2013 Year In Review

This is my last post for the year, so I think it should be a reflective post.   This year began, as most years do, in January.  In January, I was sort of a lost person looking for something to do with my life.  I had it narrowed down to two things.  The first was to become a teacher, while the second was to go to seminary and become a pastor.  So I started being a substitute teacher. 

In February, a friend sent me a link to look into becoming a missionary.  With the knowledge that I had no control in a middle school classroom, I applied for the missionary position, a program of Generation Transformation.  A few days after sending in my application, I started substituting in an elementary school, I was good at that. 

In March I was called for an interview, and I packed my bags and went to Oklahoma City.  For the rest of the month, I spent as much time as I could with my nephews as well as with my Grandma who was recovering from a stroke. 

In April my Grandmother’s health took a turn for the worse and we laid her to rest beside my grandfather who had died just months before I was born.  I also received the news that I had been accepted to the US-2 missionary program.  I spent many days doing recess duty and implementing already written lesson plans.  I enjoyed those days, especially the when evenings were full of me playing cars with my nephews.

During May school ended and the swimming pool opened.  While waiting to find out where I would be placed as a missionary, I watched soccer, and swam with my nephews at the local public pool. 

In June I was finally informed that my placement would be in Davis, California.  I found this out just hours before attending the Missouri Annual Conference.  At that event I heard Bishop Thomas Bickerton talk about his own calling, and decided that my calling was to be a clergy member in the United Methodist Church.  During vacation bible school that month I thought about how much would miss my church family but that I would be going where God had called me to go. 

In July I went on a mission trip as a youth leader to Oklahoma.  After that trip I will never be able to hear the song, “Awesome God” without memories of dancing in the parking lot on a hot morning while a van load of teenagers watched.  I then traveled to New York City to begin missionary training.  At the God Box and then Stony Point, New York, I learned what it would take to be in ministry with. 

On August 12, two amazing events happened.  Flint Isaac, the fourth son of my friend, was born and I was commissioned as a missionary of the United Methodist Church.  I packed up my life in and in a few short days my Dad and I were off driving to Davis, California.  After the two and a half day drive my dad took a plane back to Missouri, and then I found myself in Davis trying to be a missionary with the campus ministry of the Cal Aggie Christian Association. 

In September, school at the University of California, Davis started, and the staff of the CA House rallied for success of the ministry.  I officially joined the US Masters Swimming program through Davis Aquatic Masters.   This required me to learn how to swim properly.

In October I turned 27, learned to swim the fly, backstroke, and breast stroke in addition to the freestyle crawl.  I was also a participant and worker in our fundraiser. 

November began my search for a seminary with an event called Exploration 2013.  In Denver, Colorado, I visited Iliff Theological Seminary.  I pretty much fell in love with it that day. 

In December I learned to make my own biscuits and gravy, since no one out here eats this for breakfast.  I watched as “MLS Cup dreams came true in Sporting Blue.”  I spent most of the rest of the time counting down the days until I can visit home, which is tomorrow, so have a merry Christmas, I will post more next year.