Beautiful People and Life's Little Adventures

Over the past few months I have been training and fundraising and working my little butt of to spend my summer pedaling for affordable housing with Bike and Build and this whole process has taught me a whole lot about life little adventures and the beautiful people that you encounter all along the way. so here is a little bit about some of the beautiful people in my life.

First of all a huge shout out to all of my life group girls. These women have supported and encouraged me throughout this entire process. Thank you to Kristen for sending your support, love and advice from across the ocean. Thank you to Virginia and Alyssa for all of the encouragement throughout the application and fundraising process. Even when I had my doubts you encouraged. Thank you. Once I had conquered the daunting task of raising $4000 I knew that I wasn't finished. Biking across the country requires training. Kelly has been such an encouragement when it comes to training. She is very good at holding me accountable and encouraging me to push myself more and more with each ride. Her optimism is contagious :)

In the midst of training life happened and my little brother's girlfriend went into labor. Talk about nerves and excitement. And then life happened again and due to complications the baby didn't make it. Now I don't know if you have ever experienced the death of a baby or been to a baby's funeral but it is pretty much one of the hardest most difficult things you will ever experience. The atmosphere is pure grief. The number one question on every one's lips is why? You can't help but feel overwhelmed with sadness at this beautiful little life that has been cut short. But in the midst of this horrible situation two things happened. 1. God placed beautiful people in my life. My best friend took time off of work so that she could drive me to the funeral and hold my hand throughout the entire thing. She didn't try to fix things and tell me everything would be ok,, she entered into the grief with me. She selflessly agreed to attend a baby's funeral because she loves me and she knows that I wouldn't have gotten through it without her. But wait it gets better. My aunt also agreed to share the grief with me and attend. A little back ground info almost 12 years ago my dad's family suffered the loss of a baby and it is something that has taken us 11 years to come to terms with and accept- and now here she is attending another baby's funeral and recalling all of the past hurt so that she could be there for me and support me and my brother. That's real love.

Now when life doesn't make sense I usually do two things. First I get mad. I'm good at being mad. Then I turn to God and ask for guidance. Now as I said before the number one question asked at a baby's funeral is why. So immediately leaving the funeral I looked at my phone and I had a text from my dear friend in south Africa and it simply said. "I know today sucks, but your eyes are beautiful when you cry. Isaiah 41:10" (Isaiah happens to be one of my favorite books of the bible) Isaiah 41:10 says, "So do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Now how perfect is that? So I finish out the day's events funeral, cemetery, and dinner afterwards and I come home and decide to read out of a new devotional and guess what verses were featured? Ecc. 3:1-8 which say "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the sun. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal,a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter and a time to gather, a time to embrace and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace." And then it hits me. I don't have to know or understand the why of it all. It was an accident. There is a time and a season for everything. And although this was not a fun or easy experience I am still thankful for that perfect baby boy, the flower that never opened.

These verses have also been helping me cope with the fact that I will be leaving the shelter for three whole months. I am so so so very greatful to Jill and the HATS board for allowing me to take a leave of absence this summer. But I am even more greatful for my staff. They always go above and beyond to get things done and make sure that they shelter is running smoothly. It is for this very reason that I am able to turn things over to them this summer. I have absolute confidence that they will love with their whole hearts and do what is in the best interests of our dogs. They are beautiful people and too often I forget to thank them. So thank you to all of my staff for wearing yourselves out day after day. Thank you for fighting the good fight for our dogs. Thank you for your unique abilities, your common passion to better this place and the overwhelming amount of love that you pour into your work. we are making a difference one dog at a time.

To recap; six months ago I had no idea how I would ever raise $4000, leave the shelter for 3 months or train to bike across the country. But here I am money raised, miles logged getting ready to leave the shelter for 3 whole months and I am not worried. I am overwhelmed with joy and appreciation instead because I have truly been blessed with beautiful people in my life. And it is these beautiful people who make life's little adventures, and hardships, worth experiencing.

With gratitude, peace, and love,

Summer

To Hoss....

Spring Break has given me a lot of time to just sit and reflect on all of the things in my life and so naturally the shelter has been on my mind a ton. Full to capacity and placed in a position to make tough decisions I find myself overwhelmed and asking, "How can we save more?" or " What can I do to ensure that we don't have to loose anymore?" Then the answer comes to me, usually as a slap in the face, this time as a gentle reminder. I stumbled across this beautiful story and it has reminded me of some very important lessons. http://luckydogrescueblog.blogspot.com/p/rudys-story.html
Rudy's story brings me back to my first love. To the dog that would forever change my life. To the dog that captured my heart and awakened my soul in one glance. To Hoss.

Reading Rudy's story brought me back to the basics. It has inspired me to tell the story of Hoss, the very reason that I am an animal rescuer and pit bull advocate today.

It was a normal week day. i had just gotten out of class and decided that I didn't want to do homework right away. So I headed to the local animal shelter, a recently discovered treasure :) After arriving I immediately went to the dog kennels and did my usual walk through. I like to walk through the kennels and see everyone before I visit with any one dog. I like to share the love. On this particular day I was walking along handing out treats as usual when suddenly I saw him. A fawn and white tank, muscles rippling at the shoulders and chest. At first glance his muscular stature combined with his confident stance was very intimidating, but then I looked into his beautiful bronze eyes. I got lost in those eyes and I knew from that moment on I would love him. All of his physical characteristics said "hey watch out, I'm a big tough pit bull." but his eyes they said something far different. His eyes said, "please don't judge me, just love me." Over the next few weeks I would stop in every day and spend hours with him after class. No one else ever visits him and often times I would overhear people talking about how scary or mean he was. This infuriated me to no end. They didn't know him like I did they judged him on his outward appearance. They didn't spend time walking him along the tree line or playing fetch in the back yard. They didn't give him belly rubs until he fell asleep in their laps. They, like the majority of Americans, judged him because of his breed, not his character.

Hoss's story doesn't end happily. An intimidating pit bull who doesn't do well with other dogs in a shelter full to capacity ends up at the top of the euthanasia list. Losing Hoss was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do but I know that it happened for a reason. That dog opened my eyes to the injustices of breed stereotypes. He planted a seed that would grow into a passion for bully breeds everywhere. He is the reason that I do what I do. That dog taught me so much about love and friendship, loyalty and compassion and i owe it to him to pass those lessons on to others, animal and human alike. This is why I will continue to fight to save every animal that I can. And I know that I can't save them all but Hoss has taught me that I should never stop trying. And for those, like Hoss, that don't have happy endings I smile because I know that I loved them and they mattered to me, no matter how short our time was together here on this Earth. I guess in a nutshell Hoss taught me one of the most valuable lessons of my life, love until it hurts and then love more.

Hope Now

So lately I have been getting really bogged down with worldly worries. The shelter has been full to capacity for sometime now and the constant struggle to save them all is, to say the least, stressful. School is starting again soon, something I am not looking forward to. Bike and Build fundraising and training are constantly on my mind. This is something that I want so badly that I tend to worry about all of the what ifs and buts instead of focusing on the prize. And to top it all of my car, that has been good to me for the past four years, needs a costly new transmission. This has left me in an overall panic and worry about my finances and the immediate future. All of this worry and mistrust has placed strain on my relationship with God and left me feeling guilt because I know that his plan is perfect and that he only has my best interests at heart. So yesterday he slapped me in the face with his love again as he often does. This technique works best for me I guess lol I was listening to the radio and I came across two songs that are currently speaking volumes to me. The first one is called "Hope Now" by Addison Road. The lyrics are as follows

If everything comes down to love
Then just what am I afraid of
When I call out Your name
Something inside awakes in my soul
How quickly I forget I'm Yours

I'm not my own
I've been carried by You
All my life

Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

When my life is like a storm
Rising waters all I want is the shore
You say I'll be ok
Make it through the rain
You are my shelter my from the storm

Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

I am not my own
I've been carried by you all my life

Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

You've become my hearts desires
I will sing Your praises higher
Your love sets me free
(Your love sets me free)
Your love sets me free
(You love sets me free)
Your love sets me free

This song literally slapped me in the face. Everything rides on hope now, everything rides on faith somehow, when the world has broken me down, your love sets me free! Amen to that. This realization left me thinking about my baptism and what that means for my life now. My new life, my life as a servant of Christ. Then I came across the second song, "I Will Follow" by Chris Tomlin. The lyrics are as follows,

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow...

All your ways are good
All your ways are sure
I will trust in you alone
Higher than my side
High above my life
I will trust in you alone

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow you
Who you love, I'll love
How you serve I'll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow you
I will follow you

Light unto the world
Light unto my life
I will live for you alone
You're the one I seek
Knowing I will find
All I need in you alone, in you alone

In you there's life everlasting
In you there's freedom for my soul
In you there joy, unending joy
And I will follow

This describes exactly what baptism and following Christ mean. Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay When you move, I'll move I will follow you Who you love, I'll love How you serve I'll serve If this life I lose, I will follow you I will follow you

After reflecting for some time yesterday I decided that I wanted to share this life lesson and these songs because they speak the truth in love. We are struggle, we all doubt, we all fall short but God is good and his plan is perfect. It is with that renewed knowledge and hope that I face all of the hard things in life, school, work , finances ect.

"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." ~Matthew 16:25

Love until it hurts, and then love MORE.

The ABC's of 2010

I cannot believe that it is 2011 already!!! This realization leaves me reflecting on the previous year and all of the trials and adventures that I experienced! WOW! Life is a crazy ride.

A- Amazing adventures, apples, and airplanes in Virginia Beach

B- Bonds that will last a lifetime, Best Friends, Bike and Build and big surprises

C- CATS!!!, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cheez-Its and Cars

D- DOGS!!!DOGS!!!DOGS!!!, Detroit, MI (Spring Break), Deirks Bentley

E- Early morning Bible studies, Evergreen trees, E-Board

F- Friends!!!, Foster Animals,

G- Girls just wanna have fun:), God is good all the time, Growth

H- Hills and Valleys, Hope, Hair cuts

I- Ice cream!!!, iheart.org, Isaiah 58:10

J- John 5:8, Joy, Journeys

K- Kristen & Kelly, Kindness of strangers,

L- LOVE, Learning, lightning rod moments, Letters, Lifegroup

M- MOUNTAINS!!!!, Memories, Mark the cat, Mail drops

N- NEW YORK!!! Nighttime chats, Navigating new terrain, Never ending blue skies

O- OREGON!!!!, open conversations, Overwhelming joy!, Oceans, "Our God is Greater"

P- Park visits, pound puppies, perserverance

Q- Quiet Moments, Quality Friendships,

R- Rainbows, Rescues, relizations

S- Sunrises and Sunsets, surprises of a lifetime, Service

T- travels, trees, training

U- unchartered water, umbrellas, unspoken connections

V- Van rides, very excited people, Virginia, Vacation Days!

W- Water!, walks with friends, wagging tails :)

X- X-periences!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Y- Yellow, youth, yes!

Z- Zoos with Zebras,


It's been a crazy year. It started with Deirks Bentley, then there was school. the summmer began with Virginia Beach and then there was Cedar Rapids. The summer ended with Cannon Beach and then there was NYC! School started and ended so quickley. Then there was Bike and Build and Fundraising Dinners and New Years spent with friends. Now it's 2011!!!!!! And I cannot wait to see what it has in store :):):)

'Tis the Season....

With Christmas right around the corner I just keep thinking about all of the amazing things in my life. More and more each day I am reminded of how very blessed I am. I have a wonderful support system of people who love me and I am SO grateful for them :) I have beautiful friends who are going to change the world some day I just know it. Kristen and Kate are heading off to Africa in January to serve and meet needs a continent away. Elayna just got a job in El Paso, TX where she will be using her gift of language to serve with Americorps for a year. Virginia is working on raising money for a homeless shelter that is greatly needed in our area. So many beautiful people that support me in everything that I do!!! Passionate people who are living it out by giving back. In addition to my amazing friends I have a supportive family. No matter how many times I change my major or how many crazy thing I decide to do (like Biking across the country with Kelly!!!!!!!!!!) they love and support me. I have also been blessed with the world's best cat. Not to brag or anything but my cat not only listens well, he also does tricks like a dog :) Totally awesome I know. I have a wonderful group of life group girls as well. They are so eager to grow in the Lord and share their lives with each other. It is so very refreshing. On top of all of these great people all of my basic needs are met. I have adequate food, clothing and shelter. I live America, land of the free and home of the brave. I am blessed no matter how you look at it. This Christmas I find myself so grateful for the life that I have been given and so grateful for all of the opportunities in my future! Dec. 29th is my first Bike and Build spaghetti dinner!!!!!!!!!! I am so very grateful to Marlene Dyke for all of her hard work and preperation for this event and I am PUMPED to see all of my 1st Allendale CRC people :):):) AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH life is good!!!!! Bike and Build is going to be awesome!!!!!!! I am blessed.

AAHHHHH! And so it begins....

So over the course of the past year I have put a lot of thought into what exactly I wanted to do with my summer this year. With a lot of thought and a huge amount of faith I decided that I was going to apply to bike across America. Yup that's right, I applied to BIKE ACROSS AMERICA this summer. So I started the application process and I was SUPER excited. But it gets better! One of my closest friends decided to apply also! (Shout out to Kelly!!) So the two of us applied together and then waited very impatiently to hear back. After much anticipation and lots of cyber stalking we both found out that we will be biking across america together this summer! (SUS 11 here we come!) raising money and awareness for adequate, affordable housing and growing in so many ways! TOGETHER! And so the craziness begins. We will spend the next 6 months fundraising and training in preperation for our upcoming adventure :):):) Stay tuned for updates on the madness and links to how you can help :) AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! God is good! All the time!

http://www.bikeandbuild.org/

Love is Always the Answer.

This past weekend has challenged me in a variety of ways. it has made me ask hard questions and it has caused me to pause. But more than that it has given me a new fire for loving both God and people. It seems like such a simple answer I know but it has so much power.

Love is the foundation of our relationship with God. John 3:16 says, "For God so LOVED the world that he sent his one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." It all started with love and not just any love but sacrificial love.

Why?

Galatians 2:20 says "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but he lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." Christ sent his only son to die for us because he loved us that much. But more than that in accepting Him scripture says we have been crucified with Christ and he lives in us.

If Christ lives in us then what should our lives look like?In John 13:34-35 Jesus said it plainly, "a new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Did you catch that? Love one another. It's that simple. It doesn't say love people sometimes. It doesn't say pick and choose who you will and will not love. It doesn't say to love one another when it's easy or convenient for you and it doesn't say love one another halfheartedly. It says the one command I give you above all else is to love one another. And not just love one another but love one another as I have loved you. Love sacrificially. Love wholeheartedly with every ounce of your being. Share this sacrificial love with those that are easy to love and those that are hard to love. Love people in a way that costs you something. Love in a way that forces you to grow and grow in a way that forces you to change for the better, for Christ and His kingdom.

Love can display it's self in many ways so find the gifts that God has given you and then love on people that way. Love sacrificially. Love people where they are at and with the time and gifts God has given you to love them. Plant seeds and grow his kingdom. But make no mistake at any given moment we are either choosing to love one another or to hate. So choose love because love is of Christ and love is always the answer.

"Dear brothers let us not love with words or tounges but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18