I woke up with nervous excitement today.

I'll refrain from breaking out in song Annie-style, but 24 hours from now I'll be checking my pack in at DFW and going through security on my way to Ghana with 11 friends. Woohoo! It's hard to believe the trip is finally here after so much preparation and discussion and waiting (on my part)...

I have high hopes for this trip. Not high hopes for my experience, although I know it will be grand and adventurous (I am, after all, a Nickson), but high hopes for the way God is going to use our team to influence the people we encounter, to love the children we meet. Our team is diverse, coming from Dallas, College Station, Orange, and even Missouri. I know most of the group, with a few exceptions, and cannot wait to share these experiences with them. In case you like names, here's our crew: myself, Chris, Stacey, Rachel, Allison, Marcus, Michael, Angela, Kristi, Levi, Jeremy, and Joanne. Please remember us all in your prayers this next week.

As expected with such a trip, there are numerous things that we simply cannot prepare for until we arrive. One of those things is the level of English that the children will be able to speak in Kete Krachi. Most of them haven't had much schooling, if any, at this point so I have a feeling that we'll be doing a lot of 'showing' rather than 'speaking'. The best part about this is that God's love translates from culture to culture, regardless of any language barrier. (Insert cheesy cliche here.) But we chose our themes for the week based on that fundamental truth, desiring to share God's love with these precious kids above anything else. Here are the verses we chose, in giant floor puzzle form. This puzzle will be one of our Free Time art activities, and I'm pretty excited about it. Also, this image is pre-puzzle piece cutting, so yes, there are more than 6 pieces!

Honestly, I'm pretty excited about the 2 foot tall lion. :)

Here's some good reading material for you while I'm gone. It's an
article about Congolese women and their running efforts to support each other. Written by Runner's World and very powerful. I guess running also translates cross-culture pretty well. That being the case, I should be in good shape in Ghana!

Well, that's all I've got this morning. Our flight leaves DFW at 11:45 tomorrow morning and returns at 10:45ish on the morning of the 30th. Ghana time is 5 hours ahead of Texas, so you can know what part of the day it is for us there. Thanks for all the prayers, encouragement, and support of this journey. I promise to return with more pictures than I know what to do with!

I'm sure I've posted this before, but I just really like this verse...
"Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

Be blessed this week!

On Sunday, my friend Kathleen and I went to this cool park up in Plano to hang out and take random photos. We also discovered a secret recipe for chocolate chip cookies that don't flatten pancake-style as soon as they come out of the oven. Gold mine. Maybe I'll share the secret if you ask me really nicely. Here's a quick recap of the afternoon.

My pal Vaughn helped us bake... by taking a nap. His brother Felix was too good to have his picture taken:

Here is a park shot for my little buddies in Abilene who like to visit the playground.

And here is an old mail train.

And here is my beautiful friend Kathleen. We have matching cameras. And matching backpacks.

And here is a nice gazebo, as gazebos go.

And that's the end of the tour.

Enjoyed some good conversation Wednesday night in our discussion of Francis Chan's Crazy Love. We talked about Jeremiah 1:4-5 and how God chose Jeremiah to be a prophet before he was even born, which evokes the myriad of evasive questions about God's plan and purpose for our lives. "Does God have a plan for each one of us?" "How do I know God's will for my life?" "If God already knows what I'm going to do with my life, does he know what shirt I should wear to dinner tonight?" "And what about that whole predestination bit?" You get the picture...

I've certainly spent my fair share of time contemplating this jumble of ideas, but some thoughts were presented and discussed the other night that really helped me understand this whole "plan and purpose" debacle a bit better.

I think that God does have a plan for us, but it's not how we think of plans. We see tangible plans, like daily lists and events, where we might be in 5 or 10 years, where we will live, who we will share life with. But I think God's plan is more like this: He desires us to do whatever it is that will use the talents that He gave us to their full potential so that He will be glorified. Somewhat obvious, but I know there are times when I get wrapped up in the future and really wanting to find God's will for my life and getting frustrated when I can't figure out what that is. I need to think bigger picture...

So in regards to our friend Jeremiah... Maybe God didn't think 'Jeremiah will be a prophet as his "career", Paul will be a tentmaker/missionary, Susie will be a stay-at-home Mom, John will be a construction worker', etc. Maybe He thought, 'I already know Jeremiah will be a prophet because that's the role I created for him that will allow him to reach his full potential with the gifts I've given him. And if Jeremiah is truly seeking Me, then he'll find that role and play it out for My glory'. So then maybe God knows that Susie will be a stay-at-home Mom because that is the role in which Susie is at her absolute best and is able to glorify Him most...

I don't think God has planned every detail of my life (although yes, He knows it all). I think He has planned, and hopes, for me to do whatever it is that will fully utilize my talents to bring Him the most glory possible in the spec of time that I exist on this earth. He doesn't care whether I'm an artist, a business executive, or drive a trash truck. He just cares that I seek to use my talents to their full potential for His glory during my brief existence. As I'm typing this, I feel like that's sorta a 'no-brainer', but seems to shed a different light on the subject for me this week. Maybe instead of trying to figure out "what to do with my life", I should be looking at the talents I have and searching for the role that will use all of those to their full potential. Yes?

Finally, Allison shared a good thought that has stuck with me these last few days as well: "Wherever you are, be there. Be fully present."

Stop back by for one more post before departure time!

Blur. That's what the last week has been...

Drove to De Leon on Friday to hang out with my friend Emily. She lives in the cutest country house (complete with rocking chairs on the front porch) on 50 acres of beautiful land with her grandfather and sweet little dog. Emily is an amazing artist and encouraging friend; it was a huge blessing to get to spend a peaceful day in great conversation with her. Here's a shot of the De Leon area as I was leaving. Love it. Miss the countryside.



On to Abilene from there on Saturday. World Cup consolation match, swimming pool with the kids, watermelon salsa and chicken fried rice for dinner. Sunday church, steak, salads, and blackberry tea for lunch. World Cup final (disappointing...) and a mango snow cone. Lots of playtime with Wyatt and Emmerson. Home on Monday. Surprisingly, didn't take a single picture. However, here are the beautiful roses that Emily got for Mom and I. So sweet.



Monday night was the kick-off of a running group at The Bridge, so Allison and I headed over there to check it out. Pretty cool, certainly could use a little organization, but that's coming from me so may not be relevant. There were about 25 of us total, including residents and volunteers, and we got to meet several new friends. Run On is sponsoring the group right now, donating shoes and running clothes to the residents. At some point, the group will be working in conjunction with Back on My Feet. Very cool and excited to see where the program goes.

Then a few days of catching up on work and other items and here we are less than one week out from the big trip. Time is flying, and I know if will even more in this last week. My room looks like this at the moment:



I figure as long as there's a path to my bed, I'll be good! Really excited about all the art projects and other activities we have planned. Thanks to everyone who donated items and supplies to us; the kids will love it all!




By Sunday, all the art supplies will be packed in their respective tubs and ready to make the trip, with my pack soon to follow!

In honor of the World Cup final on Sunday, I couldn't help but share a glimpse of my own soccer star days. I'm having a hard time deciding which fashion statement in this picture is most terrifying. Is it the turquoise shorts, the fact that my shirt is pulled into a rubberband on the side (which, in my defense, was certainly due to the fact that is was too long, NOT because I thought it was cool...), or the rolled-down socks? You can be the judge. Just don't mention the hair.


Anyway, three cheers for the Netherlands crew!

Also in today's news, Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre hosted the launch event for the Official Emblem of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Interesting, but not altogether horrible. It's growing on me.

Headed to my friend Emily's tomorrow for some relaxing time in the countryside, then off to Abilene to spend time with the fam. Enjoy the weekend!

Today is 3 weeks out from our departure date to Ghana. I think it's really starting to sink in. I've found it difficult to concentrate on much else lately, to be honest. I cannot wait to meet the sweet kids in Kete Krachi and hang out with them. I have no doubts that they will change my life and heart more than I could ever affect theirs.

Because I'm addicted to quotes and such, here's one from a blog I was reading by Amy Wenzel. I can't remember how I came across her site, but she put this up a while back and I kept it because I thought it was so powerful. I cannot say that I am 100% to the point that Amy was when she wrote this (it's a work in progress), but I can certainly relate to the desire she expresses. I want to be wrecked by God's love, to point the way to Him, to be consumed with knowing Him. And I can say with much confidence that He is rescuing and saving and changing my heart every day.

There is one thing I want so badly though. I simply want to be wrecked by God’s love for me. I want to be so undone that I can never be put back together. I want the Holy Spirit to so utterly consume me that my every breath is to bring glory to God. I want to be so intimate with Jesus that I am like a light shining in the darkness, pointing the way to the most beautiful, wonderful truth you can ever experience. I am a woman consumed by passion to know the living God. I can hardly think of other things sometimes. His love is changing me. Rescuing me. Healing me. I am not the same as I was, and I can never go back. I have found everything I was ever looking for. He’s so beautiful. He’s saving me. And I adore Him so much that I just cannot stay silent.

May His love wreck your heart today.

Lucky you. Two posts in one day, get ready...

To start things off, some random updates from the big city:

*Working from home has been nice. It's hard to beat going to work in your sweats and not having to commute anywhere. I'm sure it won't last forever, but for now, it's been enjoyable.

*I've started running again, and it's about time! I am becoming 'one' with my new orthotics and hoping that they will continue to help me out. I have relays and marathons to train for, no more of this sitting around junk, dangit.

*I have become fully immersed in the World Cup. There are some good matches coming up this weekend for the Semi-finals. The thing I love most about soccer is that it is the one sport I can watch for hours on end and understand everything that's going on (besides maybe golf or track). I just can't get excited about football or basketball season, but futbol... oh yeah.

*We've had quite a bit of rain in Dallas this week and loving every bit of it. Cooler temps and a great reminder of God's provision and renewal.

*I am once again working from Panera and there are two ladies at the table next to me that are practicing their French. It's pretty impressive and sounds really cool. Makes me want to backpack across Europe.

*Two of my friends bought houses this week and one got a new job. It got me thinking that maybe it's time for a big change in my life. It most certainly won't be the purchase of a new house, but it could be a different job. Who knows. I'm taking suggestions on what I should be when I grow up.

*I have added a new book to my all time Top 10 list, maybe even the Top 5. Pretty big. Pick up Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It's brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I'm 3/4 through it and already want to go back and re-read it. I'll put some quotes up here when I finish it. Did I mention that it's brilliant?

*I came across this video yesterday and though it was cool enough to share. It's an added bonus that the entire video is made out of felt. If nothing else, you gotta be impressed by that. Check it out: