What an event!

Today was the start of a long weekend for me. At Biola, we are celebrating Homecoming. It is a fun tradition we started last year to encourage our alumni, friends, students, faculty, and staff of Biola to come and "Revisit, Reconnect, Reunite." (Which was our theme this year!) We have been planning this event for months now and even though I don't do much of the planning, I get to be a minor part in the process. I created the website and took all the reservations. Sometimes being at a Biola event, I start to wish that I had the typical college experience. I'm not so much jealous that about living in dorms or eating in the cafe, but I am jealous of the relationships that remain after all these years.

While celebrating with our grads from 50 years ago, our Golden Eagles, I got to see people who spent years of their lives together reconnect after all these years. It was absolutely beautiful and is exactly why this is my favorite event of the year. God is so amazing the way he leads people to this school and how he keeps their values and love of Biola the same. I don't talk to any of my friends from college. And the friends I do have on facebook from Cal State Fullerton, I would not want to get together with. We are very different and our values in life are different. The people who have friends from Biola have Christ as their connector and that is something to cherish.

This is really why Mike and I really appreciated and not taken for granted the amazing friendships we have at church because they are the friendships that are eternal. They are the friends that we will not only have while on earth but know that we will see them in Heaven as well.

Well, God is good and is doing great things at Biola!!!!

Wait and Hope in the Lord!

Every so often at church there is a sermon that I feel like was given for just me. Yesterday was that day. It was as if Dave Talley stood on the stage at church and I was the only one in the congregation. But as I started to think about it more and talked to people, they too felt the same way. This sermon was perfect for so many people. Whether it is waiting for a baby, a job, a boyfriend...we are all waiting for something and tend to forget that we need to wait on the Lord.

I have said it before, I am not a patient person and waiting is not my thing. I like things to happen right away...I even liked getting up on Christmas morning as a kid at like 2AM because I just could not wait. And even though I don't get up quite as early anymore...I do wait impatiently for the Lord to provide for my needs. But I want to be waiting not just for the things I want to happen but to wait to see God's will be done in my life. I want to grow as a woman of God through this process. Getting into the word more, learning more about who God is and seeing Him always present in my life, and to fear Him for He really is a powerful God who is definitely underestimated sometimes. I desire to see this be the woman I am.

This process has made me more aware of my shortcomings. I recognize when I am falling short of the glory of God more and desire to change that. Maybe it is because I know that soon I will be a mother and want to be a good example for my child or maybe it is that God wants to use this time of waiting to mold me into the woman I long to be. Whatever the reason, I am so grateful for this time. It humbles me to be so aware of what a sinful person I am. But I know that God is with me.

He is with me as I wait for my child to be in my arms. He is with me as I watch my phone not ring everyday. He is with me as I see so many women getting pregnant for the 3rd baby season in a row. He is with me as I eat dinner and even while I type this post. That is something I love about our God and something I strive to live out in my daily life. I want people to see Christ in me...that I may live my life as an woman who has the love of God in her heart and that when Christ returns or calls me home, he may say "well done Kim, my good and faithful servant."

Today's verse to encourage those who are waiting is Romans 12:12: "Rejoice in hope, patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

Grace Caring!

Our church has a group called Project Hope and the amazing people who are in charge started getting those who are interested or are in the process to adopt or do foster care together. Last night was our first meeting of "Grace Caring" and it was so great to just be with other people who have the same passion as you and who totally understand where we are. While talking with our friends who are adopting a little girl from China soon, they expressed how frustrated they are as they wait for final things to come through. Then we told them how we feel the same way waiting for our call too. It was so nice to just get each other. We know how tiring it can be to do all this paperwork then have to leave it totally in someone else's hands to be able to bring your child home. We are so grateful for our church body and the amazing support we have from so many of them!

I love my husband!

Over 6 1/2 years ago, I got so angry at the man that would one day become not only my husband but my best friend. He started subbing at the daycare I was working for and let the kids be a little rude to me since they had him as a counselor when he worked there before. I was so mad at this guy. I had met this guy when I was a little 6th grader and he was in the 10th grade and we went to the same church but that day at work he was just some guy who was annoying me. I was so mean to him. I even tried to get him fired for being a jerk to me---which didn't end up happening...thank God! A few days later we all went out after work and I apologized to him....and that was my first but certainly not my last conversation with this guy...my guy. Had I known that summer day that I would fall madly in love with him, I might have been a little nicer to him. But I like to think that God wanted me to act like that so I would have to humble myself and apologize to see what a great man he was.

Here we are...celebrating our 7th Valentine's Day together tomorrow. Wow, feels like just yesterday he was picking me up for our first. Mike was in grad school the first 9 months we were dating in the Bay Area. He was so busy with homework and projects that he put off making any plans for our first Valentine's Day together. He had a beatiful bouquet of red roses delivered to my work and picked me up (looking quite handsome!) and told me we were going to Pasadena for dinner....at 10:30pm!!! It was all he could get! We had a fun time walking around and talking and really just being together. And now tomorrow, things are different in a great way. We don't need a fancy restaurant or flowers...just each other and a little dinner at home.

But the point of this post isn't just to tell you about how we met and fell in love or how we spent our first Valentine's Day together but to brag about what an amazing man I am married to. Mike is best and most amazing man ever. He is someone who loves with all his heart. He is kind and considerate but knows how to just tell me the truth, even if it might hurt a little. He has a really stressful and smart person job but he manages to not only work really long days knowing that the quality of his work affects the safety so many people but also come home and help with dishes, bills and so many other things. He is the kind of guy that I feel so comfortable when we are talking or when we are just sitting in silence reading a book. He encourages me to be a better woman, friend, sister, daughter, employee, and person in general but still loves me for me. I respect him and know that he is the reason that I have accomplished a lot of things in my life. He truly is my best friend and on this day of love...I want him and all of you to know that I love him....

And as we are ready to venture into parenting soon...I know that my love for him will only get deeper as I watch him hold our child and play with them. This man will be a great dad and we are all so blessed to have him in our lives!

I love you honey and want to thank you for being my valentine! xoxo
(sorry for the mushy post everyone---it is Valentine's Day though!)