Oh Happy Day...

Hello blog world. :)

So, I'm getting better. The last time I blogged, I had been missing from the blog world for over 2 years. This time, I've only been gone for 10 months! ((((High-Five!))))

My sister has started blogging, so she inspired me to jump back into it. I think what I'm going to do is write about the things I'm learning. Sometimes, blogging is difficult to me because... I don't want to get wrapped up in talking about things that aren't productive. Ya know? So, I'm going to process what I'm learning. Cool? ok. cool.

I'm 6 weeks in to the semester. It's my 4th year teaching. Looking back, I can see a lot has changed since my first year. Mainly, I'm thinking about my skills (or lack there of) when it comes to teaching. :) Not to put myself down, but man... I was a mess my first year. My second year too for that matter. Honestly, I think one of the main things I've learned about teaching is that kids need discipline. I've seen such a huge change in the way my students respect me and the subject I teach since I've laid the hammer down. It's not been easy, but learning how to disciple in love has completely changed my classroom. It's taken 4 years, but I finally feel like I might be getting the hang of this. I know God has been using me since the first day I stepped on campus, but I also know that he has been refining me too.

Another thing I'm learning a lot about is finances. (((((((bleeehhhhhhhhh))))))) Being an adult is so rough. I'm learning a lot though. Budgeting is the hardest thing I've ever done. (Sorry, I know that's dramatic.) I want to be a better steward of the wealth and the gifts I've been blessed with. I don't think I've done a good job in that. Pray for me?

On another note... Katie Hooper... I miss you. Come back to Atlanta?

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. Is it strange that I always seem to blog around Thanksgiving? idk. It looks like we are all getting together on my Mom's side of the family in TN this year. Bree is married now, so that's exciting. I'm looking forward to playing Apples to Apples and making videos of my nephews. The food should be good too... maybe some test runs with the famous Christmas fudge? Hope so.

As for now, theres still a while till Thanksgiving break, so I need to keep my head out of the clouds. School is going great and God is working in the lives of my students and in mine too. I have seen a major change in the Senior High student body. Jesus is definitely working. It's truly exciting.

Here's a little treat for ya. My Asian cutie. It's been the best 5 months I've ever had... He has blessed my life. This is after we climbed Stone Mountain last weekend. I know we look normal, but we were crazy tired. #champs.

May the Joy of the Lord be your strength.

Love~ Jess

Time Flys

It's been 2 years.

I haven't written in 2 years.

Let's be real though... I only made this blog so I could read Katie Hooper's blog.

I'll go ahead and update the world though... For fun.so it's my 3rd year teaching High School, and I couldn't love it more. I was made for this. I love my students, the faculty, the mission opportunities... I even love living in Atlanta. God has been so good to me.

I've been attending Passion City Church for the past year, and I really feel like I'm home there. I've been working with the K-5 kids and so I've become more a part of the community. Plus, it's nice to be with little kids after being around high schoolers all week. It's quite refreshing really.

In other news, my twin sister in engaged. I'm crazy excited for her. I love Mike, her fiancé. He loves the Lord, and he love her. Im just really grateful for how God has blessed her life. She just finished massage therapy school and got a great job. They are getting married in June.

I'm getting to do a lot of traveling this year, which I'm very excited about. I'm going to Mexico to see my sponsor son, Jose de Jesus, for Thanksgiving. Then in February I'm going to Greece for a week with a mission trip from my school. Then I'm headed back to Mexico for spring break to see my boy. How did I get this amazing life? I've been asking myself lately... How did I get to be so blessed?

Oh ya, I'm also a God-Mother now. I have 2 godsons, Josiah and Noah. They are 6& 1 year old.

Turkey Day in Dogville

It's time for a holiday... so naturally I went home to see my family. Well, with 73 dogs... as Jesse McCartney would say, "how do you sleep?"

I was so excited to see the fam... have some laughs, eat some good food... ya know, just chill for a bit. And it was good. It was. We played games and laughed a lot... it was just horribly distracting to have literally 70 dogs running around barking, and making a mess everywhere. I mean, Mom and Aunt Sally are doing the best they know how to... with kennels and such. It's just too much. I feel kinda bad but I couldn't stay there any longer. After Thanksgiving, I hitched a ride to Memphis. It was too crazy loud to even talk to my sister sitting on the couch next to me. No joke. And the thing is, I know Mom didn't want a dog shelter in her house. They just need to learn to say no when people bring them dogs. But what do I know?

So here I am, back at the Hinton's house with my puppy. And here we are, sitting with our laptops, like old times. good stuff.

They love Mei. L.O.V.E her. no surprise there though. Who doesn't?

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at Highland. Can't wait.

ATL life

They call me Ms.Terry...

So I've been teaching at Greater Atlanta Christian School for a couple months now... and I must say, it's been quite a learning experience. First of all, I love my kids. The kids that I teach are so diverse and I've learned so much from them. The second week of school, at the Spiritual Retreat I was given the honor of baptizing one of my students, Hannah Holdridge, into Christ. That's just how the year started off... and it's gotten better every day. I get to talk to my kids about my Lord and hear about their questions and see them grow. It's pretty much the best job I could have. Not to mention, 2 of my best friends in the world teach at my school. Sandy and Derek are both amazing teachers as well as friends. Also, I finally got a puppy. :) Mei is my baby girl and I am crazy about her. I really do love my life here.

So much has happened in the past few months and I haven't been blogging, but I'm going to start keeping up with it again. I need an outlet to process and reflect, and I also need to know that someone is praying specifically about what I'm living... ya know?

Well... anyhow...

I'm crazy busy with grading and stuff but I need to go to bed. The mornings come quickly around here so Mei and I are off to sleep.

Praying for Baby Jayden... Lord I know you are the Healer and the Protector and I trust in your hands!

Praying for GRG this weekend.... I'm coming home Sugar Land!!

Love you.

Camp of the Hills stole my heart.

I just had the most incredible week.

I took my 8th and 9th graders to Camp of the Hills in Marble Falls, TX last week. We were the volunteer staff for the session, and had the privilege of cooking, serving and cleaning up after every meal of the week. Three times a day, for 200+ people, we worked in the kitchen. It was so much fun. 

CotH is a camp for inner city kids. They bus them into the Hill Country and give them an experience of a lifetime. They get to be loved on like never before, and they see Jesus. The counselors at CotH were dedicated to serving the kids and teaching them about the Lord's love and new life in Christ alone. I was really impressed by this camp's mission. I'm even thinking about possibly working as a counselor there next summer. I felt so at home there. 

Oh ya... I also got married to the camp director while I was there... (good story... I'll tell you later.) Good times. :)

On another note...

I'm freaking out a bit. 

I'm moving to Atlanta in 2 weeks. 

2 weeks.

That's craziness.

I've got so much to do before I leave... Lock-in's, One more mission trip, so many people to spend time with, projects to finish, and not to mention... packing up. 

Then I start working at GAC in ATL on July 29th. How crazy is THAT?

My heart is breaking as I think about leaving here. I've grown to love it here at First Colony... and I have fallen in love with my kids... and so many friends. God has blessed my life here. How do I say goodbye? How do I thank these people for all that they have taught me, all that they have given me? 

My heart is breaking,  but I'm always excited about what the future holds for me in Atlanta. God has provided for me life, once again, in a huge way... with a job thats better than anything I could have imagined. in 3 weeks, I'll be Ms.Terry... a High School Bible Teacher at Greater Atlanta Christian School. I'll be living with my best friend, and only 4 hours from my family. God has been for faithful... and I wish I knew how to thank Him. 

The Lord is my Shepherd

I shall not be in want

He makes me lie down in green pastures

He leads me beside still waters

He restores my soul

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his names sake

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

I will fear no evil

For you are with me

Your rod, and your staff, they comfort me

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies

You anoint my head with oil

My cup overflows!

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever!

(Psalm 23)

Getting ready for a marathon.

The next couple months are freaking me out... just. thinking. about. them.

In 30 days, I'll be moving to Atlanta, GA... to start my new job as a High School Bible Teacher and Campus Minister. It's so bitter sweet to think about. I am so torn... 

I don't want to leave the people I love. Sugar Land has been my home for almost a year. I've fallen in love with my kids... and with First Colony in general. How is it ever easy to leave people that you love? I hate it more than anything. I feel like I'm torn into pieces when I have to do this. Especially leaving Katie and Trisha. I don't know what my life is going to be like without them. I know they will just be a text message away... but I know things are going to change. Change is so weird... because I know there will be great things that will come of my move... but I also know that it's going to hurt really badly to be ripped away from these people that I've grown so close to. 

On the other side, I know that being in Atlanta is going to be an incredible time to get to grow in ministry and in new friendships. I'm looking forward to living with my childhood best friend... and working as a Bible Teacher EVERYDAY! I'm also looking forward to having a more stable schedule. I mean... lets be real... my schedule right now, as a youth minister, is pretty all over the place. I don't have weekends.... and I barely have time to have friends by own age. I'm also looking forward to being closer to the fam. 4 hours away is gonna be such a piece of cake. 

God's timing is so evident in the way all of this went down. 

This is the deal... 

My last day at First Colony is July 22nd... and I'm planning on driving to ATL on the 25th with Derek (thank God he will be riding with me!).

My first "work day" at GAC is on July 30th. 

I'll work on teacher prep stuff and moving in and stuff... and then 

I'm flying to Little Rock to meet up with my best friends for the weekend. (We havent been all together in over a year.)

Then... on Monday...

SCHOOL STARTS!

The kids start school on August 3rd!!! 

I'm going to be "Ms.Terry" on August 3rd. Is that not INSANE?!!!

Ya... thats fast. 

I'm pretty freaked out about it. 

I'm pretty excited too. 

I know this is what I'm meant to do. I have complete peace about it.... and I'm so grateful. God has been so good to me... I can't even put into words... how Faithful he has been. 

Summer is crazy.

I need to sleep.

Camp of the Hills is next week.

Big deal mission trip.

I'm taking my 8th & 9th graders.

Pray for us ok?

Thanks. 

Peace and Love

Change go'n come.

Basically, I haven't had time to breathe, let alone blog. Whoops. Let's remedy that. 

So the winds of change are filling my backyard, and I've got questions up the freakin' wah-zoo. My job situation is coming along, and I'm quite amazed at how things are falling into place. The thing is, I've got two things falling into place, and don't know if I'm choosing correctly. Or really, is there a "correct" choice at all? 

Choice # 1) The principal at a really great private school called me a couple weeks ago, and asked me to apply for a teaching position that is not even officially open yet, so that I would be sure to have a good shot at the job. whoa.  My childhood best friend, Sandy, teaches at this school, and so does my college buddy, Derek. The job would start in the Fall, which is when my internship ends here. Yeah, that's legit.

Choice #2) The Super-intendant at a private school here in Houston called me last week, and asked me to come in this week to discuss the possibility of being their first ever, Female Chaplain.  Yeah, amazing. I'd basically be the Female youth minister for the school. Incredible. The job would start in August as well. 

AHHHHHH!!! 

Please pray for discernment, and God's control in my life. 

Here am I, Send me.

Spring Break was crazy busy. It wasn't really a break at all. The only thing that the word break conjures up is the torn feeling I've been having in my right shoulder. I don't know, but I think all the photography I've been doing has started to mess with my shoulder. Is that silly? I mean, I for real can't figure out what else could have caused this pain. Luckily, I live with the most generous family, and they are sending me to a physical therapist to get it checked out. (I don't deserve the life I live.)

We did a ton with the youth group over break, and Travis and I are thoroughly exhausted. I am glad to say though, that we got the next two days off. (YAHOO!)

So I'll write more later... 

But as for now,

I'm on my way to dream of the beach and gelato ice cream. 

Yes please.

Night friends.