Sunday, January 20, 2013

Treasure Hunt!

So, this was an interesting weekend.

First, I have more of an answer to the college ideas I was having earlier this week. I will probably not be pursuing more education just yet, probably not for at least a year. As I researched the colleges I was looking at and tuition fees, I realised I would have to pay a TON more as a non-resident...a status I will not be able to change until I've lived in Colorado for a year. Ick. Even if I was to take community college courses in Colorado Springs instead of going straight to Durango for college, it would still cost me over double the normal cost for residents.

My mom, in her wisdom, also reminded me that after people have finished their first degree and are working full-time jobs (that would be me now...), they have to just take classes when they can and sacrifice their social time after work for study time. I was looking at the situation like I could just go back to school somewhere...but I wouldn't be able to get nearly as much financial aid, and if I'm a full-time student, I just won't be able to pay for college without help or a good job. I still have a lot of growing up to do.

Second, today my roommate Justin took me to something called a "treasure hunt" around MSU campus. Last week, he met a bunch of new people who go to a place called "The Furnace," a little prayer room in a basement on Grand River across from MSU which is dedicated to praying for and evangelising campus, particularly through bringing together the campus ministries and giving them one roof to meet under. Little place with a big mission...I like it.

Anyway, these people are CRAZY about Jesus in a way I haven't seen since I was in Colorado. We met in the prayer room, and the leader(?), Garrett, got things rolling. We asked God to show us what He wanted us to see: names of people, descriptions of people, places, illnesses, and anything else, and wrote everything down that came to mind. Then we compared lists to see if anyone had matching items, separated into two groups, and went to the places we had written down.

Sound silly yet? Well, God did awesome things with this fun little thing.

Among other things, Garrett had written "big wooden doors," I had "across the street," and Justin wrote "MSU Credit Union." Justin was the only one of us who knew that the place he had written down was across the street and had big wooden doors. Ha. The three of us made our own group and went over, looking for people who might match anything on our lists. As we walked around upstairs, Justin approached a fellow who matched a few things he had written, and we followed. He was in a small study group with two others. As it turned out, the guy said he was a Christian, and one of the other students with him was one of the names on Justin's list, as well. We came to find out that this other student was an atheist, and ended up having a really great talk with him about God's love, Christian stewardship, and the Bible. I think all of us (including the atheist) were very surprised to walk away very happy we had talked.

The same student who said he was an atheist also had a problem with his eye which we all prayed for, but didn't see any healing with it at the time. However, Garrett did got a sort of vision from God and saw what it was like to see out of the student's injured eye, and the student confirmed that was indeed what he normally sees. Crazy! I think God is going to move in his heart through all this.

So, with this silly little game we were playing with God (yes, I would call it that; God is our Father, and He does enjoy playing with His children), we got to encourage a few people and even be encouraged by them in return. God was there the whole time, as He always is.

I believe this happens pretty much every Sunday afternoon from 2pm to 4pm. Tomorrow night, they have a big prayer meeting which I'll also be attending. The people I met know God more than I do, and they have joy overflowing, which is pretty hard to find among Christians now. God has already shown a lot to Justin this week when he spent time with them. I think I'll give it a shot and see what God has in store.

Peace.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

I think I need professional help...

So, I haven't posted in a while. That's ok. My new job is going very well, and I've been getting closer to God together with my roommate Justin. God has taught us so much by making us live together, haha.

Life is generally going quite well. I'm still working on saving money for the big move this summer. I'm moving home from Lansing by the end of this month. My family and close friends are supportive of all this, which is great. I'm trying to learn Irish, practicing guitar and singing all the time...the usual.

However, I recently caught a bad bug...one that I've had before, and one that I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully get rid of. It's the "Man, I really wish I had a geology degree" bug. Since as far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a geologist, specifically a paleontologist. Jurassic Park is my favorite movie ever (Dr. Grant, naturally, being my favorite character). I never got out of the dinosaur phase. If you know me or have read this blog for a while, you probably know that I tried going back to school last year in hopes that I could eventually get a degree in geology or some kind of wildlife science...and if you knew all that, you also know that I didn't follow through with it. I realised that it was better to get a job right now and save money. Glad I made that choice, but I still can hardly stop thinking about pursuing more education eventually.

I kind of feel like an addict...except it's to learning, not an illegal substance.

It's very likely that I will end up in a city called Durango. My new friend Andrew will be moving there once he graduates from Charis Bible College next year, and since my goal is to start an outdoor discipleship ministry with him, I don't see why I wouldn't also move there. My plan was originally to move to Colorado Springs from Michigan, then go to Durango whenever he did. However, I found a place called Fort Lewis College in Durango which looks like it has an amazing geology program, and it's really tempting me to just move straight there. Andrew would be able to help me find a place to stay, so that's not a huge issue. The real issue is whether or not I should try to go back to school...again.

Your prayers and advice are appreciated.

Peace.