11. Get married. Not up to me at, totally in the control of God.

Well....I'M ENGAGED!!! Ok, so I have been engaged for over a month, but it is still every excited. I cannot wait to marry the man of my dreams, which leads me to this post. While I am not married yet, the days are quickly going by, and our wedding will be here before I know it, Lord willing!

My ring :)

A replay of the special moment. 

My handsome fiance!

82. Re-read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

I absolutely love Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, and I think I could read it every month for a year and not get tired of what it has to offer. The book mirrors the story of Hosea in the Bible. Hosea is called by God to marry a prostitute. Their relationship portrays the relationship of Israel with God. He continues to love them and seek after them with unconditional love while they leave Him and instead worship other gods. In this book, Michael Hosea also is called by God to marry a prostitute, and through God's redeeming love, Michael is able to help renew and transform Amanda's life, bringing healing and forgiveness. I love the symbolism of this book referring to our relationship with the Lord.  While we continue to leave Him and make other things our idols, He forgives us of our sins and longs for us to turn to Him. Such a wonderful book!

7. Begin reading and finish reading a novel in the same month.

I love books by the Thoenes! They are such great authors, and I appreciate their incorporation of history and the Bible into their writing. What a great husband/wife team. Unless I'm super busy, whenever I read books by the Thoenes, I finish them very quickly because they are so good!

15. Get henna

My family and I went to Disney World in Florida for Christmas this past year. We visited the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Universal Studios, and Downtown Disney. While we were in Africa at Animal Kingdom, I spotted a lady in the market selling henna. I have always wanted to get henna but just have never found it anywhere close to me. Taking my opportunity, I got two cute hearts drawn on my wrist with henna. Tattoos scare me because they use needles and are permanent, but with henna you get the fun effect of a tattoo without the pain or permanent mark. Perfect!

A picture of the henna while it was drying before it peels off. 

The final product which stayed on my wrist for a week or two. 

69. Participate in Operation Christmas Child

Growing up I loved participating in Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan's Purse with my family. Whenever the videos play in church of the children opening up their Christmas boxes, I tear up. Literally every single time! I wanted to put together a box this year, and Gabe thought it would be fun if we made boxes for two children together. It happened to be a little spender than we thought it would be, but I am so glad we have the means to give something to others. I know it is unlikely that we will get a letter back from either of the kids that receive our boxes, but I would LOVE getting a letter so much!

You should participate in OCC next year! http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/

How to pack a box

Shopping away at Target

Getting everything ready to be packed

I got everything to fit :)  

Splendid!

86. Purchase gifts from Samaritan's Purse

I cannot tell you how long I have wanted to buy a goat for a family through Samaritan's Purse Christmas catalog. Today is the day. Gabriel and I jointly purchased a goat! I decided to buy a few other items for people as well such as clean drinking water and emergency life-saving food. It is nice to be able to bless others through the blessings God has bestowed on me. 

There are just so many good and needed gifts that it was very hard to choose the ones I  decided to buy. 

Sheet filled out, check written, and envelope ready to be sent!

84. Re-read Intimate Allies by Dan B. Allender and Tremper Longman

During my sophomore year of college, I took a class called Relationships. In that class, we read Intimate Allies by Allender and Longman. This book was excellent, but I must admit I just skim some of the chapters the first time around. Therefore, I wanted to read it again, making sure to pay full attention to all the wonderful advice this book has to offer. While the book is geared toward married couples, it is still insightful to learn from the wisdom of those who have already lived and worked through so many experiences. I found myself underlining a lot while I was reading, and I kept telling myself that I need to read this book again every year, especially after I, Lord willing, get married. Below I will list some of the quotes I found to be meaningful and thought provoking throughout the book.

• "Marriage is a paradigm of God's pursuit, passion, and purpose in creating and redeeming His people."
• "To view our spouses from the lens of glory is to be overwhelmed by the privilege of being face-to-face with a creature who mirrors God."
• "Men and women are to rule in order to serve, and we serve through sacrifice."
• "Christians who are married should have a vision for a life of ministry together."
• "A Christian marriage should be the framework for a bold movement to bring God's beauty and salvation to a dark world of chaos."
• "We are most resistant to trusting God with our money and time because both expose our deepest vulnerabilities and our core inability to manage our lives as we desire."
• "After our relationship to God, our marriage relationship must command our deepest commitment."

Read this book and be blessed and challenged.