Perfect Moments

Oh. My. Gosh. If I've ever felt God's presence, it was in this past week. I spent this past week in New Mexico on a mission trip with my church. It was amazing. I can't even describe it. Two weeks before that, I had been on a mission trip to Kentucky with the same group. They were awesome in Kentucky, but the trip to New Mexico was way better. Not only was there less drama in New Mexico, but I felt like I had a purpose there more than in KY. I felt like that was exactly where I belonged. I didn't know why, but I knew. I had so many seeking God moments, but I'm only sharing my perfect moments in this post. Now, my perfect moments are seeking God moments too, because they are like sneak peeks of what Heaven will be like, so don't think this post is a waste of time or anything. So, I just have a list of perfect moments, if that's okay with you, because I feel like putting them in one big paragraph is a bit annoying. And quick disclaimer, I don't know the order of them. They aren't in chronological order because the week was a bit of a jumble for me.

• I had my first perfect moment on Monday. I had been praying about getting to know some of the people on the trip (Sam, Brooke, Jacob) and I got to work on a side of the church with mostly just them. I really felt like I got to know Sam, Jacob, and Brooke, which was awesome, because I had been praying seriously about that.
• The next perfect moment was Monday night before VBS. I was sitting in what is now officially "My Spot," and scrubbing the dirt and paint off of my arms and legs with baby wipes. I was watching a big group of the youth play basketball. Slowly, the group thinned out, until only one or two remained. After the other guy left, the last guy walked over and talked to me about the sky and the upcoming storm, things I was too preoccupied to notice. I loved that moment because it was a reminder to me that God isn't in a rush. God has things planned to go exactly the time and way he wants them too.
• The third perfect moment was sitting with Emily on the curb. I got to share my testimony with her, which was special because I had never shared it one on one with anyone before, without holding anything back. I had a great time because I felt like I could be 100 percent real without saying something that could be perceived wrongly. And even though I did mess up my words, it wasn't awkward because I was right there with her, and she could ask me questions too.
• Another perfect moment was waking up to see the sunrise. The day before, I had intended to go, but circumstances and a personal decision made me choose not to. Because of all that, I was overjoyed to see the beautiful sunrise in the huge New Mexico sky.
• Yet another perfect moment was that one night, either Sunday or Monday night, I did a lot of singing, and my voice was mostly shot. I got to dance in the rain and listen to some really awesome guys sing instead of me, a welcome change for a girl who often ends up singing a lot more than my voice should. I really loved that.
• Many perfect moments involved me singing with or listening to music with or listening to Jacob. Jacob is so musically gifted, both in his music discernability and his voice and guitar skills. I had a ton of fun with him this week, although I accidentally ended up calling him my brother's name multiple times.
• One of the last perfect moments I had, I was sitting on a metal swingset, watching Michaela, Sam, Kenton, and Justin playing basketball. I know that doesn't sound like much, but a storm was coming, and I really enjoyed that moment, feeling God's power in the storm and his love through my friends.

The best part of the week is that that isn't even half of my perfect moments. Those are just my favorites. They were all special, but I really felt God in them, and got a preview of heaven.