Weekly Update #1

I'm not sure if I've ever had to much to tell, but I will keep it as short as possible... :)

My family and I arrived in Louisville, Kentucky on Thursday, and I have been crazy busy ever since. Check-in and move-in was Friday morning, then orientation was from 1:00-8:30pm, followed by time to mingle with other students until 11pm. After staying up until 1:30 on Friday night (Saturday morning?) organizing my dorm (those of you who know me would know that I can't fall asleep until everything is fully organized), I got up to go to the NOW retreat that lasted all weekend. The retreat was for students to get to know eachother better, as well as become more familiar with their major, their student life, college policies, etc. After getting back to the dorms around 2 yesterday, my suitemates and I made a target run followed by dinner, spikeball, prayer time, and (eventually) SLEEP!

I am truly starting to make some good friends here. Not only are my suitemates amazing (we spent an hour last night praying for eachother), a few budies that I have met (all from different halls--how amazing is the sovereignty of God!) are going to begin reading through the book of Romans together and meeting up once a week to discuss it.

As for me personally, it has truly been a struggle to be this far from home. I truly miss all of you. The weirdest thing for me is that I miss the weirdest things. Of course I miss my parents, my friends, and my church, but I also miss weird things like my pillow and my bookshelf [Mom and Dad, when you read this, could you send those in the mail? Just kidding, please don't...]. Anyway, I truly do miss Walworth County more than I ever have, and I am truly homesick for the first time ever, yet I know that this is where the Lord wants me, and I must find hope and comfort in that very fact.

So far I haven't (acedemically) learned much, but one of the things that Dr. Hunter (the Dean of Student Life here at Boyce) said in one of his teachings this weekend was very eye-opening for me. He said that "if we do not have a high view of God, we will not have a high view of the church." This was very insightful for me, and got me thinking. One of the biggest problems in America (and I would believe even evangelical Christianity) is our lack of emphasis on the Church (that is Church with a "Big C," as Pastor Chuck would say). However, as Dr. Hunter pointed out, that problem is not rooted within our view of the Church, but rather our view of God.

There are surely many ways that you can be praying for me, here are a few...

1. That I'd be divinely focused.

2. That I'd have God given wisdom on how to be organized and manage my time.

3. That the truth of the following verses would be alive in my heart...

- Proverbs 3:5-6 (that amidst all of the chaos and change, I would simply trust in the Lord that he might direct my path)

- Hebrews 13:8 (that I would find hope in the fact that though my circumstances have changed, God has not)

- Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:20 (that I may know and have confidence in God's presence that is with me wherever I go)

Thank you all for your prayers, support, and love. Please do not be afraid to text or even call me. I may not reply right away, but I will when I have time. Know that your encouragement means the world to me.