Good News and Two More Days!!!

I found out today that I get to be a mentor at our local pregnancy resource center. When I first went to volunteer, they told me that college students couldn't be mentors. But one of my professors is on the board there, he petitioned for college students to be mentors, and now I will be the first college student to be a mentor. I'm really excited. I have to go through about a month of training, but I know it will be worth it.

I have a mid-term tomorrow and a paper due in the same class. But I have the paper done, although I still have quite a bit of studying to do for the exam. My dad called me today and we talked for around fifteen minutes. I really miss him. I haven't seen him in over a month, and if you didn't know, I am a major daddy's girl. He wants me to come home after my last class tomorrow so I could watch the football game with him in our town. (The football game is on a Thursday instead of a Friday because it's their fall break.) I told him I would love to except for the fact that I have college algebra on Friday and it would kill me if I skipped it. It's not really so hard, but if I missed one class I would miss a lot of information. I think we will both be glad when Thanksgiving break gets here.

I only have two more days before I go home, and I'm really excited. As soon as I drive into my town, I have to go straight to the tag office and get my driver's license renewed. It doesn't seem possible that it's already time for that. Talk about feeling old. I remember what I wore the day I got my driver's license the first time. Now I'm renewing it? What?

It's funny, every other year when I've had a birthday, I've counted down the days and anticipated it so much. But this year I haven't really cared. I think this is a sign that I'm really growing up. It's kind of weird, but I will grow in to growing up. It might take time, but sooner or later it will suit me.

Well, I've gotta go study for that mid-term. I'll share more later.

One More Week

I have one more week of being eighteen. That doesn't seem possible. It just feels like I turned eighteen yesterday. I'm going home this weekend to see my family and celebrate my two little cousins' birthdays as well. I can't wait to see them. It's been over two months since I've seen them, and I bet they are just as big as they can be. I miss them so much.

My mom and cousin came up this weekend to visit me. It was really good to see them. They are staying for chapel tomorrow to hear Don Piper speak. He wrote the book 90 Minutes in Heaven. I can't wait to hear him speak. I've heard him speak before, but I'm super excited to hear him speak again.

I'm praying about changing my major. God has brought so much to my mind lately. I just don't know where to begin. I think I mentioned I had read a book entitled Set-Apart Femininity. Well, I finished it, and it really woke me up to what a set-apart woman of God should look like in this day and age. I think one of the things it talked about really hit home. I've dreamed of falling in love for so long all the while telling God he was writing my love story. But so many times I would try to look and guess and see if I could find the man of my dreams. It was really bad when I first got to college because there was a whole new sea of fish, so to speak. But one of the points Leslie Ludy makes in her book is that we have to fall in love with Jesus and let him capture our hearts before we can fall in love on earth. She says that we have to come to the point that if we were single for the rest of our lives, we'd be okay with that because Jesus is more than enough. Heaven knows I'm not there yet, but that's where I want to be. I don't want to constantly think about a guy. I want to constantly think about God. I want to fall madly in love with Him. Another thing she talked about was the type of entertainment we watch and how we waste our time on it. I don't watch that many movies, but since I've been at college, I've watched more PG-13 movies than I have when I was at home. Not horrible, awful movies, but they've still been PG-13. And I've been convicted about that. I know I shouldn't be watching them. After reading this book and reading tons of scripture, I am going back to the "rule" that my parents had when I was growing up: no PG-13 movies. I don't even want to watch them. She said in her book that we would be thought odd truly living a set-apart life. But I don't really care. I'm going to live by the word of God and if anyone wants to make fun, they can take it up with God. He is what matters now. I'm really sick of living a sedentary "Christian" lifestyle.

What I'm really excited about though is the Wednesday night ministry we have here called Whitehouse. It's great. I get to minister to and talk to girls that are hurting and who need love. This week, as much as possible, I want to try to connect with them outside of Whitehouse. There is girl whose name is Jordan. She's a senior in high school here, and she's thinking about coming to college here. She's thinking about living in the same dorm as me, so I've told her if she wants to come hang out some time, she's more than welcome. It's all about investing in these girls' lives.

Well, I don't have to get up that early tomorrow, but I still need to head to bed and get that beauty sleep (wink wink). I will keep updating, and you keep praying.

Fall...It's definitely here!!!

So I went to the park today. I took my book, my camera, my free McDonald's coffee that I was glad was free because it wasn't very good, and I went and stared in awe of the beauty of fall. The park in my college town is very beautiful. There is a pond in the middle of it and the trees are starting to turn the most gorgeous, breathtaking colors. It's wonderful.

I've been reading this book entitled Set-Apart Femininity. So far it's pretty much the best book I've ever read. It's written by Leslie Ludy, and she does a great job of showing what a real set-apart lifestyle for Christ looks like. I love it, and I'm almost done with it. But as I sat in the cool breeze with the beautiful trees overhead, I just couldn't help but praise God. I thought that if the scene around me was as beautiful as it was, how much more beautiful is God? I just loved it.

I'm thinking about changing my major. I guess I should say I'm praying about it. This last June, I surrendered to work with teenage girls. I have felt that call on my heart for a long time. But the more I've been thinking about it lately, the more I've realized that English and working with teenage girls don't really have a lot in common. For a long time, I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I told everyone that until God told me what he wanted me to do, I wanted to study English. But he hasn't told me what he wants me to do. I've just assumed he wants me to do that. I love to write, don't get me wrong, but is that what God wants me to do for the rest of my life? That's what I'm praying about. If I do end up changing my major, it will probably be toward the areas of psychology and counseling. I would love to be a high school counselor.

There are a lot of things I would like to do and I think until I take more of my basics it will just take me time to realize what it is I'm called to do. College has been so eye-opening for me already. And I've only been here a little over a month. That seems so hard to believe because it feels like I've been here forever.

Well, I'm gonna call it a night. I will write back soon.

Homecoming!!!

So this week is homecoming for my school. There are events taking place all week long. The best thing about this week is that my mom, cousin, and brother are all coming up to see me on Saturday. I'm really excited because my cousin and my brother have never seen the campus before and I'm super excited for them to see it. My cousin will be staying with me in my room. We will have to figure out her sleeping arrangements, but that won't be too hard. She'll probably bring a sleeping bag and a pillow or something.

But yeah, I'm loving school more everyday. I'm talking with more friends that I haven't talked to in a long time on Facebook, and I'm learning more everyday how awesome God is. He is my sole source of constancy. Some days I don't know what I'm supposed to do about certain things, but I just give them to God and I am at peace.

The biggest thing I can't believe is that my 19th birthday is coming up. That doesn't seem possible. My little cousins are turning three, my brother will be fifteen in December, time is going by so fast.

Well, it is late, and I need to go to bed. I have an American government test tomorrow. Such fun. Anyway will write more later.

Goodbye September, Hello October

Well, I officially have one month of school underneath my belt. I can't say if I feel like it's gone by fast or slow. It's just kind of gone by. The weeks are going by faster though which I think is good. There at the beginning they just seemed to drag on.

In my first class today, we had a guest speaker and she was talking about career options in our future and other stuff like that. Another thing she talked about was studying abroad. I have wanted to study abroad for forever. I think my top pick would be London, England. There is a girl in my class that would love to go also, and so if our parents agree and we raise enough money, we might go together. But I will have to work my behind off and pray. I just think it would be such an awesome experience. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

I can't believe we only have three months left of 2008. It just seems like last year I was getting everything ready for graduation and now I'm working on getting graduation requirements out of the way and gen-eds. My parents have always told me that the older you get the faster the time goes by. They were right. It's just going by so fast. But a good part about that is in roughly two weeks, I get to go home for my birthday. I'm going to be 19. That's what seems impossible. I remember this time last year I was so looking forward to being 18. I was going to get to vote. Well, I have voted, and now I'm getting ready to turn 19. It's kind of an in between year. I'm not 18 anymore, but I'm not 20 yet either. It's kind of weird.

Well, I shouldn't be on here at all. I have way too much stuff to do, but I find that I have to take breaks. (ADD?) No, I don't think so, but I can definitely tell that the way I study here is different than when I studied in high school.

I'm going to go, but I will update later.

Different...Wierd...College

College, so far in my life, is very different from anything else I've ever experienced. It's different from high school, different from living with my parents, and different from my normal course of life. Things are happening that I've never had to deal with before. Not big things, but issues that I have to look at and see where I stand. Not where my parents stand, but where I stand.

Different things have arose that before I've just kind blown off or not had to deal with. The more I'm here, though, I realize one very true and undeniable fact: God is the only constancy in my life. For a long time I thought my parents and friends were. But now, they're all gone. I'm not saying that we shouldn't depend on our parents and friends, but they won't always be right there everyday. I'm making new friends, but some day I may not see them everyday either. God just keeps telling me through different circumstances that He is the only who I can fully rely on 100% of the time. Faith plays a very big factor here.

I've been told that college freshman, especially females, change a lot their first year. I might have already mentioned this, I don't remember. But I can already tell I'm changing. I'm on my own and the choices I make now are more concrete and permanent than the ones I used to make.

Another thing I've realized is despite the fact that I used to absolutely want to get out of my home town so bad, I miss it so much. I miss my parents, my brother, my room, and everything about home. I miss all of my family and my cousin. I miss our old church. Things are just changing, and I'm not quite used to it. College is great, but I just didn't think I would miss home this much.

I'm happy, don't get me wrong. Things are just different. Well, I have to go to a meeting. I will write more later. Please pray for me.

Church, Concerts, Camping...Such Fun!!!

Well, I've had an eventful weekend and beginning of the week.

I went camping Friday night into Saturday morning with like thirty other people. We slept in tents and roasted marshmallows and made smore's. It was pretty fun. Then when I got back from camping and looking like poo, I showered and made myself look presentable for the football game.

On Saturday, I attended my first college football game of my college. We won 83-6. It was the first time since 2001 that our team has won two games back to back. We're usually not that good. I think they just wanted to show off because I've finally come to college. (ha ha) After the game, I went to my friend Tarah's house, and her mom let me do my laundry again. This is the fourth week I haven't had to pay for laundry. We watched a movie, ate dinner, and hung out. It was really fun.

Then on Sunday four or us girls went to a church in a little town about twenty-five minutes from here. It was the First Baptist Church of that town, and I loved it. I think we're going back this Sunday. It was so homey and everyone was so friendly and loving. We didn't get out of church until ten after twelve and that's a little late for me because at my church back home we always got out before twelve. But they are so laid back and easy going. Their college and career class is good too. Then after church, one of the moms who has a son who is a freshman here had all the college age kids over to her house for lunch. It was so good. I loved it all. After church, I had to come back and study for the four tests I have this week. Well, I only have three left now because I took one today. I have two tomorrow and one on Friday, plus I have a research paper to research.

But tonight we had three groups that performed here. One was Alli Rogers, the next was Chris Taylor, and to top it off the Robbie Seay Band performed. It was incredible. I loved every minute of it. They were this brick of three albums, one from each group, and a book for thirty dollars. I couldn't resist. I also got autographs and pictures with them. And best of all, it was free. I love college.

Well, I better wrap it up. I have to get up at seven in the morning, and I have those two tests tomorrow. And I start volunteering at the pregnancy resource center tomorrow. Then tomorrow night our hall sponsor is having us over to dinner. Busy, busy day. And I have a Pilate's class. Whew! Well, I'll write more later.
Jana