WOW!

This has probably been the longest I've gone without posting. Things have been a little... intense. A lot has changed... I even have a new computer!! Another HP, of course... my favorite! Rivers, you served me well, and your death was honorable after 4 years... but I have to admit, Gilda is pretty slick. Haha. I'm such a nerd... But anyway, might I update you all with my life? (If anyone even still checks this thing... lol!)

I graduated with a final semester of straight A's, including on my Thesis, so that was pretty sweet. Then, it was straight to Chapter Camp. My experience was different this year than any other year, and honestly, it could have been better... but that's nobody's fault but my own. And through it all, God was still able to teach me and love me, because he's just that awesome. :)

Nadia and Jessica moved in with us, and it's been a little crowded and loud at times, but like I said, it could be much worse. Overall, I think it's going really well, and it's teaching me some about letting go of control, and of not stressing over things that aren't important. But I still can't wait until we move into the new place and have some more space! haha.

Aaaaand I got in to grad school!! USF College of Public Health, for Maternal and Child Health. I was super excited, because it took FOREVER to hear back from them. Now the question is, how will I pay for this?? I have some money saved up, and that will probably suffice for the first semester... but after that, I don't know. I'll either need a full time job on campus so I can have tuition reimbursement (I've already applied for two of those!), or I'll need scholarships... which are pretty hard to come by on the grad level, I'm beginning to discover. Or there's loans. Ugh. I've avoided them up until now... but I don't know if I'll keep that up. We'll see...

And also, Mexico was cancelled. Kind of seems like old news now, but it's worth mentioning. There was a lack of interest (a concept that still boggles my mind), and so they cancelled it... and then the whole swine flu thing happened, so more people probably would have dropped out after that. I've come to terms with it by now... I mean, as you see in my previous post, I sensed that it was coming, so I was prepared to hear it. The good news is, there's sort of an extended JJP type thing for all us college kids, called TMX, that I'm super stoked about. And the price is pretty sweet too... $138 or something (And remember when my parents gave me $150?? How convenient... Funny how things work out, lol). My JJP experience last year was really, really powerful, and it was only a weekend long. It truly impacted and changed my life, no exaggeration... read the post I linked to, if you don't believe me. So needless to say, I'm super stoked about this year! (If anyone wants to register for this year's JJP weekend, it's not limited to our church, so hit me up!! It's slightly less than $40 for the whole weekend, food included... you can't beat it! Check out www.jesusandjustice.com for info.)

Oh, and I'm taking a Summer Institute class with the Underground... I'm taking Brian's class on the New Testament. We've only had one class meeting so far, but I LOVE it already. I'm going to learn a LOT... maybe I'll start makign up for the fact that I don't have years of Sunday School knowledge like so many other people. I'm really looking forward to knowing the Bible better by the end of this, and understanding the culture and history that surrounds the stories of Jesus and of the early church. I love learning. :)

That's all for now. Pretty superficial, just to catch up... hope I can write something more significant soon. And I hope someone still reads this.

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Futbol!

So, word on the street says I am most likely playing intramural soccer with the Monstars (Rob's team) this season! Woohoo! I'm really excited. IM soccer is something I've wanted to do since freshman year... even though I've never played soccer before. Haha.

Also, found out that WalMart and Target both have cheap cleats (around $12) and shin guards (around $7), so I won't have to slide all over the field and get constantly nailed in the shins! Always a plus! :)

So, guess I need to start training... running will be a good start, I think. lol... this is gonna be an interesting experience... :)


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Grad School...

...at the College of Public Health?

Now there's an idea!!

I have just started looking into this, but already I'm seriously thinking of applying... I'm really excited, this is something I may actually pursue! For now, I'm off to research this field. More later!


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Good news!

I'll make this quick...

we have a room!! not only for next semester, but for the rest of this one as well!!

Hooray! Thank you JESUS!! :)

Common Ground with the Voiceless went very well, for being in the food court...

...but I am soooo happy that we will be back in 3707! The people at the MSC really had grace on us... amazing. God provides.

What a relief!!

:) :) :)

Prayer Request

For the few of you who may read this that are NOT in IVCF at USF...

Please pray, we are in a pretty crappy situation at the moment. We have lost our room reservations for the rest of the year, which could potentially destroy our ministry. Yes, we did something wrong, we did break a rule, but we had no idea the repercussions would be so severe. Here's the situation in more detail, if you wanna know:

We basically had an event outside of the Marshall Center to share the gospel, even though they denied our request to hold that event (our request was made only about 12 business days in advance, not the required 14... a rule which they have only very recently began to enforce). We had actually put in requests for 3 events and they all got denied.... but we figured we'd try to do this one anyway, because we really felt a need to share the gospel in this way. We figured if they had a problem they'd ask us to leave, and we would politely pack up and leave. Well, nobody asked us to move all day, and we had a great response from students... and then that night, Jeremy and Melyssa received an email informing us that we have lost our room reservations for the year. Meaning, we have no space for Common Ground, for leadership meetings... and for our special JJP event tomorrow, "Common Ground with the Voiceless."

It's really discouraging. It broke my heart when they told me this... it is so easy to take our room away, but by doing that, they don't understand how badly they hurt our community... our family. At first I was angry that we decided to break the rule, because of the amount of trouble we got into, and the fact that the Bible says we must respect authority... but then I thought about it, and I realized that because of what we did, about 50 students heard the gospel that day alone, and they were all really receptive to it. I think we got a lot of students to see a side of Jesus they did not know existed. We are to respect authority to the point that it doesn't go against God... and he definitely has commanded to preach the gospel to all nations.

Plus, yes we broke a rule... but we were OUTSIDE. And not disturbing anyone. Polite. Friendly. Informative. We have been an organization at USF for over 15 years, and have in that time requested over 900 rooms for events and meetings... and in all that time we have never broken a rule. We have always listened to them, even when they have been completely unfair (like this year, when they approved an event, and then changed their minds about it not even two days before the event took place... we just accepted it). And now the first time something goes wrong, they take our rooms away for the year?? It's absurd, and injust. The Marshall Center is for STUDENTS but they have been ridiculous about denying us this year. It's not just our orginization either... I have heard about 3 others who are having difficulties as well.

The good news is that after a day of headaches and meetings, we got a room confirmed for next semester (which is a huge relief!), but we're still without a home for this semester. Why do my groups always get kicked out of places?? The Underground got kicked out of its "home" at the Improv a year or so ago, and they hadn't even broken a rule or anything!!

Anyway. I am trying to reassure myself that we do not need a room... we do not need anything but Jesus. At the same time, though, I worry about new students who may not be connected enough right now to continue coming after this madness has settled back down. The leadership will be fine, the core group will be fine... I am just worried about the newer kids. But I have faith that God will provide and keep us together.

Anyways, prayers would be appreciated. Thanks. I will try not to let "the man" get me down... and to remember that even the Son of Man had no place to lay his head.

The slow and painful death of the University area...

Ellen and I were at the mall yesterday when we both observed something rather troubling... businesses are leaving the USF area at a rapid pace. Bennigan's went bankrupt and so did Tia's, so I don't know if that really counts. But Jo-Ann's moved to New Tampa... JC Penny's and Dillard's moved to Wesley Chapel... Hollywood Video moved to Temple Terrace... and this has all occurred within the last 6 months or less. I know that businesses move all the time, but the thing is, nothing is moving in. Nothing. (Except for Mr. Empanada... that place rocks. But still, it is so tiny compared to the businesses leaving!)

It makes me worry about the area and the people who live here. The businesses themselves (other than the bankrupt ones) are doing great, I'm sure. They have all moved to more affluent and economically stable areas. But the more businesses that leave the University area (or "Suitcase City" as it is called by many homeless I've met), the more depressed this area will become. Less jobs, less economic activity, and less money flowing into this part of town... and I don't know how it will all stop and turn around for the better. People are so strapped for cash here, so what would entice a business to stay? They can get a lot more customers in a more affluent area, but they don't realize what they leave behind... and it is slowly but surely adding up. Do they see? Do they care?

On a more interesting note, I saw something crazy when Theresa and I were hanging out with Juan, Jordan, and Ryan last night. When Ryan left at around 1 am, he walked out the door and then ran back inside, yelling for us to come outside and look. We go outside, and in the parking lot are NINE police cars, THREE more unmarked cops, (all with lights flashing) and a POLICE HELICOPTER flying overhead. All of this was totally blocking the entrance to my complex, and was literally outside my door, IN my parking lot.

We stood and stared for a few minutes, trying to find out what was happening. There was one civilian car with the doors and trunk open, and it looked like it was being searched... but seriously. A total of 12 cop cars and a helicopter... for that?? My guess is that it was a stolen car, and they were perhaps chasing it. Beats the heck out of me why the person would drive into an apartment complex with only one entrance if they were being pursued, but whatever. It was definitely interesting... it kind of creeped me out when I went to bed though, because whenever there is someone being chased by the law, there is a chance of them trying to hide in YOUR residence... or so my nervous mind kept telling me. But as you see, I made it safely through the night once more. :)

Point is... the University Area is in trouble, and it makes me really sad. I mean, I can leave whenever I want. But what about the people stuck here, with nowhere else to go? What about the kids growing up here? It's really going down the tubes, and it's sad. I just don't know how it will ever get turned around... *sigh* Thank God that Jesus came for the poor... because it really seems like there is no other hope than Jesus in all of this.

EDIT: I found out what happened!! These three guys were arrested at my address just before 1 am... holy crap! Look at the charges!! O.o
http://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/pub/default.asp?/online/qdisp/bn=08067687
http://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/pub/default.asp?/online/qdisp/bn=08067686
http://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/pub/default.asp?/online/qdisp/bn=08067685

Felons with automatics breaking into my apartment complex... lovely...

Biden' my time... har har

Just got back from the Sundome, after standing in the front row for the Biden rally. What a great speech. I was very impressed with the turnout, as well.

Joe seems to be honest, intelligent, and respectable. I enjoyed listening to what he had to say, and I think he's right on. What a great choice for VP!

I got to shake his hand after, too... hehe.

Unfortunately, my camera is busted, so I couldn't take any pics. They would have been awesome... literally, front row. *sigh* But I got the names of some people around me with cameras, and they're gonna post pics on Facebook. As soon as I can get a hold of them, I'll post 'em on here!

Summer...

...is basically over.

I mean really, there's nothing left to it... Jim Gaffagan on Sat (yessss!!), my brother moves on campus Monday, and then... time to focus on NSO! (New Student Outreach)

So yeah. Bye summer. It's been nice.

I kind-of wish the year wasn't starting yet... I really don't want to start my thesis... I just get this feeling of dread whenever I think about it. Or about making any sort of decision about my future, really. What the heck am I gonna do with my life?? Ugh. I know what I don't want to do... which is good... but eventually I'm gonna have to make a decision on the affirmative, too :P

I'm also a little nervous about all the NSO stuff with InterVarsity. Our events are getting a lot more exposure this year, which is awesome, but that gives the potential for LOTS of new students. We've already gotten a bunch of incoming freshmen to sign up for Bible studies, too. In the meantime, we're having some problems getting situated in the new Marshall Center... the room they have us in at the moment has a capacity of about 60, I believe. (60?? we have close to 30 leaders alone!! we need room for at LEAST 100, prolly 150!) I know everything will get straightened out, and God will provide what we need in order to carry out his work here on campus. Because really, our events don't matter in the long run. What matters is the way we USE those events as ways to love and connect with new students. I'm just hoping the leaders don't get burned out (the first few weeks are BUSY!), and I hope every single new person feels welcomed.

It's gonna be a lot of work, and I know that personally, I'm gonna have more responsibility to be a true leader this year. I really need to stay connected to God, so he can help me care for the new students, and help me keep my own selfishness in check. Sometimes when I feel like I'm not being treated perfectly "fairly," my emotions take over, and that's really not appropriate for a leader. I need to step it up, for real. Help me out, God!!

Apart from the nervousness, though, I'm really excited. For one, I have a possible alternative to my current thesis that I'm really pumped about... If I'm gonna change it, though, I need to get it all set up soon. Soon as in NOW, lol. Maybe I'll try to talk to Dr. Yavneh about it tomorrow. I'm a little worried about the possibility of quitting on Dr. S, but I know that in the long run, I need to do what is best for my future. Yet at the same time, I don't want to back out of the commitment I made to her that I would stay until the end of next Spring. I have a lot to sort out... (I'm sorry if I'm not making sense, but it makes sense to me...) I just know that I don't want to do research anymore, and I don't want to go to grad school. So, if that's the case, why am I gonna spend ALLLL this time and effort next year (my senior year!) on something that's not gonna make any difference a year from now? I've got a big decision on my hands.

I'm really looking forward to everything with IV too. I mean, besides all the stress of NSO, starting the new year is also a really great experience. We meet so many new people, which is chaotic, but also really cool, because at this time next year, some of these new kids will have been TRANSFORMED by Jesus. And that is what makes it all worth it. I know what happened to me when I didn't find a solid, welcoming Christian community my freshman year, and that's what keeps me going through all the insanity. I know how bad I was hurt, damaged with scars that will never fully disappear, and though God is using it all for good in my life, I won't lie. It was painful, it made me feel so worthless, and it just makes me so WORRIED for all these girls coming to college, because I just want to protect them. Tell them that they are worth so much more than what some guy thinks of them... tell them that they are beautiful, and perfectly created by God! But the great thing is, I also know EXACTLY how it feels to be saved, to be loved, to be healed and to live for God, and I can't wait to share it. I can't wait to see how this year unfolds.

I know God will provide for me in ways I can't imagine. I just wish I knew what to do with myself in the meantime!!

...it's gonna be a crazy, busy, AMAZING year. I know it.