• • To all the girls out there. I recently received this from a dear friend and it is right on. So I thought I would share it. Enjoy.
    
    First we must allow our Heavenly Father to do the picking. And second, the decision for a mate must be made on a spiritual and intellectual basis before it's made on an emotional one.
    
    
    
    "What about love? Shouldn't that be the third? you ask. No, and I'll tell you why. "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9).
    
    
    
    The heart is willful and is driven by its own agenda. It does not consider things rationally and intelligently it just loves to love! Therefore you have to point it in the right direction: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23).
    
    
    
    Whenever you meet a man, you need to get clearance from God, check out his attributes, and then allow your heart to engage.
    
    
    
    Dating exists not for mating; it exists for collecting data. I believe that the biblical design would be friendship, courtship and then marriage.
    
    
    
    Friendship is two people walking together in agreement and accountability, learning and growing together.
    
    
    
    Courtship follows the mutual agreement to commit to one another exclusively - it is the decisive turning toward the agreed-upon goal of the marriage altar. It is a period of laying a foundation and preparing your life together after marriage.
    
    
    
    But dating? Well, if you do date, use the time wisely to gather these facts.
    
    
    
    ■Check out the fabric. Is the person mate material? Does this man have an intimate relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ? Does he care what God thinks about his behavior? Is he accountable to God as well as another co-laborer in the faith? Accountability is an important factor. It is imperative to maintaining a committed relationship. Is your potential spouse a member of the same family - the family of God?
    
    
    You need to have common interests and values and agree on the essentials of living day to day. You have a similar spiritual walk. You eat the same spiritual diet. You enjoy a lot of similar things. You have like interests, like goals in life, like opinions on basic life issues.
    
    
    
    You have had like experiences in your background. Though there is some truth to the idiom that opposites attract, like-minded folks fare better together.
    
    
    
    Furthermore, does he want to get married? If you want to be married and your dreamboat isn't interested, don't waste your time.
    
    
    
    Remember, women fall in love and get married. Men decide to get married and then look for a wife. Note the difference in order. So if a guy says he's not looking for anything serious, take his words seriously. If he's not going in your direction, get off the bus and wait for the right one.
    
    
    
    ■Does this man want you? Is he pursuing you? The man who is right for you will pursue you, and God's hand in the relationship will be clear. No guessing, no fleeces, no dead ends.
    
    
    Scripture says: "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 18:22).
    
    
    
    Note -who finds whom? THE MAN FINDS THE WIFE. From the beginning of time, God has transported men and women across the world in order to put them together.
    
    
    
    At the RIGHT TIME, He will bring that man on the scene and he will find you. In God's perfect design, the man is the one who recognizes his mate. Adam has no problem recognizing that Eve was his missing rib. You do not need to strategically place yourself anywhere. You don't have to help a guy out because he's shy!
    
    
    
    Men will do whatever they have to do to get what they truly want. The man in your life should recognize you as the pearl of great price in his life and be willing to do whatever he must in order to gain your hand. If he is passive about gaining your affections, take it as a sign that he is not interested. 
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  • You need only one man - your man, the one God has selected to select you. And trust me, the right man at the wrong time can be just as awful as the wrong man at any time. So trust God's timing in this. He is the ultimate matchmaker. Relax, sit pretty and allow yourself to be found. Again – WAIT until the man voices his intentions. He should take the lead in establishing the relationship. You may have an inkling that he is the one, but God will use the man to set the tone of the relationship. Allow him the opportunity to woo you - this is your first act of submission. Jesus set the standard for all men to follow. They should love us first. And they should lead the relationship.
    
    
    
    
    
    ■The man in your life should not desire to move into your house, only into your heart. A man who prepares for your future has made his intentions clear. A man who is husband material has the means to take care of a wife. He is a responsible human being who understands he needs to have something to offer. In short, a man should have the means to be a suitable lover for you.
    
    
    ■Check out his buddies. Everyone knows birds of the same feather flock together, yet most women fail to see the connection between a man and his friends. A man's pals tell you a lot about the person that you haven't seen yet. They reveal things about the guy's character that might be hidden when he is on good behavior. Everyone knows how to put his best foot forward. Don't stay focused on the foot, check out the rest of the body!
    
    
    ■Check out his relationship with his mother. How does he treat her? This is your preview of how he will treat you. There are lots of men who, because of a negative relationship with their mothers, really don't like women, yet say they do. Unresolved issues between mother and son continue between husband and wife.
    
    
    ■Remember that a man's family reveals the cloth from which he's cut. Take note and decide whether you want your future with the man in your life to look like his present family situation.
    
    
    ■Check out the patterns of his life. Do you see repeated cycles of drama in his personal kingdom? Broken relationships? Problems in making commitments --including the job market? Mood swings? Is a problem always someone else's fault? Does he embrace responsibility or shirk it? Does he keep his promises? Is he a man of good reputation? Remember all garments look wonderful hanging in the store, but with wear, some begin to unravel. Give yourself time and space to check out the man in your life. Time will always reveal whether or not he is made of the right stuff.
    
    
    ■Does this man have a vision for his life? Is he running with that vision? Remember, God decided Adam needed help once Adam got busy DOING his assignment. As we saw Adam, a man doesn't need help until he is busy doing what he was created and called to do. Is the man in your life guided by sense of destiny and purpose, or does he just allow life to happen around him? A man who is not certain of his mission can be a most miserable person - and you'll be miserable too if you know where YOU want to go in life.
    
    
    A man who has vision is not intimidated by a woman whose mission statement is clear. He will be your best ally, cheerleader and assistant because he wants you both to make it! A man who cannot be supportive of your achievements because he is floundering in a sea of uncertainty over his own life is not a healthy partner to have and to hold forever.
    
    
    
    
    
    Creating dependencies or feelings of obligation is not the way to get the best out of your man. Somewhere along the way, he will resent you and flee from the smothering burden of obligation he associates you with. You want a man who is firmly anchored in his identity in Christ. Remember, we are looking for a man who will be priest and leader of his home. His first instinct should be to want to cover you, redeem you, and provide for you. Your job is to decide if this is the man God has ordained for you to complement.
    
    
    
    ■Complimentary. Do your talents and gifts complement his? Do his gifts, compliment yours? What about your temperaments? Do you see the two of you as an effective team capable of bringing blessing to the lives of those around you? Do your futures mesh? Can you coordinate your gifts in an attractive and effective way?
    
    
    This is why knowing your purpose is so important. Make sure your hearts beat for mutual causes. When I go shopping I always consider the fabric, the fit and what I already have in my closet. Will my next purchase be a complimentary addition to what I already have? If I find that I am going to have to buy shoes and matching accessories to go with a new outfit, I leave it right on the rack. It is too expensive a proposition .. If the man you meet makes you feel that you need to completely reinvent yourself, something is wrong.
    
    
    
    This is where I ask you to consider the relationship in terms of cost. Is this relationship expensive spiritually, emotional or physically? Does your longing for a mate make you willing to forfeit who you are in the process? Or does he see you as the gift that you are? The man in your life should consider you a rare find, a priceless jewel-because of you he is getting ready to get blessed big-time! Any relationship that causes you to feel unworthy, unlovely, unacceptable, undesirable or that you have to work for love, is too expensive!
    
    
    
    God has called the man to cover, protect and provide not only materially for a woman, but emotionally and spiritually as well. You should be richer in mind, body and spirit for your union with the man of your dreams. The man in your life should make rich deposits into your heart and spirit, not withdrawals.
    
    
    
    ■Does he have a healthy love and acceptance of himself? Make sure the man in your life has taken time to heal from past relationships and has made peace with himself. How he cares for himself is how he will care for you.
    
    
    A man's relationship with God is crucial here.. His love for himself will only be as strong as his love for God. This is not something that you can impart. You cannot be his savior or teacher. That is out of spiritual order. In his rightful place as your personal priest, he should be leading you to a richer relationship with Christ.
    
    
    
    If he is causing you to compromise your faith and destabilize your walk, if he is leading you into sexual sin or causing you to be distracted from your commitment to God, the relationship is too expensive. Offending the Lover of your soul, who promises you eternal love, is too high a fare to pay for a ride that has a limited run . If you and your man can't soar in the Spirit, when the force of your love for another is tested by the pull or gravity of the world, your union will not be able to survive.
    
    
    
    So you decide. How much is your life worth? How much is your love worth? You will be able to accept only what you believe you deserve. God himself calculated the worth of your love and decided it was worth His life. He now pledges you His love for eternity. Yes, Jesus sets the example for all others to follow when He paid a ransom for His bride. Should you expect less from a mortal man? Throughout the Biblical age, men were willing to pay the cost for what they truly desired. The truth of the matter is, everyone knows that anything worth having, costs and no one gets a ride in this life for free. 

I am so blessed! I know that's something I say a lot, but it's the truth! Now more than ever. It overwhelms me at times. And now, on this day set aside for reflecting on things that we are thankful for, I am there yet again. This life is such a big adventure. I am just blown away by this idea that God's plans are so much greater than my own. If I had followed my own plan, I would probably still be hanging out in Chilliwack... and.. well.. miserable. Yet when we give our lives to the Lord, they become so much more rich and deep and satisfying. God does not just call some to this life of adventure, of spreading the gospel throughout the world, but he commands it of all His children. He wants us all to have the deep, satisfying life of bringing glory to Him. Pretty amazing.

I lift my hands up to the heavens, my heart soaring within me. How is it that you my savior, who knows my innermost being and sees the sin that plagues me, would call me your child? How is it that you would pour out your heart to heal a people who are so prone to wander from your presence? Thank you. Thank you for having patience with me, and with those I love. Thank you for giving us gifts, and then giving us joy when we see the fruit of those gifts put to good use. Thank you for giving us each other, to compliment, strengthen, encourage and build up. Thank you for music, for color, for touch, sound, sight and smell. Thank you for caring about the un-cared for, choosing the unworthy, loving the unlovable, saving the un-salvageable, softening the hard-hearted, strengthening the weak, healing the broken heart, and giving meaning to the one without hope. Thank you for knowing the unknown in me, and for becoming the lowest, so that we may be lifted up to spend eternity with the Highest.
Thank you for loving us.

What a week! I am settling into life at Briercrest and am loving classes so far. It feels so good to be learning again. Yesterday I did something a little crazy. I stepped out of my comfort zone and joined a group "dancing for Jesus" as they call it. It was an audition for a group that does Hip Hop performances with a message all around Canada. I've seen one of their shows and am so impressed with their ministry. It was so freeing just having fun, not caring what I look like. Although, 2 hours of Hip hop has definitely made walking today a little more painful.
This little town has something so cool about it. I feel myself growing attached to it already, after 5 days.
Life's been taking some pretty amazing turns lately. I am left so grateful, the Lord has blessed me so much. I know that life isn't always perfect, that sometimes the night feels so long, but there is always joy in the morning. He is giving me that sunrise. I want to have an increased softening to the Holy Spirit speaking, and a decreasing tendency to fear what should be put in His hands.

What a week of good things! First, I had an amazing birthday. It was the first that I spent at home for a while and my mom surprised me by inviting a friend I met in Bolivia over for the week. My whole extended family came and we had a great party. I can easily say it was one of the best ever.

Secondly, I just received some news that almost made me do a happy dance. The little girl off of the streets that I met during Christmas on the streets and again before I left is now attending El Jordan, along with her mother (Dayana and Lydia)!! That little girl made such a mark on my heart that I knew God was doing something in them. Last time we went to visit them in the canals, I printed off a picture of my grandma and of me with Dayana and gave it to Lydia. Now, she has it on her wall and every time she looks at it is reminded of two people who love them and are praying for them. Then, about a week ago, a missionary from YWAM, met Lydia and another friend living on the streets, gave them food, some shoes and enough money to get a Micro to El Jordan. So they went. Liliana, the other lady has been three times already, but Lydia and Dayana just went to a class for the first time yesterday. This is beyond a miracle. Please be praying for their transition out of street life as I know the pull is very hard at times. Waahooo! Praise God! He is so amazing.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lay down in green pastures, he restores my soul.
How wonderful a God we serve! I do love Him so much. Sometimes I feel like all I can say is "Lord, I love you." Because nothing else seems to capture every emotion running through my heart when I think of all He has done for us. That is a moment when my confusion brings me so much joy. Because even though I don't understand His love, it's still ever strong.
This week He has been restoring me. My cabin was such a blessing and we connected really well. It was such a refreshing week.

So here I stand, at the 1 month mark of my time back in Canada. It has been a roller-coaster, and the Lord has been teaching me so much. After 2 busy weeks in Chilliwack, I drove back to my hometown. I was greeted by the smell of fresh crisp air and I felt a tug on my heart telling me I was home. Surrounded by the country, I was overwhelmed. Spending the whole year in a city of 2 million, I had never really realized how much I missed it here, a city of less than 5000. Walking down the path, cat and dog running behind me and sitting in the meadow surrounded by trees and wild flowers... beautiful.
So I spent the night in my own bed, then packed up again and headed to camp. I was exhausted. I was exhausted from being in intense ministry for nine months, exhausted from being in the hospital, being poked and prodded, tired of tests and tired of busyness. I was spiritually and emotionally drained. I had an amazing week at camp, but still, something was missing. Something I had had before, but now, somehow was lacking.
I headed home for the weekend from camp and started doing needed paperwork and unpacking from Bolivia. It was then that I just dropped everything and cried out to God. And He met me there, the mess that I was, and spoke to me through Revelations.
He saw how hard I worked and was working to spread his good news. He knew I worked myself to the bone, but somewhere along the way I had lost sight of my first love. Somewhere along the way, I took my focus off of him and onto the people I was serving, and my love for him ran dry. He doesn't just want my service to others, He first and foremost wants my love, my heart. It hit me like a storm and I sat down and repented right there. How can I be without his blessing, how can I love, if I do not first love Him. So I decided to take a week off of camp to rest and spend a long period of time with the Lord- something I haven't done in a while. So I talked to the camp director and scheduled a week off in the beginning of August.
This past week of camp was such a joy. I no longer feel exhausted. I realize my need for a break, but the joy of the Lord is my strength until then.

Briercrest accepted my application! I feel like God has a plan in this, because he has given me confidence in this direction, so we'll see what happens in the coming years.