Disneyland and God's Grace

It's a bit overdue, I'm sorry about that.

I was going to go camping at Joshua Tree on the weekend of April 14th, but it was rained out.  I was all packed and ready to leave when I got the call that it was rained out (thanks Anna!).  I was kinda bummed about it, but it was nice to stay home.  I saw Mirror Mirror with a few friends and went to a BBQ in place of the camping trip.

My friend Aimee came to visit me the next weekend, April 19-22 (Thursday to Sunday).  I picked her up Thursday morning and we spent two days in Disneyland, which I think was plenty.  I showed her all the cool stuff that Richie showed me and we even got our picture taken with Princess Aurora.  We had a ton of fun!

On Saturday, my parents flew in and Aimee and I met them and Richie at The Elephant Bar.  Aimee and I had already eaten at The Corner Bakery, so we weren't too hungry.  We then drove to Hollywood, saw the stars on the sidewalk, toured the Chinese theater, and drove around looking for stars' houses.  We couldn't really see them with all the gates and hedges.  It was still tons of fun taking pictures of all the cool and funny looking houses.  We tried to go to BJs for dinner, but it was packed, so my family, Aimee, and I went to The Hat.  They have great pastrami sandwiches there.

Sunday, we just relaxed before I dropped Aimee off at the airport.  It was an exhausting weekend, but in a good way.  I got ready to go back to work the next day.

My new position has been going well.  I've been doing a lot of training.  Sometimes it seems overwhelming, but I love it!  God has really been working His hand in this change.  I was having a hard time grasping the new procedures and finally gave it all to God on Monday.  The very next day it was as if a light bulb turned on, a really big one!  I started understanding everything and was even able to do a few things by myself.  It was such a relief!  I know that in this process, God has been asking me "Are you done trying to do it yourself?  Are you ready to give it to Me yet?"  I didn't realize this until I gave it to Him.  Then I remembered how I got my housing and job last year when I was moving down here for school.  He asked these same questions until I finally gave it up to Him.  It's hard to do, I want to tell myself that I'm independent and don't need help, but I always need help.   As hard as I try, I can't do it without God's blessing and guidance.

I keep remembering the lyrics from Mandisa's song "Stronger" based on Philippians 1:6:

'Cause if He started this work in your life
He will be faithful to complete it
If only you believe it
He knows how much it hurts
And I'm sure that He's gonna help you get through this

I know that God brought me down here to California to get my MBA and work at ECCU.  He started this in my life and He is faithful to finish it, I won't give up!

My New Job and Easter

I have already been working at my new job for about a week and a half.  It's amazing and I love training!  I've been learning a lot of stuff, most of it intertwines a bit.  I have a bunch of papers on the procedures, there is so much detail!  I've highlighted and written all sorts of notes on them.  I've also started to decorate my cubical.  I bought a giant teacup planter (I don't know what I'm putting in it) and a few other desk items

I've been helping in tellers the past few days.  It's just until they get the new hires trained.  I'm only on the schedule until next Monday over there, so I think that's my last day.  It's been hard to have one foot in the new job and the other in the old.  Everyone is so kind and helpful toward each other, but it stretches me.  I think it's something that I need to trust God with.  I need to remember to rely on Him instead of myself to get me through each day and each week.

I'm getting ready this week to go camping in Joshua Tree Park.  It's going to be fun, though this is the first camping trip where I've had to bring my own water...it's going to be interesting.  I'm trying to get everything together early, because I have to borrow several things and go to the store for other stuff.  I'm excited!!!

Easter weekend was great, especially when Friday is a half day!  I went to the Good Friday service and sat with some of the young adults.  Everyone had been given a nail at the Sunday service to hold onto for the week and on Friday, we were to nail it into the cross on the stage.  I went up after the service to nail mine in.  I'm so used to seeing a wooden cross, they are everywhere; it is easy to be numb to the meaning.  This cross, however, was different.  It was filled with tons of nails that people had hammered in; it looked so painful.  This usually beautiful cross was ugly and sharp.  It took me away from the usual into the real, it jolted my mind to remind me of what happened on the cross.  Hammering the nail in was emotional.  I couldn't make myself hammer it where the actual nails would have been, but it was still hard.  It reminds me of the lyrics "it was my sin that held Him there, until it was accomplished."

My nail bent when I hammered it in.  It stood out from the straight nails, but when I turned to hand off the hammer, I couldn't find my nail.  It was as if God was telling me that He took away my sin, my guilt.  It is gone, I didn't need to look for it or worry about what I did wrong.  He took care of it on the cross.  It was a moving moment, I didn't want to leave, but I found myself outside talking to the other young adults about their thoughts on the service.  It moved us all.  Sometimes we need a sharp reminder of what we take for granted, an action to remind us what Jesus did for us.

A few hours after the Easter service on Sunday, I went to a friend's house for Easter dinner/meal.  Her family was kind to allow me to join them.  They had some great food and I enjoyed being there with them.  I missed being with my whole family, but I got pictures of my nieces in their cute Easter outfits!  I went home afterwards to rest, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to go another friend's house to make strawberry cupcakes.  All in all, it was a great day and I even though I was barely home, I felt right at home wherever I was.  God has blessed me with such awesome friends!