Fransiscan LEAD

July 14, 2014. I boarded a plane with one of my best friends Delaney to finally enter into the week I had been waiting for all summer. I had no expectations of what the week might look like but I was hoping that my faith would be renewed. I knew that God was going to do something good in my life this week but I had no idea that it would be as significant and life-changing as it was.

God came into my life this week and did some amazing, unforgettable things. He has set a burning desire in my heart for him and opened my eyes to the life I need to be living. Because of this wonderful week with my LEAD family I am forever changed. I never want to go back to the way and the person that I once was. Before this week my faith was running dry. I felt like I was just stuck in this rut and didn't know how to escape. I was feeling so alone and distant and God just welcomed me back into his loving arms without hesitation. The love our Father in Heaven has for us is so incomprehensible but to even grasp a part of the tremendous love he has for us will change your life, and that's what happened to me this week. I truly believe that once you realize how much the Lord loves us, you can never be the same. God sent the most wonderful people into my life and I am so thankful for all the laughs and friendships that came from it. Imagine the most encouraging, loving, passionate, on fire for the Lord humans and you'll see my LEAD family. Having the most God-fearing, humble servants of the Lord all gathered in one place to share in the same faith has got to be one of the most beautiful sights to see. I thank the Lord for all the kind-hearted lights that he brought into my life this week. I am forever grateful that I met people who were so hard to say goodbye to. Saying goodbye to the people that had quickly become so important to me was probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. It is so hard waking up and not being surrounded by 20 beautiful souls ready to encourage and love on you all day long. I truly knew that God's love for me was so strong when I realized how blessed I was to have 20 new people to call my friends. Their faith inspired me to grow deeper into mine and to seek true companionship with the Lord. These people will always have a special place in my heart and I pray that God continues to work in our lives and hopefully write our stories with each other in mind. I thank the Lord for new friendships and new beginnings.

This week God has taught me humility and compassion through the washing of feet. He has taught me the importance of silence and the peace it can bring to even the loudest of hearts. He has taught me what it means to truly worship and praise him for all the goodness He has provided us. He has taught me love through the sending of 20 of His amazing children of God. He has taught me that there are times when I can't do it on my own and that sometimes all I have to do is look up and ask for His guidance to help conquer the battles of life. He has taught me the importance of prayer and spending quality time with the Him, the one who gave his life for my sake and for the whole world. He has taught me that I don't have to be scared or anxious if I don't get an immediate rush of emotions or answer when spending time with him in prayer because he is working on me and my story even when I am unaware. He has taught me to pray as I AM not as I OUGHT. That I am right where He wants me and that He loves everything about me. He wants all of me. All my brokenness and my problems, all my past mistakes, he wants all of me especially the messy stuff of my life and He longs to make me new. 

LEAD was no doubt one of the best weeks of my life. I can't even describe the amount of joy this week has brought me. God has blessed me with a new family, with 20 brothers and sisters to help strengthen me on this faith journey. A week full of prayer, adoration, and worship has left my heart full and my eyes looking up to the cross. I am so thankful to have been given the amazing opportunity to fall in love with the one who gave us all his love. I am comforted in the fact that If Christ had to endure the cross all over again just for me, he would do it in a heartbeat just like he died for the whole world. This week has brought me exactly what I needed in my life and more. My prayer life has dramatically transformed and I am no longer the checklist christian I once was. I believe that God has a perfect plan for all of our lives and that even through the struggles of life and the pain, He is there trying to write the perfect ending. Our God is not a God who fails to answer prayers or one that is going to abandon us. Our God is forever faithful and will never stop fighting for us. There are no words to describe the impact it truly had on my life but I now know that I am not called to be normal. I am called to stand out and to be radical in my faith. I am called to spread God's love to the ends of the earth and bring praise to his holy name with all that I have.