I got the job!!

You know what's really cool? God knows everything! He knows what time we will wake and what time we sleep! What words will be spoken or thought of!! He KNEW I would get this job in Brisbane! A few months ago this same company tried to set up a phone interview with me and at the very time I was set to receive the call- our phone line went dead!!! Cox fixed it-3HOURS LATER!!! So I thought I blew it! I sent apologies via e-mail, but I was so discouraged and I felt like a failure. (I realized it wasn't my mistake but you know how it goes- us women take on every mistake as our responsibility!!) When a month later they requested a second interview I was shocked! But God knew- for some reason, I wasn't ready for the first interview, or they weren't ready, but whatever happened in the divine, God will was accomplished and I am blessed! I am ALWAYS blessed even when I don't feel like it! He has promised to keep me in the "cleft of His rock", "no one shall snatch me from the palm of His hand", "He is for me, who can be against?" I sometimes hate the way I feel- the way I feel doesn't change reality. Where I live doesn't change where I will go. Who we are is deep inside it comes from living, on this earth, what happens and who we know. (Jesus is a good one to know- I'm telling you!!)

So I am a little bit closer to the move but more important, I am a lot closer to the one who moves me!!!!

Any day now!

God loves me! Of that, I am positive! And because I know this , I follow His word, which says- "a man plans his ways, but the Lord guides his steps". We are also called to spread His word throughout all the earth. Also, He works all thing together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes! Wow! It's almost like a recipe for success, no matter what!! So while I am under steady progress toward my goal of nursing in Australia, I am also covered by God's ultimate goal-His good! He IS good isn't He? Amen!

I had a phone interview which was very successful with an Australian hospital on the Gold Coast, in Brisbane. they were very excited to have me on board. Now its just paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. My nursing application is still in progress.... (sigh) I feel a little bit closer!

A dear friend is moving away to North Carolina and another has moved to Oregon. I feel as if God is taking us all on our own little journeys to discover. To discover this big planet for His pleasure and His glory.....why not??!!

Well its a month since my last post and absolutely NOTHING has happened toward Australia! So I am forever hopeful and have been reading up on the country just to be prepared for what we're about to embark on! Little did I know...

80% of all that exists in Australia- exists nowhere else on earth.

And it has more things there that can kill you than anywhere else on earth!

5 of it's creatures: the funnel web spider, box jellyfish (known as "stingers"),, blue ringed octopus, paralysis tick, and stonefish are the most lethal of their type in the world!

Only Antarctica has a harsher life!!

All of these thrive well in Brisbane, along with hundreds of drowning victims every year due to the "rips" (riptides). And don't forget about your neighborhood crocs who jump up out of the local bay to ingest a tourist or two, quite frequently!

And my friends try to warn me about their sharks- I've swam with sharks (grey smoothies, but still!) and I am quite sure if I even venture into the water I won't be worried about a little shark or two!!

Isn't this exciting? (Don't read this Mom- it's not for the faint of heart!) It's the only thing that keeps Isaiah, my youngest even interested in going to the largest island on the planet!

The only living thing visible from space...The Great Barrier Reef still has animals that are uncatagorized and possibly unseen by human eyes!

These are OBVIOUSLY not reasons I am longing to embark on this adventure, but as a nurse I do see it as job security while there! I am sure that I myself would probably suffer a heart attack if faced with any of the above dangers, but mostly I would be dead! So I hereby promise to pray often and be careful!!

To err. is human, to wait...devine..!!

At church we have been studying the 10 commandments. I have broken almost every one and some, many, many times! I am the first to admit I am totally human! Which explains some behaviors I exhibit, but never excuses them!!

I have recently found that I really hate to wait and/or have to re-do something I put time and effort into! Who doesn't? Probably Jesus! He loves that kind of stuff, of course He's already been to the future...He known how it ends! But I DON"T! WAAAAA! ( I am such a cry baby)!

I have sent my nursing application, completed 3 times and just got it back AGAIN for having something submitted incorrectly!! Help! I can't call Australia every day or my nurse recruiter in London, England every time something is amiss! I don't even know what's wrong with it! I feel like hitting a rock, or throwing some tablets of stone down and breaking them! Ever have days like that??

Until I can get this settled, I am in a holding pattern....flying over the desert, the smelly, hot, dusty desert!

Thank God, I'm only human!!

Moses... put down that pen!

You know, Moses didn't write about stuff til after they happened. So much has happened since I last posted. Several hospitals are in the process of setting up phone interviews with me. My application was completed, (again) but this time with a trip to L.A. to the Australian Consulate. It took 31/2 hours there and more back (traffic) but I went with a dear friend and caught up on everything new under the sun! Well spent time!! The actual time in the embassy was about 15 minutes. Isn't that so the way it goes!!

I bring up Moses, because we are so much alike him and I! We both enjoy wearing sandals. We both are addicted to bread, (that was all he ate, the carb. monster)! And we both head out under God's direction, with very little support, belief in what we're doing, especially from our family. Now Aaron and Miriam tried, but when it got tough they whined alot and followed the crowd! I love my friends and family, as I know Moses did, but sometimes I'd like to break a few stone tablet over their heads!!

I feel very alone at times! It'd be great to have Moses appear to me on a mount of transfiguration! (Could I transfigure to a size six please?) What would he say to encourage me? Probably something like, "C-C-Cassie, God loves all these people on this journey with you, so b-b-be patient with them all! And stay away from the desert path, it takes alot longer!!"

I hope you all know ,as God definitely does, that I am NO Moses! But I appreciate knowing there is such a great cloud of witnesses that have gone before and wrote to tell about it!How truly blessed we are to have the Word of God as our pillar of fire by night!! No matter how dark! Some day I hope my blog may help someone else on a journey somewhere... at least to let them know they are not alone!!

will they have hamburgers in heaven?

I decided that before I adventure down under, I should get my-self in order. Besides getting my house ready to rent, doing a million pieces of paperwork, working full time, being mom and dad full time, I have decided I need a personal trainer person to tell me how to eat and work out.... so now I'm hungry!!

In all honesty, I am feeling small inside and inadequate to make this move. I know that if I look better, I will feel a little better, but that doesn't last long and I'm back in self pity mode! I KNOW I can't do this alone, God has a hold of my right hand! I just wish all those around me had a little more faith in the process, and the outcome! My mom, my dad, my kids! Don't get me wrong, every other minute I am drowning in reality, but I BELIEVE in so much more than I can see right now!! Don't you... don't you want to??

Diets are for wimps, Jeff Kotterman is for crazy brave souls!! I hope that Australian food is fat, sugar, and guilt free. So as I work at working out on the outside, my favorite personal trainer Jesus is working out my insides. It hurts but it is so worth it!! That' probably why I blog, to show myself proof that God IS doing what He said He would in my life! I love you God, and You love me no matter what shape I am!!

Happy Easter!!

He is risen, indeed!! I speak of faith and miracles, but honestly, much of the time I am so doubtful. Then there are times when I truly believe, nothing will turn out right! Few are the instances when I am sure. I hear about miracles, and I believe the ones I read about in the Bible, but they don't happen for me.... I am so forgetful. They happen for us everyday!!

I received a call from my ex-husband last week that he wanted to get together to talk. I was skeptical and tried to get out of it, but he said he was sorry about the way he had behaved the last time we spoke. I agreed to meet him on Saturday. We met at a neutral location, Mc Donald's. He told me that ever since he began resisting our plans for Australia, he has felt a pressure upon him. He said that everything began to go wrong, he got to the point where he couldn't stand it any longer. He knew it was God putting the pressure on.

I began to tear up. I said a silent prayer of thanks to God. I remembered back two weeks ago when I fasted asking God for favor. I surrendered my will and my plans. I was in a battle and I knew I was in over my head. I wasn't sure of the outcome but I knew I would always follow God no matter what... even if it didn't go the way I'd hoped! Now here in a corner booth at east county's favorite food joint, I felt a surge of hope.

Not only did Tony agree to let the kids and I adventure to Australia, but he heard from God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge! For both Tony and I! My God is mighty and desires to give His children the desires of their hearts.

This is awesome, from my viewpoint but something I didn't expect happened. Both Isaiah and Faith were crushed to hear the news! They knew it was a plan in the making but they are not entirely on board with the whole idea. When they heard their dad was fighting against me because he didn't want His children taken away from him, my kids felt like their dad was fighting FOR them. Now they feel like their dad gave up the fight for them, and that old wound of abandonment reared it's ugly head to discourage my children! Whoa!! I did not see that coming.

My kids mean so much to me, as any parent knows, sometimes watching them go through spiritually hard things is heart- wrenching!! Now I am praying for them. Both for healing and for peace for the journey! Please pray with me! And for me, the mom, to do and say the right thing!