How Being a Donor Changed My Life

I've been meaning to start writing about this for a good three weeks now, but life has been a bit crazy. As I started typing, I couldn't think of a better title, so we'll just go with what I have right now. Most of the time when I write, my thoughts seem so jumbled and I tend to ramble, but if you know me well enough, that tends to be the case quite often. I've learned that with writing I'm able to completely express my thoughts and feelings and really dive deeper than I would in a face-to-face conversation. 
Before I started writing, I went back and read the two posts I wrote over a year ago: the one before my bone marrow donation and the one right after. 
Here's an excerpt from my blog two days before the donation: 
                 It's hard to believe that so many obstacles came during the summer throughout the process, but now it's two days away from my procedure. Until now, I wasn't really scared or worried or any of those things. Now things are starting to sink in. I've never been under anesthesia before. I've never had surgery. I'm not even sure if I've been in a hospital overnight before. I do know one thing; if God brought me through all of the obstacles that tried standing in my way during the summer, then He will get me through this obstacle of being afraid. He's bigger than all of those obstacles anyways. 
     Something that has confused me a lot is that people have been telling me, "you're so unselfish" and "you're so brave." That's encouraging to me and super uplifting but sometimes it's hard for me to believe those words. Honestly, I think of this opportunity as an incredible blessing in my life, but y'all I'm scared. When I first signed up to donate, I was doing it more out of the "everyone is doing this", "I get to save some one's life", "I might not ever even have to donate," mentality, but now it has become so much more to me. Jesus calls us to serve others. If that means giving up something like bone marrow that my body will eventually replenish so that a teenaged girl who needs it in order to survive can receive it, than by all means, that's what I'll do. When people say, "this is such an unselfish act," I think to myself, "But I am selfish. What if it hurts me? What if it takes a long time to recuperate? What if I get really sick?" And the whole, "you're so brave," thing. Y'all, I'm a chicken when it comes to some things. I like new things and I'll try just about anything but there's always a slight fear. I'm not brave; I just know that Lord will sustain me throughout the procedure and the recovery. That's just me being honest. I know that this is something that the Lord has given me to do in order to help someone else.

I remember all of that being difficult to write. I kept thinking, "God, you want me to do this. You have allowed me to overcome all of these obstacles and you have this in your hands." And, he did. I just had to completely trust him. I was completely honest with how I felt as I wrote, and really coveted every one's prayers over those next few days. The procedure happened and then once I was home from the hospital I just knew I had to put it down in words. That post was super long, so I'll just include parts of it: 

         It seemed like most of the day had passed, when only I had been in the back being prepped for surgery for maybe an hour. I’ll admit, there were tears and once I even told my mom, “I don’t think I want to do this anymore.” But in the midst of those moments, God kept putting the recipient in my mind. Y’all, I don’t even know this girl and God continues to enable me to love her more and more every minute. It’s cool how He works like that isn't it?

Looking back now, it is evident how God orchestrated each little moment of that day and the days to come. He continued to put 'that girl' in my mind and allowed me to love her even when I had never met her. One last part of that post really hit me as I re-read it: 

          Around 12:45, I was finally discharged as “donor donor,” and we were headed off of the Bone Marrow Transplant floor. As I passed by the pictures of patients who had received transplants, I thought of the little girl who received mine the other day. She has a lot more days in the hospital than I had to spend. She has a tough recovery ahead of her. That teenaged girl... I have no idea who she is or where she is from. I don’t know what she likes to do for fun. I don’t know what she likes to eat. I don’t know anything about her. I don’t even know if she knows Christ as her Lord and Savior. I do know this. God placed her in my life for a very special reason. He didn’t place her there for my name to be known or for my “good deed” to make everyone say, “awe, how sweet of her to do this.” He did it because His name will be glorified through all of this. Even though I don’t know this girl, I know that she is in the hands of an almighty God who is the ultimate healer, provider, comforter, and protector. I pray that her transplant went smoothly. I pray that she recovers quickly and that she is able to live a long and healthy life. I pray that she knows Jesus and I pray that if she doesn’t, that she will come to know Him. That’s why as Christians we do the things we do. I pray that the gospel goes forth because of this opportunity. I know that it has changed me and blessed me than I ever thought possible. I hope that one day I can meet her and get to know the 15-year-old girl who had such a huge impact in my life. 

Read that last sentence again. I know I had to read it over and over again the moment I got the email telling me that I could now contact the recipient. It was an entire year from the transplant and Be the Match was telling me that I could now contact her. This was the girl that I hoped to meet, the girl that I (and so many others) and prayed for day after day. Oh, there were tears of joy reading that email. A year prior to that, I had no idea who she was or where she was from. Then, at that moment reading the email, I read that her name was Brittany. Brittany! I mean, could God have orchestrated that any more beautifully? I was still at camp when I got the email and I remember telling my team that night (with my eyes full of tears) the awesome news. 

A day or so went by and then I finally sent her an email, not really sure of when I would actually hear from her. It was within a few days that we had our first email conversation. Of course, me and my awkward self addressed the subject line as "Hey! I'm your donor!" I mean, what else do you put in the subject line of the person you've never met before? And so began our weekly emails. We talked about all kinds of things: our families, our hobbies, how she was doing, how school was going, etc etc. It was so amazing to hear her heart and find out that she was doing well and able to play sports again and get back to doing the things she loved to do. 

Sometime in late August, early September, my mom and I booked our flight to go and meet Brittany and her family in Iowa. I cannot even begin to tell you my excitement. So for the next few months, we chatted via email and I continued to pray for her because even though she had a good transplant and her blood counts are up, the doctors haven't necessarily said, "you are completely healed." 

Then came Thanksgiving break. Mom and I flew up on that Saturday morning. I will admit, I was a tad bit nervous. I mean, what was I supposed to say? I mean I proved my awkwardness by admitting to y'all that my email was entitled "Hey! I'm your donor!" We got off the plane and just from seeing pictures on Facebook, I knew exactly who she was when I saw her. We instantly clicked. 

The whole weekend was filled with fun times. I was able to meet her family and all seven of her siblings. We played card games, went ice skating, went to a birthday party, went out to eat, laughed, and talked all weekend. That weekend I gained a sister, Brittany, and seven other siblings as well. (I mean, we are kind of related now with the whole bone marrow thing). I was able to meet important people in her life and really get to know the person who had blessed me in such an incredible way only a year ago. It was by-far one of the highlights of my life. 

With all of this being said, let's get back to the title of this post: "How being a donor changed my life." Like I've said before, when I registered with Be the Match, I really had NO idea what it entailed. I just saw, "save a life," and I thought, "yep, I'll be apart of that." Looking back now, I can think of several ways that being a donor changed my life.

--- I now have a forever sister. 

--- I learned how to fully rely on Christ's strength when my own strength completely failed me. 

--- I was able to hear the nurses' stories about recipients they've met before. 

--- I learned how to truly pray for some one's healing. 

--- I saw how important it is to stay true to your commitment. 

--- I met and heard from so many prayer warriors. 

--- I realized that nothing that this world can give us is better than Christ's love.

--- I learned that it's okay to cry when we hurt. 

--- I witnessed the power of prayer. 

I could go on and on about how wonderful it was to meet Brittany. I'm happy to say that it wasn't just a "one-time experience," but that we plan on meeting up again, hopefully soon. She wants to come visit Mississippi sometime, so maybe that can happen soon. Right now, I just ask that you continue to lift her up in your prayers. Pray for complete healing of her body. I know that God is the ultimate Healer and Physician and He can and does mighty things. 

Thank you for being apart of this journey. It's like I've said all along, it's nothing that I do, but it's what Christ does through me. He does awesome things through His children. 

Also, if you've never registered for Be the Match, I highly recommend that you consider it. Go check it out and see how your life can be changed and how God can bring someone into your life like he brought Brittany and her family into mine. 

Our Wants versus God's Plans

In this day and age, we have access to instant results. We have become so use to drive-thru restaurants where you can order and have your food in your hands in less than two minutes. We can pick up our remote, watch the shows we want to see and record the ones coming on months from now.  We can snap a picture of a check with our phone and have it deposited into our checking account. We can order things online, pay extra shipping and have it in our hands the following day. Just the other day, I took a picture of some medicine I needed to refill and the pharmacy had it filled for me 3 hours later. We’ve become accustom to barcodes on buildings and menus that allow us to scan and order our food instantly. We’ve become use to cars that start at the press of a button and movies that come out of a machine in seconds. I mean Apple even created Siri to answer you without even pressing a button.  We can talk to our phone and ask it to set our alarm, read a text message, and remind us to do something. I typed “instant gratification,” into Google, and several celebrities’ quotes appeared. They all had the same bottom line:  “Instant gratification is not soon enough.” We ask for things and, in most cases, we get them instantly, and when we don’t, we aren’t pleased.

I partake in all of these instant gratifications. I like for my food to come quickly, for my shows to be recorded, and for things to come and go in a timely manner. However, sometimes I think this is where we forget to have patience in the times when things aren’t done instantly. When we have to sit and wait for ten minutes, it feels like an hour and an hour feels like a day. When technology messes up, we get mad rather than seeing the good that may come out of it. I’m guilty of it. I see it happen in my own life daily. I get upset and angry when my “wants” aren’t met immediately. 

Let’s put ourselves in this hypothetical situation. Actually, it may be a situation that’s highly familiar to you. I’m pretty sure we have all been in this situation more times than we would like to be. You leave work/school/home to go to your next destination and you’re really hungry. You pull into the closest drive-thru that hasn’t made you sick in the last two months and you see that there are three cars in front of you. Three cars. “That can’t take that long at all,” you think to yourself, so you pull up behind the last car and wait. You’ve waited for approximately two minutes, and you can hardly stand it. “It can’t possibly take that long to order food,” you quietly say. A few more minutes go by and finally it’s your turn to order. You make up your mind about exactly what you want and as you get ready to state your order, the worker asks you to please wait a moment. You’re already thinking, “I’ve been waiting. In this line. For 10 minutes.” You wait and then give your order, only to wait until it’s time to pay and get your food. You look at the clock in your car or down at your phone and realize that you were only in line for ten minutes. Ten minutes is not that long at all. However, for us in this day and age, ten minutes sometimes feels like a lifetime.

Now, I’m not saying that instant gratification is always a negative thing. There are things that are helpful when they come instantly. When we turn on a faucet, we expect water to come out instantly. When we turn the key in our car, we are expectant that the engine will start immediately. Things instantly occurring can be good, but when we get in this state of “it needs to happen right now because I need it right now,” we begin to have that outlook towards everything in our lives. We begin to think that our timing is perfect and that our wants should be met right away because that’s what is best for us. However, we learn in God’s word that patience is a fruit of the spirit. In James 5 verses 7-8 it says, “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” If you are a Christ-follower, then you know that God works in his own timing. We don’t always get the instant results that we feel like we should receive.

How do we change our mindset, so that we see that God’s timing is better than our own? How do we as believers keep our faith strong when things don’t turn out in our favor or in our timing? When we actually have to wait for things to happen, how can that be a witness to our testimony that we trust in God no matter what?

John Piper stated, “The strength of patience hangs on our capacity to believe that God is up to something good for us in all our delays and detours.” Delays. We don’t always like that word. Delayed paychecks, delayed flights, and delayed vacations don’t sit right with us. God sometimes delays things from happening, even when we believe it is the perfect timing. There’s a job we want, so we interview for it and hope to get it. God knows what’s best for us, so why do we seem so upset sometimes when things don’t go as we planned? Psalm 25:5 says, “Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” Are we truly willing to wait “all the day long,” or even longer for God’s timing? He promises us that He will take care of us and that His timing is perfect. We should rest in that. He knows what’s best for us way better than what we think is best for us.

I’m far from an expert on patience. I’m completely guilty of wanting things instantly at the touch of a button. I’ll admit, sometimes I’m afraid to pray for patience because I know that God will teach me a lesson that may be hard for me. Nonetheless, in a world where instant gratification is second nature to us, as believers we have a responsibility to show the world that God’s timing is perfect and that patience in the good times and the hard times helps strengthen our walk with him. As I stated earlier, I don’t think that instant gratification is bad, I just believe that sometimes it can lead us to believe that all things in life should come instantly rather than in God’s perfect timing.

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”-Philippians 1:6

Waves Crashing Against the Shore

Have you ever walked along the beach early in the morning looking for seashells? As the waves crash against the shore and return back to the ocean, you discover new things under your wet, sandy feet. With each new wave, new shells appear and some shells seem to reappear again and again.

Anytime I walk along the beach, I usually have my eyes on the ground looking for that perfect seashell or sand dollar. Sometimes the waves bring up the perfect shell, and sometime they bring shells that I'm not expecting to find. You have to reach down quick to pick up those shells you're really looking for because when the wave returns to the sea, the shell may go with it.
In our lives, we have many opportunities that "wash ashore" and are in our grasp. We have the choice to take the opportunity and make the most of it or let it go past our hands. Some things are worth making that tiny leap into the wave that makes us a little uncomfortable. Then again, some things wash away quickly for a reason.

This summer I have had the opportunity to work with CentriKid for my second summer in a row. The ministry of CentriKid has encouraged me and motivated me to make the most of every opportunity when working with children. Intentionality is key to being a camp staffer. Kids love to talk and they love for someone to be interested in what they have to say. There are times when working camp that it might seem easier to not take the opportunity to talk with a kid, but when the opportunity is taken, it's never regretted. Intentionality is not just having a conversation with the first kid you see about the weather or their favorite movie. If you haven't talked to a kid lately, one thing is for certain: kids are more open than we give them credit for sometimes. At camp, it's simple as sitting with a little girl at dinner and asking her what she learned in Bible Study that day. The conversation might start with, "I learned about how Jesus died on the cross," and then it can continue into a conversation about having a relationship with Christ. I've been apart of conversations like that before and it's incredible to see how God uses the opportunities he gives us for his glory.

A few weeks ago at camp when I got to dinner a little later than usual, there were not many kids sitting down eating, so I found a seat next to an adult leader from a church. I love talking to the adults at camp because they are getting to see their kiddos learn and grow so much throughout one week. After all, we get a group of kids one week out of the year and they have them the other 51 weeks of the year. It's encouraging to talk to them and hear their hearts for ministry as well. I sat down with a lady and after about two minutes of small-talk, she asked me, "so what is one thing God has been teaching you this summer?" It took me a second to gather my thoughts because that was the first time I had been asked that question this summer. Then I began to explain: "God has been teaching me about taking the opportunities he gives me every day and to truly be intentional with kids not just at camp but in everyday life." I explained to her that I am a 1st grade teacher and that I have the opportunity everyday to love on kiddos and show them the love of Christ. It hit me as I sat there and talked to her: Do I take those opportunities like I should? This summer, God has given me the opportunity to be apart of a lot of kids' lives. What's cool is that he also has given me a group of kiddos throughout the year that I get to invest in. He's teaching me this summer that when I go back to work, I'm in the mission field that he has placed me in. I have the opportunity to show Christ's love to some fun kiddos while teaching them. Am I willing to make that small leap and take the opportunities that he has given me everyday? It doesn't stop at camp for me.

Tonight as I was walking along the beach with my mom, I was looking intently for a sand dollar. I whispered a prayer during my walk and said, "God, please place a little sand dollar along my path." Now, that may seem like a silly prayer, but God is big and even in our prayers that seem small, he proves himself big. Guess what? About five minutes later, I looked down, saw a round figure in the water, made that uncomfortable leap into the water and reached down to pick up a small sand dollar. I got my clothes a little wet and my hands were sticky, but God had answered that prayer and had given me an opportunity. I just had to take it.

My prayer for myself is that I will continue be intentional with kiddos this summer and that I will be intentional with my first graders throughout the school year. Isn't it cool that God can teach you and remind you of things just while you walk down the beach?

Growing Old and Feeling Young

     It is absolutely crazy to me when I think about the fact that I have been alive for 23 years. Well, I guess 22 full years and 1 day, but anyways, you get the point. 
     22 has been a whirlwind of a ride and as I reflect on it, I am incredibly grateful for the joy the Lord has brought me throughout it. I don't mean to sound "cliche'" or "trendy" when I say this, but if I were putting this on twitter, this past year would have the hashtag, #blessed. Last summer, I had the opportunity to work for CentriKid in South Carolina and I absolutely loved it. I was able to love on kids, share the gospel, be a part of a community of believers my age, and grow in my walk with Christ. I learned so much and grew a lot during the summer and really saw the Lord working in my life big time. While I was at camp, God already had plans for what I was going to do the moment I got home. I wrote about this in the fall, but donating bone marrow was probably one of the most challenging times in my entire life. I had to completely rely on God for my strength during that time, and I really saw how He can and will use us to help others. Five more months and hopefully (fingers crossed) I will get to hear from the girl I donated to and possibly even meet her. If so, there will be so much joy in my heart that I just may burst. 
     Let's see… oh yeah, I had an awesome student teaching experience in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade for 7 weeks and in 1st grade for 7 weeks. Then, I graduated college. That's a big deal and also makes me feel super old. The cool thing about my "graduation story" is that I was expecting it to be really difficult to find a job for January, and I was planning on substituting here and there until the next school year. Yet again, God showed me that he is MUCH bigger than any of our plans. Literally the same week I graduated, I began long-term substituting in 3rd grade and found out I would be there until the beginning of March. Can you say "woah?" And as if that wasn't already a big enough blessing, the week before my final week in 3rd grade, I got a call and was asked to be the new 1st grade teacher the following week. I think I  probably sounded silly on the phone because I was in shock that God had answered so many prayers. Not to mention, I have a Critical Needs scholarship requiring me to work in a critical needs area for two years. Guess what? The school I work for now falls into that category so not only did God bless me with a job, but he also gave me a job that I really really needed. 3rd thing? I had really been wanting 1st grade. You guessed it… I got 1st grade. He showed me how faithful He is to us when we are faithful to Him (and he especially showed me this in the span of about 3 months). 
    In a short 12 months, I went from being an undergraduate living in Hattiesburg, not really sure what the next few months would hold, to living at home with my family and being a 1st grade teacher. I have seen God's goodness and his grace over and over again. I have been comforted, I have been taught, I have been loved when I didn't feel like I was much to love, and I have been blessed beyond measure. I have grown so much in my own eyes and I look forward to what this year of life will bring. 
     Yeah, 22 does have a fun and upbeat song to go with it, and I haven't heard one for 23 yet, but if 23 is anything like 22 was, I know it will be great. Who knows? I might be the next TSwift and make 23 sound even cooler than 22. 
     I'm thankful for the people in my life who have continued to pour into me and encourage me along this journey. Thank you for teaching me, correcting me, encouraging me, and praying for me. 

What Kids Can Teach Us

All of my life, I have always loved being around children. I'm not sure what exactly it is, but I have always felt comfortable around them. I guess a lot of it has to do with my child-like nature. Sometimes I think I'm still 6 years old rather than soon-to-be 23 years old. I spent my days in middle school/high school babysitting. I served with M4 camp in high school during the summers. I volunteered at VBS. I did mission work with children at sports camps and in orphanages. I served with CentriKid Camps last summer and I'm planning on working again this summer. I teach 3 & 4 year olds at the dance studio after school and now I'm a 3rd grade substitute teacher.

This blog isn't about me and what I do though. Because lately I've been learning more and more that none of this life is about me. I've always known that, but as humans sometimes we tend to fall into the trap that we are important and we know it all and we have it all under control. And then it hits us square between the eyes, "No silly, YOU don't have it under control. It's not about YOU, it's about HIM."

So here I am writing about what I've been learning about God through the children that are in my life right now and the children who have been in my life in the past. It's incredible how God uses children to work in the lives of adults. He's showing me that I have to let go of things and allow Him to work in my life. He's showing me to laugh at things that aren't a big deal. He's showing me to completely trust in Him and in His timing. He's showing me how to truly love others and how to serve whole-heartedly. He's showing me how to be patient (and I'll admit, I struggle with it A LOT). He's molding me and I know that He will continue to mold me as the years go on. I just want to share what's on my heart as He does so.

Here's a list of a few scenarios/examples in my life of how God has used children to help me learn more about Him:

1. Faye: I believe I shared this in one of my posts while I was in the Philippines a few years back. Faye was one of the older girls in the orphanage. She did not speak a lot of English and she could be very shy at times. One day, as we were washing dishes, she said to me, "Every morning I pray that Jesus would come back that day." I probably looked shock to hear that come out of a 12 year old's mouth, but I asked her why. She told me, "Because I know how much He loves us and how much better it is in Heaven with Him." I can't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure there were tears in my eyes.
Faye taught me that we should yearn for Jesus's return. 
Sometimes we don't want that because we want to be more successful, make more money, find "the person" to live with, etc, but if we all just yearned for Jesus more, how much more joy would we have?

2. 10-year-old CentriKid camper: This little girl was so into reading her Bible. She came to me and had every question you could think of about God's word. She wanted to know who wrote every book of the Bible and why. She was so interested in learning more about who God was. She wanted to know all of the stories and wanted to know what scriptures she should read about certain things. Anytime I saw her, she had a question for me to answer.
She taught me that I should desire to be close to God through His word.
There are times when I sit down to read my Bible and honestly have no idea where to turn to, so I literally open it up and just start reading. I'll be honest, I don't know every story by heart and there are some things that still confuse me, but I should desire to read and study God's word.

3. Sophia: I mean, I don't think I've ever seen a cuter group of little girls than all of my dance babies. One of the little girls in the two year old class I taught last semester, didn't talk a lot when she first started coming to dance. As the weeks progressed, she started mimicking things we would say to her and now she talks non-stop. One of things she would always repeat (in the cutest little voice I might add), is "That's silly!" and then she would burst out giggling.
Sophia taught me that sometimes we need to laugh and not worry about things because God has them under control. 
Although she is young, just the simple reminder that God tells us to cast all of our burdens on him because he cares for us is so true. We don't always have to laugh about things, but knowing that we don't have to have everything figured out is good for us to remember.

4. Bubba: He's my little cousin and he can talk your ears off sometimes, but when it comes to prayer, he's got it. I don't think I've ever seen a little boy who loves to pray more than he does. He offers to pray for meals and it's not just reciting the same prayer every time, but it is so heart-felt and genuine.
Bubba taught me that we should want to be in constant communication with the Lord.
It doesn't matter what our words sound like or if we pause in the middle of our prayer, He wants to hear us speak to Him. He wants to know what's on our heart and he desires us to talk to him.

5. Amelia: I used to babysit Amelia and two of her siblings during the week when I lived in Hattiesburg. She was a busy little kindergartener who loved to play outside. One day, she decided that she wanted to learn how to ride her bike without training wheels by herself. We got out in the yard, she hopped on her bike, and I held onto the handle bars for her to get steady. We went around the yard with me holding on, and I knew she was getting the hang of it. I told her she was doing great and could do it by herself and she said, "but are you sure Ms. Brittney?" I told her, "trust me, you've got this. I'll run beside you and I'll help you if you want help." I helped her get started and then she yelled, "Okay, let go!!" She rode her bike all around the yard all by herself while I ran next to her. When she stopped, her face was glowing.
Amelia taught me that God tells us to trust in Him and that He won't leave us or forsake us ever. 
He wants us to put our full trust in Him, and if we stumble, He will be there to pick us up. We have to have faith that he will do what he says he will do. Just like Amelia on the bike, sometimes we are afraid, but God's hand is always there, and He's always running beside us ready to hold on.

6. Braylee and Graci: This is another story about my dance babies. Braylee has a precious heart for a 4 year old. She loves all of the girls in her class and demonstrates it all of the time. One of her best friends in the class is Graci. Graci is one of my dance babies who has Down Syndrome. Sometimes for little kids, it's hard for them to befriend someone who looks and acts different than them. Graci is one of the sweetest and funniest little girls I have ever met. Her smile is infectious. The friendship and love that Braylee and Graci demonstrate is incredible. The fact that they are different does not matter to either of them. They are best friends and it shows.
Braylee and Graci taught me that God desires for us to love His people. 
It doesn't matter if it's difficult to do so. It doesn't matter if other people are or aren't loving people. He commands us to love people. He wants us to befriend them. He wants us to invest in them. He wants us to share the gospel with them.

Although these are only a few examples of how God uses children to teach us things, He uses kids and other people in our lives daily to teach us and remind us of things.
I'm thankful that God is a loving God who desires to be close to us.
I'm thankful for daily reminders of his goodness and his grace.
I'm thankful that I can talk to him and bring my biggest fears and worries to him.
I'm thankful that he hears me when I cry out to him.
I'm thankful that he places children in my life who help me grow closer to him.
Jesus sure does love the little children, and I do too.

-Brittney