Reflecting on the past year...

Though this year started off rough, God has proven that there will be hard times and there will be times that are so wonderful you never want them to end. There are times I wanted to do everything my way, but it wasn't what God had planned. There were times I did not feel the Lord, but then He taught me that my faith in Him can not be based upon my emotions and feelings, but on my trust in Him no matter what.

At the beginning of the year nothing went as I had planned. I felt like rejection wouldn't end. The semester was not all hard, but it did seem to be one of the most difficult semesters. There were events such as dance marathon and restoration that brought me joy and encouraged me through the hard times.

Dance Marathon was so much fun. Finally being on Morale changed my outlook on the marathon and I was full of even more spunk and energy FTK (for the kids!). Purple team had the honor of being the Color group that had Lucie and Bronte as our wonderful miracle kids. I got to know so many awesome people and it was such a incredible event, as it is each year seeing kids that have been healed by the amazing Lord. Pink Pajamas with Penguins on the bottom: pretty much sums up the FTK party 2010! :)

Nearing the time of Restoration there was one night at Wesley when the Lord captured my heart and filled me with so much of His joy. I was refreshed in the spirit, and was able to praise him fully in dance. By dancing to Awakening we were able to claim awakening over Athens! It was a dance of truth and promises, sharing the story of Ezekiel 37.

I also danced to Candlelight, which was a dance of humility. It was a dance to claim that the glory should always be given to the Lord, we are nothing without Him.

I finally decided that I was going to end up stuck without a job for the summer. I finally remember giving up all of my trying and humbling myself before the Lord. I raised my arms up to him and told Him that he could use me as he wanted and I would be content with whatever happened. The next day I was offered a job at Strong Rock Camp.

That camp experience encouraged me more than I ever even thought it was in the moment. Looking back at the summer showed me how it was so intricately part of God's plan.

I blog a lot about camp so that is all I will say, but I can't wait to see how camp next summer will shape my 2011.

Fall semester 2010 was a challenge. I had to do school work a lot more often than I was used to but I was doing what I enjoyed. I also got to be a part of an amazing 4th grade classroom at Winterville Elementary School on the outskirts of Athens. It was more than I could have asked for for my first placement. Mrs. Gaulden was an incredible mentor teacher and her class was a joy to work with. I'm not saying that they were perfect all of the time, but they are incredible students that changed my life. There are endless stories I could tell about my experience. All in all this semester in the field confirmed what I want to do. Children mean so much to me and I can't wait to influence their lives. I want to be more than a teacher for the kids in my class, I want to influence their future for the better, and I want each of my students to be confident in who they are. This semester confirmed my desire to teach kids, I can't wait to have my own classroom! It was eye opening and I learned so much.

I will continue to reflect about 2010 tomorrow...and will talk about things I look forward to in 2011.

Enjoy the end of 2010!