How I Decided To Go To AIM

Hello there everybody! This is really exciting! Right now I am in New Mexico with my mom and my older sister. They are helping me get all ready for my move. I just wanted to give you a little background on this last year of my life.
This year has been a big one for me. In May of '08 I moved out of my parent's house and into my older sister Casey's in NM. I spent the summer being a nanny to my little niece Cadence. the summer really helped me to transition to living on my own. In august I moved to Montana State University in Bozeman MT. I made some awesome friends there. Among them, Jacob Dorton and Christopher Ketchem. Jake and Chris were constantly talking about their experiences in the Adventures In Missions program in Texas. It seamed to me that the experience was life changing for them but at that point missions was the farthest thing from my mind. My first semester was a little rocky, as is to be expected, but I was supported by the wonderful campus group from the Bozeman Church of Christ. I was working my way through some core classes and I had decided that I was going to declare a major in photography the next year. However, God had other plans. Although I had basically decided on photography I was still struggling with the question of what I needed to do with my life and what impact that I was to have on the world for Jesus. One night in particular, at the beginning of my second semester, I was in the laundry room in my dorm. I was just having some quiet time and I remember asking God to show me His plans for me and help me to trust Him to carry them through. I don't know what prompted me to but I typed "AIM" into google. As I read through the web cite, the questions that I had been asking God were answered almost word for word. I emailed AIM and asked them to send me an application. And so began my journey.
For the next week I prayed about what I needed to do. I shared my dilemma with Jake and Chris, and they were both ecstatic that I was considering AIM. One night after small group Bible study, Jake and his wife Stephanie took me out to coffee to talk about AIM. When we got our coffee and sat down Jake looked at me and said " You are gonna do it aren't you?" and right then I knew that it was what I needed to do. That night Jake drove me to my parents house to tell them my decision. Ever since then the pieces have all fallen together to get me here. The most amazing thing was the money. I was really worried about raising my support. I sent out about a hundred letters to friends and family but in the middle of July I had only heard back from a few people and I didn't have nearly enough support. I just decided that I needed to let it go and let God provide. The next Sunday was pledge Sunday at my home church in Livingston. My church is relatively small, we usually have about 70 regular attendees on Sundays. On pledge Sunday my tiny little church raised almost ALL of the monthly support that I need while I am in Texas! What a blessing! The Lord has a way of humbling us to the point that all we can do is trust Him and then He fills our cup, pressed down an shaken together, overflowing with Joy.
I am beyond excited to embark on this adventure! I hope that I can be a blessing to others while I stretch and grow in the glory of His grace!