A Kansas girl....transplanted

Wow. I never realized how much I love the country. Until I've lived in the city in a huge building with nothing but brick and concrete and carpets and tile.

It hit me tonight in several ways.

As I walked from my stairway to a door leading into another part of the dorms, I caught a glimpse of the full moon, with clouds swirling around it. It grabbed my stomach and I stood there staring at it for a minute. Wow. Gorgeous. How did I never notice how beautiful it was before?

It hit me earlier, too.

I was at a potluck dinner with the chapel I'm going to here in Dubuque, Arbor Oaks, and as we walked through the line and little kids were running around, and elderly people standing chatting, and I realized how much I missed being in a circle of people from different generations. Honestly...it's really weird to be with tons of people your own age/peer group, with only a few faculty around.

Then I saw it - stuffing covered squash casserole, just like Mom makes! It was amazing! I savored every bite of it.

The potluck was wonderful. I'm going to love being part of this body of believers. More than that, I'm going to NEED it. Desperately. They are lovely people. We played games, and Mr. Ken Fleming was my partner for the water balloon toss. I drenched his leg. :bites lip: :P He laughed a lot. He and his wife are really charming. I want to be like them when I've been married for 57 years, too.

Really, I'm liking it here. The homework is good. And so are the classes. I wouldn't trade it, because I know the Lord has me here. And I've made some really wonderful friends. But I miss Kansas. Everyone keeps telling me "Oh, you won't be able to stay for just two years!" (as if they can predict my future :rolls eyes:) Right. I think, when two years are up, I'll be quite ready to hit the road into rural society again. :D

Wh-a-a-t?? :P

So, Saturday night we as a student body went through the student handbook with Dean Glock, and today I finished reading it on my own. It's a good bunch of rules...nothing too difficult to follow...but these rules cracked me up.

Pertaining to classroom dress
Overalls are not permitted.

Pertaining to engagements and marriages
Engagements may not be announced during finals week.

Pertaining to pets
No pets except for fish.


Don't ask me why they made me laugh. I couldn't handle the overalls one...just picturing all the guys at Emmaus wearing overalls to class was a great mental image. :D

My dorm room :grin:

Soooo! Here I am at Emmaus Bible College. Life is settling in quickly...until Monday morning, when classes start, of course! :) The Lord has given me a wonderful day today especially (not that the other two days weren't wonderful, but today I've been so happy!) I'm absolutely loving it so far. The people are wonderful and I can't wait to start classes. Yay!

Here are pictures of my dorm room, which I've promised people, and especially my family. Enjoy!

My little bookshelf/stand thingy


My window...notice the lace curtains Grandma S found for me. :)


A section of my bookshelf...with all my mugs on it


The upper shelves on my desk. I love my desk. I just need to do something about my desk chair.


This is the shelf above my sink. :D


My desk and et cetera


Just for kicks I thought I would show you what my bed already looks like. And school hasn't even started yet! They talked about being organized the other day in one of the sessions. I was like, uh huh, whatever. :D


But here is the cleaned off bed picture. I will try. Honest. :D


And my M&M dish. :D


I drove to Walmart and around Dubuque this afternoon, and it was such a gorgeous day! It feels like fall. I'm like, "No way! It's only August!" Lovely city. I drove across the Mississippi into IL. Love it! :D

Praise the Lord for His goodness. :D

Tomorrow....

I'm heading out. My stomach has been hurting all day. I'm starting to believe my mom when she says it's probably nerves. My hands feel shaky, too. It's hard to pack up to leave home.

But God is good. I read these verses last night - be encouraged!

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Psalm 62:5-8

Down to one week...

Exactly one week from tomorrow, I'll be driving to Dubuque, IA, with a car full of most of my worldly possessions.

I should be running around like a crazy woman...shouldn't I? Instead I've been doing weird things. Like embroidering a square for a dear friend's friendship wedding quilt, or sitting watching old Disney movies with my little brothers and sister, or showing them fun youtube videos, or hanging out online with old friends, or dancing till midnight with some of the coolest people in the world, or lounging around talking to my mom, or cooking meals for my family, or talking on the phone to my campers, or writing letters to other campers.

Did I just type all that? None of it has anything to do with school. Or moving. Or maybe...it does.

21 years of being with the people I've grown to love more than anyone else in the world...and I'm leaving them. Who knows what will transpire between now and when I return...and if I'll ever live at home again. The kids are all gonna grow taller, and cuter, and wiser. My sisters are gonna keep growing into godly young women. And I'm moving on.

It's weird...

...but it's exciting, too.

It's an adventure! God is leading me on. He's holding my hand, just like He's been doing for the past 16 years since I first grasped it in trust. He is showing me where to go. He is loving me to Himself.

It's a whole new life...and yet it's the same. The same God is with me, and always will be. "It is because of thy mercies we are not consumed...they are new every morning..." God's mercies may be new every morning, but HE is always the same.

Ever been about to do something big and then wonder, "WHAT am I doing?" I thought of that last night as I lay in bed. "Lord, am I really supposed to be doing this? Is this really where you want me to go?" My mind felt blank for a second.

Then I looked up at my empty bookshelf and bare walls where pictures used to hang, and the stacks of boxes, and then out at the black sky and thought, "Well, it's too late to turn back now!"

I'm not really sure where I'm headed, but I do know that the Lord has opened every door and pointed me certainly in this direction.

Today as I visited with a dear elderly friend, she told me this, "If the Lord has made a way for you to get to college, He'll make a way for you to stay in college."

Yeah. He will. He'll keep on being faithful, even when I wonder or worry. He will make a way through even the darkest plaaces. When I feel alone, He'll still be there. When I have needs, He'll provide. When I fear, He'll comfort. When I'm satisfied, He'll remind me that He's the one who has filled me. When I'm happy, He'll smile with me.

I am His. And I'm looking forward to the journey with Him.

Behold the Throne of Grace

Wow...the other day I found this great hymn written by John Newton. It really blessed me...hope it encourages you.

Behold the throne of grace!
The promise calls us near!
To seek our God and Father’s face,
Who loves to answer prayer.

That rich atoning blood,
Which sprinkled ‘round we see,
Provides for those who come to God
An all prevailing plea.

My soul, ask what thou wilt,
Thou canst not be too bold:
Since His own blood for thee was spilt,
What else can He withhold?

Beyond our utmost wants
His love and power can bless:
To praying souls He always grants
More than they can express.

Since ‘tis the Lord’s command,
Our mouth we’ll open wide:
Lord, open Thou Thy bounteous hand,
That we may be supplied.
- John Newton

The way God works

Last week my friend Melissa Schiete told me that her chapel was having their VBS this week, and she hinted that I should come down. I strongly considered going down last year, but it didn't work out, and this year, I wanted to go even more. So I prayed about it and suggested it to Tim, my cuz, and the Lord worked it out so we could go! All our boys from camp - Zach, Billy, Eddie, Cortlen, Austin - they're all there. Tim didn't get to go to SR week at Sooner, so he missed them this year, and I DID get to go to Sooner and we became closer than ever, and I've been missing them dreadfully. So...we were so thrilled that this could work out.


The trip was fun...more than fun, to be honest. :) God is so good to us. We drove down to the Schietes first, ate supper with them, and then went to VBS. Eddie, Zach, and Cortlen were there - wow it was good to see them. I also saw some of my girls from camp...that was neat. I love getting hugs...and there were plenty to go around that evening.

After VBS Tim, Elspeth Brown, Mel, Sarah Schiete, and I took the three guys out to Brahms. Talk about rowdy, goofy fun! A picture says a thousand words...




Then we all crossed the street to visit Billy at Arby's, where he works. I enjoyed seeing him there. Oh, how I pray for these guys. I so often think of what Jesus told Peter - "Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have thee, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for you, that thy strength fail not." Hmm.

We spent the night with Elspeth and her parents, and had fun catching up with each other...it seems like forever since we've had a good talk. :)

The next morning Tim and I picked up Cortlen and went to Winan's Chocolates and Coffees, and ended up hanging out there for a good 3 hours...playing checkers...
...drinking mochas, chai teas, and lattes...

...and having some great talking time. That was the best...just being able to talk, brothers and sisters, helping encourage each other to serve the Lord.

Mel joined us after a while, and we had some more fun...



We all walked downtown and hung out for awhile in Guthrie...just living it up. :) Life is good with friends in the summer.

Hebrews 3:13 says, "But encourage one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Encouragement is so vital to the Christian. One thing we talked about in the coffee shop was how people grow...and how different environments affect different plants. A plant can grow in the desert, but it takes a lot longer. Every little sprinkling of rain and encouragement to grow perks up the plant. The Lord is so good to work the way He does.

Isaiah 32:15 "Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest."

My Promise Verse

Several months ago, when I started praying about going to Emmaus, I asked the Lord for a word from Scripture to confirm His will to me. He very quickly answered my prayer with Isaiah 45:2-3.

I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

God is good. :)

Once upon a time...

...when I was much more sensible...I decided I'd never have a blog...simply because I was aware of the amount of time I would spend blogging rather than doing other *ahem* profitable things. Now, I'm just a nut like the rest of the world, and have decided to have two blogs, one for easier access for friends and family as I go away to school this fall, and one on HSA, just for keeping in touch with the good old friends from the homeschool world. I'll be posting duplicate posts, so don't think "My lands, how will that girl find time to write in two blogs?" No, I'll just squeeze in the time to write once and post in two blogs. It'll work. :grin: Anyway...thus begins the adventure of the blogger blogging experience. Looking forward to seeing you all around. :D :hugs: