Touch the Nations

I am really excited to share this post with you! I work a after school job in the elementary schools in Avery County along side of my job at the high school. I help them with their homework have snack and do some sort of activity. It is pretty easy although can be challenging to me because I am not used to working with little kids. Well at one of the schools I work at there are two little Hispanic boys and back in January when I first started working there the Lord started using these little boys to speak to me.

He was reminding me how important it was to touch the people of different nations. That as his disciple he has called us to go unto the NATIONS!! He reminded me of my mission trip to Guatemala which I rarely think about, it seems like a million years ago. But I went there the summer of 2007 and built ten houses in a village. I spent my days loving on the little kids of the village. They were so full of joy and so touched by the love we were able to provide. The Lord continued to bring this to my attention and was showing me that I had been missing a part of my discipleship that he is called me too. The last two years I have gone to Mexico to help serve at a youth camp but the Lord is calling me to more.

In the next 2 years I want to go on a mission trip, not to Mexico, but to a new country and I want to serve and touch the children and the people of that country. I want to give hope to the hopeless, feed the hungry, and bring smiles and laughter to them through the love of Christ. It doesn't have to be long but I know that God is showing me that it is a part of what he wants me to do. I am by NO MEANS called to out of country missions full time. I love to travel but that is about it. But I do know that as a disciple of Christ I am called to sow into the other countries.

But get this...the Lord kept speaking. And I, for the rest of my life, am going to do everything it takes to somehow sow Christ into every country on this earth. WHAT!?! I know...it seems extreme. But I did not say I need to GO to every country in the world, I just need to sow into every country in the earth.

My brother and his girlfriend got me a necklace for our wedding shower the other weekend. It is through an organization called half united. Where you buy their product and the money goes to feeding people in Africa. This cute little necklace with a pink painted bullet shell fed 19 people in Africa! 19!! That is sowing Christ. And when I saw this opportunity and was reminded that there are thousands of organizations like this, I felt it in my spirit. It isn't that hard and it is completely possible, so why not do it?!

There are 195 (almost 196 when South Sudan has their Independence day in July) countries on the Earth. I will probably live about 65ish more years. If I simply sow into 3 countries a year...I can do it and to be honest I will probably do more than 3 a year. I also want to PHYSICALLY touch 10% of these countries. That's rounded to 20 countries. And I have already sown into 5 of them. And I am not cheating because I have been to more countries that that but I do not feel like I have SOWN CHRIST into them all so I will not count it.

Bold? yes. Kira I thought you wanted to do youth ministry? Yes I do and I will. But there is no harm in me also dedicating apart of my money and time to the nations. Our stories should be told. Christ should be proclaimed. And it should reach further than our own town, state, and even country.

My goal in this is to not focus on it as a goal I get to achieve but to focus on it as a part of my call to discipleship. The greatest blessing is not to receive a but to give and this is a challenge the Lord has given me to bless his people and be blessed. I am super excited about it. I will keep you updated as I go...

I have already physically touched...The U.S., The Bahamas, Guatemala, Mexico, and India. 15 to go and 191 more to sow into :) By the way, Nic is in complete support of this and he is up for the challenge too...together we will touch the world and make a difference. Yay!

New Outlook

Well the wedding talk was great last night! We got A LOT accomplished and we are now on the same page wih everything that we need to be doing. Nic has taken over the project of finding us a place to live!! How fun! I can not wait until we actually find it and the creativity of decorations can start to flow in my mind! I can't wait!

Last night I realized a lot of things that Nic and I have learned in the last 3 months. To be honest it hasn't always been the easiest times but I do believe it has become the most beneficial!

To care more about People than ourselves: I don't know how it happened but the Lord has broken our hearts for celebration. We have learned what it means to celebrate and support the people we love more intimately and more genuinely. We have broken the focus that has been on ourselves. We would often times sacrifice oppurtunities to invest in others to take time to invest in ourselves. Now we are moving forward to focusing on others. Nic is going to go see one of his best friends on Friday before he moves to (I forgot where but I think it is Montana haha). He has always had the biggest heart for people and so have I be we rarely have sacrificed to show it. I am proud of Nic for going on Friday and I am happy to see this change in our lives. We truly appreciate and care about so many people around us and now we are striving to show it in every way. As Pastor Hunt has preached...Let's do life together. We are now seeing what that means. It is not sitting beside each other on Sunday and Wednesdays at church but it is going to going away parties, wedding showers, ball games, baby showers, to be there in a time of need and to be there in a time of celebration. We dedicate ourselves to those around us....we are ready to do life together. Not just with each other but our friends and family.

Submission: Boy have I been learning a lot about this. As we are on the edge of marriage the reality of submission has never been stronger. I believe that Nic and I have always been good at submiting but we are learning what it really means to trust God and trust people and trust each other with our lives. Fear is breaking off, control is being loosed, and we are being set free in full trust of the Lord. Because of it we are becoming stronger. I could write 5 posts on what I have learned about submission but I am not going to be that extreme haha so just know we have learned a lot and we are being shaped into it daily and we are being blessed beyond measure.

Nic and I are busting with love. We are so happy to be where we are and so grateful to be growing the way that we are. God is so good. He has given us each other, GREAT families, a great pastor, and the most wonderful friends. The Lord is working on us daily and preparing us to be the best husband and wife. And in learning that we are also learning how to be the best family member and the best friend that we can. The pressure of life is being relieved and we are moving forward into a place that is overflowing love and creativity.

I feel like I am at a place of repetition so I will stop. I hope as you read this you are encouraged. When Jesus spent his last days with his disciples he made everything so easy for them. He encouraged them and he said that there was one thing he needed them to do....LOVE HIS PEOPLE. He didn't tell them to go invest in themselves or take care of each other only...he told them to go out into the nations and LOVE HIS PEOPLE! Thats it! I can think of so many other things I would have said if I was Jesus in that time. But he knew and he trusted that if his disciples showed love and touched others all other things would fall into place. I'm blown away by it even as I type this.

I love you all so much! Thank you for listening to me go on and on. It is refreshing to say that I am not perfect and neither is my fiance...we learn and grow every day and I love sharing it!

Kira

Wedding..Wedding..Wedding..MARRIAGE.

Planning a wedding and preparing for marriage are two very funny and different things. Unfortunately, especially for the girl the wedding can easily become the main focus. It is a constant of demands which include cakes, flowers, places, shoes, invitations, etc.and at times can seem neverending. But in the grand scheme of things the marriage is what is most important to prepare for. I think for every couple, to find the balance of preparing for these two very different things, can look different to everyone but with no doubt it has to be done.

Don't get me wrong because I love the planning part. So far I am proud to say I am 3 months into engagement and 3 and half months away from the actual wedding day and I have yet to be stressed. It is really just a check list and those are things that I am good at. I make a checklist for about everything I do :)And in reality there will be no other time I get to plan the biggest event ever that is all about me and my future hubby coming together. And I will never be able, with the gift and graciousness of my parents, have a budget of not my money to pick out the best and cutest and most wonderful things with the greatest deals and put them all together to make the perfect night! See doesn't that sound fun?!

But it is so important to keep your focus on what's really important. The marriage. Every day I think of something else that will be funny/interesting to see once Nic and I live together...FOREVER! haha :) The many things that will probably get on each others nerves at first, the many many adjustments of SHARING our space, even our bed, bathroom, and here's the toughest for me...the CLOSET!! :) We are going to enter a whole new world...the greatest world...full of laughter...full of fun...but also full of challenges!

Nic and I do our best to not take up all our time together talking about the details and decisions of our wedding. We actually hardly do talk about them. He likes to have a scheduled time...which I like :) It may seem funny but it works for us. And we have each other's full attention on silly things such as invitations and wedding party gifts. Outside of these "wedding talk times" we dedicate our time to build each other up, to enjoy each other's company, and to take time and make sure we are strengthening ourselves not only to enjoy the greatness of married life but to endure the challenges.

I wouldn't call us niave. We know and understand we don't know all that is ahead but we do want to know we are strong enough and united enough to face anything that comes our way.

Don't I have a great future husband?! He cares so much about the quality of our relationship and the fact that we are always growing together and growing individualy in the Lord! I think I'd have to say...he's the best :)

Sorry it took so long for me to blog since last time! I didn't feel to well this weekend! Nic and I are having one of our wedding talks tomorrow which inspired my post today! I'll let you know if anything fun or funny comes about in it. With the two of us...I am sure there will be!

Love you!
Kira

Sun Shinny Rain

I am just sitting at my house resting before I head off to church and one of my favorite things in the world just happened...

It rained while the sun was still shining.

Im not sure why but ever since I was young it has excited me more than anything see an unexpected rainfall in the midst of a sunny day. It doesn't happen often. It's the kind of rain that is refreshing rather than inconvenient. It normally doesn't last long but it is enough to stop you in your tracks. The best is in the summer. When it cools off the heat of the ground. Oh how I love love love the smell of summer rain :)

How many times in life do we need that refreshing rain. When we are moving so fast and in our own rhythm and then something just stops us to grab our attention. Nothing is bad but nothing is particularly great either. And then something happens, whether it be the sweet voice of the Lord reminding you of who you are in His sight or whether it be a revelation that theres purpose to your routine day, it rejuvenates us! It refocuses the steps we take and the pace of which we are taking them. We stop and look around in amazement of what we've learned, heard, or seen. Steam comes off of the heat we have been producing just as the steam comes off the hot asphalt after a quick sun shinny shower. We are cooled, refreshed, and ready even more than before to keep shinning.

Not to mention when you mix the light with the rain it produces a rainbow! Something for others to see, something that will touch those around it, and something extraordinary.

I dont know if any of this made sense to you haha and sometimes this is just the way my mind works. Thing bless me in the natural just as they would in the spiritual.

Allow the Lord to stop you in your tracks and show you truth and love. Be refreshed by his grace. And allow it to produce what will touch the lives of others.

At the beginning of this post I put pictures that I took when I was in Hawaii. It was the first full rainbow I had every seen and by far one of the most beautiful things I have every seen. I couldn't believe my eyes and I almost didn't even want to look away if fear it would have vanished by the time I came back to it. Talking about rain and rainbows made me think of it and I thought I'd share it with you! Isn't it amazing!?

I love you! I hope life is wonderful and I pray that their be a refreshing interruption to your day :) We all need them sometimes!

Happy Wednesday :)

Kira

My Job

Most of you don't really know what I do during the day so I thought I would take my lunch break today to talk about my job. It actually is one of the coolest assignments the Lord as ever given me. I know I am still called to ministry but I am thankful for what the Lord has given me as my time and season is being prepared for full time ministry in the church.

I am a Drop Out Prevention Specialist at a local high school. At times I am a counselor, a private eye, a listener, a nagger, but most importantly a carer (is that a word?!). I track students attendance through the data system at the school. As I see that students are missing a lot a pull them out of class and talk to them about why they haven't been there. My main concern is to make sure everything is alright because a lot of time the students are missing because there is something going on at home. Just in the last week I have had the excuses of a teen being kicked out of her house and not having a ride to school, she was at her last string of hope of how to solve the problem. I talk to the students about their needs and encourage them to be in school. I form a relationship of accountability and they know I will continue to check on them. I call home and talk to the parents when I am unsure of they students excuses and I even have to go out to the houses of students to track them down. Sometimes a person with my job is looked at negatively but I do my best to make it out of pure concern and love. I do not have the authority to discipline them regardless so there is no reason to be mean, rude, insincere or lack sympathy toward them.

Sometimes I do have to tell the students to just suck it up and come to school. Senoritis truly gets the best of them sometimes haha, but who can blame them right?! We have all been there, they just need a little reminder that the end is not that far away and it is important to finish strong.

My goal everyday is to allow the holy spirit to lead me. These students come from an area that have a lot of generational curses. Most of their parents never went to college and a lot of their parents never finished high school. But luckily I know that this does not have to determine their outcome. I pray for them as the day goes on and I ask for direction from the Lord on the students that I know need a little extra time. You wouldn't believe the difference caring makes in the lives of these teens. It seems so simple but it is so powerful.

A few weeks ago I had a student that I met with and before he walked out of my office he said...it is really nice to know someone cares if I am here or not and walked out. That's only a small taste of the heart wrenching comments I get from these teenagers.

I love them so much and I am so blessed to be working with them everyday. It isn't always easy and can sometimes seem repetitive but to know it is making a difference keeps me going. And to know that as I am led by the holy spirit it is not me but the love of God that is touching them and changing their lives. Even if his name isn't spoken it doesn't mean he isn't present.

I love you all! Have a wonderful Tuesday! Let the Lord speak to you through your job today. There is purpose in every second, don't waste the opportunities before you. I say this not only as a reminder to you but especially for myself!

Rejoice Always :)

Kira

Our First Wedding Shower

Well I am still on wedding shower high that is for sure. We had the most wonderful time. It was honestly almost so great that I am unsure of how to put it into words. Most all of our family was able to come and more people from our wedding party than we imagined showed up. We spent a lot of time in the beginning just eating and fellowshiping. I tried to introduce everyone to everyone but it was very difficult seeing that hardly anyone knew each other haha. Nic and I were back and forth talking to everyone but we were loving it. Our parents all met and spend time getting to know each other and our grandparents and friends all did the same. I wish so badly that the shower could have lasted hours longer so everyone had more time to spend together. Especially those who made a long trip to be there. Praise God for great friends and family. A lot of them traveled 3 to 5 hours to be there for a couple hours to just turn around and go back. It really meant more to us than they will ever know.

Nic and I opened presents. And I know last time I told you about how he would squirm but he used his sweet little niece as a cover up! She sat in his lap the whole time and they watched me open the presents and helped me announce the gifts. I did get him to open a few though :) I must say we were definitely PAMPERED at this shower! Nic's family came together to get us practically ALL of our bathroom accessories and towels and shower curtain, etc. And then my Mamaw and Papaw got us fire safes which we both thought were awesome haha in fact when we got back to Boone that was the first thing Nic wanted to open! How clever of them to get that for us, huh?! And we got lots of other things that we loved and not to mention my parents got us a PLASMA TV!! Now that was when Nic began to really squirm haha. They definitely did not have to do that but we are so thankful! My dad said it was really for him, so when he comes up to visit us he doesn't have to watch games on a little TV ;)

We took some time to tell the people there how much they meant to us. When it got to my turn to talk of course I cried. It was just so overwhelming in the best way to look around the room and see our families together and to see the friends we love the most to be looking back at us from a position of love and support. These are the people that will be with us until the end they will love us, support our marriage, and one day support our kids. They will be the ones we spend out most cherished moments with and share life with.

After the shower Nic and I went to dinner and just sat and reflected on the time. We were just speechless at how great we thought it was. We were sad for the people that weren't able to be there because we truly felt as if that was the beginning of our wedding. Almost like a pre rehearsal dinner. We were ready to get married before because of our excitement to share life with one another but now I think we are even more ready to get married because of seeing the other people that we get to share our life with.

It's funny because in the beginning of our engagement, for various reasons, I went through a season where I was nervous of not having support when we were married. Or our marriage causing us to not be as close to other people. But I know that is not true and as I once feared walking through this alone I now am overwhelmed with the realization that there are more people than I could have imagined.

It is just so sweet and so wonderful to know that as Nic and I walk together...others are walking with us too!

Love you all and many blessings! I am believing that this week is going to be great!!

Kira

The Official Blog

Okay everyone...here it is, the official blog. I know I know I know...this is the 3rd time I have switched the site but this is the one I am going to use. I posted my most recent blog from the last site I made since it was my first post toward married life :) And from here on out you will be able to enjoy much much more.

Tomorrow is our first wedding shower and I am so excited! Nic and I have been talking about it all week long and we seriously can not wait. This shower will include our families and our wedding party! And here is a little fun fact about the situation....our families haven't met yet!! So tomorrow is more than just a wedding shower but a mile stone in our lives and our relationship. I have no doubt that tomorrow will be awesome, eventful, and a story to be told so I can not wait to tell you more about it when it is over.

Our families are so great that I literally do not think that we had one family member say they weren't going to be able to make it. It's such a great feeling to feel supported and to have other people excited for you especially when those people are your family and your closest friends!

And here's another fun fact that you can look forward to hearing about after the shower...Nic HATES opening presents in front of people. And I can already see his squirms haha. It's not that he doesn't like getting presents because trust me he does he just gets uncomfortable opening them for some reason. It makes me smile, as do most of the unique things about him.

As I mention the uniqueness of Nic it reminds me of something I was thinking about today. I have a 30 minute drive to work and so I have plenty of time to think and pray but today's topic of thought was me looking back on how I knew that Nic was the one I was suppose to marry. I have a friend who has been back and forth about whether she wants to marry the guy she's been dating because of some social differences they have. And it occurred to me....part of the reason I knew Nic was the right person for me because even our differences made me love him more and in every flaw he had or has it makes him even more wonderful. Isn't love sweet?! The thought simply allowed me to feel the feeling of falling in love for the first time all over and I loved it.

So, cherish the ones you love even in your differences. We have all been made unique in the Lord and we are all beautiful in His sight <3>

I love you and cherish you :)
Kira

Overwhelmed with Joy by Great People

Have you ever had an experience where out of no where the realization of the Lord's blessing just crashes over you like a refreshing wave of grace?! Well as Nic and I have gone through who to invite to our wedding that is exactly what has happened to me. We have personally been able to sit and reflect on the people in our lives. The people we love and the people who love us! The numbers are unbelievable and we could not be more grateful for the friends the Lord has given us and the community of people that he has placed in our lives to love and to be loved by.

Not only has this wave of grace hit me but it has frustrated me. If only I could have 400 guests at our wedding it would be perfect! But there is just no way. I truly believe that any one that I want to be at our wedding should be able to come but unfortunately it cost money to put together a wedding and the total grows with every sweet person that is able to be a part of our special day. It is truly saddening.

But more than anything I am grateful for the realization the Lord has given me. From coast to coast I feel supported and loved. God is so good isn't He? The presence of a person is the closest we will ever get to a tangible piece of the Lord here on earth, as we, as humans, have been made in the image of Christ. More beautiful than any sunset, mountain view, rainbow, or starlit sky is the beauty of a person: a vessel that carries the Spirit of God. We come in contact with them daily but fail to realize their importance, not just to us, but to God.

To all the people in our lives, we love you so much. From the people we grew up with and shared love with us in our childhoods to the people we are able to share life with now, Thank you! We pray blessing over you all as we have been so blessed by you!

Truly overwhelmed.... :)
Kira