The Moments I Cherish Most

So many emotions...

So many memories...

So many uncertainties...

So many relationships...

So many tears...

So many blessings...

So many moments to cherish...

Cherish...The moments I will cherish for eternity...the moments I will hold closely to my heart no matter where this new adventure might lead.  As I look back over my last three years in Little Rock there are so many moments that I cling to fondly.  There are so many moments that have been overwhelmingly FULL of the Spirit of God, and that have grown and stretched me in ways I could have never imagined when I first stepped foot into Pleasant Valley three years ago.

May 17, 2010 I loaded up my car and pulled out of my parents' house and made the 5 hour journey across I-40 to Little Rock.  As a 21 year old who just graduated from college with a degree in Spanish I felt extremely unqualified for the journey I was embarking on.  But I knew then, what I know even more now...this is not my ministry...this is God's ministry through me, and that He is qualified for the journey.  He will supply His servants with what they need to fulfill the purpose that He lays before them.  So three years later as this chapter of my life is starting to close, I still feel extremely inadequate to be a part of His ministry to the teens at Pleasant Valley, and I am so humbled that our perfect God who created the heavens and the earth would allow me to have purpose and give me a role in His story.

As I reflect on the last three years there are so many moments that I pray I will never forget.  Yes, there have been lots of big events that have been tons of fun and have taken a lot of planning, but those are not the moments that I will hold close to my heart.  The moments that I will hold onto will be those moments of deep spiritual connection with my brothers and sisters at Pleasant Valley.

I will cherish the moments where I have seen my teens confess Jesus Christ as the Lord of their life and be baptized.  I cry EVERY TIME...it never fails.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to teach me and reveal to me the beauty of a life confessing Christ. O how I pray that those confessions will be the guiding light for every decision that my teens make from that point on.

I will cherish the moments of prayer with my girls.  Last week, I was taking one of my girls home after we grabbed some coffee after church, we pulled into her driveway and grabbed each others hand to close our night together with prayer.  As she prayed over me the tears flowed from my eyes, what a blessing to have teens who lift me up in prayer.  As I prayed over her and all my other kids the tears flowed...and there was no stopping them.  When we finished we just sat in the car and cried on each others shoulders, and all I could say was, "Wow, God has been so good to us."  Blessed beyond belief!  And moments like that I will cherish my whole life.

I will cherish the weekly breakfasts with my girls.  Every Wednesday morning for the last three years has been devoted to one on one breakfasts with my girls.  The conversations have ranged from my nonexistent love life to what is our purpose on this earth, from sports and drama to how do we live out our faith in our daily living, from breakups and mess ups to restoration and forgiveness.  Those conversations with my girls have taught me so many things.  And there have been mornings where tears have been shed in the middle of Morningside Bagels over the faithfulness of God.  There have been moments where laughter has filled the whole room.  There have been moments where pain has been expressed, and turned over to our God who is more than able to help.  And there have been moments of prayer and praise.  O what an incredible God we serve!

I will cherish the moments when my girls have been the ones to speak so much truth into my life.  I will cherish the moments when God has used them to be the answer to my prayers.  I will cherish the moments that they have taken God's Word and read it to me for encouragement.  I will cherish the moments when they say..."Can I pray for you right now?"  I will cling to these moments and be reminded of the faithfulness of our Creator!  He is so so good.  I promise...I have experienced His goodness firsthand these last three years in so many beautiful ways!

I will cherish the moments that my mentor has walked into my office and read Psalms to me to encourage me.  I will cherish the truth that she has spoken into my life.  I will cherish the countless prayers that she has offered up to God on my behalf.  I will cherish the texts and phone calls of encouragement from my sweet sister in Christ.

I will cherish the hundreds of dinners that I have been blessed to share with so many families.  I will cherish the moments around the table breaking bread and sharing our lives together.  I will cherish the moments where so many people have brought me in as family.  O how amazing it is to be a part of the family of God.  I have been blessed to experience that first hand over the last three years.

O there are so many moments to hold close to my heart.  There are so many moments to thank God for.  There are so many blessings that have flowed from the last three years, and I know that my God is not done yet.  I know that a new chapter of my life might be starting, but that these last three years have built characters into the story God has given me that will weave in and out of my life forever.  I can't wait to see how these last three years have prepared me for my next fifty.  I can't wait to see how my life continues to intersect with the amazing family that I have been blessed with at Pleasant Valley.  I know that God is not finished with this story.

And I know that my story is only a small paragraph in the story that our God has been telling since He spoke this world into existence.  O what a blessing to be a part of His story, and to serve along so many faithful men and women of God.  It truly is beautiful the way He has set this whole thing in motion.  O God has given me so many moments to cherish and so many people to love.  I am so thankful for His faithfulness to a 24 year old girl with so much to learn.