And today is...

my birthday! I've always liked my birthday and I hope I always do. I'm excited to be 23 right now and I hope I still am excited when I'm claiming 72. When I was in Thailand, Winnie who was there to teach English for a year was never afraid to tell her age. She was 75 and looking forward to her 76th birthday. She was my wise and kind 75 year old friend....and she was glad to be 75. I want to be like that. Twenty-two has been a good year. I don't think that one year ago that this is what I thought life would look like right now. I'm not sure what I thought but I am glad to be here. I always become a little reflective around this time. A lot happened this year.
Key Events (to me):
I started going to a small group and learned more about living life with others, being open, growing together, and pushing each other toward to the Lord.

I read all of the Torah and Creation to Complete by Russell Resnik with it. I learned a lot and learned that I have even more to learn than I ever thought before.

I learned about Exodus Cry and got involved with their street outreach. With this it felt like the Lord renewed my passion and burden for human trafficking.

I graduated from Nursing School...and passed boards and became a nurse.

I lived with my dear friend Stephanie for a month.

I started renting my first house with Sophie and Sarah.

I learned how to pay bills.

I learned I will never remember to take the trash to the end of the road on trash day or bring in the mail.

I started working as a Nurse on nights.

I switched from a day schedule to a night schedule....I felt like a should say that again because it is the reason for most everything else that has happened.

I started leading a side room at IHOP for intercession for human trafficking.

I became part of the evangelism small group.


This year I feel like the Lord took me through a several seasons which He named.
Courting-learning about the Lord's history, family, traditions...learning to be safe with the Lord.
Building (not what I expected to be next)
- Pointing out the boulders that had to be moved before foundation could be poured...healing.
- Foundation pouring- a time of the Lord pursuing my heart. Teaching me to love intercession, prophecy, evangelism. Building many things in me. Laying foundation. Opening my heart to seeing him as the bridegroom and preparing myself for him. And for who the Lord has for me.
-Preparing a house- The Lord prepares the house.
Waiting.....Just waiting. And walking day by day with the Lord. He knows the how, what, when, and where of what he has planned and I can trust that.

...As the clock struck midnight tonight Sarah, Sophie, and Jasmine sang happy birthday to me and we celebrated. The Sophie said "23...let's name 23 things we love about Bailey..." And so they did. I felt so loved, seen, honored, and respected. They then blessed me and this year. And prayed for me. One thing that stuck out was Sophie saying that she just really felt fruitfullness for this year. It just hit me. So a little later, after they went to bed, I looked up some references. I saw several for be fruitful and multipy....which doesn't exactly apply yet :)... Then I found this verse in Colossians 1: 9-13. I feel like it really is my prayer right now and I want to learn more about what the Lord means by fruitfullness. Here is the Colossians passage...

Therefore, from the day we heard of it, we have not stopped praying for you, asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all the wisdome and understanding with the Spirit gives; so that you may live lives worthy of the Lord and entirely pleasing to him, being fruitful in every good work and multiplying in the full knowledge of God. We pray that you will be continually strengthened with all the power that come from his glorious might; so that you will be able to persevere and be patient in any situation, joyfully giving thanks to the Father for having made you fit to share in the inheritance of his people in the light. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and trasferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.