Thanksgiving 2015

I have not posted here in over a year and a half but this Thanksgiving I am feeling overly blessed so I wanted to share some major things that I am thankful for:
1. my relationship with Jesus Christ. He has taught me this year to cling to Him in the hard times and the good times. He has taught me to trust him with my future.  I am thankful for the truth of His word and the power that it has in my life. Lastly, I am thankful for the cross because without the cross, there would be no gospel and there would be nothing to live for on this Earth.
2. I graduated from Messiah College with a bachelor's degree in Athletic Training and am so thankful that I passed my Board of certification exam not on the first try but the second. It really taught me that things don't come easy and it taught me perseverance to continue to aim toward my final goal.
3. I got a job working with Penn Medicine as an outreach athletic trainer working with Philadelphia school district, the school district, that I graduated from. It has been a blessing to give back to the kids who live in my city and who are playing sports in Philly.

4. I am so unbelievably blessed to have so many amazing people in my life. I like to say that I don't just have one family but many families.  Below are just a few snapshots of the "families": in my life

The beautiful family that God has blessed me with. two sisters,
two parents and two awesome brother in laws

My extended family with me at graduation. 

  CARSON SIMPSON Farm has been the best place to spend the last 5 summers of my life. It is not just a place that I went to work from 9-4 everyday, but it was as place where I gained a second family. The ministry was amazing. Getting to see kids come summer after summer and watching them grow from the age of 5 to 10 was amazing to watch. God has moved so much in the last few summers I was there. But more importantly, the staff easily became my family. People I could cry with, celebrate with and grow with. That happened this summer as I awaited my board results. They celebrated with me and were so excited for me. I am beyond blessed to have this staff and this forever family that I hold so close to my heart. ( I couldn't have asked for better people to spend my summer with.

My amazing lifeguard staff!

 The next family that I joined is the Living Water Community Church family. Let me tell you about this church. When people talk about how important it is to find a great church family, they were so right. Finding Living Water and being apart of the church has been amazing. I have grown so spiritually from the church. I really learned how to study God's word more and learned to have a passion for the Bible.  The church allowed me to live with an awesome couple during my 5th year at college as well as provided me with an amazing young adults small group with people whom I now call my close friends. So blessed to have been such a huge part of that group over the last year and a half.

The crew came to see me graduate and it was such a blessing!

Just hanging out at a friend's wedding! 

These pictures are only a minor snapshot of all that I am thankful for this year but I wanted to post some happy pictures from this year and why I'm thankful! 

Think about what you are all thankful for today and be sure to tell people you love them! 

I love you all

-Christie