easter.

Easter weekend....it was definitely a jam packed weekend. All kinds of things happened! A lot of great things, and some not so great things.

Saturday I got to have lunch with two very lovely ladies. They are good friends who I never get to see enough. It is always so nice to see them and spend time together. This time, it had been November since we had hung out together. Let's just say we had a LOT of things to catch up on. I wish we could get together more often....maybe someday we will be able to! :)

Kiley and Amanda

I spent the rest of the day hanging out with the family and preparing for Sunday.....I had the opportunity to fill in for Pastor Harry. Yes...on Easter. I was more nervous about talking then, than I had been in a while. Don't get me wrong, I get a few nerves right before speaking anytime, but it was different this time. It was days before....actually the whole week leading up to Sunday I was a bit nervous. To speak on Easter, that is kind of a big deal. It's a big deal every Sunday, anytime you are speaking about God, but Easter?

Also, I wasn't quite sure what to talk about. Of course I knew I needed to talk about Christ dying on the cross, then three days later rising from the dead. That was a given. But everybody knows that story. We have all heard it over and over again. I needed to figure out something else to add to that. I didn't want everybody falling asleep on me.

God really called me out on this in several ways. Sometimes when I hear something or see something over and over, it loses its meaning. But God showed me that it is a powerful story. It is far from being "just another story", and far from being a boring story. I went to the Passion play here in Topeka and it was great. They had a granddad and his grandson sitting in a rocking chair, and the granddad was reading the little boy a story before bedtime. It was the story about Jesus. I knew then, that I didn't need to add anything to the story. He wanted me to tell it just as it is. Of course I wouldn't have the people there to act out all the scenes, but I could tell the story. So that is exactly what I did. I talked about the time leading up to the crucifixion, the crucifixion, and Christ rising, and then what he calls us to do...."Go and make disciples of all the nations."

Anyway, I was so excited and nervous I couldn't sleep Saturday night. I just kept going through everything, over and over again. Finally at 2:30am I went to sleep...only to get up at 5:30am! I got all my stuff around and got ready and off I went to sunrise service. My friend Stacy was leading that service and I wanted to be there to hear her. She did a wonderful job! Some of the ladies made breakfast for everyone, so I joined in. I didn't eat anything...to nervous to be hungry! But I sat with some friends and got to chat with them which was nice.

Then it was just me left. Everybody left to go home, take a nap, get ready for 10:30 service, or travel to see family, etc. I had a couple of hours to get everything ready and go over my message. It was great, I really needed the time. My excitement was building and my nerves were leaving! Everything was good. It was getting closer to time and I thought I might burst I was so excited, anxious, and just a little nervous.

And then I take a drink of coffee and of course it ended all over my shirt...and my shirt was white so it was very obvious. This was at 10:00. The service starts at 10:30. Panic sets in. I run home to change and get back to the church. Crisis adverted.

10:30 comes....it's showtime! You know the excitement you get when you are about to do something big? Maybe if you are into sports, the excitement you get before a basketball, baseball, or football game? A tennis match? A soccer game? I don't know....whatever sport or whatever thing it is you just really love to do? That is what I feel when I am getting ready to speak!

Once I started talking, it all just came out. There were times I said something that was not in my notes, and I found myself thinking, "whoa, where did that come from?!" I know the Holy Spirit was there speaking through me. From the feedback I received, it was far more than just another boring story that everybody has heard 100 times. I think it had a lot of meaning to each person in that room. Everyone seemed to like it. It was just an all around good service! Someone even told me, "I actually listened the whole time! I usually start daydreaming!" Hearing that made me happy. That is exactly what every speaker wants to hear!! It was so so nice to celebrate together with my church family that Christ is Risen!!!!!!! God conquered the grave! Hallelujah!

It was an honor that Pastor Harry asked me to fill in for him, since he could not be there. (He had surgery which is why he wasn't able to be there!)

After church, we spent the afternoon in Gridley at my grandparents! Of course we had an easter egg hunt....who says 23 years old is to old to hunt for easter eggs?! :) We ate lots of good food of course and just hung out. It was a good time. Then came time to leave. My siblings had already left, but I waited and left when my parents left. I was headed back to Topeka and they were going back to Chanute. Aunt T was right behind me (she lives in Topeka as well).

I get on the highway and drove for about 2 minutes when my car did something really funny. You know when you turn off your cruise and your car starts slowing down right away, that is kind of what happened. But when I went to push on the pedal, it was like my car had been put into neutral. I check to make sure it wasn't somehow knocked forward. Nope. Still on drive. So I push the pedal again. Same thing. Great. My car isn't accelerating at all. That can't be good. So I pull over, and so does my aunt.

Once I get the car stopped, it didn't move an inch forward or backward. I knew whatever had happened, it was bad. I immediately call my parents. I know they couldn't of been to far away yet. They then call my uncle who happens to be a mechanic...and an awesome one at that! At this point, I am trying not to panic and stay calm. I tend to freak out and cry...I know, lame....when anything happens to my car. I think it's because I don't know how to fix the problem. I did a somewhat decent job of staying calm....and it helped knowing my parents were so close. If I would of been closer to Topeka, I would of really lost it probably. haha.

My dad and uncle came to save the day. They towed my car back to my aunt and uncle's house. Uncle Danny predicted that it was probably my transmission....and that is exactly what happened, my transmission went out. Perfect. I couldn't help but think about how expensive it sounded like it would be to get it fixed. And I knew I had to figure out a way to get back to Topeka for my 8:00 class the next morning. All of this happened and I was running on 3 hours of sleep. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time I finally made it back to Topeka.

How did I get back to Topeka you may be wondering...my aunt and uncle offered me their minivan. I can't thank them enough for letting me borrow it! So for a day and a half I was a soccer mom! ;) I met up with Dusty in Gridley on Tuesday and swapped cars again....Devo is letting me borrow his car until mine is fixed. What an awesome family I have!! :) I am so thankful. And even though I would of liked for it not to happen at all, I am so so glad it happened when it did! That I was so close to Gridley and my family was nearby. I wasn't stranded in the middle of nowhere.

God has always been so faithful to me and I am so so so thankful for that. Whenever I am in these situations, there is always someone or something there to make what could be bad situations, better.

With all that being said, my Easter was far from being a boring day! ;) Although it didn't end the greatest, it was still a really really great day!

P.S. Unfortunately, I was so caught up in the moment, and all excited that I forget to take pictures so I don't have any pictures to share from Easter day at Grandma and Grandpas. :(