2014 in Retrospect

 “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her.”
– Luke 1:45

It’s the last day of 2014.  365 days ago I looked upon this new year with a prayer for peace (see last year’s retrospect blog post).  Peace of heart, peace of mind, and just peace in life.  365 days ago there were uncertainties I was facing and I needed God's peace to guide me through them; I knew God would act and that He would provide, but I didn’t have any idea of when.  I knew God’s promises, I petitioned to Him to hear the desires of my heart, and I waited patiently.  One day this year while I was on Pinterest, I found and pinned a scripture from Luke 1:45.  It said, “Blessed is she who has believed the Lord would fulfill His promises to her.”  While Elizabeth is speaking of Mary and her belief in the Lord to care for her as the mother of His Son, I saw myself in this short little verse and decided then and there to never forget it.  A friend even printed the verse and put it in a frame and gave to me for my birthday.  It was like God wrote the verse for me!  “Believe (and trust) in me Allison, I will fulfill all of My promises in time and you will be blessed.”  Boy was He right.  Join me in taking a step back into 2014 to see just what God has done…and don’t miss the end because that’s where God unexpectedly acted in a way I never saw coming.

Family Challenges and Changes

CHALLENGES - If you recall, this time last year, my family was faced with uncertainties about my dad’s health.  We found out at the end of 2013 that my dad had an early-stage tumor in his small intestine and would require surgery to remove it.  There was a question as to whether or not he would have to undergo chemo after the surgery and if there were other tumors in his body, but those things wouldn’t be determined until they removed the tumor.  In February of this year, he had the surgery and came through it with FLYING colors!  The surgeon was able to remove the entire tumor, there was no indication of any other tumors or cancer in his body, and the oncologist cleared him from having to do chemo based on the tumor’s pathology report.  Praise God!  We were overwhelmed by the love and prayers shown to us during that time.  Our church family went over and beyond in taking care of us, taking care of things at church, and so on.  I blogged about it in, "God is So Good!"  It was truly a time where we knew God was in control and would take care of all things.  And He did.  I knew God would heal my dad and HE fulfilled that promise to me!

CHANGES – This year two little birdies left the Young nest.  First was my younger sister Meredith.  She graduated in June with her Masters of Accountancy and in September moved to Atlanta to begin her first full-time job.  She works for Ernst & Young Accounting Firm.  She joined Johnsons Ferry Baptist Church and is becoming involved there.  It’s been a big change, but she’s adjusting great and learning a lot in the process.  Change also came for my baby sister, Lauren.  After spending the summer as a Girls Club teacher (which she was excellent at, by the way), in the fall, she moved to Lynchburg, Virginia to begin school at Liberty University.  Lauren LOVES it at Liberty.  She has made a trillion friends and has adjusted to life away from home better than anyone else I know.  Was there ever a doubt? :) Now that they have made these big changes, I look forward to seeing what God accomplishes in both of my sisters’ lives and how He uses their gifts and talents for His Kingdom.

Visiting Meredith in ATL and Lauren at LU

Summer 2014

SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION - I attended and paged, yet again, for the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting this past summer.  For more information on what exactly a page is, read this 2012 blog post “Serving Him Through the SBC.”  I’ve really lost count on how many annual meetings I have paged for, but it’s either seven or eight.  This year’s meeting was in Baltimore.  I’d never been there before, and it was definitely different, but I really enjoyed my time there.  The paging was a little different this year in that the other pages were seminary students who were doing it as part of a class.  Once again, I was blessed to work with our SBC Recording Secretary and his wife in helping to make copies of and distribute motions to the SBC leadership.  Every year I pretty much pinch myself because I can’t believe I’m doing what I’m doing where I’m doing it.  Although it’s volunteer, I don’t take the job, and the faith these individuals have in me, lightly.  The experience of paging is so humbling and rewarding…the only thing I would change is the ability to wear roller skates or ride one of those Segways because my feet scream at me by the end of the week.  :)  Every summer I look forward to working one week a year for the SBC…little did I know what was coming next (keep reading).

Momentos from the SBC Annual Meeting

HONG KONG FRIEND – Following the SBC annual meeting, a family friend from Hong Kong came and stayed with us for about three weeks this summer.  It was her first time in America and she was visiting different people she knew in different parts of the country.  We enjoyed catching up with her and also teaching her new things (especially American history…Davy Crockett, Dolly Parton, politics, etc.)  Seeing Tennessee and our area through her eyes was so fun because we did things we’d never done and things that we hadn’t done in a long time.  It was a time full of great memories, laughs and culture sharing.  My favorite story is taking her to KFC and listening to her place an order for mashed potatoes…however she called them “potatoes mashed.”  The cashier looked at her oddly and so did I, until I realized what she was trying to say.  We all had a big laugh about it!  When it was time for her to leave to her next destination, she hugged us goodbye with tears in her eyes; it was heart-warming to see truly how much she enjoyed her time here.  

My family with our sweet friend

*And in mentioning Hong Kong, please continue to pray for this city as there is continued unrest between HK citizens and mainland China.  I love my heart city and pray God's blessings to continue reaching the HK people.*

Work

My job at First Baptist Morristown has gone great this year – although part-time, I took on more responsibility with things and was able to accomplish a lot.  A few big projects this year included designing the informational pages for our church business directory, designing and coordinating a shirt/lapel pin campaign to help raise money for persecuted Christians in Iraq, as well as coordinate all screen things for our special event presentations (Night of Praise, Living Christmas Tree, etc).  All of that also combined with my normal duties of bulletin, newsletter, screen announcements, sermon slides, and the list could go on and on until 2016!  Working where I go to church is so rewarding because I get to see the fruits of my labor and watch what I do come to fruition on Sundays or event days.  It's truly a blessing to work where I worship.

While I was still on staff at Megan’s Corner Catering this year, I didn’t work as many events as I have in previous years.  This was mainly due to the fact that so many events happened at times I was working my other job at First Baptist.  The events I was able to work, and sometimes be in charge of, however were VERY fun and beautiful all at the same time!  One of my favorite 2014 memories at Megan’s Corner is the reception I was in charge of for Broadway actress Megan Hilty.  I arrived at the location, ready to set up the food, and all of the sudden heard water running.  It had been raining all day and when I walked into the room where the reception was to be held, saw that the ceiling was leaking heavily!  At one point when I stood underneath the area that was leaking, part of the ceiling collapsed on to the floor.  We grabbed as many trash cans as we could find and stuck them under the running water.  The event went well, but the “preshow excitement” made for a memorable night!  I was also able to update the Megan’s Corner website this year, adding new pictures and menus to make the business stand out even better!  Visit www.megans-corner.com!

Me and Megan Hilty

Ministry

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – the ministry of my heart is children’s missions.  In 2014, I saw the Lord accomplish great things through this ministry.  I really enjoyed planning for and teaching missions lessons throughout the year, two of my favorites included teaching about missions and the Winter Olympics in Sochi as well as teaching missions for our Vacation Bible School (which also involved missions challenges that kids participated in at home...it was great to hear their stories).  This year also I watched some kids who have grown up through this “ministry” teach their peers about missions places or people they had learned about.  That was really rewarding because I could see the influence of missions on their lives.  In the middle of the year, I took my summer missions class on their first “mission trip.”  We went to Food on Foot and packed bags for the hungry.  The kids LOVED this and felt very important on their mission trip!  In the fall, I once again helped coordinate the East TN Children’s Missions Conference at the church and we saw 300+ kids come and learn about how missions is possible!  My heart jumps for joy when I hear kids tell me stories about how they are making a difference and sharing Jesus with others.  I’m inspired by those kids who put others before themselves.  My favorite phrase to hear is “Is it Missions Night?” because I know the kids are ready and wanting to hear about missions experiences around the world.  I know God has great things planned for each child that I have had the opportunity to teach about missions and I know that they will change the world for Jesus…HE will fulfill His promises in their lives!

Summer Missions Class Mission Trip to Food on Foot

Media Ministry is also an important ministry in my life at First Baptist.  I enjoy volunteering on Sundays and at special events because I am able to use my gifts and talents in computer/design to help others worship and praise the Lord.  I even got to direct my first solo broadcast this year...it was fun and nerve-wracking all at the same time!  It was neat to be a part of, through the media ministry, the Gospel Music Hymn Sing this past summer.  This was an event that was recorded and our church and that featured current Southern Gospel singers.  The taping is now available for purchase and you can enjoy what I got to experience in person!  And believe me…you DON’T want to miss it!

My view from the director's chair!

Singing is another ministry I enjoy and it has been a blessing this year to continue to use that talent for the Lord and to minister to others.  One particular song, “In the End,” is quite memorable around First Baptist because it was the first song sung here in a while to feature a banjo AND a tambourine.  If you want to see it, click here.  Gosh, that was a fun song to sing!  I also got to be a part backup choir for the Keith & Krysten Getty Christmas Concert in Knoxville this year, along with other members from our choir as well as the University of TN and Carson-Newman University choirs.  This event happened recently and it was definitely a night I will never forget!  It wasn't a Christmas concert, it was a Christmas worship service!

The Unexpected

Ever since I graduated with my undergraduate degree, I have looked, prayed, and waited for a full-time ministry job.  This has been 4 years in the waiting.  There were a couple of times that I have become upset that “THE” job hadn’t come yet, but for the most part I’ve had a sweet peace that God would take care of it and give me the desires of my heart.  Many people feel called to ministry work, but I feel like I was born into ministry work.  It’s never been a burning-bush calling for me because ministry work is all I’ve ever known.  I knew 4 years ago that I wanted to work for the Southern Baptist Convention or one of its entities (Lifeway, WMU, IMB, NAMB).  I also knew that if I was going to get a job with the SBC, it would be an entity because the Convention itself rarely ever has job openings (God must’ve chuckled about this thought).

Near the tail-end of 2014 (meaning three weeks ago) I received a phone call out of the blue from an administrative assistant with the Southern Baptist Convention headquarters.  She said that one of the SBC Vice Presidents had my resume (which I had given to someone else when I paged over the summer) and was interested in talking to me about a position with their office.  Two hours later I had a phone interview and one week after that I was at their headquarters in Nashville for a face-to-face interview.  A week later they offered me the job and I accepted.  Here I had spent 4 years applying to dozens upon dozens of jobs, getting rejection letters or even getting nothing back, and within two weeks near the end of 2014, a job I didn’t even know existed and I didn’t even apply for pops right into my lap.  It’s literally unbelievable and completely unexpected.  There’s no other explanation for this except for God.  Only He can take the dreams of your heart and turn them into reality…and by George, I am a living example.

My new job will be Publications Specialist for the Southern Baptist Convention and I will be coordinating and compiling information to be published for our entire Convention body (which includes all 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico).  Many of these publications will be distributed at the annual meetings each year.  The hope is that I will also be a part of helping with screen media for meetings at the headquarters as well as possibly some design work for the SBC website.  They even want me to continue in my duties at the annual meetings that I was a part of as a page…but now will be a part of as a full-time employee.  Again, dream becoming reality. 

My new office building.  My office will be on the top floor!

It’s been a crazy, emotional journey so far and I have been on a roller coaster for most of December.  I plan to spend another blog post or posts discussing all of that, but I wanted to explain a little bit more of the story that many haven’t had the opportunity to hear yet.

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Each year I try to encapsulate the year in one word.  When all of this new job craziness came up, I really didn’t have a clue what my word for this year would be.  Yesterday, however, the word came to me.  Blessed.  In 2014 I have been oh, so blessed - blessed with good health for my dad, blessed with fun memories and experiences over the summer, blessed by sweet kids who love missions, blessed in the church events I have been a part of, blessed by my two jobs with great co-workers, and now blessed by a new full-time job that I never saw coming.  When I stop and think about it, though, I have been blessed more than just this year…I have been blessed all throughout my life, and especially these last 9 ½ years in Morristown.  I’ve been blessed to be a part of and grow in my faith in a church that has truly been like my family.  I’ve been blessed to continue my education here.  I've been blessed to watch little babies grow up to be little kid missionaries.  I’ve even been blessed by the time I have spent with my family here – not just my parents and sister, but also the couple of years my grandfather lived here.  Morristown will always hold a special place in my heart and will always be a blessing to me.

2015 is going to, for sure, be a year of insane changes for me.  A new chapter is beginning and while that is exciting, it also scares the heebie-jeebies out of me.  I’m not a fan of the unknown (and really who is), but I know who holds the unknown and I know who will walk with me through it.  I covet your prayers for me as I move, get acclimated, and start my new life in Nashville.  Specifically I ask that you pray for me to find a permanent place to live, that I find a church to get involved in (‘cause if you know me, you know I can’t sit still at church), and that I adjust well to my new job.  There will also be new things that I will learn this year that I’m not familiar with now – pray that God will give me understanding and wisdom. 

Remember the verse I pinned earlier this year? Luke 1:45 - “Blessed is she who has believed the Lord would fulfill His promises to her.”  I knew that God would hear the desires of my heart and, while it did take a bit of time, He did.  And now I am blessed….blessed beyond measure.  Just like He promised. 

Luke 1:45