Hey there everyone! This past week has been anything but ordinary. My family, friends, and I lost someone very near and dear to our hearts. Thankfully, this kind of loss doesn't happen on a regular basis, but that doesn't make it any easier.

The loss of a loved one is no easy thing. God tells us that there is a time for everything, and He included mourning (Ecclesiastes 3:4). Usually, my week goes like this: Physical Therapy on Monday, babysitting on Tuesday, middle school youth group on Wednesday (I am a leader), PT in the morning and a young adults ministry in the evening on Thursday, babysitting Friday morning, my discipleship group Saturday morning, and then Church (and sometimes a Bills game) on Sunday. Those are the that have been automatically scheduled into my week, and then I fill in other activities and responsibilities around them. But, starting this week I am done with PT, which is a huge blessing. It’s not that I didn’t like to go (I really like the physical therapists that helped me... that's you Ray and Rob!), it is just that now I am able to do the things that I had the ability to do before I was injured (such as play volleyball, go on walks, and go up stairs without crawling up them like a small child). So, my grandmother and I will be going to the gym during the times that I would normally have PT. I am looking forward to it, because I enjoy spending time with her, and it is important to take good care of your body. While it is important to take care of your body, though, it is more important to exercise your faith (1 Timothy 4:8).

Last week my brother had surgery on his pinky finger on his left hand. Afterwards, he came home with his hand wrapped up, which (at the moment) prevents him from being able to use it to the extent that he was able to pre-surgery. So basically everyone has been pitching in to help him out with certain things. To me it’s not a burden, because I love him and I don’t mind helping him out. It’s kind of been like I am an in-home nurse this past week. One of the perks of staying home with him is that we get to watch “The Office” (US version) together on our TV because we can Chromecast (it is very handy, no pun intended). So, why am I telling you this? You see, there are downsides to having the surgery. There isn’t the shortest recovery time, and then we will have to wait and see how much use/ability to move it he will have afterwards. He is excellent when it comes to playing guitar. God has blessed him with that gift. So, for him, not knowing how much of his pinky he will be able to fully use it a scary thing. He absolutely loves to play guitar, especially when it comes to helping out with or leading worship. Besides praying, one thing that has brought him comfort is a truth that my Nanni (grandmother) has told all of us: “God doesn’t give us a gift just to take it away from us.” So while it may seem hard to believe at times, we have to remember that God always does what is best for us, and that He is bigger and more powerful than anything that we will ever face. We need to stay positive and remain faithful, especially through the trials.

So, as I have mentioned before, I have “Verse Of The Week” cards. The verse for this past week was Romans 8:28. It says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” For my brother, one of the things that he has been called to do is to use music in his ministry. So I am not worried as to whether or not he will be able to play again. Why? Because I know that God will heal him, because this is part of what He has planned for him. He will not take away this gift that he has given my brother that he uses to bring glory to God. Why is He letting my brother go through this trial? I don’t know yet. What I do know is that there is a purpose for it, even though I can’t see it yet.

Faith: "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)

These are 3 songs that I have been listening to a lot this week (partly because I don’t have spotify premium, so my list is on shuffle), so here they are:

1. “Every Giant Will Fall” by Rend Collective

2. “Love Is Action” by Tauren Wells

3. “Greater” by MercyMe