Friday, March 13, 2009


I started this blogging thing just over a year ago and I am still blown away by how much it has changed my life! Of course my friends and family think I have lost my mind (not that I was all that sane to begin with, lol).


It was strange enough last year when I travelled with a woman I had never met before to a conference in North Carolina and then shared a hotel room with two women I didn't know except for what I had read on their blogs. The funny thing is that none of these women, or many of the other women at the conference, felt like strangers. In a strange way it seemed like I had known them forever. I felt like I came away from that weekend having met lots of long-lost "sisters".

Fast forward to August of last summer when I invited one of those new sisters to spend the night at my house along with a few of her children. I still giggle at my teenage son's reaction. "Dad, did you know Mom is inviting a woman she met on the internet to sleep over?" Of course Dad didn't try to tell me "NO" but he did look just a little concerned about the whole thing.

Early in January she came back to visit and support me after my Dad died. By then she was no longer a stranger and everyone was excited to see our "family friend".

So when a "family friend" says, "Hey do you want to go to Dallas? An old friend invited me to visit and offered us a place to stay!" don't you think it would be rude to say no and make her go by herself?

~~No, a good friend immediately searches the internet and books a trip to Dallas with you.
~~A bad friend would be one that invites you to visit and then makes other plans, leaving you with a non-refundable plane ticket and no where to stay in a strange city.

So that is how Lelia and I found ourselves headed to Texas for a weekend adventure. Of course the whole trip almost didn't happen when I took the "super scenic route" to the airport. But because Jesus was with us we made it in the nick of time!


By the end of the weekend we had shopped, rested, worshipped, prayed, eaten and laughed until we cried. We may have made the original plan but God determined our itinerary:

~~We met another "online sister" when Liz joined us for lunch and dinner.

~~We just happened to run into a celebrity at dinner.
~~We chatted on the phone with Missy who was in Dallas visiting a friend (who could forget what happened the last time we saw Missy? LOL).

~~We got to visit a well known church and hear an amazing (and timely) message on Sunday morning.

~~We deepened our friendship and encouraged one another in our faith and purpose.

~~We recieved confirmation that we believe God is calling us into ministry together.

~~We were able to pinpoint areas of our lives we need to improve (time management, organizational skills, decision making, map reading (lol)).

Looking at this list reminds me that what we planned as a "girls getaway" turned into something much bigger.
But isn't that how God operates when we trust Him with our plans?

Proverbs 16:9 says: "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps"
I know I can honestly say that I was blessed beyond measure as I let the Lord determine my steps to Dallas!
If you want to read more about our adventure click here to visit Lelia.

6 comments:

luvmy4sons said...

It will be two years since I started blogging at the end of this month. I have yet to meet any bloggers in person. You are so ahead of me in that! But I sure hope to one day. I know that they fill my mind and are in my payers now! It is a blessing!

Laurie Ann said...

What a great time you must have had! I've met friends over the internet a long time ago, and it was, in a word, awesome! We were sisters who had already bonded and just finally decided to get together in real life. I'm meeting Laurie from Women Taking a Stand and Jennifer from Storms of Life in April. I can't wait! Heading over to Lelia's blog now to read more. Happy Friday!

Angela Baylis said...

I can totally relate to this story. I'll never forget the first time last Winter when I went to Houston to meet a blog sister (annie's eyes). It was scary for about the first 5 seconds, then it felt as if we've known each other for a lifetime. I love meeting someone's heart first, then see them face to face! I loved meeting so many of the friends in San Antonio last August. It's nice to have voices to go along with the blogs! I am SO happy for you, Kristen!
Love you,
Angie xoxo

Julie Gillies said...

Congrats on one year anniversary, Kelley.

Your 'girlfriend weekend' sounds like it was wonderful. God is SO good!

Christina said...

Unbelievable how this blogging can bring so many together. I think it's awesome how God uses the internet for His purposes.

Carol said...

I sounds like y'all had a blast!