I am only 24 so a decade is really quite a long time in my short life. I saw this on other people’s blogs and figured it would be fun to do on ours.
2000
I was a little freshman at Denton High school embarking on a new journey in life – more freedom. This freedom took me down a path that was far from God. I also was playing soccer at Denton High and thinking I was pretty cool because my big brother drove a Camaro. I also had a job at Subway! Fun stuff!
2001
I was now an older wiser sophomore at DHS and now working as a hostess at Black Eyed Pea. I became pretty depressed with the lifestyle I was living and had friends that weren’t great influences. But, our sovereign God placed 3 girls in my Pre-AP English class that displayed Christ. I wanted whatever brought them peace and joy. Through out this year He used many situations to bring me to Himself. I can look back and see the battle between God drawing to Himself and the enemy trying to keep me from the love of Jesus. After September 11, I knew that if I died, I would have spent eternity in Hell for my sin. No one told me that, I just knew it (I had heard the gospel before so that is probably why I had this thought). I was really upset for the next few days and spent a lot of time crying. That weekend I went to a slumber party at a friend’s house and shared with them how upset I was. They shared the gospel with me and that night I put my faith in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. The peace and joy I had the next morning was overwhelming. The Lord is so good to save me from my sin and to pour out His love upon me.
2002
I made the varsity soccer team at DHS but got a stress fracture in my shin. I sat on the bench the whole season even after I was better. This was such a growing time for me in character, humility and finding my value in the Lord. The Lord began to grow in me a deep desire for His Word and prayer. Also, I felt a call to share the gospel with people who had never heard. I didn’t really understand that this was to be a missionary, I just knew that people in other countries had not heard the good news and they needed to hear.
2003

Yay! I finally graduated high school and started out my freshman year at Dallas Baptist University. A great girl mentored me and the Lord used her to grow in my heart a passion for International students. This summer I worked a summer camp that taught kids how to ride horses and live a ranch life while also sharing the gospel with them.
2004

I began the process of transferring to A&M and got accepted a week after school at DBU let out. I also went to South Africa and Swaziland for a month with students from DBU. We taught Aids prevention and shared with them the love of Jesus. It was quite an experience! Then I began my first semester at A&M. I got involved in International student ministry at the BSM and at Grace Bible church.
2005

I started making some great friendships and began the process of finding a place to live off campus. A couple of girls and I found a small house on Cherry St. to live in the next year. This summer I went back to the horse camp. I got very sick there and ended up having to lay in bed and sleep the last month or so. I started out my fall semester on ministry at Central. So thankful for that experience. This is also when I met Mark for the first time.
2006


The Cherry St. girls and I moved to a bigger house so that more girls could move in with us. Proved to be an interesting experience. I went to China over the summer and got to see the Lord move in awesome ways. Also, Mark and I started dating on Dec. 9. I was interning in Central’s college ministry and being discipled by Christine. Both things greatly influenced me spiritually.
2007





I had an awesome ring dunk! Yes… that is pudding and gummy worms and Oreos! So fun! I also graduate this May. Mark proposed over the summer, about 5 days before he went to the Middle East. We got married Dec. 15 and spent a week in Niagara Falls for our honeymoon! I started my first year of teaching 7th and 8th grade social studies while coaching volleyball and track. The Lord was so faithful through this first semester of teaching.
2008


In Jan. we found out we were pregnant but on Feb. 14 we had our first miscarriage. The Lord greatly comforted me through this. He was awesome and very present through this time. We planned to move to West Africa during this year and started finding jobs that would allow us to do that and moved to a cheaper apartment. Over the summer we got pregnant again and had another miscarriage. The next month we got pregnant and this time we stayed preggers! We decided to hold off on plans to go overseas and to move to Fort Worth for seminary for more training.
2009



We moved to Fort Worth. We both worked 2 part-time jobs that the Lord was so faithful to provide for us. This is when we decided to use a midwife and have Liza at a birth center. A decision that I don’t regret. Around March, we found out about an opening at Central in missions and felt like Mark should at least pursue it. He got the job and we moved back to College Station 10 days after sweet Liza was born. She was born on May 7th and Mark started work on May 18! He went to Kansas and to China as soon as he started. We, also, got to go Virginia together to see the Hoovers.
So that leads us to 2010! Can’t wait to see what God does in this next year!