Yep...I forgot to post again on Sunday!
I feel so incredibly blessed to have so many amazing people in my life. While I could probably go on forever listing off people who have impacted me, encouraged me, or invested in me over the years, I'll start off with seven!
1. My parents (I can't list one without the other) - There have been no greater influences in my life than my parents. Their opinion is what matters most to me. Their advice is most important to me. They get me, love me despite my quirks and imperfections, and encourage me to just be me. They are incredible examples of what it looks like to follow after God. I am who I am because of their influence and example.
2. Tricia - My older sister and I are two years apart and currently a lot of states apart (she lives in Arizona), yet despite the two years between us & all those states, she's been an incredible influence in my life. She works harder than anyone I know; she doesn't know how to give just 90% to something...it's all or nothing. I hate that she's so far away yet I love that no amount of distance can interfere with the influence she has on me. She loves me right where I am & encourages me in the most unexpected ways. Through thick & thin she's been there & I am blessed to have her in my life.
3. Beth - My younger sister and I are five years apart. Most people might think we might not have much in common. It's true that we're incredibly different from each other (people somehow think she's really quiet...but I know the truth) yet despite our differences, she never fails to keep me laughing. She marches to the beat of her own drum and has always been comfortable in her own skin. She embraces who she is and I love that about her. I know that I'm loved and accepted just as I am by her, and she loves and accepts others just the same. I love her so much and am thankful for her!
4. Janelle - Without question, Janelle is like another sister to me. She's the greatest friend in the world and has influenced me more than any other person outside my actual family. She was my very first small group leader (10th & 11th grade year), co-worker in the Student Ministries Office, and has been an incredible mentor/friend/accountability partner in my life. She knows when I need to laugh, cry, be encouraged, be challenged, and be smacked around & told to let stuff go! Yep, she knows me inside and out...yet despite everything she knows about me, she loves me for me! She's an incredible example of what it means to be a woman after God's own heart. No matter where life takes me, I'm confident that she'll be a part of it wherever I go!
5. Karl Black - Most people might not know Karl Black. At one time, he was a part of NMC Student Ministries as a Senior High Small Group Leader. That was how I first encountered Karl. My family had just made the move to NMC from a smaller church, my parents wanted a church closer to home. I wasn't excited about the switch, but my first Wednesday night at NMC there was this guy that walked up to me clearly recognizing I felt out of place. He introduced himself as Karl & asked for my name. After making small talk, he turned to me before I walked away & said, "If you come back again next week, I promise to remember your name." Something as "insignificant" as remembering my name made a huge impact on my life. I came back the following week, walked in the doors, & heard from across the room "Kristy Mikel!" He made me feel welcomed in a place that I didn't feel like I belonged. He introduced me to others (Terry Bley) who then introduced me to Janelle...and well, the rest is history. Karl stepping out to remember my name opened the door for other influencers to step into my life. Without him doing what he did on that first night I officially joined NMC Senior High, I might not be where I am today.
6. Grandpa Mikel - My grandpa passed away when I was 12 years old. No other funeral stands out to me more than his. Even as a 12 year old, I recognized the kind of influence he had on my life. My grandpa was one of the most loving people in the world. It didn't matter the color of your skin, the amount of money you made, what you looked like, what others thought of you, or what you thought of yourself...he simply loved people and loved them well. I loved spring & summer days when we'd sit out on the swing set in his front yard and just spend time together. I could listen to him tell story after story and I would never get bored. Sometimes he would just hum while we swung staring up at the clouds. He didn't have to say anything at all to let me know that he loved me. Spending time with me was proof enough of that. I love him, miss him, and think of him often. I'm so thankful for the legacy he's left behind and for the impression he has made on my life.
7. Sulema - There are all kinds of influencers in our life. There are far more than seven that I could list, but Sulema is someone who often comes to my mind as I consider those who have shaped who I have become. I met Sulema 12,000 feet up in the Andes Mountains in the small village of Huallanca, Peru. Stepping off the bus after a long ride winding through the mountains, I still remember catching a glimpse of her smiling face. I'd never been overseas before this NMC Student Ministries IMPACT trip (2001, after graduating high school). I didn't know what to expect for the seven days we'd spend in Peru. But the time I spent with Sulema and so many others changed my life. Without knowing me, she loved me. My heart broke for a young girl who literally seemed to have nothing, who just wanted to know she was loved and valued, who was just like any other little girl you might meet. It was in Peru that God gave me a heart for overseas missions. It was through Sulema that God challenged me to think beyond myself, love beyond myself, and live beyond myself.
I'm so thankful for the people God has put in place in my life. I'm thankful for those who have come and gone for different seasons. I have been blessed by the investment of so many. I am who I am because of these and so many others.
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