Changes

I am going to try to catch you up on what I have been doing since my last entry and what God has been doing in my life.

First off, I MOVED into my aunt’s house in Jacksboro, near my parents, because this way I can save all the money that I was paying toward my apartment and apply it toward my world race funds.  I have been here about four weeks now and am getting used to it.  I would have to say that the hardest part for me is the drive to work everyday.  I am driving to Maryville to work still and it takes right at an hour each way to get there, but the money saved is worth it.  It is also giving me time daily to be alone, which sometimes I like and sometimes I don’t.  

I have given my dog, Duke, to the college and career leaders at my church.  That was a sad day.  But, it will be better for him since i am gone for about eleven hours a day now with the drive time.  

I have applied for my passport because I somehow lost mine.  I guess it got misplaced when moving from college to Nashville, or Nashville back to Knoxville, or Knoxville back to Jacksboro, but anyway, it got lost, so I had to apply for a new one.  

I am almost done with my third semester in grad school.  I am studying to get my MBA.  The school I go to has been awesome about me taking time off for my trip.  They wrote me a letter stating that they will hold my place in the program so that whenever I get back I can just pick up where I leave off and finish my degree requirements. 

A couple of weeks ago I met the first person to openly oppose me going on the WR.  One of the supervisors at work, whom I used to work for, didn’t agree with what I was doing and didn’t see the necessity that I do for going on my trip.  Oh well.  I have been and will continue that God shows him what love and compassion really are. 

Recently, in a bible study that I am doing, we talked about repentance. And for some reason this had always been something that I did but really hadn’t grasped the concept behind it.  There was a question asked: “If someone’s sin causes you harm,  what does that person have to do to/for you before they are back the way they were before?” and honestly for me this was extremely eye opening.  I realized that I was the person that would forgive but never really forget someone’s actions that hurt me.  I believe in protecting yourself from being hurt but I was holding on to grudges that weren’t just for my protection but were from some negative place.  The point I am trying to make is that we ask Jesus to forgive us all the time…and he does.  No questions asked, No forgive but don’t forget…His grace and mercy are unending.  None of our sins are tracked for blackmail later, they are forgiven and forgotten forever.  Thank you Jesus. 

Now for me this was cutting to the core, because we are called to be christ-like and the holy spirit inside of us enables us to live this way if we choose. That is why I am a work in progress and will be forever, but I am trying, and with Jesus’ help I will be better tomorrow than I am today, and better then next than then, and so on.  I cannot wait to go on this experience because I want to love people like Jesus loves me and I want to show them how Christ would be to them, and be changed forever in the process.