PRAY FOR COLORADO

Smoke filling the air....ashes coming down among suburban Colorado Springs....6,500 people evacuated....up to 100 homes gone. It has been less than a year since the Waldo Canyon fire, and this fire is like rubbing salt into a large open wound.

View from Downtown Colorado Springs

About 2:00 pm on Tuesday, June 11, 2013, a fire started in the thick of Black Forest--a thick forested residential area. Since then, people have lost their homes, are in fear of losing their homes, and many are wondering if the fire is heading towards their home. At this point, the fire is NOT CONTAINED.

My heart goes out to many of our church friends who have been evacuated, and a few who have lost their homes in the Black Forest Fire. One of my friends has most likely lost her home, and it also happens to be her birthday today. Not a very happy birthday if you ask me. It is so hard to sit in my nice cozy apartment when so many of my friends' homes are in danger.

But God is in control. He knows exactly what is going on, and he will take care of his people. He will watch over us and give us hope when all hope seems taken away. 

Pray for the people of Black Forest. Pray for the people of Colorado Springs to open their hearts to the hurting. Pray for the firefighters and armed forces as they fight this fire with many resources. Pray for the other fires now threatening other areas of Colorado, such as the Royal Gorge Fire and the Big Meadows Fire near Estes Park. Pray, pray, pray for the winds to subside and the heat index to lower. Pray for a miracle of rain because the forecast shows nothing for the week. 

We ask you, Lord, to be with the families affected by this fire. We ask you to give comfort and hope when no one else can. We pray for the strength and the energy of the firefighters as they battle this fire through today. We pray that you will intervene and protect the homes of the people in Black Forest. We know you are a good and awesome God. Even in the midst of turmoil and grief, we praise you and offer ourselves up to you. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 

Road Trip to Wedded Bliss

Last week, Josh and I, along with our good friend Stephen, embarked on a road trip to California for our college friends' wedding. On our way there we drove through 5 states: Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and of course, California. The wedding was beautiful and was located in a town called Modesto (1 hr. 30 min. from San Fran). We loved being able to spend time with our friends and help them with their big day. On our journey back we drove through California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and back into Colorado for a total of 40 hours there and back. It was quite the journey, and I am SO GLAD WE DECIDED TO MAKE THE TRIP. Here is a photo journal of our trip. Enjoy!

 I had have a thing for dinosaurs ever since I was a kid, so when we found this one on our lunch stop in Fruita, Colorado, I was pretty stoked to take pictures.

This is Steve the Unicorn. He was our mascot for the trip, and he had the best seat out of all of us. 

You will see his cameo in many of the pictures.

The first palm trees I spotted on the trip were in Nevada near Las Vegas. I told Josh and Stephen, 

"We're getting closer to California and nice weather (because Colorado has been quite the disappointing state for weather lately)."

We drove through Las Vegas on our first day of travels...Here is the only picture I could find that people might recognize as being in Las Vegas. 

Whenever in California....In-N-Out is a MUST.

For Lindsay's bachelorette party, we decorated wedding-themed cookies at a bakery and made cookie bouquets. It was so much fun!

The day before the wedding, we had some free-time, so we went to San Fransisco. It was a BEAUTIFUL day out, and we got to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time.

My friend and college roommate, Corinne, and her friend, Becky, came with us to San Fran, 

and we a had a great time with them!

We also drove down Lombard Street, the curviest road in the US, for the first time. 

I've always wanted to do that.

We also made a stop to the Jelly Belly Factory, which has been one of my favorite candies 

since I was a little girl. We got a free tour, and free samples to boot!

The morning of the wedding, we helped decorate the reception hall, and it was so gorgeous when we finished. Lindsay did a great job, and I love her colors!

This was Nathan and Lindsay's get-away vehicle to the reception. We were cool enough to get a picture with it also :-)

The beautiful and heart-warming ceremony in Modesto

The happy couple is........SO HAPPY!

Enjoying great food, fun, and entertainment at the reception.

The 3 Engi-Nerds did their Senior Talent Show presentation for all of the wedding guests.

On our way home, we stopped at the memorial for the Donner Party.

Stephen demonstrating cannibalism with Steve.

Josh and Stephen demonstrating cannibalism.

Our demonstration looks like a kiss gone VERY WRONG!

I'm famous!!!!

I've always wanted to stop at one of these, so we stopped in Reno to get pictures by a wedding chapel.

Everywhere in Nevada, there are things written alongside the road in the dirt with rocks. So Stephen made us stop and leave our mark. S J S '13 (Stephen, Josh, and Sierra 2013).

In Elko, NV, where we stayed our last night of travel, dwells the largest polar bear in the world at about 10 feet tall. He was pretty cool to see, even if he was displayed in a casino.

Those last 10 hours might have did us in, and we just went crazy!!!!

Finally home in beautiful Colorado....Ahhhhhhh....

Vi Bella...A Beautiful Life

This May I am embarking on an adventure that I never thought I would ever take. 

I have become a jewelry consultant that sells jewelry at parties. But I didn't just want to sell jewelry; I wanted to sell jewelry with a purpose. This is why I have joined the consultants for Vi Bella Jewelry. 

Vi Bella Jewelry is a business started by a woman in Sioux Center, Iowa, where I went to college. This woman traveled to Haiti soon after the earthquakes in Haiti in 2010. She saw how the women there were earning a living by selling their bodies, and she wanted to provide a better way of life for them. Thus Vi Bella was born, which employs women in Haiti, and now in Mexico, to make jewelry out of recycled goods. They combine recycled beads with purchased beads to create a one-of-a-kind jewelry line. 

My senior year of college, I had the chance to visit their warehouse in Sioux Center. The jewelry was beautiful, but what struck me the most was seeing the actual faces of the women that now have a stable income in Haiti. They're are very lovely women, and you can see it in their smiles. They love their jobs at Vi Bella and have the opportunity to join Bible studies while at work. The mission and goals of Vi Bella were just to awesome to pass up. 

I encourage you to take a look at their video posted here and to pray for these women. Vi Bella also takes donations at any time, and they also are available for fund-raising events. Contact me if you are interested.

Video: The Story of Vi Bella

Please take a look at their website, and if you want to order anything, please CONTACT ME. The leaders at Vi Bella encourage customers to buy from consultants because we don't earn any commission for online sales. With the money I earn from Vi Bella, I will help Josh and I save for a house, and I also hope to eventually pay for my own trip to Haiti to visit these women. The most important and best thing about being a part of Vi Bella is being able to help these women. I don't know them personally, but God does. They are his daughters, just like I am. I LOVE being a part of a company of Women Helping Women! Soli Deo Gloria!

Website: http://www.vibellajewelry.com/

How Do You Know When God is Speaking?

All of the big decisions I have made in life, such as to go on a missions trip, where to college, and who to marry have been because of a knowledge and peace I have been given by God. For these big decisions, I prayed to God several times in order to discern his will.

But then there are those times when I don't actually have to make a big decision, but I feel God telling me to do something. I often have a thought come into my head, and I think, "Where did that come from? How did that idea pop into my head?" Many get the sudden idea to move to a different place. Some get a thought that they should quit their job, and look for a different opportunity. Some people even get the extreme thought that they should sell their house, quit their jobs, and become missionaries.

I want to open up the discussion...has God ever told you to do something? Did an idea ever pop into your brain, and you thought, "God, you want me to do what?" How do you know those thoughts or ideas are from God? How can we discern God's voice? I would like to hear your stories and opinions!

Please comment.....

I've Got the Bug

*DISCLAIMER*

Even though I am about to talk about babies, it does not mean I am pregnant. 

Henceforth, I am NOT pregnant. 

In the last couple of weeks I have had the chance to spend time with several babies and toddlers. THEY ARE TOO CUTE! These young ones belong to friends at church, and I do love my baby-time.

However, it has really given me the baby bug lately. I keep wondering what it will be like to be pregnant, what labor will be like, how I will decorate their crib, and all that other cutesy stuff. (Josh doesn't have the baby bug at all...he's content having me all to himself.) When I think about being a mom, it gives me pure joy! It is the next big goal in my life. 

I imagined the other day someone asking me what my dream job would be. This is how I imagined that conversation going:

Inquirer: "So Sierra, what would your dream job be if you could do anything?"

Me: "Oh that's easy! I want to be a mom and a housewife!"

Inquirer: "No, no, no. I mean like a career. What would your dream career be?"

Me: "Yeah, to be a mom and a housewife."

Inquirer: "That's not a career. I'm asking if you could do anything in the WORLD!"

Me: "If I could do anything in the world, I would see my children grow up to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ and to do something that pleases the Lord. And I would see my husband and I living a happy and healthy marriage until the day we die." 

I think about being a mom, and it sounds so wonderful and adventurous, even though I know it can be REALLY REALLY tough sometimes. Of course I have other dreams in mind, like being a music teacher. Music will always be a big part of my life, but not the most important and not my ultimate dream. 

Usually, I get over the bug in a few days, and I realize that going to parties and get-togethers are really fun right now. Last weekend, Josh and I went to an Easter egg hunt that a couple from our church hosted at their home. It was a gorgeous day out, and several other couples brought their young kids to the party. Josh and I were the only couple who didn't have any little ones tagging along. I can say now that going to parties at this time in our lives is GREAT! I got to play with the kids and help them search for eggs. But at the end of the party, I knew it was just Josh and I going home. We had the rest of the day all to ourselves. I thought, "Wow, we should just keep going to parties like that. It's free birth control!" So I made sure the kids ate a lot of the sugar cookies I made before I left them with their parents. I am definitely going to be one of those aunts or grandmas someday that fills the kids up with sugar and send them home all riled-up. 

Here's to being married and not having kids yet! Most people tell me to enjoy it while it lasts, but I will enjoy each season as it comes. The season Josh and I are in is great, but I know having kids will be a different kind of great.

CHEERS if you have little ones at home!

I AM SO BLESSED

It is April 2013 and I am turning 23 this month. CRAZY!

I was thinking about all of the things I have done, places I have been, and people I have met. It has been an amazing journey from high school until now. I went through all of my old pictures yesterday, and it made me realize how much God has blessed me throughout my life. 

This is my friend, Chelsea. We have been friends since 2nd grade, and 

I just spent a day with her in the Springs this past week. Friends for life!

New Years Eve my Senior Year of high school

 My mission trip to New York

Gangsta Sierra!

I still wear those pajama pants.

 Dance party at my house senior year

My role as Jasmine in Aladdin Jr. (Senior year)

Mission trip to Honduras Summer 2008

I miss these people so much! 

Some of the best ladies I will ever know

For our talent show in Honduras, I dressed up like one of

the Soggy-Bottom Boys and sang "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow"

Hanging out with college friends at our cabin in New Meadows

Hannah and I our freshman year, dressed up like old ladies :-)

First time ever in Colorado, my freshman year of college

Roadtrip with high school friends to the Oregon Coast after freshman year of college

Chelsea and I

Hannah teaching me how to de-feather a goose

My cover band, Gone Rogue, (with Sam Yang and Jordan Turner)

Choir Tour 2010 (Seattle, WA) 

This is when I first met crazy husband-to-be!!!

Easter 2011 with Josh's Family

Playing in the mud in their soybean field!

My first visit to our nation's capital, visiting Josh's sister, Joy, and brother-in-law, Philip

We are looking forward to another trip out there next spring to see Joy graduate with her Doctorate

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan

What a great experience! Difficult sometimes, but worth it!

We got engaged on September 3, 2011!

Janssen and Rachel's Wedding: October 2011

Riggins, Idaho

Thanksgiving at the Pearsons: Chopping wood with our college buddies

Hanging out at the Sculpture Gardens in Minneapolis

My Senior Voice Recital

Choir Tour 2012: To Cali and back

Graduation!!!

Leighton's High School Graduation

80's Bachelorette Party! 

The night before the wedding, we had our last HURRAH with some of our best friends! What a great weekend!

Joy and I laughing in the Bridal suite at Ste. Chapelle Winery. I have really loved getting to know this girl. She has helped me in more ways than she knows. 

July, 28, 2012...the day I married the best man I will ever know

Our first home: Colorado Springs!

AND LOVING IT!!!

Our first Christmas: At the Pearsons

Christmas in Idaho with my family from South Africa

We're are a pretty crazy family, but always "linked together."

Josh and I skiing at Breckenridge, CO in late February.

We feel like we are on top of the world right now!

Everyone has those days where they think that life sucks, and nothing could get any better. I have had a few of those days in the last year or so.

BUT WHAT AM I THINKING???? My life is fantastic!
Even the worst days are better than what they could be. A lot of the time when I look back, I feel regret or sorrow because I miss those fun days, but this time I felt blessed to have done, seen, and experienced all of the things in my life. And I know God has even better things in store for Josh and I! 

My high school class had a class verse for our senior year.
It was Jeremiah 29:11...

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,

plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

I still believe that today.