From Collin

March 10, 2011 through March 10, 2012 was a very interesting year for me. Through it all, I saw the death and birth of relationships, the expansion of new spheres of opportunity, new realms of leadership, and new challenges, trials, opportunities, and victories this year.

In March 2011, I was on the home-stretch for finishing high-school, and ultimately homeschool. I knew that I needed to trust that God would sustain me through the end, but I did not yet know if the end was accomplished or not. Colossians 3:23 certainly came into play here.

Also, being 18 meant increased privilege. However, as the now-famous line (in our home) of my grandfather certainly rings true. "With privilege comes responsibility." I had additional privileges, such as a full-fledged driver's license and the opportunity to vote, but that also brought increased responsibility.

In April, a symbolic end to something I had wrestled with for years seemed to be at hand. I knew in April that my last attempt to develop lasting friendships had failed yet again. I had always desired friends for years that could be God-honoring in relationships and loyal in times of adversity. Fire tests the mettle of a man or woman...and it also tests the mettle of relationships. In every single instance before this, no lasting friendships had remained. It was only a few months before this that our entire family lost a precious friendship with another family. At the time, I was rather stunned that my best friend would suddenly disappear without any explanation. April marked the end of any hope in my heart for any lasting friendships.

May brought increased decisions to make. I knew that I needed to make a decision as to college. I knew about CollegePlus for several years, but wasn't 100% sure if it was the right decision to make. Also in May, I had the opportunity to graduate onstage at our statewide homeschool convention, although I wasn't actually done with school until a couple months later.

June and July were typical summer months, except for the fact that I registered with CollegePlus in June and began social interaction in July. I also received an iPad in June through the promo, and that has become an irreplaceable benefit. Registering with CollegePlus took some faith. 2 Corinthians 5:7 certainly came into play here. ;) Becoming friends with Elliot and his family in June is worthy of another post.

August marked both a major end and a major beginning in my life. After 12 years, I was finished with homeschool. A major journey in life had come to an end. It was at times difficult; at times unsure; at times discouraging. But by God's grace no one quit the course God had impressed upon us, and we had finished indeed. It also marked the major beginning of college study...which was something completely new to me at the time, except for one chemistry course in high-school.

September marked a battle in a field I was growing ever more and more involved in and familiar with- social networking. I was somewhat askance back in July and August about some of the themes I saw in it, and In September, I saw those themes explode into an ugly war. Lack of responsibility in what people say, such as anger, flirting, pride, and over-sensitivity, while being challenges in real life, can be even more of a challenge in real life. Emotional purity is certainly a fight in real life, and people who are not careful on the Internet with that will have to reap what they sow. Trying to mediate between two people who's hearts had been burned over that did not result in any good from that that I have seen so far. Perhaps one day I will know whether anything good came from it or not.

October was WC1 month. Taking that test was an experience I will never forget. The most memorable thing for me from that was the power of prayer. I firmly believe it was that and that alone that caused me to pass. Dueling prayer at the same exact instant from friends was something I will always remember as well.

November I started becoming more and more involved with Anna, Kaleigh, and Andrew. God brought together four people from two countries together, and it will be interesting to see what God does with that in the future. It is indeed a blessing when friends all share the same basic convictions, and it has been excellent to get the families more and more involved. Youth culture is certainly not a goal in any friendship I have.

December marked me finishing up CollegePlus for the calendar year with 18 credits. Visiting the Creation Museum was also nice as well. Being able to see my cousin after his year in Afghanistan as a sniper was also good.

January marked a new calendar year, and a return to studying. I took out College Comp by God's grace, followed by College Math in February. I was now a sophomore...and that was a milestone I was not sure when I could hit. Before I knew it, I was already done with one whole year of college in the span of six months.

Overall, the themes for this 18th year were:

-Standing firm under fire

-Being willing to step out in faith and see what God has in store

-Developing blessed friendships that are God-honoring

-Being willing to step out and say "I will be the leader" when God asks me to be one, and to lead not only in word but in action...something I must work to do daily.

-Increased responsibility

-Increased challenges, but increased blessings as well

Thank you to Collin (whom we met through CollegePlus!) for the permission to post this on our blog. :)

God bless you all,

Kaleigh