Greetings!
How do you adequately portray your life in a blog post? Not quite sure. So, I'll try two options. Option 1: The Facts- it's short, quick and easy to get a picture of who I am. Option 2: My Story- it takes a bit more time, but you can fill in a few more details about my life and how I became who I am today. You pick (or read both).
OPTION 1: THE FACTS
*Born March 14, 1986 (I'm 25)
*Grew up in Sauk, Prairie, WI
*Family consists of parents, Dave and Linda, and older brother Matthew
*Graduated from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 2009
*Certified in Elementary and Special Education
*Hablo Espanol
*Worked on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ the past 2 years
*Love sports and fitness
*Still have a baby tooth
*Was my school's mascot in college
*Played tennis for UWSP (also had a short career throwing javelin on the track team…you should ask me about it sometime)
*I LOVE CHILDREN!
*I enjoy making smoothies for breakfast every morning
*I've recently taken up swimming. Love it!
*Favorite ice cream is anything with chocolate, peanut butter and caramel
*I can stand on my head
OPTION 2: MY STORY
My name is Emily Bouche and I hail from the small town of Sauk Prairie, WI. My parents Dave and Linda raised me and my older brother Matthew on a small farmette just outside of town. My childhood was filled with pleasant memories- a few favorites were riding bikes and playing outside late into the warm summer evenings as well as building giant snow forts and sledding in the cold winter months.
My brother Matthew and I getting a ride from Dad.
My schooling years were marked by activity and accomplishment. Early on, I realized I had some athletic talent and I quickly became involved in a myriad of sports- tennis, basketball and soccer being my favorites. Being part of a smaller school district, I took advantage of other opportunities such as marching band, student council and Advanced Placement college courses. Throughout this time, I was constantly busy with practices and performances. I lived for my resume and thrived off the approval of others.
It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I became dissatisfied with the way I was living my life. The titles and praise I so desperately desired from others began to decrease and I realized the things I was placing my identity in would always fail me. At this point in my life, I turned to God and looked for answers there.
I was raised going to church and given a solid moral foundation from my parents. We made it to service most Sundays but it was just another thing that I did- I was culturally Christian. As I sought answers to my life questions, I made it a point to make every service and learn as much as I could about this “Jesus thing.”
This intense seeking process continued into my freshman year of college. I followed my brother 2 hours north of my hometown to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point to pursue a degree in Elementary Education. It was at UWSP that I heard about CRU, the weekly meeting of Campus Crusade for Christ. Figuring that’s what “Christians” do, I went to the first meeting and was incredibly weirded out by the hand-raising during worship songs and incredible joy that everyone seemed to have.
Despite my initial reactions, I continued to attend because I wanted what those people had. It wasn’t long after that, a gal on staff with Crusade explained the Gospel message to me clearly and I understood it for the first time. She told me that God loves me, has a plan for my life, and wants a relationship with me. But, because of the sin (things displeasing to God) in my life, fellowship with God had been broken. Jesus Christ died on the cross as payment for my sins and is the only way to restore relationship with God. Finally, she explained that I had to receive this free gift of forgiveness into my life.
Though I had heard those same words in the past, it was the first time I understood their meaning. It took me awhile to process through what the gal had told me but I came to a point of decision. In the fall of 2004, I prayed to receive Jesus into my life and accept His gift of forgiveness through His death on the cross.
Since that time, I have continued to be active in many activities but my focus has changed. As I competed on the tennis team throughout college, I played to glorify God and not myself. I learned that my actions and attitude off the court were just as important as on the court. I worked diligently on my studies and graduated in May of 2009 with degrees in Elementary and Special education and Spanish. Though I’ve continued to see success in different areas of my life, I’ve switched from seeking man’s approval to God’s approval.
UWSP Graduate- Go Pointers!
Throughout college and the past two years, I have grown immensely in my walk with the Lord. During my five years as a student, I led small groups, Bible studies, was involved in discipleship, learned to share my faith and attended leadership conferences through Campus Crusade. Because so much of my growth has resulted from this ministry, I made the decision to participate in their internship program after graduation.
Campus Crusade offers one or two year internships for college graduates in order to get a taste of full-time campus ministry. My job description has encompassed many things: coach student leaders, lead Bible studies, follow up student contacts, share the Gospel, speak at weekly meetings, disciple girls, plan conferences/retreats, bring new believers through basic follow-up among other things. If you were to boil the internship down to two things, they would be discipleship and evangelism. The past two years have been an incredible time of personal growth and development.
As I transition to a new season of life on the World Race, I am forever changed by the many experiences and opportunities I’ve had. I’m incredibly thankful for the people who have invested in my life: first and foremost, to my wonderful parents for providing a solid foundation and giving me every opportunity to succeed in this world, to my big brother who has always protected me and given me someone to look up to, to my friends who have processed life with me through every season, to my brothers and sisters in Christ in Crusade who have helped develop me into the person I am today, to my Family at Woodlands Church who have opened their homes and adopted me into their families. To all of you, thank you for journeying with me through life.
