My God, My Redeemer, My Healer, My Savior,
Thank you for this week, thank you for the sunshine today. The snow has been very dreadful, and the sunshine sure brightened my day. I’m sorry for my attitude lately. I’ve been so selfish. You are doing some mighty things, and sometimes I’m too blind to see them because I’m being so selfish. Help me to be more selfless. Teach me to look beyond myself to You. I’ve been down lately, and I dont exactly know why. But I do know when my focus isnt You, and im not digging into the Word on a daily basis I get down. Oddly, I praise You for this. It’s proof to me that You are You. You are mighty to save. You are more than enough for me…
Thank you for Emily, and the words she spoke to me today. They were so encouraging and uplifting, really made me feel good. Thank you for allowing that to happen. I know that through her I feel Your love. She’s such a great friend. It’s so good to have a friend who is spiritually on the same level as me. There to challenge, encourage, and love me. I pray for her, for her heart, as she is making some choices, and changes. I pray for her talk she is planning with Amanda. I pray they can be open and honest with each other.
I’m excited for this weekend, don’t have to work is always a nice thing, and maybe I will get to see Quinton. I really miss hanging out with him. I know, a week isn’t that long at all, my heart just longs for it sometimes. What’s going to happen when he goes away this summer? I can’t act like this. Why am I being so selfish? I have to keep my focus on You, and You alone, God. Help me to keep understanding that You are the only one that can fully statisfy me. I’m so excited for this summer, and the many things that he will experience and learn. I’m excited for myself, for the many things I will experience here in Louisville and learn. Help us to keep our number one focus on You, & You alone. I can’t wait to hear the many stories, and to just see a glimps of the things you are doing with the Crossings Ministry. I pray for strength on the hard days. I pray that he falls deeper and deeper in love with You. Help me to be patient, and understanding. I pray for the many staffer’s, you’ve hand picked each of them for a very specific reason. I pray for their hearts, as You prepare them for this summer, I also pray that they will come together as a family, and serve You. My heart, & my soul is going to miss Quinton a whole bunch this summer, but I’m completely excited for Your will to be done. Help me to stay positive, and to keep my eyes on You.
Love,
Rachael

Blessings

I’ve always felted so blessed, by all the many ways God has stuck such amazing people all around me. He knows how I feel, He knows what I need- And He is good… all the time. And I just want to brag on Him, and the amazing people He has placed in my life.
Hayley Gibson, my best friend throughout middle and high school. We were the girls who stayed up late on the phone, watched crazy girlie movies, cried over everything, and always woke up early on saturday morning just to fix our hair just right. We took crazy myspace pictures, we wrote notes and passed them in the hallway. We would lay in bed and tell each other stories after stories till her parents were getting up the next morning for work. We encouraged each other, we taught each other, we cried with each other, we learned together. I miss her so much, pray for her constantly because we both know that these times are long gone.
Michelle Mckelvy, she was married, and had a kid on the way when I first began to realize what God was up to. She had been a preachers kid just like I was. She had been there, felt the same feelings I was feeling dealing with growing up in the ministry, she would be there to share stories with me, laugh with me, and cry with me. Her stories were always so helpful, to know that someone knew exactly how I was feeling was completely inspiring and encouraging. She never failed to be that constant encourager, to remind me of God’s love, to encourage me that my parents were in ministry was a good thing, to constantly remind me not to let Satan win. She was always there with a verse, and a hug. I’ve learned so much about relationships, love, and friendships, and grief. She always reminds me to keep my focus on Christ, and Christ only. I hope that one day, I could be to someone the person she was to me. And she still is to me.
Meredith Corbett, “bossom friend”. She holds so many secrets, memories, regrets, learning experiences, faith, & dreams of mine. She really showed me how to stand up for myself, she taught me so many things about life, and guarding me heart. We were always together, and did everything together. We love food, eating food, watching the food channel, making food, giving food, anything everything about food. That’s probably why I gained 15 pounds my senior year. We loved working out, swimming, and acting like we knew what we were doing. She has such a passion for things, she’s so giving and caring. She has such a caring and compassionate heart. She was there for the late nights when I just needed someone to talk to, she didn’t only talk to me, she would drive to my house and stay up late talking to me till I almost fell asleep. She speaks my love language. I’m so thankful for the trip we went on together in August 2010 to Haiti. It was an amazing experience and even more amazing that she was right beside me the whole time. The day she gets married, i’m going to cry like a little girl. Oh wait, I do that all the time. No biggie.
Emily Scott, well, well, well, it’s quite obvious to me as to why God has placed her in my life at this time. He has blessed me with someone who seems to fall in love with her Creator everyday all over again. Which is completely radical to me. She’s been through the very same things I have, been down the very same paths as me, and walked the same walk. We share similiar struggles, joys, scars, burdens, dreams, and memories. She watches “A Walk to Remember” probably 13 times a week. And thats okay. I love that about her. I could do the same thing. We are alike in so many ways, its kinda creepy sometimes. She’s not afraid to tell me how it is. I’m so thankful for a honest friendship. She has the prettiest smile, to go with such a beautifully created heart. I can’t wait for the days to come, having her part of this crazy life.
There’s Quinton Matthews– My blessing. My love. He makes me laugh, hugs me tight, knows my weird ways of thinking, is patient with me, sees my failures, cheers me on, challenges me, & loves me. Living in such a sinful world, it can be difficult at times to keep our relationship centered around our Creator. I enjoy constantly learning more and more about Christ, about how to glorify Him in this relationship. I know that the love I have for Quinton now, couldn’t possibly come close to the love my parents have for each other. I hope that possible one day we will be able to experience that love. The love God intended. Together.
I can’t even begin to form the words of gratitude I have that the Lord has blessed me with such amazing people. When I’ve needed them most. That’s because He know’s the greatness of what He has in mind, and I have to look beyond myself and wait for Him and His purposes in His timing because of who He is.
Our God is an awesome God, my friends.

A Few Pieces of My Heart

My Creator, My Savior, My Healer, My Redeemer, My Portion, My God.
My wise parents, My Q-man, my blessings I call friends, the sunshine, praying, loving, watching movies, gelato ice cream, wearing shorts, the number 13, wearing leggins’, tattoos, fingernail polish, chewing gum, When Quinton sings at the top of his lungs, NEEDTOBREATHE, cuddling, church, swimming, hugs, black-white pictures, trees, peace signs, talking to Quinton, psychology, boots, Steve & Michelle McKelvy, going downtown, pictures, piercings, living, christmas, singing, thanksgiving food, screaming, squeaking, concerts, apartments, old things, iPhones, my family, good lovin’, v-necks, laughing with Hayley, skinny jeans, sledding, wearingTOMS, comfy chairs, reading, watches, ♥summertime, baking with Meredith, bracelets, smiling, riding around with Lucy, being stupid like girls do, eating cereal, the way john mayer makes me feel when he sings, books, antiques, fall, bein’ ghetto freal, pretending to be a good writer, soft hair, the way Quinton smells when he hugs me, dancing badly, listening to music in cars, my friendship with emilyscott, deep conversations, eating fast food, writing letters, big blankets, fluffy pillows, sleeping, Heath Ledger in the knights tale, flashlights, DirtyDancing, late night car rides, swimming, receiving letters, getting butterflies, good smelling things, make-up, arizona rasberry iced tea, facing fears, taylorswift, side purses, camping, dogwood, thanksgiving time, playing in the snow, grandparents, cameras, being in Haiti, candles, scarfs, sunglasses, wearing dresses, mirrors, sweatshirts, Heine Bros Coffee, brushing my teeth, twittering, stalking people on facebook, when Q says “jank”, trampolines, socks, ice cream cones, missing Nana, praising Jesus.