1 week left?!

So it's really coming down to the end of the semester - which is half exciting, half scary! (Scary because of how much left i have to do!!) Classes end a week from tomorrow and then I leave Saturday the 12th!! It's been quite a semester, one with a lot of work, a lot of extra curricular activities and a lot of blessings and friendships that have developed and grown. I am so looking forward to going home and seeing friends and family for longer than just 4 days! I'm excited for student teaching as well as completely nervous. I'm excited for Christmas but also wonder if this will be my last one in Jersey. It's hard not knowing what's coming next. But that's the whole point of faith. Walking by faith and not by sight, right? God has been so good to me, and I know He has an amazing plan for my family and for me. I'm excited to finish the semester strong and spend time with family and friends for my favorite holiday!

Friendship Club

Friendship Club... a special needs adult ministry that has captured my heart. Every other Tuesday night, I go down to New City Fellowship to meet with about a dozen adults who are special needs ranging from age 16 to about 60.

Sweet Lynn - always telling knock knock jokes
Wendall - LOVES telling you important dates...he has every holiday/birthday memorized!
Buddy - just a sweet man who always has a smile
LB - the one that I work with who is 16 and is new to the group and absolutely loves it
Dina - a girl with Down Syndrome who always wants to pray for someone

These are just a few of the people I get to spend time with on these nights. I love these people so much. At the beginning of the night we all sang, "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands," "Jesus Loves Me," and then we went around the room and said something we were thankful for. Hearing their responses just put so much back into perspective for me. Some of them were, food, a house to live in, Jesus dying on the cross... and it just made me sit back and think, and realize that yes, life is stressful. Yes, there is SO much going on and it's hard. But I absolutely love the perspective I get when I'm with these wonderful people. They love others and they love God in such a way that I strive to. They have that "child-like faith" that is talked about in the Bible. They love each other and consistently put others before themselves. People look at them and feel sorry. But I look at them and wish I had more of their qualities. This is what I'm meant to do. This is what God has given me a love for. And I can't wait to see how He decides to use my passion and love for His special children in my future.

Widows

So yesterday was our once a semester brunch with the Widows. I work with the Widow's ministry here on campus. There's a group of widows of about 60, who meet down the mountain for a Bible Study and they are with an organization called Widows' Harvest Ministry. Most are in their 70's or 80's, some even in their 90's and probably 85-90% are African American. I have been with these ladies, getting to know them for the past 3 years. And what a blessing they have been to my life. Every Tuesday for about 2 or 3 years, I went down to their Bible Study every Tuesday! Every time I'm there, I'm greeted by the warmest smiles and biggest hugs. These ladies are incredible prayer warriors and they are always willing to talk or pray for me. Yesterday at the brunch, Bertha (the one in the second picture) said that the Lord woke her up at 2am the previous night to pray for me. Wow. That's amazing! She said, "Stacy, I want to give you my number, and I want you to call me. It don't matter if it's 3:00 in the morning; If you're awake and you've got stuff on your mind, or you need me to pray, honey, you just give me a call, no matter what time it is. Cause when I say I love you, I really mean that I love you." How wonderful is that? All these ladies have had such an impact on my life - I hate that I can't go to their bible studies anymore because of teaching, but we try to write/call/go for lunch when we can which has been great. I love how they always say that I have blessed them... when they really have no idea how much they have blessed me. I love the body of Christ. I love how it goes through generations, races, denominations, etc. The body of Christ is such a beautiful thing to be a part of. And I am so truly grateful that He put these amazing women in my life.

(Here are some pics of previous brunches... my camera died as soon as I got there yesterday so I couldn't take any!)

A cluster of thoughts :)

So I am officially done 2/3 of the semester. I can't believe it! This semester has truly flown by faster than any other... probably for 2 reasons... one, WAY more work to do than any other semester and two, my life outside of academics has been incredible, encouraging, and not stressful! :) My second favorite holiday (after Christmas!) is coming up in just a few short weeks and looking back on this past year, seeing where I was, where God has brought me, and where I am now, a lot has changed in one year! This is definitely a Thanksgiving where I can see how God has used certain difficulties to bring me closer to Him. I've learned so much about relying on God and looking to Him for my source of comfort, strength and satisfaction. I've seen that He is my constant, when everything else seems to be changing.

I'm excited to be spending this holiday with my family this year at my grandparents house in NC, doing all of our little traditions that we have formed... making cinnamon roles with grandmom, watching the Macy's Day Parade with Mom, shopping with the girls while the guys play golf. :) I love traditions. And I love my family... so it's a pretty great combination :)

I've learned and relearned what friendship is and should be. Friends encouraging each other, lifting each other up in prayer, really getting to know each other and be real with one another. Living life together and being a support for someone else. I've been blessed beyond measure this year with friends that are just like that.

I definitely have a lot to be thankful for. Thankful for the hard times, the confusing times, the happy and joyous times, the times that God has kept me waiting for His answers so that I could completely rely on Him and trust in His sovereign plan.

God is good ALL the time... and that is something to truly be thankful for.

Faithfulness in Fall

I was on my way to church this morning and I was admiring the beautiful creation around me. It was a crisp fall morning and it was my first time being alone, really since I had gotten back from fall break. The leaves are the most beautiful red's, orange's, and yellow's right now. I have always loved fall on the mountain, but this year, with it being my last and having no clue as to where I'll be in a year, or my family for that matter, the leaves' colors have reminded me that the Lord my God is truly faithful. Then in church we sang my absolute most favorite hymn, "Great is Thy Faithfulness." What a wonderful morning.

The leaves change into these beautifiul colors every single year, without fail. God ordained for that to be, and each year, it reminds us that He is in control. He has a plan. I don't know what God has in store for me, or my family. I don't know if I'll find a place to live, a school to work at, I don't know any of these things. And as humans it's so easy to let this feeling of being out of control make us anxious or worried. But the leaves this morning reminded me that come what may, the Lord DOES know what's going on. He does have an incredible plan - and I can rest in that. I can rest in the Lord who faithfully paints the leaves every fall.

I love being reminded of different aspects of God that I have known for so long. And I love that I can be reminded of them, by something as simple as the leaves outside.

Home.

Fall Break is always bittersweet. Sweet because I get to come home and see all the people who have been praying for me and loving me from miles away. There's something about home that is comforting and familiar...like no other place. Yet fall break is always tough. I finally get into the swing of things, visiting people, conforming back to my pre-college days, and then before you know it, your 5 days are up and it's back to school again. I'm one of the few college seniors I think who has actually gone home for every fall break. I can't begin to say how blessed I am by the people here. We are each others support, each others prayer warriors that we know we can always count on. These people have shown me friendship on another level. And I am so thankful and grateful. So this is the bitter part. Leaving. I just got here. And with my dad's job situation, who knows how much longer my family will be here. It's just a scary and uncertain time right now, and I am SUCH the planner so this is difficult for me. I know these people will always be in my life. But it's just hard leaving this amazing fellowship and thinking about my SIP, teaching, and all the other things I have to do as soon as I get back.

But. Christmas will be here before I know it, I'm sure. This year really is flying by and despite everything I just said about not wanting to leave yet, I really am having the best year at school that I've ever had. And once I'm back in my little house, I'll be fine. But leaving. It's always hard. Yet I'm so grateful that I have such amazing sisters in Christ that make it so hard for me to leave. I am blessed indeed.

"The Lord Knows How to Heal"

I love how God is not just God our Father, or God our Savior, but also God our Comforter and God our Healer. I love that He restores things and people and relationships and heals hurting hearts. He has done so much in my life and is continually transforming me into the woman of God he wants me to be. Seeing and experiencing healing reminds me that God has healed our relationship with Him. Our relationship was broken with Him and there was nothing we could do about it... nothing that is, until He sent His Son to heal our relationship with Him and restore the mess we had made. God is so good. And I am so thankful for all He has done in my life.