And what a decade it was.

It's a new year, new decade, new ministry role...2020 is going to be amazing!

I have seen many sharing a review of their decade on social media and I have spent the past couple of days making notes about mine and thought I would share here.

The 2010's started out pretty good. My husband started a new job and I was excited to be teaching preschool. I was pregnant with our third boy and in February went into preterm labor and was placed on bed rest until mid-April when I was only released to partial bed rest. In late March, our middle son had to have a tonsil/adenoidectomy procedure because he had been so sick with strep throat. And then, Colby was born on the 28th and changed our lives for good!

On July 1 our world was rocked. My husband was severely injured in a motorcycle accident that left me to deal with all three boys, the youngest only 4 weeks old, not able to return to work and him in the hospital for 3 weeks, rehab for an additional 7 days and then home where he was completely non-weight bearing for another 2 months. Through this time God showed us just how much He loves us! So many needs were provided for from help with the kids, meals, house cleaning, bills being paid, groceries bought...It was such a terrible time yet I can look back fondly.

Our middle started kindergarten!

In November my Grandmother passed away and I felt the grief that my kids would never know my Grandma like I did and how much I loved her.

2011 brought a big change as I did not return to work but instead stepped into full-time ministry as youth pastor at our church. I also began taking Bible school classes through Illinois School of Ministry.

In 2012 Donny was finally able to return to work! I completed the first level of classes and became a certified minister with the Assemblies of God.

Just a year later in 2013 I had two years of classes completed and became a licensed minister, the second of three levels of credentials.

I finished my studies in 2014 and took a step of faith and signed up for my first missions trip to Guatemala! Or as I like to call it, "My Faith Journey." 2015 took me to Guatemala where my life was forever changed! Also, I no longer had babies at home as the youngest began kindergarten.

In 2016 I did something I had never done before and asked God to give me a word for the year. I didn't get a word but a phrase. "No Fear." And that was the start of my journey to overcome my fear of failure. After 2 years of being a licensed minister I was ordained in one of the most beautiful services. I also became the associate pastor of the church where I had been the youth pastor and started working with the school of ministry we were a part of.

My 2017 word was still in the vein of 2016's phrase, Courage. And as I put that word out in January I had no idea how much it would become an anchor for me. I left my place of ministry that I had been connected with for 12 years and went to our district office where God did a major work on me, confirming my pastoral heart for ministry in the local church and softening me to being willing to consider serving as a lead pastor. This change would last 6 months when I would make another ministry change and return to my home town, but at a different church as their youth pastor and worship leader. There I also taught Bible lessons to the kids in the daycare ministry. This was also the year our littlest went from being ridiculously struck by selective mutism to a funny goofball. All three of our boys were amazing during this crazy year of transition and handled it all like champs! Also, I had one begin his high school career. Crazy.

The word for 2018 was Unexpected. That word boggled my mind but I totally trusted God's plan. My mom's dad, my grandfather, passed away just a few days after his 91st birthday. My family went the furthest west we've been and spent a week in Texas where I even got to visit Magnolia! It was on this trip that God began speaking to me about The Preacher Chick. I also went on my first road trip with 2 of my sisters-in-law and we did it like a whirlwind to Pawhuska, OK to see The Pioneer Woman's footprint in her special town. It wasn't until early October that the "UNEXPECTED" became clear when I was asked to return to our home church as the co-lead pastor. We made that transition on December 1.

And then 2019...What a year! So much growth! I now have 2 kids in high school, one with a driver's permit! Donny and I took a nice trip to Franklin, TN for our 18th anniversary, I attended my first General Council session in Orlando, lost my glasses in the ocean at Daytona, was elected as the Lead Pastor of GCFirst Assembly of God (the first female in its more than 100 year history!) and spoke to students at youth convention about my call to ministry in which since I have been able to connect with several young ladies about discovering and pursuing their call!

What does 2020 hold for us? Only the Lord knows but I am so ready to watch it unfold! I expect our oldest to decide the direction he is going to go as he will become a senior in the fall. I will cross a big threshold in February when I turn 40 years old! The youngest will transition from elementary to intermediate school and our middle will be 15 and at some point I suspect will receive his drivers permit. Lord help us all. As for ministry, well, I am anxiously excited to see how God moves at the church and through the church to be the light in our town it was created to be; to continue to minister to the lost and broken while growing and developing healthy believers along the way.

2020. Let's do this!