How He loves us!

"He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate-bringing forth food from the earth." (Psalm 104:10-14)



Psalm 96:11-12 “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy”




"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours." (1 Chronicles 29:11)





This past weekend was a weekend I will always remember! I was blessed to be able to go camping at Yosemite Falls with some of the college staff from Bayside and from day one as well as throughout the rest of the week, I was in awe of Gods creation! Here are some pics to recap the weekend!

Our tent! ( Which was actually quite cozy!)


Some of the girls!


Hiding in the storage box from the bears... Luckily we didn't have any visitors, but I did see three black bears on the side of the road at different times! No worries dad, I was sure to keep my distance :)



LOVE these girls!



"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."
Genesis 9:13


I was above a rainbow...Pretty incredible!


Ilona! Crazy to think we've only known each other for a little over two weeks but I love her so much already!


One of MANY incredible waterfalls at Yosemite!



For those who have been to Yosemite before, I decided not to take on the "Half dome challenge" but I did hike to the top of Vernal! Such a breathtaking view...






Rach this one's for you!! :) haha



We also went to Glacier Point where I saw not one, but TWO shooting stars as we laid on top off the mountain and star gazed! I tried to take pictures but it was to dark, needless to say, I stood and continue to stand in awe of just how great our God is!!

John 3:30
"He must become greater, I must become less."
With love,
Han

The weekend in a nutshell

I have a lot of pictures to post so i won't write much. However I will say that after being here a little over a week, I LOVE IT HERE! Everyone here is so sweet and I am already finding that goodbye is not going to be easy! I tried to recap most of the weekend, but unfortunately can't share it all, it would take days, but to sum it all up, if I were to go home today, I would walk away more blessed from this internship more than I could have ever hoped or imagined. From working in the offices, to being a part of worship, setting up and tearing down, meeting and spending time with amazing men and women, coffee runs with friends, and spending time with my sweet host family I cannot say enough...I am BLESSED!


The weekend started off with a day trip to Folsom Lake...Such a beautiful day!


If you look really close, you can see the snow on top of the mountains from earlier this year!



The girls and I after a fun game of volleyball!






The fountains...One of many amazing outside shopping malls!



It's beautiful at night!!


Corbin, Me, Ilona, and Chase @ Nuyo's while enjoying some frozen yogurt! :)


Ok...So several people have asked if I like sushi since being here, and although I have tried it once before and hated it, they convinced me to try it again...So far so good...


Corbin was so sweet and let me try one of his "crazy fly" from one of the best sushi shops in town...and believe it or not...
I loved it!




Success!! ( Guess I should have mentioned, I had only tried sushi in a grocery store...haha...Thanks to the guys and Ilona...I now eat sushi! :)

Such a God thing!

So I just had something so cool happen so I had to share about it. I got to California almost a week ago (as of tomorrow!) and am interning at Bayside and got to go to two of the weekend services. They have a total of 5, and I wanted to check a couple of them out, mainly because no sermon/service is the same! (I am my fathers daughter) but it's true. THere is always "bonus material" if you stay for more than one. Today Pastor Ray spoke on 2 Peter, Chapter three. His main points were to : Keep your cool, Keep looking forward, Share your faith, and Expect Gods best. Such a great sermon, and i'll have to share more later. BUT, something so cool just happened!
I started an account with verse a day many months ago, and although it is not my quiet time of the day, I do enjoy getting them on my email and am often encouraged by the verses. The Lord has used them numerous times in my life, because although I know I'm not the only one subscribed to getting the many verses, I know my God is not a God of coincidence, and LOVE when he connects the dots.

I was hanging out with some friends tonight, and had a thought to check my email for my verse of the day. Can you guess what the verse was...2 Peter 3:9 (which Pastor Ray most definitely highlighted today)

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

How cool is that! Not only is this such a powerful in itself, in holding true to the promise of God, that he is patient and longs for EVERYONE to come to repentance. One of the main points of the sermon was this...We (As christians) are all sitting in church and the pastor said Christ loves all of us, but he loves all of those who aren't here and not pursuing the Lord JUST as much. Let's get out there, lets share our faith and lets LOOK and move FORWARD!

To sum things up, God is so good! I am in awe right now, just to even think that I am out here and the verse i had today matched up with the sermon i heard this morning. I know the Lord brought me to cali this summer, but it's so sweet how the Lord can use the smallest things to remind us and say I'm here!
Be encouraged, He is here, and with us ALWAYS! I encourage you to look for the small things this week, what has the Lord placed or will place in your life this week to say, "I'm here!"

I'll close with this verse dad sent me!
"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

More pics from Cali are coming soon! I just had to share!

In Him,
Han

Just The Beginning...

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

1 Corinthians 2:4-5



Such a beautiful glimpse of Gods creation! Absolutely breathtaking!



Love You Dad!




Mom and I after breakfast! Love you!

After waking up around 3 am Monday morning, Dad, Mom, and I headed towards the airport as my adventure towards California began! Here are some pics!



We beat the sun up...So early, but well worth it! :)





We went to this amazing place...Crepeville (We need one!)


Frozen Yogurt with Karina and Ilona! (They are amazing and such a joy to be around!)



Daphnes, an amazing Greek Restaurant ( this puts Zoes to shame! :) Never thought I would say that! )





As I'm looking at these pictures it looks like all I have done is eat, but I promise there are more pictures to come! I've only been here for a day but have met so many incredible people that I will be working with over the next 8 weeks. The family I am living with has been wonderful! They truly have the gift of hospitality, and after just a day I am already beginning to feel at home! This is going to be a wonderful summer, please continue to pray for me as I am out here, The Lord has already outdone himself, and it's only the beginning! To Him be the glory FOREVER!

1 Week and Counting!

Crazy to think this time next week I will be in California! I figured I would put a post telling about what I will be doing for the next 8 weeks!! I am flying out of Atlanta, this monday June 7th, and headed to Sacramento, California for a worship internship. This is an opportunity that I have been wanting to do for almost two years now, and now Lord willing, I am going in just a few days!!
I will be interning at Bayside Covenant Church and I am so excited to see all the Lord has in store this summer! While I'm over there I will be working at the church each day, as well as singing on the worship team for the weekend services, in addition to helping out with the youth group and college ministry. I am also so excited about this next opportunity. I will be leading a group of girls in some type of discipleship group.
Please pray for me as I do this, teenage girls hold a special place in my heart and I want the Lord to use me as his vessel as I lead them this summer. Please pray for me as I am over there. For wisdom, insight, and spiritual growth. It is a new adventure for sure, and although it is a new place that I know almost no one, I know the Lord is going to use this summer to stretch me and teach me in a new way!
I'm looking forward to updating from Cali soon!

To HIm be the glory,
Han

There is nothing like your love...

For those of you who know me, know that I pay attention to details, sometimes way more than I should, but nonetheless, I notice even the small things. Although this can be a good thing, at times it also has its downfalls. I am finding in my life right now, the greatest joy is resting. In fact the only time I find myself to be at complete peace is when I am fully seeking the Lord, and am in no state of mind to ask why, or even seeking an explanation, but in resting in Him as he gives me peace. Psalm 46:10
says, "Be still and know that I am God." That is a command, however I have been taking it as a suggestion, it is not only what he tells us to do because he loves us, but because it is what is best for us. No one knows us greater than God himself, so why do we continue to try and take the reigns? The answer is beyond me, but I am finding it is when I begin to rely on myself and lean on my own choices and emotions, ( Which is so dangerous) when I lose the joy and peace that only He can bring! At this point in my life its easy to ask what am I going to do when I graduate, or even better, who will I marry and how and when will he come? This is another topic i could write about...As easy as it is to say when is my turn ( and I am guilty) I am so thankful for the sweet friend that reminded me of this, there is no time like the present, being used as a single lady, being able to give all that I am and have to the Lord, where and how he chooses to use me. So why worry? I can't. It is in the Lords hands, and instead of being discontent and waiting for Prince Charming to ride up on that pretty white stallion, I will go forth and seek the Lord more than ever before. And then and only then, if it is the Lords desire to bring that special man into my life, let it My prayer is that the Lord blind my eyes until it is time for my eyes to be opened. After all the whole purpose of a relationship is to push one another to the Lord, being able to put the Lord as your first true love, and each other second. So I know that when and only when the Lord will get more glory from my life than He is already getting will it be time, therefore I need to take advantage of the time I have now in pursuing Him will all of my heart and soul as I am a single young woman. He chooses to be selfish with the ones he loves, and I am at no place to argue. What better place to be than in the arms of my savior!

As I am choosing to rely on the Lord for His peace and wisdom to guide me in every aspect of my life I want to share some exciting news about this upcoming summer! In just a few weeks I will be leaving Sweet Home Alabama to head out West to Sacramento California! It has been such a blessing how the Lord has worked everything out leading up to this point, but to make a long story short since I was in high school I have been interested in pursuing a worship internship for Bayside Covenant, and after much prayer and favor, this summer that will become a reality! Please keep me in your prayers as I am out there for the next 8 weeks. I am so excited to see all the Lord has in store while I am there. Please pray that as much of a blessing Bayside has already been to me, that I can be a blessing to them as I am able to serve along side them as we all pursue the Kingdom together!! Also, I am going to blog a lot more while I am over there, so be sure to stay tuned for some good pictures and stories!!

God Bless,
Hannah

In the kitchen at last!

I finally decided to be creative in the kitchen and I made two things that i have been wanting to post!



A strawberry, peach, and blueberry smoothie...Only 100 calories, and so good if i do say so myself :)


Then onto task # 2...To make a cake













It's so hard to resist sneaking a bite at this point :

Now for the finishing touches...






It turned out quite well, and only cost $4.21
Now thats a deal :)