it's late and i should be sleeping, but instead i've been sitting here staring at my computer screen eating fruit loops. ha. i just can't seem to shut the mind off lately...

i'll blame the distraction on india mostly. i leave two months from now and i feel completely unprepared. i suppose being so far out of my comfort zone is a blessing though--it means i have to rely upon my Lord. liz, jess, and i meet every monday evening to talk and pray about our trip and i have really enjoyed our time together. last night we started talking about the incredibly hot weather (it's 90 degrees there now and june/july is their hottest season!), the massive bugs we will encounter, our 24 hours of travel there and then home again, the food we'll be eating, etc. etc. etc. basically we laid every fear out on the table and discussed it. we laughed and screamed (mostly about the bugs). i shared with them though something that God has been challenging me with lately. despite conditions that are not ideal, i am to have joy. i want to have a glad heart full of perseverance and gratitude, not one full of complaint. satan will use complaining in our lives to get our eyes off of Christ and so i've decided that from here on out, i will not let him use it in my life. did anyone ever hear paul complain while he was in prison? nope. he was still doing the Lord's will and with a smile on his face (i imagine). i desire to follow that example. through Christ in me and His strength, i am going to attempt to keep the grumbling to a minimum while we're gone. i am refusing to allow bugs, hot weather, and terrible jet lag steal my joy! :)
this is a picture of one of the girls from the orphanage (stolen from liz). seeing her keeps things in perspective.

three beautiful things...
1. staff covenant at payne's. i love those people.
2. playing guess who? with gabe today-- it brought back so many childhood vanity theater memories!
3. surprising my unit with treat bags today! it was a blast to make them!