The End of the Summer

So, I was wrong in my last update. I have realized that I am awful at keeping a blog. 
Well, as you probably figured, I am back in IL now and my summer is officially over. School is back in session. It is now September. 
The second part of my summer was amazing. I loved every minute of it. 
Our high school group went to Joseph City, AZ where we stayed at a Foster Home called Naomi House. This is a place where Navajo foster kids go. Our group stayed on site at the Foster home and we also worked there. This was the best because we got to hang out with the kids all day long. They would wake up with us in the morning and pretty much go to bed at the same time we would at night.

We worked on the ministry center at the home and painted the entire building with some other odd jobs throughout the week. 
Our students really bonded together that week and we grew as a team. I feel like it was a week that I really formed close relationships with the girls in our group. 

For our day off, we went to the Grand Canyon. This was amazing. Everyone has told me that I would be amazed when i saw it, but I never could have been prepared for what I saw. It was beautiful. God is huge! Daniel, Matt and I were able to break off from the group that day and walk along the path together, which was great. We were able to debrief the trip a little and even just talk and laugh with each other. We walked down one of the paths down and we didn't even get nearly close to halfway before we had to turn around, but it was a hard trip back up, but also totally worth it. 
After the trip I had 3 short weeks before I had to leave for the summer. Those weeks went by so fast. We had a girls night, d-groups, lunch dates, dinner parties, Saturday night hang outs, wave pools, movie nights, and so many other fun things with the students.
The last harah of the summer was at a beach house in Galveston. We took the students down and just enjoyed our last night together. 

It was extremely hard for me to leave. The relationships that I built this summer are relationships that won't go away because I am many states away. 
God taught me many things throughout this summer. I learned about how to be a better youth minister. I learned the importance of a good team dynamic, which I could not have asked for a better one. I learned how to jump into relationships quick and go deep fast. 
I came into the summer with many doubts about my ability to teach. God taught me that I am not the one who is speaking and that he is the one in control of the words. I learned that I am my biggest criticizer. and I need to hear the words of everyone else. 
I learned that I have been telling God what I want him to do with my life and not giving it completely up to him. I need to believe that God knows the plans for my life and I need to trust that he is in control. 
My next step is my last year of college. I am a Senior Resident Assistant at North Park University and I am continuing to stay super busy. I am graduating in May and after that is up to God. My plans for my future are still a little up in the air. I have a few options and I am trying to figure out where it is God wants me to be. 

I wanted to thank you all for supporting me a praying for me throughout this summer. I have truly felt your love. I pray that God blesses you as he did me.