If you stay tuned...

thanks =)

Ever since July 31st I have been on the go!

The evening my internship ended my oldest friend in the world came to visit me. I picked her up from the airport and we came home for the weekend. After church Sunday, we headed up to the Feldman's cabin for a week. Then we did a VA beach outreach with some of the Aletheia Norfolk crew. Finally we hit up the old stomping grounds and got to spend some quality time with the girls (which was so awesome) and family. Our Abba is bringing us along, closer to Him, throughout this life and He is doing it at the same time. No matter how far apart we are, or how long we spend apart. When we reunite it is always amazing to witness His work.

The day she left, my beau and I hit the road for a trip down to FL. We stopped in Charleston, SC, Edisto Beach, SC, Savannah, GA, Skidaway Island, GA, Tampa, FL, Orlando, FL, Clearwater, FL, and finally Jekyll Island, GA. The week was awesome. We got to read a lot, learn a ton about each other, and ourselves. It was awesome to see the Aletheia Tampa crew and what our Father is doing down there. I am really encouraged and motivated by it all.

Summer is coming to an end. The past few days I have spent trying to organize my life and get stuff ready for the fall church wise, and school wise. I am excited for the new year. It is my last year of school, it was my last summer before claiming full responsibility of myself. (ie: next year I will have my own insurance, etc.) I am learning how to prioritize and organize my time, I am going to be mindful this year to not spread myself too thin, and do well at/with the blessings Yah has entrusted me with.

It's almost go time!

Coming Soon...

Hi.

Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been extremely busy since the internship ended and have had limited computer face time.

Stay tuned for hearing about the adventures post internship, pre school starting.

Closing a Chapter

Time to close another chapter, today is my last day of work at N.E.W. (well kind of) I was presented with the opportunity to do work for them again in the near future doing projects from home.

Once again I am filled with mixed emotions.

I am sad about the fact that I wont come into work anymore and see the people Ive worked with over the past 2 months. Especially Nikol, who has been a huge blessing to work with this summer. She started a week or so after I did and has the best attitude and work ethic. She is full of ideas and is such an asset to the training and design team. She also left me PB m&m's on my desk this morning =)I really like the coffee machine here, and the 24 hour gym, and making money (kind of- I spent a lot of it on gas and paying off my car, cant we just all ride pretty browns ones? that would save a lot...)I like swiping my badge to get in and out of the doors it makes me feel professional haha I've met a lot of people here this summer, had some great conversations, and learned a lot. To sum up the deliverable I am handing over today; I helped employ a scalable technology, through our intranet- NEW HR connect, we are launching Oracle PeopleSoft, it should roll out in September. Everyone has worked so hard to get this ready. It is a computer system that will allow employees of NEW to go in and update personal information that goes directly to HR. It allows managers to go in and promote, transfer, report a change request, terminate, etc. My part in helping roll this out was to create simulations, just in time animated help for people to learn how to use this system. So I learned the system and then created about 20 or so captivate tutorials. I am so thankful to have created something that over 6,000 employees will use for a long time. I really like words of affirmation and I recieved this nice email:
"Great Sarah - thanks for all your hard work! You should be proud that you created something at NEW that everyone uses! You made a difference! Sue"

N.E.W is a really great organization that I would like to keep an open door with. Who knows what the future holds for me professionally.

that was work related. NOW, life outside of work.
to say I will miss it would be an understatement. The past two months have been different, but awesome all in the same. I absolutely enjoyed living at the Down's. Mr. and Mrs. Downs are the most genuine people you will ever meet. Definitely gifted in hospitality and servanthood. They have such good hearts and I learned a lot from them. I felt home, I always got excited to get off work and go home even just to have dinner(which was always made, on the table, and delicious) and talk.
I made a lot of friendships this summer with people that have such a desire to learn and know our god. Bible study was amazing, and I will miss it terribly! I feel like everyone in the group is learning, growing, changing, being challenged, etc. I dont know if I've ever had such deep, thought out conversations before in a study. Shout out to Jason for stepping up and stepping aside (like he always prays) and letting our god DO WORK =) I am blown away by the contacts and relationships Micah has made and the people he has influenced and am so proud and blessed to be his girlfriend.


I am excited that I pick up my oldest friend in the world at 5:20 from the airport. I am excited to go to a cabin next week.
I am excited that when I get home, all of my roommates will still be there.
I am excited that Micah comes home in less than a week.
I am excited to go to Florida soon.
I am excited about all the things coming up with Aletheia.
I am excited to continue to see people's lives be changed this year.
I am excited that in less than a year I will have a Master's degree.
I am excited that we are all learning about change and how to embrace it.
I am excited to be surrounded, no matter where I go, with people that want to learn more about our Father.
I am excited that I have so many things to be excited about I cant name them all.

most of all though- I am grateful. I am so blown away by how awesome Yah is and all I can do is give thanks. It has been a great summer, with not one thing happening that I planned for or expected, and it isnt even over yet =)

"I wanna live for you, go where you lead me"

"All my bags are packed Im ready to go...  " - False

They are packed and in my car.  

I am sitting on the couch with my roommates and Chad watching Pirates of the Caribbean. 

I blogged previously about an exciting opportunity my Master has given me.  A paid internship in Sterling, VA.  I am so blessed.  I just want to be thankful.  I only want to feel joy and excitement.  I do... but... I am sad.  I am sad to leave Harrisonburg and the wonderful life I have here, even if it is for only 10 weeks, and I will be back on the weekends... haha it sounds a little silly when I write it out.  Some of my best friends have moved hours and hours away, for good. Some of them have yet to go...

Truth is though, I like routine, I like familiarity.  I like the country.  I like walking to work.  I like having a 5 minute drive to church. I like opening my door to see my wonderful roommates, and puppy.  

This was the last week we will all be living together.  Byrd moves to Tampa before my internship is finished.  It will never be the same.  Change is inevitable, so I want to embrace it.  There is so much coming that I almost just want to get it over with.  That isn't what we are called to do though and so I feel conflict within the deepest part of my soul.  I don't want to be a hypocrite.  Even to myself.  

I pray to be used by Him.  I pray for Him to teach me.  I pray to learn about obedience and how to love Him more.  I pray for opportunities.  I pray for His will.

Here is a exert out of a book called "His Princess" Love Letters from Your King...

My Princess, 

Go where I send you

You seek Me for your place in this world, and My answer to you is wherever you are standing.  I love to hear you pray to be used by Me.  Nothing pleases Me more than when your love flows warm and free.  When you're willing, I am ready to strategically place you somewhere to be a blessing.  Even the smallest effort can lift a burden of someone else when you are living by My power.  You won't always understand why I send you to do things that no one else will see, but you don't work for others- you work for Me.  What you do now will be seen by all on the other side of eternity.  So go where I send you today, knowing that I have prepared the way.

Love, 

Your King who is the Way

1 Corinthians 15:58

58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain

I am going to work, probably behind a computer for 8 hours a day.  I will do it to the best of my ability every day.  I know He gave me this position and set up my living situation.  He takes care of me.  He calls us to sacrifice.  It may not seem huge, but I am sacrificing precious time with people I love dearly.  To put time into an organization, to spend time on the road commuting, etc.  I will do it all for His glory.  He knows the plans He has for me this summer and He wants me to succeed (Jeremiah 29:11).  Working in Sterling, living in Warrenton, it is all part of His plan for me, and I know He will use it all, and I have peace in that (Romans 8:28)

I want to be a light, to be a good example, to depend on Him even more, to get out of my comfort zone and meet people that need to know more about Him, to become more responsible, to love Him more than I love my life, more than I love my brother, *sisters*, mother, and father.  I do.  

Time I act like it.

It is time to go.  SEEEEE YAAAA (in Byrd's voice)

Time to be a grown up... kind of

In four weeks the time will come. The time that I am kind of a grown up.
I will start working full time(yep 40hrs a week) at an organization in Sterling, VA. It is paid and that is a huge blessing. Last summer I interned for school credit, not income. I am so excited about this opportunity. Here is how it all happened...

So one day I am thinking..."hmm summer is almost here and I need to have a job" but I dont know where, what, etc. My graduate school adviser tells me about this internship possibility in Sterling, VA and sends me the information to send in my resume. I don't. I leave the email in my inbox for a week. I start applying to local administrative assistant jobs through craig's list. A dear friends mom emails me about some summer plans. I tell her I dont know what my plans are but that I will keep her posted. So last tuesday I am cleaning out my inbox and see that email, I send my resume so I can delete the email. 10minutes later, a number I dont recognize calls... ask any of my friends, normally I dont answer those, but I feel the Holy Spirit telling me too, it is a lady named Amy that graduated from JMU with the same degree I am working towards obtaining. She sets up a phone interview for the next day at 2:30pm. She asked me if I was familiar with an adobe program called captivate. I just so happened to use that program for my undergrad senior capstone project. I email my friend's mom and ask her to pray for me for the next day.

Fast-forward to the next day:
11am- I prepare for the interview
12:3ppm- I go out to lunch with some of the awesome leadership at Aletheia
2:15pm- I am dropped off back at our house
2:20pm- I am dumping my purse, searching for my phone
2:25pm- Chels shows up with it at the door (I left it in her car)
2:30- 3:00pm- I have the interview

If my friend's mom hadnt told my friend to pray for me, and if my friend wouldnt have called me twice right before my interview, Chelsea wouldnt have heard my phone in her backseat, she would have never brought it to me, I would have missed my interview and never had a chance. However, Yah orchestrated it so that I could have the interview because He blessed me with this internship. I was offered it last Friday, I wasnt supposed to find out until the following Monday.

I could never have schemed those couple days, last week.
My god is creative and good.
I am overwhelmed with gratitude and thanksgiving.

Here is the organization:
https://www.newcorp.com/

I will be an instructional design intern. Using my degree. Creating online training.
I am a little nervous and feel slightly incompetent. He gave me this job so I know He will use it and me for His glory up in northern, VA.

I am truly blessed.