Blessings of 2010

It's that time of year where I write my annual blogpost about what I'm thankful for. I was reading through the post from last year and couldn't believe how much has changed! God has continued to be faithful in so many ways this last year.

So here's my list this year of what all I'm thankful for:

1. My husband! We were able to celebrate our 1 year anniversary in August and I can't believe how fast the time has flown by! We've been together for over 3 years now! He continues to be a great provider and my best friend and I love him more every day! I'm so glad I get to spend the rest of my life with him!

2. We have a little blessing on it's way! Baby Schulte will be here in June 2011. I had no clue a year ago that we'd get pregnant this quickly, but I'm so excited for the addition to our family.

3. My parents. They have been such a great support to Craig and I this past year. I love having them so close to talk to, have over and go shopping with! I'm so thankful for great parents who are also great friends.

4. We have an addition to the Boardman family as well! Phil married Kristy in April and I'm so excited to have her as a part of our family! They had a beautiful wedding in Florida and it was such a nice time to get away and also enjoy the beach! I loved having them around this summer to hang out and play games. And I'm also thankful for vonage so I can keep in touch since they are back in Czech Republic.

5. Craig's Family. They have gone through a lot of changes this year with a big move to Cincinnati, but I'm so thankful that they are a bit closer and we can see them a little more! I'm so thankful for the relationships I have with his sisters too!

6. Our new house! A year ago, we were renting and trying to save up some money for a down payment. God blessed in so many ways! We looked at many houses and finally found one we love! We settled on a bit smaller house with no basement, but it's got a good size yard with room to expand and a big enough garage that we were able to store our boat in it! The house is 2 years old and in great shape! It's a bit out of town, but we love it!

7. Friends. I'm so thankful for the friends that I have from when I was a little kid, high school, college and now after college. I love being able to still keep in contact with them through facebook. I've also loved having a little more time to hang out with some of my friends too.

8. The youth! I've been the youth director for over a year now and the teens have continued to minister to me possibly more than I do to them! They are like a part of our family and are always there to encourage me. They are the best teens around!

9. Our church. It seems like Satan was really trying to take hold of our church in this past year with sin and discouragement, but God has shown Himself and has gotten us through a lot of it. I'm so thankful for my church family.

10. Finances. Even though I have very part time job and Craig works full time, we have never had to struggle with our finances...even through the move and buying new furniture! God has continued to bless us and I know that part of that blessing is because we have been faithful in our tithing.

This verse explains it all:

You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (Message)

God has supplied all my needs and has exceeded them! I am so grateful that I serve an awesome God! So much to be thankful for!

clothing of memories

Yesterday, I was reminded again of some great memories just because of what I chose to wear.

I put on my World Impact shirt and then a hoodie from my time on 2 West in Reed.

I went on my first World Impact trip to Easton, PA to a children's home during spring break in 2004. I think that this was one of the steps that God provided me with in order to get me more interested in missions. I loved working with the teens there. Then God laid it on my heart to try something a little more out of my comfort zone and go overseas for a little longer. I went to Ukraine for the first time and my life was forever changed. I fell in love with kids who had

pretty much nothing. This is where I had a heart to heart with God and knew that He wanted

me to do even longer term missions. And this led to my 2 more trips to Ukraine...but to

Odessa those times. Parts of my heart will always belong to the kids and teens I met in Ukraine. And even though I am no longer living overseas, I'm forever grateful for the time I was there. But I also know I'm exactly where he wants me to be.

I lived in Reed Hall 3 out of 4 years of my time at IWU and so many memories were made. I met some life long friends in this dorm. I grew closer to God in this dorm. I stepped out

in faith and became a small group leader in this dorm. I really believe that I matured and grew the

most in my life during my college years and I credit a lot to it to the awesome women who were a part of Reed hall during the first 3 years of college. I am so thankful that I had the chance to have a great, encouraging and uplifting atmosphere to flourish in.

More than a job

Easter 2009, I came back from Evansville to where I was living in southern IN near Cincinnati and felt God leading me to work with teens. I had no idea where, when, who and how He would lead, but His timing was perfect. All the details worked out and God led Craig and I back to North Park Wesleyan. We've been working with the teens for over a year now and I wouldn't have changed a thing to God's plan...because it has been the perfect fit!

Working with the teens is not just a job to me. These teens have become a part of my family and I love each of them. I love how if I'm having a rough day, they know the things to say to make me smile and laugh. I love how it's not just me teaching them, but they are able to share and teach each other. I feel many days that they are ministering to me while I'm trying to minister to them.

I have enjoyed so many activities with them: youth revival, LoveMercy, district lock-in, the Power Team, Holiday World, Otters Game, hanging out at our house, Valentine's Banquet, Christmas Party, Sunday School, 1 M1LL1ON meetings, VBS and all the other activities that I left out. I'm looking forward to many more times together and to see how God will use them and work in their lives! I feel blessed to have this "job" to be a part of their lives!

almost a year

Wow. Where has the time gone? I can't believe we are just a day away from our first anniversary and August 4th marked 3 years since we started dating. I never would've imagined 3 years ago that we'd be married and celebrating one year of marriage!

I've learned so much in this year of marriage and I continue to learn valuable lessons each day:

1. Even though I have a part time job, I am also practically a stay at home wife and I am proud of it. My husband has a job where he is fortunate enough to work from home, but he is a VERY hard worker and I consider it an honor to cook meals, clean for him and just be here for him.

2. Marriage continues to be a give and take, but it's worth it.

3. He continues to encourage me with new hobbies and reading more. I love reading and taking baths now (2 things that I didn't love a year ago).

4. My husband is a great "daddy" to our new lizard and I think it shows that he will be such a great daddy when we eventually have kids.

5. I love to cook now! I hate the dishes after it, but I love to try new recipes (of course they aren't too crazy since I want my husband to like them).

6. Even though times are tough, it's possible to save money and to use it when needed. This helped us in our first year...since we were finally able to buy a house and new furniture!

7. I'm more in love with my husband today than I was yesterday. I often heard people say this about their spouses, but didn't know what this true love meant until we were married.

I am so thankful for my best friend, my provider, protector, and husband. I love you, Craig.

Brokenness

Tonight at church, we talked about the Beatitudes from Matthew 5:1-12 and also Luke 6:20-36. And it got me thinking...

In the passage in Luke-Jesus said Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall Laugh. In the passage in Matthew it says Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

I once had someone give me a card that was stamped with the Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted on it...because it was right after my grandma died in college. I guess since then, I just associate this Beatitude with my grandma dying...but realized tonight how much I've had it wrong. I feel like the weeping and the mourning that Jesus talked about in these scriptures is weeping and mourning for the sin of ourselves and of the world. For weeping and mourning of how much sin has brought into this world such hatred and unfair things.

There's the song Hosanna by Hillsong that has the line..."so break my heart for what breaks yours". I know that my heart has not been breaking enough for the things that breaks His heart. Lately, there have been many situations that I have seen how we as Christians have just been tainted so much by the world. We no longer have the clear consciences because they have been corrupted. We feel that since the world is now accepting of so many things...that we should just accept that sin. What is wrong with this picture? I thought we were supposed to live in the world but not live of the world! Why are our hearts not breaking like they should when we sin? Why are we ignoring our sins? Why are we not weeping and mourning this world?

1 John 2:15-17 says

¹⁵Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.¹⁷The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever

We as Christians need to step up. Admit our sins, forgive and ask for forgiveness...but then we need to hold each other accountable. We need to be broken for the sins of this world. It's so easy to be upset and sad about hunger and war and everything else in this world, so why aren't we looking at ourselves? God's heart is breaking due to our own sin...so why isn't our heart breaking?

Brokenness is what I long for
Brokenness is what I need
Brokenness is what You want for me