Merry Christmas

Alright, so I just spent the last two days stuffing my face with every kind of holiday goodie you can think of. Everything tasted too good, and you know what that means. Yup, time to hit the gym hard!

This Christmas was the first time in six years that I spent Christmas day with my dad, and I had a great time. As I have been thinking today, I was inspired to write a blog list of some of things I am thankful for during this past year. (I say some because there is no way that I can remember them all ;)
So, without further ado (spelling?), here is my Christmas "list":

• I spent the first 6 months of this year in a house by myself, in order to learn more about God and what it really means to be in a closer walk with him. I feel that this truly had prepared me for a lot of what happened throughout the rest of this year.
• I spent a lot of time with my neighbor, Leeann, the lady that I also work with, and building a great friendship with her.
• I learned what it was like to have to take care of a dog on my own, which in turn made me realize that I am not ready for one. (even though my roomate got a dog....it's still not mine)
• I got to go to Washington more than once this year by taking a flight up to Seattle in May to visit my best friend Amy.
• A month later, she got engaged to an awesome guy named John, and they will be getting married on August 25th, 2007.
• One of my very good friends and one of the most respectable women I know, Claire Cain, also got engaged this year. What an awesome blessing it is to see two people who truly love each other come together in Christ. I can't wait for August 11th!
• I was introduced to a man named Jose Corado on June 1st, and my life has been forever changed by him in so many ways. He asked me to be his friend on MySpace, I am not ashamed to say that. (If he would have turned out to be a creepers, maybe...) But in all seriousness, God has turned my heart around in so many aspects because of Jose's character, and it is who he is that allows me to feel loved the way that any woman truly wants to be loved. And though he is not completely healed, God has already done a miracle in Jose by keeping him alive for the last 6 years through batteling cancer. He is truly one of the strongest people I know, and a man who truly seeks the face of God. And I love him.
• I had an awesome opportunity to travel to Italy to see Venice, Milan, and all the beautiful sights in October. It was a trip that I will never forget, and only something that I can thank God for giving me the opportunity and the financial possibility to even do.
• I have read more books for leisure this year than I have probably in the last 6 years that I have lived in Utah. And they have all been books that have either given me more knowledge about Christ and my increased desire to seek him and his word, or it has challenged my faith in some way to encourage me to step outside the box of Christianity and seek something more bold than just a Sunday Christian walk.
• I have had the opportunity to spend more time getting to know and growing in a friendship with one of my closest friends, Kelli, and realizing how much I have learned from her in the last year we have been friends. She is an amazing person, and she even invited me to Thanksgiving dinner with her family.
• God has given me a great place to live, with a great landlord, the expereince of having roomates, and the financial stability to be able to feel secure in what he provides for me every single day.
• I have been able to see my friends step out in faith, and because of that, God has given to them as well, and that is a great testimony. And even when people don't get what they expect, they still praise God, and that is also a great witness to others.
• I am thankful for the fact that I live in a country where I can gain knowledge at my fingertips, where I have the freedom to read my bible in public if I want to and not get scowled at or beat up for doing so, and where I can apply for a higher education if I choose to do so. And I did.
• I have been able to spend the last 6 years with my family for Christmas, and to even have the ability to pay for a plane ticket to Washington every year is a huge blessing alone. Then add on to it the whole spending time with loved ones and building greater relationships on to the ones that you already have, and that is almost a little piece of heaven right there.

O Christmas Tree

Jose and I did our gift exchange a couple of weeks ago since I was going to be in Seattle for Christmas.
Some of the pictures are kind of blurry, I was messing around with me camera too much.
Anyway, here are a couple of shots of my Christmas tree


Aw, pretty blue!

Our presents under the tree, waiting to be opened.



Here I am in my new warm Columbia jacket. I love it!


Jose about to open his Christmas surprise.

I got him a cool looking leather messenger bag from Banana Republic. He had no idea that I remembered a while ago that he had looked at it. What a sneaky girlfriend I am.






Sporting the new bag and some books that I got for him.

Peace

What would happen if every time a person prayed for a miracle, God gave them what they were asking for? Would that person every really learn the other aspects of God, His peace, mercy, comfort, patience, sovereignty, justness, His love? Or would they just expect Him to keep on performing miracles at their request, therefore becoming impatient at the one time that God did not give them what they were asking for?

Sometimes, is it not that we ought to pray for a miracle, but yet, to pray for strength through the situation, for peace that whatever happens, our heart will remain calm and in the peace of God, that God would pour out his mercy, comforting hand, His peace on our souls so that we may endure whatever trials we may be facing at the present time.

For it is through those trials that our characters in Christ are built, that we are able to become the soldiers of Christ that we were created to be by God’s hand. It is through God’s enduring love that we are able to see the meaning and purpose behind what He is enabling us to go through, whether it be because of a spiritual battle going on inside us, or for the mere fact of knowing that He is in total control of the situation and there is no need for us to worry about what the outcome is going to be, because in Him all things are made victorious.

It is in times like these that our faith becomes real, that it is not just a motion that we are going through every day that we are hoping God makes things go our “perfect way” during our daily prayers to Him.

It is in these times that these verses become reality to a heart that is fully seeking out the face of God and asking Him to meet us right where we are and provide the peace that surpasses all understanding. It is in these times that in prayer, these verses give us a hope that God’s word is true, that we can pray for things that will bring us comfort in a time of need, peace in a world of turmoil, love in a time of discouragement, no matter what kind of situation we are going through.

Philippians 4 : 4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


John 14: 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Isaiah 26: 3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

Psalm 34: 14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

I have not said much about what has been going on with Jose on here, but some of you do know what is going on.

A time has come where a decision is going to be made, one that may require a faith so great that there is no other option but to trust God and what His will is.

Surgery to remove the cancer is possible, if the surgeon is willing to perform it.
If not, there is nothing else that is going to be done as far as medical treatment goes. No more chemo, radiation, just waiting and praying to see what will happen.
Medically speaking, based on research, past cases, and the past unsuccessful attempts to keep the cancer from coming back, if no treatment is continued, doctors have given him a 12 month survival time frame. That is, of course, coming from a medical aspect, not including God’s divine intervention for healing.

It is now that I ask all who are willing and read these words to pray fervently that the Lord will continue to provide His Peace, His comfort, and possibly His healing hand no matter what the option is, whether surgery or nothing at all.

I am so thankful that I have friends like you who I am able to even feel secure asking for something like this, though it is really for Jose and his situation, he is a part of my life as you all are. I am thankful that I have friends who are believers and take time to pray for the things that are of importance to others, possibly even someone you may not know as well as others do.

Thank you for all your persistent prayers and support, they have meant so much to both of us.

What's it to you?

With Christmas coming, I thought of a couple of questions that may spark some discussion.

Here we go.


1.What is you all time favorite Christmas song, the one that you want to hear at least twice every single year?

2.Do you know where you were on your first Christmas? (where you lived, who you spent it with, things like that)

3.Is there one food item that your family always make for the holidays?

4.Have you every volunteered for a food bank, rescue mission, for caroling, during Christmas time?

5.How are you going to celebrate the birth of our savior this year?


So, sine I am asking these questions, I thought I would give some answers too.

1. Favorite Christmas song: O Holy Night, especially when the dynamics are sung well and there isn't a lot of vibrado

2. I am pretty sure that I spent my first Christmas with my parents over at my grandpa's house with all my dad's family here in Utah

3. I always remember having either deviled eggs or real mashed potatoes with our Christmas meal

4. The closest I have gotten to volunteering is putting together food drive and sorting food items at a food bank.

5. Spending time with my family back home is the best thing I could ever have for Christmas, and that is exactly what I am going to be doing.

Happy Holidays to you all!