Once again I am catching up on posts! Over the MLK holiday weekend, our youth group from Cambria Baptist Church went to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for the Edge Conference. We had six youth go, along with me and another leader. We had a great time hanging out together and growing in our Lord Jesus Christ. The best part was our accommodations. We originally had two rooms, one for the guys and one for the girls. We had plenty of room for the guys but were not given a roll away for the girls. Carrie, the other leader, knows the head of the conference well so she asked him to help us out. A few minutes later she had a key to another room, only to find out it was for the Honeymoon Suite! We all had a good laugh over it and enjoyed the spacious room to hang out in during our free time.
The speakers were really good. Craig Tackett and Sammy Knuckles preached all weekend about having a new mindset and attitude when approaching the idea of church. The worship band was awesome as well and we even were treated to a few illusionist acts. God really blew me away with how much it means to high school students to be given the freedom to enjoy a weekend together in place away from home. There were moments where my patience was tested, but all in all it was a great time. I really hope this trip helps lay the foundation for a great year together growing in our faith and seeking Jesus further.
When I got home I did not get around to posting pictures on facebook right away. Of course my youth were waiting in anticipation and eventually told me to hurry up! I had a few minutes of down time at work and was able to upload the photos. Usually the next step is to tag the photos with the names of the people in them, but I received a phone call and needed to step away from my computer for a bit. I came back 20 minutes later and every picture was tagged and commented on! My email had about 150 messages in it telling me about each photo tag and comment. It was great to see my youth discussing how much fun they had and how they wished they were back at the Edge conference. God really taught me a lot about how these kids look up to me and the other college students who attend our church. What was just another weekend for me ended up being the time of their lives! I look forward to seeing how God uses me to help lead this youth group in 2010 and how He is going to work in each of their individual lives. Please pray for the youth of Cambria Baptist Church. We are a small group but a group seeking after God's heart each week!
The Honeymoon Suite!
We had a hot tub!
Hanging in the suite!
All the youth
Our lunch destination on Sunday afternoon
Outside the Old Mill
These guys were outside a diner we ate at. Unfortunately that was the highlight of the dinner because the food was not so great
Inside the diner
The girls with Sammy Knuckles
The girls with the worship band
At every worship gathering, two girls were up front painting different pictures. These then went up for auction. Here are a few from the weekend.
I had the pleasure of going home for around ten days to celebrate Christmas with my family and take part in my sister Rachel's wedding. These ten days may have been the most eventful of my life! Usually Christmas is the most exciting time over break but this time it was the calm before the storm. This was the last Christmas we would spend together before things change with the weddings and such. I am so blessed to have an awesome family which enjoys quality time with each other!
Wednesday kicked off the wedding madness as most of the wedding party arrived. We all took the train into New York City to show people around and see the tree. Though it was cold and very crowded, we enjoyed our time. My favorite part of the evening was when we ate at a pizza place. The guy in there was a true New Yorker and was trying to get everyone to order and move through the line quickly. I loved seeing the expressions on the faces of those not used to the pace of New York living haha! That night we enjoyed playing games and having good conversation.
New Years Eve was a time of food and fellowship. Normally we only have us five at our house so having 15 or so was a blast! Most of us watched the Hokies crush Tennessee 37-14. The rest of the night was spent playing games and watching the Honeymooners! New Years Day started the wedding festivities as the groomsmen all picked up their tuxedos and the bridesmaids had their nails done. The rehearsal was that night at Hillside Church, a place we called home for many years. Many memories flooded into my head as I walked around the church before the rehearsal. It was great to see Colby again (youth pastor from high school and wedding officiator) along with his wife Stacey and two kids. I also really enjoyed seeing so much of my family come together for this joyous occasion.
The rehearsal was the first time it truly dawned on me that my baby sister was getting married. When I saw dad walk her down the aisle, the tears started flowing! I knew I had a tall task ahead of me the next day, trying to keep myself together before singing a song. Thankfully I was able to get through the ceremony alright. It was when I hugged her in the receiving line that I completely lost it! Rachel was a beautiful bride! I couldn't be happier for her. She has married a wonderful, godly man who will love her and take care of her for as long as they live.
I have never enjoyed myself as much as I did at the reception. Dances have always been a mixed bag for me. Most times not many people want to dance and it ends up being very boring. Thankfully, on this day, everyone was ready to have a good time! I have never seen my mom and dad have so much fun. After a few minutes of encouragement, my dad took the dance floor and never stopped! This is coming from a very reserved individual who rarely shows much emotion. I asked my mom if it reminded her of when they were younger and she literally told me , "No! Dad has never been like this!" You could just see the joy on the faces of my parents. They had spent a year planning for this day, and were finally able to relax and watch it unfold. Another blessing was how well everyone in the wedding party got along. We all had a blast together and all spent most of our time on the dance floor. We danced to classics such as "The Cupid Shuffle," "The ChaCha Slide," and "Don't Stop Believing." Even all the little kids at the reception were busting a move. It was great having my best friend Kevin there to partner with me in the quest to be the most ridiculous looking people at the party! What a day!
As if the week was not already incredible enough, I had the pleasure to spend a lot of time with a wonderful girl who was a part of my sister's bridal party. Her name is Val and she was my sister's roommate for 2 1/2 years. We had started talking during the month leading up to the wedding, and I developed a strong interest in her. I had prayed a lot about pursuing a relationship with her and had discussed it at length with my sister and my parents. We had a great time together during the wedding week and she accompanied me to drive Rachel and Craig to the hotel after the reception. I invited her to church the next morning and she obliged. At lunch I expressed my interest and she returned it. After some discussion we decided it was time to enter into a relationship. It is my prayer that this relationship will be completely devoted to Christ and be about Him and not us. God has already blessed us through great conversation and I am excited to see what He has in store for us as we continue to seek His will!
I am now back in VA and looking forward to what 2010 brings. One thing I know is that God is good and He has my life in His hands!
Four cousins together in NYC!
The whole group at Grand Central
At the rehearsal dinner
Mr. and Mrs. Cooper!
Me and dad looking sharp
My favorite picture from the week!
Val and I
The three former roommates or as Rachel likes to say "ex" roommates!
I am going to try to catch up on a few posts, even though this occurred over two weeks ago! We of course were hit by a ton of snow like the rest of the East coast. Blacksburg got about 13 inches or so; the most since 1996. I was so blessed to be able to enjoy the snow with a bunch of great friends. Finals had ended for Tech students the Thursday before the snow, but my three roommates, their girlfriends, and a few other friends decided to stick around for the weekend in order to enjoy the madness together! What followed was a weekend straight out of Acts 2: 42-47 which states:
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
For three days, the eight of us (My roommates Barry, Josh, and Phil, Josh's girlfriend Meredith, Barry's girlfriend Mandy, and two other friends Donny and Clare) lived life together. Meredith, Clare, Mandy, and Donny came over on Friday before the snow came. They brought clothes, food, and sleeping supplies with the plan to crash here all weekend. We were snowed in after the 13 inches hit us and were well prepared for a weekend of fun!
On Friday we stayed in all day, playing lots of games and eventually watching the movie UP. On Saturday we went sledding and eventually helped move around five cars out of the snow. Barry almost killed himself attempting to surf down the hill over a ramp on a sled! At one point we were in front of Donny's apartment helping a car get free. After achieving success we decided to completely clean Donny's kitchen. With six of us cleaning, it was like Extreme Kitchen Makeover! It was things like this that made the weekend so great; we were serving others and each other as a community, giving to all that had a need like the Scripture says.
That night we went to the Hokie basketball game. Tickets were free because of the weather conditions. Though there were not many people in Cassell Coliseum, we had an absolute blast. We destroyed our opponent (Charleston Southern), which was no surprise, but it was the actions of my crazy friends that made the night memorable. At every timeout they would play music over the loud speaker and my friends were dancing their hearts out to each one! I have never had so much fun at a Hokie basketball game and it wasn't even competitive! Amazing what a blessing good friends are. We returned to the apartment that night to find the Cowboys up 17-3 at halftime over the then undefeated Saints, a very pleasant surprise! The Cowboys made it close, but pulled off the victory, capping a wonderful day.
Due to the weather, all church services were canceled. We decided as a group to have our own church gathering at our apartment. It was really cool! We played some worship songs, shared what God had been teaching us, prayed together, and finally took communion together. It was a real neat time of transparency and unity in Christ. God is so good! Sadly, after church everyone had to head home, ending a wonderful time together. Of course I was able to sit back and watch football all day, so all was not lost :)
God really taught me a lot about the value of good friendship that weekend. I had my share of struggles earlier in the semester but my friends were always there for me. I know that each of my friends had experienced plenty of trials as well and I hope I was always there for them. The weekend that may well be remembered as the Blizzard of 2009 will also be remembered as a celebration of the end of another semester spent with the best friends one could ever ask for!
Getting into the spirit of Christmas at 105 Sherwood Court!
A weekend long slumber party!
Josh and Meredith about to head down the hill
Not sure what happened here, but it looks cool!
Donny sledding over the jump
7 people on two sleds...and it worked!
After burying Barry in the snow
Maybe the only time you will see Mandy as tall as Barry!
All the BCM folks at the Hokies game
Our big happy family after an amazing weekend together!
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
I have so much to be thankful for..it is really ridiculous! It is hard to believe that just a month ago I was so miserable. It is amazing to me how patient God is with us. I was doubting his strength for so long instead of just letting Him take over. Like the father of the prodigal son, He was just waiting for me with open arms as I returned from doing things my way. This Thanksgiving was all about thanking God for my wonderful family who has supported me through the ups and the downs (and unfortunately I tend to ride a roller coaster of emotions on a daily basis!). They are always there for me no matter what my attitude is and no matter how many times I may ignore their wise advice. My friends have also been there for me when I needed them most. They have all shown me an unconditional love that truly represents Christ's nature. Thank you everyone!
I was blessed to be able to go home for a few days and will head back down to Virginia tomorrow. I was able to catch up with my grandma, watch some football with my dad, go shopping with my sisters (first Black Friday for me!), and attend church tonight with my parents. It was so refreshing to worship God in His house tonight! It was also exciting to talk with my sisters about their wedding plans. So crazy that Rachel will be Mrs. Cooper in a little over a month! Craig bought her a Golden puppy for Christmas (shown in pictures below). We had a great time playing with little Coop!
I hope that you all were blessed this Thanksgiving as well. Send my best to your families. May God bless you as we enter this Christmas Season for unto us a Savior is born!
Wow, it has been a long time since I updated this blog. Below is most of a note describing what life has been for me the last few months. I am sorry I have been such a stranger but hope to post pictures from some of the events of this semester. This is a long post so bear with me!
This summer I was offered a job teaching at Pulaski County High School. I was so thrilled to finally have a full-time job as were my family and friends. So thrilled that I failed to actually consider what I was facing starting in September. My summer was amazing. I moved into my new apartment and had a blast hanging out with my roommates and playing games every night. We also played soccer three times a week. I was only taking one class. Life was good and my faith was strong. I was like Peter, seeing Jesus walking on water. I was out of the boat and confidently walking towards him.
My first day at Pulaski was actually terrific. The teachers in the math department were so friendly and helpful. I enjoyed the fellowship and was excited to be working with such caring professionals. That night I called home ecstatic, telling my parents how pumped I was about my job. That was the last time my parents heard enthusiasm on the other end of the phone for two months.
As a substitute teacher I always felt comfortable in front of the classroom. I knew how to get my students attention but also joke around with them. I am not sure I will ever know the reason, but the minute I stepped into my class at Pulaski and faced those students, I was terrified. I lost the control, and with it the respect, of my students that first week. All of the sudden anxiety was overwhelming me each morning. I dreaded waking up and actually set my alarm for the middle of the night in an attempt to prolong the time before morning. When I arrived at school I was unable to communicate with anyone. I shared from time to time that I was struggling, and the rest of the teachers tried their best to help me and encourage me. Unfortunately, I was unwilling to accept their advice and believe their assertions that I was doing fine for a first year teacher. I became so discouraged that I no longer thought it was possible to regain control and succeed as a teacher.
Even when discipline was not a problem (in my Algebra II class) I struggled with bringing the material down to their level and was more disorganized than I have ever been in my life (and that is saying something!). I was completely overwhelmed. No matter how many times the administration told me I was doing great, I could not convince myself. When I got home each day, I fell into a depression and lay on the couch all evening. Lesson plans were done in haste and with little motivation. I had never felt this low before. I began to beat myself up, wondering how I could be so stupid to pursue teaching when I had an engineering degree. I began to doubt my calling and my direction. I was so confused. Thankfully, God is never confused and is always in control.
So what happened to that faith which was so strong over the summer? Well, when adversity came my way, I became again like Peter, though this time I was sinking. I began to doubt God's ability to bring me through my circumstances. I could barely find the energy to pray and reading the Bible was nothing more than a formality whenever I attempted it. There was a theme that developed in listening to the advice of others: trust God. My family told me that I had to believe God was going to do something great through this. I was shown scripture from James 1:5-7 which states "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But 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. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." I was praying to God to help me, yet had no faith that He actually could. I wanted Him to make the pain all go away without any effort on my part. How absurd a thought when I look back!
I would love to be able to say that things got better and I conquered my fears and doubts in route to successfully teaching my students the material and cultivating meaningful relationships with them. The truth is I resigned from Pulaski about a month ago. I was blessed to have an administration that was in full support of me and respected my decision. It was a big hit to my pride to have quit something. I did not want to tell anyone, and still have not told many since some of you may be hearing this news for the first time. The great news is that God has worked through this situation in amazing ways. When Peter began to sink as the winds came, he cried out for help. Hearing Peter's plea, Jesus immediately extended his hand and helped him up. He then asked Peter, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Jesus has been asking me this question as I have reflected on the teaching experience. I really have no answer for Him. I suppose I have relied on my own strength way too much. I have certainly learned a lesson of humility.
Like in Peter's case, Jesus has extended His hand to me and helped me out of my trouble. After resigning, I was without a job or a direction and was blindly sending resumes wherever I could. All I wanted was to get out of the house and do something productive! I was so blessed to get a call from the director of the Huntington Learning Center in Roanoke in response to a tutoring job posting. She scheduled me for an interview and I later found out that it was not an interview to be a tutor but instead to train to be her next assistant director. That blew my mind! Actually it is still blowing my mind at this moment. That God would be so faithful, even when I have not been, is an act of grace and mercy that only He could perform. I am really enjoying the job so far! It is a nice combination of working with kids and doing analytical work such as making spreadsheets and schedules for the tutors. For now it is a part-time job but my boss is hopeful it will become full time once their enrollment increases next semester. I don't necessarily think this job is my long term future, but it is a great stepping stone towards finding what I have a passion for and enjoy doing. The point is that through this horrible situation I was in, God was still there, loving me more than I can ever understand. Know this: God will never abandon you no matter how many times you abandon Him! He is like the father of the prodigal son and will welcome you back into his arms with great joy and celebration.
My goal is to build a much stronger foundation in Christ so that I will be able to stand up to temptation and adversity when it comes. My roommate Barry often points out how we are to share in the sufferings of Christ. The disciples were consistently beaten for their faith in Jesus and yet they still had more joy than anyone around them. Sometimes I need to be reminded that suffering and adversity are not all bad and can be used by God for His glory and our maturation. I can't comprehend why God loves me, a sinner, so much. Though I know I will fall down again many more times, I also know I can get back up without shame and keep fighting the fight and running the race. Praise God!
Thank you all for your prayers and support. If you ever encouraged me and I did not seem to appreciate it, I am sorry. Your encouragement meant the world to me and it reinforced why I think I have the best friends and family in the world. If you tried to call me to give advice, offer encouragement, or simply to catch up, and I was either non-responsive or did not call back, I am so sorry! I am currently in the process of reconnecting with everyone and hope to talk with you soon. Thank you for being such great friends to me, even when I didn't deserve it. I thank God everyday for the people He has carefully placed in my life. I love you guys and look forward to many more years of friendship!
Hopefully I will be more consistent on the blogging front and keep y'all updated on how the job is going. Thanks for your prayers and support!
I am a teacher for the Salem City school system. I work with students in their homes and at the alternative education center, helping them improve their math skills. I am a born again Christian who is trying to seek God each day. Very often I fall short in this regard but God still loves me anyways! I graduated from Virginia Tech in 2007 with a degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics. I am a huge Hokies fan and also love the NY Mets and Dallas Cowboys.
The Honeymoon Suite!
We had a hot tub!
Hanging in the suite!
All the youth
Our lunch destination on Sunday afternoon
Outside the Old Mill
These guys were outside a diner we ate at. Unfortunately that was the highlight of the dinner because the food was not so great
Inside the diner
The girls with Sammy Knuckles
The girls with the worship band
