Ever tried something that seemed impossible?

Being inspired by K-Love I was going to attempt to be more positive in my life and not let negative words or thoughts control my life.  I decided to start this 6/1/10.  Didn't think it would be as hard as it was...from my special (medical) needs child not cooperating in getting up this morning so I could leave for work, to the dry cleaners messing up my husband's uniform to it being a "Monday" on Tuesday.  It's much harder than I thought but it will well be worth the effort.  We never realize how our negative words/thoughts affect our day and/or someone else's day.  Thanks KLove

Hey, just wanted to let you know that your station has been a big help to me during the years and through some difficult trials in my life. Thanks to all the people that support K-Love.

Hi Kelly,

I decided to sing with my husband's choir at a Memorial Day Event yesterday.  I hadn't sang with a choir for a very long time.  Well, does in the shower and along with the songs at KLOVE count?  Well, after the 1st rehearsal, I was ready to quit but, I was thinking, I need to get out of my comfort zone every once in a while. It's singing to the Lord, honoring my country, the fallen veterans and paying tribute to our soldiers in harms way.
Well, the program was great and I felt I did a nice job.  I'm even going to sing with them at the July 4th service at church.
Thanks for all you and Scott do in the afternoon.  Love listening.

Mary Ann Belles
Pittsburgh, PA

At 41 (just last summer) I decided to go back to school to get my degree in Nursing. I am attending school for my RN. Recently a professor made the following comment:  It can be hard till I quit, or a challenge till I graduate!

I decided this is challenging, but with God all things are possible, especially since this is what I am called to do.

Nursing school is very competitive. There are so many trying to get in and so few accepted. I've worked for a year to get in and I finally made it. That feat alone seemed impossible, but now I have to make it through the next 2 years. I'm 42 years old and I don't retain information the way I used to, but God has led me to this and He will see me through.
Love your show. Welcome to the Charlotte area!

I quit high school, and now at 47 I am about to graduate with my Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis!  To God Be the Glory!!!

I am 47 and going back to school so I can become a children's pastor with a focus on those with special needs. Who knew?

Two and a half years ago my amazing hubby Pete and our two children Kailee and Anthonie (siblings both adopted at birth) chose to started the process of adopting a sibling group of two from Haiti. Shortly after their birthmom brought in a baby. We all felt that these children were lead to us and we were excited to work towards brining them home to join our family. During the process we were able to help build up their orphanage and bring food to sustain them all.

During this time we could see a small baby girl and her older brother who needed our help. Pete and I started felt that we needed to starte the process of becoming foster parents.

After we returned from our third trip to visit our children in Haiti we were lead to foster a small one year old baby girl and her two year old brother. We worked on reunification with their birth parents. In November 2009 their birth parents individually signed over their rights to us and on the 24th of this month we will adopt them forever.

Did you hear of the pilot who would not leave Haiti with out the orphans he had come to pick up shortly after the Earthquake in Jan 2010?  Our children were on that plane.  Jan 30, 2010 after a series of amazing miracles, we picked up our three Haitian children Gracie 9, D'Joe 6, and Jordan 2 from Miami and became their legal guardians to adopt here in America. We will be adopting all three of them in the next few months.

Never in a million years did my husband or I imagine adopting five special needs children within weeks of each other. It almost sounds IMPOSSIBLE, but then again we have fully trusted our hearts to His will for us and for our little family. His dreams for us are so much better than we could have ever imagined on our own.  

We now have seven beautiful happy children... what a gift and blessing!  This all came about because we found the courage to continue to follow the Lords will for our family. In return we have been blessed beyond measure!  

To celebrate my 50th birthday, I decided to do something way outside what I thought possible...climb Long's Peak in Colorado. I trained for several months and in August, 2008, my daughter and a friend set out on a very very long hike/climb. We started at 3:30 am. As we neared the top of the 'trough' early that afternoon - almost to the summit, we were advised to start back down as the weather was becoming threatening. On the way down we got caught in a hailstorm and lost the trail in the boulder field. Just about the time I began to wonder if we should begin to panic, I glanced over and saw 2 guys hunkered down by a rock and they motioned for us to join them. They had a GPS and helped us get back on the trail. I think God sent us those 'angels' as another reminder that He is the God of the Impossible..."With Him all things are possible."
That accomplishment has helped spur me to try a number of things at this age that I wouldn't have done earlier in my life! It just keeps getting better!!!

I just enrolled in school for Holistic Health Practitioner, Nutrional Consultant and Master Herbalist.

My life is extremly hectic already, husband in school, fifteen year old daughter in highschool and competitive swimming.

In addition, I work full time, and support our family, and I have two chronic health conditions, which can confine me to bed sometimes for days to weeks on end and the only real thing I am capable of is work.

This past year, a treatment for my HAE that has not side effects was finally approved in the US. It has been 15 years of prayer trying to get the Cinryze approved in the states, on my birthday, I received it was finally approved.

With this new treatment, I am able to function more. Because of my "illnesses" I have learned much about prayer and natural healing, and I want to share my knowledge with others. The Lord has opened the door for me to begin this new path, while working - it is a fantastic oppurtunity, but very overwhelming as well.

I know I will do well. As the Lord is always by my side, and has used these illnesses in my life to show me how to "live" - they have never been a curse, but a constant blessing - and because of my experiences with chronic pain and illness, I understand what others are going through - and am capable of supporting them proactively so they can themselves find happiness - even in a world of pain and sickness.

Thank You, and I hope you keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
Michele

So much with so little space, I was a children and family pastor for 19 years with no desire to be a senior. Recently the Lord decided to   shake things up by closing that door and moving my family and I to a new city a new church as the senior pastor. All that sounds normal but I'm 51 and was not sure I could start over, my son was a junior in high school and did not want to leave friends, the church had just been through an awful split and it is also a different denomination that what I had served. All that being said as you can imagine 2009 was the worst ever for my family. BUT GOD!!! Who is so faithful has provided and now a year later the Lord has restored everything in so many different ways. It has been and continues to be and adventure of a lifetime. Being in the middle of Gods will in the midst of hardship is far better than being out of His will and complacent! Bless you for allowing God to expand your borders!  

The hardest thing I've ever done is complete Advanced Physics as a junior in high school. At first, I was so discouraged and convinced that I would never understand. I spent many night crying over labs that seemed impossible to complete. I wanted to drop the class and take a simpler course, but I turned that frustration into determination. I worked harder than I ever have in any class, but I earned my A. This morning I took the final for that class, and I am so glad that I stuck with it. Through all those stressful night, KLOVE played in the background of my room. God taught me that He has created me to be so much more capable than I can imagine, and that through Him, I can do all things, even the impossible (like getting an A in Physics). :   ]

I took a leap of faith about 2 years ago & decided to listen to the Lord & go back to college. I'm a single mom so going back to school was not an easy decision to make. But I knew it was what the Lord wanted from me so I put aside everything & just went for it.

Gave up my home, my job & even moved us back in with family. I am just finishing my first year of nursing school & I look back at all that have I learned & I am just amazed! It has been the hardest, most challenging thing I have ever done - but also the most rewarding. There is no better way to serve the Lord then by serving is people at a time when they need it the most.

When you follow the Lord & do what He wants you to do - you really can do anything! There were so many obstacles in my way, but God provided me with everything I needed to get through this year. He is amazing & if you just listen to what He desires for you life - you can do anything.

I'm in seventh grade, and at the beginning of middle school in fifth grade I chose to take on the flute.  I played the flute for two years, but it wasn't really working. In seventh grade you have the option to switch to year long art from music classes, but I wanted to stay in our extracurricular jazz band. So I joined percussion. That placed be in the back of the band room with then 10, now 11, boys. It was a challenge because learning a new instrument with everyone else so much more talented than I and getting along with them was no small feat either. But as the year progressed, they were surprisingly supportive. They would help me out when I couldn't hold my drumsticks correctly and when I had no idea how to play the timpani. I went on to earn percussionist of the year a couple weeks ago. With God's love for me and His love shown through them, I never could have conquered this challenge.

Challenges, which do fail are the ones that build you up and make you realize that you that no matter what, at least I did try and gained the experience.

About a year ago this past January, I committed career suicide by packing my bags, saying good-bye to family and friends and moved across the world (literally) to Australia.
I jumped and just went to make a life with the one that  I THOUGHT, was the love of my life. He was unsaved and I was just being a stubborn child of God, not wanting to listen.

With- in the 6 mths I failed in the relationship, I am so glad I did or I would have never been able to build up and realize the one important substance with in a relationship.. And that is the Triangle of Love. GOD being on top and you and your  love one beside you.

Since then I have been hitting my challenges like a punching bag, from moving back home sharing a room with my little sister, totaled my car in the 3rd week back,working two part time jobs,  planning my little sister’s wedding (which took place on my birthday) a death in family and a prayer for grandfather’s major surgery along with  trying to build my own life back up from the ground.. . I am more happy now then before I had left. And it wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t tried to take a risk in life. I failed.. but what I gained realizing the Love from family and knowing that the only man in my life that would never leave me and will always love me unconditional with all my flaws is, Jesus Christ.

I do believe that risks builds the person you are but sometimes failing them is not a bad thing.

38 years after finishing an undergraduate degree I started grad school at 63.  I was going to quit, felt like the "rock" between my ears wouldn't absorb anything, but just finished two semesters (part-time since I'm working full time), and I have two A's and an A+ to thank God for!

Two years ago I weighed nearly 400 pounds. A friend of mine had gastric by-pass surgery. God put us together in the church nursery and I was able to ask her questions about it.
Three months later I had surgery. I have dropped 180#'s and give God all the glory.
He is greater than we can ever imagine.

I am 60 years old and decided I wanted to learn how to play the piano!  I have never played the piano and only played the clarinet when I was 12 for one year.  I had no idea how hard this was going to be for me!  My teacher and my husband have nicknamed me, "This is too hard" Judy!  Every lesson is harder than the last and I think that I can not do it.  Then, with a little practice each day, I master the lesson!  I am very proud of myself and hope to one day play the piano in my church.  It will be years before I can master a hymnal song though!

I have been feeling a calling to ministry for the past year or so. When I came back to Christ (through His Word and loving Grace) I ended up at the Church that I left bitter as a teen and God has used this very Church to feed my love for God's glory. At this Church was my old pastor from my Childhood, whom I always respected. He teaches deep Bible study there and when I talked to him about the call I feel in my heart to go to seminary, he gave me the opportunity to get a feel for teaching the Word in his class!! Just one time for now. I asked for a couple of days to pray and the whole time I knew that God was saying, "YES!" I taught out of the book of Daniel and I knew the Holy Spirit was upon me that day. As someone who is quiet and passive, my heart burned for God that day. Now I am being asked to do a teaching for several weeks! YIKES! I've never done this before. But if it is God's well, then His past grace motivates me for future grace. Praise God.

I moved away from home after going to a local college and almost immediately began a relationship with a girl that lasted four years.  The first year everything seemed fine, and after that, it slowly went down hill.  The lies began, money dissapeared from my checking account, the guilt trips became more and more of the norm, and I began using food as a coping mechanism.  I fell into a depression, gained 60lbs, ran up credit card bills, etc.  I had never had time because of this relationship to really make any solid friendships, because she always felt like we should be together at any moment and it was easier for me to let her win instead of pleading my case.  Therefore, she and her family were really the only people I had away from home. I began to feel very trapped, used, and sad, but because of the comfort zone, I was terribly afraid of leaving and being alone.  Then one day while visiting my parents, a family friend shared with me her relationship with her husband and how wonderful it was compared to the one that she got out of before she met her him.  There were a lot of similarities between us and she told me that "the more time you hold on to this relationship, the less time you'll have with the one that God has made for you to spend your life with.  It took about six months, but I slowly got the courage, moved out of that relationship and came back home. One year and 3 months later I married my wife who treats me like gold and truly is my soul mate.  We are also expecting our first child in November and couldn't be more in love.  Had God not given me the courage and the strength and the advice of a friend, I would not have the wonderful life with my best friend and wife that I have today. God is good, all the time.

I fell in "love" with the wrong guy my senior year my parents withdrew my from school and sent me to live with my aunt. I was resentful towards my parents because I felt they took everything from me. After six months I returned home with a heart of stone, and the impression that I did not have a high school diploma so I began to work jobs that did not require education. My parents kept telling me that I did graduate, and my diploma could be picked up, but I was afraid to go and find out that it was not true, and I was also afraid to run into someone and fall back into my old ways. During this process God continued to show me unconditional love and taught me how to love HIS WAY. It took me 5 years to return to my old high school, and it was true my diploma was waiting for me. On that same day I enrolled in college and I will be graduating with my associates this fall of 2010. On top of it all I recently walked down a different aisle when I said "I do" to a wonderful Christian man who I married March 20, 2010. Every day my husband comes home from work I am reminded: NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE for GOD!  

Five years ago this past May, my mother passed away.  The boys I had babysat since birth were going to be in school full time in the fall.  I had students graduating, so not needing lessons anymore, or money was getting tight so lessons were the first things to go.  My three kiddos were all marching with the Casper Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps, and I had been volunteering every month at camp doing sewing, cooking meals, checking kids in etc.  I finally called the corps exec director and said if he knew of work I could do for pay, I would appreciate it.  It came time for Memorial Day camp, which is the last camp before summer.  I got a phone call telling me I had a job and they would tell me more when I got there.  I talked with my Daddy about it, as I was needing a job, yet hesitant to leave him....he promptly told me to go, (He knew of my passion for drum corps.)so I did.  
When I arrived, I was greeted with warm welcoming hugs from everyone on staff.  None of them had been able to make it down to Grand Junction for my mother's services!  I was then told I needed to attend a meeting.  When I got to the meeting, I was told that I was to be the lead cook on tour for the summer.  
I had cooked for as many as 15, but never other than assisting at camps, for 150.  But that was to be my job.  What a summer.  We toured from I-25 east across the US for 10 weeks.  I cooked four meals a day, seven days a week in a kitchen in a converted semi trailer.  I had a gas fire in the kitchen within the first week on the road.  I cooked in 120 degree heat index.  I was up usually about 6:30am and finished my night around midnight.  I slept in a seat in a van, then got to move to the sleeper of one of the semis (you see the driver drives all night and sleeps all day....I worked all day, so they let me sleep while they drove, then when we got to a site, I would find a corner, inflate my airbed, get a few more hours of sleep, then back at it.  
I met some really horrid people, and some absolutely amazing people.  My amazing friends are still a part of my life.  One driver I rode with, is a strong Christian, so he and I prayed together then, and continue to pray for one another now.  Another does photography, and flew from Portland, Maine, to Grand Junction, CO to take my daughter's senior pictures, as well as some family shots.
Sadly my daughter and I had severe illness overtake us 10 days prior to the end of the season, so had to be flown home.  We did not get to finish the tour.  It makes both of us cry even now.
I took on a job I would not have chosen for myself and did it and did it well and only had three days five days off the entire time from Memorial Day weekend until we flew home the 1st of August.  I endured more than most can imagine, and I would do it again if I could.
God is good.
"I CAN do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!!"

Ever since I was a child, I was deathly afraid of heights.  I could scarcely even climb a short ladder.  About 3 years ago at a ladies retreat, there was an opportunity to do a zip-line.  Essentially, you had to climb up a pine tree, step out on this narrow ledge, be attached to a cable hooked to a harness, and then jump off the ledge and go 750 feet across a gorge.  I decided to do it!  After climbing the tree, I was stuck on the ledge having panic attacks and bawling my eyes out for a long time.  Finally I said, "Okay, God, here we go," and I jumped off.  It was a terrifying experience, but an incredible experience.  Not only did I get over my fear of heights, but God used that to begin a powerful time of personal healing in my life, healing wounds which were deeper than that gorge.  

yes i am having one of those times now. i have a poetry slam tomorrow morning for English class and i had to write two poems which i have done and now i have to choose one to recite to the whole 9th-12th grade and i cant decide which one to recite for tomorrow. Both are really good poems and i cant make a decision.

Due to a history of heart problems in my family and a love for food, I've always tried to maintain an active lifestyle. Exercise is much more enjoyable when you have a goal in mind though. At the age of 38, I began to do 5k runs, and within a few years completed 2 marathons (very slowly). Then it seemed like a good idea to mix things up a little bit, so I started doing triathlons. I've always loved swimming distance, but the river/lake settings were extremely intimidating compared to a pool! Before my 1st event involving a 1 mile river swim, I had numerous nightmares that I drowned. The moment I would think about the swim, I'd get huge knots in my stomach and feel like I was going to throw up. But God has not given us a spirit of fear. This was something I wanted to do SO badly, so I just kept praying for the strength to do it. On race day, I was feeling pretty confident until a fellow participant told me her story of the previous year's race. During the swim, apparently 2 girls panicked at the same time and grabbed onto her, pulling her under. NOT what I needed to hear at that moment! Philippians 4:13 was my prayer with every stroke of that swim! Getting out of the water with that 1 mile of fear behind me was such a turning point for me when it comes to believing in the power of prayer. I've shared that scripture with many people who I've come across in various races, who look like they're struggling, and it seems to be very well received!
At the age of 45, I'm now a grandma of 3 and am training for my first half ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run). And I'm not afraid. I dream of someday having my grandchildren join me in a race, and for them to be able to do something they once thought was impossible- with God's help!    

My darling Husband bought me a sewing machine exactly one year ago this week for my 30th birthday. I had never even sewn before but was excited about the challenge.   I thought it'd be something fun to do while my young boys were in preschool.  Only 1 year later, I already own my business called The Purse Pantry where I custom-design and create purses, diaper bags and wallets. I absolutely fell in love with sewing and I get to make a little extra cash and still be at home with my boys.  

God not only showed me this hidden talent but has been able to use it to bless many people including my own parents. They lost their home and everything they'd ever owned in a house fire back in January and had no insurance. My husband and I were able to contribute to the rebuilding of their lives with the extra money I was making selling my products. Who knew just one year ago, this journey would've led here?  I'm excited to see where God takes this endeavor and I hope to, one day, open up my very own boutique.  

God has led my husband and I to do two big things in the last year that we never thought we could do: home school and foster care. Of course, where God leads you He will give you the strength to accomplish it. We sort of jumped into both of those things having to completely trust God that He would be there with us and give us everything we need to be successful at homeschooling our children and also at taking in damaged children. It was scary but both have been the biggest source of blessing and spiritual for our whole family. Now, I am beginning a new challenge: running a 5K. I always hated running while I was growing up. My parents never pushed me to do sports or anything. In the last few years I have developed a love for being physically active. I enjoy lifting weights and doing kickboxing, but running was still something that I just wouldn't try. Well, I recently found a running program called Couch to 5K and I decided to give it a shot. I'll be running my first 5K on June 26th to raise money for an orphanage in Kenya. We'll see how it goes...I'm really excited!