I'll be home for Christmas

Well, this has been the craziest, most frustrating, exciting, challenging, thrilling semester of my life... I still need some more time to reflect on all that has happened, but I can conclude that I wouldnt trade it for the world. I have learned a ton of life lessons, I have grown so much spiritually and most of all am more confident in the Lord and His faithfulness because of this semester.... I think I have finally grasped the idea of surrendering and listening to the Lord's voice. I have not mastered it in any degree, but I have learned that when my eyes are focused on Him, it's much easier to hear His voice over all the distractions of life. More about this semester once finals are done...

The thought of going home is so exciting. Living away from home has been an awesome experience so far- I have come to really appreciate my parents and everything that they have done for me and what they are doing for me now! When I dont have my clothes washed, a nice warm home-cooked on the table and love and support right there, it makes me thank the Lord for when I get the chance to have that when I go home! Man I am blessed :)

Although I will only be in Flagstaff for maybe a week total, I am taking full advantage of family time. I am most looking forward to seeing the snow covered mountains, more than 3 stars, my friends that I can pick up where we left off and most of all my family!!!

Plans for the month-long Christmas break? All I can say is the Lord is good:

*In Flag for a few days (like 3-4)

*Drive up to Colorado to spend time in the mountains with the family and grandma-guarenteed white christmas (4-5 days)

*get back to flag and a few days later I fly to Indonesia (12/29-1-15) to go visit molly!! God is so faithful to provide and I cant wait to see how the trip goes and what crazy Evans' sister adventures I'll have!!!

*get back to the states (1/15)and the next day i fly back to dallas....(1/17)

as you can see not much of a break, but this break is gonna rock! Goal for the break- take full advantage of time with my family and grow in my relationship with the Lord :)

the blog will be updated while in Indo (or at least that is the plan!)

Life With Multiple Sclerosis part 4

So God is good and that's all I have to say. For someone with a chronic disease of the nervous system that causes weakness and fatigue (affecting mostly my legs) I am so blessed-blessed with an amazing family, school and amazing friends. Also I am super blessed to still be able to play soccer at the collegiate level! My freshman year I started and played every game in the goal. I had a couple days where I thought "Lord, I don't have enough strength to play 90 minutes" but then He would step in and shut-outs would happen. After a pretty successful first year getting 4th place in NCCAA national tournament, something awesome and unexpected happened. It was a few days before I was flying home for Christmas break when my coach called me into his office. He sat me down and informed me that I had been awarded with the NSCAA All America Goalkeeper! What?! Me, a weak, unfaithful, undeserving soccer player from Flagstaff, AZ, an All-American award? Wow, again the only one I could thank and give praise to was the Lord-no where else!

I knew that I had to use this amazing honor to glorify God, and man did I have a ton of opportunities to do so. I live in a pretty liberal town back home, but when they wanted to interview me about my All-American award, I knew I was going to get to share my testimony as well! The article came out and God definitely got all the glory! (the article)http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2007/01/29/news/sports/20070129_sports_28.txt

This year, I got the opportunity to play forward, a position that requires a lot more running than what I am used to. In a few games I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it, but then again the Lord proved me wrong and I was able to get through the games as well as score my 1st collegiate goal- man nothing is impossible for my God!!!

The Lord continues to put people in my life that I have been able to minister to using my testimony, people who encourage me, challenge me and I couldn't be more thankful for those people! I love having the opportunity to share my story, because it is proof that the Lord is always there by our side even in the storms, that He does answer prayer, that He IS our strength when we are weak. I am very excited as well as fearful to what the future looks like for me. I know the Lord has a plan for my life and that He is going to use it to His glory!! So whether I am still walking in 20 years or in a wheelchair- no matter the case I will still praise the name of the Lord and live to bring Him glory in everything I do!!

Life With Multiple Sclerosis part 3

After I was diagnosed I knew my life never would be the same. I was going to have to make some changes in my life. One area was having to be on medicine. In order to slow the progression of the disease, the doctor put me on the newest medicine called Avonex. This meant that I had to give myself a shot in the leg once a week. The shot is intramuscular, so it is about an inch and a quarter- no fun! Even though getting a shot now twice a week, the medicine is working and my body is a responder to it. Like this past year the disease didn't even progress!

The area where things changed was my physical condition. I had to do a lot of research on what MS actually was and how it was going to affect my life. The definition of MS is a chronic, potentially debilitating disease that affects your central nervous system- it causes various symptoms such as weakness, loss of muscle coordination, vision problems, tinglyness, numbness, fatigue and potential wheelchair bound. Major temperature changes, not enough sleep, stress are just a few things that can trigger "bad days". I knew that the heat was going to be an issue now that I was headed to Texas to play soccer. I knew that going to college, I probably wasn't going to be getting the amount of sleep I needed and stress was inevitable.

However, I knew that I was supposed to be going to DBU, so the Lord was going to provide me everything I needed to get through practices, games, school and all the stress that comes with life, so I didn't have to worry.

There have been a lot of confirmations from God that DBU is where I need to be. When I was diagnosed, I was fearful in letting my coach know. After a lot of prayer, my coach emailed me back and instead of telling me that they didn't want me (which is what I was expecting) he told me that I had a teammate (becca) that had MS, and that he already knew all about it and that I had nothing to worry about. Can you say TOTAL GOD THING! What are the chances? I can only point it back to the Lord-and that would continue throughout my college years....

me and Becca -->

Life With Multiple Sclerosis part 2

So after my sophomore year, I didnt have any reoccurring symptoms- praise the Lord! I was feeling good and thought that I wouldnt ahve to worry about it again. However, my health took a major turn that would change my life forever. It was October of my senior year when I signed with the DBU women's soccer team. I was really looking forward to being done with high school and going away for college.

My high school soccer season began and things were looking good! It wasn't until Decmeber when I started feeling sick. One day we were running sprints, like normal, but this day was more difficult than normal. I wasnt able to finish the sprints and it came to the point when I literally fell over. This was so unusual that my mom took me to the doctor- we thought it could be anemia or mono. After the blood tests came back negative, the doctors figured I should get an MRI due to my previous neurological history.

Going into the MRI I wasnt nervous because it never dawned on me that there could be something wrong with me. A couple night after I got the MRI done, my parents sat me down on the couch with tears streaming down their face. They broke the devistating news to me- I felt empty and fearful. I remembered my friend's mom had MS and she was in a wheelchair-that really scared me! However, that same moment DBU's theme verse Jeremiah 29:11 came into mind "For I know the plans I have for you Emily, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future!" Although the fear of the future-whether I could still play college soccer, if I could live a normal life-God's peace totally came over me and from there He was going to do some pretty amazing things....

Life With Multiple Sclerosis part 1

It all started when I was a sophomore in high school. I was going to soccer practice like I always did, but this day was different. My skin was all tingly on my stomach, like when your foot falls asleep. The next day the tinglyness moved to my hands and feet. My mom was concerned with what was happening, so we went to the doctor to get some blood work done. When the blood tests came back, they were all normal. The tinglyness was still everywhere, so my doctor wanted me to get an MRI to see if that would answer any questions. Well, the MRI came back and it did answer our questions. The doctor found inflammation of my myelin-the layer that surrounds the axons in your spinal cord diagnosing me with Transverse myelitis. They were afraid that if I dove wrong while playing keeper that I could possibly paralyze myself, so I had to stop playing soccer. This was definitely devastating because soccer was my life, and now it was taken away. This news made me have to look to the Lord for comfort and peace. My faith definitely grew the next few months. After a lot of prayer, 3 months later I got another MRI and the inflammation was gone! It was a miracle! I was able to play soccer again! I had no idea that my life would be changed forever 2 years later...

Why DBU?

Everytime I tell people I am from AZ, they ask "what brought you to Texas? Why here?" My answer? The only logical way I can put it is God totally lead me here! I was looking to go to a Christian college with a soccer program. I looked all over the country because I needed to get out of AZ. I looked in Tennessee, Iowa, Arkansas and Texas. After visiting all of the colleges, I felt that DBU was the place for me. I had this peace that transcended all understanding. I was really excited when I signed with DBU- I was going to live in a big city, I was going to be free, I was going to get a texas twang! After 3 years here, I have been to the city maybe 6 times, soccer has kept me pretty busy, and unfortunately I haven't aquired a texas twang, yet :)

The other neat part about coming to Texas is that I have had the chance to reconnect with my extended family. My first thanksgiving away from home was spent with 30 family members that I hadn't seen since 6th grade!

It is so neat to see how perfect DBU is for me. Although Jeremiah 29:11 is somewhat cliche, that is what I live by. The Lord definitely has a plan for my life and it is evident since I have been at DBU. Everthing has fallen into place so nicely there is no other explaination than God has His hand all over it! I am so excited to see what other amazing things the Lord is going to do with me while I am at DBU. I have no idea where He is going to take me after college, but I can say with confidence that He has a plan and those plans will not be thwarted!

Adventures of Summer '08 Part 3- Chicago Illinois

After the amazing trip to Brazil, the men's and women's teams headed back to good ol Wheaton, IL to get started with our four weeks of kids camps. Each week was in a different place through out chicago and wisconsin. The best part about the different weeks was that we got to stay in homes of different families.

Along with staying with families, we also got to tour Chicago- navy pier, sears tower and Lake Michigan! We also had a different group of kids that we taught not only soccer skills, but also share the gospel!Although the kids were cute, this summer definitely confirmed that I am not meant to work with them in a career :)

This is one of the houses that I got to stay in downtown chicago!

I spent my 20th birthday in chicago, so all the girls went out to dinner!

We spent the 4th of July in Chicago as well, so here are some girls watching the fireworks!

Reflecting on all of my adventures this summer, all I can say is I AM BLESSED! I am so blessed to have had this amazing opportunity this summer. My life was definitely changed this summer and I will never forget what I learned and the people I met!

Adventures of Summer '08 Part 1- Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Wow, its been a while since I've updated! Well, I will begin back with the adventures of my summer! After the week in Goiania, we met back up with the boys in Rio De Janeiro.

In Rio, we got to visit "Ciudad De Deus" (City of God). This is one of the most dangerous places in Rio, but with God's protection we were safe. We got to play with the kids at one of the local schools as well as share the Gospel to them :)

After going to the City of God, we visited Villa De Conquista- one of the poorest places I have ever seen. The most amazing part was that the people living there still had smiles on their faces! We played soccer with the kids and shared the Gospel

One of the coolest things we got to do while in Rio, was that we go to attend a professional soccer game! The place was packed and the game was awesome!

We also go to go to the Christ statue that over looked the city of Rio De Janeiro! It was such an amazing statue as well as view!

These were just a few amazing experiences that I had while in Brazil! I think that part of my heart is still left in Brazil and I hope that some day I will be able to return. Going to Brazil was definitely a life changing experience that I hope to never forget :)

Craziest Game Ever Played!

Sorry for the interruption of adventures of summer part 2, but I have to share the craziest soccer game I have ever played in!

This past weekend we traveled to Odessa to play UTPB, a team that we have beat before. Well this game definitely didn't go the way we expected. We weren't playing very well and only scored one goal in the first half. We got a talking to during half-time and we had 45 minutes to prove to our coach that we wanted to win.

During this time, I was wondering if I was going to play in goal 2nd half. I asked coach hoping she would say " ya put your gloves on" but instead she said " you might have to put on a jersey and play on the field". Oh, forgot a minor detail: we had 3 girls on the bench who were injured so our bench was very small even before the game started.

So now me, never playing on the field except in the goal, finally had the amazing chance to get to play on the field.

By the time I got out onto the field to play forward, the score was 2-0 us. UTPB ended up scoring to make it 2-1. Fifteen minuted before the game was over, one of our forwards went in for a tackle and suddenly broke her ankle! It happened so fast, and me along with everyone else on the field suddenly saw her ankle not going in the right direction! After the paramedics took her off the field we started up the game again. (we found out she broke her tibia and tore ligaments-she's getting surgery this week) UTPB ended up scoring to tie it up. We scored, and they scored right after. Two minuted before the game ended we scored again! The end score was 4-3! This was definitely the craziest game I've ever played in- and the coolest thing is that the Lord was there by our sides the whole time, He gave us the strength and perseverance to push through adversity! The Lord is good and it is so fun when you give it all to God where He takes you in life! For me, that could be playing forward :)

Adventures of Summer '08 Part 1- Goiana, Brazil

This summer I had the privilege to be a part of the Chicago Eagles 2008 Soccer Academy. The Chicago Eagles is a sports ministry organization that gives both men and women college athletes the opportunity to not only play for a team in the summer, but also a chance to use their God-given talents to glorify the Lord and bless the lives of others. The academy is 2 months of kids soccer camps, a two week mission trip, sports ministry training and league matches.

This summer both teams got to go on a mission trip to Brazil for two weeks. The men's team went to Teresopolis for the first week and the women got to go to Goiania. While in Goiania the women got to love on the kids at Projecto Crecer- a place for kids to have the opportunity to learn, play soccer and most importantly hear the Gospel.

We also got to help out a women named Ana from the local church and build her a wall for her home. This woman had 8 children, no money , but faith and joy that was amazing despite her circumstances. It was so humbling building this wall, and it blessed our group as much as it blessed her!

Another awesome thing we got to do was attend an Athetas De Critso meeting. This is similar to FCA (fellowship of Christian Athletes) but for professional athletes. It was so neat to not only meet professional soccer players, but ones that were totally on fire for Christ. These type of men will definitely impact Brazil because people in South America really look up to athletes and if the athletes are Christian-man! Singing "Shout to the Lord" in both Portuguese and English was also amazing!

More of "adventures of summer '08" to be continued