As we go on, we remember, all the times we had together...

Hello everyone! This blogging thing is proving more difficult than I anticipated. While thoughts run through my head all the time, figuring out what's important and coherent enough to share here is tricky. This past week I've had a surprising amount of down time, in which I've been doing a lot of walking, journaling (maybe that's not a real word) and napping.  As my time here at Grand Valley draws to a close, I find myself wanting to have some closing remarks, something to place the appropriate punctuation on the end of this chapter of my life. The image that keeps popping into my mind is that of an awards show speech. "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank..." While of course that is not going to happen (as much fun as it would be), I feel that this is an appropriate platform upon which to thank all of those who have been a part of my life these last two years.

I've changed a lot and grown up a lot. While full credit for that goes to God, He has used so many people and opportunities to challenge me, encourage me, speak into my life, push me and support me. I'm so grateful for the room mates I've had (you know who you are) and the friends I've made. I've had the wonderful opportunity to be involved in a campus-based church community, as well as outreach projects to the homeless of Grand Rapids. I've been welcomed and drawn into the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship community here (sometimes forcibly :) and I've received discipleship and wise counseling from the Life Center. I've attended Mars Hill church and volunteered at an organization that provides rehabilitation to sex trafficking victims here in Michigan. I've attended countless cultural events and eaten more obscure ethnic food than I can remember. I've been challenged to reassess what I believe and what I think about numerous topics by classes, caring professors, and my peers. I am blown away by what God can make of two short years!

As some of you know, this past year has been marked by my pulling away from involvement, responsibility and leadership. Last summer I felt God challenging me to step out of anything that would allow me to find my identity in anything but Him. This was a somewhat rocky phase. I clearly remember a few tough conversations I had to have with people who expected me to be involved. Saying no was a relatively new thing for me. Those conversations may not have been hard for the other party, but I was sweating bullets. All this said, God used this to reveal to me how much of my identity was wrapped up in what I did, in how I lead, and in how people saw me using my gifts. Needless to say, I've grown a lot in the last year and God has taught me so much about resting, about identity and about how much He loves me for me, not for what I do.

So with all that said, I want to thank you all for being patient with me in this journey. While I'm going to be very sad to leave Grand Valley, I have no regrets, and I know God has used my time here to prepare me for whatever comes next. Thailand first, and then who knows? For those of you who don't already know, I've applied for an agricultural internship at an organization based in Fort Myers, Florida called Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (http://www.echonet.org/). If I am accepted I will start there either January or March 2012. The program involves at full year in Florida, and then an overseas trip ranging from 3 to 12 months. I will not know if I've been accepted until October. If you will all join me in praying that God's will is done in that decision, I will be grateful.

That certainly turned into more than I expected! Congrats on making it to the end! As Thailand draws closer I will hopefully be more prompt with my entries. I have a few ideas floating around already about my take on the intersection of Sociology and Christianity (missions specifically), so be prepared! Thanks for reading! It means a lot to me!

Nena