i'm back

hello there friends... time for round two. WARNING THIS WILL BE A LONG POST.  i hope you like the remodeling of the page, i thought a fresh start deserved a fresh look. as i begin this blogging journey once again i am overwhelmed at the least with where to start and how to catch you all up on the happenings of my life. the best way i can think about going about this is some short summaries accompanied with pictures ('cause what's a blog without pictures, right?). alrighty now... let's do this.

lets begin with may 25th when i was headed to the nashville airport. i was baja, mexico bound. i had felt called to go do a missions trip for a couple years and when i heard of this trip i knew it was time. nervous but ready i hopped on a plane and took off! my world was rocked. i used my hands to build  a shelter for men and used my words to pray for people in need. i was able to create a relationship with an amazing sixteen year old who barely spoke english and i prayed over her and listened to her and showed her love. my chains of timidity were broken. my faith was tested and strengthened. i finally stepped into the role that God had been calling me to... and that's only the beginning.

on june 9th i got in a car and head to bonnaroo. no showering, no air conditioning, no cold water... it was awesome! okay maybe not those parts but everything else was pretty killer.  i got to see the black keys, eminem, wiz, lil wayne, matt & kim, bassnectar, j cole, and some others. guilty pleasure time... i have been dying to see eminem and thought it to be an unrealistic dream until my eyes layed upon the bonnaroo 2011 lineup. i waited twelve hours to see eminem in front row and it was worth every second spent under that hot sun.

on june 26th i was blessed and surprised to take four beautiful junior girls to younglife's windy gap camp. i found out two weeks prior that i would be going on this trip and the only way to describe this venture was that it was a gift. purely a gift. i had so much fun with my girls and got to enjoy an amazing week at windy gap.

july 16th was my last big venture of the summer and was the most perfect ending to my summer. i headed to colorado to do a month of work at a young life camp called crooked creek. i got on the plane not knowing anyone i would be meeting but trusting and knowing that God had it all under control. i, again, was rocked. my relationship with the creator of this universe was completely defined for me over that month. he romanced me, which was something new to me. he talked to me, which was something i had been seeking. he used me, which was something i had prayed for. i learned so much about myself and about my creator and i saw him EVERYWHERE. i talked to him every second and absolutely depended on him for every aspect of my life. he was just as overjoyed as i was and it blew my mind. the people i met there became my second family and i miss them dearly. i was blessed, honored, and privileged to have been apart of all that God did in that month at crooked creek. 

when i look back on this summer i keep telling myself that it was the best summer of my life. then when i ask myself why, the only answer i can find is that it was God-filled.