Count Down

Well, here we are counting down the days until I get to go home. Last time I was counting down it was until I was leaving for the Hill. Amazing how fast time goes by! I can honestly say this has been the best and worst three months I could have asked for and there isn’t a thing I would want to change about it. Everything was perfect just the way it was. It’s true sometimes I hated the position I was in – being away from my family and friends, saying something dumb & having to pay the consequences and then having to come to the realization that this is not my life but Jesus life. Those parts weren’t so fun but looking back I can say now that without those moments and a few others it wouldn’t have been what I needed or what I came here looking for. I would list the good moments but they are way too many and most of them are only funny if you know the people and the place and well everything. However, there are many memories I will hold close to my heart – the many McDonalds runs, chats with my roommates at night and of course my birthday (that was for sure one of the top five days this semester).  

So, what have I learned this semester? I know you all want the answer to that question. And well honestly it is hard to answer. I have learned so much and well where do I begin! Have you all studied from Genesis through to II Chronicles? Or how about Romans, I & II Thessalonians, Galatians, Daniel, Revelation, Malachi, the Ten Commandments or Creation VS Evolution? It doesn’t totally matter if you haven’t but the things I have learned come from those books so everything I think I can relate back to the class I was in. But I will try to compact what I have learned from those books and my amazing teachers into something that makes sense beyond my brain –

It is always about letting God live through me not the other way around. It’s not my way, my will, my timing but God’s way, God’s will and God’s timing. I can’t live through God – He has to be living through me. When we are living out the image of God then He is truly living through us. Once you are in relationship with God there is nothing that can take you away from that. God wants us, He does not need us. He is more powerful than anybody could ever imagine, He created the earth is 6 freaking days. That’s like maybe 144 hours. He said it and it came to be. Never think God needs us; people in the Bible have told Him no so He found someone else to do His will. Even then He doesn’t need us; He can do whatever He pleases. But what pleases Him is to have us. It takes God in the man for man to be the man God wants him to be. We are made complete in Christ.

So really everything I have learned was one main thought that was just repeated a hundred different ways. WWJD? Die. What would Jesus do? He died. We need to wake up every morning and die to ourselves so that God can do his work through us. That is what I have learned. That thought has been brought up a few times a week, it is something I will never forget and never want to forget. It’s a very simple truth.

Love,

a.m

Thanksgiving

I thought I was tried before this but no no no. I am exhausted from this past week, it was totally different week from our normal life. There were about 25 tables set up in the dining hall and they were filled at meals so that’s a lot of people. Things always had to be clean and we couldn’t hang out in the normal places and we had to look nice all the time. Don’t get me wrong though, it was a fun week, we had two guest speakers but we didn’t get any homework from them because they were here for the conference not for us students. The only week all year I won’t have homework! They taught a bit on judges, which we just finished about two weeks ago. The chapel was also packed with people and most of us students, unless it was your turn for doing child care, were sitting in the last few rows on the ground so other people could have chairs. Some students ended up having a lot of extra duties to do, I was one of those people but once the week actually got started it wasn’t that bad because their wasn’t that much for us today, things like the horse and climbing wall were open for guest but not students really. That was the week, it was a blast and thanksgiving meal was so tasty. Overall one of the best weeks this year.

Yesterday was my day, that’s right, I’m 19! It was crazy day because the conference ended after lunch so at breakfast the tradition here at the Hill is that the birthday person has to stand on their chair while everyone sings. Luckily I didn’t have to stand by myself because there was a little boy here and it just so happened to be his birthday too. When I got up on my chair I looked at him and was like come on bud! And then the rest of the day random people here were wishing me a happy birthday, my face hurts so bad from smiling and says thanks! I hadn’t planned on doing anything to celebrate but while I was eating my cake which my D-Group leader, Chris, made one of the guys was like lets go in for dinner and I was like well I don’t know and then all of a sudden I had a van and 6 seats to fill. So we went into San Antano for supper at BJ’s. So so so amazing!! I got the BJ’s Bacon Cheeseburger medium well done with crispy thin fries. Since it was my birthday I got a free dessert that we passed around the table and all got one bit out of. Over all one of the best days this year!

Love,

a.m

Names

So, what have I been learning – well that’s probably one of the hardest questions to answer ever. I don’t know what would be a better question to ask, there isn’t one really because I have learned so much and have been enlightened about so much of the Bible and its characters. I wouldn’t say I am a different person though, some people go off to Bible school and come back saying they are a totally new person. I’m still the same little girl I was before I left; I just now have more knowledge about the Bible than I did before.
For example, I don’t think I had ever read the book of 1^st and 2^nd Thessalonians and now I have. I have done an in-depth 12 hour study on it and learned about how Paul starts his letters and how that is almost just as important as the rest of the letter. Then there is all of those crazy names in the Bible and honestly who names their child Ephraim. The answer to that would be Joseph, he would but that’s because names meant one heck of a lot more back then than they do now. Ephraim means God has made me fruitful and that was true for Joseph. We see this throughout the Bible that people would name their child something because of what God had done for them, not because it was a pretty name. However, I don’t think that has changed my list of favorite names in any way.

My favorite names are and now with their meanings  ::

Mercedes – mercy

Liam - determined protector

Bridget - exalted one

Hunter - hunter

Bentley - bent grass clearing

Sebastian - from Sebaste

Priscilla - ancient

Sanderson - son of Alexander

Love,

a.m

Two Weeks

For the past two weeks we have had the same guest teacher. Out of all of the guest teachers, he was the last one I would want more than one week. His teaching style just wasn’t working for me and he was teaching on Daniel and Revelation (not Revelations as he would say at the beginning of every class). There was lots to learn from each book but it was so hard to stay focused on him. He never changed his voice it was always the same, even when he was excited, yet somehow we all knew when he was excited about a point. Another interesting fact about him is this is all he does; it is his job to go around to different places teaching these two books. So he has all of his notes memorized, every class and mainly every word on his note pages. There were some classes when he had a lot to get through and he would talk so fast. Overall it was kind of a long two weeks and it’s not even over yet since he is preaching at church tomorrow as well. Last week his sermon was pretty close to being the same as our first class with him.

Last weekend on Friday night, I went to a real football game. As in a High School football game with cheerleaders, marching bands and girls that did a dance with flags. I am not sure if the last one is normal for a foot game but it was still fun to see. There weren’t a lot of us who went from the school but those of who did go were beyond pumped to see the half time show – the marching bands. We were the boy team, Comfort something. I don’t remember which animal we were now but that does not matter because we lost by 54. The finally score was 0 – 54. Yeah pretty sad but I guess there always has to be a loser. It was the last game of the season so both teams went out with a bang for completely different reasons.

This weekend I don’t really have anything planned. There is now a paper for Revelations since we’re don’t the class and also a paper for Ruth due the beginning of this coming week. So at some point I’ll get those done and there is an open house tonight that I’ll be going to. I’ve also got a lot of reading to do, by the end of the semester, Bob, who is teaching 1^st & 2^nd Samuel wants us to have read it three times and write a one sentence summary on each chapter so I should get working harder on that now while I don’t have any other reading from different teachers. On Monday we will be having Bob for the whole day, all five hours because our guest speaker won’t be here yet and our other teachers are way at a conference. He is my favorite teacher but he is insane so it shall be a crazy Monday by far.

Last night we played a campus wide again of Strategy (it’s a board game that some of the guys worked out to be a ‘real person game’ as was said).  It was actually a lot of fun, the first round nobody really knew what they were doing but after that round the next two were pretty intense. And my team of course won! For two of the rounds I was bomb so I couldn’t die and I could kill everyone, it is the most fun person to be by far. During the last around everyone thought I was a bomb again so they would stay away from me so I could get onto the other teams half to find their flag very easily. Overall a very fun night.

Love,

a.m

In Heaven

The other day I was asked who someone I want to see in Heaven is - that person cannot be a bible character and needed to be already dead as well. After a few moments of thinking about it I had come up with about a list of ten people. I needed one person and only on person. Why does there have to be so many rules about dead people? So then after another few moments of thinking I got it down to two people - Princess Diana and Great Grandpa Williamson.

The first one might seem kind of random and it kind of is since she pasted away the year after I was born (I think). So I don’t actually ever remember seeing her but in magazines. However, those magazines say a lot and from what they say I have taken a liking to her. I would like to actually talk to her and listen to her stories about being on the other side of the royal wall. I am sure they have funny moments over there just like I do in my own home. But we don’t hear about those times on this side of the wall. We don’t hear about much on this side and the things we do hear about have been blown up by the media. So it is all questionable.

I got my name from Great Grandpa – Annesley. He was a writer and I was a character, I am pretty sure I was a doctor. Which would be awesome cause then I can actually say ‘Don’t worry, I’m a doctor!’ because well I am in a book, at least my name was in a book. Almost like real life right? Well maybe not. I don’t have a lot of memories of my Great Grandpa only because the times when he was still alive I was so little that I don’t really remember anything from back then. It would be nice to see him again and talk to him about well mainly anything under the sun.

Love,

a.m

Exhausted

Well, here I am again completely worn down, as exhausted as can be. But the difference from the last time I felt exhausted is why I am. I’ve learned too much, I need a break and me plus mainly the whole student body is feeling it. We are all mentally and spiritual exhausted from learning so much about ourselves, about God and about everything in between and around that. The few moments I have to just sit and not have to be in class, I tend to be sleeping because at night just isn’t enough. In the dorms you’re lucky if you get into bed by 10:30 and then it’s a miracle if you’re actually sleeping at that point too. Most people settle down around 11 – 11:30. It’s kind of late but you just learn to schedule in a few naps. Most of my days are spent napping because I am so exhausted from learning, my brain can’t handle it. I long for weekends and Skype dates.

Most of the time there are only like well one person I want to Skype with. However, our schedules are so incredibly different it is hard to find the time and then my internet connection is just horrible that it hardly ever works. But those few moments when it actually does work, I feel so blessed from. Then on my weekends I tend to do nothing at all, just hang out and relax. If I do something it is sure not homework, my brain wouldn’t able to handle it. Which means the beginning of my week is extra busy catching up on the things I didn’t do over the weekend and then the end of my week is busy doing the things I should have been doing at the beginning but wasn’t because of what I was doing. It’s kind of mess but it’s the life I have chosen to live at this point.

I know what you’re thinking – if I did spent some time working on the weekend then my week might not be so busy and maybe I wouldn’t be so exhausted. However, there is a flaw in your thinking – Friday night is Friday night so no homework would get done because I just sat through five hours of intense learning and my brain has turned off by three o’clock. Saturday I take as my Sabbath because Sunday I have go to church and well what happens in church? You learn about God again so I spend my morning there and then the rest of the day is spent on things like lunch and the weekly Wal-Mart trip. By the time I get home I am just as exhausted from all of that as I am my weekly deal. See the way I am doing it is really the only option right now.

Anyways, that’s kind of how I am feeling right now with everything. I am sure as time goes on I’ll figure out a better way of living and dealing with my time. But it is hard to find a good balance of socializing and studying and being alone. Since for me I am in a room five people alone time isn’t normally alone alone time but on my bed alone time, if you know what I mean. I know I am here to learn about God and all that stuff but here is also a great place to make lifelong friends but how could I do that if I am always studying.

Love,

a.m