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What a month

Hello blogging world! It's been awhile since I've written. Life has been a bit crazy recently. I just got back from a trip with my college group to the United Kingdom. We went to a little town called Hexham in the north of England. There, we were able to help a local church begin to grow its young adult population and start to build relationships. The trip was incredibly eye-opening for me! I have never gone on a mission trip to a foreign country, and it was definitely a bit of a different experience than an in-country trip. For starters, I learned so much about the English culture. Our team stayed with host families who were members of the church, so we were able to live like true Hexham people. We saw the community from a native's point of view. We learned the vocabulary, ate the food, and explored the town with fresh eyes. Bye end of the trip, I think all of the Texas team members had left a little part of our hearts in Hexham. Being in Hexham reminded me that God is the same in all corners of the world. Even though our cultures and backgrounds are different, God is still God among the Hexhamites just as He is among the Texans. His loves is still unending, His forgiveness still stretches across all sins, His power is still beyond comprehension, the truths of His Word still bring healing and life change. Our God is so great!! I was also reminded of God's incredible creativity and majesty. The landscape in England is very different from Texas; we have flat plains, they have rolling hills; we have bright sunshine, they have gentle rain and fantastic clouds; we have magnificent sunsets, they have amazingly green trees and grass. And God created it all! He is beauty, which manifests itself in His outstanding creativity. Wow, what a God we serve! I'm so thankful I was able to go on this trip. I saw God work in the local church by refreshing dry and thirsty spirits, by encouraging the fainthearted, and by releasing souls from captivity. He lit a fire in the local church and turned hearts back toward Him! I am honored and humbled that He chose to use me to do His work in Hexham, and I pray that I'll be able to go back one day to see all my new friends and see the work God has done in the city of Hexham. I could go on and on about the past week and a half and all God taught me. Instead, I'll say this--God is present, even when we don't feel like He's near. He will never leave His people. He is the God of healing, the God of love, the God of peace, the God in the business of changing lives. My love for God has been renewed, and I learned so much about His goodness and glory in the past week and a half! The mission trip didn't just benefit the people of Hexham; God used it to make my relationship with Him grow deeper and wider than it has ever been.

Wow, what a month it's been!! I finished my junior year in college, completed a course of IV antibiotics, raised $13,000 for the CF Foundation, had a week full of many doctor's appointments, and went to the United Kingdom on my first international mission trip to help a local church. Looking back on the month, I am so grateful for all the experiences I've been through and can see God working in my life. It's been a month of many highs and lows, but through it all, God is faithful! As I continue to take one step at a time into the future, I will follow the guidance of my trustworthy, awesome Lord and Savior. 


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