Wow. It's so crazy to think that exactly one year ago, I was sitting in the airport in Washington D.C. on the phone with Mom freaking out because I was heading to Africa and my deposit hadn't gone through in my bank account. We were waiting for our connecting flight which would take us across the Atlantic Ocean to the London Heathrow airport. I was so terrified! And that was before most of the crazy stuff happened!
It's amazing how much I've changed and grown up in the past year. I feel like I was such a young, naive, ignorant girl back then. Maybe that's silly because I surely feel like I still have a lot of growing up to do before I actually feel like I'm an adult. The word woman still doesn't quite seem to suit me, even though I have the number 2 in front of my age. Twenty years old sounds like I should feel rather grown-up, but I don't know. Still, I know I've grown so much since I was 19.
I had the opportunity for so many incredible adventures that have happened in the last year. First Africa, then Grand Canyon and Glorieta, then New York, then Atlanta for Passion, back to New York, then finally home....and then back to New York again! Each one had a unique lesson and experience that grew me in a different way. But it's clear that God used each and every one to pull me closer to Him and to show me how faithful and trustworthy He is. From losing luggage and being put in scary far away places and situations in Africa, hiking over 30 miles in His beautiful creation out west and finding awful strange burns on my arm, leading a small group at Glorieta, feeling completely alone for months in NYC, being challenged with heart changing questions at Passion, to all the little in-between things, I always ended in the same place. Shaking my head at my stubborness and pulling out my journal and writing out all my thoughts in another "I surrender all" type of prayer. Because, what God tells us is true. We can just give it all to Him. He will carry us through it if we let Him take control of our lives. I don't know why it takes me so long to figure it out every time. But the verse that gets me absolutely every time is Phillipians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I just feel like that says everything.
I had some unusual and uncommon experiences all in 1 year. That just doesn't happen very often. I'm so thankful. And, yes, even for the really hard miserable times. "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." (Romans 5:3-5). Once again...it kind of speaks for itself.
There have also been some wonderful joyful times. So many of those! I could list them, but it would take such a long time, but I can't not list a few...the relationships that were formed in South Africa, the joy of the South Africans and the lovable children, the beauty of mountains and canyons and rivers, hours of Phase 10 at Glorieta and on the bus ride, laughing with Emma and Nichole in New York, the most incredible worship with 22,000 other believers, making friends at Graffiti in NY, getting my job at American Girl and making friends there, joyful reunions when I returned to Louisiana, meeting one of my best friend's baby girl, splashing in a fountain then running through Times Square soaking wet, and then the adventures still left to come! I can't help smiling a big goofy smile when I read through that paragraph and think of all the wonderful memories that are attached to each thing.
It's hard to say, but I think it has been the best year of my life. The people I've met and the ones that I've grown closer to. The places I've been and the things I've learned. The struggles and the laughs. And most of all the ways that God has made Himself real and personal to me.
