live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air

blogging is a hard deal because every time i sit down to write, my head swims with all thoughts and people and stories i want to share. life here is beautiful and full of God's grace and for those reasons and more it is a life that is difficult to narrow down. nonetheless, blogging is something i want to get better at :)

never in life have i welcomed a new year as i do this one. with everything i want to be doing here - whether it be school, hanging out in orphanages, or just living life with people - the days begin to get packed, the nights become short, my eyelids grow heavy. i needed a fresh start. i needed to refocus.

over this past break the Lord has taken me under His wing and given me a new perspective, washing me clean of my selfishness, reminding me i don't have to do everything myself, showing me more glimpses of His plan, healing me. i have forgotten how to make time for the things that bring me joy...like writing, blogging, running, being outside, the beach, music, talking to my family and friends - the list is long. i live in the most beautiful place ever and i feel like i haven't been taking enough advantage of that. the Lord is teaching me again how to walk in the freedom He's given me, the same freedom He sent me to bring to people here.

i feel like the most clever thing the enemy can do is to bog down my mind. to overwhelm me. but i am thankful that the Holy Spirit wants to constantly renew my mind, so that i'm able to see more clearly the heart of God (Romans 12:2). and that is my prayer every day from here on out that my mind is transformed and renewed until my life is not even a bit my own anymore.

i just need to remember i'm free. i forget sometimes.

"live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air" -ralph waldo emerson

this is where i live.

*side note: there is a lot of good going on here, and i would love to share some of it with whoever is interested in praying over specific people and situations that i would rather not post publicly. for this reason i am going to start regularly emailing updates and requests for prayer. if you would like to be on the list of people to receive those emails, please send a note to emilee.cook@gmail.com letting me know. i am excited to share and feel more connected through prayer :)