Last First week of School...as an undergrad student I guess

It seems like I have been in school for forever but at the same time no time at all...how can this be?  Well I will give you the big ideas of how my first week has gone.

I LOVE my apartment! My bed is lofted, which isn't my fav but I have lots of room and a futon to take naps on :)  I also get my own sink and only share a bathroom with my immediate roommate.  This doesn't seem big but when you are living with 10 other people it is!  I love having lots of roommates.  Today four of us went on a walk around Cedar Falls.  It was fun to get to talk to Farren, a roommate I just met, but absolutely love already! 

Ministry has been hard getting started.  First of all I feel really disconnected to campus since I am only here for a semester.  On Tuesday I just decided to tell God: Lord, I don't want to serve you right now, I don't feel like this is where I want to be, etc etc.  But lets get real, God always knows just what to say to encourage me.  It came from 2 Timothy 1:7 "He has not given you the spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline."  Guess what the one who is in me is SWEET-power? Love? self-discipline? it is exactly what I need!  I am still struggling getting a bible study together but think my apartment is going to be a good starting place, today on our walk I talking to Farren about it and she is in.

Classes are going extremely well!  It's easily going to be my easiest semester since I was a freshman.  I love many of my classes, ok all but my Capstone and Methods of Science.  My Capstone is entertaining because my professor is a stick it to the man kinda guy, hilarious comments that are often inappropriate; The class however is about science terms that are way over my head and i can't pronounce.  Methods of Science is just plain boring.  I have decided to dedicate my time to working on my doodles and building relationships with the girls that sit at my table, possibly by writing notes.  Our professor reads off of a wordy PowerPoint that she posts online. 

My time with God has been awesome since coming to school!  I have these very awkward breaks in my school day that are like 2-3 hrs long so I just stay on campus, hemisphere lounge of the Union, and do my quiet times and some homework.  It's been awesome.  I am reading through Acts and I love it!  As I am about to embark on a new journey next semester it is really good for me to see how the first church is run and just their love and fellowship with each other.  It has also been sweet to see the faithfulness of God, in the end of Acts 2 it talks about how God gave them favor in the eyes of all people and was bring new believers into their group daily!  WOW! I am beginning to pray that for this not just of Navs but for this campus.  It makes me so excited to see what God has in store next!

Tuesday night was Nav night and it was flippin' AMAZING!  First of all we had to sit on the floor and stand in the back because there were so many people!!!!!!!  Worship was great with the packed house!  Kyle Nelsen did a great job of explaining what the Navigators is all about and laying out the gospel.  I am so excited to see how God is going to work through this ministry with him leading it!  Also as student leaders we are praying for over 100 students to sign up for Main Event this year.  We are going to take charter buses if we can get enough people to go!

Ok, last but not least I am reading a book/going through a bible study with the book Calm My Anxious Heart. It's so great!  I am learning so much from this amazingly wise woman!  I started reading it after I got really anxious about student teaching over the summer.  It has been so great to just let go and let God take over.  This weeks memory verse was Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."  WOW!  I have had this memorized for a long time but I haven't really meditated on it.  I have learned that we have a choice when we are tempted to anxiety a.We can become anxious and nervous and just a mess or b. We can pray!  Pray specifically for what we are tempted to be anxious about and pray for peace, which is God's part.  Our part is to pray.  God's part is to give us peace.  This has changed not only the way I have been dealing with my anxiety but also my prayer life. 
One of the activities I did this week was right out the positive and negative parts of my circumstances at this time of my life.  So i did this.  Then it asked which one do you dwell on...ok I had a TON more in my positive side yet much of my time is spent on the negative part.  Dang!  Philippians 4:9 says "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you."  It takes practice to give our anxieties to God.  It takes practice to pray specifically.  It takes practice to be thankful.  It takes practice to dwell on the positive.

So here are my thoughts, lessons and processings for the week.  Hope you enjoy! :)