Where have I come from? Where am I going?

The first question is a bit easier to answer than the second.  I continue to be amazed at all the Lord has blessed me with and the opportunities He has given me.  I have finished two and a half years at Liberty University still majoring in Health Promotion.  This year I made a switch from living in the quad apartments to living back in the regular dorms.  I absolutely love it and really enjoy living in community with 63 girls.  I've been given the opportunity and the blessing of being an SLD (Spiritual Life Director) on my hall.  How humbling and challenging it has been to serve and lead this group of girls, but the Lord has b
een and will continue to be faithful in teaching me, growing me, and showing me how weak I am, but how strong and sufficient He is! Praise the Lord that He uses us where we're at, with all of our shortcomings and weaknesses, if only we are obedient to Him!  The picture is me with my RA's (left) and SLD partner (right).

I am still working at the missions office (Light Ministries) on campus at Liberty, although I have a new position as assistant Next Steps Coordinator.  Light Ministries organizes and sends out short term missions trips all throughout the year, and Next Steps is something that Light has recently started in the last few years for students who are seriously considering long term missions.  Next Steps is a weekend retreat for these students to come and be mentored by a missionary and to connect with representatives from five different missions organizations who come to teach, give advice, and pray with and for the students as they seek the Lord for their "next steps" in moving towards what God has for their future in missions.  I really enjoy planning and being a part of this weekend every semester as it was a huge blessing and benefit in my life.   

The last two summers I have had the privilege of working at Noah's Ark, a

white water rafting and adventure company in Buena Vista, Colorado.  Those two summers 

taught me a lot about leadership, about myself and about making 

the most of opportunities to share Christ with people, even if you only have a few days, or a few hours with them.  We guided rafting trips, rock climbs and backpacking trips, and it was no doubt a challenge for me... physically, socially, and spiritually, but I'm so thankful for the lessons I learned, the people that I met, the friendships that I made and the fun I had playing in God's creation.  Next summer I am looking at doing an internship, and will most likely not be working at Noah's again.  Right now I have a few possibilities I am looking at over seas, but I would ask for your prayers that the Lord would guide my steps and open up doors for where He may have me to go and get the experience that I need.  

Where am I going?  Well, I'm most uncertain about where I'm headed for the long run, however I'm learning more and more that worrying about tomorrow won't add a single hour to my life and that I need to live today, trusting tomorrow with the One who holds my future.  My heart is to serve the Lord over seas, taking the gospel to those who need to hear, and doing whatever the Lord has made me to do best, in order to bring Him glory.  I strongly believe that once the physical need is met, people are much more open and willing to hear of their spiritual need.  There is such a need for basic health education in places of the world where people suffer in ignorance of how illness and disease can be prevented.  I would love to use whatever health education I receive to help show people their need for the Savior and the true Healer of their souls.

I plan to finish up my undergrad in May of 2009.  From there, there is a possibility of going on to grad school, which I would love to do, or a slight possibility that I may consider going to occupational therapy school (something that has recently become an interest)... both of which may or very well may not be in the plan, but I have some time and that bridge will be crossed when it needs to be.  God is faithful!

  

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." -Proverbs 16:9     

    

Christmas in Colorado

I really enjoyed spending Christmas with Jeremy and Charissa and Charissa's family.  We got a lot of snow and I got to experience my first white Christmas!

    I had the opportunity to spend a long weekend in Florida with my granny Jones.  We had a great time together.   She hopped on the plane and came to Colorado with me to surprise Jeremy and Charissa so we spent an extra week together.  I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with her.  

Charissa and I about to open our stockings

I was so surprised and excited to get a tent for Christmas.  I love camping and will use it a lot out while I'm out in the mountains of Virginia.  Thanks mom and dad!! 

Waffles, blueberries and ice cream...a Jones tradition continued in the Lewis household.

We had so much fun playing in the snow.  This was our snowman...until Jeremy and Toby killed it (youtube: operation snowman)

  

Charissa's mom, Kathy and I...snowboarding buddies!

Me with the pro's

Life at Liberty

I have had a great experience at Liberty University so far and I'm majoring in Health Promotions. Most people have never even heard of it, but I'm just taking basic health courses in hopes to take health/nutrition education to the mission field some day. Those are my plans, but its the Lord's purpose that will prevail in the end, so we'll see.
The Lord has blessed me with a great job on campus. I work in Liberty's missions office called Light Ministries. Next semester I will be a campaign assistant organizing a short term trip to Georgia (the country) and possibly another trip as well. I will also be responsible to help organize a weekend called Next Steps that we have every semester at a retreat center for students interested in long term missions. I was able to be a part of it last semester and it was a very practical, helpful weekend and I learned a lot about what steps I can be taking even now to prepare myself for a future in missions. All that to say, I love my job and am thankful for it.
For the past year I have been a prayer leader which means that I am responsible for 6 of the girls on our hall... to love them, pray for them daily, and give them a chance to be personally discipled. Every Tuesday we have a devotional/prayer meeting and it's an opportunity to share with each other and pray together. It has been a stretching, humbling experience, but I would appreciate your prayers that I would give my all to this ministry in the coming semester as it is often challenging.
One of the things I have really enjoyed at Liberty is the beautiful location and the colorful falls. I didn't grow up with the seasons, so it has been fun for me. This picture was taken on one of the trails right behind my dorm.

&We had a lot of fun playing squash as a family. Mom, Charissa and I stuck together while dad and Jeremy had their own competition. We discovered a few holes in our rackets and probably laughed more than we played, but we did manage to harmonize as we called our scores and had a great time doing it.

The night before Jeremy and Charissa left we had our favorite Ethiopian food at Addis in Dar. They are off to Morocco on a survey trip before they return to the States, and I am leaving this coming week to return to the States also. This last month has truly been a gift from God and I am so thankful to Him for all He has blessed me with.

&tWe hiked up through a beautiful forest to a huge waterfall, enjoyed God's creation and good swimming too!

Lushoto

The day after Christmas we packed our bags and went North to Lushoto to spend some time with our friends the Smiths who are working in Arusha and to enjoy some cooler weather. We stayed in a little guest house up in the mountains and had a really great time. It was also exciting to hear that Jeremy and Charissa and Nathan and Jessica Smith committed to going to the mission field as a team!