Closing Chapters and Beginning New Ones

Finals week! Tim is taking his last final tomorrow and last Thursday I took my Addictions Counseling final exam, I am so happy to finally be done!  It has been a tough semester working full-time and going to school.  As many of you know, I am now only doing the Certificate in Christian Studies, which is a 24-credits degree.  As of this week, I have completed 23/24 credits to graduate, so I just have one more credit and I will be completely done with school.  I have the opportunity to take it this coming Spring, but instead I am going to wait for Tim's last semester to take my last class, so that I can walk/graduate with my husband.  It seems kind of silly to wait two years to take a one-credit class, but I just think that it would be sooo special to walk together since we're doing this journey together :) So until then, I get two years to enjoy some free time doing things I love, e.g., crafts, cooking, decorating, reading, and hanging out with friends, and of course spending time with my baby.

I'm looking forward to trying new recipes this coming year, I even made a recipe book to keep my favorites.

I wanted to share a little bit about my job.  I started working for IPC International this past September as a compliance representative.  Basically I make sure that the hundreds and hundreds of security guards we employ are in compliance with our company policies. This translates to a lot of communication with our mall directors, running backgrounds and checking drug test results; I also audit new hire applications, and do some work for the new properties we acquire. Some days are better than other, but all in all, I am happy to be there. I know that this job is temporary, so I'm just trying to make the most out of it while I'm there, and be grateful to be employed in such a horrible economy. God has blessed me with a great friend at work, her name is LaCoya; we share a common bond in Christ and it has been awesome getting to know each other within this short time. 

Here are some pictures of my office :) Everyone keeps telling me, "In all the years I've been here, you're the first compliance person to have an office." To that I answer, "all I did was ask and I received."  It makes me wonder about all the things we miss out on because we do not ask.  I'm so glad that I asked because I sure do enjoy the sunlight coming in through my window, and of course having some privacy.

The last thing I wanted to share about is my Trinity Wives small group.  I meet with these ladies every Monday night, and what a joy it is!  This Semester we went through a 10-week bible study called The Wisdom Of God by Nancy Guthrie.  I truly recommend this book, it has been so great seeing Jesus in Old Testament books, and gathering wisdom from these wonderful books.  My love for God's Word has truly been deepened by this bible study, and I hope you all take some time to go through it with a group or with a friend over coffee.  To culminate our bible study, last night Nancy came to Trinity and shared with us wives much needed encouraging words.  She talked about Hope as the anchor for our souls, and how the only true hope is Jesus Christ.  With tears in my eyes, I listened to Nancy's story about losing her 6-month old daughter named Hope, and then later loosing her baby boy to the same horrible disease. But through it all, she clung to Christ, the only through hope.  This of course didn't mean that she didn't ever question God or grieved her loss, she did both of these things, but she also chose to look at the cross and remember the perfect Son of God crucified for us.  She was such an inspiration to me last night, and I will treasure her words in my heart.  I'll leave you with some of the wise words she shared.  Four things that she has learned about anchoring our souls to Christ so that they don't drift away with the circumstances in our lives:

1.  Believing that God really loves me.  Choosing to look at the most significant demonstration of love: Jesus on the cross.
2.  Having confidence that God is in control of the world, and that nothing that happens in my life is purposeless or meaningless.
3.  Rejecting the lie that my suffering is God's punishment for my sin.  Someone already paid for that punishment! (This one really spoke to me).
4.  Remembering that this life is not all that there is and focusing on eternity.
I was truly blessed and encouraged last night, and I hope that you are encouraged as well.

*Here are some pictures of my TWF small group.  As another friend put it, "these are the future pastors' wives, and professors' wives of tomorrow." LOL

Blessings :)