1 semester down, 1 to go.

I cannot believe that in just 3 days, 1st semester of my senior year will be over! This semester has been crazy. First, we had cheerleading state and got 1st place! Also, our football team went pretty far this year, but we lost to Lamar. I've had cheer practices, games, work, and very little free time! This first semester back at Ash Grove has been a little different, but I am so glad I am back where I belong. Hillcrest taught me a lot of valuable lessons, though. I am so much more appreciative of the things that I have at AG, especially not having to take finals! My next semester should slow down just a little bit. I am going to be a library aid for one class period, which will be nice. It gives me an excuse to read more and to blog about it;)
I am also doing ceramics as an independent study. I love ceramics and want to continue to improve my skills and make beautiful pottery. This next year I am starting a weight loss thing. I am going to be 40 lbs (give or take) lighter this time next year! I will probably post stuff about that on here too! I know that if I don't get healthy and lose the weight now, then I probably never will.
Basketball season is in full swing as Ash Grove, but not really. Today I should be in school, but this is our 5th snow/ice day. That being said, a lot of the games have been canceled. I dont really like basketball, but I love cheering with my friends!
Thats pretty much all I got right now.
Enjoy your Chrismas and I'll be make in 2014!

Monday, Tuesday, Happy days.

Thursday was my first day of school! I am so glad to be back at Ash Grove! I cannot believe this is my last school year in high school. Im totally Okay being a kid forever and not having to grow up and do grown up things.

The future and the unknown make me a little nervous, but I've got God on my side, so I know that whatever happens in life, God is right there with me!

College, dating, marriage, a job, debt, kids,  even more debt, even more kids, a new job, bigger house, more debt, getting wrinkly, midlife crisis, kids graduating and moving out, less debt, grandkids, No more kids at home, smaller house, less debt, more spending money, more grandkids, more wrinkles. Annnnd death. Just a glimpse of what my life is going to be like. Hahah

Im excited to see what this next school year has in store for me, and what the next few years hold for me!
Oh the journey of life with all it's twists and turns!

1 year later

It was almost this time last year that I found out my dad got a job at hillcrest and when my life changed. Well 1 year later, I have been given the oppertunity to go back to Ash Grove and graduate there; I took it! imstill uncertain as to why exactly God wanted me at Hillcrest, but because of going there, i made a few new friends, shared the gospel, let my life be a light in a dark place, got a job(which I love!), and just grow up a little more and become more mature. also, I hate change so it just helped me to step out of my comfort zone and realize change is going to happen. I grew closer to my grandparents that opened up their house to my family and I got to grow closer to my family. i didnt like every moment of what i went through, and there were tears and bad days, but there was also smiles and some good moments.
with all that being said, I am SO excited to go back home and to my school and spend senior year with my best friend and cheer there againand graduate there. Once a pirate, always a pirate. i look forward to telling you all about senior year, but im going to have a great summer first!!!
xoxoxoxoxo
Bethany

March Madness

March has been a very crazy month! Heres what I have done so far...
I went to the wonderful state of COLORADO for my spring break! Here are some pictures.



I tried snowboarding this year! I liked it, but I don't know if I liked it more than skiing.




This is me at the very top of the mountain!




This my friends, is Copper Mountain.




Seriously, it was SO pretty.



We left on Sunday afternoon around 2pm and we stopped in Goodland, Kansas at the fancy Super 8. (ha!) We left around 10:30, or 9:30, I wasn't sure about the mountain time and with daylight savings time. My room ended up waking up at 7:30 not 8:30.. The fact that we got less sleep than we wanted was pretty frustrating. We were on the road for another 5-6 hours and then we made it to Frisco, Colorado! I can't even describle how pretty the view is on the way to Colorado. Getting to watch the mountains grow bigger and bigger until they are surrounding you is insane.
I had a really great time and Im so glad I got to spend my week here!
There is A LOT going on next week, so stay tuned for a long blog. :)
XOXO
Bethany

A semester later..

I have had zero time to blog about what all has gone on. If you would of told me a year ago that I would be at Hillcrest High School, working at Subway and living with my Papa Paul, I would of told you that you were out of your mind. But thats where I am at right now in my life. I am in my second semester at Hillcrest and I guess it has gotten slightly better. First semester was a mess. I cried a lot. I had the worst attitiude over everything. I stopped reading my Bible. I was awful. I never saw my grandma anymore. I missed hanging out with my friends. I was angry at God and what he was making me go through. But over the last 5-6 months, I realized something. I got saved this summer, and God knew that I needed to be at Hillcrest for a reason.. but why?! Our work, our school, wherever we are is our missions field. Since going here, I have witnessed to numerous people and I have been able to be the light in a very dark place. You could say that I've gotten better, and yeah I think I have. But I still have my moments when I get upset over a rude comment someone says, or when I think about what I "should" be doing at Ash Grove. I still get emotional and shed silly tears. But thats just a part of the grieving process I suppose. My heart will always have a spot for Ash Grove and I believe thats where my home truely is here on Earth. But its only my temperary home. Heaven is my real home, so there is no use in getting upset over things on Earth. Through this experience, it has helped me realize things about myself that I need to work on. I don't do well with change, even the slightest bit. I close people out and take my anger out on them. I also keep to myself and dont let people in even when they try to help. Worst of them all, I took God out of the equation. Not only was I closing my family out, but I closed off from God. Im still working on mending that relationship, but it's getting better.
I will try and post more often since I am in a computer class and have a lot of free time!
XOXO
Bethany

My testimony

So God has done some crazy things in my life this year, but especially this week. I'm going to share my testimony and I encourage you to read it to the end!

Okay, so I grew up going to church every Sunday and Wednesday. I knew that my parents werent going to let me get out of going to church, and when I was sick and had to stay home, I would be excited! But on June 12, 2002 I got saved. I wish I could tell you about that night, but unfortunately, I dont remember that night. The only reason why I know the date is because it was written in the Bible Id recieved upon my salvation. I dont know if I felt any conviction, of if I just wanted to get saved because a friend wanted to. I dont know if I meant what I prayed or if I even knew what the gospel truely was. 

After that, I had gotten baptised, but the only reason why I know that is because people have told me. I dont even remember the day or moment I got baptised. For some reason I thought it was okay that I didnt remember it. But growing up, I didnt really crave a personal relationship with God, rather just trying to follow his word and be a good person and live a good life so people knew I was a Christian. I had never once doubted my salvation, but I would get jealous to others who were growing close to God and I wasnt and I didnt know why. I had never doubted my salvation because I thought since I wanted to be good and obey the Bible that I was saved, but just because youre a good person doesnt mean that you deserve to get into Heaven, you have to have that personal relationship with God. 

Anyways, this week I kept having thoughts in my head like, "I cant even remember when I got saved, am I saved?" and I would tell myself, "Yes of course you are, you are a good person and you read your Bible and blah blah blah" Well when invitation time came, I got this weird feeling kind of like butterflies, but butterflies are in your stomach, and this was in my heart. I kept ignoring it, and I told my friend Bethany Bumpers what was going on and she just told me to pray that if I wasnt saved that God would keep convicting me, but if I really was saved then to take the doubt away. Anytime a preacher preached, I couldnt focused because my thoughts were just invaded with doubts and conviction. 

Now before I had gone down the isle, new thoughts entered my mind. "What will people think about me?" "Will they make fun of me?" But then I realized, that 1. My eternal soul is at stake 2. If they are truely saved, then they will be happy for me and 3. I dont care what anyone thinks! Going down the isle took alot of humility and it made me realize how prideful I really was. But I took my pride level down, and humility up and walked down the isle.

On Wednesday June 27, 2012 I went down to go pray to have the conviction stop, and before I could start praying, I just started crying and I couldnt stop. I knew then that the conviction was so overwhelming that God was telling me that I needed to get saved because I never truely had when I was six. 

After church I went to Bethany Bumpers and we went to a room. I knew that I needed to get saved, so she prayed for me and then I got down on my knees and I admitted that I was a sinner and needed God. I believed that God sent his only son Jesus to earth to live a perfect life and he died on the cross for my sins, but rose 3 days later and is living in Heaven and is soon to return for his children soon! I confessed my sins and right then I knew God was living in my heart.

After that, it was just like I had been carrying a backpack all week, and finally I got to take it off, and God took it for me.

I know for sure that I am saved, and I never have to doubt again!!! Im looking forward to getting baptised to publicly announce my salvation!

Thats my testimony and I hope you enjoyed. :) 

Slacking

Sorry I haven't really posted lately.. I've been super busy! My house is still for sale and I'm still in ash grove. It's sometimes hard being in ash grove when my time is done here and it's time to move on, but there's a reason why god still has us in ag and obviously he wants us here a little longer!!! I'm anxious and excited for the next year ahead and you all will get to hear all about it!!