Tomorrow...

Tomorrow is my 25th birthday. Tomorrow I will be a quarter century. Tomorrow health insurance rates go up. Tomorrow I can rent a car with a reasonable rate. Tomorrow car insurance goes down, if I had a car that is. All of these things don't really matter. I'm already 25 in my head, but I get to really say it tomorrow. I usually count down to my birthday, but didn't do that this year. I think I've finally grown out of that... except for counting down to training camp and the race (24 and 100 respectively).

Anyway, I'm thinking about either retitling this blog or taking it down forever... I'm not in LeadTime anymore, and I have a blog for the race. What is your suggestion???

Life is going well, I have a job that I love, and its great spending time with my family. I've been babysitting and giving massages in my free time too, which has been great.

Training camp is right around the corner, I cant believe it! I get to spend 10 full days with my entire team, getting to know them and praising God together. We also will be put into our small teams, probably something I'm looking forward to the most. YAY! There will be lots of team building activities, lots of burden lifting and LOTS of fun. Cant wait!

I have about $4700 raised for the race, but have a long way to go. If you feel that the Lord is asking you to help, please visit: https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=worldrace&desc=For%20Chelsie%20ONeal&tuid=631484 . I also have some needs left on my amazon.com wishlist, please check it out and give if you feel led: http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/2URTMME7MACVL . If you feel led to help in a different way, I need help with shots and insurance! Please also join me in prayer for my specific needs. I cannot do this without YOUR HELP!!!! There needs to be 60% in my support account before January, please pray with me that this need is met.

The World Race from Adventures In Missions on Vimeo.

Prayer Requests:

1. Peace. With all the pressures lately, pray for peace and a calm heart.
2. Financial Provision. Please join me in prayer for all of my financial needs. Pray that God provides!

Thanks for reading!

MOVING!

Hey everyone!!

Tomorrow is the day! I am moving back to the West Coast. I have not even really started packing yet... It might be a long day.

I am going to Las Vegas for a week to hang out with my dad, and then its on to Oregon! Im looking forward to ZERO humidity, and lots of sunshine. YAY.

My new address is:

2542 NE Keats Drive

Bend, OR 97701

Things you can be praying for:

1. Peace. Leaving is going to be really hard. Pray that the transition is smooth and easy.
2. Rest. I need some! Moving is stressful, and I just got sick. Pray that I would be healed.
3. Provision. Pray that God continues to provide, and that he will provide a job.

THE Plan

I have an "official" plan! Its been about a week since I made a decision, and its about time I fill you in!

I leave Doulos in Branson, MO on Friday, August 28. I cant believe its over! More about that later. From here, I am flying to Las Vegas for a week, to spend time with my dad. I'm really excited about this because he was able to take some time off of work to get to hang out with me. YIPPEEE. Even though I'm sad about not being able to stay, I know that its not in the Lord's plan for me to stay there. The following Friday, September 4, I will fly home to Bend. I immediately have a wedding to get to, but after that, will be staying for four months until I leave on the World Race.

It took me awhile to make a decision because part of me was waiting for the Lord to show me something, or tell me where to go. I finally made the choice because I think that is what God was trying to teach me. Its not about the where part, but really the what choice am I making, and is it pleasing to God. Since he had already shut the door on Vegas, there weren't many other options. I tried to make everything work, but the realistic option is what I went for.

I have not been in Bend for more than two weeks since I left for Vegas 5 years ago. Its so crazy to be moving home after all this time. I'm really excited to spend time with my family, and to work like crazy!

SO, life at Doulos is coming to an end. We have one more "real" day with the girls, tomorrow. One real day. I've gone from ONE year, and its down to ONE day. Okay, so I have one more real week here, but its a break, and we will have minimal girls. We'll have 3 over the weekend and 1 for most of the week (we just got a new little on Monday!), and maybe another. It will be full of REST, and fun, and hanging out. Its going to be a blast... and super chill. Just what I need. This week has been full of "lasts"... the last time I'm ever going to be on a dinner at Doulos... the last Saturday work project... the last time taking a little to sonic... the last room time... and etc. A year went by so fast.

The new LTers came today. That was weird. Its really strange to think that they are taking our places in 10 short days. They are moving into our old rooms, interacting with our girls, and starting a new routine and life at Shelterwood. And, I'm not going to be here. I'm not going to see these girls. I'm not going to be a part of their last few months. THAT'S crazy. And sad. I'm probably going to cry a lot.

Where did this year go?

Fasting and moving on...

Hey everyone!

I apologize for the delay in writing a new blog! Life is abundantly busy.... Here is a recap.

Two week fast from Facebook and The World Race. Thats right, I took a TWO week fast from those two things. A fellow racer suggested it to me, and I decided that would be a great thing. Turns out, it was. There were several reasons I did it. For one, God was slowly taking a backseat to my World Race stuff. Thats not fair to God at all. I needed to spend more time with him, and to really focus on my walk with him. The race became an idol, and it was time to let that stop. I also took the time to seek the Lord on where he wanted me next. I was planning on Vegas because it was "easy". God shut the door for that opportunity, and it crushed me. It still crushes me. More about this later. Throughout my fast, there was a lot of conflict thrown in my direction. I felt it from every which way. Mostly though, I had conflict with the little sisters. There was the occasional conflict with big sisters too. Nothing major. Im tired of conflict!!! The fast from facebook was not difficult, nor was it tempting. Overall, I learned a lot from this time. I learned that God has a plan (Jeremiah 29:11), and I need to have faith to let him work it out.

Even though I feel like I learned that, Im really having a hard time believing that. I dont know where the disconnect is either. Vegas is not where God wants me, he shut the door. He is still shutting doors left and right. There are no open doors to walk through. The most frustrating part of all of this is that I have to leave Doulos in three weeks. Three weeks and still no plan. Its hard because I want to badly to have a plan, and to have a good one at that. But I feel that God is silent. I feel like I cant hear him speaking to me. WHY? I dont know. Like I said, I feel lost.

On Thursday, I graduated from LeadTime. I bet you're thinking, "its been a year already?" I think that all the time. Its weird though, being done with LeadTime, but still being here. During our graduation, we were given silly awards that are mostly made of inside jokes and the likes. Its kind of like a story about your life after LeadTime. Mine involved the race, vanilla diet pepsi, and my skill to get all of my overdraft fees reversed. It ended with me opening a massage and hula residential care facility in Maui. TOO funny. We also get a letter read to us by the LT Womens Director. It was beautiful. The Doulos site director gave us all a charge at the end. I feel like that message was for me. He challenged us to really seek the Lord rather than to seek the stay/go sign from him. I dont know how to not do this. I want to seek the go signs, and the what am I doing signs. But I think he is telling me to seek him. Below is a pic of LeadTime 29 and 29.5 (they graduate in Dec). One big happy family!



This is where Im lost. I hear these relevant topics of seeking the Lord. I ask the Lord to shut doors and he does. But Im also asking him to open doors, and not seeing that happen. I feel like I've laid this at his feet. But have I really done that? I dont know! I dont know how to make that happen. I dont know how to let this go. I want to control it so badly. I want to control it because I feel like I wont have a plan if I dont. What a terrible place to be. Thats how I feel. Im trying to give this to the Lord. I really am. BUT its just not going well.

Please be praying for me, I really need it. I need wisdom, guidance and hope.

Like I said earlier, there are three weeks left until I leave Doulos. In reality, there are two weeks left with the girls, and there is a week of break. We most likely (could change) will not have any littles around the whole week, with the exception of a few for the first weekend. When they leave on the 21st, we are saying goodbye for good. When they return a week later from break, they have new big sisters, and really have to start all over again. There are three 29.5 big sisters, that that will provide some stability for them. I cant imagine what its like for them to lose 7 big sisters and get 7 new ones. That would be awful. Im really trying to make the best of the next two weeks, and to really pursue them so that they would feel loved. I dont want to have regrets, although thats not possible all the time. I am going to strive for that. Its going to be so hard to leave, I dont know that I can even think about it. Not yet anyways... but I almost have to because leaving means leaving, which means I still dont have a plan...

And that brings me full circle with life currently. Again, please be praying for me!

Love you!
Chels

Your SUPPORT is needed!

As you know, Im working for a residential care facility with teenagers in crisis. I am almost done! About 6 more weeks, and then Im off to Las Vegas. I am moving there to spend time with my dad, and to work hard to pay off my debt before going on the race. I have a job lined up for the most part, on-call nannying for the hotels, but no car yet. Thankfully, I will be living with my dad to offset some costs. 

Since I work 24/7, most of my support has come from friends and family like you! Thank you if you have financially supported my LeadTime year. I have $55 left in my Doulos support account, which is JUST under what I am needing for my next pay check, which combined with my stipend check is usually exactly what I need. God has been faithful thus far to provide for me. But, I am asking for your help for the month of August. 

I am asking for $500 to help me move home to Las Vegas and to sustain me and my bills for the month of September. 

I ask that you would prayerfully consider supporting me financially. As my time in Missouri is coming to a close, your timely response would be incredibly encouraging to me. If you would like to support me through Doulos (tax deductible), please send your support before August 1: 

Doulos Ministries

801 W. Mineral Ave,  Suite 202

Littleton, co  80120

To support me directly, please send checks to:

Chelsie O'Neal 

282 Doulos Rd

Branson, MO  65616

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Even if you cannot support me financially, your prayers are always welcomed!

Missions Minded

Hey Everyone!

Hard to believe this time is almost over... I have a month and a half left, which feels like nothing compared to the 10 1/2 behind me. Time flies... so weird!

Last Monday, the whole girls house left for Kansas City for our missions trip. Its only about 3 1/2 hours away, but we took our time getting there. Fortunately, I was off on Monday night around 5 when we got there. It was like a day off! Erin Conner, Amber (the LT intern and a my co-big) and I went to dinner at Old Chicago, and then to a movie. It was awesome to spend time with the girls, and was much needed. Tuesday, we went to the Kansas City area food bank to sort food. We sorted through 6 of the gigantic boxes and several of the collection barrels. (Pic below: me after emptying the huge box!) We cleared the aisle in just three short hours! It was really fun to sort the food, and I think the girls enjoyed it also. The food bank feeds 60,000 people a week, with mostly children. It was awesome! On Wednesday, we went to a living history museum to help with various projects in the morning and a book bank in the afternoon. I helped strip and prime the church at the living history museum; we didn't get very far though with only a few hours to work. It was fun to paint, and I was with 3 other big sisters and a house director. We had fun, at least I think WE did. I know I did. At the book bank, we helped count hard back and soft back books, and then were able to pick out some books to take home. It was a good day! Besides work, we were able to have some fun too. We went to The Plaza in Kansas City, a huge outdoor shopping area. We hung out at Coldstone and the fountain in the park. It was cool to see a new city.


Its my weekend off this past weekend, and I spent it sewing baby blankets for my sister. She is due in January, most likely after I leave for the race. Since I dont know what she is having until next month, I made two! It was super fun to sew... now Im all tired from it though. But SO worth it!!! I have a few more projects that I've already prepared for, and I cant wait to sew those also. I think, after this weekend, I have an addictive personality... but maybe I already knew that.

I havent been feeling that great lately, lots of headaches, and fatigue... but today, I took care of myself and took a 3 hour nap while everyone else went to community service. I still cant believe I slept that long. Im not a napper by any means, I usually wake up really groggy and stay that way for an hour. I actually had dreams during my nap too, which I think means that I was in a DEEEEEEP sleep. WOW. I could have slept another 2 hours I bet, if only I wasnt woken up by a little. OH the days of sleeping in my own room.

I've gotten permission to leave LeadTime a few days early, on August 27. This will help me to prepare a little more for life in Vegas (working, car, etc), and also give me a few days to settle before going to Oregon for a wedding that Im in (YAY Autumn!!!). Im really excited to see my family and friends, especially since I will be traveling around the world soon...

The race is still constantly on my mind... but Im trying to balance it with "real time" life. Its super hard sometimes, but Im just trying. Thats all I can do. I have 43 days to make it the best I can. My goal is to have one on one time with one girl each day. Yesterday, I had two, so that was awesome time spent with them. I've also been talking a lot to my fellow teammates, which is really exciting and fun. I like getting to know them, and cant wait to meet all of them! YAY!

Prayer Requests:

1. Rest, Im super tired this week, and need to continue to learn how to take care of myself.
2. Quality time, as this season of my life closes, I want to be sure to leave a "legacy" to my girls. Pray that I would make it my priority, as it should be, to really spend time with them.
   
3. Provision, for all things race related. Pray that the Lord would show up and that I would use what he has given me well.
   

Happy Day! Thanks for reading!!!

PRAISES to the Lord on HIGH!

HEY everyone!!

I posted my last blog on Monday evening, and as of last night, Tuesday, I had received another $245... OVERNIGHT! I cant believe it!

God has been so faithful to me, and Im so grateful! 

Please consider supporting me financially in this journey! 

CLICK HERE to donate online!

ALSO, dont forget about my rag blanket!