Jenkins 111

Hello everyone! Last time we talked, I was feeling overwhelmed and not quite for sure how to handle the copious amounts of to-do's on my list. Well, school is zooming by. I only have 2 weeks left of classes and then finals. As a college student, that means only 8 days left getting up surviving school days and I only have 2-3 finals this semester. I know, how could I not know exactly how many? I will have the option to take my Sign Language final depending on how well I do on the next test. So, I am hoping to only take two finals this semester! That does not mean that my finals week will be any less hectic. I will be filling my time with checking residents out of the hall. Plus, packing to head home while organizing my life to head to New Jersey. It's hard to imagine that the time is coming! I've spent 9 months with these residents and regardless of getting woken up last night at 3am due to some violating quiet hours, I'm going to miss them.

Here's some good news: my contract as an RA has been renewed! We got our new building placements on Wednesday. I'll be heading across the Res Hall Quad to join the Jenkins staff! I'll be on the first floor, in good ole room 111. Obviously, it's going to be a whole new experience but I am so incredibly excited about it! I've lived in a co-ed hall for two years but in Jenkins, I will be on a wing with all girls. Everyone says how different it is (imagine having that many females so close together for that long). I'm just stoked to have the opportunity to have another year as an RA to look forward to. So, Jenkins, here I come!

How is planning for New Jersery going you ask? I am pleased to inform you that there are only 31 days until I board a plane that will take me across the country. I have a paper chain counting down the days until project. When Maci, Allison, and I made it, there were 97 rings. Now there are only 31! I have it hanging up on my wall as a reminder of what I am working towards.

I still have about $1000 to raise to cover the cost of the project. There have been so many sweet surprises the Lord has thrown my way the past two months in regards to my financial support. I am confident that everything will be ok even if it requires a few more surprises. It's never too late to receive support! I also am thankful for all the prayerful support that you have committed to. It's awesome to know that people are excited about what I'm excited about and care about my spiritual growth.

I am duty this weekend which means I have to stay in my hall. Hopefully this equates to many productive hours of schoolwork and some not-so-productive hours with friends.  Enjoy the sunshine and please keep praying for my trip and for all the other students that are also going this summer. If you would like to support me this summer, I would love to talk to you more about it. You can email me at ald223@saclink.csus.edu

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:28

Reality Check: 48 Days!

Well hello, again. I know it's been a while but I've been feeling all sorts of overwhelmed. Nothing in particular, just the semester coming to a close and so many loose ends to tie! I'm giving up on my audiology paper for the night to bring you this short little blurb before bed. And just so you know, my paper is due tomorrow. Yup.

Regardless of how crazy and ridiculous my life feels, I know that these feelings are not always based in reality. I am thankful to have friends here that remind me of the Truth. Here's reality: I leave for Ocean City in 48 days! I'm going and it's approaching quickly. I often imagine what it's going to be like, who I'm going to meet, and how I will be different when I return to California on August 14th. But I know it's impossible to imagine! There are so many things the Lord has planned for me that are far beyond my wildest dreams. It's scary but it surely is wonderful.

Support has started to come in once again and I'm reminded that it is not in my control. Thank you so much for your consistent prayers and for faithfully supporting me financially. All of your encouragement means so much to me. I cannot wait to be done with papers, projects, and exams for a few months. Until that time, I will work diligently and watch my Savior pull this plan together. I hope that you all are having a fantastic week. Thanks for sharing this journey with me!

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. //Proverbs 17:22

We Made It Through The Rain

What a wonderful Spring Break it has been! I enjoyed laying around in sweats and yoga pants daily complete with sweatshirts and glasses. I did have my fair share of time out of the house too! I had great days with special friends and was so grateful to spend time with them. I finally got my right contacts, went to the dentist, and got a hair cut. Feelin' fresh! 

I don't mean to point out the obvious, but the weather was ridiculous this week. POURING rain. BLISTERING wind. COLD days. This may not be what I would've planned for my "perfect" break but it was certainly what I needed. In all honesty, I was anything but productive when it comes to school work and projects. But, I spent a lot of time recharging my batteries and reflecting on what is to come. Graduation is way closer than I may think and grad school is looming over my head. It's strange how life expects you to plan the next part of your life before you even finish what you're currently doing! Who knows where I'll go to grad school, when/where Ian will be deployed, how all my financial support will come in, and all of the other life questions that pop into my mind? 

Luckily, I have a Savior who is crazy about me. I am confident that He has my best interests in mind and I'm sure that all this "stuff" will be taken care of. But here's great news: I hit the $1000 mark! As of today I have seen $1070 come in. It's so awesome and I have to remind myself that although we still have a ways to go, He has got this all under control. Just like this Spring Break weather, life will clear up and it will not always be pouring rain.

I only have eight weeks til summer. Eight precious weeks left in Sac to finish what the Lord has started there with me this year. Eight precious weeks left with my residents and staff. Then, I will have one week at home before setting off for Ocean City. Hold onto your hats, it's going to be a wild ride. I can do this!

Thank you for your continuing support. Your prayers and financial support mean so much to me. If you are interested in supporting me financially this summer, I would LOVE to talk to you about it. I'm glad to see that you too survived the rain. Enjoy this time of sunshine!

"You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." -Matthew 5:14

We Made It 

The Team

It is my pleasure to introduce you to the official team from Sac State CRU heading to Ocean City this summer. (From left to right: Jonathan, Me, Nate, Peyton, Kevin) As of today, we have all now received our acceptances. What a joy! I am so excited to spend this summer with such great friends. Please pray for us all as we prepare our hearts for the summer and as we raise financial support. Thank you so much for your generosity and your prayers. I was able to send my initial deposit in on time!

Spring Break is next week and I'm looking forward to spending some time at home. Leaving at the end of May means that I don't have a lot of time at home from the time I finish school to the day I fly to New Jersey. I hope to hang out with friends, spend time with family, and relax. Hopefully I'll receive more letters back, too! I hope that everyone is having a great week.  

I see a generation

rising up to take their place.

With selfless faith,

selfless faith.

I see a near revival

stirring as we pray and seek.

We're on our knees,

we're on our knees.

Hosanna.

                                                                                       -Hillsong United

From Frazzled to Taken Care Of.

What a great weeks it’s been!  March has  been good to me thus far and it looks like it’ll be getting even better with Spring Break only two weeks away!

I would like to share a story of yesterday morning with you. I had a hair cut appointment in Galt and was very excited about it. Plus, it would give me a chance to stop home to pick up some things. I woke up at 7:52am (snooze is not my friend) and I needed to leave by 8. I scrambled out of bed and did the least amount of things necessary to be presentable and rushed out the door. I hopped in my car, knowing that I was cutting it close. As I pulled out of the parking space, something just wasn’t right. It wasn’t obvious to me at first…but I left my car running and hopped out to take a look. And there it was: an annoying flat tire.

Bummer, right? Well, just wait. It gets better. I pulled back into the space and called my hair dresser to let her know that I would not be making it. She was understanding ; I was happy about that.  Being an adult is tough sometimes so I did what most Daddy’s girls would do: I called my dad. I was fully confident in my ability to solve the problem, but in the moment, his encouragement was just what I needed. It was 8 am and I knew none of my friends would be awake. I definitely didn’t want to wake a guy up this early on a Friday morning!!  I walked back to my building, frustrated and disappointed with how my morning had started. The custodian was there to greet me. I didn’t think it was obvious that I had a rough morning, but he asked me what was wrong and I told him I had a flat tire. He dropped what he was doing and said he could help.

The rest of the story plays out like a comedy. One thing after another kept going wrong. I couldn’t find the tools in his car. He went to his truck but his socket was too big. He called another custodian and his also didn’t fit.  But he then found the tools in a secret compartment in my trunk (who knew! ha). So they put the spare on and guess what? It was low on air. So they jumped in his truck and took it to the gas station to fill it. Apparently the first one didn’t have an air pump…so they went to another one.

In the meantime, I was sitting on the curb in the parking lot of the Res Halls. Remember how I got ready in 8 minutes? I took advantage of time zones and called friends that I thought would be up. Texting is also a great way to pass time. In the end, everything was pulled together and my Friday continued to be great! I spent the afternoon rock climbing and the evening was all about celebrating my friend’s birthday.

The lesson of the day: God takes care of all our needs. He knew I would have a flat tire. He knew it’d be early. He knew someone would be there who could help. He knew we would run into a few problems, but He provided ways around it. What a great example of the Lord’s provision and omnipresence in our lives .

This is what I know is happening with my trip to Ocean City. He knows what I need to get there. He knows exactly how this is all going to work. Each day I get a letter back, my mom calls me as she opens it. He has been so faithful this week and thank you so much for helping!  Please continue to pray with me as May 31^st approaches. Only 87 days left! 

The Next Step

This is a part of going to New Jersey that I would say is the most foreign to me. Raising support is something that I've heard of but this is the first time that I am doing it myself. It's a concept that is difficult to explain, but it's a way for people to make an eternal investment. How cool is that?

Today, my good friend Peyton, joined me in my adventure to Galt so I could pick up a few things from home. It is such a blessing being close enough to home to make little trips like this. We stopped by the good ole Galt Post Office and bought stamps and headed to my house to begin stuffing envelopes. I wrote and signed as she stuffed and sealed the envelopes. Thanks Peyton! 

I am still collecting addresses but I am very excited to see God begin to pull all this together and I truly believe that He will use people in my life (including you) to help me get to Ocean City to do His work. 

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever-do not abandon the works of your hands.

Psalm 138:8

CRUatSAC

CAUSEWAY CLASSIC

cru@sac VS. cru@davis

       This was such a fun night and I wanted to share it with you! Last Thursday night, CRU at Sac went across the causeway to challenge CRU at Davis in a game of Capture the Flag. UC Davis is Sac State's rival so you can imagine how great our desire was to win!

       Do you remember how horrible the weather was last week? We played on the quad and there were countless puddles. HUGE ones. It was dark. It was cold. We were outnumbered. It continued to rain during the game. But, we never lost HEART. My faithful rainboots kept my feet dry throughout the night.

       We lost the first couple games but gave it all we had on the last run. Kenny captured the flag to give us the final win of the game. It was close and as Davis was running their flag across the line, Kenny crossed ours with only seconds to spare. Throughout the night, we had successful moments of getting our players to our flag. As people were tagged, they returned to our base with updates and to tag our flag to resume their place in the game. It was a blast seeing everyone play and how much fun everyone was having, even when we lost. I had a great time and was so excited when I would tag a Davis player...like really excited! Players were sliding from the rain and I don't believe this picture does any justice. Afterwards, we headed to the local IN N OUT to review the night and to enjoy one another's company.

       Our special friendships are evident by how much fun we have hanging out with one another, no matter the occasion. I am incredibly thankful for CRU at Sac State. I am challenged to grow at the same time of being accepted and encouraged. I encourage you to pray for CRU at Sac State as we continue to reach out to our campus. I am also grateful for Campus Crusade for Christ for providing me such an awesome opportunity to spend this summer in Ocean City, NJ. I hope that you all are having a great week. Don't be afraid to play in the rain!