be here.

 Remember our purpose.  Remember to make God smile.  Remember to do everything for His glory.

 God bless,
   Sierra

Cards and Things

  Last weekend, I had such a relaxing, yet productive, couple days!  I caught up on scrapbooking LIVE for Christ photos and also started a scrapbook for the recipes I'll be trying.  On Friday, I ran to JoAnn Fabrics to get some stickers, but found a $9 adorable scrapbook!  And when my mom took my sister and I to Crafts Direct on Saturday, I found another cute $7 scrapbook.

 The left is for LIVE and the right is for recipes and pictures of my baking creations.  I will be sharing the recipes and photos with you soon!  Better not include everything one post or sometime, I may not have anything to write about! :)

 I alternated between scrapbooking and making cards.  It's a little hobby I started a while ago.  It's fun, easy, and a good way to earn a couple more bucks! :)  Here are a few of my cards I made this weekend.  I have no idea how I made so many, but if I showed you all of them, you'd be scrolling for a while. ;-)

 I was thinking maybe I should start an Etsy shop sometime.  Except it costs so much to have anything on there!

 Last week, I got a special package from my friend Beka.  It was so thoughtful of her to send me such a cute gift.

 Now I'll have to find a special use for this darling journal. :)

 I read this verse recently and it really stuck out to me.  This is what I'll be talking about at LIVE in a couple weeks.

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.  If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith."     ~Romans 12:6

 This week I'm thankful for...
221. a blessed Brazil fundraiser
222. encouragement from friends
223. good peer influences
224. shopping day with my mom
225. random gifts in the mail
226. phone calls from friends just to talk
227. an email from Cassie just to let me know she hasn't forgotten about me
228. a productive, relaxing weekends
229. sales on craft things
230. my youth pastor

 Soli Deo Gloria!

 ~Sierra

A Free Webinar You Don't Wanna Miss!

  On March 8th, you can hear from 5 CollegePlus! students and how they are fulfilling their life purpose!  If you've been wanting to learn more about CollegePlus!, this webinar is your chance!  I encourage you to attend!  You can register here: Free Webinar: meet 5 college grads who are fulfilling their life purpose.  You don't want to miss this chance to learn how I've earned 30 credits (and counting!) while still in high school!

 ~Sierra