In grade 11 Kelly joined our group of friends. Why, I don't really know. I think she felt weird in her old group of friends - she really only hung out with them because her best friend was in that group. I don't know why she joined, but I'm sure glad she did. At the time I wasn't. She was loud. She was obnoxiously. She could do things that would get others really annoyed - but she could get away with it just because it was her. She was everything that ticked me off about most people. She is now one of my bestest friends. Isn't it funny what God will do.
I met another one of my closest bestest friends in grade 11. Melody was as quiet and as shy as I was. She loved books just as much as I did. She started going to ACA a few months after I did. It was friendship at first church van ride.
Grade 11 was pretty much uneventful after that. Although did start to discover God more. Its hard to really say how. But I was in an environment that was perfectly suited for me to grow and learn. As if I was the right flower in the right garden. There was nothing wrong with the garden I had previously been planted in - I was just the wrong flower for that garden. At ACA I just fit. And God made sense. Now I could visit other gardens (even for more then one Sunday in a row) and gain some nutrients and learn lots about God - useful true facts and revelations - but I would still be firmly planted in ACA. Until such time as God sees fit to plant me somewhere else (not too soon, or at all if possible....)
The other big event of grade 11 was that I remember crying late into the night about not wanting to graduate. I was getting better at doing homework and I loved having my school friends around. And while I didn't like getting up early every morning I loved going to school. It was routine. It made sense. I had been doing it for the majority of my life. School made sense and I did not want to graduate. It was inevitable but I didn't want to.
In the summer between grade 11 and grade 12 I got my first ever (and only ever) job. I had been hunting for one. In clothing stores and such places. The only place I didn't want to work at was a fast food joint. I don't know why I just didn't. My aunt challenged me on this saying that I thought that "I was too good to work at McDonalds" that was were I really didn't want to work. However I was going to prove her wrong (not please her - prove her wrong. There is a difference. Apparently). That Saturday I took my resume down to the closest McDonalds and was given an application. I filled it out, handed it in and was told to come back the next day for an interview. So on Sunday I came back for my interview and was told after a few questions "Well we've already decided we were going to hire you..." the next week I started. I started on a July 3rd. That was three years ago. I still work there.
No its not sad that I still work at McDonalds. I quiet love my job thank you very much.
Anyways. So I got the job pretty easily. And then suddenly I wanted a car. Never mind that I was only about to turn sixteen and wouldn't be able to drive this car myself for another year at least. It would take that long to save up. So I wanted a car and was very frugal about spending my money. I never did get that car.
Instead I did something better. See every year at my school there were missions trips. Over sea's missions trips. Open to grade 11's and 12's. Grade 10 and up could go to Mexico though. I didn't really want to go at first. In grade 11 I thought it would be impossible to go cause I would never have the money. In grade 12 I wasn't sure. But me and my dad went to a meeting and suddenly I just really really really really really wanted to go. And I had enough saved up for at least the first 2 payments. I wanted to go to Thailand.
Instead I went to Cambodia. But that's a post all in and of itself. For next time.
What I do have to say is how much I love that God just works everything together. Like it says in Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
I went from thinking Kelly was annoying to her being one of my closest friends. And me and Melody hit it of right away (with a lot of bumps along the way as I will explain later). And my getting the job so easily with the desire for a car (that went away almost as soon as I decided I wanted to go on a missions trip) so that I would have money saved up and ready to go on a missions trip.
I wouldn't have been able to orchestrate that even in my wildest dreams. And trust me - my dreams are pretty strange.
Hollie.
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