I can't believe that I only have 10 days of class left as an undergrad. The last four years have flown by. A common question people ask you when you're in college is what do you want to do once you graduate. For me this answer has changed from week to week, month to month, year to year. As senior year has come and is quickly coming to a close this question is often asked even more often. I felt pretty confident when I got back to school in the fall that I would be moving away from Illinois and that I would begin on a new journey. People asked me what I wanted to do and there was no question that I wanted to back and be a part of CIY once I finished up school. As I began to let go and quit trying to tell God that I knew what was next he started to let me realize that maybe that wasn't exactly the timeline that he had for me. There were several pieces to the puzzle and it was a process to slowly throw away each piece so that God could design His puzzle for my life.
While I was trying my best to do all that the Lord had planned for me to do in this last season here, God began to use this time as a spring board into the next season of life. I have seen His hand in so many tangible ways as His plan has unfolded. When I began to consider the possibility of sticking around Olivet I was really hesitant because in four years I hadn't found a church here that I loved. About Mid-February I began attending Kankakee First Church, and finally feel like I have found a church here to call home. Me and five other friends from school attend the college Sunday school on Sunday mornings and are excited about getting involved in the church. This was definitely an answer to prayer and a confirmation that the Lord was leading me to stick around here. Another tangible way God has shown me of His plan for me here has been through the many amazing people He has placed in my life within this last year here. I was trying to bring myself to the reality that I was going to have to leave this place and these incredible friends I just met this year. They all were still going to be around, and as time was drawing nearer I was having a harder and harder time preparing myself to leave. Another huge blessing has been the time I have gotten to spend with my family this past semester. When I began to think about sticking around Olivet it became apparent to me that the new found time I was spending with my family would be able to continue into the next few years.
I am so grateful for the opportunity I have next year to serve as an Assistant Resident Director here at Olivet. The Lord laid on my heart the desire to be an RA during my freshmen year. I wasn't accepted to serve as an RA until my senior year. That ministry has been such an important part of my life this year and I was not at all ready to be done with it. God has opened a door for me to not only serve as an RA for a year but to get to be an RD and continue to invest in the lives of the students on this campus.
It doesn't end here. I found out about the ARD position and had decided that I needed to back out of my summer commitment to intern at CIY again. However, once again God was at work. As I was here trying to figure out how to make an internship work that was contracted 2 weeks past the day I needed to be moved into a new apartment here in Illinois they were already working on a new plan for my summer. The call that I thought was going to be very difficult, because I love CIY so much and wasn't ready to not work MOVE for a summer, ended up being an answer to prayer. I was asked to come back for the summer and work as a contracted Program Coordinator for 10 weeks. This offer seemed to align perfectly with every concern that I had about my summer. There will still be some details to work out as I make the transition to summer and then back to my position here. Going away for the summer is also an act of faith, I am trusting that the Lord will provide another job for me in the fall. One thing at a time, God's will for my life right now is to finish out this semester, go to Joplin and work for 11 weeks, and then come back here and be an RD. The rest He will work out. I am excited for each step of the journey, I am thrilled to be a part of MOVE for another summer and excited for the new lessons and experiences this summer holds.
I serve a faithful God, and in the past few weeks I have seen Him at work in my life in so many ways.
