Sunday, December 31, 2006

A Look Back.

2006 brought many blessings with it; many that were unforeseeable at the close of 2005. In this post, I would like to highlight those blessings as well as recount them and tell what great things God has done!

January ~ For the past 9 years, I've had the opportunity to go to Teen Winter Camp; four of them as a camper and five of them as a kitchen cook/help. Camp is always a fun and encouraging time and this one was no exception.

February ~ February always brings my birthday (!) but even more exciting than that is to see during missions month (this month) the church auditorium covered with international flags from countries where we support missionaries. A highlight for us as a church was to see our Faith Promise go over $200,000 for the first time!

March ~ A group of about 30 people left our church parking lot to head over to South Africa on a missions trip. My heart went right along with the group, but I did not. God had another trip in store for me and the opportunity came on a Sunday night in March to ask a visiting preacher if I could join his church group in going to the Czech Republic! With only 5 weeks before the start of the trip, God raised up over $1000.00! What an exciting time to see His specific direction on what trip to take (and not to take).

April ~ At 23, I bought my first car. This might seem a little strange to be a blessing, but if you knew what car I did drive, then you would know just how exciting this blessing was! God provided a nice, little car for me and I've had no mechanical problems with it yet:).

May ~ Bright and early on May 1st, I excitedly pack my bag and drove 3 hours to join up with a Baptist Church group in Maryland before taking off from Dulles International Airport for the Czech Republic. The next two weeks were spent with a missionary friend and her family as we blitzed a couple of towns and held a creation seminar. It was on this trip that my friend started courting, and that courtship will culminate in a wedding this upcoming weekend!

June ~ I started this blog:) Really, it has been such a blessing to "meet" so many ladies across this nation and even be reconnected with an old friend from high school:). Also in this month, I babysat for 3 little girls so their mom could go to summer camp with her "older" kids. I had a blast!

July ~ This month started off with a very sweet wedding with a couple at church and continued on with weekly trips to St. Christopher's Hospital in Philadelphia. Thankfully, little Dillon came home this month!

August ~ My dear brother and sister-in-law moved out to Indiana and I went right with them - to help them move, not move myself! I'm so glad I had that time to be with them just a little longer!

September ~ School began at EBA, and with it my new job too. But it has turned out to be a blessing working with the high schoolers and I'm thrilled with the opportunity to work with them. Volleyball also consumed a huge part of my time but I loved working with the girls:).

October ~ Bro. Milton Martin came and preached and left. But the words that were spoken were not soon forgotten, and has impacted my life during the "Bible In Real Life" Conference. It was during Bro. Martin's preaching that the Lord began to work on my heart about another missions trip - which will Lord willing happen during this summer!

November ~ I had the opportunity to travel out to Indiana to attend a youth camp with a friend and her two daughters (plus see my western family:D). The preaching was needed and the fellowship was sweet. Thanksgiving was spent at home with some friends from church and my brother and his wife and what a time it was to hear some blessings from them!

December ~ The Christmas Cantata was a highlight for me (especially since we worked on it for 4 months;)). At the end of this month, I spent one whole week with my sister in Florida ~ absolutely wonderful!!!!

While those are the highlights, you can't see the day-to-day ins and outs. You don't see the tears, the laughter and giggles, the sweet times of prayer and Bible reading, the times of chastisement, the quiet, confidential talks, the times of ministry opportunities, or the hellos and good-byes. All that makes up a life, and overall, 2006 has been blessed. I look forward to this new year and am very excited as I see His Hand directing my life already.

"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a sweet, little recap! Glad you're back!

Anonymous said...

What a great year you had!! Thanks for sharing your blessings of 2006 with us. :)

~Kristi

Anonymous said...

May God bless you with another great year! Thanks for visiting my blog.

Tiffany said...

How do you remember what happened in what month? Maybe it is just I am a Mommy now and lost 3/4 of my brain to my kids already but it all blurs together! :-) Except the months of June and July of course!

Anne said...

Thanks, ladies;)

Tiff, did you honestly ask that question, knowing me like you do?!?!;) I'll just chalk it up to your mommy brain:D