In Christ Alone

So, I think this needs to be shared because it is a revelation I have had recently.
As many of you know I go to Saint Louis Christian College. And I love it here. There is only one flaw with the school, and that is everyone's obsession to get married. (yes, I get caught up in it too) But. No more.

While on my Fall Break I went to Acworth, GA which has truly become like a second home to me. The thought occurred to me I truly don't need a man. Do I want to get married! Of course I do!
But not yet. God has given me some truly amazing desires and talents and I do not intend to waste opportunities to use them or even to add more desires!

As of right now I am officially declaring to the world...
I don't need a man to go and live in Atlanta.
I don't need a man with me when I travel to Africa.
I don't HAVE to have a husband who wants to spend a year in Australia with me.

I can do it on my own...
Why?

Because I do in fact have Jesus Christ and as long as I am living in His will I literally have nothing to be afraid of.

If God chooses to bless me with a freaking awesome husband it will be on His time. Which, I definitely trust more than my timing.

I just want to leave you all with a verse that I have actually taught on but never put into practice.

Psalm 37:7a Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.


Peace and Blessins!
Terah Jo

we are family

Soooo, last weekend while I was at home with the fam my sister, brother-in-law, and I were talking.

Topic of Discussion: Dave (my brother-in-law)
They were talking about how later that week they would have been together for 11 years! That is crazy! What's so interesting about it though, is that I was 10 years old. So Dave has been in over half my life. When I try to think back of a time that Dave wasn't involved in my family, it is hard to think of. That is why I hate calling Dave my brother-in-law. He is not a brother-in-law. He is simply my brother. If you're in someone's life for 11 years, you're a brother... that is for sure.
And then there's Heather. She and Tyler have been together for like 8 years. So she is also not a sister-in-law, but a sister.

Oddly enough this makes me think of my future spouse... I kind of feel bad for the poor sap to be honest =] But, I know that he is going to fit in perfectly with my family and he will become like a brother to them and a son to my parents. I just can't wait to know who he is =]

But, I just want to thank God for my family. They are amazing =]

Jesus Christ Superstar: You Really Are Who You Say You Are

Alright, so I'm watching Jesus Christ Superstar for my Intro. to Lit. class... yeah, I know I go to Bible College so that seems kind of dicey right?
Well, the movie is dicey. You just have to be firm in your Faith in Christ to know that Jesus is who He said He was/is.
But, that's not my point for this blog... I'm writing because I had a thought.

Jesus' Last Days on Earth

I mean, I'm sure he was terrified at what he was going up against. I mean, its death on a cross no one would be excited for that. But, how excited was He to know that soon He would again be with His Father in Heaven!?!?

I know that I cannot wait to get to Heaven and I haven't even seen it yet! How great was Jesus excitement about knowing He would be in Heaven? I don't know why I thought of that while watching. But, I did.

Ya know, Christ's love for us is so great that He left Heaven to put on flesh and become fully human, yet fully God, but he did it all to save me. And to save you (whoever you are that is reading this)!
I mean, how crazy is that?
Sometimes my mind is just blown by God and His love for us...  I just can't fathom what He did. I can't. It leaves me in awe of Him.
I literally have no words to describe this feeling of being loved by Him...
I mean, I guess there is a phrase...

I have the peace that passes all understanding.
Because I know that my Father sent His Son to die for me, so that I can live with him.

And, yeah.
Jesus Christ really was who He said He was.

I'm an adult... what?

YEAH!!!
My birthday was yesterday and I am officially 21. That is absolutely crazy to me! I am an adult.
I could drink.
I could gamble.
I could even rent an apartment by myself now!

whoa. Can't believe it =]

but, I don't hate it either =]

But, here's the exciting part. I can now measure what God is going to do with this 21st year of my life.
What will happen in this year?
The possibilities are endless!
Luckily you will all be there to see =]

to seek and Save

So, in my last post I had talked about missions being my future. Possibly. But, more and more I feel it is definitely God's will for my life. I can just tell my passions have changed. I care for other countries more than I used to.
I want to save the world.
I want to show people Jesus' love.
I want the world to know who God is.

I still don't have a clue where, but I am feeling a strong pull to Africa. I can't wait to see where God's going to put me for reals...
who knows.

I don't even know what to say, but I think you all should check this website out. This is legit.

http://www.machinegunpreacher.org/kids-stories/

future plans... psh!

Well, here we go!
I am in my 3rd week of classes and it is going along quite well.
Still looking for direction for my future, and more and more I feel like Missions is where I'm headed. Which, is literally terrifying. I never in a million years thought I would be saying those words. But, it almost makes sense after having several conversations with students here and members of my church. It just seems right. I don't know what it means for me to go in to missions except that I feel a strong call there. I'm not sure if I will live in another country for the rest of my life or if I will have a set up mission that I go to every year for a month or so.
Maybe I will be a church planter.
Maybe I will work with the homeless.
I don't know.
I'm just leaving open as many doors as possible so God can just give me a shove over the threshold of the right one.

We'll see what happens.
Terah Jo

welcome back ya'll!

Well, I am back in the Lou!!! And to be for realsies, I did miss it. a lot.
I'm glad to be back at SLCC. So far the new students seem legit. And, I love my roommate =] She's the bomb.com

I am hoping that this semester will give me a clearer picture of where I am headed in this life. More and more I seem to talk about missions and how my passion isn't in the US... And that scares me. But, its exciting at the same time. So, I am gonna pray this semester that God will clearly make a path for me and show me where to go. I ask that you all pray for the same thing.

I will definitely update you all =]
Thanks for listening.
Much Love
Terah Jo =]

the "g" word.

In my short life of almost 21 years, I have had to say goodbye to way too many people. I am getting ready to say goodbye to a whole church full of people and I am dreading it. I know that it is not truly goodbye. It still stinks to fall completely in love and become a family with BOC and then have to leave.
Tonight while driving I was thinking of all the people I have had to say goodbye to in recent years. Since 2009 I have said goodbye to

1. South Central High School
2. The Haitians.
3. SLCC Grads
4. MOCOMI Campers
5. Mississippi Valley Campers
6. High Hill Campers
7. Scenic Hills Campers
8. Rock Garden Campers
9. 2 weeks of Camp Illiana
10. Oil Belt Campers
11. More SLCC Grads
12. And all the beautiful people of South Africa.

People that is just since 2009...
When I look at that list of people one phrase comes to mind
"Sizo Gena Jerusalem"
That is a South Africa spiritual that basically means if I don't see you again I will see you in the next Jerusalem. And from now on that will be what I tell people. I will no longer say goodbye. I hate them. They always make me cry...
And I truly will see many of the people I have said goodbye to in the new Jerusalem. And I very much look forward to that day.
I hope to see you there.

Sizo Gena Jerusalem

InsideOutta Here!

Welp... Tonight was my last InsideOut at Branches of Christ! It is definitely sad =[ It means that my time here is coming to a close. I have 2 more Sundays left and then I go home for a few days and then back to the Lou... which, I do miss the NoCo, but I know I will miss here as well.
Man, this has been such an amazing experience. Working with my aunt and uncle has been amazing. And DJ was pretty cool too. I have to give him credit for the name of this blog.

Ya know, that's an interesting story in itself. Last summer I did camp teams and at my first week of camp (camp MOCOMI) I met DJ, he was interning with one of the guys there. Then a few months later, I found out he knew my aunt and uncle, well about 6 months later I call my aunt and guess who is sitting in her living room? DJ and Dianna, who was DJ's fiance at the time, but now she's his precious wifey =] DJ was about to be hired by Branches to be their new Youth and Family Minister. What are the odds? So crazy! Anywho, a week or so later Julie calls me and they want me to intern here this summer!

What a crazy plan God has for me... blows me away everyday. How he weaves lives together, its unbelievable. ah... I love it =]
I love Branches =]

Thanks God, for a super cool summer and for reminding me that I'm always in Your hand.

a day off =]

ahh yes! It has been a glorious day off! I feel so accomplished! I went grocery shopping, and planned my meals for the week. But most importantly I am getting ready to send of my South Africa thank you letters! I love being reconnected to South Africa and reading over my letter and reliving my memories from that trip.
I can't wait to go back someday... I pray that God will lead me back there at some point in my life, but I have no clue where the Lord will lead me next... and that is what makes this life so interesting! haha!
So for now, I will continue to remember South Africa with fondness and look forward to my next adventure!
And, I will also share my South Africa thank you letters with you all!

Hello again!

            First of all, I just want to say, thank you, thank you, thank you for supporting me on my trip to South Africa! I learned so much on this incredible journey. I learned about the country, about myself, but most importantly about my God. The two weeks went by so fast, but not too fast for me to make some memories!
            There are so many things I would like to share with you about this trip. But, I guess the best way would be to start at the beginning. The fact that I was going to Africa didn’t get real at all until I was on the plane to Washington DC, and after that it was all too real! Once we landed in Johannesburg I knew there was no going back. Trust me, I definitely didn’t want to come back home yet, all I wanted to do was to get to our final destination which was George.

            Once we landed in George, I felt at home, literally. The missionaries there were so incredibly kind to us and treated us like a family. They opened their home to us and taught us about the culture and what it was like to be a missionary in South Africa. They also showed us around the town of George, as well as showing us how beautiful God’s creation is. I wish I could tell you what it was like, but words and pictures will never do it justice. The mountains were majestic and the ocean was so beautiful (as well as freezing).

            Though the mountains and the coast were very beautiful, nothing could compare to the beauty of the South African people. Every time one of those little children smiled at me, it just stole my heart! They’re laugh, the way they talk, and their hugs all spoke of how awesome God is and how he is the Creator!
            But, I’m jumping ahead of myself! I should probably tell you where I met these children of God. We put on two VBS programs while we were there; one was only a day and the other lasted an entire week. But, there is an interesting story about that. Halfway through the week long VBS my team and I had a strong desire to do more. We knew God brought us to South Africa for more than to see the children for just an hour a day. So myself and two other girls in the group stayed up late and prayed one night that God would open up more opportunities for us and that we could be used to spread His Love to more children or at least get more time with the children we were already working with. So, as we all know. God answers prayer! And the next day at Kidstop (where VBS was taking place) we were asked to help serve meals to the children and come in on Friday morning to not only serve breakfast but to learn more about the organization and tour it. And then we would spend the rest of the day touring the other facilities and organizations put on by Youth For Christ.

            On Saturday we spent some time at Kidstop just playing with the children and ending our time there with some fun. That night we held a “braai” pronounced “brie” at the house so all the church folks could come and spend some quality time with us! It was so cool to see how they serve meals in their culture. But, before the meal was served the ladies sang some old hymns from in their native tongue, which was beautiful.

It was on this night that I decided that I wanted to do more with South Africa, that I felt a sincere calling and a feeling of home there. I don’t know when God will call me back there, but I do know that God has placed a strong desire to be there on my heart. I want to sincerely thank you all for helping me realize some desires that God has put on my heart that I didn’t even know existed. I want to ask that you all continue to pray for me as I am figuring out God’s plan for my life and as I am seeking out my future ties with South Africa. God will make his plan known in time, but until this I will rejoice in the time I spent in George and hope that I can do it again soon.
            The last day at church they sang one of the old hymns for us again as we were all saying our goodbyes. They sang one that had a special meaning. It goes something like this “aiyah duma ma Samaria, sizo gena Jerusalem” The song basically means, if I don’t see you again, I will see you in the next Jerusalem. And there was no better way to end our time in George than hearing that message and with that I will tell you all baai danke, which means thank you very much. And of course, see sizo gena Jerusalem.

With a grateful heart,
Terah Jo Mulvany

God... you are one crazy Potter.

So, remember that whole thing about me being amazed at where God puts me. Currently, I am house sitting and dog watching for a couple in the church... It's been fun. The dog is stinking precious. And adorable... but here's the problem. I am the biggest chicken in the world!
I blame this on the fact that someone tried to break into our house when I was in Jr. High... but, I digress.

The true reason I am insane is because I imagined the garage door opening and closing at midnight. Or heard someone knock on the door in a rhythmic pattern... makes me think 2 things.

1. I am losing my mind.
2. God has instilled in me one insane imagination.

Or both?

who knows?
only He does.

oh, and speaking of Potter. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 this Thursday... OH YEAH!!!

the purpose

So, as many of you know. My life is crazy. I never know where God is taking me and half the time you don't know until I get back. So I am going to use this as a means to let you all know what is happening in my life =]

wherever He takes me...

Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.