Adventures of the Past (Part 2)

"Goodbye may seem forever. Farewell is like the end. But in my heart's the memory, and there you'll always be." - The Fox and The Hound

I'm not one for unrealistically dramatizing my life stories, but nostalgia set in when I was watching The Fox and the Hound the other day, and I couldn't help but connect the above line with my current stage of life. Since I last blogged, I resigned from my job at The Oaks Fellowship, and packed up my life in Texas. Now I'm visiting family and friends on the East Coast as I conclude the final preparations for my trip to Argentina. I don't know where I'll end up after my adventures in Argentina, so I may be back in Texas -- only God knows at the moment! Regardless of where I'm going, the memories made and relationships built these last four years have forever changed me. That said, here's a reminiscent summary of my thoughts on each year:

The development of the OSL Logo. :)

I started Year 1 of college 1,200 miles away from home in small-town Waxahachie, TX, just south of Dallas. It was a huge leap of faith, as I didn't know much about the place, but I knew it was where I needed to be. Similar to what I'm about to do, I left everyone I knew, and started a new season of life in a brand new-to-me place. What I remember most about this year was the amount of information I received. My mind was blown by new concepts and perspectives taught in my classes. My heart was filled with all kinds of excitement as I engaged in friendships with so many people who had the same heart for ministry as I did. And my soul was matured during the countless moments of God speaking to me. 

The most epic OSL class ever. 

During Year 2, I completed the Oaks School of Leadership (OSL). At the time it was a two-year program built by a partnership between Southwestern Assemblies of God University and The Oaks Fellowship. I thoroughly enjoyed being in the close-knit family of maturing students and leaders. I'm still astonished by how strong the relationships were built between so many of us so quickly during these two years. We all embraced the concept of OSL being our family, which meant we did everything together, we accepted one another for who we were, and we encouraged each other to experience new growth every day.

He's so precious!

Year 3 was filled with surprises, and opportunities to live outside the realms of my comfort zone. I started the year with a precarious attitude. Seeing that my end goal was missions, I wasn't quite satisfied when I received a job as an academic and internships coordinator; at the time, I didn't see what that would have to do with my interest in missions. But, after a few months of working with the amazing OSL team, I realized I was developing skills which will help me when I am working in missions -- specifically the gift of administration, which was something I wasn't aware I possessed until this year. You see, God had placed a vision on my heart during Year 2: to make sure orphans like this one (pic-right), have loving homes via training married couples to be adoptive parents. At the end of this year, while on a missions trip to Honduras, all I had learned about myself and God's plan for me reignited my passion about that vision. As always, God had a beautiful plan for me all along, and it unfolded just as He wanted, in spite of my apprehensive tendencies.

(bottom left) OSL Weekly Hall Devo
(the other two are obvious) Graduation!

In the transition between Year 3 and 4 (aka - the summer), I stayed in Texas and worked as the part-time Administrator for OSL. When Year 4 started, my hours were increased to full-time, and I was still a full-time student. I was asked two questions quite frequently throughout this year: "What do you do?" and "How do you do what you do?" Managing my work life and college senior life was challenging, but through the combined experience, I gained confidence in strengths I didn't know I had. The whole year I was amazed, along with everyone else, at the high capacity in which I operated. It was only by God's grace that I had enough energy and time to get it all done.

Thanks for reading this very abbreviated version of my college season of life. I had fun writing it, so I hope you had just as much fun reading it. Feel free to post your thoughts; I'd love to read your comments. :)