Skip to main content

That Time I Quoted Audrey Hepburn

Okay, let's face it – I quote Audrey Hepburn all the time. She is my all-time favorite actress, and she was one of the classiest ladies who ever lived. She once said, “I decided, very early on, just to accept life unconditionally; I never expected it to do anything special for me, yet I seemed to accomplish far more than I had ever hoped. Most of the time it just happened to me without my ever seeking it.” I wish I could claim these words as my own, because they describe my life.
For as long as I can remember, I just let life happen. Whatever happened, happened, and I just went with it as I allowed God to work. I never imagined being able to experience the things I already cherish in my heart. I am only twenty three, and I feel I have a lifetime of unimaginably amazing experiences that I know many will never be able to experience. And I believe the best is yet to come! If life would have happened according to me, I never would have left Central Oregon and I probably would be some miserable hairdresser, unaware of the life I could be living. Instead, I “accepted life unconditionally” and was blessed with a million memories.
My Very First Mission Trip To Jamaica

Never once did I seek after an adventure. Rather, the adventures found me. I can't remember the day my adventurous spirit was born, but I remember my first big adventure. I was fifteen when I boarded an airplane to head off to Jamaica for the first time. I fell in love with the children. I fell in love with the people. I fell in love with missions. Most importantly, I fell more in love with Christ as He taught me to serve His precious people. I went home ready to serve! I just wanted to do whatever I could for God. Within the next year, I was involved with all sorts of things: youth group outreach, volunteering at different ministries, and whatever I could possibly get my hands on all to return to the people who captured my heart. I continued down that path up to my graduation. Then I was off to Uganda. I cannot even begin to explain what that opportunity brought me. God completely changed me, and I came home knowing my life would be much different than I ever imagined. Life “just happened to me without my ever seeking it.” What a great adventure, and that is just up to age eighteen!
I cherish so many memories, so many faces stored away in my heart, and I can only thank my Savior for giving me a willing heart. Because I am able to simply accept life as it happens, God has more of a chance to move through me. If I were to hold onto my own plans, God must fight against me... please, do not get me wrong! There have been plenty of times where I stood up to God and told Him, “my way or the highway, Buddy!” But, when I just take life as it happens, God moves! He is able to work through me. He can touch lives that need His precious love. I am able to experience “far more than I ever hoped.” I thank God for such an opportunity!

Although I may not be as classy as Audrey Hepburn, I am able to relate to those words she said long ago. I can look back on my life with a smile, knowing I held nothing back, and experienced more than I ever could have imagined possible!  
My Life Today

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It's Been A Year... Now What?

What a crazy year! I never would have guessed that my year back in America would be crazier than my year in Africa, but alas, God moved mountains and worked through many situations that reveal what His will is in my life. Yet the biggest question I am asked, "When are you going back to Africa?" Well, I may finally have answers to that question. At the end of October, I traveled to Richmond Virginia to attend the International Conference on Missions (ICOM). My intention was networking, and network I did! If you have never been to ICOM, it is an experience you must try if you are even slightly interested in what God is doing around the world. Speakers from all around the world come and share about their ministry. Workshops are set up for different ministry strategies or on mission topics. My favorite aspect of ICOM are the booths of ministries from all around the globe. I love wandering for hours, meeting different missionaries and hearing their stories. I am always encouraged...
1 comment
Read more

Every Fleeting Moment

I joined a huddle of friends in time to hear the words, "she didn't make it," followed by gasps, tears, questions, and heart break. As I quickly catch up to what is happening, my heart shatters along with everyone else. A dear woman (one which impacted all that gathered) was in a car accident. She didn't make it. Can this be real? Death brings such a flood of emotions. A sudden death, as with my friend, starts with denial. "No! This can't be. There has to be a mistake, and any minute, my phone will go off with a text asking me to babysit. And this sinking feeling of my heart will pass with a sigh of relief!" Then when all the doubts have been stomped out and reality sets in, memories, questions, and hurt flood the heart. This is where I stand at this very moment. Maybe I should not write in such a raw state. But this is where I heal. Maybe a blog shouldn't be for healing, yet here we are.  My friend has two sweet boys. They mean the world to me. ...
2 comments
Read more

State of Praise

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice.” Philippians 4:4 reminds us to have a spirit of praise in all circumstances. It does not say to rejoice in the good, when ministry is smooth and all things are going the way you pictured them. Nor does it say to give up in times of struggle. It says to ALWAYS rejoice, to be in a spirit of praise through thick and thin! The past few weeks have been a battle. Living in Uganda means you are surrounded by images of poverty, brokenness, and death on a daily basis. That alone will encourage anyone to lose a spirit of praise. But of course, that is not all I deal with. Lately, it seems like everything is coming down at one time. Dear people in my life are struggling, including people back in the States. These are people who I use to be there to hold a hand through difficult times, and now they are going through something else and I am halfway around the world. A couple have confessed they wished I were there instead, and no matter how much ...
Post a Comment
Read more