Joy

Wedding Shower gifts!!!!

This is Marvin, the newest crowned Prom King of the Academy of Flint.


Me and some special boys!

Many of you prayed for Javonate, one of my students who was very ill, this is him next to me. He is doing great! Praise be to God.

Two of my favorite students all dressed and ready for the Prom.

What does joy feel like? Does it feel the same for everyone? I wonder weird things like that. I have experienced pure joy. This is my last week of working at the Academy of Flint as a School Social Worker. I have faced some great trials this year. Over the past months I have questioned everything, felt huge amounts of guilt for not feeling compassionate enough, and I have realized my immense need to seek the Lord for daily strength.

These verses have come to mind many times.:

James 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

I have prayed and seeked the Lord in many things and I realize that through the trials the Lord does strengthen me. I have the word "faith" tattood on my foot as a daily reminder to walk by faith. My past three years at AOF have been faith walks. Sometimes they have felt like hikes, climbs, crawls and runs. I'm ready for this chapter of my life to end as I begin a new job of being Andy's wife and supporting him in ministry in Florida.

I am now in my final week of working in Flint and I can say this past weekend I experienced pure joy.

-Friday night was the 8th grade prom and I was able to see one of my special education students win prom king. This is a student who has faced even greator challenges than I will ever face and he is the most joyful person I have ever met. Always smiling and so happy to see me. He brings me joy each day and it was an incredible blessing to see him experience an unforgettable moment of being the prom king. I felt like a proud mama!

-Saturday me and my mom spent the entire day doing wedding stuff. It was so much fun and a joy to spend the quality time together.

-Sunday Andy and I received our first wedding shower gifts!!!! I experienced such JOY knowing that God has blessed me with a wonderful man to spend the rest of my life with. Opening the gifts just reminded me of God's faithfullness to us.

Look for joy-filled moments this week!