Coming home...

Wow, what an AMAZING weekend!! It was SO incredibly wonderful to come home, hug, see so many terrific people, be hugged, hear stories, laugh, remember, be encouraged, hug, worship, and just be with family...

The reunion was great on Friday night-I think there were about 65 people there, and it was awesome to see everyone-some I had not seen in years!! I've always thought that our class was really special-there was an uncommon bond and a lot of great leadership within, and it is great to see what God is doing through them in this world. It is very encouraging! We also kicked off a record enrollment run that lasted for 9 years. Someone mentioned that we should get together like that every year-which of course, I think is an awesome idea!!

Saturday morning, there were a TON of people at the LOA/Kyodai alumni breakfast-I could hardly even move in there! It was marvelous!! Even the founding member of LOA was there. I loved seeing so many people, catching up, seeing everyone's kids running around and realizing how old we are getting! ;) I did not leave the breakfast until close to 11 since I was still talking to people, and I did not even make it around to everyone!! Therefore, I missed most of chapel (but since it was 2 hours long-that was alright!), but I got there in time to see the story of the football team and the Chap brigade (that was hillarious!!)

This was probably one of the best Master Follies shows that I have seen in years-every show was good and the hosts and hostesses were AMAZING!! I really enjoyed it and it seemed like everyone was having fun and their hard work paid off-and they had a much shorter time this year than ever!! I think some of my fondest memories are of Master Follies and chorus trips...

I realized even more what a blessing and Godsend it was that I ended up at LCU. It still amazes me how I ended up there, but I know that it was in God's plan all along, all I needed to do was listen to His plan and calling...and I am SO thankful that I did!! I had such tremendous opportunities there and it still feels like home. I hope that it always feels that way. I think that my favorite part is that the relationships that I have with those from LCU are REAL-we have invested ourselves in each others lives and we are family because we belong to a community of faith through our Father. I miss that-it seems so hard for me to find that these days, and I miss it terribly. At the same time, I am so thankful that I have been blessed by those people and also that those relationships continue to flourish and pray they will continue to grow.

Of course, going to Broadway on Sunday was wonderful-I have not been there in so long; and it is still wonderful to be welcomed back with open arms and beam with excitement when my wheels hit that red brick road. Then I ate lunch with the Towns' (who I also greatly enjoyed spending time with-they just become more special to me as the years go by) and ran into another Godsend (He just keeps on providing!) I ran into Rhonda Crawford, who was my supervisor and good friend my last year as an RA. I was actually in her first group of RA's, and it is a whole other story about how I ended up moving back into the hall after living out of it for a year...another one of those God things! Anyway, I had a wonderful and VERY encouraging conversation with her about RD life and it could not have come at a better time. I really appreciated her insight, encouragement and wisdom; and I am so thankful that we were brought together on Sunday. It has also been another blessing to talk with Sherri, who is the current RD at LCU as we have been able to pray for each other, compare stories and solutions, encourage each other and be understood in only a way we can. It was the same way with Rhonda, and I needed to be able to talk with both of them this weekend. Thank you, Lord for providing the right people at just the right time!! Only you know what we need, and you continue to amaze me...

All in all, it was GREAT to be home-Lubbock is a beautiful place and there are a lot of wonderful things happening at LCU. I am extremely proud to be an LCU alum and look forward in anticipation to see what God continues to do through and in the people He has placed there. I pray that we can all be sent out to be salt and light in this world, and that we can always remember to come home; while also looking forward to and longing for our ultimate home...