I'm welcomed back with open arms.

Hello all!
It's been quite sometime since I blogged. I apologize because I wrote in my last entry that I would summarize my journey but the truth is, coming back to my "normal" life means I'm coming back to being busy. As soon as debrief was over with MTW, I had only a week to be at home before I was at band camp for the Auburn University Marching Band. And as soon as that ended, school started, and that led to football season beginning. Which leads me to today. This has, without a doubt, been my busiest and most stressful year. I'm juggling school, band, my music sorority, working at a frozen yogurt place, and doing my various extra activities, like RUF and being with friends. Things like blogs have been put on hold because I'm not getting a grade on a blog, or will be late to a blog. My classes are all very demanding and the worst part is the stress that comes with these classes. But, God always wins over my tired heart. My title to this blog is called "I'm welcomed back with open arms" because every thing that has happened in this short semester so far has pointed me back to God's open arms. I am adored by Him. Recently, I had to interview with about 45 other girls for a select cohort into the College of Education at Auburn. I was pleased with my job, however, I was so nervous about what would happen if I didn't get in. So many questions ran through my head that caused me to doubt God's good plan for my life. When I realized what I was doing, I turned to see peace and comfort waiting for me. God knows that I worry about money and my future and if I'll ever be happy. What he wants me to do is rest. And that's something I've learned over the years I don't do very well. Kenya 2011 taught me to believe that God will always take care of me, even when money is tight and life is busy. Coming back home from Kenya, I sometimes wonder if God taught me these lessons because He knew that life in school, as a junior trying to figure out the last half of college, would be so difficult.
My family has been so supportive, doing everything from praying constantly to being patient with me as I vent using tones of frustrations onto them to writing blogs that encourage me to be real. I love them so much and I know that my walk with the Lord has a lot to do with how I've seen them walk. I'm going to end this blog early, mostly because of an early morning tomorrow, but I want to end with a verse that speaks to my heart:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." -Is. 43:1

-V