THE best day of my life... NO JOKE!!! :)

as alli said tonight, "kara... has today been the best day of your life?" and to that i give an outstanding shout "YES!!!"

my God is so big!
so strong and so mighty
there's NOTHING my God cannot do!!

wow. so today was nasw lobby day... this is where social workers from all over the state of illinois go to the capital, springfield, to lobby to senators and representatives for the passing of certain bills. i was really nervous to go, but it really opened my eyes to the importance that each individual vote and opinion and say is in our democracy. i'm starting to dig this whole politics/law/government stuff. it makes me super excited inside!! :) so i went with prof lareau and jan and 5 other social workers: 4 seniors and a junior. so i was the youngest and they said they're never had a sophomore go before... so i was the first and it was so much fun. first we had a motivational speaker who threw out some really good quotes like...

"Where there is no vision, the people perish. Where there is vision, the people flourish. Where the people flourish, peace, justice and democracy prevail."
"Politics is the process through which we figure out the distribution of power."
"Power is unjustly distributed. If power is finite, our goal is to secure communites of power. We are not merely justice seekers, public advocates-but we are activists-empowering those who have little power."
"If you put a light in the darkness, the people will find it. As a social worker, I would rather be one lone candle in the darkness than a part of unorganized, chaotic darkness."
and my favorite...
"Legislators put their pants on one leg at a time too."

and then, after eating lunch at an amazing sandwich and soup place (i had beef and barley soup and a roast beef sandwich. it was wonderful!) we walked to the capital to lobby. we were there until around 3:30, talked to a senator and 2 representatives from the house. we also sat in on some of the house hearing and it was amazing. very eye-opening and just pretty downright sweet!

needless to say... the capital building in springfield is BEAUTIFUL!!!

so... i told prof lareau to smile... he was just too busy trying to figure out what Jesus peaking would be. :) ha ha!these are the lovely people i went with... from left to right

jan, chris, liz, jenn, prof lareau, kim and lindsey

this was amazing... these are all the lobbyists... waiting outside the house of representatives to be able to talk to their representatives. you can sign a note to be sent into the house and sometimes the reps come out of the voting room and make time to hear people's interest in a particular bill or agenda and they meet the people and take time to talk to them. it's really kewl how it all works. i was fascinated.

so that was awesome. and THEN!!! i come home and i'm checking my email and... I MADE IT!!! i got accepted to be a part of the band "Before Tomorrow" and will be traveling with Olivet this summer. it's me and six guys. which is kewl, i think!! :) i am SOOO excited!!! we're having a party tomorrow night... and i just can't wait!!!

and THEN!!! yes, that's right... it just gets better. i went to gospel choir, and YES! we're wearing jeans and white for the concert... always wanted to do that... but lindsey and i talked for a while afterwards about life and politics and Olivet's student body government and lobby day and law school... and we ended up going to taco bell and talking for, um, probably about 3 hours. can i just testify that God is the God of forgiveness and restoration and healing and he is turning our relationship into something more beautiful than i ever would have dreamed!!! i am so excited about all that he is doing and working in lindsey's life and in my life and i'm even more excited about the way that he has brought us back together and so encouraged that he is really concerned with my healing. i think a lot of times i take that for granted. i think that if i can just forgive that that will be enough... that that's all i need. but God wants to give me sooo much more... restoration. peace. healing. and i can FEEL him speaking those words over and into my life... and it just feels soooo good!!! my God is SO big, so strong and SO mighty.... there's NOTHING my God cannot do!!! thanks Jesus for lindsey... for our relationship... for breaking us so that you could put us back together even better than when we began. help us to share our past and our relationship as a testimony to draw other women and girls closer in relationship with you and with each other. and thank you so much for all that you've given me and for all that you continually desire to pour into me. may you be blessed and lifted high in my life from now until forever!!! amen!!! :)

may you today trust God in whatever area it is that you need healing. know that he not only CAN give you that healing but that he desires that for you more than anything else! he loves you... and just like a lover loves on his beloved, so God is longing to love on you and fill you up with him and make you smile and make your heart not hurt and hold you and restore you... you only have to let him "date you". :) be blessed!!! and enjoy my pictures of my beautiful friend and kindred spirit, lindsey marie kline. i love you linzers!!! (more than the ocean!! ha ha!!)