To My Dearest Nanny..

Loosing a family member is the hardest thing I have ever experienced in my whole life. This loss within my family was extremely expedited. I was hoping that it didn't come so soon because I feared the pain I felt until yesterday. Yesterday, I received closure on the passing of my Nanny. The heartbreak I once felt has now been replaced with peace. The Lord has His ways of doing things and trusting him means that I trust his plans. So thankful for Jesus' perfect timing. Please continue to pray for my family as we navigate unknown waters and that we continue to feel comforted that her separation from us now is not final. Jesus couldn't have picked a better person to be waiting for us as we enter the pearly white gates of heaven later in life. Today I rejoice in the fact that one day I will be reunited with her. We will miss her so much. We love you Nanny & promise to take care of Pop.

Below is the eulogy I spoke at the funeral. 

Good Morning, my name is Anna Kate and I am the oldest of the 8 great grandchildren. Nanny has 8 great grandchildren- myself and my two sisters, Lily and Megan, and cousins, Trip, Bradley, Eric, Sammie, and Trey and we all love her so dearly.
Today I have the greatest honor of reflecting on the extremely happy life of my Nanny. It has always been and still will be one of my greatest joys to say that I have great grandparents, especially for someone of my age. Although her years outnumbered mine, I will forever cherish the time we have spent together over the past 18 years.

When I reflect on her life, I can’t help but think of the things she loved

Nanny loved our great grandfather, Pop

Nanny was a lover of Christmas and the color yellow

She loved to travel

She loved to plan ahead

And was also a lover of Jesus

Nanny loved to travel and that is a trait that she has passed on to all of her grand children and great grandchildren. It was one of her greatest passions, and she enjoyed it even more when travelling with the Joy Club from Alpharetta First Baptist or her family.  Over the past 8 years, Nanny led our family adventures to many destinations throughout the country on many different cruises. Nanny loved the color yellow and she represented the color well. When I think of yellow, I think something that brightens up a room or immediately makes people smile, and Nanny did exactly that. On a bad day she could make me smile. In some of the most recent times I spent with her and Pop, I would sit across from their recliner chairs asking them about what they had done during the day. Often times it wasn’t much, but on a special occasion she would start telling a story from the past- the lady had an incredible memory for the past! What she didn’t know about her story telling was that it reflected the way she made people smile. She wore yellow all the time, whether it was a yellow top, jacket, or pants. She brightened up any room she was in. She loved yellow so much that he whole formal living room is yellow!!

Nanny was a lover of Christmas. Although she didn’t think they were tacky, she loved wearing tacky Christmas sweaters on Christmas day. I will miss laughing at those sweaters this holiday season. Along with that love, came shopping, which is why I am convinced my shopping love is genetic! She and my mom would go on secretive holiday shopping trips that always ended up in the until this past year, off limits wrapping room that was full of surprises all because everything looked so great she had to buy it all.

Nanny was a great planner. She planned out everything from the meals we shared together as a family to some things that are present today at her funeral. When we visited her in the hospital last week, she told us all about the party she was having on Saturday. She frequently reminded us that we needed 20 rib eye steaks, coincidentally enough for our whole family, mashed potatoes, and salad. She was also very adamant that my dad not worry about the yard, but more importantly the party.
We will miss her this Thanksgiving as Lily tries to fill big shoes and attempts to make Nanny’s classic cornbread straight from “seasoned” caste iron skillet, her Christmas spirit will be missed this holiday season, and I will miss her earthly presence as I graduate this spring.

Nanny was a faithful follower of Jesus and that was extremely evident in the way she loved Alpharetta First Baptist Church. The evident happiness in her life was reflective of the joy Jesus filled her with.  I am so thankful that Nanny’s belief in Jesus grants her a life in heaven and her joyful spirit will continue to be with us.

Nanny will continue to live on in my life. Every time I walk into Nanny and Pop’s, I am reminded of her spirit because of her yellow family room- the room representing the way she lit up our family. Her spirit and kind heart will live on in my life all thanks to the way she loved me and other friends and family.

Thank you all so much for being here with us today as we celebrate Nanny’s life and cherish the memories we all have with her.

(Haiti)ing that We're not There

I promised a series about blessings and I'm not forgetting about it, but I cannot let an opportunity pass to share what's heavy on my heart.

A 2 hour and 48 minute plane ride away, a completely different climate, and way different culture is Haiti. On an island with the Dominican Republic is an extremely poor country that is still struggling to recover from an earthquake. Although governmental unity may appear to be lacking, Jesus' presence is definitely not.

I had the privilege of serving this weekend on my second international mission trip. I've been praying since the summer that Jesus' uses us in big ways over a short period of time. We spent exactly 58 hours in Haiti and I truly believe the Lord used us exactly how He planned to do so.

I can barely contain my excitement as I write this all out because I am SO excited about the potential we have as a school to make a difference in a place that seems so foreign.
One of the major things that Haiti and King's Ridge have in common is the faith in Jesus' plans for our lives and that was very evident this weekend.

Our adventure this weekend was all thanks due to Luke101. The mission statement is "to support groups and individuals working to spread the Gospel of Christ around the world." Doing just as they say they will, Luke101 supports 3 local Haitian pastors who are working to spread the Gospel in Haiti. Pepe, Alix, and Jusme are all faithful to the Lord's plans for their lives.

Soccer teams in Haiti, especially the ones coached by Alix, Jusme, and Pepe, are a major privilege and honor. Students selected to be on this team are leaders within their communities, consistent school goers, and faithful followers of the church. Over the weekend, we were able to hand out cleats to 2 teams that are fully sponsored by families or groups here in the United States.

On Sunday morning we went to a church in Canaan. Canaan is a community all situated on a mountain. The lady who started the church prayed at the site of the church and felt that Jesus had called her to have a church there. Lots of prayers later she decided to build it, if she built it, people would come. We experienced Sunday morning church at a local Haitian church and it was one of the highlights of the trip. At Canaan, we handed out 2 bags of rice and beans to the congregation and challenged the people to invite someone to church and bless them with the 2nd bag of rice and beans. All of that was extremely powerful, but the part we're still thinking about today is the fact that the community's children had an hour walk down the hill to school. There has to be something we can do about that. Building a school might seem completely ridiculous, but it is so possible!!

Above are 2 ways that we could make a major different in the communities in Haiti.

As you reflect and consider where you want to serve this year, consider all that I've told you. Haiti along with many other places have great potential for impact this year. Pray that Jesus calls you wherever He wants you to go and follow him. Join KR in serving through Luke101 in Haiti.

God be Praised for...

King's Ridge Christian School.....

While King’s Ridge has been one of my greatest blessings for the past 10 years I know that God’s presence has been one of King’s Ridge’s biggest blessings. He has been faithful and providing blessings among King’s Ridge Christian School since the grocery store days. The community at King’s Ridge has been faithful in praying for God to bless the students, faculty, and staff.

I feel like God has blessed King’s Ridge the most at Convocation at the beginning of the year. I feel God’s blessings upon our school when we are all crowded in the gym when Mr. Rhodes talks about the accomplishments of our students and the growth of our community and campus. The distinct time I remember being blessed by King’s Ridge students and staff was this past year when I struggled to support a friend in throughout a hard time. During this emotional time, friends that King’s Ridge has blessed me with surrounded me and I couldn’t be more thankful for them. The faculty and staff surrounded me and uplifted me and attempted to give me answers to the unanswerable questions. Mr. Arnold, thank you for being a blessing to me and trying to give me answers for questions that aren’t always answerable. I appreciate you and acknowledge the way the Lord plans to use as a blessing.

God has blessed King’s Ridge Christian School with those willing to donate in order to grow our campus. God has blessed King’s Ridge with a faithful community who believe in Him. God has blessed King’s Ridge with confident leaders like Mr. Rhodes and Mr. McCown. God has blessed King’s Ridge with a growing student population that is becoming incredibly diverse. God has blessed King’s Ridge with trustees and founders who believe in His plans for our school. God has blessed King’s Ridge with friends like Callan and Patrick who challenge students to step out of their comfort zone (it’s funny how God’s blessings to my school turn out to be blessings to me). God has blessed King’s Ridge with a growing campus. God has blessed King’s Ridge with growing facilities. God has blessed King’s Ridge with the parents of those in the Lower, Middle, and High Schools. God has blessed King’s Ridge with a dedicated staff who serve in more places than the classroom.

God has greatly blessed King’s Ridge Christian School and definitely holds KR in the palm of His hand.

I think the important part to take from the blessings that God has bestowed upon us is to be incredibly thankful for them but also do as God calls in Genesis.  Genesis 12:12 says, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you . . . and you will be a blessing to others.” God has begun to craft King’s Ridge in just the way that He planned and those hand crafted plans should be used to be a blessing to others. I believe that God’s blessings on King’s Ridge Christian School have taught me to be thankful and have helped me to realize how I should  be using my blessings in hopes of blessings others.

Happy Thursday, yall!! Count your blessings today J