Our team leader made us a blog! And apparently he has similar taste as me in blog design… 
Check it out!
http://teamnepal2012.wordpress.com/
Monthly Archives: February 2012
My Novel
I think I should someday compose a novel on all of the things I have learned in this year alone.
Potential chapter titles are as follows.
1. Child Rearing (hah)
2. Christian Community: The Ups and (way) Downs
3. LeaderSHIP: It’s Okay to Sink
4. Dating: For 18 and Unders
5. Dating: For 18 to 19
6. Dating: For 19 to 20
7. Dating: For 20 to 21
8. Dating At 21
9. Procrastination: There’s a Time for Everything
10. DTRs: Only Have One
11. Science Major: Med School’s Not for Everyone!
12. Why You Can’t Hangout with Someone Who Previously Adored You
13. Studyingness should be Next to Godliness
14. Graduation: It’s Not the End of the World
That is all.
For now.
Hall Life
I’ve learned to love my quirky life. I used to constantly ask myself and Kayla “is this real life right now?!” And yes, sometimes that phrase still slips out, usually only in the most bizarre of occasions. But for the most part I have grown used to all of the unique things that come along with living in the dorms. Like waking up in the middle of the night to someone watching The Incredibles on full blast in the hallway, or walking out in the morning to someone sleeping on the floor of the hallway. Or helping 40 girls with Biology, Chemistry, and Math homework that I barely remember how to do myself. And you know, all the wonderfully girly things that come along with this life. Boys, drama, emotions running high…
Living on “the hall” has been an experience I have never had before, and something that has grown me a lot as a woman. With three brothers, I am not the most affectionate or softest girl you’re going to meet. If there’s one thing I have begun to learn the last few months, it’s been the importance of giving hugs sometimes.
The fifth of February marked my six months of living in Engstrom.
In some respects, August fifth feels like it was two years ago, and in other ways it feels like it was last week. But I know I will be sad to leave this place. I’ll never be in this place of life again.
Here’s to the last two and a half months! I don’t want to see them end.
Show Me
I love going home.
I didn’t enjoy going home as much last year, as I do this year. I think it’s the RA lifestyle a little bit, because our whole staff absolutely loves being able to go home. It’s rejuvenating to have time away from school, even if it’s less than 48 hours, and I was happy to have an opportunity to go home before things start getting crazy over the next few weeks.
This coming weekend, Presidents Day, we have both Friday and Monday off school, so my Nepal team is headed on a weekend retreat Friday through Sunday with all of the other mission teams. We are headed to Lake Arrowhead, and I am so excited to spend quality time as a team outside of the 2 hours we spend together on Sunday nights. I love them.
On a random-ish note, I have had a song stuck in my head the last few days that I wanted to throw up here and look back on. Recently I did some math as to how the next few months look.
- 7 weeks of school until Spring Break
- 10 more weeks of school total
- one set of final exams
- less than 12 weeks until graduation
- less than 16 weeks until I leave for Nepal
- 6-7 weeks in Nepal
- 6 weeks of work
- the rest of my life…
Okay, so I’m a little dramatic.
But, as nervous as I am about the future sometimes, He has placed people around me recently that have been encouraging me to be excited, and to seek the Lord’s face and voice. And it’s been working. As much as I sometimes feel that my world is crashing in around me from all sides, that is actually not the case. He is still on the throne, and I am being refined. For good.
Pray that He would show you himself.
It’s been my prayer every morning, and He has been faithful to answer.
Show me the light
Show me the light
Come light in my heart a flame
A Spirit in fire
Spirit in fire
Come Spirit in fire reign
Lord make us holy
Set apart
Made righteous in your sight
Christ live in me
No longer I
God you consume my life
For there is no one like you
There is no one name beside you
The grave could not contain you
All fall down before you Jesus
Come bring Salvation
Oh Lord we’re desperate for you
Rescue the nations your people calling for you
Come breathe revival
The Earth is ready for you
Show us your power
Come reign in power
Geriatric: It’s A Way of Life
Now, I would argue that this statement is probably true, but I still love getting plenty of sleep. My roommate and I are frequently fans of the geriatric bedtime when our schedules allow it (which is pretty often). I am pretty positive my freshmen would be real ashamed to know me if they knew how early I choose to go to bed.
But, in honor of this “live while you’re young” kind of statement, Kayla and I will be taking a late night road trip to the Bay this weekend, after spending the evening eating In N Out and playing laser tag with college freshmen.
I may be blogging about this only so that I can refer back to this moment when people hate on my geriatricity.
And, it’s 9:12.
Zzzz…
The Glories of Calvary
My heart is filled with a thousand songs
Proclaiming the glories of Calvary
With every breath, Lord how I long
To sing of Jesus who died for me
Lord, take me deeper
Into the glories of Calvary
I wish that I was constantly jumping to sing of the glories of Calvary, and with every breath I longed to sing of Christ on the cross. But that is frequently not my first reaction to tough things.
Thankful for a time of communal worship and prayer tonight, and the ability to worship in joy, thankful for how God has provided and shown me my need of Him.
Pie?
What’s the biggest topic of discussion, especially second semester, on a Christian campus that is 65% females? And especially in a residence hall where 300 of the 400 residents are 18-19 year old young women? Especially the month of February… Why, dating, of course! And boys, dates, GYRADs, My-Ties, men, dating, engagement, marriage, and divorce.
Now, I am not well versed on the last three items of the above list, but I can hold my own when it comes to those other few details. But I have a roommate that is engaged and working towards marriage, so between the two of us, we have most things covered. So what do you do when over a fun Friday night dinner at Marie Callender’s, the topic of boys, dating, marriage, and exes arises between delicious burgers and lemon meringue pie? (By the way, $10.99 for a bomb burger and a slice of pie!)
Well, first you stutter and stammer and wonder how on God’s green earth they already know so much about your personal life and history (darn Facebook!), then you cram your mouth full of food, comment on the horrible carpet in that famous-for-pot-pie (yuck) restaurant, check your phone, yell “Fire!”…
And then realize that no, there is no reason to evacuate the building, or even change the subject. It is then that you are hit over the head with the fact that you are being given an awesome opportunity to share what God has shown you over the last 3 1/2 years. In a split second, you see that this long road you have been on is beginning to be peppered with opportunities to testify to God’s grace and mercy on a foolish young girl that attempted to take her life and future into her own hands, instead of entrusting it to her Father.
And you share. You share as much as is appropriate, you let them ask questions, and you let a few girls see clearly that you do not have it all together. You give them a glimpse into where God has brought you from, and show them that the road is long and it is hard, but there is peace and joy in waiting.
And you thank Jesus for that moment.
At least, that’s what I did.
Watch This
Rhoman. We skyped with him the other night in one of our team meetings, asking him many questions and just listening to his stories. He made us so excited.
If you’re interested, here’s a little bit of a video on Nepal and exactly the place and ministry we will be working with.
I am afraid, that I’ll catch that fire. And never be the same.
But hey, that would be okay.
Right?
