School Nonstop

After an intense week of studying non-stop from dawn til' dusk, I at last took a long dreaded math test this afternoon. And now that that is over, for a brief moment between math and Anatomy, I have the opportunity to do something I have not felt the freedom to do in a very long time - blog. I have a lot of catching up to do!

This past May, both me and my mother graduated from college. Mom decided to go back to school and complete her degree from 25 years ago. She did online courses with Indiana Wesleyan and finished this spring with a BA in liberal arts and a certificate in Criminal Justice. After Two years of college in Cincinnati, I graduated from God's Bible School and College with an AA in Intercultural Studies and World Missions. It was such an awesome feeling of accomplishment! I am thankful for all of the experiences I had in Cincinnati, and all the things that I learned at GBS, but I am very glad to be done.

Mom and I at her graduation

Me and my parents (and Daniel:) at my graduation. I couldn't have done it without them!

I was privileged to have several of my Kentucky friends, as well as most of my family (except Elijah) up for my graduation. We all had a good time cooking out afterward.

My break was short lived - in fact I was back in school before I even walked the aisle at GBS! I signed up for summer classes at Jefferson Community College in downtown Louisville, KY. They started the week before I graduated at GBS so I was doing a lot of running back and forth between Cincinnati and Louisville there for a few days.

So far my summer has been extremely busy. Summer courses are much more intense than normal semesters because everything is crammed into a few weeks. So my days involve getting up very early, driving an hour to Louisville, studying for about four hours, going to Psychology at noon, Math after that, then a little break, then Anatomy in the late afternoon, and Anatomy Lab from 7-9:25, then an hour drive home, collapse into bed, and repeat four days a week. (Then stand for 17 hours at Kroger over Friday and Saturday!) But despite the incredible amount of pressure, I am so excited to at last be on my way to nursing! I will be so relieved when this summer is over though! I will never view a regular semester the same after this.

I am in the midst of the registration process for Pensacola Christian College in Florida (the same school my brother goes to). I plan to go there for nursing school. I am really looking forward to it.

Other than academia, well, not much else has happened! God has been so good to me and has blessed me in many ways. I am thankful for His leading in my life, and the motivation He gives me to try to excel in everything I do. Hopefully I can blog on here some more before the summer is out. We shall see!

Worship

I am seated by a large window overlooking a very bleak and gray Ohio River. The tall gray skyscrapers of Cincinnati seemingly blend into the sky. Snow is beginning to collect on the icy shores of the river as the daylight rapidly diminishes. I am listening to the mournful strains of Hynryk Gorecki’s famous third symphony which I have grown to love. The setting could suggest a rather depressed state of mind, but in sharp contrast to the bitter outdoors, I am comfortably ensconced in a cozy coffee shop with a steaming cup of peppermint tea surrounded by the books that I love so well. Life could not be better.

I was recently contemplating the subject of worship. I have been around in my day, and have experienced many modes and methods of worship. People argue and fuss about what is right and what is wrong. I know people who say that musical instruments used in worship are wrong, and others that say worship is hardly worship without them. People fuss and fume, and go on and on. I am young and for the most part inexperienced, but I have drawn my own conclusions on the subject. In my humble opinion (anyone that wishes to is entitled to disagree with me :) I have concluded that in all of this argument and conjecture, people are missing the true meaning of worship. Worship is not about any particular method, or lack thereof. Worship is about adoring our Creator and our Savior in whatever way we feel we can do that best. For some that may be the beautiful yet solemn hymns written centuries ago. For others it may be the upbeat joyous music written more recently. I think God frowns on neither; I think God looks at the heart of the people doing the worshiping. Here is an example from my typical Sunday worship experience…

The music is loud – close to earsplitting. The singing is led by a tiny Korean girl and a not so tiny Mexican boy, both of whom are college students. In fact, the entire worship band is led and performed by students. Several acoustic guitars, an electric guitar, a keyboard, and a violin provide the main musical aspect. Sometimes a little African drum is enthusiastically pounded by one of the local children.

The vast majority of the congregation sways and claps to the beat of the music. A fifteen year old mother cradles her infant baby in one corner while her numerous younger siblings run around tripping over feet and electric cords, and sowing general discord wherever they go. A large black man slouches in his seat. He wears one of the over-sized caps so popular in the rap culture, and a large diamond earring in one ear. The waist of his pants hangs to his crotch and his two pairs of underwear are clearly visible to those seated behind him. An older Korean woman stands with her arms spread wide, her head tilted heavenward, and her eyes shut tight as she loses herself in worship. Several girls in tight jeans and leather jackets giggle as they dance to the beat, their large hoop earrings bouncing and swaying. A row of students, most of whom are Korean, stand in the rear participating in the worship, though not quite as euphorically as the majority of the congregation. I am standing in the midst of it all – more distracted, I fear, by the activity surrounding me then concentrating on the worship as I should be. I am also somewhat distracted by the not-so-pleasant odor emanating from the gaunt, hungry looking homeless man standing beside me. I try to ignore the cries of protest from my nasal passages and concentrate my attention back on the worship service.

I love how the little girls' hair is done! All those beads

The songs are mostly contemporary choruses which are easy to learn and easy to clap to. The words are projected on a screen at the front of the room. The screen and sound equipment stand in sharp contrast to the otherwise somewhat primitive interior of the room. The service is held in the basement of an ancient Methodist church. The floors are made of scratched and creaking hardwood, and the ceilings consist of the stamped metal that was so common in the Victorian era. The chairs mostly consist of the folding metal variety, though there are a few large padded chairs scattered hither and yon throughout the room.

The congregation is a portrait of diversity. The leaders of the church originate from South Korea. They came to America as missionaries and the church is one of the many fruits of their tireless efforts. Korean students from the large university nearby, as well as a few sent here from as far away as California on mission internships, provide help as Sunday School teachers and worship leaders. There are also several musically minded Mexicans from the college I attend who provide most of the musical talent. Occasionally students will visit who hail from such diverse locations as Iran, Japan, and Belize. The rest of the congregation is made up of local people, most of whom live within walking distance of the church. And then there is one lone little conservative white girl – me.

Eating the meal served after the service

The church is situated in the midst of the notorious Over-the-Rhine which, according to FBI reports, is the most dangerous place in the USA. Hardly a day goes by without numerous shootings, rapes, and burglaries. Violence and crime is an everyday occurrence. Some of the Korean missionaries themselves have been held up right outside the church building.

I saw this sign painted on the side of a building in Over-the-Rhine

But to them, that is a small price to pay in comparison to the rewards of seeing people from such a dark place as this brought to and transformed by the light of Jesus. For, despite the almost humorous variety represented by the congregation, there is truly a spirit of worship in this place like I have rarely felt elsewhere. A black mother, whose face bears testament to the many hardships she has experienced, raises her hands in worship as she belts out the lines to the song. Despite the scars left by years of toil and pain, her face glows with the peace and joy that only Jesus can provide. And though her clothes may be stained and torn, her body sagging and worn, and her voice rough and cracked, I am sure God is smiling down on her, for her heart is so clearly overflowing with the one thing He loves the most, Worship.

Life

The early morning view out my bedroom window. I love to watch the sunrise!

The older I get, the more I realize that life will never be perfect. If our number one desire is to serve God, or even if it is to serve ourselves, there is no escaping the inevitable difficulties that life presents. If we are serving God, the devil is sure to throw whatever snares in our path he is capable of. If we are serving ourselves, we just naturally make our own problems (with the assistance of the devil of course.) The difference between serving ourselves and serving God is that when difficulties arise, if we are serving God, we have the most powerful, most awesome, and most amazing Being on our side who is more than willing to help us fight the battle. What a wonderful assurance those of us who have given ourselves over to God have! What confidence we can possess with that knowledge. God is on our side and He will never leave us nor forsake us.

This assurance has been a source of great comfort and help to me in the recent past, as I have had to face some of the most trying experiences of my life. Jesus has been my help and my comfort, and God has been my strength and my shield through the trials and difficulties that have recently crossed my path. I praise Him for being constantly by my side, and for delivering me from the snares of the devil.

I had been feeling a great deal of concern for Isaiah spiritually. Apparently my concerns were valid, for he made some very wrong choices that wounded me and caused a great deal of pain and sorrow to me and to my family. Because of his actions, I had no choice but to say goodbye to him and to our relationship. It was definitely the most painful decision I have had to face in my life, but the answer was made very clear to me. The devil certainly has a way of trying to ensnare us and pull us down in our weakest areas. However, God revealed very clearly to me and my family what the wise choice was.

I believe that this experience has caused me to mature a great deal, and has also drawn me much closer to God. I believe He has also used this experience to strengthen me in areas of my life in which I have always been weak. I pray that Isaiah has learned as well and will repent.

My heart has been broken, but Jesus is with me. He is my comfort. My family has been so kind and have helped me through this whole difficult and painful time. I was wounded deeply in this relationship by actions that were committed and words that were spoken, but God is my refuge, my strength, and my healer.

I am back at school after an all too brief Christmas break. I have already been back a month, though it certainly does not seem that long. This is my last semester at this college. I will graduate in May. And then, Lord willing, I will go on to nursing school at last!

I spend my mornings in class and at work in the library. My afternoons and evenings are filled with babysitting, library work, study, study, and more study. I have a heavy work load, and I love it. I just hope I can do well in everything. I am certainly trying my best.

We'll see how I do in keeping up with my blog. No promises. But I will try to write a periodical update if I ever find something of interest to write about. I would definitely appreciate any of your prayers. I have been learning a lot of lessons the hard way. Pray that I would continue to put God first in my life, even if that means I have to make some very painful decisions.

Labor Day Weekend

I had a great Labor Day weekend this year. My sister, Joy, and I drove up to visit Isaiah in Akron, OH. I had to go and get a cold, but, I must admit, I never had as much fun while being sick at the same time. While the circumstances were not necessarily ideal, I was with people who made me forget all about how miserable my body was. Isaiah gave us a tour of the enormous University of Akron campus. That place is huge! I was totally turned around. I would be totally lost if I went there!

The first evening of our visit, we went to a dinner for international students sponsored by a church there on campus. We sat at a table with a bunch of Isaiah's friends including a guy from Thailand, a guy from S. Korea, and a guy from England. For some reason, there was this bowl of habenero peppers sitting at the food table. None of the international students knew what they were other than peppers. The British guy brought some over and handed them out to all the guys at our table. I tried to say something but before I got the words out of my mouth, both Isaiah and the British guy had popped the whole thing in their mouths and were chowing down. I knew what was coming. Within seconds, the British guy had turned a very vibrant hue of red, and both guys were sweating. Isaiah's eyes turned red and the British guy was crying. The Asian guys were pretty worried for their buddies, but then decided to prove their manhood or something... and they popped some habeneros! So it ended up with Joy and I sitting at a table surrounded by weeping men of every hue and color. They were like that for about a half hour. It made for some memories, that's for sure!

The next day we drove down to Alliance where Isaiah spent the summer. We spent the evening with our friends there. Sunday afternoon, after church, Jerry and Darylene took us to a fall festival held in the area. The festival was way out in the woods. It was so pretty. There were all sorts of booths set up. Everything from wood carving with chainsaws, to alpacas, to clogging, to gunsmiths.

Joy with the kegs. I tried birch beer and decided I didn't like it very much. Tasted like cold medicine.

And of course, food! Lots and lots of food. Of the unhealthy variety. I got to eat an elephant ear for the first time. Something that is very fried and covered with lots of sugar. I wasn't able to finish it so Isaiah ate both his and the remainders of me and Joy's. Nice to have a boyfriend with a large appetite to eat all my leftovers... won't have to feel guilty about wasted food anymore.

Joy and Darylene with ice cream. I had to decline, much to my chagrin, due to my cold

Joy enjoys her ice cream!

The whole trip was very enjoyable despite my being sick. We had a wonderful time. We left to head back to Cincinnati on Monday evening. Joy spent the night and the next day she went classes with me. I hope she wasn't too bored...

She and I then went and met Dad and the children at Chipotle. after that, we drove to the Creation Museum and went to a Buddy Davis concert. Then we went through the museum and ran around outside in the beautiful gardens. I really enjoyed spending time with my family. Especially talking with Dad. It's funny how the older you get, the more enjoyable and interesting conversations can be.

We had fun with this poor creature....

I told Isaiah he should send this picture to PNG and tell them it was his girlfriend with one of our American creatures

And then I headed back to school. I have had so much free time, I have just been studying. I am already to October in most of my reading (which is a lot) and I have a couple of big assignments done. I feel pretty good about myself right now :) I have found a really big, nice, safe Starbucks that I spend a lot of time at.

I also got another job. Not only am I librarian, I am now a nanny. I love children so I am pretty excited about this job. I will be caring for an eight year old boy and his six year old sister after school. I am so grateful that I was able to get these jobs.

I also went to jail for the first time today. It was a very good experience. I think I did ok. I just handed out tracts and led in a chorus and participated in the service. I was amazed at how very attentive the men were. They really seemed to hang off of every word Bro. Hyatt said.

God has been good to me! He has provided me with two very good jobs that I enjoy. He has given me the opportunity to serve him in ministry to other people. I asked Him to use me, and He is! I am so blessed.