This Ransomed Heart

Okay, so it's been about 2 years 🙈🙊... Much has changed.  I am a married woman as of October 11, 2021, which is HUGE because...well...if you know me or know my story, you probably know that for many years I did not believe this would ever happen. AND because...as my brother so lovingly put it at the wedding, "I always thought to myself, if there is someone that can put up with Gabby, that is a gift from God". It's true. But now, I have an amazing husband who loves and serves me so well even when I am difficult, which is most of the time.  I have a new last name. Geleta. I discovered that changing said last name is INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT and tedious. And no matter how many things I think I have updated, I keep finding more. I just keep a copy of our marriage license on me now just in case. I discovered that marriage is hard. I mean, yes, I had heard that before. But it's one thing to hear something...and another to experience it for yourself. And then you have thos...

There is so much on my heart right now. I just listened to John Eldredge's podcast Wild at Heart- Constant Uncertainty. I would highly recommend this one. So much was shared that was already on my heart...things I hadn't formed words to yet. I will get back to this shortly. It's been a while since I've felt this overwhelmed with His love and presence. I can feel Him so tangibly and it's a little hard to write because all I want to do is cry... Where do I begin...Lord, give me the words. In my past, when I was running and in full rebellion to God, I had no walls, no boundaries, my heart was open to whoever wanted to take it, trample it...and I had no issue doing the same with others. And over the past few years, I think I have slowly made my way over to the opposite end of this extreme...where I find my heart so walled off, with so many boundaries, that it's even hard sometimes to let God in, to let Him touch my heart. To feel Him. To allow myself to feel Him. It...

Goodbyes are probably hard for most, if not everyone, at least sometimes.  I thought by now it would be easier. It's not. Thankfully, I have not lost anyone that I was extremely close to in a very long time. One of my grandfathers passed when I was 9. I was close to him and it was painful, but I think what was more painful was seeing how much pain my mom and grandmother were in, so I tried really hard to be strong for them. After he passed, I really struggled with this fear that others close to me who I loved were going to die. As in, I would go check on my parents and siblings multiple times throughout the night because I would wake up in a panic wondering if they had died...or after watching Left Behind , if they had been raptured, leaving me behind because I forgot to say sorry for being mean that day.  When we moved to Swaziland, the goodbyes were really hard, but I think somehow it felt more like we were going on a really long trip and there was so much excitement about m...

Tantos cambios. So many changes. This was the title of my end of the term speech in my class this past Saturday, where I attempted to talk about all of the changes that have taken place this past year. I was actually supposed to write and talk about my achievements from 2019 and what my goals are for 2021. However, I got stuck on 2020. I think we are all a little stuck on 2020. I tried really hard to remember last year and the only thing I could remember was, of course, my little sister's wedding, but not much else. And next year!? I can't even think past this week; next year feels impossible to imagine! So I requested permission to talk about life so far in 2020. Permission granted. January started off well...an amazing, life-changing trip to Israel with my sister, Danielle. To get to see and touch the places where Jesus walked and taught...to be able to see all He is doing in various countries in the Middle East through a ministry called Frontier Alliance International, to fe...

So, a few months ago, a co-worker of mine told me about this thing she does. This thing, she said, involves running at 5:30 in the morning, three and sometimes 4 mornings a week, through the streets of Baltimore city, with a group of men and women who become your people, your team...your family. At first, I didn’t give this thing much thought, because, well...let’s be real… Gabby does not get up unless the sun gets up too and sometimes even then, Gabby doesn’t get up. Running at 5:30 in the morning means waking up at 4:30 in the morning in order to get your life together enough to be out of the house by 5, to make it to said place by 5:30. Waking up at 4:30 in the morning means that you get your clothes and food ready the night before, because (speaking from experience) you just never know what you might be eating for lunch the next day- if you have a lunch at all, or what you might be wearing (or not wearing because you forgot it). Waking up at 4:30 in the morning also requir...