I'm Thankful

What am I thankful for?

*one*

I'm thankful, first and foremost, for my relationship with my Savior. I fail Him daily. Yet, He loves me all the same. I'm thankful that He was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice - to pay the ultimate price - for me, someone so very undeserving of such love and grace. I'm thankful for the lessons He's taught me, is teaching me, and will teach me in the future. I'm thankful for the Holy Spirit and the truth of the book of Acts. I'm thankful for an advocate, a guide, a mediator, and the gifts of healing and teaching and even that special prayer language. I'm thankful for the TRUTH and LOVE of the One TRUE God. I'm thankful for Jesus. Without Him, I am nothing.

*two*

I'm thankful for a family who loves me and encourages me and supports me, even though I'm a few thousand miles and an ocean away. I'm thankful for prayers and notes of encouragement, for emails and Facebook messages, for videos and pictures of my nieces being their cute selves. I'm thankful for long Skype calls and face to face chats. I'm thankful for airport runs, hang out sessions, and loud and crazy dinners full of good food, lots of talking, and laughter for hours and hours. I'm thankful for aunts and uncles and cousins. I'm thankful for grandparents who gave us a godly Christian heritage. I'm thankful for the 29 years I had with my hero and first love - my Dad. I'm thankful for sweet memories and the hope of seeing him again one day. I'm thankful for role models, advice givers, and prayer warriors. I'm thankful that God saw fit to place me into my family.

*three*

I'm thankful for friendship. I don't take the word "friend" lightly. Friendship is such an amazing gift and I am so thankful for the friendships God's placed in my life over the years. I'm thankful for childhood friends who've always stayed in touch. I'm thankful for friends who've shown up at just the right time. I'm thankful for open doors and open hearts. I'm thankful for road trips and fun events, for late night chats both face to face and online. I'm thankful for emails full of memes and funny stories. I'm thankful for open invitations to come over, for dinners and ice cream runs, for spa days and for Duck Dynasty marathons. I'm thankful for friends who have invited me in and let me be an honorary family member. I'm thankful for long chats about anything and everything, for fits of laughter and notes of encouragement. I'm thankful for shoulders to cry on, ears to listen, and open arms to hug or the knowledge to not hug, depending on the situation. I'm thankful for true friends, whether we've known each other for 30 years or just 1 year. I'm thankful for each and every friend God has placed in my life.

*four* 

I'm thankful for my education. I truly mean it. I'm thankful for long nights of studying, writing papers, creating lesson plans. I'm thankful for my professors at the University of Montevallo and the University of South Alabama. I'm thankful for the guidance and advice, their knowledge, their encouragement, and even their critiques. I'm thankful for their persistence in making me work to be the absolute best teacher I could be. I'm thankful for  classes that did more than just teach me. I'm thankful they stretched and challenged me, made me learn to think for myself. I'm thankful they taught me to be an advocate for those who needed me to be. I'm thankful for the skills they gave me - the skills needed to do what God had called me to do. I'm thankful that I can say I'm following my dream/passion/calling. I'm thankful that I can say, I'm a teacher.

*five* 

I'm thankful for the calling God placed on my life. I'm thankful that in 2004, He opened my heart and eyes to the world of missions. I'm thankful that in June 2005, He placed the continent of Africa on my heart. And I'm thankful that on July 30, 2009, He allowed me to step foot onto Senegalese soil for the very first time - solidifying this place as "home" in my heart. I'm thankful that He saw fit to call timid ol' me to leave everything familiar and comfortable and to fly across an ocean and go into the unknown. I'm thankful He called me to use the skills and education I'd received to further His Kingdom. I'm thankful for the opportunities He's placed in my path ever since. I'm thankful for the 100+ students who have walked through the doors of my classrooms over the past however many years. I'm thankful for the lessons each and every one has taught me. I'm thankful that God decided to call me to this amazing work. I get to do what I love - what I'm passionate about. I get to teach. And for that, I am so incredibly thankful.

*six*

I'm thankful for my supporters. I'm thankful for churches and pastors who have shared my vision for pursuing the call God placed on my life. I'm thankful for men, women, boys, and girls, who have listened to my stories and followed the Lord's leading to partner with me in staying on the field. I'm thankful for partners in prayer, encouragement, and finances. I'm thankful for handwritten cards, for emails, for Facebook messages, just to say I'm thinking of you. I'm thankful for packages full of goodies that say "home." I'm thankful for all the tangible and un-tangible ways God's blessed me through these people. I'm thankful for continued partnerships and for what God will do through these partnerships in the future. What a blessing my supporters truly are!

*seven* 

I'm thankful for the students I call "mine." I'm thankful that God has allowed me to get to know them, to watch their sweet minds grow and grow. I'm thankful that I get to hear their stories, see their smiles, and watch their thirst for knowledge. I'm thankful that I get to play just a tiny part in this thing called life for them. I'm thankful that God chose to send each of their families, for various reasons, to Senegal, and then to Dakar Academy, giving me the opportunity to be their teacher this year. I'm thankful for their parents too. I'm thankful for teamwork and collaboration. I'm thankful for positive meetings and emails and conferences. I'm thankful for support and open communication and even necessary criticism. I'm thankful that they shared some of their most precious gifts with me this year. I'm thankful for the laughs, the lessons, and the love shared in A7 - our classroom. I'm thankful for these 16 gifts. That is for sure.

*eight*

And last, but certainly not least, I'm thankful for the future. I'm thankful for the unknown blessings coming my way. I'm thankful for the class I'll have next year, knowing it will be new and challenging, yet so incredibly exciting. I'm thankful for my life and all God has in store for me. I'm thankful that He knows what's best for me and that His timing is not just good. It's perfect. I'm thankful for peace to wait for "what's next." And above all else, I am so very thankful for a God who holds my future in the palm of His Hand.