So much more to come...

I promise to write more, but I have got to post something about the trip really quickly.  

I think what I'll choose to post is the coolest picture I have ever taken.  On our afternoon off, we visited downtown Memphis and stopped by the Peabody hotel to see the procession of ducks....

I know that has absolutely nothing to do with what we were really there to do, but I thought it was pretty cool myself.  

I'm headed to bed, but hopefully I'll get a real post up tomorrow.  It's just that we woke up at 4:30 after heading to bed at midnight to travel home tonight.  I'm exhausted and much of what I wrote would not make a lot of sense.  

Thanks for your prayers!! 

Love,

Brit

Memphis here we come...

Hey ya'll...

So we head out to Memphis tomorrow morning and prayer would be much appreciated.  We're traveling in a van with over 200,000 miles on it, working in a neighborhood that SOS is fairly new to, and this is Lauren's very first mission trip.  We are insanely excited for what the Lord will do, and cannot wait to see how He works this week.  

Anything I can pray for? Anna's trip, of course.  She leaves for New Orleans this week as well.  

Emily, Abby?  

Love you all and I'll see you sometime!  Have great weeks.  

Brit

Where the heck did February go??

Matt & Nathan

Julian Drive

Anyone else find this slightly disturbing? 

The ocean. ;)

Eeeemmillyyyy & me

I don't know about you guys, but to me it seems like February didn't even last a whole month....it's almost the end and it felt like it spanned about a week.  In fact, this whole semester is going by incredibly quickly.  Swamp Cabbage was great...it was really fun getting to hang out with my family and Em for the day.  Swamp Cabbage signals the end of February soooo....summer will be here before we know it!  We saw A1 Sunday night and that was fun...but not the same without you guys!  

There's a lot going on right now that's been kind of exhausting, and I'd love to ask for prayer..

This week has just been kind of emotionally draining, with my priorities and focus not being on the Lord.  That, along with the lovely sickness that has been developing has just worn me out.  I don't want to give in to apathy, so prayers that my spirit would be replenished would be great.  Also, I'm trying to figure out summer plans.  There is an internship opportunity at Inpop in the area I'd love love love to study (music business).  The complication comes in that you have to get school credit to apply for the internship, but to get school credit in my degree the internship has to be paid.  Why is this complicated, you might ask?  Inpop is not paid.  Prayers for God's will would be fabulous!

Anything you need me to pray for?

I'll leave with some pictures of what's been going on since I posted last.  I'm sure I'll have lots of fun stories once I get back from UF this weekend, right Anna?  ;)

Love,

Brit

I'm hungry

Happy belated Valentines Day!  I hope you girls had a great day with people you love.  The holiday was actually kind of funny for me, because God has been speaking to my heart about love a lot lately.  Maybe not the kind of love that the commercialized holiday promotes, but love nonetheless.  

"While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.  When he saw jesus he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, 'Lord, if you are willing you can make me clean.'  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.  'I am willing,' he said.  'Be clean!'.  And immediately the leprosy left him."

-Luke 5:12-14

I'm going to Memphis to work in an inner-city neighborhood for Spring Break, and our team has been meeting weekly to prepare for the trip.  One thing that comes up pretty often in our discussion is what love really is, and how Jesus loved.  I'm sure all of us have read the story of Jesus healing the leper several times...but I guess I had never really studied it before.  The fact that Jesus actually touched the man and was willing to sacrifice a little bit of himself was something that I didn't understand before.  I feel like as a nation we like to throw excess money at problems instead of actually sacrificing something.  Don't get me wrong..without adequate funding many things cannot be accomplished.  But there are so many other things to be done besides and in addition to financially giving.  People need to be loved.  We have to actually sacrifice and show people that they matter.  

There are so many times where I have complained about inconveniencing myself just a little bit to give someone a ride or talk to someone who needs a person to listen to them.  That's one thing I get so frustrated with myself about.  Jesus loved in every aspect of his life.  It kind of astonished me that he touched a leper.  After reading up on the disease, many people are immune to it, but if you are not, it can be contagious.  I'm sure it especially was back then...when there were no vaccines or preventative medications.  I had never actually looked at a picture of someone with leprosy, and now that I have...it's really obvious.  Jesus looked beyond the exterior of the disease and spoke into that person's life.  He of all people could have been doing a number of other things but Jesus (who had a busy busy life) took time out of his life to love someone.  

That's my prayer...that we might see people through God's eyes and that our hearts would break for others.  

I love you guys so much...let's go love others.  

Brit

I'm feeling the Cheesecake Factory....

How's this beautiful Sunday morning going for everyone?

Mine has been pretty fantastic.  This morning I showered and got on the computer while I was drinking my orange juice before getting ready for church.  I have not talked to the lovely Kristen Kroll since September (which is a travesty) and she got online!  I kind of skipped church because we talked for a while.  Best morning I've had in a while.  Since I skipped church, I went outside my dorm to some benches out front and had my own Sabbath time....listening to Vicky Beeching, reading a devotional from Rebecca St. James, journaling, spending time in the Word, and just enjoying the beautiful weather.  God really spoke to me through this song, so I thought I'd share...

Your laughter it echoes like a joyous thunder
Your whisper it warms me like a summer breeze
Your anger is fiercer than the sun in its splendour
You’re close and yet full of mystery
Ever since the day that I saw Your face
Try as I may, I cannot look away, I cannot look away…

Captivated by You
I am captivated by You
May my life be one unbroken gaze
Fixed upon the beauty of Your face

Beholding is becoming, so as You fill my gaze
I become more like You and my heart is changed
Beholding is becoming, so as You fill my view
Transform me into the likeness of You

This is what I ask, for all my days
That I may, never look away, never look away…
No other could ever be as beautiful
No other could ever steal my heart away
I just can’t look away…

-Captivated by Vicky Beeching

To end, I thought I'd share some things I'm really looking forward to here in the near future!

• Working the Sanctus Real/Matthew West show with Em next weekend!
• A Valentine's day on the lake with some lovely ladies.
• SWAMP CABBAGEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
• The Article One show in Clermont
• Chris Tomlin.  Need I say more??

Hope everyone has great weeks being captivated by Him! :)

Love,

Brit

Oh boy, Oh boy

The Capital and the millions of people in front of it

Washington Monument earrrly in the morning

The NBC desk at the Newseum

Matt and I on the balcony of the Newseum...freezing because our coats had been checked in.  Brr!

A portion of the Berlin Wall

This could've been a really great picture...hehe.  We're pointing at Florida Avenue trying to convince ourselves that it's warm.  It did NOT work.

Can anyone tell me why Florida is being stupid?  A low of 27 last night...all I'm sayin'....

Ok so a few things are new.  I went to the inauguration of President Barack Obama and as a result have been in DC for the past 5 days.  Let me tell you...it was freezing, but totally worth it.  What an experience.  I could tell you about the people jumping over porta-potties, my fear of losing my toe due to frostbite, Cathy and I partying with homemade lemonade because we weren't allowed to go to the "Lotus Lounge", the amazing people, freezing more than I ever have before, a bus blockade made of people, and jumping through bushes, but I'll spare you.  Oops...

I'll post some pictures, because I feel like that's the best way to really see what it was like.  It's hard to describe in words the spirit of the event, and what it was like to be around alllll those other people celebrating that historic day.  

So.  If you're ever bored, go read old blog posts from all of us, and the comments.  They pretty much made my day today....and there are a lot of inside jokes that I unfortunately cannot remember the meaning to.  Makes it more fun, I think....

Hope your lives are being great to you all, and that we can all get together soon!  

Love,

Brit

Back to school, back to schoooooollllll

So third and last update about the cyst.  The stitches come out tomorrow! :)

Speaking of tomorrow, it's going to be a busy busy day.  I have to go to Ft. Myers with Grandpa in the morning to get my stitches out, then come back and vacuum my car and pack, then lunch with Emily, then bank with mom, then drive to Orlando, then unpack, and then....HUEY MAGOOS.  I'm looking forward to that a little...;)

I'm looking forward to heading back to school but am sad to leave home too.  Being here for so long made me get back into the swing of living at home and sometimes it feels like I never left.  I love getting 'the best of both worlds' (hehe).  If I could move my family, friends, church, and animals to Orlando and occasionally take a trip to the country, man....how sweet would that be. I certainly have nothing to complain about...I'm insanely blessed at both Orlando and home.

Heading back a few days...Christmas was great, though different.  A lot of our family was out of town so it was a lot smaller than usual.  New Years was special.  We had a huge bon-fire out at our friend James's house and were entertained by a fabulous showing of fireworks.  Oh LaBelle...

Now onto New Years Resolutions...I'm not a fan.  I've never met someone who's actually stuck to one.  Ms. Martha brought up an interesting point in church this morning.  She talked about how the resolutions so often focus on ourselves and how we can improve US.  I had never noticed that.  She talked about instead of trying to improve things about us, how about improving things around us.  She got me thinking more and more about my dream and the call on my heart to be a missionary.  Sometimes with all of the career opportunities that come up with getting closer and closer to being out of school, I lose sight of the call of God on my life.  I'm not sure if it will be forever, for a few years, or for even less, but what I do know is that I have to be careful to never lose sight of God and His plans for me.  For now I'm going to continue on in school and pray for God's plans on my life.  I have no idea where that will lead, and it's a bit frightening, but even more fulfilling and exiting.  

I love you guys, and it was great to see you both over break.  Here's to 2009 being...2009.  I'm not asking for better or worse...just whatever God has in store.  

Oh, and let's not forget to pray for the Kelly family.  Tomorrow with be 1 year since the accident...

Love,

Brit