Today was the last day of work, so I've finished up all of my projects and passed on the rest to my replacement and just like that its the end of a chapter...it the end of my time at GES!

This semester has gone by so fast I literally do not know how its already the end of May. In 3 days I'll be getting on a plane with all of my possessions and heading back to an unknown life in America. A million people have asked me, what's next...and to be completely honest I have no idea. All I know is I'm moving back to Anderson, SC and I'm gonna pursue photography and maybe a few side freelance hustles. I still have a lot of unanswered questions but I know and trust that the Lord is good and he is faithful so whatever it is, I look forward to it with great anticipation!

Before I close this chapter though its always fun to look back on my year here and come up with some top 10's, so here we go!

THIS YEARS TOP 5:

THE LESSONS

I feel like I learned so much this year about God that I have to put this one on the list. I have learned this year how to love and forgive, and hope and to be disciplined. I have spent every morning in the word and have gotten to see how much that impacts my everyday life. I have seen God change lives and he has changed mine. I have witnessed his provision in the hardest times and his faithfulness has been so evident through it all. I have experienced some really hard and painful things and learned how to completely put my hope in the promises of the Lord and not my own desires. I have learned how to love those who are hard to love and be vulnerable and fight for the things I believe in, even if I'm the only one fighting. I have learned that God is still good when life is hard just the same as when life seems to be going good! I have, with no doubt, seen the goodness of the lord this year and have been changed because of it!

5

MY BEST FRIENDS BIG MOMENTS

This year was not just one for the books in Thailand, but it was one for the books of my life in general! My best friend got engaged and I got to surprise her and be there and then she got married and I got to come home for that too. Those are moments and memories that I never wanted to miss out on and I'm just so thankful I got to be there for all of them! Its crazy to think I'm going back to her being married, but I know that this year was one of the biggest and best in her life and I can't wait to do life with her again!

4

THE GES FAM

As soon as I knew it was my last year, I had a purpose to spend as much time with the people here that I love as I could...and while I tried really hard I still feel like it wasn't enough time. But I'm so thankful for the family I have here and I will never forget the memories we share from staff dinners to dessert nights, the concerts, and bible studies, the trips to JJ and all the brunches...all of the things that make up this community are special and I will forever cherish the memories!

3

***Speaking of the GES family...you should watch this little video we made for the end of the year celebration...I'm really gonna miss everything about this place!

THE ADVENTURES

This year I got to travel all over the world. I went to Malaysia, Singapore, San Francisco, and home a couple times for some pretty special days! I also got to travel to fun places in Thailand with my friends here! I will never forget the adventures because they make the best friendships better and the memories are priceless!

2

THE FRIENDS WHO CAME TO VISIT ME

This year will forever be marked in my memory as the "year of friends". From the moment I left America last summer I had an on going list of visitors. I had my friend, Emma here for the month of November, the CR mission team at the end of November (which was filled with some of my favorite people in the whole world), then The Mukri's came in Jan and Jayla from February-May! I had so many visitors! I am leaving this country with a very special gift...the fact that just about everyone who is special to me has been to Thailand and has gotten to experience my life here. That is not something many people can say and I am so thankful for this because as I transition back to life in America my friends have a little piece of Thailand that they hold for themselves and I just love that!