Thanksgiving

I AM THANKFUL.


Perspective.

Many people never have the chance to see the world, to leave the country, or even leave the state in which they were born. I have had the opportunity to travel on many different vacations and mission trips (for which I have a lot of people to be thankful to) and one thing in my life that I am very grateful for is perspective. The places I have been, the people I have met, the things I have seen, the stories I have heard, and the experiences I have had have all shown me just exactly how blessed I am. I have seen enough to give myself a good reality check whenever I need it (and sometimes when I don't think I need it). I know how short life is, what the important things in life really are and when to let the little things matter. And I am thankful.


Family.

I have been blessed with the best set of parents I could have dreamed up, one amazing sister, and a fabulous best friend who has become a sister; my family means the world to me. I have also been blessed with wonderful extended family. Even though my family is spread across the country most of the year, I know they are always there for me. I have also been beyond blessed with church family that spreads not only across this country but around the world. I know that I am loved and cared for by them, and when I need them, all I need to do is ask. It is so comforting to know that I have the Lord's Army on my side. I am thankful for my family.


Experiences.

I have been so blessed in my life with wonderful experiences to learn from, from school to trips to jobs. My most recent blessings have been wonderful internship experiences in a fantastic school district where I have learned the from the best in the education business. The knowledge and experience I have been fortunate enough to gain while interning with the schools I was placed with have given me the foundation on which I can build my life serving children. And I am so thankful!


Talents.

I have not always been as confident as I am now in my own talents but I know that God gave me my talents for a reason. I am extremely thankful for all of my talents and for my wide range of interests. I now know how I am to use them, and I plan on using them to the best of my abilities from here on out. And I am thankful.


Health.

I am not in the best shape in the world, and I have the occasional cold or bug, but I am for the most part healthy. I don't have any serious illnesses and I feel good most of the time. I know how rare a commodity that is. And I am thankful.


Material blessings.

I am but a struggling college student, yet I am among the richest in the world. I am reminded of this daily when I pray for my friends in Haiti who struggle to feed their families. I may be struggling to find a job in this economy, but I am far from poor and I am well aware of that. I am blessed beyond measure with a car, an apartment, clothes, shoes, electronics, furniture, and the list goes on. And I am thankful.


Friends.

Without my friends, I don't know where I would be. On a bad day or a good day, they are who I run to. When I need to vent or need to laugh, they are who I call. I have had some of the best friends I could have ever asked for who have been there for me since childhood, some who have recently entered my life who I couldn't imagine life without, and some in the middle who have stuck with me for years who are like family now. Some friendships were just meant to be. I am grateful for paths crossing when they are meant to and friendships growing like they do. And I am thankful.


Spiritual blessings.

The very best is last. The thing I am most thankful for is God sending His Son to die on a cross to save my soul. Without His sacrifice and His grace, there would be no reason, there would be no life, there would be nothing. I am thankful for perspective, family, experiences, talents, health, material blessings, and friends, and most of all I am thankful for grace, faith, love, hope, mercy, and salvation.

This Thanksgiving, I have more than ever to be thankful for, and even more than ever, I have more people in my life to be thankful for. If you are reading this, I have said a prayer of thanksgiving for you today.

Psalm 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to Him! Bless His name!

Half way through...

I'm home sick today (which I hate because I don't like to miss things), but since I'm laying on the couch, I thought I'd work on my blog. There has been a lot going on, and even my closest friends have complained that they have no idea what has been going on, so I figured everyone could use an update.

I mentioned in my last post that I was working at Sonora for the first half of my internship (student teaching). At that point, I had no idea how big of an impact that school, those kids, and those amazing educators would have on my life. Friday was my last day at Sonora, and I miss it so much, it's just silly.

For the past three months, that school has been my life. That's how I like things. I like to love something so much that I can just throw myself into it completely and be absolutely content in it. And that's what Sonora was. I got totally attached to the kids. I got so used to seeing them every day, hearing about their day, their families, seeing them work and grow. The faculty became my family. My friends have joked about my 'cot in the back' at the school, because I rarely left during daylight hours, but honestly, how many people can say they love their work so much that they don't want to leave? Someone at the school told me one afternoon (on a payday) that I was the happiest unpaid worker they had ever met. I take pride in that. I don't think your career should have anything to do with money. And as long as it took me to get to this point and as many roads I traveled to get here, I know I'm where I am supposed to be. I may not have taken the shortest or quickest or straightest path, but I found my destination.

On Friday, my last day as an intern at Sonora, my family there threw me a going away party. It was great to sit down and celebrate my time there and the end of a super stressful week with everyone (one of the first times we actuall

y had the chance to sit down together and just talk). It was a really hard day. Even though I know I'll go back and I'll still see everyone, I know I won't be going there every morning. And the kids knew that, too.

<---------------[This is me and my beautiful librarian (and friend) Allison]

I got cards and pictures and letters

from my students and notes and gifts from friends. It was all I could do not to leave in tears (which by the way, I'm really proud of). The stressful week that I mentioned refers to the school dedication, which was Thursday. It required all of our time, energy, and concentration, so I didn't have all that much time to think about it being my last week until my last day.

I could go on and on about Sonora, my new family there, the kids, the phenomenal work that is going on there every day, but I'll move on. I started yesterday at Har-ber High School for the last nine weeks of my internship, which means, I graduate soon! Yay! I will be a licensed teacher and hopefully I will find the perfect job and settle down (what my mom has been praying for for years!).

[This pic is me with Regina, my principal, and

Lindsay, my assistant principal

at the party Friday. Two absolutely amazing ladies!]---------------------------------->

Har-ber is a beautiful school. It is huge! There are plenty of halls for me to get lost in, but I will most likely never leave the art rooms. There are two art teachers. I don't know which one will be my mentor yet, but I will undoubtedly enjoy it either way. They weren't expecting me this semester (despite my contacting them along with my principal at Sonora calling them last week), so yesterday was a bit odd. I'm sure we'll get it all straightened out tomorrow when I go back, but it is much different than my experience at Sonora already. It is definitely going to be a change of pace. The kids are not my little Sonora babies, but they are talented and motivated and it will be challenging (which is what I love). This experience promises to be a growth opportunity for me and I really look forward to it.

[The pic above is a group shot (minus a few) on the morning of the dedication.]

I have some events with Sonora that I will participate in and help with in the next few weeks, and I'm hoping to return after Christmas, but we'll see where my paths lead me after this internship. Until then, I am going to concentrate on putting my all into this high school experience and enjoy it as much as I can.

Thanks for reading, and keeping up with my ramblings...

God Bless!

"For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." --Jeremiah 29:11

Getting back in the swing of things...

It was recently brought to my attention that I have been severely neglecting my blog. I wasn't sure (and I'm still really not positive) if anyone really pays attention to this, but I've been so busy I haven't had much time to worry with it. So, for those of you still checking on this, I'm sorry it's been so long, but I'll try to catch you up!

I had an amazing summer. It was a whirlwind. I finished spring classes in May, had a week off, then went to Haiti for ten days. I quit my job at the day care after that (for many reasons) and it turned out to be for the best. I had classes at Harding every night, from 5pm to 10pm, every day of June and July. They were two week classes; an entire semester crammed into 8-10 days of 5 hour sessions. They were intense. One of the two week classes was online, and during that time, I went to Alaska for ten days. I got back, had a week off, then started my internship at Sonora Elementary in Springdale, which is where I am now in my life...student teaching. I'm spending long days at the school.

Okay, I'll back up a few months. My trip to Haiti was amazing, yet again. I just can't help but let those kids grab hold of my heart every single time I see them. I traveled to Nashville to meet with a group with from Lipscomb University. It was much less stressful to travel with a group this year than it was to travel alone last year. We spent ten days at CHCH during which we had terrential downpours and very warm days. We did some artistic stuff like painting and built some things, prepared the new nurses office and distributed food. The kids are growing up so fast, but they are all doing really well. Being with Hunter and Jillian again was just fabulous, and seeing all of my kids was a dream come true. I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life. I missed Haiti, my kiddos and Hunter and Jillian the minute we got on the plane to fly home. On the plus side, while in Nashville, I was able to catch up with my childhood friend from Kentucky, Danielle.

My classes this summer were intense. There was a lot of reading and paper writing and lesson planning involved along with presentations and research, but it was all very exciting and informative and worth the work. This summer was the last of my classes for my program, and I have really enjoyed all of my classes through Harding's NWAPC. After my fourth class of the summer and my 11th graduate class, I'm just 18 weeks of supervised teaching away from my Masters Degree.

My trip to Alaska was amazing beyond description. I don't think there is any way to put into words how spectacular that place is. Neal and Sherri invited Emily and I up to visit them, and I don't think there is anything I could do to repay them for that opportunity. It was so nice to see the places that inspired Tony so much and that he had told me so much about. It was such a privilege to be able to spend that time with the Collins' and enjoy their company and home with them for a few days. Emily and I were so blessed to be there; we saw so much. I'll list the places we visted and things we saw, but it won't even skim the surface of the experience we had: Midnight Sun Bible Camp, Dream a Dream Iditarod Dog Farm, Wasilla, Ulu Factory, Wildberry Factory, Point Wornzof, Nature Trail, downtown Anchorage, Whittier, a glacier cruise on the Prince William Sound, Beluga Point, Portage, Wildlife Conservatory, Alyeska Ski Resort, Flat Top trail, Reindeer farm, Muskox farm, Alaska zoo, Hatcher Pass, Crow Pass, Raven Glacier, the Alaska Railroad, Seward, and so much more. It was honestly the trip of a lifetime. I can never express with words my love and gratitude to the Collins'.

I am now in my elementary internship. I have been working at the newest school in the Springdale school district for the past three weeks. I began the new teacher orientation during inservice week and have been working at the school since before the construction of the school was even complete. I am having a great time working with the amazing staff at Sonora and I am enjoying every minute with the kids there. I am at the school constantly, I am coming home exhausted every night, and I am loving every minute of it.

So, I am really busy, and I may not update this often, but I'll try to be a little bit better about it. Thanks for reading, take care, and God bless. :)

"Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done." Philippians 4:6

Journey of a Sheltered Girl

Ok, so I'm horrible at keeping up with my blog, but to get back into the swing of things, I thought I would try my hand at this challenge to share the story of a journey.

I grew up in a Christian family, living a Spiritual life, so I have a number of "journeys" I could share, some of them more fun to hear or read about than others. And I'm a talker, daughter of a preacher, so I can make anything into an interesting story...or so I think.

I have a heart for missions: sharing my faith with the world. I went on my first mission trip at 16 to build churches in Mexico. At 19, I went to New Orleans to help with Katrina clean up. During college, things never quite worked out for me to go on the international missions that I wanted to go on, France, Germany, South Africa...things just weren't on my side. I graduated with my BS in May of 2009 and was presented with the opportunity to go on a mission trip. I didn't have a full time job yet. I had a free summer. Well, sure! I'll go anywhere. Where is the group going? Haiti. Oh.

I've never been afraid to get my hands dirty. I don't mind the hard work. My idea of missions was always an 18 hour international flight and seeing the wonders of the world on the way. But Haiti? What is there to do or see in Haiti? Why would we even go to Haiti? But it was my chance to go see a part of the world I had never seen and share my faith with people in the world and help others. After all, that's what I wanted to do. So, I went. I wrote letters to my family and friends for prayers and support. I researched and studied the language and lifestyle of the Haitians. I packed my bags, and I met my team of 5 at the airport. Three connecting flights, some confusion at an international airport in Port au Prince and 18 hours later, we landed in Cap Haitien, Haiti.

There is nothing in the world, no amount of videos or photos or stories of the poverty and pain, can prepare you for living in Haiti for a month. The smell of the city and the conditions people live in are horrifying (and this was before the earthquake and its devastating affects). In a matter of minutes, I realized just how sheltered a life I had lived for the first 22 years of my life. And in less than that, I realized just how blessed my life truly is. And that isn't even the journey part. We lived at an orphanage for almost four weeks. We slept in bunk beds covered in mosquito nets, ate rice and beans every day, and took cold showers every evening. But that's not the journey part either. The journey I took came through the eyes of the Haitiens: the look of appreciation of a starving child when you give her food, the joy on the face of a child flying a kite in the street, the hope in the eyes of a mother of 12 when you help her pay her rent for just one more year. Despite the living conditions, the extreme poverty and the despair that you see every way you turn, the Haitien people are people full of hope and faith and joy. They have huge hearts and beautiful souls.

Nothing could have prepared me for the journey I took in my trip to Haiti two years ago. I fell in love with the hearts and souls of the men and women and the smiles and hugs of the children. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life.

My friends and family are tired of hearing about Haiti, no doubt. I haven't stopped talking about the orphanage, the children, my friends in Haiti, for over two years. I wouldn't trade my experiences in Haiti for anything. How many of us can say we have had a defining moment where we truly began to appreciate the blessings in our life?

Crazy Life!

Alright, well, I haven't posted in a month, but I have been so busy, I think I deserve a little bit of a break. I am working in Searcy, going to school in Bentonville, and living everywhere in between, including Conway, Van Buren and Springdale. Over the past month, I have started school, enjoyed some snow, and endured bronchitis. It really has been pretty crazy.

I am finally winding up my days of working in Searcy, which is very exciting. Not because I don't like Searcy, or th

at I don't like my job, it is just wearing me out to drive back and forth every weekend to work 24 ho

urs in three days then drive 4 hours back.

I move into my new apartment in two weeks, which is also very, very exciting. I love the place, and I can't wait to get settled in! I am going to Tennessee with MG and DR to the annual Freed-Hardeman lectureships and we're stopping in Searcy on the way back through to load up my storage unit into a U-Haul and bring it up this way. I can't wait!

My classes are in full swing, but things are so crazy right now, I can't really get into it yet. My books haven't arrived yet and I'm doing my homework on the run when I get a chance. It'll be a bit better in a couple of weeks. I have four classes to keep up with, so I'm doing my best to be on top of it right now. The last missing piece of this puzzle is a job in Bentonville, which I'm also trying to work on in between trips back and forth!

As for today, I am trying to get my energy level back up after my week of bronchitis and the antibiotics for it. I'm resting in Van Buren, getting a massage at the gym, and maybe work on some homework and job searching. It's a constant game of catch-up ri

ght now. And they're calling for more snow tonight!

I did have a lot of fun in the last snow. I got snowed in with my favorite kids and their GG. We did some sledding and snow balls and snow angels. It was a good time. I also was able to catch up with Mya, Felisha and that darling little Isaiah, who is six months old and not so little anymore. And by the way, let's keep all of them in your prayers, too.

I hope you all are doing well, and I hope you were all able to follow

my story of

the past month of

my life. I know I jumped around a lot, but that's how my brain is working right now.

My thoughts right now are on my friends at the Cap Haitien Children's Home. Hunter and Jillian are officially living there now. If you are interested in their work, you should check out their blog: chchblog.blogspot.com I have to admit, I'm a little bit jealous of them. I would love to be spending my time at the orphanage. I know they are doing an awesome job and I can not wait to see what is going to come of their time there. And I can not wait to go visit them! Living there, I'm sure, is a whole lot different than visiting there, and it is sure to be a tough time, however wonderful it may be. Keep them in your prayers, if you will.

Love Always.