Hi Friends!!!!
It sure has been a whirlwind of a time here in Georgia. I just wanted to give you all an update on life, what I’m leaning, and more.
I’ve been here for 12 weeks already, which seems crazy! Some days it doesn’t seem that long ago and other days it feels like just yesterday. Upon my arrival here I started the job search immediately. In fact, I had been looking and applying before I even got here. After a few weeks I landed a job working on the grill at Chipotle. It’s been pretty fun! I work with a lot of teenagers and two girls that live with me and are in this program with me. We have been really intentional about praying for, praying with and sharing Jesus with our co-workers, which has been really cool!
Class time is different every day. Monday’s we have class from 9-4:30 or 5, the rest of the week we have class 8-12. The first half of our time here was spent digging into the depths of our hearts and souls, I say that and I am totally serious. I cried almost every class as the Lord brought up things in my heart that needed healing, or things that were ungodly in me. Most things I had absolutely no idea were living in my heart.
More recently we have been doing a lot more practical things. Which has also been really cool!
The World Race wrecked me for sure, but I had no idea that CGA would do the same. We joke sometimes that CGA is like a more intense version of the race, but I guess it’s not really a joke because it’s so true. See, the motto is “Know yourself, lead yourself. Know others, lead others.” Because can you really lead yourself if you don’t know yourself? And surely you can’t know OR lead others if you don’t know and lead yourself. In order to truly know yourself you must dig deep, why do you do the things you do? For instance: Why am I so independent? Because I don’t like to rely on other people. Why? Because I have been let down so much. Why? People don’t keep their promises and eventually, they always leave. They stick around while I’m good enough but as soon as they’ve found something better- gone.
This may sound dramatic but this is a real scenario, this is something I discovered about myself on the very first day of classes. Yikes.
The cool thing is, the Lord walks right behind us, repairing these holes in our hearts, but we have to actually let him in. You can’t ask the Lord to come in and repair things if the door to your heart is closed and then get mad because he didn’t fix it. Also, be patient, these hurts aren’t a quick fix, they take time. It may take years for me to stop assuming that everyone that loves me will eventually walk away, to allow myself to be loved on a deeper level.
Along with class every day, I work about 2-3 days a week at chipotle in the evenings. These shifts are about 6 or so hours so I start at 4:30 and get out around 11, I don’t work a ton but I’m getting a good amount of hours to be able to take care of myself financially and emotionally, as well as get done my homework of book reading, class teachings, scripture memory and just spending time with the Father.
I am also having so much fun here! I have amazing class mates and house mates. I live with 8 other girls in a beautiful house in the woods, we kill bugs together, laugh and cry together, we pray and fight for one another. We are in this battle together; loving life, fighting for the souls of the people we love and fighting the spiritual battles for one another, covering each other in prayer. What a privilege to live this life, to tell people of the most important thing in my life; Jesus, to love on the people around me like He does, to learn more about my Savior and how to serve Him and His children better.
I wanted to say thank you to all of the supportive people that I have in my life. YOU sent me on the world race with your prayers, love and donations. Because of that, I have been given the blessing of participating in CGA and continuing to seek the Lord and His ministry. THANK YOU! Thank you for loving me, praying for me and donating to the work that the Lord is doing in my heart, in my life and through me. YOU are a blessing to me!
I would so appreciate your prayers as I continue to fundraise and begin asking the Lord more about my next steps. I have some things that I am considering but am still praying for confirmation and provision.
I am forever grateful for the role each and every one of you have played in my life! Please let me know how I can be lifting you and the people you love up in prayer.
Lets chat! Call me, text me, I want to hear all the things going on in your life! 🙂
