Puzzle Pieces.....

This is something I've been meaning to do for quite a while (in our house, we call it a Ben-gonna). I've shared with some of you my journey over the past few years and some details about how I got to this place. But, I want to share with you even deeper, how incredible is our God. He paved the way for me to be here in Puno Peru. There is no doubt in my mind that He called me here and placed me here with His own hands. As I go back through my journals I see how rooted His plan is. And as I'm an open book, I'm literally going to open my book, my journal, with all of you to share how God has brought me here. Every now and then, I'll post a piece of my journal for you to read. I hope you are in awe and amazement of how our God works just like I am! - Tonight I happened to go through my old journal, a red leather journal my friend Adrienne gave me, looking for some notes. I came across an entry I wrote on my 23rd birthday which is a funny coincidence since today is Brooke's 23rd brithday! I also looked further ahead and found some entries where I was surrendering my future plans. As a 20something girl, of course boys and marriage were on my mind. And it had been 7 months or so after ending a 4 year relationship, I thought maybe I was ready for a new one, the real one. So as a younger (I'm still young!) girl with singleness on the mind and (as I found out recently from strengthfinders), a futuristic type, here is my journal and my heart in words. These are the beginning of many prayers of surrender as I have trouble giving things to God only to take them back, especially my plans for the future. - On Septmber 21st, 2008 I wrote... Today in Dad's sermon he was talking about a guy wo did Bible studies with the teens when my dad was a teen. This guy was about 75 years old and he had waked with You for many years but still found new inspiration in Your Word, inspiration enough to bring him to tears. I want that to be me! Help me to take a closer walk with You! I have to remind myself that I'm giving You control of my future. I have all these plans of getting married, having kids, etc. But I only want those things in the timing of Your perfect plan for me. And along the way, please comfort me and remind me it will be worth the struggle and the wait. - Also, a few weeks later on October 1st I wrote... Help me to use this time of being single to become a better woman in You and to prepare myself to be a good wife someday. I want to be single with a purpose. Being single now is Your will for me and I know I need to not use this time for daydreaming about the future, but to use this time to grow and learn in myself and my relationship with You. I surrender my single life to You! Help me to ue this time in my life to fulfill Your will for me! - I love it! I love looking back to see my thoughts and prayers. I love seeing how God works. He knew I needed to be single for this opportunity. A requirement of being a 40/40 is to be single. Hmmmm! And, I think its funny that I asked for comfort and a reminder that it will be worth the wait. Haha. Little did I know I'd be waiting so long! But I cannot take credit for the phrase, "Single with a Purpose". Because that phrase is the title of my favorite chapter in, When God Writes Your Love Story, that I had read around this time. That's just the beginning of the puzzle. God put all the tiny little puzzle pieces together for me to be here, He paved the road from Arvada to Puno with His own hands. And some of the workings are revealed in my journals, but so many, many more I will never know about or understand until the glorious day I enter His presence. - For all the single ladies....... 1 Corinthians 7:34 An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.