Rejoice with Joy Unspeakable: 2011

Saturday, December 24, 2011

The day before Christmas Eve

Whoa! Lookout world! She’s actually posting on her blog!

I had some good reasons for not posting:

1. The longer the time since my last post the more I felt I would have to fill my audience (Judy and Grandma, I know its you!) in and the larger and more daunting of a task it became.

2. I recently heard of an engagement story where the man, before he asked for her read her entire blog! They’re happily engaged now (along with all the millions of others lately) but the thought of a brother reading all the nonsense that I write down made me question the whole blogging thing entirely. (I realize that’s basically impossible, but it does make you wonder about how much you want your life on the web)

3.I have this book…journal….er…..ok call it a diary, I don’t care, that has lasted me four years and I have seemed to form a strange sort of attachment to it. If I ever record any events of my life, I feel sorry for it and have to share those same stories within it’s pink, flowered pages. So, for awhile I was writing everything down twice and got plain out tired of it.

Well, now that I think of it, when I blog it’s more of the cut and dry events that take place, and that diary is my feelings toward those events…so here I am!

Ok, on to the good stuff:

Let me fill you in on who I am now a days:

My hair is layered and a good deal shorter in some areas than I’m used to, but still long to most standards. (I’ll never be able to really cut it…I’m too attached to it!)
My car has a back tail light out
I rearranged my room recently and added a precious window frame mirror that Jesse Pence gave me…I’ll post pictures when I find my camera.
I recently went to Gulf Shores with my family over Thanksgiving (for which I do have pictures:
(See more on Facebook) and I’m am suuuuuuper excited to go on a cruise with my cousins in 8 days!
My FAVORITE thing right now is going to Matt and Lisa Waibel’s on Tuesdays (more on that later)
I’m obsessed with Pinterest.com
I’m really into living frugally lately. Perhaps that’s because I have a whoppin $81.00 to my name right now, but actually, it’s something I’ve been doing for a long time now. I haven’t purchased anything for myself outside of absolute necessity (and even then it HAS to be on sale or a hand-me-down) since last spring. Where has my money gone you ask? (besides spending on young group, mission trips, car repairs, and the kids at the Waibel’s) This brings me to the next point about how I spend my time:
I picked terrible friends that all live around an hour away. One day I’ll quit this bad habit of driving so much….the day when I quit loving my friends….the day when pigs sprout wings. But in all seriousness, just like that….book….I’ve seemed to have developed an attachment with my car. This summer it spent two days at the mechanic’s after I hit a raccoon and I actually got teary eyed when I got it back. That car has gone through many emotional breakdowns, spiritual revelations, and very embarrassing, but very fun jam sessions, that it’s become a special place for me. Which brings me to another point:
I feel more at home in my car than in my parent’s house. Please, before another word is said, don’t think that for a second that my family is even a hair away from being totally loving and supportive and wonderful. I will be the first to say that these feelings are my own fault for spending so much time away this semester. Nevertheless for whoever’s fault it is, this is a true fact. A year ago, I would’ve been the first to say that it’s more sensible to live with your parents after college because it’s so cheap, but now, I can’t help but feel anxious and really excited to move out. Again, this brings me to my next point:
I find myself referring to everything as Mom’s in my mind, “Mom’s house, Mom’s coffee maker, Mom’s microwave, Mom’s kids, Mom’s blankets, Mom’s family, Mom’s life”. I know it’s a bad habit because I have this terrible tendency to be jealous of her and pretty much any other married woman that has her own home and family. I think that’s why I want to move out and why I don’t really feel “at home” in my house…it’s not mine, none of it is. Sure, I’m a part of it, but more as an accessory in Mom’s life. I do not resent any of this, I am simply aware of the fact that this is a temporary situation and one day I’ll start building my own little home and family and life, Lord willing.
I can’t think of a good flow for this next point so I’m just going to insert it here and see how it goes. Like I said before, my favorite thing is the Waibel’s. This semester the ICC/BU YG started what we like to call TNT or Tuesday Night Tutoring (came up with that one myself). Basically what we do is about an hour or so of tutoring sessions in which a young group member will pair off with a kid for one on one time, then some singing, Bible lessons (split the younger and older kids), and a meal. I have come to ADORE those kids more than anything I’ve ever loved (more than icecream and peanut butter ) I won’t even begin to describe the type of lives they lead as 5-14 year olds, but I will say that my heart is nearly torn every week. Yet I return because, though their stories bring sadness, and though they can be the most awful behaved children that you want to ring each one of their necks till they learn some respect, there is something about them that makes me feel like if someone would just believe in them and spend the one on one time with them that they crave that they could break out of the chains of their victim minded culture and change the world. Inspirational movies and books always say that changing the world happens one little act of kindness at a time. It’s cheesy, but I believe there is truth in it. Yeah, logically , I realize, the world probably won’t change, but it can’t hurt to give a little love to kids who need it. And anyway, I really do love them. I can’t describe it, but I can feel it deep down inside every time I see them. Excuse the analogy, but the feeling is similar to having a crush. You know, those butterflies you get when the guy you like walks into the room and looks right at you and maybe he smiles a little crooked smile and you could believe right there and then that you’ve found “the one”. It’s like that feeling, but so much stronger that it compels me to want to take actions. Seeing those kids and feeling that kind of love drives me to want to do everything and anything to make the world better for them. It’s my favorite thing on earth, and it’s exhausting. They are loud and wild. Which brings me to the next point (look it flows again!)
I am so thankful for the ICC/BU Young Group. Each member of the group have proven themselves to be exceptionally extraordinary Christians and I am totally privileged to work with them. TNT would not exist if it weren’t for the young group’s faithfulness in showing up every week to serve the Lord when there are other things going on. I’m really very impressed with my generation overall. Despite my complaints of immaturity at times, I have seen so many instances of selfless service to the Lord’s work that it’s almost become expected. I just realized the other day the amount of time and effort and energy and money that some college kids put into things like prayer groups through the night b/c that’s when Satan is the strongest or buying Bibles and driving all over the place to hand deliver them and pray and talk with the person receiving them with hope that fire’s will be sparked or taking time out of their busy schedule to teach squirmy 9 year olds how to add and subtract. The young group is full of amazing people.

The Month of October

I wrote this post a long time ago, and saved it, but never got it up…so here it is!

Taylor Invite:

The first weekend of October, Emily Kieser and Whitney Stickling and I headed over to Taylor, Missouri for the invite. This is always a weekend to look forward too and I have never missed this weekend since I started going about four years back. This year was vastly different, though. Before, I would come into the fellowship hall and only see new faces. It was my mission to meet as many new people as possible and get to know new friends, but I’d never been one of those who already knew people. Well, this year, at one point I looked around the big room and realized, I know just about everyone’s name or at least where they were from or what group they were associated with. So, instead of getting to know as many new people as possible, this Taylor invite, I hung out with a smaller group of some friends I had gotten to know this summer: Anneliese Hoerr from Phoenix, Ben Lindberg from Georgia, Dallas Haerr from Taylor, and Emily. What a blast it was to stay out late at the 18 Wheeler (a quaint little truck stop) trying to have a good conversation but all being too hyper for it. The only problem with the Taylor Invite this year was: in the back of my mind, I was constantly taking notes for College Weekend, and by the end of it, I was realizing how much work really goes into these things.

Morton Invite

The next weekend was busy. That Friday was an AMAZING Bible study given by Ken Hoerr on Memory verses. We were each given a stack of cards of verses to memorize each week (and I have been faithfully doing just that.) It was such a blessing to see the young group after the Bible study was over, as everyone was still hungry for God. We ended up continuing a discussion for probably thirty minutes more. Then, even as we broke for a snack, around the room everyone was talking about God. Well, it was only a matter of time before David got out a guitar and we sang out one the porch. I couldn’t stop smiling after that Bible Study.

Saturday was the Morton invite. The only problem was, I was also invited to hang out with a group of friends that I spent all summer with that I hadn’t seen in a long time since they all moved to ISU. This sort of thing has been a real conflict for me for a while. It seems as if there is always several things to attend in one night and no matter where you go, you are missed elsewhere. Well, in this particular situation I was able to make an appearance at both, which isn’t my first choice. It’s like you only get to enjoy half of everything, but whatever. The Morton Invite was small, but we had fun as we headed over to Timber Ridge Home for the Handicap for our service project and played games with the residents. I left before supper to go to Bloomington. There we played some frisbee, then went to Sarah Sceggel’s apartment at the Crossings (which she wasn’t even there) to have hamburgers and hang out. After supper we sat in the living room and just talked for a long time until someone suggested we go for a walk. So a group of about eight of us went for a 2 mile walk to the ISU campus a 11:30 at night. Part of me wonders what were we thinking, but part of me is glad we did it. It was unbelievable to see what a university is like on a Saturday night. The crazy stuff you see in movies is real! There was a party in almost every third or fourth house we passed and the people walking around…oh my. Oh, and don’t worry, we had several guys with us in our group. I think we were safe.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Maicha Louis Simon

About a month ago, I was convicted. On a long drive home I was talking to a friend about God calling people to different missions and how I wasn’t sure what my mission was to be. I mentioned something about helping children in poorer countries and he suggested that I sponsor a child. Having thought of this before, I immediately spouted out my pre-scripted response of how I am not financially able and how writing a check every month is ok for some, but I felt called to do more. Later on that day Karin sent a text about taking a trip to Disney. I was seriously considering going and trying to work out the numbers in my head to squeak by in affording it when I realized my hypocrisy. My excuses for not making a difference in a child’s life were just that: excuses.

So….Meet my precious sponsor child: Maicha Louis Simon!

Maicha is four years old and lives in Haiti. Her dad works for the church and her mom does whatever small jobs she can pick up. Other than that, I don’t know too much about her. But anyway, there she is, perfect as can be. Smile

Anyway, a few weeks ago I decided to take my camera while riding. Larry, my Arabian, was extra loco that day, so I wasn’t able to get too many good shots, but I feel like I was able to capture at least a taste of my heaven on earth.

Below: Cheyenne did not want to be left.

The best way to view the world: between a horses ears.

We saw two little deer.

Apparently, Larry knows traffic laws.

My labor day weekend was really nice. I was planning on taking a trip out to Taylor for the baptisms of Zach Sutter, Cole Sutter, Anna Lynne (can’t remember her last name) and Tinsley Tuley. Cole and Tinslee were on the Jamaica trip, and Zach has been living in Peoria and coming to Young Group stuff for quite a while now.

My traveling arrangements were all made: I would drive down with Emily Kieser on Saturday afternoon, and, since she was staying for an extended amount of time, ride home with David Sauder and Caleb Jones. Well, we enjoyed a lovely day hanging out with Annelies Hoerr from Phoenix at His Ranch on Saturday and all was going perfectly, until….I found out David was bailing on me. I’ll confess to having a small sense of panic at the thought of not having a ride home. I decided to go to testimonies and see who is here from Illinois. There was a huge group that came with Sarah Sceggel, but they were full. Otherwise the rest would not be driving through Peoria where my car was parked. Finally, I discovered that the Dreste’s were there and had room for one more! I learned my lesson: never count on David and Jones for anything…the punks.

Testimonies were beautiful as always. I especially loved Anna Lynne’s precious child-like faith. After we went to someone’s house for a snack and some fellowshipping. Anneliese, Emily, and I didn’t tarry there long, though, as we "had” to go to the 18 Wheeler, a truck stop restaurant that stays open all night. We got there around 11:45-12:00ish and the place was quiet with only one or two other groups. Anneliese was the only one to order anything: coffee. We quickly found out that the waitresses there had no inhibitions as far as interacting with their customers go. It wasn’t long before we were in on their co-worker pranks and playing as judges as they paraded in old uniforms they found in a closet. When we weren’t laughing with the waitresses, we had some pretty good girl talks. We didn’t leave that place until 1:30. Somehow getting into bed was not very exciting as we all knew we would be waking up in a few hours to do chores on the Ranch.

Sunday morning, chores were done, we were dressed early, so we decided to go back to our favorite truck stop for breakfast. With two hours to spend before church, we picked up our girl talk where we left off the night before, but this time prepared with Bibles.

Now, a miracle happened in church. The three of us sat up front and gasped and gave each other wide eyed looks as Randy Mogler stood before the church and preached on almost exactly what we were just talking about at the Wheeler!!! The sermon was a perfect follow up from our conversations earlier. I later asked Randy if he had been spying on us…he wasn’t.

The baptisms were very nice and the supper after was an excellent portrayal of the oldest and noblest AC traditions of serving good food.

On Monday, I looked forward to a quiet day to catch up on homework and do some cleaning which I finished by lunch. Knowing that the Sauder’s still had some guests, I headed over to the Lake. I was pleased to see David and Jones were having a lovely time playing halo. Pleased because I could give both of them the ear full they deserved for leaving me stranded in Taylor. I don’t think Jones will ever do it again, but David may need some more scolding.

Anyway, we all got together at the playground to play volleyball with Ben and Phil and Anna Sceggel. The games were ok at best. About half way through I got a text inviting me to a cookout that would be “legendary” in Roanoke. I didn’t feel like I would be missing out on much if I left volleyball early, so I got the directions and left for this legendary cookout.

As I neared the site to which my directions led, at first I was sure I was mistaken. There was literallly nothing there, only corn for miles on every side. I pulled over and checked the directions over and over and could not make sense of it. Finally, someone else pulled up from behind me and parked in a flat grassy spot in front of the corn. I followed his example, but was still puzzeled. “Is this right?” I asked, to which he shrugged and said he had no idea. As more cars came I felt a little better about our strange location, but was still puzzeled. Then out of no where two pick up trucks drive out from the grassy strip between two fields. We piled in and were driven right back into the corn. We drove quite a way down the grassy strip. It got a little treacherous at times, but soon came up to a widened area where a campfire, grill, and two other trucks met us. I laughed out loud at the scene. Count on Roanoke boys to pull something like this off. Here we were grilling hamburgers, target shooting bows and arrows, sharing stories around the fire, and having a grand ol’ time in the middle of a corn field!!!! You would never find Peoria young group doing this, I can tell you that. The stars that night were unforgettable, but, alas, it soon became chilly and the looming dread of the coming school and work days put the evening to an early end at around 10:00. There was still time for one last adventure, though. We had packed up and I was about to get in the back of a truck when Landon tells me that I’m driving. “Have you ever gone off roading before?” he asked. I told him no, and he decided this was the night to cross that off my bucket list. So, I drove the rickety old truck. It was actually a lot of fun despite not being able to see through the windshield and not being able to reach the peddle….

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Coming out of the Woodwork

Where to begin? Oh I’ll start with where God has answered a lot of prayers in a huge way! The ICC BU YG last year was dwindling. Before the mission trip, turn out to Bible studies was shockingly horrible as people were “busy” or, for those brave enough to say it, “didn’t like the young group because of…” Things improved after Tennessee, but not extraordinarily. Now, please know that I’m not judging anyone. I was one of those that never went until after the mission trip…then I went to EVERYTHING…that’s probably what got me put on the committee. But anyway, at the end of last semester I would look around the room and see all the “regulars” the “faithful few” and realized that 98% of them were moving to ISU next year. Rumors were circulating that there would not be an ICC BU YG anymore. Well, I had been so blessed by the group and I wanted others to be, so I prayed all summer that people would come to things (because I knew there were ACs at ICC, they just didn’t go). And guess what: This Monday was the first Bible Study of the year and I actually got teary eyed to see the room fill to more than it’s ever been! Instead of dying with the loss of the regulars, the young group just changed! Praise the Lord!

So as far as my schedule goes….:

Monday: clinical 8:30-5:00. Supper at 5:45 at Avantis. Bible Study at 7:00

Tuesday: Class 12:00-4:00. Volleyball at 7:00

Wednesday: clinical 8:30-5:00. Church (rotation) 7:15

Thursday: class 12:00-4:00. ISU Bible Study 7:15

Friday: class 10:00-12:00. Young Group stuff 7:30

And then I’ll be gone for 98% of my weekends. So please don’t blame me if I don’t get things posted often this semester.

Not that I’m complaining. I love my schedule, however exhausting it may be. I do need to watch, though, that I don’t let being tired affect the way I act/treat people….like last night….so, Josh and Phil are on the committee with me and last night we were trying to get out the door of church (Tremont) to go to Heidi Koch’s, but we were waiting for Rebecca Dreste to find out if Phil (her brother) was going so she could ride with one of us. She went to talk to him, but came back and said she didn’t know: they ignored her. In my impatience, and wanting to get on with such a simple task I marched over there to get an answer. The entire group of guys got quiet as I approached and literally stepped back and I could almost sense a very subtle hint of fear in their eyes. See, when I get tired and am in a social setting, I tend to get loud and bossy. Poor Phil and Josh are usually the victims of my bossiness and they must have told all the other guys because they were practically cowering. And when I asked Phil the simple question of if he was going to Heidi’s, he answered so fast, I was sure he was trying to get rid of me. Oh well. I guess I don’t mind that I can tell them what to do and none of them will stand up to me.

Anyway, so, school has been great! I really love this teacher. She teaches in a way that is slower and more repetitive and her tests are more general concepts and critical thinking rather than tib-bit facts and memorization. Clinical has been great too. I’m at Midwest Orthopedics, which right off the bat is awesome just for being outpatient. Getting a wonderful Clinical Instructor along with that is like whip cream on pie! I am getting more and more confident in my skills as a PTA every day, and its only week 2!!!

So God has been good. If I may ask for some prayer, though, that would be great. ICC/BU YG is hosting College Weekend this semester and we are so not on track with planning for it.

Thanks!

Friday, August 26, 2011

That last post

I feel I must say, that last post was a bit of an exaggeration. And I definitely didn’t mean for it to be saying anything against Mom. She is a wonderful Mom and does a whole lot for us. Just so ya know.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Illini Bluffs Strike

JUST LET THEM GO TO SCHOOL!!!!! Everyday I come home, physically and mentally exhausted from a hard day of school or clinical, knowing that I only have about one hour of time at home before I have to leave for the evening, knowing that that hour has to be spent working on stuff for the ICC/BU YG, to a monstrous mountain of the mess that comes as a result of leaving the kids home alone with absolutely no structured activity for the day! It’s maddening to enter the house with at least four bags of books, clothes, etc. pulling down my shoulders only to see that there is not a single clean surface to unload these burdens on. And, among the mess (you have to search a little to find them) three lazy children are sprawled out, comfortable and cozy as a peach in a tree a summer’s day, playing on their mind-numbing electronic devices as if time was only existent when it came to meals and when to partake in them. The worst part is: for them, time is non-existent! No one knows when the teachers will quit striking, so the kids are living as if in an everlasting summer! While I’m struggling to arrange millions of activities into my schedule literally down to the minutes! But, heaven forbid that I should have some “free-time” because that would mean I’m faced with the biggest job of all: getting the house back into a somewhat livable standard. And don’t even get me started on meal times! I use up my valuable time to put a decent meal on the table, and what do these kids do? Exactly what their piggish nature tells them to do: pour a bowl of cereal upon every hint of a rumbly tummy! There is no controlling the snacking that goes on in this house because no one is home to control it! In the moments that it is all almost too unbearable my mind begins to resort to a terrible habit as it tends to drift off to a happy time when none of them were home. Those marvelous days when I would clean the house spotless on Monday and by Friday, it would still be clean! And, oh the bliss of being able to prepare food for just two and know that it was actually appreciated!….but then reality crashes in. Someday, yes, someday the stupid teachers or school board, or who ever the bozos are that are responsible for this criminal act of stealing my sanity will pay. Maybe not with jail time, but deep down, they should have a looming sense of dread knowing that one day I will find them and it will not be pretty.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Cabin Slumber Party

This was a different summer for us. In summers past, us girl cousins (and Janelle Grassi) would have multiple slumber parties.This year, for me at least, it would only be one. We spent the night at The Cabin, and despite the name, slumbering was not on the agenda. Once we got there the futon in the middle of the room was pushed aside and we danced and acted out songs played from my laptop.

And we goofed off a lot Smile

Later on in the night, as is tradition, we went on a walk around the Lake. With flip flops on and cell phones for light we made quite the parade down the lane, across the dam, and to the Sauders house to swing on the rope swing and sit on the dock. The walk then continued back toward Grandma’s house and ended on the trampoline to gaze at the stars. And, Oh my! Such stars. The Milky Way lightened a center strip in the sky and seemed to be bursting with little twinkling dots. We were even privileged to be witnesses to many gorgeous shooting stars. It was all so beautiful and we just had to lie there in wonder and awe at the God who would not only create such a display, but who would count us even greater than the stars in his eyes.

Finally around 2:00 we fell asleep.

Rejoice with Joy Unspeakable