This semester has been all over the place. I've had some of the most heartbreaking times of my life but also some of the greatest. I'm usually not a very emotional person but I think I've cried more this semester than ever before. Not necessarily sad tears, though! Although, I had more than my fair share of those, too. This post will be a recap of the highs and lows. You'll learn about great things happening but also the sad things that have happened in the past 4 months or so. Despite the ups and downs, I've seen firsthand how faithful the Lord is and how evident it is that He has ordained every aspect of my life.
And since my brain only works in an incredibly Type A fashion, everything is in chronological order :)
Uncle Matt passed away
You can look at my last post for more on this tragic event. It was easily the hardest moment of my life thus far and I still sometimes don't think that it actually happened. I was scrolling through my pictures on my phone and a silly picture of him, my aunt, and my mom popped up and it stopped me cold. It was suddenly hard for me to breath and it felt like a brick was sitting on my chest. It's still so weird to me. But then there's also times where I think of Uncle Matt and I smile and think about what his response would be to the current situations in my life. I also had a dream about him about a month ago. It was a happy dream and I felt like I got to see him one last time which was nice!
Acceptance to Truett
Around Halloween, I found out that I was accepted to Truett Seminary here at Baylor. I'm starting on my Masters of Divinity in just a few weeks and after that, I'll get my Masters of Social Work.
100% scholarship to Truett
Right after I found out that I was accepted to Truett, I also found out that the scholarship I had applied for actually started in June and not January. I was full on panicking about paying for school. I could take out a loan and pay for one semester, but what if I didn't get the scholarship and had no way to pay for all the other semesters? About 2 weeks before I had to confirm my attendance at Truett, my mom asked me what I was going to do. I told her that I know without a doubt that I was supposed to be at Truett so I was going to confirm my attendance and just trust that somehow, God would work it all out and my school would be paid for. Literally the next morning, I got an email saying that I was one of 8 students that was receiving the scholarship that pays for 100% of my degree at Truett and about half of my degree at School of Social Work!! It was such an answer to prayer. I called my mom freaking smooth out and then definitely cried. But happy tears this time!!
Internship
My internship lasted all semester so I decided just to put it in the middle. It's my blog so I can make those decisions :)
My internship was such a blessing this semester. I learned A TON about helping abuse victims and how the whole system works. However, that wasn't necessarily my favorite part. My favorite part was the people that I worked with. They were so incredibly encouraging and Kerry, my supervisor, was so supportive through everything that I had going on this semester. I could come in on the verge of tears and he was able to talk me into being rational instead of uber emotional.
Mrs. Breeding passed away
Not too long after Uncle Matt passed away, Mrs. Breeding, one of the sweetest ladies I know passed away as well. She was diagnosed with cancer in Spring and lost her battle at the end of November. Mrs.Breeding was my math teacher for 2 years in high school, her son JC is one of my close friends, she was in the ladies group that I considered all my second moms, and she was a fellow sports lover. She loved more than most people I know and she was so incredibly sweet. I think it's literally impossible to describe how great she was. It's been such a blessing to see how her family has clung to Christ's promises and worshiped him throughout her battle and continues worshiping after her death.
Got a job
The other exciting thing that happened was that I got a job! Like a grown up, pay the bills, steady job. I had been looking for about 2 weeks and was exhausted from looking at the same job postings everyday. Every job seemed to lead to a dead end. One afternoon, I found a job that was for an office assistant in a law office. It was about 30 hours a week and could potential work around my school schedule. On a whim before I left my internship for the day, I emailed him my resume and added a quick note about it. About 4 hours later, I got a call. He said that he had received my resume and was very interested. Come to find out, about 80% of his cases are with child abuse and neglect. When a CPS case is opened, he is the attorney appointed by the court for the child. Isn't it awesome to see how God works everything out?! So now, I am the office assistant at the Law Office of Charles L. Levy. It's fast paced, stressful, and so interesting! I love the people that I work with and I come home everyday mentally exhausted from everything that I'm learning.
Graduating
So now, in 36 hours exactly, I will be graduating Baylor Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Science in Child and Family Studies. I have absolutely loved my time at Baylor. Everything from my amazing professors to the beautiful campus to the friends that I've made, Baylor has been so great. I'm thankful that I get to be at a university that cultivates my faith in Christ and serving others. I'm so glad I get to stay here for a few more years!
Oh and I'm gonna take a selfie with Kenny Starr, our president, when he hands me my diploma. Get pumped.
So all in all, Fall 2014 has been crazy. Some of the worst things happened but also some of the greatest. I've seen Christ's goodness firsthand time after time. I've been stretched thinner than I thought possibly but looking back, I can see how I've grown from it.
So here's to 2015!! Praying that it will be much better than 2014!
