Caught in the act!!!

We knew it all along, he really is a cupid at heart!! :D

Creation Conference

On Saturday, I was able to go to a Creation Seminar in Hickory, NC. We had a very good time. I had gone last year, and really enjoyed it, and this year was no different. This year it was a little smaller, in that instead of having different workshops to choose from, everyone was together, but it was fine. It was easier than trying to decide what to go to! Mr. Setzer gave one lecture all about monkeys, basically proving how we didn't come from monkeys. (Although some pictures he had did resemble Getty... :) Then another lecture was my personal favorite, it was all about Snakes!!! Some of you should be really glad that you weren't there! :) I thought it was really neat. Right in the middle, all of a sudden in walks "Dan the Animal Man" with a 12+ foot albino boa constrictor. I really wanted to touch it, but I didn't get a chance to. Here is a picture:He said it never would have survived in the wild, because it is so bright, and cannot camouflage to hide from predators.
Later we also got to see a big Porcupine and a 6 foot alligator. When we went in for this demonstration, Christy got a little adventurous, and the next thing I knew I was sitting in the front row! That meant when Dan opened the alligator's jaw, it was only a few feet from my face! Way cool!
I am glad that I got the opportunity to go and spend time with friends.

Valentine's Banquet

Here are some of my friends and I at the Valentines Banquet last week!

Ben and Steph

Dan and Liz

Emil and Laura

Christy and Nate

This one's for Holly :D

Me and my "date", Jaimie. We had a lot of fun!

Christy, Jaimie and I

Michael and Jaimie. Michael had to work in the kitchen :(

These flowers were to me from Christy and Jaimie. Aren't they sweet??

So, we were a little cold! We decided not to wear coats, so it wouldn't mess up our pretty dresses. But then we were freezing, and wondering who on earth were we trying to impress anyway???

Some Things I Like About My Life

1. I like chapel. Every message lately has been wonderful...the last two days messages were entitled, "The Storms of Life" and todays was, "God's Will is Best." Both amazing, applicable messages. Not only do I love sitting under the preaching, I love being able to participate in the music department. Next week I get to play the piano, and I always look forward to doing that. I also get to play "Carribean Music," as one person calls it. :D Thats the marimba. I play that almost every day! Its an experience, thats for sure!

2. I like King's Kids. I get to help teach the 1st and 2nd graders at King's Kids at my church. I love working with these adorable children. Well, the ones that behave are adorable, which is almost all of them! There are 3 girls especially that are treasures, and I get to listen to their goal cards each week. They are Reagan Coop, Audrey Deatrick, and Kierra Boylston. I love these 3 girls so much! There is something so rewarding about working with them, and the way they always want to please me. Even when it is something like picking a purple sticker for their goal card because they know my favorite color is purple....how adorable! Kierra especially is my little friend. She will talk my ear off if I let her! They are all super sweet and super fun to be with, I look forward to it each week.

3. I like my friends. Today Christy sent me a baloon and a "valogram" while I was working...so sweet of her to think of me! Another girl gave me cookies and a sweet message. It is nice to know that friends are praying for me and love me!

4. I like my job...believe it or not, I will miss this job come May! I have worked in the college library for 3 1/2 years now, and made so many memories! At time it can get long and boring, but I love books, and being able to visit with people that come through. It has been a lot of fun, and also a good source of money for me over the years.

My Random School Life

So, I really haven't said too much on here about my everyday life. So today I am going to just give some random ramblings from my crazy, fun life.

I am really enjoying my classes this semester. It is a good semester to go out on! I only have 12 credits of classes, which makes it much easier and much more enjoyable. I am able to spend more time on each class, and I am really learning and digesting a lot. On Fridays I only have 1 class - Chorale! It is really nice to have a long weekend.

My most favorite class is Psalms, with Pastor Nathan Deatrick. It's my favorite for a couple reasons: one, it is a small class, only 8 of us in it. Two, Christy, Jaimie and I are all in it together. Three, we get to meet in a small, warm room in Roger Williams Hall, and Pastor Nathan lets us bring coffee to class. But the biggest reason for it being my favorite class is because of the content. I think I can say the book of Psalms has become my favorite book of the Bible. It is so full of truth, so full of practical things that help me to see that I am not the only person that struggles and goes through these things! I look forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:00 so much, and I enjoy every minute of homework for that class. The Lord has used it greatly in my life.

I am also in Personal Evangelism class. This is a freshman level class, but I have never taken it, so I'm squeezing it in now! There are only 3 of us in the class, so that is interesting. The first day of class I was the only one! But thankfully 2 other girls added it. We were meeting in Dr. Spencer's office, but now we meet in the classroom. I liked meeting in his office better, it was warmer and he has chocolate on his desk! But oh well.

Some of my other classes are Ecclesiology, the Gospel of John, and Arranging for Instruments. All of my classes are fun, Christy is in every one of them with me, and several of my other friends are in them as well. We have a fun time.

Which leads me to something else...let me tell you about some of the crazy times we have!! Every day at 11:15 the "inner circle" has lunch together, with a few other people as well. Its always a blast! We usually sit there for an hour or better, just talking, drinking coffee, and laughing our heads off! My friends are great, despite some of the random things they do to me...putting embarrassing videos of me in Student Body (Andrew!), holding dead squirrels up in front of the library window (Christy!), giving my ID card a permanent mustache (Ben!)...need I say more? But for some reason, I hang around them anyway...guess I'm a glutton for punishment!! :D I am thankful for each and every one of them and for the fun memories we are making each moment of each day.

Hope you have enjoyed this little glimpse into my life. I am sure you will be hearing more about it as more exciting things happen. It is exciting to watch God unfold his plan for me each and every day!

The Behavior of Wrong Choices

Why does it always seem like every chapel message is tailored just for me? This semester it seems like we have had the greatest messages of any semester I have been here. Today's was no exception. Pastor John Stevens preached a message From Ruth 1 entitled, "The Behavior of Wrong Choices." It was great, and just what I needed. If you have a chance, you should go to ambassadors.edu and download it for yourself! A couple of the quotes I like the best were,

"God is in the business of resurrecting dreams, and they are always better than before they died."

"Meditation is the medication that will solve our heart problem."

Praise the Lord for the way He uses His word to convict and comfort our hearts!

Garfield

Sometimes Garfield is just so appropriate!! This describes me exactly!!

My Castle

Exactly a year ago, when I was going through what seemed like a hard time in my life, one of my closest friends gave me this. She had written it when she herself was going through a similar struggle in life. Now it seems even more applicable, and I pulled it out to read it again. Hopefully it will be a challenge and encouragement to you as well.

I built a castle one day. It was a magnificent construction. Each stone so perfect and so perfectly aligned. There was no flaw in my castle. I polished each stone and cherished every part. I knew exactly what dimensions that castle needed to be. Nothing could mar my castle. I imagined what it would be completed, and how everyone would be so stunned at my outstanding creation.

One day, it was completed. It was a lofty structure, far above anything that could harm it, I was sure. Yet, as I surveyed my castle, I realized that sketched across the entire building was my name written in bold, brash letters for all the world to see. Why shouldn’t it be there, I thought. After all, it is my creation. No one else should have any part of my castle.

Then, in a horrifying instant, I realized that there was One who did have access to that castle, for He rules all of the castles that we humans attempt to build. Slowly, before my eyes, he began to take apart the walls I had constructed. It was painful to watch those stones that I had carved and polished come crumbling apart. It hurt, and I shed tears as I watched it disintegrate into a heap of useless rubble.

Then that One and I wrestled for the blueprints to the castle. He insisted that only He could make it a truly perfect castle. I cried that my dreams could only do. He showed me His plan throughout the ages. I offered up my pitiful successes of my brief life. More tears were shed, by me, and, if I could guess, by Him as well as we wrestled. Then He just asked if I would simply trust Him. If I would give to Him the pieces of a shattered dream and let Him make a castle that no man could penetrate, that no force of evil could crumble. And, finally, I released the blueprints into His omniscient hand. I gave Him the trust that He demanded in exchange for a truly perfect castle. I gave my broken walls to the Rock of Ages and let Him make them whole.

I don’t know what that castle will look like. Do I want to know? Oh yes. But trust doesn’t mean only in the sunlight. Trust means stepping in the dark and allowing Him to guide me. You know what I’ve discovered? I don’t have to know what the castle will look like, I just have to know the Builder.

Friends

I've mentioned several times already my great friends. Here are a few pictures of us and the crazy stuff we do!

This is Kati. Her and I have been best friends since we were born! Actually, her parents came to visit me in the hospital when I was born, and decided it was time for them to have kids...11 months later Kati was born! Her family is missionaries to Argentina.
This is Holly. We went through 3 years of school together. Last year we were beside each other in the dorm, and made more memories than we know what to do with! We've done some pretty crazy things!! She graduated last year, but came down to visit at Thanksgiving.

This is Christy. Last year we were also in the dorm together, and this year we have done everything together. We have a ton of fun...she brings out my wild side! :D
Last semester we wanted to watch a movie at my house. This is three of my friends trying to get it to work. How many guys with Macs does it take....

This is what I'll call the "inner circle." :D Andrew is missing in this pict, but the 5 of us basically do everything together. Its me, Christy, Ben and Getty. (His real name is Caleb, but no one calls him that.) We have a blast. In this picture we are "studying," can't you tell? :D

God's Word

I am so often amazed at how God uses His Word and the preaching of it to not only convict, but also strengthen and encourage. This morning Dr. Spencer preached a powerful message that was just for me. It was called "The Great Escape" and dealt with I Corinthians 10:13, and how to deal with trials and times of testing in our lives. It was exactly what I needed on this dreary Thursday!
Then, a friend had told me a few days ago to read Psalm 37. This was a passage that I had studied some over Christmas break, but definitely needed to be reminded of again. I think its neat how God gives us 4 commands, and then 4 promises if we keep those commands. They are found in verses 3-9:

• Trust in the LORD - thou shalt dwell in the land and be fed.
• Delight in the LORD - He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
• Commit thy way unto the LORD - He shall bring it to pass.
• Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him - shall inherit the earth.

Amazing promises from God!

Many Thanks

I just want to take this time to thank my many friends. I personally think I have the most amazing group of friends anyone could ever ask for, and that has been even more evident in the last couple of days. They are amazing. I am thankful for their encouragement and spiritual guidance. Thanks everyone!