kenya

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a trip worth remembering

Today on my post I want to share with yall a journey that impacted my life in such a wonderful way. In 2009 when most high school seniors are thinking about Senior week at the beach with their friends I was anxiously awaiting my up coming mission trip to Kenya, Africa. This trip little did I know would still affect me two years later, and I would still be able to picture the roads of the town, smell the air of the village, and hear the laughter of the children as we walked through the streets. This trip was truly something that I know God planned especially for me to experience-and I am so very grateful.
While in Kenya, my team worked at a orphanage. I fell in LOVE! not only did I fall in love with the children, but I fell in love with working with children, and using my gifts and talents that God designed me to have. I tell many people daily that I can relate to a child more than someone my own age. I am really a big kid that never grew up-and I think that because I am called to work with children, that is the way God wants me to be. As we painted a bedroom for these children and I got to teach Kenyans my age how to paint and share laughter and dreams and fears with each other.
I am so glad that I got to experience this trip. My church is getting another trip together and I so hate that I am unable to go again this year. This trip truly changed my life and I will reunite with Kenya and the other part of my heart that I left there one day soon. I know that God will allow me to go back. He has given me such a passion for this country.

What passion has God given you?
"To have passion, to have a dream, to have a purpose in life. And there are three components to that purpose, one is to find out who you really are, to discover God, the second is to serve other human beings, because we are here to do that and the third is to express your unique talents and when you are expressing your unique talents you lose track of time" Deepak Chopra

enjoy a few of my favorite pictures of my trip.

things i cant wait for!

Here lately I have been thinking of things that I can not wait to experience in this Decade of my life. Let me share a few of them with you!

1. I can not wait to Graduate from Appalachian State University with a BS in Child Development: B-K Education.

2. I can not wait to get married and create a cute little house that me and my husband can call our own.

3. I absolutely cannot wait to become a MOM! after all I have been raised by one of the best- I cant wait to be one of the best.

4. I can not wait to see what all the many things God has planned for my life that I dont even know about yet!

Though I am enjoying everyday of my life these are just some of the things that I am excited for in the coming years of my life. Though some are closer than others I am just as excited for each one. I know God has designed me with a purpose, a specific person to be with, and is planning all of these things now as I grow more toward him each day. This is my life, and with his help it'll be all that I've ever imagined it to be.

Love,
Mindy

Two Decades Old

Today marks the day.
The day that I turn 20 years old!

I have been told that once you hit 20 your life speeds by, but I already feel like my life is speeding by. I feel like yesterday I was walking the halls of North Iredell High School as a little Freshman, in my jean skirt (yes i do still remember what I wore on my first day of high school). And now I am making my way across campus, class, work, and meetings at Appalachian each day. I feel as if my days are feel with going rather than remembering.
This year marks my year of trying to slow down and "smell the roses." I will enjoy the 800 ft of snow that we get each week in Boone ( i know im being very sarcastic) because one day I'll be gone from Boone, and work will be canceled due to snow. I will slow down to remember the times I spend with my friends, sorority sister, and enjoy the moments with my family even more. I will savor each moment like it is my last.

This year God has blessed me! He introduced me to a great group of girls that I can not picture my life without now. He has shown me his unfailing love through all 64 of them! I can honestly say that I have grown so much in my faith and will continue to grow so much within the next years. I am challenging myself each day to live out my faith! I want to shine my light to everyone I come into contact with. Yes I know that I may have a bad day and not feel like shinning that light but with Gods help he will use me in how my attitude is to that day.
"I am convinced that attitude is the key to success or failure in almost any of life's endeavors. Your attitude-your perspective, your outlook, how you feel about yourself, how you feel about other people-determines your priorities, your actions, your values. Your attitude determines how you interact with other people and how you interact with yourself." Carolyn Warner
I am now setting out to have the best attitude that I can despite circumstances.

Love,
Mindy

a thrill of hope

IT"S CHRISTMAS TIME AND TIME FOR A CAROL
time to sing about the little king!

what brings your family together for the Holiday's? Is it to celebrate the little kings birth, to spend time with one another, or to feast on loads of food? For my family its all of these that bring us joy during the Christmas Holiday! Its the most wonderful time of the year!!! This year NC was blessed with a white Christmas for the first time in my lifetime. How special! Just another awesome reminder of how wonderful our King is this season.

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

A trip to the parkway

I have been in Boone for three months and have yet to go to the parkway to enjoy its beauty this year. Brett had promised me that he would take me to see all the changing colors of the leaves, but when I pointed out that they were changing he said it was not time yet. By the time it was "time" he was never in Boone to go with me. So we made a little trip to the parkway this past Sunday afternoon.
We started off our morning at Troy's-Brett's new favorite place (besides Daniel Boone) to get breakfast. I got to try a veggie burger that I have been dying to try-so now I feel like a native Boonie! Then we went off to the parkway to take in some trails.






I definitely recommend anyone to go to Beacon Heights. It is a spectacular view that you will NOT be upset about. It definitely shows you Gods amazing works and it is a great place to become one with God. I felt as if I was on top of the world.

Take time to Find God today!

Finding my home

As I have started my first semester at ASU I knew that I wanted to have a completely different experience than the one I had at ECU last fall. This was a year of new beginnings for me. Many people asked me why I made the switch and that was something I always struggle to answer honestly. I have always been a person to care too much about what someone thinks about me, and I of all people did not want anyone to believe that I could be homesick, and especially the homesick that I was. But after moving into APP and getting my apartment decorated just the way I liked it (which I think is beautiful, buy the way) was that same homesickness going to come back?

I have come to the conclusion that we will always be homesick because we are not home. Earth is not our home, heaven is and until we get to heaven we can not have full and total peace about being home. Though the emotions of leaving my physical home in Statesville and coming to Boone are not at all what they were when leaving for Greenville I still miss that beautiful place, but I must remind myself that home is where your heart is and where God wants me to be. This is my time to learn and my time to grow into the professional that I am supposed to be, and also have the greatest time of my life, but I must remember to seek God for guidance through every step of the way.

As I have been at ASU I have been blessed to get to be apart of a wonderful group of girls, and I can not wait to keep growing with these girls. God is definitely at work in each one of their lives and it is such a blessing to find that, especially at college. So when I am feeling homesick, overwhelmed, or just ready to give up, I close my eyes and have to reflect God on all the blessings that he has blessed me with here at ASU, because my college experience would not be the same without any of the girls in SAO, stress of papers, and of course the exciting weekend trips planned to go home.

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