Josiah: Siah is the guy you see on campus as an incoming freshmen and say "wow." Enough said. I never thought I would even speak to him or that he would even know I existed. But he has become someone that I love tremendously. One of the first things I noticed about Siah is that he is gentle-something I have never experienced before. He deals with stressful situations in a calm laid-back manner and tries his best to be patient. Josiah has taught me what a real brother looks like. He's showed me what it means to love and how to persevere through tough times. He understands more about girls than I ever thought possible in a guy and strives to act in such a way. While he is not an extremely deep person, he is willing to be a part of and listen to deep conversation. And when I need to talk, regardless of where he is or what is he doing, he'll talk. He tries his best to understand and instead of giving black and white advice, he shares his experiences and asks questions to get me to think through things...gently. His constant talk about Haiti is evidence of just how in love with God he really is. I never quite knew exactly what was going on in his mind or whether he was being sarcastic or not, but that is the joy of friendship. Learning something new about the person everyday. Essentially...Josiah, someone I never thought I would get to know, has become a beautiful older brother. I love you.
While Josiah never took a serious picture, Aaron always just felt awkward taking pictures with me. You can see the word "awkward" running through his mind in every picture. haha. Aaron Lee Hixson. Sometimes I love him, sometimes I hate him. But almost always I love him. He currently knows more about me than my brothers do. He can always tell when I'm happy or sad, when I'm tired or frustrated. He has taught me how to have fun. Besides increasing my knowledge of the english language, Aaron has taught me to stand up for myself. He's encouraged me greatly to stay in the Word, to make wise choices, and to never settle for anything less than what God has planned. Who he is now, coming out of a public high school, is a huge encouragement. He's shown me that it is possible to be in the world, but not of it-an image that is totally screwy in my mind. (yes I just said that.) His passion for Christ and to grow in Christ has totally blown my mind. I have never met a guy whose mind is always "set on things above" like Aaron's is. What comes out of his mouth is what is on his heart-and that is Christ. But most importantly...he's taught me how to trust. He's shown me what true repentance looks like-something that, again, I've never experienced before. He's taught me what it means to hurt, to forgive, and to trust again. And I would never trade any of that. Essentially...Aaron has become a beautiful best friend that I will never let go of. I love you.
Josh: Joshua Walton is someone else I never thought I would get to know. Not gonna lie...I thought he was a very cold, impatient person. It was AMAZING to see how much he changed over the summer. Josh became a deep, patient, sensitive, loving young man. He grew to care about life and the team, especially us girls, alot. Josh has taught me what it means to learn. Never be afraid of asking questions. The more questions you ask, the more you learn, and the more knowledgeable you become. He is the smartest guy I have ever met. First off, he probably knows 10x more about EVERYTHING than the average American does...but to top it all off, he's from Africa! An MK from Niger knows more about American history and everything else American than I do...which isn't saying much haha. But seriously. He's super smart! He has a great heart for ministry and I very much admire his passion for Muslims. His knowledge about the Bible makes me jealous. He craves time with Jesus and you can see it in his actions. He is very understanding and not only is willing to listen to me when I talk, but actually ASKS me to talk so he can get to know me better. Essentially...Josh has become a very selfless, loving friend that I will always remember. I love you.
And the best for last...Sam :) Samantha Mader has made my life a better place. I don't think I have ever met someone as deep as this girl. Sam taught me SO much this summer! She knows everything about me. And even if I tried, I could never hide anything from her. She's the most honest I've been with anyone. She taught me to stand up for myself, to not be afraid of what people think of me, and to share my opinion. She taught me that even though I am not as knowledgeable as the others, my opinion and words still matter. Who I am before Christ is more important than how others view me. She is super encouraging with her words. Her sincerty is something that, again, I have never experienced. She was always telling me how awesome I am or how cool I am or how talented I am or how God has used me in her life. You would think I would become prideful, but since I have self-confidence issues it was actually a huge encouragement. Sam always asked me questions about different situations that were going on in a way that I never would have thought possible. She got me to think through things on a whole different level. I think my favorite part was watching her try and figure me out. When she thought she had it, I would randomly throw her a curve ball and she would go into a state of confusion. It was so much fun hahaha. Essentially...Sam has become a beautiful close friend of which I will forever hold dear. I love you.
All of RiSE has made me laugh more in the past 3 months than I have the whole year. They have all taught me something different. They have all irritated me in different ways and they have all caused me to love them in different ways. I could say SOO much more but Essentially...RiSE has become my family. They have become a treasure in my life that I will never forget and hopefully never loose. I Love You All.
