Always Learning

First, let me just say that God has taught me A LOT over ther course of this last year. No one ever prepared me for the challenges of life after college, I have grown in so many ways through those challenges. Through my experiences over this past year I have drawn nearer to God. I have learned more about His heart and His unconditional love for me. I have learned more about my heart, and what is important to me and how I am treasured by my Heavenly Father. I am extremely grateful for those who have walked through this season with me.  God has placed people in my life who have seen the good and seen the bad. I have learned so much through that. God has taught me so much about grace, forgiveness, patience, and perseverance. He has deepened friendships I had and He has placed new relationships in my life. I am so grateful for both and couldn't have made it through this year without Godly people in my life praying for me and encouraging me.

For a good part of this last year I battled with what it is that God wants me to do with my life, a broad  question I know but I have wrestled with where God wants me and what it is that He has gifted me with. Through a lot of applying, interviews, conversations, and most importantly prayer The Lord has helped me to see that He will give me joy right where I'm at. He is using me right where I'm at. My ministry as a resident director isn't over yet. I went back and forth several times, I doubted, I had fears but through this I didn't feel like The Lord was leading me away from Olivet. I felt a sense of peace that He wanted to continue to use me here. He wanted to restore my joy and He wanted to continue to use this place as a grounds for growth. After wrestling with where He wanted me and then asking Him to help me be open to wherever He wanted to take me, He did just that'- He opened my heart to be willing and then He made a way for me to stay here. I was reminded once again that He reveals His plan at just the right time, never a minute too early or too late.

Another challenging piece to this was that I was staying but I still didn't have a job lined up outside of my RD role, but I made the decision to stay trusting that God would provide something and opening up my mind and heart to what that might be. As always, God continues to provide. Today I started my first day of my new job. It's a part time job and it's an administrative job at College Church, which is great because it is right on campus. Working part time will still allow me to pour my time and energy into being an RD. I am just beginning to learn what all my job entails, but I am excited about what I get to do and to be a part of the church in this way.

The hardest part about this will be being in Bourbonnais all summer, I'm not exactly thrilled about that- but I am anticipating that through this The Lord is going to continue to teach me and mold me. At some point I'll be moving apartments, so I will have some projects to do which will keep me busy. This move is allowing me to serve in a different living area on a smaller team. This summer I'm also going to Ecuador in June, so I'm really looking forward to that. I am thankfully to have weekends to get to visit friends and family. This will be the first summer like this for me. I already know I'm going to miss CIY a lot, I learned so much from my summers traveling and working with them but God obviously has other things in store for me this summer and I am just eager to see what they may be.

I serve a God who is trustworthy, He's faithful, and He is always loving. I have so much to be thankful for.