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surrenderedtohiscalling
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Name: Justine
Gender: Female
Interests: Music
Expertise: I really don't have any expertise, but hopefully I'll get some soon!
Occupation: Student
Industry: Ministry
Message: message me
Member Since:
7/23/2006
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| ***Warning: Venting is occuring in this post...Caution ahead.*** Well, it's just another day here at IWU. Another stressful "i just want to quit school and cry myself to sleep" type of day. I've been having a few of those lately...ok, a lot of those lately. Well, sophomore year has been fun so far I guess...I mean i LOVE my hall, RA, fellow unit leadership people, my roommate and suitemates and my professors and classes in general. But, I'm struggling to stay a float. I am currently taking a full 16 credit hour semester, with three major classes (theology 1, local church education, and inductive bible study), one minor class (child development), and one gen ed (creative writing) along with a practicum (local church education). On the surface these classes may seem like they don't seem to bad. But, I'M ABOUT READY TO PULL MY HAIR OUT! I want to just take five minutes out of my day to rest, but alas, if I do that, i will defnitly fall behind (Way way behind). Plus ten hours of work every week is really getting to me, I HATE working all day saturday. On top of that, I have to apply to the major this fall (which now includes a $20 personality assessment and 4 counseling sessions) and an interview with the ministerial association in the spring. I want to cry just thinking about the questions they're going to ask me. To be perfectly honest, I'm scared out of mind regarding ministry. I'm scared about doing or saying the wrong thing and I don't want to be one of those pastors that people hate. And to be perfectly honest-I DON'T KNOW WHERE GOD WANTS ME IN FIVE YEARS!! WHO DOES??????????? Don't get me wrong--I LOVE being in full time ministry. It's is fabulous. I got a little taste of that this summer being at camp and volunteering in my church and I felt completely comfortable there. Even with people I didn't know or sometimes didn't get along with. It just seems when I encounter any churches around IWU, i get very nervous and uncomfortable...and I can't explain to you why. Back to school--I feel so tied down, like the decisions i make are already made for me. No matter what I do, it seems like I'm just going through life day by day by day and I can't jump out of the routine I've trapped myself into. I go to sunday school, morning worship, evening service, chapel three times a week, youth group, yam, and unit bible study and I still feel like I'm not being challenged at all. Please say a little prayer for me if you think about it. I just need a little strength right now. | | |
| It's been awhile since I entered anything and with so much happening, I better add something! This summer is amazing. I love working at YCL. The staff is amazing and during our stafff training week, we grew really close. It's going to be really hard saying goodbye at the end of the summer, but that's a ways off, so we're not going to talk about it! The camps have been awesome as well. We had tadpole a few weekends ago, and tadpole was awesome. I had three girls in my cabin and they were just so awesome! Then came Jr. High...which was loads of fun. Jr. High is one of my favorite age groups too. They are just so awesome to hang out with and I really enjoyed both my cabin of girls and my family group! Go JJ Banackles! It was great! Last week we had 2nd and 3rd grade. I have to admit that this age group was very challenging for me. I love this age group normally, but 24/7 for four days was very exhausting and challenging. Andrea did an amazing job at directing! The schedule and activities were awesome!! Awesome job Andrea!!! Even through the challenges, I really did have lots and lots of fun with the girls. Yeah Orange Slices! We return back this week for sibs camp...it's going to be interesting. They've never done a sibs camp before, so I hope it goes well!! In other news, the Studio in Albion is up and almost running! I went up to the Studio last night to help get things set up and I have to say that God has really placed blessings upon the Studio!!! I have to admit that there was some hesitation on my part when things got kinda stand stillish with the plans and such with the youth center, but God showed me wrong! I love that there is so much community support and it's actually going to be a youth center! I'm so excited!!!!!! I'm only disappointed that I can't be more involved with the Studio. I would love to get more involved, but between camp and school, I have very little time to go to the meetings and such. Once camp ends, hopefully I will be able to volunteer there more. So I pretty much died my hair dark brown! I LOVE it! I need to put some highlights in it, but that'll have to wait for a bit. Next week, I will be off camp! I think it'll be an awesome break. I have a couple of shifts at BBW and I'm housesitting for a couple in my church while they are on vacation. They have two huge dogs and three cats...so it'll be interesting! Plus a wedding shower to go to, which I have to go shopping for yet :(...I'm such a slacker, but that's what happens when you live at camp all summer. Please pray for me, I'm teaching the Jr./Sr. High Sunday School at my church on the weekends and we are starting a new series. It's kinda hard to teach sometimes. I feel like I'm really failing at this...but maybe God has a plan for it. I need to rely on Him more I guess. Time to get off here...gotta get fingerprinted for the Studio and pack for camp!!!  Justine
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| So I've determined there are little miracles out there each day.
*Buying a tall Jav'ha and getting a grande on the morning you only had four hours of sleep and had to be at a meeting for work at 7 am.
*Turning on your iTunes and hearing that song you just love from the musical you just love.
*Sleeping in until noon just about everyday.
*Finally getting that Beatles poster you just love.
*Orange closets.
*Playing phone tag.
*Having curly hair...okay...it's really a blessing and a curse at the same time.
*Seeing old friends.
*Meeting new friends.
*Laughter.
*Being the first one in the coffee shop and getting that couch you love so much to yourself.
*Knowing that God is our there somewhere watching over you.
*Mouthing the words to that kinda lame song to yourself in the back of the coffee shop without the worries of someone seeing you.
*Realizing you have more money in your bank account than you thought.
*Free wireless high speed internet!
*Getting pulled over for a seatbelt violation b/c your gma didn't have her seatbelt on and NOT getting a ticket b/c well...it was your gma that is old enough to be the cop's mom not wearing her seatbelt.
*Having the flu for only six hours.
*Free chiropractic appointments...whenever i want.
*Texting chats that lead to impromtu visits from long lost friends (oh where oh where is our fair jackie?)
*Learning more from your sunday school class then they learn from you on a given day.
*IM conversations...they go serious, they go funny...all in a blink of an eye.
*The color brown.
*Hotel California...the song.
*The Maury Show...it's Jerry Springer for the daytime
*The best summer jobs ever.
*Ringtones...nothin' like "hey Ya" to wake you up.
*Excedrin Migraine.
*Speeding like a bat out of hades to get to work and not getting pulled over.
*Songs that take you back to yesteryear.
*Free Willy.
*Cheesy movies with cheesy acting that you love still as much as you loved it in middle school.
*Dreams that seem broken in half, but are really quite intact.
*Waking up at 5 am and realizing that it is only 5 am and more sleep is in your future.
*Little brother who makes me laugh all day long.
*Playing hide and go seek with a three year old.
*Holding a baby.
*Spending all day preparing a youth lesson.
*Big Red gum.
*Driving an hour and a half to see friends you haven't seen in over a month.
Miracles, they're everywhere. Everywhere we are, they are. People who come in and out of your life. Situations that you know aren't an accident. Life is exciting and even when you think you're down without two nickels to rub together, life gives you lemonade out of lemons. That's my semi-inspirational speaker coming out of me.
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| With only 2 1/2 more weeks until the IWU campus will be sparce because of summer break, I must say that this year has gone fast. April 25 is the last day of finals for IWU and then it's SUMMER BREAK!! Yay for summer break!!
Over the summer, I will be working a couple of jobs. First for May and hopefully for Saturdays thoughout the summer I will be working at Bath and Body Works in Columbia City for a few hours a week. They don't offer their employees gobs of hours so I will have to work another job. I am really excited about the second job opportunity which is working at YCL camp! Andrea White got me connected with Bryan, the camp director, and he hired me over the phone! I'm so excited about working with the kids and youth over the summer...it really is a dream job. I'll probably end up working with the youth at my church for as much as I can as well over summer.
Next year at IWU, I will be returning to school about a week early because I am on unit leadership (assisting Autumn, our awesome RA on 2N!) and have to help get everything ready. I'm excited about this and think that it is an awesome opportunity. I don't know about classes yet, because I haven't offically scheduled, but if my schedule goes through I'm taking Inductive Bible Study, Local Church Ed, Developmental Psych, Sociology, and Theology 1. Pretty exciting list I must say. Although one stinky note...I will have a 7:50 next year! Oh well, I guess...not much I can do about it!
Well...I'm actually supposed to be writing a paper for night class...so see ya all later! | | |
| "Oh, I wish I were the rain
'Cause it can fall as hard as it wants to
Gingerly drip down a lover's face
Cry for hours and weeks on end
And never feel a bit out of place
And it can feed a field, put out a fire
And never feel the pain
I wish I were the rain (rain, I wish I were the)
I wish I were the rain (rain, I wish I were the)
I wish I were the rain (rain, I wish I were the)
Oh yeah, I wish I were the rain"
-"I wish I were the rain" SheDaisy So...have you ever had a day where if you tripped on the sidewalk and fell, you know you wouldn't get back up? Well...this week has just been that. Not just one thing...but a multitude of things. I've been so tired and on Tuesdy night I figured out why. I was/am getting sick. I spent most of Wednesday morning sleeping because my stomach felt like it was literally twisting inside of me. Oh not fun. Oh today has been interesting. I had three test today and I woke up early (ok 7:30 isn't exactly early) to study for my New Testament test and I fell asleep while studying! augh! But that test went well. Psychology...um, not so good. I had a huge migraine by the time I got back to my room, so I laid down for awhile, to wake up at 11:30 for my 12:05 test. So i studied for maybe 20 minutes. We'll see how it all turns out. I have one more test where I can have a study guide, so I'm working on that now as I sit next to Wildcat in the student center. I can't go back to my room b/c i know I will crawl in bed, but only one more class and chapel tomorrow and then the weekend! YAY! Also, I gave up chocolate and pop for lent...so those I see on spring break, don't tempt me! Only 8 days till restful (hopefully) spring break!!!!! until we meet again, Justine | | |
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