Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes!

So, I haven't written since I began college.. ah! Crazy stuff right there.. =) I am now in my second week, and crazy pretty much describes it.

My classes are not too bad.. except one... ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY! I feel like I'm a little kid again, learning what each body part is called. However, now they have much more complicated names, such as hallux and antecromical. (a.k.a big toe and elbow.. if you are in the medical field, excuse my spelling. I'm still working on that) Its not like head and shoulders.. now instead of pointing I have to use words such as "superior to" or "lateral to". I enjoy the material, but there is a lot of work involved. It is also a tough class schedule with that class. Because its 7-9 lab on Monday, and 5-8 lecture on Wednesday... that's a loooooong time to sit in class. I wish it were reversed, because I need more time in lab and less time in lecture.

I am however, excited. I'm meeting lots of new, awesome people and learning all kinds of things. I just am praying really hard about Anatomy. It's a lot of memorization, which I have never been good at. I love learning about the body, but it is also my hardest class.
We will see how this semester goes. I'm ready, but just bracing myself for a lot of changes.
(like doing homework at night, instead of watching TV with mom. That's been a hard habit to break!)

"We are pilgrims on a journey..."

My brothers wanted me to watch Pilgrim's Progress with them today. It was a modern day version mom bought not too long ago, and the boys were excited about it. I read the book forever ago, and remembered liking it. And said I would watch it with them.
As I was watching, I couldn't help getting really into it. (Even though it was cheesy, without hollywood producers or actors.) The story really represents a Christian's journey. The movie brought back memories of when I read the book. And I remember reading about the "Castle of despair" and the "valley of the shadow of death" and the" pond of despond".  It is so cool how it creates an image in your head of specific trials that Christians go through in life.

It reminded me of how God works. He is with us, but as we grow, He knows we can handle more. So He gives us more to handle. We grow, and gain more understanding and knowledge, and God wants us to use this for Him.
I start college on Monday, and this Pilgrims Progress thing made my mind go in a different direction. I need to be preparing to share Him. As we grow, (which He certainly been teaching me a lot recently) He gives us more opportunities to share Him. I want to be able to shine the light that I have been given. I love Jesus so much, and that I share Him so little is so selfish of me. With college, I will come into close contact with so many more people daily. And God certainly does not want me to go on my journey with my head down and mouth shut. He wants me to be open and welcoming to every single person He sends my way.
I'm praying for God to open my mind and heart to all the people in different places on their journey... Despair, Vanity, Despondency, Valley, etc...

"This hill though high I covent ascend;
The difficulty will not me offend;
For I perceive the way of life lies here.
Come, pluck up, heart; let's neither faint nor fear. " ~~~Paul Bunyan (Pilgrim's Progress)

Books, books, books....

I have repeatedly asked my mom if I can quit college.. um, I haven't even started yet! lol  All of the yucky paperwork and MONEY! It's already getting old. hehe

I bought my Anatomy and Physiology textbook yesterday. It is the largest book I have ever seen!! (besides the HUGE dictionaries that are proudly displayed in libraries) I carried a pretty heavy bookbag around on my back all summer.... 24/7. I carried that thing all around camp, up mountains, to the pool, to meals, everywhere. But that is nothing compared to how much this one book might just break my back. =)
However, I loved anatomy in high school. Everything about the human body fascinates me, and I'm excited about this class. I have heard that it is extremely hard to pass, but I am praying for no nerves. Because I know that its when I get nervous about a class that I do poorly. I can study for days and days, but if I'm stressing out on test day, all of the committed memory will fly out of my head. I am praying for a calm heart. And I think the answer to my prayer is excitement. He is actually making me excited about anatomy in order to counteract the nervousness. I hope it works! =)

Now that I have gotten most of the whining and complaining out of my system, I am headed to the lake with Matthew and his family! So excited...
(while I was painfully buying my anatomy book, I shopped in the fun section of the book store and bought a vacation book.. yay for Lynn Austin and Ted Dekker!)

Jeremiah 29:12-13

Everybody always quotes (especially around graduations and big life changes) Jeremiah 29:11.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
This is a well known verse, and I have heard it so many times recently. From graduation cards to facebook statuses, its frequently referred to. This Sunday, however, Pastor Stafford mentioned Jeremiah 29:12-13. And since then I have been studying it and wondering why I never noticed it before.
Jeremiah 29:12-13
"Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Right now, in the midst of college prep and big decisions, this verse is so comforting. I am so grateful for a God who genuinely wants to me to seek Him, so that He can listen to me. How crazy is that? God wants me to seek Him, so that He can listen to me, and relieve whatever is bothering me. Pastor Stafford's sermon was about praying with hopeful assurance. Praying with the faith that God hears me, and will answer me. It was such a cool sermon! I learned a lot about how praying for the same thing over and over is not bothering God, but it is refining our prayers, to see if we really want what we are praying for. It certainly opened my eyes to some of the things I pray for.
I'm so grateful for a God who, when I seek Him with all my heart, will be found by me. Because He knows how much I need His direction right now!
 

Oh family....

        After being away from home for 9 weeks, I have noticed again how blessed I am to be a part of my family. I do get frustrated sometimes by how little alone time I have or the noise or the responsibilities. However, I wouldn't trade it for anything. A lot of people ask me if I hate being apart of such a large family. And I honestly, with all my heart, can say that I love being a part of my family. After working at camp and hearing about different family lives, I am so blessed to have grown up with so much love and support. I always had someone to play with. I always had someone to show my drawing to. I always had a Daddy to show my good grades to when he came home. I always had sisters to whisper across the room with when we were suppose to be asleep. I always had brothers to tickle and play with. (and to pick on)
I have counted my blessings, and I live with 10 of them. There are so many families that are broken, split, and dysfunctional. I cannot thank God enough that He placed me with my family.

"...A love that quiets all my fears..."

"And You reach for me, with a love that quiets all my fears..."

Goodness, growing up is hard. So many decisions.... and forms! and money! and yucky adult stuff! As a become overwhelmed with all of these important decisions that affect the rest of my life, God sends little reminders of His love. There has been many, but one has been sticking out in my mind recently.
I asked God so many times over this summer if I should continue teaching dance classes. I really didn't want to stress myself out even more.. I mean starting college classes is a big deal! So I waited to see how God was going to answer. I worried, which I know is a sin, but I worried that His answer would be quit Audience of One for good.
When it was time for me to sign up for classes, I prayed that if I was to continue teaching dance classes, He would provide the time slot on Tuesday afternoons for me to do so. I went through the frustrating ordeal of sifting through classes and times and sections numbers... all which is very new. When I was through, I wrote down my class schedule, and sure enough.... I only had one class on Tuesdays, which was in the morning.
I am so incredibly humbled that God has chosen to bless Audience of One, and that He has chosen to use me in my students lives. It is overwhelming to me how the Lord started me out with 10 students... and very little knowledge of how to run a successful ministry. And how He has blessed me with over 50 students... and a better understanding of how He is the head of all ministry, and we are the hands and feet.
He has loved me with a love that quiets all of my fears about where my life is going or what I'm to do next. Because He has proven faithful.

Learning and Growing...

My summer at Camp Bethel is over. It is such a bittersweet feeling. I have learned so much about interacting with people of all ages. And I have grown so much as a Christian, as a sister in Christ, and as a person who works with children. 

I have grown as an outdoorswoman.. hahaha =) I have seen snakes, bears, deer, frogs, turtles, and goodness knows how many bugs this summer. This has made me much more aware of God's creation and how intricate He made everything. 

I have grown and learned more about being the one in charge. Growing up in my family, I have been in charge of children a good percentage of the time. However this summer, being in charge 24/7 and dealing with a variety of weird and abnormal situations has made my mind work in a more creative way. I now feel like I can come up with a dozen different ways to entertain a group of kids for a few hours much more creatively and effectively than I could have a 3 months ago.
I could not and would not trade this summer's experience for anything.

Now, I am moving on to college prep and dance class planning. So many forms and phone calls and lots and lots of starting over. I'm ready though. Bring it on! =) 

"We were made to be courageous." --Casting Crowns