Merry Christmas! I am so thankful for all of you! I hope that you have had a wonderful day celebrating the birth of our savior with family and friends.
The coming of our Savior into our broken world and our celebration of it every December has been the perfect segway for me in conversations with girls as the semester came to a close. Several girls I meet with have difficult circumstances at home, which makes going home for a month for the holidays a challenge for them. Many of them feel as if they are the peacemakers in their family and the one on whom their family relies to keep the home running both physically and relationally. This is a burden, and many of these girls feel as if they are the savior for their families, or at least they are supposed to be. It was with joy that I told them that although it is a good thing for them to be peacemakers and to care about their families, they are NOT their families’ Savior. Christ came to save us and our families and often time this means saving us from each other and the wars we wage amongst us.
My first semester has (obviously) ended by now! It was a great learning experience. I learned a lot about myself and about ministry. There have been several students who I have really connected with and have been able to begin “a deeper dicussion” with about faith and how we relate to it. I look forward to returning in January after a long break and picking up in conversations where we left off. I hope to go deeper with these students that I have already met and also to continue to meeting new people, as the beginning of a semester always brings in new faces.
During this holiday break I will be catching up on my Study/Reading program that I must do for the internship as well as reflecting on this past semester and setting specific goals for myself and for my relationships with some of my students. Also, part of this break will be dedicated to support raising!!
***If any of you have not heard yet, or if you forgot, or if you lost the invitation then please note that YOU ARE INVITED TO COME TO MY HOUSE (120 Brookshire Lane, Pelham, AL 35124) ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 5TH FROM 7-9 P.M. FOR DESSERT AND COFFEE! Whether or not you support me through prayer or finances and whether or not you receive my update letters, please come! You are welcome to bring your family and friends too- the more the better! I want the chance to thank you personally for the way that your support has enabled me to reach Clemson for Christ this semester, and I want to update you on how things are going. If you have questions or want more information about RUF or what I do then this is the perfect opportunity for you to ask!***
If you cannot come, then feel free to call me and to set up a time to meet with me over the break! I will be in Birmingham for the most part until January 9th, and I’d love to meet up for coffee just to talk and to catch you up on what God has been doing this past semester. My number is 205.540.4046.
Furthermore, I am now beginning to raise support for next year! I will need roughly the same amount that I raised last summer- $32, 495. This is a large amount, but I will not doubt God’s faithful provision as he has not failed me yet in providing for my needs!
I could post several stories and updates from the end of the semester but I will save them for the Coffee and Dessert at my house!
Thank you all again for your faithfulness to pray and give on my behalf!
April Goes to Clemson 