Monday, August 28, 2006

Third Day of Classes

Here I am, still alive and well. Mondays, unfortunately, are a busy day for me. I do a lot of running around. I had classes from 8-10, then I have work-study from 12-2, then I have Honors from 4-6, then I am going to the school newspaper meeting at 7. So I am a busy girl. I was telling someone about how different it is to be so independent. I pretty much run my life and that's it. At home, every decision I made directly affected others - my family, friends, obligations. People relied on me for various things. But here I am only responsible for my own life. It's just me. Which is interesting, and fortunately, I think I have been raised to make good choices. But at the same time, it kind of bothers me. No wonder people always say that college students live in a bubble. We have no connection to the real world. In the real world, everything I do is entwined with someone else or some higher goal. Here my goals are to keep up my scholarship, have fun, and graduate. Not very earth-shattering

Of course I have other, deeper goals. Especially in terms of my walk with Christ. Although I go to a Christian school and I am in a Christian environment, I am starting to really see that true believers are definitely outnumbered my unbelievers. So there are temptations and trials here just like at any other place. Although I have met some great people, I also have met some who are so-so. And some really odd ones. But I think that this environment has really helped me to grow in Christ - but not because everyone is always talking about God or something. As a matter of fact, it's quite the opposite. Like I said, there are believers, but the majority are not, and, just like when I was in public school, I constantly need Christ to be my support and strength. However, unlike public school, I do not feel constantly dragged down by the world and influenced negatively by my non-Christian friends. Instead, I am challenged by what I learn in class or at the church I have been attending. So instead of always being discouraged, like I was in a public school environment, I find that this situation is a great place to grow. That is encouraging, but I still have so far to go. I know that there are many things to combat here, and I also know that there are a lot of decisions I will need to make. So I am praying that God will give me wisdom.

By the way, I have found a good church. It is the church that Lizby goes to (I think, though I haven't seen her there at all). It is a PCA church, but it is reformed so I will overlook the Presbyterian part. It is the only mixed race church in the area, which is a shocker. But becuase of my politically-correct schooling, I refuse to go anywhere that is segregated. The pastor is black, and he is great. He teaches exegetically (spelling?) which I am used to, and while his sermons may lack in "depth" in terms of his ability to link things to the OT, he is an excellent exhortative preacher. I always feel challenged after them. He just finished the book of Phillipians, so I am wondering what he will do next. A lot of students go there, and I have already sort of labeled them as strong Christians, so the fact they attend Redeemer is a good sign to me. So that prayer request has been answered.

I miss everyone, of course. I have AIM now (if anyone who reads this has it). If you want my sn, just ask.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Classes start tomorrow!

One thing that I love about this school is the Christian leaders - today we had our last orientation session and before we left, the man in charge of the whole orientation committee gave a very strong challenge to the men and women indiviually. First he challenged the young women to be women of inner beauty who make wise choices in relationships and time management and every other decision we are presented with. He encouraged us to always remember that if we are in Christ, we are valued and loved by Him and we are truly worth something. That was so encouraging to me. In these settings where I don't know many people, it is so easy for me to seek attention through my appearance or my personality, at that just leads to a depression if I feel that I don't measure up. But in Christ, I do. I am His beloved child who will spend eternity with Him. It was a very good reminder.

He also spoke to the guys, which was awesome to hear, and he challenged them to be young men who are meek and pure, who live to serve Christ in a holy way, instead of falling into sinful patterns of thought or lifestyle. He was right on - it reminded me of Wes. And I was just so encouraged to realize that there are strong believers everywhere - even in the Deep South. It was really cool.

Tomorrow classes start. Although I was able to get the night classes worked out, I realized this morning that I have an 8:00 a.m. class everyday, five days a week. Oh well, nothing is perfect. I think I'm going to get breakfast food and keep it in my room so I don't have to waste time getting bfast in the morning.

One thing is for certain. I am not going to gain the freshman fifteen at this school. The food leaves much to be desired. I live on salad and yogurt. I can't even splurge and drink the sweet tea, which I love, because it gives me a very upset stomach (I can't figure out why). Today I was so desperate for something good to eat that I grabbed a doughnut with my yogurt. Even that was terrible. So dessert is also safe from me.

However, putting the food and morning classes aside, this is a great place. The people, on the whole, are wonderful. I am looking forward to getting involved on campus and meeting more people. I think once classes start I will finally feel like I belong, and I will also be very busy. But that's what college is all about. I miss everyone!

Monday, August 21, 2006

Here I am...

So I am finally at Belhaven! And it's been fun so far - at first it was difficult - not knowing anyone, Elisabeth never around, and wondering how this was going to all pan out. Then my parents left on Sunday, and I thought that would be awful. It was hard, and I felt very alone as I walked back to my room, struggling to keep my emotions in check. I sat on my bed and really battled between feeling sorry for myself or trusting God. I think God won out - I worked at organizing my room to keep my mind off it, and then I decided to visit some girls in my dorm. That was a great afternoon. I met so many sweet people and had some great conversations, and I was so blessed even in that short time frame between saying goodbye and dinnertime. Since then it has been great. I am getting acclamated and meeting new people everyday...
however, today really has been a test and I am afraid I haven't had the best attitude - I had a horrible experience registering for classes and becuase I had to wait so long, (several hours) all of the convenient classes were closed so I have to take night classes. Which is awful. three of those babies do not fill one with joyful anticipation for the semester. I know my attitude was not the best when all is said and done...and that is very humbling.
But it is turning into a great experience and I look forward to the people I will meet and the relationships I will develop. Thank you for your prayers! I miss everyone back home very much.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Before I leave...

I am heading off to college on Friday, so before I go, I want to share the prayer requests I have. I wanted to share them on Sunday, but we ended up not having a share time because of the visiting missionaries.

Please pray...

1.) For the adjustment period - that I would have peace about my situation (being so far away) and that I wouldn't focus on myself, but on others...also, that my family would adjust well and quickly to my absence. Also for adjustment to the whole college routine, and that I wouldn't do too much since I get stressed out if I have too many committments.

2.) For wisdom - in relationships, with all the various decisions I have to make, such as classes, what fellowships to join, who to hang with, etc.

3.) For a good church - that I would find a strong reformed church body where I can serve and grow in my faith.

If you could pray for me I would appreciate it! I look forward to seeing everyone again in October!

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Another Expiriment


Anyway, this is the pic, I also published this on my other blog, hopefully this will work...It's a pic of me sanding the wall of the house I worked on during our missions trip to Mississippi for hurricane relief last April.

Expirimentation

I am experimenting with posting pictures becuase I want to put one in my profile...we'll see how it works out.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

So here it is folks, Lea's new blog...

You'll have to forgive me if it is a little sparse at first - I am not very technically savvy and I am also kind of busy as I am leaving for college next week.

I am excited about having my own personal space, and I hope I will become a better blogger through this. I usually am pretty inconsistent. But maybe I will become more disciplined as the year progresses.

I will add more later!