It has been a year since I wrote--I even forgot my pen name on this site until recently a friend asked me about the name! A lot has happened that deserves mentioning. God has just blessed me more than I could ever have imagined.
May of last year I was at home gearing up for a summer at the Christian camp in MT called Trail's End Ranch. I love that place! Last summer was my second year working on staff there and I am really missing it this summer now that I have a full time job and can't go. There are a lot of good memories of last summer. Ironically, it was probably the hardest summer of my life!
I had invited a friend to apply for the worship leader's position early in the year because I didn't think I'd have the funds to go to camp. When I ended up going it was a little odd for me because I was so used to doing the other job; instead I was working in the kitchen. I volunteered to do whatever the camp directors needed most, and that was it. The work was enjoyable and the other kitchen staff were loads of fun. The early to late hours and non-stop workload was the hard part. But I also was able to teach music classes each day. That is something I love anyways but it also let me be more involved with the campers than I would have been if I had only worked in the kitchen. The very last week of camp I was able to take a break from the kitchen and lead worship--the other leader had to leave early--and also be a counselor for several high school girls. I was so blessed to get to know them and see several of them saved or ministered to that week.
I did have a lot of relational challenges that summer. One challenge was that a friend back in Chicago and I had been talking about starting a relationship, but at camp I didn't feel peace about the situation at all and told him no. I thank God for that, because while he is a godly young man, I see now that we are going in two quite different directions in life. Because of God's blessing of wisdom in that situation we were able to handle it so that our friendship didn't suffer at all.
After summer camp I had just enough money to pay off my debt to Moody for the spring semester. I didn't know if they would let me back since I was not able to make the first payment for the fall semester yet. But I had a standing job at Jimmy John's back in Chicago, so I traveled back, stayed with a friend, and 'stormed Moody's gates' the day of classes hoping to be allowed to register and get a room assigned to me. Praise God there was one room left! Sadly, the other Lindsey who had been living in that room the previous semester had unexpectedly not been able to return. But it seemed kind of appropriate that another Lindsey should come and fill the space. I was blessed with two lovely room mates, one of which is now my best friend.
April and I got along famously, even though we are rather different in a lot of ways. She really needed me that semester and I really needed a friend like her. So God's faithfulness to provide for our emotional and relational needs was just so evident in that friendship. Sadly I was only able to stay there for a month before Moody 'kicked me out' as the students like to say, but they were actually much ore gracious than that expression sounds. I stayed with a friend again for a few days trying to decide whether I should stay in Chicago by renting an apartment and working at my JJ's job full time or if I should fly back down to Texas where my family are and try to get a job there. My pastor encouraged me to stay and a lady in my church offered to rent me her extra room for a very fair price.
So I took the step of faith and stayed. A few weeks later I had the full time job of my dreams, was able to quit my JJ's job, and by mid-December I was moved into my own apartment ten minutes away from the family that I nanny for. I became independent almost overnight, it seemed. I certainly had not expected to be living on my own, paying for all of my expenses, including college classes, by the time I was 21. College and dorm life seemed so far away. Almost like I had graduated and was doing grad school. (I wish!) But actually I'm a sophomore still.
Now, almost seven months later, my apartment is furnished by so many kind people's gifts and hand-me-downs, my finances are wonderful even though I can't seem to find a budgeting system that works, the family I work for have become like family to me, and I'm well on my way to finishing school in a year's time through distance learning and CLEP tests. Not only are all of those logistics working out beautifully, I have been blessed with new friends and church family to fellowship with every weekend. So many needs are being met by these friends--I can't begin to tell you how much joy they bring to me--and I thank God for them every time I think of them. He has so overabundantly provided for all of my needs.
In the midst of all of these changes I have been able to take a little time apart of work and hammer out a first draft of my book. Its been an interesting process. I see the hand of God in a lot of the situations that encouraged me to get started and helped me over the bumps along the way. Its only a first draft, but just finishing the story was exciting enough. So now I am trying to get some good revising done on it so I can send it off to a publisher by the end of the year! God has been so faithful. Praise Him, praise Him!
