Maybe..

Since it is almost NaBloMo or whatever it's called, I think I may challenge myself to try to do this. I'm not promising a daily entry, but I will make a conscious effort to update on my life more frequently.
For now, this is the major thought of my day: Accounting.
I just switched my major to Accounting exactly two weeks ago. Its not really a huge deal, I just found my international business classes to be very unuseful for anything outside of school, and it's not something I'm super passionate about in any way. I kept thinking about switching my major but just figured that idea would eventually pass. However, I decided it would be more responsible of me to use my education towards something that would benefit me in the long run instead of something very general and ambiguous. I did well in my first two accounting classes and really really enjoyed them. So I made the switch.
Honestly, I'm scared out of my mind!! I'm so so excited, but that still does not take away the feeling like I'm about to dive into really deep scary waters and just hoping I'll make it to the other side alive.
So those are my thoughts for today. Pray for me and my diligence/self-discipline to increase like crazy before these upper level classes start for me next semester.
Love,
Alexa

Update on Life

Hi friends and family!
Just thought it's been a good 5 months since I've posted so it's probably time for an update.
I'm sorry for being such an awful blogger....really I am !
I have started my junior year here at baylor. It's going really well!! I've really loved this year so far. Well, school is starting to get really difficult, so that's not going as well as I had hoped. But I'm pushing myself to be faithful in little!! Take it day by day and not get overwhelmed. Other than that it's great.
I have a new living situation, and I'm seriously convinced now that God loves me because of this living situation I'm in. It has been such a blessing to be surrounded by the awesome women of God that I am surrounded by. I'm not living with anyone I lived with last year...it's all new for me! But they are great friends, super encouraging and wonderful and hilarious. We just have a blast all the time. One of them even got engaged this past weekend and it was such a fun time keeping it a secret and helping her now-fiancee get everything prepared! She is soooo happy!
What else...lifegroup is going great! Actually, its going awesome and wonderful and amazingly! God has given us so much freedom in leading its ridiculous. We decided this year that if its not fun, we're not doing it. and by the grace of God we've been able to live that out. I can truly say the Lord has given me confidence in leading this year which I havent experienced yet, and it's awesome! The people in our lifegroup are hungry for more of God and its just great! we are so blessed. We also have another person now interning to lead with us, so there's four of us now instead of 3, which actually helps take the load off a bit. :)
Anything else...I am scared of growing up and having to graduate college and get a job. I went to the career fair, got in my incredibly cute pencil skirt and ruffle top outfit, with my little resumes that are pretty unimpressive, and realized I am awful at being a professional. I'm so awkward and insecure when I'm around professionals. I guess I need to get over that soon! I am thinking about switching my major from International Business and Business Spanish to just Accounting with a minor in Spanish. I think it may be more practical, especially if I want job security right out of college. But I really have no idea what God is calling me to after graduation and where. I guess I still have some time (but not really...)
NEWS FLASH! Big news...I am a runner now! Okay...kind of. Let me explain. I am setting a personal goal to run the Bearathon half-marathon in March. I am not a runner at all....when this whole thing started I could not even run a mile....but I've been consistently running at least two miles recently! Hey, gotta start somewhere, right? I've really learned to enjoy it, and am challenging myself to pray during runs so that it becomes a worshipful experience for me. :) So pray that all works out! haha.
I cant think of anything else. My life really is not that eventful. Sorry!!
But thank you guys for everything and always supporting me.
Speaking of, I will be putting an India update on my next post :)
Love you all!
-Alexa

Bangalore, INDIA!

Hey family and friends!

I just wanted to update you that summer has already begun for me! I start summer school this week and have already been getting a head start on working at the baylor library here in Waco. So far so good!

Also, I have an awesome opportunity to go on a 3-week-long missions trip to Bangalore, India this summer with a group of about 20 other college students and my college pastor. We will be leaving July 20th and returning August 5th, spending the entire time with our church plant in that area serving them and sharing the gospel with people in the city.
I need your help!! please pray for us! Pray for hungry hearts and divine appointments, for boldness, and of course for finances! We're believing that God's going to do A LOT on this trip and have already heard awesome testimonies from teams already in the area. Also, if you would like to help/support me financially, please let me know and e-mail me at alexa_phillips@baylor.edu. This trip is about $2,500 per person and anything at all is appreciated. But please know that what we really need are prayer warriors to fight with us, and your prayers are more than enough for me!!!

Thank you guys so much for everything. I am extremely excited for this trip and everything that God is going to do in this city, and have never felt more peaceful about a trip like this before.

Love!
Alexa

We're going....to Juarez...I mean Reynosa...I mean McAllen...I mean Edinburg...Texas....Texas........Texas

So I'm back from the most amazing, life-changing spring break ever!!
This trip far surpassed last year's! It was just amazing, and so much fun.
Some pictures.



My roommates on the trip! they are all so incredibly amazing and we had a great time!


Our team! Team Take it By Force :-) Matthew 11:12

Sweet dance team huddle (no this is not everyone, we had a total of 13 girls on the team this year!!!)

Me and two of my boys, Tyler and Travis. They were matching perfectly that day.

The dance team doing a dance during an outreach! I'm on the 1st row far left.

Tyler and I again. We told everyone that we are brother and sister and they believe us! So we call each other brother and sister. :)

Elba and I...people honestly think we're twins. Love it.

Avery and I...i absolutely love leading dance team with her. And we're gonna be future roomies next year!!!

Catherine and I...we rode on the bus together and it was so sweet because we rode on the bus together last year...but we secretly couldn't stand each other. Last year's trip was when we became friends and since then we've become sooooo close. I love her so much!

So a lot of amazing things happened on this trip. i really feel like I can't even put it into words. God moved in so many ways and it was completely awesome. I see transformation in our lifegroup that's going to last. So of course I'm thrilled and happy! Ask me about it and I'll give more details later. :)

byeeee

Some Pictures...

Single ladies night on valentine's day with our waiter.

My friend Colleen and I! She's precious!

My bestie Elba and I. People think we're twins.

My sweet freshman Abby whom I love so much

My friend Kelsey and I

Falling Whistles benefit in Dallas with Kelsey, Sam, and Colleen

In the midst of this crazy hectic week, I have finally found some time (during work) to upload some pictures here.

On Saturday, I'm going (with 600 other people) to McAllen, Texas on a mission trip for a week so keep us in your prayers!! We were supposed to be going to Juarez, and then Reynosa, but Mexico is just so unsafe right now that at the last minute we are heading to McAllen, a border town. Pray that the gospel would be taken across the border even though we can't go over there. Thank you :-)

Also, as of right now, my plans for the summer include 3 weeks in India! We will be there from July 20th to August 5th....yay for another foreign birthday! :) Anyways, I've been getting really pumped up about what God's doing in India and can't wait to go!

Also, has anyone ever tried hummus?? It's my recent addiction. I buy a container of it twice a week and it goes so quickly. I crave it. It's so delicious! Also, there's a mediterranean restaurant here in Waco called D's Mediterranean and it's the most delicious place i've been to. Their hummus is fantastic too!!! :)

I'm almost done with this week, and midterms, and preparation. I'm a such a stressball lately.

LOVE!!

Thoughts on current life

Hi!
As usual, it has been a very long time since i've last updated this blog.
And I'm not on my personal laptop so there will be no pictures to upload on this post!
Currently I'm sitting in the Hankamer School of Business computer lab because I went to my first class of the day (at 11:15) and my prof never showed up! I only have one class left of the day. 3 out of my 5 days per week, I don't start class until after 11:00!! Isn't that fortunate?
Life is busier/more hectic this semester for sure. I'm taking 15 hours plus 15 hours of work plus at least anywhere from 15-20 hours a week dedicated to church/lifegroup happenings. it's insane right now!
I'm taking all classes that apply to my major (minus chapel...how unfortunate.) so class is a little more enjoyable, yet difficult.
I'm trying to think of anything else I can think of to update you on!
ELISHA GUIDO I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO COME VISIT IN APRIL!!!

i've been feeling very restless lately. I want to go somewhere where there is snow. and preferably a nice hill of some sort. :-)

until later!
-Alexa

THAILAND...land of smiles :-)

I know that it has literally been forever since i've last updated. I realize now it's because i've been so busy and I feel like so many things have happened and it just seems hopeless to try to fill everyone in on everything now. also i feel like nobody reads this...i could be wrong. maybe it would encourage me to post more if I got more comments....eh? :-) i jest. but...i'm gonna try to update this okay? starting with my awesome trip to Thailand this summer. Still to this day I miss Thailand so much. I have sooo many pictures I could post but had to limit myself.

This is the team at 5 AM at DFW airport...beginning of our thirty-something hour day of travelling nonstop. fun!....

There were two college campuses in the area so we split our team in half; one team went to one campus and the other team went to the other,every day, to talk to students and people on campus about Jesus. My team went to Thaksin University in Songhkla...like 30 minutes of travelling. It was really fun...by the end of the trip I felt like a TU student. I kinda even wanted one of their cute little uniform outfits! haha.

This is Susna. Her and her husband Tony own this little french toast place really close to where our apartments were. The first night we went there and we got to pray for them and they told us that they feel peace when we pray for them. Since that night we went and saw them at least 4 times a week and they would always provide us with alllll free food. Susna was soooo sweet. We gave her a bible one night and the next day when we visited, she told us she read a lot of it and found a lot of answers to life in there. She was so hungry for Jesus and had so many questions. She was soooo precious, had a great sense of humor and personality, and was one of our favorite Thai people to spend time with. One time we were leaving to go out of town at 7 AM and she stopped by our apartment after working until 4 AM the night before to bring us breakfast.. See what I mean?

This is at a beach in thailand. We went to the beach during low season, a.k.a not as pretty season...so we got to stay on the beach for really cheap with very few people surrounding us. It was great. and soooo beautiful. I witnessed the most amazing sunsets i've ever seen in my life. The water was so clear and wonderful...I couldnt believe that it got any better than that!!

These are some girls we had conversations with more frequently. Two of them, Nanny and Phon, were english majors which helped a lot. They originally wanted to talk to us because they wanted to practice their english and talk about America, but then we got to pray for them and encourage them and one of them gave their lives to Jesus. They are such sweet fun girls and are so hilarious!!

I thought this picture was really cool. every morning we got up early to pray at our friend Kat's house. We would have meetings, eat breakfast together, and worship and ministry time, which is what is going on here I think. I really miss it.

This was actually on my birthday!!we had a get together with the campus crusade staff and got to invite a lot of students that were interested in Jesus. This pictures has a few of us on the team, P'Boy, who led the campus crusade staff (and was hilarious!) and some muslim girls who were so sweet and even brought me a present for my birthday! It was great...we had sooo much fun with them.

This is our team one of the last few days we were in Thailand. We went to the beach (like I said earlier) and we also were able to get these shirts that are very popular in Thailand. The boys are wearing the Yellow shirts, which were the King's shirts (his favorite color is yellow) and everyone wears those on Mondays. The girls are wearing the Queen's shirts, which are worn every Tuesday in honor of the queen. The Thai people looove their king and queen so much...and from what I've heard he seems like a really nice guy. All I know is that on the Baht bill (the currency in Thailand) there's a picture of the king with a camera around his neck...one of his hobbies is photography. It always amused me because it was like a "hey, the king is a normal person too" picture and I think that's why people love him so much!

I hope that was a good update about Thailand. I have so many more pictures and things that happened....such as riding elephants, karaoke on my birthday, baptizing my friend in the ocean, and of course, Thai food. but i think this is enough for now. I will try to update later with more current happenings in my life.

Love,

Alexa :-)