I love my family.

Hey ya'll. Don't you love how God makes your heart so heavy- but in a good way?
I just read a blog that is just what I want to express about my brothers and sisters in Christ.
I love how when you meet a Christian- a sincere, madly-in-love-with-Jesus, authentic- Christian you have an instant bond. You have a million things to talk about. Something that no one can receive until they come to know the Lord. Seriously- read this blog when you have the chance {I recommend it immediately :) } Here is the link, friends: Friendship and Beauty of Surrender.

The Lord has blessed me with so many lovely God-lovers. I love on Sunday mornings- and particulary this morning- they are all {a large number of them} in the same building. Coming to worship the Lord together!
Am I making any sense at all?! I pray that I am. :)
I could talk about this for so long.
In a Beth Moore Stepping Up study we finished awhile ago {I highly recommend it BTW} she talked about deep relationships and how we are hungry for them. We wish to get close to our brothers and sisters, but we are afraid. Afraid of what those brothers and sisters would think and then what others around you would think. We don't want people to think that it is awkward or wrong. Friends, {and Im talking to myself here, too.} getting to know your brother or sister is not a thing to be ashamed of. Also, we are too busy. We don't have the time for friends to come over. We don't just on a whim go to see someone, because we don't want to disturb them. The Lord wants us to surround ourselves with people who love Him more than they love us. Then they can truly love us sincerely! :) He wants others around us to challenge us and love us. Also, He set the example of fellowship in this way as well as hanging out with sinners. He wasn't afraid of getting ''dirty''
He is the holy son of God and while angels could have been worshiping Him...He trusted His Father and came to earth to minister, disciple, heal, AND hang out with sinners.
Remember when Jesus talked about His true family? He said that all that share in God's will w/ Him were his mother, brother, and sister.
This weekend {and week...and years :D} we just had some amazing fellowship w/ friends.
It is crazy how much we take for granted.
I am going to let you go, but this subject won't be put away. It will be discussed over and over- and over. Thanks, guys!
Love,
Emilee Kaye.

The Best Medicine Kinda Day!

Hey ya'll. How are ya?
My week has been fulfilled. In wonderful ways and difficult ones.
 It just started yesterday, right? In reality though it is November 11, 2011 {but November 12 or later by the time you read this}. It is so exciting! God is good!
Talk about an understatement!

I will share you this much about this joyful day.
I have never laughed for such a long time and consistantly in all my life...and trust me at those sleepovers when I stayed up until 6:00 in the morning- We laughed. alot. You get the point :)

On Thursday Mom and I went shopping for last minute details for our trip. We are done! PTL!
We just have to pack and complete that whole routine :)
This morning I had coffee and biscuits + gravy with my Mom and Aunt Becky. Then, at 10:00
I went to my six hour BibleQuiz practice. It was awesome! I know your reaction, ''That is a long time for Bible trivia.'' or ''What do you do for six. long. hours?'' BUT it was completely awesome. We had so much fun and learned so much. It went by rather quickly. All four girls had the chance to be a ''QuizMaster'' and present her own questions to the two teams {2 people on each team}. That was my personal favorite. :D
While on one of our breaks we had girls on the floor kicking their legs because they were laughing so hard. {You know who you are.} Although, I couldn't tell you what we were laughing about. Fun, fun :)

Tonight we hung out around the house and rented a movie to watch together. Great times!!
We also had a few laughing sprees this evening. :) Tomorrow my brother is coming {!!!!!}, a Uganda team member arrives, and we have my Grandpa's 70th birthday party. :)
I will talk to you very soon!
In Him,
EMiLeE

Proverbs 31:25
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
   she can laugh at the days to come.

Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Uganda Blog :)

Hey friends! And yes, when you get to the end of this blog it will tell you I posted in 9 something AM, because I am blogging on Sunday morning instead of 12:00 am :)
How are you? This morning the Jr. High is putting on a fundraiser @ our church...So, I will be headed there shortly. I can't believe I have time to do anything! I am usually waking up at this time, though.

By the way, ya'll, Im headed to Uganda in less than 2 weeks. :)
If you haven't been a ''follower'' for long I would recommend searching the blog ''Dream On''
to read my dream of Africa before I knew about this amazing oppprtunity.
This is something I know you guys will appreciate: I am going to blog in Uganda!
Our team will be starting one and I am the official ''coordinator'' of it.
If you would like to go ahead and save us to your favorites and/or read the updates we have now-
click here @OurJourneyAllTheWayToUganda!
This will be a place where our families, supporters, YOU, and all friends can
leave us messages as well as prayers. So, be sure to check that out! :)

{{Shout Out to Carla! Thanks for reminding me to put a link on here! :) }}

Can you even begin to grasp the messages and stories that will be shared afterwards/during?
We are ecstatic. God will change us in such a way--
Please continue to pray for us! Thank-you. SOOOOOOO much!! :D
After this week will be our ''Commissioning Sunday'' We have been talking about it for months and it will be such a sweet time. We have beloved family and friends coming- We are so joyful over this occasion.

I better go. :)
See ya soon!
In Him,
Emilee

November! (What! Already?)

Hello my brothers and sisters!
How are you? Can you believe it is Novemeber 3rd?
Actually I can...I just don't want to! We seriously purchased Egg Nog yesterday. Christmas will be her before we know it. I am totally saying that excitedly, though. I love Christmastime!  <3
Five years ago today I became friends with the Man of my dreams. Of my eternity.
I sorta forgot until I thought about what day it was. Of course, then I smiled :) It's my 5th Spiritual birthday!
My Mom and I were starting school and at that time we had a little devotional book
for girls 5-7 or something. That day it was about becoming a child of God- being in the family of believers.
When Mom asked me if I wanted to be a ''child of God'' I said yes :)
I wanted her to pray for me so bad, but of course I was the one that had to do it.
Of course I don't remember my wording, but I wish I did :) I sobbed my little eyes out!
I was so happy. I'm still happy and on top of that- joyful.
I remember being in my loft or in my fort I made with my brothers reading my pink Bible.
I also journaled. {I still do. I started doing it on a regular basis last November though.} I love looking back and seeing how what I prayed for then is different now.
I especially like reading when I said, ''I just wish I was 11 or 12 or 13.''  In my ''young'' handwriting.
So sweet. I can't wait to sit down someday with you and here your story.

This week has been pretty awesome. It is flying, thats for sure! This Tuesday I babysat in the morning and went out to eat with my Mom and a wonderful young lady we are going to Africa with. Talk about soul refreshing friendship!! It was so sweet to visit and share stories.
Yesterday Mom and I went shopping with a sweet lady from church.
We laughed until our sides hurt! In Wal-Mart. You can only imagine! I am still grinning when I think about it. Then last night we went to church. My parents went to Home Group and I went to PowerHour.
It was such a sweet, sweet time. I love my brothers and sisters.
Tonight we ate supper and then I headed to babysit for a little while before heading here...with you bloggies :) Then, tomorrow morning I am babysitting again :)

Before I leave you for this evening I am going to share some Scripture. You're always up for that, right? ;)

Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you,
   the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
   in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
   but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Last night someone prayed for me and said, ''God, rejoice over her with singing... As you say in Zephaniah....'' Afterwards they said, ''Isn't that cool? He rejoices over us with singing.''
Sometimes when it is put in personal terms like that it becomes more significant and precious to you.
It is very precious to me! Any prayer like that just blesses you and makes your heart sing.
This verse has came up in the past, with a Bible Study we just finished up, and now last night.
Also, today while I was listening/singing to some of my favorite music I found a song called ''Singing Over Me'' by Kari Jobe. How perfect is that?
So, children of God- He will take great delight in you. He will rejoice over you with singing.

Love,
EMiLeE

Abraham and Sarah.

I come to you having a new perspective on this story- even if I haven't went in great detail on it... I have been reading it in a Devotional book, I am memorizing Hebrews 11 this week that involves Sarah and Abraham, and I am reading a book that mentions it numerous times. So, I felt I should present some of my thoughts to you tonight on these awesome people. I can't wait to meet them in heaven-the ultimate Promised Land.  ~~~ So many times in life we learn a story in Sunday School and then we just go back to our busy lives and talk about how busy we are for anything- Therefore we are to busy for God's Word daily. {{Don't get me started on that one :) Haha! }} {As you have heard} This evening we will be talking about Abraham and Sarah.
Or you may know them as Abram and Sarai. 
You know the story right?  Abram {and Sarai} is promised to have many descendants and to move to a place hundreds of miles south completely unknown to them. They wouldn't know where to find it on a map... Can you imagine how they felt? They were told that their promise would be fulfilled there...
What does that even mean? If I was Sarai I would have a nervous fit and wonder what my husband was up to! :)  Here is a passage from the beloved Hebrews author that will help explain our situation.

Hebrews 11:8-16
 ⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
 ¹¹ By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he^[a] considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹² And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
 ¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. ¹⁴ People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

v9   ''By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country....''
v13 ''All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not recieve the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

Being called a stranger on earth has never sounded so ''cool'' has it? :)
Abraham was looking forward to the city with foundations with God as ruler and author if it all.
This just encourages me all the more to look forward to a country of my own.
On earth and our Promised Land where we will meet Him face. to. face.

I have grown very fond of how God changes names- Representing a promise and fresh start for His children.
He changed my name to beloved, holy, hidden in Him, peculiar treasure, and so many more I can't even count. {See Jason Gray's ''I Am New''} If you have invited Him in your heart and life- these are your names as much as they are mine :)

He desires for us to represent Him in every area and sometimes that means leaving our luxurious comfort zone.  That doesn't mean you have to move across the world to follow where He is leading, but it does mean that you would be willing to. Where is your Canaan?
Your Canaan. Where is God leading you? Where is He keeping you? Where is He meeting you?
I can't answer those questions... You have to...Through prayer and discussions with Him.

These are only 3 little insights on the lessons of Abraham and Sarah. They are very special and significant; as you are. Remember who you are, Beloved.  See ya next time ;)
Love,
Emilee