Back Again!

Howdy from Arkansas! I got back to school on Sunday, after a great weekend with Caleb in Sherwood, AR. Mom and Dad and I went up there with him to see the church he's interning at. It was a blessing to stay with Pastor Mix and his family and be a part of Brockington Road Baptist Church for a weekend!

My class schedule this semester is FULL -

Monday, Wed, and Fri - Music Theory, Adolescent Psychology, New Testament Survey, English Composition, and Choir

Tues - Proverbs, Baptist History, and Chorale

Thurs - Methods of Mentoring, Methods of Teaching, and Chorale

Tuesday and Thursday are block class days. Today (Tuesday) was the first class day. I'm gonna LOVE Proverbs! Dr. Mitchell teaches it. Enough said.

It's been encouraging to see how God is giving me opportunities to build awesome friendships with some great girls here. "Iron sharpeneth iron" - and it is incredibly refreshing to be with people who have the same desires and ideas. I was just talking to a girl and she said something like, "I'm amazed right now at what God is doing in my heart and life, and I'm just enjoying being in love with Jesus and having a relationship with Him - I don't want to mess that up for anything!"

She was talking about being single, and I had to smile - because that is almost word-for-word what I think. It was encouraging to talk to someone who has surrendured to the Lord the "right" to marriage. There isn't an over-abundance of girls who have even considered the possibility that God's plan for them might not include marriage. I'm sure for the vast majority it will. And I don't think there's any normal girl who doesn't have a desire to be married and have a family. But I do believe that as we surrendur to the Lord our lives, we need to surrendur every area. We ought to be willing to follow the Lord's path for our life, even if it means He is our only Bridegroom.

Any you know, fellowship with Him really beats anything else.

There's my thoughts for the day!

Almost Finished

One day, two finals, a church service, a six hour drive and I'll be home! The thought brings me much joy. It's hard to believe that this semester is already over.

And it's also exciting to look ahead to next semester! I pre-registered yesterday. I'll be taking Music Theory, Adolescent Psychology, New Testament Survey, English Composition, Proverbs, Baptist History, Methods of Mentoring, Methods of Teaching, and of course, Choir and Chorale. That's a class every period of every day. It should be a little more exciting than last semester. :D

I'll have one class with Caleb, actually. Proverbs will probably be our only class together ever, but hey - at least we've got one!

I also switched my major from Music to Elementary Education. This will be more practical for living and working on the mission field someday. I'm sure I'll have the opportunity (and it may even be a necessity) to teach on the field, and this also will give me a means to work a good job here in the States if I ever need to.

I also applied for a work scholarship job (that's on campus, maintenance, kitchen, coffee shop, and whatever else they need) for next semester. There aren't any openings now, so please pray that something will open up. My first choice would naturally be the coffee shop, but I'd be happy with anything. :D

Well, I need to finish reviewing for Algebra and Personal Evangelism. I hope ya'll have a wonderful day!

A Great Week

Today has been quite eventful! Or maybe I should say, this week has been quite eventful!

Sunday evening the Champion Chorale went to Pine Bluff to sing in the new chapel. (Gospel Light has what's called a chapel ministry - where nearby churches who are struggling or dying and need help can call. Then, Champion assigns some college students to go to those places every weekend to sing, preach, teach, go soulwinning, and just build the church. Tennessee Temple had or has a ministry like this, and some of their chapels are today some of the strongest churches around Chattenooga.)

Anyways, singing was great! It was exciting to get to go somewhere and be a blessing to folks. Bro. Blunkall said today that he's working on getting more "meetings" (I dunno what you'd call it) set up for Chorale next semester. :D

This new chapel is an exciting opportunity. The church used to run four hundred, and now they're down to about fifteen. They've got great facilities (the building used to be a racquetball gym - and when they renovated they left one court set up to play on!), and all the folks are excited about Champion students coming. There were about thirty of us there last Sunday. And to top off a great service, we had a fellowship afterwards! And a Baptist fellowship always means good home-cooked food. Fried chicken, banana cream pie, chicken pot pie, cornbread, and all sorts of good stuff!

Well, after church on the way home I started feeling a little something in the back of my throat, but I didn't think much of it. Monday morning I woke up with strepp. :D Monday night I was in the ER with a 103 fever and a very sore, ulcered throat. I took a picture, but I figgered ya'll wouldn't want to see it, so I'm not gonna post it. :D

After two days of sleeping and taking Tylenol, a visit to the good Dr. Gardial, and half a bottle of numbing throat spray (not literally half a bottle - I'm exaggerating), I'm feeling much better. Praise the Lord - I did NOT want to be sick through all of finals!

Finals...it's amazing! I've finished with two classes, and have six or seven more to go. Please pray for all the college students - especially the guys who work crazy hours - especially Caleb.

I'm amazed at how fast this semester has gone. I'm thankful to God for all His blessings and protection this year.

My next entry will probably be from home...that thought brings me much joy.

This picture is the view from a mountaintop in Papua New Guinea. It grips me whenever I see it. See that farthest mountain in the center? Imagine hiking all the way to the top of that mountain - and guess what the view would be. It would be the same picture again. You could travel for months like that. Mountain, after mountain, after mountain, after mountain...each horizon, once reached, only reveals another. How many thousands of people are represented by those mountains? People who have never seen or heard anything outside the boundaries of their own culture, much less the Gospel. We've got alot of work to do.

Moving along...

Five days until I'm home!

The Champion Chorale sang in chapel today. We did "What Love." That song has got to be in my top 500 favorites.

We've had Spirit Days here today and yesterday. Yesterday was Sports Team Day, and I was able to borrow a Longhorns hoodie from a friend. Everywhere you looked you could see that beautiful burnt orange. We definitely had the majority, despite half the student body being from North Carolina. (Well, maybe not quite half, but it seems that way) I think Tar Heel Blue was probably second. It was nice to wear denim and tennis shoes!

Counting Down

Seven days until I'll be home!!! Yes!

Chapel was good today. Bro. Damion DiMedio (an Australian missionary to China) preached about pride. His text was I Tim. 3:2, about a pastor not being a "novice, lest he be lifted up with pride and fall into the condemnation of the devil." Of all the reasons God could've given why not to make a novice a pastor, the one He pointed out was pride. It was a convicting message.

And yesterday in OTS, Bro. Blunkall got to preaching about David. I've always known he was a man after God's own heart, but I always thought that meant David's heart was like God's heart. How about this - David was AFTER God's heart. He wanted to get God's heart. That's what SO many Psalms are about - the longing David had and the time David spent seeking God. Think about that one for a while...

God is good - I am so blessed.

Little Brothers

These are my adopted little brothers, Little Caleb and Joshy. I'm thoroughly enjoying them, especially when I get to work at the CDC. Little Caleb used to call me "Lee-Lee" like everybody else, but now he calls me "Sissy" or "Big Sister." I love those little guys. :D

Preacher just popped into the computer lab with a hearty, "Llllllllllllllladieeeees! Isn't that the longest 'l' sound you've ever heard? It's hard to stay on that 'l' sound!" I love his enthusiasm.

Eight days until Thanksgiving break! YAY! Caleb and Leah and I are looking forward to going home.

We don't have many more class days before finals. It's hard to believe how fast this semester is going! God has been so good.

Every day I'm amazed that I'm here. This is the third year of Champion's existence. Twenty years from now, when we look around and see the hundreds of churches started and thousands of people saved through the ministries of Champions, when we look at Hot Springs and see a school with not hundreds of students, but thousands - we'll be able to say, "Wow! And we were there in the very beginning!" We get to be a part of the beginning of a miracle.

I'm just overwhelmed I'm actually here. I still smile to myself and think, "I'm a college student. I live six hours away from home, I live in a dorm with about 125 other girls, I hear convicting/challenging preaching every day, I go to classes, I actually have homework (as opposed to all my studies being homework :D), and I eat in a cafeteria every day." Random thoughts that still baffle me...but life is good!

Have a great day!

Howdy Ya'll!

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted...

Midterms were last week, and I think I did okay. We had to sing "All Through the Night" for Music Lessons. :D It was wonderful - I loved every minute of it! :D:D

Yesterday was my first day working at the Gospel Light Child Development Center (daycare). I'll be training in all the age groups today and next week, because I'll be a substitute. Yeah! I really enjoyed it yesterday. I get to be with Little Little Brother, Joshua West, today. :D I think he's the cutest little guy ever.

I think I'm gonna do a chalk talk on Sodom and Gomorrah next Friday night.
After telling the story, I'll draw some applications about being
faithful to the Lord, or God's judgment on sin/provision for deliverance
from judgment, or keeping bad company, or something like that. I should
be able to set the blacklights up this time - which will be awesome! The
kids won't be expecting it, because I wasn't able to use those last
time.

Well, I've gotta go for now. Have a great day!