Same Time, Last Year

"The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time," Jonah 3:1

Sitting at the Annual Conference for the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, I can't help but remember what it was like to sit here last year. There have been a lot of changes in the last year--well, nearly everything has changed since this time last year!

Last year, I sat in the audience with the oddest and scariest feeling--the fear of the unknown. I knew what God was calling me to do, but didn't want to take that step out of my comfort zone that I was so comfortable with. Before coming to annual conference last year, I was wrestling with the thought of applying to Candler School of Theology at Emory University.......in the strange and far off land of Georgia! During the week of conference last year, it was affirmed countless times that that step out of my comfort zone was required of me. Like Jonah, it took more than one time for me to go where God was leading me to go.

In faith alone, I took the step and then the moved to Georgia. The past year has been a total whirlwind, a test of faith, and one of the greatest blessings of my life!! I have struggled, questioned, been entirely outside of my comfort zone, learned, grown and experienced things that I never imagined I would have the opportunity to experience. I'm so thankful for the many words of encouragement during this time and for the many prayers said on my behalf--they were felt and greatly appreciated! I am thankful for the new friends that I have made in Georgia, they have been a wonderful source of strength, love and laughter.

The rest that this summer is offering is much welcomed and I'm enjoying the opportunity to be home for a time and seeing family and friends. I'm excited for the year to come (though I've been warned that it will be harder than the first). I'm excited to be interning at Snellville UMC in the fall and can't wait to see what God has in store there!