Rose with a Mission

  When they handed me my diploma and I was walking back to my chair, I started to cry. I was overwhelmed by God's faithfulness. I remembered all the times He had helped me overcome difficulties to get to this point. We made it! We (God, my team, and I) had made it to the end. I love this group so much. They have taught me so much and become so dear to my heart.  After a ton of pictures, goodbyes, and one victory shout, I went to bed happy at all that God had done.  The next day my dad came and picked me up and took me home. It was so good to see family and get hugs from them. There's nothing quite like family hugs. Plus I loved showing them pictures from Tanzania and stories of what God had done.  This week I've been doing a lot of resting and organizing of my room. I'm glad to have a place to stay for a few months while I fundraise. My plan is to work for the next two months while fundraising to become a full time missionary with YWAM. I've loved my tim...

  Today I graduate SOE!  This has been a crazy amazing journey with Jesus and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I'm incredibly thankful to Jesus for how He has lead me this year and how He has been drawing me closer to Himself. I'm so thankful for my amazing school leaders Anthony and Emily for loving me, challenging me, and encouraging me in my walk with Christ. I'm hugely thankful to the staff at YWAM who spent hours mentoring me, encouraging me, letting me cry with them, and drawing out the best in me. I'm also so thankful for all of my fellow students. All of you were a part of my spiritual growth and demonstrated God's love to me in such a deep and powerful way. Thank you for all the deep conversations over coffee, the times of volunteering together, discussing lessons on short breaks, comforting me when I was crying, encouraging me when I was feeling down, and helping take care of me when I had a blood blister and a sprained ankle. You are amazing.  And ...

  I'm back home and adjusting to life outside of YWAM. It's been good to be back with my family and settle into my room.  For the first time in my life, I have a room to myself. While I'm enjoying being able to decorate however I want and my own space, it's a little strange not having a roommate that I have to consult. In this season though, I'm so thankful for a place I can go and be exclusively with Jesus. A place of rest. A place that's all mine.  Last week was a rough one for me (hence the short update). I was dealing with tiredness, about a months worth of shelved emotions, and processing what God did in Panama. This is where I'm so thankful for the body of Christ. Staff members, friends, and family rallied around me. They gave me space to process and cry. They encouraged me to rest and go to Jesus with whatever I was feeling. They prayed for me. They loved and supported me. It made all the difference in the world. I was able to process through feelings...

  Last Saturday I graduated!  I will be posting much more of an update later, but I wanted ya'll to know that we made it!  Marisa and I about to accept our diplomas

  This week has been so good.  On Monday we had a day of rest. Our team leader encouraged us to take time to realign our hearts with God for the last part of outreach. Over the weekend I felt like I had a whole laundry list of things that were weighing on my mind. I was trying to bring them to God, but it seemed like I couldn't hardly figure out one problem before another would come in. I decided to go and ask God what to do. As I walked into a secluded spot with my list of problems, I heard His voice. "When did you start thinking that you had to be the one to find answers for all of these things?" It was a gentle reminder that all I had to do was come to Him. It has always been His job to figure out the answer and show me what to do. As I have let this truth penetrate my thinking, I've felt so much better. The confusion has cleared and I'm able to focus on the here and now. He will show me what to do, all I have to do is come to Him.  This week we helped out with...