Week 4.

I'm a little late on this post as well. Finals took over my life until 8:45 this morning. And now I'm free. And it's summer. I can't think of a better way to start a blog post on blessings.

Anyways, I drove to Jasper last weekend to take a carload of junk home from my dorm, have a quiet place to study and write papers, and to spend time with my mom for Mother's Day. Well, none of that really happened. But it's okay. Because:

1. I got spend time with Julianna Hallman, Nikki Swindle, and Julia Lightsey. Although we were in Jasper and didn't have a THING to do, it was nice. Contrary to popular belief, laying around doing absolutely nothing can be quite productive. (Well, they may not feel that way, but I do.) I cherish heart-to-heart talks, and I usually have some pretty dang good ones with them. And it was so nice to check myself and reevaluate before going into one of the most stressful weeks of my life.

2. I was able to volunteer in the tornado relief of Sipsey, AL. I know I wrote about the tornado damage last week, but this is something our state is going to be dealing with for months, if not years. To be twenty minutes away from my own house and see other houses completely ripped up and thrown across hundreds of yards of land is astonishing. I am so blessed to be healthy with two arms and two legs that enable me to go out and help people pick up the remains of their homes. I am so ready to volunteer more now that I'm out of school. (This is my plug for the tornado relief. It will seriously give you a whole new perspective on things if you go out and see and help these people in person. Donations are wonderful, but there are people out there that have still not received assistance in cleaning up all their debris. There were people in Sipsey with signs posted in their yards asking for help. We have a mission field right in our own backyards.)

But the group I was with spent a lot of time on one man's yard. His house was completely gone, and what was left was scattered from its foundation to the woods. But despite losing everything he owned, this man was still praising God. He explained that he was so thankful to be alive and those earthly things meant absolutely nothing. He also told a story from years ago, where he was in a complete freak accident at work and should of died, but God had other plans for him. And now, he's still here and has lived through one of the most deadly tornados in history. Even though he has absolutely nothing left besides the few salvageable things we found for him, he is still praising and glorifying the Lord. He said, "I don't know what it is, but I know he must have some big plans and purpose for me. I haven't figured it out just yet, but I will one day." What an inspiration.

 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33

3. I am thankful for my mother. And not just because it was Mother's Day this Sunday, but sometimes we do need the reminder to show them how much we love and appreciate them. As many times she has embarrassed me or picked on me, I love that woman. She goes above and beyond the role of a mother. She has faced a lot more than some people will see in their entire lifetime, and she still seeks God's guidance and finds the positive in every situation, knowing it is all a part of His timing and plans. I hope to become half the woman she is.

Week 3

I'm a little late posting this, because honestly, this has been one of the most hectic weeks of 2011.
A week ago today, the nation's deadliest tornadoes in history swept through Alabama. As of Sunday evening, 250 have been found dead, 2,219 are either hospitalized or injured, and hundreds are still missing.

1. I am so blessed that all of my family and friends are alive and left unharmed. I had loved ones in all of the affected areas, and for not a single person to be injured is truly a blessing.

2. I am blessed to be apart of school with a true servant heart. Immediately after the devastation, the student body received countless emails from administration of how to  help out. They even had shirts printed up last Friday night for hundreds of us to wear and go out and volunteer Saturday. We are still receiving extensive emails with all the places to volunteer and donate. It is very apparent that our leaders are really putting a lot of effort into gathering and sending out information. Everyone is so eager to help. I'm surrounded by servants. What a blessing.

3. I'm also blessed that SU was left untouched. For us to be surrounded by damage and power outages and to only have a couple of fallen trees is amazing. I've found bits insulation lying all over campus and even outside of my dorm. It literally flew right over us. A lot of our faculty and students were not so fortunate at home, but I am glad to know the school is providing for them. This past week has really reinforced my love and appreciation for this place.

4. I am blessed that I was able to serve as a photographer for the Christian Service Mission Saturday. Seeing all the devastation in Birmingham and back home really put things in perspective. Seeing it all on TV is one thing, but seeing it for yourself, in person, in your own community is life-changing. I saw families' entire lives piled up, broken, ruined, and pushed over to the side of road for them to pick up what remained. I'll let some of the pictures do the talking.

5. I am blessed to have experienced a sense of patriotism like never before. Over the past week, I've gotten to witness our entire state come together and unite. With all the constant battles over football and politics, it was so nice to see us all working together and sacrificing our time and possessions for our neighbors. This week was a perfect depiction of "Sweet Home Alabama." But not only did our state unite, but the country as well. People from all over the country are doing what they can to help out. I came across power trucks from North Carolina, Texas, Michigan, and Illinois while taking pictures this weekend. It is such a warm feeling to see the good that comes from such devastation. 


But just when we thought we had enough news for one week, Osama bin Laden was killed. After 10 long years, our brave and self-sacrificing service men and women found him and brought justice to our country. I was at Worklplay watching Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors peform. Right in the middle of the performance, it was announced that Laden was killed. An overwhelming feeling of patriotism swept through the venue. Immediately afterwards, the sound guy turned Obama's press conference on for all to hear. We all ran to the sound booth and crowded around the small television screen. Even the band rushed over, and I got chills as I witnessed a group of Americans crowding around a 12-inch TV screen watching the biggest news in ten years. It was definitely an unforgettable moment. Just like September 11th, 2011 in Mrs. Eggers' 5th grade classroom, I will always remember this moment. 

Drew Holcomb is sitting in the lower right corner.