BY, here I come.

well, i haven't posted in, what, a month?! i call it, "One Busy Month In The Life of Laney Tyson."

anyways, i now have an excuse to blog, because tomorrow at about 2:30pm, Haley Swank, Mary Jennings, my mom, Eve Soulta and i are headed to the extremely freezing country of Belarus, situated right outside of Russia, for a mission trip. we're going to be meeting up with some of our Christian friends that live in Belarus, and have been in ministries there for years now. they work with orphans all over the region, help with foster homes, and are active in their Church. along with all of the persecution that they go through, our friends have huge hearts for serving Christ, and we're going to do the best we can to pitch in and help.

i want to thank all of you that helped us financially for our trip, because we couldn't be going without you guys. mom told me that every time she's preparing to go to Belarus, even when it looks like there is no way whatsoever financially, God has always provided. we learned this year that He also has great timing. we had planned to go back in the summer, and were disappointed that we couldn't, but now we have another opportunity, and God has provided above and beyond what we could have ever hoped for!

thank you for all of your prayers, and keep them coming! i'll try to post a few times while we're over there to keep everyone updated, but no promises. i might even put up a few pictures! :P don't think i'll be using much french over there, so might as well use it while i can! AU REVOIR! :D

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
-James 1:27

Happy Thanksgiving All!

Hey everybody, so it's Thanksgiving.....but why? Why are we celebrating by giving thanks today? Well, we all know the story of the Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock, but the real reason for Thanksgiving Day is to remember and reflect on ALL of the things that God has given to us, and to be 'thankful' for them. Why can't we do this everyday? We can! Yet, in the busyness of our day, we often forget to do so. We overlook how much we have truly been blessed with, and the MILLIONS of ways that God has provided for us.....but should we? No way! So don't let Thanksgiving come and go with a thanks here and there....make it an EVERYDAY thing. :) Hope you all have a great one!

Laney

"The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies Me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!" 

whoa man...

struggle: well, the semester is at the beginning of the end. school is picking up speed, and getting really tough. i'm really struggling in one of my classes right now, which is hard for me considering i'm a slight perfectionist. but through all of the struggle, i'm learning.

my prayer for the past few months has been that God would teach me to be humble. well, He has. i'm definitely learning humbleness through what i'm going through right now. i'm learning that you don't necessarily have to be the smartest person in your class, and you definitely shouldn't think that you are! i'm learning that there are more important things in life than that of how good a grade you receive, and that sometimes no matter how hard you study for a test, or how well prepared you are, sometimes you just don't reach your personal goal. i'm realizing that the expectations i have for myself aren't always the best, or what God has planned for me.

so i just want to encourage everyone that no matter how bad a grade is, (and i can tell you, mine wasn't too pretty), God doesn't define us by that. He looks at our hearts, and if they reflect what they should (being humble and willing to serve God), then that is what really matters. a simple letter on a paper or point average at the end of the semester is not going to matter in the end. just remember that if you do your very best in a way that will glorify God, nothing else matters. :)

uncertainty: so i visited Berry College this past weekend. the campus itself was BEAUTIFUL. 26 thousand acres of bike, and hiking trails, gorgeous lakes and tons of woods. pretty ideal to me. the best part, you ask? waking up to 50+ deer grazing in the huge fields, just outside your window. :)

i pretty much fell in love with the campus, yet i have NO idea what college i'll end up at, so i'm trying not to get too attached, but i am definitely going to keep Berry in my top ten. :) my future, like most everyone else's, is very uncertain right now......i have absolutely no idea where i'll be this time next year. but hey, i'm not going to stress over it. it's in good hands. :) anyways, enough of my blah blah blah, one more thing, and then some photos from my weekend. enjoy! :)

comforting respite: He's got it. guaranteed.

mom and Lillie 

the color was still so stunning, in november!?

dorms......aka castles.

some deer. :)

swan lake.....

yay!

yes, yet another chaco commercial. in november too, it's great. :)

this verse doesn't really relate to this post, but i read it today and it's a favorite.

"Do all things without grumbling or questioning,  that you may be blameless an innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."
Philippians 2:14-15

such a chilly sunrise

well, it happened. school has finally arrived in full force, and my schedule has been crazy these past few weeks. anyways, one day last week i decided to step out on one exceptionally chilly morning to watch the sunrise, and it was very much worth the freezing toes. yes, i like my chacos......

 here are a few photos from that morning. :) 

"From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!"

Psalm 113:3