long time.

I've decided I'm really bad at keeping things up to date.

So I've been on my Christmas break, away from school for a little while. I really love my family, I am so thankful for them and I am so blessed to have them. In this day and age, there aren't a lot of families who have both parents married to each other for 30 years. You just don't find or see that anymore. I don't really know how I would be or how my life would look if my parents were divorced or one was deceased. I do know that I really have fantastic parents and I don't tell them enough how great they are. They really truly care and although I've questioned their parenting on a couple ocassions when I was younger they really do know what they're doing, especially when they turn to God.

I only hope and pray that if I am ever a parent I will turn to God always for parenting skills and advice. I also hope and pray that if I ever get married God will bless me with a marriage like their's and like my grandparents. My parents have been married for 30 years now, they celebrated in October; and my Grandma and Grandpa Key were married for over 60 years. I only hope and pray that I could have a marriage like that.

I also have fantastic brothers, which I definitely don't tell them enough how really truly great they are. They get on my nerves quite a lot, but they come through when they're needed. My older brother, Nathaniel, is 28 now and even though I'm sure I got on his nerves a lot when we were younger, he is definitely a great big brother. Now he's married, and has a baby, bt even though he has a whole other life he's there when I need him. I really feel like the last few years (that I've been in high school and then college) we've both really grown up and can relate on a better level. He's really smart which I guess when I was younger I really didn't realize very well. He's brilliant at all that computer stuff and he's a great father which I've noticed in the past 2 months that their baby has been in this world.

Andrew is the mini-me version of Nathaniel. He acts just like him, its really kind of funny and annoying at the same time. AJ is 17 now and going to be a senior next year. It's crazy to think about that because I remember like it was yesterday when he was very very little like 5 or 6 and we would pretend like all of our books were part of a library and we would play library (I know... sad... but true). He's actually pretty smart he just doesn't use his brain productively. He always manages to give me a laugh.

Marcus, what can I say about Marcus... I really do love him. He's my baby brother. He's 15 now which is ridiculous because he's not supposed to be that age, he's supposed to be 4 still. In a year, my baby brother will be driving and I will most definitely feel old because I still remember driving in my mom's car for the first time ever. Marcus is a tough person to explain... He has ADHD and some other things that I don't remember the names of, but I do know that through my whole, almost 20 years, of life he has constantly challenged me to love and have patience. I am a person with a very short temper and have not always showed compassion. But I truly believe God put Marcus in our family to show us how to love and how to have patience. Marcus is ridiculously smart! He's sooooo good at science and he has a passion for it which is weird. He has so much compassion and loves people unconditionally and doesn't judge - it really baffles me! Recently he told my parents that he wants to be a pastor which I think he would be a great one.

So I guess you might have realized this post has turned out to be just talking about my family. I didn't intend for it to be, but I've been thinking about all these things for about a year now and I feel like I should share them.

I want to give a brief update about Acts 1:8. The first $900 is due January 15 and God has raised $500 so far for me. I say he has because I have not, I mean I sent out letters and talked to a couple classes, but God has done it all I have done nothing. It's really fantastic actually! I am so excited about Acts 1:8 this summer I don't have a clue what's gonna happen but I'm so excited to see what God's gonna do.

please continue to keep everyone involved with Acts 1:8 in your prayers and thoughts. If you have any questions or comments email me.

~Anna Key

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

This is my first blog of the year. I have 2 and a half weeks left of this semester, till I can finally have a much needed break. School is good, just really busy, but I guess that's what you get when you have history and art history as your major and religious studies as your minor... = lots of projects and papers... Today looks like this - german, humanities, study for civ test #4, work, sfg group, sociology group project (we're doing a video and a powerpoint), study for civ test #4 some more, sleep... Somewhere in between that time I'll grab a quick bite to eat. Tomorrow, it only gets busier, but that's okay - I'm not complaining, I'm just stating a fact.

On with the more important stuff, I have recently been accepted on the Acts 1:8 Leadership Experience EAST Team. Which means this summer from June 1 - July 27 I'll be in Louisville for a few weeks, the Appalachian Mountains and ROMANIA. On this adventure I'm learning about leadership and the kind of leader God wants me to be as well as doing missions (which is something I absolutely LOVE!).

In Louisville, we'll be doing kentucky changers and we'll also conduct bible studies (we'll be staying at southern seminary). In the Appalachian mountains (which happens to be the second poorest area in the US) we'll be doing much of the same type of stuff. In Romania, we'll be doing water purification and vision centers. Romania is where the biggest population of "gypsies" live (by the way, they don't like to be called that and they think Christians eat children).

Today I have started praying for the places my team and I will be staying and the places we'll go and the people we'll encounter. I am so excited for this adventure I just want to see awesome things. God is incredible and I know he's going to do incredible things.

This is all I have to say right now, because unfortunately I have to study for a test.

In this Crazy Love with Him,

~Anna Key