Today after 6 and a half hours in the car, we arrived in beautiful Traverse City. The lovely Lara and I managed to get everything to just fit into her car. It was a tight squeeze, but we made it. I had a great time getting to know my roommate better.The trip went by very quickly, we got a bit confused about our directions toward the end, but we made it eventually.
Northwestern Michigan’s campus is pretty small, but I have yet to explore most of it. We’re just a 5 minute walk from the beach where we ate dinner tonight. I have a feeling I’ll be spending quite a bit of time there.
Tomorrow we will be heading to church and getting to know one another a bit better.
As far as internet goes, we have it, but have been encouraged to use it minimally. I can’t promise to post every day, but I’ll do my best. Things may get pretty busy, but at the very least I’ll post two times weekly.
It’s beautiful here, and pictures will come just as soon as I can get some time with my camera. Sorry this couldn’t be longer, I’m exhausted, but I have a lot to tell. Perhaps tomorrow. For now, it’s time for bed.
Alright, it’s 1:10AM, June 13th. Do you know what that means? That’s right….
I LEAVE FOR TRAVERSE TODAY!!!
It’s the end of the beginning, and the beginning of the middle.
After several hours of packing, and stalling, and more packing, and lunch with tori, and more stalling, a load of laundry, some more packing, a trip to Delaware with Baylie, a surprise visit with Andrea, dinner at Bob Heavens, more stalling, more packing, and a little more packing; I am finally ready to leave.
I must say that I never thought this day would come. I feel like as much as I tried to be positive, there were definitely some days that I severely doubted God’s ability to bring me to this point. Which is sad on so many levels. But, God, with his all powerful awesomeness really proved me wrong. I am so excited to be at this point.
In just a few hours, I will be trying to cram my things into Lara (whom I’ve never actually met) ‘s car, and we will be making the 7 hour journey to Traverse. I can hardly wait to see what the Lord has in store. It’s going to be a great summer, and I can hardly wait to get started.
With that said, It is after 1 am, and I really ought to get to bed, I still have a few things to do before I leave tomorrow.
In Christ,
Ariel
Habakuk 2:3
Hello to one and all! Apparently I do have internet at the cabin in Pigeon Forge. yeah, that’s why the silly photo.
After leaving late and getting stuck in traffic near the Cinci IKEA for nearly two hours, we were about 2 hours and 45 minutes behind. Don’t worry, my dad decided to make up the time by going 85-95(it was like driving with Stacy…. ) on the highway. I’ve never felt so carsick or feared for my life so greatly in my entire life before. WE NEARLY FELL OFF THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN!!!! After a terrifying car ride, we arrived safely in Pigeon Forge around 4:30.
The cabin is lovely, and we have a gorgeous view of the mountains. It should be a great week with family. I’ll have to take some photos tomorrow.
Yesterday support reached $2260! Im less than $600 away from Traverse City.
Off to bed for now, but I will be updating this week.
This photo is from the Lovely Andrea Perry, who is currently in San Antonio working with campus Crusade, check her out at: http://andreassummer.wordpress.com
I don’t know what it is about home, but whenever I’m here, I feel strangely non-productive. During the week, when no one else is home, I rarely bother to change out of my pajamas and into real clothing before noon. I feel like this is a major problem. Even on days when I do get things done, at the end of the day, I feel like I’ve done nothing. I hate this feeling.
I know this is a feeling I bring upon myself. Whenever I change environments I tend to inadvertently isolate myself. I don’t know why, but I did it when I first headed off to school. Now that I have really good friends there, I miss them greatly. Im so used to seeing their faces daily, that I almost feel lonely. I know this is all really silly. I have great friends here too, loving supporting friends.
I’ve been feeling sluggish almost since I got back. The first few days I was so busy writing letters that it didn’t quite settle in completely until the past couple of days. I don’t seem to go to bed until 1 or 2 am most nights, because I nap during the day. I don’t feel like doing much of anything. I still haven’t completely unpacked. I haven’t begun to get the few things I do need to get before heading to traverse. I’m even behind on my thank you notes. I just feel off. It’s so strange.
I fear that this is creeping into many areas of my life. I feel like its beyond just the physical going to bed late sleeping through the day thing that annoys my mother so much. I feel like Im not spending as much time with the Lord as I did at school, maybe its because suddenly I don’t spend 4 nights a week with other Christians, discussing. Maybe its because I know that I could sleep an hour or 3 less and really study, I have so much time, so what’s holding me back?
Im glad Im not staying in Findlay all summer. Not because I don’t want to spend time with my family, but because I feel like it’s hurting me spiritually to be here. Perhaps I need to learn once again what it’s like to really spend time with the Lord.
So, in an effort to get out of this slump, I will need you all to hold me accountable. The fancy little tools on the homepage tell me that as many as 45 people read this thing some days, which is a good amount of people. So, my first step is to clean the room. Hopefully cleaning my physical surroundings will help me clear my mind and refocus with the Lord. Tomorrow, unless my computer explodes or has some unforeseen accident, I will be posting pictures of a clean room. Hopefully the thought of letting all of my lovely readers down will keep me motivated enough to accomplish the job.
My second step, I do believe, will be getting to bed at a semi-decent hour, and arising at a similarly decent time. That will also start tomorrow. Im going to bed at midnight, and my goal for waking on Tuesday is 8am. There’s no reason for me to still be awake at 3am. And no naps either.
Im not quite sure what my other steps should be, but Im sure they will come along. Ill try to implement a new one each day. Hopefully the structure will get me out of this sluggish mood, and onto something productive.
It’s been a long and busy week. A couple of English papers, and two projects later, Im wiped. Unfortunately, thanks to the week, Im still on the whole “no sleep till 3am” schedule. Ahhhh!
A whole lot has been going on this week, but one of the coolest things is that this week, I officially reached one third of my support raising goal!! I currently have $1020 thanks to some amazingly faithful supporters. Isn’t it cool to see how the Lord provides in our lives? He has such complete control over our lives, all we have to do is trust in him. Its really been something I’ve noticed lately, and it’s awesome to see his hand work, and to see how hearts have been changed. (this whole thing ought to have it’s own post, but alas, it’s already near 3am, perhaps tomorrow)
It’s been raining all week, and I’m surprised it hasn’t flooded the way it normally does in Findlay. How unusual..
Tuesday, we had a marvelous rain cook-in at the lovely Linden Lodge with the ladies from the Lafollette Bible studies. What marvelous times I have with those women.
Wednesday was busy, although I’m not entirely sure of everything I did. I can’t seem to remember it all. Too much must have happened.
Yesterday, we drug three loft beds across the field to be returned in the rain. I’ve never felt so thoroughly soaked through my skin. Also, I finally met Sally Barrett, a fellow Ball Stater headed to Traverse this summer. And today, I learned that a gal I went to good ol’ FHS with is also headed to Traverse. Hooray! I am so excited to meet everyone on project face to face, and spend the summer walking along these men and women of the Lord.
Alas, today was certainly not what I had originally planned. But sometimes God has better plans than we can imagine. I must admit, I was a little disappointed last night when I found out things were not going to go according to my plan. But today I realized that this was where I need to be this weekend. I really wish I would learn to surrender my own silly plans earlier on, it would save me a lot of heartache.
In other news I did well on my Sociology exam. I got a 90% hooray!
I just wanted to share with you a couple of songs that have been on my heart lately: Below you’ll find Kingdom Come, Marvelous Light (the name of this lovely post), In the blink of an eye, and Blessed. I apologize for the dull backgrounds on them. For some reason, praise and worship videos never seem to be as clean as I want them to be…. Oh well, the music and the glory given to God is what is important.
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? Romans 10:14
If you’re wondering why the title of this blog is so unusual. Its a quote my roommate, Alex said to me today, as I played a game. She lovingly pointed out to me that I haven’t updated this blog in several days. So dear readers, here’s what’s up in my life.
I’ve been swimming a lot lately, with the lovely Bstud gals. We discovered the magic that is Flippers this week. Just put em on your feet, and you’ll be going faster than a dolphin in no time.
On Monday, I received a check from the lovely Mrs. Dickman, wife of the beloved Mr. Dickman, mother of the lovely Victoria Dickman, and friend to all. Thank you so much for your support! Also, I loved your stamp choice, it was much more interesting than the boring liberty stamps.
Today, I received a check from the wondrous Miss. Kiesel, as well as one from Alex’s grandma Evy. Thank you also for all of your support. Miss, Kiesel, your letter was particularly encouraging at this time in my support raising.
This brings my support to $825! Hooray! Im almost a third of the way to my goal of $3000!
In Other news, I lost my audio for my photo project, the good news is that I found it today. The bad news is that it is in an unreadable file format, and I can’t figure out how to fix it. Your prayers on this would be greatly appreciated. I know God has it under control.
Yesterday I threw biscotti at Bailey T; for this I am truly sorry my Bailey dear. Tonight was our usual Wednesday night mayhem, although all we did was go swimming for an hour and a half instead of the usual hour. Crazy!
Also importantly, our room has never been cleaner before, ever. Alex packed up half of her stuff and the marvelous Grandma Evy took it home with her. A good deal of my own stuff is already packed away in boxes as well, and our floor looks nicer than I ever thought it could.
Sadly my ring that I have worn for the past year or so has grown too large. Every time I hop in the pool I fear it will fall off, and I almost rinsed it down the drain the other day. It keeps sliding off my finger. This saddens me greatly because this ring has special meaning to me. My ring is of an Ichthus, which many of you may know as a Jesus Fish. Learn More about it at the link at the bottom. It actually has a really cool history. Many a time I have gotten asked about it, and it’s provided me with some great opportunities to share my faith. It’s always been worn on my left hand ring finger, which always concerned my Grandma Rose a bit, I think she feared men might confuse it for a wedding band. hahaha. Anyways the ring that has been so sentimental to me no longer fits my hand. It’s currently tied onto a ribbon around my neck so that I won’t loose it, but if anyone is interested in having it, I may be willing to relinquish it to a good home. It’s a rather large ring because I have fairly large hands, so it would probably fit a man’s hands better than a woman’s which is why I’m having trouble finding it a home. If you know of someone who might like to have it, let me know.
In happier news, this Friday is my first ever servant team meeting with Campus Crusade for Christ. I’m super excited to get to lead a Lafollette Bible study next year, and walk alongside some new sisters in Christ next year.
I think that’s just about all I have to say. I leave you with a verse from Matthew 10:28-31 (ESV), given to me by the lovely Lydia.
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Jesus Loves you all.
Also, In case you’ve been living under a rock for a couple of weeks, watch this:
than the boogey man….
No really he is. He’s bigger than we realize. Bigger than all of the boogey men in our lives, finances, time management, people, health. God has it all under control. We need to trust that he will take care of us, and provide for us And more imortantly, we need to understand that God works in his own time. He’s not constrained to the boundaries of this world.
I was getting a bit discouraged with homework, projects, and all sorts of junk today, but I opened up my mailbox to find an enormous support check in my mailbox today. I am now 1/6 of my way to Traverse City. Keep those support checks rolling on in!
I don’t have a whole lot of time to post, but I just wanted to share with you how big God has been in my life today. More info to come, but until then, I need to head off and finish my income tax forms. growl.
In Christ.
I realize I managed to skip over Easter. I had a marvelous day, doing laundry and writing more support letters although I missed the family a great deal. Easter may well be my favorite holiday. Above Christmas even, for it’s rebirth and renewal. It’s hard to imaging how much God loved us, that he sent his only son, and that three days after he died for our sins, he was resurrected. I realize there’s a great deal more detail I could go into on this, but I feel like I missed my real opportunity.
And so, I’ve decided to share this with you:
April 16th, go without shoes, the video explains it all. I will be shoeless, and I invite you to join me. (unless of course you have some sort of weird skin condition, then I would discourage barefoot walking under any circumstance, even for a good cause.) I will be back with a note of how my day without shoes goes on Thursday. Until then, I will be focusing on homework, and Ohio State tax forms. In other news, Bailey now has a super hamster, and Im stressing about a photo assignment. But first, bed. It’s 2 AM.
Please continue to pray for support to be raised for Traverse City. If you still haven’t sent your check, don’t forget to do so! Any amount is greatly appreciated!
Please also pray that I won’t let all of the distractions of the end of the year get me too crazy and stressed out.
If you have any prayer requests or questions shoot me an email arielssummer@rocketmail.com
In Christ,
Today was, hmmmm….. Interesting?( to say the least.) I didn’t wake up until around 12. I worked on a little bit of homework and wrote a letter to Yekrem, and went downstairs to the gym. At some point I considered doing my taxes, but I never managed to actually do so. I’ll have to get on that tomorrow afternoon, along with finishing the English paper that is due Monday. I know this isn’t exactly my usual philosophical post. I’m tired and in an unusual mood.
I’ve been thinking about things. And I miss certain people terribly. Some days I wish I could know what God wants me to do. I wish I could see his plan. Then I remember that his plan is too big for me to understand, to marvelous for me to comprehend. But for some reason, that doesn’t stop me from wondering about how he will use me and where he will take me. And sometimes… sometimes that not knowing makes my heart hurt a bit. I’m sorry if this is incredibly vague, there are a other details to this story, but I really don’t need to go into that here. I need to be more patient, lets leave it at that.
A young man in my dorm building died today. Please keep his family in your prayers.
That seems to be all of the energy I have for a post today.
Im sorry it’s not that interesting. I’ll work on something sparkly for the next one.
I leave you with my favorite verse, Jeremiah 29:11, which consequently is on my calendar this month. I guess God knew I would need it.
“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to help you and prosper you, plans to give you a future and a hope” Jeremiah 29:11
In Christ,
That was the question posed to me the other day by my new found facebook friend Preston Cunningham.
The question at first struck me as odd. Why on earth would someone I barely even know even care? But as I pondered the question, I really started to think about it. Missions come in many forms, and in a sense, aren’t we all called to be missionaries? 2Timothy 4:5(ESV) tells us to ” Do the work of an evangelist.” The Bible never says we have to go knocking on doors, but it does call us to share the gospel with everyone. And if God has overfilled our hearts with joy about his word, we should be pouring out to others. We should be barely able to contain ourselves! While we may not all be missionaries in the traditional sense, we are all called to serve God’s master plan.
In the end, I came to the conclusion that I do want to be a missionary. Perhaps that will have me someday serving the Lord in a faraway place, or perhaps it will have me somewhere nearby. I don’t know all of God’s master plan, and even if I did, It’s far too complex for my understanding to even begin to try and understand it all. No matter where God may call me to be , I want to serve God with all that is in me. I want to be a missionary.
Much thanks to my beloved Friend Andrea for sending me the picture. It really seemed to fit well.
Got a question? Prayer request? Email me at arielssummer@rocketmail.com
The Journey 