No More Laziness!

      It feels weird to be updating my blog again after only a few days, but a lot has happened so I might as well! On Friday we had morning chapel, and Pastor Jordan brought a message we all needed to hear. He reiterated some key points from messages all year long, but he also encouraged us not to be lazy. I think we all have been in a season where we just didn't have as much motivation as we did in September. We have come so far, and yet we were in "coast mode". His message encouraged us to make the most out of the following fifteen weeks left at Masters. Yes, that's right- only fifteen weeks left! It's crazy how time flies...


      Saturday night was a big event at the Tabernacle- Awaken! It's a city wide worship service held at our church twice a year, where we come together to simply worship God. People were set free, the atmosphere was amazing, and it was a lot of fun! It was a cool sight to see people of all ages worshipping Jesus on a Saturday night, a night where you could be doing anything else. God totally showed up, and I learned to never take his presence for granted.


      Yesterday we had the usual: sunday morning class, church, meetings with our small group leadership,  but what wasn't so usual was the ladies conference I had the chance to help set up and serve at. The theme was "God's Divine Romance" and so we had a lot of Valentines day decorations, a waterfall, and cloth draped from ceiling to floor. We managed to pull it off and light the candles just in time, and the ladies loved it.


     Today is my day off, so I slept in a bit and headed to the gym. Ever heard of the saying "Freshmen Fifteen"? I'm trying to win the battle against that. A bunch of us are off to the mall later today, and for now I'm just cleaning the apartment and having some time to myself.


      I was recently told an anonymous donor sent me $25 towards my missions trip. Whoever you may be, thank you SO MUCH! May God bless you as you've blessed me. Also, to my Aunt Sharon- Thank you for the card and donation! Your decision to pray and help me out means so much, thank you for standing by me all of these years! My trip is only weeks away, and I only have $100 more to raise. As of right now, it looks as if we are going to Galveston, Texas, to help rebuild a forgotten community hit by hurricane Katrina years ago. Keep watching the news, because if any major disaster occurs in America the next month, we will be headed there!

     What a filled two weeks! I had a beautiful day off on Monday with Mel at Little Five Points, a little indie town turned tourist attraction. We walked around, took pictures, and just enjoyed having some time to ourselves. Check for some pictures below!


     On Wednesday, we had life lessons at a nearby park, and learned about embracing the season that God has us in right now. It couldn't have come at a better time! I've learned that there is something to be learned in whatever season you are in, and God has you there for a reason. I'm going to remember that wherever he takes me!
  
     Friday we had a nice relaxing day as a group. We were told to wear comfy clothes and we played games, watched a movie, and had a BBQ. It is so nice to just have a relaxing day, and as a team we needed it.
   
      We had another ladies cadre on Monday and Tuesday, the biggest cadre yet with 57 women! I was originally on the kitchen team, but I got pulled to take care of a beautiful 3 month old baby named Brooklyn. She was so perfect, hardly ever crying, and I loved every minute of taking care of her. I can certainly wait to have my own, but I know I am going to love being a mom!  
 

     In order to keep our tuition low, we do fundraisers throughout the year to help cover costs. From Wednesday to the following Tuesday we took a 7 hour drive to Daytona for a fundraising opportunity with the Daytona 500- that’s NASCAR in case you didn’t know! We were in charge of keeping the facility clean while over 160 000 people came for the races. It was a lot of work, a lot of long days, and it was cold too! I made some great memories with everyone however, and looking back on it, I am glad I had the opportunity to go.

01/02/10

     It was my AC Mom's birthday on Monday, so for family time we surprised her by taking her out to lunch, then blindfolding her and taking her to Graves Park. Awaiting was our whole family, and all of her children from last year, and their children- quite the crowd! She was so surprised, and we had even more food there for everyone to eat. It was cold and windy, but sunny, so we managed to get a few good pictures of the day!
  
     This week we had Experience: a few days where prospective students come to check out Masters. We had 8 girls stay in our apartment with us; thats 14 girls total and 2 bathrooms! I met some amazing highschoolers and I am so excited to see some of them return in the Fall! Between the countless hours of practices, lost sleep, sleeping on the floor,  and sharing a bathroom with 7 other girls, I'd say it was still all worth it. They all left with more than just an understanding of what Masters is, but an experience with God. I love that I had a part of setting the atmosphere for them to meet him! With Experience taking up the week, not much really went on otherwise. Today, team Ireland and team Mexico are leaving for their missions trips, and it will be sad to see them go for 2 weeks! God is going to do some amazing things, as the teams are going with such hearts of expectancy. I can't wait to hear their stories!

  
     Here are some pictures of our family time and experience: