No Longer The Girl Of Tomorrow

This weekend, or should I say yesterday, has been indescribably, wonderfully, spectacular! I can’t wait to share with everyone I know.

Today, I am just so joyful its so crazy!

Before I start, I suppose I should explain that I thoroughly enjoy planning. My life in particular.

I had it all set out; finish high-school, go to college, blah, blah, blah then die.

Sound great, right? Well except for the dying part, but that is inevitable.

I knew that He had plans for me and I wanted to carry out those plans, but when I had time in my plans. I figured that God was big enough that He could squeeze His plan into mine eventually.

Haha, yeah well I was wrong.

This yesterday morning we went to a service in Birmingham where Brother Al Henson spoke.My parents have know the Hensons for a few months and they love them to death. Brother Al wants my dad to move up to Nashville to help him with a foundation.

Which, just a side note, Nashville is very affirmative for the Worlunds, when is the key.

Back on track, Brother Al does a lot of mission work in Laos and Thailand. He poured his heart out today but one story stuck out to me particularly.

There is a lady over in Laos and northern Thailand, she is 84 years old. In 1948, at 22 years old, she gave her life to helping rescue children from sex trafficking. The lady, being 84, knows that she is coming close to going to be with God and she is praying that God will send a leader to continue what she has started.

What this woman, this one human-being, has started is 4 girls homes, 2 boys homes, she has helped start hundreds of churches, and there are thousands of believers.

That one woman with the help from a great and powerful God, did that.

Brother Al decided that he would go and talk to that lady and he planned a trip.

When he got there and saw all of what she had done, went to talk to her and she poured her heart out. She told him about what she had committed her life to help children who had no other hope.

While he was there, Brother Al help a 7 year old girl, who’s only reason for being born was so that her mother could sell her for $3,000. Does that seem like a fair price for the life of a child?

This little girl was sold when she was 4 years old, and was saved by the power of God when she was 7. This little girl now has AIDs and is probably going to die before she gets to live.

As Brother Al was talking, all I was hearing was ‘That’s you, that’s you, that’s you’. My response every time was, ‘No God. I don’t want to go to a place where I’m surrounded by danger everyday. I don’t want to stand before children who have experienced more pain then I have ever in my life. I can’t stand before hurting children and not be able to heal that pain. No God, no’. Once again the response was, ‘That’s you”.

I then had to wrestle with myself over the fact of being able to go to Washington DC. I felt like God was saying, ‘If you don’t get accepted. you’ll be okay’. I felt calm with that, but another part said, ‘You want this so bad’. I wrestled and wrestled.

On the way home, I asked my parents about taking a year off after high-school and spending that time doing mission work. Expecting a no I was very surprised to hear a ‘Yeah, we would be open to that’.

I felt an amazing weight lifted. It is indescribable that feeling. I shared that with my parents last night.

Our family is making a 180 degree turn in our lives. Everything is changing and it is wonderful!

I’m so excited about it. I prayed last night and I asked God to let this be the turning point in my life. I want to fall in love with Him, to be imprisoned to His love!

For once in my life, I’m excited to get up in the mornings and spend time with Him. I’m excited and scared at the thought that I have no clue what the heck is going to happen in my life!

I have desires that I have never had before, and I know they are from God and not myself.

A friend told me that God put desires in our lives for ugly things, and a desire to make those ugly things beautiful through God’s power.

I feel that is what I want to do now.I have the desire to work in mission and to have to be courageous! I want to have to throw my life into His.

I am no longer living and wanting tomorrow to come. I’m enjoy the days that God has giving me!

I Guess We Are Just Not Car People

I guess my family are just not car people.

This fact could partially be due to the fact that we don't ever buy new cars.

I think the newest car I ever remember us having was the car we have now.

A 2004 Dodge Durango.

But the catch is we bought it in 2007.

Not too bad, just 3 years.

Before that we had a black drug van.

No, I'm serious.

It was one of those vans that you would expect a druggie to be making drugs in.

My mom actually got pulled over by a drug cop while in that van.

That, dear readers, is a story for another time.

But seriously, that van was pretty cool.

I mean until the VCR broke, and then it was just lame.

And before that van, we had a white drug van that was at least 8 years old when we bought it.

During the white van time, my dad had a Ford Ranger I think.

The ugliest truck ever!

No heat.

The AC was the window, which of course was a little handle roll-down thingy.

It was brown.

And a hand-me down.

We actually had some teenagers try to steal it like 7 or 8 years ago.

But it was so old and "quirky" that the teenagers stopped trying once they got it in the middle of the street.

Then the cops came....

Long story short... It was not fun for my dad.

But hey, he got a coat that one of the kids left in the cab.

He actually still has that coat.

Back on track.

Well you all probably know that Zeb has, or had, a 1966 Plymouth Valiant.

I hate that car!

Every since the day I heard my dad say that I was going to have to drive it, I have been secretly praying it would die.

Mean I know, but I mean seriously what 16 year old girl wants to drive that hunk of metal around?

Well, it finally happened.

But Zeb didn't really benefit from it.

In fact, it was pretty miserable that night.

Zeb was driving home from work and it conked out.

In the scary part of town near the VBC

At 9:30pm

On a very cold night

And he had no cell phone.

Anyway, after walking to a bar, walking to my dad's office, then walking to a friends house,

Ladies and Gentleman that is a total of 7 mile and 1 1/2 of walking,

He finally got in touch with Dad.

As he was telling us I burst into tears, partially because I was worried and partially because if that car was fixable I was going to have to deal with all the break down stuff eventually.

Not fun.

But happily that car is probably not going to work and the Valley girl will probably end up at a junkyard.

Or maybe another crazy man, who has a son who is beginning to drive, will buy it from us.

Oh poor kid.

And then we come full circle to the lovely, loud, Rustus Maximus.

This car is my paradise.

No kidding.

I love that hunk of metal.

I mean compared to my other choice, this car is perfect.

For me.

No one understands the attraction.

It's car love.

I mean seriously I could make a fairytale out of it!

Picture this:

I'm a princess that is cursed with car wedlock to the old, Valiant Plymouth.

But Rustus Maximus swoops in and takes my away.

I know Rustus has problem but it is so loyal that I'm willing to compromise!

And we all live happily ever after....

Not the same thing?

I know, but a girl can try, can't she?

Is Your Last Name Zolp? There Is A Scholarship For That

Ahhh the wonders of college scholarships. To some this maybe an exciting thing to others it may just be a hassle, and for most it may be nonexistent. My family most definitely does not fall into the latter category.

Scholarships, have been the latest fad in the Worlund household, with Zeb going to college in the fall and what not. So when I, a high school sophomore, decided to find ways to rack up moolah for the big hooha, I ran across some quite interesting scholarship opportunities. Many random scholarships for people with weird quirks.

Remember when people use to make fun of you for being small? Well not anymore you should apply for the scholarship of being under 5”!

Are you Asian? There is a scholarship for you!

Do you know how to make the ducks wild? There is a scholarships for being able to duck call (not even joking)!

Hey remember great great great Granddad Lambert Van Valkenburg? Turns out there is a scholarships for being related through birth or legal adoption to Him and Grandma Annetje! (Try saying that 10 times fast!)

Do you sometimes feel your inner psychic coming out? Well if you answer a few questions about a lonely losers future love then you could earn a $5,000 scholarship!

Hey remember when people thought you were weird cause you didn’t eat meat? Well now you can rub this scholarship for being a vegan in their faces!

Did the most popular girl or guy at school turn you down for the senior prom? Then you might be a Trekky! And if you are you could get this scholarship for being able to fluently speak Klingon! Take that gorgeous Cindy!

Remember when you spent those long agonizing hours learning to play the bagpipes while prancing around in a kilt? Well if you can pass a few simple song test then you could be awarded this scholarship for students who avidly play the bagpipes!

Remember kids, being weird may make you a social outcast but it can bring you a bright learning future, so go find the unusual scholarships that are right for you, TODAY! (Before someone decides that the are such a stupid idea!)

A Greater Love Then Anyone Would Ever Know

Okay so think about your favorite living thing in the World that just means SO much to you, whither it be your spouse, your kids, your dog, favorite tree... You get the point.

Anyway, what if you weren't here and no one, absolutely no one, cared about that special thing? That is a pretty depressing thought, am I right?

That is almost how our relationship with God.

Sure we have our friends and family who love us, but if God wasn't here there would be no unconditional love.

Yes, you may be saying, 'Well I love ______ unconditionally' and that maybe true but that love is nothing compared to God's Ultimate Unconditional Love.

Now think about this, would you give that living thing as a sacrifice for someone who hated you? For someone who constantly hurt, used, cheated, and abused your love and you?

That's what I thought, no. I wouldn't either.

But God did just that!

He gave His Son, the One who was perfect and sinless, to die for a world that is dirty, and hateful, and just down right mean so that you and I can spend eternity in Heaven.

That is a perfect and holy and wonderful love.

A love that none can compare.

A love that, in this World, a lot of people don't care about.

God's love is a wonderful, powerful, and exciting thing.

It heals people, it bring people to life, it brings, joy and hope and peace.

But most don't care or know about that love.

Why?

I ask myself that all the time.

Why don't people know about it?

Why don't people care about it?

Because there is something called sin, and that something is constructed by someone who hates God.

His name is Satan/the Devil/ Lucifer, whatever you want to call him.

This guy used to be an angel of the Lord.

He used to be with God.

He was WITH God!!

He was in God's presence everyday!

Can you imagine being with God every single day for eternity?

And you know what Satan did?

He decided that he was better then God.

He decided that God wasn't worth worshipping and put himself before God.

He fell.

He fell hard and took some angels with him.

He lives in Hell with those angels, who are now called demons.

Satan finds ways to slip those demons into our lives.

They try to ruin friendships, marriages, relationships, lives.

They crush all joy, peace, hope, love, and self confidence.

They try to run our lives, the way Satan wants them.

And if we don't accept God's love we will go with Satan and those demons to an eternity that is worse then this world could ever get.

Yeah, that's pretty bad.

Worse then anything we could ever imagine.

But the best part of the story is that God gives His love unconditionally.

No matter what you have done, He will give it to you.

He loves you so much that He calls you His Child!

He doesn't want to lose you.

You are His!

All you have to do to get God's love is to ask.

That is all He wants from you.

He wants us to ask for His help.

He wants us to be so lost without Him, so that if we leave His side nothing is right.

It doesn't matter how many times we mess up or walk away from God, he will take us right back.

In the Bible there is a story called the Prodigal Son.

A son decides that he is ready to leave his home so he asks his father for his inheritance.

The father gives his son his money and the son takes off to go party.

The son goes off and he parties, spend money on food and drinks, women, jewelry, you name it this kid probably did it.

Well, before too long, whoops, he is out of money.

His friends, leave him, he has no job, no food, and no place to live.

Finally his ends up sleeping and eating with pigs.

Hmm, some life.

The son is so scared to face his father.

He isn't sure what his dad will do or say.

Finally he decided to go home and try to work in his father's home as a servant.

As he walks home, his father saw him in the distance and ran to embrace him.

He embraced his son and hugged, and kissed him.

When they got back to the house the son apologized to the father.

The father forgave the son, and ordered a party, a feast, the best food and wine they had to offer, the best robe to dress the son.

He told the servants 'We must celebrate! For my lost son has now returned!'

God wants to do the same for you.

He wants to have a party in your honor to celebrate you returning to his love.

God loves us so much.

He runs and embraces us if we just make an effort.

If you reach out He will catch you.

He will surround you in a love that is greater then any other love.

What I Want To Be Remembered For

Okay first off I would like to say that the ending of the title with a preposition is killing me! So I'm changing it to "For What I Want To Be Remembered".

There, much better, don't you agree?

Any way back to the blog.

Someday when I die and everyone (hopefully) is boo-hooing over their searing pain of the loss of me, I want everyone to have an aha moment and say,

"You know Alex sure was a great mom, wife, friend, sister, Christian, and listener.

She was so smart (Ha, sorry I couldn't resist), and kind.

She put others before herself, and let God be her center.

She made other happy, and never let anyone down.

She was creative, energetic, graceful (I can dream can't I?) and beautiful.

Everyone loved her and she will surely be missed."

Yeah some of those things are crazy, and selfish, and never going to happen but I want to be remembered for them.

I want to live my life for Christ, my family, and put others before myself.

I want all the wonderful things to over power all the mistakes I constantly make.

Just something I thought about. Nothing very witty, or funny but straight from the heart.

How do you want people to remember you?