It is getting SO real!! I launch in almost a month! I am so excited, yet, so scared. I am excited because God has already worked so much and He has already placed so much of His hand in this next journey. God has blessed me with the best squad, team, leaders, mentors, coaches, etc. to learn from this year. I am so extremely excited to learn more about my relationship with God and to pour into others all over the world. However, I am very scared to leave my comfort here at home. I have so many sweet, sweet humans who have loved me so well and it will be very hard for me to transition into not seeing them for nine months. God has used these amazing individuals to build me into the woman I am today. So, as a blog for this week, I had the idea of writing a note to anyone who has impacted me. I will spend one hour writing notes to whoever comes to my mind. Do not be offended if your name is not on this list. Thousands of people have impacted me in some sort of way and if I know you at all, KNOW that I love you and that you have impacted me. The people below are just people that came to my mind during my time of writing.
Starting now…
Grace D. : You have been such a loyal friend to me. I love you and your pure heart. You have shown me so much love in such a short time and I cannot wait for the rest of my life to be your friend. You never fail to make me laugh and I have been able to always be more creative, more loving, more adventurous, and more Godly with you by my side. You have made me a better person and have shown me that there is nothing in this world that should stop me from loving others. At times when it has been rough, you always make sure I know that you love me. You are a genuine friend and an even better servant of Christ. I love you and will miss seeing your bubbly soul 4-5 times a week for hours at a time. But, I will never forget to FaceTime you and say Hi every once in awhile. LOVE YOU!
Lana R. : My sister and best friend, I love you. I don’t know if you know this, but you are someone who has made me a better person. You are crazy and bubbly, but so loving. You know how to make someone laugh so hard that it hurts. I have enjoyed having you as a sister to tell everything to and to know that it probably won’t be kept a secret. Ha, just kidding. Also, you help me to step out of my comfort zone daily. I love you.
Colleen P. : I love you SO SO much! You are such a pure servant and a loving soul. You are the person I can give a lot of credit to, along with Jesus Christ, for causing me to step out of my comfort zone and to be more outgoing. Without you and your kind heart to invite me to all you and your friends’ hangouts, I would still be the shy girl in the corner. Instead, now, I am able to get to know people and step further and further out of my comfort zone. You are my role model and forever first best friend. I love you and cannot wait to return and love on your family hopefully soon ;).
Ana Z. : My best friend forever… I love you. Thank you for being my friend and for being the person I know I can always have by my side. Whenever somethings up, you’re always the first one to notice. You are a true friend. Thank you for always sticking up for me and being the person I know I can go to for advice. You always encourage and love others. I cannot wait to follow your adventure and to see you love on people in other places around the globe. Your heart for the nations gets me excited and gives me chills. SO, I cannot wait. Also, I cannot wait for our kids to be friends one day.
Evie D. : Pure, pure, pure heart of GOLD. I love your heart, Evie. One thing I will miss most while I am gone is your hugs. Your heart is so kind and so genuine. You are a loving example of who Jesus was to the nations. You have impacted me so much at such a young age and you give me so much hope for the world. Your heart and smile and the way you live your life has made me a better person and I know others feel the same way.
Mom and Dad : I LOVE YOU GUYS! You both have been the biggest supporters throughout my life. I always felt loved and at home when I was with you guys. You both have given me the tools that I need to love others and to be a genuine friend. Mom, thank you for always loving me and for making sure I knew I was valued. Dad, thank you for being an example of my Heavenly Father. You have been such a good father and I know my Heavenly Father is WAY WAY better than that. SO, I have such a deep reverence for my Father because of the way you loved me.
Rickon P. : Thank you for spending time with me and playing basketball. I have really really loved the time we got to spend together this year. The time together showed me how lucky my sister is to have such a protective and loving husband. Rickon, you are hilarious and so annoying. I will for sure miss my phone being smacked out of my hand and the trash talk while playing basketball. Love you, brother.
Donna H. : My fearless leader and role model. I love you. So much. I am going to miss your hugs so much. You have ALWAYS believed in me and loved me the way Christ loves me. You have been a person who has given me a taste of heaven here on earth. I love you so much and your heart to bring others to Christ.
Dawson Family : Thank you guys for being my second family. I will for sure miss the numerous visits to the Dawson home just to hang out. There never had to be an agenda, but I still felt like I was at home and welcome. I will miss the thousands of laughs that I got from spending time with you guys. Alec, I will miss playing baseball with you and having you make up all the rules so that you win and I lose. I know I am not good anyway, but thanks for making me feel even worse at baseball ;). Shanna and Jared, you both are such kind souls. You have created such a sweet family who lives for God and who walks out their faith in their daily lives. In one year, your love has blessed me SO much. I have never felt like I had to be anyone else in order to hang out with you guys. Thank you, so much for everything! Love you guys!
Evelyn O. : You love so so well. I have been blessed by your pure heart over the 4-5 years that I have known you. You are such a great and loving person. One big thing for me this year was serving at VBS with you. I was able to see the deep love that you have for God’s people. You are an amazing human being who lives for God and loves with a love so deep. I love you and cannot wait to come back to Albert Lea and continue our friendship.
My Entire Family : YOU ALL ARE SO LOVING AND SUPPORTIVE! Thank you for loving me well. Grandpa and Grandma Raatz, you both have shown me how to love God with all my life and to go out and love others well. Raatz side, I love you guys and have SO many memories growing up with you all. There is never a dull moment with you guys because there are so many kids to hang out with. I remember so many fun things that we did growing up and I have loved every bit of it. Grandpa Dave and family, thank you for being such a great family to me. You all have such pure hearts. I have so enjoyed spending holidays with you guys. Maddy, thank you for showing me how to have so much joy when things aren’t always fair. I have NEVER been around you when you weren’t happy. You have blessed me so well with your genuine heart and great love. Grandma Val and family, you all are so great. I love you guys! One thing I always remember about every single one of you is that you have the BEST hugs and the longest goodbyes. I always loved hanging out with your guys because I KNEW I was loved.
Jeff and Jess P. : You guys and your family have loved me so well. Jeff, thanks for the endless talks about dating and how it isn’t good. You and your lecturing saved me from so many relationships that could’ve ended badly. Jess, thanks for always being so kind and making sure that I felt welcome and loved. You guys have such pure hearts and your kids are going to change this world. I have been so blessed to know you guys and cannot wait to spend more time with everyone (and the new baby) once I get back!
Faith M. : You are a wonderful individual. You have shown me in such a short amount of time how important it is to serve others and love them well. You make sure that everyone feels loved and not judged. You have the love of Jesus in every aspect of your life. I love you and your pure heart. I cannot wait to come back and get to know you more. You are so loving and so so so beautiful inside and out. Keep loving God and bringing others closer to Him.
Trinity H. : You are such a loving soul. I love hanging out with you because I never have to worry about not being myself. You are always showing me the heart and drive that you have for Jesus Christ. Keep serving and loving God. Keep showing up and pray diligently for God to bring you friends who will love you and serve you well. Love you and praying for you!!
AXIS FAMILY : LOVE YOU GUYS!!! Every single one of you! Preston, Sydney, Rhea, Leah, Brady, Tyler, Angie, Caleb, Macayla, Louis, Micah, Kennady, Kamryn, Melissa, Mark V, Mason, Dylan, Billie, Autumn, Mariah, Josiah, Susan, Grace Z, Lillian, Isabelle, Olivia, Trinity, Brenda, Lydia, etc. GOODNESS, so many people!! I could go on for days. You all have been such a big part of my life and my growth. Each of your smiling faces and deep love have shown me what community is to look like. I love each of you and MANY others I didn’t name. I will come back to see you guys when I get back because I love you all so much! Praying for AXIS while I am gone!!
Brenda K. : Thank you for showing me this year that life is precious and that every second counts. You have loved me so well in the few short months that you have known me. Thank you for stopping and telling me your story. Thank you for inspiring me and reminding me that God is still good even if circumstances are not. You are such a pure and kind soul. God is using you to impact others all over the world and I am one of the people God has used you to impact. I love you!
Kathy Q. : My prayer warrior. I love the fact that you told me to send you prayer requests and when I did, you prayed. You did not only pray on your own, but you got people together to pray for me as well. I was SO impacted by this action because it showed me the importance of prayer. God answered my prayers because you chose to take the time to invest in me and pray for something I didn’t pray over myself. I love you and your heart for God. Thank You!
Times up…
NO DOUBT will I do this again. God used this time to remind me of all the things He has done through me this year by using others. God used people in my life to teach me many lessons in such a short amount of time. Because of these people and what they taught me, I am better equipped to serve the nations and to love on them. I am more equipped to lean into God for EVERYTHING, just as these individuals do.
I love everyone in my life. Thank you for loving me well. I will try and do this again sometime, but just know you are so so appreciated for being in my life.
Much love, Gabs
