Seeking to Go Further and Appreciating the Journey

Frost on the leaves

Over the last few weeks I have been in Canada spending time with my family, friends, and supporters. It's been great to travel on short road trips to go visit friends and to have fun when an Aunt and Uncle came up the States for several days. Though riding in the car for several hours isn't always the most comfortable experience, I find it usually makes for wonderful memories when you go with friends and/or family.

A mountain sheep

One of my highlights of being home is having the opportunity to review this last year of my life. I got to spend several days browsing through pictures and reading over notes from both my DTS and SOE. Around this time last year I was arriving in Australia for the first time with one of my fellow DTS students. We were two days late for the school due to some plane trouble, but we were so excited (and I was really nervous) as we pulled up to a small house and met more fellow students as well as the staff of the Whitsunday base. Walking through the door that day I had no idea that the people in that room would become some of my closest friends, and that over the next year God would impact my life in ways that I could have never imagined. I'm so thankful for this past season and I'm so excited to see what's coming next!

Right now I'm in Grand Rapids, Michigan visiting with my oldest brother Chris and his wife Lisa. They have two little children and for the next month I'm going to be baby-sitting and helping around the house. It's a very different lifestyle having two little kids around 24/7, but waking up to hearing your nephew say, "where's Amy?" is completely worth it. The laughter and smiles make up for the late nights and grumpy moments. I'm looking forward to this next month to make memories and face the challenges that come my way.

God has been teaching me a lot about the importance of embracing the moments that we have each day. Sometimes I get so caught up in wondering what is coming next that I don't appreciate my surroundings and the people around me. God keeps reminding me that I need to put my trust in Him with the knowledge that He is going to make everything work out, and it's going to be far better than what I could imagine on my own. I may not ever stop glancing at the horizon, but I'm learning to spend more time focusing on the here and now. For the moment, that means spending time with family and helping out where I'm needed. So bring on the late nights with laughter, tears, and all the colors of fall. I'm learning to appreciate this wild and random journey I call my life!

Blessings!
Amy

Prayer Requests:

- For patience as I continue to seek God
- For the time I spend with family
- Finances
- I'm looking for a phone with a good life span that will work internationally for calls, texts, and some social media
- To continue to glorify God in all that I say and do, as I learn to seek His plans for my life above all else.