I Posted This Blog On My MySpace Page On April 28th (Exactly 4 Weeks Ago Today)!

I can’t believe I’ve been back in the Bend for a full year already!
Wow! What a year it's been! May 1st, 2007, after spending 15 years of my life in Milwaukee, WI, I moved back to South Bend/Mishawaka. South Bend, IN was the LAST place on earth I ever thought I'd end up moving back to! There is no doubt in my mind that God sent me here. I'm stubborn, so He had to have something drastic happen in order to get me back here. I had no job and no place to live. Yeah, I'd say that was pretty drastic! :) I finally got the message! I really thought that since He sent me back here, things would fall into place right away. WRONG! I think He was trying to teach me patience, because that's not the way it worked out! It was a very rough and challenging year for me.
September 6th, 2007 my 12 year old nephew had open heart surgery at the University of Michigan. It was a birth defect they had just caught. God was watching over him for almost 13 years. We are so thankful his condition was caught before something catastrophic happened. I spent 5 days up at the U of M and I will never forget it. Trey was my 1st nephew and 1st Godson. I am still in awe of how God protected Trey's life. Trey was just cleared to play contact sports again last month! AMAZING!! If God can handle that, He can surely handle my little problems.
Well, I really didn't think the job market would be as bad as it is in the Michiana area. I started looking for jobs here in March of 07. My unemployment from WI ran out in Sept and I still had no job. So, I applied at a few Restaurants to be a Server again. I am so thankful for the friendships I made while working at Hacienda! Thanks to my Haci friends for listening to me all of those months, and for your encouragement and support during one of the toughest years in my life. You know who you are! I worked at Haci for 6 months. Relying on the public to pay your bills is extremely stressful, along with other difficult situations I was in. Every area of my life was difficult, plus it was winter..ick!! I couldn't understand why I didn't have 1 job offer after a year of looking for a job here. I needed a stable income!
Finally, after over 10 months of living here, things started falling into place. It was in God's timing, not mine. I tend to want to be in control, but God wanted to teach me that HE is in control. He knows what's best for me! March 15th I moved into an awesome living situation that is affordable and will enable me to get back on my feet financially. March 17th I started working at Liberty Mutual. It is an awesome company to work for! I finally have health insurance after a year without it! It is SOOO nice to know what I'm going to be making on a bi-weekly basis. I can plan! I don't have to stress!
Mom's cancer is currently in remission! Another answer to prayer! She's battled this disease for over 8 years and I'm so proud of the strength and courage she has shown through her health issues.
I'm getting more involved at Church. I'm active in 2 Small Groups, a Women's Small Group on Sunday nights and another group every other Tuesday evening. This past Saturday I got trained to be able to go visit people from Church who are in the hospital. I will get the opportunity to pray with people before their surgeries, visit people and just show people that they matter to God, to me, and to GCC. I can't wait to make my first visit! It will help me to get my mind off of ME! YEAH! I am also going to be volunteering at Second Saturday when I can. I learned SO MUCH about myself at a Boundaries course this year at GCC, and I'm learning to look at me instead of placing blame on others. Looking back, I have grown so much in my faith this past year. Thanks to all of my friends from GCC who have also supported and encouraged me during this past year. You also know who you are! :) I appreciate it more than you will ever know and you will always be my first group of friends here in South Bend!
What a year it has been! I'm not saying life is going to be a bed of roses from here on out, but things are definately better than they have been in over a year for me. For this, I am truly grateful and cannot thank God enough for all of the blessings He has given me. I am a stronger person b/c of this past year. I hope and pray He will use my struggles to help me be a witness of His love and to help others. I've come a long way baby, but God isn't finished with me yet! I still have lots of lessons to learn and lots of life to live!
Keep in touch and thanks for everything! =-)


J-La