Against all odds

        School has a many temptations and stumbling blocks to catch us everyday. There are drugs and alcohol; cruel, hurtful actions; the temptation to be like the world. We cannot be though. We are called as Christians to be different, to stand out, to live for Christ, not ourselves. We are his people. He loves us and looks after us . Shouldn't we abide by His calling. We were called to be more than the world. We were made to glorify Him not ourselves.
   No matter what the world throws at us we need to be Gods children first. We can't worry about what they think of us. We will be laughed at, made fun of, abused, exiled. But it is all for Gods glory. Stay strong in your faith.  You are not alone. God will provide.
"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10

I found this verse the other day while doing my quiet time. It is an amazing verse. I just thought it was worth sharing.

An Amazing Adventure

       These last eight months have been some of the most wonderful of my life. They have been hectic but, they have been worth it. The winter rolled by with little snow and lots to do. We won our soccer championships in indoor and outdoor soccer. The spring cam and school let out. I immediately left for my missions trip to Honduras. It was one of the most  amazing weeks of my life! Everyday I had the chance to interact with hundreds of kids from another part of the world. We found a commonality in our sports and bonded throughout the week. That week taught my to appreciate what I have and to always be living my best. You never know who is watching you. We played games, did crafts, then sat down to enjoy a time of worship and singing with them. The kids were so happy we were there for them. All you had to do was smile and the field or court would light up with a million white teeth grinning back at you.  We had the chance to share the gospel with a lot of kids. We got to know many of the kids from the orphanage and it was hard to say goodbye.
        After the trip I came home to run the VBS at my church. This was another awesome week to be a part of. We again got to interact with a ton of kids everyday. It made me realize I don't have to go far to find someone to reach out to. There are people all around us. Each day afterwards we would go out with the other teens who had worked it for some relax time for us. By the end of the week we were all worn out and ready for bed.
        As soon as VBS ended i was whisked away to Maine and Vermont where i spent two wonderful weeks with my family. It was a ton of fun to be with them. We stayed on a lake in Maine and every morning me and Paige would take a boat ride out to do our quiet times together. My dad's old friends also came and visited us while we were down there. It was a real treat to have them.
     After that my summer began to settle down. I was able to catch up on long needed sleep and begin my summer work for school.  That was most of my summer in a nutshell.
     School just started back up. I am in my third week and already ready for it to be over.  My classes are great and soccer is going wonderfully. My team is undefeated and still working to get better. I have made new good friends and am getting closer to old ones.

I cannot believe that I haven't written since after graduation. It feels like forever ago that that happened. Well now I'm in high school and it's an amazing experience each day. The opportunities I get daily are life changing. It has been a great school year so far. Many of my friendships have been getting farther apart, but at the same time, I have made new friendships that grow each day.

The summer seemed to fly by! it was a great time. In July I went up to my mom's, sister's house in Michigan. we went to the dunes on SIlver Lake, walked in down-town rockford, and watched old chick-flicksevery night. The weather was great up there. It was just cold enough that you could wear a sweat shirt and jeans, but warm enough that you could wear shorts and a t-shirt.

When we got back form Michigan I went to my aunts house for a week. Paige had a friend come with her, Grace. The two of them were a handful of fun. We swam everyday, we shopped almost everyday and we went to the beach one day as well. It was a great time.

DUring the summer my dad started pickup soccer games for anyone who wanted to go. My best friend, Katie, played, along with my would -be-boyfriend, Ryan. Many other people came to these as well .

Later this same summer I went to a summer camp on the Word of Life Island in New York. It was a week of crazy, competition and a lot of fun. I learned so much of how to better my life in that week.

After camp my boyfriend talked to my dad and we oficially started dating on August 10th. He is an amazing guy. He loves the Lord and is a great example to anyone he meets. Whatever he puts his mind to he gets done. He plays baseball and soccer, even though he likes wrestling the best. He is a very funny person and is sometimes a little self conscious. He is always looking for ways to help people. Ryan is 16 and already has more maturity than many people older than him. I thank God every day that I have him.

Once school started so did soccer. I played varsity soccer on the Woodstown High school team. It was a lot of fun and I met many people that will be life-long friends. Soccer is over now though. I decided not to play basketball this year. I chose to put my time and energy into my school work. That choice has paid off in my grades.

"May mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you."

Jude 1:2

When It's All Over

Graduation! It was such a memorable time in middle school. So many friends were made and lost. The memories I made there will last forever. Some say graduation is a wonderful, happy, fun time; and it is. There are however the sad parts too. People you have come to know and love are leaving. Friends that have inspired you and helped you are going away. You don't know if you will ever see them again. It is a great time but what about those people who will never come back after the summer?

I have one friend that I know won't be coming back next year. She has been such a motivation in my life and I'm sure in the lives of others. Her name is Audra. Without her I would never have done my first year of basketball, or my second and third. She motivated me to try harder and achieve the most I could. She has been such a wonderful influence in my life and i am sorry to see her go. I will miss her dearly. I almost cried when we said goodbye but I held it together for her.

Thank you so much Audra for your wonderful influence on my life. I will remember you for a long time and will continue to play basketball like I promised.

Memories

Some people have only memories. Many take them for granted. They are something we need to hold onto as family and friends. They can be shared through stories, videos and pictures. These are some memories I would like to share with everyone: The fist picture is of my cousin Kienan while he was visiting us from Indonesia. The second is of his sister Jaiden also during that trip. Third is my aunt and cousin. She would not stop laughing that day. It was right before Christmas. The fourth is also of Jaiden on that trip. It was a great time of family and fun. The fifth is of my best friend ever Katie. She spent the night that night and we had a ton of fun (Love ya Katie)!!!! The sixth picture is of my dog. He was given away because we weren't home enough to take care of him, but he will always be loved here. The seventh picture is of Jamin, my brother. He was posing for the camera that day. The eighth picture is of me. My aunt was taking pictures of me and my uncle playing bass. She edited this one for me. The ninth picture is a picture of my friends and I. This was taken right before a trip we all took together. I am on the far left, Abbey is next to me, next to her is Michelle who is hiding, and finally there is Lisa on the far right. Finally, the last picture is of me and my cousin Zailey. This was at a family reunion. With her being only a day younger we hung out most of the time. These are just a few of the many memories I have.