15 years

It was on this day, 15 years ago, that I graduated high school.

On the 10th anniversary, I wrote this post, which shared all I'd been up to since my high school graduation. Instead of rewriting all of that, I thought I'd share a bit about what has changed now in the 5 years, since I wrote...

I taught ESL for one year in Dakar.

When I left Dakar, I thought I'd be coming back one day to do a different type of ministry, and I made plans for that. But as we all know, God likes to change things up periodically, to keep things interesting ;)

Anywho - I came back to sweet home Alabama for a year and a half, where I taught Special Education at a historic school in Selma, Alabama.

My dad passed away in 2015. That was most definitely the hardest thing I've ever gone through. And the grief from that still rocks me to my core some days...

I came back to Dakar to teach in February 2016.

And I've been here ever since.

This past August, I started a class for an incredible group of kids.

And I've seen the incredible hand of God working, every step of the way.

I feel as if I've grown so incredibly much in the last 15 years.

I used to be this super shy, horribly UN-confident person.

But now...

Now I'm confident in the gifts and abilities my Heavenly Father has blessed me with. I'm confident in my teaching abilities, my missionary abilities, my whatever abilities... I've finally hit a point in my life, where I don't care as much what people think about me. I, instead, focus on what God thinks of me, and what He has for me to do with my life. 

15 years is a long time.

There have been ups

and downs.

There have been good times

and bad.

And I must say...

I'm excited to see what the next 15 years hold!