my high school graduation party

on saturday, june 29, 2013, I officially graduated from high school.

close family and old friends joined us for the ceremony;

distant and close family, old and new friends alike came to celebrate at my open house.

it was a blessed day - i couldn't have asked for a better one!

i'll narrate the day in pictures taken by: lydia, brita, and frankie (thanks!).

after my parents each gave really nice speeches, they presented me with my diploma

then i gave my graduation speech.

my youth pastor spoke (thank you, pastor blake!) and we were done - i was graduated!!  we moved on to picture time.

my cousin and her wonderful family.  hadn't seen these guys since january!

my cousin and his sweet family.

my aunt and uncle

another cousin and her husband

my great-grandma, me, and my grandma 

cousin and her family 

my best friend, lydia, and i

amber and i have been friends since before our preschool days!

my wonderful family!  we all look exhausted...we forgot about the family picture till the end of the day. :/

love these two!!

little bro, aidan

my sister, frankie

now on to the decor/food pictures! :P

for dessert, i had milk & cookies - and it was so pretty, you're getting more than one picture.
thanks to my cousin, megan, for the beautifully decorated sugar cookies on the left!  i didn't get to
taste them, but they disappeared quickly!

last angle. :D  thank you, terri, for taking charge over the milk & cookies!

my friend, laura, surprised me on friday evening by paining this beautiful banner!  i am keeping it forever and ever.  see the 2013 in there, too?!  this banner makes me happy.  thanks, laura!

inspired by my friend jenn, i decided to make this newsletter type thing!
(there's a back, too, which you can somewhat see in the next photo)

aren't those center pieces pwetty?!  sandi made them for me - thank you!

our tent set-up

this kid. :)

we were all set when we had my friend, lizzy, lifeguard.  at one time, we had about 20 kids in there!

my "then & now" board.

i had more of a display table, but didn't grab a picture of that - slipped my mind.

i got, for the first time, individual photos of some of my LIVE girls and i!  super special for me. ;)

and that was my graduation day!
such an amazing time

in love,
sierra

opportunity left a voice-mail

  late December 2012:  our church bulletin announced there would be two mission trips to Haiti coming up.  one in summer 2013; one in winter 2014.  at that time, I had to tell myself "no" because of what was currently happening in our family: my dear grandpa was dying of cancer and living with us.  there was no chance I'd be able to think about it with all that was going on.  so I told myself "no" and forgot about it.

  early June 2013:  I emailed our church secretary about the winter 2014 trip to Haiti.  there was no new information, but I asked to be placed on the email list when they knew something.  I wasn't committing to anything, but I did want to consider this opportunity.

  last Wednesday: my mom and I are in the kitchen.  talking about different opportunities that God's placed in my life.  opportunities which span the next year and a half.  which do I take?  which do I put on the side-lines for now?  which do I say "no" to?  I mentioned that timing-wise, the trip in August, which I had missed the opportunity of going on, would have worked better than February.  I'd still consider February, though.  I knew a three people on the August Haiti team - two of them I'd gone to Brazil with last year.

  Friday morning: I got an email from our Brazil team leader who also was leading the August Haiti team saying "I just left a message on your phone, please check your voicemail.  I have something I'd like you to pray about."  I didn't know what it was...but I went to check my phone.  as I was listening, tears started welling up as I realized that I was being handed an opportunity of a life-time.  Christine invited to join the team!  I couldn't believe it.  I finished the message, hung up and called my mom.  she knew about it since Christine called her, first for permission to ask me.  apparently, one of my fellow Brazil team members asked if I could join the team.  Christine approached the whole team to ask if I could join.  she called the ministry to see if they had room.  she called the travel agent to see if there were more seats on the plane.  she called my mom to see if she could invite me.  and then she called me and made my day!

  on August 13th, I will be flying to Haiti with six others from my church to work in orphanages, schools, a church, etc.  exactly what we'll be doing there is not yet determined, but I can't wait!  this is so exciting for me!  the ways God blesses me is sometimes more than I can handle and I honestly want to break down and cry.  my parents told me they would pay for the trip as a graduation gift - what's a better graduation gift than traveling and doing missions?!

  there are other missions opportunities that I have on my plate which I'll need to decide on over the next several months.  I'm hoping that my time in Haiti will maybe help me make decisions on some of those opportunities.

  God is good! don't forget it!

  Sierra

no more training wheels!

  Saturday, June 29, 2013, I officially graduated from high school, although I finished high school work mid-May.

   Sunday night, after everything was cleaned up and finished after my grad party, I told my mom, "Now that I'm officially graduated...now that it's final...I feel like a real adult."

  It's true.  I feel like a lot has changed in my attitude in the past four days.  But in a good way.  God has opened several doors of opportunity within the coming year and a half, and it's going to take a lot of prayerful consideration to find out just where He wants me.  But I know that He'll show me and I'm just looking forward to taking this one day at a time.

  These will be days full of school...of work...of intense Bible study...of a lot of prayer...and discussion...full of fellowship....of getting involved in new places...of school...of making adult decisions.  It's gonna be crazy.  I know it will be.  But as I am transitioning into full-time adulthood (finally - I'm an actual college kid!), I am ever-so grateful for my parents who are willing to give me advice and help me make the right choices.

  When you are really small, your parents probably stuck you on your first tricycle.  Then you moved to training wheels.  And finally, you could pedal all by yourself, but your parents still ran along with you just in case you fell and needed help back up.  And eventually...you and your parents could go on mile-long bike rides together, always there in case someone fell, yet you were fully capable of riding by yourself.

  I feel like this past year and a half or two years, I've had my training wheels.  And as of Saturday, they were taken off!  For the first time, I'm on my own, but I still have my parents there to guide me and help me when I need it - and I will!  I have a feeling which I can't explain: scared...excited...nervous...joyful...confident...unprepared...sad...responsible...Spiritually strong...Spiritually inadequate...purposeful...indecisive...and the list could go on.  It's all mixed in one.

  But I have to say, as I've said before.  This "new unknown" makes me pretty excited.  And I have full faith in God that any struggles I face, He'll be my shield.

  As I went through my graduation cards after my party, I found two common passages referenced: Proverbs 3:5-6 and Jeremiah 29:11.  However, I found three cards which each offered a different verse from each other and from any other card I'd received.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart."  ~Psalm 37:4

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."  ~Romans 12:12

"But be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you."  ~1 Samuel 12:24

God bless,

   Sierra

PS: coming soon...graduation party pictures.  (happy)