Thoughts

For some reason, I didn't post this when I wrote it.  So here it is...5 days later:  

  Hi fellow bloggers and followers,

     So I officially have 18 days left in Trinidad. Then I head to Philadelphia once again for debrief with World Team.  I know that I have well over 2 weeks here, but I'm about at that point where nothing sounds better that 'home'.  I can't wait to see my dad and give him a huge hug! It's his birthday on the 30th, so we're planning a fishing-birthday celebration once I arrive.  I'm really excited to spend that time with him; it's going to be time on his new boat (!), where we have no place to be but on the water.  It'll be time that I can share all about this trip with him and we can work through all God has taught me. 

     Apart from missing home and family, I miss my friends.  I am absolutely not ready for Northwestern just yet, but I am looking forward to reuniting with all the friends I've made from the past two years there.  However there is one friend who I'm having to say goodbye to.  She has decided to transfer to a different school and finish her degree 12 hours from where I'll be.  I know that she has put a tremendous amount of thought and prayer into her decision, so I trust that God is leading her away and that He has amazing things planned for her next year.  However, that doesn't help with the feeling of sadness that has overwhelmed me lately.  We have grown SO close through late night heart-to-hearts and our daily exercise-then-have-lunch-and-go-to-class routine! It's been so good for me to have a friend like her...someone whom I can call 'best friend'.  She has been a rock of encouragement and godly advise for me.  We both know that it will be a hard next year without each other, but we both are going to lean on Jesus and through lots of emails and Skype, we will most definitely stay in contact! I am so looking forward to the plan that we've mad to see each other before school starts for her in September!

     I do have to add one more thing that has been weighing on my mind throughout my stay here.  Next year at school, I have been handed the leadership position of an RA (resident's assistant).  It is a HUGE commitment!  At most schools, you will hear the RA's job is to round up the rule breakers-- the drunks, the druggies-- and to deal with all the other regulations-- the late-night hour rules, the noise levels, and all the roommate problems... Yes, at NWC, we do have to do that, but the biggest challenges we will face is not the rule breakers.  NWC strives for a good community, so as the RA, our job is to promote that.  We are in charge of being true mentors at all the girls living on our wings (18 or so on mine).  It's hard to describe he amount of work that this will be, but again, I tell you that it is huge. 

    I don't want to sound unenthusiastic about this.  I am truly gaining excitement for it daily.  I just realize that this is something that is going to stretch me like I've never been stretched before!  I know that God is going to use this experience in magnificent ways in my life and I am so excited for that.  But I know also, that along with the ups, come downs.  So I have been spending a lot of mental time here on the thought of this, prepping myself.  What's also been a bummer for me is that my friend, whom I talked about already, was going to be an RA also.  I was counting on her to be there for me on those days when I'll think that I just can't take it anymore.  So in a way, I've had to mourn losing her in two ways. 

     Having said all that, you may be thinking, "how does this relate to your trip?"  It's true.  It technically doesn't, but it has been something that has been on my mind a lot throughout the trip, so I thought I would blog about it.  I am really trying to make this blog a genuine log of my actions, and thoughts, while I'm here.  It's only fair to myself to add these details.  Please, your prayers on these two thoughts/struggles are very valuable to me!