Tonight has been one of the most bizarre nights of my life, and I experienced something I have never before experienced. I was in a car accident, and the other driver was drunk. I'll start at the beginning...
I was driving through the intersection on Scottsville Rd and Cherry Farm Ln. You know, the one by Zaxby's and the Liquor Store (pay attention to that, it'll come back and be important later)? As I was driving through the intersection, a woman turned left in front of me. I pulled over and turned on my hazards, you know, like you're taught to do. The other woman drove away, to the parking lot of the liquor store. Gabe was in the car with me, and he got out and ran to check on the other woman, because he'd never want anyone to know about it, but he's a big sweetheart. He ran to the other woman, and as he was talking to her, I called the cops (also as you're taught to do, right?). I get off the phone with the cops, and around that time Gabe ran back up to me and told me to call the cops right away because that woman begged him not to and the situation didn't feel right to him. As I was about to call 911 again, a cop showed up. He got out of the car, and I told him the other woman had left, but she hadn't come out of the dead in section yet, so he could still probably catch up with her. Right around that time, she drove back by, and stopped at the red light (shocker). He ran over to her car and eventually got her to stop. He told her to get out of the car, and he called for back up. I then watched both and and the officer that arrived after him administer a sobriety test, handcuff this woman, and put her in the back of the cop car. The officer then came and talked to me, telling me that this woman was over twice the legal limit of how much you can have to drink. He told me that she admitted to pulling out in front of me, and that as soon as we had the car appraised for damages, we could potentially charge her with felon charges.
I'm usually not a revenge person, I like to forgive people. But this woman? I want her punished. This whole situation is so disgusting to me, because not even a month ago a guy that I went to school with was killed by a drunk driver. And I have to wonder, why can't we learn from each other's mistakes? I mean, how can someone who lives in this town and reads the news stories about this kid with his whole life ahead of him being killed by a drunk driver still drink and drive. I mean, really?
The most insane part of all of this is that, as much as she didn't want to get arrested, and she knew it was coming, she STILL went to the liquor store. As much as this whole situation actually disgusts me, my heart actually breaks for this woman. I mean, surely this wasn't a one time thing for her, and it's got to be a drinking problem if she didn't just flee the accident. She was still so desperate to have alcohol that she didn't stick around, which I wouldn't have expected from a drunk person, she still went to get more alcohol. It just makes me so sad for her. I can't imagine living a life where a substance ruled my life in such a way. It breaks my heart that people get so caught up with something that causes them to put their life, and the lives of others in danger.
Honestly, I want this woman to be punished for driving under the influence, putting me, my brother, and anyone else who was on the road tonight in danger. But more than that, I want her to get help. I want her to get out of a cycle where a substance controls her to the point that she feels like she needs to drive, already drunk, to the liquor store to get more alcohol. I can't imagine how truly miserable she must be.
This is a subject that's been weighing heavy on my mind and heart the last couple of weeks, mainly because of what happened to Alex. This is my plea to anyone who may be reading this right now: don't drink and drive. Please. Call a cab, call a friend, call someone. There's no reason to drive under the influence. So please, everyone, stop putting us all in danger (including yourself).
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Changes
I keep coming back to this post and just staring at it. Trying to figure out how to put into words what I need to say. It seems like once a certain amount of time has passed since something happened it makes trying to go back and explain it...silly. Like the words can never really express all the thoughts and feelings that went into the situation. But I'd like to try and write about some of the thoughts I've had lately, and some of the changes that have gone along with them.
One of the biggest lessons that I've learned in life is that timing is key. Not my timing, though. God's timing is key to any situation. God's timing is perfect, and mine isn't. I say that all the time. It's actually more like I remind myself of that all the time. When I look at my life, and the way things have worked out, it's all proof that God is the ultimate master of time, not me. There are times when I try to rush ahead and not be patient and wait for Him, and I usually end up falling flat on my face. Personally, I think my impatience is one of my biggest faults. I'm constantly trying to fight against God's timing, when in reality when I just wait for God to make it happen, it does. With much less stress and hassle.
One of the biggest lessons that I've learned in life is that timing is key. Not my timing, though. God's timing is key to any situation. God's timing is perfect, and mine isn't. I say that all the time. It's actually more like I remind myself of that all the time. When I look at my life, and the way things have worked out, it's all proof that God is the ultimate master of time, not me. There are times when I try to rush ahead and not be patient and wait for Him, and I usually end up falling flat on my face. Personally, I think my impatience is one of my biggest faults. I'm constantly trying to fight against God's timing, when in reality when I just wait for God to make it happen, it does. With much less stress and hassle.
God's timing and major changes have been the main themes of my year so far. I think the biggest and most obvious change that's been made is that I decided to leave AIM. The main reason for this is timing. I love AIM and I'm so thankful for all the experiences I had while I was there, but towards the end of my time in Lubbock, and the closer I got to going to the field, the more and more I felt like the timing wasn't right. I'm an extremely stubborn person, though, and (like I said above) quite impatient. So it took the help of people wiser than me, with a different perspective, to help me see what I already knew. I'm currently thinking about going back to AIM in the fall. More prayer than ever is going into that decision, though. I don't know what my future holds, but I do know that God's timing is going to be the biggest focus of my prayers and decisions.
Maybe it'll be God's timing for me to go back to AIM in the fall, maybe it won't. I hope that it is, because, like I said, I love AIM and I cherish all the memories I have from it. I still want to work for God. I know I don't have to be an AIMer to do that, but it sure is an awesome way to do it. I'd love to go back and have the AIM experience again, it's like a fresh start full of second chances, which is something we're not always offered in life. But, I know that, if I do go back, I want to make sure that God is at the center of that decision, not my human desire to do something. Because no matter how good my intentions are, if God's timing isn't the timing I'm working on, nothing will work out well. That much I know for sure.
I was telling my mom the other day that two of the things that stress me out the most are being caught off guard and plans changing unexpectedly. And both of those things have been huge parts of my life recently. But, in spite of that, I've never felt more at peace with where I am in life. Sure, I'm disappointed that I don't get to go to Miami like I'd planned. And sure, I'm heartbroken that I had to leave AIM. But, despite that, I feel totally, 100% at peace with my life. That, to me, is proof that I'm living on God's timing. In the midst of two things that stress me out and generally upset me, I feel totally at peace and happier than I've felt in a long time.
Wow, it felt good to finally sit down and write all of this out.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Forgiveness and Stuff.
Lately, I've been struggling with the concept of "seven times seventy". Forgiveness is a hard one for me. Always has been, but lately it seems like it's been a little more difficult for me. But tonight, when I was getting ready for bed, I asked God to show me what I needed to see. And I opened my Bible to Matthew 18, which is the parable of the unforgiving debtor. It really just hit me...I mess up soooo much. Like, all the time. And so do other people. But it's ok, because I have a God with a really big eraser for all my mistakes. Whatever I mess up with my human-ness, He's bigger than it, and He's forgiving me always. And that's something I really don't want to lose. So, that means the next and most obvious step would be for me to forgive others. So, I'm gonna make it a point to forgive. Any time I start to feel that old bitterness try to creep into my heart, I'm gonna remind myself of this passage...
Then Peter came to him and asked him "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? "No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seven times seventy!"
Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn't pay, so his master ordered that he be sold-- along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned-- to pay the debt. But the man fell down before his master and begged him "Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all." Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. His fellow servant fell down before him and begged him for a little more time. "Be patient with me, and I will pay it," he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man who he had forgiven and said, "You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you? Then the angry king sent the man to prison until he had paid his entire debt.
That's what your heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.
Matthew 18:21-35
Then Peter came to him and asked him "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? "No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seven times seventy!"
Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn't pay, so his master ordered that he be sold-- along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned-- to pay the debt. But the man fell down before his master and begged him "Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all." Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. His fellow servant fell down before him and begged him for a little more time. "Be patient with me, and I will pay it," he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man who he had forgiven and said, "You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you? Then the angry king sent the man to prison until he had paid his entire debt.
That's what your heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.
Matthew 18:21-35
Saturday, February 8, 2014
8 days. 60 hours. 2,500 miles. 2 countries.
For the last month, we've been having mission term. During mission term, we have more rules and regulations that we have to follow. Things like using the internet only on the weekend, not texting, not watching TV or movies, and not using public transportation or eating out. It's been challenging, and it's forced me to grow and be a little uncomfortable and inconvenienced in a lot of ways. But it's been really, really good. That isn't what I really want to talk about today, though. Because...
MY CLASS AND I JUST GOT BACK FROM MEXICO CITY! And it was literally one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life. For starters, I CAN FINALLY SAY I'VE BEEN TO A COUNTRY OTHER THAN THE USA. Which is literally a huge plus for me.
Let me start off by saying that I love Mexico. I love the colors, I love the energy, I love the way Spanish sounds, I love the people. I really really really fell in love with this country, and I was only there for a week.
So many things about Mexico are different. And it's more than just the language, although not being able to read the signs on the side of the road really caught me off guard at first. I loved driving through Mexico. I liked the way that you could drive for miles and miles, see a little shack on the side of the road, and then drive for miles and miles more before seeing anything else. It just looks...tranquil. I love the mountains, and how green things are. It was totally different from my stereotypical anticipation of Mexico's countryside, honestly. Something that I really liked looking at was the trees...they reminded me of Dr. Seuss trees, and it made me smile every time I looked at them.
I really enjoyed how diverse Mexico City was. I liked that you could be walking down the street in a really upscale part of town, and then suddenly be in a poorer part, without even noticing that things were changing.
On Saturday night my group and I got the privilege to spend some time in a church member's house. We sang some songs with them (in Spanish, of course) and then had a little devo. We were blessed to hear some of their stories about their lives now, struggles that they have, and also some stories about how they were converted. The people there were incredibly generous, and made us some really great food. They totally touched my heart, and I loved the chance to spend some time with them, even though we spoke a different language.
Sunday was probably one of my favorite days there. In the morning we went to church. We sang songs in Spanish, which was incredible. Seriously, it was so eye opening, because during that worship time, it really hit me that there are people all over the world who worship the same God I do. Even if we don't speak the same language, we all have hearts that are full of praise for the same God, and that's the same every where. The songs that we sang were songs that we sing in the states, too, just in Spanish. Spending time worshipping God at this church just really solidified in my mind that we're although we're all different and uniquely created by God, he gave us all this similar quality in our heart, the quality of worship. It was one of many, many, many, eye opening experiences for me.
Sunday afternoon we went to this place in Mexico City called Coyocan, and I adored it. I love the atmosphere. There are tons of people all over the place, it's totally crowded, with tons of people performing, and trying to sell things. I really enjoyed shopping in the market there, with all the Mexican decorations and stuff like that. It was just a really cool experience for me.
Monday we went to a city about an hour away from Mexico City called Cuernavaca. When we first got there, we went on a mini hike into this jungle-like thing and did some singing, and had a little devo. From there, we split off into different groups to do some things to help out the church there. The group I was in went to a busy street and handed out flyers inviting people to the church there. My job was to wait until the light turned red and then walk between the cars handing out these flyers. When they first told me to do this, it totally freaked me out, because that's just not something you really see done in the states. But, in Mexico it's just commonplace. Like, there was another guy walking between the cars at the same intersection trying to sell things. The cool thing was that my intersection was kind of more at the end of a street, so a lot of the cars already had flyers from other AIMers. That was cool because I got to see people stop their car and then pull the flyer out and read it. Seeing that made me feel like we were really doing something worthwhile, and something that may grow God's church.
The most impacting day of the entire trip, hands down, was Tuesday. This day totally, 100% broke my heart. This was the day that we went to the Basilica. I think the hardest part of this was seeing these people, and their genuine love for God, and their passion about it...but seeing how misguided it is. Like, the people would crawl on their knees because they feel so guilty for the sins they commit. There are literally bloodstains on the ground outside because people crawl for so long to get there. Don't get me wrong, I think humility is great, but this totally transcends that. It makes me so sad, because Jesus is right in front of their face. All the time, you see depictions of him. But the part that's so sad is that you only see him dead, on the cross. You never see him resurrected or anything like that. Like, they see Jesus all the time, but it's like they stop at the part where he dies...they miss the good part, the beautiful, incredible, restoring part. The part that means I don't have to feel so guilty that I can't stand because I'm a sinner. It's like they miss GRACE. I can't imagine how they must feel, because I can't imagine how I'd feel if I didn't know beyond a shadow of doubt that I'm forgiven. I probably wouldn't be able to stand, either.
We also went to the Tower of Latin America. At this tower, you go like 40 something stories up, and then you're on the roof of this building, just kind of caged in. And you can walk around the roof of this tower, and you can see TONS of the city. With the images that I had in my head from that morning, standing on this tower I could only imagine all the souls in this huge city that are in danger. These souls that may never get to know The Lord. It lights a fire in me. It makes me want to tell everyone about Jesus more than I ever have before. It makes me desire for everyone to be saved even more than I already did. I think I finally experienced that heartbreak that Pat was talking about during one of the first weeks of AIM.
This trip sincerely changed my perspective on a lot of things, and really just made me think. In a really really good way. I'm just ready to go out and tell everyone about Jesus.
MY CLASS AND I JUST GOT BACK FROM MEXICO CITY! And it was literally one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life. For starters, I CAN FINALLY SAY I'VE BEEN TO A COUNTRY OTHER THAN THE USA. Which is literally a huge plus for me.
Let me start off by saying that I love Mexico. I love the colors, I love the energy, I love the way Spanish sounds, I love the people. I really really really fell in love with this country, and I was only there for a week.
So many things about Mexico are different. And it's more than just the language, although not being able to read the signs on the side of the road really caught me off guard at first. I loved driving through Mexico. I liked the way that you could drive for miles and miles, see a little shack on the side of the road, and then drive for miles and miles more before seeing anything else. It just looks...tranquil. I love the mountains, and how green things are. It was totally different from my stereotypical anticipation of Mexico's countryside, honestly. Something that I really liked looking at was the trees...they reminded me of Dr. Seuss trees, and it made me smile every time I looked at them.
I really enjoyed how diverse Mexico City was. I liked that you could be walking down the street in a really upscale part of town, and then suddenly be in a poorer part, without even noticing that things were changing.
On Saturday night my group and I got the privilege to spend some time in a church member's house. We sang some songs with them (in Spanish, of course) and then had a little devo. We were blessed to hear some of their stories about their lives now, struggles that they have, and also some stories about how they were converted. The people there were incredibly generous, and made us some really great food. They totally touched my heart, and I loved the chance to spend some time with them, even though we spoke a different language.
Sunday was probably one of my favorite days there. In the morning we went to church. We sang songs in Spanish, which was incredible. Seriously, it was so eye opening, because during that worship time, it really hit me that there are people all over the world who worship the same God I do. Even if we don't speak the same language, we all have hearts that are full of praise for the same God, and that's the same every where. The songs that we sang were songs that we sing in the states, too, just in Spanish. Spending time worshipping God at this church just really solidified in my mind that we're although we're all different and uniquely created by God, he gave us all this similar quality in our heart, the quality of worship. It was one of many, many, many, eye opening experiences for me.
Sunday afternoon we went to this place in Mexico City called Coyocan, and I adored it. I love the atmosphere. There are tons of people all over the place, it's totally crowded, with tons of people performing, and trying to sell things. I really enjoyed shopping in the market there, with all the Mexican decorations and stuff like that. It was just a really cool experience for me.
Monday we went to a city about an hour away from Mexico City called Cuernavaca. When we first got there, we went on a mini hike into this jungle-like thing and did some singing, and had a little devo. From there, we split off into different groups to do some things to help out the church there. The group I was in went to a busy street and handed out flyers inviting people to the church there. My job was to wait until the light turned red and then walk between the cars handing out these flyers. When they first told me to do this, it totally freaked me out, because that's just not something you really see done in the states. But, in Mexico it's just commonplace. Like, there was another guy walking between the cars at the same intersection trying to sell things. The cool thing was that my intersection was kind of more at the end of a street, so a lot of the cars already had flyers from other AIMers. That was cool because I got to see people stop their car and then pull the flyer out and read it. Seeing that made me feel like we were really doing something worthwhile, and something that may grow God's church.
The most impacting day of the entire trip, hands down, was Tuesday. This day totally, 100% broke my heart. This was the day that we went to the Basilica. I think the hardest part of this was seeing these people, and their genuine love for God, and their passion about it...but seeing how misguided it is. Like, the people would crawl on their knees because they feel so guilty for the sins they commit. There are literally bloodstains on the ground outside because people crawl for so long to get there. Don't get me wrong, I think humility is great, but this totally transcends that. It makes me so sad, because Jesus is right in front of their face. All the time, you see depictions of him. But the part that's so sad is that you only see him dead, on the cross. You never see him resurrected or anything like that. Like, they see Jesus all the time, but it's like they stop at the part where he dies...they miss the good part, the beautiful, incredible, restoring part. The part that means I don't have to feel so guilty that I can't stand because I'm a sinner. It's like they miss GRACE. I can't imagine how they must feel, because I can't imagine how I'd feel if I didn't know beyond a shadow of doubt that I'm forgiven. I probably wouldn't be able to stand, either.
We also went to the Tower of Latin America. At this tower, you go like 40 something stories up, and then you're on the roof of this building, just kind of caged in. And you can walk around the roof of this tower, and you can see TONS of the city. With the images that I had in my head from that morning, standing on this tower I could only imagine all the souls in this huge city that are in danger. These souls that may never get to know The Lord. It lights a fire in me. It makes me want to tell everyone about Jesus more than I ever have before. It makes me desire for everyone to be saved even more than I already did. I think I finally experienced that heartbreak that Pat was talking about during one of the first weeks of AIM.
This trip sincerely changed my perspective on a lot of things, and really just made me think. In a really really good way. I'm just ready to go out and tell everyone about Jesus.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
13 in '13
There's an interesting feeling that comes with the end of a year. Most people take this time to set goals for themselves, and to reflect on the year past. I definitely set resolutions, and I've also definitely been doing a lot of reflections on the year that has gone by. And I can't stop thinking about all the things that have changed. Being in my hometown rather than in Lubbock the past couple weeks has had me thinking about all the things that have changed in my life this last year. So many chapters have closed, and even more have opened.
I can't help but think that this has been the best year of my life. So many experiences and people have touched my heart and changed my life. So, as cheesy as it sounds, I'm going to do the top 13 things that have happened to me this year. Not in order of how exciting they were, just the most exciting experiences and things I've had...
I guess I'll start with this one, since it's the most relevant. It's been so exciting to get to come home for these short periods of time and spend time with my friends & family that I've missed. The time I always get to spend with them is always too short, but it's a good period of refreshment and relaxation. A nice break from my new reality into my old one, I guess.
I can't help but think that this has been the best year of my life. So many experiences and people have touched my heart and changed my life. So, as cheesy as it sounds, I'm going to do the top 13 things that have happened to me this year. Not in order of how exciting they were, just the most exciting experiences and things I've had...
**getting to come home from Lubbock and hang out with friends and family**
I guess I'll start with this one, since it's the most relevant. It's been so exciting to get to come home for these short periods of time and spend time with my friends & family that I've missed. The time I always get to spend with them is always too short, but it's a good period of refreshment and relaxation. A nice break from my new reality into my old one, I guess.
**having my last ever Lads to Leaders**
This is one of the first closed chapters I had this year. Lads to Leaders is something that I'd been going to for my entire childhood, and holds a lot of fond memories. This picture, or, these two pictures make me so happy. They were taken a few years apart and I love these girls so much. <3
**going to NYC**
**last church camp ever**
Another bittersweet closed chapter that is full of memories that I'll treasure forever.
**starting AIM**
**best NYE ever**
This New Years Eve was the best ever, because I got to go to a youth group lock in, and it just reminded me of "home" more than anything else. :)
Well, this year has seriously just been the best year there's ever been. 2014 holds the promise of so many exciting things, and, Lord willing, it'll be even better than the last. I say it all the time, but I'm soooo blessed. My heart is full of happiness because of all the love that I have in my life. God is SO good to me.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
A Beautiful Night
Oh my! What an incredible night this has been! Seriously, I know this is going to be a night that I'll remember forever.
Tonight, they announced our teams & fields. It was seriously one of the most exciting things I've ever experienced. It felt like this was the moment we'd all been waiting for.
The way the team announcement process works is this: an assistant calls out a group of names, that group of people goes back into Kris' office, and when you go in, you sit down and he tells you "You're officially Team ____" and then says some other things to us about the field, this missionary, etc. And then (this was the COOLEST part) you leave his office and walk out, and all the assistants are standing on either side cheering, and you walk into the AIM classroom and all the AIMers are cheering for you, and you go up on stage and announce where you're going, and then everyone goes crazy and cheers for you and it's seriously the most awesome feeling.
So tonight, I got to announce to all of my classmates that I, along with my friends Lacy, Melanie, and Jenna will be going to serve God in Miami, Florida starting in May. I could not be happier about this. Our team dynamic is so good, and I seriously think we're all going to work really well together. There's a little bit of each "personality type" in each of us. I can see how that's going to make us all work really well and get along really well.
But yeah, my teammates are beautiful girls with beautiful souls, and Miami is going to be a beautiful place filled with love and happiness. (Not that I'm under the impression that everything is going to be perfect by any means...I just have a feeling I'm really gonna fall in love with it there)
Miami here we comeeee!
Tonight, they announced our teams & fields. It was seriously one of the most exciting things I've ever experienced. It felt like this was the moment we'd all been waiting for.
The way the team announcement process works is this: an assistant calls out a group of names, that group of people goes back into Kris' office, and when you go in, you sit down and he tells you "You're officially Team ____" and then says some other things to us about the field, this missionary, etc. And then (this was the COOLEST part) you leave his office and walk out, and all the assistants are standing on either side cheering, and you walk into the AIM classroom and all the AIMers are cheering for you, and you go up on stage and announce where you're going, and then everyone goes crazy and cheers for you and it's seriously the most awesome feeling.
So tonight, I got to announce to all of my classmates that I, along with my friends Lacy, Melanie, and Jenna will be going to serve God in Miami, Florida starting in May. I could not be happier about this. Our team dynamic is so good, and I seriously think we're all going to work really well together. There's a little bit of each "personality type" in each of us. I can see how that's going to make us all work really well and get along really well.
But yeah, my teammates are beautiful girls with beautiful souls, and Miami is going to be a beautiful place filled with love and happiness. (Not that I'm under the impression that everything is going to be perfect by any means...I just have a feeling I'm really gonna fall in love with it there)
Miami here we comeeee!
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Denver City
Today was our last day at our area churches. For the last four months, I've been going to Denver City with six other AIMers and three AIM assistants. We've been building relationships, hanging out with the youth group, singing at the nursing home and all kinds of other fun stuff. The experience I've gained from area church thus far is something that I definitely needed before I would have been able to go to the field.
I learned tons of valuable lessons during my area church time, but I think one of the most valuable ones is learning how to make myself at home in a new church. Leaving Bowling Green, I knew one of the biggest challenges was going to be being away from my church family. And it has been. But going to area church, and serving in DC and building relationships with the people there taught me the dos and don'ts of becoming a part of a new church, and I think that it helped me to realize what it's going to take of me to truly become a part of the church I'm at on the field.
I wanna take a minute to brag on the congregation in Denver City, because I was truly impressed by them during my time there. The first thing I noticed about this congregation is that everyone has a part in it. Like everyone having a role in the body, they seriously have that. Everyone pitches in to make Sundays a success.
This is truly a congregation of unified people. They are all so supportive of each other and they all really love each other. Watching the way they interact with each other reminds me that, when one part of the body is hurting, the rest of the body rushes to comfort it. That's something that I really loved about Denver City. They truly get behind their congregation members. They always pray very specifically for people, even if it's for something as small as a sprained ankle. It's amazing to be a part of a congregation that truly knows and cares about each other.
I really enjoyed the time that we spent with the youth, too. The kids in the youth group there are seriously all best friends. Most of them grew up going to DC and have known each other their whole lives. And they are all super close as a result. This reminded me, in a lot of ways, of Alvaton and the bond I had with the other people in AYG. This made me equal parts homesick and comforted, because in a lot of ways DC felt like home to me by the end of my time there.
Something I didn't really expect to love was going to the nursing home every Sunday afternoon and singing and visiting with their members. Nursing homes have always made me feel a little uncomfortable. Made me feel a little awkward, and incompetent at times. But going to this nursing home, for some reason, was different. I guess because I went often enough to actually get to know the people's names and, even though they didn't remember me most of the time, I sure remembered them. The majority of the people I spoke with there made it really obvious that they really enjoyed us being there, and you could tell they had hearts that loved people and even God...I just want to insert a little story about something I saw today at the nursing home...so we're sitting down about to sing, and a man who lives at the nursing home walked up to Skip (DC's preacher) and handed him, like, two dollar bills and told him that was for the collection. I think it was literally the sweetest thing I've ever witnessed. I love people who have hearts that strive to be like Christ even when they're in situations where it's hard for them.
But yeah...to end, I've really loved my time in Denver City and was extremely sad to say goodbye to it. I'm 100% sure I'll be back to at least visit at some point.
Some pictures from our awkward Christmas party with the youth today:
I learned tons of valuable lessons during my area church time, but I think one of the most valuable ones is learning how to make myself at home in a new church. Leaving Bowling Green, I knew one of the biggest challenges was going to be being away from my church family. And it has been. But going to area church, and serving in DC and building relationships with the people there taught me the dos and don'ts of becoming a part of a new church, and I think that it helped me to realize what it's going to take of me to truly become a part of the church I'm at on the field.
I wanna take a minute to brag on the congregation in Denver City, because I was truly impressed by them during my time there. The first thing I noticed about this congregation is that everyone has a part in it. Like everyone having a role in the body, they seriously have that. Everyone pitches in to make Sundays a success.
This is truly a congregation of unified people. They are all so supportive of each other and they all really love each other. Watching the way they interact with each other reminds me that, when one part of the body is hurting, the rest of the body rushes to comfort it. That's something that I really loved about Denver City. They truly get behind their congregation members. They always pray very specifically for people, even if it's for something as small as a sprained ankle. It's amazing to be a part of a congregation that truly knows and cares about each other.
I really enjoyed the time that we spent with the youth, too. The kids in the youth group there are seriously all best friends. Most of them grew up going to DC and have known each other their whole lives. And they are all super close as a result. This reminded me, in a lot of ways, of Alvaton and the bond I had with the other people in AYG. This made me equal parts homesick and comforted, because in a lot of ways DC felt like home to me by the end of my time there.
Something I didn't really expect to love was going to the nursing home every Sunday afternoon and singing and visiting with their members. Nursing homes have always made me feel a little uncomfortable. Made me feel a little awkward, and incompetent at times. But going to this nursing home, for some reason, was different. I guess because I went often enough to actually get to know the people's names and, even though they didn't remember me most of the time, I sure remembered them. The majority of the people I spoke with there made it really obvious that they really enjoyed us being there, and you could tell they had hearts that loved people and even God...I just want to insert a little story about something I saw today at the nursing home...so we're sitting down about to sing, and a man who lives at the nursing home walked up to Skip (DC's preacher) and handed him, like, two dollar bills and told him that was for the collection. I think it was literally the sweetest thing I've ever witnessed. I love people who have hearts that strive to be like Christ even when they're in situations where it's hard for them.
But yeah...to end, I've really loved my time in Denver City and was extremely sad to say goodbye to it. I'm 100% sure I'll be back to at least visit at some point.
Some pictures from our awkward Christmas party with the youth today:
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