2009 in review

It's hard to believe another year has already gone by!!!  It has not been a particularly easy year as God has been faithfully working out some things in my heart, but it has been a really GOOD year!  At the start of the year, God made it clear that I was supposed to go to India so I started preparing for a short trip.  At the end of January, I went to the International House of Prayer (IHOP-KC) for the first time with friends from my local prayer room for a great weekend away. 

Our family grew a little bit when my brother married his beautiful wife on Sunday, March 1 in a beautiful outdoor wedding.  Before heading to India, I moved out of the house I'd been renting with my sister for the previous 2 years.  I spent 3 1/2 weeks in India on my first trip there at the end of March/beginning of April.  I quickly fell in love with the people and began making plans to return to this country for an extended stay. 

June is a big birthday month in my family and I spent the rest of the summer traveling.  I was able to go to Colorado for the first time for a youth conference with my brother's youth group.  I left again 4 days later to go to IHOP-KC for a week with my mom which was a great time for both of us!  A few days after returning from Kansas City, I flew to Charlotte, NC where I joined my friend and 7 of her children (plus 2 of their friends) on a road trip to Weston, FL where we had a great week of fun!  I extended my stay to have a little more time in Charlotte and arrived home at the beginning of August. 

My first week home, I felt that the Lord was calling me to IHOP-KC to complete at least part of a training program offered there.  So I hitched a ride with some friends heading that way at the beginning of September arriving Labor Day weekend.  I made some great new friends, had such wonderful time in the prayer room and believe God really settled a lot in my heart that we had been working on for quite a while!!!  After a month in Kansas City, I returned home to begin preparing to head to India for a 3-6 month stay. 

At the end of October, my sister-in-law called to tell me she and my brother are expecting their first baby at the end of June this next year!!!  I'm SO excited about becoming an aunt!!!  Our family expanded again the next month when my cousin and her husband received their third child for adoption.  He's an adorable 3 month old with a huge smile!  He arrived in their home (at 2 months old) the week of Thanksgiving and has adjusted well to his new family!  Christmas this year was such a blast!!!  My family was invited over to my cousin's house to be a part of the kids' morning.  It was so much like I remember Christmas being like at my grandparent's when I was growing up!  But the opening of presents took so long, the turkey did not get in the oven on time so we hit the only open store (thanks Randall's) for lasagna and snacky food and spent the entire day just hanging out, playing games and having fun!  It was awesome!!!  And to extend the celebration, we had our traditional Christmas turkey dinner for lunch the day after!  We are having a RockHOP time of celebration tonight which I am really excited about and I look forward to what God has in store throughout the coming year!!!  As this day winds down the year, I sit on my cousin's couch watching her sleeping baby and waiting for the two older kids to get up from nap and realize that I have so much to be thankful for!!!  I am blessed in so many ways!