Tuesday, December 20, 2005

No longer a Teenager!

I am 20 years old today!! I am no longer a teenager!! This is a sad fact in it's self. I am through with that part of my life. Those seven years went by so fast. Looking back, it almost feels like I completely skipped those years. And yet, when I was in the misted of it, it seemed that it would never end!! :o) Time is a funny thing, and something that's hard to understand.

The last few days I have been reading back in my journals. I am amazed at the things that God has brought me through in just a few years. And how much I have learned. I've been through some rough times, but there has also been some really great times.
God has really changed my life in just the past year. And I didn't really think about it until the other night when Susie, Ashley Layton, Jonathan, Paula, Jared, and I were sitting in IHOP. :o) I don't remember who started this but we went around the table and (tried) to put into words how we had changed since last year. I had not thought about everything that I had been through until that point. ( I will spare you the details)
But God is so amazing! I think the biggest thing that I have learned coming out of this year was learning how to fight Spiritual battles. It's been a rough fight this year! (Ex 14:14) But God has taught me to stand strong on His TRUTH and not on feelings or circumstance.

Well, I think I have talked enough! :o) I have to leave now!! ( grr! I have to go to the dentist! And on my Birthday!!) Oh well!! :o)


Natalie Y. Hill

Monday, December 12, 2005

What have I been up to?!

Yeah, I know I haven't been keeping this updated. But I'm not really sure what to say.
My birthday is in 6 days!!! Yay!!! I'm going to be 20 on the 20th!! How cool is that?! Once in a life time! :o)

I will be leaving for New Orleans on the 26th. The disaster relief team from our church is going and we will be going to the 9th quarter. I'm very excited about this opportunity. We will be working with the Salvation Army going out on the canteen trucks bringing food and water to the people that are there. And the great thing about this mission trip (and by the way, it totally is a mission. I've gone before and I can totally feel God working through us. And I witnessed so many miracles while I was there. Incredible!! ) the great thing is that God totally strengthens your faith in Him doing something like this. You have to depend on Him for everything while your there. Worrying about riots, whether or not you have enough food to feed everyone, relying on His strength when you are completely exhausted, and then watching God get out of a bind in a split second, just because He can!! :o) Not that God ever gets in a bind. But to our way of thinking, it can feel that way. You just look at that and say, "You're God!! And I'm SO not!!" Your own choice of words would be fine. :) God is just......well He's God! 'Enough said!

Three weeks until Passion '06!! Yay!!! I'm so excited!! I can't wait to for that! I know God is going to do some awesome things!! He always does. But when that many people come together to Worship the One true God, Things happen!! And I can't wait to see what He will do!
Yeah, I'm really nervous about Sunday. I am going to be singing with one of the praise teams at church in front of the whole congregation. Of Course I'M NERVOUS!! How can you even ask!!?! :o) But I am very happy to be able to do this. I've wanted to do this for a long time. And God has given me the opportunity to do it. So I will!! :o) God's pretty cool, by the way!
Things have been really rough lately, but I know that God is in control. And He is faithful. He is always faithful. He never leaves us! Ever!! :o)



Natalie Y. Hill

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Family Vacation? Yeah right!!

I know, it's been a long time since I last wrote. But honestly it's not because I've been to busy. I've just been to lazy to write!!

But I guess I should tell a little about what happened on our vacation.....if I must! :o)

Well, it started off as planned. We were supposed to leave at 10:00a. We left at 10:45a so that was really good!! :o) We drove for about 15 minutes and stopped to get some gas. Then we went on for maybe 20 minutes and then all of a sudden my dad started having stomach pains. But then it moved into his chest and began running up the left side of his neck. At this point he pulled over and sat there for a few minutes. It wasn't getting any better. We finally convinced him that he needed to go to the hospital. So mom turned the car around and rushed him back into Crockett. ........long story short, it wasn't a heart attack like we thought thank God!! It was the acid reflux disease that he has. So they gave him some medicine and he was O.K. after that. But we didn't leave Crockett until after 3:00p that day. So that was kind of a late start. :o)

Anyways, So we get to San Antonio about sevenish...something like that. And we stayed in a hotel. The next morning we checked out and decided to go to Sea World, which was a lot of fun. We saw a lot of shows and SAW a lot of rides. We only rode one because that was my favorite. It is so FAST!!! ha ha! Kristen's mad at me though. I didn't ride on the one she wanted to ride on. As usual it's all about Kristen! (jk)
After Sea World we stopped to get a bite to eat. But Kristen wasn't feeling good. She couldn't eat.
After we ate we went to a resort where we spent the rest of our vacation. When we got there Kristen was still not feeling good. She went straight to bed. Well, mom and I left for a little while to get some food at a little market place down the road. When we got back Sarah met us at the door and said, in a tone that was abnoxiously loud, :o) " Kristen just threw up!" And she couldn't stop either. She couldn't hold anything down. She was throwing up every few minutes ( I'm sorry for those of you who have weak stomachs! ha ha! ) Mom and Dad finally took her to the ER where the doctor put her through a bunch of tests. They had to put an IV in her to keep her from getting to dehydrated. They didn't get back until 5:00a that morning. Needless to say, we didn't do anything that day. Me and Sarah tried to entertain ourselves while the rest slept. Loads of fun there. I took Sarah to the pool there and just watched her swim! yay.

So yeah, that was pretty much our vacation. Kristen slept, and I watched tv. We couldn't do anything because Kristen stayed in the bed the entire time!! I felt bad for her.

So there you have it! That was our family "vacation". But, we did get to go to the Alamo the very last day. Loads!!

Gotta love those family together times!!! ha ha!!

Friday, November 04, 2005

Leaving for San Antonio

Hey Guys!!

It's been a few days since I've been on here. But I thought that I would get on here to tell you that I'm not going to be back on for another week. ha ha!
We're leaving for San Antonio Saturday. No, we're not going to Nashville. : ( Dad changed his mind again. But he was only going to get a week off, so that really didn't leave us very much time. So that's O.K. We should have fun in San Antonio. But, I'll be back next Saturday. So I will talk to you guys then! Bye for now!


Natalie Y. Hill

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Random Thoughts


Well, I feel a lot better today. I've been sick since Sunday night. I guess it was a cold. I sure felt really bad! Now I have a nagging cough!

Brittany and I are leading a Bible study for middle school girls on Sunday nights at five. We're doing the study by Elizabeth George, "A Young Woman After God's Own Heart". Sunday was the second time we met. It was really great!! I'm very excided about this group. The only thing that I've noticed is that there seems to be a little animosity between the Pom Squad and the cheer leaders. :o) To much drama for me!!

Hey Jonathan, I'm coming to Nashville!!! Don't worry. I'm not leaving Edwin out! I already told him! :P ha ha!
My dad made the decision to go there for our vacation, Finally! So we will be leaving next Saturday on the 5th.
(He said at daylight. yuck!)

Hey Susie!! Thanks for that verse! Habakkuk 2:3 :o)

Our college group at church is meeting at 6:30pm to go bowling Friday night. We're going out to eat afterwards and then all of the girls are going back to Angie's house to spend the night. The guys are going to Don Wayne's.
You college students that aren't that far away should come in this weekend and join us!!

And by the way Jenn, I'm still waiting to hear that "secret" that you said that you had! I'm listening!!

Still no news on the car! My uncle still hasn't diagnosed it yet. We're waiting for him to tell us about the car. So we have to continue to share ONE vehicle between 5 people. This is getting ridiculous!

Well, that's enough for now with the Random Thoughts! :o)
Until next time....



Natalie Y. Hill

Friday, October 21, 2005

John 10

John 10 - "The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The door keeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.....The sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away..."



When I was in Brazil this past year, in the middle of July, God showed me something that I had always heard and read about. But I had never actually seen it for myself.

It was my last day at the church that I was working with. Priscila and I - Priscila was my interpreter - were told that we could just relax for that afternoon because we didn't have anymore visits. We were through. And as bad as this may sound, I was so glad. I was just exhausted. But right after lunch we were told that they had scheduled one more house for us to tell the people about God. Honestly I didn't think that I had much more to offer. But of course I couldn't turn them down. So we went. And Priscila and I told the man and wife, and their little grandson about God. And they were saved!!! It was wonderful!! And God totally came through for us as soon as we walked through their door. I never doubted that He would. But the weariness came as soon as we got up to leave.

Now this man was a farmer....as were a lot of people in this particular area...and he wanted to show me his whole place! (smile) He was very proud of what he had. Though it was little, he took care of what he had and he enjoyed every bit of it. He had to show me all of his garden, and ALL of his animals. He had everything from pigs to chickens, and even a donkey. But the last thing that he showed me, as he was saving his best for last, were his sheep.
Now these sheep were in the far end of the field and I really couldn't get a good look at them. But why would you want to? They're sheep.....nasty, stupid sheep.

At this point I am almost oblivious to everything that is going on around me.....they're all talking in Portuguese and frankly I'm just tired! But something catches my eye. As I was just numbly gazing at the sheep, I notice something around one of their necks. As I begin to concentrate on it, I realized that it was a really thick branch that had been shaped into a V that was tied around it's neck with a piece of rope. ( I really don't know how it was in a V shape unless he took two branches and tied them together. But it doesn't matter! (smile)

This was the funniest thing to me. I don't know if it was because I was so tired or what? But Priscila and I wanted to take a picture of this. So we pulled our cameras out. :) Now the little boy...who was probably 5 years old...saw that we wanted to take pictures and began to call the sheep closer. He yelled really loud..some of them lifted their heads to look but then went right back to eating....some even moved farther away!

We put our cameras up because we really couldn't get a good shot. Now, the farmer saw this. But he was quiet during the whole thing....just listening to my Brazilian mom talk...and boy can she!! :) But when there was a break, he began to yell out! I jerked and looked at him. And he was facing the sheep. They began lifting their heads and looking in our direction. And with no hesitation at all, began moving toward us. The man was still calling out to them.....Priscila was standing in front of me......Now remember that I can't understand anything that is being said, because by the end of that week, I stopped trying....Priscila turned and looked at me with this surprised but joyful look on her face! With tears in her eyes and a smile on her face she said, "He's calling them by name."



Natalie Y. Hill



Wednesday, October 19, 2005

So yeah, my car broke down last night.

So yeah, my car broke down last night!
It was great. It broke down at like 9:30p and I called my dad. But, because they were on the internet, I got voice mail. And he didn't have his cell phone on. So that was great!! I had to wait at a friends house until 10:45p when my mom finally called. Dad was in the shower, so I waited some more. My mom and dad finally got there at like 12:00a. It was 1:30a before we got back home.
So I don't have a car right now. And probably won't for a long time. It's so great. But oh well. I love staying at my house. :P

Oh and by the way, I didn't have to serve on the jury. They did exactly what I thought that they would. I stayed at the court house for 4 1/2 hours just to have them tell me that I could go home! But, I was very much relieved. It was a child custody case, among other things that go along with a divorse. It would have been rough. The child was only year and a half old. : (
I was glad they didn't pick me..........I didn't think either parent should have got the child!!!

Jenn........what is this secret that you're talking about?!! Don't do that to me!!!

That's it for now I guess. So.......anyone have a extra car they're not using!!? : )


Natalie Y. Hill

Monday, October 17, 2005

O.K. it is way to early in the morning for me!! (7:50 a) The screen is blurry. :)

Just wanted to let you know what I'm doing today. I have Jury duty!!!!! grrr!
I can't believe this. God, I hope! Please don't let them choose me!!
I'm really hoping that I will only have to be up there for a few hours just to have them tell me they Don't need me!! But......that won't happen! You know why?.....because I don't have a jod, I don't have a family,( I'm all alone!! :'( ,and I'm not in school. But, oh well.

O.K. I have to go. I leave in 15 minutes! Bye for now!



Natalie Y. Hill

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Please tell me why!!!! Why does choosing a vacation spot have to be so hard!!? I am to the point now that I do not care where we go!! My dad is making this huge deal out of it! O.K. There is no way we are going to be able to satisfy all five of us, 100%. I say pick a spot.....if you don't like it.....stay home!! It might be a better vacation if you did that anyway!!

I thought the whole point of a vacation was so you could get away from all the stress and problems. Oh no! Apparently my folks missed that memo. So "let's just take it with us!! It'll be great!!" This should be a great trip!! - can anyone testify!!!............o.k. shutting up. i feel very alone right now.

O.K. It's not that bad. But I will let you know when they decided where to go. And when that happens, it will be to late and we will have to wait until next fall........as always! geez!


Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Wow, I didn't think I would ever be able to get back on here. Kristen messed our computer up( O.K. she was on it when the computer crashed) We have to buy a new hard drive now. That really sucks!

Oh my gosh!!! ( I'm changing the subject by the way! haha ) I am so excited!! Joel Wier asked me to sing with them when he does his next Friday night worship service!! Yay!!! That is so awesome!! But, I am so sick!! I know there's not as many ppl as there is on Sundays........I think the worship center's intimidating. :o) Laugh if you want!......it's a lot bigger than the student center, O.K. But I don't think that's the real reason. I mean big crowds and big buildings are not that bad!! ha ha. It's just I deal with the whole crap of not being good enough. And everyone loves Joel. They put him way up there. I feel like they would be looking at me wanting to know why I'm even up there.
But, it doesn't really matter. Because I love to sing, and I especially love to sing to God. He doesn't criticize. :o) And that was what I was made for. To bring glory to Him. And one way I do that is by singing to and about Him. So that is what I will do. Always!
well, i guess I'm through. lol

~Natalie
Can't be losing sleep over this, no, I can't
And now I cannot stop pacing
Give me a few hours and I'll have this all sorted out
If my mind would just stop racing

'Cause I cannot stand still
I can't be this unsturdy
This cannot be happening

This is over my head but underneath my feet
'Cause by tomorrow morning I'll have this thing beat
And everything will be back to the way that it was
I wish that it was just that easy

'Cause I'm waiting for tonight
Then waiting for tomorrow
And I'm somewhere in between
Of What is real and just a dream...

You catch me if I fall out of what I fell in
Don't be surprised if I collapse down at your feet again
I don't want to run away from this
I know that I just don't need this

Thursday, October 06, 2005

I feel better today. Yesterday I wasn't doing to well.
I've had to make some decisions as of late that I didn't want to. :( Because those decisions could have hurt other people. It is so hard to follow God when it means making a choice that will hurt others. And there are so many questions that come to mind.......questions of doubt.
When God tells you something so clear and so LOUD that you feel like everyone in the room can hear it, you wouldn't think there would be any doubt. But yeah, there is. That's just how weak my poor little mind is. But, you just have to trust that God knows what He's doing. Because He does.
But making those decisions makes it seem like you care more about God than you do.....them.
Wait!.......I do! I do care more about God than I do them. But I do care about them. I proved that by following God. If I didn't follow God that would mean that I didn't love Him. And if I don't love Him........then I really couldn't care about them, could I?

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

You know what? I'm at a loss of what to say. Give me a little while. :'(

~ natalie

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

There are so many things in my life right now that are confusing. Why do things have to be so hard.
And why can't people see me for who I really am? Why do they see me smiling and just assume everything is fine? And when I say I am.....why do they say that's good? Can we really be O.K. in this world? We are so far from what we need to be.
There's something that calls to me. Something that I wake up to every day that says that this is not as it should be. I long for the day when all will be new again. That day when my deepest desires are completely satisfied beyond anything I have ever experienced. I long for my passion to be pulled and then filled completely by something new.