Day 89 (Tuesday, May 11): My Golden "Birthday"

Day Eighty-Nine: My Golden "Birthday"

I am both proud and ashamed to admit that I became a Christian 11 years ago on May 11th, 1999 at 10 o'clock on a Tuesday night. It was after a fight with my brother back when I was in 8th grade. I have never been one to be good about going to bed early, and that night was no exception. I was reading when my brother Scotty came in to lecture me about staying up. (While he, of course, was awake telling me this, lol.) We fought a lot as kids and that night it was more of the same. When he left, I started talking to God. I told Him that I was tired of having NO control over my life, and that I wanted Him to take over. Simple as that. 

From that moment on, there were a lot of changes in my life, including my own physical appearance, desire to be outgoing, and ability to take stands (against people who tried to cheat off my work in school, etc.). I was also distinctly less lonely. I talked to God nonstop! It was so wonderful. 

I am so grateful for my relationship with Jesus Christ. However, I have also been very self-indulgent and self-centered. I'm not really being harsh; just stating a statement of fact. I have never really served others on a grand scale or in an ongoing or significant way. That's why I finally listened to God's quiet whisper telling me to get involved in my church and community. The day before, I emailed several ministries at my church, asking them about their department, including prison ministry, nursing home outreach and some others. By the end of the day, I decided to get involved with the Heart2Heart Senior Outreach in Fort Lauderdale at Manor Oaks. My Mom has a heart for the elderly, and after she made a case for doing that, and I spent some time thinking more about it, I realized it was the best ministry for me. I spent 3 summers in the nursing home with my Grandpa and my heart goes out to lonely residents who don't get visitors. 

This was a BIG day for me on several levels. I had been praying for a couple weeks about where God wanted me and what He wanted me to do. Back in January, I had started making my prayers more specific, based on a passage I read in Genesis as well as some encouragement from my brother. So, on Friday, April 30th, I asked God for a couple specific things: 1) Where was I supposed to be? (Korea, on a cruise ship, grad school, doing a publishing house internship for the summer, or stay in Florida.) 2) Please get me some income. I asked that He would reveal and provide for me by May 11. 

2 hours after that initial prayer, I got a call from a photographer named Rosina. I vaguely knew her through Monica (a photographer I used to work with), but had never worked with her or tried to. She asked me if I wanted to help her for a few hours on Sunday. Her assistant had backed out on her and she really needed someone for the Bat Mitzveh. She offered me a really good rate per hour, but quite honestly, even if she hadn't I would have been there. It was crazy how fast God answered and blessed me with that!!!! 

So, that was back on April 30th. Fast forward to May 11th when she called me last minute to help her with a beach photoshoot. It was planned during the time of my Bible study group, which I absolutely LOVE going to and being part of. So, my dilemma was whether to skip "church" (of sorts) for work. Rosina was in a bad spot since her assistant had again cancelled on her last minute. I didn't get back to her but consulted a few wise people about what to do. Val told me that it sounded like a good thing to do, as did my Mom. 

My friend Karl put it simply: Do you want to learn about the Bible or apply it? 

Wow. 

I called to tell Rosina I'd be there. And I'm so glad I did! Not only did we get done in time for me to make it to Bible study group, but I got my answer from God because of it! Plus, I got to spend over an hour on the beach with an adorable little girl in honor of her first communion. It was so fun because not only did I provide lighting, but Rosina had me tell Cassie how to pose! It was so fun showing her some jumps, carefree motions, etc. She seemed to like me too. And the weather was PERFECT! 

After the shoot was over, I told Rosina that I'd love to help out in any capacity, no matter how mundane it was. She told me that I was the kind of assistant she's been looking for, for awhile now. She said she liked my enthusiasm, rapport, and work ethic and that she'd love to use me more. She did put it out there that she needed to know if I'd be here for awhile or not, because she had once invested herself in a woman who flaked out and left her without any notice. I told Rosina that if I had a reason to stay in Florida, I would. She wants to build up her business and make her studio more well-known and would like me to help her. Wow!!!

As I said, I got to go to Bible study group too! It was so good on every level. We talked about who our neighbor is. Afterwards, I talked with an elderly man in our group about the prison ministry he's involved in. It was so nice talking to him for most of the post-Bible study and to really talk through what ministry I wanted to get involved in. However, as I already mentioned, I decided on the senior home ministry, and am sure that I made the right choice.

On the way home from Bible study group, I talked to my brother on the phone. Scotty said he thought I'd made the right decision to stay in Florida. He said that working with Rosina seemed perfect for me and that since it came out of nowhere, I should really run with it, the way I decided I should too. He said he thinks its great that I am going to help Rosina build up her business. 

I love my brother for several reasons, and his sense of humor and wisdom is certainly 2 of the reasons why. He hilariously pointed out that Mom and all her family had fled from Korea, and here I wanted to go there for a year. He said that I should instead save up some money and go there sometime (since I've never been there), and if I love it that much, go work there for a year then. (My friend Danny had basically said the exact same thing. How wise the people in my life are.) 

Lastly, I decided to reactivate my facebook account to practice moderation. It was fun taking a break for a little bit over a month, but it was definitely good to be back. I enjoyed the welcome back, as well as seeing some updates on friends all over the country. It just seemed like the perfect day to come back to facebook.