My Experiences Are Shaping My Future

So I was looking through some old pictures and felt like sharing the following. Each one is from a key part of my life, or just a particular day that I love, or even one that I hope to have again in the future. (They are all from a year or two ago so nothing recent, really.)They all take me back to that moment, and each one helps to make up who I am, what I love, where I've been, and what I long for.

 

May 2011: In Kenya, on a safari.

 When I think of my time in Kenya, the first thing that comes to mind is "life changing". When I see this picture and my expression and body language, I think "bliss". I think of how much I loved that place.

July 2010: At a friend's house in Oregon.

I don't know who took this picture but I love it because it captures the fun of that evening. (Or at least it reminds me of it)The boys were climbing the tree and the rest of us were just having fun. That summer screams "freedom" to me. Free and fun and full of hope.

Summer 2010: At the Portland Saturday Market with my sister. 

The Saturday Market is one of the coolest, "out there", smelly(in good ways and bad), artsy, creatively wonderful places I have experienced. Sadly we only went once, but it was wonderful. Portland just seems to me "whatever you want it to be" or "whoever you want to be". People are so weird but chill up there. I just love it.

October 2010: Day at the beach with Ignite friends 

 Alyssa snapped this as I ran on the beach. I loved this day. There was a lovely sunset, and I really felt God's presence. I decided to run back to where the group was and it felt so exhilerating! When I see this pic, it just screams "free" to me. It also makes me think of my time in Ignite as a whole, which I see as "transformation".

May 2011: Kenya

 I just love this picture and even more so, this day. Each of us had one, two, or even three kids hanging on us as we walked as a huge group to an open field. There we played games, volleyball(best game ever), girls got their hair braided. This is where I witnessed a young girl split one tiny candy into three parts so her two friends could enjoy it with her. This is where I laughed as the girls were surrounded by at least six children each, as their hair was pulled in multiple directions. And this is where we played the most fun volleyball game ever with a bunch of Kenyan men. I love it.

2009?? Warner Pacific College, Portland, Oregon.

 I can't remember what year it was but this was the second time we visited this school. The first time was two years before(I think??) when Bre was looking at colleges. Not sure on the time. Whenever it was that we first visited the school, I loved it. I felt at home there. The second time I went, it was for me to check it out. It still felt good, and I was accepted but I chose to do the Ignite program instead. But here I am three years later... and I still think about it. I still dream of what it would be like to go there and do their Urban Studies program, in Portland. When I think of going to Warner I think "opportunity" and "making my dreams a reality"... It scares me but excites me just the same.

Dec 2010: River of Refuge Project, Kansas City, Missouri.

I love this picture because it shows me doing work! We were helping a church transform an old hospital into apartment buildings for underprivileged families. As you can tell we were still in the very early stages, but they've come a long way in the last year and a half. I think back to KC and I think "experience". This was my first real missions trip and I think of it fondly. It was an experience working in the city with people and for people that are hurting and need hope.

Each of these experiences have helped shape me into the person I am today. A lot has happened since the most recent of these photos(May 2011) that have also done a work on me, but I am still sorting through these things and trying to learn from them. Right now I look at these older photos and I realize how they have shaped me and how they are going to shape my future. Whether I'm working in Portland, serving in the inner city somewhere in the midwest, or spreading God's hope to people of other nations, each of these passions will guide me further into God's plan for me.