After 23 years, my mother and father had their last child exit the public school system. That's alot of papers, projects, tests, and homework not to mention for 5 different children! So mom and dad congratz on YOUR graduation! You got us all through it!

Undergrad - IT IS FINISHED!

Wednesday May 9^th at about 4:00pm I will walk across a stage at Thompson Boiling Arena and receive my Bachelors of Science in Education. It is crazy to think that after that point I will no longer be a student of the University of Tennessee but rather of the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine. I still feel way too young to be starting medical school in August! But rather than look forward to that rather large mountain ahead of me, I want to take a moment to remember what God has done to get me here.

I recently looked back through my school calendar to what I was doing in January.  There was soccer practices, tests, and the usual. Then I read where I had my interview for VCOM. It is so crazy to me to think that in just these last few months God gave me an interview for medical school and an offer! And how life has changed since then! From then on I began really seeking the Lord and asking that He would prepare me, because I knew I was by no means ready!

The journey He took me on this semester has been different than ever before. He has been showing me how to give Him everything. How to legitimately BE a living sacrifice. And let me tell you it has been a hard journey! But praise be to God I think I might be a little closer to where He wants me to be! It has been a lonely few months. I have poured myself out and been forgotten by many. And though at first my flesh screams out not wanting to be forgotten, God has gently reminded me why I do what I do. For example, Wednesday afternoon when I walk across that stage, many of the people I thought for sure would want to celebrate that day with me will not be there. At first I wanted to be really mad and wondered how they could forget or how it wasn’t that important to them. But God reminded me that I did not go to college for them, I didn’t go for me, or even to get this degree. I went to college for Him and Him alone. So glory be to God alone, I am graduating not for my glory but all for His!

By no means have I learned all these lessons, but I am one step closer. I want to be totally and completely devoted only to God. I want to pour myself out 110% for Him and only for His glory! I want to leave my pride out of it. My prayer now is that God would grant me humility, that my whole heart would be His alone!

So here is to ending my undergraduate career and starting something amazing that only God knows what it is! I am just so thankful that He will prepare me and use me for His glory!

road to med school.mov

It's official!

One week ago today I sat with 6 other interviewee's nervously awaiting the chance to prove we could make it through medical school. From 8:30 until about 3 I tried to take in what it would be like to actually be a medical student in Blacksburg. The interviews went well and we were told that f we were accepted they would call us in one week. So today began, one week after my interview and I spent a good part of the morning in prayer. It was really cool to me how God brought so many verses to my mind for me to pray through. Verses like in Psalm 139 where it says "My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secrete, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them." or Jer 33:3 "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." And Jer 29:11 " For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future."

After my morning in prayer, I had much more to focus on. Today was also Andrew's signing ceremony at the high school. Almost our whole family was in town to celebrate him signing to run track for Georgetown university. Back at the house we were about to dig into the cake when I received a phone call from Virginia. My hands began to shake and my heart was pounding! I had been accepted to the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine! My mind began to race as the director of admissions began informing me of what I needed to do next.

Our house erupted as I shared the news. I don't think it has really sunk in yet, but I bet I have said or thought "oh my gosh . . . how in the world . . . God is amazing!" like a million times Never before has the greatness, grace, love and realness of God been so evident to me! Looks like I'm going to be moving to Blacksburg! But for all of you VOL fans out there don't worry, I'll be representing the big orange in Hokie country!

So close . . .

Week four has begun at the University of Tennessee. I am just settling in to the new schedule and planning out what this semester will look like. Never did I ever imagine that on top of my weekly homework, the 4th week of my last semester in college would include a medical school interview! I only completed my secondary application for the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine about 3 weeks ago. I had just begun to relax knowing all my applications were finished when I received a call inviting me to interview with them! One year ago I was just deciding to follow God on this path, and honestly, I had little faith I would be where I am today. God's amazing grace has so guided me this past year I stand in awe of what all He has done! So, for now, I am preparing for a day-long interview on Thursday February 2nd. Please join me in praying that God would receive all the glory for whatever comes of this. Please pray that I will abide in Him for everything I need up to and at the interview. It is no longer I who live but Christ in me, and I am confident that He who began this good work in me is faithful to complete it!

And we Beheld. HIS. GLORY!

I just returned from Passion 2012 in the Georgia Dome. It was one of those things that I had heard about and honestly only wanted to go because I knew John Piper AND Beth Moore would be speaking. I had only mentioned to my sister Julie how I would like to go, but had neither the resources to do so, nor was I around our college group enough to let our leader know I wanted to go. But I guess God wanted me there, because I ended up on the list and Monday afternoon I left with 23 others from our church to head to Atlanta.

We arrived a little late but walking into the dome and seeing 45,000 people worship God was breath-taking! I remember thinking, "Oh my goodness, I wonder if this is what Heaven is going to be like?" That first night just blew me away with the bigness of this conference. The crazy thing is that from 45,000 people they were able to break us up in to community groups of a few thousand and from there groups of 8. In these small groups we were able to discuss and digest what we learned in the main sessions and we could pray for each other and be prayed for.

That night we arrived back at our hotel about 1:30 am. We were all already exhausted. But morning came rather soon and on 4 hours of sleep we began our first full day of the conference. That morning Beth Moore spoke. It was my first time hearing her in person. She spoke on the woman with the issue of blood who touch the hem of Jesus' garment and was healed. Her point was that we all have uncomfortable, ugly, dirty secrets that we need healing from, and that Jesus knows how dirty we are and He still heals us, completely. That afternoon, we learned of the overwhelming 27 million people trapped in slavery today. That's more than ever before. Loui set the goal for us to raise 1 million dollars to fund operations to stop human trafficking. That works out to roughly $22 a person. He said "instead of taking from the rich and giving to the poor, we are taking from the poor and giving to the the poorest."

I loved hearing speaker after speaker preach truth, straight from the Bible, without watering it down. The true gospel was preached, the point was made that life is only about God and when we focus on knowing and loving Him above all else everything else pales in comparison, and that the real answer to human trafficking is discipleship; that we have to take what we learned there back to our campuses. The last lesson before we left, Loui gave us Eph 6:19,20. Its were Paul is in prison and he has just told the church to put on the armor of God. He then goes on the say," pray for me also, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Loui implored us not look forward as though our life starts when we finish college or when we do whatever, God has a purpose for us now, and it is to glorify Him through sharing the gospel with every opportunity and with all boldness.

Never before have I witnessed such true worship of God. Never before have I felt the presence of God so strongly that even a worker in the conference center stopped someone and asked what was going on because she felt something in her chest she had never felt before. She came to Christ because the presence of God was in that place! As a child I used to pray for revival in this nation. I knew that America was tanking and that it is very possible that Jesus will come back very soon. But I used to pray that we would have at least one more great revival in this nation. Yet, being in college and seeing how fake so many 'Christians' are I had grown cold and lost faith that God could do much of anything with this generation.

Yet, this week, I saw the power of God shine forth from those same college students. God showed up, and made all the difference! The worship that was experienced there was as close to reckless abandonment of self I have ever known. We sang together over and over that we surrender ourselves completely to His will and His way. His name was lifted high and made known in a way I never thought possible. Revival is not out of reach. God is at work among the college students of America and I would not be surprised if revival broke out across the country from what He has done!

Oh, and our goal to raise 1 million dollars to stop human trafficking, we smashed it! Our grand total was a little over 3 million! But more than that, God has started a fire in all of us to take action. We will raise awareness but if it doesn't produce action then it's in vain. We now know in our hearts, not just our heads, that God is powerful and He has a job for us, now. He has something for each of us to do right now, right where we are, and we must obey. I know God has rejuvenated and revived me this week. He has given me the the fire to start this semester and make a difference for Him.

I can't wait to see what God does with this, because I know it's going to be big! So, please join me in praying. Pray for an end to human trafficking, join with us to fight this, pray for revival in this nation, believing that it can happen. I'm adding a few links were you can see what God has done at passion and one were you can take a survey to see how many slaves had to work to make the things you use everyday. I would encourage you to do this and then take action to demand suppliers buy slave-free products.

Seven Down (sigh) . . . One to Go! . . . BOOYAH!

In filling out multiple applications, it has come to my attention that I have survived 21 science, 5 math, 5 chemistry, and 42 total classes, as well as 17 labs and way too many papers, presentations, and exams. Today, semester number 7 of my undergraduate career has come to a close, and not a moment too soon! With only 9 hours needed to graduate from the University of Tennessee, it’s hard to believe I’ve been here for almost 4 years. I never imagined I would be where I am today.

In looking back at how much I have been blessed this past semester, it is extremely hard to put into words all the great things God has done and continues to do! I so enjoyed working with the Lady Vol soccer team, and am thankful I can continue that work next semester. God is really at work there and has allowed me to see and be part of an amazing work of His.

I have officially been invited to complete step 2, filling out a secondary application, for both LMU and VCOM medical schools. Unfortunately though I haven’t had time to complete them yet due to finals and wrapping up the semester. I am still waiting to hear from UT Memphis, MeHarry School of medicine, ETSU and VT. These are all of the MD programs and they are a bit more swamped at the moment.

So, for now I will enjoy not being in school and knowing next semester holds an easy caseload. The little ‘academic work’ I will have over the break will be filling out secondary applications. Other than that I’m just waiting: waiting to hear from medical schools, waiting for next semester, waiting to graduate and start the next leg of the journey. And I am very content with that. I can be patient and peaceful in the waiting, knowing my future is set, and almighty God controls my destiny!