Win a prize if you help me find the answer to #2

Honestly, I can’t believe it’s 2010. Where did this year go? Wow, I officially sound like a 50 year old woman (i.e. my mother!). This has been quite an eventful year in my life. I have:

-Graduated college and left getting to spend every day with some of my best friends
-Created an entirely new set of friends at the Kanakuk Institute that I get to spend everyday
-Attended my last OSU sporting events as a collegian
-Witnessed two of my best college friends get married
-Made one of the craziest and best decisions of my life to go to the Kanakuk Institute
-Welcomed the first baby from my group of friends
-Had my favorite summer at K-West up to this point
-Learned more in three months at the Kanakuk Institute than my entire life prior
-Watched my family grow immeasurably in the last year and am excited to see what 2010 holds

Wow! When you sit back and reflect on the things that have happened over the span of a year, it really puts what is important in life into perspective. I must notice and remember on a day to day basis that I did not include any of my life’s trivial pursuits.

As I’ve been home these past two weeks (I had the opportunity to go skiing at Copper Mountain in Colorado with six of my Institute friends the week before Christmas cutting my time at home a little shorter), the most asked question has been, “How is the Institute?” Second most asked: “What are you going to do when you get done?” Well, I still have no clue what I’m doing post-Institute besides the fact that I’m working at camp again this summer (side note: If I don’t have a job lined up post camp, I’m legitimately considering moving to Colorado…If you know of any job opportunities or housing connections, let me know!), but I will answer the first question here for anyone that cares.

Short answer: The Institute has been great.

Longer answer: The above answer does no justice to what has been happening in my life, and I’m not sure that anything I could say or write can but I’ll try. The Institute has been great. I have learned more in the last three months than my entire life put together (exciting and frustrating all at the same time). Living in Branson has been a blessing in disguise. I have so many fun activities at my fingertips because I live in a tourist town (come visit and I’ll show you around!) but don’t have to enter the touristy part on a normal basis. The families that I get to hang out with, especially the Rapp’s, are teaching me things about marriage, family and life that I never anticipated. My 69 other classmates have been the biggest blessing of the last three months. I essentially live in a form of sorority life only there are boys and more morals (this is not a knock on real sorority life’s morals). We live life together. I am encouraged and challenged daily by these people in ways they aren’t even aware. I have made friends that I get to add to a group of people who will be in my life forever. I don’t know what I expected going into this experience, but it has surpassed whatever expectations I had. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else this year. With all of the good that it has been, it has also been hard. Everything I came into the Institute believing or thinking has been changed, challenged or solidified. While this is a great process that needs to happen, it is still hard. This part has truly added to the reasons the Institute has been great. While the Institute, the people and the teaching have been great, I must constantly remind myself that these things are great because the Lord is using them to change me from the inside out. The Institute, friends, Kanakuk, knowledge or anything else are not God and cannot be substituted for what is happening in my life this year. With all of this being said, the answer to your question is, the Institute is great.

2009, thank you for the memories. I’m looking forward to what 2010 holds and to finding the answer to question #2 (prayers and suggestions are welcome!). Happy New Year to all; may this year find us all seeking the Lord more and more.