Beneath the Water, Raised to Life.

What an amazing 2 weeks this has been.


Beneath the water, you're choking. Fear grips your soul as you helplessly try to gasp for air, only to be met with the rush of water coming to take you away. Here is where you meet and face every sense of guilt, every insecurity, every sin and every part of your past that has had its victory in holding you down thus far. Here is when the bravery comes. Here is the moment where you face yourself and decide Yes or No. No I can do all of these things on my own, or Yes, I am turning away from this past life of staying quiet and shamefully carrying my own burden. This is the turning point. This is surrender.

Surrender is where you rise to the surface. And when you emerge, the past falls off like broken chains. Breath fills your lungs.You come alive. You are Raised to Life.



Thank you for baptizing me, Em. You've showed me what it means to be brave and truly walk on the waters away from comfort. You've shown me how to break away from the comfortable lifestyle, because comfort is more dangerous than danger itself. Your headstrong spirit and courageous soul is one that I admire and aspire to have. I will desire and seek wisdom. I will be brave. I know that I am loved. And as one of my dear friends told me today, "You'll be just fine." I accept the challenge.
Thank you for always challenging me and being a light. UT is blessed to have you as a God-seeker on their campus.

"This hope is an anchor for my soul, both firm and secure."
I really want this verse wrapped around my ankle, along with this anchor. It has been my anthem this year. Through every season of change, He is my steady hope.

Last week I found myself falling into something amazing that I never would have imagined before I came. I met my roomie Meagan (She's a rad and sassy girl with a big heart to serve Jesus) and my RA Hannah (Gilley) and a lot of other girls who live in my hall. I've honestly never seen a community as tight and loving as Lee. It isn't a surprise to see people stopping on campus to pray with eachother, or groups of people sitting around the Flame Fountain with a guitar and some singers worshipping together, or people just playing volley ball or roasting marshmallows and having a good time. People here simply love the place, and God, and I want to make it my goal to press in this year and get more of the Lord rooted deep within me.

My heart is so incredibly full from meeting these girls in Nora 3S. Living with them this past week has been a blast, and tonight when Hannah came to say goodnight to me, I really felt like I had gained a family, which was more than I was expecting upon my Lee Arrival. I'm so grateful for what this semester is going to bring. I know there will be laughing, and as I told Meagan yesterday, there will be tears. There may even be disagreements and hard times, but I know that by May 2015 I will have gained a new family that I will hold onto forever. Detours aren't so bad, afterall.

Meagan the Sassmaster ;)

Oh mom. You will be dearly missed.

This is really when the tears came. Apart from all of this insane change and packing, the moment I had to say goodbye to my three best friends (Rohit is missing) was the hardest moment. It has been tough living life without them this past week, but it won't be long. It's only a blink.

I've been selling these awesome painted Notebooks for the India Trip... only $800 to go before I'm perfectly and completely set:)

Deke Day (day of Serving) was absolutely great. Praying and worshipping with these guys, then going to visit the nursing homes was a treasure. We prayed for some folks and touched some hearts. All glory be to Jesus.

Words can't explain how incredibly blessed 'Ive been to get to know this young and charming fellow, Rohit. I never expected to become such close friends with someone in a short amount of time. He has a heart to love others and to serve people humbly. This journey in our friendship has been great, and it's only the beginning. 

Juan, Debbie and Brooklyn will surely be missed. I pray that God gives me equally awesome worship music mentors while I'm here at Lee. I want to go home and make them proud. :)

My declared major at the moment is Sociology (for Social Work) with an intention in taking a lot of music classes. We'll see how things change over the next year as I explore life and find out who I am. To be honest, I have a desire to open up an orphanage or foster care program one day. There are so many fatherless children in America, and I want to help end this identity crisis in our generation by providing them with loving families. As I've learned this week, a family isn't necessarily made up of your birth mother or father, or blood related siblings, but a family is made up of people who surround you and care about your well being. They're active members of your life who support you in every situation no matter what. We need loving families. Maybe I'm called to that area. Or maybe I'm not, who knows?


Until then, my beloved ones. Let the college journey take its course. Let my head be filled with valuable knowledge, and let my heart be filled with the love of Christ.


-Hannah