There are SOOO many people who inspire/encourage/ and impact my life. I chose 3 of those people who really inspired me through college! College was a time of HUGE growth for me. I wrestled with God about a lot of stuff that was going on in my life. I basically went from a boy-crazy high school senior who was seeking fulfillment from things that could only provide temporary satisfaction to a person whose focus was on glorifying God and figuring out what is looks like to have a relationship with Jesus. This does not mean that I'm good at this at all, because it is definitely daily struggle, but it is TOTALLY worth striving for! God did some really big things in my life during this time and he used a lot of people to help me with this change! These three women that I'm going to focus on are Brooke Currie, Caitlin VanScott, and Dr. Sleigh!
The first person that God really used in my life is Brooke Currie! GOODNESS!!! Brooke hated me when she first met me! haha! I love telling that story! When she first met me (while I was visiting my big sister at Winthrop) I was a CRAZY immature, young, little. high schooler who was EXTREMELY boy-crazy and bounced around all the time! But when I actually came to Winthrop as a student, she didn't hate me as much! I tried to NOT get involved with a campus ministry my freshmen year. My plan was to stay away from them because that is what my sister did when she went to Winthrop, and if I was going to get involved with one, then it was NOT going to be Campus Crusade! I even planned my work schedule at the same time as Cru so I couldn't go to the weekly meeting! Another reason I didn't want to get involved in one was because I wanted to do what I wanted to do in college. I came to college as a really stubborn freshmen who wanted the fun/typical/as seen on tv type college experience! But God had a different idea! He put a lot of Campus Crusade people in my life and they were determined on getting me involved! This is when Brooke came into my life! She had an interest in my life and had a desire to get my life going in the right direction. She invited me over and over to the Bible study that her and Katie Simmons (my awesome roommate from the Cabin) were leading. I was determined not to go! But they were insistent! Brooke would call, text and drag me to Bible study! This is where I really got plugged into an AWESOME community who cared for each other, who shared God's love with each other, and who had some really great times! James smacked us all in the face! We were called Goodness! This Bible Study seriously challenged me and what I believed! Brooke would specifically force me to contribute to the group and really ask awesome questions to get to the bottom of what I believed! Brooke was also my discipler, she would meet with me once a week and talk to me about life, Jesus, Psychology and so much other stuff! It was awesome to have an older friend/mentor/role model who really poured into me and cared about my walk with the Lord!! Brooke is one of those great friends who is really honest with you. She had a huge impact on my views on dating and my relationship with Jesus! I'm so thankful that Brooke Currie is in my life. She has such a huge heart for children and God works through her in amazing ways to impact children and the people around her! One day she is going to own an AWESOME camp that I totally want to work at! :) God totally put her in my life to put me in the right direction, to really challenge me and to help me grow! Brooke still has an impact on my life and I'm so excited to living closer to her next year!
Caitlin Freaking Amazing VanScott!!! So when Brooke graduated Caitlin VanScott became a Campus Crusade staff member at Winthrop. She was my next discipler! She totally thought I insane when we first met! (I'm really bad with first impressions!) I completely freaked her out by running up to her and giving her a huge hug and telling her that we were going to be best friends and I was so glad that she was at our campus! Caitlin helped me to really understand the Gospel! I'm pretty sure that we went through every tool that Cru provides and I learned SO much! After I really understood the Gospel, then Caitlin taught me how to share it with others. I also learned how to set boundaries with my time and not to over commit, which is still a struggle! She also encourages me to find time to enjoy with God. I learned a lot about conflict resolution. I also learned a lot about explaining myself in more detail and just being more honest with people. Tim Keller kicked our butts along with 1 Thessalonians! I learned that there is more than one John in the Bible! Caitlin likes to push me out of my comfort zone, but she's always there for support! She influenced me to go to NYC (which would not of been my first choice) but I ended up loving it... for the most part! She has been an awesome role model. She has heard about everything that has happened in my life and has helped me through a lot of stuff! God uses Caitlin in AMAZING ways! She has been a fantastic staff member on Winthrop's Campus. She has had such a HUGE impact on the women that she has been in contact with at Winthrop, Charlotte, New York, Santa Cruz, and where ever she goes! It is so great to see God working in her and through her. We learned that you should not stand too close to the "Starry Night" painting in the MoMa. We also spent a year hanging out a Starbucks every single week! Caitlin has helped me through A LOT! I'm so glad to call VanScott my friend!
Dr. Sleigh!!!! Oh My Goodness, where to start?!?! This woman is AMAZING! Anyone who has had Dr. Sleigh for a professor knows this to be true! She has impacted so many students at Winthrop University. She gives a 150% to her job! Her work ethic is astonishing! She gives so much of her time, knowledge and compassion to her students! I have never had a professor who cares for their students and much as she does! She cares so much that she is always trying to pair her students up with someone special! :) Dr. Sleigh loves the Lord SOOOO much! We spent a good amount of time talking about Jesus in her office! It is so great to have a professor who loves the Lord and who allows the Lord to work through her. She is so conscience of the example that she sets for her students. I'm so honored to of had her for a professor! She loves her students with the love the gets from God! I saw her as a second mom at Winthrop (I even asked her if she would adopt me!) It is awesome to see her interact with her two daughters because you can tell how much she loves them. She inspires me to one day be a loving mom, a caring teacher, and a person who strives to glorify God in all that I do! I cherish the time that I got to spend with her because I learned so much about life, God, Psychology, and so much more! Her biological psychology class rocked my world, I don't think I've ever learned so much in any other class! Her passion for psychology gets her students excited about psychology. Dr. Sleigh is such a wonderful role model! She deserves every award in the world for being such a FANTASTIC professor, mom, and human being! I'm so honored to have had Dr. Sleigh as a professor and I can't wait to go back to Rock Hill and visit her and the family!
These 3 women are all Rock Stars! They allow God to work through them to impact others. I could not ask for better role models! God has used so many more people in my life! I am truly blessed with amazing people that God has put in my life! I could not ask for a better community of friends who inspire and encourage me in my walk with the Lord!
