looking back.

most of you know i choose not to put many "life" updates on here. occasionally, some are warranted. that being said, here is another free flow of thought, from yours truly...


the end of the semester is coming near. the rest of my class this semester will most likely take no more than 45 minutes total, and then i'm done with my sophomore and technically junior years of college. that. is. insane. the next time i'm moving furniture into a dorm, i'll be a senior by hours. the more i think about the future, the more i think about the past. this school year has been an influential one. at the start, it was interesting. i introduced myself to people, and on mulitple occasions got one of the following responses.
1) yeah, we've been facebook friends since june. (creepy).2) yeah, we've had classes together. we've met before. i know you. (awkward).
however, they weren't all like that. i love summer's end in that i get to reconnect with the people i share this season of life with.
this semester has been, as i've said, influential. i've met people this semester that i know for a fact will not only change who i am going to become today, but will be with me throughout the process, beyond the "college years" of today. friends i go to for advice, hang out with, trust, love, respect, and admire. i cannot explain how grateful i am for all of the people God has put in my life.
not to say this year, or even semester has not been challenging. God has tested and stretched me more in this school year than in almost any season of my life. it's a strange thing, i love how challenging OBU has been. high school was at times, a joke. OBU has stretched me and forced me to not only know the information, but learn the knowledge available. every day, God's revealing how great of an opportunity it is to be able to have the classes I do, at the standard and level they are taught at. i'm definitely blessed to be a part of OBU. relationally, also an interesting and challenging year. like i mentioned, i made lots of new friends, many that i can only hope and pray will not be "college buds" but people who go through life alongside me. others have faded, gone other ways, or what have you. regardless, whether good or bad, God has used the situations to teach me to not depend on others but on Him for my fulfillment. trusting His judgement, timing, and will and not my own has been a theme of the semester. He has through the year revealed different aspects of why things happened the way they did, which is always an honor. I love when God chooses to share part of his plan with me. i'm unworthy. as always. spiritually, god has tested my every choice. it has been a challenge to not be dormant, and to remain thirsty. through challenges, growth exceeds. and this was true this year as well. before school even started, God started putting on my heart how great and powerful He is, and burdened me with the idea of His magnitude. I hope that eventually I will be able to express that inexpressible passion.
ministry this year was phenomenal. first, He allowed me to remain a part of a ministry that has consumed me. FSM. I. LOVE. FSM. all throughout the year, there has been a constant feeling of "epic proportions" in the student's potential. combined with their willingness to serve, who knows what will happen. it's so incredible to be a part of that ministry and i cant wait to see what God does through those students this summer.

SIDE NOTE: get ready everyone. details to come later. but something big is about to happen at OBU.

anyway. another ministry i had the priveledge of being a part of was christian focus week on campus. a prime example of God using people even though something may not necessarily fit their gifts.

next year will be good. new ministry (The Unleashed). freshman family groups. who knows what else.

this summer will be great. i'm going to be able to have plenty of time to connect with FSM students. i'll catch up on reading books i've gotten over the year. i finally get to spend some time with my friends 'back home' in mississippi. hopefully even more photo opportunities come my way as well. regardless, God is good. i cannot explain how thankful i am that he has brought me through this season in life. it hasn't been easy, but it has been more than fruitful. i realize i'll never know the impact of God's provision, or how widespread it is, but i will always be grateful for it.

my second year in college comes to a close. this will be weird. very weird. not many connections in benton, which is not a bad thing. just going to be a slower season in life. definitely has an upside. just different. i anxiously await the summer. it will be a bittersweet transition. going from living in the pinnacle of community, with my closest friends being a part of my life daily. as friday comes and goes, everyone disperses to their summer ministry, jobs, homes and trips. it's a sudden and abrupt end to this season in life. a season i will forever be grateful for, forever be better from, and forever grow out of.

before i go, here's something from this christmas. over the break, we went on this incredible trip to disney world with my family. it was awesome, mom, dad, aunt, sisters and i all went to

disney world and universal orlando and everything. it really

was great! this picture somewhat embodies the semester. through thick and thin, something always comes out of nowhere and (though at first eeyore freaked me out) somehow managed to brighten me up.

again, i cannot say it enough, i'm so thankful for my friends, new and old, and everything this year has been. i'm usually not this nastalgic, and dont often post journal entries. for those of you who suffered through my grammatical trainwreck of thoughts, i hope you know me a little better. i dont know whether or not this should have been posted, but i wanted to express my thoughts as this season closes.

thank you all. the year was long, tough, difficult but no doubt incredible. the post? it was long. it is not complete. the rest will continue unread by the public. but it is over (the post).