Isaiah 40:28-31... Favorite scripture :)

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40: 28-31

Getting Excited About Life!!

Morning friends!
I have a little bit of free time before I go to Libby's to help her set up her kitchen, so I thought I'd take the time to update.
Someone wrote on my Facebook wall the other day. He said something like, "Hey Hannah! Haven't seen you in forever....how is the Lord working in your life?" Haha did not see that one coming! But you know somethin? I really think God was trying to speak to me!
 Like I've shared previously, life has been really hard lately. Been struggling with alot of sadness, lots of anger, and lots of just plain anxiety about the future. Been struggling with the fact that once again, I have to tell my manager that I have to quit working after just one month....because I have to stay focused on nursing. Gaaaaahh!! I swear, if I had a dollar for every time I heard the phrase "to prepare for nursing", I would be a very wealthy 18 year old.
But hahaha like i said, despite these tiny frustrations, God is answering my prayers. I feel real and genuine excitement about where I'm heading for the first time in a long while. I know that all these short term sacrifices seem like enormously important to me, but the truth is, when I look at it as preparing me for helping my husband one day, and setting myself up for what God is going to use me for in the future, it puts a whole new light on things.
So what has God been doing in my life?


He's giving me more hope, more faith, and more joyful anticipation for what He is doing in my life.


I have been seeing His hand in so many areas lately. While all my problems haven't necessarily disappeared, and my heart hasn't exactly been cured of unbelief, I do see my Jesus at work. Even the crazy fact that as I've been just longing more and more for my dream of becoming a farm girl to become a reality, our dear friend, Courtney Byron shows up from Kentucky for a visit, and just inspires me beyond words. She's seriously one of the dearest people in my life, and whenever I would think that my dream couldn't come true, I look at her life.
She was in the middle of a morning biking workout one day about 10 years ago, training for the Olympics, when God spoke to her and said, "This isn't what you're supposed to be doing!" So what did that girl do? She turned that bike around and peddled back to what God had for her. Now she is happily married, lives on a farm, is all into healthy and organic living (like me!), and is the happy mommy of five beautiful country kids! I shared with her my longing to work a farm one day, grow my own food, raise livestock, and have lots of kids myself. She was so encouraging!! It just raised my faith level off the charts.
God is good friends! And THAT is something to be excited about! And I know not all of us are in the season I am with pretty much my whole life in front of me, yet I want to encourage ya'll to be excited about your life! Be excited about what God does on a day-to-day basis for you! Be excited about His loving care and faithfulness towards you that never, ever, ever wains or lessens despite all your failures!
Let your joy about what He is up to just radiate! Let it shine through to your kids, your siblings, your parents, your colleagues, your friends, and all the other shtangers you will come into contact with. You WANT them to ask the question, "Why on earth are you so happy all the time???" Glory be to God!
Well, I sincerely hope this was encouraging. I know it is for me...I have hope again. Thank you for those of you who have been praying for me. Means so much.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance!!

"'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the
 Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you;
plans to give you a hope and a future! '"

My Help Comes From the Lord! :)

So first off, let me just start by saying that the song you are currently listening to has been playing over and over and over again ever since I finally discovered the name of it. I heard it for the first time a few weeks ago on 101.3 while cleaning the floor at work, and I kid you not, I was dancing with that mop! It just...i dunno...makes me so happy for some reason! Haha now I know that it has nothing to do with anything "Godly" but what the heck, I am literally laughing right now as I write this i am so happy. God! You are so good to give me songs that make me just want to dance! I like to imagine that Jesus is singing this song to me! Crazy how even these lyrics can apply to me.... I'm still dealing with  deep, deep hurt and heartache....yet I can roll to my Jesus! Puts a different spin on things, huh? :D


Okay, so thats not really what I was planning on writing this post about, but now that I think about it, it actually ties into what I was planning to share! I have seriously been thinking and praying about what to write, and feel that God has been putting one thing on display for me.

For lack of a better word, I have been feeling just...sad lately. Sad about Libby. Sad about being "stuck" in Chesapeake. Sad about how I seem to always be failing. Sad about not having somebody to love. All these things have just slowely crept in and taken hold of my joy. Why? Why is it SO hard to just chill sometimes? This sadness is so real and so deep, it permenates into everything......

BUT

"...I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God!!"

What things in your life are robbing you of your joy, friends? What tactics is that monster, the devil, using to harrass you? My mom always reminds me that the devil can't take your salvation, but boy, doesn't he just love to make you feel miserable about yourself and your failures, just so he can take away your joy and make you ineffective in sharing the Kingdom of God with others!

You have the power to overcome this enemy. You already have the the victory ...and it is all found in your Jesus.

I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—

he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121: 1-8

The past couple days, I haven't wanted to read my Bible. I haven't wanted to listen to Christian music on the way to and from work. And I most definitely haven't wanted to go out of my way to love or serve others. This is the fruit of me holding onto everything I want, insted of what my Loving Father wants for me.

Let me encourage you dear friends to just let go. Let go of your daily doubt, your constant stress, your anxious thoughts. Those are nothing but tools in the enemy's hands to tear you down.

You have a Helper! You are NOT alone! No matter what you are facing this day, this hour, this very minute....your help is in the Lord! Rest in this truth! Lift Your Eyes to Him! He alone will sustain you and see you through!





And now i go back to dancing to my song :D

Look around your world Pretty Baby

Is it everything you hoped it'd be

The wrong guy

The wrong situation

The right time to roll to Me

Roll to Me

And look into your heart Pretty Baby

Is it aching with some aimless need

Is there something wrong and you can't put your finger on it

Right then

Roll to Me

And I don't think I have ever seen a soul so in despair

So if you want to talk the night through

Guess who will be there

So don't try to deny Pretty Baby

You've been down so long

You can hardly see

When the engines stall and it won't stop raining

It's the right time to

Roll to Me

Roll to Me

Roll to Me

How much longer, Jesus?

Strong Faith in Our Faithful God...

"I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performs all things for me."

Psalm 57:2

"Up to this moment you have been rightly led: you have the same guide. To this hour, he who sent the cloudy pillar has led you rightly through the devious track-ways of the wilderness; follow still, with a sure confidence that all is well. If ye keep close to him, he performeth all things for you. Take your guidance from his Word, and, waiting upon him in prayer, you need not fear.
Just now, maybe, in addition to some exciting dilemma, you are surrounded with real trouble and distress. Will it not be well to cry unto God most high, who now, in the time of your strait and difficulty, will show himself again to you a God all-sufficient to his people in their times of need. He is always near. I do not know that he has said, "When thou walkest through the green pastures, I will be with thee, and when thy way lies hard by the river of the water of life, where lilies bloom, I will strengthen thee." I believe he will do so, but I do not remember such a promise; but "When thou goest through the rivers, I will be with thee," is a well-known word of his. If ever he is present, it shall be in trial: if he can be absent, it will certainly not be when his servants most want his aid. Rest ye in him then.

But you say, "I can do so little in this time of difficulty." Do what thou canst, but leave the rest to him. If thou seest no way of escape, doth it follow that there is none? If thou seest no help, is it, therefore, to be inferred that help cannot come? Thy Lord and Saviour found no friend among the whole family of man, "Yet," said he, "could I not presently pray to my Father, and he would send me twelve legions of angels?" Were it needful for thy help, the squadrons of heaven would leave the glory-land to come to thy rescue—the least and poorest of the children of God as thou mayest be. He will perform for thee: be thou obedient, trustful, patient. 'Tis thine to obey, 'tis his to command, 'tis thine to perceive, 'tis his to perform. He will perform all things for you.
He rules and he overrules: he will make all things work together for good; he will surely bring you through. Goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life, and you shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. He it is who will perform all things for you.
Oh! strange infatuation! You see your weakness, you see the temptations that will assail you, and the troubles that threaten you, and you are afraid. Look away from them all. This is no business of yours. Leave it in his hands, who will manage well, who will be sure to do the kindest and the best thing for you; be of good confidence and rest in peace. So shall it be even at life's close. He performeth all things for me. I have the boundary of life in the perspective, the almost certainty that I must die. Unless the Lord comes before my term expires, I must close these eyes, gather up these feet in the bed, breathe a last gasp, and yield my soul to him who gave it. Well, fear not; he helped me to live: he will help me to die. He has made me perform up to this moment my allotted task; yea, he has performed it for me, giving me his grace and working his providence with me. Shall I fear that he will desert me at the last?

He performeth not some things, but all things...."

Excerpt from "Strong Faith in a Faithful God" by Spurgeon

18 years in her rearview...

Here are my senior pictures! Haha I have been waiting to post these for years. Now that I'm finally here, all I can say is wow...

It's been a beautiful, crazy 18 years.

What faithful God.


Here are the lyrics to my "life's song". It's my testimony, and says just what I feel about this wonderful Jesus I serve... thought it would be a good time to share them with you all.
Enjoy!

If I had the chance

To go back again

Take a different road, bear a lighter load

Tell an easy story

I would walk away

With my yesterdays

And I would not trade what is broken for beauty only

Every valley

Every bitter chill

Made me ready to climb back up the hill

And find that . . .

You are sunrise

You are blue skies

How would I know the morning

If I knew not midnight?

You're my horizon

You're the light of a new dawn

So thank You, thank You

That after the long night, You are sunrise

There's a moment when

Faith caves in

There's a time when every soul is certain God is gone

But every shadow is evidence of sun

Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com

And every tomorrow holds out hope for us

For every one of us

You are sunrise

You are blue skies

How would I know the morning

If I knew not midnight?

You're my horizon

You're the light of a new dawn

So thank You, thank You

That after the long night, You are sunrise

You alone will shine

You alone can resurrect this heart of mine

You are sunrise

You are blue skies

How would I know the morning

If I knew not midnight?

You're my horizon

You're the light of a new dawn

So thank You, thank You

That after the long night, You are sunrise

You are sunrise

http://melaniewasko.zenfolio.com/f268589168

 The password is "joyful" :)

Am I crazy to dream?

Well today was my first day off from work in quite awhile. Can't believe how many hours they've been giving me! I mean I'm super happy because wow God just answered my prayer by providing this means of income for me, but boy, does it get some getting used to!
Took my senior pictures with Miss Shelly Bokmiller at Botanical Gardens today...that was an adventure. We had so much fun. So seems like a pretty chill day right? Kinda normal, nothing too, too amazing...feeling pretty sad about Lib though. Get's harder as time goes by and it starts to sink in more. 
However, God did meet me in ways I couldn't have imagined. He showed me something today that has changed me. Changed my outlook on life. Changed my perspective. Given me a new fire that I can't even describe.

He told me to dream.

Dream. Okay Hannah, what is that supposed to mean? Hehe to be perfectly honest, i have a feeling that I have alot more of this to figure out. But somehow it just hit me like a ton of bricks, and now I know something new inside is beginning to grow.
I was supposed to mow the grass when I got home from pictures. Haha yeah right I thought. Its freakin 100 degrees, the sun is beating down, and I am exhausted. All I honestly want to do is shower, make an iced coffee, curl up on the couch, and watch LOST. Frankly, nothing sounds more delightful.
But like I said, God had different plans for me. For some crazy reason, I went out to that shed, pulled out the mower, and began to cut the grass. And about half way through, in the hottest, brightest part of the yard, He met me.
He showed me that I was MADE to work hard! He showed me that this was exactly what I was supposed to be doing: wroking hard, listening to my country music, and sweating liek crazy. And you know what else? He opened my eyes to see that I LOVE it! In that moment, there was nothing I wanted to do more than sweat, feel my arms burning from raking all the dead grass afterwards, and getting all gross and filthy. I loved it!!!
So okay, you're probably wondering what in the world all this has to do with dreaming? Let me explain :)
My whole life I have wanted to live on a farm. I cannot put into words the joy I find in the peace of the countryside, the rolling hills, the rustic red barns, the sounds of the animals (working on appreciating their smells still lol), the fulfillment you find in harvesting your own food and crops, the endless tasks that can always give you an occupation...and the wonderful, God-given simplicity of it all. And I have wanted that for as long as I can remember.
But of course, what kind of hope can a 17 year- old girl, living in Chesapeake, getting ready for her senior year, about to become a nurse, a Young Life leader, and so many other things, cling to that her dream would actually come true?

Until today friends....I had none.

Yet like I said, working hard out there today showed me that this was the kind of life I was meant for. God has not given me an easy road. I have walked through many valleys, many dark forests, and forded many rushing rivers. But now I see that this is because God is preparing me to be a strong vessel in His kingdom. A great christian can't expect to not be greatly tested. And I have come to love these difficulties, these struggles, and these hardships...for He is making me stronger!!!
And i have never been so so excited for my future! What if by some crazy miracle, He is preparing me for my dream life? Farm life is no cakewalk my friends, let me tell you. Yet wouldn't it be something if my Jesus actually gave me this desire of my heart? I have never dared to dream or to pray for this to become a reality so hard before. We will see what He has in store for me!

So I encourage you, dear friend. Dare to dream big. Bigger than you think possible. Pray for the insane, the immpractical, the "silly". Jesus doesn't take our dreams or our prayers lightly. Why not ask Him? You'll be shocked at what He'll do. And if He doesn't give you precicely what you want, it's only because He has something SO MUCH BETTER WAITING FOR YOU!

So let's give Him our dreams.
He is just waiting to hear them!

Crazy what a day will bring...

Some of you may know of our dear, dear friends Justin and Libby Ryder. They are the area directors of Young Life Chesapeake, the ministry our family has come to know and love this past year. From the moment we met them, we pretty much adopted them. Needless to say, we have grown very close to them as a family and they mean so much to us.
While I just love Justin and Ava to death,  I have especially come to cherish Libby. As many of you know, Libby Wratten Griswold and I were extreamly close. She was my big sissie, my role model and my friend. And when she died 6 years ago, I swore nobody would ever fill that space again. My heart was broken, I didn't understand why God took her from me, and have never felt so alone. Even though I have my family, there is nothing like a big sister....

So when I met Libby Ryder, I couldn't believe how much I gravitated towards her, despite her having the same name as my dear Libby Griswold. She was a complete stranger to me, yet for some reason I felt so attatched to her. All I wanted to do was serve her, be with her, and love on her. Six years after my sweet Libby Griswold went to be with the Lord, I now see that God brought me another big sister! I never expected it to happen, but it did. Since then,we have had so many wonderful afternoons together!  I come to help her clean, she counseles me and encourages me in areas of life, and our tradition has become getting those yummy peanut butter shakes from Sonic....we both LOVE peanut butter ;)
So, when I found out last week that now my sweet sis has lymphoma (cancer in her lymph nodes) I went numb, and couldn't believe what I had just heard.
My first thought was, "God, don't take her from me please! I can't go through this again!"

Dear friends, God hears our prayers. While we are still unsure about the exact details of Lib's cancer, I have never felt so much peace. I am not anxious for her, for I know that she is resting in the hands of our Almighty God and that He is so faithful!!! I believe with my whole heart that my Savior Jesus is the most faithful God and that no matter what, He is carrying me and my loved ones through everything...
The verse I have been clinging to throughout this trial has been 1 Kings 8:56-

“Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses..."

I am daily reminded of the faithfulness of God, that never, ever, ever changes. He has never failed even a single word of al His promises, and He certainly won't start now! I can't even tell you how much peace and comfort this has brought me amidst the sadness and pain that I'm also experiencing. He is so good!

Thank you so so much for your prayers. God bless you all!