New Year, New Challenge!

2010 brought some new and exciting changes in my life! I spent half my summer working at Camp Barnabas, which is one of my all time favorite places in the world. It's a camp for kids and adults with special needs. We've been taking our youth group for the past 4 years and I had the opportunity to be on staff over the summer. God taught me a lot about myself in the short month I was there and I came back looking at life differently. Camp is a place you where you can be selfless and serve for a week or however long you're there. The campers come through the gates and it's so exciting because you have the chance to make it the best week ever for them! I was at camp for 4 sessions and that meant I had 4 cabin families, some amazing girls that taught me more about myself then I ever could. The experience was overwhelming and it was scary being out of my comfort zone, but I found this quote that speaks so true to my time at camp.

" The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers."

 I finally finished up student teaching and started applying for big girl jobs. I was confident at the beginning of the summer that I would find a teaching position, but as the summer went on and I wasn't hearing back from any schools I started thinking maybe God had a different plan. I had a hard time accepting that maybe my plan wasn't necessarily God's plan for my life. I just trusted that whatever God's plans was it would be great and I would follow the doors that he opened for me. I got a phone call 2 days before school started and now I am teaching Kindergarten, and I love it! I have my days where I honestly don't know what I was thinking, but then one of my kids says something or finally the light bulb turns on for one of them and it's all worth it. It's been so amazing getting to the point where all 17 of us work together as a unit, I know them and they know me...and it works. 

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

2011.....What will it bring?? I'm excited to see how I grow and change over this year! I'm sure I will have my share of challenges and maybe heartache this year, but I look forward to the laughs, smiles, friendships, family and fellowship I get to experience with the people around me. I have a great family that is always present and wonderful. My friends who are my family also are amazing, each one of them I love so dearly and couldn't imagine my life without them in it! So 2011, my challenge to myself this year...I don't want to call it a resolution cause I feel like New Year's Resolutions always end up failing come February...and I don't plan to fail. 

- I want to be more patient with myself, others and God. (I always want to speed up the life process, so this year I want to continue enjoying it. Not wishing I was 10 steps ahead.)

- I want to love more.....not like find a man (although I wouldn't mind that if it was the right thing) What I mean is....I want to love my friends, my family, God and my life more. Life is too short not to let people know you care and love them. 

- I know this is cliche, but I want to run....I want to exercise more and run an actual race! I know everyone gets amped and is excited about exercising after the new year (after eating all that freaking holiday food), but I really mean it. I'm going to sign up for a race and stink'n do it!

- I had a challenge last year to read the bible in a year....I got to February and then fell off the wagon.  So it's going to continue to be my challenge this year. I started at the beginning of December (trying to get a head start on the routine) reading my one year bible & Purpose Driven Life. So far I'm doing good...I just need to push through February!

Will see how I do with these challenges as the year goes on...I'm excited though! God is good!

"I am your greatest encourager."

2 Thessalonians 2:16