All Around Christ

Hey guys!!

Hope you have all been doing well! 

This week back at school started Tuesday, and that night I had my first trailblazer meeting! We learned about everything we need to do, and we took a campus tour, and so on. Then, went to girls bible study! Now, this was my favorite part of that day! We meet every Tuesday night at 7 in the BSU. It's amazing how you can feel apart of a small family of girls when you have just met then! All these girls are so sweet and we can just talk to one another and be ourselves! 

^bible study with these ladies!

^this is such a sweet girl, Olivia! Amazing bible study leader! 

Wednesday, was a normal day full of work and laziness. Me and 3 others on the trail later team went to my old high school to represent Colin and try to recruit students to come to Colin! It went great, and then i had church. Church that night was great.

^CA alumni representing Colin! Trailblazing!

Today was my first time visiting the nursing home in Brookhaven with the BSU! We sang hymnals and I was asked to give the mini devotion for the week. I am so blessed to have had this opportunity! I have been asking God to just use me while I have my time here at Colin, but not just at Colin, other places to! I feel Him working and I'm just ready for whatever God has for me! Also, Grace (my roommate) played the piano while we sang hymns! Grace is an amazing piano player!It was so good to speak to these people and I'm blessed for an awesome BSU family! 

^the group who went to the nursing home ministry today!

^so blessed I had the opportunity to do this! God is good!

Tomorrow I do not have class, and I will go home! Oh! And I'll get my first paycheck ever! Pretty excited!

God is so good, and I can't wait to see what all he has planned!

Show Love, Be Love.

-Tonya! :)

Just Keeps Getting Better!

Hi Everyone!!

I just finished my 2nd week of college! Big things happened!!

BSU finally kicked off Monday, and there was a great group that showed up! I love gathering with a room full of people ready and willing to worship and talk about God. Truly amazing!! Tuesday, The guys and girls split up at 7 those nights and we have a bible study. My first bible study with an amazing group of girls was amazing! It's great to have a devotion with them and talk to each other about everything. Wednesday, for about 5 minutes at 11:30 every week, we meet in the chapel to do a little devotion and pray. Thursdays, we go to nursing homes and sing to the elderly. I have to work during that time so I can't go with them, which makes me extremely sad... :(

But I am ready to be involved in BSU and see what all God has in store for me while I'm there! 

^me and Grace at our first BSU!

Thursday, I had an interview to try out for Trailblazers at my school. (Trailblazers is sort of an organization at the school that retreat the school and go to high school recruiting kids and telling them why they should go to Colin! And they have to be willing to speak in front of people and be enthusiastic about the school!) well I was extremely nervous because they were only excepting 11-14 students out of 54 trying out!! But I made it!!! Me and 23 other students made it! I was so excited and was praying that of God would allow me to, that I would make it. I'm so excited!

^i made it!!

As an RA in my dorm, we finally received our permanent schedule for the rest of the year. My advisor asked if anything was wrong with it, and there was only one thing wrong. I had to work on Wednesdays from 5-7, and I told her how I was heavily involved with church and I was one of the leaders for the youth group. A girl said she would trade with me for Thursdays at 7-9. So I was all excited to trade, then I realized that I will be missing football games. I was sad, but I knew church was more important and God is my first priority, so I traded. My human nature wanted to go to football games instead of church, but I knew what God wanted me to do. So everything worked out. I get to go to church, and I get to see the ending to football games! 

^me and Grace at our first Wolfpack game! Colin won 29-20! I got to see part of 3rd quarter and all of 4th!

College life is amazing so far, I hope and pray it stays that way! 

Show Love, Be Love.

Tonya, :)

That College Swag!

Hello Everyone!! 

I haven't blogged in a while and I think it's time for more! 

So this past week I had my first week of college! It was amazing!! It's so great to catch up with old friends, and also hangout with the same friends I had in high school! But most of all, the best is meeting new friends everyday! Everyday I have been busy, and I like to stay busy. I have 2-3 classes a day, and all my teachers are awesome. The classes are in the morning so I get to hangout the rest of the day, but also 3 out of 4 days I work. So it's really good! 

I can't forget about my amazing roomie! Grace has been so amazing and sweet this week! Meeting at Passion was the best thing I think could have happened! Even though I felt like a very bad roommate after I tried being a good one. It was raining really hard when we arrived back at the college when we went to grab a bite to eat. I dropped her off close to the entrance to I could go find a parking place so she wouldn't have to be in the rain. She got out and I said "RUN!" And bam! She fell into a huge puddle of water.....talk about me feeling so bad!!! But we laughed it off and she is okay! But seriously, she is the best roommate anyone could ask for. 

BSU kicks off Monday night, and I'm pretty excited about it!!! I can't wait to see what God provides for me to do with them while I'm there! 

God has blessed me beyond measure with amazing people in my life and an amazing education! I can't wait to see what else He has for me on this journey!

Here are some pics from this week! 

^first day of college with the best friend/roomie ever!

^Marissa, Me, and Daisy!

^Tuesday I hung out with these awesome peeps! Grey, Sarah Claire, Me, Marissa!

^my amazing cousin/best friend Blaire!

^Wednesday I spent the day with these lovely ladies.

^Thursday me and SayClay had our WolfPack Swag going on!

^these guys are pretty awesome! Josh and Clint.

^the breakfast was great with my girl Joanna.

^after a long amazing week at college, I was glad to see my MeMe!

College is gonna be amazing!

Show Love, Be Love.

Tonya! 

New Beginnings

Hello everyone!!

So recently as some of you know, I joined my youth group on the Back To School Retreat to start talking about things we can do differently in our church and youth group. Also talking about mission opportunities we could do! I am beyond excited to share some things that we plan on doing. 

For starters, me and my roomie Grace, and 5 other youth kids are on the youth leadership team at our church. This Christmas, we plan on going on a mission trip, just us, to do some missions either in Alaska or Chicago. We are still praying about which place God will want us to go. For the youth, the first trip will be somewhere in the states. We all are going to do things every month with our youth group involving missions in our local area. It's gonna be pretty exciting!

^the back to school retreat group :)

In a week from today, I will be moving into my dorm at Colin and starting my first day working there as a Resident Assistant. I'm beyond excited and so is Grace! We start college the 19th.

Beginning a new life living away from home, but not too far. Seeing where God leads me, and doing everything for Him. Studying General Studies with my time here, and move on after two year to Mississippi College to study what I'm in college for: Christian Studies and Philosophy.

Meeting new people, building lifelong relationships, and gathering with Christian students at the BSU. Having fun with Christians and experience college life in a way that glorifies God and not the opposite. Being me and having a blast in college!!

Roomies with Grace, also being small group leaders together for the Zion Hill Baptist Church junior high and high school girls, and part of the youth group leadership team.

Looking for mission opportunities also while studying, and looking for opportunities to share Christ with others.

I can't wait to see what else God has in store for me!!

I would love if you would pray for me as u begin this amazing journey in college.

Show Love, Be Love!

Tonya,  :)

God is Good!

Hello! 

So, recently I returned from the Ukraine, and coming back, I was really worried in some ways because of some lessons learned while I was away. But coming back, God has blessed me in more ways than ever! 

When I came back to my church, I found out that I am apart of the Zion Hill Youth leadership team! Along with 4 others! I'm pretty excited about that!

Also, I received a work study job at Colin! I will be an RA (Resident Assistant) for my dorm. So now I won't have to travel anywhere for a job! 

Small groups kick off August 1st at a back to school retreat! Me and Grace are pretty excited about that! But we still have to look for material, and quick! 

College is just around the corner, and I'm so excited! It's like a fresh start. Meeting new people, going to BSU, thinking of what mission trip to do next, having only a few classes a day, studying what I actually need for what I do in life.

Cannot wait to see what God has in store! 

-Tonya

So Far, So Good!

Hello Everyone!

I haven't really updated anyone on how this year has been for me. I guess if I had to shortly describe it, it would have to be described as beyond blessed.

At Passion 2013

January 1st, began a 4 day event called Passion Conference. As many of you know, I LOVE Passion and I talk about it all the time. Well, during that time, I met this girl named Grace Dorris, through Clinton. Clinton knew her because he went to college with her dad and they were roommates together. Well, Grace and her family live in Yazoo City which is about 2 hours from where I live. We got along so well at Passion, but didn't get to spend a whole lot together. We both wanted to do missions later in life and we both loved the same music, and both loved talking about God!

We Joined the Wolfpack!

Grace and I with Third Day!

Well, one day me and Grace were texting each other and we were talking about college. She was talking about either doing online classes or going to Holmes Community College; and I was all like, "You should visit Colin! And if you like it then we could be roomies!" and I kinda knew that wouldn't happen because she lived so far away and it would be away from her family. But a couple of days later, she said her parents would consider looking at it! My excitement began and we scheduled a campus tour day. Her parents approved and now we are going to be at the same college together and be roomed together! We also have 3 classes together! It's so amazing how God makes things work out. From meeting someone at a Christian Conference, to now being roommates in college. God has made everything work out so good for us. Another awesome thing is, is that we are the new small group leaders at my church for the junior high and high school girls starting in August! Gonna be epic! I am truly blessed to have met someone whose heart is on fire for God, and now I get to experience college life with her. 

Aunt and Uncle

Blessed for these amazing Christian Girls

Also this year, I finally graduated high school! Which I'm sure you all knew! God has defiantly been with me during the last 4 years of high school with all the struggles I have been through. It's been a roller coaster. My Junior and Senior year, God blessed me with amazing Christian friends. It was so amazing because we could share struggles with one another, and have one another to build each other up from those struggles. I know they all helped me a lot. I was pretty upset that my dad couldn't be there to see me graduate, but I know he would have been proud of me. But see God has a way of making things work for me. He blessed me with an amazing aunt and uncle to stay with and who cared for me and watched me graduate! They have been there for me every step of the way. My aunt is the most amazing woman ever. Even though we argue sometimes, she is defiantly my #1 best friend. I can talk to her about anything because I know she has been through the same things also. God defiantly blessed me on that! 

Clinton and I on the way to Ukraine!

And now I am in Ukraine! For a month! I have 2 weeks left here and I can't wait to see what God has planned. When I go home, I will be getting ready for college! I can't wait to see what God has planned for me these next 4 years. Ready for what lies ahead! I'm praying God will show me a lot these next 4 years. I want to see Him do many things. 

Show Love, Be Love.
Tonya, :)