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Gozo

Gozo means joy in Spanish.

And it's what I've been feeling. Really and seriously.


2011 was a year of changes.
2012 was a year full of work (and a few mental breakdowns)
but I can see that 2013 is going to be a year of joy.

How can I say this? Some of you might think that I am jinxing myself by saying that.
But I say it, full with confidence,
"This will be a year of JOY"

I can say this because my joy is set in something that has been tried and proven true: Jesus. Don't get me wrong, I am also looking forward to a lot of great things this year. I'll explain more later. But for a moment I just want to enjoy what my 29 years of life have taught me. Jesus is worthy of everything. And living a life for Him is mind-blowingly awesome. There are hard moments, there are certainly tears. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. 
I've been making some bigger life decisions recently, and I've seen that God has taught me to seek Him in all things, trust Him in all things, and worship Him above all things. 
These past few weeks have been quite a roller coaster. But I can honestly say that God has formed my heart over the last few years to trust Him. And to rejoice in Him. I'm seeing fruit of patience and joy and trust in my life that I know can be nothing less than a miracle of a God who is bigger than all my sin. 

All that said, let me tell you what I'm looking forward to in 2013

  • working in full time ministry. It's only been a few weeks and I am LOVING the freedom to serve with everything in me. And I get paid! I get to meet with so many more women for discipleship, visit people in hospitals to pray with them, help put some administrative order into our church community, and I don't have to wrestle with balancing it all with my work responsibilities. What a great season!


  • seeing God move mightily in our church. I know this probably sounds like the first point, but I am sincerely excited to see what God is going to do in ISA this year. It's been almost 2 years since we started with our Sunday services, and God has done so much in and with and through us. 
  • becoming more proficient in Spanish. Now that I'm moving away from teaching English, my jobs are mainly in Spanish. YIKES! I am fluent when it comes to speaking and listening, but writing formal letters? Working in administration, in Spanish, will be one of the biggest challenges this year. And I'm excited for it!

  • (God willing) buying an apartment! Yep. As I mentioned before, I am looking at buying some property here. It's a long story, and I can explain in another post, but this is a huge moment for me. I will (God willing!) own a little piece of this country that I love so much. I'm quite in the middle of it now, but when things settle, I will write a longer explanation of how incredible this adventure of buying has been.


  • going home to see my grandma for her birthday. I have the sweetest grandma and she is one of the most important people in my life. So since she is turning 89, and my dad is throwing her a birthday party, and I love her so much... well, that means a trip home to see her! 
and finally,
  • turning 30 years old. Some moments I can't believe that I have already made it to this milestone. Aren't 30 year olds supposed to have their lives all put together? Aren't they supposed to be mature? Wise? Confident? But when I think of all that I have experienced, all the incredible adventures I've lived, the decisions I'm making with my life. Yeah, I'm going to be 30!

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