Two years ago, I would have never even imagined that I'd spend the weekend of April 23-25 in Scurry, Texas at a Disciple Now with Glowing Heart. But here now, two years down the line, I know that there is absolutely nowhere else I would have rather been for that weekend. I can remember back so clearly to the time when God called me to be in this ministry, and I knew it would be a challenging road ahead, but I also knew that it would be one of the best decisions I could ever make. This Disciple Now at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Scurry marked the end of my two-year journey with Glowing Heart, and concluded my time with a final declaration of the power and mighty work of God that I was so blessed to witness during that journey. Not for one second have I ever understood why God chose to include me - me of all people, with all my flaws and insufficiencies - to be a part of the incredible things He is doing. But I am so thankful! My heart overflows with gratitude to my Savior for loving a sinner like me so much. And his love was demonstrated so clearly to me this weekend as I was able to stand on stage and look out at the congregation of Mt. Olive and Victory Church. I saw their passion. I saw their love. I saw their pain. And I saw a Savior who was holding each one of them, a Savior who was giving them hope, a Savior who was teaching them to love and to be His hands and feet. And when I saw the joy of those who find hope in the One who loves us so, I too was filled with joy.

I am always amazed when I go to churches, because as part of the Glowing Heart team, I am there to minister to the students, but it always seems that the students are the ones that minister to me and leave me changed every weekend. At Mt. Olive, the students demonstrated to me something that I very much needed to see and experience - the true love and acceptance of Christ. I felt so appreciated, accepted, and loved by these students, and even though that is what Glowing Heart comes to offer students, I rejoice in the fact that they offered it back to me. The people of Mt. Olive Baptist Church ushered in the presence of the Lord, not only during worship, but in their actions and words towards us. They demonstrated hearts of compassion and love and let the Lord move in their hearts as the Spirit came and met us right where we were this weekend.

Throughout every aspect of this weekend - the rally on Friday night, rec and games on Saturday morning, our session times, my huge host home with over 20 girls in it, and the awesome work that God did at the worship service on Saturday night - I just felt my heart overflowing with thankfulness. Like I said before, Glowing Heart has not been an easy journey, but God's Spirit spoke to my heart during worship this weekend and transformed my perspective to see so many aspects of His goodness that He has brought through my time in this ministry. I remembered back to each weekend when I was so blessed to see dozens of youth weeping at the altar before the Lord and to each of the students and adults that have voiced their gratitude towards Glowing Heart's ministry and the impact it has had on their lives. I thought about the lifelong relationships that I have developed within Glowing Heart, both with the Glowing Heart members and those we have met in our travels. I thought about all the experiences I've had - late night one on ones, playing Rock Band at Henry's house, working on three hours of sleep, going out to eat after practice, being in the van for six hours at a time, lunch breaks on the road with sandwiches, and so many more - all the memories, good, bad, hard, a blast, and I was so thankful for every second of it.

I couldn't have imagined a better way to conclude the life-changing experience I have had with Glowing Heart than to spend it with the loving people of Mt. Olive Baptist and Victory Church. My heart aches to think that my ministry with D-Nows is now complete, but I will forever treasure the memories, moments, laughs, and tears that were spent with young girls that I have come to love so deeply, especially those at Mt. Olive. Our prayers are that Glowing Heart's ministry will have a lasting impact on their lives, but I know that the girls in my group this weekend who have loved, encouraged, and uplifted me, as well as the adults who have shown enthusiasm, kindness, and support for us, will always be remembered as I will always overflow with thankfulness for the way they have touched and changed my life.