Bittersweet Endings

So this is it. The end of my first year at Northwestern College. Bittersweet endings, new beginnings, a faithful God. It has been a blessing growing along side some of the most beautiful women of God this year. We have been through a lot of hard times, and a lot of good times. We keep each other laughing. I don't know what I will ever do without these beautiful women this summer. I'm thankful that I will be able to see some of them again next semester.
 A shout out to Minds who is traveling to Romania for a study abroad: I love you so much! I am so glad God blessed me with a friend like you. You keep me laughing and share God's truth with me. I'm so thankful to have you in my life. God's taking you on a journey, embrace it! And to my beautiful friend Taylor who is leaving Northwestern to pursue a career in Speech Pathology--God has an amazing plan for your life. You will be missed greatly, but we trust that God has you in his care. Come visit us from time to time. I love you!

" Our God is faithful. Don't ask, 'what if?' but love 'what is.'He is making you to be made the way he wants you to be. It might be through the testing of trials, it might be through suffering, it might be through joy, it might be through the desert, it might be through unanswered questions, but walk the path God has for you knowing you're never alone and that He can see miles ahead when you can only see your feet"

It may be the end of a year, but it's just the beginning of a journey...

 

I've been blessed beyond measure ::.

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace..."

(Philippians 1:3-7)

<3 you First North girls 2011-2012

I will praise you

I will praise you in this storm

and I will lift my hands

You are who You are

no matter where I am

Every tear I cry

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

Though my heart is torn,

I will praise You in this storm

Our broken world; Our Perfect Healer

"He HEALS the brokenhearted and BINDS up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. GREAT IS OUR LORD, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure." -Psalm 147:3-5

It's in hard times that God always reveals himself in ways that we do not understand. Yet He shows that He always keeps His promises no matter what season we are in. These past few weeks have been the hardest weeks for my friends and I. God chose to take my friend's grandpa home and just this past saturday God chose to take my friend's sister home through a skiing accident. It's in times like these where you can do nothing but grieve. And I found myself asking God to show me His goodness even in the valley. I don't know what will come of this. I don't know how God will use this tragedy, but I do know that GOD IS FAITHFUL, and He is still sovereign. He is always good. I know that my friend's sister is with Jesus and that is better than anything this world could offer. God is showing me that life is fragile and in any moment it can be taken from you. I'm becoming more aware that this world has nothing to offer. That new phone, those new clothes, the latest movies....those don't matter. It's how we live life each day, how we glorify God in each minute, and how we love each other like each day was our last. Life is short... do you know Jesus? Do you have the hope of being with Him when you die? You never know which day will be your last day.

Beloved,
True Joy and True life is found in Jesus. This world is not home. We were created to find satisfaction in Jesus; nothing else can fill that void, ONLY Jesus can do that.

When you meet Jesus' unfailing grace and unending mercy--> that's when real living begins

Having A Heart Like Jesus [[Saturday, November 26]]

"Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.'"

-Revelation 19:6

God really has a way of taking our insecurities and equipping us with His courage to BE and to HAVE the heart of Jesus.

By the end of this week, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher with a special education endorsement. God gave me His vision, the vision to see children not for their disabilities, but as children that have many abilities.

They're God's children 

            &

 the fingerprints of God all over them...

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It is my prayer that maybe through this blog, some of you would come to realize what this life is all about; that it is all about Jesus, his birth, his death, and his resurrection, that He came to save us from our sin, and when we put our trust in Him....then we have the hope of eternal life with Him.

Yes... it's not about us. It never has been about any of us;

IT'S ALL ABOUT JESUS

<3 kaycia

Our God is an AWESOME God! [[Friday, November 25]]

"'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; the whole earth is filled with his glory!' And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of Him who called and the house was filled with smoke." -Is. 6:3-4

I cried; my heart was breaking to see these precious children go. I don't know what God's will is for me next year, but I will follow where ever He leads me. We loaded up the kids and said our goodbyes. They're in God's hands...and He will always take care of them.

Our adventure for today: climbing to an altitude of 8, 350 feet on Volcan Pacaya. :) ohh yeah, that was something I got to cross off my bucket list. Seriously, it was thee hardest climb in my life. After fifteen minutes I felt like I was going to die. It was completely straight up the entire way to the top. Once we got closer to the top, we were hiking in volcanic sand, and it was so slippery that I had to crawl a couple times. All I kept thinking was that I wanted to get to the top, and I did! After an intense 3 hour hike, I made it, looked inside the crater as steam was rising from it. Across from me was Volcan Agua, and I could see so far beyond that the mountainous terrain of Guatemala. I was at a loss for words, worshipping my awesome God.

Our God is an awesome God
 He reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God

peaks beyond peaks, and green fields of different shades reminded me of a patchwork quilt. The sun warmed my skin and I lifted my hands and sang, "I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned in awe of the One who gave it all. I'll stand, my soul, Lord, to You surrendered. All I am is Yours!"

All I am is Yours...

Whether it is at home in Minnesota
Whether it is at Northwestern College in my studies
Whether it is on the mission field
Whether it is in an Elementary school
Whether it is in my church
Whether I return to Guatemala
Whether it is going somewhere that I don't know where the Lord is taking me

All I am is Yours...

<3 Kaycia

 Praise be to God for everything He has done in my life

God is so good!

God is good [[Thursday, November 24]]

"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the LORD, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." -Colossians 1:9-13

Se Libre...
Today was bittersweet, knowing that it was the last full day that I had with the children. It was pretty much routine: breakfast, chapel, crafts, chapel, and then for the last day there would be a talent show and then an award ceremony.

In chapel, the speaker had some of the leaders acting out "se murio chicho" (Chicho died) while crying and then laughing. Kim and I were relieved that he had picked a couple of the other girls to do it, but as soon as they were done we had to act this out too. It was quite funny.

There was a talent show at the end of the day. God has gifted these kids in some pretty amazing ways. Some danced in their wheelchairs and others sang. One boy imparticular, got up and sang Open the Eyes of my Heart in Spanish. That was a blessing to hear. In one of my classes, I heard a man that was blind say that God has granted him the ability to understand what living by faith and not sight truly means. There's more to life than what the eyes see, and that's Jesus.

At the reward ceremony that night, a slide show of the week played and along with those pictures the song I Can Only Imagine played. "I can only imagine what it will be like when I walk by Your side...will I dance for You, Jesus? Or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? <= This week was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever experience. Those children showed me what it really means to DEPEND on Jesus and to live for a greater day, the day when I will see Jesus.

After the ceremony I helped get the girls ready for bed. Some of the girls began to cry, knowing that they had to go back to the orphanage the next day. This is what it means to love the orphaned. Seeing their tears was breaking my heart and all I could do was hold them. To love like Jesus means to care for children like these.

After tucking the girls in, I was walking outside and met up with a few of my new Guatemalan friends. I was able to practice my Spanish because the one knew English and Spanish, so he helped me when I did not know the word. I was surprised at how much Spanish came back to me after all the years of studying. I even got to practice my commands which I currently am studying at NWC :) I told my friends that I was going to bed and began to pack up. I think my heart strings are attached to this place and these beautiful people who teach me that the love of Christ has no limits.

gracias, Señor por todo

"Confía en Jehová con todo tu corazón y no te apoyes en tu propia prudencia." -Prov. 3:5

<3 Kay

Be Still & Know That I AM... [[Wednesday, November 23]]

"Behold the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall their be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away...BEHOLD, [THE LAMB OF GOD] IS MAKING ALL THINGS NEW."
                                                                                                  -Revelation 21:3-5

Donde fluye adoración/ Y las calles de oro son/Levantamos alabanza a ti Señor/No hay llanto/No hay más dolor/No hay muerte/Conmigo estás/Conmigo estás/No hay noche/No hay aflicción/No hay culpa/
 Conmigo estás/Conmigo estás...

Por la eternidad, Mi alma ofrecerá Toda gloria a ti Señor

Where the streets are made of gold/In Your presence healed and whole/Let the songs of heaven rise to you alone/No weeping, no hurt or pain/No suffering/ You hold me now/You hold me now/No darkness no sick or lame/No hiding/You hold me now/You hold me now

For eternity, my heart will give all the glory to Your name, Jesus

This is one of my favorite songs by Hillsong, because it reminds me what I am living for. Each one of us was put on earth for a purpose=>to glorify God with our bodies and to extend His kingdom, yet knowing that earth is not our home. This song reminds me that one day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:10-11), and on that day Jesus will make eveything new. There won't be any pain or suffering, but only the sounds of the children of God rejoicing in their Savior. In Christ there is FREEDOM. Se Libre...

Today I woke up at 5am, just as the sun was beginning to rise over the many volcanoes. The air was crisp and the blue sky gave me hope that today was going to be beautiful. I helped get the girls dressed into their swimsuits for a day away at la playa (the beach!). It was hard work getting those girls dressed, lifting their twisted bodies, and gently putting their swimsuits on. After an early breakfast we loaded the kids up in a bus. I sat by Lusbin and his sister.

School buses are not good for kids who have no muscle control to hold themselves up. I ended up holding Lusbin up because I was afraid that he would hit his head on something. He ended up falling asleep in my arms. Honestly, I started to think that I would love to have an adopted child someday from here, but I don't know what God's plan is for my life.

We arrived to the beach where it was at least 90-100 degrees. Yeah, sunscreen was a must...especially when I stood next to the Guatemalans and I looked sickly white. First we went swimming in a pool at a place that was along the beach. I carried Sonia and Lusbin for awhile. And after lunch we went to the ocean. The beautiful black volcanic sand stretched for miles and the waves of the ocean swept over it. It was so refreshing to hear the sound of the waves. I ran into the waves, letting the salty water wash over me, and all I could think of was that this is the way God's grace is...it washes over us like the waves of the ocean, refreshing us and cleansing us. "Hallelujah, Your grace like rain, washes over me." And in those moments I praise God for being a God of great order, majesty, protection, and everything that I cannot be.

I took Cece and held her in my lap so that when the waves came in from sea, they would wash over her legs. Everytime a wave came in she would giggle. She has the greatest giggle and I couldn't help but laugh along with her. She also enjoyed burrying me in the sand. As I sat there for an hour, letting the warm sun fall on us, and the cool ocean waves wash over us, and hearing Cece giggle, I couldn't help but think of Cece in heaven...completely healed. I know that God has a purpose for her on earth and I know He has plans for her even in her condition...God uses us in our weakness, and it's in our weaknesses when we are strongest. God's going to use her in ways to bring glory to his name, and I think it is children like her that show me more of the heart of Jesus...life isn't about looks or anything that this world can offer=>our lives are meant to be all about Jesus!

The best part of this is that here there are palm trees and the weather is warm. Back in Iowa it's freezing cold and snowing. I'm so glad I am not there!

The bus ride back felt long. I was ready to crash. We had an interesting dish for supper. It was corn and beef boiled inside of some type of leaf. It was actually pretty good. After dinner we got the girls ready for bed and then had a team meeting. It wasn't long because we all were so tired.

"I love you, O Lord, my strength." -Psalm 18:1

God is good, so very good

<3 Kay