I love the Johnston's!

Today marks a very important day in my life and the lives of many others.  Dear friends/family are moving away to fulfill God's call for their family in North Canton, Ohio.  And, it has been an incredibly emotional time of saying good-bye, praying for this time of transition for their family, and trusting the Lord's plan in all of it.

Having said all this, it doesn't change the fact that it breaks my heart to see them go.  And, selfishly, I wish things wouldn't change.  I wish I didn't have to see their girls grow up from a distance.  I've thought over the last few weeks about the immeasurable impact Ryan, Debby, Kinsley, and Addilyn have had on my life.  And, I can't help but cry.  God has blessed me beyond words to have met the Johnston's 9 years ago.  We have lived alot of life together since then.

I remember going on my first ever international mission trip to Romania with Ryan and Debby.  Debby and I were on the same crew.  God really spoke to my heart that week and for the first time my heart broke for the nations.  I've never been the same since.  I remember many winter break trips in college to Passion conferences, and God moved in incredible ways in my life.  I remember Rush Weekends, disaster relief trips, and girls' Bible studies.  I remember when I felt the Lord calling me to serve in Africa for a summer.  And, of course, Debby was there to remind me it wasn't ok to stay home just because I was scared.  I'm still learning from the things the Lord taught me in Senegal, West Africa in the summer of 2006.  I remember the Lord continuing to break my heart for the city of Memphis and learning to serve this city alongside the Johnston's.  I remember Faith Walk's and Crossroad's weekends.  I remember meeting with Ryan and Debby and feeling called to go to China.  I remember them being there to pray for me and see me off at the airport.  I remember.

I remember helping paint Ryan and Debby's first house before they moved in.  I remember meeting their first foster son for the first time.  I remember going to the hospital to meet Kinsley right after she was born.  I fell in love pretty fast.  I remember holding Addi for the first time a few days after she was born.  And, I fell in love again.  I remember babysitting all the foster children the Johnston's cared for and loving them like my own.  I remember snow days with the Johnston's, 4th of July's, other holidays, and birthdays.  I remember walking through joyful times and difficult times together.  There are so many, many memories.

Ryan and Debby, I love you guys more than you know!  There has never been anyone else (besides my parents) to love me like you have.  Thank you for discipling me and speaking truth into my life.  Thank you for not being afraid to make me cry or make me mad.  Thank you opening up your home to me and making me feel like part of your family.  Thank you being real and not perfect.  Thank you for being godly and not religious.  Thank you for always being there for me.  I love, love, love you.  And, I'm praying hard for your family as you make this huge transition and start a new adventure in Ohio.  I know the Lord has called you there and has great plans for you!  Get the spend-the-night room ready.  I'm coming to visit soon!

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." 
Numbers 6:24-26

I love the Johnston's!

I'm part of your family.  Kinsley said so.  :)

Summer Cookin'

On Monday night, I tried a new recipe my mom found for grilled chicken, Grilled Lemon and Rosemary Chicken.  It's actually a recipe from Jamie Deen, one of Paula Deen's sons.  It didn't sound complicated or include a ton of random ingredients.  It was really pretty simple.  I didn't think it would taste that great either.  But, wow, was I wrong!  It was delicious, and the chicken only marinated for about 30 minutes.  I can just imagine how much better it would be, if I let it marinate over night.  I will definitely be fixing this again.

Hopefully, you can read it.

It was as good as it looks, if not better!  :)

Then, for dessert, I tried another new recipe for peaches.  It only involved 3 ingredients: fresh peaches, brown sugar, and sour cream.  The recipe recommended adding pecans, blueberries, or other toppings.  But, it was really good without the extras.  You just cut up peaches, mix the sour cream and brown sugar, and pour that mixture over the peaches.  I'm not posting a pic because it actually looked pretty gross.  I tasted great though.  So, I'll spare you and just share the recipe.

Sorry, it's kinda hard to read.  I'm not the best photographer.  :)

Sky VBS

This past week was a little crazy for me!  In the mornings, I worked VBS at my church.  And, in the afternoons, I babysat two of my favorite boys.

This year, VBS was super cool.  I loved the theme, "Sky VBS".  All of the decorations were so cool and creative.  I worked in the missions station for the first time.  Also, for the first time, grades k-2 were in one group for missions.  And, grades 3-5 were in another group.  I was in the missions station for the older kids, and our emphasis all week focused on urban missions.  So, each day (except for Monday), we completed small mission projects to be used in different areas of Memphis.

Preschool hallway decorations

Sanctuary decorations

The four pictures to the right are of the mission projects the crews worked on all week.  On Tuesday, the filled snack bags.  On Wednesday, they decorated labels for water bottles.  On Thursday, they made salvation bracelets.  And, on Friday, they made "no sew" fleeces pillows.  All in all, it was a great week!

 

Jayden loved grocery shopping.

My week with the boys was fun, too.  We would have done alot of fun stuff, but the weather wasn't the best.  So, the highlight of our week was going to the Children's Museum of Memphis.  (Sorry for all the random pics and placement.)

Jaylen checking out his groceries.

Red, White, and Blueberry...

This 4th of July was super fun and hot!  I went out to Buckhead Recreational Complex where my church does an awesome fireworks show every year.  I love it because I usually get to see tons of friends and even some I don't get to see very often.  I tried to take some pics of the fireworks, but I was unsuccessful.  

Two of my favorites!

Then, today, I decided it would be a good idea to make a blueberry crisp.  Sounds good, huh?  And, well, it was.  It was super easy to make too!  

It was delicious, and even better with vanilla ice cream!

Here's the link to the recipe, if you'd like to try it.  :)  
http://www.food.com/recipe/best-blueberry-crisp-80482

Redeemed

So ... It's been a long time.  And, I'm not really interested in back tracking or trying to re-tell events since my last post.  For now, I just want to share a song that has really meant alot to me lately.  I heard it awhile ago on the radio.  And, I'm not gonna lie.  I started tearing up so bad I could hardly see to drive.  It's shocking I know, because I never cry.  (Insert sarcasm.)  The words of the song really describe me, my story, and how I view myself.  Before the song played that day, the lead singer of Big Daddy Weave spoke about his own struggle with self worth, failure, and a very public quest of his own for major weight loss.  I just really related to everything he said.  Maybe you will too.