dear orange city, iowa.

hello,

i have never written a letter to a city before, but you out of all the cities in the world need one from me. letter writing is a passion of mine so maybe that is another reason i am writing to you. this letter is coming from the many thoughts and emotions i have towards you right now. these feelings towards you are kind of like my thoughts about college. i loved it, was frustrated during it, want it back, and never want to go to it again. can you tell i am a bit confused about you right now?

first, i do love you. some of my closest friends call you home, so how can i not? they love the small town feel you have, the college community, and the people who reside on your streets.

i am not so fond of you though for other reasons. mainly, you are far away from where all my friends originally came from which is where i currently live.

your crooked sidewalks, lack of coffee shops and restaurants with good hours, lack of lakes and trees are not why i will visit you.

your adorable old people (who will be entertained, hugged daily, and loved by my two favorite kids), your buildings, parks, houses, and everything else being within walking distance of one another, your friendly neighbors and homey feel are why i will visit you.

i will visit the old factory again. i will walk florida ave many times. i will sleep on the top bunk bed that is not mine in a school that i did not attend (even though it has the same name as mine). i will go to your new italian restaurant one day. i will have many good memories on your streets and in your buildings.

i will not call you my home, but you will be one of my favorite places.

thank you for taking such good care of my friends and family. they are the reason for my presence in your community. i cherish every conversation i have with each of them, every path i have walked with them, every meal shared with them and every time i can worship the Lord with them.

see you (soon) oc.

much love,
jillian

not going to forget.

Oftentimes, I forget what happens throughout a week. I usually remember all the stressful things that happened or the extremely fun things.

I need to remember that God is pouring out His love to us and He has infinite goodness. I often get caught up with earthly things that I forget to listen to God. He is speaking. Lately God has used many different people and things to encourage and teach me. I am going to jot a few down...

1. "You can have it all, but you can't have it all at the same time." My best friends mom told me this when we were talking about what I will do next year. I won't be able to do everything that I want to next year, but that doesn't mean I can't have it all.

2. Francis Chan's sermon, When sin looks more enjoyable than God.

3. "You can glorify God no matter where you go." I needed to hear this and God spoke through Kauline last Saturday.

4. Sheet of Night by John Mark McMillan.

5. Lystra...a dear sister in Christ. Wow! God uses this beautiful woman to do Kingdom work.

6.  Isaiah 40-45.

Part of this passage is...


A voice says, "Cry!" And I said, "What shall I cry?"
"All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it;
surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever."

7. Anna. This cute girl teaches me so much. She reminded of the little things in life that God uses to show us His goodness. I encourage everyone to spend some time with little children in the next few weeks. You will be able to love them as you are loved back.  

sunny summers on the swing.

summer has begun.

the sun is shining. 
the swings are swinging. 
the tennis ball is bouncing. 
the hikers are hiking. 
the bonfires are burning. 
the campers are camping. 
the water is splashing.
and the people are smiling. 

today started off bad for a few reasons, but because of all the things i mentioned above it ended up to be a great day and will be a fabulous weekend. i was able to play tennis and go to the park with the little boy i nanny. the first lesson i learned was, don't forget the sunscreen (thank goodness i live close to the tennis courts). the second lesson was, pick wisely what courts you go to. we went to ones that had no nets. it ended up to be a blessing though because he is 8 years old and still learning how to play. we didn't have to worry about hitting the ball in the net. it was a fun time. the third thing i learned was a reminder of how much i love swinging. i could swing for hours. something kevin said was, "you know what's great about swinging when it's hot outside, it cools you down. you can feel the breeze on both sides of you." the feeling of the breeze on my face is just pure bliss (especially after playing tennis). no matter if there is a lot of wind or not, when you are swinging the breeze is always there.

this made me think of God's love. when we sit in his swing of life for us, His love is always there and is a tangible thing. when we trust enough in Him to sit in his swing, not stay standing in our own plan, then we will feel His love that is immeasurable. when i am standing next to a swing i cannot always feel the breeze, but when i sit down and start swinging i can definitely feel the refreshing blow against my face. God's love is always there, we just have to choose whether to stay standing in our plan or sit down in God's plan to sometimes know it is there. when we sit in the swing of God's plan, we too will be refreshed and know that He has it all under control.

thank you Jesus, for your love that is so refreshing and like nothing else. And thank you for sunshine and swings. 

i now get to spend a night in a tent with some wonderful sisters in Christ and then spend a day in God's creation with them. tis pure joy.