Love....

Love...When you find it.... keep it.

When friends get engaged... its pretty great. Congrats, Maddy and Josh.

Already Two Months...

Well, its been quite a while since I wrote. Life is going well over here in N. Ireland. I have been here over two months! It's hard to believe that it has been that long!

My friends and I have been traveling a little bit. Last weekend Lindsey and I travelled to Bristol, England to visit some of Lindsey's relatives. It was an awesome weekend of fun and relaxation.

I plan on going to Barcelona, Spain over Thanksgiving. It will be a very different Thanksgiving, but it will be spent with good friends and fellowship.

Today is "Quiet Day" on campus, where classes are cancelled and we spend the day wating and listening on the Lord. God has really shown me what it really means to be still. Its amazing what an afternoon of quiet-time can really do!

I hope this update finds you well and blessed!

Continue to seek Him daily and serve Him wholeheartedly.

Hello Friends!

I have been in Ireland for two weeks now, although it seems like an eternity! We have endured a whole week of orientation and the school begins classes tomorrow. I have had the opportunity to travel to Dublin and stay there a night as well as explore all over the city of Belfast. The people here in Northern Ireland are so welcoming and friendly! I have met some great people. The people that live on the campus are mainly international students, which I think is awesome! I have made friends from Ghana, Slovenia, Canada, Romania, South Africa, Sweden, Ireland, Rwanda, England, Germany, Taiwan, and Tanzania! Its truly an international setting!

Hello from Northern Ireland!

I have arrived safely in Ireland and absolutely love it! We all arrived on Monday into Dublin about 5:30 am and we then took a bus to Belfast. We got settled into our rooms and took a tour around campus. The landscaping is beautiful and the campus is small and quaint. I don't have much time to write, but I wanted to drop a note. I'm not really sure if anyone reads this... but Ill get it out there just in case.... For some reason my computer won't download pictures onto the internet right now, but Ill try and get them working sometime...

<>< Monica

Finally

Im FINALLY leaving! I have been in Chicago visiting some Moody friends before I leave. Im so thankful to have been able to spend time with these people before I go to Ireland! I leave in a couple of hours to fly to Dublin (overnight) and then take a bus to Belfast. Please pray for safe travels and that my luggage will meet the weight requirements! I will update soon with pictures!

<><

Bon Voyage!

I will soon be embarking on the journey of a lifetime. I hope to see things I have never seen before, taste things I have never tasted, and experience things I have never experienced. My hope is that God molds me more than ever before, more into the woman He wants me to be. I desire to be more like him and in the coming months, regardless of the fact that I will be in a different country, I want to yearn more for Him.

I learned many things this past summer that I thought i would never have learned. I learned what it truly meant to need Christ. Every day was a struggle. A struggle to get up, a struggle to get to work, a struggle to meet people where they were at. I learned more of what it means to have a servants heart and to have a positive attitude both inside and out. God stretched me so much this summer and although it was the hardest summer I have yet experienced, I know it was for the best.

I am excited to start this new chapter of my life, spending 4 months in a foreign country with my best friend; meeting new people and seeing new things, God has truly blessed me with this opportunity. I pray that this journey will open my eyes to the world and give me a wider perspective on life.

Bon Voyage,

MTP

PS: I will updating this blog as I travel and study in Ireland. Ill try hard to get pictures up as well!

A Passion for the Lost

God has been opening doors left and right for my internship coming soon. As you probably know, and if you don't know then I will tell you, I have a passion for Africa that transcends anything that I have ever believed in beyond God. I desire to dedicate my life to the need in Africa. A family friend has been working with a non-profit organization in Malawi, Africa, planning on setting up air bases and MASH units in Lilongwe. These bases will teach nationals how to fly rotocraft aircraft around the country to help supply the villages with fresh drinking water, food, and needed medical supplies. The base will also teach the locals how to plant crops and do other useful things. In the long run, they want to start a Bible school and church.

This is exactly what I want to do. I have always felt that in order to reach others with the gospel, they must first have their biological needs met. If someone is starving to death, they will only dwell on their hunger and fail to see the relevancy of the gospel. If we teach them how to sustain themselves, and with that, save their lives, they will in turn be open to what we have to say. So many times these people have been preached at but not loved. There have been missionaries who have come, planted a "church" and left. We want to leave a lasting legacy that will impact generations to come. Caring for the widows and orphans in their distress was one of Jesus' top priorities.

So you may be thinking where I come in to the the picture. Well, this whole program is still in the planning stages. There have been a couple airstrips built and the ground breaking will happen in early fall, but we are still a year or so out from actually working with the nationals. And what will happen in a year or so? My need for an internship! My heart's desire is to work with these people, teaching them how to plant crops and sustain their families. I want to work with the women, teaching them proper nutrition and care for their young ones. I want to teach them handicrafts or knitting so they can make things for their family. And most importantly, I want to share the love of Christ with them in very practical ways. They are a lost people in need of a Savior. My dream is for God to enable me to reach these people with the hope I have in Jesus.

I am at camp right now, enduring the hardest work I have ever experienced. I am tired and worn out but only through leaning on His strength will I be able to endure it.

Lately...

So camp is just around the corner and I am going to be thrust into a life of organized chaos. My shift starts at 5:30 AM. Need I say more? My summer up to this point has been a conglomeration of getting up late, working with my sister on her research paper, getting coffee, cleaning, making dinner, and the occasional hang out with friends. I need a change. I need to do something productive and exciting with my day!! And SpringHill is just the answer. Between working in the kitchen, playing tennis as much as I can, horseback riding, swimming, hanging out with the kids, and loving every minute of it, I am going to have an active summer! and then it's off to Ireland.

How God has blessed me! He is truly amazing. I have great plans ahead of me. Working at camp and then shipping off to Ireland. Going to school for a semester in Ireland is probably the most adventurous thing I have ever done. And I havent even done it yet! Man am I stoked. You see that picture of the castle up above? The first weekend I'm in Ireland, we are staying THERE. Yeah, be jealous. :)

This was a pretty much meaningless post, and Im not sure anyone reads it, but it's nice to relay my thoughs.

God Bless. <><

Passions?

What is your purpose in life? Do we have a purpose in life? Is there really a reason why we are on this earth?

Some people say it's to live life to the fullest, have fun, party, be adventurous. Some say it's to travel the world and discover new uncharted territories. Some say it's to live a good life and do more good than harm. Others say it's to live life to honor and glorify the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. To share the love they have in Christ to others and love others as Christ loved us.

What is your passion? What makes you tick? Where do you see yourself in 5, 10 years? When you die, what will you have to show for yourself? Will you leave a legacy for your children? Will you leave a trail of kindness wherever you go?

I have a passion, and that is Africa. I feel as though no one can go on living the life they have set for themselves after they see and understand what is going on in africa. How can Americans live their lives in their bubble of wealth, medocricy, and selfishness? Maybe your calling is not to drop everything and fly to Africa, but what are we doing to reach out to the community we live in? How can we say that we are followers of Christ when we are in our comfortable cacoon, reading about the terrors of the world but doing nothing to stop them? How can we rationalize our actions?

Personal History

As a student at a prestigious Bible school, there is always the lingering danger of indoctrination. There is always the possibility of knowing multitudes of information but not really knowing Jesus. In an intellectual environment, we sometimes lose the flare we first set out with. Through endless readings about Calvinism, Armenianism, and the meanderings of Ryrie and Strong, through the debates over Dispensationalism and Covenental theology, we get hopelessly lost. We get hung up on the 5 points of Calvinism and forget the real reason we are here. We forget to love. We cease loving others and in turn, we cease loving God.

Why was Mary weeping at Jesus' tomb? She cared nothing for doctrine or theology. Pharasees could have easily made a fool out of Mary doctrinally, but they couldn't deny the fact that Jesus had cast 7 demons out of her. He blessed her immensely through that but she also knew Him. "... she turned around and saw Jesus standing there and did not know that it was Jesus ... Jesus said to her, Mary!" When she heard her name she knew at once that she has a personal history with the Christ and that she knew Him. "...She immediately turned to Him and said to Him, Rabboni!" (John 20:14, 16)

"The one true sign of discipleship is intimate oneness with Him- a knowledge of Jesus that nothing can shake" Oswald Chambers

My Commitment as a Christian

I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problems recognizing me - my banner will be clear!

-Author Unknown