A Summer Well Spent.

That's how I feel about this summer break. It feels so great to look back with no regrets.

I'm thankful for all the opportunities the Lord provided. The internship is over now, and was truly a huge success. God is faithful- always.

He is so good to pursue us and provide exactly what we need so that we'll be closer to Him. I needed a time to be away from friends in family...  to be immersed in ministry....   and surrounded by godly people.

When I was lonely, who did I have to turn to but Jesus? Oh what a sweet summer it has been. He has drawn me so much closer to Him. He has sifted me and has worked on my inner character. Oh how I desire to be a genuine follow of Him. God has stirred desire inside of me... He has whetted my appetite for more... more of Him.

I will be entering this final year at Moody with more focus... with more direction. I want to make intentional decisions that will enable me to be closer to God... and to bring more glory to His name. He is going to great things this year... I can already sense it.

Praise the Lord you saints of His. He is able to use us when we are weak and dependent on Him. Our strength is low, but He is able to fill us when we lift our eyes toward Heaven. God will do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine when we decrease and let Him increase!

May you sense His goodness in each of your lives... regardless of the circumstances.

~Caroline

   Ok, I'm ac ually going to write a little update on what's been going on with me lately... It's harder for me to find time to write when I am in school, and I also wonder how many people actually read my xanga! As a result, I'm not as motivated to write. But since it's summer and I'm at home, I have plenty of free time. So here goes...

This past year  has gone well. I spent last summer at home in Georgia, except for 2 weeks in Europe studying church history. I enjoyed that trip and it definitely made me think a lot about Christianity and its historical roots. Being at home for the whole summer was relaxing and it gave me a lot of time to think. I was able to process my relationship with Joe and our breakup. It was good for me to be away from friends and just with my family... and to have a lot of time with the Lord to think and pray through different things. I'm thankful that my summer wasn't busy- I was able to reflect on the past rather than jumping right into something else.

Then I started back up at Moody in the fall. My mom and I drove my yellow mustang all the way up to Chicago. I started to learn a new kind of driving- Chicago aggression. :) Pedestrians, people on bikes riding alongside me, taxis honking, the infamous one-way streets, oh and don't forget parallel parking! These were all factors I never had to deal with in good 'ole Augusta, Georgia! But praise the Lord He helped this southern girl to become a city driver!

Also in the fall, I began studying Greek. After beginning with no clue about the Greek alphabet nor the "nominative case" nor "aorist tense," by the end of the semester I was able to look back and see how much I had learned! My roommate was as crazy as I was in deciding to take Greek, which I am thankful for because we could struggle together. People outside our dorm room could hear us reciting the Greek suffixes: Oh, Eis, Ei, Omen, Ete, Ousi (transiliterated). :)

This semester has gone well also. I've continued in Greek, and am thankful for all the ways God has helped me to stay disciplined and to be motivated when it has been difficult. I've developed some great friendships with many of the girls at Moody...  and have gotten to know some of the guys as well. It's been fun to be a single girl... to get to know people with no strings attached, and just enjoy college. I've gotten to know the city of Chicago better, and have really had a blast with friends.

I am really excited about next year... my last year at Moody. I will be the president of the Well... a small group ministry for the girls on campus. I will be leading a small group, as well as leading/supporting the other small group leaders. The executive committee will plan a retreat in the fall and a women's dessert in the spring. This is right up my ally and I'm so thrilled about serving the Well next year!

As for now, I am done with the spring semester. For two weeks, I'm home in Georgia... then I'm off to Chicago once again for summer school. That will take a month. After that, Kansas. (Crazy, I know!) In Kansas, I will be doing my internship. I'll be working with a really great women's ministry at a church there. The women's ministry director seems amazing, and she will be the one mentoring me. That will be two months. I am super excited about that and really believe I will learn a lot.

What after Moody? Well... I'm thinking grad school- probably seminary. Right now I am kind of unsure... but I think the internship will help me to better know if I really want to be a women's ministry director of a church or not. I think it will also help me to know if I want to go to seminary or not. People have recommended that I get my Masters of Divinity. We'll see...

I would love to hear from you, my friends. I'm sorry I haven't done a good job keeping in touch. That's not my strong point. But please know that I love you.

Wow... time goes by so quick. May already... done with a semester... and now a packed summer ahead... Praise the Lord for how He carries us through.

I'll graduate next May and then probably grad school after that...