Life on the Road….

Sunday I left with the Voices of Mobile on a long awaited tour of Florida. The past month has been extremely busy as I have been preparing for Miss Alabama, finals, and saying goodbye to seniors as they begin this next chapter in their life. As I have thought about the semester and how much my life has changed over two years at the University of Mobile, I am constantly reminded that our plans are not always God’s plans.

Voices has had the opportunity to sing in two public high schools in the past two days. Seeing the excellence that is instilled in these high school students has been such an encouragement. The world is searching for something and they are so desperate for – Christ. We are called to be that light in the dark no matter how hard it may get. We must remember that we have a big God who is able to do more then we could ever ask or imagine. Life on the road has been very different than life in Mobile. The bond that Voices shares is like no other bond I have ever seen. My prayer is that everyone will experience what it is like to know true Christian fellowship, that they will be blessed to have a family that prays together, encourages one another, laughs together, cries together, and goes through this journey of life together. We as Christians must be reminded that we are all on a team together, and Christ is our bond no matter what our vocation, major, position may be.

These past two weeks and weekends have been extremely exciting from Miss Alabama Workshop to singing for one of the top high school music programs in the country, Douglas Anderson School for the Arts in Jacksonville, AL. Their choral program has won a Grammy (How cool is that?!). The Miss Alabama Workshop was so much fun and so encouraging. I truly enjoyed getting to meet so many amazing girls. I can not thank you all enough for your patience and your prayers over the past few months. The University of Mobile truly is a special place, and I am so grateful to represent such an excellent university.

Alana

Life is but a Vapor

The past two months I have thought a lot about how short life is. We have one chance, one moment, one time to make a difference in someone’s life. On April 18, Pat Seibert, the Saraland YMCA Executive Director, tragically drowned at the age of thirty-seven after saving his son from a river. Mr. Seibert has left an impact in so many people’s lives, mine included. He was always a friendly face who encouraged me as I have been preparing for Miss Alabama over the past two months.

The beginning of this year, God showed me this same message with the death of Tammy Linton in August and then the death of my grandmother in September. God is trying to speak to this community. He is reminding us that we are to live for the eternal, to encourage, invest, and show mercy and grace because we are truly all flawed people who have been saved by grace.

I can honestly say this past year has been the most difficult year of my life. I have been faced with mental, emotional, and physical challenges like never before. I have wanted so many days to just give up. As I have prepared for Miss Alabama, the constant thought that has gone through my head is whether or not in ten years it is going to matter whether I had my hair perfectly in place, my nails “properly” groomed, or the perfect dress, and the answer I have consistently come up with is NO. However, the way I carry myself and the attitude I present will last, and if it is not that of Christ then I have not done what God has called me to do, and that is to be His servant wherever I may be placed.

We live in such a superficial society, and if we do not begin to take a stand as Christ’s ambassadors, we are going to continue to push people away from the only person who can save them, and that is Jesus Christ. Girls, stop worrying about whether or not you have on lipstick. Guys, stop worrying about putting hair gel in your hair, and start praying for God to use you in a mighty way. It’s time to get serious, myself included. If we do not unite and begin to love one another, begin to make time for Jesus and to not sacrifice that time or cut short that time for anything, then our society is never going to change, and we are going to continue to look like the judgmental, know it all Christians who only appear to have it all together. It’s time to get real and be honest, or before you know it, you are going to be too late. You are going to have never known the intimacy with the One who created you, who will love you unconditionally, who will not judge you and wants only good for you because you are too worried about keeping up a facade. Just think about it! Remember Christ gave his life so we might have LIFE and have it abundantly.

Alana

The Tip of the Iceberg

Over the past two months I have learned so much, from how to fix my hair correctly to trying to manage my time like never before. I would like to say thank you to all of you for your support since being crowned up until today! It’s so exciting to think that this is just the tip of the iceberge of what the year holds in store.

The Charlotte Project is underway. I am so excited! The project is based off of Charlotte’s Web. Just like Charlotte took Wilbur in, older students will take new students under there wing. It is a mentoring program in which a sophmore, junior, or senior will mentor an incoming freshman for a whole year. The mentoring team met last week to discuss qualifications for mentors and promotion. Our goal is to have at least 30 mentors committed by March 25th. It is refreshing to see students really serious about making a difference. That is why I love this University because the students take relationships seriously and know how important they are to have a working community.

I am so thankful for all I have learned and will continue to learn. Remember, our life is a gift what we do with our life is a gift to God! Let people see the light that shines within you.

Alana