Week 1 in Estes Park!

Well, I have been in Estes Park for a week now and it has been incredible! I’m not going to lie, there have been a few rough points along the way, but I feel like that is to be expected. All of the emotions hit me at once {of course, typical girl}as I was walking back to my room one afternoon. I began to think about all of the things I would miss; my friends bridal shower, Father’s day, Fourth of July, my sister’s birthday and about a million other things that came flooding to my mind. But at that exact instance, I looked up to the mountains and God gently reminded me, “You are here for a reason and you are exactly where you are supposed to be.” Wow. God sure knows how to comfort his children. My parents have also been an incredible support system for me this first week as I am getting adjusted to my job and continue to settle in Estes Park. Who knew I had such wise parents? {seriously they are the best!}

This week has been one learning experience after another. The first one being about my friends. I always knew I had incredible friends, but this week has made me even more aware of that fact. I’ve had friends wish me good luck on my first day, text me about what I’ve been up to, and even call just to chat about life {the service is terrible here so don’t take it personal if I never get your call or call back!}. It is incredible to know what supportive friends God has blessed me with. I don’t think they will ever fully understand how much their texts and calls have truly meant to me. Having friends that can rejoice with you is the best! Another learning experience that I’ve had is having to eating alone. When I typed that it makes it sound way worse and way more sad than it actually is. It is kind of nice to be at that point where I can sit alone and be content and secure. With that being said, I have met some incredible people here and don’t have to eat alone anymore, thank goodness! {although it is nice to know I can sit by myself and be fine, I would rather talk and eat with other people!} I’ve also learned not to underestimate myself. So many times I think, “There is no way I can do that,” or “I can’t accomplish that,” but God has reminded me that I can. I’m the worst when it comes to doubting myself, and God has already been working on my heart about not believing the lies.

While here at the Y, I’ve gotten to make quite a few friends from basically any state you could name. I have yet to meet a single person from Oklahoma! The people here are absolutely incredible and as sweet as can be. At night after we all get off work, we will play cards or watch a game or a movie that is on TV. My roommate Emily and I went hiking around Bear Lake and up to Alberta Falls last Thursday. It was an absolute blast. A majority of the trails were still covered in snow, so that made it interesting since I was wearing tennis shoes with no traction whatsoever. At one point my leg fell into about 3 feet of snow, but it was pretty comical. The view from the top was incredible and the hike up there wasn’t as difficult as I suspected it may be. However, the hike down was much more difficult. The hike down from the falls was more uphill then downhill {which I’m not sure how that worked}, and the altitude made my breathing sound like I had just ran a marathon or something. But we made it to the bottom and were laughing and talking the whole time! If this week is any indication of what the summer holds, I know it will be a summer I will never forget.

"...your mountain is waiting so get on your way."

It is kind of crazy how God works. Three weeks ago I had absolutely no idea where I would be this summer or what I would be doing. One Wednesday morning I was going through my quiet time in Matthew 7 and finishing up The Sermon on the Mount. As I was sipping on my coffee and beginning to read, I started the passage about Ask, Seek, Knock. I immediately felt convicted. So many times I ask, but I leave it at that. I ask for wisdom or guidance, yet I do not seek it. It says that, “the one who seeks, will find.” Immediately I began praying that I would not just ask, but that I would actively seek; actively seek what God’s plan was for me during this time of limbo and actively seek Him and His heart for me as well. I remember saying, “This is what I ask, and now I am seeking it.”

After this, I went to my Spanish class, just like I did every morning. For some reason I decided to peek down at my phone during class and I noticed an e-mail. I did a double-take when I saw that it was from the YMCA of the Rockies. I immediately opened the e-mail and began reading. About two lines in I saw the words, ‘we are offering you the internship.’ I immediately grabbed my phone, hopped out of my chair, and ran out of class to call my mom {which is normally what I do when I get any exciting news!}. I could not believe that just a few hours earlier I had been praying about actively seeking what God had for me, and that I then knew what God had for me. I was completely overwhelmed with joy and gratitude and pretty much any happy emotion you could think of! However, most of all, I was in complete awe of what a wonderful King and Savior I serve. I was reminded of the song ‘No Longer Slaves.’ The chains of fear I had about my plans for the summer were broken and he drowned those fears in His perfect love. I am a child of God and He provides to those who ask and reveals His plans to those who seek.

So now you may be asking, “What is the blog for?” Well there are a couple of reasons, one of them being my sanity. Being able to just write out my thoughts and feelings and what I will learn during this time will be so helpful and lots of fun. Secondly, I know that my grandma and my mom {probably the only people who will actually read this} are going to want to keep up with me on the reg, even when I may not be able to talk as often or as much as they would like. Also, I love to write, so this is kind of a creative outlet for me to do that! So as the summer begins and my time in Colorado begins in just a few short days, I will post about things I’ve learned or fun adventures that I know I will get to go on! I can’t wait to see what this time holds and get to share it with y’all {especially you, mom and grandma.}!