2024 Recap

After a long hiatus, she returns…

I’ve been gone from writing for a while, but a lot has happened this year, so I wanted to give you all an update before I go back to weekly or bi-weekly newsletters. 2024 was one of the best years of my life.

In January, I started working at Country Ford, where I learned basic accounting, interviewed many of my coworkers, and created a training manual for my job. I was released from the position in late May after my bosses decided they wanted someone with more experience to take over when they retired. It was a hard transition, but it came at a good time.

In May, I had the incredible opportunity to meet up with eight of my online classmates from Praxis in Colorado. We spent a wonderful week getting to know each other better, visiting different sites, playing games, and cooking for one another. Meeting that group gave me a lot of hope, and I still keep in touch with many of them today.

While losing my job at Country Ford was challenging, June was filled with camps. I spent two weeks counseling at Bonhomme Bible Camp, as I do every year. For the junior camp, we arrived to find that there was no director. The person I thought would direct wasn’t able to attend, and the camp speaker—who might have helped—was new and in her first year. I volunteered to take on the director position for the week. With the help of some older staff members, I set up the schedule, organized the kids, and managed activities, all while counseling a cabin of third graders.

It was a difficult balance. My cabin needed extra attention since it was their first year at camp, but I also had to resolve conflicts in other cabins. One particularly tough situation helped me grow in conflict resolution, one of my personal challenges. The senior camp week was much easier, as I had more support and older kids, which meant fewer issues. We also had a hilarious little prank war, which ended with my bed outside the cabin, completely intact!

Right after Bonhomme Bible Camp, I was invited to help at a camp in Wisconsin. Since I wasn’t working at the time, I took the opportunity and helped prepare meals in the kitchen for over 100 campers. It was hard work—waking up early and finishing late—but it was fulfilling, especially since I got to work alongside one of my best friends.

The next couple of months were calmer. I started working part-time at an art studio, teaching classes on Saturdays. During this time, I focused on creating art, studying theology, and keeping up with my church jobs—cleaning and secretarial work. I also painted my favourite art piece to date, a piece inspired by Colorado and the movie The Prestige!

In August, I designed business cards for myself and began making prints of my artwork to sell at Riverboat Days. The process was longer and more expensive than I had anticipated, but I was thrilled with the final results of the prints and cards. I also got to set up a small collection of my art for a gallery!

A week later, I left for a mission trip to Honduras with a team of about 20 people. Together, we built a small three-room house for a mother and daughter living in poverty. The work was physically taxing, especially on the first day—90 degrees with 90% humidity. We carried heavy buckets of rocks, wood, and gravel up and down a hill. By the third day, we completed the house and held a beautiful dedication ceremony on Sunday.

Honduras was also where I met my boyfriend, Darwin, who has been in my life for three months now. He works with Casas Por Cristo, the organization we partnered with to build the house. Darwin is truly an incredible person. Hardworking, kind, honest, a man of God, and so much more—exactly what I was looking for in a partner. I feel incredibly blessed to know him.

Darwin and some of his art!

Once I returned from Honduras and settled back in the States, I began working at a dress shop near where I live. It was interesting work, and I enjoyed learning about the wedding industry—particularly how much everything costs! During my time there, I got to design some beautiful window displays, which was a creative and fun challenge.

Eventually, I was approached with an opportunity to start an art class for students in my hometown. I decided to pursue that opportunity and let go of my position at the dress shop. At the same time, I started taking on other cleaning jobs part-time, which have been going well.

For my art classes, I’ve been teaching through the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. The lessons have been going incredibly well for both the students and me. I truly believe that anyone can learn to draw if they want to, and my students have been perceptive and hardworking, making it a joy to teach them.

Some Art my students made.

In December, my youth group completed A Gospel-Centered Life, which we had started at the beginning of the school year. Looking ahead, I’ll be mentoring one of the students to start learning how to lead the youth group alongside me. It’s a new and exciting challenge that I’m eager to take on.

2024 was a year of growth, challenges, and blessings, and I’m so grateful for the experiences and people who shaped it. I’ve learned so much and feel confident that, whatever 2025 brings, I have an amazing support system to walk with me through the good and the bad.

Thank you all for being so supportive of me this year. I’m excited to share more of what I’m up to in my upcoming newsletters.