Cari's leavin for Africa...

It's amazing to think that these people I didn't know 3 years ago have come to be such a part of who I am... Cari is such an incredible blessing in my life... my gentle, yet firm beacon of truth... she loves with sweet, yet tough love... not afraid to tell me what she thinks, but gentle enough to hug me when she tells me... :) heehee Even over the last 3 years, she's grown up so much... To know her now is to know a slightly different, improved, growing up and mature-of-character person. She's one of the funnest people to be around - always giggling at something (even if it's really not funny) and yet one of the deepest, most profound people I know. Chrystal and I hung out with her for the last time today until she comes back from Africa in mid-August, and it just made me think how much I value her friendship... you always do that, ya know? When you realize you could lose something/someone, you reflect on the impact it/they have on your life... I pray the Lord brings her home safely to us, which I really don't have much doubt of, but she's so precious to my heart... :) I think I have a vague picture of what my parents must feel sending me to Costa Rica! :) How in the world I got blessed with such incredible people in my life is beyond me... Maybe the Lord just knew I'd need some extra help to keep sane on this earth! :)

This makes me start to kinda think of how I want to live my life... which is something I've obviously been thinking about a lot lately... I definitely want it to be one characterized by love, loyalty, hope and adventure. But I also want to live a big life - big as in impactful. When we die, we don't take our silly treasures or toys... we won't care what car we drive or where we live or how cool people thought we were... heck no. We'll care about people - did we have a good influence on people? Did we love? Did we get loved? Did we do something that meant more than fulfilling our own happiness? At least, that's what I'm pretty sure we'll care about... so I want to look back at my life and see my investments in people - I don't need recognition, I just need assurance that my life made a difference in peoples' lives... that the love God blesses my heart to hold wasn't squandered on my own selfish desires, but rather was used to bless other people... that the joy God knit into who I am made a sunnier day for someone hopeless... that my silliness let someone forget their sadness... that the essence of my being - the Lord at work in me - was so obvious to people that they couldn't help but wonder why I was different... That's what I hope for...

I finished "Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel today and it was SO awesome, cause I'd just been talking with Jonathon about religion and Christianity and sorta wondering if it REALLY had a huge impact on peoples' lives... it does. It changes your life, and you don't even have to do anything, because the Holy Spirit guides your steps. Praise the Lord that I didn't have to fix myself up after making stupid decisions... God just graciously helped me back and purified my heart in a way like no one else can or ever will... He really did change my life... it's about time I realized it... Oh my goodness... such an excellent book... He's a reporter that basically interviews all these top scholars about the normal arguments against Christianity and God... and they refute most of them (I think all, but I don't remember for sure). It's just... amazing. :) (that's my new favorite word, can you tell?) haha

Okay... so I'm going to bed now... but I needed to journal my thoughts... :) and post my pictures!! :) Mwa!