"You're not short, everyone's just tall"

This is a quote from my wise brother. It's official-he is taller than me. He is 5'5" while I stand at a mere 5'4". It is sad really. I always joked with my mom about me being taller than her, but now I find that all my cousins and my "little" brother are towering over me(and making jokes in the process). I've come to the realization that I'm destined to be short because nobody, especially my mom's side, is really tall. It's all downhill from here.

This has been one of the better weeks since school started. As usual, I've been busy(maybe even more so) and I've beaten my own record of least hours of sleep(went to bed at 3 a.m. on Sunday and 1 the rest of the nights), but I still think this week went well. Cheerleading practice was canceled on Monday because my coach said we deserved a break(major shock), so it was nice to have some extra time before band practice. My assignments were more spaced out this week, so I had time to organize my homework. I didn't have any major tests this week which is definitely a plus!

Tuesday night was the First Priority Dinner at Spring Lake Wesleyan. It was awesome! I met some incredible students from Fruitport, Spring Lake, and GHHS Freshman. We served a delicious dinner and helped with the dishes. Randy White played a presentation of First Priority activities and interviews with students. I, along with some other students, went on stage and Randy asked us each a question that referred to First Priority. He asked me to talk about the mission trips I've been on and how I relate that to school and First Priority. That was an awesome opportunity to share my experiences and express the need to share Christ's love in a public school. The night was really uplifting and it was nice to meet other Christians who are experiencing similar things in their schools.

It's amazing to see how much God is working in my life right now. I was talking(more like venting) to the girls in small group last night about how I feel "alone". I'm going through the same spiritual dryness that usually occurs during this time of year when I'm consumed with my own desires and too busy to spend time with God. I had some thoughts last night while Sandy was leading the discussion(randomness starts here): 1) I don't completely rely on God. Instead of going to Him with my struggles and accomplishments, I try to find comfort in people because I am constantly around people due to my busy schedule. 2) I keep too much inside. Going with point 1, a lot of times I don't tell people what I'm struggling with(or even what makes me happy for that matter). Everything keeps building up inside because I either feel I don't have enough to time to have a real conversation with a person or I don't think that they will understand my struggles. Instead, I should be bringing those thoughts to God. He is my omni-present friend. He wants me to come to Him because He wants to comfort me and show me how much He loves me. I will say that I've really been noticing the God moments recently. Since we've been talking about Evangelism on Sunday mornings, I've been looking out for times when I get to talk to people at school. There have been numerous times this week when I've been able to talk about my beliefs and mission trips to people. God has been so gracious to open up those doors for me as an encouragement that He is still working in my life. My new favorite song is "Even If I Fall". I just learned this in praise band and I play it everyday on my guitar and sing it as a prayer to God:
Though my way seems uncertain/In You I'll put my trust/Even if I fall/I'll rise again/for You are my God/Even if I fall/You lift me up/I may go through some trials/But I will not fear, for You are with me. Those are my favorite lines. I could go on about my spiritual growth this week, but I should wrap this up.

I would like to thank the guys responsible for putting the bomb on my vehicle last night. Good one, guys. Next time you try bombing a car, don't tell the person about it BEFORE they get to the car. Be mysterious; Surprise them; make them fear you.

Here is a picture of my soon-to-be cousin:




My Aunt Paula and Uncle Paul are adopting this little girl from China. Isn't she cute? Her name is going to be Danielle. She had surgery on her lip which is a praise because my aunt and uncle were worried about doing the surgery after they get her. They aren't sure when they'll get her exactly because all the adoption details are still being worked out, but please pray that the entire process and travel goes well.

Busy weekend: last home football game, band competition, SUNDAY ACTIVITIES, and homework. Good news is that cheerleading practice is canceled on Tuesday so I get a little break. Please pray for me as I wrap up this upcoming week of football season.

God Bless!