<3i love to tour.

It's been so long!  Maybe not that long, but being on tour... everyday seems like forever.  Not in a bad way its just like... we can't even remember what town we were in like three days prior or what the event was when and where... it's just a mess of memories haha.  But we have internet today so... updates!
Last blog I asked for prayer since we were really running low on energy and enthusiasm as our stretch was nearing our first break... and that last event we did before our break... was so great!  Thank you for praying!  We got to the church in Swift Current, SK and the event coordinator was CHRISSY!  Who had actually toured as an intern last year so we got there and she let us eat lunch while her and some people from our church unloaded the trailer for us... what a blessing!  So we got to just chill for a bit and then we set up and the energy for whatever reason was high.  Heather had been sick but it got really bad that day and she missed the event - flu symptoms.  But even one person down... what a blessing it was to be a church with someone who had toured.  We were like, super team and it was great.  And then we had a day off :)  Which was basically just a driving day but still, so worth it. 
Then we did another stretch of events which i'd love to share about but it's a total blur.  Somewhere in there though I do remember we had an event in Elbow, SK and it was my favorite.  Near the end of our event we have a time where the girls get to write letters to themselves of things they want to remember, promises they want to believe and stuff and then BUgirl mails them back to them six months later.  After they do that we invite them to pray with us, talk to us whatever if they would like to and otherwise they can get snack.  It's a really difficult thing for me because i hear people on my team with great stories connecting to girls having them cry and pour out their life and stuff... and I am really uncomfortable with tears and approaching girls.  (Usually if they're sitting there, not going for snack, we're supposed to go and politely just approach them and gently ask if they'd like to talk or pray...) And i'm terribly shy at it but i've been praying for an experience so that night i sat down in a very empty space on the mat, and just prayed that God would bring me a girl that he wanted me to talk to... I opened my eyes and was surrounded by five girls sitting seperately!  Like literally they formed a spaced out circle around my formly empty area...!  So I prayed again that only one would stick around, haha.  Easing into it... And I opened my eyes again and there was a girl sitting there so I slid over to her, asked her name and stuff... And then I asked if she wanted to talk about anything and she said, no thank you - i don't like to talk about stuff.  So i was like thats cool, asked her about the event and stuff and then all of a sudden she started telling me about her life and her friends and her older sister (who is three years older than her, like kayla) and how all her friends have really great talents and she doesn't have one thing that sets her apart.  she said she knows a lot of things she's not but she doesn't know what she is.  She's just funny and friendly and interested in a lot of things and she doesn't know how to define herself.  and we just had a really great conversation - she reminded me a lot of myself in junior high and so i shared my testimony with her in like .. conversation style.  We went back and forth sharing experiences and stuff and I hope i imparted some wisdom on her... It was super casual and tear free haha.  We laughed and stuff it was really cool and then I asked if there was anything she wanted me to pray for for her and she said no again and so i just asked if i could just end our conversation in prayer and she said sure so then i just prayed real quick that she would rememeber who she is in Christ and not feel the need to define who she is and just embrace that she has that wonderful... "buffet personality" (little bit of everything vs. just one interest).  And I said it all super casual cuz she hadn't asked for me to pray for her and when we finished she had the littlest tears and she gave me a big hug and said thank you :)  It was the best experience!
I have other stories... there's Jade who i bonded with over our shared birthday :) and Nakita who actually taught me so much about loving and appreciating people and she just has a really great heart and she challenged me a lot in how i look at other people, she's fantastic - she wants to work with disabled elderely because she did that for a summer and it was her favorite!... and a group of girls that i got to connect with as i painted their nails and give them hand massages and then at prayer time they formed a circle and invited me and i got to just pray for them and their friendship and be a part of their prayer as they prayed for one another thanking God for each other .. (and for me! such a great night).  So yeah, it's a blast being on tour.  It's draining and tiring but so worth it.
And just my own personal devos and stuff... God's teaching me so much on the side yet...!  It's amazing... I love this year!  Reading some really challenging verses and then encouraging ones and just ... it's always what i need to hear.  And maybe not always whats easy to hear but it's challenging me and pushing me and it's exciting to have him be so prominient in my life again. :)
My thanksgiving was really great too.  We arrived to Sherwood Park, AB (a suburb of Edmonton) Sunday and got to go to thanksgiving service at Linneas church and meet Linnea's family... she's staying with her parents as we stay with her aunt and uncle and we've had such a great weekend off.  Thanksgiving dinner, West Edmonton Mall (took Erika on her first rollercoaster!  Although don't go on that one, its the most jerky rollercoaster ever, i need to get her on a better one before she never tries again!), and just chilling watching movies, being silly fun times.. ! :)  And tomorrow we head out at 7am for an event in calgary!  :)
SO that's what's been up with me, sorry for the delays in between these... internet is hard to find sometimes.  Miss you all, this weekend made me homesick for my friends and family... and just the holidays and everything.  More Christmas than thanksgiving... I'm so excited to see everyone at Christmas!!  I love you! Blessings!