RUF and Tumble

I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to post an update. These past four weeks have been...I don't think there is one word that can encapsulate my sentiments. How about 4 words...

FAST. I've finally stopped writing 2009-just in time for February to make it's annual debut. The first week of January practically didn't exist because I slept through it. Explanation-I got my wisdom teeth removed. Let's just say that the ability to chew is a blessing! The beginning of each semester is always a fast-paced whirlwind. We plan for the semester, prepare small group materials, meet and pursue new students, and adapt to new schedules.

SORROWFUL. I'm assuming most of you have heard about the earthquakes in Haiti. I have over a dozen close relatives who live in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I used to spend the summers in Haiti with my grandparents when I was younger. The pictures and footage of the devastation in Haiti is hard for anyone to look at. It was especially hard for me to see the, now unrecognizable, places I had been as a child and wonder if my family memebers were buried under the rubble. It was four days before I had news of all my family. No one was seriously hurt. THANK YOU, LORD! About half of them half left the country and come to live with some of us in the U.S. We don't know what God has planned for their lives, but I know that the Lord is in total control over this.

DYNAMIC. As much as I wanted to continue serving at Kennesaw State University, it just wasn't in God's plan for me. Several factors, including difficulty raising support, led me to the decision not to pursue a third year of this wonderful internship. I have already learned so much about ministry and myself and it's not over yet...hopefully. ($5000 in support still needed) I have decided to apply to a few seminaries to get a degree in Biblical counseling. My experience through RUF has confirmed and even intensified my desire to pursue this path. A lot is going to change this year.

EXCITING. At RUF Staff Training, we are told that interns tend to be more fruitful in their second year. I find this to be true of me. I used to dip my toe into the water and test it. Now, I can leap into deeper conversations with girls I have just met. It's liberating for both me and the girls. I'm here for God's kingdom work and it's so exciting to see all that He is doing. I can't wait to tell you more!