swo excited!

Tomorrow, I leave for Snowbird. I'm going to try to keep this semi-updated throughout the summer, but I have a feeling I won't be very successful at that.

For those who don't know what I'm doing, I will be working on Servant Team this summer with 9 other girls, basically cleaning and serving meals and anything else that needs to be done. I am so excited to be spending the summer at camp and I know God is going to grow me a lot through this experience.

For those wanting my camp address (and anyone else who will send me mail) it is:

Kristen Wilson

75 Mae Johnson Way

Andrews, NC 28901

and by the way, I really LOVE mail! :)

Good Morning!!

So, I should probably be writing something about graduation tonight and about how I feel about leaving or how excited/sad I am...but I just don't have the words to write. I'm really not excited or sad, it's just another day. I am, however, excited to see Ms. Kimery's reaction to her "surprise". But even more so, I'm still excited because I saw Bethany Bohnenblust today!! My parents are probably tired of hearing about it, but just seeing her for the short time this morning really made my day. She's awesome. She's the one who actually inspired me to start this blog to share things I'm learning. Did I mention she's awesome? She is!

She has been such a

n inspiration to not only me, but to people, FFA members and nonmembers alike, across the country. I remember making my dad stay up and watch her retiring address with me. He said he would "if he could stay awake", which I took to mean, "You can watch it here, but I'm going to sleep." He stayed up through the entire session.

If you haven't seen this yet, it definitely deserves a watch.

As soon as Bethany stepped off the stage, I did two things. I texted her and I turned to my dad to see his reaction. All he said was "Wow. You can tell that she is a Christian."

If I can be half the inspiration that she is, or shine my light half as bright as hers, I will have accomplished something incredible.

Thank you, Bethany.

Wherever You Fly, This Isn't Goodbye. My Love Will Follow You, Stay With You, You're Never Alone...

These past two days have seemed like a dream. One of those dreams where you wake up and can't believe what just happened. Except it really did happen and it wasn't a dream. Monday morning Mama and I left for Nashville to meet Jesy Cordle for lunch on her way to Utah. It was really awesome to get to see her, but it made me realize some things.

1. Neither my mom nor I am good with directions. We got lost multiple times, including turning around in the same place three different times and taking an extra probably 30 minutes because we took the long way back. Thank you GPS for giving us the longest routes possible.
   
   
2. In less than two weeks I leave for camp. While, there are not words to express how excited I am, it is still sad leaving my friends and family for that long. (Even though I'm reluctant to admit it.)
   
   
3. Watching Jesy leave, I realized how much I really hate goodbyes. And I have a lot of those coming up really soon, and though I've been looking forward to graduation for four years now, I'm dreading the goodbyes that come with it. The worst part for me is not knowing when I'll see them again, and I am terrified of losing the people I love. They say they'll always be there, but I've learned the hard way that that isn't always true. I just have to trust that God will guide me through this time of change. He knows who I need in my life and who I really don't. I think Sarah Strickland said it best.
   
   
4. Also, Jesy Cordle is violent...

Never alone,
Never alone.
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown. Wherever you fly, This isn't goodbye.
My love will follow you, stay with you,
You're never alone.

-Never Alone, Lady Antebellum

Don't Say Goodbye...

Senior Concert. A night of some pretty awesome music with some really awesome people. A night of laughs and pictures with friends and tears and disappointment from others. My last performance. That's a pretty bittersweet thought. Through all of my excitement for this summer, I haven't put much thought into the changes going on around me. And now that my senior year is at it's end, I am terrified. Now, I'm no less excited for camp, I'm just scared of all the changes going on. Most of all, I'm scared of losing my friends. I know I shouldn't be, because they will still be there, well the ones that matter, but there is still that small fear of the unknown growing up inside me and making me doubt what I know to be true. Pause, I need some time to think.

Okay. Resume. I KNOW that my friends that truly care for me will still be my friends after all of this is done. And I KNOW that God is going to get me through these changes and I can rejoice that He is in control of my life. He loves me, no matter how little I deserve it, and He makes everything work together for my good. And He is leading me through these changes and grow me in the process.

If You Can't Do It For You, Would You Do It For Me?

A question has been running through my mind lately and I feel it is best to share without the details of what has sparked it.

How do you help someone who doesn't believe they need help?

They go through life acting like nothing is wrong and they don't need to change, but their actions are ruining their lives and leaving a trail of destruction behind them.

I want to reach out to them. I want to show them that Christ can change their lives. I want to help them. But how can I if no one, especially them, recognizes that they need help? What would they say if I did reach out to them? How would I even approach them? Something HAS to be done. I just don't know where to start.

On a lighter note, I broke my toe in a skit Sunday. It was pretty intense. It is now a nice shade of purple. Also, I get to see Jesy Cordle in less than a week. :)