My Cup Overflows

The title for this blog is a phrase from one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 23, that until i came here to Morelia, I did not understand.

This Psalm has been with me almost my entire life. Some of my earliest childhood memories are sitting in the bathtub with my sisters or on the swings learning this psalm verse by verse. When i was little the best part about learning the verse was getting a small handful of chocolate chips every time i could repeat a verse back to one of my parents. Now that i'm an adult -wow that feels weird to say but it's true- i treasure having that Psalm with me all the time whenever i need it.

Most of the psalm is pretty basic and easy to understand. "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul." I, often throughout life, would find joy in nature because of these verses, and found that being alone in God's creation did, indeed, restore my soul.

"He guides me in paths of righteousness for his namesake. Even though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death i will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff they comfort me." I experiences this part for the first time when i went to Nepal in the summer of 2009. Every day there literally felt like the valley of the shadow of death, but God got me through it and showed me a LOT about myself and also what else i could get out of a relationship with him. Looking back, that trip changed my walk with Christ forever.

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." This verse was shown to me this last year during water polo season. God helped me get through a terrible mess with one of the girls on my team, who i considered my enemy, but he helped me grow in him through the experience.

"You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows." I always understood the analogy for anointing a head with oil, but i never understood the "my cup overflows" part. As a kid i experienced, many-a-time, the sudden impulse to slurp up foam when you fill your glass of soda too much, but that was it.
Here
Now
In Morelia
I Understand
How My Cup
Can Overflow.

My cup is my life, and it can overflow with all the blessings and happiness God gives me. Here in Morelia i am happier than i have ever been. This is because i can see my purpose here and i can see how to help people. I also am surrounded by hundreds of miracles here, and those miracles are every single kid at NOE!!! I am more blessed than i could ever have imagined. My heart is full to bursting with happiness and thankfulness for all that God has given me here.


Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and i must admit it is starting to feel a little weird being away from home at this time of year. On Facebook my wall is plastered with notifications of all my college friends going home to see their families for the holidays. I could continue that sentence by saying "while i am stuck here" but i won't say that because i'm not stuck! I love it here, and even though yes, sometimes it is a little hard to be away from home, it is worth it to be experiencing everything i am here.

I was thinking back this morning to last Thanksgiving. Spending it with family and friends was enjoyable, but on the inside my heart was broken into a million tiny pieces. I was trying to figure out what i wanted to do with the rest of my life, had just finished a really hard water polo season, was anxiously awaiting the results of my Intern request for NOE, and i just wasn't happy. My heart was full of worries and doubts and honestly, i wasn't thankful for much of anything in my life then.

This Thanksgiving, however, is a completely different story! My life is filled with more blessings and happiness than i ever could have hoped for, even in my wildest imagination! Sure my Thanksgiving isn't going to be perfect this year. The rolls will be store bought instead of my mom's, the green bean casserole will have potato chips instead of fried onions and the pies won't be hot out of the oven, but i am SOOOOO BLESSED HERE that all that little stuff fades away.

Even though i'm not HOME for Thanksgiving with my family and friends, i am home here in Morelia, ready to share a new kind of Thanksgiving with my new family and friends.

Thank you Lord for blessings and for giving me as many as i have here.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!! May your cups overflow as well this holiday season!!!

Here I Am Once Again

Here i am once again
i pour out my heart for i know that you hear
every cry, you are listening
no matter what state my heart is in
you are faithful to answer
with words that are true and a hope that is real
as i feel your touch
you bring a freedom to all that's within
in the safety of this place

I'M LONGING TO POUR OUT MY HEART
TO SAY THAT I LOVE YOU
POUR OUT MY HEART
TO SAY THAT I NEED YOU
POUR OUT MY HEART
TO SAY THAT I'M THANKFUL
POUR OUT MY HEART
TO SAY THAT YOU'RE WONDERFUL!!!

This has always been one of my all-time favorite worship songs, but until yesterday, i didn't really understand what it meant.

All my life i have desired to be able to do what this song says. To pour out my heart to Jesus, telling him i love him, that i need him, that i'm thankful, and that he is wonderful. Yesterday and today, i learned how to do that, and even though it is in the midst of terrible circumstances, i can be happy because i have fulfilled what this song says.

Yesterday the students and staff at NOE were informed that the mother of Claudia, one of the girls who just came to Portland this last summer as a part of Dream Team 15, was in the hospital. The doctors didn't know what was wrong, and she was doing really bad. That night at Bible study we had a time of worship and prayer. prayer for Claudia and her family and for Luis (Brian) Overcast as he flies back to Morelia. Tears streamed down my face as i saw all these incredible kids pouring their hearts out to Christ. In that moment i felt a conviction that i had never before experienced, and the prayers i uttered were unlike any that have ever come out of my mouth before!!!

Claudia is a very new believer. She began reading her Bible three months ago while she was in Portland, and since then has been attending church and the Bible study at NOE.  Her faith is new but strong, so i pray that something as big as this will not shake it, but only make it stronger, no matter what the outcome is.

This morning during my class Juan came in and asked us to all stop and pray for Claudia and her mom because she was not doing well. Juan then informed me that he would be going to the hospital later that afternoon, and when i asked if i could accompany him, he said he would call me when he had an answer.

When i got the call around 2:30, instead of hearing confirmation that we were going to the hospital, i got the news that her mom was worse and that we had to wait. it was so hard, i was with my brothers and the entire mood changed for the rest of the afternoon. The call came at 3:45 that Clau wanted a group of us to come to the hospital to be with her. We said we would meet at NOE at 4:30 and then go at 5:00. When we got to NOE you could see the different dynamic with those of us who knew what was going on. We all went into a room and spent time crying and praying together, pouring our hearts out to God begging him to help Claudia and begging him for the healing and salvation of her mother. The power in that room, was like nothing i have ever felt in my entire life.

Now i TRULY know what it feels like to come pleading, to God, pouring out your heart to him. Watching the other kids crying and praying was so powerful.

We got to the hospital and Clau greeted us. We spent about 20 minutes just hugging her as we all cried and showing her that we cared. After that we got in a circle around her and embracing her, once again, lifted her and her mom up to our Lord in prayer. Right now the doctors have determined that her mom has a type of blood clot in her brain and she could die if it moves, so it is still a very scary time.


I finally however, understand that part of the song. Here i am, once again...it's saying that prayer and TRULY pouring out your heart to God cannot be a one time thing. It has to be constant, and even constant to the point where you want to say, "well, here i am AGAIN" but THAT is what matters to God!!! That we trust him and that we NEVER STOP believing that he can do something to change our circumstances!!!!!

Even though I have learned this lesson through difficult circumstances, i am still so thankful that i have, in fact, learned it.

Please continue to pray for Claudia, her mom, and her family, as well as these other things:

*This week is the busiest week of the year at NOE, so please pray that the stress will not cause all of us teachers to be harsh with each other, but that we will have patience and that everything will go smoothly.
*Luis (Brian) returns from Portland tomorrow. Please pray he has a safe journey.
*Ryan and Brent Hernandez arrive on Thursday to help us out. Please pray that they get here safely and that their time here will really encourage everyone.
*Friday is Amigo Night, a fundraiser for all the alumni of NOE, please pray that it will raise a lot of money and go really smoothly.
*Saturday is the Kermesse, a huge fundraiser for NOE, please pray that everything works out and that it raises a LOT of money for this incredible ministry!!!
*Then Sunday a group of us head out to a hot springs for a few days as a cool-down, sorry for the irony, after this hectic week. Please pray that we travel safely and that we have a great time.

Thank you so much for your prayers everyone!!!