Ladies and gentlemen, I'm writing my final blog under the name Autumn Essary. I'm now Mrs. Boren and will be joining blogs with my husband! You can follow us at www.trekx-boren.blogspot.com. Thank you to those who have followed along on this journey by prayer, giving, encouragement, and more. I hope that you will continue to join me as Josh and I embark on this new journey ahead of us. We are beyond excited about what the Lord holds in our future.

"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I will press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

Goodbye Nashville

I am officially no longer a resident of Nashville. Last week was our last week of Year 2 Training and I moved home for the next month until marriage and summer missions. The last week in Music City was kind of a blur. We were able to say goodbye to many special friends including a huge dinner with our Burmese friends. I said goodbye to the precious boys I’ve been babysitting for two years and we said goodbye to our mentors and those who have discipled us as well as to friends that the Lord has graced us with knowing. We finished our lessons on leadership and finished praying for every nation in the world. It was all so good, but for Monica, Josh, and I it was a little bitter sweet. 

The actual move home was hilarious. Josh and I traveled home in the same car because his hasn’t been working well. Therefore, the car was packed! Mostly with my things haha. But for anyone who needs some great packing skills, Josh is your man. 

For the next month, I will be at home speding time with my family and preparing last minue things for the wedding. It’s a busy time with a sister who is graduating high school, a yard sale, college graduation, and wedding plans. But we are having fun and I’m just soaking in these moments, knowing my life will never be the same. As for the rest of the summer, Josh and I will honeymoon, then spend a little time at home before helping staff a camp/missions project in Atlanta then spend a month in Guatemala for summer mission trips. I’m again so thankful for the Lord’s timing. He is teaching me more and more that His plans for me are good. They bring Him praise and me joy.

Please join me in praying: 

1.  For God to prepare my heart to be a godly wife.  

2. For God to be my Rock and my Constant as Josh and I move all around and encounter different      

    people this summer.

3. For adjusting to a new culture in the Philippines and loving those I will meet there.

4. For a deeper understanding of the Gospel; I pray that each of us would truly take up our crosses     

    and follow Him.

“He who loves a father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Matthew 10:37-39

-Thanks for reading. Next time I write, I’ll have a new last name!

Love in Christ, Autumn

Run 1/2 Marathon...Check.

We finished the 1/2 marathon!!! Josh and I are official "runners" now :) The race really was so much fun. And super hard. It was the hottest day we have run since we've been training and there were SO many hills on the course. But to run a race together really meant a lot to me. I'm so thankful for a sweet fiance who ran it with me. And both of our families came up to Nashville to support us, which made it even more memorable. But I must say, I'm glad it's over :)

This is our last week in Nashville. It's weird because this year I'm saying goodbye for good. But I'm so excited about the months ahead. We've begun putting things in boxes and cleaning up the apartment. Our last day of Trek-X is tomorrow and I'll also take my last final! Ever. NO MORE SCHOOL!!

Crawfish, Veggies, Pig Belly, Dumplings, and Rice. With Chopsticks :)

Last night our friend, Liang, cooked a traditional Chinese meal for us and tonight we are having our last goodbye to Lulu and our other Burmese friends. They have been such a blessing to us the past two years. I will miss them with all my heart.

As things come to a close, I am praising the Lord for the ways He has provided for me in the past two years. What a merciful, gracious Savior. Meditate on His faithfulness today. Thanks for reading. Have a blessed week.

P.S.   33 days until the wedding bells ring!

Quiet me with Your love, Lord..

 Well, it's been a few weeks since the yard sale, but I wanted to write to say THANK YOU to everyone who donated items, prayed for us, told your friends, or came out to the sale! It was a huge success. Josh and I raised an entire month's worth of support ($2,000)!!! We are so grateful for the Lord's faithful provision. He's used so many people to help us on this journey and we've been so blessed to watch Him provide.We know He will continue to be faithful as we continue to raise support.

Many exciting things have happened since my last blog. A few of the highlights were
Celebrating my 22nd birthday 
Spending a week at home for spring break
A trip to Starkville to see some special friends
A Trek-X retreat south of Nashville
And a precious wedding party given by our friends in Nashville where we had dinner, played games, prayed for our marriage, and had a ton of fun.

I'm beyond thankful for the friends God has placed in my life in the past two years. Everyone from our Burmese friends to the couple I babysit for to the Trek-Xers and Josh's high school friend came to celebrate our upcoming marriage with us. Having a close community of believers is something I take for granted far too often. Praise God for friends and fellowship. 

We only have a week and a half before we say goodbye to Nashville. I have only 6 more days of college. Only one more marriage counseling. Only 7 days to the half marathon. 41 days to the wedding. And about 5 months until we move to the other side of the world! Sometimes I fell like my life is literally flashing before my eyes. This season of life has been one of ups and downs, laughter and crying, fun and frustration. Today I am praising God for the sweet life He has given me in the past two years. Never in a million years would I have seen myself going against the norm in our culture, but it's beautiful and it's perfect because my Father orchestrated it all. And in the chaos, He quiets me with His love.

"The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

Early Birthday Dinner

Strawberry Pie with my family :)

Precious friend

Sweet Girls in Starkville

Playing "Who Knows Josh & Autumn Best?"

Praying over us and our future marriage

Campfire at the Retreat

Love these people

Welcome Spring!

This week has been a pleasure.
Josh and I had our third marriage counseling session on Monday where we were taught about being a woman of rest and a man of courage.
On Tuesday, our friend Amanda Munoz took some pictures of us. Check out a sneak peak on Facebook and be ready to see more at the wedding reception :)
I babysat on Wednesday and had a blast with the boys.
And tonight I'm going on an early-birthday date with my fiance.

To top off a good week....Anyone love a good yard sale??
Josh and I are still working on raising our support for the last two years of Trek-X. And now that our amounts are about to be combined, the task seems large!
I went to a yard sale in Nashville that supported a family’s adoption of their new daughter from China and I loved buying things knowing what my money was going toward.
So… THIS Saturday, March 31 we will be having a HUGE yard sale in Corinth on Hwy 2. 7am-5pm.

All profits go toward our journey to the Philippines.
 

Please come by if you live in Corinth and be sure to tell all of your friends!  

Have a great weekend and be encouraged... Regardless of your circumstances, Jesus is enough.
Those are the words He has spoken to me this week. He's enough.

Love you all,
Autumn

As I was praying this morning for some of the kids we met in Atlanta last week,  I prayed for a sweet girl named Kimberly, and couldn't help but think of these pictures...

Last March in Atlanta, Josh served with a team at the Pearl Lane Apartment complex. This year, Josh was not able to be in Atlanta with us, but I was placed at Pearl Lane, totally not remembering that Josh had been there until I saw this little girl that I remembered Josh talking about and seeing the picture of them together. Kimberly is a sassy, bubbly little girl who we all had so much fun with. But the special thing about her was that I really saw the Lord working in her. And from stories that Kimberly told, I believe the Lord is working in her mother as well. I don't think that she has a personal relationship with the Lord yet, but I am praying that salvation will come. And that Kimberly will be a light for Christ among the other kids at Pearl Lane. Please join me in praying for her today.

"We give thanks to God always for you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers." 1 Thess. 1:2

Hot-lanta

We just returned from a week long mission trip in Atlanta. We served in the Doraville area where we served last spring and summer. I didn't realize how much God had impacted me there last year. It felt like I was home when we drove down Buford Hwy and all the signs for shops and restaurants turned to Spanish, or Korean, or Vietnamese. I remembered all of the apartment complexes I spent time in last year. I remembered the sweet people at the restaurants who served us authentic international meals. I remembered the presence of the Lord.
Before leaving for the trip last Sunday, I prayed whether or not I should even go. I was supposed to be leading the trip. Monica and I were to show the new Trek-Xers how the Atlanta trips take place. But I had been sick. I have school work. I have a wedding to plan. And I just didn't want to do it. But the Lord reminded me He wouldn't give me more than I could handle. He would see me through. And He changed the desires of my heart. So all of us but Josh (he had to work) packed up and headed to Atlanta.
We led a team from Crosspoint Baptist Church in Starkville, MS. Go Dawgs! Sweet blessings flowed from the Lord from the moment they arrived. I knew most of the kids from last year on one of the ATL trips and from their DNow in January. It felt like family had come to serve with us when they were all getting off of the bus. I was so excited to see familiar faces. The trip went so smoothly. We went on tours of different cultural experiences, such as a Hispanic meat market, international farmer's market, Hindu temple, Muslim grocery store, and Chinese pharmacy. It's always beneficial to learn about what most of the world believes and experience their culture. We heard from Ruthie North about Refugee Beads- check it out if you haven't. We also served in a few apartment complexes, helped out some school teachers, painted a ministry site, and shared the Gospel in the midst of it all.
As for me, the Lord really provided some time each morning where I could get alone with Him. I hadn't realized how much I had been neglecting my relationship with Him lately and exchanging it for acts of religion. I felt as if I had fallen in love with my Savior again. I am so thankful the Lord urged me to go on the trip. I am so thankful for the time He allowed me to spend with Him. I am so thankful for the children we were able to love on. And I'm so thankful for the missionaries who are there full-time and will continue to teach them about Jesus.

Pray for the children and their parents in Atlanta. Many of the are stuck in religions from which are hard to break free. Many of them face challenges as immigrants to the U.S. Most of them are lost.

Pray for the students from Crosspoint. Pray their hearts would be awakened to God's call to make disciples. It's not about a one week mission trip. It's about giving our lives away to the only One worthy. Pray they will minister to the lost people in Starkville.

Pray for Trek-Xers. We have this week off as Chris and Rob travel to the Philippines to check everything out before our big move. Pray for their safety. Pray for us here not to waste our free time, but also that we would rest and enjoy the Lord.

Pray for Josh and Steven as they lead a team in Puerto Rico this week! They left yesterday and will return next Saturday. Pray for salvation in those who don't know Him. Pray for safety and for God to move.

Thanks for reading! God bless you all...