Celebrating Our Good Shepherd Graduates-especially Natasha Terrell

This is our High School Graduate, Natasha Terrell who was graduated from Cypress Lake High School on 5/17/14. Natasha achieved almost a 4 point average in her last year and over a 3 point overall. She is now accepted into Florida Gulf Coast University and will begin there in August of 2014. She is eagerly looking forward to her college studies and hopes to get a BS in Nursing and become a neonatal nurse someday.  She says that her hope is for a career where she “can do her part to make things better”. She is an inspiration to her family and peers. Whatever her career choices may be we know that she will do well and give her best to her studies and her profession. Natasha is also working part time as a cashier at McDonalds to help with her expenses. While she will live in the dorm so she has plenty of time to study she will still be able to join us at Good  Shepherd on Sundays.

Natasha says that she is thankful to God for her loving family,especially her Mom and Grandma, and for her church and all the supportive people there, like Judy Alves, Dr. Joe Cudjoe, and her Pastors. Her goals for this school year are to do well at college and to “gain a better connection with God.” For her future she prays that she will ” be able to help others, to take care of my family, and that financially and spiritually I will be able to give back”.  She hopes for “peace and positivity” in her family and in the world. We join her in these wonderful prayers.

These are some things that she learned this year. She is sharing quotes from UrbanMinistries Inteen Magazine that our Older Teen Class uses: “Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but rather a mark of wisdom”. “God makes sure we have all the people we need to help us, but it’s our own fault (and loss) if we do not rely on them”. “Focus and be the best you can be”. And, quoting Rev. Will Hall who is explaining Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s’ book  Strength To Love, “Live out love. Give life your best and take advantage of every opportunity that will make you better.Remember that love transforms people.  Love is not love if there is no transformation.”  Rev. Hall also suggested that teens can show love by smiling, giving sacrificially, saying kind words and assisting others in need. They can also  defend someone in need, give hope, share, put pride aside, forgive and give someone a genuine compliment”. Natasha and her classmates at Good Shepherd work at putting love into practice. And here is our genuine compliment for Natasha-“Job well done”!

Natasha, May our loving God be with you in all of your next steps!

With Love and prayers for Natasha, our other graduates and all of our youth,

Rev. Dr. Judy Lee and Rev Judy Beaumont, ARCWP Good Shepherd Pastors

In this Picture she is with her little cousins Gir’riyah, Gir’Niyah and Gir’ Kiyah Battles, five year old triplets who have “graduated” from Kindergarten and will begin First Grade next year.While they did wear red caps and gowns at a ceremony, they said that when they get big like Natasha they will graduate High /school and wear a blue cap and gown!  We congratulate the triplets and Natasha’s siblings and cousin, Jakein and Jakeriyah Maybin and Keion Lewis who  were “graduated” from Elementary to Middle School. They too are looking forward to that blue cap and gown.