thankful

so, it would seem i am quite possibly the world's worst blogger. but...as it's thursday, i'll let you know some things i'm feeling thankful for.

*a fun night out with my small group girls...and great mexican food!
*amazing tyrone wells music that gets me through boring study halls :)
*a mom and close friend who love me, give good advice, and tell me when i just need to get it together
*a boyfriend who loves me no matter what
*the freedom we experience in the states
*antrea (a girl i met in cambodia)started college a few weeks ago, because of our amazing God and His people's generosity
*all the blessings and amazing opportunities God has given me-excited to see what these next few years will bring!

on another note...for those of you who read this, and don't yet know, i finally decided on college plans. after lots of praying (for about 3 years!!), i finally listened to what God had been saying all along. i am going to be staying here, finishing up my A.A. at hawkeye community college and transferring to UNI in January. i'm going to major in Health Promotions-with an emphasis on women's health. i never thought this would be what i would do, but it's amazing how, when we follow God's plans instead of our own, it's so much better than we can imagine. i'm so excited to start! with my degree, i'll be able to educate women on healthy lifestyles, pre-natal skills, and how to take care of young children. also, we'll learn how to set up health education programs in low-income and cross-cultural settings. it's gonna be awesome! my passion (as well as Bryant's) is to live and work among Muslim people in the middle east. there are immense health-care needs in afghanistan and pakistan, especially for women. i hope through my degree i'll be able to help with practical needs, as well as show these women the love of our Father. to prepare we're going to be praying a lot (!), reading the Bible and Qu'ran (Islam's holy book), and learning Pashto. but, i realize that our plans, are nothing compared to His and if He wants us to do something different, I will have to be okay with that too. it has been hard remembering that each day is a gift and that i need to use it to glorify Him, because i'm so ready and excited for the next stage of my life.