What I've Been Doing....

I have been out of school for two weeks now and this Christmas vacation has been wonderful! The day after school got out Shelley and I had a Christmas party for all of the girls in or P3 class. We had the best time playing Dirty Santa and just hanging out with each other outside of school. After the party, Allison and I went to Chewacla to take some nature pictures (see below) and just hang out. Ben joined us out there later so he could meet Alli for the first time.




















I stayed in Auburn all weekend and hung out with Ben and got some random things taken care of. We went caroling with the ACSC and then the next night Ben took me out to eat and we went to see the movie Casino Royale... your typical James Bond movie. Sooo realistic! I had a great time with Ben as usual. On Monday I went to see Steph in Macon and it was awesome catching up with her and getting to see where she lives and meet some of her friends. Tuesday night was our Dinner with Moses who is from Malawi where Ben and I, along with the rest of the mission team from the c.o.c. will be going in July! (More on the Malawi Mission later.)















Friday I went to Montgomery to spend the weekend with Ben's family and meet them for the first time. Friday night I got to meet the whole family together. On Saturday, Ben took me to some of the places his company had built (picture #1) and then he took me for a ride in the tractor (below). He also let me drive it and I must say that's something I never thought I would do!















Sunday brought me back to my home in Florence (see picture #3) where I've been hanging out with the fam. I've really enjoyed all of my time off and I'm kind of in shock not knowing what to do with all of this time. I feel like I'm wasting it if I'm not doing a million things! I've been reading "Waking the Dead" which is awesome and I've also been reading books written by the missionaries in Malawi in preperation for my trip.

I saw this quote in "Waking the Dead" that I will leave you with: This is the author regarding God speaking to him...

"I don't think he speaks to me any more than others; I think I've just learned to expect it, need it, keep an eye out for it. It's a whole different perspective on how we approach our day." ~John Eldredge

"

Katie's Life

So that's me on the horse on the far left. "Wild Thing" was his name. That picture has nothing to do with what I'm about to write, I just find entries with pictures to be more aesthetic.

Anyway, I have just returned to Florence for the remainder of my wonderful month long Christmas break. I haven't written an update in quite a while, I guess because I haven't been able to really get my thoughts together amongst all that has been going on in my life. Life for me, however, has been completely wonderful. I am truly happy and I know that because I am finally able to look back on the bad times in my life and be thankful for them because of where they have brought me. I realize that I would not be the person I am today without all of the lessons learned from my bad experiences. The way I look at relationships specifically, and the way a look at life in general has been shaped by all that I have been through and I find those lessons to be most valuable.

When I look at my life I see how faithful God has been through it all. He has brought good from every negative situation I have encountered. Where would I be without Him? I am so thankful for what he has allowed me to experience (good and bad) because it has made me who I am. It has made me so thankful for the good times and the people in my life who are truly good. Because of hard times I appreciate my family more, I realize what completely amazing friends I am blessed with, and I know a good relationship when I am in one. I have learned what is important in life and that I need to be more patient. I have learned that I need show love to everyone and not pass judgment. I have learned to take notice of all the small and beautiful things in the world, like sunsets or smiles or anything that has good in it. I am probably starting to sound a little cheesy here, but I'm just so thankful for where I am. I am excited about my life to come and I cannot fathom what I will learn and how much God is going to teach me.