So, I didn't do a great job keeping up with this blog, but I decided to write one last post to wrap it up. I left His Mansion on June 11th, so I've been home for a few weeks. It's really good to be home and have time to relax and be with family and friends. In some ways it feels completely normal to be home, almost like I was never gone. But there are times when I do miss everyone at HM a lot. When a staff person's commitment comes to an end, we have what's called a cake day. We eat cake, someone makes a speech on my behalf, then I make a speech reflecting on my time on the hill. This was the first speech I wrote, but I ended up re-writing it in bullet points. So my speech was a little more detailed and in depth, but this was the basic idea of it.
"Like just about everyone who steps foot on this hill, I came to His Mansion knowing I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Feeling very young and inadequate, I clung to the Lord, trusting that he knows what he’s doing, because I had no idea and still don’t. Words can’t describe all he has taught me this past year. My eyes have been open to many, many things. Being placed in a leadership position over people older than me, God taught me that age doesn’t define our potential. Supervising the canning room during the busiest time of the season, I learned that it’s okay to ask others for help. Coming from a very loving, Christian home, I doubted how well I could help others who’s stories I can’t relate to. But opening myself up to others and allowing myself to feel pain and hurt, I realized I don’t have to have the same life story as someone else in order to relate on an emotional and spiritual level. The Lord uses different people and situations to teach us all the same thing: we need to continually give everything up to him. Lord has slowly revealed to me more and more just how sinful, selfish, needy and weak I really am. Through different experiences this year I’ve been surprised by my own selfish desires and how much I want things that aren’t the Lord. And I know this is only the beginning of the long journey of walking with him.
This year has been sad. It’s been a year full of loss and goodbyes. But through that God has showed me his faithfulness and how important it is to choose hope, for myself and for others. And also how important it is to enjoy and make the most of the time I have with the people who are around me. I’ve made a lot of friends who I wish could be here today but aren’t. But I am so incredibly thankful for those of you who are. Its through the people here the Lord has revealed himself to me. The honesty and openness we have is a precious gift that I’ve never experienced before. I have a lot of people to thank who have been there for me, challenged me, encouraged me, and loved me well."
I definitely did learn a lot this past year, and sometimes the learning process was painful. But this past year was so worth it. I can't put to words all that the Lord has taught me and how he has grown me. It was a huge blessing to be part of the healing process in the lives of others. I would not have been able to do any of this on my own, all the credit goes to him. It's incredible to see what the Lord can do in someone's life when they say yes to him.
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