Hello to anyone that reads this!

It's been awhile. Too long of awhile, really. I just read through my last update and realized how much has happened since then. My mission trip, graduation, Labor Day weekend with Rachel, Mom & Dad, ESOAL, the first 2 1/2 months of my GI year. My life is pretty different from last year, and yet it many ways it's still the same. I had planned on this being a nice, long, interesting update, but I don't think it will be. Look for one of those in the future. For now, know that I love and miss you all so, so much. In spite of my lack of communication, I do really want to know what's going on in your lives, and want you to know what is going on in mine. Feel free to comment, message me, email, or even call. You can get my contact info from my parents, or my facebook.

Anyway, this weekend, we're having a fasting retreat on campus. So if you do try to contact me, and I don't respond for the next 3 days, that's why. Please pray that I would press into the heart of God this weekend, and that through it I would gain insight and vision for the things He wants me to pursue for my GI year. Pray that all distractions would fall to the side, and that I would be able to fix my gaze on Jesus and tune my ears to hear him speaking to me.

May you be blessed with the abundant life that Jesus came to give us.
With love,
Bethany

-----Hi everyone! I must apologize for my failure to update as often as I had intended to. This year has flown by so quickly, and yet arriving in august last year seems so far away. On this past Wednesday, we hit the 1-month-till-graduation mark. It's hard to believe that my first year here is coming to a close. Yes, I said first year, as in there is going to be a second. I'm not sure all of you know this already or not, but I am planning on staying another year here at the Honor Academy. It was a big decision to make, but I believe it's what God has for me for this next period of my life.
-----Next year will be a lot different from this past one, I'm sure, with many changes and challenges. After graduation in August many of my friends here will be heading home or off to college or wherever else the Lord may direct them, and a whole new class of August Interns will arrive. I'll be what's called a "Graduate Intern(GI)," which basically means an Intern who has successfully completed and graduated from her undergrad year. Specifically I'll be joining the Management Associate program(MA, (Yes, I know, we have a lot of acronyms). You see, the Honor Academy has a couple of different tracks that you can go down as a GI. There's School of Worship, Core Advisor, Ministry Team, and Management Associate.
-----As an MA, I'll be able to get food allotment and buy and cook my own meals and move out of the dorms into GI housing, which I'm really looking forward to. I'll still have a Ministry Placement, but it will change a bit from what I do now as Registration Representative in Acquire the Fire Operations. Next year I'll be Registration and Customer Care Supervisor, and I'll be over the various ticketing, seating, and customer care issues for the entire ATF Tour next year. I'm really excited about this next year, and the many ways I'll be stretched and challenged. I'm also somewhat nervous, since I've never had a leadership position before, but I know God will help me, and if I mess up at something, I'll just get back up again. That's one thing I've learned a lot about this year, to not be afraid of failures and mistakes. Although they're not fun when you're going through them, they really help you learn a lot. A quote from C.S. Lewis sums it up: "If only we have the will to walk, then God is pleased with our stumbles." God has been teaching me so much about being resting secure in His love and strength, and walking confidently forward in that. I still have a lot of growing to do in that, but I'm okay with that.
----- Anyway, one of the main reasons I wanted to update is to tell you about the mission trip I will be starting in . . . oh, 40 minutes. As most of you know, I had been hoping to go to Scotland with Global Expeditions(GE), but unfortunately I wasn't able to raise the support for that trip. However, I am going on their Dallas trip, from July 10-24th. We'll be running a VBS, doing some outreach in the local community, and also helping a local church with a service project. Besides that, I'm not sure what we'll be doing, but I'm excited for it. I'm not really sure what to expect from this trip, but am looking forward to seeing what God does over these next 2 weeks. Please pray that we would have doors opened before us, and that we would be used to bring the Kingdom of God to Dallas. Also, I may have the opportunity to be a Missionary Advisor during the trip, which means I'll have a small group of girls that I'll be mentoring/leading during the trip. Please pray that I would be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and that God would give me wisdom and discernment in that role.
-----Well, got to run. Thank you so much for your interest and support of me here . . . I couldn't do it without you! May the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, be with you, now and always.
In Him, with love,
Bethany