I am Loved! I am Beautiful! I am Wanted! I am Free! I am Pursued! I am the Beloved! I am the Bride of Christ! Picture it. Thirty people standing in a field in the middle of the mountains in Copperhill, TN during the darkness of the night. One girl says, “I am Loved.”  The group follows her screaming at the top of their lungs, “I AM LOVED!” The people are so loud you can hear the echoes far into the mountains and all around the campground. These people who shouted to the mountains are my group, Team Nicaragua. On Saturday, we learned of declarations during a...

The last four days have been the hardest for me, but they have prepared me in such a way for the trip & for life in general that I would not have gained in any other way. I have learned quite a bit about the reality of life & how easy I have it back home. I have gained a whole new understanding of the Bible verse Philippians 4:3, "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." I have realized that too much in my daily life I do not turn to God or trust Him like I should. I have definitely seen my blessings in living where I do &...

Tomorrow I’m jumping on a plane to Nicaragua, where I’ll be serving for the next two months.  Tomorrow!!  I am so unbelievably excited to see how God will move and use me during my time there, and the past few days at training camp have completely reaffirmed why I am going.  My purpose in life is to be more than just a “friendly person” but to be a godly person that is here to share His love and hope with everyone I encounter.  I now, more than ever, am confident in my identity in Christ as His beloved daughter.  He made me special,...

I am sitting in first class on an airplane bound for San Antonio (because my dad is a Delta pilot and with that comes free tickets depending on seat availability). First class is an interesting place for someone who just spent four months living in a third world country to be, and I feel quite out of place with my disheveled hair, glasses that are slightly tilted and keep falling off my nose, dirty sandals that I have worn everyday for the past four months, black workout pants that are rolled up, Leigha's oversized bright orange t-shirt from Goodwill, and this messy notebook in my lap...

 Bags packed, seats taken, take off,  and final landing. My heart beat fast and my body push through to get the first glimpse of my beautiful family. When I saw the smile of my mother I couldn't help but run into her arms and sense the presence of tears four months awaiting. The embrace of my parents was the one thing I needed to feel in order to believe I was right where I was supposed to be. Four months ago I took a chance on an adventure that would change my perspective on everything I once believed to be normal. As I walked into my home and climbed the first flight of...

I’m a ball of emotions. It’s hard to place how I feel – ready and sad for the end, excited and terrified about the future. So much is about to end, about to begin, about to change. My girls and I have reached such a beautiful point in our relationships with each other. We’re closer than I thought we would be in less than four months. We don’t always need to talk – we often sit or walk in silence. We can be comfortably weird, boring, happy or grumpy around each other – we don’t have to explain ourselves or feel the need to entertain. I...