closing 2007

As 2008 begins and I remember 2007.... I refer to the ultimate guide for life: An email forward...

Where did you begin 2007?
Urbana Missions Conference in St. Louis with 22,000

What was your status on Valentine's Day?
single. Now stop asking.

Were you in school (anytime this year)?
For the first time in a long time, NO.

How did you earn your money?
various part-time jobs (house cleaning, activities department at a nursing home, Borders/Seattle’s Best Coffee) and finally coming to Japan to teach English.

Where did you go on vacation?
many travels (St. Louis, road trips through Indiana; Colorado Springs and Denver; Japan-Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka) but nothing I would call “vacation.”

What did you purchase over $1000?
plane ticket to Japan

Did you know anybody who got married?
a handful

Was anyone born?
Ruthie VanDeVoorde (daughter of Mike and Emily) is the one who comes to mind first. She’s a wonderful gift from God.

Did you move anywhere?
I moved back home to Clarksville, TN for half of the year and then moved to Kobe, Japan.

How did you celebrate your birthday?
I was in Colorado Springs for a language training seminar. I had rum raisin ice cream in a small town ice cream shop with some new friends.

Are you registered to vote?
Yes, but I need to figure out the absentee voting thing.

What was your favorite movie of 2007?
Little Miss Sunshine

Be honest - did you watch American Idol?
YES! I totally got sucked in for the first time. Not ashamed of it either!

Did you get sick this year?
A couple times since coming to Japan-I guess from the stress.

What’s one thing you thought you'd never do but did in 2007?
Find such comfort and peace in moving back home with my parents. My parents have dogs and I learned that puppy therapy is good stuff. I’ve never wanted a dog for a pet before now.

What has been your favorite moment of the year?
Coming through the doors of customs in Japan and seeing a group of people there to welcome me to my new home.

What’s something you learned about yourself?
I learned that I have a lot more determination than I thought I had.

What was your worst month?
Around June I thought my dream for Japan was over. I cried a lot of tears in that month.

What was your best month?
August-the commissioning service in Akron, IN was SO encouraging. My friends gathered and told stories from my life. I felt so much love and affirmation.

Overall, how would you rate this year?
Every year shows me more and more of myself—the good and the ugly. I’m thankful for God’s grace.