Reflection of God's work in my Life

Life has been pretty busy these last few weeks. Classes are picking up, but are going pretty well. The amount I am sleeping is becoming less and less, but God has given me the energy I need each day. I am constantly learning more about the Lord and He has brought so many blessings into my life.

Work:
This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to Wisconsin for work. We went up to a Nazarene youth lock-in and just spent some time with the kids there. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed getting to meet some of the youth there. Besides that I am making phone calls and speaking to prospective students about Olivet. It's a privilege that as part of my job I get to share my wonderful experience here with students.



In the making:
A few weeks ago a group of us went to volunteer at Feed My Starving Children up in Schaumberg. It was a great night! It was awesome being able to help feed children overseas who are without food. I came home from there wanting to do so much more. I want our whole campus to be a part of this. I have been in contact with the organization and been praying about the opportunity to bring a Mobile Pack to Olivet. It takes a lot of planning and will cost a great deal. I have to talk to a few different people on campus before I can finalize the event. I have faith that it can happen, there are just a lot of obstacles that have to be overcome first.

Friends:
The Lord has blessed me with some incredible friends to encourage me and really challenge me. He has placed friends in my life who are such a great example of what living a life sold our for Christ looks like. We have been able to share in one another's struggles, pray for one another, and offer support to each other. I have realized lately the importance of being transparent and having accountability so that we can carry one another's burdens. My friends bring so much joy to my life and I am so thankful for the Godly example they are to me.

What I've been learning:
I've been learning so much about the love God has for me. He knows me personally and He care's about the smallest detail of my life. Just like we see in Psalm 139 when God knew every aspect of David's life. He was intimately acquainted with all of his ways even before He created him. He wants to have a personal relationship with each one of us.
As a campus community we have all been challenged this semester to consider what it means to be a Global Christian. I have really been asking God what this looks like in my life. I know He is going to use me for His Kingdom, but right now i'm just still allowing my heart to be open to His leading. We have really been assessing this in our d-group as well, and sharing with one another what we hear God saying to us. It's been so encouraging to hear all the many ways the Lord is working in the hearts of the girls and the support that we can give one another.

New Hobbies:
I have taken up piano again. It has been that hobby that comes and goes, but I love playing. For years I have been wanting to learn how to play without a book, but by cord charts for worship songs. My friend, Rachel, is teaching me and although I am not very good I love learning and practicing! I am getting better, but the fact that you can improvise is still foreign to me! It's been great to be able to spend a little time each day making music!

Giving up control

I love fall! It's such a beautiful time. I love watching the leaves change colors and fall from the trees. I enjoy running with the leaves crunching beneath my feet. I just wish there was enough time for it! School has kept me extremely busy and doesn't leave a whole lot of time for other things. I can sometimes fit in the gym or a run every now and then but not as much as I'd like. Just makes me really enjoy the times I do get to go. At the end of the summer I thought I would start training for a marathon or at least a half, but school hasn't left much room for training, so I'm not sure what to do about that!

Having a few days off this week has been really nice. I've been able to catch up on some homework and much needed sleep. I've made all sorts of goodies from pumpkin sugar cookies, carmel corn, even made meatloaf and apple crisp for the boys. It has been pretty quiet around home with it just being me, dad, and Cam but it gave me time to enjoy doing homework in my own quiet room! First time I haven't been distracted from my homework in a LONG time!

College is such a weird time. What do you call home? I live at school more than I do at home. All my stuff is at school. I wasn't at "home" all summer, so there really isn't many connections at "home". So, where is home? I feel like its somewhere new every few months. And yet, as I try to still figure this out God is challenging me to be content in all situations. To praise Him in every season.

I'm loving my new job! I enjoy getting to build a relationship with students and encourage them to look into coming to Olivet. It's given me an opportunity to share my passion or Olivet with others. God definitely taught me patience through waiting for a job and I am so thankful that He did. I'm only working 4 hours a week, but for now it's a good amount with everything else I am committed to. It leaves a little time for homework and to sleep for a few hours!

One of the challenges for me lately has been all of the distractions around me. Sometimes it can be so hard to stay focused when there are a thousand other things going through my head, but it's a daily battle to put those aside and focus on the present. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I didn't like to be in control. How much easier would it be to give God complete control if I wasn't a control freak? The Lord is truly the only one who has control. He's the only one I can depend on. He's the one who is never busy, always home, and who always cares. He knows my thoughts when I can't even put them into words (it takes someone very special to understand those!) It can be so easy to let the distractions around me cause me to feel dissatisfied or incomplete, but God says not to dwell on what we don't have. He tells us that He has something so much greater, something unfathomable if we just allow Him to have the reigns to our life.