Good gracious, three posts in a day...AGAIN. However, I just now realized that today was April 7th. Three years ago today, a good friend passed away, and I try to remember her every year on this day. This year, it will be on here. The Lord used her death, and that horrible tragic time to help mold me into who I am today, and for that I am forever grateful.
During my freshman year at Olivet, I began feeling a tug from God to be an RA, and man did I fight it. I didn't want to be an RA, I just wanted to do school and friends and leave it at that. However, I made an agreement with God (apparently I thought I had that kind of clout) that I would do my best in every step of the process, but I did NOT want to be an RA and hoped He would understand. However, He had different plans, thankfully, and an RA I became. There are so many stories of His hand in that situation, amazing ways He showed that He was in control, but I'll not go into all those tonight. Regardless, sophomore year was the year I grew the most in my relationship with Christ, and I know and believe it has everything to do with being an RA.
My team: Amazing.
My girls: Amazing.
My RD: Amazing.
Period.
From the day I received the list of names of the girls on my floor, my life began changing. I began praying for those girls, and for the year we would have. I started planning and getting excited. I was pumped about my RA team...they all seemed great and I couldn't wait to get started.
A couple pictures...
Initiation. We had to wear these outfits around campus for a day, and then spell out Hollandsworth (our RD's last name) while doing jumping jacks if we ever ran into a current Williams RA. It was actually fun...here we are in all our glory.
This was move in day...we were ready to move those ladies in!
My floor of girls!
So, the year began, and we 8 ladies, along with Donna, our director, started bonding. We had weekly meetings where we would talk about the past week, our struggles, our prayers, our praises. Amazing stories of our girls, tough situations with our girls. Everything. It was a time that I craved each week. My RA team was full of women who LOVED the Lord; I admired their faith. I think their examples helped me to stop sitting in a rut of selfishness and get active in my relationship with Jesus again.
Heather Wagoner, was one of those who I admired so much. I have never met a girl like Heather. She had a way to make us laugh...ALL THE TIME! She was so in tune with where God was leading her, and she followed Him without fail. I could not spend a day with Heather, and not leave without a smile. Heather and I were actually on the same floor freshman year, so I knew she LOVED Tim McGraw, she was crazy, and she had thumbs like me. You better believe I LOVED that. Sophomore year it only got better. She had one of the biggest floor of girls in the dorm, and they absolutely loved her, I mean loved. As the year ended, I was excited because we had really started to get close. Not just Heather and I, but all the girls, but I had started spending more time with her.
Our thumbs.
Explanation: Sometime in March of that year, we decided to write a rap of appreciation for Tom, one of the top guys in charge of the RA's on campus. He was pretty awesome, and I can't remember why we had written the rap, but we went to his office and performed. This was Heather on our way over to the office; this pretty much sums up who this girl was. 
Right before the accident, she had decided to be an RA for an additional year, and was the only teammate who was returning to the dorm. I had to sit desk the night the new team was meeting for the first time, and after it Heather was off the wall hyper, and pumped about the new team. She came and sat desk with me, and we decided we would assign all the new floors. We had a whole plan. It was great.
Valentine's Day...spent with Court and Heather!
Anways...on April 1, 2005 there was an accident involving 4 girls from Olivet, three of which I was close to. Heather and Karen were RA's with me, Hannah was my freshmen RA, and Rachel was an overall sweet girl. Heather, Karen, and Rachel, were all treated and released that evening from the hospital, but Heather had to be taken to a different hospital and was in intensive care. We prayed for a week as a dorm, as a team, as individual's, and as a campus. We held a prayer vigil, we made pins that said pray for Heather. We all hoped. On April 7th, though, we got news that she passed away. It was pretty awful.
Yet, after her death, and even in that week up to her death, God began to work in our hearts and move in ways I can't describe. Girls that Heather had prayed for began to spend time together, bonds that she prayed would form, did exactly that. It was amazing. I can only truly talk about what happened in my life, but I can tell you that He worked that terrible event into a miracle. As for me, I learned to lean on God more than I ever could. I learned that no matter what happens on this earth, He is in control, and I will never have to live a day without His hand on my life. I learned that everything I do on this Earth serves an eternal purpose. I needed to stop being selfish, and to stop being someone who claimed faith but didn't live it like I should. I needed to START talking about Jesus, and showing other's the love of Christ. He has been guiding ever step I have taken since the day I was born, and I took that for granted I think. I was able to pray out loud for the first time in my life. As much as I hate that it took Heather passing away for me to get my heart right, I am thankful for the life she lived and the example she was. I know I'm not the only one who's life was changed.
If I could just do one more little statement. I truly pray that you know the Lord. I pray that you don't take the time we are given here for granted. Earth is temporary, but our time here determines our time in Eternity. We have been given Salvation, and not in any way due to anything we have done to deserve it. God gave us Jesus, his SON, to bear our sin, so we didn't have to. If He loves us that much, can you imagine an eternity with Him?
That's pretty much it for now. I just thought it was time to share. I've been so wrapped up in our life lately with the house and getting to go home. Today reminded me.
Have a great week...more updates with the house changes soon. We're trying to get all moved in, so updates may be sparse. Take care!
During my freshman year at Olivet, I began feeling a tug from God to be an RA, and man did I fight it. I didn't want to be an RA, I just wanted to do school and friends and leave it at that. However, I made an agreement with God (apparently I thought I had that kind of clout) that I would do my best in every step of the process, but I did NOT want to be an RA and hoped He would understand. However, He had different plans, thankfully, and an RA I became. There are so many stories of His hand in that situation, amazing ways He showed that He was in control, but I'll not go into all those tonight. Regardless, sophomore year was the year I grew the most in my relationship with Christ, and I know and believe it has everything to do with being an RA.
My team: Amazing.
My girls: Amazing.
My RD: Amazing.
Period.
From the day I received the list of names of the girls on my floor, my life began changing. I began praying for those girls, and for the year we would have. I started planning and getting excited. I was pumped about my RA team...they all seemed great and I couldn't wait to get started.
A couple pictures...
Initiation. We had to wear these outfits around campus for a day, and then spell out Hollandsworth (our RD's last name) while doing jumping jacks if we ever ran into a current Williams RA. It was actually fun...here we are in all our glory.
This was move in day...we were ready to move those ladies in!
My floor of girls!
So, the year began, and we 8 ladies, along with Donna, our director, started bonding. We had weekly meetings where we would talk about the past week, our struggles, our prayers, our praises. Amazing stories of our girls, tough situations with our girls. Everything. It was a time that I craved each week. My RA team was full of women who LOVED the Lord; I admired their faith. I think their examples helped me to stop sitting in a rut of selfishness and get active in my relationship with Jesus again.
Heather Wagoner, was one of those who I admired so much. I have never met a girl like Heather. She had a way to make us laugh...ALL THE TIME! She was so in tune with where God was leading her, and she followed Him without fail. I could not spend a day with Heather, and not leave without a smile. Heather and I were actually on the same floor freshman year, so I knew she LOVED Tim McGraw, she was crazy, and she had thumbs like me. You better believe I LOVED that. Sophomore year it only got better. She had one of the biggest floor of girls in the dorm, and they absolutely loved her, I mean loved. As the year ended, I was excited because we had really started to get close. Not just Heather and I, but all the girls, but I had started spending more time with her.
Our thumbs.
Explanation: Sometime in March of that year, we decided to write a rap of appreciation for Tom, one of the top guys in charge of the RA's on campus. He was pretty awesome, and I can't remember why we had written the rap, but we went to his office and performed. This was Heather on our way over to the office; this pretty much sums up who this girl was. 
Right before the accident, she had decided to be an RA for an additional year, and was the only teammate who was returning to the dorm. I had to sit desk the night the new team was meeting for the first time, and after it Heather was off the wall hyper, and pumped about the new team. She came and sat desk with me, and we decided we would assign all the new floors. We had a whole plan. It was great.
Valentine's Day...spent with Court and Heather!
Anways...on April 1, 2005 there was an accident involving 4 girls from Olivet, three of which I was close to. Heather and Karen were RA's with me, Hannah was my freshmen RA, and Rachel was an overall sweet girl. Heather, Karen, and Rachel, were all treated and released that evening from the hospital, but Heather had to be taken to a different hospital and was in intensive care. We prayed for a week as a dorm, as a team, as individual's, and as a campus. We held a prayer vigil, we made pins that said pray for Heather. We all hoped. On April 7th, though, we got news that she passed away. It was pretty awful.
Yet, after her death, and even in that week up to her death, God began to work in our hearts and move in ways I can't describe. Girls that Heather had prayed for began to spend time together, bonds that she prayed would form, did exactly that. It was amazing. I can only truly talk about what happened in my life, but I can tell you that He worked that terrible event into a miracle. As for me, I learned to lean on God more than I ever could. I learned that no matter what happens on this earth, He is in control, and I will never have to live a day without His hand on my life. I learned that everything I do on this Earth serves an eternal purpose. I needed to stop being selfish, and to stop being someone who claimed faith but didn't live it like I should. I needed to START talking about Jesus, and showing other's the love of Christ. He has been guiding ever step I have taken since the day I was born, and I took that for granted I think. I was able to pray out loud for the first time in my life. As much as I hate that it took Heather passing away for me to get my heart right, I am thankful for the life she lived and the example she was. I know I'm not the only one who's life was changed.
If I could just do one more little statement. I truly pray that you know the Lord. I pray that you don't take the time we are given here for granted. Earth is temporary, but our time here determines our time in Eternity. We have been given Salvation, and not in any way due to anything we have done to deserve it. God gave us Jesus, his SON, to bear our sin, so we didn't have to. If He loves us that much, can you imagine an eternity with Him?
That's pretty much it for now. I just thought it was time to share. I've been so wrapped up in our life lately with the house and getting to go home. Today reminded me.
Have a great week...more updates with the house changes soon. We're trying to get all moved in, so updates may be sparse. Take care!
1 comment:
Man, when you post, you POST! It's great!
Post a Comment