Dreams...

I once had a class in college where the teacher had us write out our future plans for our lives in 5 year chunks. At that point in my life I was over run with passions, dreams and desires not to live to "diaper" age.   SO needless to say my "5 year chunks" were packed!  We had to share these with another student in the class. The boy that was my partner, barely had aspirations that would make a 10 year old want to be an adult.  It went something like ... " finnish college, get married, be a youth pastor, have children, go to Figi , and retire."   

 My list however went on  and on and never did I retire, instead at 65 I became a food critic. Haha I would still like to do that. A brief sample of my list was, " work with endangered turtles "logger heads" in Costa Rica, start YoungLife in Belize, get my agricultural degree and work in developing nations teaching sustainable farming,  learn to scuba dive and go to Paulu,  O and at 60 I think I got married.." haha  

Here I am 5 years out of college, and while not on tract with my "life plan", but I will say God has not stopped giving me dreams and bringing them about!  DREAN JOB#1 I got to teach "outdoor education" to kids in the OC, teaching them about water conservation and how humans affect the environment. DREAM JOB #2  I got to work at Starbucks! DREAM #3 I was able to LOVE on and walk with my YL girls till most of them graduated high school.  DREAM JOB # 4  I have been in Africa for almost two years now where I started YoungLife in a town called Moshi. 

Maybe its just the way I look at life and the blessings God has given me, But I really have gotten to LIVE my life in ways I always dreamed! 

God has planted a new dream inside my heart and I can not wait to see it come to completion. 

Do you want to know what it is? Well I will only tell you a snap shot of it... b/c as I have learned God always seems to change my plans! But with this dream I believe God is really growing it.

 I want to be a Art Therapist and work with NGO's that help children that have come from horrible situations ( prostitution, abuse, slavery, children soldiers, ect..). I want to use the passion God has give me for Art, The WORLD, Children and Him to touch and help relieve the pain of these  young hearts.  I want to be God's hands to heal hearts and mend deep deep wounds made by the evil and sin that are destroying the world. 

I am so excited for this DREAM.... I love that God is the giver of GREAT dreams in our lives! 

I am still living out my dream to be on YOUNGLIFE staff and there are moments where I can't imagine doing anything else. I've learned though enough from life in my 27 years ( o so old haha)  to know that each step I take, each challenge I face, it is only apart of the journey God is leading me on, and if I listen carefully to his whispers EACH part can be an amazing "dream" that will come to reality!