chandler prep high school senior | emily

she's gonna laugh at me...but I'm kinda emotional in posting these images today.if you've read my about page, you know that for almost the last two decades I've gotten tolead a small group of young women at my church, redemption church.I LOVE it.the amount of girls in my group usually ranges to be about 12-30+ thirteen to eighteen year old girls(yes, let that sink in for those of you sitting on the fence in joining me...THIRTY PLUS...there IS a need for you.)and the one I am talking about today is close to my heart.this past year, she's chosen to allow me to see and pray over pieces of her heart which in turnhas caused my heart to be filled with nothing but admiration for her.she is strong...stronger than most.she is loyal and wise - which is rare for her generation...loyalty can sometimes be there, but it's not always wise.she is kind and compassionate largely in part to parts of her journey where the choice to be kind or bitter were forks in the road for her...coming out of hardship where you physically choose kindness + compassion make for great admiration in my eyes.she is ridiculously intelligent...but is patient with my lack-there-of ;)but in chasing intelligence, she doesn't seek her identity in it even though it would be easy to.so yes, I'm kind-of really emotional in talking and posting about this girl today...somewhere along the way, she stopped being just someone I admire and more of a friend to me personally.in getting to take her senior photographs, it's kind-of like a season ending for me...one where I don't get to see her regularly on wednesday's...but one where I get to choose to see her over coffee/diet coke every once in a while as friends by choice.love you, emily...I CAN.NOT wait to see what God does with you in tempe this next year! :)