Home

I am so thankful for going home tonight. I love sleeping in my bed and laying on our couch and being lazy. Even though my parents aren't even here, its so nice just to be back in our house. Its just a completely different feeling than being at school.

This was a really short post, sorry, I'm going to bed now haha

Amazing women

Today, I am thankful for the amazing women that God has put into my life that are helping me to know and love Him more. What a blessing to have these women pouring into my life and constantly sharing with me. I'm thankful for their example, for their willingness to share their struggles, and their willingness to talk to me and let me help them do their laundry and play with their kids. I have a wonderful example to follow in my mom, but I definitely hope to be like these women too when I'm wife and mother.

Also, funny story- yesterday at church, RG was giving me some serious love. She loves me anytime I go their house, but can be iffy at church- sometimes she likes me, sometimes not. But when I walked in yesterday, she asked me to come play with her and build a tower and then told me that I was her best friend!! : ) Love it!! But then later, I tried to give her a kiss and ended up kissing her on the eye and she looks at me with all this attitude and says- "Don't do that! You could hurt someone doing that!" So in case you were wondering, never kiss someone on the eye, apparently its dangerous. 

SC United

I just got home from our monthly SC United (Summit College United). Once a month, all the campuses (meaning both college and church campuses) meet together to worship and meditate on God's goodness and grace to us. It's AMAZING! It's so great to take one Friday off a month, gather with students from all across the Triangle, and worship God and envision all that He is going to do on our campuses.

We believe that God is moving and He's moving big time. And we're so excited that we get to be a part of it. We are blessed to have really great leadership, with big dreams of all that God is going to do here

If you are in college and you do not go to SC United, you need to come!! The next one is going to be on December 8th. I know its right in the middle of exams, but use it to take a break. We are going to have all sorts of yummy Christmas treats and Matt Papa  is going to be leading worship. It will be just a really chill, relaxing evening, so come take a break and remember what is really important. A little perspective always helps during exams! 

love my small group

So I totally meant to post this yesterday, but I forgot (had a lot to do).

God has really blessed me with a really great group of girls to meet with each week and learn and grow together. It has been so great to be with these girls again this year. We were able to really pick up where we left off last year and grow deeper in our relationships with each other and with God.

This is my group from last year, a few of these girls graduated and Rebecca is now leading a different group, but I love all of them and miss those who aren't here anymore. 

Thank you girls for teaching me so much! 

Need to remind myself to of this today

Today, I'm thankful for the education that I am getting. Actually, I'm not entirely thankful for it, I'm having to remind myself (through writing this) to be thankful.

Right now, I have a lot of work to do, work that sometimes seems a bit futile/useless. I'm trying to figure out how to make movies on literacy when it would be so much easier to just put together a powerpoint and present it to the class. Don't you agree?

And so, I'm telling myself to be thankful for the chance that I get to study here, to learn from these professors with so much experience and expertise, and to get the best training that I can. I get the chance to learn all that I can, so that when I go to India, I will be the best teacher that I can possibly be.

So, despite the workload I currently have, or how frustrating these classes can get at times, I am glad that I can be in this program. 

Kids that keep life interesting

I love children, obviously, and I am so thankful for the kids that I have been able to be a part of their lives.

These girls keep life interesting all the time. I never know what R will say in class on Sundays. 

Here are some pictures of R and K after I got back this summer. 

R really liked this pretty, sparkly outfit from Central Asia, until she realized that it was long sleeved, then not so much. Granted it was August at the time, maybe now she would like it a bit better.

I showed K how to put on the sari that her dad had bought them in India a few years ago. K went on her first overseas trip a few weeks ago. Love seeing how she is already developing a heart for the world and seeing people know Jesus. 

I don't have a picture of A from this day and I just switched laptops, so I'm still working on getting all my pictures sorted and everything, but I love that girl. She says the craziest things and always makes us laugh. 

I'm so blessed to get to be a part of these sweet girls lives. Love them so much! 

The Summit Church

Day 4 of being thankful.

Today, I was blown away by God's generosity to me in the church that he put me in. As I have been at Summit for so long, it is easy to forget that not every church is like this. Not every pastor presents the gospel week after week. Its a gift to be reminded to rely fully on God's grace and not on my own ability to change or be holy.

Yesterday, I was talking with a friend in school of ed about how stressed we get thinking about student teaching and how overwhelming it can be to think about the future and what being a teacher is actually going to require. There are days when I am completely overwhelmed and have no idea how I am going to do this. I have no idea of how to be a teacher, much less teach in Hindi.

Today, I was reminded that I am the daughter of a king. not only that, but I am royalty, I am a queen. I can have confidence in Christ that  I can do all that I have been called to do and I can come BOLDLY before God and ask for the things that I need. I can come before God and tell him that I can't do these things, because on my own, there is no way that I can. But I can ask him for his help, and I can have confidence that he will hear me and will answer my prayers.

I am the beloved daughter of the king and creator of the universe.

That blew me away this morning.

I am so thankful to be in a church that preaches truth, that keeps me focused on the gospel, and always directs us to respond in worship.

I am thankful that we have such talented worship leaders, who direct our praise, not to them or their abilities, but always to God.

And I am thankful that I get to serve the people of Summit and get to be a part of making it possible for other people to experience God like I get to.

I really love my church.

Thankfulness day 3

I have the craziest friends. Seriously though. They are wonderful. We are currently eating dinner, "studying" and watching Harry Potter. It's wonderful. We also just spent a lot of time looking at HP things on Pinterest. I love that I can show my complete insanity to them and they don't care, they love me for it! 

I'm very thankful for these 4 girls and glad that God put us in the same Cru small group freshman year. The friendship didn't click then, but I'm so thankful for them now! My life would not be nearly as interesting as it is without them! 

Bemi also suggested that they be the people I'm thankful for today, but I was already going to write about them. 

That's all for now, we're going to a Harry Potter in a bit!! 

Seriously though, HP is not the only thing that we talk about, but it is a major thing haha. 

Thankfulness day 2

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday Wednesday! It was wonderful! It's weird to be getting older and crazy to think that I am one step closer to being a "real" adult (whatever that means). My wonderful small group surprised me with dinner (but more about them another day).

I meant to post this yesterday, but I failed, so we'll call this a 2 in 1 thankfulness post.

Today, I am thankful for my brother and sister. Again, I'm super biased, but I think that I have the best siblings in the world. Having siblings is like having best friends, only they have to like you! And thankfully, mine do (at least I think so).

My brother is just about the craziness person that I know. He can make us laugh, no matter where we are. Don't tell him, but I love his over-proctectiveness, but I will continue to be annoyed by it. Brent is one of the hardest working people that I know and he is also one of the most generous. (He also tends to add to my circle of friends).

 

What can I say about my wonderful sister? I wish that we were as close as we are now when we still lived in the same house (or at least the same continent). K has paved the way for all that I now see myself doing with my life. I look up to her so much and find so much comfort and motivation from her life. 

Thank-you, Brent and K, for loving me so well. Love you guys! 

With Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which I cannot believe, but I'm SO excited about cause that means this semester is almost over!! Yay!

But more to the point- Thanksgiving is in just a few weeks and so this is the time that we are supposed to be thinking about the things that we are thankful for.

College students, say it with me- yeah right.

This is the time that we are so overloaded with work that we have no free time. Between last week and next, I had projects due in every class (2 in one class). This time can be ridiculously overwhelming and stressful. This is the time that we are tired of our classes and just want the semester to be over. These are the when I complain way too much.

And this is the time that we are supposed to be remembering what we are thankful for?

And so, I'm going to steal an idea from one of my favorite mommy bloggers, Amy, and post about something that I am thankful for each day.

I hope that you will join me in being thankful for one specific thing each day. We are so blessed so let's take some time and thank God for all that He has done for us.

Day 1- It seems only fitting that on my birthday I should be thankful for my parents.

I have the best parents in the world. Parents who love me and raised me to know the Lord. Parents who modeled how to live their life leveraged for the gospel. Parents who understand that we are not theirs, they are only borrowing us from our Heavenly Father. Parents who support all of us without fail, even when we say crazy things like, "Hey, I think I'm going to live on the other side of the world" or "Hey, I think I'm going to start living in downtown Durham, while still finishing school" (that one isn't me haha).

Mom and Dad, I know that we don't say it enough, but thank you for all that you have done for us. Thank you for how you raised us. Thank you for trusting God with our lives and salvation. I know that we all scared you for a little while, but you trusted in God's plan and it all seems to have worked out ok, right? I am who I am today because of you. I am able to say yes to all God asks of me because of the example that you two set for us. I love you so much.

Also- that picture is from the Sunday before I left to spend the summer in Central Asia and India- talk about trusting God with their daughters.