I have been working for Kentwood Public Schools for 3 months now and I love it. I’m here to teach children, but they end up teaching me more than I could ever dream to teach them. Moments go by where I think, “I’m not cut out for this; who am I fooling?”, but these moments are always, without fail, followed up with incredible revealing moments that I am, indeed, exactly where God wants me at this season in my life. I am humbly blessed when I think about my position in Kentwood as well as my position working as the Mission/Outreach Coordinator for my church and home. I was speaking with a dear friend just the other day who said, “Wow, you are doing what you have always wanted to do.” Until she said that to me, I hadn’t thought of it like that. For years I have wanted to teach and work in the mission field. God has brought me to the threshold of this dream and I’m unbelievably humbled by all that is unfolding.
I am working on leading a mission team of 12 to Chicago in April. I am laughing to myself as I plan this remembering my first mission trip at age 15. On this trip, which I shared with beautiful women of faith in Nicaragua, it was the joke that “someday Katie will be leading mission teams”. It’s beautiful and crazy how God works in our lives, preparing us for what is to come later on. I’m just sorting through the puzzle pieces wondering what the grand picture will be. God knows and has my best interest in mind. What a wonderful truth.
I have really been thinking a lot about my journey and relationships lately. As most of you know, my parents have taken an incredible leap of faith and have begun their move to Sawyer, MI. With this move came the job of packing up all of my childhood belongings. Packing up a house that we called home for the past 20 years was sure to stir up a lot of emotions and unearth a lot of memories, both joyful and somber. A lot of laughs were shared between my parents and I as we sorted through some silly stuff that we held onto for who knows why. Along with the silly stuff camephotos with beautiful hearts shining through the faces, andnotes written to me with such care and concern behind them. These notes were filled with words that touched my heart so deeply that I held onto them even though the friendships have in some ways changed. These notes reminded me of people that have touched my life and will never be forgotten, times of struggle and times of triumph. I recall the friendships that ended due to disagreement or personal change. I remember the way I felt when the friendships were severed. Looking back, I can smile knowing that we needed each other as friends, and just because we are no longer calling each other everyday or sharing a heart doesn’t diminish what we shared for a season of life. I have had a lot of “seasonal friends” over the years, as we all tend to have. As a result of many shifting friendships, I struggle with trusting all the way, thinking that a friendship could just end abruptly leaving me with nothing. Lately God has been revealing to me that even though this has and will continue happen, it’s not something to mourn entirely. Friends come, relationships and trust are built and secrets are shared. When these relationships change or end completely, new friends are gifted and relationships are formed all over again. I am learning to be okay with this progression in my journey. It’s a struggle to remember this, but I know that God has given and will continue to give me beautiful people in my life who have and will shape me into the woman I am meant to become.
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