As I think back to a year ago, I can still feel the excitement I felt then. Finals were finishing up. Last minute planning for Swazi was commencing. I was helping out with Graduation and was watching some very dear friends walk across that stage and into the next part of their lives.
Now, one year later, that's me. I'm graduating college. I'M. GRADUATING. COLLEGE. Where in the world did the time go? In some ways I feel as though I just walked onto campus as a freshman with high hopes and dreams for my college years. In other ways, I feel as though Gordon has prepared me for the next step in my life. I'm ready to be done being in a college classroom and am excited to put to work what I've learned over the last few years.
I'm also excited to put what I didn't learn in the classroom to work as I transition out of a safe environment out into the 'real world.' I learned just as much, if not more, outside the classroom than inside one. I've grown in ways I could not have dreamt about in high school. I'm not the person I once was. I'm better. I'm stronger. I'm more in love with Christ than the day I walked onto this campus. Is that due to chapel services or student led prayer and worship? Partially. But it's mostly due to the incredible friendships that I made in and through this very unique place.
I've heard it said that the people you surround yourself with shape who you are and who you will become. It couldn't be more true. I've had the opportunity to pursue deep relationships with so many people on this campus and I'm so grateful for that. I've had the opportunity to see growth in others that still astounds me. One of the most miraculous things to watch is God working in people's lives.
I've learned more from the people around me than anything I could learn in a book. I've learned what it means to be an individual. Through the people I've surrounded myself with, I've found me. I know who I am now and I'm secure in it. Through pursuing Christ and the people He has placed so perfectly in my life, I've found the woman that He has created me to be. I'm able to be me more than I ever have before and it's an incredible burden off of my shoulders. Those who know me well, know that I don't have everything in my life together and that I'm a little bit crazy. Or as my students say - I've lost my marbles (yay for English idioms that second language learners haven't heard before! =)) I know who I am in Christ. I don't have to be anyone else. I don't have to be who someone else wants me to be. I am me and that is more than enough for Him.
I've also learned that no matter what, life is beautiful. Nothing taught me this more than Africa. I saw children with shoes that were broken apart and who didn't have families or whose families didn't want them, yet they felt overwhelming joy. So why do I sit idly by and complain about lesson plans when I am incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to study at a place that taught me so much more than how to teach a math lesson to a child? I've learned how to love children. I've always had a slight obsession with children (and National Geographic, but that's another story) and a love that I can't quite explain. House #6 in Bulembu solidified my love for children even more. I learned that loving children is so much more than playing hide-and-go-seek or soccer or helping them learn a new concept. It's investing in them and telling and showing them that you're proud of them and that you care. I honestly love the children in my classroom. Ask anyone who talks to me daily or weekly and I always have a hundred stories to share about them (especially about second grade boys who have little crushes ;)). An example of this is one of my boys who has a hard time behaviorally. Instead of just pushing him aside and ignoring his actions, I took them on headfirst. I set expectations and we talk about his behavior daily. This keeps both him and I accountable for his actions and last week I told him I was proud of him for his progress and effort. I thought he might burst out crying right on the spot. Instead, he comes over and gives me the sweetest hug that I've received since Bulembu. It was full of hope and thankfulness.
It is with a similar hope and thankfulness that I am leaving Gordon with. Gordon took me in when I had no idea who I was or who I wanted to be. Since giving me a place to learn and grow, I've become the person I could never have imagined. Thank you, Gordon, for the incredible four years you've given me and for preparing me for what lies ahead. You'll never be far from my heart, mind, and prayers.
Thank you to my friends who have made these four years memorable with countless midnight trips to the beach, insane dance parties, movies nights, birthday parties, and so much more. I wouldn't be in this place without you and you will all be a piece of me forever.
To my friends who still have some time left at Gordon...here's some advice: treasure every day you have. Gordon has faults, but don't dwell on them. Look for where God is leading you and trust that He knows so much better than you. Trust His will above your own and He will make your path straight every time. Seek Him first and everything else will fall into place. Go on as many adventures as you can and invest in the relationships that are here. You will always be in my thoughts and prayers and I know that this is not the end for us.
And finally, thank you Bulembu, for being the single most incredible experience of my life thus far. You changed my life and made me who I am. For that, I am forever grateful.
To the Class of 2012 - WE DID IT! Whether your future is set out in front of you or not, trust in God and He will reveal it in due time. <3
No comments:
Post a Comment