On my mind

Today is my best friend and sister's birthday!!! She is the greatest, most giving, unselfish, considerate, thoughtful, creative girl I know! She has always been there for me and I know God blessed me with her for a reason. I look up to her so much and am excited to see how God is going to use her for His glory even more as she continues to seek for what He wants. Man, I wish I could be in MN for her today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIKKI!!!!



Also, I just was thinking this past week how precious my family is to me. Seriously I have not really comprehended how much they mean to me. My parents are the best parents that I know and they are so giving and sacrifice so much just for me and us kids. I am so grateful to have grown up in a larger family too... it has been my favorite part of growing up. I loved being the youngest and having 4 older brothers and a big sister. I love everyone so much and miss them a lot. I also have the awesome priveledge of calling all my in-laws my family too. I learn something new from each one of them and they are so loving to me. I love seeing our family seeking God, it is the most rewarding thing in the whole world. I would not trade that for anything money could ever buy. ... for real I can't explain my love for all my family. They are the best.



This Honor Academy experience has definitely been one that I wanted to give up on after the first week here, but I knew that that was not what God wanted for me. It is not that it is too physically draining, or emotionally draining, or healthyfood draining (although it is), it is more just because it has been a sacrifice for me in every area of my life including spiritually. The devil kept trying to tell me that I was wasting a year and to just go home and not commit, but I KNOW THAT I KNOW that that is not what God wants. I know that God wants me here. I know I am in His will right now and I know that this year is supposed to stretch me. I can already see how I have drastically grown in my thinking, in my walk with God, and just in other areas of my life. I have learned to really just put my trust in God. HE is the only way I am going to make it through here with excellence.


I also can see God moving in me through being the new ACA (despite it being my first semester here, and all the other ACA's are August interns). It is so cool to see how God placed me where I am for a reason. I know that I got placed in the room I am in because God wants me to pour into all of these girls' lives His love and other things as well. It is so wierd, because I can identify at least one thing in every girl that I used to struggle with that they currently are dealing with and may or may not even know it. I know God is stretching me through this experience as well, and I am humbled that he entrusted me to these girls' lives this year. Already I am seeing growth in our room, but I do know it is going to take perseverance and a press. Wow, I am really learning alot though. Basically, I do not even care if the girls think that I am too extreme, or too strict, or too anything, as long as they come out of this year knowing God more. That is truly all that matters. I want to see our whole room come to truly know who they are in God this year, and I know that in Jesus' name that is going to happen! Praise God!
Thank you God, I love you so much.