My Favorites!!

MY FAVORITE THINGS (today) ...

• my puppy dog-- Riley (Poohbear!)
• pumpkin seeds
• carving pumpkins with roomies
• PUMPKINS AND GOURDS!

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  HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Celebrate Life!

*Celebration*

Friday I got to go to lunch with a new sweet friend who is on staff with GCM, Mary Reading. It was so great to get to know each other and hear about some of her trip to HK. Of course, she was probably annoyed by how much I had to say about it. I can't help that HK is a subject that I could talk about all day long :-). Then I went into work where I was greeted by a huge sign on the wall that read "Happy Birthday Miss Brandy," and all my kids had colored all over it! It was the cutest thing!! It was a GREAT afternoon to hang out with my lil angels. After work, my friend from Tuscaloosa, Anna Walker, came into town. Mom also came up so she took us and some friends to dinner. After dinner we ate the cookie cake mom brought me and I got to celebrate with some close friends. It was great to see mom and I'm so thankful for all she is doing for me right now and how daily encouraging she continues to be in this time.



Saturday, we woke up early to go to the city of Loachapoka. This town holds an annual Syrup Sopping Day. It is a really neat "Santuck" type thing. In this huge field, they set up a country-style outdoor festival with shopping booths, food, and activities. In this town, they grow sugar cane and then make homemade syrup right there in front of you by spinning a huge log type thing that crushes up the cane and pours out the syrup. It's hard to explain such an event. You eat biscuits with homemade syrup and sit around listening to some blue grass music while watching crazy folks square dance and clogging (how embarrassing?) Many of my friends were there and some of them actually participated in this dancing! :-) I saw one of my students there with his family, too.

After a couple of hours at the sop, some friends accompanied me to my new favorite place- THE PUMPKIN PATCH! haha! We walked around for a bit and then bought some pumpkins and some gourds! It was so thrilling for me-I'm a nerd! Finally after lunch, I got the chance to take a break and chill out with Anna.

Me and Anna went to the park because it was so dang pretty outside! The Lord could not have given me a prettier day on my birthday! As Anna slept, I just spent some time reading and reflecting on the year... more to come on the next blog. However, it was the most relaxing time just hanging out in God's creation and meditating on Him. After Anna left Auburn, I took a bath! haha, yes- I still love baths! I just soaked up an amazing afternoon. I was then ready to finish up my day with dinner with my roommate Chatty at her friends house. They made taco salads and cupcakes! I even got a cupcake with a candle in it presented by the birthday song! It was fun to meet Chatty's sweet friends and to fellowship for dinner. After dinner, I ended my day with hanging out at my house with some of my favorites! It was so fun to get to see mal, mary r., and my roommates one more time before the day was over.

Sunday was great at Cornerstone! Two of my small group girls rode with me and the roomies to church! I then drove to Montgomery to see my sissy, Blair! She's in town for a few days so I hung out with her. AFter we ate, she and I just chilled and talked about life at a park. It was such a beautiful day, AGAIN! I went and saw my Grandbuddy who was filled with some crazy opinions about life, religion, and politics- I'm sure you can imagine! Dinner with Mom and B + hang out time with Bec, Trip, trio, and Katie and LeRoy pretty much summed up an amazing weekend! Hope yours was great as well!! I will be writing more soon about my thoughts looking back on this year.. it's been a crazy one!

PUMPKIN PARADISE!

That's right!! Today was full of pumpkins!! This morning, my three year old class at school went to the pumpkin patch! It was absolutely adorable! When we got there, they got to run around in the hay bail maze and play in this trough of corn! It was super fun to watch them run free! Then, we went on a hay ride around the fields. When the hay ride was over, they fed our kids snacks and read them a story. Our anxious little buddies then got to run around the fields and pick a little pumpkin to take home!!
AH! I think I was more excited than the kiddos! I also picked out a big pumpkin for the afternoon activities!! I drove to class, which was cancelled and then went to lunch with some of my small group girls. After work, I went to my group home. Through First Baptist Church, I am doing the "home away from home" program where a family at the church sorta adopts us! Me and three other college students went to the house. They have a ten yr. old girl and a eight yr. old boy! They are precious!! We carved pumpkins (which I ended up forgetting mine at home) and made homemade pizza. It was such a blast. The kids are awesome!! It was just such a fun night! The pumpkins were so cool when we put a candle in them and turned out the lights!! So, to say the least.. I am pumpkined out!!! :-)

BE where you ARE

So with a pretty slow weekend coming to a close, another week of life is underway here in Auburn, Alabama. The weekend consisted of fun quality time with Malorie on Friday night, Mom and Me time on Saturday, and just taking it easy on Sunday after church. Being that all three of my roommates were out of town this weekend, I was the only one at the house. So, many thoughts were able to be conveyed without distraction. Being here and kinda soaking in Auburn, the Lord really put some new things into my heart. As you all know I am preparing to go back to Hong Kong, eventually for more missions, but I am in Auburn right now. I tend to easily forget that, and look ahead too far to appreciate or be useful in the present. As I listen to different speakers and talk with different friends, I continue hearing the Lord speak to me about being where I am. Even though that sounds confusing, I am in Auburn, so I need to BE in Auburn: in thoughts, prayers, and service. My daily prayer is for the Lord to break me for the people here. Even though I feel that Auburn is a great environment that has some amazing potential in loving Jesus, greater things are still to be done here. Even though I am called to another country, God has me here in Auburn right now for a reason. I'm doing a self-study in Esther right now and a verse that has really spoken to me is 4:14, "Who can say but that God has brought you into the palace for just such a time as this?" These words were spoken by Mordechai when Esther questioned his thoughts to confront the King. However, what a verse that can really challenge each of us as well? God's timing is more beautiful than anything I can ever imagine, so I know that He has me in every situation and circumstance for a reason, if not to just be a witness for Him. Even though HK is burdened on my heart, I strongly desire to be used in every aspect I can here in Auburn. "Greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city..."

A New Creation

The title serves as a motto mentioned in 2 Cor. 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" The new has definitly come for me this year. Adjusting back into the states and into Auburn has been pretty difficult. Much of the difficulty at first was due to missing my students and the culture of Hong Kong. Also, I have just had alot of change go on in my life in the past year so I needed this time to catch up. Needless to say, I am now living in Auburn learning more and more each day. It's been fun to reunite with some of my old friends and to make some new ones as well. School is good at Southern Union, and I will start at Auburn in January. I'm working everyday at a childcare development center where I teach 3 year olds! They are so much fun but definitly a challenge! :-) I'm leading a group of freshman through Grace Campus Ministry. We are studying the book by Francis Chan, Crazy Love. I've really enjoyed this book and it has videos online as well!! It's crazy how often I forget how amazing God is and how much He loves me! The statement by Francis, "Gaining a greater view of God to cause a greater response toward him," summarizes my reaction to this book. I'm also reading an awesome awesome book by K.P. Yohannan called, Revolution in World Missions. In the word I am self-studying the book of Esther! So anyways... the newest thing for me is the future. The Lord has really put Hong Kong in my heart and I feel that He is calling me back there. Knowing this, but not having a for sure route back, has been really an intense time of searching. However, I am comforted in the fact that my life here on Earth is only a vapor that will vanish (James 4:13-17), so the future is nothing I should dwell on. I spent to much time trying to figure out all the answers and I was missing the very essence of knowing the Lord each day. Only He has the answers for tomorrow-Why not get to know Him better and then I will see what He has in store for me. With all that said, I am starting to pursue an opportunity to be in Asia for a year. Please be praying that this is something from the Father and not of my own. I am praying that He provides and reveals His vision for me. Until then, my prayer is that I am used for His glory in every minute here in Auburn. I am really enjoying getting to know people here who love the Lord and have the same vision for the universe. In updating you about Hong Kong, the Passion conference was there this past week. www.268blog.com The Grace Campus staff was also there and many of them got to meet some of my friends from this summer! I am sure that God is moving and I can't wait to hear what the team says about the trip when they return on Monday! I am praying that the movement in HK is only getting stronger and the Father is sending more workers out to the Harvest. I fully believe that BIG things are happening in HK and I can't wait to see how the Lord will place me to shine for Him.