Hello, Friends!! I am so sorry for being so slow to update my blog these last few weeks. Life on EDGE has been C-r-a-z-y!!! I don't have much time to write tonight, so I'll give you a couple quick updates: On Tuesday, we had our Collegiate staff Christmas exchange. We also had dinner at the Ward's, which was so fun to be able to hang out as staff. It was an all-day event! On Thursday I met with a few students and in the evening we had a fundraiser concert for Clint and Leigh Ann! We had prayed for $700 and that's exactly how much was raised! Praise God!
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Hello again! This past weekend, I had a sleepover at my house. I invited my Bible study girls, but most could not make it so I invited some other students as well. We had a blast together! We baked goodies for my directors - walnut fudge, turtles (pretzles with chocolate caramels and pecans on top) and lemon-lime mousse. Yumm!! We spent a few hours baking, and then played some fun games. This house was filled with laughter, even at 2am! We ended the night with face masks - thanks to Jalene, who is a Mary Kay consultant! In the morning, Jalene helped us all do our makeup pretty with her samples! And then headed over to the Ward's to deliver the goodies. We stayed there for a couple hours, and played a game with all the boys! What a fun, eventful sleepover! Here are some of photos of girls getting their make up done: I knew Thursday would be a long day; but I had no idea all of the things God had laid out for me! So I began by meeting with a student at a coffee shop. We were sitting at a long table with tall stools and had our Bibles out in front of us. A young guy came in and sat by me...and pulled his Bible and notebook out! Now, that is something I don't see too often!! Later, the student I was with mentioned something about Desert Springs Church, where I had gone with her the past week, and he leaned over and said, "Hey, that's the church I go to!" So we had a nice conversation with him - his name was Matt. It was so encouraging to bump into another believer at a coffee shop! Then, this student asked me the question, "do we have to believe everything the Bible says?" I found this question to be quite odd because if we truly believe God, and believe that the Bible is the Word of God, we will naturally believe what the Bible says, even though some things are difficult to understand, or are difficult teachings. She proceeded to ask me if the Bible says that having children outside of marriage is wrong, if abortion is wrong, if homosexual marriage is wrong, ect. She believes all of those things are ok and told me that she is close-minded and will not change her mind, no matter how many people tell her they're wrong. Whoa. I told her that next week we will look at what God's Word has to say about those things and she said, "Do we have to?" Yes, she is very close-minded! I forgot to mention a big thing coming up tomorrow: Worship night!! Ross, Clint, and I, along with a couple students will be leading worship, and all Christian organizations on campus are invited! We are playing 13 songs, and my voice was totally shot after practice tonight! Join us in prayer for tomorrow night, that it would be a time that students would come and meet with God!! I wish you could come join us! :o) Hello, friends! We arrived home from the fall conference last week, and it was a huge success! Thank you for all who prayed for that weekend! The speaker was so great, the worship awesome, and the workshops were really valuable. We had 47 students come from UNM, the most from here ever! I got to ride home with them on the 10-hour bus ride, which was so much fun! It was great to get to know new students and see the friendships that were built among them! I went to a workshop on Next-Level Disciplemaking, about how our purpose in discipling is to make others disciple-makers. I learned many great tools to use in discipling the women here, and I caught on to the vision of what that looks like! Another thing that I took away from the conference was actually a song called "Came to my rescue" by Hillsong. Great song, I recommend it!! The chorus says, "I called...You answered....and you came to my rescue and I wanna be where You are." The bridge of it says, "In our lives, be lifted high, in our worlds, be lifted high, in our love, be lifted high!" I loved that part, just the prayer for Jesus Christ to be lifted high in my life, rather than seeking to lift myself high. So, each morning it is my goal to meditate on that phrase "In my life, be lifted high today!" That's right! We're down to the last couple days of Prep for the fall conference - hard to believe it's about here already! We have about 50 students and staff from UNM registered to attend so far, and we're praying for a handful of students who have yet to commit. Leigh Ann and I fly to Colo. Springs on Thursday to purchase the snacks a day early. It's so sad we'll miss the 8-hour bus ride with the students. But it's great we're flying one-way so we can join them on the way home! Please pray for safety in travels, connections to be made among the students, that the students would experience God in a fresh, life-changing way, and that all the many little details of the conference would go smoothly! I thought it'd be fun to give you an overview of my week, so you have more of an idea of what I do each day! I am sitting at this computer in my parent's cozy home in Indianola, Iowa! I was able to visit home for a few days while the students have their fall break. What a blessing it has been to be home! My mom picked my up from the airport in Omaha, and the drive from there to Des Moines was splendid! I got to enjoy so many things that I have dearly missed while my past 2 monthes in Albuquerque: open spaces, green grass, tall corn fields, bright orange and red fall colors, and lakes!!! We drove through a small town that my mom grew up in...talk about refreshing! Being in a little, tiny, slow-paced, quiet town felt so foreign, but so wonderful! I have learned that I am definitely not a city girl, by any means! I've had a great time here, seeing old friends, enjoying time with God outside in the beautiful Iowa fall, laughing wtih my parents, and visiting my favorite employer, Tim McConnell! What fun! one thing you won't see in Iowa....Snails! Hundreds of them appeared after the one long, hard rain since I've lived here! My question...where do these little fellas come from?! This is my director's family! Last Saturday, we went to the Balloon Fiesta (Kim & I had to get up at 4:30am!). Quite different than the Balloon Festival in Indianola! Here is a typical New-Mexican style dinner. First, a small hard-shell taco was submersed in boiling water, then placed on this plate (yes, dripping in grease!). Then, a chili mixture was heaped on the taco shell, topped with cheese. Next was added another layer of exactly the same thing, topped off with beans and an egg!!! I don't think I'll ever become a fan of Mexican food! :o) |