Anderson, SC
I never thought “going off to college” would mean driving thirty minutes down the road to Anderson University, in the quaintly run down town of Anderson South Carolina.
But I’m so glad it did. The Lord is here, in Anderson. Because His people are here.
It has been hard, to say the least. The Lord has brought me through really really dark seasons, seasons of pruning and refining, and seasons of breaking.
However, the Lord has also been kind and steadfast through all of it. He has never withheld his hands, or his voice. He has remained with me through it all. He has never stopped leading me, or turned away from me because I’ve messed up or been too focused on myself. He truly has been my provider, my comforter, my defender, my healer, and my redeemer.
After a year at AU, I was ready to quit. I had a less than ideal freshman year of college that consisted of no church family, extreme anxiety and depression, and a lot of tears.
However, the Lord provided me with some really good friends, and some really good older sisters.
Rylie, Veronica, Juliet, Rachel, Carlie, Nicole, Amanda, Mak- if any of you are reading this I love you dearly and am so thankful for the difference you made in my first year of college. You were the reason I stayed.
He told me to stay. Even though I wanted to pack up my bags and move to Guatemala without looking back, He told me to stay. That there was work to be done in Anderson. Work to be done in my heart, and work to be done in the hearts of those around me. That this next year was going to be about pouring out my heart and soul into the community around me. Wether that meant at school, in class, in community group, at church, at fuse, or in the grocery store. It was time to make disciples.
So I got to work.
I invested in church. Put my money where my mouth was and started serving, attending, and praying toward a community who loved me as much as I loved them.
I starting leading a community group through Baptist Collegiate Ministry on campus at AU. Without that ministry my freshman year, I would’ve dropped out by Christmas.
I was happy. Content with my circumstances. Even though Anderson isn’t the coolest place I’ve ever lived, it’s definitely the most intentional. And that’s why I have grown to love it. This quaint little town.
