The first half of this week........

[I started this Wednesday evening in the computer lab but am finishing it up this morning]
Sunday, August 30
Sunday morning I did go to Siloam Springs Bible Church...it actually made me the most homesick I have been since getting here. I and a couple other guys rode in the van that they had come to JBU to pick up students, but I sat by myself in the service. Seeing all the little kids made me want to give them a big hug...which would make more sense if I had little siblings, but I don't.
I liked the service all right...I really can't say that I liked the preacher though, which is a pretty big part of why I would go to church. Basically, he was even more topical and less expository than the one at Fellowship from last week. There just really isn't any place quite like CBC...that's for sure!
Afterward they had a potluck lunch. I was feeling kind of lonely (even though several people in the church were trying to make me feel included) but then I saw a girl who goes to JBU who I kind of know because she is also from the Dallas area. So I sat at a table with about eight other JBU freshman. Looking back on it, I wish I had sat with some other people from the church...but at that moment I wanted the comfort of something that was at least a little bit familiar....... As a side note, it is amazing how many students here have international experience! At our table of eight, two were MKs! (not including me)
I don't remember right now what I did Sunday afternoon...I am in the computer lab because my laptop wasn't connecting to the internet right...I'll have to come back and fill this in later.
[Fill in time! Sunday afternoon I spent a WHILE writing one of the three 1000 word essays for a scholarship I am going to be entering. Then I was just in my room wondering what to do next and feeling a little bummed out. Then our suite mates came over and asked Kaley and I if we wanted to play WallyBall. I was like YES!!!! So we went and played for two hours or so :D. I wasn't very good, but it sure was fun!
Then I went to dinner and ended up sitting with three other girls I kind of know, and after we finished eating we just sat there and talked for an hour and a half!!! :D Then I went and saw their rooms, they came and saw mine, and I was feeling in a much better mood!
At 9 we had The Gathering (the on campus, student led Sunday night service). I really enjoyed the speaker. (They always have a student speaker at the Gathering) He talked about Lazarus and how Jesus didn't fulfill Martha and Mary's expectations....He loved Lazarus, but He was acting in a way which brought glory to God, the application being that we shouldn't expect God to do things just how we think He should do them, but that we should know that He has it all planned out.
Afterward we had what they call CAUSE and Effect. JBU has lots of different ministries for students to participate in, which are called CAUSE ministries (don't ask me what it stands for...I don't remember!) Anyways, at C&E each ministry has a table and people who are interested come and sign up. I think I put my name down for four or five...but that doesn't mean I am going to be doing them all this semester...I know I'm not, but this way I will be put on their email lists to get more information. So this week I am attending meetings for some of the ones I signed up for.]

Monday, August 31
Monday = start of classes again! I went running Monday morning, and was VERY happy with myself for adding an extra lap (a tenth of a mile) and only adding one second of time to my run last Friday! Classes went pretty well. OTS was about historical context. The professor talked about various aspects in which we should note differences between our own times and the times of the Bible. We had our first quiz in the Gateway class, and I got four out of five questions right (and the one I missed I was strongly debating with myself...but obviously not well enough).
I'm going to have to finish this later...I have a meeting at nine and I can't really remember what happened when! So long for now!
[Thursday morning continuation]
On Monday I mostly had classes and did homework...I wrote the three paragraph "writing sample" for my English class...it was supposed to be on a good book that we had read, so I did it about Lewis' That Hideous Strength. I also wrote a "Letter to the Editor" about the health care reform government option for my first News Writing 1 assignment. I will be very interested to see what my professor says about that......... My MMC professor said yesterday that she will never grade us based on our opinion, but my journalism professor hasn't said that....
For dinner, almost all the freshman on my hall and our RA (Resident Assistant) Steffi went to the cafeteria and ate together. That was fun. After doing some reading for English, I went and played WallyBall again! And I did better that time! :D

Tuesday, September 1
Well, I found out Tuesday morning that I hadn't done all my reading for English...the professor had just put the first page number on the syllabus, but he wanted us to read the whole sections! So.....I had some catch up work to do Tuesday, which got me behind and I didn't finish my homework for the day until 10:45 that night :(
Chapel that morning was really good. Rod Reed, the college chaplain, talked about John 17, and how the focus of the passage is not really on Jesus sending us out or loving us. Rather, it is about how the Father loves Jesus, and how He is really just passing that love on to us. Mr. Reed said it should be like a pivot relationship...we should receive love from God, then turn and pass it on to others. We have to receive it before we can pass it on.
During lunch I sat with three girls from my MMC/NW1 classes. Afterward is when I had to spend the extra time I hadn't planned on for English. I really like the book we are using for English. It is called "Ideas in Conflict: Writing about the Great Issues of Civilization." Basically, the editors have chosen several really important issues (Faith & Inquiry; Male & Female; Divine Goodness & the Problem of Evil, etc.) and provided pertinent passages from famous/influential philosophers on several sides of each issue. In a sense, it's almost like a World View book :D So at least it's very interesting reading...not boring at all! I don't agree with the editors though.........(they have an essay to start off each section and to introduce each passage).
Once I finished that I started reading the next chapter for my MMC class. I was too tired though, so I set my phone alarm and just put my head down on my desk and rested for a little while.....my first college "nap" ;-) Oh, by the way, I won second place in the Freshman Summer Reading Program Essay Contest here at JBU!!! Which means I got a $50 gift card to the bookstore! YAY!!! :D I also did make it onto the Worship Ministries Ensemble, so that's exciting too!
English class went pretty well...we were talking about how to analyze reading and also how to develop crediblity as an author. After class I finished up all my reading for Wednesday.

Wednesday, September 2
When I got up Wednesday morning and went to the reading room, I was surprised at how dark it was....all the other mornings at around 7 the sun has already cleared the horizon and it is pretty light! Then I figured out it was because it was really overcast...not long after that it started raining. So it was cold, wet, and cloudy all morning. I was glad to be running on the inside track that morning! My farthest distance yet - 2.7 miles, and I actually came in under my goal of ten minute-miles! So I was very happy with my run once again :D
Had a peach smoothie from the little restaurant on campus that was delicious! I actually wore pants and a sweatshirt because it was cold outside...
Classes went okay. I find OTS fascinating...my professor is definitely an interesting guy. His style is funny...I'm tempted to take an audio recording of him sometime because of how he talks...and it's not funny in a bad way at all. I enjoy it a lot. It's just unique!
Brooke, the RD (Resident Director) for Walker had asked if we could have lunch together...so we did. It was fun talking with her. We sat over by the windows and as we were finishing a beautiful Gold Finch flew over and landed in the tree outside the window :D They are all still in their summer plummage, so they're just gorgeous!
Next I had my Gateway class...we had our second quiz (this one was about Mere Christianity Book 1) and I got them all right! We also signed up for the group projects...each group is going to present one of the seven chronicles to the rest of the class. I signed up for Prince Caspian because Voyage of the Dawn Treader was already full. :( I think it will be very interesting...we'll see how it goes. My group's presentation is due Novemeber 4th. BTW...my professor is doing them in the "wrong" order....grr...
Last class of the day was News Writing...he had us do a news quiz and I did not do well on it....it's my own fault because I tried waiting until the last minute to read the papers in the library and I ran out of time. I had tried several times on Tuesday, but they were all checked out every time I tried...then I finally got them Thursday morning, but I had to go to class before I finished them all. (We have to read the front page of three different papers: the AR state paper, the county paper, and the Siloam Springs paper...we may either have a quiz on Wednesday [in which case we have to read Sunday-Tuesday] or we may have one Friday [in which case we read Wednesday and Thursday]). So next time I will NOT try to read the papers all at once!
Yesterday evening I did the readings for today's English class...I also posted for my HO class about the article we had read. By 8:30 I was really tired...I had a meeting at 9 to go to for one of the CAUSE meetings, but after that I basically headed straight to bed. Got to bed by about 10 and woke up at seven, still tired :(
Now I need to get started on my homework for tomorrow...I'm glad we have Monday off...it will be nice to have a tiny break.