Reflections on 2016

Hello all! This is a day late, because I wanted to post it on the last day of the year.

Overall, this year has been a good one. 2016 has seen me change and grow, succeed and fail. I have visited many new places, read more books than I thought I could, served God in ways I never thought possible, and received more blessings than I ever could have imagined.

This year was my first full year as a kids' Sunday school teacher - I began last August. I have had so much fun teaching this class, and I learn so much when I'm teaching. I feel so blessed that God called me to this, even though at first I wasn't sure I really wanted it.

This year was also my first full year at my job, which I started last December. I work in a library, and I love my job. I love all my coworkers, and it's just a blast to work there. One thing I really like about my job is that though not all of them attend church or are as involved in their churches as I am, I still feel free to talk about my church when it comes up in conversation - I don't feel like I need to hide any part of me.

This year I read over 400 books, and many were educational, or Christian books. In 2017, I hope to read even more books than this year, and I want to read even more books that help feed my spirit, rather than just my mind or my imagination.

This year, I have also read many books of the Bible. I only have about 10 left, and then I plan to do more in-depth studies of specific books and topics. I'm excited!

This year, I continued learning Japanese, and I feel much more confident speaking the words and phrases I know. I look forward to learning even more next year, and I hope that this knowledge can be used for God's glory.

This year, I also visited a lot of new places, and some old ones. From simply going to a new movie theater, to visiting a whole new town I'd never been to and getting to see beautiful fall colors, and everything in-between, I had a blast on each trip.

I stepped up more at my church, even though some of the things I had to do were things I didn't want to do or feel qualified to do. Though it was sometimes a struggle, I persevered, and came out the other side stronger, more patient, and kinder than before. While I still pray that we'll get someone new at our church who is more qualified with the technological side of things (particularly in troubleshooting and fixing them), I feel like I learned a lot through my unexpected role as Tech-Girl.

I ate healthier than I ever have before and I started exercising. Though I've put on a few "holiday pounds" I still feel better than I ever have before.

For 2017, I want to continue to learn, grow, discover who I am, and who God has called me to be. I look forward to more adventures, more challenges, more books, more movies, more blessings, more trips, more opportunities to serve, and more time to spend with family and friends. I look forward to cooking new recipes, making new friends, creating new memories, and having more fun.

Happy New Year! See you all in 2017!
___________________________________________
Numbers 6:24-26 : "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."