A Few Pictures...(and a small update)

Ok....so, yes. I'm engaged! Patrick David Sy Dykes (aka David) will become my husband on March 25th 2006. 4 weeks away! I'm sooo excited! The top two pictures are of David and I. The bottom picture is of me, my brother (Patrick), and my sister (Beth). I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated, so here ya go! I've updated. Let me know how you guys are doing. I miss everyone and hope that you all are doing well! Love you!  

Hey Everyone! Oh my goodness. It has been so long since I've updated and so much has happened since then. I am no longer in New Orleans (obviously). However, it was not because of Hurricane Katrina. About one week after arriving in New Orleans, I got a phone call from a church in Columbus, GA, Cascade Hills Church, saying that they wanted to hire me as their Middle School Ministry Assistant. So, before I even unpacked my luggage in New Orleans, I loaded it all back up and headed back to good ole Georgia. Gosh....I didn't even realize how much I missed this place! So...now, I'm back in GA in the quaint little town of Columbus.  If you wanna see what I've been up to, go to www.cascadehills.com and click on the Ministries Tab. Then, click on Middle School Ministry (Real Momentum). I've been going crazy up here. I have my own workspace in an office with one other Assistant.  I love working here, but I sure do miss my 115 crew. I also have my own apartment that I love to go home to at night. I bought a new car, too: a Subaru Outback. And last, but certaintly not least, I have been dating the most wonderful guy for almost three months now. He's gone for the weekend, so I'm sad, but not for too long! Anyways....give me a shout out and let me know how you guys are.

Ok...so you guys should be so proud of me. Twice in less than one week! So, today is my last day in the good ole MacTown. Boy, am I gonna miss it here. I've been trying to prepare myself for today's events over the past couple of days: Saying goodbye to people, going to a "thank you" party from the youth group, even letting Merry and Hannah spend the night with me last night. But it's just not working. Instead it just seems like I'm working myself up for one giant day of tears. I had a hard enough time hanging out with Merry and Hannah last night without bein even the slightest bit sad. But today will be the end of all the suffering; I mean, let the tears flow.

I've got a lot to do today, but the best part is that I get to take the Drivers out for dinner tonight. And momma and daddy are coming! (Maybe Pat if I'm lucky) Then I get to go to First Wednesday for my last day here in Macon. Such sweet parting!  Dude...I'm gonna miss my church family so much. Sometimes when I think about it, I'm not sure whether this whole internship was a good idea or a bad one. Now that I've gotten so close to this church family for probably one of the last times  , I have to turn around and go dive into a new one in New Orleans for a few years only to turn around and probably go somewhere else. Leaving people that you have grown so close to is probably one of the hardest things in life. But it's all for the glory of the Lord because I know that many seeds have been planted throughout the course of my life.

Ok....enough for now. I need to go because the girls are awake now! Busy, Busy, Busy! That's my life! But a great one at that! I AM BLESSED!

I love all you guys and I'm gonna miss ya'll sooooo much! Please pray for me while I'm in the Big N.O.!

HEY EVERYONE! I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo stinkin' sorry that I haven't updated in like who knows how long, but I had to this time. I have a sixteen year old wanna-be white rapper boy who has been threatening me all summer long to update standing over my shoulder harrassing saying, "If you don't update NOW, I'm REALLY gonna act like the younger brother you never had!" Ok.....so, no, he's not really my brother, but he is one of the many amazingly wonderful youth that I had the blessing to serve this summer! I really did have an amazing summer and I have learned so much from these guys. Everything from just hanging out at the church to Summer Camp road trips to Alabama and Tennessee! These students truly have rocked my socks off.

Speaking of, today is my last day "officially" on the job.  And I've been sitting at this computer making a power point presentation all day long. I am going to stinkin' miss these kids! I love them so much and I have been blessed by each and every one of them. I wish I could say something about each of them by name, but I know that I would leave many out due to lack of space and my clumsy forgetfulness. Ok...so, if you really wanna know all about my summer, you'll just have to call me and find out!

As for all of my New Orleans peeps, I'm coming home in about a week. I should be there by Saturday or Sunday. So, give me a call and let me know what you guys are up to. I've missed ya'll. And just for those who are dying to know, I will be living in the dorm this semester. So, come by and visit some time!

115 Students:  I'M GOING TO MISS YOU GUYS SO MUCH. I LOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. KEEP IN TOUCH.

Ok....so, yes...I'm posting twice in one day, but I just finished spending some time with God and I must say that I am truly amazed at what he has been teaching me. Over the past few days, I have truly realized what it means to simply "be" and "remain" in Christ. Many times we get so caught up in the "things" and "laws" that we must obey in order to become a man or woman after God's own heart. But after reading my devotional and a book entitled, Captivating, I have quickly learned that it is not always our rigid rules and strict "codes" that provide us with what we need. We often become so completely overwhelmed by the many "laws" that we are encouraged to abide by and obey through the church, bible studies, and even simply our own interpretations of the Bible itself, that we don't realize the ture mystery behind God and the working of the Holy Spirit. Now, I'm not saying that we must give up on the things which lead to the beautification and strengthening of our hearts, souls, and minds in Christ, but we also need to realize that the Holy Spirit and God are always at work within us. Check this out:

"In his book, Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster compares our walk with God to a wheat farmer. In order to bring in a harvest, a farmer must do certain things: plow the field, plant the seed, fertilize the seedlings, pull out the weeds, and kill the bugs. These are all essential parts of farming, but there's one thing the farmer can't do: make the wheat grow. In the same way, you and I have responsibility to do certain things to prepare ourselves: pray, read the Scriptures, memorize verses, spend time with people who influence us to be holy, worship and so on. But only the Holy Spirit himself can make the life of Christ flow in our hearts and change our desires. It is a great mystery of the faith that God would even want to hang out with sinners like you and me, but he does. Not only that, he wants to use us to reach other people with his wonderful truth and love... The good news for you and me is that God is at work in us. The Spirit of God is convicting, encouraging, strengthening, and comforting us. You don't need to wonder if it's happening. It is! Our task is to notice the Spirit's work, to be sensitive to his voice, and to follow his leading."

Great stuff, huh? Well...It sure was amazing for me to realize that. Allow God to use you simply by just being who God made you to be. Don't try to be someone you aren't by making a list of rules or a "code of don'ts". Let the Holy Spirit guide you. Here's one more thing before I go that I found in Captivating about an argument between the North Wind and the Sun:

"The North Wind and the Sun had an argument one day. They disputed which of them was the stronger. A traveler came along the road at that time, and the Sun suggested a way to resolve the argument. Whoever was able to cause the traveler to remove his coat would be the stronger. The Wind accepted the challenge and the Sun hid himself behind a cloud. The Wind began to blow. Yet the harder he blew, the more the traveler clutched his coat about himself. The Wind sent rain, even hail. The traveler clung even more desperately to his coat. Finally, in despair, the Wing gave up. The Sun came out and began to shine in all his glory upon the traveler. Quite soon the man had removed his coat. 'How did you do that?' asked the Wind. 'It was easy,' said the Sun, 'I lit the day. Through gentleness I got my way.'" ("The North Wind and the Sun")

Moral to the story: So often we try hard to be something we aren't or to make things happen that we simply can't make happen. Most of the time, if we just relax and shine in all of God's glory, we will have our way through Christ's gentleness!

~Em <><