Ok, first off, I hate computers. I do NOT like sitting in front of them, much less blogging. I’m pretty sure I have A.D.D. I’m very short, sweet and to the point, much like my height. (I stand at a whole whopping 5′-1 3/4″) I love the outdoors, especially the beach and am very much a So Cal girl. Stand-up Paddleboarding is the most amazing aquatic sport to me, and I hope to conquer the art of shortboards this summer. Oh, and I like the heat, not a fan of the cold AT ALL; like I said, total So Cal girl. The only thing I’ll sit down to do, without fidgeting, is read or draw. And P.S., I’m a pretty big nerd, sarcastic and incredibly random with facts.So, meat and potatoes about me and why I’m doing this….
I’m 30 years old, and quit my job as an engineer about 2 months ago. I have a degree in Civil Engineering, which was pretty much done for money & prestige. Mind you, I only became Christian three years ago, so morals and all that good stuff were not a factor in my decisions while in college. I grew up Catholic-by-default, as I like to call it. I was raised by parents that also grew up Catholic-by-default. Pretty much it’s just wearing the name “Catholic,” going to church on Easter, Christmas, weddings, First Communions and funerals. My parents sacrificied quite a bit to send me to catholic school for 13 years of my life, but never really gained much spiritually, though the academia was great. Was a bit suicidal as a kid, and did attempt twice, once in high school and a second time in college, though none were successful. (Thank God!) Went through college pretty much doing a lot of partying, but had a few Christian friends that were constantly trying to bring me to Christ. Did I ever listen? No. Totally weirded out by Christians (aside from my buddies) because of the judgemental approach they had towards people; at least that’s how I experienced it on my college campus.
Graduated 2005, fastforward to January 2007…. Two years out of college, still partying, but feeling like I’ve hit rock bottom, my 20 year-old cousin is dying of prostate cancer that has spread to the rest of his body. I went to visit him the week before he passed, and it was amazing. I cried at his bedside, but this kid held my hand and comforted me, telling me that God totally had his back and he was going to get out of that bed, his body made whole, etc etc etc. All I could think about is what is he talking about?! Is he crazy?! My cousin passed and I was angry at God; if He wanted more people to come to Him, then why didn’t He create a miracle and heal my cousin? But He did, and he healed me in the process. I realized the great faith my cousin had in God and how he knew his body would be made whole, again. I realized how joyful he was, despite what he was going through and how he still kept a sense of humor about things. I realized that’s what I wanted. Started attending Rock Harbor in sunny Costa Mesa, California, and have been striving to be a woman of God ever since. Definitely hasn’t been easy…
One more fastforward, August 2008… Several tests and three doctors later, I’m diagnosed with uteran cancer. What the??? Ok, God, this is really funny. Apparently, it took the death of a family member to bring me to Christ, so who was I going to bring to Christ??? Scary moments, but such a testament of God’s greatness. After tests and biopsies, my doctor prepped me for a possible partial hysterectomy only to find out the cancer was gone! Yes, people, G-O-N-E!!! Have gone back for yearly tests, ever since, and nothing has come up. I. Am. Healed. In more ways than one….
So, for the past year, I’ve been struggling with why I’m still an engineer, if I hate it so much. The obvious was the money, but I couldn’t find any other reason why. Work seemed to get drearier by the minute unitl I just couldn’t take it anymore. Why was I going to waste my life doing something miserable, considering the awesome second chance I was given?! Yeah, so I quit. Shortly after, a friend on the World Race sent me an email asking me why I didn’t sign up for the next trip. (Michelle, I love you for it!) Her arguement was that I’ve always talked about going on missions, so why not step out in faith and actually do it? And that’s exactly why I’m doing this, as a step in faith. If God wills it, then it will definitely happen…
That’s a bit of me; questions? My fav color is aqua, I hate small dogs and I love salsa dancing.
