I HAVE A PLAN!!

For the first time since I have decided not to be an education minor, I have devised a plan, which may get me to have a job other than being a waitress forever. This has been on my mind for quite some time, but it has always seemed out of reach and something that I wouldn't be good at. Ok, now I know you're dying to know what it is.

I have decided to graduate from Union with a Bachelor of Music (vocal), with an emphasis in Christian Studies. You might ask, isn't this what you're already doing? Yes, but there's more. After I graduate, I will come home, and go to GVSU or something like that, and pick up a minor in Psychology, and then off to grad school to get my masters in MUSIC THERAPY!!! Now, I realize another question might spring from this. Why do I want to keep the Christian Studies emphasis? Wouldn't it just be easier to get my minor here in psychology and then head straight to grad school? Yes, that would be easier, but I feel led to keep this emphasis, and I have no idea why. I know that I will use it somewhere down the road, but for now, I'm just walking by faith. PLUS, do you want me to stay down here forever??? Psychology minors are really easy time-wise to obtain, so it won't take me long, and that will be more time for me in Skeetown!

I have felt a tug at my heart everytime I see or hear about Music Therapy. I think that this is something that I have been equipped to do. It deals with helping people, and there are many different approaches to it. I am really excited that I have made the decisions necessary for the next part of my life.

Maya he, maya who, maya ha, maya ha ha..

These are some of the members of our hurricane relief trip. We were dancing at a gas station to THE song of the trip; at least our van's song of the trip (we took 3 vans..and I was the DJ for ours, so I got shotgun the entire way!). The song is called "Maya He" or something like that, by some group in Russia. Anyway, I will update you about my trip in a more serious way sometime time this week.

In the Gulf...

I meant to write about this before I left for the rest of the week, but it has been crazy these last few days.

Yesterday, I traveled to Mobile, Alabama for the weekend to help out with hurricane relief. It is my fall break at school, and this trip was offered through Union. I had other plans, but they ended up falling through, and then this trip came about. I prayed a lot about it, and I really felt God's call for me to go.
Since conditions are bad where we are working, we are staying in Mobile, at University of Mobile, which is one of Union University's sister schools. Each day, we are traveling to the different cities to help where conditions are the worst.

There are 20 of us on this trip, and we drove straight yesterday after classes to Mobile. This morning, we went to help out the Volunteers of America. We put together care packages, in which evacuees will come on Saturday to pick up. Even though the behind-the-scenes work needs to be done, I was really ready to get out there and do some hard work. Later today, during the hottest hours, some of us did some roofing...well, we tore off the roof anyway. It was difficult, but I really loved doing it. I think I've found my new calling....lol.

Anyway, I am asking you all to pray for me during the course of this weekend. It's a strenuous trip. It's hard seeing all of these things, and know that I can only help a little. It's hard knowing how much people have suffered from this, and I want to help as much as possible. This takes energy, in which I have absolutely none. Pray that I can have the energy to help with the physical labor, as well as seeking out opportunities when coming in contact with evacuees to tell them about Christ. Thanks...I might not get the chance to update again until I get back, so I will make a big post about it.

Compliments of my sister's roommate.

This is my new hair..I haven't had bangs since I was 6!! I called my sis's roommate Jill last Sunday, very spontaneously, and asked her to cut them. It's definately different but I really like them.

Yes! I'm a form of Britney!

Which Britney Spears are you? Sweet Britney You like to be with your family as much as you can. You give money to help kids go to dance camp. No one cares about this part of your personality.

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The honest truth..

Today we salute you, Fellow Cubs Fan.
You thought you could cheer for the Cubs, but little did you know they would lose once again. Hoping and praying every season that they would "make it" is obviously not enough. As if 1908 was just yesterday, you believe in them. We see your hats and shirts that sport CUBS..you faith is evident. So go ahead, crack open an ice cold root beer, True-Blue-Not-a-Fairweather-Cubs-Fan. It's too bad that your team can't make it to the World Series, but we salute your faithfulness.

Do you ever just have one of those songs..?

A Paraphrase From Psalm 23, arranged by Mack Wilberg

"My Shepherd will supply my need; Jehovah is his name.
In pastures fresh he makes me feed, beide the living stream.
He brings my wandering sprirt back, when I forsake his ways,
and leads me for his mercy's sake in paths of truth and grace.

When I walk through the shades of death, thy presence is my stay;
One word of thy supporting breath drives all my fears away.
Thy hand in sight of all my foes, doth still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows, thine oil annoints my head.

The sure provisions of my God attend me all my days;
O may thy house be mine abode and all my work be prasie!
There would I find a settled rest while others go and come,
No more a stranger, nor a guest; but like a child at home".

This song has meant the world to me this year. We actually sang it my freshman year, and my director (Dr. Joiner...he's the greatest!) sometimes brings old songs back, and this is one of them. I did not fully understand this song my freshman year, but after everything I went through this year, I really get it. Everytime we rehearse this, I can barely get through it. Tears well up in my eyes and stream down my face, and Dr. Joiner always looks up at me for a few moments, and smiles. He knows what went on in my life this year. He called, many times, just to see how I was. He knows that this song is my prayer, my echo for what I have learned in my heart, and how true it really is. We are to sing it in chapel tomorrow morning, and I really hope it touches others how it's touched me.

While we rehearse it Dr. Joiner stops us, not because there were wrong notes or anything technical like that, but because we aren't feeling the song. He says, "With the exception of a few, you haven't suffered enough to sing this". He is so good about bringing a message or testimony when we are rehearsing, helping us keep the focus on what we're really singing about, and not just the technicalities of it.

"I'm gonna be a supermodel"

Tuesday night, at the Jackson, Tennessee Carl Perkins Civic Center, there is a Cancer Benefit Show going on. My written comp professor is actually in charge of the whole thing. She was aware of my beating cancer, and wants me to help out with the show!! Not only am I helping, but I get to be a model for it! They have a modeling section of the show, and they prefer cancer survivors to be the actual models. I am very excited!! This will be the only time in my life where I will qualify as a model...not because I look like one, but because I had cancer..lol. Looks like I will have to practice my run-way skills...haha.

"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."
-Hebrews 10:22-23

We serve an amazing God. One who not only allows us to come to Him, but takes us back after we mess everything up once again. May I remember that in my daily life, and not swerve in my faith, but rather, hold tight to the one who is faithful to me.