Closing Doors

The past 6 months have been an absolute blur. Since I last blogged, entirely too long ago, my life has completely changed. It's all been good changes, but changes nonetheless. I moved in with my grandparents in August to finish up school. My last semester went by so fast, I could barely keep up. Here are a few highlights:

Volunteering with Show Hope at the Empowered to Connect Conference

Home for fall break

Visit from sweet friends from home

A day full of fall fun

Samford Homecoming

Whitney's Birthday

Crossing racquetball off the bucket list

Jumping in the fountain

My Birthday

Whitney's lingerie shower

The Nugget's first trip to see Santa

Last time to hang out with my nursing girls

Street Corner Symphony at Workplay

It was a very busy semester and like I said, it went by super fast. Overall, it was good, but emotionally it was hard. The semester felt like an extremely long transition phase. I was no longer active in Phi Mu, I didn't live on campus, and many of my friends graduated in May. To be honest, I didn't really feel like I was still a Samford student. 

Luckily, graduation week was here before I knew it. 

It was so hard to believe that a four and a half year journey of ups and downs was over. My emotions were running wild. I was so overjoyed to be done with nursing school and so sad to leave the place I have called home and the relationships that I cherished. I have been so blessed by all of my friends from school, but during this time, I was exceptionally grateful for the girls who knew what I was going through; the ones who had been through the same struggles that nursing school gave me. These girls understand the meaning of my successes and my failures more than anyone. 

Graduation week proved to me so much that God is faithful to do what He says. He has shown me that he truly has a plan for me. The process was so painful at times. I was told that I didn't have what it takes, but God proved them wrong when I not only walked across that stage, but did it cume laude! I could not have done it without my Father, he is the source of all my strength. I have gotten to the point where I can be thankful for what I went through. I still struggle with anger and bitterness all the time. I am still praying for God to deliver me from that but all that I went through has shaped me. I would not have formed the amazing bonds that I did and I would be a different person. 

After graduation, I celebrated Christmas with my friends and family with so much joy in my heart. It was a perfect time, spent relaxing (although, the highlight was when the advent wreath caught fire during the Christmas eve service).

After New Years reality set in though. I had to begin preparing for the dreaded NCLEX. For several weeks, I spent most of my time in coffee shops for 4-5 hours a day. It was torture to have to study again right after I graduated. 

It was all worth it when I got this though:

2 days after the NCLEX, a new phase of my life began but that's enough for tonight. I will share the story of what I am currently doing in my life soon. For now I will leave you with this...

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Ukraine

After a LONG day of travel yesterday, I'm home from Ukraine! The trip was awesome. I am so glad my dad asked me to go along with the team. God was able to use the craft group at camp in ways that I would never have imagined. I was planning for about 50 kids between the two camps. We ended up stopping counting at 85 at one camp alone. It was truly a Jesus feeding the 5,000 situation with our craft supplies. I can't believe we had enough to do everything we wanted and still had some left over. God is good. Our days started in a country town called New Prague. This site was the smaller of the two camps. By the last day, I believe we had 50 something kids registered. I was somewhat partial to this camp because of the smaller size and more relaxed atmosphere. After lunch, we would head back to Alexandria, where we were staying, and have camp number two. By the end, this site had over 300 registered. At times it was overwhelming to have so many kids there, but we kept reminding ourselves that God wouldn't send us more kids than we could handle and that every kid there needed to hear the good news of our Saviour. I can say it was truly a privilege to be able to work with these kids. To be honest, I was struggling at the beginning. It was hard to go on a mission trip that wasn't to China. I selfishly have wanted nothing more than to be back there. My heart wasn't in it at first. As the trip went one, I realized that God doesn't need me to take the gospel to the nations, but because he loves me, he allows me to play a part in His bigger picture. It is a privilege to take is name to the nations, no matter what nation it is. Another thing that God taught me during this trip is that sometimes we are reapers of the harvest, but sometimes we are the other laborers from John 4.

Jesus said, "My food is to do what the One who sent me wants me to do and to finish his work. You have a saying, 'Four more months till harvest.' But I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields ready for harvest now. Already, the one who harvests is being paid and is gathering crops for eternal life. So the one who plants and the one who harvests celebrate at the same time. Here the saying is true, 'One person plants, and another harvests.' I sent you to harvest a crop that you did not work on. Others did the work, and you get to finish up their work."

John 4:34-38

Sometimes, we don't see the results of the work we are doing for the kingdom. Sometimes we are just there to do the work and plant the seed. Sometimes, we don't see the harvest. However, no matter what role we play, we will get to celebrate in Heaven. Please continue to pray for the lives that we encountered in Ukraine. Pray that seeds will be planted and that a hunger for God grows in their hearts. 

PS- Only in Ukraine can you hear Katy Perry's E.T., a Russian pop song, and the Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers theme song on the same radio station. 

Hello from Ukraine

It's around 7:20 at night here in Ukraine and we have finished 2 days of soccer camps. Everything is going really well. At morning camp we have about 30 that registered and we have about 200 more in the afternoon camp. It is a little overwhelming but our team is managing really well. It has been a blessing to work on crafts with the missionary's wife and our awesome translator. In our morning group we have about 10 kids and in the afternoon we have about 60. We have been having a lot of fun making puppets, learning Bible stories, blowing bubbles, and playing with the parachute. I learned the Russian word for glue pretty fast, as we only have 4 bottles of glue for all of those kids. Please be praying for more opportunites to share the love of Christ with the kids. It's hard to believe that our time with them is half way through. Please also pray that God gives us energy because we are very tired. Thanks for the prayer and support!

Leaving today for Ukraine! Keep us in your prayers. Follow the team here.

Now Presenting Lord and Lady Tarver

Last night, I had the honor of standing beside one of my sweet friends as she married the love of her life. I am so blessed to know you and I pray that God blesses your marriage in ways you cannot even imagine!