my mamita, Ruth Ann Nguyen

November 12, 2011 -- the day my mom became a Nguyen

About two years ago my mom traveled to Jerusalem with her church on a two week long pilgrimage. One of her teammates (whom she hadn't yet met) was Mr. Thai Nguyen, a professor in the local area and a fellow member of her church. To sum it all up, what happened in Jerusalem didn't stay in Jerusalem! :) My mom and Thai met... and then almost EXACTLY two years later the good Lord brought them together in marriage. 

Wedding weekend was a blessed BLAST! It was full to the brim of to-do lists and "organized" chaos. Somehow every little detail worked out perfectly and the wedding couldn't have been any more perfect. I was so thankful to see loved family members at the wedding, including my aunts, cousin, and BEAUTIFUL sister Meghan Elizabeth. My mom looked gorgeous... I mean, look how she rocks that dress! What a natural beauty she is. And I am so thankful to God for Thai. He has really been such a blessing to my mom over the past few years, and I thank God for sending her someone to lead her in a Christ-like way, following the lead of the Spirit. Praise the Lord! I pray blessings on their marriage and upcoming decisions as the Lord guides their path. Here are a few pics from the special weekend:

The wedding weekend passed by so quickly! I wish I could have video-taped the whole thing to watch over again, because I know there were so many special things I totally missed. However, as we prepare for yet another wedding in the upcoming future (date TBA), I am reminded that it's not about the little details of wedding planning. Though they are fun, they will come and go. But it's the marriage that needs preparation, wisdom from the Word, and fuel from the Spirit. I pray that God would help D and me to prepare spiritually for the upcoming life we will share together. 

But at the same time, at least we are pretty fresh when it comes to wedding planning! ;)

Congratulations Mamita and Thai! I love you guys!!

GiveThanks 3

This week has been blessed, but it's also been EXTREMELY BUSY! I have wanted to blog every day this week as a testament to how God has been faithful in my life in all the things I am thankful for. Should time permit, I will continue to update with many thanksgivings.

Today I want to write about how thankful I am for my family: old and new, near and far, present and futuristic. :)

God has been so gracious to me from the very beginning. Clearly I had no choice in which family I would be born into before I entered this world. But even if I had, I couldn't have chosen a better family. God knew exactly what I needed when He brought me here, and I am so thankful for every single member of my family. I've heard this cute quote, and I think it applies perfectly to my family...

"My family: so many nuts we make a party mix!"

Here's a little glimpse of the beautiful people that make my heart overflow with love:

Conway cousins... there's just nothing like this crew. I love them so much!

My gorgeous sisters: Emily Michelle and Meghan Elizabeth pictured above, and Hannah Marie pictured below. Emily has recently been my wedding planner, and I am so glad to have her help! Meg is my co-college dominator, and Hannie calls me frequently to tell me how much she LOVES LSU! :) Now those are some girls after my own heart! hehe... love them!

My wonderful grandparents: thankful for the years I had with Grandma Connie (pictured above). Love Papa Frank dearly and how he took such good care of her. Also love my cousins Zack and Brett (Cuh Cuhh and Boat!)... we had such a great time visiting Grams. 

Below are my Grandma Mary and Papa Ted, with my 3 other Griggs cousins. :) I love to visit "the old man on the hill" and spend time with my sweet grandparents that love deeply. So thankful for them in my life all these years... for their love, care, and unending support.

And here are my Mema and Papa. I love these two so much!!! Thankful for Papa's tender care and teatime with Mema as she told me stories. I have truly been blessed with wonderful grandparents.

 Blog, meet mom and Thai. Mom and Thai, meet blog. I LOVE these two. I love them together so so much. I am so thankful that the Lord (recently) brought them together in marriage. I am thankful that God has graciously provided a sweet husband for my mom that cares for her better than anyone I could have hand-picked myself! :) And I am so thankful for a new stepdad that is so caring and willing to be involved in my life. Love you guys!!!

Along with a new stepdad came SEVERAL new cousins!!! I am especially blessed by this one: mi prima bonita Miss Erica Nguyen! I love her dearly and am so thankful to have her as a cousin, but also as a close friend. I pray that God would help us to encourage one another's faith and we grow in Him.

Above you see pictured one of the cutest baby girls that has ever walked this earth: Miss Molly Marie Jefcoat. Yes, she is a part of my *future* family. I am a proud *future* aunt Bec to this beautiful little girl. I love her and her mom and dad so so so much!!! :) I am also soon to inherit an outgoing and handsome nephew, Jackson... but we will have to take a picture next time we're together! :) Maybe he'll call me Aunt Bec too. :) I want to be the aunt that spoils... don't tell my *future* sisters. :)

And here is one good-looking wedding party. I love all the people in this photo.

This is honestly just a small glimpse of a large and full-o-love family. I am so thankful for my Dad and stepmom Jana. I am blessed to have them in my life for so many reasons. I wish I could see them more often... but it makes the times we are together that much more sweet. I am also thankful for my beautiful aunts and uncles (Phil, Paul, Deanna, Rita, Pat, Brenda, Renee, Dave, Julie, Rich, Donna, Jerry, Sarah, Craig, DeeDee, Wayne, Twin, Sharon, Butta, Truyen, Loan, Tony, Lin, Lee, and probably others I am forgetting). God has really blessed me with a large family. I pray that they will all know the Lord and live by His strength. I pray that God would unite our family and tie us together in love. That He would transform this family to do His will and work for His Kingdom. 

As for my future family... :) kee! I am so blessed to be a future part. Excited to be an "official" part of the Jackson clan, too!! 

Thank you, Lord, for your grace and mercy shown through family. May we love as You've loved us.

#GiveThanks

long overdue

I have not been a faithful blogger as of late. Things have been very busy... which leaves me with so much to update! :) Here's a brief post-finals review for your reading enjoyment. 

Firstly, I celebrated the 24th birthday of my sweet WDJ. I took him on a surprise date, which included an Italian dinner at Slice Pizzeria on Magazine Street, followed by a cup of yummy ice cream at the Creole Creamery. We laughed so much and enjoyed each other's company on the beautiful May evening. He's nice. :) 

24th birthday date night

This is the first summertime that I haven't done international missions... and honestly, it's a strange feeling. However, I feel like this is exactly where God wants me to be. And I've super enjoyed the free time that Daniel and I have been able to spend together. Here's a glimpse of our park visit:

afternoon in the park

Here's my sweet little Avery on the last day I picked her up. It was a bitter sweet day: I am so blessed to have Nick and Avery in my life, but I am sad that it's time for them to move on to another school and the next phase of their lives. I pray that I was faithful to represent Christ to them over these past two years. I love them both so much. I feel like this sweet little brown-haired cutie is my 4th little sister... and I am so thankful to God for her. Hopefully, should the Lord give me a special wedding day sometime in the future, this little lady will be a part of it! :)

date with Avery!

Speaking of sisters... MY LITTLE MEGGIE GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL!! :) I was so proud to see her all "grown up" in her cap and gown, looking back to only three years ago when I made the same step, and excited for the next few ahead for her. I pray that the Lord would reveal Himself to her in a very real way. I am so proud of my beautiful Meg! :) BONUS: going to see her graduation was also an opportunity to see my bab.. well, not-so-baby sisters, Emily Michelle and Hannah Marie. I cannot believe how grown up [TALL!] they are getting. I am sad when I see them, because I realize how much of their lives I am missing. I pray that they know my love, though from a distance. I pray that they would know the true Love, too. Here... please allow me to show them off... :)

Hannah

Meggie

Emily

Mommy with her girls :)

After returning to BR, my precious friend Becca Sloane CAMPBELL was married!!! :) Here are a few pics from her sweet, summertime wedding. Love you, Becca!

cute wedding date

beautiful bride

Later, I was part of a special group that celebrated the 22nd birthday of Christopher Mott. :) We had a BLAST! I am so blessed to have this friend in my life. He will be greatly missed come August, so I need to spend all the time with him I can over these next few months. Happy Birthday, Chris!

matchies!

with our Chris Mott name tags! hehehe

And now, as I sit here and write this blog post, I am at my Grandma and Grandpa's house in Florida with my cousins, spending time with people I love, wanting to live out the Gospel: in service, in Love. Here are a few photo-updates from our first day here... we have had a blast so far. Look forward to spending more time with Grandma tomorrow. :)

with Zack and Brett in the airport!

swimming with Brett and Papa

trivial pursuit: we are obviously NOT geniuses... lol

And here are a few pics from the in-between:

my cousin Zack, batboy for the Zephyr's!

at a Zephyr's game!

cool flower in Spanish Town 

our first BR farmer's market experience!

after church eating crew

pretty friends! :)

Thanks to Ann Voskamp, I have been joining with many others and counting my blessings day by day. Focusing on God's blessings reminds me of His faithfulness, and it also fills my heart and mind with His joy. Here are a few of the gifts from His heart I have seen this month:

1. Beach towels in the summertime

2. 1 year, 9 months

3. sweet conversation with Ms. Julie

4. my little Avery growing up

5. pointless errands

6. time to relax with my roomies

7. birthdays: evidence of God's grace

8. a full house :)

9. midnight finger blasting in the dark

10. deep washing by a heavy rainfall

11. sweet reunions with my beloved family group

12. afternoon peeping sun

13. His mercies are new every morning

14. beautiful bird melody

15. laughing times with D

16. warm embraces

17. Saturday morning cup of joe and daily dose of the Word

18. summertime cucumbers and tomatoes

19. cousin visits

20. a happy, newly engaged couple, Mr. Zack Lofton and Miss Kelsey Selene Gober, soon-to-be Lofton. :)

I am thankful. Lord, please help me to see and meditate on Your goodness daily. 

"If you are not striving for intimacy with Christ nor trusting Him fully, you will be swayed."
-Kevin Whitfield

for mami, aquí, mañana

My mommy is coming in town tomorrow, and I am SO excited! :)

I moved out of Casa Katherina today, and I have spent the day with Diana, my wonderful friend. It's been so nice. Preparing for a very busy week ahead, it was nice to spend some time relaxing. I also spent some time this morning with the babies and Edwin... fun time for sure. So now I am about to go to bed, and I cannot wait to see my mommy tomorrow!

Ok, time to get ready for bed. Thank You, Lord, for Your GOODNESS. :)

already?

Today was my last "normal" day with the children.

We had such a nice day hanging out today. I am thankful that today was a national holiday ("The Day of Rest"), and the children didn't have school or homework. So we spent all of our time together playing. I played dolls (muñecas) with Lidia, Juan José brushed my hair until I thought it was going to all fall out, Luis Fernando used me as a jungle gym every moment he had the chance, we watched a movie, and just spent sweet time together relaxing and enjoying each other's company. It was so special, but I can't believe that today was my last full day spent with the children I love so much.

Tomorrow before lunch Kenneth and Diana are coming to pick me up. We are going to move out of Casa Katherina, grab some lunch, and then Diana and I are going on a GIRLS DATE! :) I am very excited to spend some time with this sweet new friend that I love SO much. I know that the Lord has used this friendship for the good of us both, and for that I am so thankful. I continue to pray for healing in her sweet heart, and look forward to the day when she convinces Kenneth to bring her to New Orleans. hehe.

I am staying with Kenneth and Diana tomorrow night, and then...

MOMMY IS HERE!! :)

I can hardly wait! I know that the Lord has some cool things in store for the end of this trip, and I look forward to being a part of His work WITH my sweet mommy. Also, I cannot wait to see the kids faces when they meet my mom. I know they are going to say, "se parecen iguales!" :) It's going to be a great week!

Well, tonight I am off to finish packing a snooze. Looking forward to a special day tomorrow, and then a fun-filled, busy week ahead. ALSO, excited about the possibility of seeing my sweet friend Beka soon!

feliz noches

eh..

These past few days have been interesting/difficult. It's about mid-trip... officially the longest I've been out of the country. :) While this is an exciting thing, it also is a hard part. Last week was SO blessed having the team here, spending time with Diana, and being VERY busy with things to do. But this week is back to "normal," and I'm here by myself again. I do have a lot of translating work to do for Kenneth, but I still miss having some people here with me. Don't get me wrong... I love spending time at the home with the mamas and kiddos, but I guess the transition is just getting me a little. I pray that the Lord would use this time for His glory, and that He would teach me to be dependent on HIM alone.

I miss my friends and family! I am SOOO thankful for skype, and I've been able to keep in touch with them that way. But there's nothing like a hug from the people I love so much! :) I am excited to announce that my mom WILL be meeting me for the last week I am here to do dental work on the children! :) YAY!!! She's bringing an assistant, Ms. Bonnie, with her, and also a friend (that's close to my age), Erica, will be coming! I can hardly wait! But, until then, I will continue to miss and send my love to all you sweet people in my life that love and support me. Yall are the best! :)

Like I said, I miss my mommy. Can't wait until July 2!!

I am still, and always, missing my Peru friends. Being in Guate really reminds me of times in Peru. What a wonderful trip that was! I can't believe it's been well over a year since we were there! I still relate tuna fish sandwiches with Peru. And playing phase 10. :) Love you guys so much!!

Also, I really miss my sweet Jess and lovely Christin. :) They have taught me so much and encouraged me in ways they may never realize. Thanks, you guys! I love you both dearly!!

Of course, I always miss my little sisters. I look forward to seeing them so I can update a picture of all 4 of us! lol. xoxoxo to you three! Pass them on to Daddy and JanJan, too! :)

Spending much time praying for this sweet girl, but I still miss her SOO much! Even though we are halfway around the world from each other, as she is in Niger, I know that the Lord is still using this time to knit our hearts together. What a special friend Hayley is to me! :) miss you!!!

Another friend I am missing is little Normie. :) I miss our random spats/deep conversations. He's been such a good friend to me, and I am thankful for his encouragement!

I cannot post an update without including something about my WONDERFUL sister-friends, Annie and Mary. They know how much I love them. :) Hope you guys are having a wonderful summer. Can't wait to see you guys and eat mexican mess SOON!

And, of course... I REALLY miss Mr. Walter Daniel Jackson. :) tqm!!

That's all for now. :)

bonswa, zami!

Haiti. Passe Catabois, Haiti.

That is where 7 of my friends are right now, serving the Lord by loving His people in the small, impoverished country south of Florida.

As I remember Jess, Ainsley, Becca, Brandon, Parker, Annie, and Norman in thought and prayer this week, I also thank God for having allowed me to serve in Haiti just 5 months ago -- what seems like yesterday. What an incredible journey that was. I am praying for my fellow Haiti-lovers/friends as they show Christ's love through their words and actions. I pray that the hearts of the Haitians receiving the Good News they bring will be opened to hear, see, taste it. I pray for the sick that they minister to; knowing their physical healing matters temporarily, but their spiritual need is eternal. There are so many things to remember and pray for, and I ask that you would pray, too. Now. As you are reading this... thanks.

On the subject of Haiti, today I have been particularly reminiscent of my summer missions in Peru and Haiti. (I even made lomo saltado for dinner this evening!) Like I said, I am so thankful to God that He allowed me to go, but I am also thankful for the things He taught me. Now, as new opportunities arise to GO and serve, I am praying that He would guide me and use me in a way that brings most Glory to His name. I look forward to see where He takes me in 2010.

On a different note, I was able to go visit my family in Kansas over this Christmas season, and I am certainly glad I did! I love these three beautiful little sisters of mine! Below is a picture of the 4 of us (in our jammies on Christmas morning). Thank you, Lord, for Meghan, Emily, and Hannah.

I was also able to spend some time with 4 of my very best friends over this break. :) Jess and I didn't take a picture, but I did visit with her! Mary and I talked about God for hours into the night when she came in town... it was a sweet time; I met Kristy's hilarious college-friends and remembered old-times with her; I re-lived my pre-driver's license days while staying the night at Annie's house last week. Good times with my sweet sister-friends, and I thank God for it. I am a blessed girl, indeed.

And, I have completely LOVED every minute spent with my mommy. (I have even slept in her bed with her every night! hehe.) I cannot express with words how grateful I am for having such an amazing woman as my mother. I love her, and I am enjoying all the time we have together for this break. Yes, I am coming to realize that I do look (and act) a lot like her... but I'm OK with that! (hehe)

That's all I have for now. :) Happy 2010.