here's a shout out to all my teammates. i want to hear about you all - please comment and post your own blogs. i am SO looking forward to meeting each of you! you are all beautiful, unique, called-out individuals who Jesus is going to change and move in incredibly. i'm so grateful to be going to Uganda with you this summer!

i just wanted to share a couple of things about myself so we can start to form a community here and know each other a bit before training camp. i JUST finished finals and finally have some time to write.

of course, who doesn't like talking about themselves? but in case you're worried about the length of this blog, i promise that there are only four main points i'm making about myself, since describing me would not only be TMI even for me, but could get pretty boring. fyi - read my blog with a grain of salt because i tend to write with a bit of sarcasm. enjoy.

1. Jesus is everything to me. He makes my life worth living and i would be such a different person without His grace, love, and mercy in my life. my favorite times are spent with Him. this is the most exciting part about me and my life. :]

2. i'm the youngest of four (one sister, two brothers) although i've been told i act like an oldest child.. whatever that means.

3. i'm an elementary education major/dance minor at Belhaven University in Jackson, MS. never thought i'd be doing either of those things, but Jesus has other plans and so far i'm grateful for every change He's made.

4. last is just a list of random things about me:

~i can cut hair (mainly my own)

~i've played violin since i was four

~i really don't like certain words.. like "moist"

~i love writing with lower case letters because i think "i"s are so pretty and you hardly ever see them and it also stands out more when you capitalize Jesus' name

~i drink way too much coffee (working on that)

~i'm going to be a resident assistant in my dorm this coming fall - super excited to build relationships there

~~i work at Olive Garden and have many, many interesting stories - i'm sure you'll hear some of them eventually.. haha

~i love finding beauty in things and the list of things i love is endless - rainy days, blue beads, classical music, NPR (please tell me you've heard national public radio?), writing about everything and nothing, driving with my windows down, the quiet of the morning, the color of changing leaves, finding the perfect orange at kroger, doing a job well, all of the Psalms, dancing with my eyes closed, hearing Jesus whisper a promise just when i need it, knowing that there is an end to everything and God will always show His goodness and victory even if not at the present.. and i'll end there since this last bit is getting carried away.

i just want to encourage each of you that whever you are on your journey towards this trip right now, Jesus has a plan for it all. keep seeking Him as June 3rd draws closer. i'm praying for you and for our summer together. Africa has been on my heart all year and journeying there with each of you will be a life-changing time spent together. 

peace.