A new year...a new mission!

Happy New Year!
If you are reading this, it is most likely because you are a special friend or family member of mine. So, first of all, thank you all so much for all of your prayers, cards, phone calls, etc. during that time when my dad was sick, passed away, and the period of adjustment after. Your love and support was so powerful and got me and my family through a very difficult time. I cant even believe that its been almost a year and a half since my sweet Pop passed away. It feels like yesterday but at the same time it feels like FOREVER ago! I miss him so much but I think I handled it as well as could be expected (most of the time). I started working again in February, moved out of my mom's house into a wonderful apartment complex in Fort Worth (with the best neighbors ever) in July , and continued working on my PhD. I just tried to get back to life as normal but something had changed. I couldnt really put my finger on it and I kept trying different things in the hopes that i would feel like i did before Pop died. It didn't work. So, i had a realization in September...I was no longer passionate about the things that I loved so much before...my PhD, counseling, etc. On the day that i realized this, I decided to take a break from school and do the only thing that made sense...I wanted to move!!! It's funny how things work out because a good friend and "household sister" from Franciscan University, Mary Byers, called me and came to see me on that day...she is a traveling nurse and was temporarily living in Fort Worth just minutes from where I live. God knew I needed her in my life at that very moment and she was such a great support to me as I started my plans to move away. Although I was open to any international country, I decided that Costa Rica was the place that I wanted to go and started making plans...I felt so rejuvenated and excited about my new journey! I had planned to move this month (January 2011) but things were not falling into place as quickly as I had hoped so I bought a plane ticket and planned to visit Costa Rica at the end of this month to interview for jobs and hopefully find a place to live. Well, God had different plans for me...

I woke up yesterday (New Years Day) to a phone call from my mom telling me to pray for my sister, Cristina, who lives outside of Rome because she started having early contractions and has been placed on bedrest until her baby girl is due in May. I instantly knew that I had a new mission...I needed to move to Italy to help her. I called my sister and told her what I was thinking. She was relieved saying that they did not know how they were going to find help with their three kids and said that this would help them out a lot. There are two lessons that I feel that I learned from my dad's passing...1) everything happens for a reason, and 2) no matter what the situation, trust in God. I know that God had prepared me to move out of the country exactly for this reason...Costa Rica will always be there and when the time is right, I will move or visit there...but for now, I need to go to Italy!

I know that this will be hard and challenging at times but I also trust that God will take care of me and provide for me while I am there. I am planning to leave in just two short weeks...just long enough to finish up at work, get rid of all my belongings, and pack up! I am really excited to travel around Europe, eat the most delicious Italian food (and learn to cook it), learn some Italian, and get to know my nieces and nephews there on a more personal level! 

I feel so blessed right now...God has taken such great care of me and I know He will continue to until my next mission! Please pray for my sister, the health of her unborn baby girl, her husband, and their 3 little kiddos while they adjust to life with a mommy stuck in bed...and please pray for me as I prepare to move abroad!

Besides getting back on Facebook, I have decided to blog while I am overseas so that you can read about all of the predicaments I get myself into as I adjust to life in Italia! I hope to stay in touch with yall and I pray that 2011 treats yall as well as its already treated me!