Albemarle to Greensboro-Where Did the Time Go?

     I always said I would never get a blog. The present site you're visiting proves you should watch your words, haaa! I thought it fitting to start my blog with the start of a new season of life in which I could not be more excited. I have been living and attending school in Greensboro, NC for the past four years and now my time here is quickly coming to a close. I look back fondly on all that God has done as I contemplate the happenings of  my time in college. This time has been a roller coaster ride for me.
    Coming to college I had no idea what to expect, especially since I had no plans of coming to the G my senior year of high school. I came in to a crazy floor in a freshmen dorm, a big city, and a new level of academics. God wasted no time in showing me that I couldn't do this on my own. Through a ministry called Campus Outreach, I went on a retreat the winter of 1st year and my life hasn't looked the same since. (Praise the Lord!) Being involved in a ministry for 3.5 years in college would make it sound like life became easy then but that isn't what Christianity is about no matter the stage of life. Walking with God isn't about having an easy life or seeking to have things we sweet Southerners like to call blessings. Walking with God is about laying your life down to follow Christ, denying yourself and picking up your cross on a daily basis. Do you think Jesus's cross was easy to carry? I didn't think so either. There is nothing glitzy, glamorous, or fancy about Christianity, a true relationship with God. So, college life wasn't made simple by deciding that Jesus was going to be my life-focus, but what it did do was bring to me a relationship that was never going to falter and a place of redemption, love, and hope. This is just one side though. It also brought the cost of following Christ. Suffering is what we're called to as Christians. There is no way to sugar-coat this. If you follow Jesus, you will suffer for the gospel! There is no clause in the Bible stating that college students, or anyone for that matter, are exempt from suffering. In my four years in Greensboro I have seen family deaths, financial desperation, loneliness, difficult situations with family members, trying sleepless nights over academics, terrifying roommates, a totally depraved campus, and of course that isn't the extent of it. I have friends who deal with things far more difficult than I ever have. Throughout all of these circumstances I've learned the depth of Christ's love and sovereignty. God has ordained all of these specific moments in my life through these precious years and has brought me to the place I am today. There is a sweet, sweet joy that comes from knowing that Jesus has already been the perfect sacrifice for all of this and that there is an eternal reward awaiting me. I continue to see more and more about who God is and am incredibly thankful for the ways God has used other people, retreats, conferences, beach projects, and circumstances to show me my own sin and His goodness as I have been able to do life in Greensboro.
      My next step is something I am overjoyed about. I am going on staff with Campus Outreach at Wingate University. Having been involved with CO while in college and prayerfully seeking what God would have for me next, He brought me to a place of total surrender of my own original plans and showed me His! What a precious time that was! I am sooo pumped to be working with the women there and getting to know them deeply as we do life and ministry together on the campus over the next few years. I won't be moving there immediately however. Part of a staff person's role with CO is to raise full financial support before being on campus. I will be moving home to Albemarle to continue the process of raising support there. This is going to be a unique season where I am inbetween student and full-time staff, and am anxious to see what God is going to teach me through raising support and in the transition from Greensboro back to quiet smalltown life.
    Knowing I will graduate and leave Greensboro in a short 14 days is overwhelming. There are many things I will miss about this place and many things I will surely not miss! Here is a small bit of what I mean:


-- First for the things I will NOT miss at all:

Being the directionally-challenged person that I am, Greensboro driving has been a nightmare until these last few months when I think I almost have the main roads down. There are many occasions I have gotten "turned around" and will not miss the intricacies of the road system of Guilford county!

 

High Point Rd/Lee Street is the 2nd highest gang-trafficked road in North Carolina. Campus is partly on this road. I'm so glad to be leaving this dangerous side of Greensboro. Two AM UNCG alerts about campus theft, robbery, murder, etc isn't super fun!

This is downtown Greensboro. With all those lights it is impossible to see stars! Good news is the half-acre "downtown" Albemarle shuts down at 8 and the stars twinkle brightly there!

This is the dorm from my freshman year. After four years of living in a 11x13 space, I am very much looking forward to my room at home, Mom's food, and a shower without shoes! :]

As much as I LOVE my major, professors, and the Kinesiology department as a whole, I'm thankful to be taking a break from school for the first time in 17 years! (Well I might miss it a little bit)

--Now for the things I WILL miss dearly:

This clearly doesn't capture everyone, but I will so miss these people! They have become like family to me in the last 4 years and am soo thankful for their lives and their walks with God! I have been truly blessed with amazing friends, mentors, ladies to lead, and will absolutely miss the people most of all!

Friendly Hills Church is a place I will miss incredibly! This has become my home church while at school! These people are committed to the gospel and the furthering of the kingdom and have made my life easier way more times than I can count! I can't say enough about this church and my love for it and its people!

 

Greensboro has so many hidden gems! It has taken me all four years to even scratch the surface in finding all the parks, but this is my favorite spot--the Bicentennial Gardens! I will definitely miss this place! For all you Stanly County people--Rock Creek and Chuck Morehead don't even come close unfortunately!

CHRISTIAN CHICKEN! This glorious place has become a staple in my diet (not a joke at all, I eat here at least 5 times a week)! I may go into withdrawals while transitioning from having 5 locations within 5-15 minutes to the nearest one being 40 minutes away!

Oh how I will miss Target being less than 3 miles away! In addition to Target, I will also miss Michaels, Hobby Lobby, a mall, and all other major stores other than Wal*Mart (Albemarle actually has a super WM)! On the positive side if I travel the distance for Target or Chick-fil-a they are very close to each other!

*With all of this said, it would be the understatement of my life to stay that I will miss Greensboro, but I'm ready and excited for a new stage of life and would appreciate your prayers as I transition from being a student into full-time support raising!