From 2011 to 2012

There were some great things in 2011 and some hard things in 2011. Overall one of my most blessed years yet. I would say the hardest thing I probably went through was simply the death of my sweet dog. If that's the hardest thing I went through then I am seriously, seriously blessed. At the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 God really convicted me about who I was living my life for. He convicted me about how I was spending my money and my time through an amazing book called "Radical" by David Platt which any follower of Christ HAS to read.

One of the first challenges given to me was to join the church I had been going to for a year and a half. After the horrible church history I grew up in, it was not easy for me to get to a point of being ready to do that, but I listened to God's calling and finally took the plunge on Jan. 16th. It was SO liberating to commit myself to a Church Body and I am so glad I did it.

I also felt convicted about what I was spending my money on. I don't make much money and most of it goes to student loans and my car payment but I did have some extra and I felt like other people besides me could really use it. I started sponsoring a Compassion child in Jan. 2009 and wanted to continue doing that. But I also remembered an amazing ministry by The Seed Company called which is seeking to translate the Bible into tribal languages all over the world. Not only can I help meet physical and educational needs through Compassion International, but I was now able to meet the spiritual needs of a people group in Africa. I signed up to give monthly and had 12 verses of the Bible translated into their language. What a blessing! These are the verses:

January
"I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again." Acts 9:12

February
"They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends." --Acts 10:24

March
"When I looked inside the sheet, I saw all sorts of small animals, wild animals, reptiles, and birds." --Acts 11:6

April
"So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Selucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus." --Acts 13:4

May
"The same thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a number of both Jews and Greeks became believers." --Acts 14:1

June
"Oh what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight." --Romans 4:7

July
"We know that our sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin." --Romans 6:6

August
"But if I know what I'm doing is wrong, this shows that I agree the law is good. --Romans 7:16

September
"And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies He has promised us." --Romans 8:23

October
"And Isaiah said the same thing in another place: 'If the Lord of Heaven's Armies had not spared a few of our children, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.'"--Romans 9:29

November
"And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree." --Romans 11:23

December
"Instead, 'If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.'"--Romans 12:20

If you have never heard of this organization before, you should definitely check it out. More than anything people need the Living Word of God, so be a part of giving that to people who have never heard it before!

So 2011 was cool. I got to live out some challenges on my life, step it up more at church and get more involved. It hurt my wallet much more than I imagined but I hope the money I spent showed other people the love of God. At the very end of the year, very close to Christmas I realized what amazing friends I have. I got to raise $460 to go to help my missionary friend across the world right now by selling some calendars that my amazing friends and family bought! I didn't even have to do anything other than show up with the calendars at my sunday school class christmas party and boom I sold all of them within like 2 days! God is neat. Can't wait to see what He does with that money in 2012.

I made some amazing new friends, deepened other friendships, and reconciled some old ones. God is constantly working in my life showing me what friendship is supposed to look like.

In 2012 there are new opportunities coming up to challenge myself more and to grow in my walk. I am excited to see what will happen.

And if I'm being honest, I would really love to find a husband and move out of my parents house. =)