A Dream Come True

  As this year draws to an end, I can't help but reflect on what God has done in my life. A main highlight would be my college graduation. It was only through His grace and mercy that I was able to complete four years of education. The road was not always easy, but His grace is all sufficient. I am thankful for my time at Appalachian Bible College, but what a blessing to be done!
   Growing up I have always enjoyed being around children. I was that child who always asked to hold babies, and I love entertaining the younger ones in whatever circles I hung out in. Baby sitting was my favorite job in secondary school. I looked forward to the time when I could serve in the church nursery, and I always tried to visit my mom's kindergarten class when I could. I knew for a long time I wanted to work with children when I grew up. Even when I went through my horse crazy stage my dream was to work at a horse camp or give horse back riding lessons. Eventually I felt the call to be a teacher, and my years at college confirmed my passion and calling for this ministry.
   The odd thing about college was how isolated I felt from my calling. I had observations to go to, but that just meant I sat and watched the children. We had a little interaction, but it was in and out. I did have opportunity to serve at my church in various children's ministries for which I am grateful. My 2 years in Cubbies are part of the confirmation in my heart that teaching is what God called me to do. I had a few other opportunities to serve, but with all the back and forth between home and college never really let me get settled in one place. I always felt like something was missing, but I could never put my finger on it.
     Now that I am home, I think I figured out what that was. I was just looking for consistency and chance to put my calling to use. These days I teach pre-kindergarten, help in an elementary after school program,  teach a toddler Sunday School class, serve in the baby nursery and help with children's ministries at church. This has been consistent since graduation and has been over the course of what would have been a semester at college.
     Some days I must admit is can be a little overwhelming. On Wednesdays I go form preschool to after school to church, and kids can be exhausting as parents would know much better than me. However all the variety provides a great blessing in some many ways. I am thankful for all of these opportunities the Lord has blessed me with even when it is difficult. My dream has always been to work with children and now I get to experience it every day.
    Thank you Lord for an amazing year and the chance to serve in the fields I love!

My Hero, Mentor, Inspiration (aka Mom)

 Today my heart breaks for the families in Connecticut who have lost so much. It is another reminder of our human depravity and our desperate need for Christ. My prayer would be that many would come to know Christ as their Savior and the hope and peace which only He can bring through this tragedy. In these dark times may He be glorified.

   Though I do have hope in Christ my Savior, my heart still aches. When I first heard that 18 kindergartners lost their lives in such a horrific way, I couldn't help but think of the 27 little lives I interact with everyday. I actually have more students in my care, but my pre-kindergartners are so close in age. I must admit I feel angry to think of anyone harming children of this age. Harming children in any way is enough to make me angry, but this is so close to home.

      Not only did these children loose their lives, but their teacher did as well. Yes, I do teach pre-kindergarten, but I am only there because of my mother. My mama is a kindergarten teachers, so to think of her being there breaks my heart even more. I have always had a love of children, and I have always wanted to spend  my life working with them.

      However, I must say it was the influence of my mother that led me to be a teacher. After going through college and now teaching in a classroom of my own, I believe this is exactly where the Lord wants me. My mama always included me in classroom preparation  I remember helping her set up her room each year even when I was in elementary school. Many of her bulletin board objects were colored with my help, and I have done much prep work on craft projects. When I was praying about career choices, I wasn't convinced that I wanted to be a teacher. I was afraid I was doing it just because my mom was one and perhaps it was expected of me.

      Now I would not have it any other way. My mom has always said she could not imagine being anything else besides a teacher, and I know just what she means. Now looking back I believe that her love and enthusiasm for the ministry God have her inspired me to take part. She was always encouraging and helpful to me in college, but always encourages my own work and ideas. She has also been a wonderful consultant in my new role as a pre-kindergarten teacher and second grade tutor. I greatly value her input and seek her advice daily.

        The Bible tells us that all things work together for good. I know the Lord placed me in my family for many reasons, and I am so thankful to be blessed with my mother. She has been a great help to my journey of becoming a teacher and starting my own teaching ministry. Many others have been a huge blessing in this venture, but my mama has a special place in my heart.

        In the days to come I will be keeping these families from Connecticut in prayer. I can't begin to imagine the pain they must feel right now. At the same time, I am going to be thanking the Lord for my own 4&5 year olds in my classroom and also for the best kindergarten teacher I have the honor to call Mom.

Baltimore Harbor Trip

Sometimes during my senior year of college (and it may very well be a year ago and this time) I thought I needed a trip to the Baltimore Harbor. It is one of those places that people ask me if I have been to, and though I have, it is not as often as you may think considering the amount of times I travel to the Baltimore area in a year's time. My cousin Kati graduated from college last December, so I thought this would serve as a nice gift to ourselves after 4 (and 4.5 for her) years of hard work. We both graduated in elementary education, so I smiled when Kati suggested we explore the Maryland Science Center while we were there. I began to get excited for this trip, but then life happened, you know....student teaching, the actual graduation, job hunting, buying a car, new jobs, etc. Summer came and went and though we discussed it all summer long, it just never happened.

Maryland Science Center at Baltimore Harbor

   The great thing about this year is I am home, so anything that did not happen this summer is eligible for fall activity. Kati and I finally picked a date, so I took my first road trip to Maryland all by myself and we hit the harbor. We ended up spending most of our day at the Science center. It was so much fun! We also enjoyed lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and walked through Barnes & Noble. It was a bit chilly, but the day was lovely otherwise. Here are some pictures from our experience.

Kati tackled the arc challenge fairly well

Hoisting myself up

Lying on a bed of nails which is not as painful as lying on 1

A great last stop for 2 bookworm teachers such as ourselves

We're freezing cold here, but it was a fun day!

I am so thankful to be blessed with a cousin close in age. I have many dear friends, but Kati is certainly my longest dear friend. We obviously have known each other all of our lives, and we also have quite a bit in common. I'm really glad this trip worked out for us because it was a super fun day. I stood amazed at all of God's wonderful works of Creation on display at this museum. The planetarium there wasn't the greatest, but seeing the galaxies and hearing about them always blows my mind. Hopefully I won't wait so long to visit the Harbor again!