:)

summer thunderstorms are incredible. that's it.

so thankful :)

tell me this isn't funny!

i'm so darn thankful to be here. ive had some great, encouraging conversations. i'm gaining such reassurance for what i want to with this life. it's always so cool to tell people how little me from cali ended up almost on the east coast in a tiny health center. God's hand was so prevalent!

i'm learning so much about what it takes to be a dietitian in such a community. lots of people come from generational poverty & it's hard to get them to even consider to change their eating habits. the dietitian, mary, is so graceful with how she maneuvers through tough nutrition therapy sessions with the patients. i'm soaking up everything like a sponge :)

last night, tonight, and tomorrow night is the church's neighborhood bible club. aka VBS. i went out there with jessica tonight, because the boys had their first baseball game. it was soooo cute. i remember when the kids were dancing and singing and spelling out "Jesus". i was thinking to myself, how in the world could someone deny this? deny the God who provides and sustains this kind of joy. i got pretty silly with the kids. it was so fun. :)


"Am I too busy chasing a temporary fortune
That my priorities get lost along the road
The seasons bring their moments
They linger for an instant
They never wait for you to pay the debts you owe

When I leave I want to leave a memory filled with love
The kind you don't forget
When I go I want to be known
As one who lived with no regrets

If life is like a flower
Am I doing all that's in my power
To leave a fragrance behind
It's time to count my blessings
Forget about my savings account for a while

I want them to say
What a glorious day
She had so much to gain
But she gave it away
And I want them to see something different in me
And that I'm going to be free

Some glad morning when this life is over
I'll fly away
To a home on God's celestial shore
I'll fly away
When I leave I want to leave a memory... "

when i leave- by jj heller

ooops

for those of you that i gave my address to, the zip code is 43223, not 43222.

dangit!

father's day in ohio!

happy father's day, heavenly father.
happy father's day, robert mackechnie.

it was a good father's day with the vallangeon's. lower lights christian community church of the nazarene is a lovely, authentic house of worship. i loved it so much.

btw, mimi's cafe has an incredible new vegetable flatbread wrap. haha, they paid me to type that.

saturday update :)

hi, the rest of the week was pretty cool. i went to a ohio community health center conference with dana thurs/fri. last night we went to see treasure island at an outdoor theatre. i saw my first firefly! i almost flipped out. they are ugly bugs with light-up butts; God has a sense of humor.

today we went to a place called cosi. it was like the met on steroids times 10. it was so awesome.

church tomorrow. FATHER'S DAY TOMORROW <3 i love you daddy-o.

miss y'all. text me if you'd like :)





^ this is jessica, the vallangeons' adopted daughter. she's turning 6 this week. we've spent a lot of time together :)

6/16/10

today was my first day with the dietitian, mary. she's so awesome! she's been a missionary for years: in france, martinique...and haiti!! i sat in on 2 of her appointments. it was so interesting. i learned a lot. i went with her to a weight loss prevention program at the church tonight. i loved that. it was inspiring to see people motivated to lose so much weight. i stuck around for the bible study. they are going through acts, which im excited about, because i stopped reading that book because it was hard for me to follow :)


i know my papa howard & gma gma would be proud of me :)

1st full day

i survived my first full day! the dietitian wasn't in, so i observed & did "office" stuff. i learned a lot. one thing ive learned about office stuff, as mundane as it seems, it's so necessary and crucial for organizations to stay afloat, let alone function well.

it was a good day. pumped for the days ahead. :)

< this is my home for the next 6 weeks. it's 2 blocks from the health center.

oh, and jetlag is kicking my butt. haha.

my baby sent me this today: "...be strong and courageous. do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." joshua 1:9

i'm here i'm here i'm here!

God couldn't have placed me more perfectly. Dr. Dana (the doctor of the health center/woman i'm staying with) is so awesome. her husband is the senior pastor of their church & they have 3 adorable kids. their house is smack dab in the ghetto, which i'm so happy about. BUT don't worry, i'm safe (mom & dad!)

tomorrow's my first day at the center. i'm doing orientation stuff and planning things out with the dietitian. i'm gonna be helping with so much stuff! and finally i get to help with a community garden!! but they call theirs an urban garden :)

i have my own room, which is larger than my own at home. haha.

please pray that God uses the crap out of me. i'm honored to be here.

"apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such a life." - randy alcorn, the treasure principle. it doesn't make sense to live in the ghetto, but to a family that loves Jesus with everything they have, it makes perfect sense.

love.

6 week adventure!

i created this blog for the sole purpose of keeping my fam & friends updated easily, but im excited to see how this thing turns out.

this internship is literally going to be an adventure! i'm excited that i don't really know what's in store, except for growth. :)

i'm a bit nervous about plane travel. only for the fact that i'll be solo this time; no one telling me where to go, where to check in, etc. so if you could shout out some prayers for that, i'd be so thankful.

anywho, gotta get back to packing. pumped for the journey ahead. <3