"Good and Perfect"

I don't think words can ever express how incredibly happy I am. The past month has certainly flown by, and there have been so many changes in my life and the lives of those closest to me. Daniel and I are living in Anderson, SC, and married life is even a hundred times better than I ever thought it could be. For starters, I get to live with my best friend…but not just live together, but experience life to its fullest with him. I mean, we still don't know too many people our age, but life has been so amazing, and we know that will come with time. Right now, it's been great to just rely on each other and rely on God. The gift of marriage is truly amazing. Living with Daniel Stall never gets old. Our apartment doesn't look its finest, and we don't have furniture, but I'm sure we'll eventually get everything done and unpacked! I know I'm in that "honeymoon phase," and I'm not going to say that living with a boy hasn't taken some getting used to, but I never thought that things would fall into place this perfectly. I've even improved on my cooking skills, which has led us to cook almost every night! We're sooo thankful for everything we received as gifts, and we've been able to make homemade ice cream (which is da bomb, by the way), quesadillas, gourmet salads- haha, homemade pizza, chopped up vegetables, amazing smoothies, good chicken, etc…. All of the eating made us finally join a gym, and since Daniel works at the hospital, we get to both go for $30 total! It's not 180 fitness or anything, but it's still that hometown gym feel..We're determined not to gain that married weight! haha..The eating has been good though! My aunt is always here too to feed us and give us her leftovers from Trader Joe's! I'm thankful for the time we've had with my aunt and cousins too! And I think us moving here couldn't have come at a better time as far as that is concerned. We miss our families in Statesboro and Savannah too, but we know that we're supposed to be here, and that feels good :) And like I said, living with my best friend and experiencing all that married life has to offer has been amazing! Oh yeah, and I've been able to watch TV again..it's crazy…I've barely watched tv over the past 5 years, but I can tell you anything that's going on in the world right now thanks to Fox News, and we're even starting to watch LOST again, and I would have never said this, but it's soooo good!

We're already blown away by how much there is to do here! This is the start of my third week here, and while I miss everyone, I'm so pumped about the ministry opportunity here. We're joining our church this Sunday night, and then we can start volunteering, and hopefully join a small group sometime soon. We've known from the time Daniel moved here last September and we got engaged last October that we didn't want to just move here and be comfortable. We both know that we're supposed to be here for some time ( I mean, Daniel was literally just given an amazing job with awesome benefits, after only a week after he showed interest!) And we know we should settle here with the expectation to be here for awhile, but we still don't want to get comfortable with life, and we're expecting HUGE things. About 2 to 3 months ago, NewSpring told Daniel about a ministry called Haven of Rest. We've been talking to them a little bit more, and I had the opportunity to get a tour today and talk about some opportunities through the ministry. Haven of Rest is a Christ-centered ministry that is more than just a homeless shelter, and more than just rehab for addiction, but it's about a total body recovery. They provide food, clothing, shelter to homeless men and women through several different homes and programs around Anderson County. It's non-profit, and 50 years old!!, which gives glory to God that it has sustained itself through donations and a lot of volunteers! But the thing I love the most about it is the thrift stores, farm, food service, and other projects that the people in the program get to take part in, in order to give them purpose and integrate them back into society, thus rehabilitating the whole person! ---> which is the most important thing I have learned over the past 5 years. They're already letting me get plugged in and help plan the annual silent auction/dinner night they're having in August, and I get to go with Heather (one of the coordinators) tomorrow to the women's house to meet everyone there! Anyways, they have a cool website if you want to learn more: http://www.havenofrest.cc/index.html

The main reason why I've been so ecstatic over the past month is because I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. God has completely paved this path for Daniel and I, and He has provided us with everything we have needed. Our prayer has been to not grow ignorant to the world around us, when we have been given so much. It has also been for Him to provide us with our daily bread everyday and for a house to live in!…ANNDDD…HE HAS! We were given a realtor through a family friend (Gwen Burnette through Prudential Realty in Anderson..if you're looking for a great realtor in Anderson, she is great!) And we put an offer on the perfect house, not thinking the builder would take it, but HE DID! We have pretty much been given the most amazing deal on a house, in a perfect, cute little neighborhood, in the perfect school district…We were required to look for a house in a certain district, but we couldn't find that perfect house before we got married, and then a couple weeks ago, there it was! Basically, it's perfect, which shows that it is from God alone, and I cannot tell you enough how much He deserves the glory. James 1:17 says, "Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow." Anyways, if everything this week continues to work in our favor, then they will start building (the house plan that we got to pick out!), and it should be finished at the end of August (fingers crossed), which is the exact time our lease runs out here!

We've been learning individually and collectively what it truly means to give. I have to be honest, over the past several years, I have not given abundantly based on how God has given to me, but over the past 6 months or so, I've been breaking down some barriers as I've been learning more and more what GOD says about giving, and not just giving based on what I want to give. Daniel has encouraged me so much in this, and although it could always be much more, God has blessed us for what we have given. Finances is the only subject in the bible that God says to test Him with, and I could talk forever about how He has blessed us. We feel rich..for real. Money just keeps showing up. We're reading a book by a pastor out in Texas, named Robert Morris, called "The Blessed Life," and it has already given us a new perspective! You should read it!

Although things are great in Anderson, it has taken quite an adjustment to leave our friends in Statesboro…especially the ones that I've gotten so close with over the past 5 years…people that have played a huge part in my life in so many ways...definitely the best friends I will ever have. We felt sooo loved before we got married, and we will forever be grateful for all the love, support, prayers, and encouragement we both got from our friends and family. Basically, our wedding ceremony would have never been the same if it weren't for all of them. I mean, people threw us showers, gave us gifts, gave us the best bachelorette/ bachelor weekends, took me skydiving!, gave us food, and made our dream wedding come true. In the midst of missing everyone, I know that this is life, and it helps when I look at every single one of my friends and am almost brought to tears by how great each and every one of them is because of how God has changed their lives and given them sooo many opportunities too!! So, then I go from missing them and bring sad to being filled with *JOY* because of the potential for Daniel and me here, and the potential for everyone in Satesboro…I see all of the incredible, amazing opportunities that all of those closest to me are experiencing...from going to poverty and crisis stricken Guatemala, to internships, to ministry opportunities, to new jobs, to married adventures, to leadership opportunities, to student teaching and a month in England, to new teaching and job opportunities, to door-openings at church, to learning what it means to live day to day and not worry…to awards like Teacher of the Year, and I could go on and on…There is so much anticipation and joy that I'm filled with happiness for everyone.

Sorry this has been so long. I really want to try and Blog more now that I'm married and have sooo many adventures with my husband. We are probably the weirdest people you will ever meet, but we're also learning that normal is so lame. (ROMANS 12!!!). I know that I'm in the perfect place with the perfect person, and feeling more confident than ever that although life may not always be this happy and perfect, I DO know now that any trial that comes before my husband and me has to go through God, and the more we seek Him and are content with just HIM,the more life will continue to make sense even when the world is in chaos. I also know that one day a long time from now when Daniel and me may face trials in our marriage (apparently people love to tell you this), we will know 100% that it is only because of God that we were brought together in the first place, and therefore nothing can tear us apart. So much makes sense now. I know now why marriage is a *GIFT* given from God, and when it's based on His plans, it is amazing and perfect. I really do see it now. Anyways, we'll see what happens here! Please come visit us! Everyone is invited!!

Romans 12- Place Your Life Before God

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.

If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.

Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody. Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it." Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good."