My Life is Over.

And yet, it’s just beginning. God has completely changed me, transformed me, renewed me, and purified me. My old life is over.  The old me doesn’t exist any more. I am new in Christ.

I guess I should start with introducing myself. My name is Allison Mender, but the only people who call me Allison without it sounding funny to me are my dad and his side of the family. Everybody else uses Allie. I’m from Dyer, IN which is a small town in Northwest Indiana that’s actually a suburb of Chicago. Yes, I have a Chicago accent; at least that’s what I’m told at least 10 times a day by people at school. I am a freshman at Indiana University in pre-nursing, but I just changed my major to Public Relations to work as a public advocate in nonprofit organizations.

A little bit about me:

Things I love: the word hope (and everything it means to me), baby feet, bread and butter, dancing, singing (even though I am completely tone deaf), fonts, photography (I have a blog if you want to check it out www.1023photography.blogspot.com), awkward situations, embarrassing moments (sounds weird, but I love it), laughing until I cry, down comforters, my brothers, hard core Facebook stalking, making lists, quoting She’s the Man, & road trips.

Things I hate: hot dogs, congestion, when people use the wrong your/you’re, there/their/they’re or too/to/two, when people play with their gum, mowing the lawn, running, chocolate, when sunglasses break (which seems to happen to me more than anyone else I know), & wearing shoes.

I grew up in the church, and I have an amazing church family. I used to think I was really strong. You couldn’t get me to do something unless I wanted to do it, and I was ALWAYS in control.  My family was proud of the “strength” that I portrayed when I wasn’t involved in the drugs, and alcohol that seemed to rule my high school.  It’s almost comical when I look back at how strong and full of control I truly believed I was.   I have learned that without God in control and His strength ruling my life, I am absolutely nothing. 

Throughout middle and high school, my faith was sculpted by different events and trials that I went through, but the past six months have held some of my most confused and broken days.  But what I think is so amazing about God, something I can just not ever fully comprehend, is his grace. When I came running back to Him, His arms were wide open, and He loves me just as much as he did before some of my poor choices. He wipes my slate clean and I am new again in Him.  Sometimes I just sit in awe- there is nothing I did to deserve this love, grace, and mercy. But He chooses to give it to me. God chooses me. And he chose me for this trip.

I’ve begged God to break my heart for the things that break His.  And the pain that He gave me for the abandoned and unloved led me to this trip. He asked me to abandon my American dream of getting my degree in four years, finding the perfect man, having a good job, a nice home, expensive things, and eventually children to just GO. It’s not that I may never get my degree or get married and have children, but right now God has asked me to go and trust him. He has spoken to me and told me that all of the things I am afraid of missing out on are NOTHING compared to what I would miss out on if I didn’t answer his call. So here I am. And all I want to do with this trip and truly with my life from now on is to bring glory to God.  

I am so excited to meet every one of you and embark on this journey together. Okay, that sounds corny, but I'm serious. I am nervous, excited, anxious, worried, and just all around happy.  There's something about living in God's will that is just more energizing than anything I've ever experienced.  I'm already friends with some of you on Facebook, but if we're not already friends, add me. And if anyone wants to skype, I'm totally up for that too. I'm praying for all of you individually and our team as a group.  I already know I'm going to love you guys.