2012 Hopes: How I Went

Last January I listed my hopes for 2012.  These were things that I hoped to achieve throughout the year, but I neglected to call them 'resolutions'.  The word 'resolution' often inspires guilt trips.  I named 2012 The Year of Keep on Keeping On.  I am very big on finishing what I've started, and I find lots of unfinished little projects really bug me.

So, on the last day of 2012, it seems fitting to reveal how I went:

1.  Finish editing my book and start the search for a literary agent and publisher. Editing is SLOW!
Doh!  I'm up to Chapter 28 out of about 48 chapters.  It is indeed a slow process, but I need to do it properly since it is the final edit.  I did do a bit of a hunt around for reputable literary agents a few months back and have a few ideas.

2.  Finish my TAFE course.  I have started my final semester and should have finished my Certificate 2 in Business by early June (God willing).
I can tick this one off the list.  Done and dusted.  I blogged about it here.

3.  Do another unit in the Moore College correspondence course.
Nope.  I'm still keen to do one down the track once baby has arrived and things have hopefully settled down a bit.

4.  Raise money to support those in paid ministry, overseas missionaries, Compassion, and anyone/anything else the Lord leads me to give to.  Last year I felt my passion dwindling for this.  With all the work being done to our house, it seemed like we were collecting more stuff than getting rid of it.  I do not NEED so much STUFF.  I have a garage sale planned for sometime in January or February.  I'm also considering doing more beading and selling the pieces through the craft shop in town.  Expect more Acts 2:46 stalls.
We got our act together by April and had an Acts 2:46 garage sale which was a bit of a flop unfortunately.  At our baby shower, we had a box available for donations to Pregnancy Problem House rather than people feeling they had to buy us presents.  Otherwise I've just kept 'de-cluttering' and trying to sell stuff on ebay which can be a bit hit and miss.  I have a bag of beaded stuff I've made which I'm planning to sell through the local craft shop.

5.  Pray and explore new things to be involved in such as visiting the elderly in the nursing home in town, or taking on the missions role in our church in partnership with Duncan. I have a great desire to share the love of Jesus with older folk who don't know Him, and lately I've also felt a growing passion for overseas mission. When our church leaders asked us all to consider putting our hands up for the vacant role, Duncan and I BOTH felt God speaking to us. We've expressed interest, but that's all at this stage. It's nice to know you're on the same page as your husband sometimes. :)
Well, the nursing home visits have been put on hold for now, but Duncan and I did end up taking on the mission convenors' role at our church.  This involves letting the congregation know what has been happening in the lives of the missionaries the church supports through reading newsletters and letting them know the main prayer points for these people.  I decided that I wanted to do more than just read out letters, so I started making a powerpoint each fortnight, using Operation World to focus on a country that our missionaries live in and what the main challenges and prayer points for that country are.  I felt that I'm so far removed from their experience that it might help us all understand a bit more about the challenges they face (i.e. the population of that country, the percentage of Christians, the government etc).  So far, the feedback has been really good, and people seem more interested in what is happening overseas and how we can better support our brothers and sisters over there.

Part of the reason for summing up how I went was not to see where I've 'failed', but to know what is realistic and knowing that I need to keep relying on God for everything.

Stay tuned for my hopes for 2013 (which will be a lot more low-key).

What were your hopes for 2012, and how did the year pan out for you?

Happy New Year, everyone!