Study Day

I am enjoying not having classes.  Today was Study Day.  That basically means we are confined to campus.  It isn't required that we study all day, but suggested.  I only have one difficult exam this semester, and a large project due, therefore my study day did not have to be a day to kill myself getting things done.  I was able to sleep in, do some cleaning and packing, slowly get ready and start my day.  I enjoyed today immensely, and as last year, here is a photo documentation of my day!

 Sleeping in until 8:30am, is a wonderful thing!

 ...packing...

 I was able to use my peach soap from my art project.  How many people have a tulip shaped bar of soap?

 What can I say?  I am an el ed student who loves her school supplies.

 ...still packing...

It is sad to see the empty walls.

Gift for my Secret Prayer Sister (SPS) for the SPS Reveal in 5 minutes!

you know you are an elementary school teacher when...

I find it comical that when I am putting together candy in a bowl to give away, and it looks like this...

The first thing I think of is...cool, primary colors.

You know you are an elementary school teacher when that is the first thing you notice about that candy bowl.

Chapel Message- Mentally His

I highly encourage you to take about 45 minutes to listen to the chapel message we had today given by Dr. Daniel Anderson (the president of ABC).

pictures of art portfolio

Here are just like a million and two pictures of my art portfolio!  Hope you enjoy.

 My room became utter disaster zone while I was trying to finish this project up.

 I love colorful school supplies!

 This project is melted crayon wax between wax paper and glitter glue as an embellishment.

 This is my shapes picture--how many shapes do you see?

The next few pictures are of my paper clip print/stamping!

 My monochromatic piece that randomly makes me think of Scott every time I see it.

 I made this little guy out of clay.  He was for "form and space".  He is meant to be kind of like a coin/key holder.

 The cover of my binder

 This is another "form and space" piece--tulip carved out of soap.

 Here are a few different pieces: (left to right) blue monochromatic, paper clip print, crayon etching, and wallpaper collage.

 My "photo booth"

 Warm and Cool Color Line Explosion on the left, and Line Design on the right.

 Line Drawing

Here are two of my printmaking pictures.

insane week

What a week this has been.  I don't really want to relive it, as neat as it was to watch God at work giving me just enough strength to make it through each moment.  The week defined the words "full" and "busy".  I am thankful though for being able to watch God and how He carried me through the week.

Tuesday was my PRAXIS.  As mentioned earlier, the PRAXIS is the education version of the boards for medical or the the bar exam for law.  This was the first of two exams for this.  We left campus at 6am sharp and drove 2 hours to Marshall to take the exam.  It was a four hour exam, hard, and very stressful.  I am pleased to announce that I passed both the math and reading sections.  I am still waiting to hear back on the writing section.

Thursday had two large elementary education portfolios due: Elementary Art Methods, and Technology for Elementary Educators, II.  I finished the Tech one rather quickly, but the Art one I had been working on it the entire semester, and then as crunch time came, I probably put in 10+ hours.  I was pleased with how it turned out, and was thankful at the same time that it was done and over with!

As read below, Friday and Saturday was IMPACT, which was amazing!  I loved it.

Today for Easter, I taught the 4-5s.  The funny story from this week: I had corrected one of the boys on something he was doing.  He replied "Miss Rebekah, can I tell you something?"  "What's that, Joseph*?" (*name changed for his privacy)  "My underwear have lots of mean boys on them, so that means I get to be mean."  I quickly corrected his thinking telling that no matter the underwear he was wearing, it was never okay to be mean.  Definitely gave me a chuckle though.

Tim and Krisi had us over for Easter dinner, and what fun that was.  Tim is in my class, and they live in married student housing.  They put on a delicious lunch of ham, potato and cheese casserole, bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and corn.  They opened their home for the college students from church, and we had some wonderful time of fellowship around the table--probably the most relaxing time I have had all week, and will this week.  I am so thankful for their hospitality.  The Dinguses then came over at 4 when we had our evening Bible study, and I was back in my room shortly after 6pm.

Our group today at lunch 

3 days left of classes, then study day, and finally, work day.  I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

Matthew 28 (English Standard Version)

The Resurrection

 ^1(A) Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and^(B)the other Mary went to see the tomb. ²And behold, there was a great earthquake, for^(C) an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. ^3(D) His appearance was like lightning, and^(E) his clothing white as snow. ⁴And for fear of him the guards trembled and^(F) became like dead men. ⁵But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶He is not here, for he has risen,^(G) as he said. Come, see the place where he^[a] lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold,^(H) he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you." ⁸So they departed quickly from the tomb^(I) with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹And behold, Jesus^(J) met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and^(K) took hold of his feet and^(L) worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid;^(M) go and tell^(N) my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."

The Report of the Guard

 ¹¹While they were going, behold, some of^(O) the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. ¹²And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers ¹³and said, "Tell people,^(P) 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.' ¹⁴And if this comes to^(Q) the governor’s ears, we will^(R) satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." ¹⁵So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews^(S) to this day.

The Great Commission

 ¹⁶Now the eleven disciples^(T) went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.¹⁷And when they saw him they^(U) worshiped him, but some doubted. ¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, ^(V) "All authority^(W) in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ^19(X) Go therefore and^(Y)make disciples of^(Z) all nations,^(AA) baptizing them^(AB) in^[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them^(AC) to observe all that^(AD) I have commanded you. And behold,^(AE) I am with you always, to^(AF) the end of the age."

IMPACT 2011 pictorial review

Welcome to IMPACT 2011...Always Prepared!

Registration... 

Friday night activity: 1 against 100 (or whatever it is exactly called).  The girls definitely did better then the guys, and Doug even admitted it!

 They did a great job with music!

Friday night it was raining, so we had to have our 'bonfire' inside.  While people were waiting in line for pizza, Eric was playing the guitar and before we knew it, the teens had gathered in a circle praising the Lord.  What an awesome thing to be a part of.

These are my super amazing sisters for the weekend: Makita (other counselor, and ABC student), Brittany, Breanna, and Bridget!  What sweet girls they were and what fun they were to spend the weekend with.

Dr. Tommy Mitchel was our speaker.  He is a medical doctor who realized the truth about creation later on in his life and is now serving with Answers in Genesis.  It's too bad he had to leave.

It was a wonderful weekend!  I so enjoyed the time out of my room, and having fun.  We played a ginormous game of "Underground Church" which was intense, as we had to figure out clues and before we could get a new clue, the entire team would have to recite that spot's clue.  Definitely got a lot of walking in.

So excited with what the Lord did.  Please continue to pray for the teens (and ABC students) as we have learned and been reminded of so much, pray we use this information for HIS glory! 

IMPACT 2011

What a week this has been, and I am determined to have it end with a bang (a good one).  This weekend, ABC hosts the IMPACT teen retreat.  Many of you will remember I did it last year.  Again, I will be a counselor and have a group of sisters.  I am eager to see what work the Lord is going to do this weekend.  I ask you to be in prayer for the events of the weekend: opening of God's word, good conversations, good fellowship, safety, and selfishly we ask for good weather (though it is not looking like we will get that).  Also, I ask that you pray that I have the energy and strength.  I feel like I am running below "E", but I also know that God is my source of strength, and that source never diminishes. Hope you all have a lovely weekend, and truly feel the strength of God.

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

-1 Peter 3:15

Saturday...

Saturdays are so wonderful!  I got up at 8ish this morning, and got right to work.  I finished a project due Monday and started working on my portfolio that is due Thursday.  I then got ready, had a lovely time in prayer and the Word, and went to lunch.  Now I am at work making money :).  I got some homework done, which was nice.  I get to take my PRAXIS on Tuesday, and I am praying that goes well.  The PRAXIS is my first step in becoming a licensed teacher.  I am just praying that I do my best, and am content with the results.  The Lord has everything in control.  Hope you all are enjoying your Saturday at least as much as I am.

praise the Lord for productivity

I am so thankful today is Friday!  It has been a quick week, but with a good bit packed into it.  Several highlights though, which is always nice.  Honestly, I can't remember what happened on Monday or Tuesday.  It is a blur.  Wednesday on the other hand....I went to classes as normal, and prepared my lesson for teaching at church.

I got to church, and 'my kids' and I were mutually excited to see each other.  I so enjoy each and every one of those cute little kiddos, and they bring such joy to my day.  For a while I had a full lap as I read the story of Esther to them (there are some hard names in that story: Mordecai, Xerxes).  I love the hugs they give me, and their excitement when they tell me their memory verse all by themselves.  This Wednesday had a new twist to it though.  I started my story on the tenth plague of Egypt when one of the little boys raised his head and informed me he knew the story for tonight.  I dismissed his question will telling him how we were going to read it from God's Word.  He seemed quite disappointed, to say the least.  He laid his head down on the table, and I ignored his throwing a fit over what I had told him.  I was continuing on with my story when I noticed the 2 year old sitting next to him looking at him oddly, and getting very close to his face.  I didn't think much of it until the boy on the other side of him raised his hand, "Miss Rebekah, ______ is sleeping".  Again, I dismissed it thinking 'aah, he is just faking it because he is mad at me for not letting him tell the story'.  We went through the story and finished it up, when Tracie had to leave and Krisi came in.  Tracie laughed and told me "I am not sure he is faking it, I think he really might be sleeping".  We proceeded to hand out the coloring sheets, and we tried to wake him up.  He kind of sat up in a daze and Krisi asked him why he was so sleepy.  He mumbled, "It's a secret".  He fell back asleep, and this time I became concerned he was going to fall on the table and hurt himself, so I went over to try and help him to the rocker.  He could barely walk.  He ended up sleeping soundly through the remainder of class.  Poor guy was exhausted.  I do not say this to make fun of him, I say this because it was so cute.  I love those kids so much.

Thursday was a good, yet busy day, as I attended classes as normal.  I had a free afternoon to work on homework and projects, and had my Thursday night class.  I might add that I absolutely love my Thursday evening class, and the prof for that class.  She had us watch a movie for class, brought enough popcorn for each of us to have our own bag, and four bags of chocolate.  She said she knew it was a crazy time of the semester, and that we all just needed to have a lighter class.  What a blessing that time was.

Today started off with brutality of an exam in OT Prophets.  I studied a bit, but most definitely not enough.  The exam was absolutely brutal.  Male, pastoral, seniors were saying that was the hardest exam they had ever taken.  I do not expect a pleasant grade at all (unfortunetly).  I then skipped a class (gasp) to work on a paper.  I did not feel guilty because I did not miss much in that class, and instead I accomplished a ton towards a research paper due Monday.  I then went to Earth Science as we reviewed for our test on Monday.  For once, I feel very ready for an Earth Science exam.

This week in chapel, it has been Expository Preaching Week, where three male students take the same passage and preach on it.  This year's passage was James 3 on the tongue.  All three guys did a great job, but my personal favorite was today.  Eric did a great job. Eric goes to the same church I go to, and is planning on going into youth ministry. I highly encourage you to listen to his chapel message on James 3.  It will be well worth your time, and unless you are a perfect person with your tongue 100% under control, you will walk away with something from this message.

All afternoon, I worked on my research paper as I watched the girls get ready for Junior/Senior Banquet.  I am proud to say that I finished my research paper (that I began this morning) before dinner.  I am now at work, and barely anyone is here.  I am going to try and be productive this evening as well, and then early bed for me.  I hope you all have a wonderful, restful weekend.  Don't forget to listen to the chapel message!

my role next year....

So it is public now...Lord willing, I am going to be a Resident Assistant next year!  I am so excited for this opportunity the Lord is entrusting me with, and I can barely wait.  I am looking forward to meeting the girls on my wing next year, and am already praying for them.  Be praying for me that starting now, the Lord works both in and through me in the lives of those ladies I will come in contact with in a whole new way next year.  Praise the Lord for this exciting opportunity.

spring has sprung

Alas, another week has come and gone.  It has been a crazy week, but so productive and rewarding.  I had several projects due throughout the week.  I am pleased to say the Lord carried me through the week and I was able to complete all of the projects due.

Spring has sprung here on campus, and is absolutely beautiful.  There is a tree right outside my window that is in full bloom with gorgeous white flowers.  The grass is being mowed, and I am enjoying seeing the newness of God's creation.  On Thursday afternoon, I went out on the front porch for a while and worked on homework.  The fresh air was such an encouragement, and I enjoyed getting some Vitamin K.  I am telling ya, if you want spring, come to WV.  Tonight we are getting severe thunderstorms, but if you are anything like me, you like those too.

Last night was extremely productive getting two papers completed, a project 75% done, and proofing half of what turned out to be a 33+ page paper.  I took full advantage of sleeping in this morning, and then got right to work finishing my 33+ page paper/project/portfolio.  I then got some laundry done and got ready for the day before I went to lunch.  After lunch I worked more on the project that had been 75% completed last night.  A few friends and I then walked down to the married student's 'yard' sale.  We hiked back up the steps and hill in the high heat and humidity.  It was fun taking the walk with friends.  Krisi then picked me up and we went to a Pampered Chef party hosted by a lady from church.  It was fun to get out of the dorm, and we made a ranch veggie pizza, it was quite delicious.  I got the rest of that project done and then came on over to work.  Work is dead tonight, and I am all motivated out (aka: I have used all my motivation in the last 30 hours).

I have taken a few random pictures lately, so enjoy!

 A cube I made out of origami for my art portfolio

I feel like my life is full of lists (yes, I realize this is from last weekend) 

Wha ha ha, I was the stand in RA earlier this week for my RA who went out of town for the night. 

 This is the art project I taught for my Elementary Art Methods class.  It was a lesson for 2nd graders on texture.

I love grapes. 

The beautiful tree outside my window...I love spring!

summer plans

So it's official...Lord willing I will be working at Trail's End Ranch this summer as a counselor.  I had wanted to work at a summer camp as a counselor this summer for two reasons: I wanted to get more experience with children, and I wanted to be able to be used by God to impact girls' lives for Him.  I looked at several different camps, and had not even considered this until my mom suggested it.  My grandparents are good friends of the executive directors.  This camp is in Montana, so it is going to be a stretch for me going that far from home, but I know the Lord has it all worked out.  I signed my contract, and put in the mail first thing this morning.  I can't wait to see what the Lord does both in and through me this summer!

I love Sundays!

Have I ever mentioned before just how very much I love Sundays?  Well, I do.  It is by far my favorite day of all seven.

• I love getting off campus and meeting with my church family.  
• I love being with my church family.  
• I love sitting under the teaching of the Word and being able to freely soak it up without the nervousness of being formally tested on it.
• I love the fact that I take Sunday's off from academic work.
• I love my weekly nap taken on Sunday.
• I love the phone conversation I get to have with my family.
• I love the home cooked food.
• I love going to the Dingus' for Bible Study.
• I love the fellowship and laughter we all enjoy at the Dingus'.

Needless to say, I love Sundays.  I am basking in the delight today was.  It was not just a nice relaxing day, but it was spiritually encouraging and challenging.  In Sunday School we are going through the book of 1 John, and we were in the second chapter this morning.  How awesome it is the Jesus forgave us.  In corporate worship we sang of Christ as our cornerstone and studied Romans.  A question to ponder "why do I do that which I do not want to do?"  In Bible study tonight, we talked about friendship.  We were throughout the Bible seeing what it said about friendship--very challenging.  I am so thankful for the wonderful day of Sunday!

A fun M&M dispenser my Mom sent me.  We had seen this in the store before I flew out at the end of break. 

This week, I got a care package from my family!  It was full of fun surprises.  She gave me fun treats to enjoy,  a Subway gift card, homework I had accidently (I promise that it was not purposely) left at home over break, fabric and ribbon for the lesson I teach on Tuesday, and still more!  I enjoyed opening it up, and continually finding new things.  Another fun surprise was the Primary Sunday School care package (within my family's care package).  Each year, my mom has her students write notes to the college students from the church, and they pray for us, and gather money and goodies.  I absolutely loved the notes.  Hopefully some time soon, I will post some of the things their notes say.  They were such fun to read.

This coming week will be insanely crazy, but it means one week closer to being half way through my college career.  I have to teach an art lesson (not as easy as it sounds) on Tuesday, and on Wednesday I have a huge exam.  Not looking forward to those aspects of the week, but as always, the Lord will help me through this week.  I have a previewer coming this evening, Lord willing.  Her name is Emily, so please be in prayer for her as she is making one of the most important decisions of her life.  Excited to have her though, and looking forward to the time talking and praying with her.

Welcome sign for my previewer-Emily!

A huge praise I am bursting at the seems about.....a person at my home church in VT accepted Christ this morning!  Praise the Lord for the work He did in this individual's life.  I do not know any details, but am super excited.  Be in prayer for this person that they will grow in Christ likeness, and be in prayer for the church that they would be able to Biblically discipline this individual.

All praise to Him!  Remember this week the verse found in Psalm 46:11, "Be still and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

Hello all,  I just wanted to give a quick update.  The semester has picked up to full speed.  I feel like I am working like a mad woman to get it all done.  I have a page long (two columns) "To Do" list to accomplish.  I have been working the afternoon and evening away, and that is the plan for tomorrow as well.  I will do my best to free away some time to give more details.  But until then....have a lovely weekend!