Another Year Behind Us. (2009 Highlights)

Seems hard to believe that the end of 2009 is already here. Honestly, it feels like 2009 just started... well, no, it doesn't. It actually feels like it is still 2003 and that we'll soon be in 2004 not 2010. Either I am really far behind in time, or time is just flying by. Maybe it's a little bit of both. Either way, 2009 is ending and it has truly been an extraordinary year. I don't think so much stuff has occurred in one year ever before, and 2009 definitely had some pretty landmarking moments. I'll try to go month by month and list something amazing, interesting, or perhaps just not that thrilling that happened this year.

January:

January, ah the very beginning of 2009. And the beginning of our last year in Mozambique. It was bittersweet. As the weeks of January went by nothing to exciting happened. Damarise took our passport pictures, and maybe I'm just super into passports and traveling and whatnot, but I think it's really cool to show someone my passport and say,"My sister took my picture :)" Haha. Anyways, January 18th dawned and life as I knew it turned upside down, inside out and just all confused. January 18th marked us and the Woodrows being family for 2 years, but that date, January 18th, 2009, ended up becoming something much more. Ian was in the clinic and what I found out later, basically on his death bed. He almost died more than once in the weeks that followed. I've seen God answer prayers. Prayers like, "Please help me find my missing purse..." But never in my life have I prayed so hard for God to save my little brother. And God in His great mercy saved Ian from death. Wow! Talk about a faith building experience to start the year off with. It was truly extraordinary! And we serve a GREAT and MIGHTY God! No doubt about that!!

February:

February was more like a breather after the ordeal with Ian. We were in South Africa for the whole month because Ian needed to be there for check ups. We also got to spend some time at a beach. And the highlight of the month... Dad's brother and sister came out to visit us! :D We had a lot of fun with them and it was nice to show them a little taste of "home" :)

March:

We came back to Mozambique and kicked highschool into high gear! Damarise and I were still unsure of where we would be going to college. We also spent a lot of that month packing up.

April:

We packed up everything. Spent a week with the Woodrows. Said some sad goodbyes and then left Mozambique for... who knows how long. Mozambique was the longest place us kids had lived in since Arkansas. It was definitely a sad month.

May:

May was filled with happiness and sadness. In May, Damarise and I officially (well... we didn't have our diplomas... but we were done!) graduated highschool. It was a nice feeling. We also knew we would go to Covenant College. We said some sad goodbyes to the Woodrows and friends in South Africa. And we got to fly again for the first time in three years. I love flying so I was thrilled! And we were going "home". I hadn't been there in 3 years! Crazy! We got back to Missouri and were greeted with the spring air, flowers blooming, berries and family! It was wonderful!

June and July:

I thought I'd put these two months together because they were both months of travel! But wonderful months too :) We got to visit churches, friends, family and it was wonderful! It was nice to reconnect with old friends and also eat some yummy American food :) We also began attending Christ Fellowship in Missouri and it has been a wonderful church body to be apart of. The church welcomed us in and the youth group and college group showed us so much love. It was very sweet. :)

August:

As if this year hadn't had enough excitement already, there just had to be something more. August Damarise and I stepped into the next phase of life. College! We started at Covenant College and met new friends and went to classes and began a whole new life. :)

September:

The college lifestyle began to sink in a little bit more. We weren't at summer camp, this was life. I also started my practicum at a middle school in Chattanooga. What a wonderful experience that was! I'm so thankful for all God taught me through that.

October:

October was out first break from school. Ah, it was muchly needed! Kathleen invited us to her home for Fall break and it was a wonderful break :)

November:

We got to go home for the first time since college! It was wonderful to see all of my siblings again and it was nice to spend Thanksgiving as a family :)

December:

And the end of the year. The beginning started off with a bang and the year ended with some big things too. Both Damarise and I passed our first semester at college. I became an adult :D And I got braces! Phew, it was a busy month :P

Those are just a few of the many many things that have happened this year. To end this year I'd have to say Soli deo Gloria! To the glory of God alone! That is what this whole year has been. God has shown His glory in more ways than I could have ever imagined. From the big things, like Ian and malaria, to the tiniest thing, like I have a bed to sleep in! He is faithful and keeps His promises and I am so thankful for all He did in 2009! It was a WONDERFUL year!

Thanksgiving 2009

Well, it's that time of year again. Thanksgiving day! :D A day specifically set aside to spend giving thanks to God for all He's done within the year. Boy! There is SO much to be thankful in just this year alone.

I'm thankful for God's never ending faithfulness! Throughout this year alone I have experienced God's faithfulness in countless ways. God has shown that HE is great and that I am nothing without Him. I'm thankful that God has chosen me from before the foundation of the world to be His child! I am blessed beyond words!

I'm so thankful that at the beginning of this year (man! That seems SO long ago) God saved Ian's life. I'm so thankful that God let Ian live and that today Ian is alive, well and his brain is as good as it has always been! I'm also thankful for all God taught me through that experience with Ian being in the hospital. It was a great testimony to my life!

I'm thankful for family!! I absolutely LOVE my family! Dad, Mom, Damarise, Sarah, Ian and Andrew! They are all great, fun and loving. I'm thankful for the letters they send in the mail to me, for the skype calls and for their prayers for Damarise and I :) They are the greatest family ever!

I'm thankful that God has allowed Damarise and I the privilege of going to Covenant College! I still cannot believe Damarise and I are almost finished with our first semester of college! I love everything about Covenant. I love the people, the classes, the atmosphere. I love it all! And I am SO thankful for God's provision in allowing me to go there.

I'm thankful for all my friends! God has blessed me with amazing friends in my life! I have friends in many a different countries and I am thankful for all of them. I'm thankful for the old friends and the new friends. I'm thankful that God has allowed me to meet and befriend such amazing people!

I'm thankful for A/C and heat! :) After living in Mozambique without any central air or heating, I am thankful for that!

I'm thankful for Walmart! It has everything! :) And it's at a convenient place :)

I'm thankful for email, facebook, blogger, skype, ichat, and gmail chat. It is SO easy to communicate with friends and family from all over! :)

I'm thankful for water and electricity that stay on frequently! :D It's so simple and easy knowing that the electricity and water will be on in the morning :)

I'm thankful for the cold! Yes, some people don't like winter.. but I love it! I'm thankful for this cold weather!

I'm thankful for everything that God has blessed me with. I know, that's broad, but there is just too much stuff to list! I'm just thankful for it all!

"Praise the LORD.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever."

-Psalm 106:1

New Years Party: 2009

2009!!! Can you believe it is already here?! It's amazing!!!! Soo what did you do to ring in the new year? We partied!! 

Andd since it is the start of a new year (And that is one special day!) I needed some special jewelry to go with it :) Mom bought paperclips for me so that I could make some earrings, but my my were they ever hard to bend. But I do have two very very strong and creative brothers so they helped me make '09 earrings :) And Mom made me an '09 necklace. Thank you Ian, Andrew and Mom! 

All the missionaries got together to ring in the new year at the Cunningham's farm. It's so pretty out there. 

My amazing photographer sister took this cool picture of a fence post :)

Some people played volleyball.

And some of us watched :) 

Dad grilled some breakfast sausages and hotdogs for us to eat :) mmmm Thank you Dad! 

Ohhh and we covered ourselves in bug spray. The last time we spent the night at their place Damarise and I came down with cerebral malaria, and we really did not want to experience that again, so we basically put on another layer of skin.... bug repellant! 

Esther and Annie :) Two fun friends!

Roasting marshmallows. Mmmmm...

Gracie with her perfect marshmallow. Slightly burnt on the outside, yet gooey and melted inside. :)

Some of the youth group gals :)

And Asher :) Awwww what a CUTIE!!! 

The youth group girls and Renata :)

Getting ready to Scottish dance. It was sooo hot outside that when we started dancing everyone was dripping with sweat (eww...) But it was fun :D

Dancing....

After we danced for a bit we sat down and sang some songs and then prayed. 

After singing and praying we did a bit more dancing. 

Around 11:30pm everyone had gone home but the youth group (We were all spending the night) we played some outside games, danced, played more games, lit sparklers :), and then cheered and hugged and said HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! :D And we went around and said how shocked we were that it was already the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009! :D Around 1ish I went to bed, and most everyone else did except a group of girls who decided to do an all nighter :P haha... they were wiped out the next day :) But I'm sure they had fun doing it. 

Anywho, that was my new year's celebration. I hope everyone else had a WONDERFUL time welcoming in 2009! And again, Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Unbelievable! It's 2009!! Happy New Year everyone! Was it just me or did 2008 seem to fly by? Anyways, something fun to do at the end of the old year and beginning of the new year... which I guess is kind of the same thing ;)... is to go through the old year and see everything that God has done in the year... or random things that have happened :) Here's some highlights of 2008. 

1. Damarise and I had cerebral malaria. (The deadly kind) It was quite the experience and one I'd gladly not repeat!

2. Damarise and I became seniors. Our last year of high school! Yeah! 

3. Damarise and I (we do everything together lol) took the SATs twice in one year. :)

4. Dad and Mom were both in the States at some point during 2008. (Dad was only there for a few days in the beginning of 2008) 

5. We got to vacation in South Africa and visit Kruger Park for the first time :D

6. I got to go to two new countries: Malawi and Swaziland. :)

7. Damarise, Ian, and I got to go on a missions trip to Beira to help build a church. It was a fun experience. 

8. I lost my whole toe nail on my 4th little toe :) First time to ever lose all of a toenail. :D

9. God redirected our lives :) We are now going to start a university in Zambia! Wow! You can go here to read more about it :) (www.africanchristianuniversity.com) It's amazing!

10. Damarise, Sarah, some friends and I were in Brio in Novemeber... it was just the back, but still it was our first time to be in a magazine :)

11. I learned–or semi learned–my first classical piece of music on the piano. Für Elise. 

12. We got our record of time in Africa without electricity. Fifteen hours! It was HOT! :P

That's about all that I can think of right now :P 2008 was a wonderful year full of fun memories, getting to see the Lord direct our lives in amazing ways, and enjoying our last full year in Mozambique. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for all of us this coming year. College for Damarise and I (Lord willing). Mom, Dad and the rest of the siblings moving to Zambia to start a christian university, and who knows what else :) It'll be an exciting year. 

Happy 2009!