Hello!!
My name is Amanda Burkett and I am really excited to be able to share this World Race journey the Lord has lead me to with you! I figured I would fill ya in on my life a little bit (or a lot bit) so here it goes in a bit more than a nutshell!
The Basics: I am originally from Richmond, Texas, a suburb of Houston, but live in Austin. I am currently finishing up my undergrad degree in psychology from the University of Texas- Hook Em Horns!
The Fam: I love my family more than the moon and the stars! My mom is a pre-school director at my home church and my dad is an engineer. I have one older sister who lives in San Antonio and is working hard and in grad school. I also have a dog whose name is Dusty and we have had him since I was in 1st grade or so!
The Past: I have grown up in the Methodist church spending my Wednesday nights at youth group and Sundays singing in our youth choir. I spent many hours in our church van in the summers driving all across Texas and the States on work mission trips, choir tours, and mystery trips. My home church has been a great place to grow up in and to be a part of a supportive church family. Growing up I was also really active and stayed busy playing sports. Between family life, school, youth group activities, and sports practices I stayed pretty busy!
The Present: These several years have been some of the best times of growth for me along with some of the most exciting adventures. I went to Southwestern, a small liberal arts university for 2 years and then transferred to UT for my last 2 years of college. At Southwestern, I was a part of Destination Service where I went to San Francisco for spring breaks to serve in the inner city areas. This is where I really recognized my passion to serve people and reach out. I have come to begin to understand what it is like to live in community the past year or two. I have found a love for working with the challenge course program at TBarM camps and found a love for seeking God in a community. Camp is where I began to learn that I needed community to grow in along with what it’s like to be intentional with building relationships as I serve. Between Camp and a mission trip to Russia before going to UT, I knew the Lord had great plans for me to find community. This community took shape in the form of joining the Texas Wesley, a campus ministry that I am currently active in. I have made friends and family that all desire to grow together and be challenge, and that is what has taken place! God has put me in this community as a means to grow, be challenged, and have people to love on and be loved by, and I am blessed to be a part of it!
The Future: I graduate in May, will be going on the World Race in July, returning the end of May 2011, and have no idea what exactly I will be doing after that and am currently pretty okay with that! All I know I know is that I have been called to serve this next year and will have to wait and see what comes after. I look forward to the future and upcoming year and experiencing what the Lord has planned for me! Yay!
The Random, The Weird, and The Facts I Just Don’t Know What To Do With:
– I collect Pez dispensers … as in I have several hundred of them.
– One day, I would love to open my own non-profit camp.
– I love to travel, but I really have no sense of direction, so I have learned to make being lost just part of the adventure.
– Photography and playing the guitar are two of my favorite things.
– Surprising people (not in the Ahh! Scary way, but in the Aww, yay! way) is also one of my favorite things.
– I really don’t know how to play the djembe drum, but I have recently discovered I really like to play it and make happy noises.
– I have a weakness for chips, queso, and salsa.
