I’ve been sitting here racking my brain for ways to write about the best four years of my life. The thing that makes it difficult is they were probably some of the hardest four years, too. This past season stretched my limits, brought me to my knees, and broke me time and time again without apology or regret. It taught me immeasurably more than I would have ever dreamed, and its every twist and turn brought me closer and closer to the Lord’s faithful and safe heart.
I wish I could take you through it all, “A Christmas Carol” style as Ghost of Hannah’s past, and let you see the things that molded me. But, as it is, that would be as painstaking as pulling teeth for most people, so how about we settle for something a little more attainable and less yawn-festy?
“Every time we make the decision to love someone, we open ourselves to great suffering, because those we most love cause us not only great joy but also great pain. The greatest pain comes from leaving…the pain of the leaving can tear us apart.
Still, if we want to avoid the suffering of leaving, we will never experience the joy of loving. And love is stronger than fear, life stronger than death, hope stronger than despair. We have to trust that the risk of loving is always worth taking.”
— Henri Nouwen
One of our lessons at Training Camp was called “Grieving the Seasons of Our Lives”. The whole idea was that when we don’t allow ourselves to fully grieve loss, whether good or bad, we deaden our hearts and begin to numb our lives.
Which is just no good.
This lesson hit me particularly hard because I had been stomping my little foot about having to make new friends on account of leaving my old ones.
Apparently, it would be advantageous for my life on the Race to have friends, and the Lord needed me to stop throwing my little hissy fit about the whole thing.
So I sobbed post-lesson. Naturally.
I cried and cried and grieved the wonderful, strong, Christ seeking, adventurous, loving, caring, funny, flawed, beautiful people I was leaving.
Do you want to meet them?!
They are wonderful and I promise you’ll love them!
I’m going to SO try to keep these short, but if you know anything about me, I just can’t make any promises.
So this is Hannah Rebeka Brooks:
A whole blog was devoted to her, which you can find HERE, so clearly she’s pretty special. Hannah LOVES people. She loves them in spite of their flaws, in spite of their crap, and is so gifted by the Lord in seeing the beauty behind all of it. She is a beautiful crier, is getting MARRIED in 8 months, and takes up a pretty substantial portion of my heart.
Here, we have Heather Lauren Huante:
We do adventure together. Whether that’s walking through corn fields at night or sifting through God’s vastness, we are pretty much always each other’s Saturday night date. She has this ginormous heart for the homeless, specifically the homeless community in DENVER, COLORADO where she’s MOVING in October to live a Heidi-style life amidst the mountains.
This is Jenny Brooks:
So I was at the 19th & Quaker stoplight one day in the spring…. maybe fall, it all gets blurry…of my junior year just plain LIVID. Mad about all the things and in tears because that’s what happens when the fury hits. Fuming at the red light, I heard, “Call Mrs. Brooks”. So, I called her and asked her if we could talk and I think I spent like 2 hours at her house that night just venting and probably eating something healthy.
Over the last 2 years, she has spoken more life over me than I could have ever dreamed. She has waded into the deep and murky waters of life with me, she has been my biggest cheerleader, she has fought alongside me, and she has picked me up and helped me push into the pain so that I continue to grow in deeper relationship with my King. And then, to top things off, she introduced me to Jamie and Claire (swoooooon) and gave Heather and I shelter and showers for a month. Praise Jesus.
Emma Teakell Hodge:
Emma don’t take crap from nobody. Emma is Emma, and that’s something I’ve always respected about her. She laughs loudly and does silly things and is always up for fun. She loves Jesus a lot and is totally gonna have a rockin’ life-long marriage to Cameron Hodge. Harry Potter and Emma are BEST FRIENDS and I will never watch those movies or love those characters without thinking of my sweet friend.
Shelby Katelyn Stevens:
Freaking Shelby. She is just SHELBY. Really. If I could give you a better description I would but you just can’t put this blondie in a box. Shelby cares a lot about people, and loves conversation and laughter and she’s a TINY bit crazzyyyy. But, she is so intentional and loving and makes the world a lot sweeter just by being her, ya know?
Kiva Carson
KIVS!!! Well, Foundation bonded us for life, and since 2011 we have enjoyed many a days in friendship. Kiva is joyful and kind. She is a loyal friend and has a fierce heart. I can never keep up with her and that’s how it always should be. She’s a servant to her core and Jesus shines to bright and bold through her life. She’s gonna take the educational world by storm and bring brains and beauty to the up and coming generations.
Heather Wright
Heather here is a listener. She serves others well, and a lot of times that’s just by being a good listener, which is kind of hard to find when you really think about it. In her listening, she is selfless and honoring, loving and supportive. Four years after Horn/Knapp, she’s still a beautiful part of my life!
From Left to right:
Back Row
Rachel Gilmore:
Rachel and I really bonded every Tuesday/Thursday this past semester as we sat begrudgingly in the SUB post-8am and pre-11am. She’s really awesome and really funny and has been a really great friend to me, including that one time she met me at Sheridan’s so I could cry over some custard. And we survived New Mexico/ Juarez, which is true friendship.
Tanner Ford:
Tanner, is really funny. But in a dry, sarcastic, unexpected sort of way. One time he made us watch this movie called Seven that no one should ever watch and he has a really cool dog named Ajax that you would fall in love with instantly. Tanner is also a really great leader, and leads with humility and grace to boot.
Brendan Snyder:
Brendan is goofy. And laughs at his own jokes. And is totally gonna change the world with his passion for the Lord someday. He’s getting to live in Austin to work for the Austin Stone through a ministry called RBIAustin where he’ll get to share the Gospel AND coach baseball (I know). He’s raising support too, so click HERE to check out this super wonderful calling on his life and pray about supporting him in it HERE!
There’s Heather-you heard about her. And me-hi 🙂
Caleb Fisher:
My favorite Caleb quote is, “Hey guys, what’s your favorite memory from the last 5 minutes”? Caleb likes politics and Paul Ryan (Paul ran for VP one year, did you know that?) and Jesus and making videos. He’s got such a passion to change the American political system for the better and is gonna be president or senator or something someday. Vote for him, because he really cares a ton about people and their dreams.
Front row
Cassie Allison:
Cassie wants to be a Disney Princess. Quite literally, her dream job is to be a princess at Disney World. To make little girls’ days when she smiles at them with genuine love and affection. To share the joy that radiates from her. The joy that comes from a deep love for her Savior. Also, give her a mic and she’ll have the whole room at a standstill. God has given her a strong voice, and he has and is going to continue to use it in mighty big ways.
And you already met Kiva!
Anthony Cross
Anth is one of the most kind, genuine people I know. Every summer he welcomes a crap ton of people to his lake house and y’all I’M NOT THAT SELFLESS. I am selective and petty and he receives everyone with grace and friendliness. And on top of that, he’s going to be like some big oil industry hot shot and is super super good at wakeboarding.
Logan Millsaps
This past summer at the lake Kiva kept record of all the funny things Logan had to say throughout the day. Sometimes I laugh at Logan and sometimes I laugh with him. He is DAD and has the biggest brain ever, and similar to his friend Anthony, is going to be a big deal in the kind of engineering he’s doing that I can’t remember.
Leah Patzig Clark:
Let’s take it on back to the beginning, to yellow team cheers and the ole Horn dorms. Leah is one of the most loving people I know. She cares deeply for people, and that’s what’s going to make her the kind of teacher kids talk about at their high school graduation and their 50th birthday parties. Her and Brandon are taking over Dallas and better give us a little half Asian baby to love on soon.
Matt & Ama Martinez
This couple. Oh my lanta have they blessed me. They have cheered me on since this adventure started. Matt checks up on me and wants #hannahtogetfirstplace. We watched all 8 Harry Potter movies this past semester and love Harry and his friends. Ama is one of those people who is so sure of herself, and never gives you anything less than genuineness. They. Are. Great.
Kari Bunting
Kari was so happy when she heard I had eaten Ugali at training camp (and hated it). She promises I’ll like it better in Africa; I remain unconvinced. She’s one of those people who can relate and talk to anyone. She has a passion for nutrition and Africa and wants to do way more school than I could ever stomach. She’s a world changer.
Bill Mac & Vickie Teakell:
Meet a pair of my Lubbock parents! They went to church at Harvest with us, loved us always, cooked for us on Teakell Thursdays, let us raid their pool and hot tub, and always gave up the main TV for a Harry Potter watch party. They were always available for hugs and chats and smiles and giggles and they’re one of the first stops I’ll make whenever I visit Lubbock!
Sarah Brooks
The thing is, Sarah and I really hadn’t hung out a whole bunch before she got back from Italy. And then I feel like we spent like 2 weeks straight together. Sarah is funny and full of laughter. She is strong and people are drawn to her work ethic and passion. She’s also a boss at sales, so if you ever have a garage sale, call her.
Les Brooks
This is Mrs. Brooks’s life-long date. Again, he and I really hadn’t spent large amounts of time together because he works in California and then I moved into their house and he was home for a week. So, we bonded over eBay bidding and ice cream with chocolate syrup. He is wonderful and loves his daughters and wife so selflessly. And he has the BEST jokes that are NEVER cheesy. And I’ll miss him and his whole family a lot over the next year.
The Whitlock (now half-Harrison) Twins
(Kelsey)
(Cristy)
These sisters. Can I tell you how much they push me to just be a better Hannah? They are life-giving and HILARIOUS and Cristy flirts like no one else I’ve ever known and Kelsey is a rocking’ wife and technically only Kelsey is still in Lubbock…but I’ll take any chance I can get to talk about my friend Cristy who lives in Nashville. I love them and their beauty and their sold out lives for Christ.
Mountain Hideaway
Oh, Mountain Hideaway. You taught me a lot. You taught me to love Patagonia and hate “That North Face jacket”. You gave me funny, genuine friends to work with and you also gave me a really great discount. You gave me some of the best owners to work for, some of the best christmas parties, and above all else, a sense of adventure that will never be quenched. Thanks for the times, Hideaway gang 🙂
These are my people. And I love them. And I’ll be missing them something crazy for the next year. No one said adventure and obedience were without sacrifice, did they?
