Walkin in a winter wonderland!

Lot's of snow here! We probably have about a foot or so. The pic was taken the on Saturday night after it had been snowing for probably 12 or more hours! There have been kids on Prez's hill (the hill that goes down from President Medder's house) everyday since this big snow fall. Some of the girls and I also enjoyed the hill with some industrial size garbage bags! :) Make your own fun I guess, we are definitely good at it!!

Thursday is American Thanksgiving! :( The American girls that I hang out with and I were talking all about Thanksgiving; the big paper, waking up in the morning to the smell of turkey, watching the parade, and Black Friday. We are all so sad that we are going to miss it! We are having our own celebration consisting of spending the whole day in the lounge watching the parade, making breakfast, ordering pizza and hanging out. In the evening the school does a Thanksgiving like dinner, which won't be the same of course, but it will be nice! It will be a good day, but different I am sure, my thoughts will definitely be 1000 miles away.

Please pray for me. The last couple of weeks have been extremely rough and I nearly reached my limit this weekend. In such a small school girl drama runs wild and is hard to escape, I am not one that enjoys that scene and it really takes a large toll on me. I am trying to find joy in everyday and I have been reminding myself that everyday is a gift from God, and nothing can bring me down unless I choose for it to. It just gets rough when things are weighing on you heavily for an extended period of time. Break will definitely be a great reliever of that stress.

18 days until I come home! I am so excited! There is so much to look forward to when I am home! My roommate and I have a countdown in our room and are both eagerly anticipating when we get to go home. It will be a good time :)

Well, I am out. Have a lovely evening/day/ect.

Love you all.

SNOW!!

I woke up this morning to a very chilly room because Vanessa and I had left our window propped open last night! When I went to close it all the way, I looked out the window so I could see what the last few mornings has been heavy frost, and there was SNOW!! I was so excited, and had to remind myself to be quiet because  Vanessa was sleeping. It's not a lot, probably not even an inch, but there is a light covering on the rooftops, some places on the sidewalks and grass, and around the trees....I don't care how much or how little it is, I am just excited to see some of that white stuff! We are supposed to have 5 centimeters by the end of this week; I'm not super sure of what that means but I think around 4ish inches. :) 

Last night Alyssa and I got very Christmas-y and bought lots of Christmas stuff at Wal*Mart. I got a little baby tree and Alyssa bought a wreath, a big bow, construction paper and lights. We had a fun time after we wrote papers [:P] decorating my little tree and making red and green paper chains. My room now looks like Christmas threw up in it! I love it though, and it makes our room all the more cheery!

Today I only have classes until 12, and then I am done! Monday, Wednesday and Fridays are lovely free days, which I will enjoy to the fullest because next semester I will be busy everyday. Tonight after dinner we have d-groups, our small groups, from 7-8ish. I enjoy d-group very much and the girls who are in my group.

Well, I just wanted to update on our first snow! Can't wait for more! 24 days!!!!!

love you all. 

I WANT SNOW!!!!

It's snowing like crazy at home and I want snow here!! It's super cold, but we haven't had the slightest hint of snow, and weather reports say its not coming for awhile. BUMMER. I would really love some of that white stuff ((it'll make me feel a bit more at home! )). As an inspiration for the snow to come I decorated our room tonight; a green curtain over the window, snowflake 'garland' ((from my grams! )), candy canes and of course our christmas lights. It looks really cute! Plus, we've been dowloading Christmas music all night and it's been playing loudly since after dinner!! I said I wouldn't break any of the Christmas stuff out until after Thanksgiving, but I REALLY want snow and I am feeling very festive!

On Sunday Alyssa and I, along with 2 other Michigan girls got invited over for Dinner. It was WONDERFUL. All of the food was prepared from scratch and we got to help in the kitchen! We enjoyed yummy chicken, ham, squash, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, salad, and peas. For dessert we had cake that Alyssa and I prepared; chocolate cake with hand whipped cream, ice cream, homemade fudge sauce, and cherries. We were SO spoiled!! It all tasted so good, and I am not sure that the family knew how much they blessed us. I am so thankful for those simple gestures.

Today I only had class from 8-10, 11-12. I had the whole afternoon off and enjoyed some extra sleep; it was lovely. Tonight Alyssa and I walked down to Dairy Queen and enjoyed non-campus food. We talked some and enjoyed time away, campus is nice, but sometimes you need a breather! Non-campus food is always nice too!!

Tonight I am headed to bed early, 2 hour Psychology classes at 8am on Tuesdays kill  me! It will be nice to be in bed before 1am.

picture of  me :) My hair has gotten really long since I've been here! This weekend I am getting my bangs cut, which will be nice because they are very long. 

well I am headed out. Love you all. 25 more days....

WOW. Update!

It's been awhile and I apologize...I've been pretty busy! 

:) Just some pictures I've taken in Sussex. The amount of photo opportunities here is incredible.  My interest in photography sparked again greatly when I got here! 

Thursday 4 other girls and I went to St. John and did some shopping. I needed some jeans and the Christmas banquet is coming up, so dresses are needed! Me and the girls tried on lots of dresses just for fun, and Alyssa ended up buying a really pretty black one. The Christmas banquet is in the first couple of weeks of December; the time is approaching quickly! It was a great day to get away and have some fun with the girls, I enjoyed it immensely.

Finally it's the weekend! Tonight some girls and I went to Superstore (similar to Family Fare) to buy some baking supplies; brownie mix, cookie mix, cookie cutters, eggs, ect. We reserved the lounge from 9-12 so that we could bake and watch movies. We baked a couple dozen cookies and brownies. The sweets were delicious!! We listened to Christmas music the whole time we were baking, I am so ready for Christmas to come!! :) We started watching Premonition awhile ago, and after the movie is done I am ready to konk out in bed! It's been a long week emotionally and physically.

Next week will probably be no different than others.  I cannot think of any special events that are happening at all. Every day is one more day towards home! Right now I have 28!! It will be great being home and seeing everyone again. 

Have a great weekend. I love you all.

Encounter

Encounter is this weekend! More than 250 students will be on campus and I am excited to see some new faces! My apartment has 9 girls staying in it, besides the 3 that will be here this weekend, it's going be a fun time trying to juggle 12 girls and one bathroom! :) It will be fun though, I remember my visit to BBC being a great time.

Encounter is a 24 hour event and many high school students from all over North America come to participate in fun, rallies and to learn more about the school. I am excited for the students so be here and for us to get to know them! It will be a good weekend Im sure.

Tonight the girls in my apartment and I went to Wal*Mart and did some shopping for the weekend. We bough crepe paper, christmas lights, poster board and and cookie dough. We decorated our front hall and arranged our lounge so there is plenty of floor space for them to crash on. :)

We all made posters, and I will post pictures in a bit!
:) Home in 35ish days, I am very excited!

the hallway with Christmas lights and posters!

welcome to Booster! (Encounter was called Booster until this year, so the name stuck a bit!)

the poster I made...Welcome to 210!

Some fun "rules" we made up...

1. Eat Cookies

2. Have fun!

3. Repeat number 2 and laugh your face off

4. Dance parties are always permitted and expected!

5. Enjoy Booster!

6. Kissing boys is BAD (it said fun, but that got crossed off for obvious reasons :)), just dont do it at Bethany!

We only ended up having one girl in our apt, but she enjoyed the poster and felt very welcomed. All the girls in JP are still enjoying the decor in our hall and it is a cheery environment to walk in everyday! There ended up being 350 kids on campus! The weekend was a good one :)

Special Day :)

Today was special :) 

First of all, Amanda and I were in our Gen. Psych class this morning and found out the Kyan Leaander McComiskey was born!! We were and are so excited! We've been waiting for this precious little one for quite a long time! Humpy, as we tend to call him :), is one special little fella. I cannot wait to meet this little guy! 

Secondly, Amanda was baptized this evening! There were 3 other students, including another close friend of mine,who were baptized at Sussex Wesleyan after sharing their testimonies. It was a really good time to hear what God has done in their lives and share in a special event in their  lives. Baptism is always very special!!

I will post a couple pics of Amanda's baptism as soon as I get them up :) Hopefully everyone is doing well. Love! 

Sunshiny day!

This weekend was really nice. A couple of friends and I went home with my friend Ashlei to Fredericton and relaxed. I love Ashlei's mother, she is such a sweetheart! Homecooked food tastes soo good too!!

Me and 2 other girls slept in a queen sized bed; it was really silly and rather toasty! You would think that we wouldn't sleep well, but I slept like a rock both nights we were there. Being in a home is so nice. We slept until 1am on Saturday! (ohh dear!) and then went to the mall in the evening. Their mall is really different than ours and has some different stores that I enjoy. Who am I kidding, I just like to shop! :) Being with the girls was a lot of fun. 

Sunday we relaxed after church and Ashlei's dad made a delicious brunch for us. Yum, eggs n bacon! Of course the Wesleyan hour was quick to follow ;) In the evening after Ashlei's choir practice we headed back to campus. It was such a nice weekend away!!

Today was BEAUTIFUL here. It was 55 and sunny the whole day! It was such a nice break from the yucky cold we've been having. Alyssa and I took full advantage of the weather and went for a walk down the hill and back up. We ended up at the new chapel and just sat and talked for awhile. The new chapel is so peaceful and a nice place to just sit. I love nice days! 

Tonight was hockey! We all love hockey and tonight was noise maker night; everyone brough something to make noise with and signs and stuff. It was a lot of fun! Everyone had a lot of team spirit even though Sussex has, by far, the coldest rink I have ever been to! Hockey nights are a lot of fun and I love being with a bunch of school people. 

Please be praying for me as I decide where I will be next year, next semester and etc. I am still trying to figure out exactly what God wants for me :) I know He will show me in time, but right now I just ask that you pray. Thanks.

Love you all.

My foot.

The other night after walking around Sussex all day and evening I took my shoes off and my right foot was very sore. I went to bed without thinking anything of it, but woke up the next morning and the pain was still there. I went through all day Tuesday and all day Wednesday with extreme pain up the left side of my right foot. Today I finally decided I had enough of the crazy pain and went to the Sussex Health Centre. After waiting for about 45 minutes (which isn't bad!!) I got in to see the doctor. He looked at my foot, asked me a bunch of questions, and then diagnosed it as tendonitis. 

He gave me an antiinflammatory prescription, which is the equivalent to American Alieve, and I have to take it three times a day for a few days and see how the pain is to decide when I want to take it after that. I hope that the meds take the pain away because it is immense and very distracting!! 

Other than that, midterms are over!!! :) I am extremely glad, and ready for a weekend off.  Not much else is new....51 days until we are all home! :)

This is AMAZING.

Lately God has been moving in incredible ways on campus. No...not incredible....amazing. Well, actually Im not even sure I have adequate words for it, but He has been moving through this campus and His work has become completely evident. 

Last night one of my friend's stories was shared with me. My friend was recently walking through Sussex and saw a girl; the girl seemed to be overtaken with darkness and depression. Instantly, my friend was drawn to her and began to feel burdened for her. The girl, who we've come to call Britney, avoided my friend and the group but my friends heart went with her. Throughout the day while my friend was going about school she went through a series of emotions feeling as though she was gagging, she had a panic attack and many other things. I, along with others, firmly believe she was feeling Britney's pain to a certain extent. Last night a few people who felt led to go with my friend, Sarah, went to try and meet Britney. Earlier in the day Sarah felt led to leave a note asking Britney to meet her at 6, and they went in faith to do so.

Meanwhile, seven of us met here on campus in the prayer room in our chapel. There we felt the presence of God surround us and prayed against the devil. We all felt hugely burdened for the situation and the hour was a huge time of faith and hope for Sarah. At around 7 we felt the need to go down to Sussex, and so left the prayer chapel to walk down the hill. On the way to go down to Sussex we met some of the people who had been with Sarah and learned that although the devil tried to do some trippy things, Britney did not show up.

With this news we prayed for Sarah and headed down the hill. I felt an enormous burden for Britney and as we walked we prayed for this precious, opressed girl. As we got closer to Sussex, something in me (God, yah?) said that we needed to go to Subway. Soooo....we headed towards Subway. Kiddy corner from Subway we encountered a group of teens and I felt soo burdened for them; I knew this is the reason God told me to come this way. We ended up going to Tim Horton's, buying 15 hot chocolates and 40 donut holes (Timbits), and taking them back to the kids. We got rid of all of the hot chocolate! 

After distributing the food, we just hung out with the kids and built some relationships. We ended up praying with them and then one of them prayed for us. I almost cried, it was so precious! We got some names and then invited them to hang out on campus. God truly moved through us on the streets Sussex.

Tonight Sarah went to go find Britney again. A larger group of us met in the chapel and prayed, read scripture and warded satan off. I was praying immensely for Sarah to have peace and for God to do his will. Nearly and hour after we started praying Sarah walked in with a face of peace; I instantly knew it was okay. She explained that Britney had not been there, but God had given her an enourmous peace. As a group we thanked God.

This story is amazing. God has showed His power in such great ways.  My faith in Him has grown and I cannot wait to see what He has planned.

MIDTERMS....STUDY TIME!!

weekend!

Last night a bunch of Bethany students headed over to Apohoqui for the Atlantic concert. Apohoqui is about 10 minutes away, if that, but it always very nice to get off campus. The concert was a good time of worship and  it was nice to see friends again. After the concert some of us went out to Subway and had some fellowship there.

 There was a group of townie kids there and my heart broke for them. There was young kids, around 11 years old smoking, and many of them looked like they were under the influence of some sort of alcohol or drugs. They were all just loitering in subway, cussing, smoking and being really loud. At first I questioned there presence there, but then realized that it was better they were there than somewhere else. The sad thing is that this isnt just the picture of a few of the Sussex kids, but the wide majority of them. My heart breaks for their insecurities and broken hearts. I pray that God has touches their lives through many of the students here.

Today we went back to Apohoqui for church because it looked really different than Sussex  Wesleyan and we wanted a change. The service was really nice; Atlantic played the worship and then the pastor spoke on a guilt free life. It was a good service, but I want to go back on a normal week to see what its like then.

Right now I am sitting in the back staircase of JP watching my friend Libby get her haircut into the latest fashion inspired by Rihanna. :) Amanda and I often cut hair, and its really fun. 

Midterms this week. Keep us in your prayers :) 

FRIDAY!! Finally, eh?

Today was great! I had two tests and think I did fairly well on both of them. Amanda and I studied with a couple other girls for the second one, which really helped. I was done with tests by 9:15 and didnt have class again until 11 so I took a nap! It was wonderful!! 

After my 11:00 class was lunch and then we took a trip to Frenchy's, a Goodwill sort of store, to look for some western gear; tonight there was a western themed hockey game in St. John and one of the girls from my apartment was going. I love Frenchy's and we had a super good time!

This afternoon was splendid :) Amanda and I hung out with some girls for a few hours and just vegged. We talked a lot, and our friend Allison, who just got engaged a few weeks ago shared some wedding plans. I love those girls, and it was a lot of fun to relax and be sorta lazy for a few hours. 

After supper we were bored and decided to make some fun! Fridays and weekends in general are pretty LAME, so we have to make stuff up sometimes! Me, Amanda and 3 other girls got bundled up in cute scarves/mittens/hats and coats and went to a beautiful bridge and railroad tracks. We took so many pictures!! It was not only fun to be with the girls and off campus, but it was refreshing to be outside and enjoy the Fall weather. Fall is wonderful!

Tonight we baked cookies! My grams sent me some cookie dough mix and after my friend  Ashlei and I found an egg we mixed it up. Yummy oatmeal chocolate chip! There was probably a couple dozen cookies out of the mix and 3 of us girls ate all but a few. :) Oh the simple joys of cookies!! 

Tomorrow is going to be pretty lazy until the evening when Atlantic is at Apohoqui (pronounced Appohawk) Wesleyan Church. We are pretty excited to see the guys; our brothers and friends. Its always a good time to get off of campus and this will be no exception Im sure! We love seeing the guys play too, and catching up with them all is always nice as well. 

Well, its nearly 1am....Im sleepy!! :) Have a blessed weekend.

Blessings

Today in chapel a testimony was shared about a group of people on a boat who really wanted to see a whale; recognizing that it is not whale season at this time, they settled on a porpoise. Standing at the rail of the boat deck, they bowed their heads and one of them prayed for a porpoise. Not more than 10 seconds later, a porpoise jumped out of the water. As the witness of this said "You ask for a porpoise, God can give you a porpoise!" The story was really comical but what really struck me was the faith; the faith that the group possessed in hoping for something as silly as a porpoise. The leader went on to joke about "The PORPOISE Driven Life" (HAH! :))and other things, but the faith really stuck with me. God is doing some amazing things on this campus as of late, and I am sure the devil is having a fit, but we are winning!

XD just returned from a week long trip to New York City. I am so envious of their  experience there, not because  they were in such a beautiful place, but because they got so many oppertunities to share God and grow in their faith. I am so blessed to hear their stories and see the light in their eyes since they have been back. Urban ministry calls to my heart so much, and I often wonder what God will do with that passion. On their trip 13 people made first time commitments; PRAISE THE LORD!! :)

Today was a pretty nice day but around dinner time it started sprinkling. Fall sprinkles are YUCKY because its cold, wet and gloomy....but despite it, spirits are high. It's starting to get dark around 6:30 here, which is super lame, but I love Fall!! (Even though Ive decided Fall in Michigan is so much better!!) 

A test and a midterm tomorrow...better get to studying. :)

Back in Canada after a 25 hour drive....a long, humourous 25 hour drive. :)

6 freshman students, 1 mature student and a 14 year old cat caused many laughs and an amazing amount of death threats (towards the cat, I promise!) The ride back was a nice time of fellowship, as we were all in good spirits after seeing family/friends and enjoying a weekend off. I learned quite a bit about the people in the van, and enjoyed hearing some of their views on the election, God's plans for the church, ministry and etc. I always enjoy conversations that cause me to think. 

It's pretty good to be back, suprisingly.

I had a fantastic weekend at home, and greatly enjoyed seeing family and friends. I miss everyone already, but I was so blessed in getting to go home for a few days. It was amazing to see everyone. I particularly enjoyed getting to see my youth group and having a few conversations with some of the kids. I miss them lots when Im not home! I can only pray that the older students will step up and be a good example to the younger since we can no longer attempt to play a mentoring role.

I am greatly going to miss Thanksgiving this year!! The students who stayed on campus this weekend went to Beulah for turkey dinner, and there is quite possibly turkey dinner on the day of American Thanksgiving but knowing BBC it will probably be chicken!! (I joke, I joke!) Simply put, Thanksgiving at home is not the same as it is otherwise!

I had a phenomenal testimony shared with me last night, and when I have permisson to share, I might. I have recently walked in the wilderness when it comes to my faith; a place of searching, not knowing and not feeling God...and I have, this weekend, had my eyes opened greatly. After hearing my friends testimony of what God has been doing I am speechless and know that God has some serious plans for life. I am forever astonished by  the way that God reveals Himself to us.

Class goes on...I should be paying closer attention. :) Love to you all. 

It's 1 AM!!

This week is spiritual advancement week. 

We have 2 chapel services everyday this week except Monday and Friday and out guest speaker is Hank Williams. The services have been really great and I have enjoyed worshipping in the chapel so often. Hank and his wife are from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and they happen to know Pastor Steve and Beth from Burnips. The Wesleyan world is so small!

We've been finding that the devil is more powerful here than expected. I believe it is because he knows that we are here to serve God and to learn more about working for Him and expanding His family. The devil hates this and is therefore working overtime to distract us. It's hard to stay close to God when you are being hit so hard, but I have found my faith growing immensely in the past couple of days with the extra spiritual boost. Please pray that we are able to ward the devil off and continue to grow closer to God and His perfect will for our lives. 

Tonight my roommate, Alyssa, Amanda and I went to our first hockey game of the year! We met up with some our guy friends here, from the group Atlantic and went to watch a couple of them play.  It was a pre-season game, so it wasn't all particularly hardcore or entertaining, but it was fun to watch for sure! There weren't many people there but we sat with a couple Bethany people and a couple of the guys. It was fun to hang out and laugh at people biffing it on the ice! ;) 

Tomorrow is a light day...I have a 8:00 class and a 2 hour 3:30 class. It's nice to have all the free time and I am sure I will be working on homework! Amanda and I have the same schedule and Alyssa has no classes; Tuesdays and Thursdays are wonderful!! 

This weekend Amanda and I are going home with a friend to Fredericton. It will be a good time I'm sure!! A couple of people from school live there, so we will be hanging out with them and also having an early thanksgiving!! I am so excited! There is a concert on Friday night that we were invited to, and a couple of friends will be at, so hopefully we get to go to that. This weekend will be much different from last, which I'm thankful for! A change of pace is always nice....

Well its nearly 1:00am... I am a night owl for sure! Alyssa and I are having a 'sleepover' tonight! All the girls on my floor are pretty close so we always have sleepovers, get togethers and share clothes. Its super fun! Even though Alyssa isnt on our floor, she basically lives there and we welcome her into all our crazy adventures and clothes swapping. :) Dorm life is great!

Goodnight friends and family! If  you stop in leave me a little note so that I know you were here!  Have a blessed Thursday! 

LOVE!

Sunday afternoon.

The weekends here are pretty lazy, but a super good time to catch up on sleep and course work. Friday night was pretty average and unentertaining....yet, I still went to bed at 2am. I crawled into bed HOPING to sleep through lunch :)

My wish was unfulfilled when my lovely roomate Vanessa reached down and impacted me with a pillow at quarter to 12 and insisted that I wake up "becuase there's chicken nuggets and french fries for lunch!" OOhhh my roommate...got to love her. Needless to say I crawled out of bed and a group of about 7 of us girls headed to lunch sporting sweat pants, bed head and sleepy eyes. Mmmmmm Saturdays!!

After lunch we headed to a local football game. This game was like no other football game I had ever seen! Sussex is pretty small and rugged, so they dont have a huge high school or amazing sports teams; in fact, this is their first year having a football team. In the first five minutes of the game the opposite team scored a touch down by running after a ball that had been kicked outside the goal posts. Amanda and I looked at eachother and busted out laughing; a touchdown out of bounds?! We then noticed the use of not just a 50 yard line, but also a 55. We sat next to a couple of ladies from the area who just laughed and laughed at our confusion. Im pretty sure we were more entertaining for them than the football game! There were many strange things about the game, but overall is was decently entertaining and eye opening for sure!

Sundays = church at Sussex Wesleyan and then cramming into a vehicle to get back to school for lunch! My friend Asheleigh (A fellow Michigan girl!) has a vehicle and usually drives Amanda Thompson, myself, Alyssa Loew and another girl to church. On the way home though we always manage to fit nearly 8 girls in her 5 passenger vehicle. It's a sight to see Im sure, and causes many good times!

After lunch is the Wesleyan hour. This concept is familiar to all I'm sure! A bunch of us girls pick a movie, grab our comforters and pillows and head to a lounge or common area and kick back. About 10 or 15 minutes into the movie not a single one of us is awake. We all tend to wake up for the end of the movie though! It's a good time to cuddle and be comfy before a long week of classes. I enjoy it immensely!!

Tonight is Encounter which is a weekly worship service. Nearly everyone goes, with the exception of last week when the African Children's Choir was in town. That was a fantastic concert! The church it took place in was uber little and lots of Bethany students filled it up! I love that culture and the kid's are so precious.

I'm going to try and update nearly everyday! I miss everyone and home so much! It will be good to be home in nearly 2 months. I've officially got all my travel plans worked out for coming home and should be home by December 15th. It's good to have friends in PA and girls from Michigan! Love and miss everyone. Have a great week :)