Philadelphia Biblical University: Kristin Richter

So long, sweet summer...

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:44:21 -0500

I had a wonderful summer. Two weeks ago, as a final horrah for the year, my family and I were on vacation in Saint Thomas. It was incredibly beautiful. We didn't do much other than sit around and enjoy God's creation and each other's company. I want you to see some of the pictures so that you can enjoy them! This is a picture of me and my brothers and sister. Here we are again, being goofy! Isn't it beautiful? It's hard to believe a place like this exists... Here is Trunk Bay in St. John -- one of the most photographed beaches in the world. Beautiful, isn't it? One night we went Mini-Golfing! My baby sister and I. Well, believe it or not, I'm already back to school and have been for an entire week! I'm here early for RA training. I'm working on Res. Life this year, and we've been preparing like crazy for all of the students to come back! I I'm so glad to be here; in a lot of ways, pulling into campus was like coming home. It's crazy to me that this is my senior year, my final week of living on campus! I'm ready to live it up and enjoy every minute of it. I'm excited for my classes, especially astronomy and Doctrine III (my last Bible class ever -- I can hardly believe it). I'm also planning on auditing Greek because I want to. I'm so grateful to be here. All summer, I was thinking about my friends back at school and it's great to watch the athletes moving in. Tomorrow, all our new students are coming for Weekend of Welcome! I'm so excited -- it seems as though there is a lot of great stuff going on for them to do. I have high hopes for the year. I'm already planning lots of things for the girls in my apartment building...all twenty-eight are unique and represent different majors and backgrounds. I'm so excited for them all to get here! Senior Year, here I come. :)

Camp and other such loveliness...

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:48:58 -0500

Well, summer has been a crazy cacophony of experiences, it seems. Tomorrow I will be heading back to camp where we will have 6-8th graders. This past week was great. We had 2-5th graders and they were pretty much the cutest things ever. For example: Adorable little boy camper: This cookie is pelicious. Me: Don't you mean "delicious"? Adorable little boy camper: No...I mean pelicious...it's BETTER than delicious. It's like when you have a dream about God...and you're walking in the valley of Eden...I mean the GARDEN...and He gives you a cookie and it tastes like this. That's pelicious. I have really been learning a lot lately to trust God in little things. Sometimes the faith of these little campers completely astounds me. God has been throwing me some curve balls, but in all of them he's just been whispering to me, "Trust me. It's going to be ok." Camp is draining. It's hard to reach everyone and do everything and sleep and be energized and positive. But it's so rewarding. Currently I am there with my friend Steph from PBU, and she has been a huge support me. We spend afternoons taking walks and reminiscing or talking about the summer or talking about our hopes and dreams for next year. It's hard for me to believe that I will be back at school in a month for RA training. I'm really excited, but I'm kind of astonished that the summer is already almost done. Two more weeks of camp, a week of vacation, and I'm back. It's nuts. I'm ready for whatever God has in store...no matter what...

SuMmEr

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:42:09 -0500

Oh, beautiful summer. How I have waited for this. Today, I slept in until 9:15. Then I sat outside in the sunshine for a few hours and read and talked with friends. Before you think I'm a spoiled rotten lazy person, let me just tell you, this is my last full week of freedom before I start working at the summer camp I adore whole-heartedly. And yes, I can be lazy...a little...but that's ok. I got back from chorale tour last Sunday. That was quite the adventure...we went out to Michigan this year, and spent some time in Ohio and New York. My favorite experience was while we were in Michigan. Anna Davidhizar, one of our chorale-members, lives on a camp there, and we spent the afternoon chilling and hanging out. They even had a lake! I was quite excited for this. So we decided to go canoeing. My friend, Josh, and I jumped in the canoe with great excitement. Josh, our accompanist, is quite the character. He is proper, but he loves the water. His Dad is a fisherman in Nova Scotia, where he's from. So I thought we would be pretty good at canoeing on this lake. Well, he was yelling all sorts of things like, "Two strong strokes on the star-bird side!" And I was feeling a little overwhelmed. He was paddling away...and after we successfully rowed for probably 20 minutes with no problem, we tipped. Both of us were careening in the water, splashing, carrying on...yeah...and we got back in. Not ten minutes later, it happened AGAIN! We laughed at ourselves, and successfully became the joke for the rest of the trip. What a delight! But chorale tour was great. I love meeting new people and singing with my fellow chorale members. It's been good to be home. I miss having stuff to do, for the most part. But sometimes it is good to just sit back and enjoy God's creation and breathe and rest in Him. I'm so grateful for this time, although I'm very much looking forward to ministering at camp this summer. But for now I'm going to relish the relaxation! Here is a picture one of my friends, Lauren, drew. She drew sketches of each of us chorale members...can you guess which one is me? :-)

TOMORROW IS FRIDAY!

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:40:49 -0500

So... It is beautiful on campus. The trees are blossoming....it looks like pink gossamer floating amongst the green leaves. The grass is a lush carpet being enjoyed by students walking. Students are outside playing ultimate Frisbee in bright-pink tee-shirts. Students are sitting by the pond, geese are gallivanting around. I love it. Two weeks left, and then summer...it's going to be nuts. I just had a great discussion with my roommates. They love me. And I love them. I think it's the best when we can just sit up talking, sharing our hearts... I really am going to miss everyone this summer. :-(

Community...

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:17:44 -0500

So the musical is finally OVER. We had three really great performances! Last week was crazy and hectic in a lot of ways...we had rehearsals from 6:00-11:00 every night in addition to all the regular homework and general CRAZINESS! So it was exhausting. But the good news was last week was a lot of fun, too. We got to spend a lot of time together as a cast. When we spent the night getting ready (which entailed LOTS and LOTS of makeup) we listened to show-tunes and danced around and sang. Another cool thing that happened last week, was that our South Africa team got to share in chapel. My friend Drew spoke about what was on his heart and what has been on all of our hearts since returning...community. He jumped up and ran around, telling a story about the Elephant and the Ant determining who was the strongest and most important animal in Africa. The Elephant definitely thought he was, since he was so large. So they had a race to see who would win. While the elephants ran along huffing and puffing, he always saw an ant right below him... Because the ants...the ants worked together and spread themselves out, ultimately winning the race since they were all one. Community has been one of those things that we have been talking a lot about lately. I feel it about me anywhere...where we are working together for a common purpose, spending time together, praying together, struggling together, laughing together. Even with the Mikado and chorale and my beloved South Africa team, those feelings of camaraderie and love are so strong and so desirable...because God created us for it. Anyway. I've been relishing in it. There are only about two weeks left of school...I can't believe it's coming to a close. Here...watch a movie my friend made about our South Africa trip...it's kind of amazing...

Springtime at PBU...

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 11:18:52 -0500

Oh, how delightful it has been here at PBU! The past few days have been filled with joy, lots of fellowship, and enjoying the nice weather. Yesterday, the weather was beautiful. And I have to say that I actually skipped chapel to go out to coffee with a few of my friends. There is this great coffee place here in Langhorne called the Langhorne Coffee Shop (which is very original, I know!). They give PBU students a discount, so we had a bottomless cup of coffee for $1. Awesome. Heidi's brother, Michael, was visiting. We went to enjoy a lovely lunch, then walked back to Penndel in the glorious sunshine...oh man...and then I took a NAP and relaxed, rode the shuttle with TIm, and then we had Mikado practice. I can't believe it's coming up so soon...this weekend! If you're in the area, come and watch us. It will be quite the experience. Last night, we had a really cool Art Show on campus. Two of my friends, Heidi and Chris, helped head it up. It was for an organization called "In the Eyes of Hope" which will give students in Africa funds to buy cameras and allow them to take artistic photographs. I ended up buying a quilt that my friend made for it! It was AWESOME. There are so many talented artists on campus! And now my sister is here! She is 15 years old and is staying with me the whole weekend. We hung out last night, then today we went out to breakfast with four of my favorite boys at IHOP! Delicious... And currently I'm at the marathon Mikado practice...wow... I wish I could be outside in the 75 degree warm weather with the blossoming trees... But soon enough. :-) Love the Spring.

"It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you..."

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:54:57 -0500

It’s been two weeks to the day since we returned from South Africa. I have been trying so hard to eloquently describe what the trip has been…what it has meant to me…and I feel as though I have failed. Because you and I both know that the experience is beyond comprehension, let alone articulation. But I feel as though I must try…so I did…and while this is incomplete and a mere watermark, I hope it brings you some joy and clarity, and ultimately gives glory to our Daddy. “You should come to Africa!” Stephanie had squealed. “You should totally come, it would be AMAZING! Applications are due soon, so you should fill one out.” I smiled at her and in my polite way and said, “Maybe!” all the while knowing that there was no way under heaven that I would go to Africa. I still don’t know how I ended up packing my bags on March 13th, hands shaking in angst, passport in tow, and malaria medication prevalent in my system. I just know that it was God. Because I had completely dismissed the thought, discarded it on a pile of disposed opportunities. But for some reason, God didn’t let this one go. He picked it up, dusted it off, and handed it back to me in the form of a chapel announcement the day before Thanksgiving: “South Africa trip needs a guitar player…we’ll take pretty much anyone.” My heart faltered. And I knew. I just knew that I had to go. I begrudgingly grabbed the opportunity in God’s outstretched hand and bit my lip and asked him, “Do you know what you’re doing?” He just pat me on the head, shot down every excuse in my mind, and sent me to Blair. Because for some unknowable reason, God wanted me there. And that was the only thought I took refuge in. My mind would sprint in a billion different paths…what if my team members hate me, what if the plane has to make an emergency landing, what if I get raped while I’m in Africa, what if the ministry flops, what if… There is something beautiful about the shattering of expectations. Before I left for Africa, I formed a little glass box, filling it with doubts and desires, but mostly doubts, clamping it closed with the unknown, fearfully holding it in pensive hands, praying only that it would survive, or, rather, that I would survive. But God kindly took my box and hurled it against the ground. I looked up in alarm to see ten other faces standing around me, staring at the rainbow of fragments that now lay in the African dirt. You see, we each had our own glass cage. And each of us surrendered those fragile expectations over to Him. God crouched down and picked up the shards of glass one-by-one. He dipped them into life and tears and laughter and purpose and community. And with great care, he constructed a mosaic of stained glass that illuminated in his light, each piece unique and deliberate, fused together by His love and will. And I see now how much more breathtakingly beautiful we are after we had been broken and reshaped together. Africa. Africa is every color imaginable in their richest forms. Nothing is pale, nothing is pure; it is all warm and deep with character. It is sunsets that are splashed in the sky in rose and tangerine, promising God’s protection through its immaculate light show. It’s the cacophony of the hues of the trash being nibbled on by goats that meander slowly through the streets. It’s the vibrant colors of the tin buildings and the laundry being hung outside and the people themselves. It’s the feeling of dirty, wiry fingers working through my hair and the unintelligible crooning that accompanied it. It’s soft, unblemished chocolate skin of the children that are still bathed in innocence, and the laughter that bubbles out of them when I mispronounce Tswana words. It’s the hands that stroke my pathetically pale arm, and the pressing of my palm between theirs, a double-stuffed Oreo of delight. It’s the feeling of rhythm, the rhythm of life and the spirit that pulses through our veins as we dance unashamedly before God and each other. It’s the movement of a generation towards a life that follows Christ against a pounding current of moral destruction. It’s the warm light that permeates from their souls, the light of hope that beckons others to come and see. It’s the sounds of hearty voices singing, voices of velvet and rubies. It’s the sound of the breeze whipping our hair as we drive down the left side of the street under Vince’s steady control. And the sound of laughter spilling out unchecked as we face each other around plastic tables. It’s the sound of prayers lifting up together, various languages intertwining, crafted into a weaving of thanksgiving to our God and the cries of a people that are desperate for Him. Africa turned my life, our lives, upside-down. Instead of pleading for survival, I cried out to God what a blessing it is to truly LIVE. Because we discovered a glimpse of what we were made for. We came with the leeches of dissatisfaction and complacency and we didn’t even know that they were sucking the life out of us. It was there, in that beautiful place of rolling hills and simplicity and fellowship, that the burdens fell and we found ourselves naked and unashamed in spirit. And God filled us. How I wish you could have experienced the joy we felt there, could have contributed to the conversations that were had deep into the night, could have laughed with us as we feasted in each others’ presence. Because it was there that we felt genuine community. We had been told it existed, but none of us had truly discovered it to its fullest potential, so we passed it off as urban legend or a hope for heaven. But…it exists. We found it. God revealed it to us, and we’re still so stunned that we don’t quite know what to do with it. The only thing we know is that we are hopelessly addicted to it. And I am beginning to wonder…is it the place that did it? No. Was it the people? Not exclusively. Africa isn’t life. God is life. Africa is just the place where we finally rid ourselves of distractions, of prejudices, of fear and allowed God to seize us, embrace us, and whirl us around in his arms and teach us how to truly live through loving him and loving others. Often when the Morutis talked with the people, they noted, “There is no black, there is no white, there is only God’s children.” The Body of Christ is beautiful…so beautiful… He created it so rich with diversity that we ought to rejoice in it always. Praise God that my weaknesses are your strengths, because you see, now, how I am created to depend on you? I am so grateful for all of the times that my mind was stretched and strengthened by the mere existence of others who are unlike me. How much you have taught me, how much you have influenced me, how much you have come along side of me… And yet the blood of Christ is so unifying…it transcends borders, culture, personalities, and preferences and draws us all together…and it is in Him that we can love each other not for what we can get from each other, but simply for who you are as our brothers and sisters in Christ. How beautiful... I don’t know why I doubt God. I wish I didn’t. He continually reveals himself in his goodness and faithfulness to me, and I weep at the realization. There was no reason why I ought to have been blessed by this trip. I remember asking God to do whatever he wanted with me because I know how incapable I am of doing anything myself. And he took my stupid, stupid self…broke me…and recreated me so that I may become a part of a stained-glass masterpiece. I cannot understand it. I don’t know why he chose to bless me, I don’t know why he wanted me to go, and I may never know how he attained glory through my being there. But I do know this: I am greatly humbled and grateful more than words can say. And I know that you all, you other parts of that kaleidoscope window, know how I feel. I don’t need to fumble in my purse for appropriate words to hand out; I can just look at you and see the love and understanding in your eyes. And when I wake up and wonder if I have dreamt it, I see your face and I see the wisdom and light of God in there and I know that we really did experience heaven on earth. And I know that we can close our eyes and sing together, “One love, one heart, give thanks unto the Lord and everything will be all right.” And everything will be all right… Beloved team members: Amanda, Blair, Chris, Drew, Ian, Jenni, Lesly, Kim, Lauren, Steph… “I wish you could put your ear up to my heart and hear how much I love you” (Mineral). I cannot say how often I feel moved to tears when I think about you all. I have such an appreciation for each of you, one that I cannot express adequately in words. But know that I am so inspired by seeing the work of God in you, by seeing each of your beautiful, beautiful people interact with others and have the blessing of existing and experiencing this with you… Each of you has impacted me deeply and I have learned so much from each of you. I can’t thank you enough for opening your hearts to me and allowing me to continue to love you. You are my family. Oh, dear Father.... We are so unworthy of your blessings. We are so unworthy of life. And yet you give, and you give, and you give…and you take, and you take, and you take. But you are still so, so good… Beloved, we still must turn our eyes to him, for it is only through him that we can be fully satisfied, that we can fully experience life. Let us not forget what we have learned, seen, and experienced, but let’s also not forget that God is God there and here. And he has a vision for us that we cannot know or understand…all he wants is for us to follow him, and love along the way. South Africa 2009…Soli Deo Gloria.

Africa...

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:23:12 -0500

Well, it has been just over a week since I've returned from the BEAUTIFUL country of South Africa. I am currently trying to process all of my thoughts about the journey in a more poetic sense...because it was an incredible, incredible experience. I wish I could put it into words for you. But since I really can't capture all of the feelings and dynamics of it right now, I'll give you a brief lowdown of the trip and hopefully the more...thoughtful response can come later this week. So there were eleven of us that left on March 14th for South Africa, ten students and one leader. I was a little bit apprehensive, but I have no idea why. After eighteen hours on a plane, we landed in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Within hours of being there, I knew that I was going to fall in love with the place. We were greeted by the missionaries that were placing us and the pastors we would be working with. They greeted us with traditional African greetings and were friendly right away. And we drove down the streets and saw the beautiful, rolling landscape...and we were all in awe... The ministry we did was working with churches in the morning. We worked with ADORABLE children from ages 6 months to 6 years. We taught them Bible lessons and some English words and played with them, and they loved on us and held our hands...it was awesome. In the afternoons, we did ministry with the pastors. This either took the form of evangelism or encouraging believers already in the area. Then, on Saturday, we had a youth rally. We had a nine hour service, talking with the kids in the area, worshiping with them (which is AWESOME because they dance and sing their hearts out), and sharing our testimonies. Then we shared with them the importance of abstinence before marriage. AIDS and HIV are a HUGE epidemic in South Africa; about one out of five individuals are infected. Praise be to God, many young people that day made commitments to stay sexually pure until they find a spouse. Other than that, we spent tons of time in fellowship with each other and the Africans. This was, without a doubt, the best part for me. It was in Africa that we experienced real community, community that was not influenced by the distractions of America. We were able to spend hours together discussing everything from embarrassing stories to relationships to how we can best bring glory to God with our lives. We grew so close together... Out of the ten of us that came as students, very few of us knew each other. But God richly blessed us with each other. Now we keep seeking each other out because we adore each other. We have experienced such a wonderful and unique opportunity together, and we MISS it so much. Because God taught us a lot and we learned so much from each other...it's hard to let each other go. Already we are planning an Easter get-together for our Africa team. Tomorrow night we are going to worship and pray together, remember our time, and think of our brothers and sisters in Africa while preparing our hearts for the weightiness of the Passion week and death and resurrection of our Lord. How good to know that we serve a living God, the creator of the world, and the Savior of every person. And the Church...the Church is filled with diversity, a beautiful, complex body that transcends the world's borders and restrictions. What a beautiful lesson to learn...I can't wait to go back to Africa next year. I just can't stay away... So there's a brief overview. Look for more insights coming later! And enjoy the pictures below...it's just a taste of what I experienced! This was a picture of our team!! My new dear friend Jenni and I... Some our team... It's so beautiful there... This is the pastor and wife that my group worked with at Freedom Park church. :-) Here's the church itself... And the view from the church! Hehe... The adorable kids I worked with...we loved them... Beautiful children... These are the three pastors we worked with! We became like family... Haha...see? We did some evangelism, too... And even saw some animals... The last night we were there, I helped pluck a chicken...something I don't feel the need to do again...hehe... I miss it....

My apologies.

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:47:03 -0500

I have neglected blogging. I know I have. And I apologize for that. In reality, it seems as though everything is careening out of control...in a good way, just a crazy way. You see, in exactly one week from this moment, I will be in South Africa over my Spring Break. The University Ministry Center has planned Missions Trips for quite some time now. I personally never thought I would end up going on one. Well, I'll just tell you the story. My friend, Steph, told me one day in Church History class that she was going on the South Africa trip. She then proceeded to tell me that I should go along. Now, you see, I had seen the announcements about the various trips being offered, but I always go to Florida with my family over Spring Break, so I never paid close attention. I didn't even know what the South Africa trip was about. Steph told me I should apply to go and that the application was due in two days. I smiled and politely dismissed the idea from my mind. A week or two pass and I begin to think about the trip. I remember thinking, "Well, since Andy (my brother) will be in college, he won't be able to go to Florida with my family either. Maybe I should have considered going on the trip. Ah, but it's too late now." Fast forward a few days. I'm sitting in chapel the day before Thanksgiving, anxious to go home and take a break. When a slide shows up on the announcement screen, saying that the South Africa team needed a guitar player to come and help lead worship and that they would take whoever was interested. My heart stopped and I looked at the ceiling. I have had tons of experience leading worship and I have played the guitar for years. I often don't know what God wants me to do with my life and I tend to doubt a lot and be stubborn about somethings. But at that moment, I knew deep down that I needed to go on the trip. I knew that regardless of work and assignments and my family's plans that God wanted me on the trip, but I didn't make any full decisions. I am fairly cautious when it comes to experiences way outside of my comfort zone. So with a bit of shakiness, I talked with my mom about it on the phone and she told me that it sounded like a wonderful opportunity. I talked with my bosses at work and they told me I could have off. I filled out an application and talked with the team leader, and...believe it or not...my uneasiness turned into excitement. And now my funds are raised, my sunscreen is purchased, and I have a ticket in my name to fly to London, England and Johannesburg, South Africa. I'm not going to lie...I'm getting nervous again. I had a restless night on Sunday, tossing and turning, beginning to doubt (as I am so prone to do...bleh). But when everything seems nuts, I try to remember that God wants me there regardless of my fears. And this is just one more grand opportunity to trust him. I am very excited to go and love on the people and my fellow team members. I am curious to see what God will do. I am taking a camera and will journal, so hopefully I will have some cool things to share when I return. But as for now, it's all a big unknown... Unknowns are scary. But not when I know my God and he loves me.

Friday.

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:12:41 -0500

Friday night and today was crazy. After class, I did the weekly sit-on-the-shuttle-with-Tim-and-talk-about-life, my favorite part of Fridays. Then I took a brief nap listening to the ever glorious Arvo Part. Woke up, went to Mikado practice, then headed over to my Director's house for pizza. We sat around discussing what animals we look like. I was told I look like some kind of a Pokemon that I can't even remember...wow. Got lost coming back to school, then watched a movie with John and Seth. Went over to my friend's birthday celebration for a little bit, and discussed Morse code with a friend. Then I talked with my beloved roommates. This week has been...good...for me. Even though it's been a bit toilsome. It's involved some deep inner thought, which is good. I'm ready to sleep it all away though. Gotta love my Saturdays. :-)

Friends.

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:31:00 -0500

Today at lunch, I was looking at those around me and it occurred to me that friendships are a curious thing. Most of the time we happen to cross paths with someone frequently. There are usually some awkward conversations about what the other person is majoring in and where they are from (as if that REALLY tells us a lot about the person). But sooner or later we discover that we have something in common with that person. And we become adjusted to them, and before you know it, we start expecting them places. And when we discover that we love running into them, love having them around, we further get to know each other in all kinds of circumstances, both good and bad, lighthearted and intense. I had vowed at the beginning of this year that I would not make any new friends because I had enough as it was. Well, what a stupid thing to do. Today at lunch I was with two of my most recent friends, wondering at the fact that a few short months ago, we hardly knew each other. And now I can't imagine my life without knowing them. This past week I have been so grateful for the people that I know here. Whether it was painting mugs for fun, watching ridiculous movies, reading stories to each other, sitting across from each other and pouring our guts out, talking about the frustrations of life in the car, or simply being in the presence of those that I love...it has been a tremendous reminder to me how God wants us to take care of each other. We NEED each other, you know?

Hm...

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:26:58 -0500

I wish I had something brilliant or creative or fascinating to say tonight, but I don't, not really. Tuesdays are my favorite because I only have THREE CLASSES and that's it! No work, no chorale. Everyone needs a break every once in a while. So when I was walking to breakfast this morning...my hair froze. Isn't that bogus? I felt weird the whole rest of the morning, like there was an ice-cube in my head instead of my brain. And I took a nap and did homework and had a wonderful time of talking about life over tea with my good friend Marjorie. She helps me remember how truly good God is to me. And he IS good. Wonderfully good. So as for now I think I am going to hit the hay a bit early. Maybe there will be something more exciting to talk about later in the week. <3

Time.

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:13:57 -0500

Tuesday night in my Cultural and Linguistic Diversity class we were talking about the nature of our lives as Americans as opposed to the lives of those in different cultures. The one thing that seemed very prevalent is that we are so task oriented, fast-paced, shallow in our relationships, and focused on time, time, time, time, time, time, time. That has been something God has been showing me a little bit more every year. How do we balance task related responsibilities and commitments with the importance of relationships? Freshman year I would often decline opportunities to spend time with others because I was so focused on my studies. I remember during that summer, I told my mom that I wanted to sacrifice that time in order to spend it with others. Thankfully, God helped me to do that (NOT that it is a good idea to spend all of one's time socializing because that is unhealthy...but I needed, like I said, a better balance). I am just so fascinated, because the past few days for me have been characterized with spontaneous conversations and lingering over others and relishing their existence. Tuesday afternoon, I went to lunch with a fairly random group of persons. A conversation about trite occurrences of the day was transformed when my friend John said, "I can't pay attention to what you are saying and do Greek homework at the same time." I laughed and said that it was because he wasn't a girl, since girls are such good multitasking. Suddenly we found ourselves discussing gender roles in society and our biblical interpretation of what they ought to be. That somehow turned into a discussion on denominationalism and our struggles as a church body in general. While we did not solve any of the problems, I think it was completely worthwhile to talk. And we did all conclude on one thing: we must learn to love each other more and embrace who God created us to be because he did it with a purpose. That afternoon I went to Starbucks with a few friends I haven't spent time with in a while and we laughed and were merry. Then that night my friend John stopped in and we sat for an hour on my couch talking with the addition of a few others throughout the evening. Back in freshman year I never would have spent four of my hours spending time with others when I should have been doing homework. But the truth of the matter is, the work will get done. But beautiful moments like those...cannot be duplicated and therefore, look at what I would have been missing? There is responsibility to the commitments we have made, but have we allowed ourselves to be committed to each other? To God? I remember back to the video we watched at the end of my Cultural and Linguistic Diversity class. They were saying that it was amazing how little American's cared for each other...they are too focused on money or success or busyness in general. God forbid we allow that to become us, more focused on the trivial things of this earth instead of the real living breathing people made in God's image around us. And, more importantly, on Him. I've been slacking in that. But my Father is merciful and has always been gracious to me. I'm grateful.

Random.

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:47:14 -0500

Ok, so I don’t know if you all have Facebooks or not, but there is this “bug�? going around Facebook where you are supposed to say 25 random things about yourself and post it as a note and tag a bunch of people in it. But I don’t really feel like it. SO! I thought that I would do it here for you all so you can get to know me a bit better. Fun stuff. 1. Currently listening to one of my favorite songs: Sufjan Steven’s “For the Widows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti.�? (go here to listen to it, too...) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4tkiGvV_ek 2. I only visited PBU because my Dad bugged me to. But when I was here, I knew this is where God wanted me. 3. When I came to visit PBU, I had a personal tour from one of the Vice Presidents of something-or-other. I burped in front of him at lunch and my mom almost slapped me. But they still let me into the school. Grin. 4. I need to work on my burping. It’s bad. I sound like a wild animal. My dad says that’s why I don’t have a boyfriend. 5. I actually loved math in high school. I almost took Calculus 2 for fun in college, but my adviser laughed at me. I still regret that I didn’t do it while I had the chance. 6. Someday, I want to own some sheep. I think they’re cute. 7. Three of my very good friends are overseas in Africa right now: Brook is in Kenya, Lavonda is in Morocco, and Lillie is in Uganda. I miss them immensely. 8. I am going to South Africa with a school mission’s trip for two weeks in March and am SO EXCITED! 9. I really...actually...love the Twilight series. I have to admit it. Edward is wonderful. Kind of in love with him. 10. Ha! I dropped my cell phone in the toilet earlier this year and salvaged it by putting it in a bowl of uncooked rice. And then I slathered it with hand sanitizer. 11. My friends showed me this skit from SNL. I didn’t think it was all that funny except for the fact that they were cracking up at it. Now when I watch it, I have to laugh. http://www.hulu.com/watch/16388/saturday-night-live-surprise-party 12. I’ve played the acoustic guitar for about…7 years now? 13. I really enjoy taking pictures. 14. I played one year of volleyball freshman year of high school, but the coach scared me so I quit. 15. Here at PBU there is a walkway that has a large circular center and if you stand in the middle and talk you can hear yourself echo. I have made it a life goal to sneeze in the center of the circle before I graduate. 16. I like to sleep in sweatshirts with the hood up when it’s chilly outside. 17. The musical Oklahoma! was one of my all time favorite PBU memories. We still reminisce about it frequently. 18. A group of us students started a writing group that gets together on Saturdays and sip coffee or tea and read each other our stuff. 19. I have place mats with apples on them. They were a birthday present from my friend Meghan. 20. I only have cartilage in my nose, so if you press on it, it goes completely flat. People like to see it even though it usually freaks them out. 21. I really love my handwriting. It’s kind of a pride issue, I think, because I will write just for the sake of seeing my own writing. 22. One of my favorite things EVER is to lie outside in the sun in my hammock and read or think or listen to music or snuggle with my sister or a friend and talk or think or pray, but ultimately soak up the beautiful world I live in. 23. I really like reading poetry. My favorite poem is “The Buried Life�? by Matthew Arnold. 24. I have an awesome painting of dolphins leaping in the ocean that I bought in Baltimore, Maryland from a very talented homeless man. It’s painted on a chunk of wood from a dresser. It’s one of my favorite things. 25. I have the best family and friends in the world. :-) Have a blessed weekend!

Snowball Effect...

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:10:15 -0500

We were sitting and enjoying a lovely chat in our apartment when we heard the wild shrieks of wonderment outside our window. Betsy stood and looked at the window and called us over where we saw a bizarre and entertaining sight! For the world of Penndel emerged from their rooms in order to waltz in the four-or-so inches that the heavens dumped on the earth today. Well. The waltz turned into a war. A snowball war. Girls and boys packing snow in their hands to form little ice-balls of brilliant proportions, then hurling them from across the parking lot at each other, at people watching from their windows. Giggles erupted, assignments were forgotten, and fun was had by all. Betsy looked at me and dragged me out with her. I complained the whole way about being cold and wanting to go to bed early, but she just insisted that I go out and make a snow cone with her. Right. Within about five seconds we became victims, and within ten seconds we were retaliating with our own barrage of snowballs. Funny how that works. But it was wonderful. I think that's one of my favorite things about this school. We can go out and enjoy life without having to go out and spend money or compromise our morals. And we genuinely LOVE it. We love being together, we love getting hit by a freezing clump of snow, we love getting out and relishing in the wonderful things God has given us no matter how big or small they are. *Sigh* My hands are still tingling. So worth it. Even though my aim really stinks. :-) Oh well.