week 2!!

"The Lord is near...

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

-Philippians 4:5b-7

week 3 starts in 1 hour and 5 minutes!!

i just had one of the most amazing weeks of my life... i wasnt going to write this for another week or so, but i'm so excited that i couldn't put it off any longer!!

here are the 3 most important lessons i've learned since i've been here:

physical activity is not always scary..... the most fun time i had this week was definitely the 1 1/2 hours that i spent playing tennis with 2 of my girls... we had so much fun!! i played tennis twice last week, and i played volleyball with the interns friday night!! and let me tell you, when i woke up saturday morning, my forearms were bruised and swollen and every muscle in my body ached!! hahaha i was like "is this normal?" they were like "no...." hahaha, but it was totally worth it.... i'm still a little bit scared... but not terrified like i was before!!! God answers even silly prayers!!

almost anybody you every meet named emily is gonna be great..... emily b., emily c., and emily m., y'all are three of the greatest people i know, and i truly thank my God everytime i remember each of you! the new addition is great! emily averitt, my new roomie, is definitely my best friend at the ranch! she totally fits right in with all of my emilys! in this world of change, God really has answered my prayers for a little bit of consistency, even if it is just in a name.... i can handle all the other changes.... my amazing kids, my beautiful home in the smokie mountains, my adventures in physical activity..... my God is so amazing!!

a broken car is NOTHING compared to a broken heart, a broken body, a broken spirit, or a broken family... but none of these is too small or too big for God's healing hand... thursday night, camile (13), one of the new girls in our house, knocked on my door crying at 11:30ish... i sat in the hall and talked to her for a little while until she was ready to try to go to sleep again.... she's so homesick, and she was certain that she couldn't stay here any longer... it broke my heart to see her that upset, so when she went to sleep, i wrote her a note w/ a few memories from the past couple days, and told her i thought the list needed to grow... i assured her that there are a lot of people praying for her, that God doesn't put us in situations that we can't handle, and that we all love her... friday night when i got home at 12ish, there was a note under my door.... it totally made my week, and probably every week from here on out.... so.... i wanted to share it with you....:

"Dear Mrs. Anna Kathryn,

I am sooo glad I have had the pleasure of getting to know you, it has been a fun roller coaster ride, but don't worry, we have a couple more months to go! Thank you for being there for me last night, I was having a very rough night. Thank you for giving me your shoulder to cry on, just like a 2nd mom, or a 5th older sister! I know staying at the ranch is going to be difficult for me since I'm away from my mom, but I know God has a purpose for me, and I gotta stick with it, cause if I don't I will miss out on a great blessing! I luv ya lots! Please keep me in your prayers!

Love, Camile"

wow! God is a miracle worker! i have seen his healing hand at work in my other girls too, whether in the 30 minutes i spent with Arissa (10) making fish faces at mikey (my fish), or seeing Lensa's excitement over her door decorations on her 19th birthday yesterday (which she was dreading!) He is surrounding this place, and hears all of your prayers... please keep my girls in your prayers: lensa, laura (18), camile, and arissa... they're all so amazing and i have a great new friend in each of them!

i have been blessed beyond all comprehension this past week... i am so excited to see what God has in store for us in the coming weeks and months! thank you so much for your continued prayers! i can feel them throughout the day! i love y'all so much, and can't wait to see you soon!!!

week 3 started about 50 minutes ago, so i better run... this email is once again, much longer than planned.... haha, i hope that's ok!! i really will try next time! :)

--anna kathryn

"I thank my God everytime I remember you.

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy."

-Philippians 1:3-4

ps.... sorry about the puctuation.... hahaha i was feeling rushed!!

pss.... i attached a picture from our trip to the aquarium saturday... it's just arissa and camille, but i'll have some pictures of laura and lensa soon!!

here are some things that i have said since i've been here that some of you might find humorous:

"we had so much fun at tennis today!!!"

"I think i'm gonna clean the bathroom and vacuum tomorrow..."

"wow! that was so fun! we should play that again!" (cranium!!)

"patience is a virtue..." (hahaha as opposed to "patience is a quality that few possess...")

me: "i know right!"

camile: "ok... you said that 4 times in that conversation.... 34 times today so far..."

me: "you're keeping a count? haha... maybe i should work on that...."

hi!

I have an address!!!

I am very excited because I got mail today!!!

So... if you, too, want to be a source of happiness in my life, you can send me something to this address:

Anna Kathryn Buffington

Wears Valley Ranch

3601 Lyon Springs Road

Sevierville, TN 37862

Or.... you can call me during the day, so I'll have voice messages to listen to at night time!! I definitely won't answer and I may not call back for a day or two, and definitely not before 10:00ish at night, but you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you've made my day that much better!!

My cell is: 678-617-3929

Don't feel pressured!! hahaha... I know everybody is crazy busy with school or work or whatever else, but I've had several requests for this information, so there it is....

Thanks, y'all, again for your prayers and support!! I don't have time to go into a looong update right now, but you'll be sure to get one from me sometime soon! I have 3 brand new girls moving into the house tomorrow!! I am very excited!

I love you all, and hope to hear from you soon!!

--Anna Kathryn

"I thank my God everytime I remember you."

-Phil. 1:3

PS - Did I use mostly correct punctuation? hahaha

week one at wears valley ranch...

"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

-Philippians 3:13b-14

it's been one week!!! ...and let me tell you, i am so ready for this week off!!! this place is so great though... the week started off rough, but everyday has gotten better and better.... the mountains are beautiful, the ranch is beautiful, and most of all, the kids are beautiful... i've only been here for a week, but every morning i wake up in awe of what the Lord is doing here.... the kids truly are amazing, they get me through each day... they're uplifting and encouraging and so eager to serve their Maker... it's inspiring... they remind me each day why i'm here... i already love every one of them with all of my heart.....

for now there are only 2 girls in my house, Lensa and Laura, and they're both 18, and so sweet!! they're very different though, it's been interesting... Lensa is from Ethiopia, so I told her about Yemi and we talked about Africa for a little while and then laughed at me when i went to take her to work, and walked into the bathroom looking for the house van instead of the garage... and we've been great friends ever since... haha.... she's really quiet though and it's hard to tell what she's thinking most of the time, but i think she's great... Laura has alot of personality... she's all over the place! we sat in the hallway upstairs the other day and went through each other's earring collections, and that was our milestone bonding moment... haha it was great.... my earrings have been a huge part of my getting to know these kids... i've worn different ones everyday and every morning at devotions the kids look to see what they look like.... shabre, one of the girls in another house, started calling me "loopy" yesterday, because i wore my really really big hoops... or that's why she told me she was calling me loopy... and today a little boy named corey who i hadn't talked to yet, came up to me and grabbed my earring and said "you wear different earrings everyday..." and we started talking... so... they have been a great tool in my acclimation process... haha who knew God would use my ridiculous earring collection for more than just decoration...?

the ranch is amazing, you should all come and visit... i'm surrounded by beautiful mountains, and there's so much to do here... i'm still getting used to the wildlife... haha i go to sleep to the sounds of cows and goats... and they're like actual cows and goats, not just animals that sound like cows and goats!! everytime i go outside, i find a new animal, it's crazy.... last night i was talking about the owl i heard that i thought was a horse at first.... and someone said "sometimes you hear the mountain lions..." that's right, em! the mountain lions! haha crazy... anyways......

when i come back next week i will have a brand new emily in my life.... so that makes 4... emily buffington, emily conner, emily mantooth, and emily averitt (i think...?) i havent met her yet, but she'll be my roommate until december... it's pretty crazy... i get a new emily for every stage in my life... it's great, i feel like God is tryin to give me a little consistency in a world of change.... haha

i have thus far successfully gotten out of rec twice every single day!!!! which is great! because i'm terrified of physical activity!! but i know that soon after i get back i'll be playin a lot of basketball and goin on 11 mile hikes all the time..... so.... we'll see how that goes...

right now my favorite part of the day is 2-4, when we do school... thats when i get to spend the most time with the kids, 1 on 1 or 2, and it's just really great quality time... i actually dug back to the ninth grade and was able to help lensa with geometry yesterday! i was amazed!!

God has blessed me tremendously since i've been here! it was definitely overwhelming at first, but is continually getting better, and i know that none of this would be possible without your prayers... thank you all so much! i'm goin home today and then am heading to columbus, macon and back to gainesville, so hopefully i will get to see most of you this week... if not, then you know you're in my thoughts and my prayers...

i said my next email wouldn't be long, but this definitely is!! i'm sorry, i'll try to do better next time...

thanks again y'all, i love you!

--anna kathryn

"I thank my God everytime I remember you.

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy."

-Philippians 1:3-4

ps... keep the phone calls and the emails comin!! it totally makes my day when i go outside at night and check my voice messages and i have like 8, or when i check my emails and have like 7..... and if i haven't returned a call or an email, it's not because i don't love you, it's because this place is crazy and i'm either busy or exhausted all the time!! but i promise i'll get back to you!

here are some things i've heard since i interviewed in june that some of you might find humorous:

"The kids are on an 11 mile hike with the interns..."

"Make sure you bring your bike..."

"I think we should play Cranium..."

"Will you say the prayer, Miss Anna Kathryn?"

"Just because you're quiet doesn't mean we won't pick on you..."

"Breakfast is at 8 tomorrow morning..."

"There's a big green bug in our hallway..."

haha, there are so many more..................

...life after Mercer

8 hours from the big move!!!!

most of you know where i'm going and what i'm doing this year, but for those of you who don't, i'm moving to the great state of tennessee tomorrow morning!! i'm havin a hard time sounding excited right now, but deep down inside there is a snid-bit (em!) of excitement and anticipation... i wanted to send this e-mail to ask you to pray for me while i'm in tennessee this year... it's gonna be a tough year, but i know that this is where God wants me right now, and i think i'm gonna grow up a lot while i'm there... but it's definitely going to take a lot of prayers and support from my family and friends to get me there!!

firstly, wears valley ranch (www.wvr.org) is a children's home in sevierville, tn that emily mantooth's mom told me about... i went for an interview this summer and they hired me on the spot... i prayed about it and truly feel that God has given me this amazing opportunity to work with children, age 8-18, from so many different family situations that i really wont go into right now, but mostly abusive or drug addicted parents... so sad! my first prayer request would be that God uses me some way in each of these kids lives... it breaks my heart to see a child hurting... i know that i will be surrounded by hurting children with so many "why?" questions, and searching for answers... hopefully these kids will find comfort in God through myself and the other staff members at wears valley this year...

secondly... 78 cents/hour... it's gonna be tough... thats like $12/day... room and board paid for, but it's gonna be hard... we're praying that my student loans get deferred/forgiven, and that my car keeps running.... however, i know that God will provide either way...

thirdly, it's silly, but if you went to college with me and especially if you ever lived with me, you will understand... my day: 7:00 am, wake up!!! wow.... i probably have only woken up that early once or twice in my whole life!!! really, wow... in college, the only reason i ever got to my early classes (before noon) was because emily mantooth woke me up three times every morning... i can do it, but it's gonna take some definite work and getting used to...

next... my days are PACKED! i'm an intern, and i'll live in a house w/ another intern and 8 girls, age 8-18, and a set of house parents... throughout the day, i'll help w/ the kids home schooling and do recreation with them... HA! again, if you know me well enough, you know this, but i'll clarify anyways: that's funny because, when my interviewer asked me what type of sports or other activies i've been involved in that i could lead, i thought to myself "wow... pretty much anything that requires, um... movement... i haven't done.... ever..." and laughed... but in real life i said "not too many, but i can learn..." so while i'm willing and excited to learn how to not be so lazy, i'm also praying hard for endurance and continued excitement, because when i went by and the kids were on an 11 mile hike, i was havin a hard time being excited about it... i'm praying for endurance throughout the day, not only during recreation, because i'll be busy from the moment i wake up to when all the girls are asleep (10:00ish... wow!)...

but hey, i'll get used to it all, i'll make some great friends and i'll come out of this year with great memories and great experience and ready to jump head first into God's next adventure for me... i know that He wouldn't have put me in this place if He didn't know i can do it... and He'll get me though it!

thank you all ahead of time for your thoughts and prayers... they are already SO greatly appreciated!! you guys are all awesome and i never ever would have made it to this point in my life without each of you... i love you all so much!!

i don't know what the time thing will be like when i'm there, but i'm gonna definitely keep in touch and try to send out e-mails every so often so you guys can know whats goin on and what God's doin in the kids lives and in my life... following e-mails will definitely not be this long!! but if you don't want them, then let me know, i'll mark you off of my list of people i like... (jk... jk) but really... and also... this is crazy, but there's a chance that i could send out some actual letters... like in the mail... i've always been to lazy to, you know, lick the stamp... walk to the mail box... put the flag up... you know, all that stuff that requires more movement than just this one hand on a keyboard... but since we're tryin to get over the 'lazy' thing, we'll see... so gimme the address if you want that... when i know what mine is, i'll let you know...

thanks again, y'all..... you guys rock my face off!!! i love you!!!

i hope you're all doing well!! keep me updated... let me know how things are goin for y'all and how i can pray for you if needed... each of you have played different but SUCH important roles in my life and God has truly blessed me... wow! how amazing!

i love y'all!

--anna kathryn

"I thank my God everytime I remember you..."

--Phil. 1:3