Today marks 30 days til these 11 months of a rather unorthodox life come to an end. Almost a year of my life spent learning lessons that would have been hard to come by at home. 

Not impossible, just harder. 

Being almost at the end makes me think about the beginning. How I got here, the ways the Lord prepared my heart before I filled out the application, and the people He helped lead me here. The beginning is just as prominent and important as the end. 

My beginning happened to be in a vintage building in the heart of Austin, TX. 

If some of you remember, I wrote one of my first blogs about leaving Austin- and more specifically- the community I had forged at Celebration Church. I remember the tears as I was driving away, the argument with God asking if he was sure he wanted me to leave right now, and the sadness not knowing if he would lead me back to this community I loved so. This church family was the epicenter of leading me to where I am now. 

Through this church body my faith had been challenged by the teachings on Sunday mornings; the Lord convicted me of a life surrendered to him through Wednesday night small group; my passion for service grew from leading serve teams throughout the Austin area; my decision to sign up for the race came from a night filled with divine conversations I can only account to the Lord and faithful stewards of his promptings; this church family helped fund me, pray for me, supplied gear for me, and my pastor became a solid foundation of trust I could turn to when I had questions about God and Scripture while on the field. 

This church gave me so much more than a community of believers, it provided a family- whether in Austin or Africa- that I could always rely on to support me in my mountain moments and my valley moments. They were there, weaponed with the Word of God and their gifts to ensure my faith would be built up for the Lord. 

THIS IS THE CHURCH.

And by the grace and kindness of God, He is sending me back to this place I love and the city I am passionate about bringing the Word of God to. 

That’s right! I will be on staff at Celebration Church- Central Austin as it’s KiDS Coordinator; but more than that, returning to a church body that I love and the place the Lord has grown my heart for in this year of separation from it. 

This year has taught me a lot about many different aspects of the Lord from his character, his relationship with his creation, and his Church. More than anything, my love and passion for his (big C) Church has abounded more than I thought possible. Seeing his global Church work in stunningly beautiful and edifying ways makes me all the more dedicated to being apart in building the (little c) church wherever I may be. Christ died for the Church; and if he died for us we should support, fight for, and be an active part of what he deemed to be so valuable. I am thankful that he used this year to pull me closer to his heart in this way and I feel honored that he would lead me to such a work as this. 

Like all things, I am sure this position won’t be all sunshine and rainbows and this transition, position, and life in vocational ministry may be trying at times; so I am writing this blog to remind myself this was an answered prayer from God (lol). But in this moment, I am thankful we serve a God that reminds us of his goodness and leads us to the places our hearts long for. 

This is just the beginning of another edifying season of life I hope to look back on one day and know it prepared me for what I only hope is a deeper relationship with the Lord. This moment, like all others, is no coincidence or random happening, but an intentional piece of a puzzle I hope to see in completion one day. Praise God for his Church and the beautiful part he allows us to labor in alongside him for his redemptive plan!