Wait, I live here?!?

I find myself saying that almost daily.  I can't believe that these mountains are mine for the summer.  People come into our Welcome Center at Focus on the Family from all over the country.  They have to go back to their homes after a few days.  I get to stay.  Well, at least until August, but I'm not ready to think about that yet...

Bear Lake--Rocky Mountain National Park

Working full-time at Focus has been incredible, but it sure has been keeping me busy.  However, I pack the weekends full of touristy activities, so I've been able to get out and have some fun in Colorado.  A few weeks ago, my sister and my friend Allee flew out to visit for a few days.  It was incredible to have them here.  We spent a day in Denver shopping on the 16th Street Mall and enjoying the city with Becca, my friend and fellow intern at Focus.  There were no Tim Tebow sightings while we were in Denver, but that's okay.  The summer isn't over yet.

Lauren, Allee, Mattie (my host mom), and I took a road trip on my day off.  We enjoyed the shops and restaurants in Estes Park and then drove around in Rocky Mountain National Park and hiked Bear Lake.  There was still a ton of snow around the lake, and despite the fact that I was wearing sandals and was not prepared for a hike, I did it anyway.  I'm not sure if that makes me stupid or tough.  Probably both.  Actually, probably just stupid.  I hope to go back there before the summer is over.  I LOVED it.  It's by far one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.


We also went to the Flying W Ranch, which is a chuckwagon dinner and show.  Think Dolly's Dixie Stampede on a smaller scale.  It was Branson-style cheesy, but I had such a great time!

I am so blessed to have made some of the most incredible friends out here.  We've been all over the place!  We've climbed the rocks at Garden of the Gods (something Mom and Dad weren't too interested in when we visited) and explored Manitou Springs.  We've had movie nights and long conversations in Old Colorado City.  We've been to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.  We've visited different churches in the area on Sunday mornings.  We've played Pickleball.  We've eaten Father's Day lunch together and introduced some of the interns to Chik-fil-a.  We've made ice cream runs to Rock House in Palmer Lake.  I'm so grateful for great friends!  I know that my experience here wouldn't be as wonderful as it has been without them.

Getting ready to climb at Garden of the Gods

Petting a baby wallaby at the zoo

How my dad conquered the Wicked Witch of the West

I was five or six years old the first time I watched The Wizard of Oz with Mom and Dad.  I immediately loved everything about it, from Dorothy’s ruby red slippers to the Horses of a Different Color to Glinda’s floating bubbles.  There is only one part of that movie I did not like--the Wicked Witch of the West scared the pants off of me.  I still get chills the each time she appears on-screen in a plume of smoke.

After the end credits rolled, it was time to go to sleep.  Well, after watching the Wicked Witch try to kill Dorothy and seeing the flying monkeys snatch up Toto, there was no way that was going to happen.  I remember lying wide-awake in my bed, completely terrified.  I was just sure that I could see the brim of the Wicked Witch’s hat sticking out from behind my bedroom curtain.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.  I needed someone get in there and take care of this Witch.  But not just anyone—I needed my daddy.  I yelled, and he was there in seconds.  I immediately felt better.  That Witch was going down.  I told him that I was afraid of the Wicked Witch of the West who was waiting behind my curtain.  He checked behind the curtain and said it looked like she was gone.  But just in case she came back, he told me, he was going to put my Lion King stuffed animals around me so they would gobble her up if they tried to get me.  After placing Simba under one arm, tucking Nala under the other, and putting Mufasa at my feet, he kissed me goodnight, made sure I didn’t need some water (I always seemed to need water when it was time to go to bed), and turned off my light.  I woke up the next morning thinking that my dad could do anything, even keep the Wicked Witch of the West from eating me.

Life still gets scary sometimes, and my dad is still there for me.  But now instead of stuffed animals, he surrounds me with wise words, love, and prayer.

Thanks for loving me, Daddy, even though it’s my fault you started losing your hair (or so you claim).  I wish I could be with you today, but know that I’m thinking about you and I’m thankful for you.  I couldn’t do this summer without you.

Happy Father’s Day!  I love you!

1992 (please note the hair)

An update from Colorado

I LOVE my job!

I honestly don’t even know where to begin.  I could start off by talking about the 21 other incredible interns that I am blessed to call friends.  I could talk about my awesome co-workers who have made me feel welcome and at home at Focus on the Family.  I could talk about the visitors to FOF that I’ve had that chance to meet, each with their own story of how God has touched them through this ministry.  I could talk about the feeling of doing something from 8 to 5 that doesn’t just matter today, but matters for eternity.

Have I mentioned that I love my job?

I promise more updates soon!

Firsts

I have had Colorado on the brain for the past two months.  I’ve thought a lot about what it would be like to see the mountains, enjoy the zero-humidity weather, and experience a new place.  With all of the “oohs” and “aahs” and “you-are-going-to-love-it’s” from everyone I know who has already been to Colorado, I came with very high expectations.  Well, I’ve gotta say—I love it here, and my experience so far has exceeded expectations.  I don’t think I’ll ever get used to those big, beautiful mountains.

Mom, Dad, and I arrived in Colorado Springs on Friday afternoon after a long drive through purgatory—uh, I mean Kansas.  We stopped by Focus on the Family.  We took a look around, and I got to meet some of the people I’ll be working with.  We spent the evening getting to know my housing hosts, Jim and Mattie Cooper.  Think of the kindest, most hospitable couple you know, multiply their hospitality by 10, and you’ve got Jim and Mattie.  They’re fantastic, and they have a view of Pike’s Peak that could go on a postcard to boot.  I am so incredibly blessed to be their “summer daughter,” as they call me.

On Saturday, my parents and I hit the ground running.  First, we made a visit to the Air Force Academy.  The setting is so beautiful that I bet it takes the edge off of having to do push ups until your arms fall off.

The chapel at the US Air Force Academy

Next, we took a quick drive through the Garden of the Gods.  It was incredible.  I definitely look to spend more time there this summer.  I’ve got some big red rocks to climb!

Me and Momma at Garden of the Gods

We drove through Manitou Springs on our way to the foot of the road leading up to Pike’s Peak.  We stopped for lunch and ate outside by a creek in 85-degree weather and we didn’t sweat to death.  Mind-blown?  Me too.  Manitou Springs was neat with lots of little restaurants and shops and twice as many hippies.  I even saw a lady who didn’t shave her armpits.  Sorry, no picture for that one.

After lunch we drove up to an elevation of 14,110 feet on Pikes Peak.  There is a windy, guardrail-less, 19 miles road up to the top.  Dad talked about how we would definitely die if we fell off the edge as his knuckles turned white from gripping the steering wheel.  Mom refused to look over the edge and took deep, slow breaths as she reminded Dad that she was well aware that we could die.  I clicked pictures as I wondered if I could see all the way to Kansas.  We finally made it to the top, and though we were underdressed for the 45-degree summit we really enjoyed the view.  Hopefully my lungs will get used to the air by the end of the summer so I can hike to the top.

View from the top

Smiling!

Today, I said good-bye to Mom and Dad then headed off to church with Jim and Mattie.  This afternoon I had another first I never ever ever thought I’d have—I rode a motorcycle.  Jim and I took off on the scenic route to Castle Rock.  At first I was a little apprehensive (code for “Please, oh please, don’t let my grandpa, who has long cautioned his grandkids against motorcycles, find out about this”).  But it was a rush!  I don’t think I’m coordinated or balanced enough to drive one, but I don’t mind riding along.

Tomorrow will bring yet another first with the beginning of my internship at Focus on the Family.  The first day is new intern orientation, so we’ll get a tour of the campus and I’ll get a chance to meet all the other interns.  I’m nervous, but the excited kind, not the I’m-totally-dreading-it kind.  I can hardly wait to get started!

All of these firsts have been exciting but admittedly a bit overwhelming.  I’m realizing that just as there will be blessings that I did not expect, there are also going to be challenges that I could not have prepared for.  There have been several moments when I’ve thought to myself, “Wow.  This is going to be hard.  Can I really do this?”  The conclusion I have come to is this: No, I can’t do this.

BUT that thought brings me so much freedom and comfort.  Why?  Because recognizing that I can’t do it allows God to show me that He can.

Sure, I could probably do my job at Focus based on work experience and personality.  I could live 14 hours away from my family and close friends based on my independence and new relationships formed here.  But I cannot have an experience that is Spirit-filled, life-impacting, and Kingdom-futhering by my own doing.

When Jeremiah was given a task that he though was too difficult for him to accomplish, God comforted him with these words: “Behold I am the LORD, the God of all flesh.  Is anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:27)”.

Those same words are encouraging me tonight.  If God can be glorified in my weakness, apprehension, and inability then I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses.  Please join me in praying that I will continue to humble myself before the Lord so that I can be used by Him this summer.

Hope for Joplin

Over the past week, stories about the devastation in Joplin, MO have been all over the news.  Reporters on the scene continue to repeat that mere pictures and video footage do not do justice to the scope of the destruction.

They are absolutely right.

On Saturday my parents and I went to Joplin to help clean up the home of some family friends.  They had debris covering their house and yard.  Windows were broken.  Part of their driveway had been lifted when the tree next to it was uprooted.  Their rear windows of both of their cars were broken after being tossed into the trees that once stood in their yard.  The cars were full of debris.  They had no electricity.  Despite all the damage to their own home, their house is still standing and they are still alive, putting them among the lucky ones affected by the Joplin tornado.  Just down the street from their home is where the worst of the tornado’s damage begins.

Seeing the extent of the human or material loss in Joplin in person was something I couldn’t prepare my heart for.  It’s devastating.  But don’t be fooled by the bleak imagery—our God is at work in Joplin!

During my few hours cleaning the yard, four or five carloads of people drove by the house, offering sandwiches, water, snacks, medicine, and Band-Aids.  Some were from the city, some were from churches, some were just citizens trying to lend a hand.  Electricity companies from all over the region lined the street, trying to get power back to the houses that were still standing.  Every yard had volunteers in it, ready to get to work.  Aid stations were set up all over town.  The restaurant we stopped at on our way out of town had shopping carts full of clothing free for the taking.  The atmosphere was full of encouragement and hope.  It was a truly incredible experience.

I consider myself privileged to have been able to be the hands and feet of my Jesus as I worked alongside my parents and our friends.  I had been praying for this community since the tornado had hit, but there is just something different about actually being with the people affected and ministering directly to them.  I’ll never forget it. 

There is a long road to recovery ahead, and there is so much still to be done.  Pray for the people and volunteers there.  Pray that God will show his love to Joplin and that salvation will come to that city.  Pray about how you can be used to help the community there.  You can give securely or sign up to volunteer on the United Way of the Ozarks website.  I would encourage you to give and go now, and save up time and money to give and go a few months from now.  The need will still be great.  Take advantage of this opportunity to be the church and reach out to the hurting.  There are few things closer to the heart of God than that.

Finals rock. No, really. They do.

It can be hard to stay positive during finals week.  The joy of the last day of classes gives way to the realization that mountains of information that you have forgotten are separating you from summertime.  There are plenty of reasons to hate finals week, but I am kind of a fan.  I know that this is weird.  But here are my favorite things about finals:

1. With no activities or classes to take up my time, I study, eat, sleep, and hang out with people. Whenever I want.  It rocks. 

2. Late-night final exam treats in the cafeteria.  What’s not to love about getting to decorate your own donut or eating so much cereal that you have to be rolled back to the library? 

3. I always find the other sock that I lost at the beginning of the school year. 

4. I discover million fun ways to procrastinate.  Like whenparentstext.com. 

5. The SUB and C-Stores have tons of food that I can buy with leftover meal blocks.  You name it, they got it--in bulk. 

6. I get to marvel at the sheer amount of stuff I was able to fit in my tiny room.  It’s defies nature.  I know I didn’t show up with this much stuff...

7. Tons of people are at the Rec workin’ on their fitness to de-stress, so my regular morning workout turns into social hour, which makes sweating a lot more fun. 

8. People can’t wait any longer for summer cookouts, so it smells like barbeque and charcoal everywhere you go. 

9. The library is more packed than ever, but it is dead silent.  Again, this defies nature. 

10. Everybody is brain-fried, sleep-deprived, and in that giddy stage right before you hit the wall.  Life is a lot funnier during finals. 

11. Summer is only days away.  Hallelujah.

If the scenery goes corn…beans…corn…corn…pigs…corn…tree…

…then you’re definitely in Iowa.

Even though Kirksville is only minutes from the Iowa border, I’ve never spent more than a few hours there.  But I more than made up for lost time this past weekend with two road trips to Iowa.  Complete with miles of cornfields, good music, delicious food, visits to Northern Iowa and University of Iowa, time with friends, and multiple encounters with the Amish, my weekend in Iowa did not disappoint.

On Friday, my friend had a graduate school visit scheduled at University of Northern Iowa, and I tagged along for the 4-hour trek up Highway 63.  It was windy and rainy the whole way, but we stayed entertained with an iPod full of 90’s music, buggy-counting, and people-watching as we drove through towns with populations the smaller than the Kirksville Wal-mart.

On Saturday, I went with some good friends and fellow communication majors to Iowa City to see The Civil Wars play at The Mill.  We stuffed ourselves at University of Iowa tradition, the Hamburg Inn No. 2.  Best part—pie shakes.  They somehow cram a whole slice of pie of into a milkshake.  And then you somehow cram that whole milkshake into your stomach.  It defies logic, but it was delicious.  If you drove to Iowa City to get one right now, no matter how far away you are, it'd be worth the drive.  Promise.

After dinner, it was on to The Civil Wars concert.  They were, to sum it up in a word, incredible.  I’ve been a huge Joy Williams fan since I was an awkward preteen, so seeing her in this new duet was my thirteen-year-old dream come true.  The venue was packed with fans, and the show was truly awesome.  Even better live than on the album, and for anyone who has listened to The Civil Wars, that’s really saying something.

Here is a video of them singing "Poison & Wine."  Disclaimer: the video quality is so-so, but not bad for an iPhone.

So all in all, it was an awesome weekend in Iowa.  Not all the rumors are true.  Yes, there is a lot of corn.  But I didn't see any Idiots Out Wandering Around.

Mountain Woman

In less than two months, this will be my backyard:

Colorado Springs!

Garden of the Gods

I’ll be interning here:

Focus on the Family!

I have been hired for the summer as Focus on the Family’s guest relations intern.  I’ll be working with the Human Resources department to greet nearly 100,000 summer visitors, give tours of the headquarters, host individual guests, and plan events.  Basically, I just get to make all the people who come to Focus on the Family feel welcome and share the love of Jesus with them.  Could this job be any more perfect?!

I am unbelievably excited about working at Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs this summer!  I’ll be starting June 6^th.  Amid the craziness of the last three weeks of the semester, that day seems a long way away.  But time flies, and I’ll be headed westward before I know it.

In addition to the excitement I feel every time I think about this summer, there is an overwhelming sense of gratitude to the Lord for the way he has displayed his faithfulness to me through the process of getting this internship.  Through every step in the process, he has remained by my side as my Friend and Father.  I want to give you just a little glimpse into my journey to this incredible opportunity. God is the main character of this story.  Read it and worship him alongside me!

In December, a close friend mentioned that Focus on the Family has a lot of really fantastic summer internship opportunities and that I should look into applying there.  I brushed off the suggestion.  I was already planning on coming back to Springfield.  Aside from the fact that I’m not the “outdoorsiest” of girls, putting me in the minority in Colorado, there was no way I'd ever get an internship like that.  With so many qualified applicants vying for a Focus on the Family internship position, the chances of getting one was slim.  So the whole idea received a swift veto, and I forgot about it.

But as the Lord began to work on my heart, convicting me of my tiny goals that kept him from showing his power and ability in my life (you can read more about that realization in my first post), I realized that I needed to go for the impossible, because my God is in the business of impossible. Prayerfully, I began applying for internships that I could only dream of getting.  With an “I-might-as-well-just-apply” philosophy, I submitted résumés and cover letters to a variety of organizations in locations all over the country.

In the process of applying, I remembered the conversation I had with my friend about Focus on the Family.  I decided to just go for it and leave it in God's hands.  After all, it couldn't hurt to just apply, right?  It was a lengthy application that asked not only the typical job application questions that I had answered what felt like hundreds of times in the past month, but also really challenging questions about my faith and relationship with the Lord.  I remember telling the Lord, “You know, this is an awful lot of effort for an internship I won’t even get.”  He probably laughed.  I say the weirdest things to him sometimes.

As I filled out the application, I realized that I really really wanted this internship.  And not just as a résumé builder.  I wanted it because the job was perfect for me.  And I was powerless to make it happen.  I was in over my head.  It was beyond my ability.  I had set a goal that was God-sized, and I had no choice but to depend fully on him.

A few weeks later, I received an email from Focus on the Family.  When I saw it in my inbox, my first thought was that it was the “rejection email.”  Oh, me of little faith… I opened it to find a request for an interview via Skype (so cool!).   The interview was the most fun, thought-provoking one I’ve ever had.  It felt more like a laid-back conversation than an interview.  After the interview portion, we talked about Kirksville (one of my interviewers has family here—what are the odds!), and they patiently tried, to no avail, to explain the concept of dry heat (I just can’t fathom walking outside in the summer without feeling like you’re swimming through the air).  At the end of the interview, they asked if they could pray for me.  Okay—now I really really really wanted this internship.

After a few weeks passed, I was offered the internship.  I took the weekend to pray about it.  I was still waiting to hear back from several other really great opportunities that were in the works, so a “yes” to Focus on the Family meant a “no” to everything else.  The prayers of my friends and my family on my behalf during that time of decision were invaluable.  God brought so many opportunities my way.  I received offers and interviews from places that I never would have dared to apply to only a few months before.  Even though there were other internships still up in the air, I felt peace about going to Colorado to intern at Focus on the Family.  I called that Monday to give a confident, excited, grateful, humbled “YES.”

God is going to use this summer to stretch me, bless me, challenge me, and make me more like Jesus.  He has done the impossible by placing me in this position at Focus on the Family, and he will continue to amaze me as my faith in him grows.  The Lord is trustworthy and he is faithful, and I’m going to cling that and worship him, just for who he is.

There are still a lot of details to work out before June, but I’m confident that God has got it under control.  Listed are some things I’ve been in prayer about regarding my summer in Colorado.  God has been teaching me the power of connecting with him through prayer, and if you feel so inclined, would you please be praying for me?

•  Focus on the Family requires that I received course credit for this internship from Truman.  I turned in my paperwork to the credit committee in my major, so now I just have to wait.  Be praying for favorable results.
• The internship is unpaid, so I’m going to need to get a part-time job.  I don’t even know where to start, but be praying that I’ll find one that has flexible hours since I’ll be holding down two jobs.
• Because the internship is unpaid, Focus on the Family arranges for us to have host families while we’re there.  Be praying for them—they have no idea what they’ve gotten themselves into.  ;)
• Pray that God will equip me to love the people that I come in contact with at Focus on the Family. I don't know what their needs are, but he does!
• Pray for my spiritual growth.  I’m excited to be working in an environment that strives to cultivate that, but ultimately it is the Lord who sanctifies and refines.  Pray that I’ll be moldable.

Put Down the Post-It Note: Learning to LOVE the Word

I like making to-do lists.  Actually, that’s not true—I love making to-do lists. It keeps me focused, makes me feel productive and helps me hold on to my sanity. The satisfaction that comes with every check mark can only be understood by my fellow “Type A” personalities.  Sometimes I will add a task that I’ve already completed to my to-do list, just so I can check it off.  And I’d explain my color-coding system for my to-do lists, but I don’t want to give you more than you can handle.

Organization and order are the air I breathe, but not all things in life should be reduced to a to-do list—especially my relationship with the Lord.  Unfortunately, I too easily default to making my quiet times into a checklist.  If I allow my heart and mind to go on auto-pilot, I end up living as if discipline and diligence are the ultimate goal, and not a response to an enjoyable relationship with the Lord.

Discipline isn’t a bad thing.  In fact, God commands us to be disciplined throughout Scripture.  Take Joshua 1:7-8, for example:

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Passages like this have me scrambling for my Post-It notes and a pen.  I am supposed to be careful to do everything written in the Bible, after all.  Immediately I start to make the list in my mind:

            -Obey all the Bible commands

            -Don't turn from it

            -Keep the Word on my lips

            -Meditate on the Word during the day

            -Meditate on the Word at night

            -Do everything it says

Wait—obey all the Law?  Do everything it says?  Wow.  I’m going to need some more Post-Its.

This is where my checklist system breaks down.  When discipline turns into legalism, when my desire to be a “doer” of the Word and not just a “hearer” becomes my righteousness, there is a problem.  There is a better way to approach the Word than making it into a checklist of good works and obedient acts.  It’s called enjoyment.

I have been meditating on Psalm 119 recently, and these verses have become my prayer:

“Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes;  

and I will keep it to the end. 

Give me understanding, that I may keep your law 

and observe it with my whole heart. 

Lead me in the path of your commandments, 

for I delight in it. 

Incline my heart to your testimonies, 

and not to selfish gain! 

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; 

And give me life in your ways. 

Confirm to your servant your promise, 

that you may be feared. 

Turn away the reproach that I dread, 

for your rules are good. 

Behold, I long for your precepts; 

in your righteousness give me life!” 

(v. 33-40)

In these verses, the psalmist’s love for the Word of God is unmistakable.  He delights in the Word.  He longs for it. But in his passion for the law of the Lord, he is not devoid of discipline.  He is careful to be obedient, but he obeys from the heart (v. 34).  The psalmist does not sacrifice focus for enjoyment.  Instead, focus and enjoyment fuel one another.

I want to love the Word of God.  I want my time in the Word to be fueled by a passion for His truth and a longing for godly wisdom, not just a sense of duty.  Do I want to be obedient and be a “doer” of the Word?  Yes, of course.  But that obedience should be a result of the overflow of joy and love that comes from my relationship with Jesus and grace that He has poured out on my life.

Soaking up the sun on Hilton Head Island!

It's been long, snowy winter in Kirksville, and luckily spring is just around the corner.  To celebrate my last spring break ever (weird, I know), I took off to Hilton Head Island, SC for a week with my girlfriends.  We had an incredible vacation, full of much-needed time together and relaxation.  The whole week was incredible, but if I had to narrow it down…

Top 10 Spring Break 2011 Memories

10. The babe pool at Hilton Head...

Yes, there were some real heartbreakers in the crowd...Dad was worried there would be boys there.  I don’t think he had much to worry about.  We were the youngest ones there by a long shot.  Well, except for the couple that brought their grandkids.

9. The SWEET condo we stayed in

This is the cleanest it looked all trip, but what do you expect with 6 girls in one condo

King size bed with a flat screen and an ocean view?!?  I'll take it!

And a jacuzzi to boot!

A huge thanks to the Kroegers for working all of the details out for us!

8. The car ride there and back

It may have been long, but we had a great time.  Sketchy gas stations, enough granola bars to feed an army, a GPS named Myrtle, and the Spice Girls—perfect for a road trip to the beach.

7. Touching a live sea star and sand dollar

Liz is the one who actually held it.  I just touched it.  With one finger.   Good enough for me.

Things that are slimy or are alive but don’t have faces aren’t really my bag, but it was still pretty cool.

6. Frequent trips to the Piggly Wiggly.  And by frequent, I mean at least twice a day.  We kept running out of cereal.

5. Adventures in cooking dinner and scarfing down cereal like it was going out of style.

Pancake night!

4. Going to the beach every day, no matter what.

Staying warm

Getting a tan...or in my case just laying there praying not to get sunburned.

            Sunny or cloudy, warm or freezing, we were ready to go.  Now that's dedication.

3. Riding bikes all around the island.

Yes, I actually rode it, not just adjusted the seat.  And I wore a helmet.  Promise.

For anyone who was lucky enough to be present when I tried to learn how to ride a bike when I was 5 or has experienced my lack of coordination, you know what a miracle this is.  I loved it, though.  It was so much fun!

2. Spending quality time with my best friends

Roommates!

I am blessed to have friends who love the Lord and who keep me accountable as we strive to be more like Jesus.

1. Doing my quiet time on the beach

           With a view like this, how could you not want to get to know the One who made it all!

Two of My Favorite Things: Friendship and Cities

There I was—first day of college—watching “The Office” in the dorm lounge.  A girl from my floor passed by, asked if she could watch with me and sat down.  Not only did we both love the show, but we had the same laptop and the same phone.  Makings of a friendship?  I think YES!  And as if that wasn't enough…she was a believer!

Freshman Week

I had officially made my first friend of college:  Rachel Strull.  God made that friendship grow and brought me so much encouragement through it.  After two years at Truman, Rachel obediently followed God’s call on her life to go into career ministry and transferred to Moody Bible Institute. So when Truman gave us an extended weekend, I took the opportunity to visit her at MBI.  After an hour-and-a-half drive and a four-hour train ride, I was in Chicago!

Our time together was so much fun, and I was refreshed by the conversation and a mini-escape from Kirksville.

Here are a few pictures from the trip:

Wrigley Field!

By the Water Tower after a successful shopping adventure on Michigan Ave.

Headed out to dinner--Obviously, you weren't allowed to come if you weren't wearing sequins or floral print.  Ha!

I could not be more thankful for my time in the city.  Thank you to Rach and all the Houghton 8 North ladies for making me feel so welcome!  I can't wait to visit again!

8 million mosquitos can't be wrong...

I entered college as a nursing major.  My aspirations of being a nurse and saving hundreds lives in my boldly printed scrubs lasted exactly 6 weeks.  What broke me?  Needles and blood.

Needless to say, because of my fear of these two things that sent me running from nursing to literally any other major, I have never had a strong interest in giving blood.  When blood drive sign ups would roll around, I would recite my lame go-to excuses ("I went to Mexico," "I'm probably anemic," "My blood is...uh...weird, so I don't think they'd want it," etc.) as I ran away as fast as possible.

And as if my fear of blood and needles wasn’t enough to keep me away from the nearest blood drive, the nightmarish stories of people’s horrible experiences with giving blood certainly did the trick:

“Oh yeah, Danielle, it was awful.  I got there and whole place smelled like blood.  I waited in line forever, my dread growing every second.  I thought they had ripped the tip of my finger off when they did the finger prick.  I seriously think the blade hit the bone.  Then I had an allergic reaction to the iodine the nurse wiped on my arm, and my whole arm went numb.  And after she stuck me 10 times in each arm, I passed out when I saw my blood go into the bag.  Then when I came to, I threw up all over the nurse, right in front of the really cute guy in the next chair.  Then I sat there for 20 minutes while my blood slowly filled up the bag.  I seriously thought I would die in the chair.  After I was done, I went to go get the free snacks, and they were out of water, and the cookie I ate was hard as a rock.  Then I passed out again.”

Hmmm...I'll be sure to put that on my "to-don't" list...

But with encouragement from a friend who assured me that the pain level was not akin to that of having your arm chopped off with a hack saw like I had previously believed, I decided to face my fears and donate blood.  And I’m so glad that I did!

It was a really great experience.  The nurses were really funny and stuck me on the first try.  I never even came close to passing out.  I had a good laugh when I heard a little boy tell the man donating next to me that his blood looked like BBQ sauce.  Yes, the room smelled like blood and the finger prick hurt, but my arm is still attached to my body, which is more than I expected.

But what I wasn’t expecting was to save three lives today!  In my mind-consuming fear of the blood and needles, I didn't have the brain capacity to remember that by giving blood I get to give life to someone who might have lost his or her life without my donation.  I think that’s worth a finger prick.

So here’s to trying new things, saving three lives, friends that encourage you to face your fears, and eating free peanut butter brownies made by the sweet old ladies who volunteer for the Red Cross!

To learn more about donating blood, visit redcrossblood.org.

Let the blogging begin!

I have realized something over the past few months—I’m getting old.  Or older, at least. 

An 8-year-old girl at my church was telling me all about the new Justin Bieber movie.  I told her that I wish they would have made an N*Sync movie when I was her age.  Her blank stare indicated that she had never even heard of N*Sync—are you kidding me?

I cited a source from 2004 in a paper, and my professor told me I couldn’t use it because it was outdated.  I started high school in 2004.

We had two snow days in a row this semester, the first snow days at Truman in 37 years.  I didn’t even feel slightly compelled to build a fort or make the trek to the nearest sledding hill, makeshift cafeteria-tray-turned-sled in hand.

The other day, I used the phrase, “Back in the day” to refer to something that happened in my own life.

And…

I’m starting a blog.

Blogs are for people with important things to share, people with lives.  News about family, professional opinions, recipes, pearls of wisdom—these are the things that people blog about.  I can’t possibly be old enough to have anything of worth to write about, right?

Well, posts with pictures of kids or delicious dinner ideas will be in short supply, but I think that I’ll have a lot to share with you in the coming months.  As I inch closer to graduation in December, I am realizing how many changes, challenges, and blessings God will bring into my life this year.

As the last year of college begins, I know that many opportunities will come my way.  The choices I make will take me down one of two paths.  One path is wide and worn.  It leads to the illusive “American Dream.”  This is the path where all my talents will be recognized, where all my hard work will pay off, where I will get all the credit for my accomplishments.

The other path, much narrower than the first, is one that requires its travelers to embrace radical abandonment to the person and purpose of Jesus Christ.  This is the path where my talents are given to me in order to inspire others to glorify the Lord, where hard work plays second fiddle to the power of the Holy Spirit, and where God is recognized as the giver of every good gift in my life.

The path I choose will determine my response to lots of questions that I must answer in the next year.  Which job will I take?  What city will I live in?  How will I spend my money?  What friends will I have?  Where will I serve?  What will consume my time?  These decisions are coming, and I want each choice to glorify the Lord.

In his book, Radical, David Platt poses this question:  “What if God in all his grace is radically committed to showing himself strong on behalf of a people who express their need for him so their lives might make much of him?”

Platt goes on to say, “God delights in using ordinary Christians who come to the end of themselves and choose to trust in his extraordinary provision.  He stands ready to allocate his power to all who are radically dependent on him and radically devoted to making much of him.”

Radical dependence and radical devotion—that is what the Lord wants from me.

Already the Lord is causing me to stretch and grow as he molds me into the woman he wants me to be.  I’m a planner by nature.  I like to set goals, and I have long been dreaming and making goals about the phase of life I am about to enter into.

But over the last few months, God has been exposing my goals for what they are—altars to myself.  My dreams for my life were things that I could accomplish in my own power.  They were risk-free and disappointment-proof.  My goals were safe, and that’s a problem because my God is daring.

He is changing my dreams and making them reflect his own dreams for his Kingdom.  He is expanding what I thought was possible as he reveals the power of his Spirit.  I’m excited about the direction he is taking me, even if the changes are uncomfortable or unpredictable at times.  But if that is what it takes for me to discover the character of God and become more like his Son, then I’m all in.  I wait in eager anticipation to see what God will do in me and through me in 2011.