someday.

"rivers know this: there is no hurry. we shall get there someday." -winnie the pooh.

i saw that quote tonight and it made me stop and think. i promise i didn't hurt myself. ;) but i thought, you know..for the past three to four years of my life, i have tried to hurry my way through life. i've prayed for days to pass, time to fly and for God to show me a time machine to push the fast forward button on. but in that moment tonight, i realized that these past few years have definitely molded me into the young lady i am today. and it's been all those little moments that have allowed me to be where i am at this point in time. all the times with my family, all the new friends i've made since i started college (at both CBC and UCA), all the sweet times with my Jesus and many other instances...they've all made life bearable and beautiful. so what in the world am i rushing my way around for? i'll get there someday, right? so why not enjoy the blessed time i have now and live life to its fullest while i can?

for starters, a sweet friend got me a ticket to one of our favorite artists' concerts: mr. michael buble. i know, i know..you're green with envy, right? it was a beautiful night! i was in anticipation all day long and was thrilled to pieces when the time finally arrived to go to the concert! i had so much fun with heather and rachel and when mr. buble looked at me from the stage, my heart just melted. ;) ok, i'm sure you all are tired of my blabbing, so i'll just show ya some pictures from that glorious night!

so needless to say, we had a fabulous time at the concert. lots of laughs, good talks and an overall highly memorable night. :) as if that wasn't enough of a monumental time in my life, graduation was right around the corner! for some of my classmates, it wasn't as big of a deal or as highlighted as it was for me. i wasn't able to graduate from CBC because i had to transfer early due to classes not being available for my occupational therapy degree. sooo..i graduated from college for the first time on december 18, 2010 with my bachelor of science degree with a focus on occupational therapy. it feels SO amazing to be able to say that! ;) i go right back to school in january for graduate school, but i am one step closer to becoming Lauren Fagala, OTR/L, MS, so i am perfectly fine with that. :) i feel so blessed to be able to receive the schooling/education that i am and with the fact that i am going to be doing something that i love for the rest of my life. i truly believe God has placed me in the OT field for a reason, one of them being that i can truly understand where these kids are coming from, what they're experiencing. and i can't wait to share my testimony with them and their families one day. :) so here's a glimpse of graduation..

i just adore my family and friends! i'm so thankful that God placed them in my life :) they always make me smile and never fail to pray their hearts out for me. and for that, i am so grateful. speaking of family, i was able to spend this evening with some of them and some new friends, as well! several of us got together at my cousin heather's house and celebrated Christmas by baking and decorating cookies. yes, it was quite messy and slightly chaotic, but it was so much fun and we all had a great time! :)

..my favorite part of tonight? i didn't get to tell my cousins this, but i can remember when we were younger and had Christmas at my mammaw and pappaw's up in gravette and we would all gather in the kitchen with mammaw and make a birthday cake for Jesus. all of the joy and warmth from tonight helped me to recall those memories of singing happy birthday to Jesus and celebrating the day of His birth, Christmas, and the beautiful life that He lived. 

i'm so thankful for a beautiful Redeemer who came to the earth as a sweet, small baby and lived a life as normal and average as mine, yet willingly died on a cross so that i might have the opportunity to receive the gift of salvation and could experience life everlasting in Heaven with Him someday. someday. :)

philippians 4:6-7.

i used to keep a prayer journal. then i started high school. and before you knew it, college was here. and now grad school is around the corner. sometimes i get so tired and so busy that often, most of my prayer requests get jumbled into a "God, i may not know all of them, but you do, so be with them", etc. and i don't like that. so last night i spent a good while praying and listening to God. let me just say, it was a much needed and wonderful evening. so, for my benefit, i created a small list of prayer requests i currently have. mainly ones that i lifted up last night. i feel like i should share these so that you can help me with this...after all, there's power in prayer.

-school. i allow myself to get all worried and stressed and frustrated about school way too easily. i know that it's good to want to be on top of things and get things done, but letting the fear and worry take over is not ok. so i prayed that God would help me to remember that He's got it all in control and that i would do my absolute best to do these assignments to the best of my ability and learn successfully. sans stress. :)

-mrs. carol frye. i don't know if any of you know mrs. carol, but she has been struggling with breast cancer for quite some time now. she has a husband and two daughters. and has received news that her cancer is very bad right now. i don't know all the details and so i'm not going to post much more on that. she is a wonderful lady and has a heart for her Jesus and i admire her so. 

-my future husband. i have absolutely no idea who the kid is, what he's doing right now, where he is, etc. but i do know that God has already picked him out and is molding him into the man he needs to be. i pray for his walk with God, that he would be a strong Christian man who has a wonderful love and desire to serve his Savior. i pray for his health and safety, that no matter where he is or what he does, that he would be protected. i pray for his ministry, that it would be true and right and he would be dedicated to it. after all, each of us has our own little ministry. i pray that he would love God first and foremost and then me. i pray for his heart, that he would guard it and protect it...after all, aren't i worth waiting for, just like he is?

-mrs. pendergist. this is my friend jocelyn's mom, who has been diagnosed with cancer recently. i do not know mrs. pendergist personally, but i know jocelyn and she is one of the sweetest and most Christian young ladies i have ever met. to be that true and genuine, most people have been raised that way or have seen it acted out by their parents, so that speaks volumes of her family. i pray that mrs. pendergist would be as pain-free as possible, that she would be able to experience things with her children and family as often as possible, that she would not have to worry or stress, and that God can use her in mighty ways, if not already.

-GMAs. i have recently been asked to come onto bethlehem's GMA staff as their newest counselor. some of you may not be familiar with GMA, so i'll sum it up. Girl's Missionary Auxiliary. it teaches girls 4-12 grades about missions and what it is, what they can do, how they can affect it, etc. it also teaches the Bible, about the stories and verses that they memorize all throughout their experience. it's an amazing program with a lifelong impact. i would love to be a part of this, but i want it to be for the right reasons and because God has led me to it. 

-my family. i always pray for my family, but recently they've been on my heart much more. i pray for momma, daddy, kelsey and kaylen, as well as my extended family on both sides. it's a long list, but they're so worth it. i pray for their days, that they would shine their light, that they would be protected, that they would excel in all they do, that God would use them to reach others, that they would be encouraged and many other things. and i always give thanks for them.

-unspoken. there are a couple of people i always make a point to pray for because i care for them so much. they are some great friends and they have a ton of potential. however, i'm not sure they realize that just yet and are not currently using the proper channels for that potential. so i pray for them, that they would realize what they're worth, the impact they have and that God would lead them to Him, to follow His will.

-church. i pray for the people of our church, that God would use us in a mighty way to glorify Him. that we wouldn't hide behind the doors, but go out into the community to reach others, to raise up the kids and youth in a way that they'd continue to carry out in their later years, that we would be a body together, not just pieces, that God's love would be displayed through us. 

-mark webb. i have no idea who this young man is, but i have seen several of my friends post on facebook that he was in a wreck and is in the hospital due to brain injuries. after being in school and learning about the effects of a TBI on someone, if they survive, i have a great heart for those people. they are warriors each and every day and they truly are here for a reason. mark seems to already have had a great affect on others and shines for the Lord, but i pray that he would come out on top of this incident with God's help. i pray that he would be a miracle, although he is already. i pray for his family, that they would receive comfort and hope and encouragement throughout this difficult time. i pray mark would be strong and fight with all he has, be that God's will for him.

that may not seem like a lot, but my heart was heavy and burdened for these requests last night. there were several more that were mentioned, but i ask that you would help me out. that you would say a small prayer for these people. there is power in prayer and i know for a fact that God works miracles. nothing is impossible with Him.